Check out these pictures of The Rock on the set of his new movie Pain & Gain, about a pair of Florida body builders who get swept up in an extortion and kidnapping plot:
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Ric Flair Spotted Near Site Of Tonight’s WWE RAW
– Several fans have sent in word that Ric Flair was spotted out in Greenville, South Carolina on Sunday night – the host city of tonight’s WWE RAW Supershow.
Update On Ric Flair Leaving TNA & Possibly Returning To WWE
– Former WWE superstar Sid Vicious noted on Twitter over the weekend that he’s received a “big offer” to make an upcoming appearance.
With WWE recently contacting dozens of legends to appear at the 1,000th episode of RAW on July 23rd, this could be what he’s referring to.
Plans For WWE’s 1,00th Episode of Monday Night RAW
– WWE is starting to contact businesses it believes are infringing on Daniel Bryan’s “Yes!” catch phrase, which they have trademarked.
(Partial Source: PWinsider.com)
Video: CM Punk Confirms WWE Is Replacing The Spinner Title
WWE Champion CM Punk was at the Philadelphia Comic Con event over the weekend and participated in a Q&A session. CM Punk was asked about the possibility of WWE retiring the “spinner” belt and introducing a new WWE Championship belt. Punk confirmed that not only are there plans to replace the spinner belt – but the new belt already exists:
“I email people that you people don’t know exist and I bother them constantly about this damn thing. There is a new title. I’ve seen it. I’ll probably get in trouble for saying it, but I don’t think it’s any better than the current one.”
“It’s better than [the spinner belt]. They literally just made it. It’s about 20 pounds heavier than this one. I keep preaching that I want to be the guy – if I’m not the guy who doesn’t produce a new title, then I’ll be a liar, and I don’t want to be a liar. It’s out there, and it’s coming soon. Probably a lot sooner than the ice cream bars.
He also discussed the current state of WWE’s roster, Eddie Guerrero, Steve Austin wrestling again, The Rock’s return to WWE and more.
Punk’s comments about the spinner belt can be seen around the 34-minute mark:
John Cena’s Financial Position, Plans For Dolph Ziggler’s Character
– TMZ.com’s recent report about a $100,000 lien against John Cena’s home has led some readers to speculate whether John Cena is having financial difficulties.
It’s worth noting that the situation is a result of Cena (or whoever was put in charge to pay the contracts who are renovating his Florida home) simply not paying the bills on time. He had a similar issue last year, when a roofing company filed a $15,000 lien on the home, claiming they were not paid for work performed.
Cena makes millions of dollars a year from WWE and is most likely very wealthy. It’s been widely reported that the renovation of their Florida home was the final straw that pushed their marriage to the brink.
– With Dolph Ziggler apparently breaking off on his own and returning to singles action, WWE once again had Mason Ryan work as Ziggler’s bodyguard at last night’s Birmingham, Alabama live event. Ziggler defeated Zack Ryder in what was described by many as the best match on the show.
Ziggler cut a promo before the match stating that he has dropped what was holding him back (presumably Vickie Guerrero and Jack Swagger) and is now associating himself with greatness (Mason Ryan).
Mark Henry His Healthiest In 5 Years, Jericho-Fozzy News
– Mark Henry, who is currently recovering from recent shoulder surgery, says he’s the healthiest he’s been in 5 years. Henry tweeted over the weekend:
“I’m the healthiest I’ve been in 5 years. U haters go to hell to the fans I’m healing great the Hall of Pain! LIVES!!”
NFL Player Says He Can Beat Mark Henry In Arm Wrestling
– WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart will be conducting his first wrestling seminar for the Crossfire wrestling promotion on August 4th at Tennessee’s Nashville Fairgrounds. Former TNA and WWE developmental talent Cassidy Riley will be working with the students in the ring.
– Suspended WWE superstar Chris Jericho was in Atlanta over the weekend prepping for Fozzy’s upcoming performances in the UK. Fozzy will play the at Download Festival this weekend, Saturday, June 9th. Jericho said Fozzy will debut their new song at the Download Festival and tweeted this picture of them rehearsing in Atlanta:
Plans For 1,000th RAW, WWE Teasing Heel Turn For Christian
– WWE’s 1,000th RAW will feature cameo appearances from many former WWE superstars. WWE has reportedly reached out to 20-30 legends to appear on the 3-hour July 23rd episode, which will kick off the new 3-hour interactive era of RAW.
News On A DX Reunion At The 1,000th RAW
For much more on what WWE has planned for the RAW 1,000th Episode Celebration, check out our RAW 1,000 news page.
– The WWE website has a new article up looking at Christian recently capturing the Intercontinental title – and how far he’ll go to stay champion. The article speculates that Christian, who has wrestled as a heel for a good portion of his WWE career, might resort to heel tactics:
“Considering a history of jealousy and other nefarious traits, what might Captain Charisma do to stay on top after injuries and setbacks kept him from it for so long?”
For now, the WWE Universe can merely trust that this Christian really is for the Peeps. And, if the signature smile proves to be a signal of another con job during his current title run, all we can do is simply grin and bear it.”
– Matt Striker replaced Lilian Garcia as announcer at weekend live events because Garcia was dealing with a family situation in South Carolina. She tweeted the following great news:
“In SC w my dad celebrating the fact that his test results came back negative 4 Cancer. Been a rough few months waiting 4 results! #OverJoyed”
(Partial Source: f4wonline.com)
FCW News: JR’s Top Prospects, Ambrose-Regal, Final TV
Lots of news from WWE’s developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling:
– Jim Ross is in Tampa this week working with WWE’s developmental talent and confirmed on Twitter over the weekend that Thursday will be FCW’s final tapings at the FCW Arena.
– JR says FCW has several new prospects to evaluate this week and was asked about the potential of FCW’s two top stars, Seth Rollins Dean Ambrose. Ross said Seth Rollins has “big upside potential” and Dean Ambrose has “unlimited potential.”
Both Rollins and Ambrose have been wrestling dark matches at recent WWE live events and are expected to be brought up to the main roster soon.
– Thursday’s final TV taping will feature the long awaited rematch between Dean Ambrose and William Regal. Ambrose tweeted the following about the match:
“June 7, Tampa. It will be difficult to watch,bad people doing terrible things, violent, ugly, uncomfortable. Me vs @realkingregal. He’s gonna try to finish the job he did on my shoulder,the gimmick shoulder that cost me the fcw title. My goal is to punch him in the mouth repeatedly, until I’m sure that he will have to go get dentures soon after his broken nose is fixed.”
RAW Preview: John Cena’s Return, Punk-Bryan, Ziggler
Tonight’s WWE RAW Supershow takes place from the Bi Lo Center in Greenville, South Carolina.
UPDATE: Ric Flair Spotted Near Site Of Tonight’s WWE RAW
The following is being advertised for tonight:
– John Cena returns to RAW and will react to Big Show’s comments from last week and the news that their match at No Way Out will be a steel cage match
– An update on Dolph Ziggler breaking off on his own
– The next chapter of WE Champion CM Punk’s storyline with Daniel Bryan and AJ Lee
– Cody Rhodes continues his quest to recapture his Intercontinental championship from Christian
There has been no mention of Brock Lesnar or Triple H for tonight.
Advertised locally (likely dark matches) are CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan and John Cena vs. Big Show and John Laurinaitis in a Handicap match.
HBK Unaware Of DX Reunion, Sunny Resurfaces (Picture)
— The official website of the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri is advertising the reunion of D-Generation X—Shawn Michaels and Triple H—for “One Night Only” at the historic 1,000th episode of Raw taking place July 23. Michaels, however, says he is unaware of a D-X reunion.
When asked on Twitter about the reunion, he replied, “That’s what they tell me:-)” He was then asked if the reunion would include Billy Gunn, Road Dogg and Sean “X-Pac” Waltman, replying, “I have no idea!! The whole DX thing is news to me. I was asked to show up:-) … Just telling u what I know. I was asked to show up, that’s it:-)”
— Konnan is making a rare wrestling appearance Sunday at Arena Coliseo in Monterrey, Mexico as he teams with Hector Garza, Head Hunter I and Rico Rodriguez to face Koran Big, Simbolo 2000, Hijo del Ninja and Big Neurosis.
— WWE Hall of Famer Tammy “Sunny” Sytch fulfilled her booking obligations for CCW Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Syndicate this weekend. She wrote on Facebook:
“Had a great weekend at CCW in PA and PWS in NJ! If you missed them, don’t miss the next ones!”
(source: F4WOnline.com)
Sound Off 221: Impact Wrestling Impresses With Its First Live Show
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Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 221)
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Est. Runtime: 1 hour, 26 minutes
Solomonster is back from Portland with news on Randy Orton’s latest suspension, when he will return, Don West’s departure from TNA, a full review of Thursday’s live Impact which was a better show than Raw, the greatness of Bully Ray and Joseph Park, the Gut Check challenge, the debut of Brooke Hogan, the Punk vs. Bryan rematch, the awful decision to insert KANE into their match at No Way Out, plus some great mailbag questions. Enjoy the show!
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Solomonster Sounds Off by The Solomonster is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Former WWE Writer Explains Why Triple H Buries Top Wrestlers
Former WWE creative writer Seth Mates, who WWE Champion CM Punk follows on Twitter, weighed in on the perception that Triple H uses political maneuvering to “bury” top-level talent—degrading a wrestler’s standing to fans and peers. He was asked on Twitter, “Why does Triple H always bury the guy whose on fire?”
“Positioning,” Mates responded. “And not always, just the vast majority of the time.”
He added further, “If ratings dip, guess whhho’s back next week to save the day? Loves to be the “savior”. #positioning.”
During an interview earlier this year with Pro Wrestling Torch Livecast (available here), Mates reacted to the negative sentiment within some WWE circles that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was “stealing someone else’s spot.” He feels the resentment actually stems from jealousy that Johnson found success outside of the walls of WWE, with Triple H being the driving force behind the negativity.
“I know that a lot of the stuff that [John] Cena has said about Rock and his feelings towards Rock sound like something that would be coming directly from, you know Mr. Helmsley and his view,” Mates stated.
“I always sensed some insecurities as related to Rock and to [Steve] Austin and how, again, in my mind and perception, he never was at that level. And so he wanted to position himself as, well, I’m as good, if not better. Which I don’t know that he has done that.”
Latest On WWE’s Interest In Alex Shelley, Future FCW Tapings
— SuperLuchas.net reports WWE has not contacted Alex Shelley. A friend of Shelley’s who wrestles for the organization informed the former TNA Wrestling star that there is interest in signing him.
Shelley plans to take a hiatus before negotiating with WWE. The website reports that he wants to bypass developmental and head straight to the main roster.
— The final Florida Championship Wrestling television to emanate from FCW Arena in Tampa, Florida reportedly takes place Thursday night with Jim Ross announcing and William Regal facing Dean Ambrose. The organization’s official website has a show listed for June 21.
— WWE developmental wrestler Richie Steamboat competed at Saturday’s SmackDown live event in Augusta, Georgia, losing to Damien Sandow. He was originally scheduled to face Drew McIntyre.
The Bellas Appear At First Independent Show, New Eve Photos
– Nicole and Brianna, formerly known as The Bella Twins, appeared at their first independent wrestling show on Friday in Newburgh, New York for Northeast Wrestling. Appearing as special guests, Nicole and Brianna argued over who was the better man, Luke Robinson or Jerry “The King” Lawler. Robinson appeared and said Nicole had brains and better genetics, which led Lawler to come out and stick up for Brianna. “The King” then suggests that in their main event match, they each have a Bella in their corner.
As the match concluded, Brianna hopped on the ring apron to complain about Robinson’s cheating. Robinson then tongue kissed Brianna, resulting in a slap across the face. Nicole then got angry and slapped Robinson, leading to Lawler rolling him up for the pinfall victory. “The King” then received a kiss from Nicole and Brianna as the crowd chanted “Uncle Jerry.” He left the ringside area with both Bellas.
– Kevin Nash has been announced to appear for Extreme Wrestling Federation on Saturday, June 16 at The Borderman Gym 501 E. Marion St. Converse, Indiana. He will be facing Mark Vandy and participating in a pre-show autograph signing. (Event Details)
– WWE.com has posted new photos of Eve Torres.
NFL Player Says He Can Beat Henry In Arm Wrestling, Foley Update
— Washington Redskins defensive end Adam Carriker was asked during his wrestling radio show 4th & Pain whether he could beat Mark Henry in an arm wrestling contest.
“Me,” he says when asked who would reign supreme. “I mean, Mark Henry has claimed to be the World’s Strongest Man for like two decades now. Is he really the World’s Strongest Man still or is that just some title he won’t relinquish. At some point I’ve got to think you’re not the World’s Strongest Man anymore. I’ve got to think at some point age has caught up with him. He’s been in the business a while… I’m still a young stud. In all honesty, the man is ridiculously strong. But I think I’ve got the fulcrum points, I’ve got the leverage part. I think I can take him.”
— Mick Foley addressed his involvement with THQ’s WWE ’13 video game via Twitter, writing, “”Fired up to be part of @WWE 13. I re-create some of my best known moments from the Attitude era. Cool stuff to be part of.”
He also stated that will be signing copies of his WWE produced children’s book “A Most Miz-erable Christmas” on December 1 at Santa’s Village in Jefferson, New Hampshire.
Goldberg Featured In Latest “Are You Serious?”, Ross To FCW
— Remember when Goldberg took his frustrations out on a limo? Relive the “Clash of the Week” on the latest edition of “Are You Serious?” as Road Dogg and Josh Mathews give the WWE Universe what they want.
[vsw id=”XL1CZdkS_aE” source=”youtube” width=”590″ height=”330″ autoplay=”no”]
— Jim Ross will be at the FCW Arena in Tampa, Florida this week for the last set of FCW Wrestling tapings. A match pitting Dean Ambrose against William Regal is scheduled for the event.
“Gonna be a great week in Tampa this week. Gonna do a little commentary Thurs nite at FCW. Love working w/ WWE Development talents,” Ross wrote.
— Chris Jericho is featured on the cover of the latest issue of Revolver.
Will Chris Benoit Be Featured In The New WWE Encyclopedia?
WWE has attempted to distance themselves from Chris Benoit since his career and life ended in a murder–suicide on June 24, 2007. With the exception of his results and listings in WWE.com’s title history (though summaries of his title reigns have been removed), and select content published when he was alive, he is generally not acknowledged by the sports entertainment organization. All mentions of Benoit have been removed from archived footage broadcast on WWE Classics On Demand whenever possible. Matches and other footage involving Benoit have appeared very sparingly on new video releases. Benoit was, however, listed in the first WWE Encyclopedia volume released in 2009, where his wrestling career up to where he lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Randy Orton in 2004 is detailed, along with title history. A second volume is scheduled for release this September and author Kevin Sullivan confirmed that Benoit is once again listed.
When asked via Twitter whether the new edition will have a Benoit section, Sullivan responded, “Yes, he does.”
Vince McMahon stated during a 2009 interview with WWE Magazine for “The Untold History of the WWE” issue that it is okay to acknowledge Benoit within a historical context but not in a promotional manner.
“It’s not right to pretend he didn’t exist,” he said when asked whether Benoit’s history can be acknowledged by WWE. “It’s one thing to include him as part of a historical perspective, which I believe is okay, and it’s another thing to promote him, which is not okay.
“The situation is very similar to that of O.J. Simpson—despite his controversy, O.J. was still a part of the NFL scene. You can’t deny that he existed.”
Over a three-day period ending on June 24, 2007. Benoit killed his wife, Nancy Benoit, strangled his seven-year-old son, Daniel, and subsequently committed suicide by hanging.
TNA Star Says He’s Dating Mickie James, How Old Is Velvet Sky?
— During an interview with Power Slam, Magnus was asked if he is dating Mickie James; he replied “yes.” He was then asked if dating a fellow wrestler is challenging.
“I always said I would never do it because of the obvious difficulties which can arise. But it’s worked out pretty well.” Magnus said. “You can’t help the way you feel: it’s one of those things. We’ve been able coexist up until this point.”
Magnus and James currently reside in Virginia.
— Velvet Sky turns 31 years old Saturday. She thanked her fans via Twitter for their birthday wishes and gifts.
“Thank you sooo much to my #PigeonArmy for all the happy bday wishes and thank you guys for all the gifts! I truly have the best fans ever!!” Sky wrote.
— Dark Angel (a/k/a Sarita) competed at Friday’s EMLL live event at Arena Mexico as she, Estrellita and Marcela beat Amapola, La Seductora and Tiffany in a tag team match.
TNA No Longer Advertising Slammiversary Match, How Old Is AJ?
— ImpactWrestling.com is no longer advertising a match between X Division Champion Austin Aries and Samoa Joe for Slammiversary on June 10. The match was announced on the website following Thursday’s live Impact Wrestling broadcast.
— AJ Styles turns 35 years old Saturday.
— Angelina Love has been announced to appear for RESISTANCE on Friday, June 15 in Chicago, Illinois. She is advertised to wrestle Resistance Pro Women’s Champion Melanie Cruise.
— Velvet Sky confirmed that Bully Ray is not on Twitter.
She wrote in response to a follower asking whether Ray is on the site, “NO! @IamBullyRay is of course a fake! The real Bully Ray doesn’t have Twitter!! F’n lame posers get off it.”
Hogan Retweets Sexual Comment About Brooke (Picture)
– This is how to NOT use social media …. Hulk Hogan made a bad gaffe on Twitter on Friday, re-tweeting a very sexual message about his daughter Brooke from one of his followers:
“@HulkHogan Hey hulk I went ballsdeep on Brooke!Could I get a retweet!”
Hogan’s Twitter page is currently down, but here’s a screenshot of the epic fail:
Meanwhile, former TNA Knockout Daffney has continued retweeting anti-Brooke messages on hers, including:
“I heard Dixie replaced (Alissa Flash), (Awesome Kong), (Daffney) and (Roxxi) w/Brooke Hogan. Talk about trading in 4 Porsche’s for a Pinto”
“Brooke Hogan looks like a man in drag.”
– Velvet Sky announced on Twitter that she and Chris Sabin are accepting independent bookings together. They are available for shows, autograph signings and conventions. Those interested can reach her on Twitter.
– SoCal Val, Daffney, Crystal Louthan and Leticia Cline are advertised to appear at Sign of the Times on Saturday, June 23 at Mother Kelly’s 490 Chestnut St. Cedarhurst, New York.
Bobby Roode Talks Flair Leaving TNA, Live Impact, Steiner
TNA Champion Bobby Roode was recently interviewed the UK Mirror during a recent media tour to promote TNA’s Maximum Impact tour next January. Here are some highlights of what Roode said about:
Impact Going On The Road: “I have a huge opinion on it. Obviously, I’m not the man who pays the bills; I’m not the wallet, so to speak, But in order for us to take that one step further I think it’s a necessity for us to step away from Orlando and do our television tapings elsewhere in the country. For us to be… I’m not going to say ‘legit’, because I believe that we’re a legit company but it’s just… for that more professional look and a different look it’ll make our company that bit better.”
His New Look: “Well, for eight years, people have had to witness how dry and curly it gets towards the end of a 30 minute match. And it was giving me a headche, It was certainly time for a change, to look a bit more modern. And it is in keeping with all the suits I wear. I look more hip.”
Ric Flair Leaving TNA & Whether He Will Be Missed: “I believe so. I think just the name, having that legendary name around was beneficial, But I don’t think it is going to hurt us, we have a lot of talent. I think Impact Wrestling can stand on its own without Ric Flair but its always nice to have a guy like that around. He has always been a pro. He’s a fun guy to be around. He’ll always be the Nature Boy. He has been one of my main inspirations. I really don’t know [about the legal situation] and I really don’t care to know.”
Scott Steiner’s Twitter Rants: “Scott’s Scott. He’s a good friend of mine so I can’t speak bad of Scott. He’s a character. Obviously he has some ill feelings to certain people but those are his own personal issues and don’t involve me. I don’t believe I have any enemies in the business and I want to keep it that way.”
Impact Wrestling Going Live: “It’s huge – a win win situation for all of us, fans and those of us in the company. When you go live, anything can happen. It excites me because it means I have to be on. When the camera’s on whatever happens, happens. And I’m sure that anticipation applies across the board in the locker room, too. Everyone feels the same way.”
Rumor On What Caused Randy Orton’s Wellness Violation
Mexico’s SuperLuchas.net is reporting that Randy Orton violated WWE’s Wellness Policy after he tested positive for the steroid Dianabol.
The report states that Randy Orton first tested positive for marijuana, which carries a $2,500 fine but does not result in a Wellness Policy violation / suspension from WWE. However, when Orton tested positive for weed, WWE then ordered an additional drug test for other substances, which is when he came up positive for Dianabol as well.
More Backstage News On Randy Orton’s Suspension
Dianabol (methandrostenolone) is a steroid that can be ingested orally or injected. The substance was very popular in the bodybuilding community until it was banned by Congress in the United States under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970.
This report has not yet been independently verified by Rajah.com, so for now, take the Super Luchas Magazine report as a rumor.
Thursday’s Live Impact Wrestling Draws a Low Rating
Thursday night kicked off a new era for Impact Wrestling, with TNA’s flagship show going live and moving to a new start time – 8pm (eastern). Ratings are in for the show – and unfortunately for TNA, the first episode of the new era got off to a rocky start.
Thursdays’ live Impact drew a 0.89 cable rating and averaged 1.296 million viewers. It was the lowest rated first run, non-holiday Impact in years.
The rating was down 12% from last week’s taped show, which did a 1.01 rating with 1.43 million viewers.
John Cena Divorce Update, Booker T’s Latest Fave 5
– TMZ.com has posted an update on John Cena’s divorce – and the gossip site says that the Florida home that Cena and his wife were remodeling was a major factor.
It has already been reported that the extensive home renovation was causing a an “unbearable strife” between the Cenas.
New documents uncovered by TMZ show that one of the contractors that was working for them filed a $110,000 lien on their house, claiming he was not paid for work he performed.
Picture of John Cena’s Florida Mansion
– Booker T has posted a his latest “Fave 5” video, naming the 5 WWE superstars that are on his radar:
* Backstage Details on RANDY ORTON’s Suspension (Drugs He Used, When Writers Found Out)
DX Reuniting At 1,000th RAW, Cena vs. Big Show & Tensai
– RAW’s 1,000th episode on July 23rd will feature a DX reunion, as Shawn Michaels and Triple H will be “getting the band back together” for the special night.
– John Laurinaitis will no longer be teaming with Big Show in handicap matches against John Cena at WWE’s upcoming live events. Cena is not getting off the hook that easy – because Lauinaitis is being replaced with Tensai.
Cena defeated the team of Big Show and Tensai at Friday night’s WWE live event from Alexandria, Louisiana. June’s RAW brand live events now list John Cena vs. Big Show and Tensai as one of the top matches.
– To promote the DVD release of Hulk Hogan’s “No Holds Barred” on July 3rd, WWE has launched Twitter accounts for the movie’s two main characters – @Rip and @Zeus.
No Way Out: WWE Title Match Announced (Updated Card)
It was announced on SmackDown that WWE Champion CM Punk will defend against Daniel Bryan and Kane in a 3-way match at WWE No Way Out.
With that match set, here’s the updated card for No Way Out on Sunday, June 17th:
Steel Cage Match
John Cena vs. Big Show
WWE Championship Match:
CM Punk (c) vs. Kane vs. Daniel Bryan
World Heavyweight Championship Match
Alberto Del Rio vs. Sheamus