SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
TORCH TODAY – Monday, January 11, 2016
– It will be interesting to see what the TV rating is for tonight’s Raw against the college football title game. Last Monday’s Raw kicked off 2016 with a 2.5 rating, which feels like the barometer for the Road to WrestleMania. In past years, Brock Lesnar returning to TV was a guaranteed Brock Bump, but nothing seemed to work in the second-half of 2015 to help the Raw ratings until TLC in December. Now, WWE faces its first test of the new year to see if Brock makes a difference hyping the Royal Rumble.
– A new edition of the “Stone Cold Podcast” airs Monday night after Raw on WWE Network. Steve Austin interviews Ric Flair in the episode taped at the Broken Skull Ranch.
– Kurt Angle acknowledged that he is going to have a hard time being idle after his “TNA Farewell Tour” this month. Angle talked to the Huffington Post about “choosing his family over addiction” in recent years after being consumed by his drive to be successful, doing some of his best work in TNA after his initial WWE run, and TNA’s new era on Pop TV. “It’s going to be fun to see where I go from here,” Angle said. “I’m just grateful I’m able to do it clean and sober.”
– Triple H represented WWE at the memorial service for rock musician Lemmy, whose music has been the soundtrack to Hunter’s career. Hunter spoke at the service about Lemmy’s connection to WWE, as reported by the Washington Post.
“And trust me, if you’re not a fan of what we do, if you’re in a stadium with about 80,000 people in it and you’re coming up on a riser onto a stage with smoke all around you and the world title around your waist and you look to your side as you come up with lasers and pyro and Motörhead playing and [expletive] Lemmy is standing next to you singing about you, it is the most kick [butt] thing of all time,” Hunter was quoted.
– WWE is advertising a soft line-up for a house show on Saturday, March 19 in White Plains, N.Y. Tickets go on-sale this Saturday (Jan. 16) at the Westchester County Center with Big Show, Bray Wyatt, Kane, the Dudleys, Alberto Del Rio, the Wyatts, and Kalisto. (Thanks to Mike Omansky)
– John Morrison talked about being creatively fulfilled and enjoying wrestling for Lucha Underground in Los Angeles, but he is open to returning to WWE down the road. “When I was at WWE, I wrestled everyone on the roster and I left because I felt it was time for me to go,” Morrison told Scott Fishman for Channel Guide Magazine.
“I did have plans on going back at some point. I still think that could happen. You never know what could happen in pro wrestling. But here I have King Cuerno, Prince Puma, Fenix, Mil Muertes, and Son of Havoc to test myself against. The moves and the way these guys are approaching wrestling is very different. I think most of us are benefiting from the collision of different psychologies and styles. It really has opened up my thoughts as far as what things happen and where.”
– Wrestling newspaper columnist Mike Mooneyham reviewed the John Cena injury news from this past week in his Sunday column at PostandCourier.com. Mooneyham also linked Cena’s personality to Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Sweeney, who coaches in the college football National Title game against Alabama on Monday night.
– Ryback was interviewed by the local ABC Houston affiliate at Friday’s WWE house show at Toyota Center. Kevin Owens was also quoted on WWE trying to break attendance records at WrestleMania 32 in Dallas/Arlington.
– Paragon Pro Wrestling announced a new TV home on the MSG Network starting this Saturday (January 16) at 5:00 a.m. EST. The list of channels carrying PPW TV is below.
PRESS RELEASE! pic.twitter.com/eRWaFK1Ro4
— ParagonProWrestling (@ParagonPW) January 11, 2016
– Diamond Dallas Page talked about DDPYoga, the Jake Roberts documentary, and John Cena’s shoulder injury on the Busted Open satellite radio show.
– The latest edition of Canadian Wrestling’s Elite’s TV show features Justin Gabriel (P.J. Black) in action. A new episode of CWE TV can be seen every Friday night on various Canadian TV providers and then online on their YouTube channel.
– And, finally, “The Rock” Dwayne Johnson made a big splash at the Golden Globes awards show on Sunday. Angle, who presented an award at the show in California, was accompanied by his daughter, Simone, on the red carpet. The red carpet visit included actress Kate Hudson crashing Rock’s interview with Ryan Seacrest on the E! pre-show broadcast. After the awards show, Rock hopped on a plane back to Miami to continue filming Season 2 of the “Ballers” series.
Rock looking sharp