Another match has been added to the Payback pay-per-view card, its sixth for the PPV portion and seventh overall including the Kickoff match.
The latest match added is Ryback taking on Bray Wyatt. The match was announced on WWE.COM. Out of the six other matches on the PPV card, three of them are title matches including those for the WWE World Heavyweight, United States, and Tag Team titles.
Payback airs this Sunday live on pay-per-view and on the WWE Network from the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Maryland.
Fans in the United Kingdom and Ireland who subscribe to the WWE Network can now watch the over-the-top streaming service on Apple TV.
The WWE Network app was made available in the UK and Ireland today along with other apps across the world. While the Network has been operating in the UK and Ireland since January, the service was not available on all platforms.
If you own an Apple TV and do not see the channel, either restart the device or else force an update through the settings. You will then be able to log in with your regular WWE Network username and password and enjoy the Network on your Apple device.
The WWE Network in the UK sells for £9.99 and €12.99 in Ireland.
WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon will be inducted into the Boys & Girls Clubs of America Alumni Hall of Fame. The 25th Annual Hall of Fame will be held during the organization’s annual National Conference in Chicago.
The press release write up on Vince McMahon reads, “The Elizabeth City Boys & Girls Club provided McMahon with a sense of belonging and a vision of what is possible, both of which were lacking in his home environment. He looked up to Club staff, who mentored and cared about kids. The feeling that somebody cared about him meant the world. Meeting other kids and teens from all walks of life showed McMahon there was a whole world of possibilities out there beyond what he knew. Since those early days, McMahon has become one of the most well-known pioneers in the entertainment industry, catapulting the WWE brand from a small, regional wrestling promotion to a global, family-friendly entertainment brand with television programming in 650 million homes in more than 175 countries and 35 languages. Today, WWE is one of the most recognized brands in the world with nearly half a billion social media followers. McMahon continues to carry forward the experience he had at The Club by supporting numerous programs and partners to help make a positive impact in the lives of children and families around the world.”
Joining Vince McMahon in this year’s Hall of Fame are three-time Grammy Award-nominated singer/producer/actor Trey Songz, fashion and music consultant for FOX’s hit drama “Empire” and Business Executive Monique Mosley, NFL Hall of Famer Andre Reed, world-renown violinist Earl Carlyss, President and CEO of the Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. Larry Young, two-time Oscar nominated costumer designer Ruth E. Carter, and leading opera singer Denyce Graves and Professional Golfer on the PGA Tour Robert Gamez.
This week’s Monday Night Raw did a total average of 3,687,000 viewers, up just over 100,000 viewers from last week’s show which had one of the lowest numbers since 1997.
Hour one did 3,824,000 viewers, hour two did 3,853,000, and then hour three crashed down to 3,385,000 viewers, a drop of almost half a million viewers. (Ratings credit: PWInsider.com)
The Elimination Chamber WWE Network special will be an all hands on deck affair as WWE has rescheduled the other non-televised live event in Greenville, South Carolina, which was going to start at 1PM on the same day.
To make up for the reschedule, WWE has changed the non-televised event to a Monday Night Raw taping on November 16.
All those who purchased tickets online will be refunded directly on the cars the tickets were purchased on. Tickets purchased at the box office or other outlets will be refunded at point of purchase. Those who wish to attend Raw on November 17 can also exchange their tickets for the same price point however this option is only available to those who did not purchase tickets online.
While technically it was going to be possible to shuttle some Superstars from Greenville to Corpus Christi to do both shows, the journey is around 4 hours by plane and it was going to be a close call assuming everything goes according to plan.
The Kickoff match for the Payback pay-per-view this coming Sunday will be a tag team match and it will air on the WWE Network, WWE.COM, YouTube, Facebook, and other WWE social media properties.
The match will feature Konnor and Viktor of The Ascension taking on Macho Mandow and Curtis Axel, the 2015 version of the Mega Powers! The tag team of Damien Sandow and Curtis Axel was assembled during last night’s Raw as the two recreated the scene when Macho Man and Hulk Hogan shook hands on an episode of Saturday Night’s Main Event in 1987 after Honky Tonk Man and the Hart Foundation attacked Savage and Miss Elizabeth and Hogan saved the day.
On the day WWE will be presenting the Elimination Chamber WWE Network special on May 31, the company will be running another show in Greenville, South Carolina, starting at 1PM.
Advertised for that show are John Cena, Rusev, King Barrett, the Tag Team champions The New Day, Cesaro and Tyson Kidd, and others. Considering that Cena is advertised for the Elimination Chamber show and the Tag Team titles will be defended as well, some of the Superstars will be pulling double duty on May 31 unless WWE decides to cancel the non-televised show at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville and moves everyone to Corpus Christi for the Chamber show.
A flight from Greenville to Corpus Christi is around 4 hours long and if those pulling double duty start the show in Greenville and catch the WWE jet they will arrive in Corpus Christi in time, or half-way through the show the latest.
So far WWE has not announced if they will be canceling the matinee show in Greenville and tickets are still being sold.
Three WWE titles will be on the line at the Elimination Chamber WWE Network special and two of them will be defended inside the Chamber itself.
But WWE is throwing somewhat of a twist as the WWE World Heavyweight title will not be one of those two titles inside the Chamber as this time the Tag Team titles and the Intercontinental title will be taking center stage.
This will mark the first time that both those titles will be contested inside the Elimination Chamber.
The preview also says that the WWE World Heavyweight title will be defended and the U.S. champion John Cena will be in action although it does not state that he will be defending his title, suggesting he might not be champion by the time Elimination Chamber comes around.
Daniel Bryan appeared on Monday Night Raw yesterday and vacated the Intercontinental title due to his injuries. This is the second title that Bryan vacated in a span of a year after last year he won the WWE World Heavyweight title at WrestleMania and relinquished it in July.
Bryan said that he underwent an MRI last week and doctors don’t know how long he will be out for or if he will even be allowed back in the ring. The now former IC champion said that fans deserved better and Superstars such as Dolph Ziggler, Wade Barrett, and Dean Ambrose should be wrestling for the title.
WWE officials were hesitant about putting Bryan in the main event picture so quickly since his return after casting their doubts over the method he used to rehabilitate his injuries. Bryan opted not to undergo a suggested second surgery to repair damage in his elbow and used a different technique.
The company got serious heat when Bryan did not win the Rumble and then did not defeat Reigns at Fastlane with fans hoping to “hijack” the main event again like they did the previous year which saw Bryan going all the way to the WrestleMania XXX main event and winning the title.
Bryan did not specify what kind of injury he’s battling now during his promo on Monday Night Raw.
WWE announced that the Elimination Chamber will be returning as a special WWE Network broadcast, held on Sunday, May 31, in Corpus Christi, Texas, at the American Bank Center.
This was supposed to be a regular non-televised live event headlined by Seth Rollins vs Ryback for the WWE World Heavyweight title but the decision was made to switch it to televised event that will not be available on regular pay-per-view.
Unlike the King of the Ring live one hour special which was taped along with Smackdown, this is expected to be a full-on production. The Elimination Chamber was taken off the pay-per-view schedule this year after it occupied the February slot since 2010. It was replaced by Fastlane.
With the WWE Network free offer ending on that day, WWE is hoping to lure in more subscribers to stay put and pay for the month of June. The WWE Network was offered for free for new subscribers in February, April, and May.
Monday Night Raw TV Report for May 11th, 2015 – “Pondering Payback?”
Introduction Segment: Backstage and Welcoming
A limousine pulls up to the garage area and the mystery person is the returning COO, Triple H! The regular Raw video plays and “The Game” starts off the show. Michael Cole, John “Bradshaw” Layfield, and Booker T. greet us from Cincinnati, Ohio. They also announce that there will be another U..S. Championship Open Challenge, and another man will return tonight, as Daniel Bryan will make a statement on his future and the Intercontinental Championship.
Triple H compares leaving and coming back to WWE to his life at home, where when he comes back home, his and Stephanie’s children all behave better. HHH wants to settle the deal between WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins and Director Of Operations Kane. He asks them both to join in the ring, so Rollins obliges first.
Seth blames Kane for all the raucous that has gone on, and tells Triple H that he doesn’t think Kane should be the Director anymore. Kane now links up to this conversation, getting in Seth’s face until Trips breaks them up. He informs Kane that Rollins better walk out of Payback the WWE World Heavyweight Champion or else he may no longer have the DOO job. Triple H tells Kane to tell him if he can do it; Kane backs away at first and does not respond. “The Game” books matches with everyone involved in the Fatal-4-Way at Payback; Kane will face Roman Reigns, Rollins will go against Randy Orton, and Dean Ambrose will take on J & J Security, shortly! Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury stay I the ring while Kane and Rollins are order to follow HHH.
Dean Ambrose makes his way to the ring, to a loud ovation from his hometown crowd!
Commercials.
Match #1: Two-On-One – J & J Security (Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury) VS. “The Lunatic Fringe” Dean Ambrose
Dean dominates most of this bout for the first bit until Mercury yanks him off the top turnbuckle. Noble and Mercury work over Ambrose, but both Dean and Joey headbutt each other. Noble is tagged in, but Ambrose is fired up with punches and a running shove. He hits a running-clothesline on Noble in the corner, then a suicide dive on both to the outside! He rockets off the second turnbuckle with an elbow drop, then kicks and clotheslines them both. He drives down Noble with the Dirty Deeds DDT for the victory!
Winner via Pinfall: “The Lunatic Fringe” Dean Ambrose
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Match #2: Single – “The Show Off” Dolph Ziggler VS. “King Of The Ring” Bad News Barrett
(Note: “The Celtic Warrior” Sheamus is on commentary and it is announced that he will face Ziggler at Payback; also Barrett cuts a promo telling us that he will matchup against Neville at Payback.)
Ziggler immediately superkicks “The King Of The Ring” for a two-count, then takes over.
Commercials.
Barrett now has Ziggler clamped in a rear chinlock, then pounds him down with an elbow. Dolph battles back with the Fameasser with the near-fall and Barrett plants the Wasteland! He winds up for the Bullhammer, but Ziggler counters with a dropkick and a roll-up for two! Sheamus distracts Dolph, allowing Wade to nail The Bullhammer and receive the 1 – 2 – 3!
Winner via Pinfall: “King Of The Ring” Barrett
Post-match, Sheamus attacks Dolph, finishing off with The Brogue Kick.
Commercials.
Match #3: Single – Erick Rowan (with Luke Harper) VS. Fandango
Fandango starts off hot with flurries of hits until Erick flapjacks him to the canvas. He completes this bout with a Full-Nelson Slam very quickly!
Winner via Pinfall: Erick Rowan (with Luke Harper)
Post-match, Harper also assaults Fandango.
Following the break, John Cena will issue another U.S. Open Challenge
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Match #4: Single for the United States Championship – John Cena (Champion) VS. ???
John Cena puts over the importance of the U.S. Title and his match at Payback with Rusev, then calls out his next opponent; the person to answer is …. Neville!
After formal introduction, they lockup and measure each other out. Cena holds Neville in a wristlock, but Neville flips out of it and over-head suplexes John. Both trade holds until Neville hits Cena with a jumping calf-kick, sending him to the outside for a break.
Commercials.
Cena hits a couple shoulder-tackles and goes for the spin-out powerbomb, but Neville flips over and German-Suplex-pins Cena for a two-count! Cena rolls to the outside, where Neville springboard-twist-splashes him! Back in the ring, Cena gives Neville the spin-out powerbomb and hits the 5-Knuckle-Shuffle, but Neville counters and sling-shots off the middle turnbuckle with a backwards-450-Splash!
Cena punches back, but receives a few kicks from Neville. He catches Neville running off the ropes and turns him around with an over-the-shoulder-sit-down-powerslam! Cena goes for the Attitude Adjustment but Neville reverses into a pin for two! Cena catches Neville off the second turnbuckle this time with a A.A., but Neville drops to his feet and kicks Cena down for another two-count! Neville drags Cena to the corner, but Cena clutches him and traps him in the S.T.F. Neville rolls out of it for a near-fall, but then gets clotheslined hard! Both are a bit weary, with Neville kicking Cena in the head, but quickly getting driven to the mat with the A.A. 1 – 2 – Neville gets his shoulder up!
Both climb the ropes, with Cena going to try another A.A., but Neville reverses into a sit-down powerbomb for another close-call! Neville ascends the turnbuckle again and soars off with the Red Arrow Tornado Splash, but Rusev interrupts and stomps on Neville, causing the DQ.
Winner via Disqualification: Neville
Post-match, Rusev turns his attention to Cena (who is still the U.S. Champ) and rips at him with The Accolade. He holds the Championship above his head and the Russian Flag propels from the lighting rig above the ring.
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Match #5: Single – Director Of Operations Kane VS. Roman Reigns
Kane attacks Reigns immediately, before he can even get fully through the fans. The bell has not rung as Kane continues to punch and kick away. He rams Roman into the ring apron, then slams his head off the steel steps. Kane rolls Reigns into the ring, but Roman punches back and shoulder-rams him into the barricade repeatedly. Kane hurls him back-and-forth between the apron and the barricade, then flying over the steps.
Kane removes the cover of the announce table and sends Roman over the steps again. Roman leaps back with a Superman Punch try, but Kane catches him in a Chokeslam position. Reigns fends him off and Superman Punches, then Spears Kane right over the table! Reigns stands tall!
Winner: None due to no official start
Commercials.
Match #6: Single – Brie Bella (with Sister and Divas Champion Nikki Bella) VS. Tamina Snuka (with Naomi)
An elbow/collar tie-up starts out, then Brie punches away on Tamina. She quickly gets taken down and worked over for a while. Brie elbows back out of the corner then rockets off the middle turnbuckle with a missile dropkick,. She sets Snuka up against the bottom rope, then gives her one running-knee. She goes for a second, but Tamina shoves her off and nails a superkick to take this one!
Winner via Pinfall: Tamina Snuka (with Naomi)
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Match #7: Single – “Axelmania” Curtis Axel VS. Macho Mandow
(Prior to the contest, a video is shown of Axel diminishing Damien Sandow for mimicking people. Sandow joins him and goes into “Macho Man” Randy Savage [R.I.P.] promo-mode, and challenges him to this match.)
Mandow is in full control, but as he goes for the Flying Elbow Drop, The Ascension walk out. They rip on Axel and Sandow for acting like wrestlers from the past, while they claim they are the future. Conor and Viktor charge the ring, but are quickly dispensed of by Mandow and Axel.
Damien and Curtis then act like Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, shaking hands and teaming up as this century’s Mega Powers.
Commercials.
Segment #2: Arena Promo
Intercontinental Champion Daniel Bryan enters the arena to a pop. He puts over the fans for their constant approval, then talks about wanting to have been a “fighting champion” with the IC Championship. However, he cannot, as he does not know how long he will be out of action or if he can ever return. Bryan gives up the IC Title, then thanks the fans for all the support. He places the title in the middle of the ring and walks away to “Thank You, Daniel” chants. At the top of the stage, Bryan leads the fans in a “yes” chant.
Ads.
Match #8: Single – Tag-Team Champion Big E. (with New Day Tag-Team Champion partners Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston) VS. Cesaro (with Tyson Kidd and Natalya)
Cesaro dominates for a while, hitting a big boot and high crossbody off the top rope. He mudhole stomps Big E. in the corner, then clotheslines him into New Day’s side.
Commercials.
Big E. has Cesaro locked in an Abdominal Stretch, but Cesaro turns it around with a gutwrench suplex. Cesaro punches away, but is side-slammed. Big E. misses a splash, but slams Cesaro down again with one arm. He cover, 1 – 2 – Cesaro raises his shoulder! He runs into Cesaro shoulder-first in the corner, then clotheslines him harshly for another near-fall.
Cesaro hits back with an uppercut and springboard twisting uppercut! He German suplexes twice and overhead belly-to-belly suplexes E., then uppercuts him repeatedly in the corner. He goes for the Big Swing, but Kofi hops the apron. He is kicked down by Tyson, then Cesaro combo-pins Big for the 1 – 2 – 3!
Winner via Pinfall: Cesaro (with Tyson Kidd and Natalya)
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It is announced that a WWE Network-exclusive Pay-Per-View, Elimination Chamber, will take place on May 31st from Corpus Christi, Texas.
Segment #3: Video Promo
The Primetime Players are dressed like The New Age Outlaws (Titus O’Neil as Road Dogg and Darren Young as Billy Gunn). They parody NAO’s signature catchphrases to promote themselves as “future Tag-Team Champions of the world.”
Segment #4: Arena Promo
Bray Wyatt saunters to the squared circle and “I feel sorry for all of you, I wish that I could just reach out and fix everything; I wish that I could wake you up from this nightmare but I can’t. Fear is all around you. Fear is all around you; it has engulfed this world like a wildfire. And if you need proof, it ain’t too hard to find. All you have to do is open up a newspaper or turn on your television set, and you will see being sold to you left and right. Fear of a crumbling economy. Fear of a crumbling economy that will never stop. Fear of a global conflict. Fear of a ‘dying earth.’ And yet, there are still those of you that refuse to accept this true power of fear. You have adopted ‘the man’s’ idea that if you work hard enough, you can overcome all the odds. Ryback must be such an inspiration to each and everyone of you. I mean, here’s a guy who shatters his ankle into a million pieces, and the doctor comes to him and says, ‘Mr. Ryback sir, I’m afraid to tell you this, but I don’t think that you’ll ever be able to compete again’ But The Ryback, he does not accept his fate lying down. No, The Ryback fights through his injury; he overcomes all the odds. And now, here he is today, doing what he loves once again; my hero. Then, along came the spider. And I understand that Ryback has gone toe-to-toe with fate and won. He has overcome all the odds, but he ain’t never seen nothing like me before. He hasn’t seen ‘The New Face Of Fear’ before. And I’m sure poor Ryback is asking himself right now, ‘Why me? Why me, poor Ryback, why me?’ The answer is simple; ‘he was in my way.’ Hey kids, do you want to hear something your parents will never ever ever tell you? These nightmares, they won’t stop. Sometimes, the ‘bad guy’ just wins.”
Wyatt gets on his knees, but Ryback meets Bray in the ring and the two brawl, with Ryback getting the better after spinebusting then clotheslining Wyatt to the floor.
Commercials.
Match #9: Single – “The Viper” Randy Orton VS. WWE World Heavyweight Champion “The Architect” Seth Rollins (Non-Title)
They exchange holds at first until Orton elbows Seth to the canvas. Rollins kicks and punches back, but is whipped into the corner and uppercut. Orton takes control for a bit and giving Rollins a neck/backbreaker drop. Seth counters with a flatliner into the middle turnbuckle, then regains his control.
Ads.
Rollins still controlling Orton, wearing him down with a standing headlock. Rollins is crotched on the turnbuckle, then brought over and down with a suplex! Both slug it out then ….
Orton is put to the outside, as Rollins follows with a suicide dive. Rollins signals for a powerbomb (or piledriver), but is backdropped. Orton slingshot-DDT’s Rollins, then gears up for the R.K.O. As he goes for it, Noble and Mercury run out and attack Orton, causing the DQ.
Winner via Disqualification: “The Viper” Randy Orton
Post-match, Rollins and J & J continue the assails, Kane walks out and helps out. He grabs a chair and stands at ringside as Dean Ambrose runs to send J & J away. Rollins is surrounded by Reigns, Orton, and Ambrose, with Kane watching on. Ambrose Dirty Deeds DDT’s Rollins, then Roman Spears Rollins. They setup Seth for Orton, who RKO’s him.
Roman then Spears Orton, but is swung around into a Dirty Deeds DDT to leave Ambrose closing the show!
End Of Raw.
Reporter’s Rumblings – By Moe Tapp
This was a really good Raw and final build up to Payback! It contained a lot of action, very little boring backstage segments, and promoted the pay-per-view very well. Only a few gripes (one major and one for real/genuine concern), and the rest was well done! Onto the particulars then my Payback preview:
Excellence: In-ring for seven-out-of-ten matches; Neville/Cena specifically was phenomenal! Loved the fact that most of this show really did focus on the squared-circle and the action inside of it!
Promos by Bray Wyatt, John Cena, Mandow, Rollins, and Kane.
Bogus: I thought that Ambrose should’ve just run over J & J, not giving them time to mount an offense. Brie/Tamina could’ve been a bit better, and Tamina should have her own music as she did last year! I was bored by the Rollins/Orton bout, as I have already seen them wrestle twice on the Network Pay-Per-View shows, so I needed not see it again tonight.
My biggest objection though is another Pay-Per-View in May. It is too much to have two in one month, as it waters the “specialty” of them down and leaves little time for booking/storytelling between the “big” shows. Plus, with his one being Elimination Chamber, it should’ve been a major announcement/storyline; not just a one-off by the commentators.
Payback Predictions: Cena to retain U.S. Championship; I.C. Title determined in Battle Royal and/or Tournament starts on Smackdown this week to crown at Payback or Elimination Chamber; New Day keep rolling with Tag-Straps (and use Freebird Rules!); Naomi wins Divas Championship to continue her push; Bray Wyatt defeats Ryback, perhaps with help of Harper/Rowan; Seth Rollins sneaks away with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Overall, a great Raw and looking forward to next week after Payback! Until then, as always, Be Excellent Wrestling-Online Readers and Wrestling Fans!
Monday Night Raw will get a massive opponent next year although this time it will be just for one show.
CBS today announced during its Upfronts presentation that the 58th Annual Grammy Awards will be moved from Sunday to Monday, airing on February 15, 2016. The most recent Grammy Awards, held on February 8 of this year, drew 27 million viewers so it will be a giant uphill battle for WWE to keep its audience that day.
Speaking of Upfronts, several WWE Superstars will be appearing on behalf of NBC Universal later this week at the NBC event at the Jacob Javits Center in New York. Scheduled to appear are The Bella Twins, Natalya, Roman Reigns, Chris Jericho, and Hulk Hogan. WWE shows Raw, Smackdown, Total Divas, and soon Tough Enough all air on NBC-owned properties.
Destination X, one of the former TNA pay-per-views, will be airing on Destination America on May 22 with the show being taped tonight at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.
The show will be a three hour event, marking the first time that Impact will run for three hours since the move to Destination America. The main event will be the TNA World Heavyweight champion taking on the X Division champion.
Destination X has not been on pay-per-view since the 2012 edition which was also taped at Universal Studios. The 2013 and 2014 Destination X shows aired on Spike TV as an Impact Wrestling episode.
PWInsider.com is reporting that Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, and Daniel Bryan are all scheduled to appear on tonight’s Monday Night Raw.
Daniel Bryan’s return is somewhat of a surprise to many as he was pulled from all advertising until early July. It’s not known if he will be there to compete, resume his feud with Bad News Barrett over the Intercontinental title, or just vacate the Intercontinental title due to his injury.
Stephanie McMahon will also return after a couple of weeks off television. She was overseas visiting China and Singapore as part of the Eisenhower Fellowship program.
Former TNA champion Bully Ray chose his words carefully when asked about being “back” with TNA during a session of Q&A with fans on Twitter.
Ray said it was “fun for one night” and when someone said that this means he won’t be going to WWE, he said that’s not necessarily true. Ray did not sign a new TNA deal.
With a lot of fans asking when he and Devon are going back to WWE, he told them to keep asking WWE that question and if the WWE Universe wants them, the two have the tables ready for one more run.
Ending his Q&A, Ray wrote, “Thanks guys…Im out…good talk. See you next time. Keep watchin!!… Not about ‘Who’s NEXT…it’s where’s NXT.’”
Bully Ray made his first TNA appearance on Friday since October 2014 as special guest referee for the TNA World Heavyweight title match between Kurt Angle and Eric Young. In January he was a surprise entrant in the 2015 Royal Rumble match.
The Hollywood reporter has a story saying that DreamWorks has won the war to acquire the movie Alpha Squad Seven, a sci-fi action comedy film which will have Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in the leading role.
The Rock will also be producing the movie through his 7 Bucks Productions company along with FlynnPictureCo.
“Excited to partner w/ DreamWorks and Beau Flynn to produce & star in ALPHA SQUAD 7. #WhatHappensInSpace #StaysInSpace,” tweeted the former champ today.
Details about the movie are still unknown apart from the fact that it’s a film set in space with a potential franchise option.
The next movie for The Rock is the disaster 3D movie San Andreas which is out on May 29. He has Central Intelligence, Moana, Shazam! and Furious 8 on his schedule as well.
Martha Hart, the widow of Owen Hart, slammed the report which appeared on WrestlingDVDNews.com regarding the Owen Hart DVD/Blu-Ray project, saying that she and her children were not aware of the project and do not support it.
“My children and I were unaware of this project until May 7, when it was brought to our attention by a friend who had read about it online. Contrary to your report, we do not back or support it in anyway, nor has WWE requested our backing or support,” Hart’s statement to the website reads. “From what little we know of the project, it seems to be another attempt to exploit Owen’s memory, and his tragic death, for commercial gain. We have resisted that kind of initiative for almost 16 years. If WWE really wanted to honor Owen’s legacy it would just let him rest in peace.”
The website issued an apology for its report attaching Martha Hart to the WWE project. The DVD/Blu-Ray is still on the schedule for release however it looks like it’s going ahead without the support of three very important members in Owen Hart’s life – his wife Martha, and his kids Oje and Athena.
Former TNA champion Bully Ray was the mystery referee for last night’s Kurt Angle vs Eric Young title match on Impact. TNA President Dixie Carter hyped up the surprise appearance saying the champion is not currently on its roster.
Bully Ray has not wrestled for TNA since late 2014 after he did not renew the contract he was offered. In January, he showed up at the Royal Rumble using his old Bubba Ray Dudley gimmick to a large pop from the Philadelphia crowd however that turned out to be his first and only WWE appearance since 2005.
In last night’s match, Kurt Angle retained the title and Bully got some action as well, although not the kind he wanted as he got low-blowed by Eric Young and then almost gets piledrived.
Renee Young revealed on Twitter that she will be co-hosting Tough Enough with Chris Jericho. Her name was not in the press release issued yesterday however her Twitter handle was added to the bottom of the press release.
“So stoked to be @IAmJericho’s cohost for #ToughEnough!! I’ll be the Paula Abdul to his Ryan Seacrest,” she wrote. Young’s stock in WWE keeps climbing and she is considered one of the very best backstage and on camera.
Other individuals who will be on Tough Enough also commented about it on their social media websites.
“No big deal AHHHHHHHH!!!!” said Paige, who will be sharing the judges table with Hulk Hogan and Daniel Bryan. “Excited to be on the expert panel of #ToughEnough brother. These guys and gals are going to the truth from the Hulkster JACK,” added Hogan. “#YesYesYes it’s true…I’ll be on the panel of @WWE #ToughEnough,” said Bryan, who is currently out injured.
Following yesterday’s news story where a 20 year old man performed a power bomb on an 18 month old, killing him due to head injuries, WWE issued a statement distancing themselves from the story.
“There is no excuse for a 20-year-old grown man to assault an 18-month old child, no matter what. Using a flimsy excuse about emulating a wrestling maneuver does not absolve Brandon Hoffman of this abhorrent crime. The death of Bryson Shoemaker is a tragedy, and WWE offers its condolences to the child’s mother, Sierra Shoemaker,” the statement read.
Hoffman used the Undertaker’s ‘last ride’ power bomb on the child of his girlfriend but missed the bed for the landing and the kid ended up crashing on the hardwood floor.
