Brad Armstrong, Ryback Update and much much more!
...Former WCW Wrestler Brad Armstrong Passes Away
The official WWE website reports that Brad Armstrong, who most notably competed for the National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling throughout the 1980s and 1990s, and briefly for WWE in 2006, was found dead in his home this morning. He was 51-years-old.
Their message states, “WWE is saddened to learn of the passing of Brad Armstrong, 51, one of four sons of “Bullet” Bob Armstrong. Brad Armstrong last participated in the ring for the ECW brand in 2006. WWE understands that Brad saw his physi...
WWE Star Asks For His Release?; Who Is Cranky Vince On Twitter?
An account on Twitter spoofing Vince McMahon that also leaks confidential WWE information on occasion (located @CrankyVince) cryptically suggested in a message Thursday that a male wrestler has asked for his release from the sports-entertainment organization.
“GODDAMN. ANOTHER PUSSY BOY WANTS HIS RELEASE. THESE UNGRATEFUL FUCKS. I’LL RUIN THEM. ALL OF THEM. FUCK YOU,” the message states.
Back in June, the “Cranky Vince” account crypticall...
WWE NXT Report – November 1st, 2012
We are live on tape from Winter Park, Florida and your announcers are Tony ‘Back for Another Go’ Luftman and William ‘Thank you for the new announcing play toy’ Regal.
Match Number One: The Usos versus Michael McGillicutty and Johnny Curtis
Johnny has some fun on his way to the ring and Michael is wondering what is going on and he wants Johnny to focus on the match.
Jey and Michael start things off. They lock up and Michael with a forearm to the back and he sends Jey into the turnbuckles. Jey with a head butt but Michael with an Irish whip and Jey floats over and ...
TNA Impact Wrestling Report – November 1st, 2012
Joseph Park is in the ring to start the show, and he said from day one that he is an attorney and not a wrestler, but after the civil violations commited upon him by Aces & Eights, he decided that it doesn’t matter if he’s a wrestler or attorney because he’s a man and he’s going to stand up for himself when his rights are violated. He asked Hulk Hogan for a match with Aces & Eights, but Hogan has yet to give him an answer, but through his own legal work, he discovered a loophole in Open Fight Night. So with that being said, he challenges any member of Aces & Eights to fight him right now. ...
WWE Main Event Highlights: Big Six Man Tag, Tyson Kidd vs. Wade Barrett
Embedded in the videos below are several highlights from the October 31st episode of WWE Main Event.
The AJ Scandal
Aces 8′s Unmasked, Turning Point Matches, Next Week’s Impact
- Luke Gallows was unmasked in the closing segment on Thursday’s Impact Wrestling.
- Three matches were announced for TNA’s Turning Point pay-per-view on Impact Wrestling.
TNA World Heavyweight Championship: Ladder Match
Jeff Hardy(c) vs. Austin Aries
TNA Tag Team Championship
Chavo Guerrero & Hernandez(c) vs. Christopher Daniels & Kaz
James Storm vs. ...
Lilian Garcia Speaks To WWE For The First Time Since Being Struck By A Car
Lilian Garcia spoke to WWE.com for the first time since her accident Friday afternoon in Los Angeles, California to clear up rumors concerning the matter.
The WWE ring announcer and songstress tells the website she was hit by an SUV while working out, and was not in a vehicle. She says it’s “the most frightening thing” she ever went through.
“I’m suffering from head, neck and back trauma,” Garcia said. “I have lacerations and wounds on the left side of my body.”
Garcia remains under close ...
AJ Lee Talks About Missing Wrestling, WWE Features Akeem
- Prior to returning to the squared circle on Raw Monday, AJ Lee appeared on The Opie & Anthony Show where she remarked on how much she missed competing in the ring and how prior to assuming the the role of General Manager of Raw, she felt she didn’t need to focus on anything else besides wrestling. However, after being thrust into the authority figure role, she realized how there is so much more to the professional wrestling industry than grappling techniques.
“I was like, ‘I’m just going to wrestle and I don’t need to do anything else. And, I would hear so much ...
AJ Takes Shot at WWE, Why Taz Was Not on Impact Wrestling
– Taz was not at this week’s episode of TNA Impact Wrestling because he was unable to get from New York to Orlando in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. All other talent made it there before the hurricane hit and were available for the show.
– On this week’s episode of Impact, AJ said that in the past year he was dealing with other issues besides title shots, dealing with people taking pics of him getting into an elevator with someone of the opposite sex. Then he said “it seems to be the new fad if your name is AJ”.
This was obviously a shot at the AJ Lee/John Cena angle on Raw this week. Kurt...
Jamie Varner vs. Melvin Guillard set for TUF 16 Finale
Fans who have already bought tickets to The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale card on Dec. 15 in Las Vegas just had a fireworks show added to the festivities.
It comes in the form of a lightweight bout between bangers Jamie Varner and Melvin Guillard. UFC.com reported on the bout on Thursday.
It's been an action-packed year for Varner (20-7-1, 2 no-contests), who returned to the UFC on short notice in May and scored a sensational upset TKO win over previously unbeaten Edson Barboza. Varner then came up just short in a thriller against
Dan Henderson says he'll help Chael Sonnen on TUF and corner him against Jones if his schedule allows
Dan Henderson and Chael Sonnen both wanted the same thing: a chance to fight Jon Jones for the UFC light-heavyweight title. But the two apparently won't let the conflicting goals affect their friendship.
On Thursday, Sonnen had no problem looking past Henderson's criticism of his title shot, telling TSN's Michael Landsberg that Henderson would be one of his assistant coaches on The Ultimate Fighter as well as a cornerman for his April 27, 2013 title fight with Jones.
Neither of those is apparentl...
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Live Chat: TUF 17 and Sonnen vs. Jones update, GSP's return, MMA weekend discussion
After a few quiet weeks, things are finally beginning to heat up. When it rains, it pours.
This week we learned Dan Henderson was never even asked whether he would like to coach opposite Jon Jones for season 17 of 'The Ultimate Fighter'. That, ladies and gentleman, is how you clean out a division without even fighting all of the other contenders in it. It's believed the ticket sales for UFC 151 weren't great and Henderson confirming he wasn't asked to coach opposite Jones is reasonably good evidence UFC brass are simply not confident a Jones vs. Henderson show and eventua...
Stephan Bonnar's retirement brings back memories of 'the fight'
Stephan Bonnar, perhaps the most famous journeyman fighter in UFC history, confirmed Tuesday night what he had hinted about for months: at 35, his career inside the cage was over.
Being left momentarily paralyzed by a knee to the solar plexus, and quickly finished by the greatest fighter of his time in Anderson Silva, may not have been the storybook ending he was hoping for. But that's why it's called storybook, because it rarely happens.
Bonnar was never a top championship contender. He also never beat a top championship contender, although he did come very close to beating one future champion. In his 15 UFC fights over a little more than seven years on the roster, he only had two main events, one a few weeks ago as a late su...
Andrey Koreshkov vs. Lyman Good Bellator welterweight tourney final set for Nov. 30
Andrey Koreshkov joined the Bellator ranks with an undefeated record and the reputation of a fearsome finisher. Four fights later, he's still unbeaten and coming off his most impressive win, a crushing knockout of the DREAM champion Marius Zaromskis.
And he's also one win away from fighting for the Bellator welterweight championship.
To do that, he'll have to go through the promotion's first-ever divisional champ, Lyman Good. The two now have a date for their tournament finals matchup, as the promotion c...
WWE Announcement Expected, Foley Working on Tour, More
- WWE will air a two-hour version of their Falls Count Anywhere DVD on pay-per-view beginning December 3rd.
- Devin sent the following: WWE returns to the James Brown Arena in Augusta, Georgia on Sunday, February 3rd, 2013.
- Mick Foley noted on Twitter that he’s close to finalizing a fourteen city comedy tour for the UK in Spring 2013.
- It’s expected to be a newsworthy afternoon as WWE will release their latest financial numbers this morning. Vince McMahon will then address the WWE stockholders with a conference call at 11am EST. It’s expected that some sort of announcement regarding the WWE Network will be made. Join us this afternoon for full coverage from the report.
Backstage News on Triple H and Vince + Busty Beth Phoenix Pics!
...
WWE Still Pushing Ryback, Backstage News on Foley-Punk
- Despite Ryback’s loss at WWE Hell In a Cell, the idea is to still push him as a top star and put everything behind him.
- WWE officials have been working on ways to use Mick Foley in the CM Punk storyline and Team Foley vs. Team Punk at Survivor Series may not be the end of their encounters this year.
No word yet if WWE officials are still considering a Foley vs. Punk singles match at December’s TLC pay-per-view.
New Storylines for Ryback, Must See Kaitlyn Workout Pics and More…
Partial source: F4Wonline.com
...
Glacier Helping DDP, WWE Keeping Ryback with Punk, Heyman
- We noted before that Jake “The Snake” Roberts had moved in with Diamond Dallas Page so Page can train him for one more legitimate run in a wrestling ring. Apparently they have an overweight wrestling fan living with them who is trying to get into shape. It also appears that former WCW star Ray “Glacier” Lloyd is one of the trainers.
- Paul Heyman will likely join the current WWE European tour from November 5th through the 10th but that’s not confirmed yet.
- Also on the European tour, top matches were changed to John Cena vs. Dolph Ziggler and CM Punk vs. Ryback instead of Cena vs. Punk because they still want to keep Ryback working with Punk to help teach him in-ring skills.
What’s Planned for Cena After Ziggler, Another Traditional Match at Survivor Series?, More
Partial source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter
...
10/29 RAW Breakdown: Phoenix vs. AJ Lee, Sheamus-Show, More
- As noted before, the October 29th WWE RAW with the fallout from Hell In a Cell did a 2.95 cable rating with 4.09 million viewers. This was the best rated RAW since the NFL regular season began but was not the highest viewed. Hurricane Sandy affected cable TV this week as RAW was third for the night behind NFL Monday Night Football and Hurricane coverage on the Fox News Channel.
In the segment breakdown, the opener with CM Punk and Mick Foley did a 3.21 quarter rating. JTG vs. Ryback lost 432,000 viewers – another bad sign for Ryback on his own. Wade Barrett vs. Randy Orton gained 123,000 viewers while Kane and Daniel Bryan vs. Darren Young and Titus O’Neil gained 1,000 viewers. The segment with Vickie Guerrero and John Cena at 9pm gained 373,000 viewers for a 3.25 quarter rating.
Antonio Cesaro vs. Kofi Kingston and a backstage segment with Vickie and AJ Lee lost 451,000 viewers. Zack Ryder and Santino Marella vs. Heath Slater and Jinder Mahal plus Beth Phoenix vs. A...
Rhodes Sandow’s Title Shot, Wrestler Visiting at RAW, More
- The October 1st episode of WWE RAW had 298,000 viewers watching on DVR or tape delay – way lower than the usual number. The October 8th episode had 305,000 homes watching on DVR or tape delay.
- Jim Ross revealed that former WWE agent and wrestler Rene Goulet was backstage at Monday’s RAW in Charlotte.
- Unless WWE changes plans and puts the title match on an upcoming episode of RAW, Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes aren’t scheduled to get another WWE Tag Team Title shot against Kane and Daniel Bryan until the TLC pay-per-view in December.
WWE Debuting a New Team Soon, Busty New Maryse Personal Pics and More…
Partial source: F4Wonline.com
...
Original Plans for Ryback at WWE HIAC, Run-Ins Discussed, More
- We’ve noted how WWE officials, mainly Vince McMahon, went back and forth on the finish for Ryback vs. CM Punk at Hell In a Cell.
The original plan was for Ryback to win the WWE Title clean in the middle of the ring, hold it through Survivor Series and then drop it at TLC in a multi-man match where he wouldn’t be pinned or submitted. This was the plan through October 25th, the Thursday before the pay-per-view. The next day, Vince changed his mind and concluded that of the two, Punk’s streak was the one that had been hammered home on TV and keeping that streak alive would only help business through WrestleMania season. Vince noted that while it had been mentioned on TV that Ryback was undefeated, it wasn’t central to the storyline.
One WWE source close to creative was amazed that Vince made up his mind on the finish on October 26th and three straight days went by without him changing his mind.
Once they decided to have Ryback lose, many ideas were discussed on h...
John Cena Grants Another Wish of a Sick Child
The Kids Wish Network issued the following press release on Thursday:
WWE® SUPERSTAR JOHN CENA, KIDS WISH NETWORK GRANT WISH FOR BOY WITH HYDROCEPHALUS
JONESBORO, Ga. – International children’s charity Kids Wish Network announced today that through the generosity of the WWE and other sponsors, Maurice Wilson’s dream of meeting his favorite WWE Superstar, John Cena, has come true. Kids Wish Network is a Tampa-based charitable organization dedicated to infusing hope, creating happy memories, and improving the quality of life for children having experienced life-altering situations.
“Generous Guardian Angel organizations such as the WWE help us make a wonderful difference in the lives of many children every year,” said Anna Lanzatella, Executive Director of Kids Wish Network. “Kids Wish Network relies on stars like John Cena to help us make dreams become realities for children facing life threatening illnesses every day.”
Eight-year-old Maur...
WWE Reports 2012 3rd Quarter Earnings
WWE® Reports 2012 Third Quarter Results
STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–WWE (NYSE:WWE) today announced financial results for its third quarter ended September 30, 2012. Revenues totaled $104.2 million as compared to $108.5 million in the prior year quarter. Operating income was $5.0 million as compared to $15.9 million in the prior year quarter. Net income was $3.5 million, or $0.05 per share, as compared to $10.6 million, or $0.14 per share, in the prior year quarter. Excluding items that impacted comparability on a year-over-year basis, Adjusted Operating income was $7.1 million as compared to $21.0 million in the prior year quarter, and Adjusted Net income was $5.0 million, or $0.07 per share, as compared to $14.1 million, or $0.19 per share, in the prior year quarter. The decline in earnings, on both an “As Reported” and “Adjusted” basis, was driven by $6.6 million in incremental expenses from the return to a more normalized level of management incentive compensati...
WWE Pay-Per-View Buyrates for July, August September
As noted earlier, WWE released the company’s third quarter earnings for 2012, the following is the official Pay Per View buyrates for events in July, August & September.
* WWE Money in the Bank (7/15/12): 188,000 buys (down from 195,000 in 2011)
* WWE Summerslam (8/19/12): 358,000 buys (up from 296,000 in 2011)
* WWE Night of Champions (9/16/12): 189,000 buys (up from 161,000 in 2011)
Talk of Forming New WWE Stable Like Nexus, Injured WWE Star Returns to Action, AJ Storyline Update
...
Vince McMahon Conference Call Notes: WWE Network Update, Financial Report, More
Vince McMahon hosted a conference call pertaining to the third quarter financial report that WWE released on November 1, 2012. Here are some highlights.
* Michael Weitz of WWE Investor Relations opened the call. Weitz hoped the callers on the East Coast were able to weather the storm. turned the call over to Vince.
* Vince said the quarter was where they expected to be, perhaps better. He noted that it was down from last year. He noted that their video game business down slightly only because they did not release a second title as they did last year.
* Vince said social media “is through the roof and will continue to be for quite some time.”
* Vince believes television ratings are good. He said they remain the No. 1 show on USA Network and Syfy. Vince said the third hour of Raw is doing “extremely well.”
* Vince touted the debuts of WWE Saturday Morning Slam and WWE Main Event. He also noted they launch of WWE programming on Hulu Plus, and discus...
Strong Sales For CM Punk – Best in the World, WWE ’13 Unboxing With Kofi Kingston
- Sales for WWE’s CM Punk – Best in the World DVD and Blu-ray were strong in its first week of release. The DVD sold 28,938 copies for $576,472 and the Blu-ray version sold 23,272 for $581,571. It was No. 19 in overall DVD sales and No. 9 in Blu-Ray. No other sports titles ranked nearly as well.
- WWE has published a video of Kofi Kingston unboxing THQ’s WWE ’13 video game. WWE teases, “Check out what awesome surprises lay in store for the WWE Universe with WWE’s latest and most innovative video game ever!”
Match Announced For WWE Main Event, WWE Returns To Italy, Heenan
- Wade Barrett had harsh words for Sheamus following his victory over Tyson Kidd on Wednesday’s WWE Main Event broadcast, prompting The Celtic Warrior to confront him. The two exchanged insults before Sheamus challenged Barrett to a match on next week’s show from the United Kingdom.
- WWE will be holding SmackDown live events at the Unipol Arena in Bologna, Italy on April 25, 2013 and the PalaTrieste Arena in Trieste, Italy on April 26, 2013.
- In Thursday’s birthdays, WWE Hall of Famer Bobby Heenan turns 68-years-old and former WWE star Tyler Reks turns 34.
...
Anthony Johnson “Excited And Honored” To Be A Part Of WSOF’s First Show
Click here to view the embedded video.
Light heavyweight, and former UFC welterweight, Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson (13-4) talks about his evolution as a fighter from wrestling to learning to become a striker. Johnson is excited to be featured on the very first World Series of Fighting event this Saturday when he takes on D.J. Linderman in the co-main event of the Las Vegas event. Their bout will air live on NBC Sports.
...
Scott Steiner Backstage At Hell in a Cell, CM Punk QA From Comic Con
- Scott Steiner was backstage at WWE’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view event in Atlanta, Georgia, on Sunday. Now 50-years-old, he continues compete on the independent wrestling scene.
Robert Gibson of Rock ‘N Roll Express fame was also backstage at the event.
- AintItCool.com has released footage of WWE Champion CM Punk’s Q&A session at last Saturday’s Austin Comic Con. Topics discussed include injuries, the two men he hasn’t wrestled that he would like to face, how WWE refers to wrestlers as “Superstars,” Ryback, and how to break into the wrestling industry.
The Iron Shiek Talks About Winning the WWE Title Dropping It To Hulk Hogan
The Iron Shiek recently spoke with Inside the Ropes Radio. Here are some highlights.
Winning the WWF Title from Bob Backlund: That was the biggest day in my life. Bob Backlund was WWF Champion for six years. Nobody beat him. I was the first Iranian, Middle-Eastern guy to come there and I beat Backlund in the most famous arena in the world, Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Dropping the belt to Hulk Hogan: “I had so much heat because of the hostage situation going on. McMahon was worried about me. ...
WWE Main Event Report – October 31st, 2012
We begin tonight with the opening theme and pyro. Michael Cole welcomes us to the show and sends right to video of the screwjob finish this past Sunday at Hell in a Cell. We go to the announce table where Cole is joined by JBL. Cole says Brad Maddox has been suspended and will be questioned tomorrow at WWE Headquarters about his actions. Cole segues into what caused tonight’s match.
We see footage from last week’s show and Randy Orton’s subsequent challenge. We go to the ring for the introductions; Alberto Del Rio is out first. We go to a highlight video for Del Rio in the mean time. The Primet...
John Cena Returns to Action, The Rock Dresses as “The Hulk”, Upcoming WWE Event
- TMZ posted a photo of The Rock dressed as The Hulk with the caption: “This is by far the scariest thing we’ve ever seen”
- WWE returns to the Bercy Sports Palace in Paris, France on April 20th, 2013. Tickets go on sale November 19th, 2012 at 10 AM. WWE will be also be holding Smackdown house shows at the Unipol Arena in Bologna, Italy on April 25th, 2013 and the PalaTrieste Arena in Trieste, Italy on April 26th, 2013.
- John Cena defeated Dolph Ziggler in his first match back since undergoing elbow surgery today in Strasbourg, France.
Did John Cena Return at 100 Percent? WWE Star Sent Home from Current Tour….
...