Former NWA Champion Headed to the WWE Performance Center to Work This Week

Former NWA Champion Adam Pearce wrote on Twitter that he was flying from San Diego to Orlando and added the following:

"The next chapter begins. #Thankful"

PWInsider reports that Pearce is scheduled to be at the WWE Performance Center this week as a guest trainer.

WWE Tribute To The Troops Taping Schedule

This year's WWE Tribute to The Troops will be taped on December 11th at the Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Fort Lewis, Washington. The show starts at 7pm and will be taped at McChord Field Hangars 3 and 4. Admission is free to all military personnel.

Top WWE Prospect Says He Is Done with Ring of Honor, Won't Be Appearing at Final Battle

Davey Richards announced last night on Facebook that he is officially done with Ring of Honor and will not be appearing at their Final Battle event in December. Richards and his tag partner Eddie Edwards recently debuted for WWE NXT. Below is a post from his Facebook:

"With a heavy heart I can announce I announce that myself and ROH have parted ways for good and I will not be at Final Battle. Please continue to support them and the incredible talent they have. Thanks for the memories. It was an amazing ride."

Ultimate Warrior comments on WWE Hall of Fame rumors

Mayer Nissium of Digital Spy is featuring an interview with the Ultimate Warrior where he addresses the possiblity of heading into the WWE Hall of Fame and his interest in it.

Warrior provided a lengthy response not ruling anything out, but that the true story of his career would need to be told first instead of the version released on DVD back in 2005.

"The simple answer is they've got to tell the right story. That's a possibility. Being in the Hall of Fame - Ultimate Warrior being inducted into the Hall of Fame, or me standing there at the Hall of Fame participating in it - is not going to mean anything to my goals in my life and the kind of quality of life I'm going to have, what kind of things I'm going to do, how productive I'm going to be as I move on throughout my life.

I only get this one life, so I'm not going to sit in my own pile of poop and feel sorry that I'm not in the Hall of Fame. The Ultimate Warrior character relative to professional wrestling or WWE, he's definitely a Hall of Famer. He's a Hall of Famer whether he gets into the Hall of Fame or not.

They need to tell the right story. They need to tell the right story for the fans. It's been interesting - years ago they started rewriting the history of the character. Then they came out with the DVD [2005's controversial The Self-Destruction of The Ultimate Warrior]. I see the people who love The Ultimate Warrior. They're grown up now they're out in the world and they've got their own kids. I've seen them, they fight.

"They don't sit back and take it anymore when people are on a bandwagon and spew out all kinds of stuff that's not based on any factual information or anything like that about what kind of impression the Ultimate Warrior made in the business. So they need to tell the right story, and that would be a way to open the door to talking about doing the Hall of Fame."

To check out the full interview with Warrior, click here.

source: digital spy

WWE Working with Artist Rob Schamberger

WE's auction website now features the work of awesome artist Rob Schamberger, who is no stranger to some WWE fans. Rob posted a video on YouTube which shows how he did his Champions Collection portrait of Daniel Bryan, which is available on WWE's auction site now.

Edge On Why WWE Changed His Theme, Hating 'You Think You Know Me,' HHH's Song Not Making Sense

Journey Of A Frontman has an interview with Adam "Edge" Copeland, who discussed music. Here are a couple of highlights from the interview:

WWE replacing Rob Zombie's "Never Gonna Stop" as his theme with "Think You Know Me": "Replacing 'Never Gonna Stop' wasn't my choice. The copyright ran out on Never Gonna Stop. And the way that started is, I tore my labrum in my shoulder, but I didn't get surgery, so I ended up having a month off. So I threw a shot in the dark. I always hated that 'You Think You Know Me' music because it never fit me and what I actually listen to. I had actually said that I wanted to use this Black Label Society song and they were like, 'Okay, well here's our version of it.' And it just sounded like a bad ripoff with this cheesy voice. The guys that did Big Show's music and they did this version of Black Label and it was just not good. It just sounded like a bad ripoff. Rob Zombie, he had a new album coming out, 'Can we get this?' A shot in the dark. Next week, they brought me a copy of the CD, The Sinister Urge, and I was just like, 'Oh, really? Holy s--t!' I didn't think that was gonna happen. So I had four tracks and they said the album hasn't been released, so you can't let anybody hear this. And I said, 'Okay. Never Gonna Stop.' I come back from an injury, that makes sense. So I used it, really, really liked it. And then when I came back from the neck injury, they were like, 'Okay, well we can't use it.' And also if you watch DVDs, it's never on the DVDs. So they piped in my original music.

"When I was out with my neck injury, I met Mark Tremonti. I met him at a Metallica show, actually. And I went back to his place after and he played me what would end up being the first Alter Bridge album. I heard Metalingus and I was like, 'Dude, can I use that when I come back?' And he said, 'Yeah! Of course!" So that ended up being the genesis of it and when I heard it, it was actually Mark singing. It hadn't been Myles yet. So it was in its infancy, but I had heard that song. I was like, 'Okay, that's gonna be what I come to the ring to.' And that's how that all started."

If there was ever discussion of Alter Bridge playing his theme live at a WWE event: "My whole idea to me is if you're a heel in wrestling, you should not having a band playing for when you come out and people will react in a positive way. And I never wanted them to react in a positive way. So it never made sense to me when Motorhead showed up and did Triple H's song, you're supposed to be a heel. They're now gonna cheer you because you just had Motorhead playing you to the ring. So, to me, it just never fit. I was never a babyface at the point where it would have worked out. So, we kind of missed the boat on that. Looking back at Wrestlemania 24, I wrestled Undertaker in Orlando, which is Alter Bridge's hometown. That would have been the perfect night to do it. But I was the bad guy. If I had done that differently, it would have been a very cool moment for all of us."

Copeland also discussed his favorite live band performances on WWE television, bonding with Chris Jericho, his favorite band, getting on stage with Fozzy and more. You can read the full interview by clicking here.

source: journeyofafrontman.com

Backstage News On Goldberg's Talks With WWE, Who Called Him?

Bill Goldberg was at the C4 Comic Con in Winnipeg a few weeks back and was asked about appearing at WWE's WrestleMania XXX. He said Triple H has called him and they have talked but there's no deal in place.

Goldberg said he is open to coming back and would like his son to see him wrestle once but he would only do it for the right price. He said he would never call WWE and ask to come back, and that the ball is in their court and they know what they have to do to get him to return. A WWE source says Goldberg's financial demands were very significant.

Goldberg added that WWE did try to push him on the "think of the pop you'll get" idea but he said from his point of view, they are barking up the wrong tree when it comes to negotiating tactics.

source: wrestling observer

Christmas Bounty Viewership

The premiere of WWE Studios' Christmas Bounty on ABC Family with The Miz in a starring role drew 828,000 viewers on Tuesday night. The movie drew a 0.3 cable rating in the Adult 18-49 demographic.

Rumor Mill - Brodus Clay On The Outs?

Another member of the roster who could be in trouble is Brodus Clay. Clay's televised appearances have gotten more and more erratic over the past few months, and he has been far surpassed by his dancers, the Funadactyls, in terms of focus. More questions were raised this past Monday on Raw when recently called-up NXTer Xavier Woods used his entrance theme and the Funkadactyls on his way to the ring. Even if this isn't a sign of issues between WWE and Clay, this is not a good time to be stuck on the lower-midcard with WrestleMania season right around the corner.

source: cagesideseats.com

Backstage News on Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards' WWE Status

Regarding Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards, apparently there were no issues with their most recent WWE tryout. They are scheduled to be back for the next set of NXT tapings in January but were not offered a contract yet.

NXT writer Ryan Ward is pushing for Triple H to sign them and it appeared they got good reactions from NXT trainers Billy Gunn and DeMott also.

WWE is allowing Richards and Edwards to finish their commitments to Ring of Honor on December 14th but do not want them working anymore dates for that company.

Video: Triple H wants there to be one undisputed champion in WWE

Celebrity Trainer and Fitness Author Larysa DiDio Teams Up with WWE

Celebrity trainer and fitness author Larysa DiDio has teamed up with WWE to promote family health and wellness. DiDio has more than 20 years of experience in helping celebrities, Olympians, entertainers, professional athletes as well as moms, dads, and kids meet their health and fitness goals. In her new role, DiDio will focus on educating families about living healthy lifestyles and raising awareness about the alarming childhood obesity rates that currently face youth throughout the world via WWE live events, social media and digital platforms.

DiDio will produce monthly blogs and social media posts, providing insight on how to live healthy, active lifestyles to WWE.com’s 14 million unique monthly visitors and more than 228 million social media followers. During the winter/holiday season, DiDio will provide helpful blogs posts, Twitter chats and social media updates on healthy holiday eating, holiday workouts and tips on how families can stay healthy through the cold and flu season.

DiDio will also collaborate with WWE on the development of custom content focused on family health and wellness activities, encouraging kids to live healthy lifestyles. The content will feature ideas for exercising at home (indoors and outdoors), fun family activities (e.g., hiking, biking and walks), as well as nutritional advice on healthy snacking and meals.

“I’m thrilled to be working with WWE and its inspirational Superstars to help families live healthy, active lifestyles. WWE Superstars and Divas have incredible and inspirational influence on kids and I’m excited to join them in spreading the message of health and wellness to them and their families,” says DiDio.

WWE claims Big Show is not medically cleared to compete

WWE is playing up the Big Show head trauma storyline that started with a punt kick from Randy Orton at the Survivor Series pay-per-view. The latest storyline update is that ringside physician Chris Amann has determined that Show is unable to compete.

"The trauma Big Show sustained Monday at Raw did, in fact, cause concussive symptoms," Dr. Amann told the WWE website. "At this point, we are doing further testing, and he is currently not cleared to participate in any in-ring competition." Read more on the story at WWE.com.

TNA Signs Multi-Year Television Deal In Japan

TNA IMPACT WRESTLING has continued its recent global expansion by signing a new multi-year agreement with Nippon Television Network Corporation (NTV) in Japan.

NTV channel G+ will continue to air TNA IMPACT WRESTLING every Saturday night at 10pm, as well as broadcasting TNA’s monthly PPV and One Night Only events.

Other sports shown on the station include NFL, NASCAR, MotoGP and international soccer. It also broadcasts baseball games featuring Japan’s most famous team, Yomiuri Giants.

G+ started showing TNA IMPACT WRESTLING in January 2013, bringing the most innovative experience in professional wrestling to Japan for the first time ever.

TNA Executive Vice President, Andy Barton, said: “TNA IMPACT WRESTLING has enjoyed phenomenal success during our first year of broadcast on Japanese television and we are very excited about this new multiple-year commitment with Nippon Television’s G+.

“It’s another example of the success we are enjoying around the world, which also includes new deals in France and Portugal and a very successful launch on Sony SIX in India.”

G+ can be found on the satellite platform Sky PerfecTV! and various cable networks across Japan.

TNA IMPACT WRESTLING is currently the No1 rated weekly wrestling programme in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The show also airs in more than 120 other countries around the world.

John Cena Talks About How Much Longer He Plans on Wrestling, Money He Generates for WWE

In an interview with Neil Cavuto on Fox Business yesterday, John Cena revealed that his character generates $100 million per year for WWE.

Cena also said he has made a pact with himself to gracefully walk away from WWE when he feels he can't hang with the younger talents anymore. Cena wouldn't say directly how close he is to retirement but talked about professional athletes winding down their careers:

"A lot of these athletes that are married to their sport think this is going to last forever. Then they blow out an ACL, they look around when they're 35 or 36 and their career is coming to an end and they act like the income stream is going to continue."

Raw Results 11/25/13

WWE Slammy Awards Returning

On Monday night's edition of WWE RAW, it was announced that the WWE Slammy Awards will be returning, as they will be held on RAW in two weeks.

Major Match Announced For WWE TLC Pay-Per-View

On Monday night's edition of WWE RAW, it was announced that John Cena and Randy Orton will go one-on-one at the upcoming WWE TLC pay-per-view event in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs Match with BOTH the WWE Championship and World Heavyweight Championship on the line.

It was announced that the titles would be hung above the ring, meaning the only way to win the match is for one competitor to climb a ladder and retrieve both championship belts.

Mark Henry in New WWE Movie

WWE announced on Monday that Mark Henry has been cast in a cameo role for the movie “Incarnate.” The film is a WWE Studios project in conjunction with Blumhouse Productions and stars Aaron Eckhart. Click here for the official press release.

The Conclusion To The Authority Angle & Triple H’s Opponent For Wrestlemania XXX, Major Tag Match Pitched, Hulk Hogan?

Talks between WWE and Hulk Hogan are ongoing. As bizarre as it sounds, Hogan would love to wrestle John Cena at Wrestlemania XXX. However, in the latest twist, Triple H is leaning towards a Wrestlemania match against Cena.

Neither Triple H nor Vince McMahon want Hogan’s deal with the company to be contingent on Hogan getting a match with Cena at Wrestlemania. Big Show actually pitched an idea of having Hogan tag with him against Triple H and Randy Orton but creative doesn’t think the feud between Show and Triple H can be stretched out long enough. Not to mention that Hunter and Vince both prefer there be a singles match where Triple H faces Vince’s “hand picked” opponent.

While things could always change, that hand picked opponent is currently John Cena. So if Wrestlemania were this weekend, it’d be Cena vs. Triple H.

source: wnw premium

WWE Survivor Series PPV Results

Total Divas Recap 11/24/13

Triple H Interview on Greg and the Morning Buzz

Triple H recently spoke with Greg and The Morning Buzz. Here are some highlights:

Returning to the ring: "I'm not back in the ring yet, but I expect it to be broken [his time out of the ring] shortly, probably."

Being busier than ever: "It's so much busier now. Then, it was hectic. It was busy. I don't want to say it wasn't busy, but it was just a lot of travel, a lot of being here and being there. Now, it's trying to do all that, but [also] juggle all these other things, the corporate responsibility, and trying to be…trying to learn a whole new world, being an executive and not just being one of the performers. As much as people think I like doing it, it's hard, man. When Vince will ask to put us back in the show, it's really difficult to do all the things you have to do behind the scenes all day long, and then right before, it's almost invariably every week, right before RAW goes on the air, like 20 minutes before, I'm like, what am I doing again?

"I've been putting together everybody else's stuff, organizing and getting the show going all day long, and doing all the things that I have to do all day long and dealing with everything else, and your stuff tends to come last. I have to put it all together. It's just funny now on Monday nights because Steph's the same way. When she's there, we have to grab each other like 20, 30 minutes before we go live and just like, alright, we have to get our own stuff here. What are we doing?"

Up and coming stars: "We got a ton of guys. I look at the last year, and especially for me, that's really one of the things that I do that I like the most, helping the young talent and developing the young talent and stuff, and in the last year The Shield have all come up, and that's a massive group of three, just immensely talented guys that are all going to be massive stars, already are. The Wyatts, again, three more guys that are just incredibly talented and destined for huge things. This weekend we had a new Intercontinental Champion, Big E Langston. Here's a guy that came up in the past year that has just made phenomenal strides. We have a lot guys. For all of them, we have 80 talent or so sitting down, or more, depending on the time, sitting down in developmental just chomping at the bit for the opportunity. It's great. It's really created a competitive environment and for people interested in that, seeing where these guys come from, we have a show, right now it airs on Hulu, but it's called NXT. NXT is basically a show that, it's all our developmental talent. If you were watching it a year and a half ago, you would've seen the Shield, you would have seen the Wyatts, you would have seen Big E. Langston, all those guys, as they were coming up in the developmental system, before they got to the main roster. It's a really cool opportunity to see them before."

Shawne Merriman at the Performance Center: "He kind of wanted to keep it down low, and he was like hey. He didn't want anybody to know he was there, you know? While we were there he was like, you mind if I throw this up, like take a shot of this and put it on Twitter, and I'm like, I thought you didn't want anybody to know you were here? Oh no, I'm just going to throw it up on my Twitter account. [laughter] I'm like, dude, you put this place up on your Twitter account, it'll be all over the globe in like five minutes."

If he thought Total Divas would be this successful: "We hoped it would. It's one of those things that for years we've said listen, as much as people enjoy the day to day shows and what we do as a show, if they knew the behind the scenes and they saw some of these people behind the scenes…I don't know. I'm not a fan of reality television. I find those shows mind numbing, to me. I just don't have the time to watch them, but there's a big audience for it. When I watch those shows I think, my God, if people are interested in this, if they knew the real [story], what goes on with most of our talent and their day to day dramas and all of the stuff that goes on, it's just, there are shows sitting there. I think the Divas was the first foray into that and it's wildly successful."

Listen to the interview here.

Blast From The Past: Jesse Ventura & Mr. McMahon return to commentary to call the revolutionary Breakthrough Battle Royal

In Defense Of Professional Wrestling

Professional wrestling is perhaps the most polarizing form of entertainment known to man. It's a TV show, yet people have been known to hide their fandom like an alcoholic hides his flask. Sadly, many fans are embarrassed to be identified as such, afraid that someone will blindly, arrogantly dismiss the medium as "stupid" or "for children."

Before I go on, let me address wrestling's most time-honored criticism.

"It's fake!"

Yes, yes it is. Anyone with a modicum of intelligence is well aware that the outcome of any wrestling show is predetermined. But guess what? The same can be said for each episode of "Modern Family," "Homeland" or "Rizzoli & F*cking Isles." Professional wrestling is a scripted athletic sideshow that, at its best, is a gripping, dramatic and often hilarious broadcast.

Is it always good? Hell no. On the last "Monday Night Raw," while the awesome main event featured modern day standouts like CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, it also featured a segment that was, well, an in-ring game of musical chairs. Gripping? Dramatic? More like dogsh*t. Sadly, WWE often presents segments would make an existing fan bury their head in the sand, and that could in no way convert a detractor.

But I, as a true fan, never throw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater...More?

source: guy code blog

Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards Get WWE NXT Names, New Tag Team Name Revealed

At last night's WWE NXT taping, former Ring of Honor stars Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards, known as "The American Wolves" in ROH, made their WWE NXT TV debuts.

The group will be known in NXT as "The American Pitbulls," and their names are John Cahill (Davey Richards) and Eric Philbin (Eddie Edwards). You can view video their NXT debut here. (Not sure how long it will be on YouTube.)

Dixie Carter On TNA's Profitability, What They Would Change With Hulk Hogan, Recent Releases

Loretta Hunt has a great story at Sports Illustrated about TNA President Dixie Carter. The piece looks at Carter's humble beginnings, investing in TNA, becoming an on-screen character and more. Here are a couple of quotes from Dixie from the article.

Getting on Spike TV: "Once we got on Spike, we changed a lot of things and our revenues grew. We've been cash flow positive for the last four or five years. After that point, Panda stopped putting money in the company. We've funded it with every dollar we've made and maybe that's kept us from growing quite as fast."

Recent talent releases: "Some people were let go... They didn't resonate. They didn't move the needle or the contract they wanted wasn't something that was good for this company. Sorry, but this company has to be in business in 10, 20 years from now. I have to run a company and grow it. I'm to the point right now where things have to be a certain way for us."

Going on the road: "We went on the road thinking if we could sell 1,500-2,000 tickets, we'd be good. We went in with a very conservative budget. We didn't come out here thinking we'd sell out arenas. The truth is we exceeded those budget numbers. We hit our revenue numbers, but we overspent when it came to loading out of the Universal studio. There was a two-month overlap that cost us... I think we've learned a lot from this. We learned that the show has to be shaken up, not the venue."

If signing Hulk Hogan was worth it: "Yes, I think Hulk has been worth it. He's opened a lot of doors for us. When you're about to lose a deal in an international territory and one phone call from Hulk Hogan makes a man who doesn't even speak your language melt and you get your deal back, that carries a lot of weight. There's not another guy out there who could do that.0/dixie-carter-on-tna-profitability/#TOFYgmVDAMLMLiiE.99

"Total Divas" gets picked up for a new season by E!

The E! Network has ordered another season of "Total Divas" according to multiple wrestling media reports. WWE made the official announcement during Main Event on Wednesday. The company has already started filming footage for the new season.

Hey, Ladies - WWE's Growing Female Audience

Did you know that nearly 40% of WWE’s audience is female? A little something we learned from the company's evp, creative Stephanie McMahon at CableFAX’s Most Powerful Women in Cable event Thurs morning in NYC. During a Q&A, the exec said increased popularity with the ladies is in part due to its strategic move to PG-rated content. It didn’t lose any fans from the move, and even gained some. Another reason WWE is more amenable to females: “We’re story-based,” and that kind of content attracts a female audience, she said.

Speaking of girls… Inquiring minds want to know: What’s it like growing up as Vince McMahon’s daughter? One of the most important lessons she learned from her father: “As long as I could look in the mirror and look myself in the eye and know that I was a good person,” that’s all that matters. Back to WWE…“Our company is on the verge of doubling or tripling its size,” she told the crowd. With the annual PPV event WrestleMania, popular programs like the live Monday Night Raw and SmackDown—the value of which will be the topic of upcoming programming negotiations, she intimated—and WWE’s network launch, the company is poised for huge growth, she said.

On how WWE is perceived, McMahon said her goal is to “educate the market that we are entertainment…We’re never going to have a bad bout” or a boring match-up, and that adds value. It's also family-friendly, she added. Interestingly, more than 40% of people who come to live WWE shows are families.

On her mentors, McMahon pointed to her mom (literally… she was in the audience), calling her “a leader and a pioneer.” With her as an example, “it never occurred to me that women wouldn’t be leaders,” McMahon said, choking back tears. She thanked Bonnie Hammer as well, whose mentorship taught her “the importance of giving back and reaching back” to others—something McMahon vowed to continue herself in the future at WWE.

source: cablefax.com

Jim Ross Gives Detailed Explanation Behind “Good vs Evil” In Pro Wrestling

How many great movies or TV shows have you seen or how many books have you read to where there wasn't a definitive hero or villain. Villains can take many shapes and forms whether it be war, disease, a bully, a coward, a cheat, etc. Great villains in the sports entertainment genre are people that a fan will pay to see them get their ass beat.

It's a simple formula that is timeless.

Obviously, today's pro wrestling villains come in different presentations, more often than not ill planned, but nonetheless having antagonists who people want to see get their mouth shut and ass whipped still sells.

In real life there is a fine line, in many cases, between good and evil. However, TV wrestling isn't real life. It's show biz and most every show biz presentation that you or I have ever enjoyed had a hero and a villain component.

These two entities, the good guy and the bad guy, both from opposite sides of their own exclusive fences come together to eventually compete for championships while along the way they have a clearly established personal issue with which the average viewer can relate.

WWE How Did Edwards and Richards Get Another Tryout with WWE?, More News on Their Future

We noted before that Ring of Honor stars Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards were not offered a WWE deal after their tryout because Triple H felt they were built from the same mold as guys like Sami Callihan, Sami Zayn, Daniel Bryan or CM Punk, and WWE has enough "indie-looking" guys. A WWE source said, "Triple H feels we have enough Tyson Kidds."

With Richards and Edwards currently at the WWE Performance Center for a week-long tryout, many fans have been wondering what led to WWE bringing them back. Word is that William Regal went to Triple H and really fought for Richards and Edwards, explaining that they are really good in the ring and deserved to get another look.

Many feel that this week-long tryout may be a precursor to Edwards and Richards being signed to a short three-month deal. The duo may be finishing up with Ring of Honor at the December 14th Final Battle event.

WWE Hall of Famer Maurice "Mad Dog" Vachon Passes Away

Maurice "Mad Dog" Vachon, one of the greatest heels of all-time and a former Canadian Olympic wrestler, passed away this morning at 4 a.m. in Omaha, Nebraska. He was 84 years of age.

He had been in poor health for many years, much of it stemming from a 1987 hit-and-run accident, where Vachon was struck by a driver, which resulted in the amputation of his leg. Most recently, he battled memory issues.