WWE News

[Head Booker]

Arn Anderson granted a rare interview to the Trentonian newspaper about the Four Horsemen's 2012 Hall of Fame induction. Anderson noted they have only had one public reunion in recent years, which “really brought back memories, but being together again on this stage will blow that out of the water." Anderson commented on the Horsemen's influence on wrestling history, saying the Horsemen set the table for the likes of DX, the NWO, and Evolution.

Anderson also revealed advice he gave to Edge, who was facing a similar career-ending injury situation last year that forced Anderson to retire in the 1990s. “I’ve had three cracked vertebrae, and that last one took me out. I asked Edge if he wants to risk getting hurt permanently or if he wants to walk around for the rest of his life, and he made the right decision," Anderson said.

[ LINK: Full interview at Trentonian.com ]

[Head Booker]

WWE producer Arn Anderson talked to Mike Mooneyham of the Post & Courier newspaper about his WWE Hall of Fame induction, working behind-the-scenes in WWE, and other topics in an interview printed Sunday. The full interview can be read at PostandCourier.com . The following are highlights.

-- Anderson, who is being inducted with the Four Horsemen after being over-looked individually last year in Atlanta in his homestate, said he's not upset it took this long for him to be included in WWE's Hall of Fame.

“I’m never going to be one of those guys who asked what took so long. I’m just floored by the fact that it’s happening. It’s a very elite group," Anderson.

-- Anderson said there are times he wishes he could become physically involved in wrestling again, and feels especially helpless at times watching shows from his producer position backstage.

“There’s two times when it bothers me,” Anderson said about wondering what could have been. “It bothers me when I see a match go south and I’m sitting there on headsets, and I know at that moment in time if I was in there, I could fix it. Or, when it’s done really well. That’s the two times that I really miss it."

-- Anderson discussed today's wrestlers being at a disadvantage coming into WWE's "lion's den" without similar experience he was afforded in the 1980s before getting a spot on national TV.

"Look at the experience level of the guys, through not any fault of their own. They’re coming in sometimes only a year right out of FCW," Anderson said. "How good would guys like John Cena, Randy Orton, or Batista have been if they would have had 900 matches in their first three years? Can you fathom that? So, we had a distinct advantage at the time. I would love to still be wrestling if my body would accommodate it in these times.”
-- Anderson also talked about the success of his 28-year marriage with the wrestling schedule & lifestyle being tough on families, his Four Horsemen memories, Ric Flair being a freak being able to wrestle into his 60s, the death of  “Nightmare” Ted Allen, and WWE road life becoming difficult for him physically.

“I don’t know if it’s just a mental thing, but when I turned 50, with all the extensive travel involved with this job now and all the long TV days, it’s hard. I won’t lie to anybody. It’s very, very difficult. It’s not like it was when I was 25," Anderson said.

[Head Booker]

Video - WWE's Hall of Fame video package on 2012 inductee Yokozuna.

Video URL:

~~

2012 WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson talked to the Los Angeles Times about receiving a call from WWE on being inducted into this year's HOF class. "They think I belong in there and want me to fly out (to Miami) and get inducted into their hall. I'm not going to argue with them. I'm ecstatic," Tyson said. "I watched wrestling before I ever watched boxing on TV. Bruno Sammartino was my favorite, but I liked all those guys: Junkyard Dog, Nikolai Volkoff, the Iron Sheik, Superstar Billy Graham."

[ LINK: Full Tyson interview at LATimes.com ]

[Head Booker]

According to a strong source within the company, here are the current plans for next weekend's WWE Hall of Fame inductions:

Edge will be inducted by Christian.

The Four Horsemen will be inducted by Dusty Rhodes.

Mike Tyson will be inducted by Triple H and Shawn Michaels.

Yokozuna will be inducted by Rikishi and The Usos.

Mil Mascaras will be inducted by Alberto Del Rio.

Ron Simmons will be inducted by JBL.

Jerry Lawler will once again be the host of the ceremonies.

~~

WWE began adding links and lists of WWE developmental talent Twitters to the company's official lists yesterday. This is the first time they have done that, so it's probably another way for the company to show that FCW isn't going anywhere.

Several days ago, I wrote about the developmental system expanding with something of a "finishing" program set in Stamford, CT with talents going to WWE HQ and working with the company as they prepare for their main roster debut. One source in the company contacted us to state that WWE has actually had that process in play for some time and that it's not something "new" as much as it's been going on for several months.

That said, we do hear there are plans to expand that process and have heard one name that either has or will be hired shortly to work within the developmental system. Once we confirm the name and the hiring, we'll report it.

Several WWE developmental talents are booked to work at Wrestlemania AXXESS events next weekend.

Christian is slated to appear at the FCW company's return to Orlando, FL in May.

Layla El was getting high marks for her return to the ring following her ACL surgery. I was told she was whipping out some really cool Lucha based moves that we've never seen out of her and that she was really working hard in recent weeks to get herself prepared. I don't think we'll see her back on TV until after Wrestlemania, but she'll be a welcome returning face to the Divas division.

~~

In an interview with The London Free Press, John Cena discussed the idea of turning heel again, commenting:

"I'm not a bad guy. I generate so much hatred just because of the way I act. I look at Tim Tebow as a good example. People couldn't stop saying his name. He's such a stand-up guy. People don't believe it because it's almost too good to be true. And he generates that hatred. I have fun with this business. I love every second of it. I love to be right there in the middle of the hunt. At the end of the day, it's not my job to force people in any direction. I just to out there and see what happens. You can analyze character development all day, but with the current state of affairs, there's no need or rationale for me to deviate from what I'm doing."

Cena acknowledged getting booed, feeling that comes from holdover fans from the Attitude era. He's probably at least partially right there.

You can read the entire interview, which includes discussion of all the Make A Wish weork Cena does (and he can't get enough credit for the amount of charitable work he does; the majority never ever gets publicized) by clicking here.

~~

The frontrunner to star in 'The Marine 3' is Randy Orton. The company wants a big name star in the film to "reboot" the series.

~~

Mick Foley, who has not appeared on WWE programming since the Royal Rumble, teased a return to company storylines Sunday night via Twitter as he said he received voice-mails from SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long.

"Guess it's about time I listen to some of these voice-mails from Teddy Long. Wonder what he wants. Catch you all tomorrow," he wrote. However, he suggested minutes later it was a joke, writing, "No big deal. Teddy was just hoping I had Buff Bagwell's number - apparently, it's pretty important."

Foley is scheduled for an upcoming WWE show as he will appear at the April 9 Raw SuperShow taking place at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C.

[Head Booker]

In an injury that could affect this Sunday's WrestleMania XXVIII Divas Tag Team Match featuring Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos against Beth Phoenix and Eve, New York Post gossip column Page Six reported Monday that the Menounos broke a rib during a recent dancing rehearsal for Dancing with the Stars.

She broke the rib during a hardcore rehearsal with dance partner Derek Hough, who was teaching her the Cha-cha-cha. A source says, "She has been in excruciating pain for the past few weeks during rehearsals, but she is staying strong and working through it. She refuses to give up."

Page Six adds Menounos is hiding a rib brace underneath her dancing gear.

Menounos confirmed the injury to Extra Monday, the entertainment news program she hosts. She says she suffered two broken ribs during a recent dance rehearsal. She will nonetheless perform on tonight's Dancing with the Stars.

[Head Booker]

WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels shot down a rumor claiming he will come out of retirement to face Triple H at WrestleMania 29 next year. "Bogus!! False!! Lie!! Completely made up!! Too much?:-)," Michaels tweeted Monday before Raw in response to a fan tweet.

~~


WWE top star John Cena talked to the Los Angeles Times (LATimes.com) about Hulk Hogan inspiring his character, advice he would give WWE CEO Vince McMahon if McMahon were listening, and whether he had hidden motives calling out The Rock in the mid-2000s.

-- Cena suggested he called out The Rock not only to eventually set up a match, but with the hidden motive of getting Rock to return to WWE to help elevate the company.

"People keep saying it has been a one-year build for WrestleMania, but I started calling out Rock in 2005 or 2006," Cena said. "I thought it was important to get The Rock involved with the company again. That his involvement could lift us to another level and would remind him of where he came from."


Cena also repeated what he's said in previous interviews that Rock is his ultimate dream match, but he would also like to wrestle "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. "He is one of those guys who had a superhuman level of popularity, and I think we would match up well," Cena said.

-- Cena said when he is inducted to the Hall of Fame, he will thank Vince McMahon first. He also offered McMahon advice to slow down and appreciate his work.

"Vince gave me the platform to do the things I'm doing. He gets so caught up in running a company every day that I think Vince forgets sometimes that he makes dreams come true. He gave me my dream life," Cena said.

-- Cena talked about using Hulk Hogan as inspiration for his character by performing "weird feats of superhuman strength" and encouraging kids with essentially an updated version of eat your vitamins and say your prayers.

"I grew up a fan of Hulk Hogan, and I think I bring some of his best values to the ring ... the values of a superhero. Always do your best. Never give up," Cena said. "I think kids want to believe in that, and they should believe in that."

[Head Booker]

After Raw went off the air, The Miz came out and demanded an apology from The Rock. They bantered back and forth, and Miz got Rock Bottomed before taking a People's Elbow to close the show.

[Head Booker]

WWE, which began advertising Ric Flair for the Hall of Fame in January when tickets went on-sale, confirmed Tuesday evening that Flair will be attending the event. Flair will be inducted along with Four Horsemen members Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Barry Windham, and J.J. Dillon. WWE did not mention Flair's current work for TNA. WWE also noted, "The Dirtiest Player in the Game retired from the ring after losing to HBK," not acknowledging Flair's post-WWE matches in TNA.

~~


Jake Roberts commented on why he believes he has not been inducted into WWE's Hall of Fame in an interview with the "Busted Open" satellite radio show. "There’s been a lot of guys go in that belong there, and...there are some who shouldn’t be in there, but who the hell am I?  Hell, I’m not in there, so what the hell.  Maybe someday when they put some more guys in there, maybe I’ll go in.  I would love to go in, not so much for me, but for my kids, man.  It’s part of my legacy.  I put so much into wrestling; 37 years of it.  Why I’m not there, I’m sure somebody’s got a reason," Roberts said.

Asked a related question on whether WWE or any other organization is scared to take a chance on him, Roberts said, "I don’t think it’s the past.  I think it’s just me, period, because of what I believe in... I'm a team player because I want the product better, but… my nose doesn’t fit well up anybody’s butt."

~~

Former WWE champion JBL commented on being named the inductor for Ron Simmons in the 2012 WWE Hall of Fame. "There's only two problems with me inducting Ron into HOF this weekend in Miami. Do you really think Miami is read(y) for an APA reunion and I better have an hour to tell all the stories I want to tell about our travels!! Seriously, one of greatest honors of my life-can't wait to induct my best friend!" JBL posted on his Facebook page Tuesday.

~~

Punk's quote on Rock: "I don’t think I have a relationship with The Rock. Over the past few weeks, it’s been better. Probably because I’ve been outspoken in the media. Of course, everything gets sensationalized and twisted. I don’t hate The Rock or fault him for coming back. I just think heaping credit on The Rock for ratings, buyrates – that’s where I get offended. It’s a team effort 365 days a year. Me and the entire locker room bust our (butts) and all our super stoked. Give credit where credit is due. WrestleMania had a huge buyrate last year, not because of one guy. The numbers out there prove he hasn’t done much else, like the Survivor Series buyrate."

Punk's full interview can be read at ChicagoTribune.com .

~~

WWE champion C.M. Punk described how his relationship with WWE head Vince McMahon has changed since he teased leaving the company in Summer 2011 in an interview with Luis Gomez of the Chicago Tribune.

Punk quote: “(We) have a lot more one-on-one conversations. I won't say he takes the time to talk to me now, because he always did, but I think he views me differently now. He used to view me as maybe talking to a boy. Now he thinks he’s talking to a man after I stood up and did everything I did over the summer. I always thought I was a main event player. The difference is now he knows I’m a main event player.”

[ LINK: Punk's full interview can be read at ChicagoTribune.com ]

~~

WWE champion C.M. Punk and WWE Hall of Famer "Stone Cold" Steve Austin resumed their tease of a WrestleMania match next year in New York Monday night on Twitter. "29, son," Punk tweeted to Austin. Austin replied, "Just worry about 28. If the stars all line up I always have a big can of Whoop Ass ready to take to NYC. #rogerthat."

[Head Booker]

World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. : Social Media Event of the Year WrestleMania®

WWE® (NYSE:WWE) today announced the first ever "WrestleMania Pre-Show," simulcast live on YouTube, Facebook and WWE.com this Sunday, April 1 at 6:30 p.m. ET, as the centerpiece of its record-level digital and social media activities for WrestleMania Week in Miami. WrestleMania XXVIII broadcasts live on pay-per-view this Sunday, April 1 at 7:00 p.m. ET. "The Social Media Event of the Year" also includes:

WRESTLEMANIA INTERACTIVE PRESS CONFERENCE
To kick off WrestleMania Week, the WrestleMania press conference at the Eden Roc Hotel will live stream on YouTube, Facebook and WWE.com tomorrow, Wednesday, March 28, at 2:30 p.m. ET. The press conference will take live fan questions via Twitter, allowing online participants to get the scoop from the WWE Superstars in attendance.

PEREZHILTON.COM RED CARPET COVERAGE
WWE Divas will bring fans along for all the WrestleMania festivities as they happen, providing exclusive coverage for PerezHilton.com, including tweets and photos from the WrestleMania VIP Party on Thursday, March 29 and the WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday, March 31.

MIKE TYSON: WWE SOCIAL MEDIA AMBASSADOR
This year's celebrity WWE Hall of Fame honoree, Mike Tyson (@miketyson), will be tweeting live from key events, including the WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, WrestleMania Axxess and WrestleMania XXVIII. Exclusive videos, photos and articles of Tyson participating in WrestleMania events will be uploaded to YouTube and WWE.com.

TWITTER FACE-OFF: THE ROCK® VS. JOHN CENA®
WWE will also involve fans, celebrities and WWE Legends in a Twitter hashtag battle over who will win the WrestleMania main event featuring The Rock vs. John Cena, utilizing the respective hashtags: #TeamBringIt vs. #Cenation. WWE Superstars will also be tweeting throughout WrestleMania, letting fans in on all the action backstage.

EXCLUSIVE YOUTUBE VIDEOS
On Friday, March 30, WWE will post exclusive WrestleMania videos on YouTube's home page. The series will feature WWE Superstars The Rock, John Cena, Triple H®, Undertaker®, CM Punk® and Chris Jericho®. WWE Superstar Santino Marella® will also film his popular YouTube show, Santino's Foreign Exchange, at WrestleMania Axxess.

TEXT TO WIN WRESTLEMANIA TRIP TO NYC
Fans have the chance to win one of 100 pairs of tickets and an all-expenses paid trip to New York City for next year's WrestleMania at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, April 7, 2013 by texting from their phones or entering online at WWE.com during WrestleMania.

WRESTLEMANIA WEEK TWITTER HASHTAGS
#WrestleMania
#Axxess - WrestleMania Axxess
#WWEHOF - WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
#WMParty - WrestleMania Premiere Party: A Celebration of Miami Art & Fashion

Text to Win Sweepstakes/Contest Rules
Sweepstakes ends Sunday, April 15. No purchase necessary to enter or win. Open to U.S. and Canada residents only (excluding Quebec), 18 and older. See wwe.com/winmania for Official Rules.

About WWE
WWE, a publicly traded company (NYSE: WWE), is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family friendly entertainment on its television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing platforms. WWE programming is broadcast in more than 145 countries and 30 languages and reaches more than 600 million homes worldwide. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Miami, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, Istanbul and Tokyo.

Additional information on WWE (NYSE: WWE) can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. For information on our global activities, go to www.wwe.com/worldwide/.

~~

The Miami Herald has an interview catching up with Ricky Steamboat. He says physically, he is at 80 percent of what he was before, recovering from brain aneurysm from about two years ago. He adds the doctors don't want him getting physical in the ring, so his teachings at FCW are more psychology-based. Variety noted that WWE will start promoting 'Marine 3' at WrestleMania Axxess this weekend, and will enable fans to read for a walk-on part in the movie. The tryouts will be posted on Youtube.

WWE.com have an article about Big Show possibly making history this weekend, as if he wins the Intercontinental Championship, then he would have won every active title in WWE.


The Miami Herald also has an interview with Tough Enough winner Andy Leavine, talking about what he has been up to since the season ended. As to why he still is in FCW, he says "A lot of these guys [Tough Enough trainers, FCW trainers, FCW talent] came up the hard way. They didn’t have the same opportunity I got, so I have to come here to pay my dues and pay my respects to these guys and work hard every day. I have to earn my keep like everybody else."

~~

The deal between WWE and TNA for Ric Flair to attend this Saturday's WWE Hall of Fame ceremony was completed just yesterday, according to a WWE source.

I was told that the issue was not Flair attending but Flair as a contracted TNA talent appearing on WWE broadcast of the Wrestlemania PPV, Hall of Fame highlights on subsequent WWE broadcasts and the DVD release.

Flair attended last year's Hall of Fame ceremony but was not specifically shown or focused upon during the broadcast or DVD release.

The WWE source was not privy to what the negotiations entailed or whether TNA would be mentioned on the Hall of Fame broadcast. There will be no TNA representatives or officials at the Hall of Fame itself.

~~

WWE sources have confirmed that Christian was pulled from the WrestleMania 28 Team Laurinaitis vs. Team Long match because of issues with his ankle. The decision to pull Christian was made early on Monday.

Regarding Alberto Del Rio being pulled, WWE officials looked at the 12-man match and felt that Del Rio didn't fit in it. They are planning on pushing Del Rio soon and didn't want him in a match that will be full of comedy and other shenanigans. With that said, it's interesting to note that they kept guys like Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger and The Miz in the match.

It's said that WWE has something grander planned for Del Rio this year. Instead of returning in the 12-man match, officials want Del Rio to have a more dramatic return to the company. Even though he recently participated in the angle with John Laurinaitis, the original plan was to do Del Rio vs. Randy Orton at WrestleMania and sources report that the Orton vs. Del Rio feud is still planned. The decision to pull Del Rio was made in the last week some time.

Despite being pulled from the match, expect Del Rio and Christian to appear in a backstage WrestleMania segment or Del Rio could even work the dark match.

[Head Booker]

"The Rock" Dwayne Johnson revealed a few details on negotiating his singles match return against John Cena at WrestleMania 28 in an interview with the Palm Beach Post newspaper. Rock noted he negotiated a deal with Vince McMahon more than one year ago when WWE announced WrestleMania 28 in Miami prior to WM27 in Atlanta. "It sealed the deal for me," Rock said about WWE returning to his Miami roots.

The newspaper says Rock was "vague" when asked how he will divide his time between WWE and upcoming movie projects in the near future, starting with "Pain and Gain" immediately after WM28. Rock has already said he'll be part of WM29 in New York next April.

[ LINK: Report at PalmBeachPost.com ]

~~


WWE wrestler Hornswoggle has been announced as the lead actor for WWE Studios's new "Leprechaun: Origins" movie. WWE acquired the rights to the 1993 "Leprechaun" series to re-produce the movie along with Lionsgate. The movie is slated for release in March 2013.

~~


In an interview that will be published this Monday on WrestlingINC.com, WWE legend Roy "The Honky Tonk Man" Ferris spoke about his run as Intercontinental Champion, what he said to Eric Bischoff that made him furious, why he wouldn't drop the title to Randy Savage but would to The Ultimate Warrior, and much more. During the interview, Ferris spoke about why WWE needs to bring back former stars like The Rock.

"I mean, there ain't no stars anymore," he explained. "Ain't no stars anymore. People always tell me what's wrong with the company. I say, 'Well, when you have to have Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole as your semi-main events or your biggest angles on WrestleMania last year. Then you got to bring The Rock back and 'Stone Cold' [Steve Austin] back, you obviously have no stars on your roster.


"I mean, if you look at it logically; why'd they have to bring these guys back? You have no one there that's worth a damn.... None of the championship belts mean anything. When you have to bring The Rock back and give him $10-20 million for WrestleMania, it just means that you have nobody on your roster that's worth a sh--. Excuse my French or English or whatever, but that's just how it is."

Ferris also spoke about his frustrations with the company when he returned for the angle with Santino Marella in 2008. You can check out the full article at WrestlingINC.com here: The Honky Tonk Man Reveals His Frustrations With WWE During 2008 Angle With Santino Marella

~~


In an ESPN.com interview, WWE champion C.M. Punk addressed why he thinks his WrestleMania opponent, Chris Jericho, has never been "The Man" for WWE over the past 12 years. 

Punk Quote: "There's always, I think, somebody that has overshadowed him. I guess an argument can be made that John Cena is still 'The Man.' But, the numbers don't lie with merchandising, ratings, and everything else. We're not trying to hotshot the title around or play hot potato with it. We're giving people a champion they can believe in. And Jericho was never really that guy. He was never really, I guess, the ambassador John Cena has been and that I've been lately."

[ LINK: Punk's full interview can be read at ESPN.com . URL: es.pn/HnwFYs ]

[Head Booker]

WWE top star John Cena says he "called out" The Rock for having promo notes written on his arm earlier this month on Raw because it was like a "giant mole" that he "couldn't ignore."

“That was something I saw right there. I wouldn’t have even said anything if I didn’t see it,” Cena told Chad Dukes on the Washington, D.C. CBS affiliate radio station. “When I watch TV and I’m in the ‘Gorilla position,’ which is right before you go through the curtain, and they have a TV there - I couldn’t believe it. Once I saw it, the words became bigger and larger and his body was covered in words. It was like, I couldn’t ignore it. It became like the giant mole on the face. I had to.”

[ LINK: Cena's full interview can be read/heard at CBSLocal.com . URL: cbsloc.al/Hzp6uG ]

~~


Hunter Quote: "It’s funny, a lot of people bring that up in a negative way like it was this terrible thing in my life. While working with him personally wasn’t the highlight of my life from a business standpoint, for me to go to me first WrestleMania and wrestle a legendary figure in the business - and that is what he was and is - like the Ultimate Warrior, a Hall of Fame Superstar in the business in my first WrestleMania appearance, squash or not, was a mind-blowing thing for me. I was thrilled to be in that position and to have that match with the Ultimate Warrior. I was thrilled with the fact that at that time Vince McMahon was willing to put me in that role... He had the trust in me and I would do a good job with it.  So to me, that was nothing but a good experience. Potentially, I could bring him back and get the win."

[ LINK: Hunter interview at LATimes.com ]

[Head Booker]

Former WWE/UFC star Brock Lesnar has arrived in Miami, according to the Wrestling Observer, fueling rumors that he will return to WWE at WrestleMania 28 on Sunday. Lesnar has not been heard from in three months dating back to December 30 when he lost his UFC comeback fight, then announced his retirement from MMA fighting.

~~

WWE has re-hired former wrestler/agent Fit Finlay, reports the Wrestling Observer. Finlay is reportedly in Miami, along with former TNA VP of Talent Relations Terry Taylor, for WrestleMania Weekend business.