Home Blog Page 2948

Full List Of Inductors For WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

51

WWE has yet to announce who will be inducting the 2012 WWE Hall of Fame inductees, but here’s what we’ve heard are the current plans:

Edge will be inducted by Christian

Four Horsemen (Arn Anderson, Barry Windham, JJ Dillon, Ric Flair and Tully Blanchard) will be inducted by Dusty Rhodes

Mike Tyson will be inducted by Shawn Michaels and Triple H

Mil Mascaras will be inducted by Alberto Del Rio

Ron Simmons will be inducted by John “Bradshaw” Layfield

Yokozuna will be inducted by Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso and Rikishi

Jerry “The King” Lawler will host the event.

Bischoff Responds To Nash Saying He Would Return To TNA

24

Kevin Nash stated during a recent interview with www.thesun.co.uk that he would be open to returning to TNA Wrestling due to the numerous benefits the organization provides.

“I have a fifteen year old son, and at this point my son needs a Dad more than the world needs a wrestler. The thing that makes TNA work for me is that first of all I have way more friends there than in WWE. I made some friends once I came there – Punk and I got along well, me and Ziggler got along well and I got a chance to hang out with John Cena – but my crew of guys that are still in the business are more the TNA guys,” he told Rob McNichols in an interview for the One Sided Ring podcast.

“It’s fifty miles from my house. I can drive over there; I don’t have to get on a plane. I can put my gear in the trunk, drop the top on my convertible and be over there and do it. It was always a really easy travel day for me. I enjoyed being down there. I also part of a lot of the young guys – AJ, Eric Young, Bobby Roode – in their early stages of development. Now these guys are becoming stars. I’m not saying I wouldn’t go back. If they had something for me and they needed me, I would go back and do it. Right now I’m starting to get bored!”

TNA Wrestling producer Eric Bischoff reacted to Nash’s comments via Twitter, writing, “Hear Kevin Nash is open to coming back to Impact. Lots of history with Kevin. Always great to work with. Another Detroit guy on the team?”

Big Daddy V Not Appearing For WWE, Torrie Wilson Fitness Tips

11

— Reports this week of former WWE talent Nelson Frazier (a/k/a Big Daddy V, Viscera) appearing at WrestleMania Axxess are incorrect he is advertised to appear at a wrestling tour taking place in Georgetown, Guyana on March 31 and April 1. Other talent appearing include Tom Howard, Predator (a/k/a Sylvester Terkey), Butterbean, Domino, Daivari, Luke Gallows, Shad Gaspard, Paul London, Mike Knox and Raven. Bill Goldberg will also appear at the events in a non-wrestling capacity.

— Former WWE Diva Torrie Wilson has launched a fitness blog site at TorrieWilsonFit.com. In her first post she demonstrates glute training.

— Ted DiBiase and Rosa Mendes have been announced to appear at Walmart – 19501 NW 27th Ave, Miami Gardens, Florida on March 28. The autograph signing is open to the first 300 attendees and a wristband policy is in effect.

— Hiroyoshi Tenzan turns 41 years old Friday while Villano III turns 60.

source: F4WOnline.com

Husky Harris Debuts New Character, SmackDown Preview, More

34

— WWE developmental wrestler Husky Harris appeared under the name Levi Wyatt at a non-televised Florida Championship Wrestling event on Thursday. His character was described by a person in attendance at the event as a religious zealot. Wearing a straw hat and Hawaiian shirt, he cut a heelish promo before defeating fellow developmental talent Jiro in a singles match.

The Wrestling Observer reported this week that Harris is on management’s radar for a promotion to the main roster and would be debuting a new character.

— WWE Champion CM Punk joins forces with Sheamus for a tag team match against World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan and The Miz on tonight’s episode of SmackDown. Other bouts airing on the broadcast taped Tuesday in Newark, New Jersey are Mark Henry vs. R-Truth, AJ vs. Brie Bella, Jack Swagger vs. Zack Ryder, Big Show vs. Kane, Brodus Clay vs. Heath Slater and Dolph Ziggler vs. The Great Khali.

— Former WWE talent Ray Gordy (a/k/a Jesse, Slam Master J) turns 33 years old Friday. He left the professional wrestling industry following his release from WWE in April 2010 and is now working as a police officer in Atlanta, Georgia.

Layla Returns To The Ring, Sunny Remembers Candido, More

30

— Layla made her return to in-ring competition at a non-televised Florida Championship Wrestling event on Thursday night. Alongside babyface Audrey Marie, they defeated Paige and Sofia Cortez.

The final WWE Women’s Champion has been sidelined since May due to tears of both her Anterior cruciate and Medial collateral ligaments, which required surgery. She underwent rehabilitation in the meantime.

— WWE Hall of Famer Sunny posted a message on Facebook remembering the late Chris Candido, who would have turned 40 years old on Wednesday. She wrote of her former boyfriend with the following image, “I miss you honey…xoxo.” After several people posted photos and messages remembering Candido on her Facebook wall, she wrote, “ok, enough sadness about CC….lets move on to happier things…Heaven isn’t too far away…closer to it every day….”

Candido died on April 28, 2005 due to a blood clot, a complication from leg surgery three days earlier.

— WWE Hall of Famer Howard Finkel will appear at WrestleReunion 8 taking place April 13-15 at Doubletree Toronto Airport 655 Dixon Rd. Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

source: PWInsider.com

WWE Acknowledges FCW Talent, Ezekiel Jackson Loses Again

14

— The official Twitter feed of WWE recognized Florida Championship Wrestling talent on Twitter Thursday night as they posted a list of those on the microblogging site. WWE typically doesn’t acknowledge wrestlers situated in developmental.

FCW talent on the site are Antonio Cesaro, Audrey Marie, Big E Langston, Bo Rotundo, Brian Nguyen, Caylee Turner, Damien Sandow, Dean Ambrose, Husky Harris, Kenneth Cameron, Leo Kruger, Marc Harris, Raquel Diaz, Seth Rollins, Sofia Cortez, Summer Rae and Xavier Woods.

— WWE.com has posted this week’s episode of WWE Superstars featuring Beth Phoenix and Eve against Natalya and Tamina in tag team action, Epico and Primo vs. Alex Riley and Mason Ryan in a non-title tag team match, Titus O’Neil vs. Yoshi Tatsu, and Drew McIntyre vs. Ezekiel Jackson. Jackson comes up short to McIntyre, which extends his losing streak to seven consecutive losses in televised matches. The former Intercontinental Champion has yet to win a televised match in 2012.

— The Score in Canada will air WWE SmackDown live on Tuesday, April 10, 2012 at 8:00 p.m. The episode will also air live in the United States on SyFy.

Styles Joins In On Garcia Mockery, WWE Site Wants Singh Back

27

— WWE website content director Joey Styles has joined in on the company’s semi-frequent mockery of ring announcer Lilian Garcia as he took to Twitter to poke fun at her announcing miscue at Tuesday’s SmackDown taping in Newark, New Jersey.

After Garcia stated on the microblogging site that she would be performing with her band Thursday night at the Hard Rock Cafe in Hollywood, California, he wrote to her, “Tonight will you be announcing yourself at the Hard Rock Cafe as Lilian Garcia or @RealJackSwagger? :) @ZackRyder @JohnCena.” His comment was retweeted by Ryder.

During Tuesday’s show, Garcia erroneously introduced Ryder as “Long Island Iced Z, Jack Swagger” for his match against Jack Swagger. This led to John Cena hauling out ring announcer Tony Chimel for his post-show dark match since he “knows what he’s doing,” unlike Garcia. Cena had Chimel properly introduce Ryder, but WWE production coordinators kept cutting of his microphone in a practical joke. Cena then properly introduced Ryder himself.

The ordeal was done by WWE brass to publicly embarrass Garcia, who has been subject to various forms of humiliation numerous times throughout her career.

— WWE.com has published an article demanding the return of The Great Khali’s former mouthpiece Ranjin Singh.

WWE.com writes, “The Great Khali is known the world over for his immense stature, but one-time mouthpiece Ranjin Singh played a giant role in The Punjabi Giant’s ascension in WWE. Singh’s many memorable antics included narrating the beloved “Khali Kiss Cam,” and WWE.com thinks it’s time to bring him back!”

John Cena Talks About Replacing The Spinner WWE Title Belt

58

“I’m the one that needs to be tied to the stake and burned as a witch. “I’m the one who ‘disgraced the WWE Championship.

“Side note, the WWE spinning championship is not only the most requested item from anyone who wants any merchandise from WWE, and that goes all the way up to Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers people, but it’s also the most sold championship of all time.”

Cena agrees it’s time for WWE to introduce a newly redesigned WWE Championship belt – and it’s not just because the spinner belt is ugly:

“I don’t know if it will go back to the winged eagle, but being the guy who truly invented it, it needs to change. It has been the way it’s been for years now. It’s had it’s run. It doesn’t even spin anymore. It’s heavy, it’s awkward. It really is.”

“An average championship belt weighs about 12 pounds. The current WWE spinning championship weighs about 27 pounds. So we need a rehash. I’m proactively trying to do that. I only have so much stroke, guys. I can’t do everything.”

VOTE HERE: Which WWE Championship Belt Should WWE Use?

John Morrison Talks About Whether He’ll Ever Return To WWE

37

John Morrison recently spoke to Phil Strum of the Poughkeepsie Journal about the possibility of returning to WWE one day. Morrison says he left on great terms and his body simply needed a break from the hectic WWE schedule:

“The door is open to go back. I left on really good terms with everybody and what I wanted to do was take time off to heal, get refreshed and take a little vacation…”

“I was working a 250-plus day a year schedule and I wanted to be refreshed.”

He also revealed that he wasn’t enjoying himself anymore towards the end of his most recent run:

“Right before I left, I felt like I was going to work. I wasn’t enjoying it as much as when I started.”

Morrison will be wrestling his first match in the Untied States since leaving WWE back in November on Friday night at Northeast Wrestling’s Wrestlefest 16 at Poughkeepsie, New York’s Mid-Hudson Civic Center.

All Cage Matches At No Way Out, FCW Talent Ready, Taker

52

– WWE’s upcoming No Way Out pay-per-view on June 17th from the Izod Center in East Rutherford, NJ will feature an “all cage matches” format, much like TNA’s annual Lockdown event. It remains to be seen whether WWE will build up feuds that are developed & mature enough to warrant a cage match. No Way Out will be facing stiff competition on pay-per-view that weekend, with the big Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen rematch rumored to be taking place the night before from Brazil in an 80,000 person stadium.

– Last week on RAW, the Undertaker made a mistake during his promo, stating that WrestleMania takes place on April 21st. Virtually nobody said anything about it backstage, but there was a feeling that anybody else without the Undertaker’s locker room clout would have gotten heat for the mistake.

– WWE plans to call up several wrestlers from developmental in the months after WrestleMania 28. Among the top prospects at FCW who are ready for a spot on the main roster are Seth Rollins, Dean Amborse, Damien Sandow and Husky Harris. No word yet on who will be the first to debut on WWE television, but it’s worth noting that WWE plans to debut them one at a time once there is a storyline in place for each wrestler.

– Another talent at Florida Championship Wrestling who is seen as having big potential is Shaul Guerrero, the daughter of Vickie and the late Eddie Guerrero. While several of the women at developmental have showed up for tryouts knowing nothing about wrestling, Guerrero stands out for her great attitude, ability to take criticism and learn from mistakes as well as her ability to cut promos and alter her character when needed.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Billy Gunn Discusses State Of Wrestling, WrestleMania Memories

26

Former WWE Superstar Billy Gunn appeared on Busted Open with Doug Mortman and Dave LaGreca, which airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Sirius 92 and XM 207. Highlights from his interview are as follows:

WrestleReunion: “Yeah, it’s gonna be a lot of fun! I mean, there’s gonna be so much stuff going on in Miami because of not only WrestleReunion, Wrestlemania, everything else; it’s gonna be crazy. But it’s gonna be a lot of fun—I mean—once me and Brian (Road Dog Jesse James] get together, not even Wrestlemania can overshadow us!”

Tag team wrestling today: “Right now, I think tags everywhere are a little weak, especially WWE. If you know anything about that company you know they’re not high on tags anyway; it’s all about singles and who their big single run can be.”

Downfall of tag team wrestling: “It’s just something that’s baffled me, and it’s baffled everybody that I’ve talked to, and they always ask the same question: “Why are tags not all that prevalent up there?” And I can’t ever answer that, I can’t ever give a good reason. One may be because there’s no good stand-out tag-teams. Or maybe it’s guys don’t wanna be in tags anymore because everyone is so worried about themselves that they don’t wanna have to worry about somebody else. Because when you’re in a tag, you’ve gotta at least gel a little bit for it to work anyway. I don’t have a great answer for that, I just wish they would put more emphasis in the tag division.”

On state of wrestling: “I think it’s picking up a little bit. Poor John Cena (not “poor John Cena” money-wise), but poor John Cena! He’s carried that company for a long time. No matter what anybody says, no matter what people say about him or what they do, he has carried that company on his back a long time. Now, they’re kind of stirring up the pot. I know they’ve done Wrestlemania a year out with him and [The] Rock; they have to bring something with that strong of a personality to kinda kick things back in gear ‘cause it’s getting a little stale. And they started doing that with the CM Punk. Punk started talking crap about the company and everything which, in turn, stirred some question about what was going on. So people started tuning in and getting into it a little bit more. In the Attitude Era, you weren’t getting just wrestling; you were getting all kinds of crazy stuff. It was what it was called: entertainment. You were entertained from the minute that Raw started to the minute it was over to making you want to want more. That’s what the show was, that’s what Raw was all about in the Attitude Era: what’s making you want more. They would leave you hanging to make you just chomp at the bit all week to make you tune in to the next week. Now you watch the show like you’re watching an episode of “The Flinstones” or something. There’s nothing to keep your attention, or nothing to make you go Woah! Now this is what wrestling is! Y’know, we’re all parents now… they’re constantly telling their kids about the Attitude Era—The Rock, Stone Cold, DX, Mankind. There’s a whole slew of people! Now when you mention wrestling it’s John Cena. Not that that’s bad, but that’s where you get lost; there’s just nothing really interesting about the show.”

On WrestleMania: ” This is the one most spectacular thing I’ve ever been involved with. Starting from right after the [Royal] Rumble, you start getting goosebumps because it is that good, it is that much fun, it is that entertaining. It’s like an event that you’ll never, ever, ever experience in your life that you don’t go to live. You can watch it on TV, but until you’re there, you have no idea how fun it is. Wrestlemania is the number one show of the year and they prove it because they hold nothing back. They let it all rip… It is phenomenal. It is probably the one greatest thing on Earth, to me anyway.”

CM Punk A Vegan, Rock’s Training Partner, Orton, TNA-Flair

56

– In preparation for his match with John Cena at WrestleMania 28, The Rock has been doing his in-ring training with Curt Hawkins.

– Randy Orton is being considered for the lead role in upcoming WWE Studios film, The Marine 3. Orton was originally supposed to star in Marine 2, but was injured at the time, so that role went to Ted DiBiase.

– Did you know .. Daniel Bryan is not the only vegan title holder in WWE. During an appearance on Much Music in Canada this week, WWE Champion CM Punk revealed that he is also now a vegan. However, because of how WWE has portrayed being a vegan as a heel characteristic, don’t expect Punk’s latest lifestyle change to be mentioned on television.

– TNA has reportedly been pushing for WWE to mention them at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, but it’s unlikely to happen. Flair will be appearing at the Hall of Fame ceremony whether WWE mentions TNA or not.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Video: CM Punk Appears At NHL Hocky Game, Shoots The Puck

8

WWE Champion CM Punk appeared at Tuesday night’s Chicago Blackhawks NHL hockey game against the Vancouver Canucks. During the 2nd intermission, Punk got to skate on to the ice and take a few shots on the open net.  Punk noted that he played ice hockey as a kid but his skating was “atrocious.” He said his shot was good and he was a good fighter, which certainly pays off in his current profession.

WM29 Main Event To Be Announced The Night After WM28?

98

WWE made history last year when they announced the main event of WrestleMania 28 the night after Wrestlemania 27, giving them an unprecedented 12 months to build towards this year’s blockbuster main event.

According to sources in WWE, the company is strongly considering announcing the main event of next year’s WrestleMania 29 on April 2nd, the night after WrestleMania 28. The RAW after WrestleMania is typically the highest-rated episode of the year and they are pleased with the year-long build that Rock vs. Cena has had.

Right now, WWE is expecting that John Cena, The Rock, The Undertaker and possibly Steve Austin and Brock Lesnar will be the top stars that can potentially be booked for the main event of WrestleMania 29. A Rock vs. Cena re-match is a possibility and both Austin and Lesnar have feuds that make sense for next year (CM Punk for Austin, Undertaker for Lesnar).

COMMENT BELOW and tell us what you think about WWE announcing WrestleMania main events 1 year in advance and what matches you want to see headlining WrestleMania in 2013.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

John Cena Explains Why He Does Not Like The Rock

125

John Cena appeared on Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks Podcast this week and spoke about having legitimate issues with The Rock. While Cena respects what The Rock accomplished during his in-ring career, his major issue stems from the things The Rock said after he left for Hollywood:

“I disagree with the way he does business. I congratulate him on all his success. He’s had a Hall of Fame resume in WWE. His movies have grossed over $1 billion worldwide. But if was my career path, I would have done it differently…I disagree with some of the decisions he made.”

“All that time being gone, and the total process he took to try to reinvent himself. I can show you magazine covers that say ‘The Rock is Dead,’ or ringside interviews where he’s said, ‘I’ll never go back to wrestling.’ Just talking bad about the vehicle that got you to the dance, and then when the dust settles wanting to come back to the dance.”

You can listen to the full interview at SportsIllustrated.com.

Video: Chris Jericho’s Wednesday Appearance On Jimmy Fallon

7

Chris talks about the upcoming “WrestleMania XXVIII” event and his love for wrestling story lines:

Videos Of Yokozuna’s WWE Career Highlights

12

Following the announcement that Yokozuna will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame next weekend, the WWE Youtube channel has published the following videos looking back at some of his career highlights:

TNA Impact Preview: Big Return, Angle vs. Bischoff & More

10

The following is a spoiler-free preview for tonight’s TNA Impact Wrestling on Spike:

– Fallout from Sunday’s Victory Road PPV & Bobby Roode’s assault on Dixie Carter & Sting

– The return of a major TNA star

– Kurt Angle vs Garett Bischoff in a 3-minute challenge

– TNA Tag Team champions Samoa Joe and Magnus vs. Mexican America.

– James Storm vs. Daniels and Kazarian in a handicap match.

– X Division champ Austin Aries vs. Anthony Nese vs. Zema Ion vs. Kid Kash.

– TNA Knockouts Tag Team champions Eric Young and ODB vs. Rosita and Sarita.

Also appearing tonight are TNA Champion Bobby Roode, Sting, Dixie Carter, Bully Ray and more.

*SPOILERS* TNA Impact Wrestling Results For Tonight

Piper Talks Favorite ‘Mania Moment, Cena-Rock Pipers Pit

7

Show: Wrestling Voice Radio’s “WrestleMania Moment” Series
Host: Duane Doogan
Guest: “Rowdy” Roddy Piper
WrestlingVoiceRadio.com & iTunes

In the first episode of the “WrestleMania Moment” Series that will be on Wrestling Voice Radio over the next week, Duane Doogan speaks with WWE Hall of Famer “Rowdy” Roddy Piper about his favorite WrestleMania Moment.

His favorite WrestleMania Moment:

“I’d have to say the very first WrestleMania, there was no hand-book for it, there was a lot of tension between the guys, (Hulk) Hogan & myself, Orndoff at (Mr.) T, (Jimmy) Snuka was there, he felt slighted. Bob Orton was there, Mohamed Ali was the special referee. It was just all over the place, so when you went out there that night, there was no pyrotechnics or anything, but you didn’t need it. Those people never stopped. The tension going into it was real significant, because after the first one they had a little bit of a road map but the first one they kind of stumbled into it, and that was definitely the hardest one but I think that was the best of all time because it set the mark for all the rest to come.”

On returning in 2009, 25 years later to wrestle at the event again and still being a draw:

“Well I just hung up the phone and I’m going to be at WrestleMania 28, and I think what that says one strong statement, if I’m still a headliner in WrestleMania 28 and I started wrestling 14 years before there was a WrestleMania anything, then Roddy Piper’s commodity has proved itself time and time again and that’s why they call him an icon.”

Why haven’t The Rock & John Cena appeared on Piper’s Pit:

“Unless they try and put it down Monday, and I’m just communicating with them now. It takes a lot of guts to go on Piper’s Pit, I’ve seen other people and do this show… and none of them have come close. The reason is, it’s dangerous in there and I’m not sure the WWE wants to risk it’s two stars in that zone. I think that’s closest to the truth.”

Video: John Cena Invites Jersey Shore Cast To WM29

50

John Cena appeared on CNN affiliate HLN on Wednesday night during a discussion about Jersey Shore star Mike “The Situation Sorrentino entering rehab. Cena laid down a challenge for the cast of Jersey Shore to show up to next year’s WrestleMania 29 from the Metlife Stadium in New Jersey (“NY/NJ”).

Full Schedule For WWE’s “Once In A Lifetime” Special

15

Credit to Devin Cutting for sending in this schedule of when the USA Network will be airing the “Once In A Lifetime: The Rock vs. John Cena” special. As you can see, WWE is going all-out by airing the show on many of NBC Universal’s affiliate stations:

Monday 3/26
8 p.m./7 p.m. CT – USA Network

Tuesday 3/27
7 p.m./6 p.m. CT – CLOO

Wednesday 3/28
8 p.m./5 p.m. PT – UNIHD
12:30 a.m./9:30 p.m. PT – UNIHD

Thursday 3/29
6 a.m./5 a.m. CT – Style
8 p.m./7 p.m. CT – Mun2
1 a.m./12 a.m. CT – E!

Friday 3/30
6 a.m./3 a.m. PT – NBC Sports
8 a.m./7 a.m. CT – Syfy
11 a.m./10 a.m. CT – Bravo
7 p.m./6 p.m. CT – Syfy
11 p.m./8 p.m. PT – UNIHD

Saturday 3/31
9 a.m./8 a.m. CT – USA Network
6 p.m./5 a.m. CT – Mun2
10 p.m./9 p.m. CT – G4 (WWE Tough Enough marathon airing 12 p.m. – 10 p.m./11 a.m. – 9 p.m. CT)

Sunday 4/1
8 a.m./7 a.m. CT – Oxygen
10 a.m./9 a.m. CT – G4
12 p.m./11 a.m. CT – CLOO

Del Rio & Ricardo Teaming, Lord Tensai, WWE Inbox Video

48

– Alberto Del Rio and Ricardo Rodriguez will be teaming together during WWE’s upcoming tour of Puerto Rico. The duo will be facing WWE tag team champions Primo and Epico at the three scheduled shows.

– Zack Ryder noted on Twitter he will be testing out a new format for his Z! True Long Island Story show this week, which premiers on Friday.

– Former WWE superstar Matt Bloom (Albert/A-Train) will be debuting in the coming weeks as Lord Tensai. Upon his return, Tensai is expected to push him into a top feud with either John Cena or Randy Orton, much like we’ve seen with Kane.

– WWE has published the latest episode of WWE Inbox, featuring superstars and divas talking about the Most Annoying Superstar and predictions on who will win at WrestleMania 28 between The Rock and John Cena:

(Partial Source: f4wonline.com)

VIDEO: WWE Ribs Lilian Garcia At SmackDown Tapings

79

WWE ribbed Lilian Garcia at Tuesday’s SmackDown tapings from Newark, NJ after she made yet another bad error in front of the live crowd.

During the show, Lilian Garcia  introduced Zack Ryder last night as “Mr. Long Island Iced Z, Jack Swagger.”

After the SmackDown tapings concluded, John Cena was scheduled to wrestle in the dark match main event steel cage match. Cena brought out ring announcer Tony Chimel and Zack Ryder with him. Cena took the microphone and said he’s going to bring in a ring announcer who is professional.

As Tony Chimel was introducing Zack Ryder, they kept cutting off his microphone as a prank. Cena grabbed the mic and properly introduced “Mr. Long Island Iced Z, Zack Ryder.” The whole thing was apparently done to embarrass Lilian Garcia.

WWE Opening Up New Developmental System In Connecticut

15

Following all the confusion this week regarding the future of WWE’s developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling, we have an update on FCW and a new developmental program in the works.

WWE plans to open up a new branch of its developmental system in Stanford, Connecticut in the next few months. The project has been described to us as something in between Florida Championship Wrestling and the main roster, where talent that is “almost ready” will work closely with WWE officials to get them ready for their debuts.

Triple H issued a statement to WWE.com on Tuesday saying that WWE is not shutting down its developmental program. In fact, they are getting ready to “ramp up” their process of cultivating new talent – with a major announcement coming shortly after WrestleMania. Triple H told WWE.com:

“WWE’s developmental system is being revamped, not shut down. If anything, it’s going to get bigger and better than ever. By no means is it going to get smaller or shut down.”

WWE already has someone in mind to run the new Stamford-based developmental program, but it has not been made public yet.

As for Florida Championship Wrestling, there are no plans to shut down the school/promotion. WWE is looking for new locations in Florida to film the FCW TV show (including Orlando) and will also look for a new television partner to air the shows.

WWE officials are said to be extremely upset about the reports of FCW shutting down this week.

(Partial Source: PWInsider.com)

Kurt Angle Apologizes To Shawn MIchaels & Steve Austin

44

Kurt Angle has issued a follow-up statement to his Tuesday night Twitter rant.

Angle made a lot of bold statements during his latest rant, but his comments about WWE legends Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels are getting the most attention.

Angle stated that it only took him 1 year to reach the top of WWE – when it took Austin and Michaels 15 years. Angle added, “Could Either of U take Me as a Shoot? Be Honest!” He later clarified, “by the way! I Love Austin and Michaels. Just Joking. U guys are legends!”

He tweeted the following apology on Wednesday afternoon:

“I Do Want to Apologize to Shawn Michaels and Steve Austin for My Comment. Without them I Would Have never had my Opportunity in Pro Wrestling,”

“I don’t get twitter.I Love tweeting What I feel-or responding to idiots. But I’m Supposed to be”Politically Correct” w/ My tweets?Forget It”