Is Jim Ross at WWE Vengeance tonight? - details

Michael Cole tweeted the following:

“Thrilled to report @JRsBBQ will not be part of #Vengeance tonight. Management felt he’d be too busy crying about OU’s loss yesterday.”

Some random person then wrote: “@MichaelCole shut up man ur just jealous bc @JRsBBQ is more popular than u! @JoeyStyles.”

Styles responded: “Please leave me out of JR vs. Cole.”

Jim Ross then followed: “Leave me out of JR/Cole, too..and 3 man announce train wreck.”

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.

Michael Cole as a heel manager?

– There was some talk in creative meetings at this week’s TV tapings that Michael Cole may become a heel manager due to fans absolutely hating him these days. It should be noted that should Cole manage heels who are need of a roster boost, he’d still likely commentate as well.

WWE Diva Maryse tweets homophobic remark

Maryse said a homophobic remark late last night on Twitter, writing, “Ur sooo gay…….”

It appears the WWE Diva blundered sending a private message as it was directed to no one in particular on her timeline. The tweet was deleted a short while later.

WWE has come under fire from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) in recent weeks, which took issue with ‘homophobic taunts’ John Cena directed towards Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson on the February 28 episode of Monday Night RAW, as well as a homophobic slur Michael Cole tweeted to Josh Mathews on March 26. Cena’s unsavory verbiage prompted WWE to issue an apology and form a partnership with the organization on an anti-bullying campaign. WWE addressed Cole’s conduct by alerting GLAAD of the situation and announcing that he would partake in a training session.

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.

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”

‘Pro Gay Wrestling Federation’ pissed off at Michael Cole

According to TMZ, the Pro Gay Wrestling Federation is outraged that Michael Cole was not suspended by WWE after using a gay slur on Twitter. PGW champion, The Gay Avenger, says that he’s upset by Cole’s “intolerant and insensitive” comment, and insists the word encourages a “hostile bullying environment.” PGW founder and CEO Francis Minks had the following to say…

“How can ANYONE at the WWE say anything derogatory about gay people?? Look at what they do and have been doing for a living for years! Big muscles, small tights rolling around! I’m just saying, honey. People in glass houses shouldn’t throw sconces!”

Cole has issued an apology, and WWE says Cole will take part in a GLAAD training session in an effort to educate him about discrimination.

There has been a report that Cole will be suspended following WrestleMania.

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.

RAW attendance revealed, Cena-Cole issues, Y2J/DWTS

– There were 15,106 fans in attendance at RAW at the Allstate Arena in Chicago, IL. That was a legit sell out.

– Due to the controversy that John Cena’s promos and Michael Cole’s homophobic tweet have caused, WWE has agreed to shoot some vignettes against bullying and name calling.

– WWE’s house show in Indianapolis reportedly had one of the best turnouts in a long time.

– WWE is sending people to attend Dancing With The Stars each week to get them face time in the crowd while Chris Jericho is on the show.

– Shad Gaspard and Marc Copani (aka Muhammad Hassan) have released a preview trailer of their graphic novel Assassin & Son: PATH OF VENGEANCE. Check it out below:

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/

Cole’s Major Issues, AXXESS

– As noted earlier here on the website, Michael Cole is in some deep shit as it pertains to his homophobic tweet earlier today. In the “corporate reality world”, almost nobody apologizes for things like this unless there is major pressure to do so from the higher-ups. That was indeed the case today as Cole was notified by WWE management to remove the tweet ASAP and issue an apology. WWE isn’t happy about it. Also, WWE and GLAAD were just in a major spat over remarks made in several recent John Cena interviews as well as a segment on RAW where he addressed The Rock. WWE pretty much promised them that nothing like this would happen again and now we’ve got the incident today. Trust me when I tell you this is going to be made into a big deal in the media. Ask Dana White what happened several months ago when he did the same thing. It’s not good news for WWE.

– All the big WWE “draws” are expected to be at the WrestleMania 27 press conference next Wednesday. They include Triple H, The Rock, Edge, John Cena and yes….. Snooki if she’s not tanked!

TMZ covers Michael Cole slur – WWE responds

TMZ.com has picked up the story on Michael Cole calling fellow WWE announcer Josh Matthews a “faggot” earlier today via Twitter. This is exactly what WWE didn’t want to happen. You can expect the story to appear in numerous media outlets now that TMZ has picked it up. It’s obviously not good news for WWE, especially with Michael Cole set for a main event match at WrestleMania 27 next Sunday.

The one word message was deleted approximately half an hour later and an apology was issued.

“I apologize to any and all who were offended by my tweet toward young Josh Mathews,” Cole wrote. “It was obviously not meant the way it was taken.”

He later added, “I was not ordered to apologize I said I am sorry because I am. Now can I get back to being a character again please?”

Here is the TMZ.com article:

Less than two weeks after the WWE and GLAAD teamed up to say they were going to work together to curb homophobic slurs in wrestling, one of the WWE’s top announcers tweeted one at a fellow announcer.

Earlier today, Michael Cole simply tweeted one disgusting word towards fellow announcer Josh Mathews. Cole quickly took down the tweet and apologized.

The WWE and GLAAD announced a partnership on March 17 to try and put an end to bullying based on sexual orientation after a series of homophobic taunts was made by wrestler John Cena.

WWE said at the time: “WWE takes this issue very seriously, and has already spoken with our talent about these incidents. We are taking steps and working with GLAAD to ensure that our fans know that WWE is against bullying or discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.”

A rep for the WWE tells TMZ, “WWE has alerted GLAAD to the situation and spoken to Michael Cole about his post. He has removed it and apologized for using hateful language. Michael will be included in the training session being done by GLAAD. WWE takes this very seriously and is against discrimination of any kind based on sexual orientation, gender, race, religion or other.”

A rep for GLAAD could not be reached for comment.

TMZ.com has also posted screen caps from Cole’s tweet. It should be noted that Cole earlier tweeted that he was not told to issue an apology. WWE’s statement to TMZ.com contradicts that statement. Once again, damage control at its finest folks! I can’t imagine Vince McMahon is thrilled with this either. Good luck at RAW Monday, Michael!

UPDATE: The Baltimore Sun has picked up the story. Expect a ton more in the coming days.

Eve Torres’ bodyguard, Cena/Rock in Piper’s Pit?

– The bodyguard restraining Divas Champion Eve from attacking Michael Cole on RAW was independent wrestler Chad Williams. He appears for Absolute Intense Wrestling, a promotion in Ohio.

– Michael Cole noted on RAW that he has opened an account on Twitter, which has also been verified. He claims “suits” ordered him to open an account in spite of his hatred for the microblogging service. You can view his Twitter account at http://twitter.com/MichaelCole

– Roddy Piper posted on Twitter that he wants to host a Piper’s Pit with The Rock and John Cena.

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.

Jim Ross ‘Injury’ Update & Y2J’s WWE Return

– Jim Ross posted the following on Twitter: “Cole may not know how to really apply ankle lock but Swagger sure as hell does & he did the damage on me. Cole aggravated it, like a rash. I’m not ‘selling’ my ankle. ‘Selling’ indicates my ankle isn’t hurt. Wrong. Legit injury but oliver stone’s out there should believe what they choose.”

– WWE.com has a new interview up with Chris Jericho. In it, he talks about Dancing With The Stars, WWE, and more. On why he isn’t with WWE right now, he said “One of the reasons I’m not in WWE now is DWTS,” Jericho said. “You have to be 100 percent physically and mentally devoted to one or the other. You can’t do both. I’m sure I’ll be back. I have to return to WWE to take my persona back. I watched Raw on Monday and felt like I was having an out of body experience. I was watching myself on live TV! Then I realized I hadn’t gotten that ugly and become that bad of a wrestler and realized I was actually watching the current WWE Champion, The Miz.”

Y2J Teases A WWE Return, Jim Ross’ RAW Injury

– On Twitter, Chris Jericho teased a return to WWE. He wrote this afternoon, “Happy to say that I’ll be making my triumphant return to the WWE tomorrow night….”

– Jim Ross posted the following on his Twitter… “Ankle & knee have stretched ligaments in ankle & knee. Still sore & swollen but will be ok. X-rays aft swelling goes down. Thnx Swagger/cole.”

*Spoilers!* WWE SD! results for Friday 3/18/11

WWE taped this week’s WWE SmackDown! and NXT at the Spring Center in Kansas City, Missouri. Here are the results:
Dark Match:
Former WWE NXT star Percy Watson defeated Drew McIntyre. McIntyre had decent heat during the match. Drew went for the Future Shock DDT and Watson got a quick roll up. Said to be decent.

WWE SmackDown! (Airing Friday):

Edge is out to open the show. It’s Edge vs. Brodus Clay right now. Edge won with a spear. Alberto Del Rio
came out post-match and took out Edge. Christian came out for the save. Teddy Long then came out and said we’ll have a cage match between Christian and Del Rio tonight.

US Champion Sheamus defeated IC Champion Kofi Kingston with the Brogue kick.

Kane/Big Show backstage segment. They tried to chokeslam each other. Really.

Cody Rhodes defeated Trent Baretta in a squash. Rhodes has a new theme.

Layla defeated Kelly Kelly. Michelle McCool was on commentary during this and distracted Kelly Kelly to help Layla win the match.

The Big Show and Kane vs. Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater for the WWE Tag Team Titles is up next. The Big Show and Kane won via DQ. They were both attacked by The Corre afterwards.

Jack Swagger defeated Chris Masters with an ankle lock. Post-match saw Michael Cole come out of his announcer box and put the ankle lock on Masters as well.

Rey Mysterio defeated Ted DiBiase Jr. with 619.

Christian defeated Alberto Del Rio in the main event cage match. This was said to have been really good. Christian won after escaping the cage. Edge came out after the match in Alberto Del Rio’s car and threatened to destroy it. Brodus Clay came out and Del Rio joined with him to beat down Edge. Del Rio also used a chair on Edge’s arm. This ends SmackDown!.

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.