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Aries Responds To Otunga’s Shot At TNA Ratings, Roode Advisor

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— WWE Superstar David Otunga poked fun at the consistently flat ratings for TNA Wrestling’s Impact Wrestling program, writing on Twitter last week, “If imitation is the highest form of flattery, I’m flatter than Impact’s ratings right now. #OtungaLaw.” X Division Champion Austin Aries responded to Otunga’s message with a shot of his own.

“Shocked @DavidOtunga took time to comment on @ImpactWrestling. I’d think he’d want to become at least a good hand first… #MrJenniferHudson,” he wrote Saturday night.

— Thursday’s Impact Wrestling saw James Storm call out World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode to confront him. Roode’s legal advisor, William Kelly, instead appeared. He is Shane Haste, a wrestler from Ohio Valley Wrestling. He received the Last Call from Storm to conclude the segment.

Haste and Mikey Nicholls lost a dark match against Gunner and Kid Kash at Tuesday’s Impact Wrestling taping in Orlando, Florida.

source: ProWrestling.net

Video: Ultimate Warrior’s In-Ring Interview From Friday

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WWE legend the Ultimate Warrior appeared at Friday night’s North East Wrestling’s live event and cut an in-ring promo:

Otunga Takes Shot At TNA’s Impact Ratings, WWE Stars Turns 30

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— WWE Superstar David Otunga poked fun at the consistently flat ratings for TNA’s Impact Wrestling.

He wrote on Twitter, “If imitation is the highest form of flattery, I’m flatter than Impact’s ratings right now. #OtungaLaw.”

This is apparently in response to a lawyer character for Bobby Roode appearing on Thursday’s Impact Wrestling.

— Both Epico and Jack Swagger turn 30 years old on Saturday. Former WWE Superstar Barry Horowitz also turns 52.

— Maria Kanellis and Demolition will appear at Royal Collectibles 96-01 Metropolitan Ave. Forest Hills, New York on Saturday, May 5 from noon to 2:00 p.m. Call 718-793-0542 for more information.

— WWE’s Once in a Lifetime: The Rock vs. John Cena airs in the United Kingdom on Sunday at Noon on Sky Sports.

Cena Explains Why He Won’t Turn Heel, Maher Mentions Taker

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— In an interview with the London Free Press, John Cena explained why won’t turn heel.

“Although I can handle business when I need to, I really make conscious choices to do the right thing. There’s still a giant portion of the audience associated to the Attitude era that I believe thinks I am a bad guy. But I’m not a bad guy. I generate so much hatred just because of the way I act. I look at Tim Tebow as a good example. People couldn’t stop saying his name. He’s such a stand-up guy. People don’t believe it because it’s almost too good to be true. And he generates that hatred,” Cena says.

“I have fun with this business. I love every second of it. I love to be right there in the middle of the hunt. At the end of the day, it’s not my job to force people in any direction. I just to out there and see what happens. You can analyze character development all day, but with the current state of affairs, there’s no need or rationale for me to deviate from what I’m doing.”

Cena also discussed his work with Make-A-Wish Foundation. The interview is available here.

— Bill Maher mentioned The Undertaker during his opening monologue on Friday’s edition of Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO.

He said, “Get this. In Arizona, a state legislator wants a law where if a woman wants an abortion, she has to watch another woman get an abortion. Yeah, I know, they keep one-upping each other on what you have to do. By the end of the year you must defeat the World Wrestling star, The Undertaker!”

Lilian Garcia Thanks Fans For Support Following Latest Incident

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John Cena berating Lilian Garcia’s ring announcing ability at Tuesday’s SmackDown taping in Newark, New Jersey has drawn the ire of numerous fans of the veteran Diva online as they feel it contradicts “be a STAR,” WWE’s heavily promoted campaign to put an end to bullying. A former WWE talent agrees with the sentiment.

Sinn Bodhi, who formerly competed as Kizarny for the sports entertainment organization, posted the following user comment on Twitter Friday slamming their anti-bullying campaign: “I can’t take the #WWE Be A Star Campaign seriously when it’s known what they said about Lilian Garcia and @SiNNbODHi #Hypocrisy.”

The incident was the latest example of WWE publicly ridiculing Garcia following her decision to leave the company in 2009. She took note of the heavy fan support following this latest mockery and went on Facebook and Twitter to write a thank you message.

“Hey my Lil Rockers, just want to tell you that I LUV YOU, I LUV YOU, I LUV YOU!! You are the BEST fans in the world!! Thank you for being there for me!! Xoxo ;):” she wrote following Friday’s SmackDown broadcast on Syfy.

Following the conclusion of Tuesday’s show, Cena belittled Garcia in front of the Prudential Center audience for mistakenly introducing Zack Ryder earlier as “Long Island Iced Z, Jack Swagger” for his match against Jack Swagger, saying “she looks absolutely beautiful but doesn’t know what the hell she’s doing.” He had a street clothes dressed Tony Chimel brought out to properly introduce Ryder since he’s a professional and “knows what he’s doing.”

Layla Praised For Her Wrestling Return, How Old Is Undertaker?

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— 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. She had been sidelined since May due to tears of both her Anterior cruciate and Medial collateral ligaments, which required surgery.

Layla received high marks from FCW officials for her performance as she displayed a series of Lucha style moves. She had been working very hard in recent weeks in preparation for her squared circle return.

— Today is The Undertaker’s birthday as he turns 47 years old. While his age has been disputed over the years, FamilyTreeLegends.com says he was born on March 24, 1965. Furthermore, the official website of Stephen Pool Waltrip High School in Houston, Texas says he graduated from the school in 1983.

— Tickets for the 25th Annual SummerSlam, which will be held Aug. 19 at Los Angeles’ STAPLES Center, went on sale Saturday. Also on-sale: Tickets for No Way Out, to be held June 17 at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

source: PWInsider.com

Orton Says Match Against Kane Is Bigger Than Bryan-Sheamus

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Randy Orton believes his upcoming match against Kane at WrestleMania XXVIII is a bigger deal than the World Heavyweight Championship bout between Daniel Bryan and Sheamus.

“I think there might be a little more people out there who want to see Kane-Orton as opposed Sheamus-Daniel Bryan,” Orton stated Friday morning on the Big Poppa In The Morning radio program promoting WrestleMania XXVIII.

He also discussed WrestleMania XXVIII taking place on his birthday, WWE recently returning to a revamped Madison Square and The Rock vs. John Cena. The Viper hopes to see Cena cleanly defeat The Rock via Attitude Adjustment.

The ten-minute interview is available here.

Two New Additions To Team Teddy For WrestleMania XXVIII

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Following Zack Ryder’s rally prior to Monday’s Raw SuperShow in which he lobbied to become part of Team Teddy at WrestleMania XXVIII, Long Island Iced Z informed SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long that if he was accepted onto the team, The Great Khali would join as well. Long agreed, with Hornswoggle named the team’s mascot.

The updated card for the pay-per-view event taking place April 1 in Miami, Florida is as follows:

* The Rock vs. John Cena

* The Undertaker vs. Triple H (Hell in a Cell Match with Shawn Michaels as the special referee)

* Team Teddy vs. Team Johnny (Kofi Kingston, R-Truth, Santino Marella, The Great Khali, Zack Ryder and TBA vs. Christian, David Otunga, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger, Mark Henry and TBA)

* WWE Champion CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho

* World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus

* Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes vs. Big Show

* Randy Orton vs. Kane

* Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos vs. Divas Champion Beth Phoenix and Eve

The New Age Outlaws In WWE ’13, SmackDown Backstage Fallout

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— Road Dogg revealed on Twitter that the New Age Outlaws will be featured in THQ’s WWE ’13. When asked about the upcoming video game, which is rumored to focus on “Attitude Era” stars, he responded, “Already did the voiceovers.” He added that Billy Gunn was involved with the process.

— Watch the Photos of a Bella Twin’s wardrobe malfunction of Backstage Fallout, and find out what Sheamus really thinks of his WrestleMania opponent’s girlfriend. Plus, learn the real reason why Eve blew Zack Ryder off. Also featured are The Bella Twins and Jack Swagger.

— WWE is holding a Raw live event tonight at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Bell time is 8:00 p.m. Meanwhile, a SmackDown event will be held at the E. A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

How The Rock Found Success In Failure, FCW Talent At Axxess

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— Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson discusses how he overcame failure to become The Most Electrifying Man in All of Entertainment in a “Once in a Lifetime: The Rock vs. John Cena” exclusive video.

— WWE developmental wrestlers Antonio Cesaro, Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Xavier Woods all mentioned on Twitter that they will be competing at next week’s WrestleMania Axxess in Miami, Florida.

— The March 23, 2012 episode of WWE Vintage Collection featured WWE Hall of Famers competing against each other. Matches that aired are as follows (thanks to Devin Cutting): Billy Graham vs. Curt Hennig (WWF Championship Wrestling – January 8, 1983), Paul Orndorff vs. Pedro Morales (WWF Prime Time Wrestling – March 2, 1987), Texas Tornado vs. “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase (WWF television taping – February 18, 1991), Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat vs. Terry Funk (WCW Clash Of The Champions – June 14, 1989), The Fabulous Moolah vs. Sherri Martel (WWF live event – August 28, 1987), “Stone Cold” Steve Austin vs. Eddie Guerrero (WWF SmackDown – November 16, 2000).

Preview For Thursday’s Impact – Three Matches Scheduled

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ImpactWrestling.com has released the official preview for this Thursday’s episode of Impact Wrestling.

Preview Thursday’s IMPACT WRESTLING broadcast on SpikeTV at 9/8c. If you can’t watch it Thursday, make sure to set your DVR to record it so you don’t miss any of the action.
– The road to April’s annual “Lockdown” Pay-Per-View event continues

– What will be Hulk Hogan’s answer to TNA President Dixie Carter? Will Hogan take over as General Manager of IMPACT WRESTLING? Tune in and find out

– Mr. Anderson battles “The Charismatic Enigma” Jeff Hardy in a featured bout on the broadcast!

– The undefeated Crimson battles Matt Morgan – will his former tag team partner be the one that ends his streak?

– In Knockouts action, it will be Madison Rayne vs. Velvet Sky

– The World Premiere of “Cowboy” James Storm’s music video “Longnecks & Rednecks”

All this and much more on Thursday’s IMPACT WRESTLING on SpikeTV at 9/8c

Video: Bret Hart Reveals Why He & Hogan Never Fought In 1993

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In part 3 of Arda Ocal of theScore’s in studio sit down with Bret Hart, the “Hitman” talks about why Bret Hart vs Hulk Hogan never happened in WWE back in 1993:

Cena Says He Won’t Ever Quit WWE, WWE Return To Delaware

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— John Cena reveals why he is so passionate about being a part of WWE in this “Once in a Lifetime: The Rock vs. John Cena” preview video.

— WWE will hold a SmackDown live event at Bob Carpenter Center at the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware on May 12, 2012. Bell time is 7:30 p.m.

— Former WWE talent Travis Tomko turns 36 years on Friday. A jury trial for his arrest last October in St. Augustine, Florida on a felony robbery charge is scheduled for May.

— Bret Hart and Jillian Hall appear at The Wrestling Universe 34-29 Francis Lewis Blvd. Flushing, New York on May 5 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Edge’s Original Retirement Plans, Who He Wanted To Wrestle

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2012 WWE Hall of Fame inductee Edge appeared on Between The Ropes with Brian Fritz. Highlights from the interview are as follows:

What he misses the most about not being with WWE on a day-to-day basis: “Honestly, I don’t miss anything about being on the road. If there’s things I miss, it would be the camaraderie of some of the guys. Being able to see Kane every week or Christian every week or (Dolph) Ziggler, guys I’m good friends with and road with. I miss that. I don’t miss the travel. I don’t miss being constantly exhausted, constantly sore and feeling like a zombie. I don’t miss that at all. I wake up now and my body doesn’t hurt. I have some neck days here and there but the rest of me feels great. So I’ll get out and mountain bike 35 miles. I wouldn’t have the energy to do that when I was working. So, I don’t miss much. I miss the guys and the feeling of that crowd reaction when you have a good match but beyond that not a whole lot.”

If he starting mapping out his final year in the WWE which he was planning before the neck injury forced him to retire: “I wanted to try and build it to Christian and I at a WrestleMania if it was possible. It looked like if I would have stuck around it would have happened before that. I think we would have got to him and I this year. I was kind of hoping that this would be the last year, the last Mania and gauge it from there. If I had another year left in me, sign for another year because my contract is up this month. I thought I’ll sit down at this year’s WrestleMania and see where I’m at. But if it could have built to where it would have been Christian and I at this year’s WrestleMania then I don’t think there would have been any other way to go. It’s like why bother, so I can do another year just to do another match that won’t mean as much to me in the final match. But I had been mentally preparing for it. I knew or assumed that it would be this year. So, it wasn’t that hard to come to terms or grips with. I think it was harder for other people. I’ve had a lot of grown men come up to me, man, I’m just so bummed, I was crying. I was like thanks but I knew what was going on in my body so it wasn’t as much of a shock to me I guess.”

His thoughts on the build to The Rock vs. John Cena at WrestleMania 28: “I’ve really enjoyed it. I like the promos. I like the fact that you can tell they don’t like each other. I also like the fact that you have a match that’s a year in the making, especially with nowadays schedule and the amount of TV programming that we have. For them to be able to do a match a year out and not touch, nowadays is mind blowing. I think people have lost respect for that aspect of it. You know, everybody goes ‘back in the day programs last longer and they didn’t get blown off so quick’. Well yeah but there wasn’t six hours of programming every week or whatever it is. It’s hard to keep guys apart to do Savage vs. Steamboat nowadays. Back when I was a kid growing up, you had Wrestling Superstars or one hour on a Saturday from 11-12 or 12-1. It was easy to keep guys apart. Not any more. It’s changed. So the fact that they’ve been able to do this year-long program without touching is astounding to me. And the fact that if Rock comes back next year, who knows? They could go again next year. Then you essentially have a three-year program with two matches. That’s amazing. There’s always going to be people that will complain if they haven’t touched this, that or the other but then will complain if they blow it off too quick. You just got to sit back and enjoy this and take it for what it is because it hasn’t actually been done before.”

The interview is available here.

Full List Of Inductors For WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

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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

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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

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— 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

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— 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

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— 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

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— 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

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— 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

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“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

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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

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– 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

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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.”