WWE Teases Christian's Return!

WWE.com has an article up questioning whether or not Christian will be appearing at tonight’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event.

Greg Adkins writes, “Is he actually in Wisconsin’s largest city? Or is he pulling another prank on the WWE Universe? If he is there, will he compete at tonight’s Elimination Chamber? And what would his arrival signal within the ranks of WWE?”

He continues, “To find out if Christian will indeed reemerge to shock the WWE Universe, be sure to watch the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view live at 8 ET/ 5 PT.”

*Possible Spoilers!* for Royal Rumble

– Tonight’s WWE Royal Rumble is officially sold out.

– Kofi Kingston and Brodus Clay were two names being considered for the number two entrant into tonight’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view match.

Report: Chris Jericho-WWE talks break down

New reports indicate that Chris Jericho’s recent tweet about never wrestling for WWE again may have had something behind it.
Sources report that while WWE and Jericho had recently been in negotiations, something happened and talks have fallen through.

Kurt Angle speaks – WWE return?, Nash’s WWE treatment

“Sports Axxess” on PW 24/7 Radio with Kurt Angle
Hosts: Jerry Sorrentino, James Jefferson, and Joey Image
Full episode available at PW247radio.com

Kurt Angle on the hamstring injury he had to work through during his title defenses against Bobby Roode and James Storm: “I did have to be careful of the injury when I wrestled James Storm at the TV tapings. I gave it all I could, which was only one minute of wrestling. I’ve only missed nine days but now I’m back to Olympic form. It was just a slight tear in my hamstring but there was a lot of bleeding. The bleeding went all the way down my hamstring, down my calf, down my shin, all the way down to my foot. It was black and blue, but the injury wasn’t as bad as I thought it was. But now I’m back to training. I’ve done a lot of interviews and gotten a lot of attention for training for an Olympic comeback. My only obstacle is Jake Barter. He’s almost guaranteed to win a medal because he is that good. So if I beat him, USA wrestling wants to make sure I’m capable of winning a medal. So they want me to come out and train at Colorado Springs, and I’m going to do that. I think I have a great shot at making the team.”

On getting into MMA: “I’ve had a lot of talks with Dana White. While he’s denied the offers, Dana and I respect each other enough for us not to say exactly what was offered. The thing was, he wanted me to be ready in a short time and I couldn’t do that. I wanted months, he wanted weeks. We’re good friends and I hope he has great success. But you know what, he’s said some negative things about me in the press. I still love him to death. I did pass his physical, meaning I was ready for competition, but he wanted me to be ready in four to six weeks and I couldn’t do that. It’s impossible. There’s also the fact that I’m signed with TNA and Dana didn’t want anyone fighting for him and wrestling at the same time. So Dana White, God bless you. Whatever you say, I’ll respect that because I know you wanted me to fight for you and wanted me to be your guy.”

On Kevin Nash: “I love him to death. I know why he went to WWE. He wanted the carrot. He wanted that carrot they dangled in front of his face. But has the WWE used him the right way since he came back? No. Kevin should come back to TNA where they can use him the way he should be. WWE thinks he’s old and washed up but TNA doesn’t think that. TNA wants Kevin Nash. He is so gifted, talented, and popular. I want him back in TNA because he’s one of my best friends.”

On working in wrestling after retirement and potentially joining the WWE Hall of Fame: “If I end up in the Hall of Fame in the WWE, I don’t know if I’ll accept it. I love Vince McMahon. He made me a lot of money and was like a father figure to me. But Dixie Carter is my boss and I love her to death. So I don’t know what I’m going to do. I would like to say that I am not going back to the WWE. But Vince McMahon may offer me something when I retire and I’m done with TNA. But I’d also like to be part of creative or be an agent in TNA. Out of everyone in the world, I am the best at coming up with finishes. I would like to stay with TNA and do that. A lot of people ask if I’d go back if Vince wanted me for WrestleMania, and I don’t know the answer to that. But I know I am happy in TNA and I’d like to stay there.”

All this and much more can be heard in the full hour long interview with Kurt Angle. This interview, along with countless hours of other original pro-wrestling content, can be found exclusively and for free only on PW 24/7 Radio.

Brodus Clay/WWE?, TLC possible *Spoiler!* matches

– Brodus Clay did not return on RAW and there was no vignette this week. We hope to have more shortly.

– CM Punk vs. Alberto Del Rio for the WWE Title and Triple H vs. Kevin Nash are both scheduled for WWE’s TLC pay-per-view.

As of this writing, there is no word on the stipulations for those matches.

Breaking News: Mick Foley is at RAW tonight! + photo

A fan took the below picture of Mick Foley outside of the TD Garden in Boston, MA. Of course, that is the site of tonight’s RAW.

The following photo was taken earlier today around 3:45 pm.

Chris Jericho speaks out - stealing moves, return, more!

Chris Jericho was the guest on this week’s Wrestling Voice Radio Show he spoke about his band Fozzy, the progress on their next album, their upcoming European tour and much more. Highlights are below.
On wrestlers stealing his moves and gimmicks in WWE today and lashing out at CM Punk​ for doing so: “There seems to be a lack of respect for the forefathers who came in and did it first and it’s not just [CM] Punk, it’s a whole litany of guys from Miz to Cody Rhodes to Mason Ryan to Sin Cara to Kelly Kelly, everybody is stealing moves, looks, ideas. Brian Pillman​ once told me if you want to make it in wrestling you have to do something that nobody has done before and nobody is doing that and they are coming off as second rate copies of Chris Jericho and that’s maybe why these guys aren’t striking and I watch it and think, “Seriously, again?”

“A couple of years ago you had ‘Miz 4, John Cena 0″, where did that come from? Conspiracy Theory, where did that come from? Best in the World, where did that come from? Wearing suits, talking slow, using big words, using certain moves, you know Miz used the word “troglodyte” a few weeks ago and I’m like seriously? If there ever was a word associated with Chris Jericho that would be it. These guys have to start thinking of their own stuff and some times I see some of them and I’m like oh come on. It’s not like it’s influenced. At least give credit where credit is due.”

In response to Vampiro calling him out and labeling him a liar in a recent video: “It’s funny because I just recently complimenting him on the documentary they put out about him, but Vampiro joins the long list of guys like Superstar Billy Graham, Larry Zbyszko, Scott Hall​ who don’t like it when they are called out for being dicks at certain point in time and everything I’ve written in each one of my books is true.

Chris also talks about his ideal wrestling match, his ultimate tour line-up, if he would wrestle in Japan again, his favorite lyrics and more.

Big name returning to WWE shortly, Sin Cara

– After returning on Friday’s SmackDown! and confronting the heel Sin Cara, the original Sin Cara worked as a babyface at last night’s WWE Supershow in Canton, Ohio. He defeated Heath Slater.

According to several sources within WWE, that Vince McMahon is expected to return to TV in the very near future, possibly as soon as tonight or tomorrow night.

As we have been reporting, WWE wants this year’s Survivor Series PPV to be a major event, and with The Rock having indicated on Twitter that he will be teaming with John Cena at the event, Vince will be returning to TV to build towards the big PPV.

We will keep you updated on this developing story as more information becomes available.

Sin Cara was not backstage at SD!, SummerSlam plans

– The latest word on the Sin Cara character is that it indeed will be FCW star Hunico wrestling under the mask at tonight’s SmackDown! tapings. The original Sin Cara will return once his suspension is over and a feud with Hunico may end up happening on WWE TV.

– Regarding SummerSlam only having four matches announced, word is that as of yesterday, that’s all the matches WWE had finalized. Creative had more matches lined up two weeks ago than they did yesterday at RAW. It’s expected that two or three more matches will be added but there’s also talk of having longer matches than usual.

Major News: Bill goldberg returning?

Bill Goldberg, who has not wrestled since 2004, stated during a recent autograph signing appearance that he will “probably” return to the ring before the end of 2011.

The former World Heavyweight Champion said that if he returns to the squared circle, his ideal opponent would be Steve Austin.

Edge reveals when he would have retired

Former WWE Superstar Edge appeared on Right After Wrestling with Arda Ocal and Jimmy Korderas. Highlights from the interview are as follows:

If he didn’t receive the news, how long he felt he would have competed before he retired: “I pretty much assumed that WrestleMania in Miami (WM 28) would be my last because my contract runs out around then. I just thought I would get to there and have my final match there and then retire. The best laid plans never work out the way they should. And they didn’t and that’s okay. I knew it was coming to an end but I didn’t know exactly when that end would be. All this did was speed up the process by exactly 1 year. I already knew I was ready to retire. My body was telling me it was time. All the pain I was in and mentally, the grind, was just getting me down.”

The unique way Tony Chimel announces him to the ring: “I loved the way Chimel announced me to the ring. He would announce me and Cena to the ring for like 250 nights and he would go out of his way for Cena and then simply announce ‘and here’s the Rated R Superstar Edge.’ So I was like come on Chimel, at least make an effort for me as well. So he started to elongate the ‘Super’ in ‘Rated R Superstar’ and it just became a huge joke in the back and everybody would say it along as he would in the ring. I don’t even think Kevin Dunn noticed, it just kinda flew under the radar.”

When does Edge want to enter the WWE Hall of Fame?: “I would love to be inducted into the WWE HOF but I never put any thought into when. I never said ‘I wanna be inducted in the next year’. I wouldn’t be offended if it was in a few years from now. If it was the same year that WrestleMania returns to Toronto, that would be awesome but I never really put any thought into when exactly I wanted to get inducted.”

The interview can be accessed at http://itunes.apple.com/

New WWE Creative Team member, Chris Jericho's WWE return?

– Starting at the end of the month, a new writer will join the WWE creative team. This new writer will work hand in hand with Triple H in creating and grooming talent. At this time, the identity of the writer is not known.

– Chris Jericho was recently interviewed by Canada’s FortMcMurrayToday.com and was asked about a WWE return. Here is what he said: “I have no plans for it right now. Like I said, I didn’t leave wrestling for any bad reasons, it’s just that I had a lot of other stuff that was going on in my life that I’ve been wanting to work on, and Fozzy is one of the main reasons for that. I know sometimes that pisses wrestling fans off, but I don’t care. I do what I do to make myself happy. I’ve done wrestling for 20 years and I’ve been in Fozzy for 12. Fozzy is in the same place now after 12 years, that I was as a performer after 12. Just really on the verge of becoming something bigger. So I’d be crazy to not to devote as much time to the band as I can and take it as far as we can go. Wrestling is always there, it’s not going anywhere. Will I come back? I don’t know. But I have no plans of it right now.”

Report: WWE Keeps Punk & Ross Returns A Secret

WWE officials went to great lengths to keep the arrivals of both CM Punk and Jim Ross a secret before they aired on RAW. Both talents were hidden from almost everyone in the organization. They were sent to different hotels from everyone else in fear that someone would see them and relay it online. Neither came into the Hampton Coliseum until they were given the cue to appear, both being sequestered somewhere on the premises. They were not even on the sixth and final script for the show and aside from those who had to directly interact with them on television, all performers weren’t aware of either of talent being in Hampton, Virginia. Ironically, the arena itself was advertising Punk for the event.

Top ROH Star At MITB & RAW + Ryan’s Return

– We can now confirm that Ring of Honor wrestler Jimmy Jacobs was backstage at Sunday’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view event in Chicago, Illinois and Monday’s Monday Night RAW event in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

There was talk of using Jacobs at Money in the Bank as a security guard in an angle to pull Randy Orton off Christian, but it didn’t happen. He also worked out in front of company personnel prior to RAW.

– Mason Ryan, who has been sidelined since late June to an undisclosed injury, is advertised to appear at the September 25 RAW live event in Lubbock, Texas.

Shawn Daivari Returning To WWE?, Details

According to a WWE source, Shawn Daivari was expected to return to WWE as of a month or two ago. He worked a tryout match against Ted DiBiase in May and WWE officials were said to have been impressed with his work.
Daivari noted in a recent interview that WWE told him they will be bringing him back but would be releasing nearly “15 talents” first. He has yet to hear back from them. He’s now working for the All Wheels Wrestling promotion.

As we’ve been reporting, WWE main roster cuts are expected shortly.

Batista not returning to WWE

Batista made the following comments via Twitter: “real quick…i don’t hate the WWE! i love pro wrestling! just didn’t agree with the PG direction. i loved it edgy and hardcore .. and i would definitely like to return…just not right now. im enjoying the hell out of my normal life. hope that makes sense.”

Batista Speaks Out – Why He Left WWE + A Return?

Former WWE star Batista recently spoke out to promote his latest project, the Gracie Fighter Gym. It is a Tampa, Florida based jiu jitsu and mixed martial arts school he is operating in association with Cesar Gracie. Highlights are as follows:
* Batista stated during the interview that his martial arts base was Kali, and after taking up Muay Thai and jiu jitsu several years ago, it become his passion. He originally intended to make the gym private, a place near his home where he could train, but then decided to open it to the public. He’s now training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gi so that he can attain rank. His goal is to someday become a Cesar Gracie black belt.

* Batista said he left WWE last year because he no longer fit with their product. He dislikes WWE’s kid-friendly direction, saying there is nothing kid-friendly about Dave Batista. Batista said WWE’s direction leaves a bad taste in his mouth as it’s too unbelievable and hokey. He feels he became disconnected from the industry and became unhappy with it. Though he still believes in WWE as a company, he doesn’t think there is a place for him anymore.

* Regarding comparisons to Mason Ryan, Batista doesn’t feel the Raw Superstar is imitating him and if he was, he would be flattered. Batista thinks Ryan is a great guy after meeting him in London, England and is curious to see where his career goes.

* Regarding his future in the wrestling industry, he said that he’d like to finish his career on his terms and return to WWE for a brief run and retirement match. He is also interested in working with the organization in a non-wrestling capacity.

HBK Speaks Out – WWE Return, Scott Hall, HOF, More

Shawn Michaels was a guest on this week’s edition of Wrestling News Live, here are the highlights…
Shawn’s thoughts on Scott Hall missing his Hall Of Fame induction: “You have to admire him, You’ve gotta start somewhere and I remember Kevin telling me and me thinking ‘you know what, that’s gotta be a good start. The fact that he is aware of it and I think that’s good as that’s what we all want for (him). I know every one is (sympathetic) and everyone cares about Scott and we all do and I was actually really happy to hear that he’s at least aware of it to the point where he can make a statement like that. As we discussed that night, we all know there is going to be several other Hall Of Fame moments for some of the dudes in our group.”

Shawn’s thoughts on his induction into the Hall Of Fame: “It’s one of those things like winning your first world championship that you always tell people about and its moments like that when it is all real. It doesn’t matter what all the naysayers say about our line of work and those moments. It’s the most real thing in the world and to get to share it with your present family and your work family and the guys that were the only family I had for many years on the road and being acknowledged in my line of work and having all the people, my extended family (there), it is very easy for me to well up and cry like a baby when I think about it because there is such an attachment for me to all of those people….. There is such a special connection from me to the people and I think it’s because they they knew how I felt about that line of work and how much it meant to me.”

Shawn’s thoughts on how the product has changed: “I don’t wanna be one of those old timers that continually knock everything because on one hand it’s very tough on the younger talent these days as they are not having the luxury of what we had which is years of experience and countless matches with countless different styles before we came to the WWE. They are getting thrown from the frying pan into the fire.”

Shawn’s thoughts a return to WWE: “One, honestly I really don’t watch much right now and I do that purposely. I’ll tune in every now and then and I’ll tune in for a little bit then see something that I don’t care for and I go away. The reason I do that is because if I watch and I see something I don’t like and I turn away, I know that I’m not ready to come back and look at it objectively yet . I think there will be a time when I’d like to come back and help and contribute in the back if needed but to do that, I feel like I need to have a real washed, clean, objective, constructive point of view and for me personally, it feels like while I was working, I did not watch that much as I always felt I was too close to it to be objective.”

Shawn’s thoughts on John Morrison: “His name comes up a lot, and a lot of people say ‘I like him but…’ and he’s a young guy and it’s my understanding that he just got injured and as much as you hate hearing about a guy getting injured, it’s never good but at the same time, I remember telling John Cena when he got hurt, ‘Dude they need to see you come back’. It’s part of the ‘warrior making’ stage and so I think John (Morrison) as the kids like to say, ‘He has to get some street cred’. He’s got to take some lumps, gotta take on a couple of scars, get beaten up a little but I certainly think there is potential there. He certainly has all the physical attributes that he needs. He is a sweetheart of a guy and I think that is what hurts him, I just don’t think he has a bad bone in his body.”

Shawn on why he choose not to hold the World Title one last time: “No, No I didn’t. That’s (holding the belt) is a full time commitment and the guy that does that needs to make every show, doing absolutely everything and that just wasn’t for me. The deal with me coming back was still worth quite a bit but I didn’t do all the live events and I was taking (time after) darn near every WrestleMania off. That was just something, it was more important to me just to come back and I’m gonna be honest, I like it more than the way I did. I know there are some people like ‘You only held the world title this many times’. I just didn’t think it (was fair), I think the guy who does that needs to be the work horse and I no way wanted to be that.”

Steve Austin: I Could Wrestle A Full-Time Schedule + More

Steve Austin recently spoke with Xfinity, promoting Tough Enough, here are the highlights…

On CM Punk: I really like C.M. Punk. I think he’s one of the top workers in the ring. I love his promos. I love his style. There’s no smoke and mirrors. I like the straight-edge lifestyle stuff he does. You want to start pairing that against the beer-guzzling “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, I think you’d have an interesting feud to say the least. He would push me to the limits, I would teach that kid a thing or two, and there would be some wonderful promos going back and forth. I like him a lot.

On Getting In The Ring On Tough Enough: One of the kids was pretty mechanically inclined, so I got in there with him…and shoot, I guess that means I haven’t been in the ring in seven or eight years…but I took a few bumps from him, gave him a few bumps, it was a lot of fun. I think if we do it again, I think I’ll be even more active and get in the ring a lot more.

On A Possible Return: I could still, you know if I was in a bad situation, I could still get two years out of my carcass on a full-time basis.” He then added, ” But I’m happy where I’m at. And in ten or twenty years I still want to be doing the things I’m doing with my hunting and fishing. I want to continue to do that in a pain-free fashion. And right now I’m living a pretty pain-free lifestyle.

On WWE’s Roster: They’re pretty thin on talent, they’ve had some injuries. They’ve brought the Rock in to host it. They brought me back. I didn’t know if the Undertaker was going to make it, he’s had some injuries. Triple H is getting back in the ring. Until they brought all those players out they had a lot of green guys.

VIDEO: The Rock On Jay Leno Last Night

Here is the Rock’s appearance on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. Fast forward to 16:45 or so to see his appearance…