Live tonight from the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California, WWE presents SummerSlam 2014 on pay-per-view and on the WWE Network. The full card is as follows:
John Cena vs Brock Lesnar for the WWE World Heavyweight title; Brie Bella vs Stephanie McMahon; Bray Wyatt vs Chris Jericho; Rusev vs Jack Swagger in a flag match; AJ Lee vs Paige for the Divas title; Randy Orton vs Roman Reigns; Dean Ambrose vs Seth Rollins in a lumberjack match; The Miz vs Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental title; and Rob Van Dam vs Cesaro in the kickoff match.
Over 60 WWE Superstars and Divas were announced for the WWE 2K15 video game roster and it includes two who no longer work for the company – Alberto Del Rio and CM Punk.
So far out of all the Superstars, only two are represented in more than one character: Hulk Hogan, who has the usual Hogan and the Hollywood Hulk Hogan from the nWo, and Sting, who has the surfer Sting from the early WCW days and the crow Sting.
The WWE Superstars in the game in alphabetical order are Alberto Del Rio, Bad News Barrett, Batista, Big E, Big Show, Booker T, Bray Wyatt, Brock Lesnar, Cesaro, Chris Jericho, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Curtis Axel, Damien Sandow, Daniel Bryan, Darren Young, Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler, Erick Rowan, Fandango, Goldust, Hulk Hogan, Jack Swagger, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, John Cena, Justin Gabriel, Kane, Kevin Nash, Kofi Kingston, Luke Harper, Mark Henry, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, Ric Flair, Roman Reigns, Rob Van Dam, R-Truth, Ryback, Santino Marella, Seth Rollins, Shawn Michaels, Sheamus, Sting, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Miz, The Rock, The Undertaker, Titus O’Neil, Triple H, Tyson Kidd, and Xavier Woods.
The Divas announced are AJ Lee, Brie Bella, Cameron, Naomi, Natalya, Nikki Bella, Summer Rae, and Tamina Snuka.
More Superstars and Divas will be probably announced later on in downloadable content packages.
Sting was put on the spot a couple of times during the WWE 2K15 Roster Reveal panel earlier today and kept repeating that his ultimate goal is to wrestle The Undertaker.
When he was asked by a fan why it took so long to get here, Sting said that he was close a lot of times to jumping ship but something always held him back and made him stay where he was at the time.
“If I have it my way, it’s going to happen,” Sting told Steve Austin, who repeatedly told him that he has to experience working inside a WWE ring.
“I have one more left in me for sure,” Sting added, with Hogan chiming in saying that he meant one more run not just one more match.
One half of the TNA tag team champions, Davey Richards, suffered a broken leg during a non-televised live event in Indiana, Pennsylvania.
The Wolves were defending their titles against Devon and Mr. Anderson and Richards was replaced by Abyss during the early parts of the match.
After being admitted to a local hospital it was determined that Richards suffered a broken fibula although the severity of the break is not yet known and that will largely determine how long will be out of action.
While TNA has taped Impact all the way almost to the end of September, Richards will likely not be ready to defend the title for the new set of tapings so TNA will have to think of an alternative when time comes.
A video podcast by Grantland.com with Hulk Hogan sparked some harsh words from Dana Warrior, the wife of the late WWE Hall of Famer the Ultimate Warrior.
In the video, Hogan described the issues he had with Warrior following the court deposition about the Warrior DVD that the company made years ago and said that Warrior wasn’t happy because he said the truth. It was the last time he saw him until WrestleMania weekend.
At WrestleMania weekend, Hogan was given strict orders by the office to avoid talking to Warrior and to let him enjoy the weekend. Triple H also advised Hogan if they run into each other not to do anything crazy.
Hogan said that no eye contact was made with Warrior at the Hall of Fame but the next night at Mania he was going around in a golf cart and saw Warrior with his “eyes closed and wobbling,” and Hogan stopped the cart and went to talk to him.
Hogan told Warrior that all he wanted to say was “I love you,” and to forgive him for anything he did. He added that the next night on RAW, Warrior didn’t look good at all, and backstage at the show he gave him a big hug, took a photo with him and Pat Patterson and that was it.
After seeing the video, Dana Warrior posted a message on her Facebook directed at Hulk Hogan.
“I’ve been really quiet since the passing of my husband and the father of my girls. Someone sent me what Mr Bollea had to say in video interview with Grantland yesterday and I would just like to ask him to stop,” she wrote.
“He is the only person in the WWE Universe who did not give a call or send a card. My girls asked why he didn’t check on us like everyone else and I explained simply there isn’t a camera at our mailbox or in the house when we receive our calls. I would ask respectfully Mr Bollea, for you to understand my girls hurt and just let some time pass before you say anything more.”
“Anything he can do, I can definitely do better!” And those were the words of Vince McMahon directed at his son-in-law Triple H after accepting his ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.
Decked in a full suit, McMahon made the most entertaining video of the bunch so far, first urging the WWE Universe to donate money just like he did and then nominating three other individuals to take the challenge.
The three were Donald Trump, because Vince said it would be funny to see all that hair wet, Maria Menounos, because it would make a nice visual, and Kermit the Frog!
“I hope there’s not much shrinkage,” McMahon said, standing in the middle of the gym at WWE Headquarters. Then he got the bucket of cold water and dumped it all on himself!
IGN caught up with former WWE World Heavyweight champion Daniel Bryan to discuss a variety of subjects including his recovery.
“I don’t know how things are going,” Bryan said, explaining that he was supposed to have the second surgery on Tuesday, but it was postponed for more tests.
Calling the whole process frustrating, Bryan said that doctors were split on having him going under the knife again but they eventually decided he should do it.
“So I would obviously prefer to not get the surgery, but if I’m going to do it, I want to do it as soon as possible, because the sooner I do it, the sooner I get back,” he said.
Bryan has been out for three months already and the second surgery will put him on the shelf for an additional three months at least, assuming everything goes according to plan.
He also explained what this surgery will do. “What they want to do is they want to take the nerve from down a along my elbow and then move it over, and then put it under my forearm muscle there [pointing at arm]. So it’s, like, rewiring me. [Laughs] I don’t like that at all.”
You can read the full interview where he also talks about his wife Brie, the SummerSlam program with Stephanie, and more at http://bit.ly/YgfyDd
2K and WWE will today unveil the full roster for the upcoming video game WWE 2K15 at the SummerSlam weekend festivities at the Club Nokia at LA Live in Los Angeles starting at 10AM PT.
Hosting the reveal will be WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin and joining him will be Roman Reigns, Sheamus, Cesaro, John Cena, Hulk Hogan, and none other than Sting, making his first official appearance at a WWE event following the surprise at the Mattel panel last month at the San Diego Comic Con.
Later on tonight, also in the same location, Triple H and Shawn Michaels will be the subject of the SummerSlam Confidential Panel hosted by Michael Cole. That event starts at 7PM PT.
This year WWE scaled back its SummerSlam weekend activities and opted not to host an Axxess.
The new WWE logo took its permanent place on top of Titan Tower today in Stamford, Connecticut, replacing the (modified) scratched logo that we’ve have been used to since the Attitude Era.
The logo is the same one that is used to promote the WWE Network (just $9.99) and it’s the fourth WWE logo used since WrestleMania I. WWE went through the what is now used as the Legends logo, the New Generation logo, the Attitude Era logo, and now the Then, Now, Forever Era.
“We are excited to launch a new logo that reflects the evolution and future of WWE’s global brand,” said Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon. “While we usher in a new iconic brand identity, WWE’s best-in-class entertainment, which has stood the test of time for the past 50 years, will continue to reward our fans’ passion with our exciting blend of unique characters, incredible athleticism and engaging storylines.”
WWE will start using the new logo at SummerSlam tomorrow and subsequently on all properties from Monday.
Vince McMahon posted two photos on Twitter posing with the new logo and a flag which is raised on top of Titan Tower which funny enough also has a smaller $9.99 flag underneath!
The Rock wasn’t the only professional wrestling personality who was challenged in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Triple H was as well, by Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, and the former multiple time WWE champion performed his challenge in front of the STAPLES Center, the site for this Sunday’s SummerSlam.
Triple H nominated three other people to take the challenge – per the game’s “rules” – and those were Stone Cold Steve Austin, Hulk Hogan, and WWE Chairman Vince McMahon!
After pouring a bucket full of water and ice, Triple H did what he does best – spit the water out.
After being challenged by Ronda Rousey for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson took the challenge and posted the video on his Instagram.
Before dousing himself with the cold water, The Rock nominated fellow actors Mark Wahlberg, Channing Tatum, and his agent Brad Slater to take the challenge.
“Ronda Rousey, woman, you have no idea what you started,” Rock said after dumping the water on himself. He attached the hash tags #RockVsRousey #IceAlreadyInMyVeinsWoman to the video along with #ALS, which ultimately is the goal for this game, to raise awareness and money for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
With the new Total Divas season 3 set to premiere on September 7, E! has released new details about what’s coming up in the new season.
Season three will tackle Daniel Bryan’s injury and Brie Bella considering motherhood while Nikki thinks about freezing her eggs after John Cena once again says he doesn’t want children.
In other storylines, Nattie and Tyson Kidd try couples therapy due to their martial issues, Ariane and Trinity end the Funkadactyls team, trouble for Eva continues as her dad’s cancer returns and Summer Rae leaves to film The Marine 4.
But while the Divas are glad Rae is gone for a while, in comes Rosa Mendes to shake things up.
Variety is reporting that WWE Studios and Lionsgate will co-produce their second of six-movie deal titled Lockdown, starring WWE Superstar Dean Ambrose.
The movie will be directed by Stephen Reynolds and written by Nathan Brooks and Bobby Lee Darby and production starts this month.
Lockdown follows a police officer who finds himself trapped inside his own precinct and hunted after crooked cops stop at nothing to recover incriminating evidence of illegal activities against those closest to him.
“We’re proud to continue our long-standing partnership with WWE Studios, whose prowess in marketing to their global fan base delivers a consistent track record of commercial success,” said Lionsgate co-chief operating officer and motion picture group president Steve Beeks.
TNA announced on Twitter today that Impact Wrestling is no longer going to be airing on Thursdays, but will move to Wednesday nights starting August 20 on Spike.
The move is probably to avoid going head to head against WWE’s Smackdown which is expected to move back to Thursdays on SyFy starting in the Fall.
The show has been airing in its Thursday time slot since April 2006, moving from the previous Saturday slot. Impact aired on Mondays live for a two month period in 2010 but direct competition with Monday Night RAW wasn’t the smartest decision and it moved back to Thursdays in May of that year.
Impact will keep its 9PM EST time slot for two hours.
MultiChannelNews.com is running a story about the multi-million dollar campaign that WWE is running for the WWE Network promoting SummerSlam.
This year we are going to be helping kids to go to the sleepaway summer camp california where they will be able to live the moment, be themselves, discover new talents and laughing uncontrollably with new friends!
Hoping to add to the 700,000 subscribers they have, WWE bought out advertising on more than 20 major cable networks and digital advertising on a global basis with Google and YouTube.
“We made a major investment around SummerSlam because we know the opportunity to bring in subscribers is much greater that it was in the past,” said Michelle Wilson, WWE’s Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer.
SummerSlam is considered as one of the top three pay-per-views on the WWE calendar along with WrestleMania and the Royal Rumble and with DirecTV and DISH Network refusing to carry the show on pay-per-view, WWE hopes to lure in new subscribers either with the $9.99 price on a six month commitment or the $12.99 a month price.
“We’re still generating a fair amount of PPV buys to the point where In Demand still wants to be in business with us. We still think it makes good business sense to be in business with the cable operators,” she said.
The Creative Coalition and WWE, co-founders of the Be a STAR anti-bullying initiative, today announced the launch of the S.T.A.R. Alliance, a group of actors, musicians, comedians, athletes, television personalities and members of The Creative Coalition, who have joined together to help put an end to bullying.
Celebrities include Quinton Aaron, Arielle Kebbel, Kris Allen, Piers Morgan, Jose Bautista, Ryan Ochoa, Andrea Bowen, Sharon Osbourne, Erin Cummings, Darius Rucker, Tim Daly, Cassie Scerbo, Daughtry, Kendall Schmidt, Omar Epps, Chaske Spencer, Flo Rida, Train, Florida Georgia Line, Gerard Way, Skylar Grey, Pete Wentz, Chelsea Hightower, Caleb Johnson, and Constance Zimmer.
Select S.T.A.R. Alliance members will also participate and share their stories at Be a STAR anti-bullying rallies across the U.S., including this week in Los Angeles as part of WWE’s community outreach events during SummerSlam Week.
“WWE is proud to help bring together a diverse group of international celebrities who all share the vision to stop bullying forever,” said Stephanie McMahon, Chief Brand Officer, WWE. “Through the joint efforts of WWE, The Creative Coalition and the S.T.A.R. Alliance, we hope to reach millions of young people and provide them with the knowledge and resources they need to help put an end to bullying in their communities.”
WWE has officially put up the new price plans for the WWE Network with $9.99 a month with a six month commitment or else just $12.99 on a month-to-month basis.
The $9.99 option is also available to bill all at once, so you would be paying $59.94 for a six month period up-front if you prefer that rather than being billed $9.99 a month.
The $12.99 month-to-month option is available to cancel anytime you want so technically you can buy a month of WWE Network for $12.99 to watch SummerSlam and then not renew if you prefer.
You can access your billing preferences on the WWE Network account website and make changes that you want.
A gift purchase is also available for one year, paid up front, for $119.88.
WWE Network – now available in over 170 countries worldwide – is available on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Sony Playstation 3 and 4, Xbox One and 360, Samsung and Sony smart TVs, Amazon Kindle Fire, Android devices, iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and on your desktop via browser.
2K today announced a new WWE card game called SuperCard, available on the App Store for iOS devices, including the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, as well as the Google Play Store and Amazon Appstore for Android devices.
WWE SuperCard challenges players to build teams of WWE Superstars, Divas and Legends, train them to their full potential, battle in various match types and test their luck in high stakes tournament action. Featuring more than 400 cards in active play, with each card representing one of seven different rarity levels, WWE SuperCard delivers an extensive array of collectible content with high replay value. In addition, WWE SuperCard enables players to enhance their experience through the purchase of individual card packs.
“WWE SuperCard represents a great opportunity to extend the WWE 2K brand by delivering unique and power-packed mobile entertainment experiences,” said Chris Snyder, Vice President of Marketing at 2K. “Get ready to experience WWE card battles on your favorite mobile device – anywhere and at any time.”
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has been called out – or rather, nominated – for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge by his friend and UFC Women’s champion Ronda Rousey.
The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge consists of nominating a person and they must either pour a bucket of icy water over their head within 24 hours and capture it on video or donate $100 to ALS research. (Hopefully they’ll do both!)
Rousey was nominated by her boss, UFC President Dana White, who got soaked himself as well. Rousey nominated Sylvester Stallone and maybe future opponent Gina Carano for the challenge.
Will The Rock accept? I guess we’ll soon find out. You can see Rousey nominating The Rock and getting drenched in water while wearing a nice dress below.
Alberto Del Rio may be fired from WWE but that doesn’t mean he will be kept out of a wrestling ring for too long.
Del Rio’s 90-day no compete clause apparently doesn’t work if he crosses the border as AAA has announced that the former WWE champion will be at their Triplemania XXII pay-per-view event this coming Sunday. This is AAA’s biggest show of the year and Del Rio’s addition is a big win for the Mexican promotion. Del Rio – real name Alberto Rodríguez – last wrestled for AAA in 2002.
The event will be held at Arena Ciudad de México in Mexico City and will be an iPPV as well for International users apart from traditional PPV for Mexican fans.
