– WWE.com has a video up from behind the scenes at Monday’s RAW featuring Ric Flair teaching Ricardo Rodriguez how to “Woooooo!”
– Sin Cara was once again backstage at WWE TV this week but was not used.
– Here’s the latest episode of WWE Inbox:
WWE Now Selling “VIP Experience” Packages For Fans Attending Live Events
According to Ticketmaster.com, fans attending upcoming live events now have the chance to purchase two different “WWE VIP Experience” packages, which include premium ringside or lower bowl seats, backstage meet & greet with WWE Superstars, a photo with WWE Championship Title, WWE merchandise and more. Here are the full details on the two packages being sold:
WWE Superstar VIP Experience Package:
1 Premium Ringside Seat
1 Meet & Greet and Autograph Opportunity with WWE Superstars**
1 Photo with WWE Championship Title
1 Exclusive Limited Edition WWE Event Chair
1 Exclusive WWE Snap Back Cap
1 Limited Edition Event Poster
1 Commemorative VIP Ticket Holder
Venue Parking (where applicable)
Crowd Free Merch Shopping Area
On-site VIP Concierge
WWE Enhanced VIP Package
1 Premium Center Ring Lower Bowl Seat
1 Exclusive WWE Snap Back Cap
1 Limited Edition Event Poster
1 Commemorative VIP Ticket Holder
Venue Parking (where applicable)
Crowd Free Merch Shopping Area
On-site VIP Concierge
WWE Hall Of Fame Update: The Kliq, Bob Backlund, Bruno Sammartino & More
On Monday’s RAW, WWE announced that Mick Foley is the first member of the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2013. Upon talking with company sources this week, we can confirm that WWE is considering inducting “The Kliq” together as a group – Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Sean Waltman. This would make Shawn Michaels a 2-time Hall of Famer, as he was inducted alone last year.
Bob Backlund was at WWE headquarters in Stamford, CT last week and is also rumored for an induction. WWE is still pushing for Bruno Sammartino to enter the Hall this April and the company is expected to make another strong push soon to get him to agree.
As noted earlier this week, Kamala has also been contacted about joining the Hall.
Eve Torres Posts Farewell Video To Her Fans
Former WWE Diva Eve Torres has posted a farewell message to her fans, thanking them for their support.
* Video Of Eve Torres Quitting WWE & Her Final WWE Match
In the video, which she recorded from her hotel room on Monday night after RAW, Torres talks about her final days in WWE and what’s next for her now that she’s no longer in the wrestling business.
As we’ve been reporting, Eve plans on getting married to her fiance Rener Gracie soon and will be focusing on her women’s self-defense program.
* Pictures of Eve Torres & Her Fiance – Rener Gracie
Here’s the video:
Rey Mysterio’s Return, Rock Congratulates Foley, Maddox Doing Commentary
– Rey Mysterio is scheduled to return to the ring at Friday’s RAW live event at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Mysterio has been out of action for several weeks dealing with a personal issue.
– The Rock tweeted the following congratulatory message to Mick Foley:
@realMickFoley Always a pleasure seeing you Mick. Congrats on the HOF. What a career! Im honored to share a small part of it. #FoleyJourney
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) January 16, 2013
– Vickie Guerrero and Dolph Ziggler will be doing an appearance today at 2pm in City of Industry, California at Fry’s Electronics.
– WWE’s SmackDown brand will be holding live events Alaska tonight and Friday night, with shows in Fairbanks and Anchorage. The Shield will be working these SmackDown shows.
– Brad Maddox will do commentary on Wednesday’s WWE Main Event broadcast during the Prime Time Players vs. Primo & Epico tag team match.
The Miz Thanks Ric Flair For A “Dream Come True”, Tyson Kidd Thanks Fans & More
– Following his interview with WWE.com this week where he updated fans on the condition of his knee injury and responded to CM Punk recently calling him a “work horse” in his latest Pipe Bomb promo, Tyson Kidd tweeted the following message on Thursday:
Silence broken….http://t.co/dENhxHKO
I appreciate and am overwhelmed by the support from everyone.
Thank you
— TJ Wilson (@TJWilson) January 15, 2013
– The Miz tweeted the following about Ric Flair appearing on his Miz TV show on RAW:
https://twitter.com/mikethemiz/status/291418126451621890
Speaking of The Miz, WWEShop.com is selling a new “Haters
– WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross noted on Twitter that his barbecue company is developing a hot sauce and a wing sauce. #Sauceit
Superstar Billy Graham Responds To Chris Jericho Calling Him A Mark
WWE Hall of Famer “Superstar” Billy Graham has responded to Chris Jericho’s recent comments towards him, where Jericho tweeted, “Dear Superstar Billy Graham, Shut the hell up and stop being such a mark. Your Pal, Chris Jericho.”
To recap, Billy Graham posted a long rant about CM Punk’s promo earlier this month where he questioned the legacy of Bruno Sammartino, saying that Sammartino only wrestled once a month and he could have been champion as long as Bruno if he had to work such a light schedule.
Here is Graham’s response to Jericho coming the defense of CM Punk:
“Mr. Jericho Sir,
I won’t say Dear Chris because I know you hate me with the utter most hatred.
Addressing your quote about me, “And stop being such a mark” The truth is, I believe everyone is a mark for someone or something at some point in their life. For instance, I am a total mark for Bob Dylan. The man has written over 600 songs and I saw him in person here in Phoenix last year. He had never sounded better at the age of 70! Fans are marks for the upcoming Super Bowl, The World Series, The NBA championship playoffs, and Nascar to name just a few examples.
In pro wrestling I am a mark for Triple H and proud to admit it for numerous reasons. He had a great hard earned physique, he had enormous charisma and an in ring presence that was unmatched. I remember sitting on the front row at a PPV here in Phoenix and his opponent gave him a sling shot into the post. I had my eyes fixed on him because I was curious about how he was going to do the blade job. As soon as his head hit the post he started bleeding, I did not see him cut himself and he was right in front of me, just a few feet away! Back in the locker room we were sitting next to each other and I asked him, “Brother, how did you cut your head, as you started bleeding immediately?” He said, ” Superstar, I cut my head right before it hit the post.” I marked out at that very moment, what a pro that man was and still could be if he wanted to be.
In closing I hope that answers your statement to me regarding “being such a mark.” And your quote to me about “Shutting the hell up” I won’t even address that because what I do best is CUT PROMOS!!!
Superstar Billy Graham”
Fuanki Backstage At SmackDown (Picture), WWE Catches Up With Kaientai
WWE.com has posted a new “Where Are They Now?” featuring looking back at the Attitude Era tag team of Kaientai, Taka Michinoku and Sho Funaki.
Today, Taka Michinoku and Funaki are still involved in the wrestling business. Taka now operates the Kaientai Dojo, a wrestling school and promotion in Japan. When he’s not training students at his dojo, he still works a full wrestling schedule in Japan and enjoys spending time with his wife .
Funaki lives San Antonio, Texas and runs the Funaki Dojo wrestling school. His goal there is to train young wrestlers so they can one day make it to WWE. Outside of his school, Funaki hangs out with his children and is a huge Green Bay Packers fan.
In related news, WWE announcer JBL revealed that Funaki was backstage at Tuesday night’s SmackDown tapings from San Antonio, Texas. He tweeted the following picture of the two of them together:
WWE SmackDown Preview For Friday
WWE taped this week’s SmackDown on Tuesday night from San Antonio, Texas. Here’s a preview for the show:
* Big Show and Dolph Ziggler vs. Alberto Del Rio and Sheamus
* Randy Orton, Kane & Daniel Bryan vs. Wade Barrett, Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow
* The Miz vs. Primo
* Divas Champion Kaitlyn vs. Aksana
* US Champion Antonio Cesaro vs. Kofi Kingston
Ryback Talks About Becoming WWE Champion, Comparisons To Goldberg & More
WWE superstar Ryback recently spoke to the Phoenix New Times to promote WWE’s upcoming Royal Rumble pay-per-view. Here are some highlights of what Ryback said about:
His “Slow Build” Push
“We’re just going slow with it, like you should when you build a new superstar. Things have been rushed in the past. I’m not new to this, I’ve been in [the WWE] almost seven years. I’ve been through a lot in developmental. This is just the beginning. There’s much, much more to Ryback. I firmly believe I’m going to be the focal point of the WWE for the next 10 years.”
Becoming WWE Champion:
“I know it’s going to happen, it’s only a matter of time. I’ve been a fan my entire life and growing up watching this and its going to be surreal moment and I’m going to take every second of it in. And I look forward to waking up every day the WWE champion.”
Comparisons To Goldberg:
“I’ve explained this to people before, it’s never offended me … I was a fan of his. I think was unbelievable and exciting and fun to watch. But I truly, truly love this and have a passion for this and want to be as great as this as I could possibly be. I love money and want to make millions upon millions of dollars, and I’m going to. But at the end of the day, I’m going to be in WWE. I’ve said it at the beginning, I want to be part of WWE for the rest of my life. And I don’t know Bill Goldberg personally, so I don’t know exactly how he feels about wrestling and whatnot, but I can just tell you how I feel, and I think at the end how I feel is what’s going to be what separates me from Goldberg ultimately when my career is winding down. He was a huge draw and hopefully I can be as big if not bigger of a draw as he was in his prime. It motivates me and I look forward to outdoing him in any way possible. It’s never been a negative thing in my mind.”
*SPOILERS* WWE SmackDown Tapings Results For Friday (1/18)
WWE taped Friday’s episode of SmackDown on Tuesday night from the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. Here are ongoing results:
Dark Match
* Alex Riley beat Leo Kruger
SmackDown
– SmackDown opens with Alberto Del Rio’s fiesta celebrating his World Heavyweight championship win. Dolph Ziggler interrupted the party, as did Big Show and then Sheamus. Tonight’s main event was announced – Alberto Del Rio and Sheamus vs. Big Show and Dolph Ziggler.
– United States champion Antonio Cesaro defeated Kofi Kingston.
– Randy Orton, Kane & Daniel Bryan defeated Wade Barrett, Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow after Orton hit Sandow with an RKO. After the match, Team Hell No hugged Randy Orton.
– The Miz defeated Primo with the Figure Four leg lock.
– WWE Divas Champion Kaitlyn defeated Aksana.
– World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio and Sheamus defeated Dolph Ziggler and The Big Show.
Matches Taped For Main Event, NXT Star Released, New Saturday Morning Slam Promo Video
– WWE taped the following matches for this week’s episode of Main Event on Tuesday night from the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.
* Antonio Cesaro vs. Randy Orton
* The Usos vs. The Prime Time Players
– WWE has reportedly released NXT star TAC (Brandon Carter) from his developmental deal. Carter’s NXT profile has been removed from the NXT Superstars roster page, but can still be accessed here.
– With Saturday Morning Slam moving to a new timeslot this weekend (10:30am), WWE has released the following video hyping the show:
*Spoilers* WWE Main Event & Saturday Morning Slam Tapings Results
WWE taped this week’s episode of Main Event on Tuesday night from the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. Here are the results:
* Antonio Cesaro and Randy Orton wrestled to a no contest after The Shield came down and attacked Orton during the match. The Miz came down to make the save for Orton, but Cesaro brawled with Miz while The Shield put Orton through a table.
* The Usos defeated The Prime Time Players. Brad Maddox was on commentary for this one.
WWE also taped matches for an upcoming episode of Saturday Morning Slam. Here are the results;
* Dolph Ziggler defeated Zack Ryder.
* Wade Barrett defeated Yoshi Tatsu.
New Trailer For WWE’s “The Call”, What Was Cut From RAW On Hulu Plus
– WWE has released the following movie trailer for the upcoming WWE Studios film “The Call” starring Halle Berry and featuring David Otunga:
* Pictures of DAVID OTUGNA’s New Clean-Shaven Look In “THE CALL”
– Here is this week’s edition “What Was Cut From Raw on Hulu,” courtesy of Kaleb Perkins:
– The video package showing Bob Barker hosting
– Kane vs. Damien Sandow
-Josh Mathews interviewing Brodus Clay about what Punk said about Clay on last week’s Raw.
– The video package on the contract signing with Mr. McMahon and Donald Trump for their Hair vs. Hair match at WrestleMania 23.
– CM Punk vs. Brodus Clay & CM Punk’s post-match promo
– The video package on the best vehicular moments on Raw.
– The backstage segment with Mick Foley and The Rock, which gets interrupted by Vickie Guerrero.
– Sheamus vs. 3MB )Over the Top Challenge match).
– Josh Mathews interviewing John Cena about his steel cage match with Dolph Ziggler.
– Miz coming out to hint who his guest would be on MizTV.
– The video package on Mike Tyson coming to WrestleMania, that Steve Austin interrupts and both men get into a brawl.
– Daniel Bryan vs. Cody Rhodes
– The video package showing Matt Striker interviewing Eve on the WWE Active app, with Eve “quitting” WWE.
– The backstage segment with AJ and Big E Langston on the weddings that happened on Raw, which includes a Dolph Ziggler promo on his steel cage match with John Cena.
– The entrance of Jim Ross coming to ringside to call the steel cage match
Ratings For Monday’s 20th Anniversary WWE RAW (Updated)
Ratings in for Monday’s 20th Anniversary RAW and the show did the best audience since the RAW 1,000 special back on July 23rd, 2012.
RAW drew a 3.185 rating with 4.55 million viewers, up over 100,000 viewers from last week. Here’s the hourly breakdown:
Here’s the hourly breakdown:
Hour 1: 4.50 million
Hour 2: 4.68 million
Hour 3: 4.47 million
Jim Ross tweeted the following about the rating:
#RAW20 was the most watched program on prime time, cable tv Monday night w/ over 4.5M viewers. Congrats @WWE team. #sauceit
— Jim Ross (@JRsBBQ) January 15, 2013
Tonight’s SmackDown & Main Event Tapings, Tyson Kidd Injury Update, Foley-Comic Con
– WWE is taping this week’s Main Event and Smackdown shows from San Antonio, TX. Randy Orton vs. Antonio Cesaro will be taking place on Main Event. For SmackDown, the only thing advertised is Del Rio’s Championship fiesta.
– WWE returns to Providence, Rhode Island on March 16th for a RAW brand live event. Tickets go on sale at Ticketmaster.com tomorrow morning with the pre-sale password WWEPROV.
– Mick Foley is the latest WWE personality to be booked for an upcoming Comic Con event. Foley will be appearing at the Niagara Falls Comic Con in June.
– WWE.com has published an interview Tyson Kidd, who recently suffered a bad knee injury that he described as “ligament and meniscus tears in his right knee and a fracture in his tibia platea.” The article states that he’ll be out for 6-8 months.
Bully Ray Holding His Bachelor Party At NYC Gentleman’s Club On Wednesday
TNA star Bully Ray’s bachelor party will take place on Wednesday night at Rick’s Cabaret in New York City. The following press release, which notes that Hulk Hogan is invited to the party, was sent out on Tuesday:
“Bully Ray” From “TNA Impact Wrestling” Chooses Rick’s Cabaret New York For His Bachelor Party, To Be Held Wednesday Night, Just One Day Before His Wedding to Brooke Hogan (Hulk Hogan’s daughter).…The Marriage Ceremony Will Air Live on Spike TV, Thursday at 8pm, 7pm Central.
Pro Wrestling Superstar “Bully Ray” proposed to Brooke Hogan on Spike TV’s “Impact Wrestling” Show last Thursday night.
Surprisingly, she accepted despite her dad Hulk Hogan’s look of dismay as he stood by. They are getting married on Spike TV’s “Impact Wrestling” show this Thursday night, January 17th, live, 8pm, 7pm central.
Several pro wrestlers are throwing Bully Ray’s bachelor party at the famous Rick’s Cabaret New York this Wednesday night, January 16th. On the guest list are some rock and roll notables and other pro athletes who are friends of the groom.
No expense has been spared. The grapplers have reserved the entire second floor VIP lounge and the Deluxe Sky Box. Over 75 Rick’s Cabaret Girls will provide the entertainment.
Rick’s Cabaret’s award winning executive chef Mr. Nestor is preparing a menu designed especially for the brawny brawlers. He describes it as “Rib Eye steaks, red meat, and more steaks!”
Following dinner they have reserved the entire roof deck and smoking lounge to enjoy cigars and brandy.
Hulk Hogan, who disapproves of the wedding, was invited to the bachelor party, and it remains to be seen if he will show up.
Mr. Ray said, “I’m looking forward to my bachelor party. Rick’s Cabaret has the hottest women.”
Rick’s Cabaret Girl Mandy said, “We love all the pro athletes, it will be an awesome party with non-stop lap dances!”
Rick’s Cabaret Girl Maya met Bully Ray on a previous visit to the club. “He is such a man! I wanted him all to myself, but Brooke Hogan must have won his heart,” she sighed.
Rumored Match For The Royal Rumble, WWE Officials High On NXT Diva
– Following Kaitlyn’s Divas championship win on Monday’s RAW, there are plans for her to defend the title at the Royal Rumble.
Royal Rumble 2013: Updated Card (New Matches, Entrant)
Originally, Eve Torres was scheduled to defend the against Kaitlyn at the Royal Rumble in a Lumberjills match, but the decision was made last week for Eve to drop the title to Kaitlyn on RAW in her final match before leaving WWE. No word yet on who Kaitlyn’s challenger will be.
Backstage News On Eve Torres Leaving WWE
– WWE officials are said to be impressed with the recent work of NXT Diva Sasha Banks, formerly known Mercedes KV. The 20 year old diva made her NXT debut back in November.
* Pictures of the Beautiful SASHA BANKS
Another Rumored Name For The WWE Hall Of Fame, RAW Backstage Fallout
– According to WWE sources, Kamala has been contacted about being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this April. Kamala had a main event run in WWE against Hulk Hogan during the late 1980’s, had a feud with the Undertaker in 1992 and then worked as a comedy babyface after that. He also wrestled in Memphis as well as WCW.
– Here is the latest episode of WWE Backstage Fallout, featuring interviews from Monday’s 20th Anniversary RAW:
Randy Orton’s Clean Loss To Barrett, Kaitlyn Posts Emotional Tout Video, Bray Wyatt Teases His Debut
– On Monday’s RAW, we saw Intercontinental champion Wade Barrett get a surprising clean win over Randy Orton. While Orton jobbing to Barrett might seem like it could be related to the news of Orton taking time off soon to deal with personal issues, f4wonline.com reports that the loss will actually play into Orton’s eventual heel turn.
– NXT star Bray Wyatt continues to tease that he’ll be debuting on RAW soon, tweeting on Monday night:
https://twitter.com/WWEBrayWyatt/status/290995231632027649
https://twitter.com/WWEBrayWyatt/status/290996770765426688
– New WWE Divas Champion Kaitlyn posted the following emotional video on Tout following her win on RAW:
Backstage News On Eve Torres’ WWE Departure
Following her title loss to Kaitlyn on Monday’s 20th Anniversary RAW and her subsequent “quitting” of WWE during a backstage interview that aired on the WWE mobile app, Eve Torres is in fact leaving the company.
Torres reportedly approached Vince McMahon last month and informed him of her intentions to depart the company. It was decided that she would stick around while they could wrap up her program with Kaitlyn and the decision was made in the past week for their match to take place on the 20th Anniversary of RAW.
Eve is engaged to “MMA royalty” Rener Gracie and will be the new face of the Gracie Academy’s “Women Empowered” self-defense program.
Eve tweeted the following this morning about her decision to leave WWE and displayed a good sense of humor in what has to be an emotional time for her:
I arrived Texas with the Divas Championship in my luggage, and left Texas with this belt. Whelp, time to go http://t.co/QxXJMPG5
— Eve Torres Gracie (@EveTorresGracie) January 15, 2013
Cody Rhodes & The Miz Talk Trash On Twitter, Otunga Talks Nexus Success
– David Otunga is interviewed in the new issue of WWE Magazine and had this to say about the success of the former members of Nexus:
“I think everybody has been doing great. We pretty much are the new top guys of WWE. We’re all here now. Ryback just contested a championship match, and he’s got another one coming up. Daniel Bryan has been a champion before and Wade Barrett is well on his way. Heath Slater has his own crew now. I just filmed my first movie with Halle Berry. I think it all turned out better than we planned.”
– WWE superstars Cody Rhodes and The Miz exchanged some trash talk on Twitter following Monday’s RAW. Rhodes Tweeted:
Not mad. I'll still be competing at #RAW30 all while Yoshi will still be pretending to not speak English, Miz still learning the figure-four
— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) January 15, 2013
The Miz responded:
https://twitter.com/mikethemiz/status/291139372689027072
Dolph Ziggler On Winning MITB & The Worst Thing He Does
Dolph Ziggler is interviewed in the February 2013 issue of WWE Magazine. Here are some highlights of what Ziggler said about:
What It Was Like Winning Money in the Bank: I can only speak up so much — whether it’s backstage or on Twitter and in interviews — and if I didn’t think I was this good, then I wouldn’t keep telling people to put me in these situations. I’ve been saying for years that I deserve to be there, and I value my word as something that truly means something. That’s why that came out. It’s about damn time that people woke up to what just about everyone in the world had already known.
The Worst Thing That He Does: I don’t listen … to a point where if I think something’s right, I’ll go ahead and do it anyway, and it’ll be the wrong thing to do. That’s what’s holding me back. I tell myself how great I am, but sometimes I’m wrong. Some people have been here a lot longer, and sometimes they’re going to be right, and damn it, I’m going to have to pay attention to that.
The Rock Talks About His Movie Career & The Keys To Success
As previously reported, WWE superstar The Rock is on the cover of the February 2013 issue of WWE Magazine. Inside, The Rock is interviewed about a wide variety of topics, including his Hollywood career and what he believes are the keys to success. Here are some highlights of what The Rock said about:
His Hollywood career: “Honestly, if I could start my Hollywood career over again, I wouldn’t change a thing. Every success and failure, every love and heartbreak, it’s all led me down the path I’m on. This will be my 13th year of acting on the big screen, and I’m lucky to be enjoying the Hollywood career I have these days — but I also wake up every morning with the mindset that there is no substitute for hard work, and there’s no amount of sweat I won’t drop to achieve my goals.”
The Key to Success: “‘What’s the key to success?’ is something I’m asked every single day. I don’t believe there’s only one ‘key to success.’ But what I do believe in is hard work, and daily, focused commitment and sacrifice. I believe in being gracious with your successes, and humbled by your failures. I trust my gut and always keep my family close. I live in optimism and faith. When I grab opportunity and success by the throat, I don’t let go.”
Steve Austin & Shawn Michaels Explain Why They Weren’t At RAW
WWE Hall of Famers “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels were rumored for Monday’s 20th Anniversary RAW from their home state of Texas, but neither man showed up. It turns out, both men were in Las Vegas. Here’s what they wrote about not attending RAW:
Hitting the hay in Las Vegas. Hope RAW was a fun show. I was already booked here at the Shot Show in Vegas, as I am every year. #hunting
— Steve Austin (@steveaustinBSR) January 15, 2013
RT: "@CraigACutler: Really upset @ShawnMichaels is not in the house tonight." — I was honest when I said I was in Las Vegas for SHOT show!
— Shawn Michaels (@ShawnMichaels) January 15, 2013
Michaels said he won’t be at tonight’s SmackDown tapings from his home town of San Antonio and said it’s unfortunate that some WWE fans don’t appreciate that he has non-WWE commitments.
Jim Ross also tweeted about Austin and Michaels missing Raw:
@Quinnah @steveaustinBSR had a long standing commitment that prevented him gro being ar #RAW20. So di @ShawnMichaels. LIGHTEN UP.
— Jim Ross (@JRsBBQ) January 15, 2013