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January 27, 2012
How Has Punk's Life Changed Since "The Promo"?
WWE champion C.M. Punk says "a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff" has changed since his memorable Raw promo in June 2011 that led to his MITB PPV triumph and quick departure from WWE. "I think certain people in the company have finally started to build faith in me," Punk told Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com. Punk also said he senses he's more visible as a celebrity, even though he doesn't like to think of himself as a celebrity despite being on TV.
"I was so burnt out before I re-signed," Punk added. "To just go, 'Okay, if I'm going to be back in, I'm going back 100 percent.' To just dive back in head-first while still being so burnt out took a toll on my body. Mentally, I'm okay. I think, for some reason, I got re-charged - I'm happy when I'm doing cool stuff," Punk said about his current state full-time for WWE again.
source: pwtorch.com
WWE.com Evaluates John Laurinaitis' Job Performance
WWE Executive Vice President of Talent Relations and Interim General Manager of Raw John Laurinaitis might have one less title preceding his name Monday – that’s when Chief Operating Officer Triple H rolls into town for Raw SuperShow to deliver a formal evaluation of the man who took his job. Laurinaitis has been on the clock since Oct. 10, 2011, when he supplanted Triple H as GM following a controversial “no confidence” vote in The King of Kings by WWE’s Board of Directors. Since then, the self-proclaimed “Mr. Excitement” has incurred the wrath of both John Cena and WWE Champion CM Punk for allowing Zack Ryder to compete through grievous injuries (though that may not have been entirely Laurinaitis' fault) and voicing his intentions to cheat Punk out of the WWE Championship at the 25th anniversary of the Royal Rumble.
Add to this the fact that the WWE Universe is well aware of Triple H’s own beef with Laurinaitis, and there’s a good chance The Game will go the CM Punk route and tear "Big Johnny" a new one on national television, opening the door for Punk to kick Laurinaitis’ head in at the Royal Rumble event.
Then again, this is a job evaluation, not a railroading. In his capacity as COO, Triple H has to examine all angles, good and bad. Mr. Laurinaitis has had some measurable success in his term as Interim Raw GM. Maybe The King of Kings will show mercy on his subject, who has already begun a pre-emptive campaign for a second chance. What our COO will decide is anyone’s guess, but in the meantime, consider that we’re fans too at WWE.com. We’re part of the WWE Universe as much as anyone, not to mention WWE employees. Our jobs are affected by Mr. Laurinaitis’ performance, and in that spirit, we’d like to present our own personal evaluation of Mr. Laurinaitis’ performance, and what we think Triple H might have to say on certain matters...More?
source: wwe.com
This Day in Wrestling History - Andre the Giant Passes Away
Andre Rene Roussimoff May 19, 1946 - January 27, 1993
Due to his immense stature it seemed inevitable that Andre would excel in the wrestling world. He had just started to make a name for himself in the ring as "Monster Eiffel Tower" or "Monster Roussimoff" when French-Canadian wrestler Edouard Carpentier first laid eyes on him. Carpentier was impressed with Andre's raw talent and decided to bring him to North America. Andre began wrestling under the name Jean Ferre in Canada for Grand Prix Promotions. In a short time Andre went from the undercard to being a headlining name. Inspired by the movie King Kong he acquired the nickname, "The 8th Wonder of the World," which stayed with him for the rest of his career.
By the time Andre had performed in front of 20,000 wrestling fans in Montreal, his legend had reached Vince McMahon, Sr. at the World Wide Wrestling Federation's (WWWF) headquarters. McMahon would forever alter Andre's life. In 1972, McMahon signed Andre to wrestle for the WWWF and changed his name to capitalize on his colossal size. "Andre the Giant" became one of the most recognizable names in wrestling. Andre performed under his new name at Madison Square Garden, where he easily defeated his opponent Buddy Wolfe without breaking a sweat. Before long, Andre's venues were sold out and wrestlers lined up to perform in his shadow. As Andre's fame grew to stardom, he was featured in Sports Illustrated in the largest feature they had ever published...More?
source: andrethegiant.com
Andre the Giant vs Big John Studd
January 26, 2012
More on Triple H's Return to Raw
Triple H is also being advertised for the March 12th RAW Supershow from Cleveland, the same show that The Rock is scheduled for. Triple H will likely be appearing on RAW regularly until WrestleMania beginning next week for the John Laurinaitis angle.
source: wrestling observer
This Day in Wrestling History
A big legal blowup takes place in New York. World Champion Joe Stecher had been slated to face the winner of Wladek Zbyszko vs. Ed "Strangler" Lewis. However, Lewis defeated Wladek, but Wladek came back and defeated Lewis. Lewis then left the International tournament to go on tour. Wladek then lost convincingly to Alex Aberg but Aberg would not wrestle a catch as catch can match. This left the door open for the Masked Marvel; however, tournament promoters would not let the Marvel wrestle Stecher. An injunction is granted by the court to prevent "The Masked Marvel Mort Henderson" or Strangler Lewis from leaving the Sam Rachman promoted International tournament to face Joe Stecher at the Jack Curley promoted Madison Square Garden show.
January 26, 1916
WCW president J.J. Dillon bans the use of the powerbomb after Kevin Nash injures The Giant when attempting the move.
January 26, 1988
January 25, 2012
WWE Hall of Fame Inductee Edge Tribute from Tommy Dreamer
Former ECW star Tommy Dreamer looked back on the career of WWE Hall of Fame inductee Edge in his latest newspaper column. "Edge’s marvellous career was cut short by a neck injury. At the time, he was at the top of his game — the WWE’s heavyweight champion," Dreamer wrote.
"But he was forced into retirement at the orders of doctors. It came down to this: he was told if he took one more fall or bad move, he could end up paralyzed or worse — dead. He went out too soon, but he went out on top of the industry.
The neck injury was just one of many he sustained in his illustrious career. I was with him when he tore his pectoral muscle. I was also with him when he tore his achillies tendon. I could see how beat up he was after matches. Watching him in the ring, you couldn’t tell, but he walked like a 90-year-old with crippling arthritis after.
"I would help him carry his luggage to rooms because he had little to no strength in his arms, yet night after night, he continued to go into the ring and do what he most loved doing since he was a kid. I am very proud to see him being inducted in WWE Hall of Fame this year, but even more proud to call him my friend."...More?
source: thewhig.com
Man, 25, Dies From Injuries At Pro Wrestling Academy
Anne Arundel County police said a man died from injuries he suffered at a professional wrestling academy.
Quentin V. Jackson, 25, of District Heights, died Jan. 20, police said in a news release issued Wednesday.
Investigators said Jackson was hurt Jan. 19 at Gillberg's Pro Wrestling Academy on Sandy Farm Road in Severn. He was taken to Shock Trauma.
Detectives said they conducted several interviews with witnesses.
"It was determined that the victim was practicing wrestling maneuvers and struck his head during a fall," the police department said in the news release. "There is no indication of foul play or suspicious circumstances surrounding the death."
According to the wrestling academy's Facebook page, it trains aspiring professional wrestlers, referees, managers and others wanting to break into the business. It opened in July 2010.
source: wbaltv.com
This Day in Wrestling History
Championship Wrestling from Florida hosted the "Superbowl of Wrestling" at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, with 12,000 fans attending. The show was given its name because it took place just over a week after Super Bowl XII. It was headlined by a world title unification match between WWWF Champion Superstar Billy Graham and NWA Champion Harley Race.
January 25, 1978
The Dynamite Kid wins the British Welterweight Title in Preston, England, defeating Jim Breaks, ending his fourth reign.
January 25, 1978
The nWo has its first PPV, called Souled Out.
January 25, 1997
January 24, 2012
Update on Ted Dibiase's Injury
Word is that Ted DiBiase suffered an arm injury this weekend. Cody Rhodes cut promos on DiBiase last weekend and said he had a broken hand but that may just be a storyline explanation.
DiBiase appeared at Sunday’s WWE Supershow in Las Cruces, New Mexico but did not wrestle. DiBiase came out to wrestle Wade Barrett but introduced the returning Randy Orton as Barrett’s opponent.
source: twnpnews.com
Twitter Trends During Monday Night Raw
A few of the WWE terms trending worldwide on Twitter during RAW were Zack Ryder, Chris Jericho, William Regal, Triple H and Johnny Ace, among others.
Chris Jericho Speaks on Raw and Reminds Everyone that the 'End Begins in 2012'
Chris Jericho hosted a returning segment of the "Highlight Reel" on Raw tonight, and after his usual non-speaking antics for the better part of the segment, he simply said, "this Sunday, at the Royal Rumble, it will be the end of the world as you know it." He then exited to the back.
This Day in Wrestling History
Lou Thesz defeated Buddy Rogers for the NWA Heavyweight Wrestling title.
January 24, 1963
Jacques Rougeau, Sr. defeats Waldo Von Erich in a tournament final for the vacant National Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Title in Buffalo, New York. The title had been stripped from Johnny Valentine.
January 24, 1973
Hacksaw Jim Duggan wins the first ever WWF(E) Royal Rumble match.
January 24, 1988
January 23, 2012
Triple H Returning on Raw Next Week to "Evaluate" Laurinaitis' GM Job
It was announced on Raw tonight that the WWE Board of Directors has questioned interim GM John Laurinaitis' managerial abilities since threatening to screw CM Punk out of the title at the Royal Rumble. As a result, Laurinaitis' job will be under review next week on Raw.
It was then announced that WWE COO Triple H will be on hand to conduct Laurinaitis' job review.
WWE Accuses Shays of Inflating Wrestler Deaths
Protective of the reputation of its professional wrestling brand, one that has made Senate hopeful Linda McMahon a fortune, the company formerly known as World Wrestling Entertainment on Monday accused McMahon's GOP adversary Christopher Shays of inflating the number of deaths in the industry for political gain.
In a two-page letter from the Stamford-based professional wrestling empire to Shays obtained by Greenwich Time, WWE spokesman Robert Zimmerman took the former congressman to task for recent comments he made to the media about the number of deaths of performers under contract with the company.
The letter also begs to differ with Shays' characterization that the WWE peddles "soft-core porn" and promotes bullying.
"We're just going to try to correct the factual inaccuracies that Mr. Shays is displaying about WWE," Zimmerman, a senior vice president in charge of corporate communications, told Greenwich Time in a brief interview.
WWE planned to send a copy of the letter to Shays' Stratford campaign headquarters by FedEx late Monday, according to Zimmerman, who copied Greenwich Time and the Associated Press on the original correspondence.
Both media outlets recently published extended interviews with Shays, in which he railed on McMahon's record of job creation and corporate success, which she has made pillars of her campaign.
"On behalf of WWE, its 650 employees and approximately 300,000 fans in Connecticut, we would greatly appreciate it if you would stick to factual statements about our organization and brand," Zimmerman wrote...More?
source: greenwichtime.com
Breakdown on WWE and UFC Salary Estimates
The top story of the Jan 23 Wrestling Observer Newsletter takes an in-depth look at special investigations undergone by ESPN and other news outlets about reported salaries vs. actual income for UFC fighters.
As part of the story, the Observer includes some fascinating notes comparing both salaries and the way UFC and WWE performers earn their money:
Report on average salaries of WWE, UFC, and major sports:
As far as average salary, a terribly misleading stat because the top end players skew it badly, and the median salary (where half make more and half make less would be better) and the NBA averages $5.15 million per player, Major League Baseball around $3.5 million, the NHL $2.4 million and NFL around $1.9 million. The WWE would be between $500,000 and $550,000. UFC is absolutely impossible to ascertain. But if they really paid 50%, it would be in the range of $650,000. At 30%, it would be in the range of $390,000 and at 15% it would be in the range of $195,000. My experience is that UFC fighters making $390,000 per year are usually really big names, but the average and the median number (a better figure but one that is virtually impossible to ascertain for UFC fighters and pro wrestlers) are very different.
Fertitta claimed in the interview that the company since it became profitable has created 39 millionaires, but exactly what that means wasn’t explained. If it means the company has paid more than $1 million to 39 different fighters in total over the last six or seven years, that isn’t nearly as impressive as it sounds. If they know their fighters finances well enough to know that 39 fighters are worth more than $1 million today, that’s very different and it was never explained. It’s nowhere close to that figure of any of the major sports, but it shouldn’t be, because total UFC revenue still pales in comparison with a major sport.
Update on Evan Bourne
A number of WWE sources believe that we've seen the last of Evan Bourne in the company following his second WWE Wellness suspension but no final decision has been made yet. His second suspension was for something completely unrelated to the first.
source: pwinsider.com
ROH & CHIKARA Announce "Unity" Card
Ring of Honor and CHIKARA announced Monday official details on a "synergy" between the two companies to promote a "Unity" card on April 28 in Chicago. ROH, which is officially incorporated as "Ring of Honor Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.," noted the first match signed is ROH tag champions The Briscoes vs. Hallowicked & Jigsaw for ROH's Tag Titles. Tickets for the "Unity" event go on-sale this Wednesday for ROH Ringside Members and this Friday to the general public on ROH's website.
source: pwtorch.com
News Regarding Two FCW Talents Being Called Up To WWE's Roster
It's being reported that both Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins have earned praise from WWE officials and are both on the verge of being called up to WWE's main television talent roster. However, WWE executive Paul Levesque (Triple H) has implemented a new strict policy that FCW talent shall not be brought onto WWE's main roster unless WWE officials have a solid storyline mapped out for them when they debut. (Thus, no low-card wrestlers with no apparent storyline, i.e. Curt Hawkins, Tyler Reks, etc.)
source: f4wonline.com
