WWE taped the January 4th episode of WWE Superstars on Saturday night from the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. Here are the results:
Dark Match
* Alex Riley beat a local wrestler.
WWE Superstars
* The Usos beat the Prime Time Players after hitting double top rope slashes and pinning Young & O’Neal at the same time.
* Brodus Clay beat Primo. The Funkadactyls, Epico and Rosa Mendes were at ringside. After the match, Brodus Clay danced in the ring with several children.
– During a recent interview with the Norfolk Navy Flagship, WWE SmackDown star Sheamus talked about which WWE legends have been most influential in guiding his career:
“One of the first guys to really text me or call me up was William Regal. He offered to help me and have me travel with him. We have the same sense of humor, same pop culture background. We got on right away from the start. He’s been a great help to me by watching my matches and critiquing them.
“There have been others like Triple H … Arn Anderson as well. I’m always motivated to pick the brain of people who have been so successful. Great number of minds and talents in WWE and they’re all at your disposal. It’s definitely helped me to progress faster than I would have on my own.”
Sheamus also spoke about the dedication it takes to be a top WWE superstar – and why you can never get lazy or rest on your laurels.
“It’s about drive – never be happy with what you do. You can’t rest on your laurels because you’re only as good as your last match. There are a lot of hungry Superstars ready to come in here and want to knock you off your spot.”
– Here’s the latest episode of WWE Backstage Fallout:
In the latest edition of “Backstage Fallout,” Brad Maddox reacts to his brutal defeat against Sheamus, Wade Barrett guarantees that he’ll be the new Intercontinental Champion, and the Usos promise the WWE Universe that they are more than ready for 2013.
– Monday’s Christmas-themed episode of Raw featuring John Cena vs. Alberto Del Rio in a Miracle on 34th Street Fight and a Santa Claus injury angle drew a 2.2 cable rating, which marks as the show’s lowest rating of 2012 and in over 15 years. The last episode to draw a figure that low was the September 8, 1997 show, which featured Triple H vs. Savio Vega vs. The Patriot in the main event.
As reported earlier, 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. Hour one drew 2.94 million viewers, hour two drew 3.271 million viewers, and hour three drew 3.219 million viewers.
– This week’s The JBL & Cole Show, is now online, which features appearances from multiple guest stars. The synopsis reads, “Okay, so JBL doesn’t actually fire Michael Cole (we think), but this week’s episode is jam-packed with hilarity and guest stars. No. 1 ranked tennis player John Isner talks greatest Superstars of all time, The Great Khali learns to Tweet, Yoshi Tatsu learns to TOUT, and – oh, yeah! – “Mean” Gene makes a special appearance. All this and more on the latest episode of “The JBL & Cole Show!”
– Alberto Del Rio and Ricardo Rodriguez are signing autographs today at The Boost Mobile on 5718 W Fullerton in Chicago, Illinois 60639 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.
(source: F4WOnline.com)
– This week’s edition of “Z! True Long Island Story” is titled “Best of Zack Ryder 2012,” with his many of his lowlights highlighted in a somber video package; losing the United States Championship to Jack Swagger, Kane’s numerous attacks including being chokeslammed through the Raw stage and wheeled off the stage, Eve making out in front of him with John Cena, Eve kicking him in the groin at WrestleMania XXVIII, suffering losses to The Miz, Damien Sandow, Alberto Del Rio, Daniel Bryan and Tensai, and getting beat down by 3MB.
Ryder admits 2012 “sucked,” but vows that 2013 will be “the year of the Broski,” not to mention “sick.”
– The official WWE website has posted a photo gallery chronicling AJ Lee’s dalliances of 2012, with Daniel Bryan, Kane, CM Punk, John Cena and Dolph Ziggler.
– Chris Jericho is featured in today’s “Superstar Spotlight” on WWE.com.
MichelleMcCool.Net has released more highlights from their recent interview with former WWE diva Michelle McCool, wife of the Undertaker.
The Dearest Friend: “I absolutely love her to death. She’s like a sister to me. I think she is so beautiful, inside and out. We clicked right away; she was on SmackDown the whole time that I was. We became instant friends — we just hit it off since day one and our friendship just grew from there.”
King Booker & Queen Sharmell: “She’s a great actress […] I remember just being in awe: I was watching a backstage segment between she and King Booker at the time, and they were hilarious on screen as it is — I’ve always enjoyed watching them. But, I remember the camera counting down: 3… 2… 1… and her just going into her character. I was truly in amazement! I was like: “Wow! She’s good, and I wish I was half as good as her.” […] She is a true entertainer, great in all forms of the word. I think she brought a lot to Booker’s character at the time, and they just fed off each other so well.”
Long Live the Queen: “I love her to death. I can’t say enough kind things about her. She’s one of the smartest, most intelligent people I’ve ever met in my entire life. Love her and her entire family dearly.”
Let Them Eat Cake: “She’s just one of those people that you could trust with your life, and I have. She was always there when you needed her: when you needed to laugh, when you needed an ear — whatever you needed! I know I can always count on her. For that, I will be eternally grateful. She has just blessed the world by being here and that amazing of a person. I love her, love, love, love with all my heart.”
Here are some more live notes from last night’s WWE RAW Holiday live event from Madison Square Garden in New York City:
* Guests in attendance included Betty Skaaland, singer Phil Collins, DMC of Run DMC fame, The Big O and Zack Ryder’s dad. Paul Heyman’s family was also there.
* Michael Hayes and John Laurinaitis ran the show backstage.
PICTURES from Last Night’s WWE MSG Show
* Before the show began, a crazed female fan tried jumping on the roof of Ryback’s car as he arrived at the arena.
* After the show concluded, the box office was open for an hour for the WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony ticket pre-sale. There were huge lines at the box office for the tickets.
– Kaitlyn tweeted this about her match with Eve Torres on the show:
Did I just have a title match at MSG?? Quick someone slap me! Oh…Wait @EveMarieTorres already did. Yep, it's real. #WWEMSG
— Celeste Bonin (@CelesteBonin) December 28, 2012
– Zack Ryder tweeted:
#WWEMSG was #SSSIIICCCKKK! #livingthedream #WWWYKI #lotsofhashtags
— Matt Cardona (@TheMattCardona) December 28, 2012
– Following the New Age Outlaws’ win over Team Rhodes Scholars at the show, “Road Dogg” BG James tweeted this:
@RealBillyGunn and I just ignited a fire under NYC! It felt so good just to feel the electricity generated by Madison Square Garden! #OUDK
— Brian G. James (@BrianRDJames) December 28, 2012
Photos from WWE RAW’s Holiday Live Events tour from Madison Square Garden, December 27, 2012:
[nggallery id=76]
I had the pleasure of attending Thursday night’s WWE Holiday Tour live event from Madison Square Garden in New York City with the Solomonster and Bryan Blade.
Pictures From WWE’s MSG Holiday Tour Live Event
Here are results from the show:
* Vickie Guerrero opened the show by welcoming everybody, wishing us a happy holiday season and running down the top matches for tonight, including Ryback vs. Paul Heyman in a NYC Street Fight and John Cena vs. Dolph Ziggler in a steel cage match.
* The New Age Outlaws defeated Team Rhodes Scholars after Billy Gunn hit the Fameasser on Cody. This was a hot opener with the crowd very into the Outlaws. Even though the Outlaw’s ring entrance was modified to say, “Oh you didn’t know? You better call somebody” – both men had many non-PG moments during the match, including Billy Gunn encouraging the crowd to chant “Suck it” and doing crotch chops during the match.
* Brodus Clay pinned David Otunga after a big splash in a relatively short match. Otunga posed in the ring before the match. After it was over, Jack Swagger interrupted Clay’s victory celebration and challenged him to a match. Clay defeated Swagger in another short match and danced in the ring with the Funkadactyls and several children afterwards.
* WWE Divas champion Eve Torres defeated Kaitlyn. The crowd was dead for this one.
* Santino Marella defeated Tensai. As per the match stipulation, Tensai was forced by Vickie Guerrero to sing either Jingle Bells or Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer. Fans voted via Twitter and text messages which song they wanted to hear – and Rudolph won. Tensai grabbed the microphone and said he doesn’t know how to sing these Christmas songs because he’s Jewish like Paul Heyman and ring announcer Justin Roberts. He warmed up by singing the first verse of Adam Sandler’s “Hanukkah Song” before singing Rudolph. It was pretty entertaining, with Tensai screaming at the crowd to shut up while he was singing.
* The Shield defeated Team Hello No & The Miz after The Shield hit a 3-man powerbomb on Miz. This one started off with The Shield entering through the crowd and it immediately turned into a wild brawl. The general theme of the match was that the babyfaces would get the upper hand but then the Shield would outnumber them 2 on 1 or 3 on 2.
* Intermission.
* The Usos defeated the Prime Time Players after a double top rope splash & a double pin.
* Unites States champion Antonio Cesaro defeated Zack Ryder by pinfall after hitting the Neutralizer. Both men were very over, with Ryder coming close to winning towards the end. Unfortunately, no Swiss Death European uppercut from Cesaro.
* Ryback defeated Paul Heyman by pinfall after hitting Shell Shocked. Paul Heyman came out first and ran down NYC, including their sports teams and the WWE legends who “built” Madison Square Garden, including Superstar Billy Graham, Bruno Sammartino, Hulk Hogan, The Rock and Steve Austin. Heyman declared himself the “Baddest Dude In New York City” when Ryback’s music hit and the place erupted.
With both men in the ring and the match about to start, The Shield hit the ring and attacked Ryback 3 on 1. Ryback got some offense in but they left Ryback laid out as Paul Heyman watched the attack from outside the ring. The Shield set up a table in the corner of the ring but never got to use it, because Kane, Daniel Bryan and The Miz ran down to even the odds. The 6 men brawled and eventually left the ring, with Ryback still laid out from The Shield’s attack.
Heyman got back in the ring and tried to attack Ryback, but literally within 30 seconds, Ryback got him up for Shell Shocked and got the pin. Ryback celebrated and was leaving the ring when he realized there was a table still set up. Ryback returned to the ring, picked up Paul Heyman and gave him a running speer through the table. Heyman sold the effects of the attack for several minutes outside the ring.
* John Cena defeated Dolph Ziggler in the Steel Cage match main event after hitting the Attitude Adjustment and getting the pinfall. The crowd was red hot for this one. AJ Lee and Big E Langston accompanied Dolph Ziggler to the ring and got physical at several points during the match, including Langston slamming the cage door in John Cena’s face. There were several spots where Ziggler came very close to escaping the cage by climing up the top, but Cena would always catch him. At one point, Dolph Ziggler was escaping through the cage door and John Cena climbed the top of the cage and slammed the door in his face from the outside. Towards the end of the match, both Big E Langston and AJ entered the cage, with Langston giving Cena his running body tackle move & his finisher. AJ slapped John Cena in the face as well, with Cena responding by grabbing AJ Lee and giving her a big kiss on the lips. Lots of close pinfalls towards the end and the place went bananas when Cena eventually won.
– Today’s wrestling birthdays include TNA Knockout Taryn Terrell (27) and former WWE and WCW star Lanny “The Genius” Poffo (58).
– Kofi Kingston and Alicia Fox will be appearing at the Southdale Center in Edina, Minnesota today from 3pm until 5pm.
– Here is the latest tweet from The Shield’s Seth Rollins:
#justicelives in our hearts. And we will not be held down another second. Believe in righteousness. Believe in hope. #believeintheshield
— Seth Rollins (@WWERollins) December 27, 2012
– Injured WWE Champion CM Punk has not been on the road with WWE this week for the holiday live events tour. Punk noted on Twitter that he was at a concert last night at not at WWE’s live event from Madison Square Garden.
The following is a spoiler-free preview for tonight’s WWE SmackDown on Syfy:
* Big Show will defend the World Heavyweight Title against the Superstar who has his name picked at random from a tumbler.
* Wade Barrett, Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes vs. Kane, Daniel Bryan and Kofi Kingston
* Antonio Cesaro vs. Zack Ryder
* The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler
* Brodus Clay vs. Epico
* Brad Maddox vs. Sheamus
* The Usos vs. Darren Young and Titus O’Neil
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 Latest On Who Is Being Considered For The 2013 WWE HOF Class
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 Preview (Jan. 3) – Sting Returns, Steel Cage Match, Knockouts Action
– 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.”
The full article is available here.
– 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.
* POLL: Will THE ROCK Will Win The WWE Title At The ROYAL RUMBLE? (VOTE HERE)
– 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.
* POLL: Will THE ROCK Will Win The WWE Title At The ROYAL RUMBLE? (VOTE HERE)
– 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.
View Here: Nasty Picture of The Gash On R-Truth’s Knee
– 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!
— Paul Heyman (@HeymanHustle) December 27, 2012
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%.
(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
– 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.
(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
