WWE Legend and (until recently) active roster member Goldust has made some rather interesting comments relating to Brock Lesnar and the Universal Title…Dustin Rhodes took to Twitter to claim that “If I were to face Brock Lesnar at Extreme Rules I have no doubt in my mind that I could beat him. #GotLotsofTricks #WontFightFair.”
Rhodes recently held a Q&A on his Twitter account following his successful knee surgery and when asked what he has left to do in his career he simply answered “Win the World title. That’s it. Nothing else.” With the WWE Superstar potentially nearing the end of his career could one final shot at the Universal Title be on the cards?
Goldust hasn’t been seen on Monday Night RAW since May 7th during a brief backstage segment with General Manager Kurt Angle and Jinder Mahal before the Money In The Bank pay-per-view. His last bout took place in a Six-Man Tag Team match where he teamed up with Chad Gable and Zack Ryder to defeat Curt Hawkins, Mike Kanellis and Mojo Rawley at a WWE live event from the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois.
Would you like to see Goldie in a match against the Beast? Let us know in the comments.
Former Ring of Honor World Champion and one of the de-facto leaders of the Bullet Club Cody Rhodes recently spoke to ESPN as part of an article featuring ‘Hangman Page’ from the aformentioned New Japan stable.
Cody claimed that “Adam Page is making a run, unbeknownst to us all, he’s making a run for best wrestler in the world long before he should be,” Cody then went on to mention that “He’s got Kenny Omega right there by him to help him along. He’s got Matt and Nick to help him along. He has me. He has Marty. He’s a sponge to all of that, and then he’s a sponge to the wrestling he grew up on.“
Rhodes is not the only member of the New Japan roster who sees big things ahead for Hangman; “Chris Jericho saw Adam Page at Dominion and he jokingly said, ‘What is this guy, 6-5, 265 pounds, a Texan doing a shooting star press?’. Adam Page isn’t any of those things except the shooting star press.The presence of him is what made Jericho turn his head. Everything in wrestling is about turning your head. I can’t sing his praises enough. He’s just the man.“
You can check out the full article from ESPN here.
New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual G1 Climax is widely regarded as the greatest tournament in pro wrestling today. Two blocks of competitors will compete in a round robin format to determine the number 1 contender to Kenny Omega’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship at January 4th’s Wrestle Kingdom. The tournament has now begun and here are the results from Night 1:
Non Tournament Bouts:
Hirooki Goto & Jado b. Ren Narita & Toa Henare
SHO & Tomohiro Ishii b. Toru Yano & YOH
Guerrillas of Destiny Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa b. David Finlay & Juice Robinson
TAKA Michinoku & Zack Sabre, Jr. b. Kota Ibushi & Yujiro Takahashi
SANADA & Tetsuya Naito b. Chase Owens & Kenny Omega
Togi Makabe b. YOSHI-HASHI – Makabe took the pinfall win after hitting the King Kong Knee Drop
Hangman Page b. Bad Luck Fale – Page won the match via disqualification after the Guerrillas of Destiny interfered. The Golden Lovers later made the save
Michael Elgin b. EVIL – Elgin won via pinfall with the Elgin Bomb
Hiroshi Tanahashi b. Minoru Suzuki – Tanahashi won via pinfall after hitting the High Fly Flow
“Switchblade” Jay White b. Kazuchika Okada – White took the shock win via pinfall after hitting the Blade Runner after a ref bump and a low blow. After the match he cut a promo claiming that CHAOS was “his” stable.
WWE Pay Per View events have become a lot of things in the last decade including fractured, formulaic and freakin’ long…not to mention fairly predictable. I believe they could go a long way towards fixing this by changing one small aspect of the PPV system: Go back to individual events (outside of the Big Four of Royal Rumble, Wrestlemania, Summerslam and Survivor Series) that aren’t based on a specific ‘gimmick.’
Money In The Bank features Money In The Bank matches. TLC brings us matches featuring Tables, Ladders and Chairs (and Stairs!). Elimination Chamber’s main event is the Elimination Chamber. It becomes so cyclical and boring as an audience, sorry, Universe member, that I can look ahead down the list and know exactly what I’m going to be getting all year. The only interchangeable part is the wrestlers involved.
In 1996, when WWE PPV expanded to more than a handful of shows in a year, every event had it’s own name and it’s own vibe. Over in WCW they would recycle big name events (mainly the ones they inherited from the NWA) but in WWE Wrestlemania was followed by Judgement Day or Backlash, which was followed by Unforgiven or Over The Edge, which led into King of The Ring, Summerslam, etc. These shows (for the most part) were built around Storyline themes as opposed to “one night only until next year unless we want to randomly do it again somewhere” rule changes or gimmick matches.
I understand from a corporate marketing perspective why WWE wants regularly scheduled and heavily branded events. It makes for easy merchandising, top-of-mind awareness, and so on. What it also does though is water-down those themes, gimmick and special matches because they become part of the norm. Seeing the Hell In A Cell cage lower from the ceiling used to cause goosebumps on the flesh of wrestling fans. Now, it just means it’s October.
No better example of this is this weekend’s Extreme Rules event on the WWE Network. It’s a show that’s promoted as “No Rules! Anything Can Happen! Chaos!” While there was certainly a time when an “extreme” match might include barbed wire, fire, bleeding or a crazy spot off a ladder or cage. In the PG Era however, Extreme means that Alexa Bliss finds a Kendo Stick under the ring and there might be a heavily padded table spot. This year there’s an Iron Man match, which is a match so extreme that it has a time limit. I don’t have a problem with any of that, just don’t try and sell it to me as “Extreme.”
(Incidentally, I would love it if “Extreme Rules” meant that the regular rules were just that much more dire. Like, instead of a DQ for outside interference, the interferer would be fed to sharks. Or electrify the title belt in a ladder match. These are also my suggestions for how to improve “American Idol” though)
Bring me back to the days of Mind Games, A Cold Day In Hell, and the Canadian Stampede where I actually believed and looked forward to knowing anything could happen because it wasn’t in the name of the show.
Do you think that WWE should ditch the ‘gimmick’ PPVs/Network Events? Let us know in the comments.
The news that Daniel Bryan’s WWE contract is about to expire has been a popular topic amongst the IWC. His contract is expected to expire on September 1st.
Still Booked Until 2019
While it’s interesting to note that Bryan’s contract is expiring in September, the WWE has him booked for a lot of events post-September.
He is booked for the Super Show-Down in Australia event in October. The second European tour that takes place in November, as well as the MSG Live event in December.
WWE event cards are always subject to change but the fact that Bryan is still advertised for those events have many puzzled on if a new contract is in the works once the old one expires.
Working A Limited Schedule
It has been made known that Bryan would love to work a limited schedule. He has said in past interviews that he was not supposed to be working a full schedule and feels if he does resign then he would like to work limited dates. More on that here.
Currently, Bryan is working on a Team Hell No storyline on Smackdown and if he does work a limited schedule, one would wonder how that would impact the storyline overall. One thing is for sure we’ll have the latest news on Daniel Bryan’s WWE status once September rolls around.
There has been a ton of speculation regarding IWGP Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks’ (Nick and Matt Jackson) professional wrestling futures.
The pair are one of the most decorated tag teams of all time and have won championships all over the world. Their current contracts with Ring Of Honor (ROH) and New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) are set to expire at the end of the year, causing many to speculate as to whether or not they’re going to be WWE bound soon.
Matt Jackson recently answered 10 questions in a Q&A on his Instagram account. Given that their contracts are set to expire soon, Jackson was asked if he’s considering signing with WWE. He said “I’m considering everything right now.”
Another fan asked if Jackson has plans for retirement and how much longer he and his brother plan on wrestling. Interestingly enough, Jackson answered “much shorter than people imagine.”
He also noted that he doesn’t think The Young Bucks are the greatest tag team of all time, but said when their careers are all said and done the goal is to make that notion come true.
The Rock just got called out by one of WWE’s most promising young stars.
Recently on an episode of Busted Open Radio, “The Great One” was called out by none other than RAW Superstar Elias. The man formerly known as “The Drifter” spoke about his guitar gimmick and how The Rock has played guitar on WWE TV to perform for crowds several time before in the past as well.
Elias said he’d be more than happy to show “The People’s Champ” how it’s done:
“I’m well aware all the things The Rock has done in the wrestling business and in life. The guy is just a next-level human being. I was getting comparisons here because he played guitar a few times or whatever on television and I wanna throw this out there. He’s done that maybe five times, maybe six times or something like that on WWE television on Monday Night Raw.
“Rock if you’re out there listening, I’m doing it every single week. I’m doing it out there in front of millions of people all around the world every single week. I’m doing in in front of 10,000 in-person live every show I go to. So why don’t you come walk with Elias so I can show you how it’s really done?
“WWE is my company, it’s my show. Come on back, Rock.”
WWE has announced another match that will take place on the Extreme Rules Pre-Show.
That match is Sin Cara vs. Andrade Almas, which is a rematch from this week’s episode of WWE SmackDown Live in Manchester, NH at the SNHU Arena on the USA Network that saw the former NXT Champion pick up the singles victory.
The Extreme Rules pay-per-view event takes place on Sunday, July 15, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the PPG Paints Arena and will air on the WWE Network and some traditional pay-per-view outlets. Both Raw and SmackDown brands will be featured.
Updated Card for Extreme Rules
– WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Rusev
– Roman Reigns vs. Bobby Lashley
– Steel Cage Match: Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens
– 30-Minute Iron Man Match: Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins
– SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Bludgeon Brothers vs. Team Hell No
– Extreme Rules Match: Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax
– SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmella vs. Asuka – James Ellsworth in a shark cage
– Raw Tag Team Champions Bray Wyatt & Matt Hardy vs. The B Team
– United States Champion Jeff Hardy vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
– Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin
– Tables Match (Pre-Show): The New Day vs. SAnitY
– Singles Match (Pre-Show): Sin Cara vs. Andrade Almas
Three years ago today, Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair made their main roster debuts on RAW. Nikki Bella was delivering a “State of the Divas Address” alongside Alicia Fox and Brie Bella. Stephanie McMahon interrupted and was soon joined by Paige, Tamina Snuka, Naomi, Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair.
Stephanie said it was time for a real change in the division and provoked the Superstars into a brawl. The brawl culminated in Becky, Sasha, and Charlotte all locking in their finisher submission holds as Stephanie McMahon looked on from the entrance ramp.
All three Superstars have already accomplished a lot in the short time they have been on the main roster. Each has played an integral role in the women’s revolution and helped change the divas division into the women’s division. Charlotte and Banks main-evented WWE Hell in a Cell 2016 and Becky Lynch became the first-ever SmackDown Women’s Champion. Below is a recap of their time on the main roster so far and their accomplishments.
Becky Lynch (1-Time SmackDown Women’s Champion)
Photo Credit: WWE.com
Becky Lynch teamed up with Paige and Charlotte to form Team PCB. The trio didn’t last long, as Paige insulted Charlotte the RAW after she won the Divas Championship at Night of Champions 2015. Lynch tried to remain friends with Charlotte at the time, but the power had gone to Flair’s head and she became a heel.
Ric Flair started getting involved in Charlotte’s matches to ensure that his daughter stayed atop the women’s division. On RAW 1/4/16, Becky Lynch overcame Ric’s interference and defeated Charlotte Flair via a roll-up while holding onto Charlotte’s tights. Charlotte then attacked Lynch from behind after the match.
Lynch then battled Charlotte on SmackDown later that week. Becky had the match won with the Dis-Arm-Her submission applied, but Ric Flair pulled his daughter’s leg to the bottom rope just before she tapped out. Charlotte then rolled up Lynch and used the ropes for leverage to retain the title. Becky got another shot at the Divas Championship at Royal Rumble 2016 but came up short once again.
Becky Lynch then aligned with Sasha Banks to battle Tamina and Naomi at WWE Fastlane 2016. Lynch and Banks won the match but wound up in a feud against each other to determine the #1 contender for Charlotte’s Divas Championship. Charlotte wound up defending the title against both Superstars in a Triple Threat Match at WrestleMania 32. Charlotte retained and the Divas Championship was rebranded as the WWE Women’s Championship.
Lynch was the first female Superstar to be drafted by SmackDown on July 19th, 2016. At Backlash 2016, Lynch defeated Natalya, Nikki Bella, Naomi, Carmella and Alexa Bliss in a Six-Pack Challenge to become the first-ever SmackDown Women’s Champion.
Becky Lynch lost the SmackDown Women’s Championship to Alexa Bliss in a Tables Match at WWE TLC 2016. She has not captured the title since but WWE has been pushing her on recent episodes of SmackDown. Becky has been on a winning streak as of late and tapped out Charlotte Flair last month.
Sasha Banks (4-Time Raw Women’s Champion)
Sasha Banks
Sasha joined Tamina and Naomi to form Team B.A.D. on the main roster. Banks defeated Divas Champion Nikki Bella on the 8/17/15 episode of RAW in a non-title match. She competed in #1 contender Beat the Clock challenge to determine the #1 contender to the Divas Championship. Banks wrestled Paige to a time limit draw and Charlotte Flair ultimately won the competition.
Sasha attacked Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair after their title match at Royal Rumble 2016. On the following week’s episode of RAW, Sasha wanted it to be known that she was no longer a part of Team B.A.D. and was on her own now. She had her sights set on the Divas Championship and was scheduled to face Becky Lynch later that night. During her match with Lynch, Naomi and Tamina attacked Banks. This led to Banks teaming up Lynch to defeat Team B.A.D. at WWE Fastlane 2016. Charlotte Flair then defeated Banks and Lynch at WrestleMania 34 in a Triple Threat Match.
Banks was drafted to RAW on 7/19/16 and made an immediate impact. She defeated Charlotte on the July 25th episode of RAW and captured her first WWE Women’s Championship. Banks dropped the belt back to Charlotte 27 days later and the title was rebranded to the RAW Women’s Championship.
Sasha Banks recaptured the RAW Women’s Championship on the October 3rd episode of RAW, only to once again lose it back to Charlotte 27 days later at in the first-ever women’s Hell in a Cell Match at WWE Hell in a Cell 2016. Sasha won the title for a third time after defeating Charlotte in a Falls Count Anywhere Match on the November 28th episode of RAW. Banks quickly lost the title back to Charlotte at WWE Roadblock in a 30-minute Iron Man Match.
Banks would then help Bayley defeat Charlotte to capture the RAW Women’s Championship on 2/13/17 episode of RAW. Sasha came up short against Bayley, Charlotte and Nia Jax in a Fatal 4-Way Elimination Match for the title at WrestleMania 33. Sasha won the RAW Women’s Championship for a fourth time at WWE SummerSlam 2017 after defeating Alexa Bliss. Her fourth title reign only lasted 8 days as she dropped the title back to Bliss on the August 28th episode of RAW.
Sasha was the #1 entrant in the first women’s Royal Rumble Match this past January. She lasted over 50 minutes in the match but was eliminated by Nikki & Brie Bella. Sasha also competed in the first women’s Elimination Chamber Match but lost to Alexa Bliss in the finals. During that match, Sasha Banks betrayed Bayley and that feud has been on and off ever since. Banks and Bayley are currently in counseling as demanded by RAW GM Kurt Angle.
Charlotte Flair (4-Time RAW Women’s Champion, 1-Time SmackDown & Divas Champion)
Charlotte joined Becky Lynch and Paige to form Team PCB after joining the main roster. Flair made her PPV debut at WWE Battleground 2015 and defeated Brie Bella and Sasha Banks in a Triple Threat Match. Team PCB went on to defeat Team B.A.D. and Team Bellas at SummerSlam 2015
Flair captured the Divas Championship at Night of Champions 2015 by defeating Nikki Bella. The following night on RAW, Paige insulted Charlotte and Becky Lynch and claimed that Flair only won the title because of her father. Charlotte retained the title at Hell in a Cell 2015 by once again defeating Nikki Bella. The following night on RAW, Paige attacked Charlotte and Becky Lynch. Flair went on to successfully defend her title against Paige at Survivor Series 2015, the next night on RAW and WWE TLC 2015.
Charlotte had hinted at turning heel for a bit but it became official on the 1/4/16 episode of RAW. Flair lost to Becky Lynch and then attacked her after the match. Ric Flair then helped Charlotte retain the title against Lynch three days later on SmackDown. Charlotte held onto the Divas Championship by retaining against Brie Bella at WWE Fastlane 2016 and Natalya at WWE Roadblock. Charlotte became the first inaugural WWE Women’s Champion after defeating Banks and Lynch at WrestleMania 32.
Flair then entered a feud with Natalya on the RAW after WrestleMania 32. This led to a title match at WWE Payback 2016, Bret Hart and Ric Flair were ringside for that match. In an homage to the infamous Montreal Screwjob, referee Charles Robinson called for the bell while Charlotte had Natalya trapped in the Sharpshooter.
Charlotte defeated Natalya once again at Extreme Rules 2016 in a Submission Match. Ric Flair was banned from ringside but Dana Brooke interfered in the match. The next night on RAW, Charlotte scolded Ric Flair and informed him that she no longer needed him. Flair lost the title to Sasha Banks on the 7/25/16 episode of RAW following the draft. As written above, the two played hot potato with the title for a couple of months but Flair ultimately won the feud.
Bayley and Charlotte then entered a feud and Charlotte defeated her at Royal Rumble 2017 to retain the title. Charlotte then dropped the title a couple of weeks later on RAW to Bayley and then lost her rematch at WWE Fastlane 2017, which ended Flair’s PPV singles match undefeated streak at 16. Flair once again battled for the RAW Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 33 in a Fatal 4-Way Elimination Match. Bayley retained the title by eliminating Charlotte in the finals.
During last year’s WWE Superstar Shake-Up, Charlotte joined SmackDown and has been a part of the blue brand ever since. Charlotte once again became a fan favorite as she battled the Welcoming Committee (Carmella, Tamina Snuka and Natalya). Charlotte competed in the first-ever women’s MITB Ladder Match last year but Carmella emerged victorious due to outside interference from James Ellsworth. At WWE Battleground 2017, Charlotte battled Natalya, Becky Lynch, Tamina and Lana in a Fatal 5-Way Elimination Match to determine the #1 Contender for the SmackDown Women’s Championship. Natalya emerged victorious in the match after pinning Charlotte.
Charlotte then stepped away for a couple months as Ric Flair was battling health issues. She returned to SmackDown on 9/19/17 and defeated Becky Lynch, Tamina and Naomi in a Fatal 4-Way Match to become the #1 contender for the SmackDown Women’s Championship.
Charlotte battled Natalya at WWE Hell in a Cell 2017 and won the match by DQ, thus Natalya remained SmackDown Women’s Champion. Flair wound up winning the title on the 11/14/17 episode of SmackDown in her hometown. After the match, Charlotte celebrated with her father on the entrance ramp. Flair successfully defended the title against Natalya at Clash of Champions in a Lumberjack Match.
Flair, Naomi and Becky Lynch then entered a feud with the Riott Squad. Charlotte wound up retaining her SmackDown Women’s Championship against Ruby Riott at WWE Fastlane 2018. After the match, Asuka confronted her and made it known she wanted to face Flair at WrestleMania after winning the first women’s Royal Rumble. Charlotte went on to hand Asuka her first loss at WrestleMania 34 and retain the SmackDown Women’s Championship.
Two days after WrestleMania 34, Charlotte lost the title after Carmella cashed in her MITB briefcase. Carmella went on to defeat Charlotte at WWE Backlash 2018 to retain the title.
Charlotte has been off of SmackDown due to injury recently but is expected to return within the next few weeks. All three Superstars have had success on the main roster, but Flair seems to be the one consistently at the top. She will most likely be back in the SmackDown Women’s Championship picture upon her return to the ring.
Discussion: While Charlotte Flair has had the most impressive run on the main roster so far, which Superstar do you think will accomplish the most going forward?
– On Wednesday, WWE filmed SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmella for a “great project” coming out later this year.
Joey Maloney, who handles producing, directing and cinematography on a wide range of features for WWE’s digital platforms, posted this behind-the-scenes photo of Carmella from the video shoot.
https://instagram.com/p/BlHKKPSgO4f/
With SmackDown taking place the night before in Manchester, New Hampshire, the shoot was apparently for a documentary-style video where Carmella returns to her hometown in the New England area. On her Instagram Story, she posted videos with her parents earlier in the day. Carmella also posted photos visiting her old dance school.
– With Extreme Rules taking place this Sunday, a number of WWE stars paid tribute to the hardcore icons of ECW, such as The Sandman, Tommy Dreamer, and Sabu. Sonya Deville dressed up as Raven for the ECW photo shoot and the two-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion tweeted his thoughts on her impersonation.
It’s funny, when asked who should play me in a movie (which of course will never happen) I always say Kristin Stewart… However, if it was a wrestler playing me,@SonyaDevilleWWE is perfection!
— Daria/Sonya Deville (@SonyaDevilleWWE) July 12, 2018
– Sean Waltman celebrates his birthday today as the former WWE/WCW wrestler turns 46 years old. In honor of his birthday, the official Instagram account for the WWE Network posted this clip of Waltman’s WCW debut on September 16, 1996, where he was shown sitting in the front row for a live episode of WCW Monday Nitro.
https://instagram.com/p/BlLlYQ0hLZk/
Later that night, Waltman stood and used a remote control to release New World Order (nWo) propaganda from the ceiling, revealing himself as the newest member of the recently formed faction. As the sixth member of the nWo, he became Syxx. WCW based his ring name on six being the sum of numbers of his name in the World Wrestling Federation, 1–2–3 Kid.
As we’ve previously noted, former WWE United States Champion MVP was recently interviewed by WSVN-TV entertainment reporter Chris Van Vliet and talked about several professional wrestling topics.
One topic of discussion was MVP’s involvement in the RAW 25 special episode earlier this year. He talked about getting the call from Mark Carrano and not being able to be told what his role would be because WWE didn’t even know yet:
“I think I got a call from Mark Carrano,” MVP said. “He said, ‘are you interested?’ I said, ‘how much you paying, what am I doing?’ It was funny because I kept saying what am I doing? What am I doing? What am I doing? And in typical WWE fashion a lot of the time they have no idea.”
As far as the script goes, many already know that had to be changed dramatically due to Enzo Amore being suspended earlier that day because of the sexual assault allegations against him. MVP noted that the backstage environment was hectic that day, with doors flying open everywhere and his part of the show being rewritten from the original plans:
“When I was there I remember plenty of times literally doors are opening and they’re rewriting the script for TV. So it happens all the time. When I got there I found out what they initially had in mind they scrapped and I ended up doing something else completely and I ended up playing poker with the APA.
“I don’t even remember,” MVP replied when asked about the original plan for Raw 25. “Man I get a free trip to New York, a free payday to drink beer, sit in the back and play cards. Yeah, I’ll do that.”
WWE’s Stephanie McMahon recently did an interview with People to talk about what it’s like juggling being a mother with being at the forefront of a professional wrestling empire as one of WWE’s most powerful executives.
McMahon said that her goal is to “leave a lasting legacy on the community” as a businesswoman. In regards to motherhood, she said that’s her favorite part about being Stephanie McMahon:
“My favorite part about being Stephanie McMahon is being a mom,” said Stephanie. “Our girls are now 11, 9, and 7.”
Former WWE Champion, fellow WWE executive and Stephanie’s husband, Triple H, also chimed in and praised his wife’s ability as a mother:
“It’s amazing. She’s an amazing mom,” said Triple H. “She’s up making pancakes first thing in the morning after sleep. She’s helping with homework. She’s doing all of it. It doesn’t matter what she’s in the middle of, if the kids call, she drops it.
“She’s with them. No matter what in her life, the most important job is mom. And if she had to drop everything else right now, it wouldn’t even be a question.”
McMahon also said that she’d love for her children to carry on WWE’s legacy and be the next generation of McMahons in the company:
“I think it would be phenomenal if we had an additional McMahon-Levesque generation in WWE,” said Stephanie.
We recently noted that The Rock was a guest on Good Morning America and revealed that his oldest daughter has aspirations to one day wrestle for WWE.
Rock even said that his daughter was already working towards that dream. He recently spoke with WWE’s Cathy Kelly at the premiere of his new film, Skyscraper, in New York to talk more about the subject. “The Great One” talked about how proud he is of his 16-year-old daughter Simone, and advised her to do as much research as possible on the business if she’s serious about wrestling.
He then said Simone has been doing a lot of studying and has had several conversations with Rock about the possible career switch. “The People’s Champion” then said it’s amazing to see his daughter interested in following in his footsteps:
“I’m so proud of my daughter. She watched when I returned to WWE probably 5 years ago, when I became WWE Champion, had that great run with John Cena, back to back WrestleMania main events,” Rock said. “She instantly became hooked and became a fan. Not only that but the best part about that has been all the research and the studying that she does.
“I always tell her the ring will always be there, literally the 23 foot x 23 foot ring, the squared circle, will always be there. Your job is to make sure you understand the business of professional wrestling. Top to bottom, 360 degrees. Know everybody’s job from promo all the way down to wrestler, everything.
“Having that mindset has been great, all the studying she’s been doing, all the conversations we’ve been having. I never would have imagined that and it’s such a cool, cool thing. I have 3 daughters. I have her, who is 16, a 2.5 year old and a 3 month old, so who knows what might happen. It’s so cool though, when your child wants to follow in your footsteps. It’s just dope, I love it.”
WWE will be taping the second installment of the Mae Young Classic tournament on August 8th and August 9th from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida and will air later this summer on the WWE Network.
As of this writing, there’s no word yet on when the first-round matches will air on the WWE Network or when the finals will take place. Last year’s tournament took place in the summer and was taped at Full Sail University. It’s truly a special tournament and very similar to the Cruiserweight Classic. The name of the event is in honor of the late WWE Hall of Famer Mae Young.
The sports entertainment company held the finals of last year’s tournament on September 12th from the SmackDown TV event in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Thomas and Mack Center. Kairi Sane beat Shayna Baszler in the finals to win the tournament.
Now, the new breed of competitors for this year’s tournament are coming to light, and we have some information for you on the three latest additions, via WWE.
Kacy Catanzaro:
“Perhaps best known for her groundbreaking performances on “American Ninja Warrior,” Catanzaro —who was recruited into the WWE Performance Center earlier this year — looks to make an impact in her WWE Network in-ring debut. Though she may not have a wealth of wrestling experience, Catanzaro has been earmarked as a prospect to watch, given her otherworldly athletic abilities. A former Division I gymnast, she was the first woman to scale “American Ninja Warrior’s” “warped wall” and has twice been listed on Sports Illustrated’s “Fittest 50” list of the world’s best female athletes.”
Nicole Matthews:
“A 12-year ring veteran from Vancouver, Matthews has established her name around the globe, having competed in Canada, the United States, England, Japan and Australia. Matthews has faced the likes of Becky Lynch, Asuka and WWE Performance Center trainer Sara Amato. She boasts an aggressive, bullying style of wrestling and likes to finish opponents with a devastating rolling cutter she calls the “Vancouver Maneuver.””
Jinny:
“Rounding out this set of competitors is London’s Jinny. Less than three years into her career, Jinny journeyed into a WWE ring for the first time at the 2017 WrestleMania Axxess. Known for her hard-hitting style inside the ring, Jinny is the reigning women’s champion of the U.K.-based PROGRESS Wrestling and holds the distinction of being the first female graduate of PROGRESS’s wrestling school.”
With several titles on the line, a high-profile Iron Man match and a monstrous Steel Cage Match on the card, it’s difficult to tell which match might be the Main Event of WWE’s Extreme Rules event this Sunday.
Traditionally, the WWE or Universal Title Matches would be considered the most important, and thus end the show. This isn’t always the case though, and according to WrestleVotes reports, rumours say that the Main Event of Extreme Rules will more than likely have nothing to do with a title.
Source says as of Monday, Reigns vs Lashley is scheduled to go last at Extreme Rules. There was (maybe still is) a push to have Rollins vs Ziggler Iron Man in that spot but that’s unlikely. Almost no support for Styles vs Rusev, which says something about that program.
With Brock Lesnar MIA from Extreme Rules, WWE has been pushing the Roman Reigns Vs Bobby Lashley feud as it’s primary story. But, Seth Rollins and Dolph Ziggler’s battles over the Intercontinental title have been red-hot on RAW for the last few weeks.
What’s most telling is that the only Smackdown Live match being allegedly considered is the WWE Title Match between AJ Styles and Rusev. But, as noted in the tweet, it has little to no backstage support.
Which Match do you think should be the Extreme Rules Main Event? Sound off in the Comments!
Rusev is preparing for the biggest match thus far in his career with the WWE.
The SmackDown Live star is slated to challenge AJ Styles for the WWE Title at the upcoming Extreme Rules pay-per-view event on Sunday, July 15, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the PPG Paints Arena that will air on the WWE Network.
In an interview with Planeta Wrestling, Rusev brought up that he’s learning how to counter the move set of Styles while preparing for this match at Extreme Rules. He noted that he has his own training setup to find those little things and finding every transition or reversals for every move that Styles has so he can be ready for it.
Rusev also talked about his journey to the WWE and noted that it all started as a dream when he was watching as a kid and seeing Hulk Hogan and other stars on television. He noted that he always wanted to be a wrestler but didn’t know how to do it.
“So when I was twenty I went to The [United] States and started working different jobs. Finally found a school and signed up. It was something that I loved and I never thought about actually going to the WWE I just loved to wrestle because I wanted to wrestle. I was doing that for about two years or three years, whatever it was. I had two or three jobs at the same time just I could afford myself and pay rent and school.”
Rusev continued by stating that he had a tryout with WWE and got signed right away. He continued by stating that he could have never thought that somebody like him from the small country of Bulgaria could make it in WWE.
Kofi Kingston is still surprised that New Day vs. the Elite actually happened at E3.
The longtime WWE star recently spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illusrtrated.com on Wednesday at Fenway Park in Boston before the Red Sox hosted the Texas Rangers as he threw out the first pitch.
In this interview, he talked about the contest that was held at E32018 on June 14th, 2018 in Los Angeles that saw Kingston, Xavier Woods, and Big E take on The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega in Street Fighter V, which is a fighting video game, in front of a crowd of fans.
“I’m still baffled that that actually happened. Think about WWE, when was the last time you saw them do any kind of inter-promotional stuff? Not in this era, right? On top of that, with a group like The Elite, these guys are at the top of the independent scene right now. Since we became a trio, everyone’s been talking about us doing stuff with The Elite. And we came close.”
Kingston reflected by stating that once they got there and start interacting with the group, he got goosebumps and still does when thinking about. He hopes that it will open the doors for some things in the future and if it does then do it in the WWE or NJPW or ROH.
Kingston noted that they try to push that envelope and keep the wrestling business thriving to have people interested in the things that are out of the box. “That’s what wrestling is all about. This is a very special time right now. You’re seeing things in the industry you never thought you’d see. You never thought you’d see AJ Styles in the WWE or you never thought you’d see Kevin Owens or Shinsuke Nakamura or Asuka in a WWE ring, but yet here we are.”
Jeff Hardy has opened up on changing up his finishing move as of late.
Back in late June, a video surfaced of Hardy doing a twist of fate stunner to win his matches at live events instead of his usual Swanton Bomb.
During a recent interview with the Canton Repository, the WWE United States Champion explained why he hasn’t been doing the Swanton Bomb as much and it all comes down to his lower back hurting him to the point where he can’t do the Swanton Bomb finisher as much as he used to do so.
“Lately, my lower back has really been bothering me to the point where I haven’t been doing the Swanton as much in the live events just to protect it. I think looking forward I’m gonna have to be more like that, because nothing lasts forever. I’ve been real lucky, and naturally on TV I always want to go all out, but in the live events, I might have to hold back a little.”
He did bring up that he is glad to be able to use face paint as part of his character once again as he thinks its fun to for fans of his and the WWE to see because it’s original and unique each and every night. He added that while growing up as a kid while watching wrestling, he was a huge fan of Ultimate Warrior and Sting, which made him want to be a little bit of both of them.
Hardy is slated to defend his United States Title against Shinsuke Nakamura at the upcoming Extreme Rules pay-per-view event that takes place on Sunday, July 15, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the PPG Paints Arena and will air on the WWE Network.
What are your thoughts on Hardy’s comments and changing up his finisher? Sound off in the comment section.
Fandango and Tyler Breeze conducted an interview before it was revealed that Fandango had to undergo surgery and would be on the sidelines for months.
During their appearance onThe Gorilla Position podcast, Fandango talked about a wide range of topics including if CM Punk will return to WWE.
“It’s one thing that I have learned over the years that being in WWE for 10 years and in the business for 18, you can never count anybody out. Who would have thought that Eric Bischoff would be in WWE?”
Also in this interview, Fandango discussed the best advice he’s received while in the pro wrestling business, which was don’t stop caring about the business but also don’t be so hard on yourself. He pointed out that if you are going through that curtain every night and in the back of your mind you are upset about a botch in a match or promo, don’t think that it’s the end of the world.
“I think it’s because of the numbers of years I have been doing this, like getting the reps. It’s like a young kid who goes up to bat and just wants to hit a home run, it’s like, he’s so nervous but after 10 years into his career he has loosened up and has struck out about 2,000 times it no longer affects him.”
Fandango continued by stating that once you have failed and it’s not the end of the world then you are more comfortable talking into a camera. He added that it takes years and years of messing up and making mistakes and then hopefully you finally get it and it clicks.
H/T to Wrestling Inc for the transcribed quotes.
What are your thoughts on Fandango’s words? Sound off in the comment section.
Kevin Kelly touched on an interesting topic during a recent interview about what some will say is becoming an issue within the pro wrestling world.
The NJPW announcer spoke withSporting News to talk about various topics including if there a concern of the danger level rising in matches especially within NJPW due to their strong style mentality.
Kelly would note that it’s a fear and something to keep an eye on. He did bring up the fact that some could question from a fans’ perspective if it’s a let down because we’re prisoners of the moment and the snap reaction was that last year’s G1 was the greatest of all-time.
“People would say that after each night. How could tomorrow top it? It just does. Hopefully, that comes from not how high we can jump off of something. What story can we tell that’s unique, that hasn’t been told before, and will never be told again.”
Kelly called the classic title match between Kazuchika Okada and Kenny Omega at Dominion and when asked about it, the NJPW announcer gave some insight by stating that they knew at that moment that everyone was witnessing history. He pointed out that in the last minute of the match, he knew right then and there that they were seeing one of the greatest matches of all time.
“This was just the beginning of the final scene. Sure enough, it was. Omega gets up, hits the ropes, V-Trigger, One-Winged Angel, and we’ve got a new champ. I wanted to jump up and scream. I wanted to applaud.”
What are your thoughts on Kelly’s comments? Sound off in the comment section.
Kenny Omega has given some high praise to one New Japan Pro Wrestling Star who has reinvented himself in the promotion after his departure from the WWE and that’s Juice Robinson.
The IWGP Heavyweight Champion recently appeared on The Ross Report to talk with WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross about various topics. When talking about Robinson, Omega pointed out that people are starting to believe in Robinson and that he’s going to start to connect to people in a brand new way and people are going to start to care more about what he does in the ring.
Omega would continue to say that he remembers that he was sort of recognized as a graduate of the Young Lions kind of program even though he was fully trained when he came to New Japan.
“This is sort of a gimmick kind of thing. But he was doing the punches. You know he [has] got those great punches and he eventually wanted the crowd to chant, ‘Juice’ with it as he did every jab. And I worked with him in a singles match in one of the country towns and none of them knew to chant the ‘Juice’ and he was really disappointed about that, but now he’ll go anywhere and everybody is all about his punches and they’re all about his character. He’s really starting to get that effect and have that gathering and people are really starting to cheer for him as an underdog.”
Switching gears to former ROH World Heavyweight Champion Cody Rhodes, Omega, who just wrestled him last weekend at NJPW G1 Special, stated that he always look forward to when working with Cody because it’s rare that he gets to work with someone who has such good facials and selling ability.
“So I love being able to work with people like that. It allows for moments, and moves to feel more real, and for people to kind of take in the in-between stuff a lot more.”
H/T to Wrestling Inc for the transcribed quotes.
What are your thoughts on Omega’s comments? Sound off in the comment section.
Jeff Jarrett has reflected on the passing of Owen Hart.
The WWE Hall of Famer appeared on Prime Time with Sean Mooney and spoke about his late friend. While talking about the late great performer, Jarrett was asked about what his perspective was like at that Over the Edge PPV where Owen fell from the rafters during a stunt that tragically cut his life short.
Jarrett brought up how the two stars would dress together and how he as quickly called for his segment after being told about the incident. The former Intercontinental Champion stated that he was going through the motions as strictly instinct because it was a small building with wrestlers and production crates filling up the backstage area of the arena which led to them having a small locker room. “I can remember him walking out of the dressing room and I was on after him. I knew that I had a good 15-20 minutes and it was literally minutes I hear someone screaming, ‘You’re up! You’re up!’ and I’m like, ‘No, I’m not.’ and they’re like, ‘yeah!’ I was essentially ready and I had no idea, I remember walking down the hall and they said he had an accident. Nothing in your wildest dreams, it’s a blown out knee or whatever, something so trivial.”
He noted that he got on set and all of a sudden a mass of people come through with a man doing CPR and compressions on Owen, which made him know that there was something wrong.
He brought up that they had a cop car set up for him where they would drive him to the hospital and once he got there, there was an ER person who came up to him when he arrived to tell him the news. Jarrett stated that it was a complete tragedy in many ways but he likes to remember Owen on the fond days and the good days. Jarrett would continue on by talking about the difficult decision WWE Chairman Vince McMahon had to make about continuing the show and how he felt about it. He noted that he believes that it rests squarely on McMahon’s shoulders as he had to make the decision that was wrong. “Knowing Vince, he knew that. That’s tough, but he took it and it got into a litigated part of life, but he put his best foot forward and ‘kept on keepin’ on.’ My hats off to him and his family, because it’s truly a tragedy.”
Two new matches have been revealed for the upcoming Slammiversary PPV event. As seen on this week’s episode of Impact Wrestling on Pop TV, the promotion officially announced that Allie vs. Tessa Blanchard in a singles match and Hernandez & Homicide vs. Santana & Ortiz in a 5150 Street Fight has been added to the upcoming Slammiversary pay-per-view event.
In case you missed last week’s episode of Impact, it ended with LAX splitting into two factions with King now leading Hernandez and Homicide who are now known as The OG while Konnan’s crew consist of Santana and Ortiz.
What are your thoughts on these matches being announced? Do you plan on buying this pay-per-view event? If not, why so? Sound off in the comment section.
NJPW held a press conference today to promote the G1 Climax 28. The tournament gets started tomorrow.
One of the match-ups that everyone is looking forward to will take place on July 21st, 2018. On that night, Kenny Omega will face Tama Tonga.
Tonga was all confidence when he appeared at the G1 Climax 28 press conference today. He turned his attention to Omega shortly after he began speaking.
“You can just feel the tension right here!” Tonga said before turning to Omega (who was seated to the left of the podium). “Do you blame me for what I did?”
Bullet Club “Firing Squad” versus Bullet Club “the Elite”
“(Kenny Omega) shouldn’t be mad. He should be thanking me,” Tonga said. “I granted him his wish! I cut him away from Bullet Club so he can be the super-Kliq, no wait Golden Lovers, no wait, Golden.. whatever team he’s always wanted. Obviously, he’s never wanted to be Bullet Club. You can just tell that from the very beginning!”
With the Cody vs Omega rivalry over, it now looks as though this version of the Bullet Club civil war angle will play a key role in NJPW storylines.
“As for the G1,” Tonga continued. “I want (Kenny Omega) and he knows that. Everyone here knows that. This G1 I’ll show you how good I am.”
For his part, Omega chose not to comment on Tama Tonga or the Firing Squad. He simply promised the fans that he would put in a good performance at the tournament.
“I promise you, every match will be a best bout,” Omega said. “It will only be a race for a distant second place.”
Hangman Page vs Bad Luck Fale
While Omega vs Tonga might be the most anticipated match of the new rivalry, the first battle takes place tomorrow. The first match between the Elite and the Firing Squad will be between Hangman Page and Bad Luck Fale.
While Fale was not present for the Cow Palace attack, it’s been made clear since that he played a pivotal role in the planning. Fale also sent out the following Tweet which Page took offense to.
Fale then gave the same statement as his pre G1 speech during the press conference.
“Is there more to that?” Page asked Fale. “Is it F*** Me, is it F*** Kenny, is it F*** the Elite? Is that what you are trying to say? You’re not making it very clear, Fale. I guess we’ll find out tomorrow.”
Last Saturday, Haku and his sons, Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa, attacked Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks. As NJPW heads into the G1 Climax tournament, the big rivalry appears to now be the Bullet Club “Firing Squad” against Bullet Club’s “the Elite.”
Earlier this week, Haku appeared on the 2-Man Power Trip podcast with Shane Douglas and spoke on a variety of topics.
Haku on His Reputation
Haku is often credited with being one of the toughest men ever in the business. When asked, however, Haku admitted some of the stories about him are a little embellished.
“I’ll tell you that some of them are true and some of them they make up,” Haku said on people who tell stories about his toughness. “The beating up the people in bars is again just protecting the business and showing them what this business is all about. So most of them are true and I’m not bragging, I’m just telling you guys that it was just me protecting the business. People just had the wrong timing and had a few beers and would turn around calling the business saying it was fake and sometimes I guess it was jealousy that we were in the bar and that girls saw you on TV and start talking to you and are not talking to those local boys so there was other things that happened.”
Haku on Teaming With His Sons in NJPW
Since early 2016 when he appeared in the New Japan Rumble, Haku has been an occasional presence in Bullet Club. He often gets to team with his sons, Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, and HIKULEO.
“I always try to give back to the Japanese and for what they have done for me,” Haku said. “I’ve always said that no matter who the promoter is that it is only a job but in Japan, it is showing them that I respect them and am grateful. With New Japan, we’ve gone to New Zealand together and of course, Japan and I hope that my boys understand that. With this new generation, I’m not too sure sometimes if they understand that. I’m not too sure if you know that sometimes history ends and my life is to give back and It is my life to show them the way and I hope they understand that. In Japan, they know our relationship and they give me another chance to go there.”
Haku On Legitimate Tough Guys In Wrestling
When asked about legit tough guy wrestlers such as the Road Warriors or Steiner Brothers, Haku says he was intimidated by them.
“I was afraid of them and I am still away from them. They were all the toughest guys that I knew in the field and I was just a third world country boy that has come into the business and trying to feed my family back home so whatever comes in my way (laughing) you know things happen.”
While others will disagree with him on this point, Haku does not believe he is the toughest man in the history of wrestling.
“I am not the toughest. I am a gentleman (laughing) just doing my job and it was those guys that are tough (Steiners and Road Warriors) and they don’t know how tough they are,” Haku said. “But things happen and in the old days we were taught that with the wrestling we “kayfabe” them and we protect our business inside and outside the ring. So when we weren’t filming it was when I was protecting our business and it was to show respect but things happen just because people showed disrespect and in life there is wrestling and there is no wrestling and for me it was protecting the business.”
