Just like last week, E! will air two new episodes of Total Divas tonight starting at 9PM EST.
Airing first will be episode 8, titled Cross Country Catastrophe. The synopsis for this episode reads: “Tempers erupt after Rosa walks in on Summer with her man; Eva and Ariane clash on a couples road trip; and Brie is shocked to discover that Bryan is keeping tabs on her.”
Episode 9 which airs immediately after is titled Daddy’s Little Girl, and the preview of this episode reads, “Eva lashes out as she struggles to cope with her dad’s terminal cancer; Ariane’s decision to hire Nikki as her real-estate agent backfires; Nattie and TJ face the harsh realities of getting a divorce.”
The 2014 WWE Slammy Awards will take place during the December 8 Monday Night Raw in Greenville, South Carolina.
The Slammy Awards has been a yearly affair since 2008, and has been part of the Raw broadcast ever since. WWE brought back the concept after a 10 year hiatus.
The show will be held at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena and the website for the arena is promoting WWE World Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar for the broadcast as well.
UFC Women’s champion Ronda Rousey got physical at a live event for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla in Resada, California, yesterday night.
Rousey, who attended the event with fellow UFC fighter and wrestling fan Shayna Baszler, sat in front row for the show and the champ got her hands dirty in the opening match.
The first match saw Biff Busick taking on Tommaso Ciampa and when the two were outside the ring and in front of the two UFC female fighters, Ciampa held Busick up for Rousey and Rousey decided to honor the Nature Boy by chopping Busick for a nice pop from the crowd.
Rousey, the self-proclaimed leader of the Four Horsewomen, is a huge wrestling fan, got her “Rowdy” nickname from Roddy Piper, and was present at SummerSlam this year in Los Angeles with the other three Horsewomen!
In a post on his Facebook page, WWE broadcaster John “Bradshaw” Layfield commented on the rumors about a “fight” that allegedly happened on Raw between Michael Cole and Justin Roberts, a fight who someone online reported after “multiple” eye witness accounts.
“Do you realize how preposterous this is? Michael has ZERO break during the three hours (King and I barely have enough to tweet!), we go straight to WWE App during commercials and back to TV action,” JBL wrote.
JBL said that this alleged “fight” never happened and was not even possible due to lack of time.
Rumors online – which we decided not to post because the story seemed a bit wild to happen in front of an arena filled with people – claimed that Justin Roberts was yelling at Michael Cole for something and even flipped him off.
WWE will be announcing its third quarter 2014 results on Thursday, October 30, 2014, before the opening of the market.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Vince McMahon and the Chief Strategy & Financial Officer George Barrios will host a conference call beginning at 11:00AM EST to discuss the results.
The results will include the numbers of the WWE Network after the worldwide roll out, a number which investors will keep a very close eye on. At the last conference call WWE announced they had 700,000 Network subscribers.
Randy Orton has taken over the Internet. Well, not him, but fans who are using the RKO on several Vine videos that has people – and animals – falling and with the magic of video editing make them appear as if they are getting RKO’d.
Videos of Orton hitting his move have been popping up on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media weskits and now even Orton himself is retweeting some of the best ones.
The videos often contain commentary from Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, or Jim Ross for a bigger laugh.
WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon has been selected as a 2015 Eisenhower USA Fellow, one of nine U.S. leaders to participate in the prestigious international leadership exchange program for outstanding professionals, the Eisenhower Fellowships announced yesterday.
The nine USA Fellows were selected from a highly competitive pool of applicants from across the United States. As an Eisenhower Fellow, McMahon will travel to Asia and South America, to gain a deeper understanding of business implications in the region, local societal challenges, and potential partnerships.
“I am honored to have been selected as an Eisenhower Fellow as a part of such an esteemed class of global leaders,” said Stephanie McMahon. “I look forward to this transformational experience to gain a deeper understanding of the culture in key growth areas, both from a business and community standpoint; develop relationships with my Fellows as well as key influencers abroad, partner with the Women’s Leadership Program, and use this knowledge to help shape WWE’s global business strategies and continue our mission of putting smiles on people’s faces.”
Former WWE ring announcer Justin Roberts posted a heartfelt message to WWE fans on his Instagram account, his first since he was notified that his contract would not be renewed this past Monday after Raw.
Roberts called the job a dream one, and helping others while he worked for the company was the best part of it all.
He thanked everyone from referees to security to travel, to catering, and everyone in between.
“To Vince McMahon, Kevin Dunn & The Authority who gave me this incredible opportunity, I’ve got two words for ya: Thank You,” Roberts wrote. “The journey has been incredible & almost unbelievable.”
The almost 35 year old is also aware of the negative comments the company received since his release.
“After reading through all of your messages, I just want to say this: Please do not be angry & Please do not be sad. I lived my dream! I’m glad that maybe now someone else will have a spot to live theirs,” he added.
Monday Night Raw dipped in viewership again this week, getting 3,751,000 viewers over the three hour period, down 46,000 from last week.
Hour one pulled 3,833,000 viewers, followed by 3,756,000 in the second, and then 3,664,000 in the third hour. Viewers kept tuning away from the show as every hour passed.
This was the lowest rated Raw since the May 26 episode. (Ratings credit: PWInsider.com)
Two new matches were announced on WWE.COM for the upcoming Hell In A Cell pay-per-view.
The U.S. title will be on the line as champion Sheamus will defend against The Miz, and the other match is Rusev taking on Big Show.
With these two matches there are a total of five announced so far, with two Hell In A Cell matches – Ambrose vs Rollins and Cena vs Orton – and Brie vs Nikki.
Two episodes back to back for Total Divas did not impress in the ratings, with episode 6 being the second lowest rated of the whole series while episode 7 not fairing much better.
Episode 6, titled Paint The Island Red, drew 882,000 viewers while episode 7, titled The Double-Cross, did 975,000. (Ratings credit: PWInsider.com)
Chris Jericho’s latest book, titled ‘The Best In The World” At What I have No Idea,” has bee released today.
This is his third book following ‘A Lion’s Tale’ and ‘Undisputed’ which were released in 2007 and 2011 respectively.
The new book, available in hardcover, and as an e-book, contains 432 pages and is published by Gotham.
The book’s foreword was written by a fan, Claire Curran from Manchester, England, after Jericho asked his Jerichoholics to write the foreword for his book in a contest. The winner was kept a secret until the book was released.
Three matches for Hell In A Cell were announced last night on Raw including two which will take place inside the steel cage.
The main event will be Seth Rollins taking on his former Shield partner Dean Ambrose. This match will be inside the Hell In A Cell and will be joined by John Cena vs Randy Orton, also in the Cell.
Cena and Ambrose had to wrestle at the opening of the pay-per-view with the winner advancing to face Rollins in the main event later in the night but the plan changed over the weekend and WWE pulled the trigger on that match last night.
The other match is Brie Bella vs Nikki Bella with the loser of the match become the other’s personal assistant.
2K today announced details about the downloadable content and a Season Pass program for WWE 2K15.
The content offering will include three new storylines playable in 2K Showcase, the game’s story-driven, single-player campaign, as well as access to new moves and a wealth of playable WWE, WCW and NXT Superstars.
In addition, WWE Diva Paige will be available as an exclusive playable character for those who purchase the game’s Season Pass.
The individual content packages will begin releasing in late 2014, with some packages releasing in early 2015, for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3, as well as Xbox One, and Xbox 360.
The full list of downloadable content can be accessed below.
Accelerator
– Players will gain instant access to all unlockable content available in the game (excluding downloadable content);
– The Accelerator will be available for a suggested price of $1.99.
2K Showcase: One More Match
– Story focused on the rivalry between WWE Superstars Randy Orton and Christian in 2011;
– Playable WWE Superstars: Christian, Randy Orton, Edge, Mark Henry and Sheamus;
– Playable arenas from 2011: SmackDown, Extreme Rules, Over the Limit and Capitol Punishment;
– 2K Showcase: One More Match will be available for a suggested price of $9.99.
2K Showcase: Hall of Pain
– Story focused on top matches for WWE Superstar Mark Henry;
– Playable WWE Superstars: Mark Henry, Big Show, Kane, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, Sheamus, The Great Khali, Randy Orton, Daniel Bryan and Ryback;
– Playable arenas: SmackDown (2011), Vengeance (2011) and WrestleMania 29;
– 2K Showcase: Hall of Pain will be available for a suggested price of $9.99.
2K Showcase: Path of the Warrior
– Story focused on the career of WWE Hall of Famer Ultimate Warrior;
– Playable WWE Hall of Famers: Ultimate Warrior, Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant and Sgt. Slaughter;
– Playable WWE Legends: Honky Tonk Man, Rick Rude, Macho King and Colonel Mustafa;
– Playable WWE Superstars: Undertaker and Hunter Hearst Helmsley;
– Access to WWE Hall of Fame ring announcer Howard Finkel and WWE managers Jimmy Hart, Bobby Heenan, Paul Bearer, Sherri, Sid Justice and General Adnan;
– Playable arenas: WrestleMania VI, VII and XII; SummerSlam (1988, 1990 and 1991); Saturday Night’s Main Event XXIV and Madison Square Garden®;
– 2K Showcase: Path of the Warrior will be available for a suggested price of $9.99.
WCW Pack
– Playable WCW Superstars: Fit Finlay, Lord Steven Regal, Bam Bam Bigelow, Diamond Dallas Page and Lex Luger;
– The WCW Pack will be available for a suggested price of $7.99.
NXT Arrival
– Playable NXT Superstars: JBL, Adam Rose and The Ascension (Konnor and Victor);
– Playable NXT Diva: Emma;
– NXT Arrival will be available for a suggested price of $6.99.
New Moves Pack
– Moves Pack: More than 30 new moves, including an alternate version of Sister Abigail (performed from the ring corner and made popular by Bray Wyatt) and Multiple Gut Wrenches (made popular by Cesaro);
– The New Moves Pack will be available for a suggested price of $3.99.
About the WWE 2K15 Season Pass Program
Players may purchase select WWE 2K15downloadable content at a reduced price point through the game’s Season Pass program. For a one-time suggested purchase price of $24.99, a savings of more than 20 percent versus individual content purchases, players will receive the following items as they become available:
– Access to exclusive playable WWE Diva Paige;
– Accelerator (access to all unlockable content available in the game);
– Access to all three 2K Showcase stories (One More Match, Hall of Pain and Path of the Warrior).
In a very surprising move, WWE announced that ring announcer Justin Roberts is no longer employed by the company after his contract was not renewed.
“WWE has chosen to not exercise its option to renew ring announcer Justin Roberts’ contract. Effective immediately, Roberts is released from WWE. WWE wishes him the best in all his future endeavors,” read a note on WWE.COM.
Roberts worked last night’s Raw, his last gig with the company and according to sources he was informed after the show went off the air.
Roberts has been working for WWE since 2002 announcing for Velocity, Heat, ECW, Smackdown, Raw, and pay-per-views. In 2009 he took over Lilian Garcia’s job as the main Raw announcer, a job he retained till he got the pink slip.
Monday Night Raw tonight is from the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, with two celebrities lined up to be a guest on the show.
Nene Leakes from the Real Housewives of Atlanta and Todd Chrisley from Chrisley Knows Best are scheduled for Raw as WWE plays the “Atlanta card” with both stars having television shows in the city.
There are rumors as well that the Nature Boy Ric Flair will also be on the show and with Flair living in Atlanta it’s certainly a good possibility.
The two-time WWE Hall of Famer is back with the company full time although he hasn’t been used much on television most likely due to creative – or lack thereof.
WWE appointed Lou Schwartz as the company’s new Chief Digital Officer and he will be reporting to WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon.
Schwartz will lead WWE’s Digital Media division and be a key member of the company’s senior management team. Schwartz’s primary focus will be on expanding WWE’s digital and social media presence and profitability. He will also be responsible for developing strategic plans and initiatives for all digital platforms including WWE.com, WWE App and social media. In addition, Schwartz will oversee product development and operations for WWE Network.
Schwartz is a seasoned technology and digital media executive who brings more than 20 years of experience in strategy, marketing, product development, finance and operations management. Schwartz is known as a key pioneer in the development of Internet video management and delivery, and the emerging OTT multi-screen TV market.
WWE today announced that it will begin to run limited video advertisements on the WWE Network effective immediately.
There will be no commercial breaks during scheduled programming however there will be limited advertising between shows as well as occasional advertising before starting video-on-demand content.
Adding advertising to the Network will bring in additional revenue to a project which is still way off the expected numbers.
The IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, has been named as the host for the 2015 SummerSlam, the first SummerSlam away from Los Angeles since 2008.
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to extend our phenomenal relationship with our partners in the region for SummerSlam weekend next year,” said John P. Saboor, executive vice president of Special Events for WWE. “This partnership would not be possible without the support of the NJSEA as they welcome WWE’s second largest destination event of the year to the New Jersey area.”
This will be the fourth time that East Rutherford will host SummerSlam, with the arena previously hosting in 1989, 1997, and 2007. Back then it was named the Meadowlands Arena and then the Continental Airlines Arena.
Tickets and other SummerSlam-weekend related information will be announced in the coming months.
The WWE 2K15 soundtrack was announced today by John Cena on Twitter and it will feature two new tracks exclusive to the album performed by Cena himself and Wiz Khalifa.
The two tracks – titled All Day and Breaks – join 8 other songs performed by B.o.B, Rudimental, Flo Rida, Knife Party, Big Smo, Mystery Skulls, Royal Blood, and Wiz Khalifa.
It will be released on October 21 and it’s available for pre-order on iTunes for $8.99.
