Home Blog Page 3178

Trailer For Best Of Monday Nitro DVD, Update On Ex-Nitro Girl

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— WWE has released a preview trailer for The Very Best Of WCW Monday Nitro DVD highlighting Diamond Dallas Page losing the World Heavyweight Championship and winning it back on the same night.

To view it, click here.

The Very Best Of WCW Monday Nitro is scheduled for released on June 7.

— Former WCW Nitro Girl Kimberly, 42, recently remarried after divorcing Diamond Dallas Page in 2005. She now goes under the name Kimberly Ross and works as a management consultant near Salt Lake City, Utah.

NXT Season 3 contestant Jamie Keyes stated on Twitter that she is going to tonight’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view. She was released from her WWE contract shortly after her elimination from NXT in October.

Nash Teases TNA Return, Promotional Poster For Slammiversary

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— Kevin Nash teased a return to TNA Wrestling last week—due to it appearing that WWE will not bring him back as a performer.

“WWE going young, he wrote on Twitter. “Your my fan base, sit on my ass or watch my buddy’s Sting ass?”

— The promotional poster for TNA Slammiversary, which features Eric Young, Kazarian, Daniels, Robert Roode, James Storm, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin, has been released.

TNA

The synopsis reads: “Nearly a decade ago, it started as a dream that has became a reality. Join legends Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair and The Icon Sting as the power struggle between Immortal and Fortune escalates to a new level of intensity. The World Championship is on the line and the very future of TNA is at stake. TNA presents Slammiversary LIVE! on Pay per View.”

— Former TNA Wrestling talent Shawn Daivari turned 27 years old yesterday.

Obama Use Hogan’s Entrance Song, Orndorff Benefit Scheduled

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— At last night’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner, United States President Barack Obama came out to Hulk Hogan’s patriotic theme song “Real American” while his birth certificate flashed on the screen.

Video is available here.

— A benefit is being held for WWE Hall of Famer Paul Orndorff, who has been battling cancer, next Sunday from 1:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. at the Southern Comfort Bar in Conley, Georgia. Wrestlers are advertised are advertised to appear there in support of Orndorff.

— Chris Jericho fills in for Nikki Sixx this Wednesday on XM Satellite Radio’s Sixx Sense.

— Former WWE and WCW talent Dave Taylor celebrates his 54th birthday today.

source: PWInsider.com

WWE Signs Former Champ’s Son, NXT Winner Competing In FCW

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— WWE has signed Jesse White, son of three-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion Big Van Vader, to a developmental contract. It was speculated in recent weeks that White, who has competed in Japan, would be signed following a tryout at the organization’s developmental facility in Tampa, Florida.

— Johnny Curtis has been largely competing in Florida Championship Wrestling since winning the fourth season of NXT on March 1. He lost to Husky Harris at last Thursday’s FCW taping.

— WWE developmental wrestler Bo Rotundo, son of WWE producer Mike Rotunda (a/k/a Irwin R. Schyster), now dons a masks in Florida Championship Wrestling under the name Mr. Florida.

— The two-hour documentary portion of WWE RAW: The Best of 2010 DVD begins airing on pay-per-view on June 6.

source: PWInsider.com

What Khali & Mahal Said On SD, Cena Takes Shot At The Rock

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— John Cena took another shot at Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson yesterday on Twitter.

“CeNation. Just heard that yesterday the man who invented the telepromter died at 91,” he wrote. “Somewhere right now the great one is in mourning :)”

— The April 29 episode of SmackDown featured 36 minutes and 31 seconds of in-ring action, up from 31 minutes and 57 seconds the week before.

— WWE developmental talent Jinder Mahal, a wrestler billed from Punjab, India, debuted on last week’s episode of SmackDown. He appeared in a backstage segment with Rey Mysterio, The Great Khali and Ranjin Singh, where The Punjabi Playboy and his manager wish The Master of the 619 good luck on Raw. Mahal greets Khali in their native tongue and walks off.

To translate what was said, reader Ashish noted that Khali and Singh asked Mahal he was there. He that he is a new roster member and plans to be there for a long time. After he walked off, Khali and Singh said it’s good to see him in WWE.

source: prowrestling.net

Card For Tonight’s Extreme Rules PPV – Six Matches Announced

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WWE’s third annual Extreme Rules pay-per-view event takes place tonight at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida. There are currently six matches scheduled for the event.

WWE Championship Triple Threat Steel Cage Match
The Miz (c) vs. John Cena vs. John Morrison

World Heavyweight Championship Ladder Match
Christian vs. Alberto Del Rio

Last Standing Man Match
Randy Orton vs. CM Punk

Country Whipping Match
Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross vs. Jack Swagger and Michael Cole

Falls Count Anywhere Match
Rey Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes

Loser Leaves WWE Match
Layla vs. Michelle McCool

Steiner Comments On Return To TNA, Working With Morgan

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Monday Night Mayhem with Scott Steiner
Hosts: The Big Mosh and “The Chairman of the Board” Todd Vincent
Airs every Monday at 6:00 P.M. (CT)
Show available at www.MondayNightMayhem.com.

His feelings on returning to TNA after an eleven-month absence: “Part of the reason was I don’t know why I left. That was not my decision, and obviously they brought me back to bring the ratings back. Now I’m here, and we can go out there and prove that I’m still the best.”

Why he believes Matt Morgan’s collegiate and basketball backgrounds will not help him when “Big Poppa Pump” and “The Blueprint” square off soon: “I tired to look up his (Matt’s) profile on the computer and saw Monmouth College somewhere in the cesspools of New Jersey. I never heard of that. And supposedly Chaminade, where they somehow made it to the NCAA Tournament, where he played a couple of minutes. Fans are going to be deeply disappointed when it comes down to athletic ability, because he says he’s trying to follow in my footsteps. You can’t follow in my footsteps. So he plays with little balls and puts them in the holes. That’s not going to help his ass when he gets in the ring.”

What fans can expect at CWI’s “Brawl at the Bush II” event in Brantford, Ontario, Canada (headlined by his CWI Title defense vs. Kevin Nash and a special appearance by Hulk Hogan): “It’s going to be a great event. There’s going to be a lot of stars there. Of course I have to go against Kevin Nash, which will be a hard-fought match. Hulk Hogan’s going to be there, so anybody who’s a wrestling fan should enjoy the show.

Stevie Richards Explains Why He Left TNA, Discusses Final Days

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Interview available at WorldWrestlingInsanity.com via ClubWWI.

Stevie Richards has had the distinction of wrestling in every major wrestling company. WWE, WCW, TNA, and ECW have all been home to Richards and he’s created memories wherever he’s worked. His most recent run with TNA as Dr. Stevie just came to an end recently. Richards, who left with no hard feelings but rather decided to depart for business reasons, tells James Guttman on ClubWWI.com about that decision. Initially, he was excited about working as a new character and the opportunities it presented.

“Here’s Dr. Stevie with the promise of, ‘If you work hard, get over, you establish yourself, and mesh into the locker room, then you’ll be rewarded. We’ll renegotiate your deal and all this stuff will happen.’ Then (TNA) turned around and says, ‘Oh. You’re lucky to be getting what you’re getting.’ Then (they have me) never come to work, never get booked, sat at home, and it’s all these things. Like I said, it comes right down to it being a business decision.”

When the final day of his TNA run came about, Richards made sure to leave respectfully. He showed up in person to inform the office about his departure. ?”I walked in on January 11th and a lot of people don’t do this. They wait for that call in wrestling – whether it’s to wait for that call to get a job or to wait for that call to lose a job. What I did was, I prayed about it, I thought about it, and I said to myself, ‘You know what? Today I’m going to make something happen. I’m going to control my destiny rather than waiting for something to happen.’

“So I went in that day and I told (the office). Terry Taylor wasn’t shocked because I talk to him all the time. But everybody else seemed shocked. And I said, ‘Well, you guys booked me and then you sent me home for five months.’ We don’t get paid if we don’t work, at the level I was at. So what am I supposed to do? In reality, with a business or a job, you don’t go into Best Buy and they say, ‘We don’t have anything for you’ every single day for five months. What are you gonna do? You find another job, right?”

Stevie spoke about his thoughts on TNA’s product, direction, pros, and cons throughout his one hour ClubWWI interview. He also spoke about moments from his entire career. Perhaps one of his most memorable times in wrestling came during his stint as the tie-wearing Right To Censor leader. Guttman mentions other former RTC members Bull Buchanan and Ivory having hosted shows on ClubWWI and the questions many fans had always had about why the stable never reunited. As one of WWE’s most hated heel groups, fans expected some sort of resurrection, but it never materialized. Richards reveals what he felt was behind the choice to keep the group dead and buried. As always, it’s politics…

“What I hear, and what I kind of guessed, is that Jamie Mars used to write and he wrote a lot of material. He and Brian Gewirtz, who is still a head writer at WWE, I don’t think they got along too well. And it wasn’t Brian Gewirtz’s project to write the promos or anything and it seemed like when Jamie Mars left, it spelled the end for Right To Censor.”

Stevie continued throughout the interview to discuss everything in his wrestling career from Raven to apprehension about the debut of RTC to Stevie Night Heat. But he also urged ClubWWI.com members to check out his T4 Tech Show online. At T4show.com, Richards (under his real name of Michael Manna) looks at all the latest technology on the market and gives some expert views on what’s worth purchasing.

“We cover everything in technology. I know there’s a big gaming audience that you have here. We’re big video game fans. We do a lot of recording, stream video games, and also review them. The brand new redesigned T4show.com has a lot of video game reviews with a three point rating system and I invite everyone to come look at it if you’re a fan of fitness, if you’re a fan of tech, Apple – especially Apple, we’re big Apple Fanboys – and video games.”

Remember Stevie’s 62 minute shoot is just one of thousands of hours of audio featuring hundreds of wrestling stars available the moment you sign up to ClubWWI.com. From Paul Roma to Jerry Lawler to Mae Young to Sean Mooney, you can hear them all right now!

*Spoiler* Loser Leaves WWE Match Scheduled For Extreme Rules

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A match between Michelle McCool and Layla that airs on tonight’s episode of SmackDown ends in a no contest due to incessant brawling between the former tag team partners. They are eventually separated by officials.

Layla then grabs the microphone and tells McCool she’s sick of her. She challenges her to a match at Extreme Rules, with no disqualification and no count out. McCool says she will only accept the challenge if it’s a Loser Leaves SmackDown Match since she no longer has any use for her.

Though McCool announced the bout as a Loser Leaves SmackDown Match at Tuesday’s SmackDown taping in Greensboro, North Carolina, “WWE” is overdubbed in placed of “Smackdown” during the telecast, which has already aired in Australia.

Therefore, Michelle McCool vs. Layla at Extreme Rules will be a Loser Leaves WWE Match.

*Spoiler* FCW Star Makes WWE TV Debut On SmackDown

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WWE developmental talent Jinder Mahal, a wrestler billed from Punjab, India, debuts on tonight’s episode of SmackDown.

Mahal appears in a backstage segment with Rey Mysterio, The Great Khali and Ranjin Singh, where The Punjabi Playboy and his manager wish The Master of the 619 good luck on Raw. Mahal greets Khali in their native tongue and walks off.

Mahal, who’s real name is Yuvraj Dhesi, is a 24-year-old wrestler from Calgary, Alberta, Canada that WWE signed to a developmental contract in early 2010 following a tryout at Florida Championship Wrestling. He has been wrestling since 2004 and trained alongside Rick Bognar (a/k/a fake Razor Ramon), Bad News Brown and The Great Gama, all of whom having previous WWE experience.

source: F4WOnline.com

SmackDown Match Preview, Sin Cara To Feud With Sheamus

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— The following matches will be featured on tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown on Syfy:

* Jack Swagger vs. Sin Cara

* Big Show and Kane vs. Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater for the WWE Tag Team Championship

* Mark Henry vs. Rey Mysterio

* Layla vs. Michelle McCool

* Alberto Del Rio and Brodus Clay vs. Christian and Randy Orton

— Matches pitting Sin Cara against Sheamus for the WWE United States Championship and Jerry Lawler against Jack Swagger with Michael Cole in his corner are booked for upcoming WWE live events.

— Vickie Guerrero is scheduled for tonight’s Florida Championship Wrestling live event in Gainesville, Florida. Its is likely that she will be participating in an angle with her daughter, who performs as Raquel Diaz.

source: F4WOnline.com

Vince McMahon Announces A Lower Dividend On WWE Stock

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WWE Announces Revised Dividend Policy

Adjusts Quarterly Dividend to $0.12 per share

STAMFORD, Conn.– WWE (NYSE:WWE) today announced a revised dividend policy to enhance the Company’s financial flexibility and support the “New WWE” initiative. Beginning in June of 2011, the Company’s quarterly dividend will be adjusted to $0.12 per share of common stock held by the Company’s Class A public shareholders. Members of the McMahon family will also receive dividends in the revised per share amount and, as a result, all Class A and Class B shares will receive dividends in the amount of $0.12 per share.

“Our Board of Directors has determined that an adjustment to the current dividend is both prudent and appropriate,” stated Vince McMahon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “We believe this change strikes the right balance between returning capital to shareholders and investing in our future. We are confident that WWE is ideally positioned to create long term value for our shareholders.”

“The Company’s revised quarterly dividend was set based on targeted ranges for payout ratios and liquidity levels,” stated George Barrios, Chief Financial Officer. “Aligning payouts with our current level of earnings and cash flow will significantly enhance our financial flexibility, support our current growth initiatives, and enable us to take advantage of important strategic opportunities in a quickly changing media landscape, including executing on our ‘New WWE’ initiative.”

WWE’s management and Board remain committed to delivering value for the Company’s shareholders, and the revised dividend will continue to return significant cash to its investors. The revised quarterly payout of $0.12 per share provides a yield of 4.2% based on the April 28 stock price, representing an approximate 130% premium to the S&P 500. Further, the Board will continue to review the Company’s dividend policy on an ongoing basis, including the appropriateness of one-time returns of capital.

The new quarterly dividend rate will become effective with our June 2011 dividend payment. The record date for the dividend will be June 15, 2011, with a payment date of June 27, 2011.

Matches Announced For Sacrifice, Slammiversary Location, Dixie

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— TNAWrestling.com has announced the following three matches for TNA Sacrifice, which takes place May 15 on pay-per-view.

TNA World Heavyweight Championship Match
Sting vs. Rob Van Dam

X Division Championship Match
Kazarian vs. Max Buck

Abyss vs. Crimson

TNA Slammiversary will take place on June 12 at the Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida.

— TNA Wrestling president Dixie Carter posted her first message on Twitter today in nearly two months. She wrote, “My thoughts & prayers are with all those effected by the horrible storms yesterday and today. So devastating.”

source: PWInsider.com

Foley Returning To TV Next Week, Angle Appearing In Movie

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— Mick Foley is scheduled to return to TNA Wrestling programming at next Monday’s iMPACT! taping in Orlando, Florida.

He was originally scheduled to appear at the April 20 iMPACT! taping, but it was canceled due to miscommunication. Company officials thought he would unavailable to make the show due to his appearance at the Cauliflower Alley Club Annual Reunion in Las Vegas, Nevada. He flew to Orlando, Florida for the iMPACT! taping, but the script had already been finalized.

Foley indicated last week on Twitter that he would like to appear at Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s birthday celebration, which takes place this Monday night on Raw. It is said that TNA officials were okay with him appearing at the event, but WWE declined.

— Kurt Angle has a role in Dylan Dog Dead of Night, which hits theaters tomorrow.

— The Jeff Hardy video package that aired during the UK telecast of TNA Impact on Tuesday was likely used a filler because the program features less commericials and therefore needs additional content to pad out the two hour time slot.

source: F4WOnline.com

Sabin Suffers Injury During TNA Impact, HBK Thanks Hogan

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— Chris Sabin injured his knee during a match against Anarquia that aired on tonight’s episode of TNA iMPACT!.

The Motor City Machine Gun member attempted a springboard clothesline and tweaked his knee due to Anarchia being out of position to receive the move. The referee was instructed to end the bout when it appeared Sabin was injured. Anarchia performed a small package to conclude the match.

Mexican America beat down Sabin before Alex Shelley appeared to fend them off.

— Shawn Michaels posted the following message on his Twitter account in response to Hulk Hogan giving him a shout out while hosting the National Spicy Chicken Taste Test yesterday in The Heartbreak Kid’s hometown of San Antonio, Texas.

He wrote, “Hear from u all the Hulkster’s in town. I hope our city is treating him well. I appreciate the shout out from him. Hope he is well.”

source: Pro Wrestling Torch

Match Discussed For Extreme Rules, WWE Signs Jon Moxley

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— WWE has discussed adding a United States Championship Match between Sheamus and Kofi Kingston to this Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view.

— Jim Ross, who suffered a hand injury on Raw, adamantly stated on Twitter today that he will be ready for his scheduled tag team match at Extreme Rules.

— Jon Moxley of Dragon Gate USA signed a developmental contact with WWE this week. He will report to Florida Championship Wrestling next week.

— Alex Riley celebrates his 30th birthday today.

source: PWInsider.com

Jarrett Reportedly Subject Of TNA Sexual Harassment Lawsuit

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The Honky Tonk Man claimed on his weekly podcast on Monday (audio available at www.htmradio.com) that Karen Jarrett (formerly Angle) is the alleged victim of a sexual harassment lawsuit against TNA Wrestling.

The former WWE Intercontinental Champion says Karen was sexually harassed by TNA Wrestling president Dixie Carter’s husband Serge Salinas.

He says a settlement was reached and that “part of the deal” involved Karen being given her job back with TNA Wrestling. He claims Carter was removed from television earlier this year due to the lawsuit.

The Honky Tonk Man tweeted Monday: “Anyone who missed HTM’s announcement on TNA tonight. Karen Angle vs Dixie Carter’s husband is the sexual harassment lawsuit going down! That’s why Dixie is off TV and Karen is now back with the company as part of the settlement.”

Hogan Interested In Bringing In Goldberg, New Role For Hemme

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— Hulk Hogan was asked on Twitter if he would like to bring Bill Goldberg to TNA Wrestling.

“Bill Goldberg would blow the roof off the place,” he replied.

— Christy Hemme, who primarily appears on TNA Wrestling pay-per-view events as a backstage announcer, conducted ring announcing duties at the April 20, 2011 iMPACT! taping.

— Former TNA Wrestling talent Jay Lethal is now available for wrestling and/or appearance bookings via Bill Behrens and Show Business, Inc. at [email protected] and www.sbibookings.com.

— Rob Van Dam is scheduled to appear at the Frank & Son Collectible Show in Rowland Heights, California on Saturday, June 4 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Visit www.frankandsonshow.com for more information.

MAILBAG: We’ve Got A Myriad Of Diva Questions This Week

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SEScoops Mailbag for April 28th

(submit YOUR questions to [email protected])

Q: I’ve never been to a house show, PPV or filmed show. I’ve only seen pay per views and filmed shows on TV. Considering that WWE is a PG product and they’ve got a strict no-no policy on blood, I was wondering if that only truly applies to when the product is televised. I suppose what I’m asking is, considering that with house shows the crowd is more intimate since it’s not being broadcasted, does the company show even a little bit of leniency towards blood or is it the same standard of “if you bleed, you get a bollocking and a fine” policy? – Liam

A: I’ve heard the word “bollocks” before, but never in that manner. I’m not sure I want to know what a “bollocking” would entail, although it sounds like something Pat Patterson may have done to newcomers in the late 80’s. To answer your question, WWE’s policy on blood is the same for house shows as it is for any televised event. Though people do bleed hardway, as Sir Michael Cole did on Monday, blading is banned. Besides, what sense would it make to slice yourself open on a house show these days?

Q: I am not a fan of TNA, but I’ve been growing very upset with one Knockout’s treatment as of late, they call her Velvet Sky. I hate this storyline with her and for the past 7 weeks, all she has done is get beat up and lose matches. Should she be standing up to TNA like the Divas stood up to WWE after WrestleMania? – Joe G.

A: I don’t recall the Divas “standing up” to WWE after Mania. Perhaps they were “standing up FOR” WWE as part of that ridiculous PR campaign during Linda’s senate run. But really, I don’t see what one has to do with the other. With WWE, you’re talking about women being upset because they were left off the biggest show of the year in favor of someone who is no longer an active member of the roster and a pint-sized, pseudo celebrity. With TNA, you’re talking about a storyline for one character, which I have to assume is going to culminate with a scenario where Velvet gets her revenge. I’d be more upset with WWE constantly booking Jim Ross to look like a fool (and get hurt in the process) or having your announcers refer to certain Divas as “fat” on TV for no apparent reason. If you want to be upset with one Knockout’s treatment by TNA, check out Sound Off 156 on this very website for the story about Daffney. That will get your blood boiling. It has certainly stirred a great deal of debate in the comments section.

Q: What are your thoughts on the in-career of Stacy Keibler and how critics say she just wanted to be an actor and not a wrestler? – Tristan

A: So what if she did? Newsflash: she would hardly be the only one to use wrestling as a means to an acting career. By all accounts, Stacy wasn’t a fan of wrestling long before she tried out for WCW’s Nitro Girls in 1999 and has always wanted to be an actress. I say more power to her. It was never her intention to actually wrestle when she started out, it was something that was asked of her and she obliged. This reminds me of those idiot fans that used to chant “You Sold Out!” whenever somebody was leaving ECW for either WWF or WCW. Get over yourselves, if someone dropped a big bag of money on your head from above, it’s not like you wouldn’t say (in the words of Tommy Dreamer) “thank you sir, may I have another?”

Q: What are your thoughts on WWE firing models they hire such as Penny Cash, Taylor James, Jillian Beyor, and Courtney Taylor and the females [then] stop wrestling altogether? – Linda

A: I must confess, I don’t know who any of these women are. So you’re saying that models with likely no prior interest or experience in pro wrestling are hired for their looks, inevitably fired and simply move on and do something else. Whodathunkit? Not that I expect them to alter their hiring practices when it comes to the ladies because rarely do they admit to their mistakes. By the way, the name Penny Cash is a fantastic oxymoron.

Q: What are your thoughts on Melina sleeping around with various people in the WWE locker room? – Brandon

A: It doesn’t reflect well on John Morrison if it’s true.

Q: After seeing Maryse given more on air face camera time (EDITOR’S NOTE: redundant much?) than any of the other Divas at the WWE Hall Of Fame ceremony, and as host of NXT Season 5, I was wondering if this could be the start of Maryse either as a permanent guest host of NXT or permanent General Manager for Raw for the foreseeable Future? – Sam Norris, England

A: Any way they can get Maryse on television is fine with me. It certainly beats the hell out of whatever twisted relationship she had going with Ted DiBiase. Personally, I’d rather she not wrestle at all and just be a valet for a young heel. She has such great charisma and mannerisms, I think she would excel in the role.

Q: I read that Sting chose not to sign with WWE [because] he felt they wouldn’t use his character properly. I just feel like he would get more out of the WWE crowd and have a chance at a real successful run. With who he is and what he has done, he could jump right into the title hunt somewhat like Scott Steiner and Goldberg had done. – Jared Robertson

A: And that right there is his concern. Sure, Steiner and Goldberg were slotted into title programs fairly quickly, but what ended up happening? WWE stuck a golden wig on Goldberg’s head on Raw, which killed his mystique, and exposed his weakness by booking him in long matches, while Steiner was quickly relegated to mid-card status. In the YouTube video you reference, Sting even cites the incident shortly after Booker T made his WWE debut where The Rock acted like he didn’t even know who he was. I can understand his point of view. Their track record when it comes to treatment of big stars they did not make is not exactly sterling. To be honest, it’s already been so long and Sting isn’t getting any younger, I almost hope he never wrestles in a WWE ring. That way, when they put him in their Hall of Fame, he can go in as the only major WCW star to never wrestle for Vince McMahon.

Q: With Rock getting involved with the WWE again, do you possibly see a Rock/Undertaker WrestleMania match in the not too distant future? – Ryan B.

A: No, I don’t. At what Mania would this even happen? Let’s say Undertaker reaches 20-0 next year and wants to keep going, to me it would be a waste of The Rock. Hell, good business would dictate that Rock loses to Cena next year in Miami and puts him over like a million bucks, so the possibility of Rock losing at Mania is hardly unthinkable. In fact, out of all the really top-flight main eventers in WWE over the years, the one guy (with the possible exception of Chris Jericho) who never really seemed to have a problem losing or putting others over was Rock. With Undertaker, difficult as it may be at this point, there needs to be intrigue and I think the only way you get that is by either matching him up with Cena or bringing in an outsider like Sting.

Q: If a superstar is thrown over the top rope in the Royal Rumble and only one foot touches the floor, could he hop about outside and not be eliminated? – Sam G.

A: Absolutely, and I’m surprised they don’t do this more often. I’ve often wondered why. I do recall Jerry Lawler doing this in a Battle Royal on Superstars back around 1995 until Bret Hart came over and knocked him on his ass.

Q: What happened to the Soaring Eagle? – Arthur L.

A: They clipped his wings.

Keep those questions coming to [email protected] and remember to include your name!

Del Rio Described As Master Politician, J.R.’s Future Prospects

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— Alberto Del Rio has been described by WWE sources as a master politician behind the scenes because he has figured out how to navigate the organization’s cutthroat environment quicker than almost anyone.

— Current plans call for Jim Ross to remain on WWE programming throughout the duration of Michael Cole’s ongoing storyline. His segments have performed strong quarter-hour numbers, which could factor into the company’s decision to keep him on television. Also note, there are no plans for Ross to permanently return to announcing.

— The August 1 Monday Night Raw taping will be held at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. Tickets go on sale May 14, 2011.

— The pre-sale code for the June 27 Monday Night Raw taping in Las Vegas, Nevada is CENA. The pre-sale is ongoing via Ticketmaster.com.

— This week’s episode of NXT featured 16 minutes and 30 seconds of in-ring action compared to 16 minutes and 12 seconds the week before.

source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

“Language Of WWE” Update, Ross-Cole, Miss USA & More

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– Regarding “The Language of WWE” memo that we posted a few weeks back, it should be noted that none of the banned words were given to the English language announcers nor have they been told that some of those words were banned. However, it is known by them to not use some words like “wrestling” and “wrestlers” but some of the words on the list still get used on English language broadcasts.

Check Out: “The Language Of WWE” – List Of Allowed & Banned Terms

– Tough Enough producers Shed Media and the USA Network were hoping for Miss USA Rima Fakih to win WWE Tough Enough, knowing her winning the competition would bring the show a great deal of mainstream media exposure and build momentum heading into the second season. As the show went on, it became clear that Rima had little chance of winning and she was ultimately eliminated last week.

Related News: Miss USA Talks About Her Tough Enough Elimination & Rib Injury

– Sin Cara vs. Sheamus for the WWE United States Title and Jerry Lawler vs. Jack Swagger with Michael Cole in his corner is booked for upcoming WWE live events.

– The idea right now is for Jim Ross to remain on WWE TV for as long as the Michael Cole angle goes on. JR’s segments have done very strong quarter-hour ratings so that may play a factor in WWE keeping him around longer. With that said, at least for now there are no plans for Ross to return to announcing full-time.

– Speaking of Jim Ross and Michael Cole, the injuries they sustained on Monday’s RAW will not prevent them from wrestling at Sunday’s Extreme Rules PPV, but JR’s hand injury may limit what he’s able to do in the match.

(Credit to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter for some of the info used in this report)

Undertaker Still Hurting, HBK’s WWE Future, Waltman-WWE

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– The Undertaker was backstage at this past Monday’s RAW from Raleigh, NC with Michelle McCool. Sources describe Taker as still hurting and said he gave no indication as to when he would be coming back.

– Sunday’s Extreme Rules PPV is not sold out yet. Ticket sales for The Rock’s return to RAW this Monday (May 2nd) from Miami are also selling slow.

– As noted before, Shawn Michaels has filed trademarks on “Mr. HOF” and “Mr. Hall of Fame”, so it looks like those will be the nicknames WWE uses when talking about him from here on out. Since Shawn retired, WWE has wanted to market him as the greatest wrestler of all-time since he has a very long-term contract with the company.

– Sean Waltman said in an interview this past week that he thinks there’s a very good chance he could appear on WWE TV at some point in the future. Waltman appeared at the 2011 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony with Shawn Michaels, Triple H and Kevin Nash.

– The 2012 WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view is scheduled for St. Louis, Missouri.

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

New Details On What WWE Has Planned For Its Cable Network

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WWE is moving forward with its planned cable network and it turns out the company’s recent re-branding strategy is part of that effort.

The idea is that WWE’s network will be more of an entertainment network and they don’t want it to be seen as just a pro wrestling hannel.

WWE is looking to air scripted programming and other programming that they can use their marketing concepts with.

The concept was described as something like High School Musical or Dora the Explorer – where like wrestling, you have a program, you merchandise the characters and go on tour. The Harlem Globetrotters would be a perfect fit for this new concept, but they are not currently touring.

WWE is also looking at using people like Hall of Famer Drew Carey to come up with programming ideas.

The WWE network will feature a lot of wrestling still, with a lot of old footage airing. WWE is currently digitizing some of their footage and trying to upgrade it to HD for the network. The network will also show programs like NXT, Superstars and some of the recap shows that air internationally.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

WrestleMania 27 Gate & Attendence Figures Are In

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Official WrestleMania 27 numbers were released this past week and are different from the numbers announced publicly by WWE.

There was actually 68,190 total seats available at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The listed total tickets used for the big event was 61,617, according to information released this past week in arena business journals. This is 10,000 less than the 71,617 announced that night by WWE. With luxury boxes figured in, that number would probably increase closer to 65,000. The Dome was listed as 90% full and not a complete sellout, even though there were no tickets available for most of the last few weeks going into the show.

The gate for WrestleMania 27 was $6,268,319 – below the $6.6 million WWE announced after the show.

The 61,617 tickets for WrestleMania 27 would make it the tenth largest crowd in WWE history, not the fifth largest as announced with the original numbers. This year’s show drew exactly six more people than WrestleMania 25 in Houston, Texas.

As for the WrestleMania 27 buyrate, based on when WWE releases their numbers, they may not be available until late May because the show took place in April and not March. With WWE doing its quarterly investors meeting on May 5th, they may release the buyrate information at that time.

(Credit to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Jericho Teases Appearance At Extreme Rules, Update On J.R.

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— Chris Jericho, who was eliminated last night from Dancing with the Stars, teased a possible appearance at this Sunday’s WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view event—which takes place in Tampa, Florida.

He wrote on Twitter, “For the first time in 8 weeks I dont have dance rehearsals. What am I going to do with myself now? Anythin goin on in Tampa this weekend…?”

Jim Ross, who is competing at the event, asked Jericho, “Ever been in a Country Whippin Match? I need a coach or a stunt double. Interested?”

He replied, “No but I have been in a barb wire match, a penalty box match and everything in between. I’ll do it! Plus I even have my own Stetson.”

— Jim Ross, who injured his hand during his match against Michael Cole on Raw, posted the following update today on his official website: “My hand is swollen and sore and I can’t make a fist…yet.”

He is expected to compete in his match on Sunday.

— The latest special edition issue of WWE Magazine is titled “Hardest Hitting Photos Of All-time!” Enclosed with the magazine is a mini-magazine highlighting The Rock’s greatest moments.