– Mark Henry has been getting a lot praise backstage for working through his current injury. The former World Heavyweight champion has been in pain for some time and has turned down offers by WWE to take time off.
– FCW wrestler Donny Marlow, son of WWE Legend Haku, recently made his WWE debut on Superstars as Hunico’s bodyguard. Marlow is now going by the name Camacho.
– There was no dark main event after last night’s SmackDown tapings from Little Rock, Arkansas. After the taping concluded, there was a comedy segment between Big Show and Mark Henry to end the show
– Daniel Bryan vs. Big Show vs. Mark Henry vs. Randy Orton is being advertised for the March 6th SmackDown tapings at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut.
– WWE officials planned to have Chris Jericho be the man behind the cryptic videos on RAW all along. Reports of Jericho being unhappy about not being featured in the WWE ’12 video game were made up to make insider fans think there was a rift between Jericho and WWE.
WWE Hall of Fame announcer Jim Ross celebrated his 60th birthday on Tuesday by broadcasting the Oklahoma City Thunder’s NBA basketball game against the Portland Trailblazers. Ross was shown sporting a new goatee look along with his signature black cowboy hat. Check out these pictures of Jim Ross’ new look:
– WWE officials are in the process of deciding the finish of the John Cena vs. The Rock match at WrestleMania. As of this weekend, the finish has been narrowed down to two potential scenarios.
For much more on what’s being planned for WrestleMania 28, check out our official WrestleMania news page.
– The Ultimate Warrior took a shot at Kevin Nash this week on his Twitter. When asked by a fan why Warrior doesn’t dye his hair and have another run in WWE like Kevin Nash, Warrior replied:
“I’m not a dickhead who thrives on stealing the limelight from young guys.”
– WWE Hall of Famer Roddy Piper tweeted the following on Tuesday, implying he will be a part of the upcoming Legends House reality show on the WWE Network:
“How can you put 8 seasoned guys living together…lets hear the name of the guy that’s going to control them week 2.5. Not Vince! No Man! Telling you…things are going to get Very Real. Straight fact,I don’t like it..don’t tease me… don’t play with me…I bite, then bury!!!”
We’ve got a number of backstage news items from Monday’s RAW Supershow from Memphis:
– The script for the show was changed several times throughout the day and was not finalized until around 7pm local time.
– Chris Jericho’s WWE return was not on the booking sheets that were handed out before Monday’s RAW from Memphis. Once Jericho arrived backstage, there was no major effort made to keep his presence a secret.
– As previously reported, Brodus Clay was backstage and there were plans to have him finally debut on television in a squash match, but his segment was bumped due to time constraints. Interim RAW GM John Laurinaitis teased on Twitter that Clay’s debut being pushed off again was all part of a plan – and the constant delays will be turned into a storyline. The plan is for Clay to eventually debut as an indestructible monster, similar to how Mark Henry was booked prior to his injury. It remains to be seen whether Clay will be on television before the Royal Rumble.
– CM Punk was hurting when he returned backstage after his match against Dolph Ziggler. There is talk of him taking some time off to rest up.
– The angle with Kane coming from under the ring was written about a week ago but officials didn’t know how they would get to it until the day of the show. The six-man elimination match was put together at the last minute. Officials wanted John Cena in the closing segment so there would be an “Indiana Jones-like” cliffhanger to end the show.
WWE taped Friday’s episode of SmackDown Tuesday from Little Rock, Arkansas. Here are the full taping results, courtesy of prowrestling.net:
— Cody Rhodes defeated Booker T to retain the Intercontinental Title. Great match back and forth match that went over ten minutes, according to Terrence. Cody went for the BDK but Booker ducked it. Booker went for the Bookend, but Cody elbowed his way out. Book kicked him, hit the axe kick, and went for a cover, but Cody kicked out. Then Book tried for the axe kick again but Cody ducked it and hit a Beautiful Disaster Kick for the win.
— Hornswoggle beat Heath Slater in an over the top rope challenge. Heath beat on him and then sat him on the top rope. Horny slapped him. Heath was about to slam Horny over the top, but Horny grabbed his hair for the win. After the match, Heath beat down Hornswoggle until Justin Gabriel made the save.
— Hunico (w/Camacho) defeated Ted DiBiase. An okay match, according to Terrence. The crowd was not into it until Hunico went for the flying head scissors and Ted hit a reverse face plant. Hunico went to work on Ted’s left arm. The end came with Hunico using a submission pin type move. He trapped Ted’s arms with his legs like a Rings of Saturn, then rolled him over for the pin and crossed his feet. Nice finisher.
— Wade Barrett thee Barrett’s Barrage segment. Barrett said Orton is done and he will win the Royal Rumble while Orton sits at home and watches him. Enter Sheamus. Barrett and Sheamus went face to face. Jinder Mahal came out. They beat on Sheamus. He fought back while Wade hit the Winds of Change He left and then Jinder applied the Camel Clutch.
— Santino Marella defeated Drew McIntyre. Santino became the new assistant to the general manager with the win, while McIntyre’s career on Smackdown is in jeopardy.
— Primo and Epico (w/Rosa Mendes) defeated Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston in a non-title match. A good tag match, according to Terrence. The usual high flying from Air Boom. The Colons work well together. Epico got the pin after Evan missed AirBourne.
— Sheamus vs. Jinder Mahal was announced for next week’s show.
— Tamina defeated Natalya. The match was one sided and The Warrior Princess picked up the win.
— Daniel Bryan defeated Big Show by DQ in a World Heavyweight Championship match. Mark Henry interfered for the DQ.
– The latest issue of WWE Magazine looks back at the slew of grappling greats that debuted ten years ago—John Cena, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, Brock Lesnar and Batista. In their write-up for Batista, WWE predicts that fans haven’t seen the last of The Animal. WWE states:
“Although he left the company in 2010, many see the departure as a temporary one, and it’s simply a matter of time before The Animal rises again.”
– WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross joined the Oklahoma City Thunder broadcast team during the second quarter of tonight’s NBA game between the Thunder and Portland Trail Blazers.
JR changed his signature look as he was shown on television with a grey goatee.
– Ticketmaster.com is holding a pre-sale for the March 20 SmackDown taping at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey from Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. through Friday at 11:59 p.m. The pre-sale code is ROCKWWE.
WWE officials ultimately decided not to fly Chris Jericho on a private jet to Memphis, Tennessee—the site of Monday’s Raw SuperShow—because they felt the plan they had devised to keep his return from being spoiled was infallible.
WWE decided to have Jericho fly into Nashville International Airport on Sunday instead of Memphis on Sunday or Monday, have a limousine pick him up and hide him until showtime.
“They didn’t figure somebody would take a photo of him at an airport 220 miles away,” Wrestling Observer editor Dave Meltzer stated on the F4WOnline.com message board.
The photograph was published online Monday morning, which Jericho vehemently refuted.
“Apparently, I’ve been cloned… or somebody has started a great rumour,” he wrote on Twitter.
He then posted several photoshopped images of himself at various places including Egypt, Paris, Gettysburg and Kim Jong-il’s funeral.
– The WWE website attempted to interview Chris Jericho backstage at Monday’s RAW, but did not get much out of him. Jericho continued the “silent treatment” we saw on television, smiling and ignoring the questions asked of him. When asked if he plans to enter the Royal Rumble, Jericho paused, turned on the lights on his jacket, and walked away. To view the video, visit WWE.com.
– The latest on Brodus Clay’s status is that WWE is holding off on his debut until the Royal Rumble.
– WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross, who is celebrating his 60th birthday today, will be calling an NBA basketball game tonight between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Portland Trail Blazers. Ross tweeted on Tuesday afternoon:
“Heading to OKC for Thunder game tonight at 7 central on Fox Sports Oklahoma & NBA Season Pass. I’m Going 2 join broadcast team in 2nd QT.”
The official PPV poster for WWE’s upcoming Elimination Chamber has been released and it features Sheamus. The event takes place on Sunday, February 19thfrom Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the Bradley Center. It will be the final WWE pay-per-view before WrestleMania 28.
As previously reported, participants for WWE’s annual Raw Elimination Chamber Match are tentatively scheduled to include:
Alberto Del Rio
CM Punk
John Cena
Kane
R-Truth
The Miz
The outcome of the bout is expected to be based on whether Cena’s match with The Rock at WrestleMania XXVIII will have the WWE Championship on the line.
Regarding the online rumor of Rob Van Dam returning to WWE, Power Slam confirms in their latest issue that RVD is seriously considering returning to the organization once his contract with TNA Wrestling expires. The magazine adds that the feeling is mutual as people in WWE want the master of the Five-Star Frog Splash back.
“RVD from what we’re told would receive a warm welcome in WWE,” the magazine says.
Providing that no contract extension has been reached since his arrival to TNA Wrestling in March 2010, it would appear that Van Dam will be a free agent in the near future. It was reported in 2010 that RVD had signed a two-year contract with TNA.
During his hiatus from full-time wrestling, Van Dam said he would consider returning to WWE if and when he felt ready.
“One thing that’s for sure is that WWE and I do have a good-faith understanding that if and when I’m ready to return that I’ll be talking to them. They look forward and hope that we’ll be doing business again,” he told the Baltimore Sun during an interview.
Van Dam, who turned 41 years old last month, performed for WWE from 2001 to 2007. Should RVD return to WWE, he would join a select group of former WWE world champions—Booker T, Kevin Nash and Mick Foley—who joined TNA and ultimately returned to the Stamford based organization.
– WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross turns 60 years old today. Happy birthday to JR!
– William Regal’s Twitter account was hacked Monday night and several Regal-like sayings were published including “I love Dr Who,” “Plonkers!,” “I’m on a horse!,” “Don’t cross me!” and “Can’t get the theme song from Eastenders out of my head.”
Regal is now back in control of the account and has deleted the fake tweets.
– Stephanie McMahon joined her personal trainer Dave Palumbo Monday night on Heavy Muscle Radio. The synopsis for the show said:
“How is it like living in the spotlight of the WWE, as well as being a mother of three, and a hard training fitness enthusiast? It’s not as easy as it seems, and Stephanie knows it’s a fine balancing act.”
We’ll post a recap of the appearance soon. As we reported here on the site last week, Stephanie’s trainer Dave Palumbo recently helped her lose 80 pounds following the birth of her most recent daughter.
— Mickie James was the most searched for female wrestling talent on Google.com in 2011, according to statistical data compiled by the Wrestling Observer. She is trailed by fellow TNA Knockout Velvet Sky, Michelle McCool, Vickie Guerrero, Beth Phoenix, Eve Torres and Gail Kim.
— The final episode of Impact Wrestling of 2011 garnered a 1.16 cable rating, with 1,510,000 viewers. This is up from the prior week’s show, which drew a 1.03 cable rating with 1,360,000 viewers.
— Gunner stated on Twitter that he faces Rob Van Dam on this Thursday’s episode of Impact Wrestling.
— Matt Morgan and Gail Kim appear at Direct Auto Insurance 700 North Military Highway Norfolk, Virginia on Feb. 10 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Call 757-455-9072 for more information.
Pictures Of Randy Orton & His Wife Samantha (Click to view more)
— Randy Orton addressed his detractors on Twitter, telling fans he’s no longer bothered by people who don’t like him. to a Twitter follower that he is no longer phased by his numerous haters.
“Why not? It’s not like I gave em my address or phone #. if anything I just motivated them to spend more time tweeting garbage.”
“Stuff like this used to upset me, but [my wife] Sam is the one the made me realize these people have no impact on my life, and the things they say mean absolutely nothing.”
— Chris Jericho, who returned to WWE at Monday’s SuperShow, will be working house shows. WWE has updated their advertisements for upcoming Raw live events and he is listed as making a “special appearance.”
— WWE Hall of Famer Tony Atlas appears for IYF Wrestling at the Ballston Area Community Center 20 Malta Ave. Ballston Spa, New York on Jan. 14.
There were a lot of people within WWE wondering why the company had Chris Jericho fly into a major airport over the weekend. Jericho was photographed at the airport and that photo circulated online on Monday, taking some of the surprise away from Jericho’s WWE return.
WWE has taken extra measures in the past when it came to returning talents’ travel. No word on why they did not take the same steps with Jericho. We’ve heard that Chris Jericho’s name did not appear on the script for RAW – however, Jericho was backstage during the show and there was not a big effort made to keep his presence top secret.
Jericho’s appearance on RAW was meant to be somewhat of a parody of his WWE debut & “Save Us” return several years ago. Like with Jericho’s WWE debut back in 1999, Jericho appeared after weeks of buildup, got a tremendous reaction from the live crowd and wound up turning them against him by the end of his segment. Based on what we’ve been hearing, Jericho will be turning full-fledged heel in the coming weeks and is still scheduled to wrestle CM Punk for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 28.
Jericho re-tweeted several comments from fans about about how he was trending worldwide during RAW without speaking on television.
The WWE’s website has posted a few articles looking at Jericho’s return and shedding some light on where his storyline is headed. One article discussed Jericho’s use of viral videos over the years – and questions who the little girl in the “It Begins” video was meant to portray:
“There are plenty of questions left unanswered between the videos and Jericho’s shocking appearance on Raw SuperShow. For example, the fourth video refers to a mysterious “she.” According to the clip, “she” holds the answers to the return of Chris Jericho, and that when he calls her, he will begin to reclaim what is rightfully his.
What does all this mean for the WWE? No one but Chris Jericho knows, and until he decides to let the rest of the world in on his ultimate goals, all the WWE Universe can do is conjecture. Certainly, Jericho has left us plenty of material to do precisely that.”
“@IAmJericho Helluva kick ass return. Welcome back my friend. Look forward to having some fun w you.”
Jericho’s longtime friend Lance Storm says he helped train Jericho in recent weeks at his Storm Wrestling Academy in Canada to prepare for his return. Storm wrote:
“Since he’s back yes @IAmJericho did come back and train with me at SWA. We spent a couple days in the ring including a 17 min match #norust”
Former WWE Champion JBL wrote:
“The @Iamjericho return to WWE? Loved it. This is going to play out well over the next couple of months. The audacity of the return is gold!”
Interim RAW General Manager John Laurinaitis said:
“We are now stalking @IAmJericho to see what all that silence was about.”
My staff and I aren’t pleased, for those of you who follow this and want the real scoop. We hope to have answers from @IAmJericho soon.
– As we reported over the weekend, former WWE diva Torrie Wilson is dating New York Yankees all-star Alex Rodriguez. The UK’s Daily Mail notes that the two have now gone public as a couple and spent New Years in Cabo San Lucas with George Clooney and his girlfriend, former WWE Diva Stacy Keibler, a good friend of Wilson’s.
– Among the WWE terms trending worldwide on Twitter last night were Chris Jericho, Y2J, Brodus Clay, Undertaker, “Happy New Year Miz” and Hornswoggle.
– The Rock is scheduled to make another WWE TV appearance in the next several weeks, according to f4wonline.com. Rock has been filming his new movie Snitch in New Orleans over the past week and will spend most of February promoting Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, which hits theaters on February 10th.
John Cena wrote the following on Twitter early Tuesday morning:
“2012 started as 2011 ended. Hate dominating the landscape. I have a feeling these next few months will be the greatest of all challenges.
I can see what kane is trying to do…and I certainly know where I stand with Dwayne. I wont falter. Stand 4 something or fall 4 everything. Rise Above Hate.”
WWE legend Shawn Michaels has posted a new 13-minute video answering fan questions. Regarding his WWE contract status, Michaels said:
“I have a contract with WWE. It’s not a Legends contract, it’s not a wrestling contract. It’s just something special they gave me. That’s one of the ways I make a living,” Michaels said. “I will never end up going anywhere else. I won’t be wrestling somewhere else and I won’t be showing up on someone else’s TV show.”
Michaels added he’s open to a behind-the-scenes role with WWE in the future:
“I’m always hoping to come back and maybe do a semi-regular role behind-the-scenes. But, that’s all stuff that’s hard for me to say when that’s going to happen.”
CM Punk will defend the WWE Championship against Dolph Ziggler at the Royal Rumble – with interim RAW General Manager John Laurinaitis serving as the special guest referee.
Laurinaitis announced the match on RAW after CM Punk and Dolph Ziggler’s match.
The WWE championship match and the 30-man Royal Rumble main event are the only matches announced for the card so far.
After being spotted with Abraham Lincoln and The Beatles – Chris Jericho was revealed to be the man behind the cryptic “It Begins” promo vidoes and made his long awaited debut to WWE television on Monday’s RAW.
Jericho came out to his signature “Break The Walls Down” theme music and wore a flamboyant & illuminated studded black leather jacket.
Jericho came to the ring and soaked up the huge reaction from an audience that appeared to be satisfied on WWE’s delivery of this latest surprise. Fans chanted “welcome back” to the former Undisputed champion. The celebration lasted several minutes, with Chris Jericho riling up the crowd and slapping hands with fans – without taking a microphone and explaining why he is back. The crowd began to turn on Jericho as it became apparent he was not going to do anything more than listen to them cheer him on. The segment ended awkwardly, with Jericho apparently looking to turn the crowd against him.
Check out these pictures of Jericho’s WWE return and hit up the comments section below with your feedback.
Jesse Neal revealed during an interview with Bryan Alvarez of F4WOnline.com that TNA Wrestling refused to pay his hefty medical bills stemming from a neck injury he suffered at the May pay-per-view event Sacrifice.
The injury occurred during the conclusion of the match pitting Ink, Inc. against Mexican America when Hernandez executed a dominator-like finisher on Neal. An MRI showed he had a bulged disk after being spiked into the mat.
Neal said TNA paid for the initial MRI but refused to cover any of the other medical costs related to the injury—which he still must pay. “It’s my name, it’s going against my credit…It’s hard to swallow sometimes,” Neal says.
Neal wasn’t booked for any matches until October as a precaution following the neck trauma. The Florida native says he returned a lot quicker than he was supposed to. He adds, “Of course I was still hurt, but when you’re sitting on your ass at home, you’re making no money, and I had to get back into it.”
Neal parted ways with TNA last month after organization officials asked him to relocate from Florida to Louisville, Kentucky to further his wrestling training in Ohio Valley Wrestling. He was unable to comply with their request because the money they were offering “wasn’t even anything close to live on.”
— Chris Jericho has continued to refute rumors that he is returning to WWE at tonight’s Raw SuperShow in Memphis, Tennessee. He tweeted a photo of himself and a friend snowboarding.
He wrote, “Beautiful day on the mountain! #bestJan2ever @speewee @holowatuk pic.twitter.com/eoPQZBj9.”
— Christian, who has been sidelined since November 9, 2011 due to an ankle injury, is now advertised for WWE’s annual post-WrestleMania tour of the U.K. in April. He is tapped to return to the ring no later than February.
— WWE will hold a Raw live event at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts on Sunday, March 4, 2012 at 5:00 p.m.
— Michael McGillicutty won the WWE Magazine 2011 Fantasy Football League.
