Sunday, January 30, 2011

Godfather Another Surprise Rumble Entrant

According to Alex Riley and Wade Barrett's Facebook pages, another surprise entrant in tonight's Royal Rumble match will be Charles Wright (formerly Papa Shango and The Godfather).

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Kong Teases a Debut at Rumble

Awesome Kong teased an appearance at tonight’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view as she noted the following on Twitter this afternoon.

“My stomach is RUMBLE-ing. Craving sushi so I may SMACK DOWN on some RAW fish.”

According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office’s charge report on Kong last month for driving without a valid license, she resides in Massachusetts, near the site of tonight’s pay-per-view event.

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Final Royal Rumble Card with some Surprise Rumor Names

Below is the final card for tonight’s WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view with confirmed and rumored names for the 40-Man main event. It’s still possible that WWE may add a match to the card as a WWE Tag Team Title match with Vladimir Kozlov & Santino Marella vs. Nexus is expected.

WWE Title Match
Randy Orton vs. The Miz

World Heavyweight Title Match
Dolph Ziggler vs. Edge

WWE Divas Title Match
Michelle McCool & Layla vs. Natalya

40-Man Royal Rumble Match

Confirmed: Alberto Del Rio, Big Show, Chris Masters, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Darren Young, David Hart Smith, David Otunga, Drew McIntyre, Ezekiel Jackson, Heath Slater, Husky Harris, Jack Swagger, John Cena, John Morrison, JTG, Justin Gabriel, Kane, Kofi Kingston, Mark Henry, Mason Ryan, Michael McGillicutty, Primo, R-Truth, Rey Mysterio, Santino Marella, Sheamus, Ted DiBiase, Tyson Kidd, Vladimir Kozlov, Wade Barrett, William Regal, Yoshi Tatsu and Zack Ryder.

Rumored or Expected: Christian, Evan Bourne, Kevin Nash, Booker T, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Triple H

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Where Has Batista Been?

It was reported earlier that Batista is in Thailand filming The Man with the Iron Fist, which also stars Russell Crowe, Lucy Liu, and mixed martial artist Cung Le. Wrestling Observer editor Dave Meltzer reports that the former WWE Champion is not slated to return to the United States until March.

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Saturday, January 29, 2011

Who Will Win the Royal Rumble?

If you’ve ever been lucky enough to attend a real live WWE wresting match, you’ll learn a few things about the sport that you can’t exactly pick up from watching Raw on your HDTV. For starters, those arenas are extremely loud! Secondly, you’ll learn to keep your mouth zipped shut unless you want a back hand from some uber fan rooting for every wrestler like he’s kin to them.

Most importantly, however, you’ll learn that the ring looks a lot smaller in real life than it does on TV. And if you think it’s a small space with only two large wrestlers in there, try fitting 40 people in there and then imagine how cramped things will be!

That’s exactly what’s happening on January 30th at the TD Garden in Boston – the WWE is going for another unprecedented move by stuffing 40 of the biggest, boldest and bulkiest wrestlers into one ring for the crème de la crème of professional showboating, the Royal Rumble.

The odds of picking a winner here are in all likelihood about as good as guessing right while you play roulette online. You never know what types of twists and storylines McMahon is working on in his version of the Fortress of Solitude.

However, out of the 40 entrants, here are a few I think we can rule out and be pretty safe in the assumption. Darren Young, Mark Henry, Primo, Rey Mysterio, Tyson Kidd, Yoshi Tatsu, Zack Ryder and David Hart Smith will probably all hit the canvas early, and expect Primo and Rey to make a huge show out if it (I smell some twisted metal).

Going over all 40 in detail would take up 10 posts, so here are the three men we think stand the best shot of winning and why.

Yeah, it might be a little like cheating to you. Hedging bets for the Royal Rumble like it’s an online video poker game is the chicken way to go out. But who has ever predicted these things correctly? For all we know, Steve Austin will appear out of the rafters like Sting redux and win his fourth!

First up, CM Punk is holding good odds of winning. We’ll throw him a nice bone with 8:1 due to the “new” persona of a cult leader he has working and the brewing feud with John Cena. Don’t be surprised to see some possum from this slippery dude, or even some Ric Flair over-the-turnbuckle magic and a last-minute dash for the win.
Next, Alberto Del Rio has been getting massive exposure on Raw lately. They’re forcing him down everyone’s throat and hoping to up his star quality in a hurry! Nothing says star power like winning the first ever 40-man Royal Rumble. So we’ll go as high as 6:1 on this.

Last up, we think the odds-on favorite for winning is wrestling’s biggest international star at the moment – John Cena. With a few movies to his credit and a series of Gillette commercials making every man scared to use the urinal, Cena can find that meeting up with The Miz at Wrestlemania is made easier with a win in the Royal Rumble. We’re going 4:1 on that, making John the top pick.

WWE Announces Steve Austin for Tough Enough

WWE posted the following last night on their official website:

NEW YORK CITY – USA Network and WWE announced that WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin will host USA Network’s upcoming reality series “WWE Tough Enough.” The non-scripted series will premiere Monday, April 4 at 11/10 CT, immediately following USA’s ratings juggernaut WWE Monday Night Raw, and move to its regularly scheduled slot in primetime, Mondays at 8/7 CT, starting on April 11.

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin has captivated audiences around the world with his magnetic presence and bold, yet charming nature. Austin has done it all in sports-entertainment, winning 17 championships, including the WWE Championship six times. He has an immense and incredibly devoted fan base, and is considered one of the most popular WWE Superstars of all time. Austin was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009.

“I am very excited about the opportunity to work with my old friends at WWE on ‘WWE Tough Enough.’ Sports-entertainment has always been an important part of my life, and I look forward to finding the next generation of WWE Superstar,” said Austin.

“Stone Cold” will share his intimate knowledge, experience and flair for the stage as one of the most popular figures in WWE history to a group of individuals looking for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become the next WWE Superstar or Diva. Austin will mentor the diverse group of men and women who will live, train, eat and sleep under one roof in a house in Simi Valley, Calif. Each week, the contestants will battle it out in a series of unique challenges designed to test for such characteristics as showmanship, creativity, athleticism and desire, just to name a few. Viewers will witness the trials and tribulations of what it takes to be one of the best in the world’s greatest sports-entertainment organization. The grand prize winner will be awarded a contract with WWE.

Since leaving the world of sports-entertainment, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin has made a name for himself in Hollywood, with roles in such blockbuster hits as The Expendables, staring Sylvester Stallone and The Longest Yard, starring Adam Sandler and Chris Rock. Other film credits include Damage, The Condemned and Hunt to Kill. In addition to film, Austin is a household name from his work on hit television shows such as NBC’s Chuck and CBS’ Nash Bridges.

Shed Media US, noted for its strong characters and memorable casting in the non-scripted arena, will produce “WWE Tough Enough.” The company’s previous reality credits include The Real Housewives of New York City, Who Do You Think You Are and World’s Strictest Parents. Producing for Shed Media US are Alex Demyanenko and Eric Van Wagenen.

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Win a Pair of Tickets to WWE RAW in Milwaukee!!!

The Road to WrestleMania 27 has begun, and with that, and the good people at Stubhub, we have two pairs of great Riser seats for Monday Night's RAW in Milwaukee on February 7th!!!

Simply email your name and address to us at matt@nflgridirongab.com and we will select two winners tomorrow. Pairs will be overnighted via Fedex!

Don’t forget, for the best place to find great seats for all WWE and other sports and concert tickets, is Stubhub – Where Fans Buy and Sell Tickets!

StubHub is the world’s largest ticket marketplace, enabling fans to buy and sell tickets to tens of thousands of sports, concert, theater and other live entertainment events.

StubHub reinvented the ticket resale market in 2000 and continues to lead it through innovation. The company’s unique online marketplace, dedicated solely to tickets, provides all fans the choice to buy or sell their tickets in a safe, convenient, and highly reliable environment. All transactions are processed and delivered by StubHub and backed by the company’s FanProtect Guarantee.

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Thursday, January 27, 2011

Diva Search Coming Back to WWE

World Wrestling Entertainment held a web conference today enticing prospective promotional partners and it was disclosed that the Diva Search would be brought back.

Julie Stenz, WWE’s Director of Partner Marketing, said a ten-week competition would be held during the company’s “regularly scheduled” programming and that sponsorship opportunities would be available.

An official start date for the upcoming competition has not been disclosed.

Organization officials have auditioned prospective female talent in recent months, some of whom are expected to participate in the Diva Search.

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Couple Names Being Talked About for 2011 WWE Hall of Fame

WWE officials are already contemplating candidates for induction into next year’s Hall of Fame class. The primary names being discussed are Trish Stratus, given that it will likely take place in her hometown of Toronto, and The Rock.

The idea with Rock is it would be mark ten years after his memorable WrestleMania match with Hulk Hogan, which took place in Toronto.

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Bret Hart Joing WWE Legends Roundtable

Jim Ross filmed two new WWE Legends Roundtables last night at WWE headquarters in Stamford. Ross promised that a big name would be joining the panel this time and that name was fellow Hall of Famer Bret Hart.

Hart, Ross, Michael Hayes, Pat Patterson and Mean Gene Okerlund filmed the discussions on their greatest wrestling rivalries and Canadian influence on professional wrestling. The shows will air sometime in May or June.

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Bob Orton Talks About the Success of Son Randy

WWE Hall of Famer “Cowboy” Bob Orton recently spoke with Alex Marvez of Scrippsnews.com to promote this weekend’s WrestleReunion 5. Here are some of the highlights:

His son Randy Orton getting into wrestling:
“He started to wrestle at 9 years old and had a pretty good amateur career. He was going to go away to (college), but he didn’t know exactly what he wanted to major in, so he decided to join the Marines. That didn’t work out, so we went down and talked to (WWE road agents) Jack Lanza and Tony Garea. They brought Randy up and had a look at him. The rest is history.”

Randy’s success now:
“What’s scary is, he’s starting to get healthy again,” he said, referring to Randy’s extensive history of shoulder and neck injuries. “His (in-ring) psychology is really falling into place. He can really handle the crowd while also handling the match. He should continue to improve as long as he stays devoted, which he seems to be doing pretty good at.”

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Macho Man Lands In WWE All Stars

WWE All Stars is set to hit stores March 29th, right before WrestleMania. The game will feature the best of past and present WWE stars. Unlike SmackDown vs. RAW, which is a simulation-style game, this game will be more of an arcade-style game.

In addition to today's stars such as John Cena and Triple H, the game will feature legends such as The Rock, Bret "The Hitman" Hart, and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Recently, WWE announced that "Macho Man" Randy Savage would be featured in the game as well. Here is the full roster. This is huge news for WWE fans.

It was believed that there may have been some animosity between Savage and WWE. This announcement may open some doors for Randy Savage to land a future roll with WWE whether its for special appearances or otherwise. It's also been reported that THQ put together the Savage deal rather than the WWE.

With the announcement comes rumors that Randy Savage will be inducted into WWE's Hall of Fame.

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Wednesday, January 19, 2011

JR Plays the Role of Referee

Jim Ross was the special guest referee tonight in the dark main event after the WWE SmackDown tapings in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The match saw Rey Mysterio and WWE Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston defeat Alberto Del Rio and Kane.

After the match, Ross and Del Rio got into it. Mysterio and Kofi snuck up from behind and Ross pushed Del Rio over them to end the show.

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Linda McMahon Expected to Run Again for Senate

Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman announced today he will be retiring and will not run for re-election in 2012. It’s now expected that Linda McMahon will be running. In related news, CT Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz announced that she will be running in the Democratic primary for Lieberman’s seat. This is the same woman who was in the news last year for saying that voters wearing WWE merchandise to the polls would be turned away.

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Name of Barrett's New SmackDown Group

Wade Barrett’s group on SmackDown has a new name. According to the spelling on the Titantron at last night’s tapings, the new name is spelled The Corre, pronounced core.

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21 WWE Stars Announced for the Royal Rumble

The following 21 WWE Superstars have been announced by WWE.com as competitors in the first-ever 40-Man Royal Rumble Match, which takes place January 30 in Boston.

(1) Alberto Del Rio, (2) CM Punk, (3) Cody Rhodes, (4) Daniel Bryan, (5) Darren Young, (6) David Hart Smith, (7) David Otunga, (8) Husky Harris, (9) John Cena, (10) John Morrison, (11) Mark Henry, (12) Michael McGillicutty, (13) Primo, (14) R-Truth, (15) Rey Mysterio, (16) Sheamus, (17) Ted DiBiase, (18) Tyson Kidd, (19) William Regal, (20) Yoshi Tatsu, (21) Zack Ryder

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Monday, January 17, 2011

WWE HOF Ticket Update

WWE had success with their Hall of Fame tickets going on sale this past weekend. As of now, the only seats left are some of the $50 tickets in the top level of the arena. The $60 and $75 seats are all sold out. The ceremony will likely be sold out entirely by the time April gets here.

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Punk Attacked by a Fan in Shreveport

CM Punk was punched in the face by a young fan at last night’s WWE show in Shreveport, Louisiana. Punk’s eye was reportedly bloodied. The fan and his friends were thrown out.

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Update on Planned WWE DVD’s for 2011

WWE has confirmed three DVD titles for 2011 that we reported on a few months back. Those are The Randy Orton Experience, Million Dollar Man: Ted DiBiase and WCW Nitro: Best of Seasons 1 & 2.

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Matches for WWE’s Big Show DVD

Silvervision has confirmed two matches set for WWE’s upcoming DVD on Big Show. Big Show: A Giant’s World is scheduled to be released on February 22nd. Those matches are The Giant vs. Ric Flair for the WCW World Heavyweight Title on the April 4th, 1996 episode of WCW Nitro and the WCW World Heavyweight Title match and Sumo Monster Truck Competition between The Giant and Hulk Hogan at WCW’s Halloween Havoc 1995.

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Thursday, January 13, 2011

Spoiler - New Nexus Faction Appears on SmackDown

A new Nexus faction was formed at Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown tapings.

Following Wade Barrett’s match with the Big Show that took place at the tapings, Ezekiel Jackson, Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater joined Wade Barrett in beating down the Big Show. The four men banded together and made it known they are now working as a unit.

WWE has been teasing Jackson’s SmackDown debut for weeks with video promos, but up until this week’s tapings, there had been no indication he would be aligning himself with Wade Barrett.

Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel were apparently kicked out of CM Punk’s Nexus this past Monday on RAW after they couldn’t accept their initiations.

CM Punk’s Nexus now consists of himself, Husky Harris, David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty.

Wade Barrett’s new incarnation of Nexus is made up of himself, Ezekiel Jackson, Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel.

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Update on Possible Names for This Years WWE HOF

Based on recent talks within WWE, other names considered for this year’s Hall of Fame class include Arn Anderson, Dean Malenko, Lex Luger, Ron Simmons, Madusa and The Honky Tonk Man, who turned it down last year because he had a prior commitment that paid better.

Vince McMahon has wanted Ted Turner to be inducted, for the publicity value, but Turner accepting the induction isn’t likely.

WWE officials will make a push for Sting to be inducted if he doesn’t re-sign with TNA but he’s expected to stick around for another year. Another name talked about is Bill Goldberg, as noted before.

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Final Match for Jake "The Snake" Roberts?

Jake “The Snake” Roberts is having what’s billed as his final match on January 29th at the Pro Wrestling Guerilla show in conjunction with WrestleReunion in Los Angeles. Roberts will be facing his protege Sinn Bodhi, the former Kizarny in WWE.

Terry Funk is also claiming to have his last match on that same show but Funk has retired several times over the years. Another interesting match at that show will be a battle royal with The Barbarian, former referee Danny Davis, Shane Douglas, Funk, Mike Graham, Val Venis, Jim Neidhart, Barry Orton, Bob Orton Jr., Ken Patera, Roddy Piper, Tatanka, Rock Riddle, Tito Santana, Vampiro, Savio Vega and Warlord.

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Monday, January 10, 2011

Arn Anderson a "Lock" for WWE HOF

Former WCW World Television Champion Arn Anderson is now considered a lock to be inducted individually into this year's WWE Hall of Fame class WrestleMania
weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. WWE officials previously contemplated inducting him into the Hall as part of a group with the Four Horsemen, but the idea is now considered dead.

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New Triple H Movie on the Big Screen in February

The upcoming WWE Studios release The Chaperone starring Triple H is slated for a short theatrical release starting the weekend of February 18th. The film will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray on March 8th. This is the same strategy WWE went with for Big Show's "Knucklehead" movie, with a limited release prior to the DVD release.

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Undertaker Still Rehabbing Shoulder

To update The Undertaker's health situation, the dead man began physical therapy following recent rotator cuff cusrgery. He was backstage at the TLC pay-per-view last month and was said to be in good physical shape at the event.

Taker remains optimistic about his chances of working WrestleMania 27, although him being healthy by then is a "best case" scenario.

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New TV Deal Announced Today for WWE

WWE announced a new three-year TV deal today with Sky Duetschland that will see programming continue to air in Germany and their HD programming airing in Germany, Austria and Switzerland for the first time. The new deal also adds WWE Superstars and Afterburn, a recap show that doesn’t air in the US, to the line-up. Also, the deal will bring all of WWE’s pay-per-view events to those markets, airing on Sky in their entirety for the first time ever.

Monday, January 03, 2011

Awesome Kong Offically Inks Deal with WWE

Former TNA Knockouts champion Awesome Kong is believed to have signed a contract last week with World Wrestling Entertainment. Kong confirmed the signing on Twitter, re-tweeting congratulations from her attorney saying she’s going to “kill it” in WWE.

Independent wrestling promotion Millennium Wrestling Federation is promoting Awesome Kong’s appearance for this Saturday’s event at Memorial Hall in Melrose, MA as her farewell show before she starts with WWE. Kong will wrestle J-Busta and will be accompanies to the ring by John Cena, Sr., father of WWE superstar John Cena.

The latest is that the company is reportedly trying to keep it as “under wraps” as possible. A few WWE superstars are speculating that Kong could be a mystery entrant in this year’s Royal Rumble, which takes place on 1/30.

While Kong will certainly be a part of WWE’s divas division, another plan that has been discussed is for Kong to be introduced as a bodyguard/enforcer for either a WWE superstar or diva.

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Vince McMahon’s New WWE Role

A new “employment agreement” Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment went into effect on January 1st and will run for three years until December 31, 2013. According to the official SEC Filing posted at WWE.com, McMahon’s new role in the company is as follows:

“In addition to his duties and responsibilities as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, the Executive shall serve as the Company’s creative director, and as a writer, and performer at various times for and in the Company’s events and productions.”

The three-year deal gives McMahon generous compensation if he is terminated “other than for cause” or leaves on his own accord with “good reason.” It also includes a 1-year no compete clause in the event that his agreement is terminated.

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Information on the DivaMania Tour with Tiffany, Jillian & Maria

Former WWE Diva Taryn “Tiffany” Terrell revealed more information to The Miami Herald this weekend about the upcoming DivaMania tour with her, Jillian Hall and Maria Kanellis.

The tour is being put together by Terrell and Andrew Scott, president of Scott Celebrity Management. The three former Divas will be making stops across the world meeting fans.

Tiffany said:

“It has really come together. We have really great names associated with it. We all have such a following. It’s really going to be cool to be able to get out there to talk to our fans and meet our fans, as well as tour the country and the world. We don’t have to worry about the PG level of WWE anymore, which is what we were under the constraints of.

So now we get to let loose and be who we are. Andrew Scott has been amazing to put this whole thing together. I think there is going to be a lot of interest in it. I’m ready to party down with everybody around the world.”

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Big Show DVD Out on Feb 22nd

WWE’s new DVD on Big Show, “The Big Show: A Giant’s World”, is currently scheduled to be released on February 22nd of this year.

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Update on WWE Planning Their Own Cable TV Network

The New York Times’ new report on WWE programming notes that they are still looking at launching their own cable TV network and that the NBC/WWE relationship being deepened with the return of Tough Enough may help the chances of that network.

Kevin Dunn, WWE’s executive TV producer, said the addition of Tough Enough to USA would not hurt the chances of launching the cable network. Dunn added that WWE is still talking to partners for their own TV network and those potential partners include NBC Universal.

As noted before, WWE’s Donna Goldsmith said back in November that it will be the middle of 2012 or early 2013 before they are ready to move forward with the network.

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