Current WWE United States Champion Dean Ambrose of “The Shield” joined 97.9 ESPN’s The Bower Show in Hartford, CT on May 30th, 2013 to discuss the upcoming RAW show at the XL Center, the moment he wanted to be a wrestler, they play a round of “I bet Dean Ambrose has never” and so much more in the full interview:
Credit – Wrestling Observer
Speaking of Cesaro, we noted before that some WWE officials feel he’s boring while others in the company feel he should be in the top mix of things. It’s said some of those who think he’s boring are some of the most important people in the company. However, there is a general feeling that Cesaro is right near the top of the best workers in the company.
He is also described as having no real problems in the sense that most people in the locker room respect him, thinks he’s great in the ring and has no drug or immaturity issues.
Credit – Wrestling Observer
After holding the United States Championship for 240 days through last month when he was upended by Kofi Kingston, Antonio Cesaro’s standing in WWE has been greatly curtailed as the Swiss grappler has lost the majority of his televised matches. For those wondering whether his demotion is as a result of “heat” backstage, it is not. Rather, top WWE officials simply feel he lacks personality.
While addressing Cesaro’s current placement in WWE, Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio Monday night that company brass believe that the former Ring of Honor standout is “boring,” resulting in his slide down the card. Some in WWE, however, are not in favor of the demotion, and believe Cesaro should be a headliner.
While Cesaro engaged in a match with Kingston two weeks onWWE Main Event that was well-received by management, it failed to alter his standing in the organization. Meltzer noted, “They don’t see him any higher than they did two weeks ago. There was lip service paid there for a week or two, but it’s over now.”
Credit – PWInsider
There has been a lot of head-scratching over the way Antonio Cesaro has been booked lately, from a series of losses to dropping the United States Title after previously being booked strong.
It’s said that Cesaro has not done anything to be in WWE’s doghouse and isn’t considered to be. Cesaro’s booking was explained by a source as just the way WWE creative and production changes from week to week these days. WWE officials really are going back and forth from week to week on who they want to push and who they don’t want to push.
WWE published an article looking at former WWF Tag Team Champion Rick Steiner, who today runs the “Rick Steiner and Associates” real estate firm. In the story, Steiner discussed signing with WWE in 1993 and the differences between WWE and WCW.
“In WCW, you had to come up with your own stuff,” Steiner noted. “WWE had their vision, told you what was going on and you geared everything toward that.”
- Antonio Cesaro spoke with WWE’s website after losing the United States Title to Kofi Kingston on last night’s RAW. Cesaro said he should be thanked for making the US Title relevant again. Cesaro called himself the answer to WWE’s problems.
- WWE Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett spoke with Matt Striker on the WWE App last night. Barrett said the loss to R-Truth on RAW was the wake-up he needed and said he would give Truth a title shot to prove he can beat him.
- WWE aired a segment on their app last night during RAW where Damien Sandow bet Cody Rhodes he could take any Superstar in WWE and turn them into a sophisticated member of society by the end of the summer. Cody chose The Great Khali and that’s apparently what led to the tag match on last night’s RAW.
Credit – PWInsider
There were a lot of WWE mid-card talents who were down that they never got to go out in front of the crowd or had backstage segments, especially since in years past, the company had always tried to squeeze everyone in. This year’s show, however, was rushed from the very start.
There was also a lot of talk about how silly it was that Antonio Cesaro didn’t have a spot on the show given how hard he’s worked.
Many are always wondering why more matches weren’t added to the hour-long pre-show.
In an interview published in the April 2013 issue of WWE Magazine, R-Truth was asked whether he sees himself as a “main-event player.” He replied, “definitely.”
“If you’re going to be in this business, you need to be in to win it,” said R-Truth. “And that’s been one of my goals—to become of the main players. I have no problem putting the company on my back and totin’ it. I’m it to win it. I want to become a main player, a main-eventer, a headliner—whatever. I have all that’s needed to do that.”
At WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, R-Truth suffered a gruesome leg injury during his match against United States Championship Antonio Cesaro. When asked to explain the incident, he said, “That’s one of the reasons I tell kids, and I’m going to say this right now, for all you readers. Do not try doing the things that we do one TV in WWE. We’re the entertainers, we’re the professionals. That injury came from one of my maneuvers, the Side-Slipper. Just the impact of me coming down into the ring caused it. I slid, but my kneepads caught on the skin of my knee and just ripped it apart.”
Finally, R-Truth was asked how he can tell if someone is lying: “The eyes. The eyes tell it all. You can see into people’s souls through their eyes.”
The Miz recently spoke with Red Carpet Crash while promiting his upcoming movie The Marine 3: Homefront. Here are some highlights from the interview.
What made him want to get into wrestling: “My entire life has been on TV, in a way. And you know what’s cool? The uh, the fact that people saw the dream right from the beginning. Like, when I was on The Real World, before the Real World, I didn’t think I could do anything besides go to college, after college go back to Parma, Ohio, you get a family, you get a job, and that’s what you do for the rest of your life. And, once I got on The Real World, it made me realize that I could do anything I wanted. So I went back to Parma, I looked myself in the mirror, I remember looking at myself in the mirror and like right next to me on the shelf was a Rock, The Rock, action figure. And I was like, “What do you want to do with your life?” and I saw the thing and I was like, “I’ve always loved WWE, I want to be a WWE superstar.” So I moved to Los Angeles, started training in the independents while doing all those challenges that everyone saw. And at the challenges I was like, “I’m the Miz, I’m the Miz! WWE…can you look me up?”
What his WWE debut was like: “For a year I was in developmental territory, until I was debuted in Portland, Oregon at the Rose Garden Center as the host of Friday Night Smackdown. They wanted me to be the Ryan Seacrest of the WWE. And I was like, you know growing up as a kid, watching Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan, I never dreamed of wanting to be the Ryan Seacrest of the WWE. But, you know what, I’ll take whatever I can get.”
How he was treated once he made it to Smackdown: “The fans hated me, because WWE is like a fraternity. The locker room hated me. Nobody liked me because I was from a reality show, and I had to earn respect. And that’s what I set out to do. I set out to earn respect from not only the WWE Universe, not only the locker room, but everybody. And uh, everyone said I’d be fired within three months. Here I am today, sitting in front of you, 2013, a person that’s main evented Wrestlemania, has been WWE Champion, 2 time United States Champion, Intercontinental Champion, 4 time Tag Team Champion, 2 Time Slammy Award Winner, and now starring in a WWE Studios film, The Marine 3 Homefront.”
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has published a new blog on JrsBarBq.com. Here are some highlights.
The overall production: The #WWEChamber had many moments that I enjoyed. New Orleans live audience felt emotionally invested while watching on PPV from my home in Oklahoma. The look of the show, graphics, music, video packages were top shelf as always. No one does PPV better than @WWE in my biased opinion.
World Heavyweight Championship: I never saw the submission victory for Alberto Del Rio coming. @VivaDelRio using the cross armbreaker to submit @WWETheBigShow shows the effectiveness of the hold and that ADR can beat any one with it. I’ve always been a fan of when sport entertainment utilizes established submission holds.
United States Championship: Continue to be impressed with the United State Champion @AntonioCesaro as he seems to continue to get better with each outing. Cesaro is so fundamentally sound, much bigger and stronger than most perceive and is in magnificent physical condition. He has a legit shot to reinvigorate the US Title and it seems as if his rivalry with @MikeTheMiz is on going. The disqualification decision caught me off guard but the Ref’s call appeared to be the only one that he could make.
Elimination Chamber match: The Elimination Chamber match delivered in a big way in my eyes. Loved that it came down to all six men before the first elimination was declared. It certainly was one of the better bouts of its type as all the participants had significant moments along the way. Even though @TheMarkHenry did not win he had a monster night. Very impactful and memorable. Great example of maximizing his minutes. Same can be said to some degree for @RandyOrton, @IAmJericho Chris Jericho and the eventual winner and former #OU Sooner Jack Swagger. Swagger now is in line for a major assignment at WM29 in Met Life Stadium where he will face Alberto Del Rio for the World Title.
Jericho continued his torrid paced return to WWE and his marathon like performance was outstanding. It’s hard to believe that, arguably, Jericho is as good as he ever was, perhaps better in many ways, after such a long lay off. A true artisan.
Team Cena vs. Team Shield: The 6 man tag exceeded my expectations and I thought it, along with the Elimination Chamber, were, arguably, the matches of the night. Shocked to some degree that @TheShield won as their victory was definitely an ‘upset’ in my view. @WWERollins, @DeanAmbrose and @RomanReigns all had excellent nights against top quality opponents. The @WWENXT alums came though on game day and have added a freshness and unpredictability to WWE that always makes the TV product better.
Divas Championship: Kaitlyn is slowly building a nice body of work within the WWE Divas division that feels like anyone can beat the other on any given night.
WWE Championship: @TheRock defeating @CMPunk wasn’t a total shocker including the controversy that dotted the bout toward its crescendo. Punk will likely have plenty to say about the matter tonight on #Raw that emanates from Lafayette, Louisiana. This bout saw two referees utilized, @HeymanHustle get dusted, Punk pinning Rock for long enough to grab a sandwich, and a well timed Rock Bottom to seal the deal. Lots of things to process in the final moments of the contest. “Was justice served?” Great line by @JCLayfield that certainly stimulated plenty of conjecture.
via WWE.com:
WWE.com spoke to Dolph Ziggler after defeating Kofi Kingston at Elimination Chamber. Ziggler complained about not being booked and put over Big E Langston. Langston spoke and said he had his fun with Kofi Kingston.
WWE’s website also caught up with Divas Champion Kaitlyn. She called the win over Tamina Snuka the second biggest win of her career. Kaitlyn talked about how scary Tamina is and how much anxiety she had going into the match.
WWE.com also spoke to The Miz. He promised that he will get the United States Title from Antonio Cesaro.
Finally, WWE Champion The Rock spoke to WWE.com after his victory. Rock put over everyone who made Elimination Chamber happen, including the fans. He gave CM Punk props and respect. WWE’s website also has footage of Rock celebrating with the fans before heading to the back.
Below is what looks to be the final card for tonight’s WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.
WWE Title Match
CM Punk vs. The Rock
If The Rock gets himself disqualified or counted out, CM Punk wins the title
World Heavyweight Title Match
Big Show vs. Alberto Del Rio
Elimination Chamber Match
Chris Jericho vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton vs. Mark Henry vs. Kane vs. Jack Swagger
Winner gets a World Heavyweight Title shot at WrestleMania 29
WWE Divas Title Match
Tamina Snuka vs. Kaitlyn
WWE United States Title Match
The Miz vs. Antonio Cesaro
Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns vs. John Cena, Ryback and Sheamus
Pre-show Match
Tensai and Brodus Clay vs. Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow
Former WCW United States Champion and Chicago Bears defensive tackler Steve “Mongo” McMichael filed the formal petitions to become a mayoral candidate in the Chicago suburb of Romeoville, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
The Four Horsemen alumnus says he was prompted to run by his desire to help the district where his 4-year-old daughter will attend school and conversations he’s had with customers at a sports bar he owns.
WWE United States Champion Antonio Cesaro is celebrating 100 days with the strap. He posted the following Tout:
