Miscellaneous WWE News Thread.

[A.J.]

Although not confirmed, according to several sources in contact with the Wrestling-Observer Newsletter, CM Punk earned himself even more backstage heat.

After learning that he was booked to lose on a house show card, the report says, Punk reportedly asked the road agent if the reports of him being in WWE's doghouse were true. The agent denied the idea that there was heat on Punk, but then told colleagues about the conversation, giving them the idea that Punk was complaining about doing the job.

Of course, because wrestlers like Carlito, Rob Van Dam and Shelton Benjamin have received heat for "no-selling" being booked in jobs, one has to wonder if Punk had a viable option in this situation, notes the Observer

 

[A.J.]

The official WWE® WRESTLEMANIA® 23 poster was released a few weeks back. The poster is black with the WRESTLEMANIA® logo and instead of the 23 below it; it has the words "ALL GROWN UP". Behind the logo it has a blue "space like" haze with stars. Of course at the bottom it has all the event information on it also all the three brands that will represent at the pay-per-view.

The official WWE® BACKLASH® '07 poster has been released. Backlash which will be live and only on pay-per-view on April 29th, 2007 from the Philips Arena in Atlanta, GA. The poster features WWE® Raw™ superstar Edge™ and it looks like Edge™ is looking through a cracked door. Of course at the bottom of the poster it has all the event information on it.

Over at indemand.com it gives a spoiler on who will be at the pay-per-view with these words "Rivalry and rage explode in controversy as ECW and Smackdown join RAW at Backlash. Catch the intensity as John Cena, Batista, Undertaker, RVD, and Lashley face the consequences of their actions from WrestleMania. Don’t miss WWE Backlash, Sunday, April 29th, live at 8pm ET/5pm PT, only on Pay-Per-View. A World Wrestling Entertainment Production."

Mick Foley's new book is scheduled to be released in the United Kingdom on April 2nd, 2007.

The Sun in the UK recently did an audio interview with former Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy. Jeff Hardy speaks on drugs, leaving WWE, the Matt Hardy & Edge incident, ECW, backstage politics and more. To listen to the interview go to http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2006300002-2007090360,00.html.

Ashley Massaro s new theme music is performed by Nuts in a Blender lead vocalist Bryan Seeley.

 

[A.J.]

Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Mistico, a star from Mexico, was in San Jose on 2/27 at the SmackDown/ECW taping. He was given a tryout match before fans arrived at the arena. According to reports we’ve received, WWE officials were very pleased with what they saw from Mistico. He is said to have impressed several of the SmackDown superstars, which is not an easy thing to do considering the talent they already have on the roster. One person said that he was expected to be much smaller because he was built-up as a small version of Rey.

His tryout went well enough that many expect him to get an official money offer this week. However, if Mistico accepts WWE’s offer, we won’t see him on WWE Television any time soon. The WWE would have to work at getting him some full working papers, which is a very lengthy process. Some have even suggested him spending time in a developmental territory to learn some “grab a hold” American style and pacing as well as learning some English.

His tryout, however, did bring up several issues with his current promotion, CMLL. Considering he is the biggest draw in Mexico, CMLL is willing to do whatever it takes to prevent losing a star at his caliber. CMLL threatened future bookings and even a call to immigration for Mistico working without a visa. Those threats a result of Mistico’s tryout being held without an audience.

We’ll have more on this story as information becomes available.

 

[A.J.]

Due to some disappointing buyrates, and in particular the comparisons with UFC, Vince McMahon has decided to change the approach the company has for its pay-per-view shows.

The "B" shows, wile they will be listed as brand-specific shows, will start featuring talent from all three brands. Stephanie McMahon sent out a memo stating that Vince wants more of an emphasis on interbrand matches on PPV shows, thus opening up more potential matches.

Starting with Backlash, the show is scheduled to feature talent from all three brands. Batista, Bobby Lashley, RVD and Undertaker are scheduled to appear on the show. Also, the poster for the 7/22 Great American Bash PPV features John Cena, as well as Batista and King Booker.

 

[A.J.]

According to Dave Meltzer, Jerry "The King" Lawler was not overly excited about being inducted into the WWE hall of fame. Apparently "The King" feels that the hall of fame implies that he is old and retired, which isn't the impression Lawler wants to convey.

Believe it or not, Lawler had baseball tickets, and would have preferred to attend the ballgame rather than being inducted. Lawler was also upset when asked whom he would like to induct him into the hall of fame. Lawler picked legendary announcer Lance Russell, but he was told no one would know who Russell is.

 

[A.J.]

Bob Howry and Scott Eyre of the Chicago Cubs and Boris Diaw of the Phoenix Suns were at RAW last night. Photos can be seen at WWE.com.

WWE.com has two video interviews up with Mick Foley and Eric Bischoff.

Mickie James felt stiff after landing on her head last night during her WWE Women's Title Match with Melina. She is said to be doing okay right now.

WWE will be releasing two different versions of WrestleMania 23 on DVD starting on May 22. For the first time ever, WWE will release two different wide-release DVD versions of WrestleMania to the public. The WrestleMania 23 DVD will include the four-hour event on two discs, while WrestleMania 23: The Ultimate Edition will feature five hours of extras including the 2007 Hall of Fame ceremony and bonus matches.

 

[A.J.]

SLAM! Wrestling out of Canada is reporting that former WWF star Bad News Brown has passed away. Here is the article:

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2007/03/06/3704792.html

Bad News Allen dies suddenly

Former Olympic judo bronze medalist Allen Coage -- better known to wrestling fans as Bad News Allen and Bad News Brown -- has died suddenly. He was 63.

Coage died early Tuesday morning in Calgary at Rockyview Hospital, having been rushed to the hospital, complaining of chest pains.

Three weeks ago, Coage underwent hip replacement surgery and had been making progress on his recovery. Monday night, he was home alone and called longtime friend Gerry Morrow, complaining of chest pains. Morrow got him to the hospital.

Coage broke into professional wrestling through the New Japan Pro Wrestling organization, training in Japan and spending the first few years after the 1976 Montreal Olympics in that country.

He was a star in the Calgary Stampede promotion as Bad News Allen, having bloody feuds with the likes of The Dynamite Kid, Archie 'The Stomper' Gouldie, Bret Hart and others.

In the WWF of the late 1980s, he was known as Bad News Brown, and feuded with Bret Hart, Hulk Hogan and Roddy Piper.

He had been working the last number of years as a security guard at a mall; "Teenagers are a pain in the ass. You always have to run them off," he said in July 2006. Apparently they didn't know who they were messing with. "It don’t matter to them, they're tough."

Coage is survived by his wife Helen and their children.

 

[A.J.]

WWE RAW did a 4.05 rating last night off hours of 3.8 and 4.3. The final averaged number should be available shortly. Whether it is a 4.0 or 4.1, it is down from a 4.3 last week. The rating has to be considered a disappointment due to WWE advertising two major matches for the show well in advance (Shawn Michaels vs. Randy Orton and John Cena vs. Edge) as well as the return of Steve Austin which had been promoted in the media as far back as two weeks ago

 

[A.J.]

You can look forward to seeing Vickie Guerrero on television a lot over the next few months because she's going to be sticking around indefinitely.

In regards to where her storyline with Theodore Long is going, the plan is for her to get him removed from his General Manager position on SmackDown. Vickie Guerrero will then become the new General Manager of SmackDown, thus replacing Long. Vince McMahon recently asked her about doing the role, and she agreed, but with one condition. She doesn't have to work too many house shows because she's raising her daughters on her own.

As far as Long's WWE future is concerned, he will still remain on television, but in a different role. However, his future role hasn't been disclosed yet.

Also, the original plan for the SmackDown show in San Diego two weeks ago was for her to come out and apologize to Rey Mysterio for everything she had done to him. Mysterio would be skeptical of her apology and not fully accept it. That part was nixed at the last minute. The segment would then continue with Vince & Umaga after she left the ring.

 

[A.J.]

Steve Austin will appear live next Monday on RAW. Donald Trump will appear live on the show as well.

Mick Foley will appear live on ECW next week as well.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Rey Mysterio is now targeting July for his return. Also, there is talk of doing something really big with him for SummerSlam.

The Marine has surpassed its total theatrical box office gross on the DVD market. It has made $19.39 million in DVD sales/rentals (as of 2/25) as compared to $18.84 million at the theatre. In comparison, The Rock's movie Gridiron Gang did $38.43 million at the box office and $18.30 million in the DVD market. The Marine cost approximately $23 million to make, so it should be able to break even thanks in large part to the boost from DVD sales.

WWE.com will put up the third edition of Around the Ring later this week. JBL and Michael will give their thoughts on Stone Cold Steve Austin's return, Terry Funk, the newest inductee to the WWE Hall of Fame, Nick Bockwinkel and much more.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

As a result of last night's episode of ECW, WWE has booked an eight-man tag team match for Wrestlemania 23 pitting the ECW originals against the New Breed.

This Austin shirt he wore on RAW and ECW this week is available on WWEShop.com.

Sinn, formerly of TNA, has popped up in Ohio Valley Wrestling.

 

[A.J.]

We can confirm that The Sheik will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on 3/31 by his nephew, Sabu. That had been in question due to Sabu's heat with management.

The thirty-eighth week of ECW Wrestling (10-11:05p) averaged a 1.74 HH rating, with a 1.64 in M18-49, a 1.80 in M18-34 and an average audience of 2.3 million viewers. These were the highest male demo ratings for ECW since 11/28/06 and its largest average audience since 9/5/06. Compared to its prior thirty-seven weeks, ECW Wrestling was down -5% in HH, while flat in M18-49, up +7% in M18-34 and up +7% in average audience. After thirty-eight weeks, ECW Wrestling is averaging a 1.83 HH rating, with a 1.63 in M18-49, a 1.69 in M18-34 and an average audience of 2.2 million viewers.

For the week of February 26��"March 4, John Cena's "The Marine" dropped from #6 to #11 in DVD rentals, according to Home Media Retailing.

 

[A.J.]

WWE Chief Executive Officer Linda McMahon was honored yesterday at the New York Hilton by Multichannel News as one of the cable and telecommunications' Wonder Women. Nine other female executives from Comcast, Verizon, Bravo and others were also honored along with Linda, who was presented with the top honor. A few weeks ago, Multichannel News ran a long article about Mrs. McMahon's involvement in the cable industry.

WWE sent a press release today hyping up Steve Austin's involvement in the Battle of the Billionaire's match at WrestleMania with Lashley vs. Umaga and Donald Trump's and Vince McMahon's hair on the line. Austin's last appearance on WWE television was at the Hall of Fame ceremony last year and Monday was his first appearance in a WWE arena since the Saturday Night's Main Event in March of last year. WWE also distributed a pretty awesome poster for this match. (thanks to Colin Vassallo)

WWE.com mention the passing of Bad News Allen/Brown at the site.

A section about Ashley in Playboy has been setup at WWE.com.

 

[A.J.]

source: PWInsider

--This past Monday on RAW Vince McMahon made mention of Cingular’s wireless service. The reason behind this was that WWE has signed a deal with the wireless provider to offer their content. Cingular will be selling WWE ring tones for $2.49 and graphics for $1.99. They will also have a premium package for $4.99 a month which will offer items such as highlights from big shows, such as WrestleMania.

--WWE World Champion Batista recently sat down with MassLive.com to discuss how he has advanced from a rough childhood to becoming a top superstar for WWE. The champion also shoots on beating up two guys at a night club and having to serve a years probation. You can check out the full interview at this link.

-- Former ECW Vixen Francine has opened a new official MySpace website at www.myspace.com/francinefournier.

 

[A.J.]

From Phil skoglund: I found this while reading Sid Hartman's article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The only thing it doesn't mention is what promotion he will be working for. Brock Lesnar, the former Gophers NCAA champion and pro wrestler, is getting ready for his mixed martial arts debut on a big Las Vegas card May 19.

From Joseph White: Daniel Puder will be our guest tonight on the New Surge Live radio show that can be heard at www.p2plive.net starting at 7pm est. We will ask him about Bodog Fight, Kurt Angle, Tough Enough, UFC, and more. We will also be taking your questions via email at [email protected] just put "questions for Daniel" in the subject line.

This week's edition of ECW on Sci Fi did a 1.7 cable rating, with a 2.9 share. Not only is it the show's best rating in a while, but it beat every other program on that network yesterday by more than a full point.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Source: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Vladimir Kozlov's main event heel push has been thrown out the window.

Nobody had anything bad to say about him at first, but after weeks of pushing him on television as a big deal, one road agent said that he wasn't close to being ready for what they were pushing him for. Every agent in the room then agreed with the person who spoke out. Vince McMahon then said something along the lines of, "(expletive), why are we pushing him them?" He then went on a long tirade about wasting television time on pushes for people who are going to ultimately fail. He then said that he only wants to give builds on TV to people who are ready to be stars now. McMahon was angry that they spent months on television pushing Kozlov, that nobody spoke out about the push, and then when the first person did, everyone agreed that he wasn't ready.

Kozlov segments were recently taken off of television. His WWE status is currently unknown.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Source: The Pro Wrestling Torch

Big Show's contract with WWE expired just days ago. He was offered a six-figure "intellectual property" offer where WWE would retain rights to his likeness being used in any project, but he turned that down.

He is not, however, expected to sign with TNA anytime soon. Instead, he is involved in another project which will be announced likely before summer.

Big Show, real name Paul Wight, has lost a lot of weight since leaving WWE, as he is taking better care of himself since he's not on the road tempted by restaurant indulgences and catering. He also has stopped smoking; he had been a chain smoker.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

source: PWInsider

-- The Marine starring WWE Champion John Cena has gone from being number six on the DVD home rental list to number eleven. It has pulled a total of $22.01 million in rentals and pulled $19 million at the box office. This is a rare case that it is doing better in rentals than in the theater.

-- Speaking of The Marine it is scheduled for release in the United Kingdom on May 7th.

 

[A.J.]

source: PWInsider

-- The current addition of “MAD” magazine features a few pictures of Jerry “The King” Lawler visiting the MAD offices.

-- In today’s school newspaper for the University of Arizona an article is featured that talks about a non-WWE fan attending this past Tuesday’s ECW on Sci-Fi and SmackDown tapings that took place at the TCC in Tucson, Arizona. The non-fan speaks very negative on WWE as a whole and says he attended because tickets were free for friends of TCC employees because WWE wanted the event to appear to be a sell out. You can check out the article at this link.

-- Today’s Detroit News is running an article on WWE Diva Candice Michelle. In the article Michelle speaks on her clean diet saying that it all “chicken and veggies” for her. You can check out the full article at this link.

 

[A.J.]

Rey Mysterio Jr. is now targeting and late May or July as his return to WWE competition. Expect a massive push when he returns.

Pro Wrestling Insider reports that The 2007 WWE Royal Rumble DVD includes the following extras: RAW 1/15/07 - John Cena-Umaga Contract Signing, RAW 1/22/07 - Shawn Michaels vs. Edge (Street Fight), SmackDown 1/22/07 - Undertaker vs. Mr. Kennedy and ECW 1/16/07 - Lashley vs. RVD vs. Test (ECW Championship).

Slam! Wrestling is reporting that the next WWE trading card set, WWE Heritage Chrome II, is expected to hit stores this week. The set includes, for the first time, cards of all four McMahons. Autographs can also be found in the new Topps product.

World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. will hold its 2007 Annual Meeting of Stockholders at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 11, 2007, at the WWE Television Production Facility, 120 Hamilton Avenue, Stamford, Conn. Registration will begin at 9:00 a.m. and seating will begin at 9:30 a.m.

 

[A.J.]

From Jeff Sheridan: A review of former WWF Kurrgan's Robert Maillet's "300" movie was posted in the New York Village Voice. (The bad news is that I don't see either his name or his former wrestling name in the article).

We previously noted that Mistico recently had a try out match in San Jose, CA for the WWE agents against Dean Malenko. In addition, Miscito also worked Jamie Noble for the agents.

There was a puppies sighting on Monday night Raw, at least on Sky Sports. During the women's title match pitting Melina and Mickie James in a falls count anywhere bout, the divas fought into the ladies dressing room. Melina appeared to pull off Candice's towel, and the Godaddy girl was left no for just a moment. This was the same match where James was fortune not to have suffered a serious neck injury.

 

[A.J.]

We had many readers send us word today about a story by CNN announcing that WWE and Cingular have come to a deal for ringtones, photos and other features. Thanks to everyone who sent that in.

Thomas sent this note in: Purchase WWE Backlash® and WWE Judgment Day® and get WrestleMania 23 on DVD FREE* Order WWE Backlash® PPV event (at a cost of $39.95 US) and WWE Judgment Day PPV event (at a cost of $39.95 US) and receive a free WrestleMania® 23 DVD, valued at $35 US, while supplies last. Offer open to US and Canada residents, 18 and older. Send your original cable bill(s) showing purchase of WWE’s Backlash and Judgement Day to: WWE Backlash & Judgment Day Offer, Hartford Direct, 129 Worthington Ridge, Berlin, CT 06037-1634. Submissions must be postmarked by 08/01/07. Allow 12 weeks for delivery. Limit 1 per household. WWE not responsible for lost, delayed, or damaged mail. * A $35 value.

Jeff Hardy's entrance music is being used in yet another television commercial. This time for the new Suzuki GSX-R 1000.

The 2/23 Raw show in Reno, NV drew 4,324 fans for a $143,882 gate. The 2/23 Smackdown show in Christchurch, New Zealand drew 9,000 fans. The 2/25 Raw show in Sacramento, CA was attending by 11,240 fans paying $369,215.

WWE has added a 10/13 date in Brussels, Belgium and a 10/14 Raw date in Glasgow, Scotland.

Lance Storm has a new commentary up where he talks about Allen "Bad News Brown" Coage and his death.

 

[A.J.]

According to Forbes magazine, only one billionaire will be involved in the April 1, 2007 event, Wrestlemania.

The annual Forbes list of billionaires was released today and Donald Trump was ranked as the 314th richest person in the world with a net worth of $2.9 billion. Vince McMahon wasn't on the list...but his old nemesis Ted Turner was at $2.0 billion.

It should be noted that the Forbest list is based on their estimation of the net worth of the people on their list. If Mr. McMahon says he's a billionaire, he probably is, even if Forbes says he isn't.

 

[A.J.]

Yesterday was the first day that John Bradshaw Layfield began his new treatment to repair damage to his back. The non-surgical treatment has a success rate of 86% according to a WWE.com story. Layfield broke a vertebrae in his back and suffered a herniated disc in 2005 that resulted in his decision to retire and move to the broadcast booth.

According to reports, the treatments will take approximately six weeks.