SS legitimately sold out?, Jim Ross not calling SummerSlam

– The WWE announcing change was a last-minute decision. It was originally set to be Ross/Cole/Lawler.

– The WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view event from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California was legitimately sold out. Talent weren’t able to get comps for their friends and family for the event.

It was noted on Sunday that Jim Ross tweeted he would be calling WWE SummerSlam alongside Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler. Ross obviously didn’t call the pay-per-view but was backstage at the event. Ross tweeted the following regarding the SummerSlam snub:

“I’m at Summer Slam on Twitter duty & not broadcasting. Booker’s working w/ Cole & king.

I am at SUMMER SLAM but backstage and not at ringside. Booker adds Smackdown representation not that Cole wouldn’t have. I’m twitter man.

I’m tweeting tonite..not broadcasting. Just happy to be here. :)

Game time decision to use Booker to rep Smackdown on tonite’s Summer Slam & to work with King & Cole. I’m happy for Booker.”
Ross had earlier tweeted: “Excited to work w/ Cole & King. Expect some surprise bouts to be added to tonite’s PPV.”

JR is obviously taking the high road here as he was originally set to call the event.

Y2J rips CM Punk, RAW stars trend on Twitter, More

– Chris Jericho wrote the following on Twitter this week after CM Punk mentioned him on RAW: “Everyone is so excited that @CMPunk mentioned me on Raw. Newsflash…I don’t give a shit. Mind ur own business and stop rippin me off Punk.”

– Evan Bourne, Zack Ryder, Santino Marella and David Otunga were all trending on Twitter Monday night during RAW.

– The t-shirt that Jerry Lawler was wearing on Monday night’s RAW is apparently his new WWE t-shirt, the Hall of Famer’s first in 19 years.

– The Miz will be in attendance for the Teen Choice Awards from Los Angeles on August 7th. The Rock is up for Best Male Actor in an Action movie for Fast 5.

A New ‘Wrestling Wives’ Reality TV Show In The Works

According to TMZ, the guys behind Pit Boss have teamed up with VH1 to produce a new reality show similar to Basketball Wives, titled Wrestler Wives.

Sources have stated that Sharmell Sullivan-Huffman (Booker T’s wife), Stacy Carter (Jerry Lawler’s ex-wife) and Jackie Haas (Charlie Haas’ wife) will be the focus of the show. The show will center around Booker T’s wrestling school in Texas, which Sharmell runs along with Booker.

WrestleMania 27 Script Leaked – *Spoilers!*

A partial WWE WrestleMania 27 script has been leaked out. The partial script reveals the match order and Jim Ross’ involvement with the event. Here is what we’ve been able to come up with so far:

The following four matches are scheduled to go last at tonight’s event. Jim Ross will call all four of these matches.

Jim Ross is scheduled to come out to call the Lawler vs. Cole match.

The Lawler-Cole match will then be followed by Triple H vs. The Undertaker.

The ‘Taker-Triple H match will then be followed by the 8-Man WWE tag-team match.

The John Cena vs. Miz match will close the event. The Rock will be getting physical in this.

Josh Matthews is scheduled to call the show. Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler alongside Josh Matthews and possibly Booker T will be calling the event up until their match.

More as we get it.

Report: Brian Christopher Hospitalized

Brian Christopher, son of Jerry Lawler, has reportedly been hospitalized with pancreatitis.

The former WWE star will undergo surgery to remove his gall bladder, reports Rasslin Riot Online.

He appeared on Monday Night RAW three weeks ago to further the feud between Lawler and Michael Cole.

Jerry Lawler Speaks Out – WrestleMania Match, Cole

Jerry “The King” Lawler recently did an interview with Alex Marvez for ScrippsNews.com. He talks WrestleMania, Michael Cole, and more. Here are some highlights:

How his mother would react to WWE’s storyline:
“Probably not, but I don’t mean that in a bad way. My mom was never a wrestling fan. She worked for us for 20 years at the (Memphis) wrestling company, but all she did was sold advance tickets for us. She never stayed for the matches. She couldn’t stand watching me wrestle. It made her too nervous. No matter what age, I was always her baby. She was worried about her son getting hurt.”

On nearly giving up on a WrestleMania match:
“Every single year it just seemed like something else would come up. I’d get pushed to the backburner or it just wasn’t remembered. When 2009 and 2010 came and went with nothing there, I wasn’t really expecting anything just because it was a situation where I thought the age thing was going to play a big factor.”

His WrestleMania match with Michael Cole:
“All I know is when I hit him, he’s going down one way or the other whether he knows how to fall or not. In that respect, I don’t think there’s any way he can screw up”

Backstage Report: Michael Cole’s Ego Getting ‘Out Of Control’

Source: The Pro Wrestling Torch

Many within World Wrestling Entertainment feel that Michael Cole’s ego has gotten out of control in recent months. There have been reports of “The Voice of WWE” having tremendous heat amongst the locker room. In light of Cole’s Twitter miscue over the weekend, one company source gave his opinion on how the lead WWE announcer conducts himself behind the scenes.

“Is Cole getting a big head? HELL YES,” the source exclaimed. “Ever since he was reading the GM e-mails he started begging to become GM and walks around like his shit doesn’t stink. He has an opinion on everything.”

The source also indicated that Cole berates creative writers who hand him scripts, as he feels he can say whatever he wants on television. Many feel Cole’s on-screen persona has gone to his head as how he portrays himself on television reflects his behavior behind the scenes.

The source indicated that incidents such as his flagrant remark on Twitter would be cause for termination if Vince McMahon was looking for an excuse to release a talent. However, the organization has too much invested in the Jerry Lawler vs. Michael Cole program to abandon it.

Jerry Lawler Speaks Out – WrestleMania, Vince McMahon, More

Jerry Lawler recently spoke to IGN.com about his match at WrestleMania with Michael Cole and more. Check out the highlights:

On wanting the original WrestleMania to fail: “Well of course the whole world was talking about the first WrestleMania and how it was a huge risk on the part of Vince McMahon. And there were a lot of people at the time that had local promotions, like myself and Jerry Jarrett who were partners in Mid-South in Memphis, Tennessee. We were hoping to see it flop. We were hoping that it wouldn’t catch on and wouldn’t be a success. But as we all know, it did catch on and it did become a success and it’s the crown jewel of WWE pay per view events each and every year. It’s the biggest thing in the sports entertainment world now. But personally, my old personal self-interests at the time, we were worried that if the first WrestleMania went over big then it would spell the end of the local and regional territories. And we were pretty much right. And Vince was right too, in the respect that he thought this thing had legs and would grow and it has. And it’s just become phenomenal.”

On Vince McMahon’s opinion on the Andy Kaufman feud: “I just had Vince McMahon tell me, not that long ago, he said, “Man, you can’t imagine. I’ve never told anyone this but I was actually jealous of the fact that you got to do what you did with Andy Kaufman because I knew that we had the opportunity to do it first and we turned it down. And then all of a sudden you guys were on TV and in New York. You got to be on David Letterman and Saturday Night Live. It just blew up.”"

On whether he would rather face an actual wrestler at WrestleMania: “Would I have preferred for it to be a wrestler? Maybe at first. But now, looking back on the way this has all unfolded and the way it’s going to be now, I couldn’t have had a better opponent. Especially now that it’s so reminiscent of the actual Andy Kaufman feud. I mean here, just like Andy, I’m going in the ring against a guy who’s never competed. Not only at WrestleMania, but anywhere. So the curiosity factor of what will be going through Michael Cole’s mind, other than my fist, makes this the perfect match up here. The people want to see Michael Cole get completely destroyed. They know without the help of Jack Swagger he’s going to be helpless and they know that with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin being in the match as the referee, they know he’s not going to put up with interference and foolishness. So it’ll just come down to me and Cole once that bell rings. So, to me, that’s perfect. Because if I can’t put a major league whooping on Michael Cole, after all the years I’ve been in the business, then something’s wrong.”

Cole praises Lawler & Cole’s son working with WWE

The Poughkeepsie Journal published an article today on Michael Cole. When asked about his match at WrestleMania XXVII, the Amenia, New York native broke character and said, “The dream’s come true. I’m participating in an event against a man who is an absolute legend and Hall of Famer in Jerry Lawler. I’m so honored and privileged just to have the opportunity to participate in a match against this man.

“Plus Stone Cold is our special referee. To be in there with two of the greatest icons, it’s like a reality check. It’s such a great ride.”

He also said that his 24-year-old son Calvin is working for WWE in the television production department and travels with him on the road. The full story can be read at http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/

JR-Cole-Lawler-RAW, Cena movie & book

– Jim Ross wrote a kayfabe response to Michael Cole’s remarks concerning Jerry Lawler’s family on Raw. “Feel so bad 4 King,” he wrote on Twitter. “Both his Mom & Dad have passed. Jerrys Mom a few wks ago. Jerrys Dad was buried on King’s 19th B-Day. This is too much.”

– WWE has plans to publish a paperback novel of the WWE Studios’ Blood Brothers. The film stars John Cena and is set for release later this year.

The early ‘Tough Enough’ favorite + FCW Diva fails

Source: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter

– According to reports from the Tough Enough set, Luke Robinson is considered the early favorite on the show. He stands out as a star and is considered a good wrestler that possesses charisma. Show host Steve Austin was so impressed by Robinson that he is privately working out with him.
Robinson is a 26-year-old independent wrestler from Maine who performs under the name “Golden Boy” Bobby Robinson. His USANetwork.com bio reads: “For him, WWE combines all his passions rolled into one: performing, marketing, athleticism and traveling. Luke proved his athleticism as captain of his high school’s varsity soccer, hockey and baseball teams, competing all four years, before moving on to getting his BA in Business Administration from University of Southern Maine.”

– WWE developmental talent Su Yung (a/k/a Sonia) tried out for Tough Enough but failed to make the cast. The Seattle based wrestler signed a contract with WWE last year and is currently listed on the official Florida Championship Wrestling website as a Diva.

Jerry Lawler, 61, revealed in a recent interview with Fighting Spirit that he is dating Yung, who is 21 years old. Of course, the age difference between the two is 40 years. Get it, Jerry!

Jim Ross speaks on RAW return

Jim Ross appeared on RAW last night to come to the defense of Jerry Lawler, who was being discredited by his WrestleMania opponent, Michael Cole. A war of words commenced which resulted in Ross challenging Cole to a duel. However, Jack Swagger attacked Ross and slapped an ankle lock on the WWE Hall of Famer before imploring Cole to do it him himself. Ross commented on his return to RAW, writing on Twitter: — “I’m sure u enjoyed Raw more than King & I. Appreciated SO much the reception I received in St. L. My leg is a mess. Swagger’s a beast. Thnx 4 overwhelming support 2nite. Over 108,000 followers. Very Humbling. Felt great being back @ ‘home’ on Raw. Ankle looks nasty 4 real.”

WWE touts ‘Snooki Mania’, Brian Christopher-WWE update

– Former WWE Superstar Brian Christopher (also known as Grandmaster Sexay) appeared on this week’s episode of RAW and accused his father, Jerry Lawler, of being absent from his life growing up. The former Tag Team Champion proclaimed that he was the bigger Superstar of the two and that the reason he didn’t use the Lawler name during his time in WWE was because he was ashamed of him. Christopher’s appearance was just a one time cameo to build Lawler’s feud with Michael Cole.

– Drew Carey, LayCool, Vickie Guerrero, Brodus Clay and Trish Stratus were all trending worldwide terms on Twitter last night.

– World Wrestling Entertainment issued a press release touting Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi’s appearance at WrestleMania XXVII, proclaiming “Snooki Mania.” The Jersey Shore star will team up with John Morrison and Trish Stratus to take on Dolph Ziggler and LayCool.

“I’ll be snooking for some action at WrestleMania,” said Polizzi.

Insight on new ‘Tough Enough’ season & Lawler’s girlfriend

Source: Pro Wrestling Torch

– According to sources within WWE, the revival of Tough Enough is being labeled as a reality television show about individuals who want to become WWE Superstars rather than a reality show about professional wrestling. People within WWE who were against the original premise of the show because they felt it exposed the industry are in favor of it being character driven.

– WWE developmental wrestler Su Yung (a/k/a Sonia) is among the cast of Tough Enough. However, her profile remains on the official website Florida Championship Wrestling, which would indicate that she is not. Former WWE developmental talent Christina Crawford (a/k/a Caylee Turner) and Andy Leavine (a/k/a Kevin Hackman) are contestants on the show and their respective profiles were removed from the site last month. She is also dating Jerry Lawler in real-life. The age difference between the two is 40 years.

What will close WrestleMania?, WWE PG-13 returning?

Source: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter

– As of this week, creative has not decided on whether to close WrestleMania XXVII with The Undertaker vs. Triple H or Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson confronting John Cena—which would indicate that Cena vs. The Miz is the main event. Internally, Michael Cole vs. Jerry Lawler is considered the third biggest match on the show.

– Going forward, WWE plans on featuring more PG-13 content on Monday Night RAW. However, it’s still considered a PG-rated program and there are no plans on changing that.

Report: WWE not happy with Hulk Hogan

WWE is reportedly not happy that Hulk Hogan tweeted about Jimmy Hart coming in as a manager for Jerry Lawler against Michael Cole at WrestleMania. A source within the company says they are so pissed off that they may show footage this coming week of both Triple H and The Undertaker beating Hogan. We shall see if things cool down by then.

Jerry Lawler dating 21-Year old diva, Alex Riley-Miz-RAW

Partial Source: Pwinsider

– WWE children’s books on Rey Mysterio, Kofi Kingston, Big Show and more are currently being developed.

– Alex Riley was challenged by John Cena on RAW under the stipulation that if he were to lose, he would be fired as The Miz’s apprentice. The Anonymous RAW General Manager decreed that the match would be contested via Steel Cage Match, with the only way to win would be to escape the cage. Despite assistance from the Miz, who promised not to interfere with the match, Riley lost when Cena forced his way out of the cage.

– Jerry Lawler is currently dating 21-year old FCW Diva Su Yung. She goes by the name ‘Sonia’ in FCW. Lawler is 61 years old so there is a difference of 40 years in age between the two.

The updated WWE WrestleMania 27 card!

Here is the updated WWE WrestleMania 27 card:

Guest Host:
The Rock

WWE Championship Match
The Miz (c) vs. John Cena

World Heavyweight Championship Match
Edge (c) vs. Alberto Del Rio

“The Streak” vs. Career?
The Undertaker vs. Triple H (Rumored Guest Ref. – Shawn Michaels)

Randy Orton vs. CM Punk
Randy Orton will face all of the new Nexus members on RAW leading into ‘Mania. If a Nexus member wins, he can join CM Punk at ‘Mania. If they lose, they are banned from ‘Mania. Michael McGillicutty is banned already due to losing his match on RAW.

Jerry Lawler vs. Michael Cole
Michael Cole’s trainer, Jack Swagger, will be in his corner. A special ref. will be named shortly.

Jim Ross Blogs: Duggan-WWE, Lawler/Cole, WWE PG

Jim Ross has posted his latest blog entry. You can check it out at http://www.JRSBARBQ.com/ Check out the highlights:

On heading to Mexico: “I will be flying to Mexico City this week to take part in a major, groundbreaking, WWE news event on Thursday afternoon. I, along with others from WWE, will be at Vive Cuervo Salon in Mexico City for the 3:30 pm event. It’s FREE to the public but I suggest that if you are attending that you arrive early to secure your place in what promises to be a historic event for WWE in the tradition rich, grappling city of Mexico City. The doors open at 2 p.m. This will be my first ever trip to Mexico City and one of which I’m exited. I am honored that WWE has chosen me to be such a significant part of this function that is sure to make headlines in the sports entertainment world.”

On Jim Duggan getting into the Hall of Fame: “Congrats to Hacksaw Jim Duggan on the announcement that ‘Hack’ is going into the WWE Hall of Fame this year. The Glens Falls, New York native is one of the distinguished, Mid South Wrestling alums who learned his skills under the watchful and demanding eye of Cowboy Bill Watts. Jim became a huge star in Mid South before venturing ‘up north’ to take his skills to WWE. The former SMU Pony offensive lineman was one of the toughest men to ever lace his boots. After JYD departed Mid South, Duggan earned the role as the top fan favorite in the company. His rivalry with Ted ‘Million Dollar Man’ DiBiase in Mid South was big time and was highlighted by their infamous ‘Sharp Dressed Man’ tuxedo matches for the large Cowboy who loved physicality and true, reality based TV.”

On Lawler/Cole: “If Michael Cole accepts Jerry Lawler’s WM27 challenge and that is the WM match that King gets to have I know that Jerry will be MORE than pleased with it. Some have questioned if Jerry would truly enjoy stepping in the ring with Cole in Atlanta and on that one I can unequivocally say ‘Oh, Hell Yeah!’ Lawler deserves a match at Wrestlemania as much as any athlete on WWE’s roster in my biased opinion. Plus, if it happens, The King will beat Cole like a government mule. :) No…I don’t hate Michael Cole. I also don’t hate the screwdriver or hammer hanging in my garage which are also tools. ”

On the death of PG: “Can we stop with the TV14 questions? For some reason, folks think that because Rock and then John Cena got edgy with their in ring promos in recent RAWS that perhaps WWE is going back to a more risqué presentation ala a TV14 format. I don’t speak for WWE but going all the way back to TV14 would shock me. I’m not a guy who lives or dies by a TV rating but rather judges a wrestling, TV show by what I see in the ring headlined by high quality, physical wrestling action and not by the use of edgy language even though I do enjoy that too when effectively utilized. I will admit that in the past two weeks that I have been pleasantly surprised by some of the verbiage on MNR. I have grandkids and I would have had no issues with them watching Raw with me. ”

On the XFL: “The NFL did not want the XFL to succeed in my opinion. Why, is a question that I am unable to answer. The XFL was a spring football league that would have provided the NFL with some players, as they did in their only season of existence, for years to come and at affordable costs. NFL media sycophants loved to highlight what was wrong with the XFL but rarely were ballsy enough to point out that the XFL was providing football players with a way to return to the pro football radar. ”

On John Cena: “I loved John Cena’s return volley to the Rock on the Fresno Raw. Cena was in rare form. A face to face, verbal showdown between the two would be classic some day. Cena is quick and Rock perfected his ‘smack talking’ playing college football for ‘The U’ long known for their great players who were brash athletes who loved to talk trash. I’ve seen this first hand in recent years when OU played the ‘Canes. ”

Be sure to check out the full blog at http://www.JRSBARBQ.com/

Was there talk of Jerry Lawler winning the title?

Source: The Wrestling Observer

As most of you know by now, The Miz successfully defended his WWE title last night at the WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. According to sources, there was talk over the past week or so in WWE creative meetings to have Jerry Lawler win the title at the PPV and then lose it back to The Miz on RAW tonight. Obviously, that didn’t happen.

One of the reasons why WWE opted not to put the title on Lawler for one night is due to the fact that Vince McMahon feels The Miz is still being established as a ‘credible’ champion and having him lose the title would be a blow to his current momentum.

Jim Ross tweeted the following on the Lawler-Miz match from the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view:
“Just talked to King & he’s disappointed in outcome of his bout w/ Miz. Felt as if he let his late Mom & friends down. Makes Raw compelling.”