WWE Tribute To The Troops Results

Big E Langston and Mark Henry defeated Ryback and Curtis Axel in the dark match.

* Daniel Bryan defeated Erick Rowan when Luke Harper and Bray Wyatt interfered. Vickie Guerrero re-started the match, leading to Bryan and CM Punk defeating Rowan and Harper by DQ when Wyatt interfered again. John Cena came out for the save. Vickie makes it a 6 man match. Cena's team wins when he hits the Attitude Adjustment on Harper.

* Cena gives a speech to the Troops. Cena chants and "yes!" chants filled the hanger.

* Darren Young and Titus O'Neil defeated 3MB.

* The Usos and Rey Mysterio defeated The Shield.

* Brie Bella won a Divas battle royal by eliminating AJ Lee.

UFC Launches UFC Fight Pass Digital Network

James Storm Comments On Chris Harris Not Making It In WWE

"I believe Chris brought it onto himself. I talked to him while he was there. Anytime you go up there, they're going to test you, to see if you have an attitude or whatever. And I just heard he failed miserably. He had an attitude while he was up there and you can't do that. You just go up there and you do what they ask of you the best you can, and sooner or later, they'll find a spot for you and do something with you. Just because he had a good run here, he expected to go up there and have a run, and that's not so."

AJ Styles Returning to Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor announced that AJ Styles will be at their show at the Tennessee State Grounds on January 4th. This marks Styles return to the company since Death Before Dishonor IV where he beat Davey Richards. AJ is scheduled to face Roderick Strong, that will air on ROH Tv on the weekend of February 1st.

Marc Mero Talks About Working With Triple H

Triple H was and is a talented wrestler, he was like a student of the game, you know. I really enjoyed working with him. We wrestled each other hundreds of times, because obviously we would tour for quite a while on the road and we would wrestle each other every night, and not only that, we wrestled in WCW several times. I believe his first belt he ever won was when he beat me for the Intercontinental title. You’ve seen what he has done in his career and the amazing heights he has risen to…but he was really good to work with, very similar to “Stone Cold” in their work ethic…they can make guys that weren’t as talented, I wasn’t as talented as a Triple H or a Stone Cold, and they made our matches look fantastic…my hat is off to that guy…”

USA Network Tops Again And Thanks WWE

CableFax.com had a story this week about how the USA Network will be the top ranked cable network during Prime Time (Total Viewers). They pointed out WWE's involvement with Raw bringing in about 4 millions viewers every Monday Night for 3 hours.

"Obviously Raw's numbers are in USA's numbers. If Raw comes off USA, they drop down to 4 or 5," WWE chief strategy officer and CFO George Barrios predicted during a presentation at a UBS investor conference last week.

Being the #1 network, USA can charge much more for their adverts and WWE are well aware of that while they are negotiating a new TV deal in the first quarter of next year, with the announcement as to who will have Monday Night Raw & other WWE Programming coming in March. The original article is here.

Heavy Muscle Radio Interview with Triple H

WWE Superstar Triple H calls in as the guest of the week. The man they call "The Game" explains why the WWE is so involved in entertaining the military troops during the holidays. He also discusses the new WWE training facility down in Orlando where rising talent is being cultivated. Also, Kai vs Phil; who Triple H thinks is best! Click here.

Rumor Mill - Triple H - WrestleMania 30 Plans

WWE plans to end the long running "Authority" story line at WrestleMania 30, and right now the plan is to have Triple H face CM Punk in a match at the big PPV.

However, lately WWE has been discussing a possible Triple H vs Roman Reigns match as a potential "backup" plan to the CM Punk bout, as WWE has been teasing a Reigns babyface turn in recent weeks.

Professional wrestling dinner theater looking for place in Kissimmee

Central Florida is home to theme parks, beaches, and all kinds of shows, but there’s an effort to combine food with professional wrestling.

Professional wrestler Bryan Smith owns the Manor Professional Wrestling Dinner Theater.

“It’s theater and I know people will say professional wrestling, that’s a sport. Yes, it is, but Manor is putting sports and theater together,” Smith said.

Smith is putting on shows at Osceola Heritage Park, but there’s a new twist.

They’ll be serving dinner during the show.

“Roasted chicken, potatoes, vegetables. And then we have a kids' menu as well,” said Smith. “Our characters are from all over, just like we expect our tourists, our local fans. We have people from all walks of life.”

They had a sold out show for a recent Friday night.

Now, they have six shows scheduled for 2014.

Smith said Central Florida is the perfect place for them to grow.

“Kissimmee, Florida, is growing. If you look at, there are a lot of dinner shows in Kissimmee. We don’t want to compete with them, but we want to have a unique brand,” Smith said.

Now he’s working with city leaders in hopes of finding a permanent building for his company.

source: baynews9.com

Update On Richie Steamboat's WWE Status

It was reported a little while back that Richie Steamboat, the son of WWE Hall of Famer Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, had been released from his WWE contract while out of action with a serious back injury. It's now being reported that Richie is still under contract with WWE but his future in wrestling is still uncertain at this point. No word on how well he is recovering from his back surgery.

WWE Status of the Original Sin Cara

Luis Urive, who was the original Sin Cara, will see his WWE contract expire on January 10th. Given that Hunico is currently working the Sin Cara character, nobody expects Urive to be re-signed to a new deal. However, the belief as of last week is that it wouldn’t be until March that he would be available to sign with a new promotion.

George Barrios News

Georgie Barrios is now working out of WWE's TV facility as opposed to the main headquarters in Stamford. He's now in charge of everything there, which is a major change. They are also doing a lot of interviews and additional hiring for the Network right now.

JBL On Working In NXT, Who He Would Call Up To Main Roster, More

Former WWE Champion John "Bradshaw" Layfield recently spoke to "The Damn Good Wrestling Podcast" about working in WWE's NXT developmental territory.

If it was up to JBL and one guy had to be called up tomorrow, who would he call up? “Adrian Neville. Not a doubt in my mind. I think he’s just phenomenal. I don’t know about his promo skills as I haven’t seen them as much, but he’s a guy who could go out there and perform on any card, anywhere in the world and be a help to that card. I would love to see him up in the WWE. He’ll be there I just don’t know the time frame.”

The English contingent in NXT: “I believe Paige will be a big star, but as far as shaking up the (divas) division goes that remains to be seen. I hope she does but you don’t know until they get there.

“Danny Burch, I saw him cut a promo the other day which I thought was phenomenal. In fact I told him afterwards that it was one of the best promos I’ve heard done in recent memory. Danny Burch, I’m a big fan of his I think he will do well it’s just a matter of finding a spot for him.”

Calling people up to the WWE: “You don’t want to bring guys in just to bring them in, you want to bring them in and make an impact with them like they have with these other guys and I think that’s why it takes longer sometimes than what people want.”

His experience at NXT: “It’s a revitalisation for me. I haven’t been around anything other than the WWE for 15-20 years and so for me to see more of how I started and the passion, not just with the performers but with the crowd down there, it’s a great environment.”

source: the damn good wrestling podcast

Rumor Mill - Backstage Talk About JoJo Offerman

JoJo Offerman's future in WWE is said to be uncertain at best. She has not been featured very much on the Total Divas show lately and she has not been used very much on other WWE programming like Raw and SmackDown either. She has reportedly been in the NXT developmental territory though. According to reports, things are not looking very good for JoJo in WWE and there is a chance that she might just get released.

Triple H to Appear on Heavy Muscle Radio

Time to play the #Game !!! Triple H joins huge285 Dave Palumbo in this weeks edition of HMR!!! WWE… http://t.co/BCY5Nh9S77

— RX Muscle (@RXMuscledotcom) December 24, 2013

This Day In Wrestling History

Ric Flair wins his first World title. Flair teams with Greg Valentine to beat Gene and Ole Anderson for the NWA World Tag Team Championship
December 25, 1976

Kevin Von Erich defeated Bruiser Brody to win the NWA American Title and Ernie Ladd defeated Ray Candy by forfeit to win his 4th Mid-South North American title
December 25, 1978

World Class Championship Wrestling holds the first "Christmas Star Wars" event at Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas, drawing a crowd of 18,000 fans (and a Texas record gate at the time) for a show that featured one of the most famous heel turns of all time, a turn that sparked arguably the greatest feud in Texas wrestling history, the Von Erichs vs. The Fabulous Freebirds.
December 25, 1982

Magnum T.A. & Mr. Wrestling II defeated Butch Reed & Jim Neidhart to win the Mid-South Tag Team Title
December 25, 1983

The Rock 'N' Roll Express defeated Ted DiBiase & Hercules Hernandez to win their 3rd Mid-South Tag Team Title
December 25, 1984

UPN airs the first ever WWE Smackdown "Christmas In Iraq/Tribute To The Troops", which was taped at Camp Victory in Baghdad, Iraq on December 20th for an audience of soldiers overseas. The show included Vince McMahon knocking down Santa Claus for not bringing him a gift, only for "Santa" to reveal himself as Steve Austin. Austin then gave McMahon a stunner.
December 25, 2003

Special Theme Announced for the First WWE RAW of 2014 in Baltimore, MD

WWE is advertising the January 6th RAW, the first RAW show of 2014, as having an "Old School" theme. The show will be held in Baltimore, Maryland at the Baltimore Arena.

The dark main event being advertised is John Cena vs. Randy Orton for the WWE World Heavyweight Title with Booker T as special referee. At this point, no other Legends are being advertised yet.

More Like First Screen - Social Media and Second Screen Engagement

Using social media and second screen technology to enhance storytelling is a given for cable networks these days. But it takes plenty of planning and pre-production to make that happen—particularly in the live sports realm, where outcomes can vary moment to moment. Here are some of the ways in which channels are currently increasing engagement using social and second screen apps to entertain viewers, as told by sports production and marketing execs at last week’s SVG Summit in NYC.

WWE relies heavily on its second screen app to engage audiences, even going as far as letting fans control the storylines. “It’s a part of our show. We don’t consider it second screen anymore,” said Rob Bernstein, WWE, vp/editorial director, digital and print. “It’s adjunct programming.” And they staff it as such. For every “Monday Night Raw” show, there are 10 people who are just responsible for managing the second screen, including writers, a producer, a camera guy, a talent wrangler and full tech support, he said. And after the show, the network evaluates what the fans thought of the programming by analyzing the social chatter. Each Tuesday morning a full report goes out explaining exactly what the fans thought about it. Then, “we take that content and it becomes a big part of the writing process,” he said.

WWE sees its highest engagement during its live shows, Bernstein confirmed. Its strategy is to provide video clips via social media, but additionally, “we want them to be able to bend the story,” he said. That’s done through polling during the show, which gives viewers a level of control. The net also brings fans into the programming and gets them to participate, thereby creating more live video content on the second screen.

Similarly, HBO Sports incorporates video, visuals and stats into its live sporting events such as boxing matches, according to Jason Cohen, director of live events. That entails pushing stats from the truck straight to Twitter, taking Instagram photos and incorporating those into visuals in the linear broadcast, and cutting video clips using Snappy TV. The goal of every network is to drive eyeballs to linear TV, he reminded the audience, so “that same philosophy has to take place with the second screen as well, especially if 90% of your audience is looking at it,” Cohen said, in reference to a recent study revealing that 90% of audiences have a phone in their lap while watching TV.

HBO pushes the content out via social channels as much as possible before the fights but it also has a social media person on the ground tweeting stats as they come in. And the social media person is right behind the talent, Cohen said, so he or she can tweet quotes from them as they happen. Additionally, cameras are set up in the locker room, the staffer snaps and publishes Instagram photos and Snappy TV is used to create a viral effect.

source: cablefax.com

WWE’s Bruno Sammartino, Triple H on MSG’s ‘The Garden Transformed’

WWE refers to Madison Square Garden as “the house that Bruno built.”

Now area pro wrestling fans will get a chance to see Bruno Sammartino receive a VIP look at the Garden being rebuilt.

Sammartino and 13-time WWE champion-turned-executive Triple H will be featured in Part 2 of the five-part MSG series “The Garden Transformed: Year Three” on Saturday at 10:30 p.m. The series will begin Friday night at 11 p.m. for the first of five consecutive nights, in conjunction with the completion of the final phase of the Garden’s $1 billion transformation.

The series will feature notable figures from some of the sports that define the Garden’s history, including the Knicks (Raymond Felton and Tim Hardaway Jr.); Rangers (Henrik Lundqvist); college basketball (coaches Jim Boeheim and Steve Lavin); and boxing (former world champs Larry Holmes and Miguel Cotto, and Long Island’s own Gerry Cooney).

But Sammartino was arguably the Garden’s biggest draw. According to WWE.com he was responsible for selling out the building 187 times during his career, which included runs as champion from 1963-71, and 1973-77.

“Even around the world, this is how they know me,” Sammartino, who along with Triple H donned a hard hat to view the construction, said in a quote released from Saturday’s episode “…In Argentina, in Brazil, I remember going to Australia, all the trips I did in Japan, you know how they’d advertise me? ‘From Madison Square Garden, Bruno Sammartino.’”

The appearance dumps yet another shovel of dirt on the hatchet buried between Sammartino and WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon. Sammartino, who wrestled for Vince’s father, Vincent J. McMahon, engaged in a longtime feud with the younger McMahon, largely for content on TV Sammartino felt was inappropriate.

Sammartino returned to the WWE fold this year -- largely thanks to Triple H helping to facilitate a truce -- and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame last April 6 at MSG, the night before WrestleMania XXIX at MetLife Stadium.

Show schedule:
Friday: Episode 1 – 11:00 p.m. (following Knicks vs. Raptors)
Saturday: Episode 2 – 10:30 p.m. (following Knicks at Raptors)
Sunday: Episode 3 – 10:30 p.m. (following Rangers at Lightning)
Monday: Episode 4 – 10:00 p.m.
Tuesday: Episode 5 – 8:30 p.m. (following Rangers at Panthers)

source: newsday.com

Raw Results 12/23/13

Batista Returns to WWE on January 20th

Jeff Jarrett Resigns From TNA

On December 22nd, 2013 I officially resigned from TNA Entertainment. Thanks to everyone involved for all the fantastic memories! #grateful

— Jeff Jarrett (@JeffJarrettTNA) December 23, 2013

Jarrett co-founded TNA along with his father Jerry in 2002, and has most recently been a minority company owner.

This is the official release from TNA regarding Jeff Jarrett:

TNA Entertainment, LLC announced today that it has accepted Mr. Jeff Jarrett’s resignation from the company effective January 6th, 2014. Dixie Carter, President, commented “On behalf of TNA, we would like to thank Jeff for his contributions to the Company. We wish him the very best and look forward to his continued participation as an investor in TNA Wrestling.

WWE Releasing "Best of RAW: Not on RAW" DVD In 2014 with Dark Matches and Segments

WrestlingDVDNews.com reports that WWE will be releasing a "Best of RAW: Not on RAW" DVD in 2014. The set will be made up of post-RAW dark segments, skits and matches. It will be a three-disc DVD set coming out in April and a Blu-ray is also expected.

Here's the early synopsis:

"Never before released moments after RAW has gone off the air and the cameras keep rolling. Stone Cold singing to the fans, Vince doing a Spinnarooni, dark matches Cena vs. Edge, etc."

Batista Update

WWE is no longer advertised Batista for the February 16 live event in Las Vegas, Nevada. The advertising that featured Batista has been removed. Either someone really screwed up or WWE wanted to get some pre-return buzz generated for Batista's return. My guess is the former is accurate, as the company is normally very secretive about major returns.

Gerald Brisco Gives Props To Fit Finlay For His Work With WWE's Divas Division

In The Miami Herald's nine-part series on women's wrestling, WWE Legend Gerald Brisco, who now scouts talent for WWE, gave props to Fit Finlay for his work with the WWE Divas division:

"It's like building a house in 1920 or building a house in 2013. What do you start with? You start with the foundation. You lay that foundation, and everything else will fall into place…I'm going to give props to where it's due. The divas, the ladies are better athletes now than they have been ever before, not taking away from anyone before. Props go out to David Fit Finlay also because he has handled the divas and turned them into tough workers. It's outstanding to see, and I can see his fingerprints all over it. He has done a tremendous job. He has taken that charge because some people would have been, 'Oh no, not the divas.' He said, 'Give it to me.' Now they come to him to see how to make it a little bit tougher and rougher. He takes that time to sit down to explain it to them and breaks it down into details to where they are able to understand it. He is a tremendous asset to the division and WWE."

Triple H and John Cena High on Injured WWE NXT Star

Chris Hero (Kassius Ohno) revealed in his newest RF Video shoot interview that Triple H and John Cena are high up on WWE NXT star Enzo Amore. Amore is a product of DeFranco's Gym in New Jersey, where Triple H and Stephanie McMahon regularly train. Enzo has been out of action since November with a broken leg. It was reported he would be out of action for 6 months.

WWE Superstar John Cena Appointed Captain of Team Fruity Pebbles

Post® Pebbles™ Cereal Enlists Top Athletes and Entertainers to Lead the Charge in the Showdown Between Fruity and Cocoa Pebbles

WWE® Superstar John Cena® Appointed Captain of Team Fruity; Professional Basketball Player Kyrie Irving to Lead Team Cocoa

Today, Post Foods, LLC, launched a friendly competition between Fruity Pebbles and Cocoa Pebbles to see which cereal is most popular among fans. Online and mobile competitions from January through September 2014 will rally support for each flavor. WWE Superstar John Cena returns to the front of Post Fruity Pebbles cereal boxes and will serve as captain for Team Fruity. Professional Basketball All Star Kyrie Irving will take his long-time love for Cocoa Pebbles to the next level by appearing on Post Cocoa Pebbles cereal boxes as captain of Team Cocoa.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please visit: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/64790-post-foods-fruity-cocoa-pebbles-competition-wwe-john-cena-nba-kyrie-irving

In 2014, Pebbles will ask fans of all ages to choose a side - are you on Team Fruity or Team Cocoa? Fans can declare their love for their favorite Pebbles flavor by visiting a microsite and downloading an interactive app encouraging fans to vote, take photos, and play minigames. They will be asked to complete simple challenges such as making team spirit items like pennants out of Pebbles boxes, and sharing them through Instagram using their team's hashtag (#TeamFruity or #TeamCocoa). Fans who complete these online missions and choose a side will be able to win prizes like giftcards, iPads, or John Cena and Kyrie Irving signed merchandise.

More?

Rumor Mill - Batista to Return to WWE

UNLVTickets.com is advertising former WWE Champion Batista for WWE's 2/16 event in Las Vegas, NV, and according to PWInsider.com, sources within WWE have confirmed that Batista will indeed be returning to WWE and the advertisement is not a mistake.

The ticketing website released the promo for Batista's return prematurely, and spoiled WWE's planned surprise, which could be that the former Champ is returning at The Royal Rumble.

Wrestelzone.com reported back in July that Batista has been in talks with Triple H about a potential return to the company, as the wrestler-turned-actor does want to have one more run with WWE.

Furthermore, WZ spoke with a source in WWE this evening and we were told it's likely we will see promos begin to run promoting the return of Batista to WWE in the coming weeks.

​It's being said that Batista will likely work with WWE until he is called to do promotional work for his upcoming movie Guardians of the Galaxy, which will be released in August of 2014.

WWE.com Names The Best Match of 2013

WWE.com has listed the following matches as the top 5 of 2013:

5. Daniel Bryan vs. Antonio Cesaro (Raw; July 22)
4. Cody Rhodes & Goldust (w/Dusty Rhodes) vs. Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns (w/Dean Ambrose) (WWE Battleground)
3. The Undertaker vs. CM Punk (WrestleMania 29)
2. John Cena vs. Daniel Bryan - WWE Championship Match (SummerSlam 2013)
1. CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar - No Disqualification Match (SummerSlam 2013)

200th Episode of WWE NXT

With four years and 200 episodes of NXT in the history books, Byron Saxton takes a look back at the show that has created a who’s who of current WWE Superstars and Divas. Click here.

You can view the 200th episode here.

WWE NXT Updates

WWE Releasing Developmental Wrestlers Soon?, New Talents Starting With WWE In 2014

There will be three new talents starting at the WWE Performance Center when 2014 hits - "Trademark" Tommy Maclin from the Monster Factory, powerlifter and indie wrestler Brian Tannen and Shane Taylor, a 350-pound former football player who has been working the indie scene for years.

Regarding WWE releasing Knuckles Madsen from NXT this past week, he was signed in 2012 and had not made it to TV yet. With so many newcomers starting in early 2014, some of the talents who haven't reached the level officials would like them at are likely to be released.

Wrestler Now Working NXT Creative

NXT has removed Mickey Keegan from their roster page and he is now working as a creative assistant for WWE developmental.

WWE Quietly Releases NXT Wrestler, Update On Judas Devlin's Status

It was speculated recently that NXT star Judas Devlin may be joining The Wyatt Family after he posted some cryptic tweets and was brought in to a few WWE TV tapings. Devlin is still under contract but out of action with a spine injury. The belief among some is that his in-ring career could be over.

WWE quietly released Richie Steamboat recently. He had been out of action for a long time with a back injury.

Karaoke At WWE Performance Center

It was Karaoke Night at the WWE Performance Center last night with the NXT Superstars, Divas and trainers singing and letting loose before tonight's final FCW Arena show in Tampa, Florida.

Photo: Triple H & Stephanie McMahon Candid