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The biggest event for 2007 in the pro wrestling calendar is
without a doubt WrestleMania. 20 years after breaking all
records at the Pontiac Silverdome in Detroit, MI., for
WrestleMania III, WWE comes back to town at the Ford Field
for the 23rd WrestleMania. Headlined by Batista vs
Undertaker for the World title and John Cena vs Shawn
Michaels for the WWE title, this year's event will surely
not disappoint. Billionaire and WWE fan Donald Trump will
also be a part of the show as he and Vince McMahon will have
their hair on the line in the Battles of the Millionaires
match with Stone Cold Steve Austin as the referee!
MODIFIED LOGO TO BE USED NEXT YEAR
- A new modified WrestleMania logo will be used for next
year's event in Detroit. The logo now has an arched classic
WrestleMania logo with a blue fading to white background and
23 in a gold box with the a blue Ford Field logo just
underneath. You can check it out
here.
(Story originally published on June 20th, 2006)
WRESTLEMANIA 23 TRAVEL PACKAGES ON SALE
- Packages for WrestleMania 23 went on sale this week and
there are three package as usual: Platinum, Gold and Silver.
All packages include the same stuff, the only difference is
the seat you'll be at during the show. Packages consist of
three nights hotel accomodation, tickets to Saturday's
Midday Madness, tickets to the WWE Hall Of Fame Induction
Ceremony; tickets to Sunday morning's Bacon, Bagels, &
Biceps Brunch and exclusive souveniers. Platinum packages
have ringside seats and you get to take the chair with you
as well. For a single occupancy, Platinum costs $1,626, Gold
costs $1,026 and Silver $846. To get more information and
order e-mail them
here.
(Story originally published on June 20th 2006)
PRESS CONFERENCE TO BE HELD IN JULY
- On the 25th of July, WWE will be holding a press
conference at the Ford Field related to WrestleMania 23.
Scheduled to appear at this event are John Cena, Edge, Shawn
Michaels, Randy Orton, Booker T, Rey Mysterio, Big Show,
Batista, Sharmell, Kelly and Rob Van Dam. Next year's
WrestleMania, to be held on April 1st, will mark a return to
the city of Detroit, MI., after 20 years when they had a
record breaking crowd at the Pontiac Silver Dome with Hogan
vs Andre in the main event.
(Story originally published on July 2nd, 2006)
FAN RALLY TO BE STREAMED ON WWE.COM
- WWE.COM will be broadcasting live the fan rally for
WrestleMania 23 this coming Tuesday at Noon from Detroit,
MI., at the Ford Field. This will be the first event tied to
WrestleMania 23, which is returning to Detroit after twenty
years. WWE Hall Of Famer Mean Gene Okerlund will be hosting
the rally and several Superstars from all three brands -
RAW, Smackdown! and ECW - will be present. The event is free
of charge for fans attending the Ford Field.
(Story originally published on July 23rd, 2006)
CITY OF WINDSOR LOOKING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF WRESTLEMANIA
- Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis and local officials met with
WWE representatives yesterday to see how Windsor can play
part in the upcoming WrestleMania 23 in Detroit, MI. The
city of Windsor is located just across the river from
Detroit, the site of next year's mega event. Speaking to the
Canadian press, Francis said that they will continue to hold
talks with WWE for the next three weeks to maybe come up
with some type of plan, similar to what the city did with
the NFL when last year's finals were held in Detroit as
well. "It's going to have an incredible economic impact on
the city of Windsor, which is just two minutes away," WWE
Canada President Carl DeMarco said. "All the hotels will be
filled, the restaurants will be busy - it's going to be a
really positive thing."
(Story originally published on July 27th, 2006)
WM23 FAN RALLY NOTES
- Wrestling-Online Newsletter reader and freelance
journalist Darren Hill was at the WrestleMania 23 Fan Rally
at the Ford Field this past Tuesday and covered the event.
The read the report please click
here.
(Story originally published on July 29th, 2006)
RESERVE YOUR WRESTLEMANIA 23 TICKET BY AUGUST 11TH
- W-O Newsletter reader Corey O'Neill sent in word that WWE
personnel distributed forms at last week's Smackdown!/ECW
combined tapings that will allow fans in attendance to
purchase tickets for WrestleMania 23 directly from WWE
before they go on sale to the general public. All forms
carry a serial number so no photo copies are allowed. The
deadline for this is August 11th, and you will be able to
get the tickets at face value without any Ticketmaster fees.
WWE usually reserves this kind of activity for friends and
families of the company but it seems that this year they
distributed a limited number of forms to fans as well. If
you weren't at the tapings last week, the only way to get
these forms is through eBay by searching for 'WrestleMania
23'. Remember, the auctions are only for the forms to
reserve your ticket.
(Story originally published on July 31st, 2006)
WRESTLEMANIA TICKETS INFO AND NEW LOGO
- Tickets for WrestleMania 23 will go on sale Saturday
November 11th on Ticketmaster.com, some regional TM
locations and as well at the Ford Field box office. Ticket
prices will be $30, $45, $75, $100, $250 and $750 for
ringside seats, which will also get you the commemorative
WrestleMania 23 chair. Giant video screens at the stadium
will be all broadcasting the show to make sure everyone sees
the action even if you are in the nosebleed section! WWE has
also a new logo designed for the upcoming WrestleMania 23.
The old WrestleMania font is gone and replaced by a new one.
It's pretty cool looking too say the least. You can check it
out
here.
(Story originally published on September 10th, 2006)
WRESTLEMANIA EXPRESS SERVICE FOR CANADIAN FANS
- WWE today announced a special deal for Canadian fans who
want to go and see WrestleMania next year in nearby Detroit,
MI., at the Ford Field. Called the 'WrestleMania Express',
WWE has teamed up with VIA Rail Canada for a special 15-car
train that will carry fans from Toronto, Oakville, Aldershot
and London to Windsor Station. Then from Windsor, special
buses will be waiting to pick up passengers to make the
connection to Detroit. The cost for The WrestleMania Express
will be $259 Canadian plus GST for fans boarding in Toronto,
Oakville and Aldershot. For those boarding in London, the
cost will be $229.00 plus GST. That price includes rail
transportation, $100.00 lower concourse seats in the VIA
Rail section at WrestleMania, a special WrestleMania
souvenir, and bus transfers between Windsor Station and Ford
Field. Seats are limited and can be booked online at
canamworldwide.com or by calling 1-800-347-5566.
(Story originally published on September 18th, 2006)
PRESALE PASSWORD FOR TICKETS
- In two days time you will get the opportunity to be a part
of WrestleMania 23 as the Internet pre-sale goes live for a
very brief period on Ticketmaster.com . Tickets selling for
$750, $250, $100, $75, $45 and $30 will be available for
just 12 hours before tickets go on sale to the general
public on November 11th. Over 70,000 seats in total are
expected to be sold for this show, which is returning to
Detroit twenty years after Hulk Hogan slammed Andre The
Giant at WrestleMania 3 at the Pontiac Silverdome. A
pre-sale password will be needed to purchase tickets at
Ticketmaster.com which is DANNYJ.
(Story originally published on October 25th, 2006)
TICKETS ON SALE TILL 10PM TONIGHT
- Earlier today at 10AM WrestleMania 23 tickets went on sale
only for twelve hours for this WWE pre-sale. A limited
number of seats were released, while the rest will be out on
November 11th when tickets go on sale to the general public.
The difference this year in prices is that the first few
rows in the riser section are also selling for $750, just
like the first 10 rows at ringside, where you get to take
the WrestleMania chair with you as well. You can purchase
tickets until 10PM by going to Ticketmaster.com and using
the pre-sale password DANNYJ.
(Story originally published on October 27th, 2006)
TICKETS GO ON SALE FOR GENERAL PUBLIC TOMORROW
- WrestleMania 23 tickets will go on sale to the general
public tomorrow morning at 10AM EST at Ticketmaster.com.
Three pre-sales where held, two for the fans in Detroit and
one held by WWE last week so many of the best seats are
already gone. The prices are $30, $45, $75, $100, $150, $250
and $750 for the ringside seats, which also include the
commemorative WrestleMania chair. Over 70,000 tickets are
expected to be sold for WrestleMania 23, which returns to
Detroit after twenty years. Next year's WrestleMania will be
held at the Ford Field. Giant screens will be specifically
installed so everyone in the stadium will have a good view
of the action.
(Story originally published on November 10th, 2006)
WRESTLEMANIA 23 SOLD OUT, HIGHEST GROSSING EVENT EVER
- It did not take long for WWE fans worldwide to grab
tickets for the biggest show of next year - WrestleMania 23
live at the Ford Field in Detroit, MI. More than $4.35
million in ticket sales where sold by Noon yesterday when
the event wasn't even sold out yet at that time. By Noon,
around 50,000 tickets were sold with the target being a
total of over 78,000 fans at the Ford Field, which would
break the attendance record at the stadium. More thousands
of tickets will be released once the production area is
figured out. The previous record for the highest grossing
event was WrestleMania X-8 in Toronto, Canada with around
$3.9 million in ticket sales. Hundreds of fans braved the
cold weather and rain showers starting on Friday morning
camping outside the stadium hoping to get good seats for the
show.
(Story originally published on November 12th, 2006)
TICKETS STILL A BIG SELL ON EBAY
- WrestleMania 23 tickets on eBay are still selling big with
some tickets going into a couple of thousands bucks each.
The most expensive seat right now is a Row 2 aisle seat, a
combniation of four tickets selling for a whopping $15,000 -
that's $3,3750 a pop. Most of the companies or individuals
are selling blocks of two, which shoots up the price most of
the time to more than $5,000. More than 50,000 tickets have
been sold for WrestleMania so far and thousands more are
expected to go on sale early next year. According to
Michigan state laws - where WM will be held next year -
resale of tickets by sellers in Michigan should not be
greater than face value for all entertainment events held in
the state. Buyers within Michigan may not purchase tickets
to Michigan events sold by non-Michigan residents above face
value.
(Story originally published on November 28th, 2006)
MORE TICKETS RELEASED FOR WRESTLEMANIA
- If you weren't lucky the first time around, you have
another chance now. WWE has released thousands of tickets
for WrestleMania 23 which were originally kept for
production purposes. Over 50,000 tickets were sold when
tickets first went on sale with the target being an
attendance of over 78,000. Tickets are available at
Ticketmaster.com
(Story originally published on November 30th, 2006)
POST WRESTLEMANIA RAW AND SMACKDOWN! LOCATIONS
- W-O Newsletter reader Mike Skyllzzz sent in word about
the locations of the RAW and Smackdown! that will follow
WrestleMania 23 in Detroit next year. RAW on April 2nd will
be at the Nutter Center in Dayton, OH., and tickets go on
sale on December 30th. Smackdown! will be taped on April 3rd
at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne,
IN., and tickets go on sale in February. No exact date was
announced. This is the first time in a couple of years that
RAW is moving out from the same city that hosted
WrestleMania.
(Story originally published on December 16th, 2006)
THE ROAD TO WRESTLEMANIA TOUR STARTS TUESDAY
- The road to WrestleMania will be kicking off next Tuesday
for the Fan Axxess Tour crew as the WWE bus will be
traveling through 14 different cities across the nation
making stops at several shopping malls and WWE events in the
US and then in Canada with the final stop in Detroit on
April 1st at the Ford Field for WrestleMania 23. Miami, FL.,
will be the city that kicks off this tour.
(Story originally published on January 5th, 2007)
FAN AXXESS TOUR LOCATIONS
- WWE.COM has released the full schedule for the
WrestleMania 23 Fan Axxess Tour, where a WWE bus will tour
several parts of the country - and Canada - with the final
stop at WrestleMania 23 on April 1st. Headed by WWE legend
Hillbilly Jim, the bus will stop at 29 different locations
where you will be able to meet with WWE Superstars for
autograph sessions as well as participate in activities or
play WWE video games. The tour is sponsored by USA Network,
Sci Fi, The CW Network, GameStop, THQ and EB Games. A full
list of all stops can be read
here.
(Story originally published on January 7th, 2007)
LAS VEGAS OR ORLANDO, WHO WILL HOST WRESTLEMANIA 24?
- Las Vegas and Orlando seem to be the two cities in
contention for hosting WrestleMania 24 next year. Initial
rumors moved toward Sin City, where WrestleMania 9 was held
in the parking lot of Caesar's Palace in 1993. An article by
Jeff Wilen carried yesterday in the Daytona Beach
News-Journal contained comments from John Saboor who is the
President of the Central Florida Sports Commission regarding
the rumors of Orlando hosting next year's 'Super Bowl' of
wrestling. "We are currently exploring a variety of options
related to WWE in future events," Saboor said. "There are
on-going discussions, and those discussions have been
productive to date." Usually WWE announce the location of
the next WrestleMania during the show itself although
sometimes it was announced at a later date. "Any
announcement would go through them first," he added. There
are no big stadiums which can have their roofs closed in
either city, so it will be interesting to see if WWE will
opt to go back to hosting the show in a normal arena rather
than inside a football or a baseball stadium.
(Story originally published on January 18th, 2007)
SALIVA'S SONG 'LADIES & GENTLEMAN' CHOSEN AS OFFICIAL
THEME SONG
- This year's WrestleMania will feature a song from Saliva's
latest album 'Blood Stained Love Story' as the theme for the
show. Titled 'Ladies and Gentleman', this will be the fourth
song to be used as a theme on a WWE pay-per-view. In 2001,
'Click Click Boom' was used for No Mercy. In 2002, their
song 'Superstar' was one of the themes at WrestleMania X8
and later in that year they had 'Always' as the theme for
the Survivor Series. Saliva always recorded the themes for
Batista titled 'I Walk Alone', 'Get the Tables' for the
Dudley Boyz and 'King Of My World' for Chris Jericho. Their
album 'Blood Stained Love Story' will be out this coming
Tuesday.
(Story originally published on January 21st, 2007)
WWE EXEC TALKS ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF WRESTLEMANIA IN
FLORIDA
- Jim Varsallone's column in the Miami Herald tackled the
possibility of WrestleMania coming to Florida. While Las
Vegas was first rumored to be the location for the PPV,
Orlando has also been mentioned a lot in the past few weeks
and many people think the city is the front runner to host
next year's extravaganza. "There are those who believe that
WrestleMania in Florida would be a wonderful opportunity for
our fans who travel from all corners of the globe, as well
as for fans in Florida who have not had the opportunity to
host and/or attend the big event," said Gary Davis, the Vice
President of Corporate Communications at World Wrestling
Entertainment. "The city of Orlando would be a great
location, and the Amway Arena/TD Waterhouse Centre in
Orlando would not be the smallest venue to have ever hosted
WrestleMania," he added. Davis added that while the location
for next year's event will be announced at the upcoming
WrestleMania, he said that Florida would offer some creative
opportunities in terms of marketing and production themes
that would tie in with such a big show. "And what's not to
like about the weather," Davis concluded.
(Story originally published on January 22nd, 2007)
PICTURES FROM FAN AXXESS TOUR IN SAN ANTONIO, TX.
- W-O Newsletter reader Alex120 attended the WWE
WrestleMania Fan Axxess tour in San Antonio, TX., and
submitted a dozen of pictures from the event. Ashley
Massaro, Paul London, Brian Kendrick, Mickie James, Mr
Kennedy, Matt Striker, Carlito and others were present for
this stop. You can check the pictures that Alex took
here. Fans who attend live events or autograph signings
can send in their respective pictures to be part of our ever
growing Gallery.
(Story originally published on January 31st, 2007)
THE UNDERTAKER TO CHOOSE HIS OPPONENT ON RAW
- The Undertaker will be appearing on RAW tomorrow to
announce his decision as to which title he will be going
after at WrestleMania 23. The Phenom will be opening the
show with his announcement. While the choices are against
Lashley for the ECW title, Cena for the WWE title and
Batista for the World title, it's pretty obvious that either
Cena or Batista will be facing the Undertaker in the main
event and while 'Taker vs Cena seems like an exciting
match-up, sources are suggesting that it will be against
Batista and Shawn Michaels taking on Cena in the other main
event.
(Story originally published on February 4th, 2007)
UNDERTAKER CHOOSES BATISTA, HBK AFTER CENA
- The two main events for WrestleMania 23 were set yesterday
during Monday Night RAW as Royal Rumble winner The
Undertaker made his decision at the start of the show by
choosing fellow Smackdown! competitor Batista as his
opponent, thus going for the World Heavyweight title. The
RAW main event was also set as Shawn Michaels won his triple
threat match against Randy Orton and Edge to be the number
one contender for John Cena's WWE Heavyweight title. The
only other world title left is the ECW Heavyweight, with an
opponent expected to be named in one of the upcoming
editions of ECW on Sci Fi.
(Story originally published on February 6th, 2007)
HOGAN SEEMS LIKE HE'S OFF WRESTLEMANIA
- Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer is reporting that
Hulk Hogan's plans of appearing at WrestleMania 23 may have
gone up in smoke after yet another fall out with WWE
Chairman Vince McMahon. Meltzer says that Hogan was supposed
to be involved at WrestleMania wrestling Shane McMahon with
the Great Khali in his corner as part of the McMahon vs
Trump storyline, which is expected to be played out until
Mania. According to sources, ECW champ Bobby Lashley is
expected to be filling in instead of Hogan but we all know
the Hogan/McMahon relationship over the past years so they
could "kiss and make up" in time for this to actually
happen.
(Story originally published on February 11th, 2007)
OVER $5 MILLION IN GATE REVENUE
- WWE issued a press release yesterday announcing that
WrestleMania 23 at Ford Field has generated more than $5
million in ticket sales, making it the highest grossing
one-day event in World Wresting Entertainment history. After
the initial 50,000 tickets went on sale, another batch went
on sale late last year which shot up the number to more than
63,000 sold now. More tickets are expected to go on sale a
few weeks prior to the show. Fans from 50 states and 22
countries will be making the trip to see WrestleMania.
(Story originally published on February 16th, 2007)
2007 HALL OF FAME TICKETS
- Tickets for the 2007 WWE Hall Of Fame induction
ceremony will go on sale on Saturday March 3rd with prices
at $45, $75 and $100. The event will be held at the Fox
Theatre in Detroit, MI., the day before WrestleMania 23.
Tickets will be on sale at Ticketmaster.com . Dusty Rhodes
was the first one announced to be in the class of 2007
yesterday during RAW.
(Story originally published on February 16th, 2007)
MONEY IN THE BANK QUALIFYING ROUNDS START TODAY
- The Money In The Bank match will be returning at
WrestleMania 23 and qualifying matches will begin on RAW
tonight. The first match will be between Edge and Rob Van
Dam, the winners of the previous two Money In The Bank
matches. When both of them 'cashed out', both of them
managed to win the WWE title and both of them defeating WWE
champion John Cena. No other contestants have been revealed
as of this writing.
(Story originally published on February 19th, 2007)
AUSTIN TO REFEREE HAIR VS HAIR MATCH AT WRESTLEMANIA
- Stone Cold Steve Austin will be the special guest referee
at WrestleMania for the hair vs hair match involving Donald
Trump and Vince McMahon. Austin's return on WWE television
should be imminent as his movie 'The Condemned' will be
coming out on April 27th and the WWE hype machine will start
in the coming weeks. The Rattlesnake was not part of last
year's WrestleMania, however appeared at the Hall Of Fame
the night before to induct Bret 'Hit Man' Hart.
(Story originally published on February 21st, 2007)
DONALD TRUMP TO CHOOSE BOBBY LASHLEY AS HIS
REPRESENTATIVE
- Donald Trump is expected to announce Bobby Lashley as the
guy who will represent him at WrestleMania after talks with
Hulk Hogan broke down weeks ago. This means that the ECW
World title will not be defended at the biggest event of the
year and it looks like the Intercontinental title won't be
either. The Associated Press ran the Trump vs McMahon angle
yesterday which was one of the top accessed stories on
Yahoo! News. A lot of TV channels picked up the story as
well.
(Story originally published on February 21st, 2007)
HOGAN REFUSES WRESTLEMANIA SPOT OVER MONEY ISSUES
- In recent radio interviews, former WWE and WCW
champion Hulk Hogan stated that the reason he is not part of
WrestleMania 23 is money. According to the Hulkster, Vince
wanted to cut down on Hogan's share from the pay-per-view
appearance because there are other guys who deserve just as
much and it didn't sit well with Hogan. Hulk wanted the
largest piece of the pie which McMahon didn't agree to. The
original plan was for Hogan to be Trump's pick for the
Battle of the Billionaires but after the deal fell through
McMahon went ahead and used Lashley in the spot.
(Story originally published on February 27th, 2007)
360 OTC IN A $20 MILLION WRESTLEMANIA SPONSORSHIP DEAL
- Even though they were announced as sponsors for
WrestleMania last week, Rockford-Montgomery Labs - a
pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution company - sent
a press release today saying its 360 OTC pain reliever brand
is this year's presenting sponsor of WrestleMania and the
"Official Pain Relief of WrestleMania 23." The deal which
includes TV plugs, live event, .com ads and wherever the
WrestleMania 23 logo will appear is valued at more than a
whopping $20 million. "WWE is the best brand available to
lock 360 OTC into our demographic and WrestleMania is an
event on par with the Super Bowl," said Michelle Shearer,
CEO of Rockford-Montgomery Labs, Inc. As part of its
relationship with 360 OTC, WWE will be branded on Jeremy
Mayfield's No. 36 Toyota Camry that Bill Davis Racing is
fielding in the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. WWE also will
have WrestleMania promoted on the 360 OTC SKYSCREEN airship,
containing the first high resolution full-motion, full-color
video LED screen ever flown in the U.S.
(Story originally published on February 28th, 2007)
TICKETS FOR POST WM RAW, SD AND HALL OF FAME ON SALE
- Tickets for the post WrestleMania RAW and Smackdown! are
currently on sale. RAW will be taping live from Dayton, OH.,
at the Nutter Center on April 2nd while Smackdown! and ECW
will be taping their shows in Fort Wayne, IN., at the Allen
County War Memorial Coliseum the next day. Also tickets went
on sale this morning for the Hall of Fame ceremony which is
taking place at the Fox Theatre in Detroit the night before
WrestleMania. All tickets can be bought at Ticketmaster.com.
(Story originally published on March 3rd, 2007)
HALL OF FAME CEREMONY SOLD OUT
- Tickets also went on sale yesterday for the Hall of Fame
ceremony which is taking place at the Fox Theatre in Detroit
the night before WrestleMania. The demand for the show was
big, resulting in a quick sellout in just under 30 minutes.
More tickets will be released as the event draws closer
according to WWE.COM. There's no word yet if the short
version of the Hall of Fame will be airing on television
this year just like the previous two years. So far Dusty
Rhodes, Mr Pefect and Jerry 'The King' Lawler have been
announced to be inducted.
(Story originally published on March 4th, 2007)
$70 MILLION MARKETING CAMPAIGN FOR WRESTLEMANIA
- WWE's WrestleMania 23 marketing campaign will cost the
company an estimated $70 million according to its VP of
Marketing, Geof Rochester. Apart from the usual print ads in
different major cities, WWE will have WrestleMania ads on
YouTube, MySpace and banner advertising on key men's
lifestyle, sports and gaming sites. Retailers Wal-Mart,
F.Y.E., Game Stop, Steve and Barry's and Arm Air Force
Exchange Services will display promotional material at
10,000 locations across the nation. WWE 24/7 will also play
an integral part of the Mania promotion with 1.25 million
direct mail promotion pieces and free on-demand and
broadband content. Perhaps the weirdest promotion is part of
a radio deal in seven markets where WWE will pay its fans to
shave 'WM23 April 1' into their hair.
(Story originally published on March 4th, 2007)
NICK BOCKWINKEL ADDED TO THE HALL OF FAME
- Former six time AWA heavyweight champion Nick Bockwinkel
was announced yesterday as the latest entry in the WWE Hall
of Fame. The 72 year old retired from the ring in 1987.
After that, he joined the then WWF as a road agent and then
moved to WCW in 1994 as the on-screen commissioner and was
fired a year later. So far those announced for the Hall Of
Fame - Dusty Rhodes, Jerry Lawler and Curt Hennig - along
with Bockwinkel were all an important part of the AWA
legacy.
(Story originally published on March 6th, 2007)
WRESTLEMANIA MARKETING PLANS REVEALED
- WWE has revealed today their marketing plans for
WrestleMania 23 which costs a total of $70 million, the
highest amount ever spent on a single event in WWE history.
The press release issued today outlines what advertising WWE
booked to promote the show - from online to TV to radio to
print and other way of advertising. You can read the press
release
here.
(Story originally published on March 6th, 2007)
WWE ISSUES PRESS RELEASE ON STEVE AUSTIN AT WRESTLEMANIA
- 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 which you
can see
here.
(Story originally published on March 7th, 2007)
ECW ORIGINALS VS THE NEW BREED EIGHT MAN TAG TEAM MATCH
- The fourth official WrestleMania 23 match was announced
yesterday during the ECW on Sci Fi television show. It will
be an eight man tag team match featuring the ECW Originals
team of Rob Van Dam, Tommy Dreamer, Sabu and The Sandman
taking on the New Breed team of Marcus Cor Von, Elijah
Burke, Kevin Thorn and Matt Striker. The other three matches
so far announced are the WWE title match, World title match
and the Money In The Bank ladder match.
(Story originally published on March 8th, 2007)
TRIPLE THREAT MATCH FOR FINAL SPOT IN MONEY IN THE BANK
MATCH
- Next monday on RAW there will be a triple threat match for
the final spot in the Money in the Bank ladder match at
WrestleMania. Randy Orton, Ric Flair and Carlito will be in
the match and Orton has been for the past few weeks the
favorite man to be involved in the ladder match. This year's
Money in the Bank match will have eight WWE Superstars
instead of six and so far Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, CM Punk,
Edge, Finlay, Booker T and Mr Kennedy are in the match.
(Story originally published on March 8th, 2007)
AUSTIN, TRUMP ON RAW THIS MONDAY
- Stone Cold Steve Austin and Donald Trump will be on RAW
this coming Monday in Washington, DC., for the contract
signing angle for the hair vs hair match at WrestleMania
between Bobby Lashley and Umaga. This is probably Trump's
last appearance live on RAW prior to WrestleMania. Stone
Cold is expected to be involved on television for a while to
promote his movie 'The Condemned' which comes out later in
April.
(Story originally published on March 8th, 2007)
TWO SEPARATE RELEASES FOR WRESTLEMANIA 23 DVD
- WrestleMania 23 on DVD will be released on May 22nd and
this year two separate editions will be available for
purchase. The first one will have the whole event on two
discs running a total time of 240 minutes while the second
one will have three discs and run for 540 minutes - that's 9
hours folks - and will contain a bunch of extras including
the full Hall Of Fame ceremony. Suggested retail price for
the first one is $34.95 and $44.95 for the second, limited
edition. Online stores will sell for cheaper. You can see
the artwork for both DVDs
here.
(Story originally published on March 9th, 2007)
A WRESTLEMANIA PRESENT TO THE US MILITARY
- WWE, the Army and Air Force Exchange Service are
co-sponsoring a sweepstake that will have a lucky US
military member go to WrestleMania 23 along with a partner.
The 'Four Star Furlough Sweepstakes' includes round-trip
airfare for two to Detroit, four nights in a hotel, two
tickets to WrestleMania 23 and $500 in spending money.
Military members who are not deployed or will be on R&R
during WrestleMania are eligible to participate. "If a
deployed service member is scheduled for R&R (rest and
recuperation) and will be back in the States on April 1,
they can log on and register at AAFES and WWE will fly them
to Detroit from anywhere in the United States, District of
Columbia or Puerto Rico," said Chris Ward, a spokesman with
AAFES in Dallas. Entry forms can be found at www.aafes.com
and must be submitted by 11:59PM EST on March 12th.
(Story originally published on March 10th, 2007)
WWE AND MAKE-A-WISH FOUNDATION TEAM UP FOR BOWLING AT
WRESTLEMANIA WEEKEND
- W-O Newsletter reader Gord sent in word that the ECW
Heavyweight champ Bobby Lashley and other WWE Superstars
will be participating in a bowling fundraiser from 1PM to
3:30PM on March 31st at Skore Lanes in Taylor, MI. This will
be part of the WrestleMania 23 weekend activities with the
Make-A-Wish Foundation. The public is invited to the Skore
Lanes event, which will be an exclusive party with WWE
superstars to help raise money for Make-A-Wish. Tickets are
on sale now for $100 each and includes unlimited pizza and
soda, two and a half hours of bowling, house bowling shoes,
door prizes, participation in a silent auction, and trophies
and awards for individuals and teams. VIP Tickets are going
for $150 and includes everything stated before plus a photo
with the ECW championship belt, photograph and autograph
opportunities with WWE superstars and members of the WWE
Hall of Fame, strolling desserts, coffee and a chocolate
fountain. Tickets may be purchased at Skore Lanes by calling
(313) 291-6220 or e-mailing your request to Fran Wood at
fwood@bowldetroit.com.
(Story originally published on March 11th, 2007)
MR FUJI ADDED TO THE HALL OF FAME
- Harry Fujiwara, better known to wrestling fans as Mr Fuji,
is the fifth individual added to the WWE Hall of Fame class
of 2007. The former pro wrestler and manager will be 72 this
year and during his time in the WWWF/WWF he got the tag team
titles five times, three times with Toru Tanaka and twice
with Mr Saito. After retiring from in ring action, Mr Fuji
took the role of a manager and managed Superstars such as
Don Muraco, Demolition, Powers of Pain, Crush, Yokozuna and
others.
(Story originally published on March 13th, 2007)
MORE WRESTLEMANIA TICKETS RELEASED
- More WrestleMania 23 tickets have been released today
after clearing up all the production areas. Ticketmaster.com
is selling them online and as of this writing, the best
tickets are selling for $150. You can also call the Ford
Field Box Office at 313-262-2003 to purchase. Over 65,000
tickets have been sold with over $5 million in gate money,
the biggest selling event in WWE history.
(Story originally published on March 15th, 2007)
DON MURACO TO INDUCT FUJI IN THE HALL OF FAME
- In his latest blog entry, RAW announcer Jim Ross stated
that Hall of Famer 'Magnificent' Don Muraco will be doing
the honors for Mr Fuji at the Hall of Fame ceremony. Fuji
managed Muraco in the early/mid 80s. It is believed that
Larry 'The Ax' Hennig will be inducting his son Curt Hennig
at the event while Lawler has kept his choice secret.
(Story originally published on March 18th, 2007)
THE SHEIK ADDED TO THE HALL OF FAME
- The original Sheik,
Ed Farhat, was announced yesterday on ECW on Sci Fi to be
added to the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2007. Farhat was part
of the WWWF in the late 60's and feuded with Bruno
Sammartino and then moved to Japan Pro Wrestling
Association, All Japan Pro Wrestling and also New Japan Pro
Wrestling in mid/late 70's. In 1994 he also had a brief
stint with ECW and wrestled his last match in Japan in 1998
when he was 74 years old. The Sheik died on January 18th
2003 of heart failure at the age of 78. The Sheik trained
Rob Van Dam, Scott Steiner and also his nephew Sabu.
(Story originally published on March 21st, 2007)
ARETHA FRANKLIN TO SING 'AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL' AT
WRESTLEMANIA
- According to the
Detroit Free Press, Aretha Franklin will be singing 'America
The Beautiful' at this year's WrestleMania. She was also the
one who kicked off WrestleMania III twenty years ago by
singing the same song at the Silverdome in Detroit. In
WrestleMania related news, the Free Press is also carrying
an article on how WrestleMania is effecting the local
economy, with most hotels almost fully booked and the
revenue it leaves. You can read it
here.
(Story originally published on March 23rd, 2007)
HALL OF FAME CEREMONY TO AIR ON USA NETWORK
- Brad Bernstein over
at NBC Universal confirmed to us earlier today that segments
from the 2007 Hall of Fame ceremony will be airing on USA
Network on March 31st at Midnight/11:00CST. No word yet who
will be the 'main event' of the ceremony but Dusty Rhodes is
probably a lock. Usually the TV version will have two
inductees, with their speeches edited.
(Story originally published on March 23rd, 2007)
WM PRESS CONFERENCE AT TRUMP TOWER
- This coming Wednesday, WWE will hold the WrestleMania
press conference at the Trump Tower in New York, NY. Vince
McMahon, Donald Trump, Steve Austin, Bobby Lashley, Umaga,
Estrada, John Cena, Shawn Michaels, Batista, Ashley, Melina
and Jonathan Coachman are all scheduled to be on hand for
the event which is starting at Noon.
(Story originally published on March 25th, 2007)
WILD SAMOANS ADDED TO THE HALL OF FAME
- Afa and Sika The Wild Samoans were announced for the
Hall of Fame on Friday Night Smackdown! Managed by Hall of
Famer Captain Lou Albano, the Samoans held the WWF tag team
titles three times during their career and countless other
tag titles around the world. Sika's last appearance for WWE
was at the WrestleMania IV PPV in a battle royal while his
brother Afa went on to manage the Headshrinkers.
(Story originally published on March 25th, 2007)
PERFECT, LAWLER, WILD SAMOANS INDUCTORS CONFIRMED
- MLB Hall of Famer Wade Boggs will be inducting Curt
Hennig into the WWE Hall of Fame next Saturday at the
ceremony. Boggs was featured in one of the vignettes in the
early 90s where Hennig showcased his 'perfect' talents.
Boggs said that he and Hennig remained friends ever since
and once he even saved his life after he got trapped into a
barbed wire fence and had to carry him for around a mile
back. Meanwhile Afa & Sika, The Wild Samoans, will be
inducted by their respective sons, Sam and Matt Anoa'i. Matt
wrestled in WWE as Samu of the Head Shrinkers while Matt
wrestled as Rosey. Also, Hollywood actor William Shatner
will be doing the honors for current RAW commentator Jerry
'The King' Lawler.
(Story originally published on March 25th, 2007)
READING SENDS FIVE KIDS TO WRESTLEMANIA
- When they say
reading is good for you, they mean it, especially when WWE
says so! After teaming up with The Young Adult Library
Services Association (YALSA), the fastest growing division
of the American Library Association (ALA), WWE held a
'WrestleMania Reading Challenge' where five finalists from
each region of the United States won a trip to WrestleMania,
$2,000 in cash for their library and a chance to compete for
ringside seats this Sunday! The challenge was for students
enrolled in grades 9-12 to read 10 books between Teen Read
Week, October 15th to 21st 2006 and January 16 2007 and then
submit a short reading log that described the books that
were read, along with a 300-word essay or web page
describing or portraying some aspect of the two required
books which were chosen by YALSA (the remaining 8 were free
to choose by the students).
(Story originally published on March 26th, 2007)
JIM ROSS LAST MAN ADDED TO HALL OF FAME
- With tears coming
down and a big Chicago standing ovation, RAW play-by-play
guy Jim Ross was announced yesterday as the last Hall of
Famer for the class of 2007. A very touching video package
with comments from many WWE Superstars aired and afterwards
fellow soon-to-be Hall of Famer Jerry 'The King' Lawler
introduced JR to the crowd who showed their appreciation to
good ol' JR by giving him a long standing ovation. An
emotional Ross waved and saluted the crowd. His long-time
personal friend Stone Cold Steve Austin will do the honors
for JR at the ceremony.
(Story originally published on March 27th, 2007)
STANDING ROOM ONLY TICKETS RELEASED
- Earlier today, WWE
released several thousands of more tickets for this Sunday's
WrestleMania, however these are standing room only. These
tickets are going for $25 each and $5 of those will go to
Detroit Lions Charities. Tickets are available on
Ticketmaster.com along with some $150 seats which are still
available. With over 65,000 tickets already sold, if these
are sold out it will shoot up the number close to 70,000.
(Story originally published on March 27th, 2007)
MASSIVE STAGE AT THIS YEAR'S WRESTLEMANIA
- The Detroit News
has a story online about the set design of WrestleMania,
which according to the article, this year's stage will be
"massive". The story has quotes from Jason Robinson, WWE's
head production designer and the man in charge of the set.
Robinson says that this year's set will contain a lot of
video screens and a lot of pyro. It's so huge it's taking
300 people to assemble it and they started last week, only
to finish either Thursday or Friday! The set will be taken
down right after the pay-per-view is over and the process
will take up to 36 hours! Damn! You can read it
here.
(Story originally published on March 28th, 2007)
MEDIA PICKS UP MCMAHON/TRUMP CONFRONTATION
- A lot of media
outlets picked up yesterday's WrestleMania press conference
at the Trump Tower in New York which ended up with Donald
Trump giving Vince McMahon the "billion dollar bitch slap".
USA Today, CNN, Multichannel News, Access Hollywood and a
lot of local media ran the story along with pictures. Most
of the headlines revolve around Trump putting his hair on
the line this Sunday, and according to the article, "it
could become reality, thanks to World Wrestling
Entertainment owner Vince McMahon." The press for the match
is certainly welcomed and it is what both WWE and Donald
Trump hoped for.
(Story originally published on March 29th, 2007)
A LOOK AT THE WRESTLEMANIA 23 PRESS CONFERENCE
- W-O Newsletter
reader and Long Island Press journalist Josh Stewart wrote a
story about the WrestleMania 23 press conference which was
held this past Wednesday in Trump Tower in New York. As all
of you know, McMahon evaded questions after the press
conference (and even during) just like England coach Steve
McClaren did on Wednesday night himself after the England vs
Andorra soccer game. You can read Josh's account of the
press conference
here.
(Story originally published on March 30th, 2007)
HALL OF FAME AIRINGS IN CANADA AND UNITED KINGDOM
- The WWE Hall of
Fame induction ceremony will be airing on TSN in Canada on
Sunday April 1st at 1AM and a replay airs the next day on
Monday at 5PM. For fans in the United Kingdom, it will air
on April 5th at 5PM on Sky Sports 2 with replays on April
7th at 1PM on Sky Sports 3 and April 8th at Noon on Sky
Sports 2. A one hour version of the Hall of Fame will be
airing on the mentioned, the same broadcast that will air on
USA Network tomorrow night.
(Story originally published on March 30th, 2007)
2007 HALL OF FAME CEREMONY TONIGHT
- Tonight at the FOX
Theater in Detroit, MI., there will be the WWE Hall of Fame
induction ceremony which will feature 9 inductees. Dusty
Rhodes getting inducted by his two sons Dustin and Cody
Runnels; Mr Perfect getting inducted by Wade Boggs; Mr Fuji
getting inducted by Don Muraco; Jerry Lawler by William
Shatner; Jim Ross by Stone Cold Steve Austin; The Wild
Samoans by their respective sons Matt and Samu Anoa'i; Nick
Bockwinkel by Bobby Heenan and The Sheik by his nephew Sabu.
The first two hours of the ceremony will air live on WWE.COM
at 7PM EST while the final hour will air on USA Network at
Midnight EST. The final hour will be edited big time however
the full ceremony - which usually lasts in the range of 3
1/2 to 4 hours - will be included in the WrestleMania 23
DVD.
(Story originally published on March 31st, 2007)
OVER 5,000 FANS ATTEND STEVE AUSTIN'S MOVIE PREMIERE
- Yesterday over
5,000 fans attended the premiere of Stone Cold Steve
Austin's new movie 'The Condemned'. The event was free to
everyone and was also part of the WrestleMania Travel
Package deal. Several WWE Superstars including Batista,
Triple H, Mick Foley, JBL, Nitro and Melina, Jim Ross, the
McMahons and others were also present for the screening. WWE
Films President Joel Simon and the star of the movie Steve
Austin were also in attendance.
(Story originally published on March 31st, 2007)
WRESTLEMANIA 23 LIVE ON PPV TONIGHT
- It's finally here. After all the anticipation and a
long road, tonight RAW, Smackdown! and ECW present
WrestleMania 23 live from the sold-out Ford Field in
Detroit, MI. The card is as follows. Chris Benoit vs MVP for
the United States title; The Great Khali vs Kane; ECW
Originals Rob Van Dam, Sabu, Tommy Dreamer and Sandman vs
the New Breed with Elijah Burke, Kevin Thorne, Matt Striker
and Marcus Cor Von; Melina vs Ashley for the WWE Women's
title; Money In The Bank Ladder match with Finlay vs Matt
Hardy vs Jeff Hardy vs Randy Orton vs Edge vs CM Punk vs Mr
Kennedy vs Booker T; Bobby Lashley with Donald Trump in his
corner vs Umaga with Vince McMahon in his corner in a hair
vs hair match; Undertaker vs Batista for the World
Heavyweight title; and John Cena vs Shawn Michaels for the
WWE Heavyweight title.
(Story originally published on April 1st, 2007)
WILLIAM SHATNER MANAGES TO STINK UP LAWLER'S HOF INTRO
- Whomever came up with
the idea of having William Shatner induct Jerry 'The King'
Lawler into the WWE Hall of Fame should be kicking himself
in the head right now. Originally, Lawler wanted 81 year old
wrestling announcer Lance Russell to induct him but the
powers that be thought that Russell wasn't that famous with
today's wrestling fans and they had Lawler scrap the idea.
Some genius suggested William Shatner and while Shatner
accepted the invitation, his presence at the Hall of Fame
yesterday didn't get him any points. Fans booed the former
TJ Hooker and Captain Kirk after his introduction was
written down and read without barely looking up, certainly
showing he was unprepared for the occasion. Fans were quick
to show their disgust towards Shatner. On his official
website, Lance Russell thanked Lawler for the invite. "I’m
no where near the recognizable personality of Captain Kirk,
TJ Hooker or Denny Crane. I’ve never lost my admiration for
what Jerry has done with his career but the truth is...Denny
Crane has never lost a case. And it’s hard to top that. So
congratulations Jerry and thanks for the invite! I’ll be
there in spirit."
(Story originally published on April 1st, 2007)
WRESTLEMANIA 23 PAY-PER-VIEW REPORT
- WrestleMania 23 has come and gone and we have a new
World Heavyweight champion. In the first main event, the
Undertaker with almost 100% of the crowd behind him managed
to keep his undefeated record - now 15-0 - by defeating
Batista in one of the best matches of the night. Taker and
Batista worked hard during the match with the two big spots
being Undertaker flying over the top rope and on Batista on
the floor and Batista doing a running powerslam from one
announce table to another.
The second
title match saw John Cena - booed all the way to hell - keep
his title for the second straight WrestleMania main event by
making Shawn Michaels tap out. Cena had an entrance from way
out of the Ford Field, coming in 'driving' a Ford Mustang
and splashing through a big glass with the WM23 logo. The
moment his music hit, boos filled the stadium. The two
wrestled an old school type of match with HBK attacking
Cena's leg throughout the match. Both of them bled and the
original referee Mike Chioda got knocked out with a
superkick. HBK finally tapped to the STFU as an emotional
Cena celebrated in the ring.
It was
McMahon's real hair afterall! One billionaire is bald and
his name is Vincent Kennedy McMahon. Lashley gave Umaga his
third defeat after Umaga was the recepient of the Stunner
and a spear by Lashley afterwards. During the match Umaga
attacked Austin and Shane McMahon interfered, removed his
shirt and revealed a referee gear underneath. When Shane
went for the count, Austin pulled him out and attacked him
and then Umaga. During the match, Donald Trump gave McMahon
a flying clothesline (holy crap) on the outside which got a
huge pop from the crowd. Lashley and Trump proceeded to
shave McMahon's head with Austin holding the Chairman's
head. After some beers, Austin gave Trump the Stunner, which
he bothced, of course.
In other
matches, Mr Kennedy won the Money In The Bank ladder match
in a fun and entertaining match. Edge and Jeff Hardy were
taken out early after Edge - who was on laid down on a
ladder placed between the ring and the barricades - received
a sit down splash from the tallest ladder in the building
from Jeff Hardy. The ladder got broken in half from the
move, with Edge in between.
The Great
Khali defeated Kane after a tree slam. Kane managed to slam
Khali but still that wasn't enough for the monster to be
knocked out; Chris Benoit retained his US Title after
defeating MVP with a headbutt off the top rope. Good
reversals in the match with MVP keeping up with the rabid
wolverine; The ECW Originals also surprisingly won their
match against the New Breed in an eight man tag team match
which had RVD scoring the 5 Star frog splash on Matt Striker
for the pin; And Melina retained her Women's title by
pinning Playboy covergirl Ashley in a Lumberjill match.
After the match all the Divas entered the ring for a brawl.
Some notes
from the show, there was a dance segment with Cryme Tyme,
Eugene, Extreme Expose and WWE Legends Sgt Slaughter, Jerry
Brisco, Dusty Rhodes, IRS, Mene Gene Okerlund, Moolah, Mae
Young, Patt Patterson, Ricky 'The Dragon' Steamboat - who
got a large pop - and surprise surprise the Doctor of Style,
Slick! Ron Simmons interrupted to give his usual 'DAMN!'
line; When WWE said there were going to be a lot of pyro,
they meant it. Largest pyrotechnic display in a WWE event
ever; All Hall of Fame inductees received a large ovation
after being introduced to the crowd by The Fink. Mr Fuji had
to be wheeled out on a wheelchair; And did you notice that
the timekeeper rang the bell before Austin hit the three
count in Lashley vs Umaga? I guess he couldn't wait to see
McMahon bald!
(Story originally published on April 2nd, 2007)
FAN GETS IN THE RING BEFORE MAIN EVENT STARTS
- It took guts, a lot of it, but this fan at
WrestleMania decided to get ejected out of the building and
probably face jail time just before the main event.
Surpassing all security officials, one crazy fan jumped the
barricades and entered the ring with just shorts and an open
shirt. Referee Mike Chioda who was checking Shawn Michaels
quickly turned around the block the fan as security tackled
him down. Shawn Michaels waved to the kid as he was being
taken out with Cena almost starting laughing. You can see a
screenshot of the incident
here.
(Story originally published on April 2nd, 2007)
WRESTLEMANIA BREAKS FORD FIELD INDOOR ATTENDANCE RECORD
- The previous record of
78,129 at the Ford Field for a basketball game was shattered
as WWE's WrestleMania 23 managed to break the stadium's
attendance record of 80,103 fans. Several thousands of
tickets were released earlier this week including
standing-only spaces. WrestleMania 23 was the second biggest
WrestleMania in terms of attendance after WrestleMania III,
also in Detroit at the Pontiac Silverdome. This year's
WrestleMania generated more than $5.38 million in ticket
revenue and $25 million into local economy.
(Story originally published on April 2nd, 2007)
MORE PRESS ON MCMAHON AND TRUMP
- Many media outlets were
skeptic about the hair vs hair match noting that the event
falls on April Fools' day and McMahon and Trump were working
the fans. But it wasn't the case. After McMahon assuring
those skeptical that one of them will be bald after the
match, the promise came through as McMahon was the one who
got his head shaved. The Associated Press ran an article
about the confrontation while FOX News had the headline in
the 'Features & Faces' section with a picture of McMahon
getting shaved and used the same AP story. "The 'sports
entertainment' event was held fittingly on April Fool's
Day," the article read. Several local news outlets also
carried the news accompanied by a video clip which was made
available by WWE after the show was over.
(Story originally published on April 2nd, 2007)
MCMAHON AND TRUMP ON NBC'S TODAY SHOW
- Earlier this morning,
Donald Trump and Vince McMahon appeared on The Today Show on
NBC to talk about their WrestleMania hair vs hair match.
McMahon was out of character for the interview which is
exactly what should have been done. "I’ve got to tell you,
in terms of entertainment, the audience loved it. It was
entertainment. Donald Trump is a great entertainer, in
addition to everything else," the bald Chairman said.
WWE.COM has a review along with a picture of McMahon looking
like Star Trek's Spok
here.
(Story originally published on April 2nd, 2007)
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