– Tickets for WWE RAW the night after WrestleMania 29 from East Rutherford, NJ will go on pre-sale week.
– R-Truth is headed to Qatar to promote WWE’s upcoming tour dates there. Truth has been out of action since December when he suffered a nasty gash on his knee during WWE’s TLC pay-per-view.
– David Otunga was on the field at Sunday night’s Super Bowl, where his wife, Jennifer Hudson, performed America the Beautiful. He posted this picture on Instagram with the caption, “So proud of Momma!”
– In response to the power failure that took place minutes into the third quarter of Sunday’s NFL Super Bowl, The Shield’s Roman Reigns tweeted the following:
49ers are losing! Vest on..Cut the lights..Time to Fight!! #49ers Losing=Injustice
– Dolph Ziggler took another jab at Zack Ryder on Twitter yesterday, tweeting the following response to Ryder announcing his song Hoeski is available for download on iTunes:
“@ZackRyder: HOESKI IS ON ITUNES RIGHT NOW!!!” -download this, or the kid wont be on @WWE RAW! jk, he wont be on anyway
TNA star Sting was a guest on the WrestleShark radio this past week and spoke about why he’s stayed with the company year after year, his loyalty to Dixie Carter and more. Here are some highlights of what The Icon said about:
Being Loyal To TNA: “The group of men and women under the TNA roof, the fans, the brand, I just feel content here. The home has been good here; Dixie Carter, the Carter family have been great to work with over the years and Dixie is very persuasive.”
Staying With TNA Year After Year: “Dixie was very persuasive, being willing to make it right in terms of scheduling, the time on the road, of course money is an issue, it just all came together. And I love the brand…that’s all there is to it. It was like a now or never moment for me.”
Impact Going On The Road:: “I think if we go out on the road there is a lot of potential for that to happen.”
His TNA Hall of Fame Induction: “Very humbling…because there are so many other guys, the Samoa Joes, the A.J. Styles, Bobby Roode, James Storm, Jeff Jarrett, who were here before I was. They helped build a foundation for this company,” Sting said. “I was kind of like ‘am I being put out to pasture here or what?’ [laughs] plus I’m an active wrestler. So it seems kind of weird to be inducted into the Hall of Fame while you’re still working.”
Tonight’s episode of WWE RAW takes place from Atlanta, Georgia.
Paul Heyman almost got fired at the end of last week’s show, but Brock Lesnar made a surprise return and attacked Vince McMahon before the boss could send Heyman packing. Tonight, Heyman will be a guest on Miz TV.
As for Lesnar, he’ll be at RAW to address his WWE return. WWE.com is asking, “Why did Lesnar resurface in WWE? Is he here to stay? Who is next in his sights?”
Chris Jericho is also advertised to appear. With Jericho is signed with WWE through WrestleMania 29, we should see the seeds planted for his WrestleMania feud soon.
WWE Champion The Rock has the week off, so CM Punk will have the responsibility of keeping the hype going for their upcoming WWE title match at Elimination Chamber in less than two weeks.
Plus – after getting attacked by The Shield last week, how will Royal Rumble winner John Cena respond?
The advertised dark match main event is John Cena & Ryback vs. CM Punk & Ziggler.
In a major development, we have learned EXCLUSIVELY that the WWE writing team has been told Undertaker is “less than 50 percent for WrestleMania,” and that before the writers can present a “grid” (long term storyline planning) to Vince, HHH and Stephanie for review, Undertaker needs to be examined, as he is “not medically cleared” as of yet.
A member of the writing staff told us “this is going down to the wire, and members of the team actually joke that we’ll find out on the Internet about Taker before we’re told definitively here!”
No word yet on when Undertaker will be evaluated for medical clearance.
It’s a Superbowl-sized Sound Off this week with thoughts on the Royal Rumble, Brock Lesnar’s return and new contract, the greatness of Paul Heyman, Cena’s burial of the World title, breaking up the Rhodes Scholars, Undertaker’s status for WrestleMania and TWO alternate scenarios for CM Punk, Bret Hart’s absurd comments about Triple H, TNA taking Impact on the road full-time, Seth Rollins as the weak link in The Shield, and what would have happened in Montreal had Bret faced Taker instead of HBK in 1997?
– Chris Jericho did a Q&A session on Twitter on SAturday night and said he knew he’d be returning to WWE back in November. He also named Dolhp Ziggler, Jack Swagger, Kofi Kingston and the Big Show as the top underrated wrestlers in WWE.
– Today’s wrestling birthdays include Marty Jannetty (53) and WWE Hall of Famer Dory Funk Jr. (72). Today would have been the 53rd birthday for the late WWE Hall of Famer Kerry Von Erich.
– WWE held their annual “Pre-Game Pandemonium” live events this afternoon prior to this evening’s NFL Super Bowl. RAW held a show from Birmingham, Alabama while SmackDown was in Augusta, Georgia.
– The Rock tweeted the following picture of himself with the WWE Championship over the weekend during a photo shoot for his new reality competition show on TNT, The Hero:
As of this weekend, there will be no Money in the Bank match at WrestleMania 29. There had been some talk of bringing the gimmick match back to WWE’s biggest show of the year, but the feeling is that Money in the Bank can stand exist on its own pay-per-view and WWE will already have enough big matches to fill the WrestleMania card.
The upside of Money in the Bank is that WWE can get multiple underutilized mid-card wrestlers on the show in a single match. It’s possible WWE will do a pre-show battle royal in order to give out as many WrestleMania paydays as possible, as we’ve seen in recent years.
Additionally, Dolph Ziggler still has his Money in the Bank briefcase and it wouldn’t make sense to have a new Money in the Bank briefcase won before he cashes in.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR said about:
Thursday’s NXT Tapings: “The NXT TV taping was another great learning experience for all involved. Tag Title tournament culminated along w/ several Divas getting significant TV exposure. As w/ any TV taping, some facets were better than others but in developmental that’s the nature of the beast. Working in WWE Talent Development is a wonderful assignment for me and allows me to contribute to WWE’s future & give back to our business. Helping the young broadcasters is extremely rewarding for me. Being able to offer positive motivation to all those who are just beginning they’ve career journey is rewarding & allows me to come away from each assignment feeling better about my day.”
WWE’s Weekend Tryout CampIn Tampa, FL: “The NXT tryouts started somewhat slowly on an extremely long Friday but Saturday was a superb day. The retention from Friday to Saturday w/ the drills was exceptional. Focus was improved, everyone seemed to be more comfortable. Fun day.”
“Sunday will wrap up the process for the 30+ young men who were invited. Promos & more matches on tap before we wrap things up. If we can replicate the productivity we experienced Saturday, I’d expect a nice handful of offers to be extended over the next few weeks. Getting a WWE contract is daunting but well worth the effort and sacrifices it takes to get a shot at the Promised Land.”
“I choose to mention no names as that wouldn’t be professional in my opiomion but I’ve compiled my short list of those seriously in the hunt.”
During his regular guest column for the UK’s Fighting Spirit Magazine, WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin spoke about today’s current WWE superstars – and the importance of having a solid wrestling foundation before getting pushed into the spotlight.
“Today’s guys are very impressionable, and don’t really call it in the ring anymore,” Austin said. “Some of the guys don’t know whether to shit or wind their watch; when they get in the ring, they have some basics, but they’ve always been told exactly what to do before they go out there. Back in the day, we were calling it all in the ring; we didn’t have anything to be nervous about, because we didn’t have to remember anything. All I had to do was listen to a hellacious worker like Billy Joe Travis or Jimmy Jack Funk, trusting them to help lead me through it.”
He continued, “The guys today are on a big stage, and none bigger than WWE. It’s up to the promotion to bring these cats in light, establish them, and help them get over. You can’t just bring in someone new and expect them to work a Wrestlemania calibre match right away. If you give someone a monster push right off the bat, but don’t give them the base knowledge, it makes no sense to wonder why they shit the bed. These kids are exposed after a few weeks of TV, because they don’t have the experience of what to do in that situation. The more knowledge you have, the better chance you have of being successful”.
Read the full article in Issue 89 of FSM, on sale now from WH Smiths in the UK and Easons in Ireland.
Arda Ocal (@arda_ocal) of The Score Television Network Baltimore Sun and Layfield Report spoke with former WWE Superstar “Rowdy Roddy Piper (@R_Roddy_Piper) on the set of a new TV pilot that he is co-starring in. Highlights:
– Talks about his relationship with Bret Hart and how he finally got vindication for his Wrestlemania 8 loss to Bret on the set of this new show.
– Comments on his son Colt’s recent attempts to break into the wrestling business. “Whatever you want to call ‘it’. He’s got that.”
– Discusses his role in this new show co-starring Bret. “I’m playing an outlandish colour commentator… Type-catsing again.”
– Gives his opinion on CM Punk’s recent “Heel” championship run being compared to Piper’s own heyday and having high praise for CM Punk.
Arda Ocal spoke with former WWE Superstar Bret “Hitman” Hart after his recent comments about Triple H being an overrated, mediocre wrestler.
“There’s nothing to read between the lines. Take what I said and that’s my opinion. It’s not really fair to take it and make too much of an issue,” Hart said. “I only worked with Triple H from about 1992/3 to ’97. I haven’t worked with him since then. It’s not really fair for me to assess his abilities over the last ten years. But, my knowledge of him is – I still say he’s a decent wrestler. I wouldn’t put him in the top 1,000 great wrestlers.”
“To me, he was a very mediocre wrestler and I never saw him contribute an idea in my life. Whereas, I can look at different wrestlers and say, ‘They contributed ideas and made suggestions that were valid and helpful to constructing a decent match.’ But, I never saw any genius coming out of Triple H, nor in his matches.”
Regarding Triple H’s Hell in a Cell match against The Undertaker at last year’s WrestleMania, he said, “I look at the match he had last year with Undertaker, like I said in that interview I was quoted as saying, ‘I give it a four out of ten.’ I think that was generous. It was a four out of ten. But, you have to understand Undertaker was hurt and there were circumstances that maybe I’m not privy to. So, I wouldn’t make too much of it; it’s just an opinion.
“But, the question was sort of, ‘Do I think that Triple H can carry the torch for the company and be the genius that Vince was?’ And, maybe he can, maybe he can’t. Let’s hope he can. But, if he can’t, it won’t be that big of a surprise to me because I never saw any great genius come out of him all the years I knew him.”
Asked if he knows if Triple H is aware of his comments and if their relationship will suffer because of what he’s said, Hart replied, “We don’t have that much of a relationship.”
He continued, “It doesn’t matter to me – he can speak his mind about me and I can speak my mind about him. I can speak my mind about Shawn Michaels or Triple H. I think what people expect from me and they always get from me is the truth. At least my honest opinion. Too bad for someone who takes exception to that.”
Also in the interview:
– Bret comments on his appearance at the Montreal Screwjob panel at the Royal Rumble and if he’s sick of telling that story. “Sometimes in talking about it you get a new perspective on it.”
– He says it doesn’t bother him that Shawn doesn’t really remember the incident. “It doesn’t surprise me. Shawn had his problems back then.”
– Having high praise for Alberto Del Rio and accepting his new nickname the “Canadian Del Rio”
– Following TNA’s announcement that they are taking Impact Wrestling on the road and will no longer be holding their weekly show from the Impact Zone starting in March, Universal Studios Orlando spokesperson Tom Schroder says the theme park would like to still continue working with the company. He told the Orlando Sentinel:
“We are grateful for the partnership we’ve had with TNA. We look forward to the opportunity to work with them again in the future.”
– Kid Kash tweeted the following on Saturday, confirming that he is gone from TNA:
As of today I'm no Longer with TNA Wrestling. I'm available for all worldwide bookings. Contact me on twitter or @pwabookings for info
– TNA will be holding a live event on March 23rd from Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina at the Royal Palace Theatre. Bell time is 7:30 PM. Tickets can be purchased starting February 8th, 2013. (Thanks to Devin Cutting)
– It was announced on Friday’s SmackDown that the winner of the SmackDown brand’s upcoming Elimination Chamber match will get a shot at the World Heavyweight championship at WrestleMania. We passed along a report by a fan from Australia listing 5 of the 6 wrestlers who will compete in the match, however, no participants were announced on SmackDown.
– On today’s Saturday Morning Slam, Dolph Ziggler (with AJ Lee and Big E Langston) defeated Zack Ryder and Wade Barrett defeated Yoshi Tatsu.
– Team Rhodes Scholars are no more. Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow informed Booker T on SmackDown that despite their close friendship, they have decided to dissolve their tag team and pursue their singles careers.
Arda Ocal of The Score Television Network, Baltimore Sun and Layfield Report spoke with former WWE Diva Beth Phoenix. Highlights:
Has she had the itch to return to professional wrestling yet? “I never wanted to be that person who said, I’ll never come back, I’m retired, I’m done and then in a couple of years get the itch. I haven’t said I’ll never ever be back because I don’t know what opportunity will come up that I’ll find to be really awesome.”
The number of divas that have left the WWE in the past year. Is it a coincidence? “I think it just timed out that way because lots of times with the girls there is a window of opportunity and a lot of the girls that left kind of came in at the same time. The women’s division there are so few of us, you can only see me wrestle Kelly so many times.”
In her opinion, what made Trish Stratus an icon?
“Sometimes people like to remember the controversy, that’s what stands out, but I think I would rather look at the content of someone’s career. She always welcomed whatever kind of physicality that needed to take place in the ring. She was tough as nails, she never complained and worked for what she had and you have to respect that.”
Phoenix discusses the state of the Divas division, highlights of her career, favorite matches, returning to her high school in Elmira, New York for a charity basketball event, life post-professional wrestling, boyfriend Adam “Edge” Copeland’s transition to retirement, Trish Stratus being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and more.
Former WWE champion CM Punk appeared on Abe Kanan Show’s Sirius XM satellite radio show this week and spoke with 77-year-old Thomas Dotterer, the liquor store robbery victim who was shot in the eye, but said the worst thing that happened all week was Punk losing to The Rock at the Royal Rumble.
Dotterer was talking about the robbery returning to work right after being released from the hospital – when he was surprised by a guest caller, CM Punk.
Dotterer said he’s a wrestling fan going back to the 1940s when he watched Gorgeous George with his father. He said he follows Ring of Honor and TNA Wrestling and appreciates Punk’s success. He said Punk’s hard work and dedication is why he was so upset that The Rock beat him.
Punk then offered Dotterer to be his special guest when WWE is in Syracuse for a live event on March 3. Here’s audio from the appearance:
– Cody Rhodes tweeted the following about his brother Goldust’s surprise return at the Royal Rumble, saying he had no idea Gldust was going to be in the match:
Watching TheRumble. Well handled secrecy, @WWEDustyRhodes didn't even smarten me up, didn't see Dustin the whole day, then I heard his music
On tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown, General Manager Booker T will announce that the SmackDown brand’s upcoming Elimination Chamber match will feature 6 wrestlers that will compete to determine who challenges for the World Heavyweight championship at WrestleMania 29.
According to a fan in Australia who has already seen tonight’s WWE SmackDown broadcast, the following 5 participants will be announced:
* Randy Orton
* Kane
* Daniel Bryan
* Jack Swagger
* The Great Khali
A sixth participant, rumored to be Sheamus, will be revealed later.
– WWE has added The Shield’s theme song, “Special Op,” is now available for sale on iTunes.
– John Cena will be missing the WWE RAW live events in Missouri February 8th, 9th and 10th. Chris Jericho has been added to the February 9th (Springfield) and February 10th (Cape Girardeau) shows. The New Age Outlaws will be appaering on all three shows.
– WWEDVDNews.com has released the official synopsis for WWE’s upcoming “Top 25 Rivalries” DVD and Blu-Ray set, due out May 28th in the United States and due out in June in Europe and Australia:
“WWE Superstars clash year-round with championships, glory, and personal pride on the line. But only 25 rivalries can be considered the greatest in sports entertainment history. Now for the first time ever, WWE counts down the most intense rivalries of all time. With each segment narrated by a different WWE or mainstream personality, each rivalry takes on a life of its own as WWE fans get an inside, never-before-seen perspective on their favorite showdowns. From the grudges born from equal pursuit of a common goal to those where the animosity crosses personal boundaries, all the timeless conflicts in the history of WWE, WCW, NWA, ECW and more are presented. Featuring Cena vs Edge, Stone Cold vs Mr McMahon, Ric Flair vs Ricky Steamboat and many more, this controversial countdown is sure to be dissected and debated by fans of all eras. Plus, special features include over 5 hours of bonus matches highlighting the rivalries presented in the countdown.”
WWE.com has an article up looking at Trish Stratus’ Hall of Fame induction, including comments from today’s Divas. Here are some highlights of what the following Divas said about Trish’s legendary career:
Lilian Garcia: “She totally deserves this. She worked incredibly hard and made such an impact.”
Natalya: “Trish was a pioneer for the Divas. There were women that came before, but she broke all the barriers and all the stereotypes. Certainly, I’ve been extremely inspired by my family, but when I decided I wanted to be a lady wrestler, it wasn’t because of my family. It was because of Trish. … She is one of the reasons I’m doing what I’m doing today and I couldn’t be happier for her.”
Kaitlyn: “It’s so cool to see. She made such a huge impact and she is so iconic. Everyone aspires to have just a little bit of what Trish had.”
Aksana: “I’m really excited for her. I want to say congratulations to her. She’s my idol.”
AJ Lee: “To anyone in WWE, she’s an inspiration. She has helped us break a lot of glass ceilings. It’s really cool to have someone from our generation — that’s actually classified as a ‘Diva’ — to be in the Hall of Fame.”
WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart recently spoke with Wrestle Talk TV Extra and had some harsh words about Triple H:
“I have a certain amount of respect for Triple H. I remember when he first came in, I remember commenting on stuff that he did. Because I’d usually give wrestlers my thoughts and try to help them on stuff… Triple H has always been a good wrestler. But great? What is he now, a 1,000 time world champion? How great really is he?
“I look at [CM] Punk… I can look at certain wrestlers and I go, this guy is an innovator. Like a Rey Mysterio, who’s done stuff that no one has ever thought of before. Punk has done stuff — really unique moves and you go, ‘gee I’ve never seen anything like that before.’ They innovate all the time, and they create new sequences and moves and things.
“Then you look at someone like Triple H. When I look at him — he’s always had a good look as far as his body went — he always had a pretty muscular physique. But you look at someone like Hunter and you wonder, what has he really done. One move that he ever created that nobody ever saw before or some highspots or an idea for a match… He’s mostly a guy that just showed up and they made him. He’s always been a decent wrestler — I would consider him a good wrestler and pretty talented. But great? I don’t know, I don’t think so.
“What has he ever done that’s great? He’s never had a great match, I don’t think ever. Whenever I look at Triple H’s matches, including the last one he had with Undertaker — and I don’t really mean it as a knock — but I told myself before I watched it because I’m trying to like Paul now these days, that I want to see him do something to make me think he’s got greatness in him.
“Before Triple H wrestled Undertaker last year, I remember watching it and going, ‘I can picture the whole match in my head, I can tell you exactly what this match is going to be like and how it’s going to go. And I remember watching it and it went exactly how I predicted it… I thought it was mediocre at best, maybe a 4 out of 10, or 3 out of 10.
“I think Paul is a little overrated… overrated for being great. I can sit here and tell you that there was one match that he ever had with anybody that I thought was great. It’s kind of a shame, he should have a great match somewhere with somebody. And you’d think that he would have had it by now, but I don’t think he’s a great wrestler.”
There’s much more to the interview, including Bret’s thoughts on the Undertaker and CM Punk.
