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Update On Skip Sheffield’s Return To TV, WWE Praised, More

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— On Skip Sheffield’s Facebook page, he was tagged in a photo by a fan who ran into him earlier this month at an auto shop in Florida. The fan says Sheffield told him he will be returning to WWE television under the name Ryback.

Sheffield was removed from the Raw Superstars page on WWE.com earlier this week, thus indicating that the character is through. WWE recently applied to trademark Ryback, which suggests that he will be repackaged with a new character upon his return from injury. Prior to assuming the cowboy persona in WWE’s developmental system, he appeared as Ryback, an indestructible “Terminator” style character billed from “The Future.”

— TechCrunch.com has published an article praising WWE for their efforts to integrate Twitter and Facebook into their television broadcasts.

— Goldust stated on Twitter that WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes will have an account on the micro-blogging site soon.

Two Former WWE Stars Respond To Being Called “Turkeys”

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Former WWE performer Vito LoGrasso (a/k/a Vito) responded to WWE.com listing him among the seven biggest turkeys to ever trot the squared circle.

He stated Friday on Facebook, “A lot of people are upset with the WWE today. They spoke of me in a negative way which put the fans in shock. How would they post something like this on a holiday?! I have a family and the kids are all upset. I thought they had an anti-bullying policy.”

The former WCW World Tag Team Champion posted dozens of messages on Twitter chastising his former employer for their bullying tactics. He added, “If you ever been bullied you know how it feels. Good night Joey Styles, where ever you are.”

Vito also reacted to being labeled a turkey in an interview with Gerweck.net. He says he plans to take the matter to GLAAD and TMZ, pointing out the hypocrisy in WWE bullying him when they have an anti-bullying campaign in place.

Former WWE talent Nick Cvjetkovich (a/k/a Kizarny) shared similar sentiments regarding his former employer’s demeaning piece as he called it “a dick move” in a YouTube video Friday.

He added on Twitter, “So much for anti-bullying @WWE @JoeyStyles. Receiving tons of positive messages is the only thing that saved my Thanksgiving that u wrecked!”

Maryse Ouellet Too Hot For PG WWE, No Plans On Joining TNA

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Regarding Maryse Ouellet’s departure from WWE last month, the Wrestling Observer reports that company officials had been looking to cut ties with the French-Canadian glamour model for over a year since she did not fit their commitment to wholesome, family-friendly, PG content. Her “history of non-PG activity” was of concern to WWE executives, The Observer notes.

Ouellet was not initially endeavored due to her relationship with The Miz. WWE parted ways with Ouellet shortly after she asked to be released from her contract.

Friends of Ouellet say she lost interest in performing for WWE over the past year and was ready to move on to the next chapter of her life. She announced this week plans for a fashion and accessory line called House of Maryse. She also plans on returning to glamour modeling and has her sights set on posing for Playboy again. WWE’s decision to release Ouellet was also fueled by the expectation that unlike Gail Kim, she will not cross over to TNA Wrestling. She confirmed last week during a red carpet interview that she has absolutely no interest in joining America’s No. 2 promotion, let alone continuing wrestling.

“I’m done with wrestling,” she told Pop Candies TV. “No TNA, no TNA, no TNA!”

Dusty Rhodes Appearing Nude In Movie, Martinez T-Shirt Line

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— WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes will be appearing in a new independent Christmas horror movie called Hell Elves this January. The campy movie follows a small group of rogue elves who turn on Santa Claus. They kill everyone and put their body parts in jars to give out to kids as presents. Rhodes briefly appears as a grandfather to one of the children, running out of the shower nude and confronting the elves as they come down his chimney. The scene was filmed earlier this month. Hell Elves hits iTunes and Netflix on January 17, 2012 and is scheduled to be released on DVD sometime in early 2012.

— Shelly Martinez has announced plans for a Martinez Girlz T-shirt line, which will debut soon on ShellyMartinez.org

She also bumped into Rob Van Dam earlier this week. Click here to read her latest blog.

— In today’s birthdays, WWE Hall of Famer Blackjack Mulligan turns 69, former WWE Women’s Champion Ivory turns 50, Tough Enough winner Maven turns 35 and Brian Lee turns 45.

Sarita Wins Bodybuilding Contest, Jeff Jarrett Issues Bounty

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— Sarita, who is known as Dark Angel in Mexico, won the CMLL Bodybuilding Championship for the sixth consecutive year Thanksgiving Day in Mexico City. She beat Dalys and Princesa Sugey to win the title. The competition was not without controversy as the TNA Knockout was booed by fans who felt Dalys should have won.

Sarita thanked fans for their support on Facebook. She wrote, “Thank you to everyone who came out to support me at the contest to help me get the win!”

— Asistencia Asesoría y Administración is running a storyline where World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Jarrett has place a bounty for anyone that can put an end to the career of El Mesías (a/k/a Judas Mesias. Jarrett is offering $50,000 dollars. Gunner will be going after the bounty at tonight’s show in Hidalgo, Mexico.

— Ratings figures for Thursday’s episode of IMPACT Wrestling will be delayed to next week due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Karen Jarrett Goes On Tirade Following Impact (Video)

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Knockouts VP Karen Jarrett is livid over the Knockouts disobeying her orders to show more skin on last Thursday’s episode of IMPACT Wrestling and is now planning some major punishment for the ladies on next week’s show. She stopped by the IMPACT Wrestling Post Show to address her plans for next week’s show and how she has taken matters into her own hands with the Knockouts.

She vents to Jeremy Borash, “These stupid little bitches think they’re going to continue to mess with me? I tell’em to cover up, they won’t cover up. Then I tell ’em to take it off and they put on more than what they normally wear!

“Well, you know what? They have messed with the wrong lady! One thing that they continue to forget is I’m running the show around here! They answer to me! So next week, I’m going shopping—one of my favorite things to do—and I’m gonna provide the outfits that they’re going to wear in the ring.

“They wanna play games? Game freaking on, bitches!”

Click here to watch her rant.

Angle Reveals 2012 Olympic Plans, Kim Responds To Criticism

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— Kurt Angle stated on Twitter that he will be participating in the United States Olympic wrestling trials that will be held in Iowa City, Iowa this April to determine the team that will go to London, England for the 2012 Olympics.

“I’m Already Qualified for final Olympic trials In June. But I Will Official Enter Olympic trial Qualifier Tourney in April in Iowa! I’m Ready,” he wrote.

Angle revealed his Olympic hopes this past June. He told The Sun, “I’ve set my sights on this. There are certain goals I had in my life and I’ve done them. I won an Olympic gold medal, but last time I did it I didn’t really enjoy it. I didn’t have fun. It was more of a job and there was a lot of pressure on me. This time I’m going to soak it in, enjoy everything I do from the training to going to London and making the Olympic team, enjoying it and remembering the Olympics instead of putting it out of my mind.”

— Gail Kim has responded to criticism that she repeats herself in interviews regarding her views on WWE.

“I’m not gonna not answer questions people ask me,” she says. “Why don’t you ask them why they ask a question that’s been answered?”

— Sting is featured on the cover of the latest issue of Inside Wrestling.

Main Event For Next Week’s Live SmackDown, TLC Title Match

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Daniel Bryan triumphed in a Fatal 4-Way World Heavyweight Title No. 1 Contender’s Match on SmackDown to earn a shot against Mark Henry in a Steel Cage on next Tuesday’s live holiday episode.

During the opening segment of the show, Bryan emerged to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase and pin Henry, who had been knocked out cold by Big Show. However, SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long informed him that because The World Strongest Man was injured and not “medically cleared” to compete, the pin was invalid.

The winner of this Tuesday’s World Heavyweight Championship Steel Cage Match will defend the strap against Big Show at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, which takes place December 18, 2011 at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland.

Dragon Gate USA & EVOLVE Announce They Are Merging

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Dragon Gate & EVOLVE Merging

Dragon Gate USA and EVOLVE sent out the following announcement that the two companies are merging:

Dragon Gate USA and EVOLVE have unified. We have some of the details and ramifications in this press release.

Here’s some of the details of the DGUSA/EVOLVE union:

DGUSA and EVOLVE now exist in the same universe. This means that they will share the same roster and stables.

Live events and iPPVs will still be promoted under DGUSA and EVOLVE banners. EVOLVE events will be important single shots that bridge the gap between four or five major
DGUSA weekends in 2012. The happenings and results of DGUSA and EVOLVE events will have an affect on each other.

The DGUSA Champion and DGUSA Tag Team Champions will be acknowledged as the top title holders in EVOLVE. There will be possible title defenses in EVOLVE depending on the champions’ availability. There is a possibility of an EVOLVE Title in 2012, which would also be defended in DGUSA.

EVOLVE will still be based on win/loss records and its leader board. You can follow these in the About EVOLVE section at DGUSA.tv. However, there will be some changes made in the structure of these as well as the rules and regulations. We’ll have more info next week at DGUSA.tv. EVOLVE will still maintain its unique identity and presentation.
DGUSA and EVOLVE DVDs and merchandise can now both be purchased together in the www.DGUSA.tv Store or by calling 267-519-9744.

DGUSA.tv will be your one stop for all your DGUSA and EVOLVE news and info. DGUSA and EVOLVE will share the Live Event, News & Articles, Roster, iPPV, Report Piracy and Contact sections of DGUSA.tv. EVOLVE news will now appear here in News Alerts.

The Email News Express and WWNLive.com Email Magazine will both be the places for exclusive news, deals, articles and interviews about both DGUSA and EVOLVE. All this will be delivered right to your inbox. We will protect your email and we won’t spam you.

There are now infinite possibilities with the DGUSA and EVOLVE union. We feel this will make the brands easier and more rewarding to follow. We’ll have much more next week at DGUSA.tv.

The Miz Talks CM Punk, The Rock, TNA, UFC, TNA, Ryder & More

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The Miz was interviewed on WOIO, the CBS affiliate in his hometown of Cleveland, OH. Here are some highlights of what The Miz said about:

Wrestling With The Rock at Survivor Series: “What I really wanted to do in the ring was not only prove that I’m on his level but… It’s cool to idolize someone but it’s even cooler to surpass your idol and be better than him. So that’s what I planned on bringing to The Rock, to Team Bring It, to the captain of Team Bring It, to the big movie star. It’s been seven years since he’s been in the ring. That’s a huge, huge moment – not only for The Rock but for me because I get to share that. I’m one of those people that not only do I want to share that but I want to outshine him as well. If you can outshine The Rock, you can outshine anybody and I’ve outshined everybody now.

“I’m better than The Rock, better than John Cena. I am the icon in the WWE. When you look at a face, it’s not CM Punk. It’s the Miz.”

CM Punk Claiming To Be The “Best In The World”: “So did Chris Jericho. He’s no longer in the WWE. There are so many people that have said, ‘I’m the best in the world.’ The thing is I never claim that I’m the best in the world. I just prove it each and every time I go out in the ring.”

Whether CM Punk’s Promos Are Scripted: “I don’t know. With CM Punk you don’t know and that’s the best part about CM Punk. You really don’t know what’s on a script, what’s coming from his head. I’ll tell you one thing – just by knowing CM Punk, he is the type of person that is very witty, very on the top of his head, on top of his game and when he says he’s the best in the world, honestly, he is very, very, very good.”

If The PG Era Has Watered Down The Quality of WWE: “I don’t think it’s watered down… It’s certainly PG. I don’t think the story lines are hurt by it because we have to basically go within the extent of what we have and I think we’re getting great TV. Even though it is PG I actually like it better because I don’t have to bleed and I don’t have to take chair shots to the head. These are just precautions that we take now. I mean if you look at football they’re no longer to do helmet to helmet contact, they’re watching out more, there’s a lot more rules. With rules it’s like, okay, now we have restrictions. How can we still make this amazing brand? I think we are absolutely doing it.”

“Right now we have the biggest WrestleMania sale that we’ve ever had in the entire WrestleMania. Rock versus Cena, with just one match announced, is the biggest WrestleMania ever. It’s not even done yet. We’re not even done selling but it was the fastest ever.”

Zack Ryder’s Popularity: “I want to ask you -who were the first people who let Zach Ryder put his phrase out on air? [It was Miz and John Morrison] Do you know where ‘woo woo woo you know it’ was created? This is Zach Ryder’s catchphrase. ‘Woo woo woo you know it’, which is the stupidest catch phrase of all time. However, people are starting to get into it. The first time he ever did that was when we were all in a bar in Loreto. Zach Ryder started doing this, ‘woo woo woo woo we woo woo’ and it was the most annoying thing we ever heard in our life. Me and Morrison go, ‘We’re putting him on the Dirt Sheet and he’s doing that. He goes, “Okay bro. Bro, I’ll do it, bro. Let’s do it, bro. Woo woo. Woo woo we woo.’

“It started there and now he has progressed to have his own internet show, Z! True Long Island Story, which is getting a cult following. Once 10 people of a group start chanting something, the entire arena will start because they’re a bunch of followers. Me, I like to be a leader. I like to be the person that starts things. So the fact that Zach Ryder is now one of the people that is a fan favorite is amazing to me. He did it on his own. He was going to get fired; he was on the cutting list and he said, ‘You know what, if I’m going out then I’m going out with a bang,’ and you have to respect that. Now granted he will be on the receiving end of a beat down if he ever steps in my way because nobody ever steps in my way.”

If He Would Ever Work For TNA: “No, I’ve always loved WWE from Hulk Hogan to Ultimate Warrior to The Rock to Demolition to Legion of Doom. I was always a WWE fan, even when WCW and ECW… I was not a WCW fan. I liked ECW better than WCW. WWE was always my number one. I don’t know why. I just always felt like it was a huge production, there was larger than life characters, I loved the story lines, I fell in love with the characters and I’ve always wanted to be a WWE Superstar.”

The UFC: “I can understand why some people are really into it. I’m more driven to WWE for its soap opera storylines, the larger than life characters. I enjoy promos. Whenever I watch UFC I feel like the main event goes 30 seconds and I’m like, ‘Really? It was interesting for 30 seconds but 30 seconds? Really? I paid $60 for this?’ but I can see why people love it. You can have a 30 second match or you can have this amazing bout. You never know what you’re going to have.”

His Favorite Arena to Perform In: “Madison Square Garden or Chicago or Quicken Loans Center because it’s my hometown. The loudest are always Madison Square Garden and Chicago. In Cleveland it usually goes this like, ‘And from Cleveland, Ohio…’ ‘Yay!’ ‘The Miz.’ ‘Boo!’ Thanks a lot guys. I’m the one who brought the championship to Cleveland, not Lebron James or Peyton Hillis.”

How Much He Sleeps Each Night: “On average, I’ll sleep when I’m dead. I’m that kind of person. For instance, right now I’m here doing this with you. After this I go to MMS to do a radio interview. After that I go do my radio show on Sirius XM and then after that I go do this autograph signing at the Sip-N-Post restaurant for my uncle. After that Mizfest begins, which is something I created. I take out all my best friends from high school all over Cleveland. We rent a bus. There’s like 70 of us and it’s one of those times where all of my friends get together that I don’t get to see ever. It’s a 10 year anniversary so Cleveland will never be the same again… I’m on maybe three hours if I get any sleep. I don’t need to sleep. It’s one of those things – when you’re a superstar, you want to be the best and biggest of whatever you can do and that’s what I’m trying to be. I’ll sleep when I am the biggest superstar in the world.”

Major Update On Steve Austin Wrestling One More Match

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Stone Cold Steve Austin

WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin has stated in a number of recent interviews that he has at least one more big match in him. Austin’s WWE career ended back in 2003 after a final match against The Rock at WrestleMania XIX, but almost a decade away from the ring has allowed his badly injured neck to heal.

Austin has talked about wanting to wrestle CM Punk if he did return – and both men have gone back-and-forth on Twitter speculating about what would happen if they ever did square off.

Steve Austin Talks About A WWE Return & Wrestling CM Punk

CM Punk Wants To Wrestle Steve Austin At WrestleMania 28

The match would almost certainly not happen at WrestleMania 28 for a number of reasons. First off, the focal point
of WrestleMania 28 is The Rock’s showdown with John Cena. Austin’s first wrestling match in a decade is a big enough event that it could and should be the headline match of any WrestleMania. Secondly, CM Punk is currently a face and the feeling in WWE is that there’s much more money in a face vs. heel match between the two men. WWE is getting firmly behind CM Punk as one of the top babyfaces in the company, so setting the stage for this match is a little complicated.

Lately, talk has shifted to Austin wrestling Brock Lesnar at a future WrestleMania.

Brock Lesnar Talks About A WWE Return & Shoots On Steve Austin

Brock Lesnar is currently scheduled to fight Alistair Overeem on December 30th at UFC 141. A win for Lesnar would put him back in the UFC Heavyweight title picture and out of WWE for at least another year.

Alistair Overeem Says He Wants To Send Brock Lesnar Back To WWE

On the other hand, Lesnar is not seen as somebody who would stick around UFC if he was on a losing streak – and has expressed interest in returning to WWE under the right conditions for a limited run after his MMA career is over.

While his eventual opponent is still up in the air this point – it does seem that there’s a strong possibility that Steve Austin will wrestle again at some point – which is a phenomenal prospect for everybody.

Match Preview For Tonight’s SmackDown, Helms DWI Update

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— WWE.com is advertising Sheamus and Zack Ryder vs. United States Champion Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger for tonight’s episode of SmackDown. Other matches that will take place on tonight’s broadcast include:

* Hunico vs. Justin Gabriel

* A.J. and Kaitlyn vs. Beth Phoenix and Natalya

* Heath Slater vs. Ted DiBiase

— Former WWE talent Shane Helms’ court case for driving while impaired has been continued until January. He was charged on August 24, 2011 stemming from his motorbike accident on May 5, 2011 in North Carolina.

Helms has plans to release a public service announcement about drunk driving in the near future.

— WWE announcer Josh Mathews turns 31 years old Friday.

Preview For Next Week’s Impact – Two Matches Announced

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Preview IMPACT WRESTLING Next Thursday 9/8c On SpikeTV

Don’t miss Thursday’s huge IMPACT WRESTLING broadcast on SpikeTV at 9/8c as the road to the December 11 “Final Resolution” Pay-Per-View event continues! Sting returns, Karen Jarrett is angry with the Knockouts, the TV Championship is on the line and much more!

Here is a preview of Thursday’s broadcast:

– The GM “General Menace” Sting makes his return to IMPACT WRESTLING on Thursday night, and he’s on a mission – the inmates no longer run the asylum, because the warden is coming back! According to Sting, first on his list is dealing with World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode and his assault on TNA President Dixie Carter, as well as recent attacks on AJ Styles and Jeff Hardy! What does Sting have planned for the World Champ? Tune in and find out as “The Icon” Sting returns!

– Sources say Knockouts VP Karen Jarrett is LIVID over the Knockouts disobeying her orders to show more skin on last week’s broadcast, and Karen is planning some major punishment this Thursday for the ladies of IMPACT WRESTLING! Thus far, Jarrett has ruled the Knockouts with an iron first – but the question is, will the Knockouts continue to play with fire and question her authority? Don’t miss it this Thursday!

– In action on Thursday night, Robbie E defends the Television Championship against Rob Van Dam

– Plus, new #1 Contenders to the Tag Team Championship will be determined on Thursday in a three-way bout: Mexican America vs. Ink Inc vs. Devon & “The Pope” D’Angelo Dinero! Which tandem will get the next shot at new titleholders Matt Morgan and Crimson?

All this and much more on Thursday’s huge broadcast, including “The Charismatic Enigma” Jeff Hardy, “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles, “The King Of The Mountain” Jeff Jarrett, the high-flying X Division Superstars and many more of your favorite IMPACT WRESTLING Superstars!

source: ImpactWrestling.com

Tara Discusses TNA, WWE, Her Longevity & Future In Wrestling

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Former WWE Women’s Champion and TNA Knockouts Champion, Lisa Marie Varon, better known as Tara in TNA and Victoria in WWE, joins us for an exclusive interview about her career.

Lisa talks about many topics including her time in WWE, her current run in TNA, the reaction to her YouTube video with Brooke Tessmacher about the “Thanksgiving Thong Thunder” match, what it’s like teaming with Brooke and writing for Chicago Athlete magazine. Plus, Lisa reminisces on the “good old days”, the golden era of the Divas division, what it was like being part of the first ever Divas cage match (this week is the anniversary of that match) and much more.

The full interview is available here.

Highlights below:

Talking about her longevity in wrestling and being on TV for nearly 10 years: “I’m very lucky. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had injuries — a torn ACL in 2002, my elbow in the cage match with Mickie — but I don’t know how nothing has taken me out. I do work out hard and listen to my body when I need rest. It was hard in WWE to travel four days a week and maintain the healthiness in your body. I was very lucky to get seriously put out.”

“It’s very unusual for a 40-year-old to be competing against 20-year-olds coming in the ring. It’s tough. It’s a bit intimidating for me. I’m looking for the fountain of youth as well. But I think I have accomplished a lot, because I’m still good out there in the ring. I don’t feel like I’ve lost my flow.”

“My age was 29 and a half when I started in this business. I get a lot of people on Twitter, they always ask me, “Am I too old to get in the business?” and I hate saying that you’re never too old to get in the business, but when they look for the wrestlers, they do generally look for the 18-25 year olds that they can mould and create into their own. There’s always that special 30-year-old. I was better in my 30s than in my 20s, like being physically in shape and at my peak. I like to be a positive role model for people my age, even though I don’t act my age. [Laughs]”

Her future in wrestling & wanting to stay at her best: “When I do sign my contract, I sign year-to-year with TNA. I had the option [to do that] which I was very lucky [to have]. I have to listen to my body. I want to be on TV as long as I’m at my best. I don’t want to be where you see me limping down to the ring and feel sorry for me. That’s kind of why I left WWE. I don’t know if you remember the last couple of years of my career at WWE, what did you think of me? You kind of felt, “Oh my gosh, she’s not a champ”. I was helping the new talent look good in the ring, so that wasn’t really my best. I was really flattered that I was able to do that and everybody had confidence in me to make people look good in the ring but that didn’t make me feel like I was giving the fans the best Victoria. I wasn’t happy doing that, so I moved on. But I had a terrific, terrific career there.”

On Gail Kim’s TNA return: “You know what? That girl! I’m gonna kick her butt. I text her and I said, “I heard you’re coming today”. She goes, “Where’d you hear that from?” I didn’t want to say who I’d heard it from so I said, “Oh, just a rumor on the internet” and she goes, “You can’t believe everything you read”. I know that was my favorite saying. You can’t read every internet site. There are some things that are reported wrong. I saw her at the show and I go, “What the heck?!” and she goes, “Hahaha!” I said, “I knew you were coming! I don’t know who you’re trying to pull one over!”

“But I’m so excited to have her back. Her and I were travel partners. We get along so well and I’m so happy to have an old friend back in the ring. I wanted to win that number one contender’s match, though. I’ll be honest with you, because Gail Kim and I can really throw down in the ring. We never got the opportunity in WWE. We had a couple of matches but it was just a match thrown here and there, but I think we can really work up to something dangerous. I’d like to do another cage match, maybe, with her. That’d be awesome!”

Sarita Hospitalized After Taking Hard Fall During Match

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Sarita was hospitalized Tuesday after taking a hard fall during a two out of three falls match in Mexico City, Mexico.

Sarita, who performs as Dark Angel for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre, slipped on the top rope while attempting to dive and crashed onto the hardwood floor. She was placed on a stretcher and immediately hospitalized.

Wednesday evening on Facebook, Sarita thanked her fans for their well wishes and stated that while she remains sore, she has since recovered. She says she fully intends on competing in today’s CMLL bodybuilding competition, which she has won five years in a row.

She wrote, “Gracias a todos por la buena vibra! Ando dolorida por la lucha y caida de ayer, pero estoy completa! Tengo toda intencion de presentarme manana en el concurso de fisicoconstructivismo. Espero verlos ahi, la entrada es con el boleto de las luchas de este viernes. Ustedes me inspiran, GRACIAS!”

Meanwhile, Power Slam reports she has made a full recovery from her facial paralysis.

JR Blog: The Rock, Undertaker’s Retirement, Zack Ryder

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WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross is back with a new blog, which you can read in its entirety over at JRsBarBQcom. Here are some highlights of what JR wrote about:

The Rock Helping WWE: “People who feel that Rock isn’t good for WWE are missing a helluva story unfolding as he brings amazing PR and media coverage to WWE not to mention that he sells lots of PPV’s of which everyone on the team benefits. I’ve actually had Tweets from fans that feel that Rock returning to WWE hurts the biz and other talents which I believe is completely wrong.”

Undertaker’s Retirement: “If ‘Taker was retired or planning on doing so, don’t you think that WWE would have made a HUGE deal of it? Of course they would have. A man with, arguably, the most storied, tenured career in WWE, ever, will not go quietly into the night or without fanfare. I can easily see Undertaker defending ‘TheStreak’ on April 1, 2012 at WM28. Exactly when he returns isn’ t on my radar but he will return and, just as his retirement will be some day, it will be HUGE news.”

JR’s Future On RAW: “Am I returning to Raw? There are no plans of which I am aware that has me returning to RAW on a regular basis however things change on somewhat of an on going basis. I enjoy dropping by on Raw from time to time. I had a great time in Boston recently.”

Zack Ryder’s Status In WWE: “Do I think that Zack Ryder deserves to elevate on the WWE roster? Yes..I’d suggest giving him the ball and seeing what happens. Ryder has worked diligently to brand himself via social media but will have to be taken more seriously inside the ring to get to where he wants. However, that can’t occur unless his number is called. Ryder is one of many WWE talents that seem to be “this close” to moving on up to the East side. Sometimes it’s just a right place, right time sort of deal that brings everything together. Again, all talents should maximize the minutes of TV time no matter how short or the circumstances.”

Gail Kim Happy To Be In TNA, Discusses Controversial WWE Exit

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Speaking to SLAM! Wrestling, Gail Kim explains why she disobeyed WWE by controversially eliminating herself from the Divas Battle Royal on the August 1 episode of Monday Night Raw. She says it was the culmination of all the disrespect she felt from WWE.

“I don’t regret what I did at all. It was a respect thing,” Kim says. “I was told to get eliminated as soon as possible, so that’s what I did. I saw my decision as a case of either continuing to take their lack of respect or doing something about it.

“Nobody knows what I went through in terms of disrespect during my time there, but that move wasn’t just about me it was a culmination of all the disrespect I felt that all the other women and the women’s division as a whole had received too, I was taking a stand.

“While a lot of fans watching Raw noticed what I did, nobody from WWE noticed, that just shows how much they didn’t care. I went up to Johnny [John Laurinaitis] after and spoke about the Battle Royal and his reaction towards the match was, ‘Yeah, I heard it was pretty shit.’ I was amazed and I then told him how I eliminated myself and he just laughed.

“How can fans take the division seriously if the people working for the company aren’t? If it had been one of the men who had eliminated themselves they would have been punished, but because it was the women nobody cared, not even after I had told them.”

A few days later Kim announced on Twitter that she had quit WWE, however, she was not permitted to bolt. What followed was a standoff between WWE and their former Women’s Champion, which saw her forced to sit out the remainder of her contract.

“WWE are notoriously known for being controlling when it comes to your career, that night of the Battle Royal I went to Johnny and told him I quit, I said I don’t want your money; I just want to be free. He told me that it shouldn’t be a problem, but of course it was,” Kim says.

“They didn’t want me to work elsewhere, at this time I told him, ‘What does it matter if I leave or not? You’re not using me, it’s not like I’m valuable to you just let me go,’ but there was no budging.”

After sitting at home for over two months waiting out the remainder of her contract, Kim finally made her much anticipated return to TNA Wrestling on the October 20 episode of Impact Wrestling, when she aligning herself with Madison Rayne and Karen Jarrett. Being a TNA Knockout means everything to her.

“I’m just so excited to be back in the company, I can’t speak for anybody in particular but the feeling I got when I came back was that there were no hard feelings about my previous decision to leave. Being back here feels like time has never passed.

“I think everyone kind of expected me to return. I said in my last interview when I was leaving that I would probably be back, everyone has been real welcoming, it’s like being a part of a family here at TNA. It’s great to see the growth that this company has made since I’ve been gone, it’s nice to see the direction its going and where they want to be heading.”

She adds, “I’m just so happy to be here and to now be a part of a company once again that actually cares about wrestling.”

The full article is available here.

CM Punk Discusses His Problems With Vince, The Rock & The Miz

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CM Punk appeared on the The Hot Click podcast and did not hold back his opinions on The Rock, Vince McMahon, The Miz, his near exit from the WWE and a slew of other topics. Highlights from the interview are as follows:

On not sleeping: “We just did a European tour. I would honestly say on the European tour if you want to average it all out, I slept two hours a night… Eventually it gets to you. I know when I start seeing things that I really need to try… It’s not like I’m forcing myself to stay awake. It’s a thing. I got in late last night. I met up with my buddies, H20, the band and we went out. I got back to my hotel maybe at two in the morning and I had to meet in the lobby at 6 AM so I got a 5:30 wakeup call and next thing I know it’s 3:30. I’m reading comic books in my hotel room.”

How hard it is being straight edge: “It’s not hard at all. A lot of people ask me that. I almost think it’s a really weird question. How hard is it for you to wear glasses? How hard is it for you to have back hair? I was born this way so, no, it’s not hard at all.

“I just turned 33 so I’m assuming I’m what you call an SEOG: Straight Edge Old Guy. There are not a lot of us. I know everybody that was straight edge when I first claimed straight edge, when I was like 15-20, everybody fell off; everybody sold out. There’s like me and my friend Natalie back in Chicago. It’s like you find somebody else who’s straight edge and you stick together.”

On almost leaving WWE: “The last 12 months… I was leaving, I was out the door. I wasn’t quitting. My contract was up and I was like, “You know what, my contract’s up. I fulfilled my obligations to you. You have fulfilled your obligations to me and you let me slip through your fingers.” That was my attitude and I was leaving. One of the conditions of me resigning, I was like, look, if I resign I’m all in. I’m back to old form CM Punk. I’m not sleepwalking through this. I’m not just going to be a robot. I’m going to get excited about things again. I’m going to
watch all the matches and I’m going to praise people, yell at people, give people my opinions, and help out guys. That’s what I’ve been doing.

If he ended up staying for the money: “No, it’s not about money. It’s funny; on Twitter I get a lot of hilarious tweets. I’ll be crabby and complain about somebody. I’ll have my headphones on in the airport and I’m eating. I don’t know if anyone knows what it’s like to have someone legitimately walk up to you and wave their hand like an inch away from your face because I have headphones on and I can’t hear them. I don’t know if anyone knows what that’s like but that happens to me multiple times a day then I complain about it, and then on Twitter I get, ‘Oh, shut up crybaby. That’s why you’re rich.’ I was rich before I had any money. Being rich has nothing to do with anything monetary. No, it wasn’t about money. I’m not a money guy.

“I know people who are wealthy and they’re miserable. I was miserable. I was coming to work every day and I was like, ‘This is ridiculous. I’m seeing all this stuff. Miz is the main event of WrestleMania. What is wrong with this world? Okay, I gave it all.'”

If The Miz has a problem with his comments: “No, Miz knows exactly how I feel. I’ve told him about it… I think Miz doesn’t know how to deal with that. It’s just my brutal honesty. I think you got to just let it roll of your back or you get confrontational about it.
“I was strictly basing it on the fact that I was the best bad guy. In my world, the best bad guy wrestles the best good guy. I was specifically told, ‘Hey, leading up to WrestleMania we don’t really know what you’re going to do yet but you’re going to be John Cena’s little TV feud.’ I was like, ‘I’m nobody’s TV feud. That’s bullsh-t.’ They just continued to piss me off.”

What made him re-sign with WWE: “The chance to change this place. One of my best friends in the world is Lars Frederiksen. He plays guitar for a band called Rancid. He told me a story about when the Ramones went into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Marky didn’t want to do it; half of the Ramones were dead. The Ramones, as a band, were always musically shunned and he didn’t want to do it. He didn’t want to show up, accept the award. Lars told him, “Look, you have to. It’s your responsibility. You paved the way for guys like me. You have to go accept this award because you think not accepting it is this big middle finger to the establishment but actually accepting the award and being in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – that’s the middle finger.

“Lars and Joey Mercury, two people who are wise beyond their years, told me, ‘You can’t change the place from your couch.’ I said that on television. That was all real. That’s the truth. I couldn’t change this place from my couch so I resigned and I’m trying to change it.”

If he’s happy about re-signing: “I’m very happy. I’ve never been busier in my entire life. I had conversation with Vince McMahon. I was like, ‘Look, I’m not holding you up for money. I’m not holding out for this contract but if you’re going to sign me you’re going to sign me to the best money deal possible and if it’s your prerogative to not use me but pay me that ridiculous amount of money. I don’t see you being that stupid.'”

His relationship with Vince McMahon: “Honestly, I don’t think if Vince ever got me. I don’t think he does. I don’t know what’s not to get but some people just don’t see things. I don’t know if this is a good example but I don’t know if Vince gets The Rock. Vince gets Cold Stone Steve Austin. He gets that guy. I don’t know if he gets The Rock but he recognizes that he’s a hell of a talent. I might throw myself in that category. I don’t know if Vince 100% gets me but he finally has recognized, ‘Alright, this kid is the real deal.’

“I’ve been the same guy since I stepped foot in the WWE. I’ve always acted like a top guy, not in the regards of, ‘I need a limo and first class travel.’ I have never let anybody tell me that I can’t or I suck or anything like that. I’ve always had an air of confidence about me, which always rubs people the wrong way. It’s like the whole ‘best in the world’ thing. If I didn’t honestly believe that, and it’s obviously borderline narcissistic and egotistical but it’s like, well, if you don’t think you’re the best in the world at what you do then you should at least aspire to be the best. Why do you do what you do?”

If Vince likes to knock people down: “I don’t try to run the show. It’s his company; it’s his baby. I think the WWE has knocked me down a peg or two. That’s the most frustrating thing about what we do. I don’t know if this is the Brock Lesnar legacy. It’s just like holy crap, strap a rocket to this guy and give him everything. Then all of a sudden a year later Brock’s like, ‘Oh, I want to go home.’ I don’t know if there’s a fear that that’s going to constantly happen, which is legitimate. I can see that. You put yourself in Vince’s shoes and it’s like, okay, I get that.

I take this responsibility very seriously. When you are the champion and you are on top, you’re pulling the train. It’s the tradition in pro wrestling where everybody thanks everybody. ‘Thank you for the tour.’ The guys on top are the ones that are drawing the houses. You’re the reason why everyone on the undercard is getting paid. I get being spooked about that. We’ve done it way too often with guys like Wade Barrett, Sheamus, with me. I remember the first time they made me champion. Raw ratings went up. I got numbers, house show attendance went up. Then it’s like you just constantly cut these guys legs out from under them. After awhile it’s just like everyone’s middle of the road.

Clashes with Vince McMahon: “There was the Tony Atlas story. Tony wrote about it in his book but I didn’t read it so I don’t know exactly how accurate it was. I was ECW Champion at the time. I was still living in Louisville, Kentucky. I would go to OVW still and I would maybe work a Dark Match for them and watch the show, talk to guys. Long story short, there was some backstage OVW politics that unbeknownst to me was going on. I went up to Tony to introduce myself because he was down there to talk to the guys about saving your money and drugs and what not.

“I said, ‘Hi, Mr. Atlas. My name’s CM Punk. How are you doing?’ He grabbed my arm and he’s like, ‘What is this?’ I didn’t get where he was going. I was like, ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. Oh the X’s. I’m straight edge and I explained it to him.’ He’s like, ‘No, no, no, your arms. They’re taped up.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, yeah, I tape up my arms so I can ‘x’ up. It’s a straight edge thing.’ He looks at me and he says, ‘It looks like you have two broken arms.’ I was just like, ‘Great, okay.’ I didn’t know where he was going and I was confused. ‘Okay, sir, alright.’ He said, ‘I don’t think you get it. If you don’t listen to your coaches, you’re never going to make it to television.’ Then I was like, ‘Alright I appreciate whatever this is. Thank you, sir.’

“Then I worked the dark match and we had this great dark match. It was like this eight man tag and there was a whole bunch of talented guys in it. Then in the post show meeting, Tony Atlas goes on and on about how everyone’s great, everyone has a great attitude, the show is great, the only match he didn’t like was that last one. That last match sucked. There was a guy in it with a bad attitude. He basically just started singling me out. I had already lost my mind at this point. I stood up like legit De Niro, ‘Are you talking to me?’ He was like, ‘Yes, you have a bad attitude and I’m going to put it in the report and I hope you get fired.’ He said a lot of ridiculous things.

“I stood up and started walking down and was like, ‘Are we fighting?’ It turned into this big legendary thing where he just started giving me a bunch of s–t and I gave it right back to him. I was like, ‘Look, I’m on television and I’m one of Vince’s champions.’ It turned into this thing and two weeks later we were in England and Vince is like, “I need to talk to you for a minute.

“He’s like, ‘The Tony Atlas thing – what happened?’ I explained to him the story and he’s like, ‘These old timers don’t watch the show. You got to be respectful.’ He said, ‘Sometimes, you just got to eat a little s–t. I eat s–t all day. I eat red s–t, green s–t, blue s–t, all kinds of s–t. I’m eating s–t all day.’ I laughed and I looked at Vince and said, ‘I had eaten enough of his s–t and I was full and he looked a little hungry so I thought maybe he wanted to eat a little s–t of his own.’ He smiled and said, ‘I like that. That’s good.'”

The Rock returning to WWE: “I think it’s great. Bottom line is it’s a business. If Rock is going to put asses in seats then yay for us. There are a lot of misconceptions about how I feel about it. Obviously people love asking me because they know they’re going to get the 100% truth. He comes back and he says that he’s never going to leave again and then he doesn’t come back for months. Yes, he’s doing Survivor Series and, yes, it sold out in a half hour. Let’s be honest. It’s the Garden and it’s the 25th anniversary of Survivor Series. The show was going to sell out but I get the bragging. ‘Oh, it sold out in a half hour.’

“I sold out the Garden – me and JBL in a cage match so I have that distinction. I can say that I sold out Madison Square Garden, no matter how ridiculous it sounds. The problem I have with Dwayne is that he came back, he said he’s never leaving again and I don’t appreciate all this, ‘Oh, the WrestleMania buy rate was up. Oh, it’s because of Dwayne.’ Was it? Or was it because of me and Randy Orton or was it because of Miz and John Cena? That’s unfortunately something that you can’t really ever figure out. A lot of people like to live and die by the ratings.

“It’s a big news story that he came back, absolutely. I think he even tweeted me one time saying something like, ‘The Rock in the main event makes more money than CM Punk could in a lifetime,’ which is obviously a fallacy. That ultimately is where I have the problem with Dwayne. He lives in a fantasy world. No matter if I like or hate whoever I’m working with, I say, ‘hello,’ to them. I fraternize with them. It’s a brotherhood backstage. I’m with these people more than I’m with my little sisters and my family. I just don’t appreciate going from limo to dressing room, from dressing room to the ring and not saying ‘hi’ to any of the boys.

“That’s what he does. I was just at a Guns N’ Roses show backstage in Chicago and that’s exactly what Axl Rose does and Axl’s a lot cooler than Dwayne. Part of me gets it but for anybody who wants to say I have a bad attitude or a chip on my shoulder about it – absolutely. I think anybody should. There are guys in that locker room that bust their ass and there are guys that should be in the main event at WrestleMania. Eventually it will happen for everybody as long as you’re passionate about it. I’m passionate about. Yeah, it pisses me off.”

Former WWE Star Arrested On Battery, Referee Entered Rehab

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— Former WWE talent Sean Christopher Haire (a/k/a Sean O’Haire), 40, was arrested Wednesday afternoon in Savannah, Georgia on a simple battery charge, according to the official website of the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office. Bond was set at $1,850.00.

This is not the former WCW World Tag Team Champion’s first run-in with the law. In 1992, Haire was arrested for assault. In 2006, Haire was found guilty of assaulting a woman at “Club Hypnotic” in June 2004. He was also involved in a fight in Hilton Head on March 30, 2007, in which he sustained fractures to his face and skull, including his orbital bone. In September 2009, Haire was arrested for allegedly choking his girlfriend.

— Brian James (a/k/a Road Dogg), who now works as a producer for WWE, stated during a recent “shoot” interview that not only has the organization paid to put him in a rehabilitation center, but has paid for at least one stint for all three of his brothers—Scott, Steve and Brad.

Scott is WWE referee Scott Armstrong. He returned to the organization in February 2011 after being released one year prior. Steve briefly competed for WWE in 1992 as Lance Cassidy. Brad was under contract to WWE in 2006 and 2007. He made sporadic appearances on ECW as a guest commentator.

source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

October PPVs Draw Poor Numbers, WWE’s “Biggest Turkeys”

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— According to WWE’s latest performance indicators, the buy estimates for the October 2011 pay-per-view events—Hell in a Cell and Vengeance—totaled 322,000. Both shows drew under 200,000 buys, with Hell in a Cell drawing approximately 180,000 and Vengeance drawing approximotely 142,000. They are both down from last year’s shows in October.

— WWE.com has published a feature highlighting “the biggest turkeys” to ever step foot inside the squared circle. Among those profiled are Gobbledy Gooker, Vito, Bart Gunn, Fake Razor Ramon, Kizarny, Mike Adamle and Michael Cole.

— WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy Hart is scheduled to appear at Dr Fleas 8 Westmore Drive Toronto, Ontario, Canada on Saturday, December 3 from noon to 3:00 p.m. Call 519-600-1831 for more information.

Many Rewrites At RAW, Foley’s WWE Status, HBK DVD

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– The script for Monday’s RAW from Hershey, PA was rewritten several times – which the reason that Brodus Clay and advertised guest host Jonah Hill did not appear on the show. Jonah Hill was never scheduled to appear at RAW in person. He filmed several taped segments for the show – but after all the rewrites, it was decided that his segments no longer fit with the show and the decision was made to not air them.

Jim Ross was reportedly backstage at RAW and originally booked to work an angle – but the segment was scrapped.

– Regarding Mick Foley’s status within WWE, creative team member Brian Gewirtz is a big supporter and feels Foley is creative and a good performer. On the other side of the coin, it’s said that Triple H always buries Foley, arguing that he doesn’t seem like a tough guy and fans don’t take him serious in the ring.

Foley performed a standup comedy show in New York City immediately after WWE Survivor Series last weekend – with Zack Ryder, John Morrison and Dolph Ziggler among the WWE superstars who attended.

– WWE has been holding announcer tryouts in recent weeks, with several former superstars being considered for the open spots.

– As noted before, WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels has signed a deal with Total Gym to star in a workout DVD. If the first DVD does well, they plan to do a series starring The Heartbreak Kid.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Vince’s Vision For The WWE Network, WWE-Twitter News

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The WWE Network

– WWE is looking to brand the WWE Network “the most interactive network on TV.” The idea is to feature programming that keeps people in front of their computers, cellphones and iPads.

One idea is to have tweets from fans scrolling at the bottom of the screen, like an ESPN news ticker.

– There’s a running joke going around WWE is that up-and-coming superstars should worry less about having good matches and interviews – and focus on being entertaining on Twitter.

– On a related note, Vince reportedly is wanting certain Superstars to change their Twitter usernames. Dolph Ziggler’s Twitter name @HEELZiggler is on the chopping block – since Vince doesn’t want to promote insider terms like “heel.”

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Update On Undertaker’s Status For WrestleMania 28

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After the latest round of surgeries on his hip and shoulder, the Undertaker is gearing up to push his WrestleMania undefeated streak to 20-0 next year.

Last year around this time, it was still too early to tell whether the Undertaker would be healthy enough to wrestle at WrestleMania. This year, the Dead Man’s health is in great shape and it’s virtually a lock that he’ll be wrestling in Miami on April 1st, 2012.

With just over 4 months to go, WWE has an opponent in mind picked for the Dead Man.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Original Plans For Awesome Truth, Punk vs. Miz Feud

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The Miz

Prior to R-Truth’s failure of a recent WWE drug test, there were plans for Awesome Truth to capture the tag team titles from Air Boom (Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston) after Survivor Series.

Evan Bourne’s suspension put those plans on hold. After R-Truth also failed a Wellness test, those plans were scrapped entirely.

As previously reported, it’s believed that both Evan Bourne and R-Truth violated the Wellness policy by smoking synthetic marijuana together at a party several weeks ago. WWE suspended Bourne almost immediately while allowing R-Truth to remain active until after his main event match at Survivor Series – which rubbed many superstars the wrong way.

The real winner in the whole situation will be the Miz. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the former WWE champion and WrestleMania 27 headliner is headed back into the WWE title picture – with a possible title shot at the Royal Rumble.

A Miz vs. CM Punk feud over the WWE title? Yes, please!

John Cena Giving Away Ford Mustang, WWE Renting Building

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— John Cena has teamed up with Ford to give you a chance to win a Mustang customized by the twelve-time world champion. Click here for details.

— WWE is renting 66,000 square feet of production space in South Norwalk, Connecticut as the Stamford-based entertainment company expands its business, city officials and the building’s landlord announced on Wednesday. WWE has been talking about expanding their production for several years and this is considered a major step towards their planned cable network launch.

A WWE spokesperson told The Hour they were expanding the company, but did not know how many positions would be working out of the facility. The full article is available here.

— Michelle will be participating in her first online chat since parting ways with WWE tonight at 6:00 p.m. on MichelleMcCool.net.

She tweeted, “6:00EST….michellemccool.net ~ be there!! LIVE chat with mwah!! Believe me, I don’t make promises I can’t keep~promise it’ll be FLAWLESS!”

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