— The official Twitter feed of Raw Interim General Manager and WWE’s Executive Vice President of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis posted a message suggesting a rematch between WWE Champion CM Punk and World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan on Monday’s Raw SuperShow.
The statement reads, “Mulling rematch for @CMPunk & @WWEDanielBryan on #Raw. Unlike @GMSmackDown, Mr. Excitement will give WWE Universe what they want.”
It would be their third encounter in four weeks. Bryan won the first match by disqualification while last week’s bout on SuperSmackDown LIVE! was ruled a draw.
— SBNation.com reports Brock Lesnar will join John Cena at Sunday’s 2012 Daytona 500 as he is one of four UFC fighters slated to appear at the event promoting UFC programming on the network. The WWE Superstar will wave the green flag at the race.
— Former WWE talent Dave Finlay appears in Sittingbourne, England on Sunday for IPW:U.K.’s No Escape show. He will face Martin Stone.
Jim Ross has published a new blog entry on his official website. Highlights are as follows:
Are some WWE Superstars jealous of The Rock’s return to WWE and headlining WrestleMania XXVIII?: “Probably, but I’ve not spoken directly to any that express that sentiment however jealousy isn’t anything new in the genre or in any locker room. For one to think that it isn’t is being naive. @TheRock returning to WWE is about BUSINESS and the bigger the pie the bigger the slice for everyone.”
If he wants to wrestle Michael Cole at WrestleMania XXVIII: “Absolutely, not. And not any where else either. That hand has been played. Time to shuffle the deck and deal new cards. Cole and JR don’t need to be taking valuable TV time that should be used by young talents who are expected to be the stars of the future.”
Whether Owen Hart will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame: “My assumption would be yes but not any time soon due to circumstances beyond WWE’s control.”
Whether Jeff Hardy will return to WWE: “My absolute guess would be no. At best, highly unlikely. TNA’s schedule likely fits Jeff best. I still remember his bout on TV vs the Undertaker. Great, WWE TV moment.”
The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania: “I never said Undertaker’s Streak at WrestleMania would end in the ring. I’ve actually said the contrary and that I did not think it would happen. That’s simply my opinion but it can only be determined in the ring. Obviously, the Streak will end some day when Taker retires which I do not expect to be this year. That decision is entirely up to Undertaker and how his body is holding up after years of combat.”
Ross also weighs in on The Rock/Cena rivalry, Undertaker vs. Triple H in a Hell in a Cell Match at WrestleMania XXVIII, WWE developmental talent, Ric Flair and more. His post is available here.
Online reports have indicated that there are a number of disgruntled wrestlers within the WWE locker room upset with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson stealing the spotlight at WrestleMania XXVIII since he is not a full-time performer. Former WWE talent Shane Helms (a/k/a The Hurricane) added his two cents on the matter via Twitter and said those people should quit complaining.
“FTR, anybody in the WWE locker room that is bitching about The Rock’s involvement in WrestleMania needs to stop being a douche! He’s earned it!” the former WWE Cruiserweight Champion wrote Friday. “WrestleMania has always had celebrity involvement and if the the celebrity this year happens to actually be a GREAT pro wrestler, it’s a win!!”
Fellow former WWE star Lance Storm, who earlier said Johnson’s detractors should “shut up,” added, “If the dude will draw more money, he deserves the spot. Absolutely. And he WILL draw more money, end of story.”
Johnson caught wind of their statements Saturday morning. He wrote to them: “Incredible to me how many of the boys don’t get the “business” part of our business.”
Arda Ocal of The Score Television Network had a chance to sit down and interview former WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus. In the interview, Stratus does not rule out the possibility of attending WrestleMania but says “it’s not on my calendar at the moment.” She also talks about her upcoming movie project with Lita and defends Natalya’s “flatulence” and Eve’s “Hoeski” angles. Highlights:
Her new movie release “Bounty Hunters” on DVD, how did she get involved in the project: “The director/writer Patrick McBrearty, he sat down and wrote a script and said I need a strong female lead for this, so he pictured Trish Stratus in his mind. It landed on my desk, I read the script, and Trish Stratus just jumped out of the pages to me. Small crew, Canadian casting crew, I was excited to support that. Also the fact that I got to do some fighting, got to learn some new fighting art. That was a great oppurtunity to do that.”
Will she be at WrestleMania 28 in Miami, Florida?: “At this point it’s not in my calendar, but things change. There’s alot of very talented women right now that can do an amazing match at WrestleMania. I hope to see Beth Phenoix doing the Pin-up Strong movements, been amazing to watch. But lets just see what happens, you never know. I just hope there is a Divas match, even if I’m not in it.”
Her thoughts of the WWE divas division now: “(The Divas division) is just lacking the development we had. Everyone is asking me about Natalya and Eve and how controversial the angles are and can you believe that in a negative way, but I look at it in a positive thing. Natalya is doing this flatulence gimmick, and theres the hoeski gimmick for Eve. To me, this is just character development. Everytime there out there, the audience has a chance to connect with them, and get more invested in them as characters and performers”
— Online reports have indicated that there are a number of disgruntled wrestlers within the WWE locker room upset with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson stealing the spotlight at WrestleMania XXVIII. Former WWE star Lance Storm weighed in on the matter on Twitter and said the complainers need to “shut up.”
When asked about Johnson assuming the WrestleMania main event spot over a full-time worker, he wrote, “I got bumped off Mania 19 for Miller Light Girls anyone bitching about getting bumped down the card 4 THE ROCK needs to Shut up.”
— Brodus Clay, who has not competed inside a WWE ring since the February 7, 2012 SmackDown taping, returns to action at tonight’s Raw live event at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California.
Clay’s dancer Cameron Lynn tweeted, “Who is gonna b at the staple center tonight to see some WWE action ? Best part is u get to see yours truly…me and the funkasaurus.”
Online reports suggest Clay was removed from television due to Vince McMahon’s unhappiness with his ring work. Regarding said reports, WWE.com writer Kevin Eck tweeted, “I have not seen the real reason reported anywhere.”
— John Cena expects The Rock to bury him this Monday on Raw.
He wrote on Twitter, “Flying to LA for fri night at staples. Then back to Daytona for green flag @ 500. Then off to Portland just in time for Dwayne to bury me… Sounds like a fun few days. Giddy up.”
— WWE.com is pushing fans to vote for Kelly Kelly as “Favorite Buttkicker” for the 2012 Nick Kids’ Choice Awards. She joins a list of nominees including movie stars Tom Cruise, Taylor Lautner and Jessica Alba.
— Jack Swagger was referenced during SportsNation‘s “101 Most Disrespectful Moments” episode on ESPN2. A clip was shown of a basketball player doing push-ups following a dunk and host Michelle Beadle said he reminded her of Jack Swagger.
Regarding this, Swagger tweeted, “I was mentioned today on ESPN’s Sport Nation today.. No big deal #YearofSwag.”
The UFC’s official pre-show Fight Day Live is back on Saturday, February 25 at 530pm ET/230pm PT. Hosts Dave Farra and Megan Olivi will prepare you for all the fighting action at UFC 144 including the big UFC light heavyweight title fight featuring champion Frankie Edgar and challenger Ben Henderson. As always, you’ll get the inside information from our panel of experts, Matt Brown from HeavyMMA, John Morgan from MMAJunkie and Joe Ferraro from UFC Connected. We’ll also sit down with UFC welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre to get an update on his recovery from knee surgery and Carlos Condit who chats about his battle with Nick Diaz. And finally, we’ll go inside the training camp of Jake Shields. Be sure and tune in on Saturday at 530 ET/230pm PT.
Earlier this week, video game publisher THQ released an updated version of the arcade classic WrestleFest for iOS (iPad, iPhone, iPod).
We’ve been playing it all week and will get a formal review up some time next week when we’ve got some more extensive testing. If you’ve downloaded WWE’s latest addition to the Apple App Store, we want to know what you think.
Comment below and share your thoughts on the following
– TNA President Dixie Carter says SuperBowl champion Brandon Jacobs of the New York Giants might be interested in a career in pro wrestling once his days in the NFL are over. During an interview with FoxSports.com, Dixie Carter said this about Brandon Jacobs, who appeared on the past 2 episodes of Impact:
“We have already been talking about life after his football career and are both very excited about the potential”
– X Division champion Austin Aries vs. Zema Ion for the X Division Title has been added to TNA’s upcoming Victory Road pay-per-view.
Ion became #1 contender to the X Division Title at the Against All Odds PPV earlier this month.
– This week’s TNA Impact Wrestling Post Show is now online:
“Following the bombshell Sting dropped on the World Champion, Bobby Roode stops by the Post Show to give his response to Sting’s actions. Also, after a successful Tag Team Title defense, Magnus sizes up his opponents from tonight’s match, Matt Morgan and Crimson, and speaks of the cohesive partnership he has formed with Samoa Joe which led to the start of their title reign. News, recaps, tweets and more.”
It was December 16th, 2000 when the Ultimate Fighting Championship last hosted an event of any kind in Tokyo, Japan. The card, UFC 29: Defense of the Belts, was an eight-fight event which took place at the Differ Ariake Arena. In that, two of UFC’s titles were on the line and defended:
The UFC Lightweight Championship: Pat Miletich (Champion) defeated Kenchi Yamamoto via second round submission.
The UFC Middleweight Championship: Tito Ortiz (Champion) defeated Yuki Kondo via first round submission.
Fast forward 12 years! The marquee brand in Mixed Martial Arts makes its long awaited return to Japan’s “Eastern Capital”, doing so in a mighty way. Emanating from the Saitama Super Arena, UFC 144 dawns a seven-fight card that includes one title match, the return of its adopted son and a host of Japanese representatives, aiming for a favorable homecoming.
Here’s how this stacked card will pan out come February 25th, 2012:
Anthony “Showtime” Pettis vs. Joe J-Lau” Lauzon- Lightweight Division Bout
The last man to beat Benson Henderson (current number one contender) is looking to install himself into the Lightweight title picture. Standing in his way is one of the division’s submission specialists in Lauzon. Lauzon will work to get Pettis in his clutches, but Pettis’ explosiveness will prove to be too much to handle. Showtime gets this one with a knockout.
Hatsu Hioki vs. Bart “Bartimus” Palaszewski- Featherweight Division Bout
According to ESPN.com’s MMA Power Rankings, Hioki is only preceded by Jose Aldo when it comes to MMA’s best Featherweights. A return home is the opportune moment to show the world if he warrants such acclaim. The Jiu-Jitsu expert should force Palaszewski into submission.
Yushin “Thunder” Okami vs. Tim “The Barbarian” Boetsch- Middleweight Division Bout
The last time Okami participated in a homecoming fight (UFC Rio 1), he was a visitor who underwent an inhospitable experience at the hands of Anderson Silva. This time around, Thunder is the hometown hero that will have the luxury of distributing a cold welcome to a foreigner. Okami knocks out Boetsch in the second round.
Yoshihior Akiyama vs. Jake Shields- Welterweight Division Bout
Akiyama will make his welterweight debut on home soil. What’s unfortunate about it is he’ll do so against a former Strikeforce Welterweight champion who is on the road to redemption. Shields’ UFC stint, thus far, has resulted in a 1-2 record. With losses to George St. Pierre and Jake Ellenberger, along with the untimely passing of his father, Shields has reached a place of desperation. Look for Shields to have a dominant outing, finishing Akiyama with a submission.
Mark “Super Samoan” Hunt vs. Cheick Kongo- Heavyweight Division Bout
In this battle of heavyweights that are mid-tier combatants and long in the tooth, conventional wisdom says to take the more diverse combatant of the two. Given the almost perfect balance in his striking and takedown ability, it looks like Congo is the way to go in this one.
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Ryan “Darth” Bader- Light Heavyweight Division Bout
Jackson and Bader are in some ways parallel to each other. Both were somehow or another involved in the division’s title picture, their hands are heavy, they’re 3-2 in their last five fights and finally, they’re capable of wrestling. On the flipside, no two people are exactly the same. In recent history, Bader has proven to be the better wrestler of this pairing. The problem is Jackson’s takedown defense is tops in the company. Bader’s punches are impactful, but his punching accuracy, not so much. Finally, Jackson is an A-List celebrity in Japan who has not fought in his second home since the days of Pride Fighting Championships. The ovation he gets will be nothing short of deafening. Rampage will prove to be Darth’s emperor in the form of a second round knockout.
Frankie “The Answer” Edgar (Champion) vs. Benson “Smooth” Henderson- Lightweight Title Bout
For the first time since December 2009, Frankie Edgar will not face anyone named BJ Penn or Gray Maynard. The biggest heart in the UFC helped the champion overcome serious adversity. Now he faces the tall task of defending his title against Henderson. Henderson, who’s wrestling and striking are comparable to Edgar’s, brings elements of ground-and-pound and submission to the likes of which Edgar has yet to deal with. This one goes the duration, but when the smoke clears, Henderson will have “The Answer” that helps extend his “Smooth” transition into the UFC, becoming the new Lightweight champion.
As always, enjoy fight night, and make sure you return to FightScoops.com for your UFC 144 recap.
– The Undertaker appeared on Monday’s Raw SuperShow and did not remove the hood covering his head. WWE officials plan to have the iconic wrestler remove his hood and display his altered appearance for the first time when he faces Triple H in a Hell in a Cell Match at WrestleMania XXVIII. Though he shaved his head bald last year, he has maintained the look since then and therefore will not appear similar to his “Big Evil” persona of 2002 and 2003 when he had short hair.
As far as why The Undertaker went through the radical change, it is said that he considered the hair too be too much trouble to deal with on a day to day basis.
– Dragon Gate USA referee Jason Harding has signed a developmental contract with WWE. He is regarded as one of the best referees on the independent wrestling circuit.
– The Ticketmaster.com pre-sale password for Raw SuperShow on April 23 at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan is SUPERSHOW. Tickets go on sale to the general public Saturday at 10:00 a.m.
— During a phone interview with WWE.com Thursday, Shawn Michaels lost his composure when faced with pointed questions pertaining to Triple H and The Undertaker’s Hell in a Cell Match at WrestleMania XXVIII.
After being asked “If Triple H wins at WrestleMania, will he be better than you?” Michaels grew increasingly incensed in his response, saying he is the best in-ring performer ever and that he cannot help that the spotlight falls on him whenever he shows up. Before hanging up, he tells the WWE.com interviewer to leave him alone in his retired life.
— Thanks to interference from Curt Hawkins, Tyler Reks drew a victory over Mason Ryan on this week’s episode of WWE Superstars. It is his first televised singles victory since the March 17, 2011 WWE Superstars, where he beat JTG.
Other matches featured include Alex Riley vs. Michael McGillicutty and Jinder Mahal vs. Justin Gabriel. The episode is available here.
— WWE developmental wrestler Corey Graves (a/k/a Sterling James Keenan) turns 28 years old Friday.
WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at BrokenSkullRanch.com. In this entry, Austin talks about filming scenes for his latest movie this week, future acting projects and more. Austin also talks about hunting and wanting to get out there with fellow WWE legend and avid hunter, Shawn Michaels:
“Shawn Michaels and I have been trying to get together for a hunt for the last year and this could be the opportunity to get it done. Shawn has really taken to the outdoor world like a duck on a Junebug. Shawn’s show, MacMillan River Adventures has been a hit and when I spoke with Shawn in Las Vegas at the SHOT SHOW he was up for several awards. Shawn’s success is not a surprise to me. He’s extremely dedicated and motivated to be the best he can be at any endeavor he takes on in life.”
Austin’s praise for Shawn Michaels didn’t stop there. Austin, who is considered one of the greatest of all time and has certainly wrestled other top superstars who could make a good case for that high honor, continued with this:
“He is the greatest in ring performer I have ever seen. The fact that his talent and commitment transferred over from the squared circle to the world of hunting does not surprise me. Shawn has segued from being the “Show Stopper” to the “Game Stopper”. I’m proud of him and his success.
For the first time since his serious neck injury at Against All Odds, Jesse Sorensen speaks from his hospital bed about about his injury and the events that took place afterwards. Sorensen’s mother is also featured:
On Thursday’s Impact Wrestling, Sting said he was going to put on his boots, tights and war paint and kick the “living crap” out of Bobby Roode at Victory Road. The match has been officially announced on ImpactWrestling.com. Roode’s title, however, will not be on the line.
Two title matches have been announced for the event; X Division Champion Austin Aries vs. Zema Ion and Women’s Knockouts Champion Gail Kim vs. Madison Rayne.
Challenge Match
World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode vs. Sting
X Division Championship Match
X Division Champion Austin Aries vs. Zema Ion
Women’s Knockout Championship Match
Women’s Knockout Champion Gail Kim vs. Madison Rayne
Victory Road takes place on March 18, 2012 at the Impact Wrestling Zone in Orlando, Florida.
– WWEShop.com has released a line of T-Shirts featuring inside wrestling terms.
Heel
Jobber
I Got Heat
I’m So Over
What’s Your Finish
It’s interesting to see WWE embracing these “insider” terms, after so many years of resistance. Even Dolph Ziggler reportedly got some attention backstage with the use of the word #HEEL on his ring gear. Perhaps the most notable phrase on the list is, “What’s your finish” .. Heel, Jobber, Heat and being “over” have worked their way into the insider fan lexicon and are relatively harmless. The phrase “What’s your finish” is a question often asked of two wrestlers by agents/producers about how they plan to finish their match, and is perhaps WWE’s most open acknowledgement to date that wrestling is a work.
– During an interview with San Bernardino County Sun, WWE Divas Champion Beth Phoenix says participating in the 2010 Royal Rumble is a career highlight and that she is looking forward to the possibility of competing at WrestleMania XXVIII in Miami, Florida. She also commented on facing Eve at Saturday’s Raw live event at Citizens Business Bank Arena
“What’s really special about Eve is that she started with the Divas search and came into the company not knowing a lot about (it) or the wrestling background,” Phoenix said. “But what I really admire about her is that she is learning to be the best in the ring (and) she is awesome to compete against because she brings a lot of heart.
“I have had nothing but awesome competitive matches with her, and she always comes back for more when I knock her out with the Glam Slam.”
— Brian Kendrick has been removed from TNA Wrestling’s roster page on ImpactWrestling.com. This would indicate that he has parted ways with the company.
Kendrick’s second TNA run culminated with him capturing the X Division Championship from Abyss last July at Destination X. After dropping the title to Austin Aries at No Surrender, he failed in his attempt to regain the belt at Bound for Glory. He had only competed in one televised match since then.
— Sarita was sick during last week’s TNA live event tour of West Virginia; she did not miss any matches.
— Brooke Tessmacher has been announced to appear at Legends of the Ring 14, which takes place Saturday, June 2, 2012 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Monroe, New Jersey.
One of the top stories of the week has been that several WWE superstars are reportedly pissed off about The Rock’s involvement at WrestleMania 28 and how he’s getting top billing on the show, despite the fact that he’s not a full-time superstar.
WWE announced Thursday financial results for its fourth quarter ended December 31, 2011. Revenues totaled $112.9 million as compared to $122.5 million in the prior year quarter. Operating loss was $13.1 million as compared to operating income of $14.4 million in the prior year quarter.
WWE reports the revenue decrease was “driven by declines across all of our operating segments.” Revenues from North America decreased by 9%, led by declines in film, television, and WWE.com businesses. Revenues outside North America decreased 5%, primarily due to a decline in licensing business.
“In 2011, we evaluated several paths for creating new programs and distributing all of our content in a way that optimizes its value. Executing this strategy effectively, including the potential creation of a WWE Network, has the power to transform our business,” said Vince McMahon in a press release.
“While we made significant progress toward this objective, our fourth quarter and full year results were impacted primarily by three items: significant non-cash film impairment charges stemming from the weak performance of our movie releases, strategic decisions to withhold several hours of previously licensed television content for distribution on other platforms, and initial start-up operating expenses associated with our emerging content and distribution strategy.
“Regarding the first item, we have taken several measures to improve the profitability of our movie business. And, regarding the other items, we believe that our ongoing investment to expand and maximize the value of our content is the most potent approach for driving our future earnings.”
— Tuesday’s SuperSmackDown LIVE! show featuring a Champion vs. Champion match between WWE Champion CM Punk and World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan garnered a 1.7 rating with 2,326,000 viewers.
It is SmackDown‘s lowest rating since the September 16, 2011 show, which drew a 1.78.
— Following her actions involving John Cena and Zack Ryder on Monday’s Raw SuperShow, Eve has turned over a new leaf. She wrote to Zack Ryder today on Twitter, “I miss you.”
— WWE.com is advertising a match between Justin Gabriel and Jinder Mahal for today’s episode of WWE Superstars. Other bouts taking place include Alex Riley vs. Michael McGillicutty and Mason Ryan vs. Tyler Reks.
— Mike Sydal, brother of WWE Superstar Evan Bourne, turns 28 years old today.
New York City DJ Peter Rosenberg scored another exclusive interview with a top WWE superstar this week – none other than WWE Champion CM Punk.
In this candid 20-minute 1-on-1 interview, Rosenberg and Punk talk in-depth about “The Promo” from last summer that changed CM Punk’s career more than he could have ever imagined, their philosophies on the business, working with John Cena, smart fans, Chris Jericho, Mark Herny and much more.
– Following Rey Mysterio’s visit backstage at last week’s Raw SuperShow in San Diego, California, any mention of his name to WWE brass reportedly resulted in a very negative speech. There has been underlying friction for years between WWE management and Rey Mystero due to several tough contract negotiations and not returning from injuries as early as they’d like. Also, some feel because of his small stature, he’s lucky to be employed to WWE.
– Vickie Guerrero will participate in a live chat with fans on MyVickieGuerrero.com Thursday from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. MST.
– Monday’s Raw SuperShow at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota drew just over 9,000 fans.
– Jerry Lawler will face Tommy Dreamer on March 16 in Nashville, Tennessee at 1056 East Trinity Lane. The show also features a match between Doug Gilbert and Larry Zbyszko.
— Although WWE.com stated Tuesday that Shaquille O’Neal would not be competing at WrestleMania XXVIII, the 15-time NBA All-Star appeared on ESPN Radio’s Mike and Mike in the Morning Wednesday stating that he would.
— The USA Network will air a program profiling the rivalry between The Rock and John Cena on March 26 at 8:00 p.m. It will air again on March 31.
— Amazing Red and T.J. Perkins vs. Michael Elgin and Roderick Strong has been announced for the March 4 Ring of Honor event at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.
— Alex Koslov, who was released by WWE earlier this month, is available for bookings and appearances through Bill Behrens at [email protected]. He is currently based in Tampa, Florida but expects to move to Los Angeles, California soon.
