You might have noticed something different yesterday during RAW. Yes, there was no John Cena.
The only appearance of Cena on the show was in a video to hype up the WrestleMania match between him and The Rock however the former WWE champion did appear in person after the show was over.
Cena was part of the post-show non-televised dark match, joining Ryback to take on The Shield.
“Great time in Indy tonight! Not on Raw, but after strictly for WWE live crowd. Hope they liked NEW TEE SHIRT,” wrote Cena on Twitter.
Since The Rock was not booked for tonight’s show the decision was made to keep Cena off television but still have both of them be a part of the show with that video montage.
WWE officially announced the newest pay-per-view of its calendar – Payback.
Set to take place on Sunday, June 16, at the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois, the preview on WWE.COM describes the show as to see “just how far Superstars will go to settle scores and gain retribution against their fiercest foes.” It is not known if there will be certain stipulations for matches on the card.
Tickets for Payback go on sale on Saturday, March 23, at Noon CT at Ticketmaster.com.
Brock Lesnar gave his answer to Triple H last night on RAW as the former WWE and UFC Heavyweight champion decimated Triple H’s close friends – Billy Gunn and Road Dogg.
During the New Age Outlaws match against the Rhodes Scholars, Lesnar came out and decked out both former tag team champions with an F5 each.
Lesnar’s mouthpiece, Paul Heyman, ran down the men that Lesnar broke – HHH, Shawn Michaels, and Vince McMahon – before accepting Triple H’s challenge on his client’s behalf.
“The answer is yes,” screamed Heyman, but Brock Lesnar will only go ahead with the match as long as he names the stipulation for the match. And the stipulation will only be named after Triple H signs the contract.
WWE paid tribute to Paul Bearer yesterday on Monday Night RAW but as always, things didn’t go as smooth as they were supposed to be.
The show opened with the fantastic video tribute that WWE put up online last Thursday, followed by the entrance of the Undertaker. Undertaker walked down to the ring as an urn was waiting in the middle of the ring. Taker paid his respects by kneeling down however the festivities were interrupted by CM Punk.
Punk dissed the Undertaker and told him he will be 20-1 after WrestleMania 29 as he will beat the streak.
Throughout the show they also aired several clips from Paul Bearer’s WWE career.
At the end of the show, Kane fought CM Punk, keeping the old storyline that Kane was Paul Bearer’s son and Undertaker’s brother. After Kane defeated Punk, Taker came out and kneeled at the top of the ramp while Kane did the same.
However CM Punk recovered from the chokeslam, got the urn, and hit Kane several times with it, running away with the urn before mocking the Undertaker.
The Bella Twins returned to WWE yesterday in a backstage segment with the Rhodes Scholars.
The two were introduced when Damien Sandow said he had a plan for a double date and introduced the Bellas on screen.
“This sorry Divas division has never needed us more,” the Bellas told WWE Divas champion Kaityln who was also in the room.
The twins left WWE in May of last year when they were “fired” in a storyline by Eve Torres. In reality, the Bella Twins’ contract expired and they decided not to renew.
Brie and Nikki remained in the news after they left as both have been dating Daniel Bryan and John Cena with several photos of the foursome popping up online.
The Royal Rumble this year with the return of The Rock taking on CM Punk for the WWE title did 498,000 buys in total worldwide, with 322,000 buys domestically and 176,000 from overseas providers.
That is up from last year’s show which did 443,000 worldwide buys with Sheamus winning the Rumble. In 2011, the Rumble did 481,000 total buys and in 2010 it did 465,000 buys.
The STAPLES Center website has released information on this year’s SummerSlam, which once again will be taking place in Los Angeles, California, on August 18.
Tickets for the show will go on sale to the general public on Saturday, March 23, at 10AM PST and will be available at axs.com.
Prices for the show are $25.90, $36.25, $56.75, $88, $155.25, and $465.75 for the ringside seat complete with a commemorative chair.
This will be the 26th annual of the show, which is one of the original big four WWE pay-per-views. It will be the fifth year in a row that SummerSlam has been hosted at the STAPLES Center.
Several online insiders reported today that Michael and Daniel Moody, the sons of the late Paul Bearer, were flown to Indianapolis by WWE, the site of tonight’s Monday Night RAW.
It is not known if they will be asked to appear on the show or if they will be just hanging backstage with their father’s former employers and co-workers.
Some have speculated that Bearer – real name William Moody – might be inducted into the Hall of Fame although there’s zero confirmation of that at the moment. The fantastic video that WWE put up online last Thursday is expected to air on the show as a tribute.
Whatever happens, let’s hope they are not used in the CM Punk vs Undertaker angle to hype up WrestleMania.
The contract situation between Bobby Roode and TNA was ironed out before the pay-per-view yesterday and Roode participated in the show as expected, defending the tag team titles with Austin Aries.
PWInsider.com is reporting that Roode’s contract was left to expire and it was all Bruce Prichard’s fault who heads up that particular department for the company.
Roode happens to be a good company employee as he could have skipped the show completely and pop up somewhere else instead.
Last night at the Lockdown pay-per-view, Bully Ray managed to get his first major singles title in his 22 year career, defeating Jeff Hardy in the main event and revealing himself as the President of Aces & 8s.
Aces & 8s interfered in the main event and Ray and his opponent and reigning champion Jeff Hardy fought them off before Ray’s former tag team partner – Devon – gave Ray a hammer and smashed Hardy with it for the pinfall.
After the match was over, Ray announced that he was the President of Aces & 8s and used Hulk Hogan and his daughter Brooke all along.
While Ray has won numerous tag team titles with Devon over the years – 15 in total – this was his first major singles title win. The only other singles title he won before was the WWE Hardcore title which he won 10 times.
Here are the results from yesterday’s Lockdown pay-per-view which took place from the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
Kenny King defeated Zema Ion and Christian York to retain the X Division title; Joseph Park defeated Joe Ryan; Velvet Sky defeated Gail Kim to retain the Knockouts title; Robbie T defeated Robbie E; Bobby Roode and Austin Aries defeated Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez and Christopher Daniels and Kazarian to retain the TNA Tag Team titles; Wes Brisco defeated Kurt Angle in a steel cage match; Team TNA defeated Aces & 8s in a Lethal Lockdown match; Bully Ray defeated Jeff Hardy to win the TNA World title.
The Agganis Arena, on the campus of Boston University, in Boston, Massachusetts, will be the site of this year’s Slammiversary pay-per-view.
The event will be held on June 2 at this 7,000-seater arena which is home of the 2009 National Champion ice hockey team, the Boston University Terriers.
With TNA moving out of Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, the company will be looking at small-to-medium sized arenas to hold its events and pay-per-views during the year.
The big news this weekend is that current TNA tag team title holder and former TNA champion Bobby Roode has an expired contract and might and might not show up tonight at the Lockdown pay-per-view.
Roode did not attend the fan interaction events this weekend for Lockdown and has been off television since the last Impact television show taped from London, England.
Roode is booked for tonight’s show teaming up with his tag team partner Austin Aries as they defend their titles in a three way tag team match.
Live tonight from the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, TNA presents Lockdown 2013 on pay-per-view. The full card is as follows:
Jeff Hardy vs Bully Ray for the TNA title in a steel cage match; Sting, Magnus, Samoa Joe, James Storm, and Eric Young vs Devon, Mr. Anderson, Mike Knox, DOC, and Garrett Bischoff in a Lethal Lockdown match; Kurt Angle vs Wes Brisco in a steel cage match; Velvet Sky vs Gail Kim for the TNA Knockout title; Austin Aries and Bobby Roode vs Christopher Daniels and Kazarian vs Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez for the TNA Tag Team ttiels in a three-way match; Kenny King vs Christian York vs Zema Ion for the TNA X Division title in a three way match; Joseph Park vs Joey Ryan; Robbie E vs Robbie T.
TNA has announced new locations for its live television tapings of IMPACT for the months of April and May.
On Thursday, April 25, TNA will tape two episodes of IMPACT at the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex in Indiana, Pennsylvania. Tickets go on sale on March 29 at kovalchickcomplex.com.
On Thursday, May 9, the show moves to the BancorpSouth Arena in Tupelo, Mississippi with tickets going on sale on April 5. More info on tickets can be found at at www.bcsarena.com.
On Thursday, May 23, TNA then goes to Tampa, Florida, with tapings at the USF Sun Dome. Tickets go on sale on April 26, at www.sundomearena.com.
TNA will tape two shows at each locations, one live, and one for the following week.
Diamond Dallas Page is asking for help from fans to bring back Scott Hall to the man he once was, and with over 40 days sober, things are looking good.
However Hall’s body was much more damaged than initially thought. DDP is now enlisting help of fans to raise $80,000 to cover his hip replacement surgery, physical therapy, dental work, and his continuing medical expenses.
“We believe that with some persistence and encouragement, Scott can rebuild his body and become healthy and happy again,” the description on Indiegogo.com reads.
All money collected will be managed by DDP and his team to ensure that every cent donated goes only towards Scott Hall’s process of recovery and physical rehabilitation.
“I feel so peaceful for the first time in so long,” an emotional Hall said in a video. He said the first time he tweeted, he never knew so many people cared about him and now he just wants his life back.
There are several perks available if you support the cause, including merchandise, video calls from Hall himself, phone calls, and even a one day stay with DDP, Jake, and Hall to see first hand how things are going.
On March 19, TNA will tape its final shows from the IMPACT Zone in Orlando, Florida, at the Universal Studios. These will be two, three hour pay-per-views from the One Night Only series which will air at a later date.
The company has compiled an almost six minute video titled ‘Thank You Orlando – From IMPACT Wrestling’ which features some of the best moments in TNA history which happened at the IMPACT Zone sound stage.
Set to the song This Time from Marc Robillard, the video shows the debut of Kurt Angle, Hulk Hogan’s much publicized arrival, some crazy X-Division spots, the Knockouts, title wins, blood, sweat, and incredible action.
Funeral services for William Moody, better known in the world of professional wrestling as Paul Bearer and Percy Pringle, will be held this weekend.
Tonight there will be a public wake held at the Serenity Funeral Home in Mobile, Alabama, between 5PM and 8PM and his funeral will be held on Saturday morning at 10 at St. Vincent Catholic Church in Mobile.
His obituary was published on the Mobile Register at AL.com and it reads as follows:
“MOODY William “Bill” Moody, age 58, went to be with the Lord and his wife, on Tuesday, March 5, 2013. William loved his kids and grandkids more than life itself. His second love was his profession. Little did he know that his mortician background would lead him to one of the biggest characters in the history of Professional Wrestling, “Paul Bearer”. “Moody” graduated from McGill Institute in 1972; shortly after, he enlisted in the Air Force. He loved the City of Mobile and local sports. He could always be seen at the Mobile BayBears games and rarely missed a Mobile Mysticks Hockey game. His favorite saying when returning from a trip and landing in Mobile was, “Wheels down in Sweet Home Alabama”. He was preceded in death by his wife of 30 years, Dianna Moody, brother, Harry “Bubba”, and his grandson, Troy. He is survived by his children, Michael (Beth) Moody, Daniel (Jami) Moody, grandkids, Grace, Danielle, Hope, parents, Harry and Clarice Moody, sister, Joan (Art) Garrett, nieces, nephews, other relatives and many friends. Visitation will be held Friday, March 8, 2013 at Serenity Funeral Home from 5 to 8 pm. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Vincent Catholic Church on Saturday, March 9, 2013 at 10 am. Interment will follow in Serenity Memorial Gardens.”
Former DX and nWo member Sean Waltman announced on his Twitter that he was offered a WWE Legends contract.
“I’m proud to be able to announce that I just received the executed copy of my WWE Legends Contract moments ago. I’m humbled by this honor,” Waltman wrote.
A Legends contract allows WWE to produce merchandise and other stuff without tying the individual completely to WWE. Former WWE Superstars under this type of contract can appear for other shows and often make appearances for the company throughout the year.
Waltman worked for WWE from 1993 to 1996 under the name of 1-2-3 Kid before moving to WCW for two years. In 1998 he returned to WWE and stayed there till 2002. He also worked for TNA between 2002 and 2006.
WWE produced a fantastic 2 minute 43 second video as a tribute to the late Paul Bearer, who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 58.
The video has comments from various WWE personalities including Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon who opens the video saying that Bearer was the most unique manager they ever had.
Various clips from Bearer’s career are shown, managing the likes of Rick Rude, Vader, Mankind, Kane, and of course the Undertaker.
The video ends with Undertaker saying his “rest in peace” line with a photo of Bearer closing with the words “In Memory of William Moody.”
It will most likely air on Smackdown tonight as well as RAW on Monday but you can check it out below.
