WWE news

[Head Booker]

According to Dave Meltzer, there are clues that CM Punk might be turning babyface in the near future.

First, WWE has recently trademarked Punk's name for merchandising. For those of you wondering, Punk gave WWE the rights to use the name but he can still use it himself if he leaves the company.

Second, in a match with John Cena during WWE's tour of Australia, Punk worked as a babyface and put over Cena after the match.

Meltzer speculates that Vince McMahon's promo on the taped RAW was designed to get Punk over as a babyface and the company wants Punk to be cheered in Chicago at the Money in the Bank PPV. It's possible that, when/if Punk returns, he'll be the #2 babyface on RAW next to Cena and hopefully appeal to the male demographic that Cena doesn't attract.

There's talk that there will be a Vince McMahon/CM Punk confrontation on RAW this Monday but nothing is confirmed at this point.

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The Raw group has landed in the US today after flying back after Wednesday's show in New Zealand. They are (deservedly) off until Monday's Raw in Boston. Then, they have off until the 7/16 SuperShow in Milwaukee. Money In The Bank then takes place in Chicago on 7/17.

CM Punk has resumed tweeting now that he has landed in the US by saying, "Okay, so I missed some stuff. Mike Rome? Let's do this." Of course, he is talking about the offer from ESPN's Jim Rome to come on his show, "Rome Is Burning". Rome offered Punk a chance to do the show after hearing his epic promo on the 6/27 Raw.

Nate Tarin sent word that WWE has sent an e-mail locally regarding this Monday’s RAW at the TD Garden. They are promoting ticket sales by saying people can see CM Punk’s last appearance in Boston.

[Head Booker]

Source = Lords of Pain

The latest issue of WWE Magazine features an interview with Wade Barrett and he comments on a rumor that occurred last year indicating that both he and Drew McIntyre had been deported from the United States due to their respective work visas expiring. Neither wrestler was deported, but in Barrett's case, he had to return to the United Kingdom to apply for a new work visa.

Regarding the rumor, Barrett said, "I once read a rumor that I'd been deported. After the original Nexus invasion, it was reported that WWE had failed to arrange my necessary working papers. Allegedly, there had been a mix-up or a huge oversight, and the Internet claimed both Drew McIntyre and I had been deported. Nonsense.

"I've come to realize how little attention I should pay to the "news" as reported online."

Barrett was also asked on resisting the urge to punch Heath Slater in the face everytime he sees him backstage.

"I pride myself on being an intelligent human being. I encourage other people to educate themselves as well. And, without of a doubt, Heath Slater is the dumbest human being I've ever met," Barrett says.

"I love Heath; he's a great guy. But Heath Slater is an imbecile. I can tolerate his ridiculous haircut and his over-the-top mannerisms—floating around the room and such—but when he opens his mouth, my blood really starts to boil."

[Icon Lord Sean "Magic" Fiery]

LMFAO! "Floating around the room and such." Ahh, I just imagined Slater's hair flying him around everywhere. Gingers are fun to pick on

[Head Booker]

Former WWE creative team member Court Bauer wrote on his Twitter account @courtbauer yesterday that Ed Koskey has been promoted to the head writer of Smackdown. It is a job that Michael Hayes handled in the past, though Hayes was allegedly more of an idea guy that went over the shows with his team and then had them write them. Hayes should be more involved in management functions for WWE.

~~

Colt Cabana noted on his latest podcast that he would be in attendance at the Money in the Bank PPV, obviously with it being in Chicago.

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-- WWE's creative team has broached putting Zack Ryder in a new faction with David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty, who are to be orphaned if and when Nexus ceases. This all depends on what CM Punk does.

[Head Booker]

Beyond CM Punk, by far the number one thing readers asked about following Raw was the condition of Drew McIntyre, who took a scary spill off the WWE stage when Mark Henry tackled The Big Show.

As we discussed on last night's Raw post-game show in the Elite section, McIntyre was shook up but was OK afterward. He did not need to go to a hospital for medical attention after being checked and cleared by WWE trainers and EMTS at the venue.

I am told his bump was unplanned as he was supposed to end up on the stage, not falling off.

~~

- WWEDVDNews reports that the new Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart DVD is a part of a new series called "WWE's Greatest Rivalries", which will also include a Steve Austin vs. The Rock set.

The working title for the two-disc Blu-ray and three-disc DVD is simply Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart, and will be released on October 25th in North America. Here's the synopsis:

"For more than a decade, Bret “Hit Man” Hart and Shawn Michaels engaged in perhaps the most storied rivalry in the history of sports entertainment, from their teams (the Hart Foundation and the Rockers), through battles for the Intercontinental Championship and the richest prize in the business, the WWE Championship.

Their enmity spilled out of the ring, and led to the most infamous incident in the history of professional wrestling, The Montreal Screwjob. More than a decade later, the two men buried the hatchet as both are now WWE Hall of Famers.

Now, for the first time ever, the two sit down together and rehash their intertwined destinies in Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart. These new, never-before-aired, interviews will shed new light and insight on controversies fans have speculated about for years."

[Head Booker]

WWE will be releasing the "Greatest Superstars of the 21st Century" on DVD and Blu-Ray formats, featuring the following matches and profiles: (spoilered for length)

SPOILER: Click to show

Main Program:

Ground Breaking Superstars

Chris Jericho

Edge

Triple H

JBL

Kane

Kurt Angle

The Rock

Randy Orton

Brock Lesnar

Decade of the Divas

Jeff Hardy

Big Show

Eddie Guerrero

Shawn Michaels

Booker T

Stone Cold Steve Austin

The Undertaker

Rey Mysterio

Batista

John Cena

Greatest SuperStars of the 21st Century

Matches:

WCW Championship Match
Booker T vs. The Rock
SummerSlam 19th August, 2001

Intercontinental Championship Match
Chris Jericho vs. Rob Van Dam
Raw 16th September, 2002

World Heavyweight Championship Match
Triple H vs. Kane
Raw 23rd June, 2003

60 Minute Iron Man Match for the WWE Championship
Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar
SmackDown! 18th September, 2003

WWE Championship Match
Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio
SmackDown! 18th March, 2004

Blu-ray Exclusives:

“Everything Evolves”
Raw – 3rd February, 2003

Kane’s Eulogy for the Undertaker
SmackDown! – 20th November, 2003

JBL is Not Afraid of the Undertaker
SmackDown! – 5th August, 2004

Fatal 4-Way Match for the WWE Championship
JBL vs. The Undertaker vs. Eddie Guerrero vs. Booker T
Armageddon 12th December, 2004

Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship
JBL vs. Big Show vs. Kurt Angle
Royal Rumble 30th January, 2005

World Heavyweight Championship Match
Triple H vs. Edge
Raw 7th February, 2005

Women's Championship Match
Lita vs. Trish Stratus
Unforgiven 17th September, 2006

Triple Threat Match - Winner Faces John Cena For The WWE Championship At WrestleMania 23
Shawn Michaels vs. Randy Orton vs. Edge
Raw 5th February, 2007

8 -Man Tag Team Match
John Cena & Batista & Shawn Michaels & The Undertaker vs. Randy Orton & Edge & Mr. Kennedy & MVP
Raw 15th February, 2007

World Heavyweight Championship Match
Batista vs. The Undertaker
WrestleMania 23 1st April, 2007

Fatal 4-Way Elimination Match for WWE Championship
Randy Orton vs. John Cena vs. Triple H vs. JBL
Backlash 27th April, 2008

World Heavyweight Championship Scramble Match
Batista vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Kane vs. JBL vs. Chris Jericho
Unforgiven 7th September, 2008

Tables, Ladders & Chairs Match for the World Heavyweight Championship
Jeff Hardy vs. CM Punk
SummerSlam 23rd August, 2009

Every Man for Himself
SmackDown! – 27th January, 2005

Kurt Angle Does Not Suck
Raw – 7th November, 2005

The Coronation of King Booker
SmackDown! – 26th May, 2006

John Cena & Randy Orton Get Together
Backlash – 27th April, 2007

Chris Jericho’s Highlight Reel
Raw – 9th June, 2008

~~

Mick Foley wrote the following on Twitter: "Thinking about getting a ticket for MITB, just to feel the atmosphere in Chicago as a wrestling fan. Should be amazing."

~~

While on tour with his band Fozzy, Chris Jericho has posted on Twitter that their bus was involved in an accident. Jericho tweeted:

"Last night as I was riding on the Anthrax bus, Fozzys bus was in an accident. The band is ok thank God, but the bus is trashed so we won't be able to play the show in Denmark tonight. Hamburg is still on for tomorrow. Its a miracle nobody got hurt, as the bus skidded on two wheels for 50 feet and the side door was completely torn off. Say a prayer for the boys and stay tuned for more info."

He later wrote: "Now I'm on a train from Aarhaus to Hamburg with nothing but a toothbrush and a pair of flip flops. Could be worse..."

You can see a picture of the smashed front of the bus by clicking here.

~~

John Cena was interview by the Chicago Tribune. It was a good piece where Cena said some interesting things.

He talked about working in Chi-Town before saying: "Chicago fans greeted me with a '(Expletive) you, Cena' chant." He added that the fans there " cheer and boo who they want. They’re great fans whether they like me or not." He expects to be booed Sunday at the Money In The Bank PPV.

When asked why he has been critical of The Rock leaving the business but not Punk Cena said, "I know he's not going to leave wrestling. He's leaving WWE. There's a difference. CM Punk doesn’t feel he’s been treated properly in WWE. We’ve had this problem before. MVP was another one who felt he wasn't treated well and has gone on to have a prolific career in Japan. Same with A-Train. I have more respect for a guy who leaves the company to better himself in another territory. But all roads lead back to Rome. If you're successful, you'll find your way back."

You can read the whole story by clicking here.

Speaking of Cena, about last night's end of Raw on his Twitter he wrote, " I haven't seen the WWE universe this passionate about whoever they will route for...ever. This feels every bit like WrestleMania."

~~

Several readers sent word that they received the following response from Good Humor's website after requesting the return of the WWE Ice Cream Bars following CM Punk's demand for their return:

Quote
Thank you for writing us regarding Good Humor .

The product you have contacted us about has been discontinued. Our company's goal is to provide consumers with a variety of products to meet their needs and preferences. As you may know, marketing is a complex function, and many business factors are taken into consideration before discontinuing a product.

Before a product becomes available at the retail level, much time and expense is involved in perfecting the recipe, consumer focus testing, and marketing support. It truly saddens us when we must discontinue a product. However, consumer demand is a major factor. When the level of demand is insufficient to ensure that consumers receive high quality products at an affordable price, the product may be discontinued.

We apologize that this product is no longer available and hope you will continue to enjoy the other products we offer. We will forward your comments to our brand staff.


If you would like to voice your demand for their return, you can do so by clicking THIS LINK.

~~

A video response by The Rock, over comments Cena said about him in Australia, about him not being here, etc... www.whosay.com/DwayneJohnson/videos/46340

[Head Booker]

- WWE has made the decision to start very soon on construction for a physical Hall of Fame. Officials are still looking for a city to house the Hall of Fame and carry the financial burden of running it but Orlando, Florida is a possibility. WWE is in the process of purchasing legendary memorabilia for displays in the new Hall of Fame building.

~~

Cena's response to The Rock's video response:

John Cena via Twitter:

"CeNation. Just saw Dwayne's statement. Via satellite of course. Sad, really. It was like an episode of mad money

I wonder if GLAAD will be offended by Dwayne's comments.

Either way..looks like I have really made him mad. But, certainly not mad enough to show up and do anything. Maybe he can send a stuntman.

Dwayne. I am a WWE employee, and a proud one. The difference between us is you left for 'greener pastures'. For me...this is what I love.

I have never begged for anyones admiration or acceptance, u don't believe me..watch MITB. Its not about that. Its about showing up.

Id rather wrestle a thousand 'punks' than one 'rock'. Because I can see his passion. Wish I could see yours...yer just never there.

Until april 1st. Keep on bringing it my man. You're doing great. Your friend John Cena"

[Icon Lord Sean "Magic" Fiery]

Lol. Twitter rivalries. Fun. Too bad I don't care to get a Twitter account

[Shane Lawrence]

I have one...just never used it after I created it.

[John Champa]

Chavo Guerrero took John Cena's wrestling ability to task today on Twitter after the master of the Five Knuckle Shuffle declared earlier in the day that people will talk about his match with CM Punk tomorrow at Money in the Bank for years to come. He challenges the WWE Champion to think outside the box and not do the "BS lazy comeback" he does in "every match" because the fans deserve better. The third generation grappler also took a parting shot at The Miz during his near half-hour diatribe.

Guerrero wrote: "Ok, don't "Fin" say that people will talk about this for years if you're going to let Punk do all the work and not deliver at the PPV, Cena. I am tired and I know fans are tired of WWE Superstars talking big and not delivering. We don't want to see someone just in a fight. And frankly no one believes it anymore. If Miz can kick your ass then the clerk at the store can kick your ass, so please deliver if you say that..

"People will remember this PPV. You know Punk will bring "it". I've been in the ring with both of you and Punk has "it". Cena you have mic skills yes but if you think people believe your BS lazy comeback that you do exactly the same every match then you are mistaken. Eddie and I taught you different. We never said "get lazy" and do the damn thing every night. We always said "think out of the box" and give the fans what they deserve and not rely on the "machine" to "get you over".

"I hope this lights a fire under your ass and you deliver this Sunday. Don't just rest on you being over cause you are and that is easy. Challenge yourself and give the fans what they deserve. That's why they boo you. Because they aren't stupid. They know what they pay for and the "great" promo guy but the shitty "match" guy that you have become is not what they want. I understand "longevity" but at the sacrifice of the fans trust is not worth it. Deliver on your fans and deliver on why you got into this business. Eventually the fans that you have gained with from the purple t-shirts will turn on you. Take a lesson from the Hulkster. Give the fans there $ worth and don't become just another "promo" guy. I know you love this biz and don't get distracted from the McMahon $. Deliver please!! Have enough respect for your fans because without them, you're working at a fast food chain.

"Love you man and I support you and hope you see this because I know Punk will and I know he's going to bring it because he's got nothing to lose!"


source: rajah.com

[Head Booker]

The emails are already pouring in asking what CM Punk's status is with WWE. No one we spoke with in WWE last night at the show had any idea what the story was. It was being kept on the super down low. All we can tell you right now is that we do not know for sure what the story is and honestly, that is pretty cool. I hope it stays a secret until Raw tonight. This kind of stuff makes the business fun. My hunch is that Punk has signed some kind of extension at the least, but that is just me guessing at this point.

Everyone I spoke to in WWE thought, like the sane among us, that last night's show was a grand slam home run. The vibe backstage was very good after the show as people knew that they were part of something special.

Speaking of fun, in case you missed it the show last night was awesome, just awesome. Kudos to WWE for taking advantage of the buzz that they had going in and booking the show perfectly. They deserve a lot of credit for that. As I said before, interest was definitely up for this show and I expect the buyrate to be up over the recent B show PPVs. We actually had more traffic here at the site for the show than we did for WrestleMania, which tells you something. I am really glad that we pay extra money for a top line server. It's nice to know that when we get slammed our server can take it and stay up.

Mike Johnson and myself both posted live, as they happened blogs during the show last night. If you want to get our thoughts as the show went on, the blogs are available on the main page or under the Latest News link.

Add Chris Jericho to the list of stars that put over the show saying, "Heard MITB ppv was excellent and Punk-Cena was off the charts. Glad to hear! What a great time to be a WWE fan.Sit back and enjoy this guys! As great as Punk was and is during the whole angle, don't discount Cenas work in all this. Contrary to what some say Cena is a GREAT worker".

Matt Hardy also commented on MITB saying, " heard there was a helluva wrestling show on tonight. Very happy to hear the people were given what they want-it's good for business."

Bret Hart wrote: "Very good PPV tonight w/everyone working hard. Great storytelling in the main event & throughout the show. Kudos to everybody"

Jim Ross did a blog on MITB with his thoughts on the show at this link.

PWInsider.

[Head Booker]

-- Joey Styles announced tonight on Twitter that he will resume his announcing career this Thursday—presumably for WWE Superstars.

Styles wrote, "Controversy abounds tonight so I'll take this opportunity to let the world know that I am finally returning to announcing on Thursday."

Styles last commentated in April 2008 for the ECW brand. He was replaced by Mike Adamle after being promoted to Director of Digital Media Content for WWE.com.

~~

Quotes from Chavo Guerrero from The Score radio.

On his Twitter comments about John Cena:
"He hasn't contacted me since I made those comments. People ask me why did you call him directly? And I did. Many of us did. I called him lazy on twitter. Don't get me wrong. He works hard. In the gym. But he always has the exact same comeback. I just remember watching him and saying this isn't the way we (myself and Eddie) taught you. And we keep seeing him doing the same shoulder tackle, hip-toss 5-Knuckle-Shuffle."

On his release from the WWE:
"It was really a longtime coming. I went into the creative offices (after putting over Yoshi Tatsu on Superstars) and asked who's the better wrestler. They said me. I then asked how many countries speak Spanish. And then I asked who have you invested 10 years of television time into. They said me again. And I said they have no legs to stand on. I've always been about business but that's when I said I'm not doing this anymore."

Speaking candidly about his career after Eddie's passing:
"I always thought the WWE really dropped the ball after Eddie passed. I always thought the WWE didn't really want to cash in on Eddie's death. But I remember wrestling Triple H and the fans really went crazy for it. But they went with Rey for WrestleMania 22. And I went into Vince's office and told him that could be me. The fans could really get behind me. And instead that went into me turning heel and having a great program with Rey"

~~

Fom DArren Rovell, business reporter for CNBC....spoilered for those that haven't seen Raw yet..

SPOILER: Click to show

Darren Rovell, a sports business reporter for CNBC, noted on his Twitter account that last night's angle on Raw in which Vince McMahon was relieved of his duties of WWE chief and replaced by his son-in-law, Triple H, may cause issues with WWE stock.

"The No. 1 material risk against WWE stock is Vince McMahon leaving the business," Rovell wrote. "Tonight's plot could be an SEC violation."

[Head Booker]

As seen on WWE Raw this week, Triple H came out, confronted Vince McMahon, and "relieved him of his duties." While this was of course an angle booked for the show, many have speculated that Triple H taking over for Vince on Raw was symbolic of things to come in the real future of WWE.

F4WOnline.com is reporting that at this point the backstage plan in WWE calls for Vince McMahon to remain in his current role until WrestleMania 28, at which time Triple H will begin to slowly take over some of McMahon's top duties in the company. It's being said, however, that while Triple H is eventually set to take over for Vince, it won't be a complete transfer of power, as McMahon is expected to continue to oversee the corporate structure of WWE as well as have a hand in the company's creative direction.

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon was reportedly "shocked into silence" when the overnight household ratings for Monday Night Raw came in at a 3.2 yesterday at the Smackdown tapings. According to a key WWE insider who was backstage, "Vince did his best to no-sell the news, but the entire atmosphere of the backstage area changed once Vince was told of the rating."

WrestleZone was also told, "It seems like Vince and the upper echelon really believed this latest surge in excitement based on the CM Punk angle would really pop the ratings. The slow build back up is really scary for a lot of people right now. There's not an overflow of patience running around in WWE."

Sources: F4WOnline.com and Wrestlezone.com

[Rob]

How can Cena say with a straight face that he never begs fans to like him? Is he hearing the same fake-as-fuck lip service I am?