King of the Ring Returns and WWE Network Schedule Announced

This week on the award-winning WWE Network, expect something new every night, including the debut of the new series Jerry Springer Presents WWE Too Hot for TV and King of the Ring which will begin on Monday's RAW and the finals will take place Tuesday night on the WWE Network.

Monday, April 27
Jerry Springer Presents WWE Too Hot For TV – Available on demand after Raw
Too extreme for live TV, WWE Too Hot for TV goes straight to on demand after Raw. Hosted by legendary talk show host Jerry Springer, this new series brings you the most outrageous stunts and cringe-inducing moments in WWE history.

Tuesday, April 28
King of the Ring – 8 ET/ 5 PT
Continuing the action from Monday's Raw, the King of the Ring Tournament finals will take place live on the award-winning WWE Network.

Wednesday, April 29 – Mick Foley Night
Have a Nice Night! – 9/8 C
Renee Young and Byron Saxton host this entertaining assemblage of Mick Foley’s most memorable and entertaining moments. Relive the timeless 'This is Your Life' segment with The Rock, laugh as Mr. McMahon meets the lovable Mr. Socko, experience the Three Faces of Foley and much more.

Cheap Pops – 10/9 C
Join Mick Foley as he shares humorous tales full of wit and wisdom from the WWE Hall of Famer's storied career. It’s an eclectic trip into the surreal mind and life of the Hardcore Legend like you've never seen before.

Thursday, April 30
LIVE! with Chris Jericho with Stephanie McMahon – Following SmackDown
Chris Jericho brings his uncensored show live to the award-winning WWE Network with special guest, WWE’s Chief Brand Officer, Stephanie McMahon.

Friday, May 1
Floyd Mayweather vs. The Big Show: The Money vs. The Giant – 9/8 C
Just in time for Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, which is expected to be one of the biggest boxing matches in history, go behind-the-scenes of the most anticipated fight on The Grandest Stage of Them All, as undefeated professional boxing sensation Floyd “Money” Mayweather took on the 7-foot “Giant”, Big Show at WrestleMania 24.

Monday, May 4
WWE 24: Roman Reigns – Following Raw
The acclaimed 30-minute docu-series takes you on a lightning-fast journey through a day in the life of one of WWE’s most intriguing Superstars and groundbreaking events.

Mick Foley Taping For The WWE Network

Mick Foley's official website announced that he will tape one of his comedy shows on April 24th from Full Sail University for a future WWE Network airing. Tickets go on sale Friday morning. More details are at this link.

Mick Foley Confirms Future Special Airing on WWE Network

Larry Gallagher of ThisIsInfamous.com recently spoke to WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley, and during the interview Foley confirmed a future special will air on the WWE Network, as WWE cameras will be filming his November 23rd comedy special in Brooklyn:

“Well you know what? There was a last minute brokering and it appears like the show will be done instead for the WWE Network. Yeah it is awesome. I guess I kind of jumped the gun with the post. It really was like an 11th hour agreement where we both realized we were better off doing this thing together.”

Mick Foley Reveals That He Wants To Return To WWE

Mick Foley posted the following on Facebook in which he reveals that he has changed his tune on becoming the WWE Raw General Manager.

FOLEY FOR GM?

"When asked how I would feel about another run as GM on social media a few months ago, I said. "I don't think I will be asked, and would turn down the offer if I was."

Well, after my appearance on WWE Monday Night Raw a few weeks ago, I've kind of changed my tune.

I think there is a chance I'll be asked about becoming GM within the next year - and if asked, I think I'd do it"

So after the WWE and Triple H bashing, someone wants back in. Could it be that Mick is crawling back because his daughter is training to be a wrestler?

Mick Foley Comments on Triple H

Any @TripleH haters need to listen to his #TalkIsJericho interview on @PodcastOne with @IAmJericho. It just might change your perspective.
— Mick Foley (@realmickfoley) September 30, 2014

Mick Foley is so full of crap. Sounds like he wants to be in WWE's good graces again...

Mick Foley Reveals He's A 'Stephanie McMahon Guy'

The following blog entry is from the Facebook of WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley:

I’M A STEPHANIE McMAHON GUY

"Let me get the little negatives out of the way first – so I don’t contradict statements I’ve made in the past. Yes, I do think the casual or investor can get confused when real-life authority figures play abusive authority figures on air. I do wish there was an authority figure, a new GM or Commisioner (no, not me, but I’ll have a few suggestions for candidates in a later post) to check and balance The Authority.

But with that being said, I’m proud to say that I’m a Stepanie McMahon guy. Seriously. I am. Stephanie can be such a mesmerizing presense on WWE Monday Night Raw and #Smackdown . Her recent interactions with Brie Bella – WWE Universe have been intense and exciting – and as a long time #DivaBeliever, I love the idea of ending #RAW with the ladies.

I met Stephanie 16 years ago – only minutes after the infamous Cell match, in Pittsburgh, in June, 1998, when I’d been told that a WWE employee and good friend had just learned of the loss of a loved one. I gave my friend a hug, and out of the corner of my eye, saw Stephanie McMahon – WWE for the first time. I gave the young McMahon a smile and then departed to participate in the most awkward run-in/limp-in/stumble in sports entertainment history.

It was 14 years ago that I was the first recipient of a Stephanie on-air slap. I still remember her soaking up everything around her like a sponge; looking at me as I said, “you can slap me as hard as you can – just not on the jaw” as if they were the wisest words in the world. Ms McMahon would go on to slap dozens…and dozens more over the next 14 years – as hard as she could, but hopefully never on the jaw. But hopefully, she has a special memory of the guy she smacked first."

Rumor Mill - WWE Executives Not Happy With Mick Foley

Several top WWE executives are reportedly upset at Mick Foley. This is due to the blogs and tweets he made in regards to the booking of Daniel Bryan around the Royal Rumble. Foley was very critical of the company during that time about how they were booking Daniel Bryan and not listening to the fans.

They're likely not happy about his latest blog, where he explains not signing a new Legends deal because he was disappointed with the payoffs on the past two video games.

Artist Rob Schamberger Talks Working with WWE & Foley, His Work Being at Axxess, More

Acclaimed and exhibited artist, painter of the Champion Portrait series and portrait maker of your favorite wrestling stars as seen on the likes of WWEAuctions.com and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Rob Schamberger joined “Multi-time Award Winning” the Rack Thursday Night. In a nearly 25 minute interview, he discussed how he got started and how we got connected with WWE, his work being displayed at WrestleMania and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, his feelings to having work sold through WWE Auctions, who were his favorite wrestlers, what is his favorite medium to use: watercolor or acrylic, what is the biggest complement he’s gotten for his work, teaming with Mick Foley for his work with RAINN, the use of social media and how it has affected his art for the positive, his tips for other up-and-coming artists, his thoughts on the upcoming WrestleMania XXX card and so much more.

You can follow Rob through his Twitter (@robschamberger), his Tumblr (robschamberger.tumblr.com) or visit his homepage (http://robschamberger.com) for all the latest on him and projects as well as a gallery of his work; you can also see and bid on Rob’s work through wweauctions.com. You can also see Rob as part of WrestleMania with WrestleMania Axxess week; go to wwe.com or Ticketmaster.com for tickets and a list of events associated with Axxess. You can also win a chance to get a work from Rob through Mick Foley’s RAINN Charity raffle, go to www.rainn.org/raffle for a listing of prizes and for your chance to purchase raffle tickets for a great cause!

How did he come about working with the WWE: “It’s actually my first official WrestleMania with them (WWE), but I started about three years ago. I was looking at doing something different with my art; I’d been working primarily with comic books and illustration and it didn’t ever quite fully happen, you know; I’d still have a day job and everything. I just wanted to do something different and I realized that no one had ever done a serious collection of portraits of wrestlers. So then I thought, ‘Oh, it’d be cool to do every one of wrestling’s world champions going all the way back to George Hackenschmidt and that's all where it kind of started.

Then, there was Kickstarter about three years ago, where I raised $20,000 dollars in a month to pay for studio space and everything to help make that break into doing art full-time and then just built off it from there and it’s been a wild ride.”

His work being featured through the WWEAuctions.com site: “They actually came to me; Jim Ross had told them that that it would be a good fit for us to do business together, which is neat. I might actually be the last person that Jim Ross brought into the WWE; kind of a neat lineage to be part of. But we started talking about half way through last year and towards the end of the year we launched our first auctions together, right around Black Friday time and we’ve been doing it fairly consistently since then. It’s been phenomenal, I mean I have my own page on WWE.com and I don’t even have to take bumps in the ring.”

More?

Mick Foley Writes a Blog Post to WWE, Thanks Them for Last Night's RAW and More

After weeks of criticizing the WWE, Triple H & Vince McMahon, Mick Foley posted the following on his Facebook page:

Dear WWE,

Thank you.

If you knew from the begginning what a super hot heel a win at the Royal Rumble would make Dave Batista, then you were smarter than all of us.

If you didn't know, and were then forced to adap to a unique set of cirumstances that the backlash from the Rumble provided, then you adapted very well.

With one outstanding Raw, you've got me, and millions of fans around the world excited about the biggest showcase in our business, and I'm thrilled to be going.

When I expressed concern after the Rumble, you told me not to judge a book by its cover. I came darn close to just putting that book back on the shelf, but it now looks like the final few chapters are going to turn into a captivating page-turner.

Onn behalf of RAINN, which saw a HUGE jump in ‪#‎WrestlemaniaDreamVacation‬ raffle entries after last night's Raw, thank you for the difference you are allowing them to make in the lives of thousands of people through this raffle - 100% of which goes to RAINN, the largest ant-sexual assault group in the US. Even as I was voicing my displeasure with some of the shows, you were sending me HOF tickets, allowing WWE Superstars and Divas to participate, and asking how you could help to make my raffle better.

Thanks also for allowing me to speak my mind without any private or public reprimand. Yes, I'll admit that attending the Knicks game in my pajamas, while officially representing the company was a form of protest. Maybe not as blatant as smashing my TV, but a form of protest, nonetheless. But as my friend Brendon Burns, a brilliant comic from Australia, with an incredible mind for the wrestling business (who would love to write for you guys, by the way) put it - WWE's recent shows have actually helped create one of the most fascinating, influential characters we've seen in wrestling in years: the fans.

Newly excited fans can learn more about, and enter the ‪#‎WrestlemaniaDReamVacationRaffle‬ at http://www.rainn.org/wrestlemania-dream-vacation-raffle-2014

Sincerely,

Mick Foley

What a suck up...

Preview of Mick Foley's New WWE Comic

WWE.com and Papercutz are proud to present an exclusive three-page, lettered preview of the first issue of the upcoming brand-new "WWE" comic book series, kicking off a new era in comics!

WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley brings us a unique, all-new adventure straight from the world of WWE’s powerful, ongoing clashes!

Welcome to Titan City, a metropolis where everyone’s hiding secrets and there’s no one to trust. In a corrupt world where everyone is looking to cash in, three larger-than-life combatants collide. John Cena’s been framed for a crime he didn’t commit. Randy Orton’s on the verge of achieving city-wide power. And CM Punk is determined to bring the whole corrupt system crashing down. From the scheming south side to the barren desert no man’s land where even the law refuses to go, the powerful factions of Titan City are locked in a battle for control in an unforgettable noir landscape. Featuring AJ Lee, Sheamus, The Undertaker, Daniel Bryan, and more!

WWE #1 ships with four even-split variants by Jill Thompson (The Sandman, Beasts of Burden), Michael Golden (Batman, Micronauts), Dean Haspiel (American Splendor), and Alitha Martinez (Batgirl, New Crusaders), paying homage to classic comic book covers with typographic re-creation by Tom Orzechowski.

A retailer incentive cover featuring The Undertaker by Miran Kim (X-Files, Hellraiser) is free with every 10 copies ordered...More?

WWE Raw Box Set Announced

WWE will be releasing a "Raw 20th Anniversary Collection" containing 12 DVDs (or 10 blu-ray discs) that boast a full 20 episodes of Monday Night Raw, "uncut and unedited".

The box set is available for pre-order now through Amazon.com, and will be released on December 3rd in the United States for $79.99. They have also released a brief synopsis of the collection:

"Commemorating the 20th Anniversary of Raw, WWE presents 20 of the most memorable Raw episodes in history all in one all-new collector's set. For the first time ever, this collection will feature 20 COMPLETE EPISODES of Raw spread out over 12 DVD discs (10 Blu-ray). Each episode will be featured in chronological order, and were carefully selected to present a wide range that showcases all eras, several milestones and historic moments throughout Raw history. This collection is a must-own for WWE fans."

Both the WCW/WWF "simulcast" and "homecoming" editions of Monday Night Raw will be included in the set. It's worth noting that if the collection is true to its word, and will leave each episode "uncut and unedited", both episodes feature matches with Chris Benoit. Other episodes that have been confirmed include Mankind's WWF Championship title win, the very first Raw Roulette, the night Raw finally ended Nitro's ratings dominance, the DX Invasion and the original ECW Invasion.

This Day In Wrestling History

Dick Shikat defeats Jim Londos in Philadelphia, PA. The National Boxing Association's wrestling division (later the National Wrestling Association) recognizes Shikat as the new World Champion.
August 23, 1929

Triple H defeats Mick Foley for his first WWF(E) World Title one night after SummerSlam.
August 23, 1999

Controversial 2K WWE Legends Panel Featuring Ric Flair, Jim Ross, Steve Austin, Ziggler, Foley & More

Twitch.TV has posted a 75 minute video of the WWE 2K14 30 Years of WrestleMania Symposium that needs to be seen to be believed. Jim Ross hosted the event and, let's just say that he was in a condition where he was very acerbic and quite honest. Perhaps it was due to the "Snapple" he was drinking.

The panel consisted of Dolph Ziggler, Daniel Bryan, Rey Mysterio, Mick Foley, Paul Heyman, Steve Austin and Ric Flair.

Flair was also in, uh, rare form, going down some roads that WWE probably wish would have stayed unpaved, so to speak. Things really get wild around the 38 minute mark.

You can watch the video, which is really unreal, at this link.

WrestleZone has learned that Ric Flair was pulled from last night's 2K Sports Legends panel, and it appears as though WWE sent Jerry Lawler to the event to replace Flair in talking to the media. According to a backstage source in WWE, WWE Executives Jane Geddes and Mark Carrano were summoned by TV exec Lisa Lee to the event to remove Ric Flair from the stage while the event was still ongoing. Lisa Lee apparently was shooting the event on her cell phone and notifying WWE management of the fact Flair appeared to be intoxicated. WWE is said to be furious about the public display by Flair, who has been negotiating to be the good will ambassador for the company.

Flair was said to be “out of control, profane and a total wreck.”

We can also exclusively confirm Stephanie McMahon LeVesque personally came to the event, and was whisked in by her own personal security staff to apologize to 2K Sports on behalf of WWE.

WrestleZone has been told WWE is furious with Flair, and also at host Jim Ross for losing control of the situation.

source: wrestlezone.com & pwinsider.com

WWE Ventures into the World of Graphic Novels, Mick Foley Set to Author Them

Comic Book Resources is reporting that Papercutz will be publishing two WWE comic series.

According to the article, the first title is a monthly comic series starting in December titled "WWE", which will be an extension of WWE programming. Mick Foley will write stories and they are set to coincide with what we see on TV. As an FYI, he will also be back as the GM for season two of Saturday Morning Slam on The CW.

There will also be a second title that is focused purely on kids and is set to launch in June of 2014 and will be released three times a year.

source: pwinsider.com

Mick Foley Comments On Triple H & Curtis Axel, TNA, Nixed Dean Ambrose Feud, Ziggler's Future, More

WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley joined Busted Open with Dave Lagreca and Doug Mortman and discussed Curtis Axel, his Hall of Fame speech, Dolph Ziggler cashing in, his nixed angle with Dean Ambrose (which you can watch in the video above) and much more. You can hear Busted Open on Sirius 92, XM 208 and on the app on Sports Zone. Here are some highlights:

On if Triple H squashed Curti Axel's debut: "This is not a knock on Triple H, but Triple H talked about retiring me after I already came back three times. At that point it was a big deal in 2000 for Triple H to talk about retiring me. If Triple H has had his last match, which is a good possibility, then I see Paul Heyman bragging for the next three years that Curtis Axel retired Triple H. Which is much bigger than beating him and much more meaningful or whether or not he was slapped or made to look weak momentarily.

"For people who ask me if I think this guy has a chance. Not only is he talented and waited his turn and lived through the Michael McGillicutty indignity. I asked him about that and obviously he didn't want to say anything bad about the company, but he said ,'It hurt a little, it stung when you get your name and it's Michael McGillicutty. Short term you can say, 'well why didn't he beat Triple H?' But like I said, me being on the outside looking in, depending how this thing plays out, never underestimate the verbal skills of Paul Heyman or the skills of Michael McGillicutty. As a fan it has me hooked. Even if you're not saying Curtis Axel right now, I believe that Paul is the master. I call him the master gardener. He knows how much water and sunshine to give his project and then they have to grow on their own."

On his Hall of Fame speech: "I think they intentionally had a smaller class this year and the only guideline Vince McMahon gave us was to have fun and enjoy it. That was the only critique of me when I came back to the WWE because I had left with the words 'You'll never speak to me this way again.' Then I came back with the words 'can I come back now?' So I was a little tentative. Vince even said to me, 'Mick, you look like you're not enjoying yourself' and I wasn't.

"I did throw a minor little fit over the rumor that Donald Trump's speech was going to air and not mine on television. I specifically remembered that I had told Stephanie McMahon a week or two earlier. I said, 'Stephanie, the moment you guys mentioned my book on the air Countdown to Lockdown, I said at that moment I promised myself that if I was ever asked to be in the Hall of Fame that I would say yes unconditionally. I wouldn't ask to be on at a certain point, it would be unconditionally. Then all of a sudden I hear about Donald Trump and I'm placing conditions on it. I said that's not the way I feel. This is going to be a great night. I really apologized in front of the entire McMahon family. Because I did feel it wasn't my place to say that and most importantly, now I was lying to what I had said to Stephanie. This came from the heart. It was supposed to be unconditional. Now I'm actually thinking about going out there and throwing my ring in the audience. These were the thoughts going through my head. By the time I got to the Garden, I'm just going to enjoy this. I went out on stage and realized I would probably never have the opportunity to address 17,000 people in THAT arena. The most important one in the country to me. I consider it maybe the best highlight of my career because I was able to recognize it."

More?

2013 WWE Hall of Fame Inductees

This Day In Wrestling History

Today would have been Andrew "Test" Martin's 37th birthday.
March 17, 1975

"Beyond The Mat, a documentary on professional wrestling directed by Hollywood screenwriter Barry W. Blaustein, opens in theaters. The film focuses on Jake Roberts, Terry Funk, and Mick Foley, and also includes sections on Vince McMahon, Droz, New Jack, Koko B. Ware, and ECW's first Pay-per-view, Barely Legal. The film was originally set for only a small limited run in Los Angeles and New York City, but a fan campaign launched by the Strictly ECW fan organization leads to a full national rollout for the film in 298 theaters. The film would open at number 19 for the week and make $2,053,648 over its nine week theatrical run. The film would do well in the home video market with several different VHS and DVD releases.
March 17, 2000

Triple H defeated Chris Jericho (with Stephanie McMahon) for the WWF(E) Unified Heavyweight title at WrestleMania 18. The event also featured The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan.
March 17, 2002

WWE Saturday Morning Slam Results 3/16/13

Booker T is in the ring and he has a major announcement to make. On behalf of the WWE Board of Directors, he has been on an extensive search for a General Manager for Saturday Morning Slam. After deliberating, he knows that he has come up with the right man for the job.

Booker introduces the Saturday Morning Slam General Manager. He is a former WWE Champion and a future Hall of Famer. Your General Manager is Mick Foley.

Prime Time Players defeated Tensai and Brodus Clay via pinfall. Primetime Players stole the victory, which forced Mick Foley to come out and make a rematch. Tensai and Brodus Clay defeated Primetime Players.

Rumor Mill - WWE HOF Updates

There are plans to have 1-2 more inductees for the 2013 WWE Hall of Fame class. Ivan Koloff and Kamala's names have been discussed. The company has reached out to at least Kamala about being inducted.

As I noted in the PWInsider Elite section, Bruno Sammartino's induction will headline the ceremony. The company hopes to have Arnold Schwarzenegger induct him, something Bruno intends to talk to Arnold about when he is inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame during the Arnold Classic.

In regards to the other scheduled inductees, it's expected that Terry Funk and/or Jim Ross (possibly both) will induct Mick Foley. The company is considering Maria Menounos for Bob Backlund as the two are friends and obviously, WWE would love for the celebrity rub. Sgt. Slaughter's name has also been brought up for Backlund as has, interestingly enough, Roddy Piper.

In speaking around to those in the company, it was believed Donald Trump would most likely be inducted by a member of his family, possibly Ivanka Trump.

There's no word on Trish Stratus' inductor yet, although as I noted in the Elite section, Lita and/or Dave Finley would make the most sense. They could also go with Edge as they are both from Toronto and were trained by Ron Hutchison at the same school.

source: pwinsider.com

Mick Foley to be inducted into WWE Hall of Fame

On Saturday, April 6, 2013, three-time WWE Champion, New York Times best-selling author and Hardcore Legend Mick Foley will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame … right here, in New York City’s Madison Square Garden!

The beloved WWE Superstar who famously hitchhiked from upstate New York to MSG to watch his boyhood hero Jimmy Snuka battle Don Muraco in a Steel Cage Match is the first inductee announced for the Class of 2013...More?

source: wwe.com