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Post by Stephanie McMahon's sidekick! on Nov 17, 2002 14:27:18 GMT -5
Royal Rumble Match Details; Changes In Format & More
There have been recent talks regarding tweaking the format of next year's Royal Rumble to reflect the brand extension.
There was even plans to have the Royal Rumble match in two rings, somewhat similar to the old WCW World War 3 gimmick. However, this idea was rejected.
Retaining the original formula of Royal Rumble seems to be the most likely possibility at this point, with 15 superstars from each brand making up the match.
However, nothing has yet been decided regarding the format of the Royal Rumble match and it could change many times between now and the event in January.
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Post by Stephanie McMahon's sidekick! on Nov 17, 2002 14:29:57 GMT -5
Possible WWE Employment Opportunities
Three new WWE employment opportunities have been posted on HotJobs.com. Here is the listing.
1. Help Desk Technician
Help Desk Technician World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)
Stamford, CT 11/12/2002
2. AUDIO ENGINEER
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)
Stamford, CT 11/12/2002
3. Facilities Specialist
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)
Stamford, CT 11/12/2002
For those who want to apply, visit HotJobs.com.
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Post by Stephanie McMahon's sidekick! on Nov 17, 2002 14:32:47 GMT -5
Survivor Series News, Inside Nowinski/WWE Update, & More
WWE, as promised, has released more tickets for Survivor Series. Upon doing a search on Ticketmaster.com, the best seat currently available (4:30 PM CST) is worth $400, being classified as "ringside".
For those wondering, Chris Nowinski uses his real name in WWE, as opposed to the 'Chris Harvard' name used in the indies, due to legal issues with Harvard University. The prestigious university does not mind Chris referring to the school in his promos, but did not approve of him using Harvard in his ring name.
WWE has brought back its PPV webcast program for Survivor Series. The price is $17.95, greatly reduced from the $34.95 PPV price, as well as the $24.95 that webcasts cost upon being discontinued a while back. WWE is hoping to get a good amount of orders on this web presentation.
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Post by Stephanie McMahon's sidekick! on Nov 17, 2002 14:41:06 GMT -5
WWE Talent Upset With Current Direction
Almost all of the WWE superstars from both RAW & Smackdown are upset with the entire direction WWE is currently heading. A few of the superstars have spoken out that WWE's talent is being wasted on uninteresting/offensive storylines. While those close to the McMahon family say that they are happy with how storylines have been going and the entire direction of WWE.
Kevin Dunn is the creative mind behind taking this new "soap opera" direction with the company, which Vince McMahon apparently loved.
So you can expect to see more storylines similar to what we have scene in the past few weeks like "Undertaker Being A Cheater" & "Kane/Katie Vick/Triple H Necrophillia".
Some of the talent in WWE, have contacted Vince McMahon and other storyline writers requesting that the whole soap opera angle be stopped, saying that its destroying WWE's look. Which is a very argueable point since this weeks RAW rating was the lowest since 1997, which is very disatorous for WWE. Time will only tell what we will see with future WWE storylines.
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Post by Stephanie McMahon's sidekick! on Nov 17, 2002 14:43:02 GMT -5
WWE Talent Upset With Current Direction
Almost all of the WWE superstars from both RAW & Smackdown are upset with the entire direction WWE is currently heading. A few of the superstars have spoken out that WWE's talent is being wasted on uninteresting/offensive storylines. While those close to the McMahon family say that they are happy with how storylines have been going and the entire direction of WWE.
Kevin Dunn is the creative mind behind taking this new "soap opera" direction with the company, which Vince McMahon apparently loved.
So you can expect to see more storylines similar to what we have scene in the past few weeks like "Undertaker Being A Cheater" & "Kane/Katie Vick/Triple H Necrophillia".
Some of the talent in WWE, have contacted Vince McMahon and other storyline writers requesting that the whole soap opera angle be stopped, saying that its destroying WWE's look. Which is a very argueable point since this weeks RAW rating was the lowest since 1997, which is very disatorous for WWE. Time will only tell what we will see with future WWE storylines.
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Post by Stephanie McMahon's sidekick! on Nov 17, 2002 14:47:39 GMT -5
Goldberg Trouble, Steiner/WWE News, & More
Once again, WWE has the Scott Steiner interview planned for tonight's Confidential. The interview did not air as planned last week, and its absence from the show was not explained. It should be really interesting to see if the interview does indeed air tonight as scheduled. Many are wondering why WWE would choose Confidential for this interview, when only a small portion of WWE fans view the show. My best guess is that WWE is trying to bring back viewers to the seemingly forgotten Confidential, that once had ratings of around double what it draws now. If last week is any indication, however, then this interview won't bring in viewers. Last week's episode scored a 0.6, and fans thought Steiner would be on the show. Thus, Steiner's presence won't likely have much of an effect.
Apparently, W-1 in Japan was not informed that Goldberg changed his mind about wrestling at their event today. They are still reportedly wondering where Bill is. For those who do not know, Bill Goldberg was set to wrestle his real-life friend Rick Steiner.
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Post by Stephanie McMahon's sidekick! on Nov 17, 2002 14:50:19 GMT -5
Older Changes Regarding Survivor Series Card
The following news is derived and re-written from the Torch Newsletter.
The main event of Survivor Series was not originally planned to show Brock Lesnar defending the WWE championship against Big Show.
Originally, a Lesnar/Hogan rematch was planned to top the card for Survivor Series. The plan for that particular main-event were dropped when Hogan refused to job to Lesnar for the second time. After Hogan backed out, McMahon was deciding between replacing him with Big Show, Chris Benoit, or Rey Mysterio.
Heyman has been pushing for a Lesnar/Benoit feud lately, but when push came to shove, McMahon was sold on the idea of Lesnar destroying the repackaged Big Show.
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Post by Stephanie McMahon's sidekick! on Nov 17, 2002 15:01:52 GMT -5
Trish Stratus Speaks Out Against WWE Necrophelia Segment
Thanks to Josh Winfield for sending along the following:
Just thought I would let you know in case someone hadn't yet. Trish Stratus was on a morning show on the radio here in Baltimore this morning.
Started out talking a little about the WWE finding her in Canada. Even made a crack
that she was the only one on her field hockey team that was straight.
She talked some about how her ankle injury allowed her to look at the product as a fan, and while she was out she got a better appreciation on what the fans liked to see in the ring. Once she got back, she got the opportunity to do more in ring work with an agent, and it has gone on from there.
The hosts touched on the necrophilia angle, and Trish said that here it is a few weeks later and people are still talking about it.
When they asked her about Vince buying all his competition, and how that may effect the quality of the product, Trish went on about how truly different Smackdown and Raw really are, even having their own GM and Champions. She said she always looks forward to watching Smackdown since she doesn't know what is going to happen, and she can just be a fan.
She also talked about how the "brand extension" has allowed for more new starts and talent to get TV and ring time, like Brock Lesnar. For some reason he was the only one that she mentioned though.
The hosts asked more about the downturn in the ratings, and Trish mentioned that it was more of a cycle, and in part due to the economy trend lately.
She also talked up Survivor Series, and the first ever Hardcore Woman's match for the title. All in all, Trish came off like she was having fun right now, and it was a good interview.
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Post by Stephanie McMahon's sidekick! on Nov 17, 2002 15:08:16 GMT -5
Heyman/Lesnar Relationship, Elimination Chamber Match, more
The following news and rumors are derived from BlackJack Brown @ SunTimes.com:
It is expected that Shawn Michaels, Booker T, Triple H and Chris Jericho will put on a good show in tonight’s elimination chamber, but there is a chance that either Rob Van Dam or Kane could walk out with the strap.
Brock Lesnar will be defending the "SmackDown!" world title against the Big Show tonight. The only question about the outcome in this match is if the Next Big Thing will still employ Paul Heyman after the match is over. All signs point to Paul Heyman perhaps screwing Lesnar and possibly even joining forces with the Big Show. Over the past few weeks, there has been obvious dissention between Heyman and Lesnar, all which could culminate in Heyman leaving the Next Big Thing tonight.
Hulk Hogan is in no rush to return to WWE, so with his book due to be released soon, expect to see him all over the map between now and Christmas.
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Post by Stephanie McMahon's sidekick! on Nov 17, 2002 15:10:21 GMT -5
WWE To End The Brand Extension After Tonight?
The following news is derived and re-written from the Torch Newsletter.
Several boxing publications have listed Michael Moorer as an opponent for Kurt Angle on the proposed Lennox Lewis vs. Brock Lesnar match. Many claim Moorer's name was never brought up during discussions between the Lewis camp and WWE. Some go as far as to say Moorer threw his own name out when he heard of the Lewis/Lesnar negotiations, as a way of gaining self-publicity. At this point, Lewis/Lesnar, Moorer/Angle, and any other boxer vs. wrestler combination for that matter, seems very unlikely.
Some are speculating that WWE will be ending the brand extension and hitting the "reset" button to combine both rosters once again following Survivor Series. Many draw these conclusions from the show that was canceled the day after Survivor Series. That is probably due to poor ticket sales, as there is no plans at this point to end the brand extension.
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Post by Stephanie McMahon's sidekick! on Nov 17, 2002 15:12:29 GMT -5
Steiner Speaks On Lesnar/HHH, WCW, Stephanie/WWE News
Last night on Confidential, the taped Scott Steiner segment did air as planned. Many who saw it agree that it was a rather pointless interview as he mainly introduced himself to fans that did not know him from WCW. The problem with that is Confidential is a show geared to the "smarter" fans, who tend to know (even if they did not watch WCW) the bigger names such as Sting, Goldberg, and Steiner. Steiner also mentioned that he plans to make HHH and Lesnar look easy in the ring and only wants to win the title from someone who's considered a huge force in wrestling.
The next issue of WWE Magazine (according to reader reports) features Stephanie McMahon on the cover. There is also a pull-out poster of Stephanie included in the magazine. Other articles in the issue include stories on Bubba, Shannon Moore, Three-Minute Warning and Tough Enough.
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Post by Stephanie McMahon's sidekick! on Nov 18, 2002 13:18:45 GMT -5
WWE SmackDown! Ratings & House Show Results
Mediaweek.com said the following with regards to Thursday night's TV - "WWE Smackdown!" on UPN (4.4/6) won the battle of audience leftovers, finishing third for the evening behind CBS and NBC. The show nipped ABC's Concert for World Children's Day and the theatrical movie "My Best Friend's Wedding."
Here are quick results from the 11/16 WWE Smackdown! house show at the Baltimore Arena.
- Jamie Noble beat Billy Kidman
- Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Hass beat Redd Dogg & Doug Basham
- Chavo Guerrero beat Funaki
- Shannon Moore, Crash & Chuck Palumbo beat D-Von, Bull Buchanan & Sean O'Hare
- Abert wrestled Val Venis to a no contest after Big Show interfered
- Rikishi beat Matt Hardy
- Tajiri & Torrie Wilson beat John Cena & Dawn Marie
- Edge & Rey Misterio beat Angle & Benoit
In what must be bad news for WWE the show failed to draw a large crowd, despite Survivor Series lurking right around the corner.
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Post by Stephanie McMahon's sidekick! on Nov 18, 2002 13:21:11 GMT -5
Backstage News On Big Show/Lesnar, Hogan's Return
There were originally talks of having Brock Lesnar and Big Show fight to a no-decision, similar to the Unforgiven match between Brock and Undertaker. The reason was that many WWE officials felt Big Show was getting over, so his status should not just be crushed because WWE's primary agenda is to keep Brock as their top guy. Yet, WWE realized that fans did not like the ending for Undertaker/Lesnar, so most officials were ultimately in favor of a clean win for Brock.
However, since Lesnar is injured, the decision is still up in the air. As reported, WWE will either have to have Lesnar lose, so he can take the time off for his injury, or have Brock win, but be limited in action on TV. It should be interesting to see which direction WWE chooses.
For those wondering, if Hogan does elect to make an appearance for All Japan Pro Wrestling (after being asked by AJPW officials to appear at a show), it most likely would be in a wrestling role.
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Post by Stephanie McMahon's sidekick! on Nov 18, 2002 13:29:08 GMT -5
HHH Wants To Lose, HBK Title Reign, Hulk Hogan/Survivor Series
The following news is derived and re-written from the Torch Newsletter.
It's no secret that WWE and Hulk Hogan have ended their working agreement once again, as far as televised wrestling is concerned. Everyone should be familiar by now with the story on McMahon wanting Hogan to job to Lesnar at Survivor Series. Something that you may not know, McMahon wanted Hogan to do the job to Lesnar and then lead in to a big pay-per view match at Royal Rumble pitting Hulk Hogan vs. Vince McMahon. There are conflicting stories throughout the internet on whether or not Hogan turned the offer down or not. Basically, Hogan was said to have agreed to do a second job to Lesnar at Survivor Series and then head into Royal Rumble and beat McMahon. However, after confirming to Vince McMahon that he was interested, Hogan decided to pull out from the idea as he felt he was somewhat being buried having to job to Lesnar for a second time. This led to McMahon treating the Hogan situation somewhat like the Steve Austin "walk out" that occurred several months ago.
Triple H is pushing for management to give Shawn Michaels the green light to win the World title from him tonight at Survivor Series. The basic reasoning behind HHH's decision to lobby for Michaels to win the title is so that he can get his one-on-one rematch with Michaels where HBK would do the clean job and drop the belt back to him at a later show. Triple H also sees it as a perfect way to save face for the television audience, using the obvious excuse that Michaels only won because he had four other superstars to help him. While it's not confirmed at this point that HBK will win the title, all signs are pointing to it as everyone is aware that things normally go the way HHH wants them to.
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Post by Stephanie McMahon's sidekick! on Nov 18, 2002 13:32:11 GMT -5
Scott Steiner Speaks On His WWE Debut, Backstage Politics
The following are random excerts from an interview with Scott Steiner on WWE's official website:
WWE.com: What’s your relationship like with Eric Bischoff?
Steiner: I never had a problem with Eric. In WCW, he let me do my own thing. Sometimes I got a little overboard in my interviews. But for the most part, he left me do my thing.
WWE.com: Speaking of going overboard, there’s been a lot of talk about you going off-script toward the end of WCW…
Steiner: I never followed script. I always wrote my own interviews and said my own thing. My interviews were my interviews. I can follow an outline, but it’s hard to have someone else write a dialogue for you. Everybody has their own personality – has to say their own words a certain way. But I always did my own interviews, so as far as going off script, no. It was always like that.
WWE.com: Didn’t you get in trouble from time to time for doing that?
Steiner: That was bull****. Yeah, I got in trouble one time, but it was political – a bunch of bull****.
WWE.com: The reason I’m asking is because some fans are speculating that you’re going to be a problem backstage …
Steiner: How the f*** do they know that? If they’re not backstage, how do they know whether or not I’m a problem? That’s a rumor, or a label that people try to put on me. But I always keep to myself; I don’t bother anybody, nobody bothers me.
WWE.com: So you’re not a locker-room cancer?
Steiner: F*** no! I don’t talk to anybody, so how can I be a locker-room cancer?
WWE.com: Do you have a preference between RAW and SmackDown!?
Steiner: Not really. Eric runs one, and I think Stephanie (McMahon) runs the other one, right? Well, I never took directions well. Probably the only direction I ever take from women is when they say, “Faster! Faster!” and, “Harder! Harder!” and, “Don’t stop! Don’t stop!”
WWE.com: You’re in some pretty good company making your debut at Survivor Series – Undertaker, The Rock and Kurt Angle all debuted here.
Steiner: Yeah, I hope I can do some of the things that they’ve done. I’m confident, but it’s not up to me. I can only do what I do.
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