Former WWE superstar Dave Batista has been training for his professional mixed martial arts debut since leaving the company last year. According to MMAWeekly.com, Batista’s MMA debut is currently scheduled to take place in May – and the fight will not take place in the United States.
Several promotions have been trying to sign Batista for his first MMA fight, most notably Scott Coker’s Strikeforce promotion, but sources close to Batista have revealed the UK-based BAMMA promotion is the front runner and could sign Batista soon. BAMMA has an upcoming show (“BAMMA 6″) scheduled for May 21st Wembley Arena.
Batista reportedly has a movie scheduled to begin shooting in September and wants to have his first fight before then.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
More Details Revealed on WWE NXT 5 - Host, Announcers, Format
by Marc Middleton
Mar 8, 2011 - 8:41:58 PM
- The official name for season 5 of WWE NXT on their website is NXT: Redemption. The show will have Todd Grisham and William Regal doing announcing while Matt Striker and Maryse will be the hosts.
There will be no immunity this season.
As noted before, the Rookies are previous WWE NXT participants from past seasons. This season's roster looks like this:
* Darren Young and Chavo Guerrero
* Conor O'Brian and Vladimir Kozlov
* Lucky Cannon and Tyson Kidd
* Byron Saxton and Yoshi Tatsu
* Jacob Novak and JTG
* Titus O'Neill and Hornswoggle
Mar 8, 2011 - 8:41:58 PM
- The official name for season 5 of WWE NXT on their website is NXT: Redemption. The show will have Todd Grisham and William Regal doing announcing while Matt Striker and Maryse will be the hosts.
There will be no immunity this season.
As noted before, the Rookies are previous WWE NXT participants from past seasons. This season's roster looks like this:
* Darren Young and Chavo Guerrero
* Conor O'Brian and Vladimir Kozlov
* Lucky Cannon and Tyson Kidd
* Byron Saxton and Yoshi Tatsu
* Jacob Novak and JTG
* Titus O'Neill and Hornswoggle
Off Air Raw Notes
By Nick Paglino
March 8, 2011
March 8, 2011
Thanks to Cheyenne for sending in the following:
I'm not sure what the camera did when the fan ran into the ring as The Miz attacked Cena (I assume it panned away), but I got a couple of pictures of the fan being restrained and taken away. He got in the ring, slid out, began to run around, slid back into the ring, and got caught when he slid back out.
After the incident, John Cena and Randy Orton defeated CM Punk and The Miz in the event's dark match main event. Michael Cole acted as the ref, but Jerry Lawler came in at one point, ripped off Cole's shirt, put it on, and was there to make the three count for Cena and Orton.
RAW Notes
F4WOnline.com reported that NFL Star and MMA fighter Herschel Walker was at Raw Last Night.
The Rock Responds to The Miz and Cena's Raw Comments
By Nick Paglino
March 8, 2011
March 8, 2011
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has posted the following on his Twitter account: "Wow, can The People's Champ and The Millions recover from that devastating Dr. Seuss 'final KO blow'?. Cena = hot shaved Barney anus garbage."
"The Miz...you want my attention...well now you got it...champ." You can read more at Twitter.com/TheRock.
John Cena Should Retire the Rock
John Cena Should Retire The Rock
By: Mike Killam
By: Mike Killam
How many times does WWE change course on a specific character or angle? Is Randy Orton a heel or a face? Sheamus, king of the world. Sheamus, Bourne fodder. The Nexus is going to be the most dominant team in the history of sports entertainment. But first they're going to get destroyed by John Cena and his boys at SummerSlam. Don't worry...they'll probably recover. When it comes to long term investments, the WWE only has two left: the Undertaker's undefeated WrestleMania streak and John Cena's face character. Everything else changes with the wind on a monthly, sometimes weekly basis.
The thing about an investment is it only really pays off if you let it sit. You have to put it in motion and walk away for a long time before it's ready to be taken out and used for even bigger payoff. The WWE made an investment in John Cena at WrestleMania 21 when they allowed him to topple the “wrestling god”. They gave John the keys to the locker room and told him to run... And now the kid from West Newbury is the biggest thing since the Rock. Maybe bigger... But eventually Cena's going to get older and a fresh face will captivate the kids in attendance. The fans who once cheered for Cena won't remember why, and he'll have a lot of trouble staying relevant, let alone popular. Granted, the downward spiral of Cena is still years into the future, but why wait? Why not take advantage of the biggest talent in wrestling while he's still king of the mountain (sorry JJ)? I'm talking, of course, about turning WWE's biggest cash cow into a full blown villain.
The idea's been thrown around for years, but I don't think Vince McMahon has really had the prime opportunity to do anything about it. Even if he wanted to turn Cena heel, what is he going to do? He could go through the motions and take out Randy Orton, but most of Cena's fan base would just start hating the Viper again. I think they teased the idea already, and it didn't work. As much as they want it to happen, Cena and Orton are just not the same as Rock and Austin. But I truly believe that if the WWE is going to make the move, now is the only time to do it. With Hulk Hogan spending all his time in TNA (and waging relevancy wars with Bret Hart), the Rock is the only giant draw left in pro wrestling. No matter how much Cena tries to get people on his side (and the rapping thing almost worked...), he just doesn't have the “millions” wrapped around his finger like the Great One does. So why not kill two birds with one stone, and utilize the longevity of Cena's character AND the return of the most electrifying man in entertainment? We can be real, the Rock isn't going to be around forever. While my fingers are still crossed and my mind is open, he's probably not going to be around much past WrestleMania. Once he's gone, he's gone and the WWE will be in the same place they were two months ago. I say ALL of this because I know that people aren't going to be happy with my idea... Alright, here goes nothing.
The Rock is going to play some sort of role in the match between John Cena and WWE Champion the Miz at WrestleMania, right? Well, for starters Cena is going to need to defeat the Miz and win back his title. For most of you that's probably where the issue is going to start. But wait, there's more... After “the champ” has had time to watch Miz crawl to the back, you have the Rock come down and stand in the ring face-to-face with the new WWE Champion. And after almost two months of epic confrontation and dramatic build-up, you have the Rock extend the hand to John Cena. Allow the People's Champion to be the symbol of peace and good-will this time. If you want to have the Rock pick up a microphone he can even tell Cena that by watching him win the title he grew so impressed that he's willing to put the past behind him and “pass the torch” like a legend should do. The twist comes when John Cena levels the Rock in the middle of the ring at WrestleMania 27. The fans might not get it at first, and they may even cheer in favor of Cena if it happens (the kids anyway). But the prestige happens on Monday Night Raw the following evening. Can you picture John Cena coming to the ring and telling the fans that even though he's been around for seven years giving his life for them, they throw it right back in his face as soon as the Rock comes crawling back? That he's sick of everything he's given for the company and for the Universe, when none of it matters when the “Great One” steps back into the ring. Can you imagine Superman John Cena, biggest true face in 20 years, telling the people he once loved that “they can't see him”?
But why turn the biggest face in the WWE against his people? Because you can't build a great face without a great heel. It took JBL to turn Cena into what he is, and it also took guys like Triple H and Edge to keep him going once he was on top. But who is going to take guys like the Miz and Dolph Ziggler to the top of the mountain. How will Drew McIntyre ever be the face of anything unless he has a villain to defeat? Heels are a dime-a-dozen in today's industry, but GOOD heels are hard to come by. The type of heel that the fans just want to see destroyed is almost never heard of. They need to take advantage of the opportunity given to them and turn John Cena into the biggest heel wrestling has ever seen. Make him win the title, take out the Rock, and actually GO ON THE ATTACK when he's in the ring. Make him put down Kofi Kingston and Rey Mysterio. Have Daniel Bryan try to bring him to justice, only to fail at the last second. For super-massive heal heat, utilize the Rock at SummerSlam in a “dream match” against Cena, with the Rock's future in the WWE on the line. Give the man the exit he needs and put Cena on the map forever. You need to give the fans somebody to truly hate again so they have someone to truly cheer for again. Do you see why a veteran like Jerry Lawler is getting some of the best reactions on Raw? It's not because fans today care about Lawler... Don't get me wrong, the guy is one of the best, and his contributions to wrestling are still seen in the ring today, but fans today don't give a damn. It's because Michael Cole is one of the most annoying, evil jack-asses wrestling has seen in a LONG time. The Miz is good, but he's not good enough to really HATE. Therefor, people don't actually want to see Cena beat him at WrestleMania...That is a problem. Not since the days of Austin-McMahon have people hated a personality more. People love Lawler because he's taking out Michael Cole! Who wouldn't want to get behind that?
Yes, people will get beaten along the way. But it won't be the same as Cena taking out a bunch of young heels left and right. Super Cena beating Wade Barrett just makes Barrett look weak and pushes him further down the card. But if somebody like Daniel Bryan tried and failed to defeat Evil Cena, the fans would have to get behind him. The idea is to make the fans support people they normally don't get that behind, just because they hate the villain so much. JBL was absolute gold. He took Guerrero, Mysterio, and Cena to new levels of fan support. The WWE has an opportunity to re-capture that magic. If you want to make the Miz the “future of the WWE” you put him up against John Cena next year after he's had a year of being an evil dictator on Raw, and you see what happens. People will be begging for Miz to take the belt of him... And when he does we'll have a new face, a new era, and a new product. I'm not saying the idea is a perfect formula. I'm not saying it's 100% proven to work. But the Rock is likely the only person who could turn Cena heel, and Vince may only have a short time to pull the trigger... People may be livid at the idea of Cena beating Miz at WrestleMania. They may despise the idea of Cena beating down the Rock. But just be lucky I didn't go with my original idea... Can you imagine if a heel John Cena ended the Undertaker's streak at WrestleMania? People would be throwing garbage into the ring. People would be threatening Cena's life. People would hate Vince, Stephanie, Triple H, and everyone ever involved with the WWE Creative process. It would be...wonderful
WWE Creative Told Not To Mention WMania 17 Match
by Nick Paglino
March 8, 2011
F4WOnline.com is reporting that the WWE creative team has been told not to mention or have either Triple H or The Undertaker reference their match at WrestleMania 17.
As most are aware, 'Taker and Triple H wrestled each other 10 years ago at WrestleMania, and of course The Undertaker won. But WWE wants to put Triple H over as a credible threat to The Undertaker's streak, so creative has been told not to have the bout mentioned on TV so that the marketability of the WrestleMania 27 match is not hurt, nor is the fan's perception that Triple H can actually end the streak.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Update on WWE's Plans For The Rock on TV, WMania & More By Nick Paglino
The Wrestling Observer is reporting that WWE plans to use The Rock at least one more time on TV before he makes his appearance as the guest host of WrestleMania. The feeling is that while WWE wants to use The Rock on TV to help build his feud with Cena and The Miz heading into the big PPV, they don't want to over expose him to the fans as they want his WrestleMania experience to feel special.
Additionally, The Rock commented on the Raw returns of Triple H and The Undertaker by posting the following on his Twitter account: "loved seeing both Undertaker and Triple H return..what incredible crowd reactions for both..very happy for them - epic match!"
BRET HART AND JOHN CENA RESPOND TO ROCKS RAW PROMO
By Nick Paglino March 1, 2011
Bret Hart and John Cena both responded to The Rock's Raw promo last night by posting the following on Twitter:
John Cena: "CeNation. Sometimes I need not say a thing. ” the People” say it for me. ;) thanks. Hustle. Loyalty. Respect."
Bret Hart: "Nice promo from the Rock… Although his trophy case could use some work to bring it up to Hitman standards!"
JR Comments On Sin Cara, Michael Cole, The Possibilty Of His On-Air Return, More
Written by on Mar 1, 2011 - 1:21:23 PM
Jim Ross has a new blog entry available on his official website. Below are the highlights: -Sin Cara....not sure when he will debut but assume it will be after WM27. I know both Raw and Smackdown brands are keenly interested in the young, masked performer. He's very talented and will dazzle many with his high flying skills. If you're not familiar with Sin Cara go on You Tube and check out 'Mistico.' It's amazing that so many experts have it figured out that WWE will not fully maximize Sin Cara's abilities which at this stage of the process is a joke. -Michael Cole...no one in WWE has done a better job of developing a new persona than has Michael Cole over the past few months. His goal was to get people to see another side of him, he does have an outgoing personality, and to dislike him enough to want to see someone kick his butt. Cole has succeeded in that task. Does Cole rub me the wrong way on TV more often than not? Absolutely. He can be a tool. -It's amazing how many times a day I get Tweets @JRsBBQ or emails to this site asking me when I'm returning to WWE. I've been with WWE since 1993 but left the air due to health reasons in October of 2009 but never left the company. Am I coming back to work on a weekly TV show or on a PPV? That's not my call folks. Would I like to? Of course particularly the PPV side of that equation. Some of you that follow up regularly must be getting tired of this too but apparently we are gaining new followers on Twitter and new visitors to this site daily. BTW I'm feeling great and my health is better than it's been in a decade I'm blessed to say. |
Chris Jericho Confirmed For ABC's "Dancing With The Stars"
Wrestling News World reader Jason V. sent in the following: While it hasn't been the best kept secret, it was made official Monday that Chris Jericho will be a contestant on this season's "Dancing with the Stars" on ABC. Unfortunately, some media outlets are still ten years behind, referring to Jericho's inclusion into the cast by labeling him as a "WWF" star. |
CM Punk Calls Buffalo Bills Linebacker Shawne Merriman A Creep; Merriman To Attend Tonight's Raw
The Chicago Tribune has an article online with CM Punk discussing what caused his Twitter exchange with Buffalo Bills linebacker Shawne Merriman when they had a run-in in Costa Rica. Below is what Punk told the paper: "All I did was observe him walking around poolside, back and fourth, around in circles. I had no clue who he was, just knew that this guy was obviously trying to get noticed. When that didn't work, he sent his publicist after the girls, which is the most lacking of testicles thing ever. That's how we found out who he was. "When THAT didn't work I watched him run after them as they tried to leave. Dude clowned himself and all I did was report the facts and laugh about it. On the road, the WWE is a family. The divas are my sisters, and like any big brother, I don't want creeps around my little sisters." |
What You Didn't See On Tonight's WWE Raw
After tonight's WWE Raw went off the air, Randy Orton & John Cena b. WWE Champion The Miz & CM Punk with Michael Cole as special guest referee. Cole ran off and Orton ended up hitting the RKO on both The Miz and Punk, pinning Punk for the three count. After the match, Cena got on the mic and took some shots at The Rock and thanked the crowd. Orton went into the crowd to take pictures with fans and sign autographs. |
This Week On Smackdown - The Undertaker Returns; World Heavyweight Championship Match Contract Signing
This Week On Smackdown - The Undertaker Returns; World Heavyweight Championship Match Contract Signing
The Undertaker is advertised to return to Smackdown on this week's show. The show will also feature the contract signing of the World Heavyweight Championship match between Edge and Alberto Del Rio at Wrestlemania XXVII. WWE will tape this week's Smackdown tomorrow night from the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. |
John Cena Is Better Than The Rock
John Cena Is Better Than The Rock
We love the Rock, and are as excited as everyone else about his return to WWE and the verbal barbs he's tossed out at John Cena. But even though we might personally prefer the Brahma Bull in this developing rivalry, is he really better than WWE's poster boy?
By Aubrey Sitterson February 22, 2011
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