Author Topic: Industry News & Notes: (Read 758712 times)

leonp1981 · « **Reply #1300 on:** May 03, 2011, 05:04:30 PM »

As much as I like Rock, wasn't all this stuff a bit OTT? He buggered off for 7 years, waltzes back and now Vince is on stage kissing his ass? Austin was a bigger star, has never done a disappearing act, and still shows up regularly. I don't see them rolling out the red carpet treatment for him?

Montague · « **Reply #1301 on:** May 03, 2011, 05:11:46 PM »

Quote from: leonp1981 on May 03, 2011, 05:04:30 PM

As much as I like Rock, wasn't all this stuff a bit OTT? He buggered off for 7 years, waltzes back and now Vince is on stage kissing his ass? Austin was a bigger star, has never done a disappearing act, and still shows up regularly. I don't see them rolling out the red carpet treatment for him?

To be fair, Austin had his "moments."
I remember at least twice him storming out of an arena, refusing to work over some disagreement with management.

The one instance was, I believe, around 2001/2002, when he left not only the arena, but the state!
He went home to TX and JR spent the next day trying to get in touch with him and work things out.
Then, Ross appeared on the following episode of Confidential and publicly proclaimed, "Austin took his ball and went home," about 23 times during the show.

I'm sure there were a lot of fans who were pissed over not seeing Stone Cold, and WWE wanted to clear themselves of Austin's actions by making certain people knew it was Steve who cancelled on them; NOT the Fed.

leonp1981 · « **Reply #1302 on:** May 03, 2011, 05:49:17 PM »

Maybe so, but why all the fuss over Rock's 39th? Maybe next year for his 40th!

There's a pile of guys on the roster who have given a lot more over the past 7 years, and ain't getting massive birthday bashes like that, I just don't get it. Is Vince trying his best to keep Rock sweet, because he knows once HHH and Taker go, he's playing with an empty hand?

Montague · « **Reply #1303 on:** May 03, 2011, 06:05:56 PM »

Quote from: leonp1981 on May 03, 2011, 05:49:17 PM

Maybe so, but why all the fuss over Rock's 39th? Maybe next year for his 40th!

There's a pile of guys on the roster who have given a lot more over the past 7 years, and ain't getting massive birthday bashes like that, I just don't get it. Is Vince trying his best to keep Rock sweet, because he knows once HHH and Taker go, he's playing with an empty hand?

Given the current state of things, I think the old man would be foolish NOT to kiss Rock's ass right now.

Also, with Vince expanding the Fed into a broader entertainment market (and somewhat away from wrestling), I can easily see Rock playing a role in that.
Of any wrestler to appear in movies and on television, Rock is undoubtedly the most successful.
He's also got incredibly strong ties to the wrestling business, and is thus a logical ally for Vince to have/keep/use.

JMO.

Playboy · « **Reply #1304 on:** May 04, 2011, 04:47:34 AM »

Quote from: leonp1981 on May 03, 2011, 05:04:30 PM

As much as I like Rock, wasn't all this stuff a bit OTT? He buggered off for 7 years, waltzes back and now Vince is on stage kissing his ass? Austin was a bigger star, has never done a disappearing act, and still shows up regularly. I don't see them rolling out the red carpet treatment for him?

That means nothing. People are entitled to do other things / try other ventures which he has and the fact that Rock came back through the front door and still POPPED the crowd and had them in the palm of his hand and got the reaction he did says alot.

UPINTHEMGUTS · « **Reply #1305 on:** May 04, 2011, 12:53:27 PM »

Quote from: Playboy on May 04, 2011, 04:47:34 AM

That means nothing. People are entitled to do other things / try other ventures which he has and the fact that Rock came back through the front door and still POPPED the crowd and had them in the palm of his hand and got the reaction he did says alot.

No doubt about it. As a fair weather fan these days, I hardly ever want to watch RAW. Wrestling today is terrible, IMO. Just can't get into it and stick with it these days. But I knew the Rock's birthday event show was May 2nd and I wasn't going to miss that. I was happy that Rock opened the show, otherwise I would have tuned out to the show and missed it. I watched the segment with Cena too. Rock's still the man, always will be.

Playboy · « **Reply #1306 on:** May 04, 2011, 01:18:03 PM »

Quote from: UPINTHEMGUTS on May 04, 2011, 12:53:27 PM

No doubt about it. As a fair weather fan these days, I hardly ever want to watch RAW. Wrestling today is terrible, IMO. Just can't get into it and stick with it these days. But I knew the Rock's birthday event show was May 2nd and I wasn't going to miss that. I was happy that Rock opened the show, otherwise I would have tuned out to the show and missed it. I watched the segment with Cena too. Rock's still the man, always will be.

Did you hear the crowd on Raw this past monday night?

Kids - "Lets go Cena!"

Adults - "Cena sucks!"

Totally drowned out the kids.

UPINTHEMGUTS · « **Reply #1307 on:** May 04, 2011, 01:37:50 PM »

Quote from: Playboy on May 04, 2011, 01:18:03 PM

Did you hear the crowd on Raw this past monday night?

Kids - "Lets go Cena!"

Adults - "Cena sucks!"

Totally drowned out the kids.

His gimmick is corny to me. The white rapper wearing jorts and white tennis shoes? I know his generates a lot of $ with the kids, but Vince needs to think about expanding his character to make him interesting. His promos are long and boring and he can't wrestle for shit.

Montague · « **Reply #1308 on:** May 04, 2011, 06:20:01 PM »

As we reported last week, WWE Diva Michelle McCool has indeed finished up with the company. Since that report, McCool has spoken with WWE about her depature, and now F4WOnline.com has provided more details on the story including a possible update on her future.

It's being said that WWE officials have been aware of McCool's decision to leave the company for quite some time, and creative had planned to break up the LayCool team several months ago. However, when Snooki signed on to participate at WrestleMania this year, plans to break up LayCool were put on hold so that the Snooki angle could take place. The decision was later made that Extreme Rules would be McCool's last WWE match.

The general feeling is that McCool decided to leave WWE so that she and her husband, The Undertaker, could focus on settling down and starting a family in the near future. As we noted, McCool left WWE on good terms, and the door is open anytime for her should she want to return. It's even being said that WWE is considering her for a coaching position on Tough Enough if the show is picked up for a second season.

credit: wrestlezone.com

Montague · « **Reply #1309 on:** May 04, 2011, 06:20:45 PM »

Deadline.com is reporting that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has switched talent agencies and is now signed with the WME Agency.
Previously, Johnson had been signed with CAA, being represented by Darren Statt.

As we previously reported, The Rock has two movies lined-up in the near future, one where he will play country music star Charlie Pride in an biopic, and the other is entitled "Snitch."

credit: wrestlezone.com

Montague · « **Reply #1310 on:** May 04, 2011, 06:21:24 PM »

Mick Foley is auctioning off his shirt that he wore in his famous Hell In A Cell macth with The Undertaker along with the original Mr. Socko and other items.
The proceeds are going towards his charity drive for RAINN which raises money for survivors of sexual violence.
Foley's drive has already raised over $100,000.

source: wrestlezone.com

leonp1981 · « **Reply #1311 on:** May 04, 2011, 06:36:24 PM »

Quote from: Playboy on May 04, 2011, 04:47:34 AM

That means nothing. People are entitled to do other things / try other ventures which he has and the fact that Rock came back through the front door and still POPPED the crowd and had them in the palm of his hand and got the reaction he did says alot.

I've got nothing against him doing other things, quite the opposite. But I think it's a bit unfair to the guys who bust their ass 365 days a year for him to come back like this and have Vince personally saying 'Thank You'.

Quote from: cheftim on May 03, 2011, 08:05:01 PM

Austin would have done the same exact thing if he became a huge movie star. Austins movies drew zip and the Rocks drew over 1 BILLION! Not counting this Fast Five thingy. Austin was a bigger star. The Rock has become more of a star then any Wrestler in the history of the show. He played it perfectly. He was building a foundation in Hollywood. Now he can come back to Wrestling without worries of F'ing that up. VKM is seeing dollar signs with him plain and simple. Was there more then 1 miilion PPV buys because of Austin guest reffing the Cole match? Or because finally the Great One came home?

Yeah, but that works both ways. If Rock hadn't been gone for 7 years, then this return would never have gained the interest it has. I think a lot of people have forgotten that Rock completely separated himself from WWE for all those years, only appearing once (?) and that was a pre-recorded segment. It'd be interesting to hear how the other guys on the roster feel about this 'return'.

Playboy · « **Reply #1312 on:** May 05, 2011, 04:22:13 AM »

Quote from: UPINTHEMGUTS on May 04, 2011, 01:37:50 PM

His gimmick is corny to me. The white rapper wearing jorts and white tennis shoes? I know his generates a lot of $ with the kids, but Vince needs to think about expanding his character to make him interesting. His promos are long and boring and he can't wrestle for shit.

He did good with that gimmick back in 2004-2005 as a heel when he was "The Chain Gang General" wearing football jersey's, kicking the rap promos, etc. The PG thing ruined that for him.

mass 04 · « **Reply #1313 on:** May 05, 2011, 10:10:30 AM »

WWE developmental wrestler Brett DiBiase has been removed from Florida Championship Wrestling’s roster page, which would indicate that he has been released.

The third generation wrestler had been under contract to WWE since 2008.

Meanwhile, Briley Pierce and Rodney Thomas were added to the section. Pierce is Dolph Ziggler’s younger brother, Ryan Nemeth. Thomas is a student from Lance Storm’s Wrestling Academy who has competed as “Shotgun” Brock Barker.

Regarding the rumored upcoming WWE releases, we usually see FCW releases first followed by main roster cuts. WWE sources say they’re worried roster cuts could be coming at any moment.

mass 04 · « **Reply #1314 on:** May 05, 2011, 10:12:33 AM »

pw insider:

Alicia Fox has suffered what is believed to be a shoulder injury after an angle with Kharma at last night’s WWE SmackDown tapings. Fox landed hard on her side after taking a clothesline and may have separated her shoulder

good HHH interview. Talks about his future, WWE rebranding

http://iwantwrestling.com/2011/05/04/triple-h-talks-new-wwe-future-stars-and-undertaker-match-video/

mass 04 · « **Reply #1315 on:** May 06, 2011, 02:09:08 PM »

pwinsider-

Former WWE star Shane Helms and his girlfriend were involved in a motorcycle accident last night near their home in North Carolina.
Both are currently hospitalized. We have confirmed Helms broke his leg and his ankle. There may have been additional injuries but we don't have any confirmation.

mass 04 · « **Reply #1316 on:** May 07, 2011, 05:13:38 PM »

Wrestling Observer-

Nothing is official, but the internal thought with WWE is that The Undertaker is basically retired, which explains Michelle McCool's departure to stay at home with him. According to The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, physically Undertaker is in far worse shape than is being let on. The company is not ruling out him wrestling next year at Wrestlemania, however, they are not expecting him to work another match before then. His friends have talked to him about winning again at Wrestlemania 28, and retiring with a 20-0 Mania streak.

mass 04 · « **Reply #1317 on:** May 07, 2011, 05:27:20 PM »

Observer:
There are reports out of WWE that Kharma has been working extremely "stiff" with the other WWE Divas. This has rubbed some the wrong way. Alicia Fox also appeared to suffer a shoulder injury after taking a clothesline from Kharma on this week's WWE SmackDown! broadcast.

oh brother

Montague · « **Reply #1318 on:** May 07, 2011, 07:28:13 PM »

Quote from: mass 04 on May 07, 2011, 05:27:20 PM

Observer:
There are reports out of WWE that Kharma has been working extremely "stiff" with the other WWE Divas. This has rubbed some the wrong way. Alicia Fox also appeared to suffer a shoulder injury after taking a clothesline from Kharma on this week's WWE SmackDown! broadcast.

oh brother

Good to see she's starting off on the right foot.
Then, when they release her, she'll probably file a discrimination suit.

mass 04 · « **Reply #1319 on:** May 09, 2011, 03:15:12 PM »

According to a report by The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE business partners have been told that Mike "The Miz" Mizanin will still be treated as a priority in 2011 despite losing the WWE Championship recently to John Cena. As of now, the plan is to keep the focus on him as a character as Cena was already scheduled to win the title at the end of their program. Mizanin has been described as a very important public relations person for the company as he can be interviewed in places where outlets wouldn't normally have an interest in WWE. No one in the company expected the amount of publicity he received after winning the WWE Championship in November and it led to him having a longer reign with the title as a result.

mass 04 · « **Reply #1320 on:** May 09, 2011, 03:39:42 PM »

John Morrison stated on his Twitter account this morning that he's undergoing surgery to repair his neck.

He wrote, "I'm about to get an operation to fix my neck- I will return @RonKillings."

The Raw Superstar did not work this past weekend's Raw live events despite being advertised.

F4WOnline.com reported last night that Morrison is legitimately injured.

mass 04 · « **Reply #1321 on:** May 09, 2011, 04:45:45 PM »

According to a report on TMZ.com, police are investigating whether Gregory Shane Helms was intoxicated at the time of his motorcycle crash Thursday night that left the former WWE Superstar and his girlfriend, Karen, hospitalized with serious injuries.

A witness cited in a police report says Helms and his girlfriend were riding home from a restaurant in Smithfield, North Carolina at approximately 9:15 p.m. when Helms went through a stop sign, lost control of the bike and "drove straight through the metal chain link fence."

TMZ says the witness told officers he was hanging out with Helms at the restaurant minutes before the crash and said he "was sure" Helms had been drinking.

funk51 · « **Reply #1322 on:** May 10, 2011, 10:05:39 AM »

while watching raw last night spotted little guido now a referee in the wwe working the women's match.

Playboy · « **Reply #1323 on:** May 11, 2011, 12:41:02 PM »

Quote from: mass 04 on May 09, 2011, 03:39:42 PM

John Morrison stated on his Twitter account this morning that he's undergoing surgery to repair his neck.

He wrote, "I'm about to get an operation to fix my neck- I will return @RonKillings."

The Raw Superstar did not work this past weekend's Raw live events despite being advertised.

F4WOnline.com reported last night that Morrison is legitimately injured.

Yup....one to many 10 twist, corkscrew, summersault jumps off the top rope. He is way over rated and now he is finished.

mass 04 · « **Reply #1324 on:** May 11, 2011, 06:49:26 PM »

Wrestling Observer Newsletter-
WWE officials have discussed reviving the manager role for some heel performers who can't speak at a main event level.