– The latest episode of JBL’s The John Layfield Show (with guest host Michael Cole) is now online, with the WWE announcers talking about the Fiscal Cliff, Athlete of the year, 2012 recap and the economy. You can listen at WebTalkRadio.net.
– Local ads in the Houston, Texas market are promoting that The Rock will be appearing at the 20th Anniversary RAW special on Monday, January 14th.
– Speaking of The Rock, here’s WWE’s video promo hyping his return to RAW next week (1/7):
– All Japan Pro Wrestling has announced that Ric Flair will be appearing at their upcoming Tokyo show on January 26th from Ota Ward Gym. It was reported in the past week that Flair’s son Reid has signed a three-month deal with All Japan Pro Wrestling and is scheduled to wrestle his first match for AJPW on January 23rd, so Ric Flair’s appearance is likely related to that.
– Mark Henry tweeted the following early Wednesday morning about training for a return to WWE:
I think it's time to test the waters I feel like trying this shoulder out.
— TheMarkHenry (@TheMarkHenry) January 2, 2013
– Zack Ryder noted on Twitter that he’s filming the music video for his song “Hoeski” today.
– Former WWE superstar and UFC Hall of Famer Dan “The Beast” Severn announced over the weekend that he has officially retired as an active pro wrestler. Severn, a former NWA World Champion, will continue to make appearances at wrestling shows and conventions, but his days in the ring are over. He feuded with Owen Hart and Ken Shamrock during WWE’s Attitude Era.
– WWE Hall of Famer Roddy Piper announced that Diamond Dallas Page will be appearing on his ROD-POD podcast tonight at 8pm (PST).
– Daniel Bryan noted on Twitter that his New Year’s Resolutions include: “1) grow my beard all year 2) become The Dazzler 3) continue dominating The Ryback.”
– The Shield’s Seth Rollins finally got a chance to watch their debut match at last month’s WWE TLC pay-per-view from Brooklyn, NY:
Just watched the #TLC match back for the first time… If you don't #believeintheshield after that then we don't want ya. #justicelives
— Seth Rollins (@WWERollins) January 2, 2013
– Tonight’s episode of WWE Main Event will feature the following matches:
* US Champion Antonio Cesaro defending against The Great Khali, who won a battle royal on last week’s show to earn the title shot.
* IC Champion Wade Barrett in a non-title Gauntlet Match
Plus – it will be revealed whether CM Punk has been medically cleared to defend the WWE Championship against Ryback in a TLC match on next week’s RAW. If Punk is unable to compete, Paul Heyman will take his place.
– Here’s what was cut from this week’s episode of WWE RAW on Hulu Plus, courtesy of Kaleb Perkins:
* Antonio Cesaro’s in-ring promo
* Antonio Cesaro vs. Sgt. Slaughter
* Backstage segment with Team Hell No and 3MB, with Hell No being pissed that they can’t fight the Sheild, and 3MB “singing.”
* Backstage segment with Ricardo Rodriguez and the Big Show, at Vickie’s New Year’s Party, which Show chooses Ricardo to fight for the World Title.
* Team Hell No vs. 3MB
* Backstage segment with Paul Heyman, CM Punk, and Brad Maddox, where Brad tries to get Heyman to hire him.
* Big Show vs. Ricardo Rodriguez
* The first half of Kofi Kingston vs. Wade Barrett IC Title Match.
TNA star Hulk Hogan’s new Tampa-based restaurant, Hogan’s Beach, had its Grand Opening over the weekend, with Hogan tweeting the following:
I want yo thank the thousands of MANIACS that came to HOGANS BEACH for New Years Eve,now I know what to expect,we are on it and are going
— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) January 1, 2013
To keep working hard to make it the hottest,most fun,craziest hot spot in the Tampa Bay Area,thank u for coming out,lets keep it rockin all
— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) January 1, 2013
Through 2013,let the games begin at HOGANS BEACH,I can't wait to pull my lawn chair out with my banana hammock on and get my tan lets rockHH
— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) January 1, 2013
– Meanwhile, Tampa’s local WTSP Channel 10 reported on the opening, including footage of Hogan (wearing a mask) talking about the new venue:
TNA star Kurt Angle is a father once again. Angle’s wife Giovanna gave birth to a healthy baby girl on Monday night, New Year’s Eve.
Pictures of Kurt Angle’s Smokin’ Hot Wife Giovanna
TNA President Dixie Carter tweeted last night:
Congrats to @REALKurtAngle & Giovanna on the birth of their daughter tonight at 9:40et. Welcome beautiful Sofia to the TNA family! So proud!
— Dixie Carter (@TNADixie) January 1, 2013
Kurt Angle wrote:
18 Hours At the Hospital. Sophia Laine Angle Was Born. 7lbs12oz. 20inches. I'm a Proud Daddy if 4 beautiful Kids. Blessed
— Kurt Angle (@RealKurtAngle) January 1, 2013
Angle tweeted this picture of his daughter Sofia’s footprint on his hand:
– WWE Champion CM Punk tweeted a [graphic] photo of his surgically repaired knee on Monday, which you can view here.
– After complaining on his most recent YouTube show that “2012 sucked,” Zack Ryder tweeted the following on New Year’s Eve:
No reason for me to watch the ball drop tonight…I lived through the ball being dropped with me all year.
— Matt Cardona (@TheMattCardona) January 1, 2013
2013 IS GOING TO BE MY YEAR!!!
Jk
— Matt Cardona (@TheMattCardona) January 1, 2013
– Here is the latest episode of WWE Download with Dolph Ziggler:
DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST HERE:
Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 253)
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Est. Runtime: 2 hours, 5 minutes
It’s a special TWO HOUR Year in Review edition of the Sound Off, looking back at some of the best (and worst) of WWE and TNA in 2012. Plus, predictions for 2013, including a bold statement about the future of the Divas division in WWE and the three names from NXT to watch for.
Want your question on the air? Send feedback to [email protected].
Wanna subscribe to the Sound Off via iTunes? CLICK HERE!
Visit The Solomonster on Twitter @ twitter.com/solomonster
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Solomonster Sounds Off by The Solomonster is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
– This month on iN DEMAND pay-per-view, WWE will be airing the “Best of Falls Count Anywhere” and “ECW Unreleased Volume 1” specials.
– JBL has announced that Michael Cole will now be his co-host on the weekly “Layfield Report” podcast, available at LayfieldReport.com.
– Monday night’s New Year’s Eve edition of WWE RAW had a Trendrr.tv social media score of 142,218, up 24% from the previous week’s Christmas Eve show. RAW ranked #2 on cable for the evening behind the Chick-Fil-A Bowl on ESPN.
– With 2012 officially a thing of the past, WWE Champion CM Punk reached another milestone in his historic title run. By holding the belt from January 1st – December 31st, Punk became the first person to accomplish this feat since Hulk Hogan did so back in 1987.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross posted his final blog entry of 2012 on Monday and gave his thoughts on what the new year has in store for the WWE Universe. This is a highly recommended read that includes JR’s thoughts on the dangers of a complacent locker room, what each man has to do in order to reach their full potential and why WWE’s future is so bright. You can read the full blog at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR said he’s thankful for:
@CMPunk never taking no for an answer and grinding it out to become, arguably, WWE’s MVP in 2012.
Guys like @WWEDanielBryan getting his shot and taking advantage of it. He’s one of my favorite wrestlers. When was the last time Daniel Bryan had a ‘bad’ match? Plus, Bryan knew he that had to learn to verbally communicate better to get to the next level and he has.
Long time indy wrestlers like @AntonioCesaro who paid their dues many times over before finally getting to perform at the highest level within his profession. Cesaro is a beast with whom I have great respect.
@HeelZiggler who is so athletically gifted and is beginning to put it all together especially on the mic. I fully expect Ziggler to have a banner 2013 if he stays healthy as Dolph competes at a very physical level.
@WadeBarrett finally being healthy. He’s a keeper and is a smart athlete who will do what it takes to elbow his way to the top and to do what is professionally necessary to stay there.
@WWESheamus is a beloved throwback in our business. Completely professional, a role model for the younger talents and a tough athlete who has not even scratched the surface as to how good he can be. If WWE had a locker room full of talents like Sheamus, they would be ecstatic.
@JohnCena for continuing to do what he believes and for pulling the WWE wagon. John’s Make A Wish work alone will get him to heaven.
@CodyRhodesWWE for turning the corner. Love his upside and hope that he pushes himself to achieve the greatness for which he seems destined.
@TheDamienSandow for never quitting on his dreams.
@JCLayfield for taking some friendly fire at me on @WWE TV and for taking JR’s Beef Jerky along with him on his mountain climbing adventures. John has made WWE TV better since his return. But he’s still a Texan.
@RealKingRegal for spending so much time with me and helping me to keep learning about the business that we both love. Mr. Regal is a wonderful teacher, mentor and historian of the mat game. He’s a valuable asset to the future growth of WWE Talent Development.
@Fgbrisco aka Jerry Brisco for battling his way to good health and for having amazing relationships in the amateur wrestling world that benefits WWE every day and for many years to come. Jerry is a part of my Okie family.
@steveaustinBSR simply for being a great friend and for always keeping in touch no matter how busy he is or where he is.
@shawnMichaels for the man he has become. Shawn is an inspiration to many for the way he lives his life and for what he’s overcome. HBK looked into the mirror and with God’s help changed his life to one that inspires many of us.
TNA star Hulk Hogan recently spoke to TampaBay.com about the Grand Opening of his new restaurant, Hogan’s Beach.
Pictures From HOGAN’s BEACH Restaurant
Here are some highlights of what Hogan said about:
The Concept: “It’s going to be Jimmy Buffett’s [Margaritaville] times 10; Hooters times 10. It’s a logical extension of the Hogan brand, with my image and likeness. We’re looking for something like Winter the Dolphin. In 36 years I’ve become so tangible to the public, and not just Americans. We have a chance to have an international draw.”
His Role at the Restaurant: “I see myself almost like a general manager, creatively. I play a fake general manager on Impact Wrestling. But this is for real.”
The New Year’s Eve opening was a huge success, with the restaurant doing big business in its first night open to the public. Among the pro wrestling names that were in attendance were Hogan, Ric Flair, Matt Morgan, Austin Aries, Jimmy Hart, Brutus Beefcake, Bushwaker Luke, TNA Knockout Rosita, former WWE developmental diva Melissa Coates and others.
– With Rey Mysterio still off WWE television, we can confirm that he’s tending to a family matter that’s required him to be home in San Diego. WWE is being completely supportive of his situation and there is no heat on Mysterio for needing time away.
– Friday’s episode of WWE SmackDown (12/28) had 2.66 million viewers, which is back in the normal range for the show after last week’s spike due to the Tuesday night airing on the USA Network.
– Here’s the latest Backstage Fallout from Monday’s RAW:
If you’re in the vicinity of Tampa, Florida and are looking for some New Year’s Eve plans for tonight – you might want to check out the grand opening of Hulk Hogan’s new “Hogan’s Beach” bar/restaurant.
Hogan announced on Twitter that tonight’s New Year’s Eve Grand Opening party will be attended by himself, Ric Flair, Jimmy Hart, Matt Morgan, Jim Neidhart and one of the Bushwhackers.
Ed “Brutus Beefcake” Leslie and the Nasty Boys have also been invited to attend.
Hogan also confirmed that the pictures of he an Ric Flair and their children partying together this weekend were taken at the new restaurant.
* Pictures of the HOGANS & FLAIRS Partying Together This Weekend
– With WWE Champion CM Punk scheduled to defend against Ryback in a TLC match on the January 7th episode of WWE RAW, the big issue remains the status of Punk’s surgically repaired knee and whether he’ll be medically cleared to compete.
WWE will reveal whether Punk will compete on 1/7 this Wednesday night on Main Event. There will alo be an announcement on tonight’s RAW regarding what will happen Punk can’t compete on January 7th.
– Evan Bourne, who has been out of action since early 2012, informed his Twitter followers on Sunday night that he won’t be back in action for the Royal Rumble:
If you didn't know, the Royal Rumble is my personal favorite PPV/match! But no matter how hard I train, my foot will not be ring ready by RR
— Matt Sydal (@MattSydal) December 30, 2012
– Injured WWE Superstar Curt Hawkins is the latest wrestler to use Diamond Dallas Page’s DDP Yoga program. He tweeted on Sunday:
Did some @DDPYoga this weekend for the first time since my injury. Felt great. I'm at the end of my recovery for certain.
— Brian Myers (@Myers_Wrestling) December 31, 2012
Hawkins has been out since October, when he tore his PCL and meniscus.
– Sin Cara tweeted the following message on Sunday regarding the status of his knee and his upcoming return to the ring:
https://twitter.com/TheSinCaraWWE/status/285493863987154944
As previously reported, Sin Cara will be teaming with Randy Orton against Epico and Primo at this weekend’s Live Events tour of Puerto Rico. Orton is filling in for Rey Mysterio, who is currently out of action dealing with personal issues.
– The dark match main event after Sunday night’s WWE SmackDown tapings from Richmond, VA saw Sheamus and Big Show wrestle to a no contest.
– It was announced at Saturday night’s WWE RAW tapings (for the show airing tonight) that World Heavyweight champion Big Show would wrestle Alberto Del Rio on this Friday’s SmackDown. The match never took place at Sunday night’s SmackDown tapings and Del Rio did not appear on the show.
* PICTURES: JOHN CENA & DANIEL BRYAN Spend Christmas With The BELLA TWINS
WWE taped Friday’s episode of SmackDown on Sunday night from the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Virginia. Here are spoiler results for the show, courtesy of Prowrestling.net:
* They opened with Randy Orton returning and cutting a promo about wanting to win the Royal Rumble. This led to Sheamus coming out and pointing out he won last year and will again. Big Show and Antonio Cesaro got involved to set up a tag match main event.
* The Miz defeated Heath Slater (w/Drew McIntyre, Jinder Mahal). The other 3MB members were kicked out by the referee later in the match.
* The Great Khali, Hornswoggle, and Natalya defeated Primo, Epico, and Rosa Mendes.
* Wade Barrett defeated Kofi Kingston to retain the Intercontinental Title.
* Tamina Snuka defeated Layla.
* Sheamus and Randy Orton defeated The Big Show and Antonio Cesaro.
The dark match main event saw Sheamus and Big Show wrestle to a no contest.
DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST HERE:
Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 252)
*right-click, “Save As”, or stream it!
Est. Runtime: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Solomonster is back with live thoughts from WWE’s recent stop at MSG, including the New Age Outlaws, Tensai singing holiday tunes, and John Cena rally monkeys (oh yes). Plus, thoughts on a very polarizing Christmas Eve edition of Raw, a “Bro Off” on Impact, the final word on why Aces and Eights is such a failure, what TNA needs to do to make it to the next level, and the greatest wrestlers to never be World champion. The first of TWO new shows this week, so have a Happy New Year!
Want your question on the air? Send feedback to [email protected].
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Visit The Solomonster on Twitter @ twitter.com/solomonster
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Solomonster Sounds Off by The Solomonster is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
WWE is in Richmond, Virginia tonight for a rare Sunday night SmackDown taping. Prior to the SmackDown taping, the following matches were taped for next week’s WWE Main Event & Saturday Morning Slam broadcasts:
WWE Main Event (Airing 1/2):
* US Champion Antonio Cesaro vs. The Great Khali
* Wade Barrett competes in a Gauntlet Match
Saturday Morning Slam (1/5):
– Sheamus vs. Michael McGillicutty
* PICTURES: JOHN CENA & DANIEL BRYAN Spend Christmas With The BELLA TWINS
– The dark match that took place prior to Sunday night’s WWE SmackDown tapings (airing 1/4) from Richmond, Virginia saw Natalya defeat Alicia Fox.
– Next Friday’s WWE SmackDown will feature an Intercontinental championship match between Kofi Kingston and Wade Barrett. Big Show will also defend the World Heavyweight championship against Alberto Del Rio on the show.
– Randy Orton will replace Rey Mysterio on next weekend’s WWE live events tour of Puerto Rico. Orton will team with Sin Cara to take on Primo and Epico. Rey Mysterio is currently off the road dealing with personal issues and was written off television during a recent edition of SmackDown when he was attacked by The Shield.
Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair were together on Saturday night at Hulk Hogan’s new beach restaurant in Tampa, Florida. Check out these pictures of them together, along with their children, Nick Hogan and Ashley Flair (NXT diva Charlotte):
SaukValley.com has an article up profiling Alex “Zander” Jones, who recently signed a three-year developmental deal and is moving to Tampa, Florida this week to begin training at NXT.
While he was working on his masters in strength and conditioning at USC, Jones met former WWE superstars Rikishi and Gangrel at the Los Angeles Fitness Expo. They convinced him to start training at the KnokX wrestling school and just a week later, he was met John Cena at the USC weight room when WWE was in town for a RAW taping. Cena was so impressed with Jones that he invited him to a WWE tryout camp this past August.
WWE Hall of Famers Jim Ross and Gerald Brisco were so impressed with Jones that they told him he could be a top WWE superstar one day. Jones told SaukValley.com:
“They all said, ‘You could be our guy. Look at John Cena. That could be you.’ Now, anything less than being a champ would be a disappointment.”
Jones can be followed on Twitter at @TheZanderJones.
– TNA Knockout Velvet Sky announced on Twitter that she missed a TNA live event this weekend because she was involved in a car accident:
“As I write this I’m on the side of the highway where I was en route to Poughkeepsie’s house show until my truck spun out and ended up in a ditch due to the blizzard that’s going on right now.
Sorry to the fans that were wanting to see me tonight, but I won’t be at the Impact show. I’m ok, just really shaken up from the accident, and I’m sitting in wait for a tow truck to rescue me.
All those traveling tonight in the CT/NY area and beyond, plz be careful. I have seen so many accidents today already and the roads are dangerous tonight. God Bless those traveling.”
– TNA X-Division champion has announced that his Youtube show RVD TV is returning soon:
– Ted DiBiase injured one of the fingers on his left hand Thursday night’s WWE SmackDown live event from Chicago, according to f4wonline.com. This is the reason SmackDown agent Jamie Noble was brought in to wrestle Fandango in DiBiase’s place.
– The Rock bought his mother a new Cadillac truck for Christmas. Aside from being such a generous gift, The Rock noted on Twitter why the truck has a deeper significance for them:
“At 14 I saw my mom crying about our only car being repossessed. This felt good. #MerryXmasMom”
Check out these pictures of WWE superstars John Cena and Daniel Bryan spending Christmas with former WWE divas the Bella Twins.
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