— WWE has applied for registrations on two trademarks, Ryback and Avalanche.
The registration of the Ryback trademark suggests that Skip Sheffield 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.”
— Shelly Martinez is advertised to appear at Super Megafest, which takes place November 19 and 20 at the Sheraton Framingham Hotel in Framingham, Massachusetts. She will also be appearing at an afterparty on November 19 at Morton’s The Steakhouse in Boston. Click here for event details.
— Tough Enough winner Daniel Puder is promoting an anti-bullying event. The event takes place Saturday at 3:00 p.m. in Burbank, California at the AMC-16 at the Burbank Promenade.
— Thursday’s episode of Impact Wrestling saw Dixie Carter return as President of the company and place Sting in charge of the program. In his first duty, he attempted give Bobby Roode a rematch against World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle but a clause in the contract only allowed one match between the two–the match already held at Bound For Glory. James Storm asked and received a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship later in the show. He defeated Angle in a minute-and-a-half to win the belt for the first time.
— Gail Kim returned to TNA Wrestling as a heel aligned with Vice President of the Knockouts Division, Karen Jarrett.
Velvet Sky came to the ring to thank the fans after capturing the Women’s Knockout Championship at Bound for Glory. The Knockouts VP interrupted Velvet and vowed to strip of her newly won title. After being distracted by Madison Rayne, the new champion was attacked from behind by a returning Gail Kim.
— No matches were announced for Turning Point, which takes place Nov. 13.
Speaking to SunSport, Gail Kim described WWE’s fickle approach to what wrestling maneuvers the female performers were permitted to perform in a “PG” environment.
“I heard many times that they want the Divas to be girly,” Kim said. “They didn’t care about the heel girls getting any heat. We just didn’t understand.
“They did everything in their power, it seemed, to take everything to give us a good match, for the heels to get any heat. It was no kicking one week, or no punching the next. No this, no that. It was at the point where I was asking whether we could do anything at all. Every week the rules would change.”
Kim also stated her belief that WWE officials keep tabs on TNA Wrestling more than they let on. She said, “Everyone in the office acted like they had never seen our stuff, which makes me laugh because Johnny hired me back for a reason.
“It’s funny how people in the office act like they never watch TNA, follow TNA or know anything that’s going on with TNA. In my opinion they are all lying!
“They all knew who Kia was after what she and I did in TNA. They hired me back for a reason. If I was doing nothing during that time I don’t think I would have got hired back.”
WWE is looking to launch the WWE Network as soon as April – which is much earlier than many were expecting. By launching around the time of WrestleMania, WWE can take advantage of the increased exposure WrestleMania will bring to the product.
As you can imagine, there will be a very aggressive marketing campaign leading up to the network’s debut.
WWE has been conducting a number of online surveys in recent months – asking fans to name WWE shows, whether they’d switch cable providers in order to get the WWE Network and if they want to see WWE PPV events aired for free on the network.
Originally, WWE discussed having the Big 4 pay-per-views (Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Survivor Series) – but the latest plan is for the secondary events to air on the network and to cut the PPV schedule from 13 to 4 (the Big 4). WWE makes around $25 million in revenue from WrestleMania and giving that away for free would likely be a disaster for the company. If WWE gave away the Big 4 events free to subscribers of the network – it’s unlikely anybody is paying $45-55 for a Vengeance PPV.
Shows discussed publicly so far for the WWE network include WrestleMania Rewind, a “Legends House” show where former WWE superstars live together, a Divas Bus Tour show following their life on the road and a Monday Night War recap show.
During the piece, Scott Hall reconnected with his estranged son Cody – and teaching his son the art of pro wrestling. According to a report on TMZ.com – that family reunion was short lived – as Scott Hall’s substance abuse already caused another major falling out between them.
Boston’s TD Garden website, which will host a 3-hour episode of WWE RAW on November 14th, has posted the following preview – hyping The Rock’s appearance and the WWE television return of Mick Foley:
FINALLY THE ROCK COMES BACK TO BOSTON!
A SPECIAL THREE HOUR EDITION OF WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW SUPERSHOW AT TD GARDEN. NEW START TIME OF 7:15 PM.
What will happen when seven time WWE Champion, “the most electrifying man in all of entertainment” The Rock and 10 time WWE Champion John Cena meet in Cena’s hometown?
John Cena, Randy Orton and CM Punk vs. The Miz, R-Truth and Mark Henry in a 6 man tag team match. Also, a special appearance by Mick Foley!
Also see all of your favorite WWE superstars including:
– Randy Orton
– Mark Henry
– Sheamus
– Christian
– Dolph Ziggler
– Kofi Kingston
– And More!!!
– The Federal Election Commission has ruled that Linda McMahon violated election laws in 2010 by appearing in a WWE commercial for the Make-A-Wish-Foundation. No action will be taken against McMahon and it will not affect her run for Senate in 2012.
Linda’s political opponents in the Connecticut Democratic State Central Committee alleged that WWE coordinated corporate contributions with Linda’s 2010 Senate campaign. One of the accusations was that WWE held their Fan Appreciation Day in the state of Connecticut just three days before the election. The commission found no issue with this as Linda’s name, her opponent’s name and her campaign period wasn’t mentioned during Fan Appreciation Day. It was probably just a coincidence ..
– This year’s Tribute to the Troops special will be taped on December 11th from the Crown Colliseum in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The show will first air on the USA Network on 12/13 as a 2-hour special and will then air later that weekend on 12/17 NBC.
Considering the fact that Tribute to the Troops has performed poorly on NBC in recent years, some believe WWE airing the show first on the USA Network can be WWE’s excuse if the rating on NBC bombs again this year.
– While WWE was on tour in Mexico, 7 stars from the CMLL promotion received tryouts at Sunday’s SmackDown tapings from Mexico City.
As we reported here on the site over the weekend, a number of stars from the AAA promotion as well as a few other independent wrestlers received tryouts at Saturday’s RAW tapings.
– Black Sin Cara will debut a new theme song on Friday’s Smackdown called “The Curse.”
– Former WWE announcer Todd Grisham, who made his ESPN debut over the weekend, is also a correspondent for the ABC show America This Morning.
(Credit to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter for some of the information used in this report.)
– WWE Chairman Vince McMahon is said to have a love/hate relationship with the divas division as of late. While Vince has mandated that both RAW and SmackDown each feature at least one divas segment each week, he often thinks it’s a waste of time and instructs Michael Cole to talk about unrelated topics during the diva matches.
– Expect to see more storylines begin and progress online – through the WWE website and Twitter. Friday’s “Mask vs. Mask” match between the two Sin Caras are an example of an angle being announced online but not pushed on television.
– WWE United States Champion Dolph Ziggler is getting praised backstage regarding how he comes across like a star in his interviews. Additionally, Ziggler recently got some backstage praise for carrying Mason Ryan to a good match.
– This year’s Tribute to the Troops special will be taped on December 11th from the Crown Colliseum in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The show will first air on the USA Network on 12/13 as a 2-hour special and will then air later that weekend on 12/17 NBC. Considering the fact that Tribute to the Troops has performed poorly on NBC in recent years, some believe WWE airing the show first on the USA Network can be WWE’s excuse if the rating on NBC bombs again this year.
– After WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross was fired on Monday Night RAW 2 weeks ago by John Laurinaitis, many (including Jim Ross) were surprised when Ross was booked for the following week’s show from Mexico City.
The decision to bring Jim Ross back to RAW so quickly was made after WWE evaluated the television ratings from the show where Ross was fired. An analysis of the minute-to-minute ratings revealed that ratings plummeted immediately after Ross was fired. Additionally, WWE received a ton of negative feedback online via social media. As for JR’s future on WWE television, the belief is that anything is possible at this point.
– This week’s inside joke is that even though Randy Orton is currently the man scheduled to win the 2012 Royal Rumble, those plans may change as soon as Vince McMahon realizes the Rumble takes place from Orton’s home town of St. Louis. As evidenced by the way Jim Ross was fired when RAW took place from Oklahoma, WWE has a track record of burying people in front of their home town crowds.
– WWE’s stock price has rebounded to the $10/share level this week after recently dipping below. Part of the reason for the rebound is that a few financial publications classified the stock as a “buy” – since the company is still very profitable. $9 The stock pride which was below $9 for a while, is now up to $10.10 afer an article listing WWE as a bargain because of how low the price had gotten and that they are still turning a profit.
– Congratulations go out to Jack Swagger, who is now a father. Swagger and his wife Catalina White, a former Maxim model and developmental wrestler, had a baby boy on 10/17 named Knox Stribling Hager.
– As part of CM Punk’s new WWE contract, he gets first class plane tickets, which is one of the perks reserved only for a few top talents. Punk also now has his own tour bus.
– Superstars from both RAW and SmackDown will be appearing at next Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown tapings from Houston, Texas.
– As previously reported, WWE will be airing another live episode of WWE SmackDown on Tuesday, November 29th from Charlotte, North Carolina. The show will replay several days later in SmackDown’s usual Friday night timeslot. The last time WWE aired a live SmackDown on a Tuesday night, the show did its best ratings in years – and this upcoming live Tuesday SmackDown is another experiment to see whether the show should be moved to Tuesdays permanently.
– WWE recently filed for a trademark for the name “Supercharge” – which is a possible name for a future television show.
In recent weeks, we’ve seen a babyface turn and renewed push for one of the most physically jacked-up wrestlers to appear on WWE television in years – Mason Ryan.
According to sources in the WWE locker room, there is a great deal of skepticism about WWE pushing a guy who has a physique that’s virtually impossible to maintain naturally. With WWE’s strict Wellness tests, the superstars know what they can get away with and what they can’t.
Mason Ryan has the body type that looks straight out of the late 80’s & early 90’s – and these days, the general feeling is that he wouldn’t even have a job with the company if he didn’t look the way he does, let alone get a huge push.
WWE went a long time without any Wellness suspensions – then we had Sin Cara, Mike Chioda, Darren Young and Heath Slater all get suspended for drug use. Many are questioning the decision to give a big push to a guy whose main selling point is his body.
— Vince McMahon is said to be high on Cody Rhodes after lacking faith in the second generation wrestler in the past.
Reportedly, the WWE head would not commit to promoting Rhodes as a top level star because he felt he overacts.
— Shawn Michaels posted a statement on Twitter regarding ESPN’s piece on Scott Hall, which aired Wednesday evening on E:60.
He wrote, “FYI- I did not see the piece on Scott. Scott. Kev, Kid & Hunter r my friends. Sharing our personal info or insight on here aint happening. Much like when u ask me my opinion on RAW or other wrestlers. I don’t do it. The net is flooded w/opinions. I don’t think u need one more.”
Credit to TNAInsider.com for these spoiler results:
James Storm promo:
Storm has brand new country entrance music. He talks about how much winning the world title means to him. He brings out Fortune and tells Roode that he should be next in line for a title shot. He then says that after him maybe he’ll give Styles and Kazarian shots at the title as well. That brings out Samoa Joe. Joe complains about James Storm playing favorites and that he’s not unlike Immortal in that he wants to keep the title in the family (Fortune). Joe wants a shot at the title himself but Storm asks him what has he done to deserve it. He mentions Joe being beat by Crimson at Bound for Glory. He mentions Joe’s previous title reign and that his window of opportunity has already closed. Sting comes out and he makes the main event for tonight Samoa Joe .vs. Bobby Roode for the number one contendership. The winner will face Storm the following week in Macon, GA.
Rob Van Dam vs. Christopher Daniels
AJ Styles on commentary. RVD picks up the victory via disqualification after Daniels hit him on the outside with a toolbox from under the ring. Daniels pulls out a screwdriver but Styles runs down the ramp and chases him away before he could put it to use.
Gail Kim w/ Karen Jarrett, Madison Rayne & Traci Brooks promo
Kim claims that she gave Velvet Sky a concussion. She proclaims herself as the best women’s wrestler in the world and wants to be the center of attention. Karen Jarrett announces Gail Kim vs. Velvet Sky for the Knockouts Title at Turning Point.
Gail Kim vs. Tara
Kim defeats Tara via pinfall after executing her Eat Defeat maneuver.
Robbie E w/ Rob Terry vs. Eric Young
Eric Young defeats Robbie E via pinfall with a crucifix transitioned into a pinning predicament. Post-match, Terry lays Young out. Terry and Robbie double team Young. As Robbie and Terry are leaving, Young gets on the mic and declares that he’s bringing Ronnie from the real Jersey Shore with him next week in Macon, GA.
Eric Bischoff/Garrett Bischoff promo
Eric reprimands Garrett and tells him that by the end of the night he either needs to apologize or he’ll kick his ass.
Backstage promo
Ric Flair confronts Garrett Bischoff and says that wrestling is a man’s business and that he’s tired of punks like him. Flair goes into crazy Flair-mode and tells Garrett that he better apologize to his father.
Jeff Jarrett promo
Jarrett tells the producer that they missed out on some footage in the Jeff Hardy package. The main event of a PPV six years ago in 2005 wasn’t included. Why? Because it doesn’t exist. Jeff Hardy didn’t show up like he was supposed to. Jeff Hardy comes out and things once again get physical. Another security break apart occurs but this time, Bully Ray comes from behind Jeff Hardy and ambushes him.
Jeff Hardy vs. Bully Ray
Jeff Hardy defeats Bully Ray via pinfall after a Swanton Bomb. Post-match, Jarrett ambushes Jeff Hardy. He sets up a table and he wants Bully Ray to powerbomb Hardy through it from the top of the turnbuckle. Mr. Anderson comes out for the save.
Main Event: Bobby Roode vs. Samoa Joe
(Winner Gets Title Shot Next Week)
Roode defeats Samoa Joe via pinfall with a fisherman’s buster. Roode has new theme music.
Closing Segment
Bischoff comes out and calls out his son to come out and apologize. Garrett refuses and Bischoff slaps him in the face a couple of times. Garrett grabs Eric by the collar of his shirt but Ric Flair comes out and gets in his face. Garrett punches Flair but ends up getting his ass kicked by Flair when all is said and done.
WWE is asking fans to help name a program looking back at the “Monday Night War” for their soon to be launched WWE Network.
“WWE Network launches in 2012, but we’re already taking names for our new slate of shows, including a controversial look back at the Monday Night War. Waged between WWE and WCW during the 90’s, this battle for TV dominance unfolded live each week, giving rise to some of the most iconic Superstars and storylines of our time. And you get to relive it in one action-packed television season.”
Poll options include:
1. Battleground: Raw vs. Nitro
2. Battleground: The Monday Night Wars
3. The Monday Night War
4. WWE Raw vs. WCW Nitro
5. Monday Night Warfare
Several past and present WWE personalities have commented on Twitter about the ESPN E:60 piece on Scott Hall that aired on Wednesday night. Here’s what the following people said, including comments from Hall himself:
Chris Jericho: “Just saw the Scott Hall E-60 piece. My heart goes out to his family and I hope that was a wake-up call for him.This could be his last chance”
Goldust: “Watched e-60…..im asking the world to pray for scott hall…he is a great man….#PRAYFORSCOTTHALL”
Bret Hart: “Just watched the E60 piece on Scott Hall. I always considered him a friend of mine & he knows how to get a hold of me if he ever needs to”
Jim Ross: “The Scott Hall feature aired last night on ESPN. I did not see it as I was taping 2 Legends Roundtable shows. Was told it was compelling.”
Shane Helms: “Well that Scott Hall piece was pretty damn sad. I really hope life picks up for him and his family. #StarshipCoyote”
Scott Hall: Thank u for all your nice comments & for always pulling for The Bad Guy!
TNA has issued the following press release announcing “Ronnie” from the MTV show Jersey Shore will be appearing on an upcoming episode of Impact Wrestling:
RONNIE ORTIZ-MAGRO GETS IN THE RING WITH TNA’S “IMPACT WRESTLING” ON SPIKE TV
Star of MTV’s “Jersey Shore” Makes His Wrestling Debut Thursday, November 3
New York, NY – October 20, 2011 – Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, star of MTV’s megahit series, “Jersey Shore,” will bring his pumping fists and bravado into the wrestling ring on TNA’s “Impact Wrestling” airing exclusively on Spike TV Thursday, November 3 at 9:00pm ET/PT. The episode will tape October 26 from The Macon Coliseum in Macon, Ga.
Ronnie will appear on two episodes of Spike TV’s hit weekly series with the biggest names in professional wrestling such as Hulk Hogan, Sting, Rob Van Dam, AJ Styles, and Kurt Angle.
In case you missed it on Wednesday night, here’s ESPN’s E:60 piece on the rise and fall of Scott Hall.
The Wrestler: The Scott Hall Story
“In his prime, Scott Hall was a mountain of a man – 6-foot-7, 290 pounds of solidly sculptured muscle, appearing as close as invincible as they come. As Razor Ramon, he was one of professional wrestling’s biggest names and most villainous villains, busting chairs with the likes of Randy Savage, Bret Hart and Hulk Hogan in front of tens of thousands of screaming fans in sold-out arenas. And he loved the life that came with it: the parties, the women, the celebrity. But the high life soon started to slip away, and Hall has been desperately doing whatever he can since to hold on ever since. Hall’s slide seems to know no bottom – from his deteriorating physical and mental condition, to his ongoing battle with alcohol and substance abuse that has crippled his family life and resulted in pathetic public appearances in school gyms. But he’s hanging on, somehow. Now his only son, Cody, wants to follow in his father’s tortured bootsteps. E:60 chronicles the heartbreaking story of a man who is a shadow of his former self and desperate for one last taste of the glory days.”
WWE Hall of Famer Gerald Brisco suffered a minor stroke Wednesday. according to Jim Ross on Twitter. He asks that fans keep Brisco in their prayers.
Brisco suffered a series of strokes in June 2009 that sidelined him from road work for WWE. He’s been working as a talent scout with Ross since March 2010.
Preview IMPACT WRESTLING On SpikeTV: Shocks & Surprises!
Don’t miss Thursday’s huge IMPACT WRESTLING broadcast on SpikeTV at 9/8c, featuring the aftermath from our biggest event of the year, Bound For Glory! It’s a night of shocks and surprises on the packed show! Can’t watch IMPACT WRESTLING on Thursday night? Make sure to set your DVR to record it so you don’t miss any of the action.
Here is a preview of Thursday’s broadcast:
– Kurt Angle is STILL the World Heavyweight Champion, having defeated Bobby Roode in controversial fashion at Bound For Glory! The champ will appear on Thursday’s broadcast of IMPACT WRESTLING! What’s next for Angle? How will Roode react? Who will step up to challenge him next? Don’t miss it!
– Also, after defeating “The Immortal” Hulk Hogan at Bound For Glory, Sting returned control of TNA to President Dixie Carter! Both “The Icon” Sting and Dixie Carter will appear on Thursday’s huge broadcast on SpikeTV! The question is, what’s next for Hulk Hogan after what happened at BFG? Is it a new era for Hulkamania? How will Eric Bischoff react? Tune in and find out!
– Also at Bound For Glory, a new Knockouts Champion was crowned as Velvet Sky realized her dream of capturing the gold! Velvet will be on the broadcast this Thursday, but Knockouts VP Karen Jarrett isn’t happy that Velvet came out victorious. What will happen between Velvet Sky and Karen Jarrett this Thursday? Is Jarrett about to make Sky’s championship reign a living hell?
– After he was forcefully kicked out of the Immortal alliance last week, “The Monster” Abyss will battle Immortal’s “Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner
– Plus, the Knockouts Tag Team Championship will be on the line as titleholders Tara and Brooke Tessmacher defend against Winter and Angelina Love
Also appearing on Thursday night – “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles, “The Charismatic Enigma” Jeff Hardy, “The King Of The Mountain” Jeff Jarrett, X Division Champion Austin Aries and many more!
— Hugo Savinovich, color commentator for WWE’s Spanish language television and pay-per-view broadcasts since 1997, announced Wednesday on YouTube that he is parting ways with the organization.
Savinovich says organization officials informed him a few days ago that his expiring contract would not be renewed. He thanks Vince McMahon for giving him the opportunity to work for WWE fourteen years ago after he fell hard on drugs. He does not know if he will continue to call wrestling matches, but he does know that he will be writing a book dedicated to spreading the word of God.
— Scott Hall posted a message on Twitter following ESPN’s profile piece tonight thanking fans for their support.
He wrote, “Thank u for all your nice comments & for always pulling for The Bad Guy!”
— WWE Hall of Famer Greg “The Hammer” Valentine is advertised to appear for Pro Wrestling Destination at the Neil Road Recreation Center in Reno, Nevada on Saturday, November 5, 2011.
– Gail Kim, who returned to TNA Wrestling last night as a heel aligned with Karen Jarrett, competed in a match against Tara. This is their first meeting since 2004 when both wrestlers were employed by WWE.
– Robert Roode faces Samoa Joe in No. 1 Contender’s Match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. James Storm defeated Kurt Angle for the title at Tuesday’s taping.
– It was announced at tonight’s Impact Wrestling taping in Orlando, Florida (airdate October 27) that Jersey Shore star Ronnie Ortiz-Magro would be appearing at next Wednesday’s taping in Macon, Georgia.
– Robbie E receives a shot at Eric Young’s TNA Television Championship.
CM Punk is featured on the promotional poster for WWE’s upcoming TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view event. The Straight Edge Superstar is shown holding a WWE style ice cream bar emblazoned with a table, a ladder and a chair.
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs takes place December 18, 2011 at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland.
– The Rock is featured on the cover of the December 2011 of WWE Magazine and is depicted appearing angry and ready to fight.
The magazines teases The Rock might have his sights set on championship gold. The headline reads:
“THE ROCK! IS THE PEOPLE’S CHAMP GUNNIN’ FOR THE GOLD?”
– “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, who underwent surgery on his neck last month, thinks he may be attempting his recovery too soon by attending today’s Legends of Wrestling taping at WWE’s television studios in Stamford, Connecticut.
The WWE Hall of Famer wrote on Twitter:
“In Stamford. Pushing things a little to hard. What’s new. Doing round table tonight. I will have respect for everybody, but tell the truth!”
UFC president Dana White posted the following on Twitter:
“just land in NYC and what do I always say!? I have to deal with bad shit everyday!! GSP is out with an injury!!! It’s GSP’S knee. We will sit Carlos to wait for GSP. It’s looking so far like he could be ready in a couple months. Still early to tell tho.”
White also said that Nick Diaz vs BJ Penn is the new main event for UFC 137 on 10/29.
– Jim Ross was asked on Twitter if he would be calling next week’s Raw SuperShow. He responded:
“Not that I’m aware of at this time.”
When asked if he’ll be returning to WWE television in the near future, JR said:
“As best I know I’m done w/ WWE weekly tv. Doing other projects IE Legends Roundtable. Hope to be a part of WWE Network. Selling @ WWEShop.com”
– According to WWE sources, Jim Ross is giving serious consideration to writing an autobiography.
The WWE Hall of Famer has put off writing his story because he wants it to be a “tell-all” book and doing so may jeopardize future employment opportunities.
