WWE news

[Head Booker]

taken from nodq

- During recent discussions to use managers in WWE, officials also discussed using Arn Anderson as a manager in addition to Michael Hayes, who is managing Tyson Kidd. No word yet on who Anderson might manage if they decide to use him in that role.

~~

Story By: Steve Carrier
- Melina posted a blog on her official website, RealMelina.com, updating fans on John Morrison after he underwent surgery to correct a pinched nerve in his neck.

"The first week after surgery is the most painful," she wrote. "He hates not helping out and carrying his own weight. He stubbornly tries to do little things and I understand that I can't baby him but I worry. I want to do everything for him so he can just rest.

"I have taken him on mini walks so he can get out of the house… he can't stay out for very long because he starts to ache. I wish I could do more. During the day he has to sit, but he can’t sit for long because his neck starts to hurt… then he can't stand for too long either because the same thing happens. His body gets tired because its hard for him to rest. At night he wakes up every few hours and gets out of bed because his neck is sore. For some reason he thinks I sleep through him bumping into stuff in the dark, on his way to the kitchen. He says coconut gelato is the only thing that makes his neck feel better at 5am. Bless his heart."

She continued, "I hate to see him in pain. He won’t tell me a lot of the times but you can just see it. It breaks my heart because he’s my Honey, but he always tries to smile. I admire him for being so positive, being strong and making me laugh. I wouldn’t blame him if he just vegged and sulked a bit… but instead he keeps his chin up and Smiles… even if it hurts."

~~

A number of WWE Superstars were on hand for a press conference in Mexico City the other day, where WWE announced that for the first time ever, Raw and SmackDown will be broadcast from Mexico this October. Alberto Del Rio stated during the conference that his goal is to end The Undertaker's undefeated streak at WrestleMania, reports SuperLuchas.net.

[Head Booker]

WWE is now requiring all of of their signed talents to personally purchase and maintain medical insurance for themselves. WWE will not be picking up the costs of the insurance I am told but are requiring the talents to have the insurance for their own benefit.

I heard rumblings of this a few months back, but confirmed Monday that the company went through with the decision to require talents to maintain their own insurance.

For those wondering, the amendment was presented to talents prior to the announcement that UFC was going to provide all of their fighters with medical insurance, so this is not a reaction to that. The decision was in the works well before the UFC announcement.

Now, as to why the company doesn't cover talents themselves with medical insurance, it should be pointed out that as independent contractors, the talents would be able to write off the cost of the medical insurance as a business expense.

It should also be pointed out that WWE does cover the costs of any surgeries and physical rehabilitation needed based off injuries suffered while performing, as well as any costs for substance abuse treatment needed by talents, past or present, who have worked for the company.

PWInsider - Mike Johnson

[Head Booker]

- Goldust stated on his Twitter account that he will not be returning to the square circle in the near future.

"Here's the deal...I'm not coming back to wrestle anytime soon," he wrote.

Goldust has been sidelined since December due to a shoulder injury, which was expected to keep him sidelined for five to six months. He has since undertaken a behind the scenes role with WWE.

[Head Booker]

WrestleZone.com is reporting that John Cena's next feud will be with CM Punk. According to a prominent member of the WWE staff, Cena is a big fan of Punk's, and thought WWE could have gotten a lot more out of Punk during his run with Randy Orton.

With Punk reportedly in a contract dispute with WWE (his contract expires at the end of the Summer, and he has not elected to sign a new agreement), Cena went to WWE Chairman Vince McMahon with a similar pitch to how Cena worked Chris Jericho's final program when Jericho first took a leave of absence from WWE.

While WWE hopes Punk will eventually stay with the company, it looks like his exit will come at the hands of John Cena should he decide to leave.

Of course, with Punk being in a feud with "The Champ," WWE has the option to offer Punk a title run in order to sweeten the offer for him to stay.

"This is going to be interesting to watch," another key WWE insider told us this evening, "Punk is very smart, and Cena understands WWE politics better than anyone other than HHH and Undertaker. A feud between the two of them may be the smartest thing WWE can do to get Punk to stay!"

WrestleZone is the first to report the impending Punk vs Cena feud, and will keep you up-to-date on this breaking story as it develops.

~~

WrestleZone is reporting that it was apparently a "wild as hell" producers meeting with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and top lieutenant (and son-in-law) Triple H today, as the boss felt like changing plans heading into the summer months. "Vince knows he wants Rock vs Cena for next year's WrestleMania, and he thinks everything else is up in the air and up for grabs at the moment," a key WWE insider exclusively told WrestleZone this evening, "several plans changed today, and I think it's very fair to say that all plans changing right now .. except for Rock vs Cena, which is as etched in stone as anything ever can be with Vince McMahon in charge!"

As an example, Vince apparently changed gears with his approach to Kia Stevens, the former Awesome Kong, now known as Kharma. "That segment was actually discussed over a week ago, and then it was scrapped in a way that no one thought it should ever be discussed again," we were told, "all of a sudden, Vince decided to go for it, all the way, and push it hard out of nowhere. The writers are totally on eggshells again because they don't know which way the wind is blowing, and Vince is changing his mind at every turn."

In the meantime, we were told Vince was "more hands on than even before" today, demanding to have the talent rehearse every line, and the writers and producers make sure every word on the scripts was rehearsed over and over again.

"It's going to be an interesting summer," another WWE source told us, "Vince is just in one of his moods."

[Icon Lord Leon Corbin]

Fuck the money, WWE is not a good place to be an employee...There is no job security or guarantee of anything. Vince couldn't do half the nonsense he does if he was starting out today.

[Icon Lord Sean "Magic" Fiery]

Awesome... Drag Punk through the dirt with Big Show, then Mysterio, then Orton, and now Cena? For fuck sake, no wonder he wants to leave the company. They have NO idea how to handle great heels unless your name is Mike Mizanin. If Punk gets into a feud with Cena, he better get the Championship or I'm going to sadly hope he gets the hell out of the company for a little while. By the time he comes back, he will be celebrated and given proper treatment... Atleast for a little while.

[Rico]

PWInsider.com reports that Kharma is pregnant. According to F4WOnline.com, it is believed that she will be out "for over nine months."

The former TNA Women's Knockout Champion was scripted to break down into tears on Monday's Raw, which the announcers described as a nervous breakdown. The angle was done to remove her from television for the time being.

source rajah.com


Well that explains the Segment on Raw...You know lately, I've found myself watchin just to see her....since Taker is out of the picture, Kofi and Kharma are the only thing keeping me watching Raw, maybe R-Truth, who has gotten better since he turned heel....

[Icon Lord Sean "Magic" Fiery]

That's some serious weak sauce there.

[Head Booker]

- The plan is for Kharma do an interview on Raw next week to explain her leave of absence.

Credit: Wrestling Observer


-- Kharma is advertised to speak next Monday on Raw. WWE.com released the following statement:

"Live on the next Raw, the WWE Universe will hear from the baleful behemoth, Kharma, about her unexpected emotional breakdown last Monday. What will the devastator of Divas say about her tearful episode?"

~~

- Former WWE Superstar Armando Estrada returned tonight at the WWE Superstars tapings from Spokane, Washington and was announced as Tyson Kidd's new manager.

Kidd faces Trent Baretta on this week's show.

As seen on Superstars last week, Michael Hayes dumped Kidd after he lost a match to Yoshi Tatsu.

~~

Former WWE Women's Champion Layla announced this evening on her Twitter account that she tore both the ACL and MCL in her knee and will undergo surgery tomorrow.

"Well my knee injury is worse than I thought... I tore both my ACL and MCL," she wrote. "Having surgery tomorrow."

"I'm ready to heal and be stronger than ever!"

She continued, "Not gonna blame anyone yet for making it worse than after Michelle McCool and my match.

"Just need the time to heal. Thank you all for support always."

Recovery time for her injury is expected to be approximately six months.

Layla announced on the May 13 episode of SmackDown! that during her match with Michelle McCool at Extreme Rules, she sustained a serious knee injury. Following Michael Cole's interruption, Kharma emerged. Cole proceeded to trip Layla, allowing the monstrous woman to drive her into the mat.

~~

- In a new interview with John Pollock of The Fight Network, Kevin Nash says he hopes to face Big Show at this year's WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view and talks about almost doing something with Show at the WrestleMania 27 pay-per-view last month. Nash notes that it wouldn't have been fair to take the WrestleMania spot of another WWE Superstar who had been waiting on their first WrestleMania.

Regarding his WWE return at the Royal Rumble earlier this year, Nash said those few moments were better than anything that happened to him during his five year stint with TNA.

Nash also talks about how Shawn Michaels (who he thinks won't ever return), other veterans and himself may get involved with WWE's developmental process that Triple H is currently heading up. You can see the video below:


- Following a two-year investigation into WWE, the State of Connecticut has ruled that they owe $7,316 in underpaid unemployment compensation for certain WWE employees. WWE does not agree with the audit but are paying the fine "under protest" because the fine will cost less than it will to go through a legal process of challenging the audit.


- WWE Divas Champion Brie Bella and her sister Nikki revealed on Twitter that they and other Divas filmed an episode of The Price is Right yesterday. The Price is Right is hosted by WWE Hall of Famer Drew Carey.

[Head Booker]

Averno, one of the top rudos for CMLL for the half decade, has signed a contract with WWE. Averno is joining the US promotion to resume his feud with Misitco (now Sin Cara) as an unmasked heel. The plan was for him to lose his mask to La Mascara at June 17th’s Jucio Final, but plans may change as this news gets out. Multiple sources have confirmed to me both Averno’s signing and his imminent mask loss.

WWE has been unhappy with Sin Cara’s matches so far. Atypically, they’ve sought to resolve this by bringing in more agreeable opponents for him to work with. The story I was told is WWE went to Sin Cara and asked him that if he could work with anyone in the world, who would he most like to work with. Obviously, he picked his long time rival (and probably close friend) Averno. WWE earlier had Averno in for a tryout last October, the same tryout Mistico and Diamante were at (and which Durango Kid helped set up), but decided not to sign him at that time. Things have changed, and Averno secretly signed with WWE during their last tour of Mexico.

It’s worth noting this is not actually an expanded WWE raid of CMLL luchadors or lucha style wrestlers in general. They want Averno to fill a specific need. I do not believe this directly increases (or decreases) their chances of signing anyone else from Mexico. To put it simply, WWE signing Averno does not mean they’re about to sign Fantasma or Sombra or anyone else.

This is also a big risk for Averno; he’s coming in for a defined spot, but there may not be plans past that; compare Averno to Tyson Kidd, who works the style they WWE prefers, is very good at it, and is barely on their roster. Dropping your mask and going to WWE in hopes of a big push worked out for Alberto Del Rio, but not so much for Rey Ortiz. Since the plan is for him to work against Sin Cara, I expect he will be brought to the main roster quickly, and not go to FCW.

Averno has not informed CMLL of his WWE signing. Instead, Averno only told their programming department he wanted to lost his mask ASAP and, if they weren’t willing to do it, he would go to whichever outside promoter could pay him the most to drop it. CMLL agreed to do it there and scrambled their plans for June (a cage match which would’ve included the Gen11/Rayos feud and probably other rivalries; no loser had been definitively been decided), putting Averno’s mask loss in on 06/17. Mascara Dorada would’ve been the preferred choice to win the mask, but he’s locked in with NJPW comittements. It’s unknown if other people were considered, but CMLL is said to be a very divided and unhappy place at the moment, and politics surely played some role in the decision (as they do in most.)

As I write this, I believe upper CMLL management is still unaware of Averno signing with WWE (though I’m the impression that many other people in the company, which again speaks to the fractured nature of CMLL) and would’ve been when the card for next Friday was announced. Averno is not yet on any of the big six cards next week (GDL/Puebla/Mexico/Coliseo), but I do not believe that has anything to do with this news, and he is scheduled to work shows in Queretaro (Tuesday) and Xalapa (Wednesday).

I have declined to post about this because of that, and because early release of this information may cost people’s jobs, and may cost Averno a big payday. That’s not really worth being first, to me. I’m posting this story now because the word has gotten out to enough people that there’s really no way it can be kept as a secret any more. SuperLuchas has put the Averno to WWE portion on their cover, out today, though they are not confirming the mask loss.

It’s possible that CMLL may pull the match – as much for the betrayal as the result getting out – (though that would mean Averno would just find someone else to pay for the mask), but the CMLL way tends to be to ignore the world around them. Also, they’d be able to beat soon to be WWE star on the way out, and CMLL thinks that would mean a lot to their fans. We’ll see.

Sorry I had to spoil this result for everyone. Didn’t want to know who was going to win myself, but can’t tell this story without telling that part.


via cubsfan @ luchablog.com

[Head Booker]

F4WOnline.com is reporting that the video game announcement WWE and THQ will be making tomorrow is expected to be that the "Smackdown vs Raw" name will be dropped from future game titles. The video game will instead simply be called "WWE '12," with the number changing each year the game is released. It's being said that the change will be made because THQ feels there is no inter-brand rivalry between Smackdown and Raw on WWE TV, so the name Smackdown vs Raw essentially doesn't make sense.

According to a preview by IGN, the game is going to be totally different as it's been rebuilt from the ground up.

[Icon Lord Sean "Magic" Fiery]

Thank God! Hopefully this change is for the better. But... I dislike Orton being the main cover attraction >_<

[Sir Chris Cairns]

Orton is the most homo-erotic wrestling-related thing I have ever seen.

[Icon Lord Leon Corbin]

I was a fan of the THQ Smackdown games since the very first screen shot was released back in about 1999. Gradually, they just keep making the game worse and worse, building on things that didn't need it and taking away from the best bits until eventually, they just lost the fan in me much like WWE as a whole has. Their other games like Raw on the XBox and Wrestlemania whatever on the GC were even more abysmal. As far as the Smackdown vs Raw games go, there is little point to keep releasing them every November as they have been for years as there is nothing new worth spending another £40 each year for which could quite simply be a downloadable expansion for a whole lot less which people probably wouldn't want anyway. Fail...

[Head Booker]

More on WWE '12, spoiler tagged for length:

SPOILER: Click to show

Here's part of IGN's details on the game:

"For years WWE SmackDown vs. Raw has been the Sports Entertainment simulation series from THQ and Yuke's Yokohama. It's been a fun ride, but as with any franchise, fans have complained about annual aspects over and over again. Turns out the developers were listening, killed the series, and are planning on fixing things with WWE '12.

The stiff animations, the characters warping into place for certain moves, the confusing right analog stick controls for grapples -- WWE '12 is addressing all of that and feels good so far. That's pretty damn exciting.

Now, it would be easy to glance at screenshots and assume THQ and developer Yuke's Yokohama just dumped the WWE SmackDown vs. Raw name and called it a day. That's what I did. For a few days leading into my meeting, THQ had been telling me this game was going to be unlike any other WWE game I had seen, but when I finally laid eyes on it, WWE '12 sure did look similar to WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011.

Then, I started to play it. THQ and Yuke's didn't just change the name, they changed the game's DNA. There's a new animation system, new blending methods, something called "Predator Technology" -- basically, they went under the game's hood and ripped out all the old stuff that people hated and plugged in brand new parts to try and make the most fluid wrestling game around.

When John Cena's suplexing an opponent, a third Superstar can punch Cena and break up the move. You can do that for any move -- even Finishers and mini-games like the Royal Rumble eliminations. When you're slammed to the mat at the beginning of a bout, you're going to sell the move and get up at the same time so that the match keeps a fast-paced feel. When you're getting up from any move, you're going to have a window to strike before you're even to your feet. The goal is to have a game that feels like anything can happen from any position and eradicate that stiffness and clunkiness that has always been a calling card of WWE SmackDown vs. Raw.

For me, it all came together watching a three-man match. Orton laid out an opponent and went to the ring apron, Cena immediately started his 5-Knuckle Shuffle routine on the downed man, and as Cena was coming down, Randy Orton launched himself from the apron to land a splash. Orton hit, Cena hit, and Orton hit again. The sequence was polished and fast -- it looked like a spot from ECW of old. There was no blown animation as the character on the ground reacted to the first move and ignored the other.

People don't warp to the center of the ring for a 5-Knuckle Shuffle and similar moves anymore; the move happens where it happens. The ropes no longer stay awkwardly still during matches; you slam someone and the ring reacts. The tired fonts and menus of old have been ditched for a new setup. Visually, new shaders and tech have been introduced to make the game look better than ever. There's definition to the character's faces instead of the blur there was last year, and depth of field has been introduced to give the brand new arenas weight and realism.

The game, according to THQ, has been taken apart and put back together, and from the little I've seen, I believe them -- though the changes aren't monumental when you stare at a still image, they shine in motion.

Seeing the game in motion is where the proof of all these Predators and shaders lives. I've already talked about how the moves flow together, but there's more to it than that. The days of analog stick grapples are over. Now, everything's going back to the face buttons of your favorite controller. Grapple, strike, pin and Finisher are all right there for the taking. There are no strong and weak grapples -- the moves you're pulling off are dependent on how worn down the opponent is.

That's all well and good, but there are specific things THQ has peppered in that affect the gameplay. First, there's limb targeting in WWE '12. You can attack the head, arms or legs, and while this obviously puts you in a good place for certain finishers, it also really twists the match in whatever direction you want it to go. If you're up against a lightning quick high flier, you can work the legs so the opponent can't get around as quickly and can't zip up the turnbuckles. Work the head, and the opponent is going to be a groggy mess. All this plays into how easy it'll be to get an opponent to tap in the new "Breaking Point" submission system where players tap buttons in a tug of war mini-game.

Epic brawls are going to look like the epic brawls you see on TV -- both in terms of the new camera angle that's more pulled back and the gameplay speed I talked about earlier -- but they get even more like Monday Night Raw when you add in the new Wake Up Taunts in WWE '12. Basically, you know how Randy Orton pounds the ground before he goes to hit his Finisher on TV? That can happen in the game now. You knock your opponent down with your Finisher primed, hit the taunt button, and you'll get a celebration that ends with the opponent getting to his feet in the perfect setup for your big move. The opponent gets a chance at reversing it, but it really brings together that TV style presentation THQ's been working on for the last few years.

That said, I thought the stamina bar was a bit of a step backwards in WWE '12. The last few WWE SmackDown vs. Raw games incorporated a barely visible halo around the Superstars feet to keep players in-tune with how they're doing in a match and not distract from the presentation. As of now, WWE '12 features a big meter with a name on it at the bottom of the screen showing how close you are to building a Signature or Finisher (you can store two Finishers). I found it jarring as the game looks better than ever and is trying so hard to mimic broadcasts.

Still, that's the only gripe I have with the new direction. WWE '12 also adds Dynamic Comebacks, which are those tried and true combos you see folks like Cena throw out that take them from the edge of defeat to clearing the ring. If you reach a certain amount of damage, you'll be able to have a shot to use this one-time combo. Pull it off, and you get two Finishers.

These stored Finishers and Dynamic Comebacks make it seem like my friends and I are going to have some awesome matches, but THQ and Yuke's want you to have awesome matches with computer-controlled opponents, too. The AI learns this time around. If you spam run attacks like I do (I'm infamous on the Internet for my floatover DDT), the computer opponent is supposed to recognize that and be ready to counter it. For the first time, THQ says that the computer is going to remember what you've been doing and what it's been doing. (i.e. if it picks up a chair, it's not going to drop it -- it's going to hit you with it.)

Balancing the difficulty isn't just a focus when it comes to the man versus machine matches. THQ found that people figured out how to master the pinning system pretty quickly in SVR 11, so it's been redone in WWE '12. It's still a metered system (hold a button to fill a meter and release it when it gets to a window on the meter), but the window moves around this time at random -- it won't always be in the same spot. Similarly, the window size varies on how beat up you are, and if you're pinned after the opponent hits his Finisher, the meter might not pop up to the two-count so you'd only have one shot at it."