During a media conference call on Tuesday, UFC President Dana White announced that former Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar and top heavyweight contender Junior Dos Santos will be the coaches for the 13th season of The Ultimate Fighter. This season, which airs in March, will be 28 Welterweights fighting for a UFC contract and will begin taping shortly.
Brock Lesnar will face Junior dos Santos in June with the winner earning a UFC Heavyweight Championship match against Cain Velasquez.
After Cain Velasquez steamrolled Brock Lesnar in the fall and captured the title, he was scheduled to face #1 contender Junior Dos Santos. Unfortunately for Dos Santos, Velasquez injured his shoulder while training in December and will need surgery, which would keep him out for up to 9 months.
After the Ultimate Fighter announcement, Dana White ruled out the possibility of Brock Lesnar appearing for WWE at WrestleMania.
“There was no wheeling and dealing about the WWE,” White said. “I think everybody knows how I feel about that. He’s under contract with me…
“It’s very rare in this sport that we actually get to announce (stuff) that doesn’t get announced before we announce it,” White said. “I actually liked all the rumors going around.”
Last month, former WWE wrestler Gregory Helms made headlines with a scathing attack against Shawn Michaels, calling him a druggie and one of the biggest hypocrites in the history of the pro wrestling business. Helms blamed Michaels for hurting families by holding people back in WWE and questioned Michaels’ Christian faith.
Helms is now back with another rant against Shawn Michaels, who was named as the first member of the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2010 earlier this week. Helms wrote on Twitter:
“The HOF is great but I take more pride & comfort in the fact that I’ve never “screwjobbed” ANYONE in life or the biz! $$$ isn’t everything.”
Former WWE star Chris Jericho came to Michaels’ defense, calling him the greatest performer of all-time. Helms re-tweeted Jericho’s message, saying Ric Flair is actually the best of all time:
“BS! Flair did more & got more people over.”
Helms didn’t stop there. He continues to back Ric Flair as the greatest of all time, appears to take a shot at Chris Jericho in the process and compared Shawn Michaels to … Hitler?!
“If u got something to say, say it public. Enough ass-kissing. He wasn’t the greatest when he was cussing u out in catering.”
“Flair got over people that absolutely SUCKED!! Shawn hadn’t gotten over anyone but himself in the last decade!!”
“I’m sorry being honest comes off bad on Twitter, I’m not hating, I’m stating FACTS!! Facts that I would swear by on my life.”
“And wearing a cross doesn’t make u right. Hitler wore one too! Don’t be FOOLED by a TV persona!! I’m always honest. NO ONE can accuse me.”
* WARNING: The following contains a major SPOILER for Friday’s SmackDown:
A new Nexus faction was formed at Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown tapings.
Following Wade Barrett’s match with the Big Show that took place at the tapings, Ezekiel Jackson, Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater joined Wade Barrett in beating down the Big Show. The four men banded together and made it known they are now working as a unit.
WWE has been teasing Jackson’s SmackDown debut for weeks with video promos, but up until this week’s tapings, there had been no indication he would be aligning himself with Wade Barrett.
Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel were apparently kicked out of CM Punk’s Nexus this past Monday on RAW after they couldn’t accept their initiations.
CM Punk’s Nexus now consists of himself, Husky Harris, David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty.
Wade Barrett’s new incarnation of Nexus is made up of himself, Ezekiel Jackson, Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel.
Former WWE writer and current Ring of Honor producer Dave Lagana has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at IWantWrestling.com. Here are some highlights of what Lagana wrote about:
ROH On HDNet Ending “It was a surprise to everyone and one that leaves a lot of questions about the future of ROH. HDNet was a great partner and honestly, without them, I don’t know if my career in wrestling would have continued after my time in WWE. I was given the chance to really spread my wings and produce the ROH on HDNet show. It was that trust that really exemplified the spirit of ROH. Ring of Honor has always been a place for great talent to showcase their ability and I believe it will continue that same mission into the future. Things will obviously change, but doesn’t progress require it?”
Matt Hardy’s TNA Debut: “When Dixie Carter tweeted about a mystery person backstage but didn’t name Hardy by name, people questioned if they wanted people to know why not simply promote he was going to be on the PPV to motivate buys? If you wanted it to be a secret, why not keep Hardy hidden so that when he walked out for the match, it would have caused a huge wave of momentum and discussion. Since it leaked early, it was like a slow release of air out of a balloon and so when it popped, no boom.”
HBK Ready For The Hall Of Fame? “While some might question if it’s too early for Shawn to go into the Hall of Fame after finishing his in-ring career this past year at Wrestlemania, it was quite the moment.”
Here are a few news items from this week’s TNA iMPACT! tapings:
– The dark match before Monday’s TNA iMPACT tapings saw Shannon Moore defeat TJ Perkins. Perkins, who has wrestled for Ring of Honor and has tried out for WWE before, is expected to sign with TNA shortly.
– Two other potential new stars received tryouts at Tuesday’s iMPACT! tapings. Ring of Honor star El Generico received a tryout match against Amazing Red. Also, 20-year-old New York independent wrestler Divina Fly wrestled Angelina Love.
– Desmond Wolfe appeared backstage at Tuesday’s iMPACT tapings. Wolfe has been out of action for months now with an undisclosed ailment. He filmed a promo back in December hyping his return to TNA, but it was edited out of last week’s show and there’s still no word on when he’ll return.
– Kevin Nash wrote the following on his Twitter yesterday about Shawn Michaels:
“Congratulations to @ShawnMichaels_ the greatest. Is the HOF even enough? Come on Vince. Bronze statue in the lobby?”
For what it’s worth, Sean Waltman, Nash and Scott Hall are all three saying they will be at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony in Atlanta to see Shawn get inducted.
– As we reported on Tuesday, WWE developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling will hold a tryout clinic from March 4th through the 7th. WWE star Joey Mercury will join Norman Smiley, Tom Prichard, Steve Keirn and Ricky Steamboat as the trainers for the clinic.
– The band Paramore visited Monday’s RAW as guests of CM Punk. MTV.com had an article up this week covering the visit.
– Former WWE creative team member Court Bauer revealed on yesterday’s Figure Four Daily radio show that he was in talks with WWE last spring about developing original programming for the planned WWE cable network. Bauer told the hosts that he had several meetings at WWE headquarters in Stamford, CT but decided not to take the job.
He mentioned that WWE’s vision about their cable network has changed many times from what they originally had planned, especially after they began to shop it around to potential cable partners.
Thanks to Danny and RealWrestlecrap.Proboards.com for the following spoilers from last night’s WWE SmackDown tapings:
– Smackdown opened with Kofi celebrating his title win from last week. Jack Swagger interrupted, which led to…
– Kofi Kingston defeating Jack Swagger. Not sure if this was a title match. Fun back and forth match, Kofi won with the SOS, but it appeared the ending was botched when Swagger didn’t kick out at the right time.
– Next, they filmed the opening and pyro. Del Rio came out and put himself over and talked about winning the Rumble. He was interrupted by R-Truth, who was interrupted by Dashing Cody Rhodes, who was interrupted by Rey Mysterio. A brawl was broken up by Teddy Long, which led to..
– Rey Mysterio and R-Truth defeated Cody Rhodes and Alberto Del Rio. Another fun back and forth match, Rey won after a 619 and top rope splash onto Rhodes. Mysterio slipped off the rope performing the splash, and laughed it off afterward.
– Trent Barretta beat Drew McIntyre. Drew dominated the match, was looking to Gorilla press Barretta over the top, when he slipped off for a quick roll-up win.
– McIntyre attacked Barretta in the back, but stopped when Kelly Kelly walked in. He apologized and told her he had aggression issues, and she told him she didn’t like being around people who cause others pain, and told him to grow up.
– Wade Barrett vs Big Show went to a no contest. When Big Show had the upper hand, Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel stormed the ring to help Wade. Ezekiel Jackson also showed up and joined in on the beat down. They all joined hands and celebrated together.
– Beth Phoenix defeated Michelle McCool. McCool controlled most of the match and worked over Beths injured knee. Finish came when Beth went for the Glam Slam and Michelle rolled through for a pin, but Beth rolled back through for the win. Layla and Michelle are both great looking women, and Beth is pretty hot too.
– Cutting Edge with special guests Dolph Ziggler and Vickie Guerrero. Lots of back and forth and jabs at Vickie. She gets amazing heat, I could barely hear when she talked, and I was front row. She said Dolph was a real man, and showed footage of Edge making out with Alicia Fox the day before he married Vickie. Edge said he also had some footage to share, and showed AJ and Primo walking in on Dolph and Kaitlyn making out 2 months ago. Edge knocked Dolph out of the ring. Vickie slapped him several times, and he looked to spear her, but was pulled from the ring and beat down by Dolph. He and Vickie stood over Edge and made out to close the show. Very good segment.
In a surprising turn of events, Ring of Honor’s TV deal with HDNet has expired and they will no longer be airing on the network after April 4th.
The promotion released the following statement late this evening:
“Ring of Honor completed its 2 year TV contract with HDNet. During this time “ROH on HDNet” fans witnessed many great matches, the introduction of the ROH Television Title, and the crowning of new tag champions, among other historical moments. HDNet will air new episodes of ROH until 4/4/11. Please continue to support ROH and watch these new shows on HDNet.
Negotiations are underway for HDNet to broadcast a live special in 2011, and we will bring you more information on that as it becomes available. Ring of Honor Wrestling would like to thank HDNet for the last two years, especially those behind the scenes that made it possible every single TV taping.
The final ROH on HDNet TV tapings are scheduled for January 21st & 22nd in Philadelphia, so come out and support ROH as we close out our weekly run on HDNet.
ROH on HDNet premiered in March 2009. The split is said to be amicable and, as the ROH statement alludes to, they are in talks for at least one live special on the network that would air sometime this year. They are also now free to pursue a new TV deal with another network.
Former Raw General Manager Mike Adamle, who is the sports director at NBC’s Chicago affiliate, was charged with driving under the influence early Monday after he was stopped by police in Evanston, Illinois. He later displayed “erratic behavior,” according to authorities.
The former Chicago Bear and Northwestern University All-American was arrested at 1 a.m. Monday in the area of Main Street and Judson Avenue, according to a police report.
Adamle was pulled over for allegedly disobeying a red-flashing traffic signal at Main and Sheridan, according to police. The officer who pulled him over believed Adamle to be under influence, so he conducted a field sobriety test, which he failed.
When the former ECW play-by-play announcer was taken to the police station, police Cmdr. Jay Parrott said he exhibited some “erratic behavior.” The Chicago Sun-Timesadds that he was subsequently taken to a hospital for a drug screen. The results from the drug test are pending.
Police Chief Richard Eddington ordered that Adamle’s mug shot not be released.
In addition to DUI, he was also charged with disobeying a traffic control device and failing to notify the Security State’s office of an address change.
Adamle is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 14 in Skokie.
— A number of older independent wrestlers were informed by World Wrestling Entertainment officials that they are solely seeking to hire talent under the age of 30, especially those that would enter the company’s developmental system.
While not an official edict, more than four wrestlers were told this in recent weeks when looking into potential work with the organization.
— WWE.com announced today that Florida Championship Wrestling, the official developmental territory of WWE, is holding a four-day talent evaluation clinic March 4-7 in Tampa, Florida. For more information on the camp, click here.
NXT season three contestant AJ Lee and Raw Superstar Darren Young are the most notable wrestlers to land contracts with WWE via FCW’s talent evaluation clinic. Both signed developmental contracts immediately following a tryout in May 2009.
Monday’s episode of WWE RAW scored a 3.05 rating, virtually idential to last week’s rating. The show did hours of 3.0 and 3.1.
RAW averaged 4.60 million viewers over the two-hour broadcast, with the first hour doing 4.55 million viewers and the second hour doing 4.65 million viewers. Overall, the show was up around 100,000 viewers from last week.
While a 3.05 rating does not sound like anything to celebrate, there was fear within WWE that the rating was going to dip below 3.0 due to the stiff competition that RAW faced from the BCS Championship college football game on ESPN, which was the most-watched show in cable history. The BCS game drew a 17.8 rating and averaged 27.3 million viewers.
Recap of Mickie James & Jeremy Borash on Monsters in the Morning
By John Canton of thejohnreport.net TheJohnReport.net and MickieJames.com.
TNA’s Mickie James and Jeremy Borash were on the Monsters in the Morning show in Orlando (XM 152).
– She talked about this being her first country album, Strangers & Angels. The hosts asked her how we can get more people into country music. She said there’s a misconception about the music and now it can be a little bit of southern rock with pop too, so people should be open to the crossover that’s there. The hosts talked about how that Country Strong movie did poorly at the theatres in its opening weekend because some people get turned off by country music.
– They asked about celebrities in TNA. Borash mentioned that Toby Keith shows up once in a while and Snoop Dogg has showed up. They talked about J-Woww from Jersey Shore showing up saying they got exposure on TMZ with it. Then the hosts talked about J-Woww’s features, but Jeremy quickly moved off topic.
– They asked Mickie how the other girls treated her. Mickie said they welcomed her with open arms. They all realize that the bigger names that people have, the better it is for the company in terms of exposure.
– Mickie said that there’s a mix in the company from TNA originals, to former WWE people and wrestlers from all over the world, which makes it a cool place to work in.
– Borash talked about how he and other TNA wrestlers like Jeff Hardy & Beer Money went to Japan last week and how it helps the exposure of the company.
– They plugged Impact tapings for the next two nights at Universal in Orlando starting at around 5:30pm with free entry as always. Borash mentioned the Hardy brothers being together at the tapings last night. Mickie mentions they don’t really know what they will do on the day of the taping until you get to the building.
– The hosts asked Mickie if she’s single. She said yes. Madison Rayne said on the show yesterday she doesn’t date wrestlers and Mickie mentioned that you’re around many wrestlers all the time, so sometimes stuff happens, but she’s been single for a couple of years because she’s so busy. Borash mentioned a lot of the guys on the roster have crushes on Mickie.
– Mickie plugs the TNA theme song “Hardcore Country.” She mentions the song “Don’t Apologize” from her Strangers & Angels CD being her favorite. Then she talks about “Are You With Me?” being her first single and “Hollywood Movie Moment” being another favorite on the album. Then they started playing “Are You With Me?” She mentioned Tim McGraw being a favorite artist. She mentioned the
songs will be on iTunes again soon. (I should also note the whole CD will be available again on mickiejames.com very soon.)
– The hosts plugged the Impact tapings one more time and mentioned their close association with the the TNA brand.
— Jesse Neal has signed a new three-year contract with TNA Wrestling.
— Desmond Wolfe has been backstage at this week’s television tapings at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.
— TNA Wrestling has posted a new episode of Pillow Talk with SoCal Val. Her special guest is Miss Tessmacher, who answers questions such as boxers or briefs, what she sleeps in at night, which celebrity she would like to be stranded on a deserted island with, her favorite sappy movie, and more.
Stevie Richards announced this afternoon on his Twitter account that he has quit TNA Wrestling. He wrote:
“Just left Universal Studios. Had a great talk with Terry Taylor and Vince Russo about making the decision to quit TNA Wrestling. Thanks to everyone there for the past 2 years.”
Richards last appeared on iMPACT! on Nov. 11, which saw him fall to AJ Styles in a Television Championship Match. He was taken out of the ring in a neck brace, after suffering a storyline injury.
With Richards’ departure from the organization, Tommy Dreamer is the last member remaining member from the EV2.0 faction.
— John Cena issued an apology on Twitter for using the word “ass” on RAW, claiming he was fined for the non-PG language. Cena wrote on Twitter.com/JohnCena:
“Lots of posts about my language last night on Raw. I do apologize. It was out of line and I was indeed fined. If I have offended anyone it was not my intention.”
“I was very frustrated about being hurt and not able to compete. I lost my cool. I am sorry. Next time I will use something more creative like ‘whoop yer crap locker’ or ‘whoop yer dump box.'”
This is almost certainly a storyline and Cena actually being fined is highly unlikely.
Cena’s gotten a lot of criticism for his childish insults (such as using the word “poopie”) – so please John, let’s stay away from “crap locker” and “dump box.”
— When the rating is announced for last night’s episode of WWE RAW, it likely will not be pretty. Monday’s BCS National Championship game on ESPN (between the Oregon Ducks and the Auburn Tigers) drew a staggering 16.1 overnight cable rating, according to TVByTheNumbers.com. If that number holds up, it would make that game the most-watched show in the history of cable television. The record is currently held by an NFL Monday Night Football game on ESPN between the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings (10/5/09). That game did a 15.3 rating with almost 22 million viewers.
– WWE is now selling the new Nexus “Uprising” shirt that CM Punk and Nexus wore on RAW.
– Tyson Kidd’s bodyguard Jackson Andrews didn’t appear with him on RAW, the second week in a row that Kidd went to the ring alone. Andrews was with Kidd at this past weekend’s RAW live events, but it looks like WWE is unsure of whether to keep the two together.
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:
Shwan Michaels Joining WWE’s Hall of Fame:
“HBK is SO deserving and is arguably the greatest in ring performer of all time and let me tell you folks that statement covers a lot of ground.”
“HBK was a ‘natural’ for the wrestling biz. He was a life long fan. He was a very good athlete. He had a natural swagger and loads of confidence, some critics would likely say too much confidence, once he stepped inside the ring. HBK knew that he was going to be great because he was willing to put in the work and study to get there.”
“Congratulations Shawn. You are special in so many ways. The man you have grown to become is admirable. I am so proud of you for a multitude of reasons but nothing as much as you becoming the wonderful husband and father that you are.”
Jerry Lawler’s Recent Push On RAW:
“Outside of John Cena, Orton, and John Morrison, perhaps, Jerry Lawler is on as nice a protagonist roll as any one on Raw. Good for Jerry and perhaps this will necessitate the King finally getting his long awaited, highly desired wrestling match at WM27.”
CM Punk As The Leader Of Nexus:
“CM Punk is ultra talented and in the span of a couple of episodes he has given me reasons to reinvest in Nexus again as I am curious as to how the Punk leading Nexus business plays out over time. More importantly, I’m curious as to what young athletes will ‘breakout of the group in time as individual stars.”
As always, visit JRsBarBQ.com to check out JR’s great line of BBQ products!
– After Monday’s WWE RAW went off the air, John Cena made his return and looked to be in pretty good shape. Cena teamed with Randy Orton to beat The Miz and CM Punk. Michael Cole was the special ref. Cena didn’t take a lot of bumps but did hit all his signature spots. Towards the end of the match, Cole got knocked out and another referee came down to replace him. The ending of the match was said to be very exciting, Orton and Cena hit their finishers for the win.
– Several people in WWE have commented on Shawn Michaels being the first name announced for the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2011.
Joey Styles: “Shawn Michaels is the best all around wrestler I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching. Calling his matches was always fun. Congrats Shawn.”
Jim Ross: “When I had dinner w/ hbk in okc few wks ago, shawn mentioned the wwe hof & how much it meant 2 him. Congrats Shawn & welcome 2 the club.”
Howard Finkle: “Congrats of your forthcoming induction into the WWE Hall of Fame! Welcome to the club, my friend!”
– TMZ.com caught up with Jeff Hardy this week, who spoke about his upcoming court date on drug charges in North Carolina. Hardy told TMZ he would “make the best of it, bro.” Hardy said the situation was “frustrating” and added, “It’s been a long while … but it should get to an end soon.”
* Warning: The following contains a SPOILER for Thursday’s TNA iMPACT!:
At Tuesday’s TNA iMPACT! tapings (set to air this Thursday on Spike TV), it was announced that the main event of the upcoming Against All Odds pay-per-view will see Mr. Anderson defend his new TNA World championship against former champion Jeff Hardy.
TNA Against All Odds takes place Sunday, February 13, 2011 from Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.
On RAW, it was announced that the one and only Shawn Michaels will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in April as part of the Class of 2011. Michaels returned for an in-ring segment with SmackDown star Alberto Del Rio .. If you didn’t catch it on Monday – here’s a clip of what went down, courtesy of WWE’s YouTube channel:
Here are the quick results from last night’s ROH on HDNet:
-“The Prodigy” Mike Bennett (w/”Brutal” Bob Evans) def. Nick Dinsmore in his debut match by pinfall with a spinebuster.
-Jim Cornette interviewed ROH Tag Team champions The Kings of Wrestling, Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli, in the ring. Kenny King and Rhett Titus (“The All Night Express”) are introduced by Cornette mid-way through and are announced as the new #1 contenders to Hero & Claudio’s tag belts.
-Kyle O’Reilly and Adam Cole def. Mike Posey and Corey Hollins by pinfall after hitting Hollins with a double lungblower (backcracker).
-ROH World Champion Roderick Strong (w/Truth Martini) def. Colt Cabana by pinfall with a Sick Kick in a non-title match.
Next week, Chris Hero will battle “Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels to determine the #1 contender for the ROH TV Title. Also, Daizee Haze faces MsChif.
The main event of next week’s episode of RAW from Little Rock, Arkansas will see John Cena return to action against the new leader of Nexus, CM Punk.
Based on Cena wrestling next week, he could be healthy and past his injury, or WWE could have an angle planned that would allow an injured Cena to participate in a match with limited physical requirements.
Cena vs. Punk is a huge match to give away on RAW, another indication that we won’t get a full match between the two RAW headliners.
After it was announced that Shawn Michaels will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 2nd, longtime friend Sean “X-Pac” Waltman wrote the following on Twitter.com/TheRealXPac:
“I have no words right now to describe how happy I am for Shawn,” Waltman wrote.
“No one deserves it more. I will be there to see him inducted if I have to f—ing hitchhike to get there… I would love for the Wolfpac to be in attendance that night. I’m trying to think of the last time The Kliq were all together. 2002?”
— Shawn Michaels was announced tonight on Raw by Jerry “The King” Lawler as the first inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2011. He took to Twitter to comment on the honor, writing: “Surprise! Surprise! Seriously, thanks to all of u for making my career such a joy. I will carry those moments w/me all my life. Thx 4 sharing it w/me.”
The term “HBK HBK HBK” topped Twitter’s worldwide trend list shortly after the announcement. “Shawn Michaels” and “Sweet Chin Music” also trended.
— F4WOnline.com reports that tonight’s WWE Hall of Fame inductee announcement is one of “three big ones” that have been finalized.
— WWE has released a new trailer previewing The Chaperone via Facebook.com.
As reported earlier, the film is slated for a brief theatrical run beginning on Feb. 18. The film will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on Mar. 8.
— It was announced tonight on Raw that Derrick Bateman and his NXT Pro, Daniel Bryan, will be going on a double date with The Bella Twins on tomorrow night’s episode of NXT.
— The bodyguard of Tyson Kidd, Jackson Andrews, did not accompany his associate for his match on tonight’s Raw. It is the second consecutive week in which Andrews was MIA for Kidd’s televised match. Andrews, however, accompanied Kidd for his matches against David Hart Smith at live events over the weekend.
