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Punk Ripped Over Jones Comments, Sabu Added To WWE.com

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– Colin Cowherd slammed professional wrestling and CM Punk Thursday on ESPN Radio over Twitter remarks the WWE Champion made concerning Nike’s endorsement deal with mixed martial artist Jon “Bones” Jones.

The outspoken radio personality labeled wrestlers as “roided freaks” and said they have no right to talk about morals due to the industry’s staggering number of premature deaths. Cowherd also alluded to Owen Hart falling to his death at a WWE event in 1999, stating, “A wrestler died in the ring and they just rolled him out and kept going.” Cowherd then ran down Punk and his penchant for tattoos. The diatribe lasted approximately ten minutes.

Punk stated last night immediately following the endorsement announcement, “Let’s reward more drunk drivers with endorsement deals! #responsibility.” He was referring to Jon’s DUI conviction, stemming from a May 19 incident in which Jones drunkenly crashed his Bentley into a utility pole.

– WWE.com has added Sabu to its Alumni section. Though he is best known for his “trailblazing hardcore style” in Extreme Championship Wrestling, the death-defying wrestler appeared for WWE in 2006 and 2007.

(source: ProWrestling.net)

TNA To Release New Jeff Hardy DVD This Fall, BFG Series Result

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– TNA Wrestling has begun production on a new Jeff Hardy DVD that will be released in October. It is the company’s third title on the charismatic wrestler.

– In a “Bound For Glory Series” match on this week’s episode of TNA Xplosion, Samoa Joe defeated Christopher Daniels to earn seven points. Updated tournament standings are as follows: James Storm (66), Samoa Joe (54), Kurt Angle (41), Mr. Anderson (40), Jeff Hardy (35), Christopher Daniels (33), Rob Van Dam (28), Bully Ray (21), Magnus (21), AJ Styles (16), “The Pope” D’Angelo Dinero (7), Robbie E (5).

Tonight’s Impact Wrestling will feature three “Bound For Glory Series” bouts as “Cowboy” James Storm faces Bully Ray, “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles takes on Kurt Angle and Rob Van Dam will be in action against “The Pope” D’Angelo Dinero.

– Crimson and Rosita appear for Warriors of Wrestling on Saturday, August 18 at 1475 South Ave. Staten Island, New York.

(source: PWInsider.com)

Bully Ray To Make A Big Decision, Angelina Love Speaking Out

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With Bully Ray & Devon’s contracts with TNA Wrestling set to expire later this month, negotiations for a new deal have been tense. Ray appeared to address his immediate future with the organization via Twitter with a survey:

He then followed up with:

– Angelina Love, who has remained mum on the details behind her departure from TNA Wrestling last month, will “break her silence” on August 20 in an interview with MondayNightMayhem.com.

– Dark Angel (a/k/a Sarita) will compete at Arena México in Mexico City, Mexico on Friday as she teams with Goya Kong and Luna Magica to take on Lady Apache, Princesa Blanca and Princesa Sugheit. It will be her final match in Mexico before she heads to Japan next week for a two-month tour of joshi promotion STARDOM.

New Modeling Pictures Of Former WWE Diva Maryse

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Former WWE Diva Maryse has launched her new jewelry store at HouseofMaryse.com, where she sells her original necklaces, rings and earrings. Check out this photo shoot of Maryse showing off the new wares & try to keep your eyes on the jewelry!

[nggallery id=49]

News On Wade Barrett’s Return To WWE TV & Upcoming Push

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On Monday’s RAW, WWE aired a promo hyping the return of former Nexus leader Wade Barrett, who has been out of action since February due to injury. The promo, which showed a bearded Barrett unleashing havoc at a fight club, will air on WWE television through SummerSlam.

Pictures of Wade Barrett’s New Look – Now Sporting A Beard

Barrett returned to action in a dark match prior to Tuesday’s SmackDown tapings from Houston, Texas and is currently overseas with the SmackDown brand for its weekend tour of Asia. He is expected to return to action after SummerSlam.

Originally, there was talk of Barrett returning at WWE’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view and winning a title contract, to be cashed in at SummerSlam. Those plans were decided against, however sources indicate Barrett is still in line for a run with one of WWE’s top titles later this year.

(Partial Source: f4wonline.com)

CM Punk Criticizes UFC Champ Jon Jones’ Nike Endorsement Deal

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WWE Champion CM Punk is getting some media attention for comments he made on criticizing Nike for signing UFC Light Heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones to an international endorsement deal, likely worth millions of dollars.

Punk sarcastically tweeted:

Update: ESPN Radio host Rips CM Punk for Jon Jones Tweet

Jones was arrested for DUI on May 19 and had his license suspended for six months.

HBK-Lesnar Angle Scrapped, UFC Fighter In Talks With Bryan

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– It was rumored for weeks that Brock Lesnar would attack WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels on this past week’s “HBK Appreciation Night” edition of WWE RAW from San Antonio, Texas. The angle was reportedly scrapped due to the big celebration WWE had planned for after RAW went off the air, which featured appearances from the Undertaker, Vince McMahon and more.

Pictures from After RAW: HBK Appreciation Night Continues

Lesnar told Michaels on RAW that he’ll be seeing him before SummerSlam on August 19th. With the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter stating that a big angle is planned for Monday’s “go home” episode of RAW, it’s possible we will see Lesnar destroy Michaels on Monday night.

– UFC fighter Diego Sanchez, the man credited with creating the extremely popular “YES!” chant now used by Daniel Bryan in WWE, recently told OpposingViews.com that he’s close with Daniel Bryan and his team has reached out to Bryan’s people working together:

“My team has reached out to them and we’ll see what happens. We both are the ‘Yes’ men and if we could help each other that’s what it’s about. It’s about that positivity and motivating yourself to do things you could never do when unmotivated.”

(Partial Source: f4wonline.com)

WWE Responds To Anti-Linda “Moms Opposing McMahon” Group

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According to Connecticut’s CTNewsJunie.com, a group of women calling themselves “Moms Opposing McMahon” gathered Wednesday morning in a park to protest Republican Linda McMahon’s bid for United States Senate. The group’s leader, Leslie Simoes, said this about McMahon:

“We oppose McMahon’s candidacy and attempts to reinvent herself as a proven jobs creator when in reality she has profited by marketing violence against women and mistreatment of her employees.”

WWE has since responded to the claims made by “Moms Opposing McMahon”:

“All WWE broadcast programming is TV-PG, rated not by us, but by the standards and practices departments of our TV network distributors, while the majority of today’s prime time programming is rated TV-14. Five million women watch WWE’s weekly TV programming, representing nearly 40 percent of our TV audience. Women would not be watching if they found our programming objectionable.”

* Recent Pictures Of The MCMAHON FAMILY Together At Political Function

Brodus Clay Turning Heel? WWE’s Top Fantasy Matches (Video)

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– There has been talk of giving Brodus Clay’s character more of an edge and dropping his dancing Funkasaurus gimmick. Clay will be appearing in the upcoming WWE Studios horror movie “No One Lives,” which could be factor.

– WWE posted the following video counting down the Top 10 Fantasy Matches that never took place:

(Partial Source: f4wonline.com)

Miz & Maryse Attend Charity Event, Maryse Launches Jewelry Line

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– Former WWE Diva Maryse has launched her new jewelry store at HouseofMaryse.com, where she’ll sell her original necklaces, rings and earrings. Several former and WWE divas have given Maryse great feedback on Twitter, including Eve Torres and The Bella Twins.

– Speaking of Maryse, she and her boyfriend, WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz, attended the “MDA Show of Strength” event last night in Los Angeles, California to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

The couple Touted this video while on their way to the event

JR Reunites With Sting, Booker T Also At Comic Con, Superstars

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– WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross noted that an old friend was on his fight to Orlando on Wednesday night – TNA star Sting. Ross was flying in for tonight’s NXT tapings from Winter Park, FL while Sting is in town for tonight’s live Impact Wrestling. JR tweeted:

– Aside from WWE Champion CM Punk & John Cena, SmackDown General Manager Booker T will also be appearing at the Wizard World Chicago Comic-Con this weekend. He will be signing copies of his new book, “From Prison To Promise,” on Saturday afternoon.

– The following matches have been taped for today’s WWE Superstars show:

* Santino Marella vs. Michael McGillicutty
* Heath Slater vs. Kofi Kingston
* Tensai vs. Zack Ryder
* Tyson Kidd & Justin Gabriel vs. Tyler Reks & Curt Hawkins.

Possible *Spoiler* For Sunday’s Hardcore Justice Main Event

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TNA World Champion Austin Aries is scheduled to defend against Bobby Roode at Sunday’s Hardcore Justice pay-per-view. If TNA’s recent ad for an upcoming live event is any indication, Aries might not be leaving the PPV as champion.

TNA is holding a live event in Bowie, Maryland on September 1st and sent out advertising for the show listing Austin Aries as the “Former TNA Champion.”

It’s unknown whether this was an error of if TNA accidentally leaked plans to take the title of Aries, but when TNA found out about the situation, the advertising was revised and the billing for Austin Aries was changed to “TNA World Heavyweight Champion.”

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Shelton Benjamin Says He’s Not TNA Bound, King Mo’s TNA Debut

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– Shelton Benjamin tweeted the following message this morning about whether he headed to TNA:

“Since so many keep asking, I have no plans to go to TNA. Not saying never. but no time soon. Don’t take that as a knock against TNA. Just though I’d throw that in cause people like to create bs out of a simple answer to a question.”

– Recent TNA live event attendance figures:

August 3rd (Enid, Oklahoma): 500 fans
August 4th (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma): 600 fans

– Bellator MMA fighter & contracted TMA wrestler “King” Mo Lowal will report to Ohio Valley Wrestling around September 1st to begin training for his TNA debut.

Lawal is expected to debut for TNA in October and work through January, when Bellator MMA debuts on Spike TV.

(Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Impact Preview: BFG Series Matches, Aries-Roode Confrontation

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The following is TNA’s official preview for tonight’s live Impact Wrestling on Spike TV, Preview tonight’s live Impact Wrestling show as the road to Hardcore Justice (8/12) continues:

– IMPACT will feature three big “Bound For Glory Series” matches as a preview to the specialty bouts that will take place at the Pay-Per-View! This Thursday, “Cowboy” James Storm will face Bully Ray, “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles takes on Kurt Angle and Rob Van Dam will be in action against “The Pope” D’Angelo Dinero!

– This past week, The Aces & 8s gang once again unleashed chaos on IMPACT WRESTLING, and the accusations flew as Sting, Kurt Angle and Bobby Roode questioned whether James Storm is behind the gang! Will we get any answers this Thursday on SpikeTV – or just more questions? Is Brooke Hogan next on their hit list? Will Sting find a way to stop them?

– Also, Thursday’s broadcast will feature the final confrontation between World Heavyweight Champion Austin Aries and Bobby Roode before their main event match at the “Hardcore Justice” event.

All this and much more on tonight’s IMPACT WRESTLING broadcast LIVE at 8/7c on SpikeTV.

Randy Orton Says He’s Not Working At SummerSlam

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Following the completion of a 60-day suspension for his second violation of WWE’s Wellness Policy, Randy Orton is currently overseas with the SmackDown brand for this weekend’s tour of Asia.

However, with less than two weeks until SummerSlam, the main event superstar says he won’t be wrestling on the show.

3 More Rumored Matches For WWE SummerSlam

Orton responded to fans Twitter on Thursday afternoon (Japan time), talking about the 12 1/2 hour flight, keeping in touch with his wife Samantha while away and more.

Pictures Of Randy Orton & His Wife Samantha

When asked why he’s not featured on WWE’s promotional material hyping SummerSlam, he responded:

Video: Eve On “Stars Earn Stripes” & JBL Blogs Seven Summits

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– Former WWE superstar JBL has updated his blog, which you can read at TheBermudian.com. In this entry, JBL talks about the ongoing training for his Seven Summits mountain climbing adventure. After his most recent climb was cut short due to bad weather, JBL says he’s working on getting into the best physical shape as he possibly can:

“I can’t control the weather, I can only control me being ready to climb. I weighed 245 pounds this morning and my goal is to get below 220 pounds for Aconcagua to help which would put me the lowest I have been since being a teenager.”

“As an example I regularly wrestled at over 300 pounds during my career at WWE with my peak around 330 pounds. My end goal for Mt Everest in spring of 2014 is to get down to around 200 pounds.”

– NBC has released the following behind-the-scenes video hyping the upcoming reality show, “Stars Earn Stripes,” where celebrities go through military training to raise money for charities. The show debuts on Monday night, 8/13.

WWE diva Eve is one of the contestants. This video previews the intense training Eve and the other contestants will endure:

* Behind-The-Scenes Pictures From CM PUNK’s New DVD

CM Punk Talks About He & Cena Appearing At Chicago Comic Con

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WWE champion CM Punk spoke to Chicago’s SouthTown Star newspaper this week to promote his appearance at the Wizard World Chicago Comic Con event this weekend.

Punk was asked about having to share the spotlight with John Cena in his home town (Cena is appearing at the convention today) and whether fans can expect a confrontation between the two. He said:

“You shouldn’t be worried; you should be hoping for one! Actually, we’re at the con on different days. You can probably expect some trash talking, though.”

Despite the storyline rivalry between Punk and Cena, Punk named John Cena as the WWE superstar he most admires:

“I admire just about anybody for various reasons. Everyone has traits that I admire. You’ve got to admire John [Cena] for all the work he does with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, though. The WWE likes to broadcast his involvement with Make-A-Wish, and they should.”

““I know how many of their events I do and how many John does, and there is no comparison.”

John Cena Appearing At Wizard World Chicago Comic Con Today

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John Cena will be appearing at the Wizard World Chicago Comic Con today from 4-8pm (CT) at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill. Below is more information from Wizard World, followed by a Tout by John Cena hyping the appearance:

WWE® Superstar John Cena® To Appear Thursday, August 9 At 2012 Wizard World Chicago Comic Con

Cena Appears on Opening Day from 4-8 p.m. at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois

WWE® Superstar John Cena® will appear as a special guest on Thursday, August 9, Opening Day at Wizard World Chicago Comic Con at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, it was announced today by Wizard World. Cena will be on hand at the event from 4-8 p.m., and will meet fans, sign autographs and pose for professional photo ops.

Cena’s appearance kicks off an expanded, full four-day Wizard World Chicago Comic Con, August 9-12, in what is shaping up as the biggest Wizard World show ever and the Midwest’s No. 1 Pop Culture Convention.

One of the most popular WWE Superstars since his debut in 2002, Cena combines his athleticism, charisma, strong work ethic and genuine personality to make him one of the brightest stars in WWE and its hit cable program, Monday Night RAW on the USA Network.

“I am looking forward to meeting the enthusiastic fans at my first Wizard World event,” said Cena. “I have heard a lot about the charged-up atmosphere, and I can’t wait to experience it for myself.”

WWE Taping NXT Tonight, WWE 13 Creative Director Q&A (Video)

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– WWE returns to Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida tonight with the latest round of NXT TV tapings. Main roster talent advertised to appear includes Ryback, Sin Cara and several WWE Divas. WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross will also be on hand doing commentary for the top matches.

The tapings will feature fall-out from the recent NXT Gold Rush Tournament to crown the first ever NXT Champion.

*SPOILER* Spicture Of The First-Ever NXT Champion w/the New NXT Title Belt

– Cory Ledesma, the THQ’s Creative Director of the WWE ’13, recorded a 20-minute Q&A session this week and answered questions about the video game. In the video below, Ledesma goes in-depth about the new gameplay features in this game, as well as this year’s Attitude Era feature. One of the more newsworthy items from the video is that Jim Ross will only be calling action in the Attitude Era mode of the game.

 

WWE Launching Saturday Morning Show In Two Weeks

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WWE will launch a Saturday morning program geared towards children on August 25, Los Angeles Time reports.

In two weeks, Saban Brands will launch Vortexx, a five-hour block of original children’s programming aimed at young boys. The slate of shows will air on the CW television network, with WWE Saturday Morning Slam anchoring the block.

The half-hour program will feature one wrestling match a week, as well as Superstar profiles, behind-the-scenes footage and anti-bullying messages via ‘be a STAR.’

Saban Brands approached WWE about doing the show after executives noticed toys featuring WWE Superstars were among the best-selling items. According to Los Angeles Times, WWE’s research shows that children, including a “healthy contingent” of boys younger than 12, consist of 22% of their viewing audience. Saban and WWE are hoping to capitalize on the data with Saturday Morning Slam.

Eric Pankowski, senior vice president for WWE creative and development, said the organization is aware of potential media concerns of violence airing on a program geared toward children.

“We are very sensitive to the fact that we are speaking to an audience of children,” said Pankowski. “We want to make sure that the content that we put on at 10 o’clock on Saturday morning is appropriate for younger audiences.”

The full story is available here.

Details On WWE Studios’ Upcoming Releases

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WWE Studios will release Barricade later this year, the final movie under the film division’s previous business model, where WWE financed, released and promoted the movies themselves.

WWE is now partnering with other movie studios on movies (sharing costs and profits), with the following movies set to be released next year:

– The Marine: Homefront (with The Miz)
– Dead Man Down (with Colin Farrell & Wade Barrett)
– The Hive (with Halle Berry & David Otunga)
– No One Lives (with Luke Evans & Brodus Clay)
– 12 Rounds: Reloaded (with Randy Orton)
– The Leprechaun (with Hornswoggle)

Dead Man Down and The Hive are both confirmed for theatrical releases.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Konnan Talks About WWE’s Lack Of Stars & Top Acts Being Stale

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During this week’s episode of MLW Radio, Konnan spoke about the lack of new stars:

“They need to make more stars, dude. We talk about this every week. I don’t know why they don’t, why they haven’t. They’ve always been behind the curve, so has wrestling in general. That hurts a lot. I have a lot of ideas of how you could change it to make it cooler, but who in that company could do that Stone Cold gimmick or that Rock gimmick? They don’t have anybody and then on top of that, they’re not giving enough time to make new stars.”

“It’s always the same guys over and over and over. It’s like, alright, those guys are already stars, let’s make new ones. I don’t know if any of those guys are stepping up though and saying look, I’ve got a great gimmick, let’s go with it. It just doesn’t seem like it. They just don’t have those big stars there and they’re not making new ones like they should.”

Lesnar Booked For Next 2 RAW’s, Jericho Leaving & More

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– Brock Lesnar will be appearing on next week’s “go home” RAW and also the following week (the night after SummerSlam).

– WWE is looking to reformat their programming in Japan. Currently, RAW and SmackDown air in Japan (with subtitles) 10 days after they air in the US.

– The July 9th episode of WWE RAW had 291,000 homes watching the show on DVR or tape delay, 8.5% of the show’s total viewership. The following week’s show (July 16) had 307,000 homes DVR the show, which was 9.2% of the total audience.

– Chris Jericho will be departing WWE in the coming weeks. Jericho is usually cryptic about his plans and previously said he’d be finishing up with WWE by August 14th (he’s booked for SummerSlam on 8/19), but will likely be gone by the end of the month.

Aside from his upcoming shows with Fozzy, Jericho will also be working on his third autobiography, which will cover the past 5 year of his life.

* Pictures of WADE BARRETT’s New Look (Sporting a Beard)

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Knockout On Her Way Out Of TNA?, Tessmacher Plays Games

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– In a sign that Winter could be departing TNA Wrestling in the near future, the sparingly seen Knockout is advertised to appear on iPPV for Pro Wrestling Syndicate’s subsidiary female promotion, B.L.O.W. Wrestling, on October 11—event taking place at the Rahway Recreation Center in Rahway, New Jersey. Though contracted TNA Wrestling talent are permitted to appear for independent wrestling promotions, they are prohibited from appearing on shows which are broadcast.

The British wrestling standout’s role in TNA has been greatly deemphasized since Bruce Prichard took over the creative reins in October as she has been sparingly used and has yet to return to the title scene. Her last television appearance took place over four months ago on April 6. She has competed for independent groups in the meantime.

– TNA Women’s Knockout Champion Miss Tessmacher appears outside the ring at an arcade.

http://youtu.be/HuANu20OVMA

Rumored SummerSlam Matches, Big Angle On RAW Next Week

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– With less than two weeks to go until WWE SummerSlam, the following matches are rumored for the show:

* Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston & R-Truth vs. Titus O’Neil & Darren Young vs. Primo & Epico.

* Intercontinental Champion The Miz vs. Rey Mysterio.

* Damien Sandow vs. Brodus Clay.

Updated Card For WWE SummerSlam (New Match)

WWE reportedly has a big angle planned for next week’s “go home” edition of RAW to peak interest headed into the PPV, likely involving Brock Lesnar.

– The WWE tryout camp taking place in Los Anageles after SummerSlam will feature local independent wrestlers as well as several athletes WWE has been scouting in recent months.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)