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ROH’s Christopher Daniels On Still Wrestling At 48

Jon Fuentes
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5

Former Ring Of Honor (ROH) World Champion Christopher Daniels recently did an interview with Monsters and Critics to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Daniels first discussed how his latest run with ROH compared to his previous ones:

“I was there in 2011 and left right when Sinclair bought the company. I came back in 2014 with Frankie [Kazarian] and it was different because over those three years, Sinclair brought Ring of Honor from a company that was just starting to do syndicated television. In those three years, they brought them to the point where they were doing live pay-per-views, which is where Frankie and I debuted at their first broadcast pay-per-view.

“It was great to get back. It was different because over the course of my career there, I’d sort of been by myself, but I came back with Frankie, who was the best partner I have ever had. It put a different dynamic into what we were doing and what I brought to the company, anyway. Over the course of the last four years, Frankie and I have held the tag team titles twice and just recently we were the six-man tag team champions with Scorpio Sky. We have been very successful, and it has been very beneficial to the three of us.”

Daniels then named two ROH stars that he thinks professional wrestling fans should keep their eyes on – Scorpio Sky and Adam Page:

“The first guy I have to talk about is Scorpio Sky. We were very fortunate to get Scorpio as a part of Ring of Honor and to bring him in as part of SoCal Uncensored with me and Frankie. I mean, he’s been wrestling for 15 years but I feel like people weren’t really aware of him because he hadn’t had that breakout performance on a national stage. In the last year in Ring of Honor, people have started to see that Scorpio is, hands down, one of the best guys on the planet.

“I feel like whatever the future holds for him and us, as SoCal Uncensored, no matter what happens, Scorpio is going to be a big part of Ring of Honor for a very long time. Another guy that I feel has the world in front of him as far as wrestling goes is Adam Page. In the last couple of years as part of Bullet Club, people have started to see Adam grow as a performer and as a wrestler. It is tough too because there are so many dynamic personalities in Bullet Club that, for a while, it seemed that Adam was in the background.

“Now, he sort of stands out front and he is one of the dynamic personalities that people have come to expect from Bullet Club. He has become one of the more popular guys and certainly one of the most talented guys that Ring of Honor has had in the last couple of years. There is probably going to be championship gold in his future.”

At 48-years-old Daniels is still putting on great matches. He offered his explanation as to how that is:

“It is not an age thing for me. It is, for me in my head, I have always tried to do the things that I know I can do no matter what part of the match it was in. I’ve always told other wrestlers that, in terms of staying safe and staying smart, you do the things that you can do whether it is the first five minutes of the match or the last five minutes of the match. For me, I have been very cognizant of taking very calculated risks. I am not a high flier in the sense that I take those high risks in every part of my match.

“I wrestle what I feel is a very safe style for me. That might be comical to an outside eye to see some of the things I do at the age of 48. It’s something I feel comfortable doing and I feel safe doing. Whatever acrobatic things that I do that seems high risk to other people, to me it is a very calculated risk. Those are the risks that I take any time I wrestle. I know that no matter what I am doing — if it seems dangerous — it is something I know I can do 10 times out of 10.

“I have been fortunate to avoid the accidental injuries that come and go in everybody’s career. I keep my risks at a minimum in my head. That is something all pro wrestlers have to learn. There are things they can do every time and not suffer from fatigue or mistake and keep it within that risk factor.”

You can read Daniels’ full interview with Monsters and Critics by clicking this link here.

Sting Comforted Vader In His Final Days

Chris Stephens
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3

The wrestling world lost Leon White earlier this week. The wrestler better known as Big Van Vader touched a lot of people in his 63 years. Wrestling legends and personalities, such as Mick Foley and Jim Ross, have paid tribute to Vader in the days since his death. His memory was honored at the NJPW shows this weekend as well.

TMZ has published an interview with Vader’s son, former NXT wrestler Jesse White. White wrestled under the name Jake Carter in WWE developmental from 2011 to 2013. According to Jesse, Sting was a big help to the family in Vader’s final days.

“Dallas Diamond Page, [Stone Cold Steve] Austin, Mick Foley,” White mentioned as having helped but one of Vader’s old friends made an extra special impression. “I do have to send a big thank-you out to Sting, Steve Borden.”

“Sting has been a huge blessing,” White said, also noting they had grown closer since Vader’s health began to decline.  “My father was a God-fearing man and so was Sting, and they would sit down and read the bible together. Go over the Bible, just talk about life and good time stories and, yeah, Stings been a huge blessing throughout this process.”

Sting and Vader were rivals in the ring. Vader won his first WCW World Championship from Sting in 1992, simultaneously ending Sting’s first run with the belt. Vader would lose the belt to Ron Simmons but gain it back just 5 months later. In 1993, Sting defeated Vader to win his 2nd WCW World Championship. He would drop the title back to Vader just 6 days later, however. All throughout 1992 and 1993, Sting and Vader would wrestle each other on WCW house shows as well.

MLW Announces 3 More Names For Battle Riot

Chris Stephens
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0

Major League Wrestling’s upcoming Battle Riot match has 3 more confirmed participants. So far, the promotion has confirmed 17 of the planned 40 participants.

The Battle Riot match will take place July 19th, 2018 from the Melrose Ballroom in Queens, NY.

Sami Callihan, Joey Ryan, and Jason Cade are the latest 3 wrestlers to be confirmed for the match. A recent report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter also stated MLW was hoping to broadcast the show on pay-per-view. As it stands now, however, the event is scheduled as a TV taping for MLW Fusion on the BeIN Sports Network.

List of Confirmed Battle Riot Participants: 

  1. Pentagon Jr.
  2. Pierre Carl Ouellet
  3. Rich Swann
  4. Jason Cade
  5. Joey Ryan
  6. “Taskmaster” Kevin Sullivan
  7. ACH
  8. John Morrison
  9. Lance Anoa’i
  10. Swoggle
  11. Konnan
  12. Jake Hager
  13. “Worldwide Desperado” Sami Callihan
  14. Davey Boy Smith Jr.
  15. Teddy Hart
  16. Barrington Hughes
  17. Jimmy Yuta

In addition to the Battle Riot match, ACH and Rich Swann will team up to go against the New Hart Foundation. Teddy Hart will team with Davey Boy Smith Jr for the first time in years. Hart and Smith will also be managed by Brian Pillman Jr.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1010685183580876802

What is a Battle Riot Match?

Major League Wrestling describes the rules of Battle Riot to be a mash-up between a Royal Rumble and Lucha Underground’s Aztec Warfare.

“A mash-up of a battle royal, royal rumble and anything goes street fight, this super-sized main event will feature 40 wrestlers with new participants entering the ring every 60 seconds.

Elimination is by pinfall, submission or by throwing an individual over the top rope.

Anything is possible July 19th in a Battle Riot!”

Where Can I Watch MLW?

MLW signed a television deal with BeIN Sports and has broadcast 10 episodes on the network thus far. The episodes air on Friday nights but viewers who are unable to get BeIN Sports can check out the full episodes on YouTube the day after they air.

Adam Cole Comments On Wrestling For EVOLVE Tonight

Chris Stephens
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0

Adam Cole will defend the NXT North American Championship tonight. He will face the powerhouse Austrian, Walter at EVOLVE 107 from Melrose, MA.

“I’m not just the best in NXT, I’m not just the best in the WWE, I’m the best on the freaking planet,” Cole said to Sports Illustrated recently. “Part of backing that statement up is competing outside of WWE, and the North American championship has given me the opportunity to do that. I can go to a company like EVOLVE and wrestle a talent as good, as big, and as strong as WALTER and defend my championship on a non-WWE show. That’s the epitome of making the North American title a world championship, one I can defend all over the world.”

“Who’s to say I won’t defend the North American championship later this year in the U.K. or Australia or Japan?” Cole continued. “My goal is to make the North American championship the most important championship in NXT, and I feel like I’m on the path to doing that by taking on all challengers around the world.”

Adam Cole at EVOLVE 107

EVOLVE 107
Sunday, June 24th, 2018
Melrose Memorial Hall
Melrose, MA

  • NXT North American Championship
    Adam Cole (c) vs. WALTER
  • EVOLVE Championship Match (If Riddle Retains At EVOLVE 106 against Shane Strickland)
    Matt Riddle (c) vs. AR Fox with Ayla & The Skulk
  • FIP World Heavyweight Championship
    Austin Theory w/ Priscilla Kelly vs. DJZ
  • Tracy Williams vs. Chris Dickinson with Stokely Hathaway
  • Darby Allin vs. Jarek 1:20 with Candy Cartwright
  • Dominic Garrini with Stokely Hathaway vs. Josh Briggs

“Kyle O’Reilly, Roderick Strong, and Bobby Fish all share that exact same mentality,” Cole said on the Undisputed Era. “We said we’re going to take WWE and NXT over. Actions have to speak louder than words, and our actions have spoken much louder than our words.”

Big Cass Update: Reporter Alleges False Accusations Have Been Made

Chris Stephens
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55

There has been no shortage of theories as to why exactly Big Cass was fired from WWE recently. A report from Sports Illustrated indicated Cass’ drinking on the most recent European tour was to blame but there’s been speculation this was not the only reason.

A report from Wrestlingnews.co claims to have insider information regarding the situation.

“We were told that he went up to her and, according to a well-placed source, caused a scene while asking her to forgive him, apparently in hopes for a reconciliation,” the website states in their report. “Carmella tried to walk off but he grabbed her arm and wrestlers in the area stepped in. We’re told that The Usos and Erick Rowan were the ones to get Cass to back away.”

Robbie Fox from BarStool Sports is claiming these are false accusations, however.

Big Cass Allegations False?

“I’ve been pretty silent about Big Cass’ release from the WWE because he’s a good friend of mine and it’s just an unfortunate situation all around that I’ve felt really bad about, but this report that it’s because of an “altercation with Carmella” is complete and utter bullshit.”

“There never was an altercation with Carmella, or Vic Joseph, or the Usos, or ANYONE, and it fucking sucks to see Cass getting dragged through the mud because of a report from one of the most notoriously inaccurate “journalists” in modern pro wrestling history.”

“It’s disappointing that none of the names involved in the report have come forward to dispel the rumor like I figured they would, but hey, I guess if it doesn’t make THEM look good it’s not worth it, right?”

Hangman Page Busted Open In Australia (Photo)

Chris Stephens
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1

Hangman Page was busted open at a World Series Wrestling show in Australia yesterday. The 26-year-old was wrestling Austin Aries for the Impact World Championship. Page lost the match and had his eye split open in the process.

He posted a photo of the injury to his Instagram account:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkXTCOjgZGd/

World Series Wrestling just announced a deal for their events to stream on the Global Wrestling Network. Impact’s streaming service also features events from promotions such as Destiny Wrestling, Border City Wrestling, RISE, and Smash Wrestling.

Hangman Page

Page revealed in an interview recently that he only quit his job as a teacher after learning he was to become a member of Bullet Club in 2016.

“With one phone call I was told I would be in Bullet Club and I was going to Japan for three weeks, then continually after that. It was pretty cool and life-changing. At the time I was a high school teacher,” Page said.

“I taught graphic design, multimedia, and journalism. I would take sick days and wrestle on the weekends. At that point, I knew if I was doing three-week tours of Japan I couldn’t keep teaching because I couldn’t be “sick” that long.”

Here is a Tweet Page sent shortly after finding out he was joining Bullet Club:

https://twitter.com/theadampage/status/732985688115793921?lang=en

Page started wrestling in 2011 and started working for Ring of Honor the following year.

“I could also afford not to teach anymore because I would be more in-demand so to speak. I quit teaching and became a full-time wrestler. That more than anything in my whole career changed my life.”

Page is scheduled to team with Marty Scurll to take on Hiroshi Tanahashi and KUSHIDA at the G1 Special in San Francisco next month.

Alberto Del Rio Says He’s Proud Of CM Punk, Comments On Leaving Wrestling

Chris Stephens
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8

Alberto Del Rio says he only takes 2-3 wrestling bookings a month these days and the rest of the time is for his children and other projects. He recently talked about his current schedule,  his transition to other forms of entertainment, and his relationship with WWE in an interview with Chris Van Vliet.

One of the most interesting topics Del Rio addressed, however, was CM Punk’s UFC career. Del Rio himself has a background in MMA. He has a 9-5 pro record in the sport. Del Rio is currently involved with the Combate Americas promotion as well.

“I just hate to hear people talk crap about someone like Phil,” Del Rio said about Punk. “Someone’s who’s got the balls to go and try something different.”

“90% of the m*****ers in this business have never been in a real fight in their life.” Alberto Del Rio

Alberto Del Rio Interview

In regards to his current wrestling schedule, Del Rio mentioned he’s keeping his wrestling bookings to a minimum these days.

“A lot of people know I only take 2 or 3 wrestling shows or indy booking or whatever wrestling shows out there per month,” Del Rio said. “my time is for my kids, my time is for the other stuff I’m doing.”

“I’m in the middle of the transition from being a pro-wrestler to being an entertainer,” he continued. “I still love wrestling, I still have a lot of passion for wrestling but I think it’s time for me to start moving on to other stuff.”

Undertaker & Ronda Rousey’s Opponents Announced For WWE MSG (7/7)

Lesly Sincere
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24

Madison Square Garden has released an updated lineup for the July 7th WWE live event featuring are rare in-ring appearance by The Undertaker and Ronda Rousey’s Garden debut.

The Undertaker will team with Roman Reigns & Braun Strowman against Kevin Owens, Elias & Baron Corbin. It will be The Undertaker’s first MSG appearance since 2010.

Ronda Rousey will re-match her MITB opponent Nia Jax with WWE Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss serving as the special guest referee.

New WWE Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler will put his championship on the line against Finn Balor and Seth Rollins in a triple threat match.

Also advertised for the event are WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Bray Wyatt & Matt Hardy, Jinder Mahal, Bobby Lashley, Bayley, Natalya, Bobby Roode and more.

The Deadman and The Baddest Women on the Planet Return

News of the Undertaker’s return back to the square circle has been circling online for weeks now. In addition to Wrestlemania 34, where he defeated John Cena in less than two minutes, the Dead Man has also competed at the Greatest Royal Rumble Event where he defeated Rusev in a casket match.

This six-man tag match will allow fans to see The Undertaker in action while limiting the physical toll on his body. He’s scheduled to face Triple- H in October for the WWE Super Show-Down stadium show from Australia.

Rousey’s match against Nia Jax is still a go despite her “30-day Suspension” for attacking Alex Bliss and Kurt Angle on RAW.

Update On Big Cass’ Release

Lesly Sincere
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37

News about Big Cass’s release has been the big topic of the wrestling community lately. The reason why his sudden release has been brought into the light.

Three Strikes And You’re Out

While many sources claim that Cass’s heat goes as far back to when he expressed his political views about Donald Trump backstage with bad reception, it’s been his recent return from injury and the events following that lined him up for the unemployment line.

The segment where Big Cass attacks a “little Daniel Bryan” wasn’t supposed to last as long as it did. According to the Pro Wrestling Sheets, officials were mad that Cass “went into business for himself” and didn’t follow the script.

Sports Illustrated‘s Justin Barrasso reported Cass “was drinking the majority of [WWE’s] European tour and had attitude issues when drunk.” Which only dug the hole even deeper.

The last straw comes an incident that involves Cass’s ex-girlfriend, Carmella.

According to WrestlingNews.co, reports come in from last Friday that Cass “caused a scene” when speaking to Carmella. She tried walking away but was immediately “grabbed by her arm” which led to other wrestlers to intervene.

PWInsider reported on Thursday that Cass has a 90-day no-compete clause that went into effect immediately after his release, which will prevent him from immediately working with another wrestling company.

 

Velveteen Dream Responds To Hulk Hogan’s Offer To Manage Him

Chris Stephens
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31

At NXT Takeover: Chicago II on Saturday, Velveteen Dream had a very Hulk Hogan-esque look to him. This led the Hulkster to comment that he should play the role of Dream’s manager.

Unfortunately for Hogan, it appears Velveteen Dream is not going to be his ticket back to WWE.

https://twitter.com/VelveteenWWE/status/1009972953960853504

Hulk Hogan’s Possible Return to WWE

Speculation regarding Hogan’s possible return to the company increased earlier this year when Hogan attended the premiere for HBO’s documentary on Andre the Giant. Just before the screening, WWE made a public statement regarding Hogan. They said they had reached out to him in order to discuss how others could learn from mistakes he’s made. WWE insisted Hogan was not under contract, however.

In March, it was revealed by Mark Henry that there is a delegation of wrestlers who don’t believe Hogan is ready to return.

”The delegation is pretty much all of the more established African-American wrestlers in the country and in the world, for that matter. Every promotion… there’s not a wrestling promotion that doesn’t house someone from the delegation,” Henry explained.

”I believe that everybody should be given a second chance but I also believe that you have to own your issue, whatever that issue is. You gotta try to make closure on everybody else’s behalf, not just yours.”

Booker T on Hogan Returning to WWE

Booker T has also commented on Hogan’s possible return to the company. While both Henry and Booker agree that people should be given second chances, Booker is more forgiving of Hulk than Henry is.

He made the following statements on his Heated Conversations show:

“The only thing Hogan can do is apologize, atone for it, and we move forward,” Booker said. “Everyone deserves a second chance that’s just the way I am.”

Booker also explained that he believes Hogan was responsible for Harlem Heat receiving a push in WCW.

“I talk about Hulk Hogan being in my corner, back in the day and a lot of the boys they may look at me and say, ‘Why is Booker T talking to [Hogan]?’ Back in the day, if it wasn’t for Hulk Hogan, I don’t know if Booker T and Stevie Ray would have got the push that we got,” Booker said. “Back in the day, Sister Sherri was an intricate detail to Harlem Heat, and our success, and it was all because of Hulk Hogan. Saying ‘Hey man, those are the guys you need to put your money behind.'”

Transcriptions courtesy of Wrestling Inc

Ronda Rousey Posts Message To Alexa Bliss, Details Goals In WWE

Chris Stephens
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13

In WWE storyline, Ronda Rousey is suspended until after the Extreme Rules pay-per-view on July 15th, 2018. Rousey beat up several WWE referees on Raw this Monday causing Kurt Angle to suspend her for 30-days.

It seems Rousey is counting down the days until she can get her hands on Little Miss Bliss. She posted the following to her social media channels recently:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkSzbIDjBEq/?hl=en&taken-by=rondarousey

Raw Women’s Champion, Alexa Bliss, has not responded to Rousey. Bliss, who will face Nia Jax at Extreme Rules, posted the following graphic recently which states her MITB cash-in was the 3rd fastest in history.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkQegLNB0nr/?hl=en&taken-by=alexa_bliss_wwe_

Ronda Rousey’s Goals in WWE

Similar to Kenny Omega, Ronda Rousey wants to change the world through pro-wrestling. WWE.com correspondents spoke with Rousey about her goals in wrestling and what she wants to accomplish before having children.

“I feel like I have so much potential, that even though I’ve accomplished a lot I feel like I’m always capable of more. I have more to contribute to this world than I already have. The WWE seems like the most direct way to affect lasting social change that I want to happen before I bring children into this world. This is the right time, this is the right place, and I have an idea whose time has come. I don’t want my kids to put up with some of the bullshit I had to, so I’m going to change it. And this is how.”

Rousey won over even her harshest critics with her performances at both WrestleMania 34 and the Money in the Bank PPV. On Sunday, it was reported that both Rousey and Nia Jax received standing ovations backstage after the match.

Chris Jericho: New Japan “Breathing Down The Neck” Of WWE

Staff
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17

Following New Japan Pro Wrestling’s recent Dominion event, Chris Jericho spoke with Taylor Allen of the Winnipeg Free Press about two ‘Winnipeggers’ (he and Kenny Omega) leaving that show with NJPW’s two top championships.

Jericho is proud to be at the forefront of NJPW’s global expansion and feels the company is starting to gain ground on WWE.

“[New Japan] is a company that’s slowly but surely increasing its worldwide popularity and basically breathing down the neck of the WWE. It’s a Japanese wrestling company, the top stars are Japanese, but there we were, two foreigners, headlining and main eventing the Tokyo Dome. It would be like two Japanese football teams in the Super Bowl. The fact it’s two guys from Winnipeg is a really huge deal.”

WWE is such a well-oiled machine that it would be nearly impossible to knock them off the pedestal as the top wrestling promotion in the world. Several promotions have made the mistake of trying to compete with WWE by emulating them, but history shows that companies must take a different approach to compete. As successful as WWE is, their distinct product is not the only way to present pro wrestling. Jericho sees opportunity there and believes New Japan can continue growing by accentuating strengths that WWE does not have.

“Obviously, you’ll never beat WWE, but to carve out a niche for yourself within the market, you have to do something different, and New Japan is a completely different animal. Yes, it’s still pro wrestling, but it’s a completely different style and much more reformed, more hard-hitting and, in a lot of ways, more fun, depending on what you’re looking for.”

27 years into his wrestling career, Jericho, now 47, is still at the top of his game. He continues to reinvent himself and captivate fans around the world with his can’t-miss performances. He plans to return to WWE at some point, but for now, he’s invested in New Japan’s success.

Visit Winnipeg Free Press to read the full interview, which also includes quotes from IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega.

EC3 Reflects On His WWE Departure In 2013

Andrew Ravens
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1

EC3 has reflected on his first stint in the WWE.

The WWE NXT superstar was a recent guest on E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness to talk with WWE Hall of Famer Edge and former World Champion Christian.

During this interview, he talked about departing from the sports entertainment company in 2013 where he admitted that it was the best thing to happen to him for various reasons and elaborated on them.

“As much as that sucked at the time, it was the best thing that could happen to me for a numerous amount of reasons.” EC3 continued, “and, like, what a better time, what a better opportunity than now? I don’t believe in, ‘ah, everything happens for a reason’. I believe in that in a sense, but the way that everything panned out, played out, worked out, damn, I couldn’t be happier or more excited about what’s to come and where it’s going.”

EC3 did note that his complacent attitude may have been a factor in the decision made by WWE to part ways with him at that time.

“‘What do I have to do to do this?’ ‘This, this, and this.’ ‘Yeah, but…’ ‘What do you mean, ‘yeah but’?’ Yeah, but do it or don’t.” EC3 elaborated, “I mean, we’re all guilty, probably, of ‘yeah buts’ in our lifetime too. ‘Yeah buts’ are probably what got me fired in the first place. There was a sense of complacency. There was a sense of ‘yeah, but, like, you know, I’m not going to get this shot because of this’. And then, yeah, you know what? You get fired, you lose it all, your back’s against the wall, you refuse to accept ‘no’ for an answer. You refuse to let anyone else dictate how you’re going to live your life, how you’re going to make your living, or what you’re going to do. Then you go out and you kill it. You just throw that ‘yeah but’ away and you go, ‘yeah, butts!’”

What are your thoughts on EC3’s comments about his WWE departure?

H/T to Wrestling Inc for the transcribed quotes

Steve Austin Reveals Who The ‘Big Van Vader’ Gimmick Was Originally Meant For

Jon Fuentes
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6

It was announced earlier this week that former WCW and WWE star Big Van Vader sadly passed away due to complications from pneumonia.

WWE Hall Of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin recently took to his podcast, The Steve Austin Show, to share some of his thoughts on Vader. Austin used to team up with Vader in WCW and would compete against him in WWE.

Austin noted that the first time he ever saw the Big Van Vader gimmick was over in Japan:

“He [came] walking to the ring, and that guy was as big as a house to began with,” said Austin. “Just the intimidation factor. And then he’d set that thing on the floor, on the ground, and he’d start whistling and point at it, and of course that’d blow the steam, whatever that was that they blow out of there, it was incredible.”

Austin then revealed that the Big Van Vader gimmick was meant for someone else aside from Leon White.

“I think, if memory serves me correct, I think they originally wanted to give that gimmick to the Ultimate Warrior who I think passed it up,” said Austin.

Despite the original idea, Austin feels that no other person would have served it justice, and it “ended up with the right man at the right time, because I don’t think anybody else could have pulled that gimmick like Leon did with his work style, with his athleticism. It was a parallel along with the first time I saw the Road Warriors.”

You can listen to The Steve Austin Show by clicking this link here.

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcribed quotes

WWE Creates Stephanie McMahon Themed Merchandise For Ronda Rousey

Andrew Ravens
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3

WWE is being creative with the latest t-shirt for former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey.

Rousey made her WWE in-ring debut at WrestleMania 34 by teaming up with Kurt Angle to defeat Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in a Mixed Tag Team Match. In this match, there was a famous scene in which Rousey made McMahon tap out to her armbar finisher.

Well, WWE has decided to use a photo of that finish from that match for a new t-shirt following the success of the “Hot Ronda” t-shirts. You can check out Rousey’s latest merchandise created by the sports entertainment company here:

As we noted earlier on the site, Rousey got her revenge on WWE RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss on this week’s episode of Monday Night RAW in Grand Rapids, MI at the Van Andel Arena on the USA Network by attacking and sending her through a table.

The reason for the beatdown was due to Bliss attacking her during Rousey’s RAW Women’s Title Match against Nia Jax at the Money in the Bank PPV event. It was later announced that Rousey would be suspended for 30 days as a result of her actions.

Despite being suspended, it’s been reported that Rousey is still scheduled to appear at Monday’s RAW and will likely appear in a dark segment.

The sports entertainment company is advertising Rousey for the following dates including live events:

– WWE Live Event: June 24th in Anaheim, CA

– Monday Night RAW TV Event: June 25th in San Diego, CA

– WWE Live Event: July 7th in New York City

– WWE Live Event: July 8th in Bridgeport, CT

– Monday Night RAW TV Event: July 16th in Buffalo, NY

– Monday Night RAW TV Event: August 20th in Brooklyn NY

– Monday Night RAW TV Event: August 27th in Toronto, CA

– WWE Live Event: November 3rd in Madrid

– WWE Live Event: November 4th in Barcelona

– WWE Live Event: November 9th in Bologna

– WWE Live Event: November 10th in Rome

Date & Location Announced For ROH Death Before Dishonor PPV

Andrew Ravens
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0

Ring of Honor has officially announced the location for the Death Before Dishonor event.

On Friday afternoon (June 22, 2018), the Baltimore-based promotion revealed that they would this upcoming pay-per-view event at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Friday, September 28, 2018. Also, they will hold a TV taping at the same venue the following night.

Tickets for the two events go on sale Wednesday, Aug. 1 at 10 a.m. local time for HonorClub members and Friday, Aug. 3 at 12 p.m. local time for the general public.

It was noted in the announcement that was released that it will mark the third year in a row that Las Vegas has hosted this event.

Although no names were advertised for this show, it was noted that it would feature “all of the top ROH stars.”

The next ROH PPV, Best in the World, is slated to go down on Friday, June 29, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland at the UMBC Event Center and will be headlined by Dalton Castle defending the ROH World Title against Cody and Marty Scurll in a Triple Threat Match.

Two Top UK Independent Stars Announced for PWG’s Battle of Los Angeles 2018

Jake Skudder
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0

PWG has been announcing several names for their upcoming Battle of Los Angeles tournament over the past few days. Two of the most intriguing competitors confirmed for the prestigious tournament are UK independent stars Chris Brookes and Jody Fleisch.

Chris Brookes is one of the most in demand stars on the UK circuit right now, his hugely successful run alongside Kid Lykos in #CCK has seen him catapulted into the ranks of PROGRESS wrestling’s main event scene and he was tipped as one of the favourites to win the Super Strong Style 16 tournament, unfortunately losing in an incredible bout against NXT Superstar Kassius Ohno. Since Lyko’s most recent injury Brookes has once again been establishing himself as a legitimate singles star and this inclusion in the BOLA is a testament to his abilities as an in-ring competitor.

Jody Fleisch is a severely underrated veteran from the UK independent scene, the ‘Phoenix’ has been wowing UK and European crowds since his debut in 1997 and he has gone on to appear for companies across the globe including Ring of Honor, TNA/IMPACT, IPW:UK, XWA, ICW, 5* and Rev Pro. Fleisch’s athletic abilities are going to finally be showcased at one of the biggest tournaments in independent wrestling.

Other names already confirmed for the tournament include PCO, Brody King, Ilja Dragunov, Robbie Eagles, Joey Janela, Puma King, David Starr and Rey Horus.

DEFIANT Confirm ‘Ringmaster’ Tournament Competitors

Jake Skudder
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0

UK based promotion DEFIANT Wrestling has announced the competitors for their upcoming ‘Ringmaster’ tournament taking place on July 16th/17th from the O2 Academy in Newcastle, England.

The company has described the ‘Ringmaster’ as follows: “featuring 16 competitors, the tournament will feature stars we have never seen before in Defiant, stars we haven’t seen for a while, and stars we see often!”

The full lineup for the tournament is as follows:

  • Adam Brooks
  • Bad Bones
  • BT Gunn
  • David Starr
  • Kay Lee Ray
  • Curtis Chapman
  • Kyle Fletcher (of Aussie Open)
  • Mark Davis (of Aussie Open)
  • Martin Kirby
  • Matt Riddle
  • Millie McKenzie
  • Nathan Cruz
  • Omari
  • Simon Miller
  • Stevie Boy
  • TK Cooper

With the recent announcement of the NXT UK brand and the news that WWE contacted talent cannot be featured on streaming services across the UK it is testament to the depth of talent that the United Kingdom scene has when looking at this stacked tournament.

The event will be available to purchase either on the FITE app or on DEFIANT’s Access On Demand service which available for $8.99 per month.

Triple H On How Aware Vince McMahon Is Of WWE’S NXT & UK Brands

Jon Fuentes
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0

WWE’s Triple H recently did an interview with Inside The Ropes at the WWE’s UK Championship Tournament tapings. The Game was asked how aware Vince McMahon is of the WWE’s NXT and UK brands with them being under his control:

“He’s well aware of all of it. It’s a funny thing, some people think he’s not aware of things in his own company. [Laughs] He’s well aware of all of it. He’s all for all of it. There’s a lot of things going on. We grow as a brand every single day and that growing and that expanding, and all of it is an important part of WWE.

“It doesn’t take away from any of the things we were in the past, but our intent is not to stay what we were, our intent is to be what we can become. Our vision of WWE is massive compared to what it is right now.

“His vision of what WWE will become is massive and you have to remember this is a guy who envisioned it going from little smoke-filled bars to 100,000 people in a stadium and being seen all around the world with one global brand. That vision is amazing, so he has a vision for all of it, but he’s well aware of all of it, trust me.”

HHH was then asked about those who say that NXT and the UK brands are putting out a better product than what’s happening on the main roster with shows such as Monday Night RAW and SmackDown Live:

“Everybody has opinions. I’m sure you’ve heard that quote before. Yeah, everybody has opinions. Look, you just try to put out the best product you can put out. For me, it’s a different reach and a different vibe. If you’re a fan of a certain genre of music, you just like that music better.

“If you go to that concert, you like that concert better. It’s a big world, lot of fans. WWE has almost a billion followers on social media, number one channel for sports, number two channel overall on YouTube. We got a lot of people watching. Some of them like different things. It’s just funny people believe what they believe is the answer. It certainly doesn’t seem to be hurting business, there’s enough product to go around for everybody.”

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

Kenny Omega Says He Might Work Better In A WWE Enviornment

Jon Fuentes
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16

IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega recently participated in a media call to help promote the G1 Special in San Francisco from the Cow Palace on July 7th. The Cleaner will defend his title against Cody Rhodes at the event. Omega was first asked how he would prepare for a match in an environment where his match length is limited:

“It’s funny there’s this idea where Kenny is only good because he can do what he wants and he gets time. Well, everyone else through those doors had had time and opportunity. Why didn’t they do anything special?”

He was then asked how he feels he’d work in a restrictive environment such as WWE. Omega feels he would thrive in such an environment as it would force him to think creatively to work around such restrictions:

“I actually work better within restrictions,” the IWGP Heavyweight Champion continued. “When you leave everything wide open things tend to get a little convoluted. So when you give me those restrictions and I start to use my brain creatively to work around those that’s when things get interesting.

“I mean no, you’re not going to get a seven-star match or six or five in a seven-minute segment but I always do the best I can to make that segment memorable and entertaining and I think that’s always the name of the game.

“The thing is too it’s like, ‘hey if you ever go to WWE what are you gonna do if you only get five minutes?’ I mean sure you’d have nights like that but would I take a contract with WWE if I were not gonna be able to show the best of Kenny Omega? That would be a disservice to fans to professional wrestling, it would be a disservice to my own career all the hard work I put in.

“I would for sure make sure that I was able to show the best of what I do and that requires a little bit of time. So yeah, things like that don’t really worry me I think I would be fine.”

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

WWE UK Champion Facing NXT-Linked Independent Star

Jake Skudder
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0

Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw) has announced that WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne will be taking on one of the hottest Independent talents on the planet when he faces WALTER at the first night of the Shotgun Live Tour.

Club Bahnhof Ehrenfeld in Cologne will play host to this veritable independent dream match between two of both PROGRESS/wXw’s biggest stars.

This will not be the first wXw opponent that Dunne will face this year, the WWE UK Champion has been booked for a bout against wXw Unified World Champion Ilja Dragunov at the Wembley Arena show on September 30th in a match that will determine who the best wrestler in Europe truly is.

If you’ve never heard of WALTER then he is certainly a performer that should be on your radar. The Austrian powerhouse has been dominating the Tag and Heavyweight divisions in wXw, PROGRESS and PWG over the past couple of years and he is now being slated as a future WWE/NXT signee (even if he denies any sort of negotiations). The de-facto leader of the Ringkampf stable (alongside Timothy Thatcher and previously NXT roster member Axel Dieter Jr) has a ton of potential on the world stage and has already garnered critical praise from the likes of Dave Meltzer, who gave his PWG All-Star Weekend bout against Zack Sabre Jr from October 2017 a 5 star rating.

https://twitter.com/wXwGermany/status/1010092634969378817

Final Match Announced for PROGRESS Chapter 72 feat. NJPW vs NXT UK Match

Jake Skudder
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0

PROGRESS has announced the 7th and potentially final bout for their upcoming 72nd Chapter event ‘Got Got Need’ which takes place this Sunday 24th from the Electric Ballroom in Camden, London.

Former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion and the 1st ever British Born winner of the BOSJ tournament Will Ospreay will be facing NXT UK Superstar Jordan Devlin.

This announcement follows the news that PROGRESS World Champion Travis Banks will be defending his title against the ‘World Cup’ winner Chuck Mambo. Banks recently took part in the WWE United Kingdom Championship tournament and is scheduled to be part of the NXT UK roster going forward.

Devlin has also been announced for a bout against Naoki Tanizaki at the upcoming Fight Club: Pro ‘International Tekkers’ show. The Dragon Gate veteran (Tanizaki) will be taking part in a run across the UK shore sagainst the likes of Mark Haskins (Frontline Puro) and Chris Brookes (RIPTIDE) and this bout against Devlin should be dynamite.

Ember Moon On If She’s Open To Doing Total Divas

Jon Fuentes
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0

Former WWE NXT Women’s Champion Ember Moon recently did an interview with The New York Post to talk about several professional wrestling topics. You can read some of the highlights below:

Where did the genesis of the Ember Moon character come from?

“To be honest, the qualities about myself that I always … I’ll say used to feel ashamed of. I used to be very secluded. I used to just kind of chill out on my own, but then when the opportunity presents itself, I just like fire up and just do it.

“I always felt that there was a lot of rejection thrown at me outside of wrestling and I always overcame that every single time and I just won’t be told “No” and I won’t stay down and that’s just amplified through Ember Moon. Man, it’s crazy. It is me times one thousand.”

What was it like eventually being trained by Booker T ?

“He’s kind of the person that started telling me to branch out and to start going to different states and just make a name for myself on the independent scene. It’s crazy because his knowledge extends well past what you guys have seen of him on WWE TV and I will forever be thankful for that. He’s the reason why the Eclipse is off the top rope.”

Were you trying to do it from the middle rope before?

“So, when I first started doing the Eclipse, I’m terrified of heights, I was doing it on the middle rope. And, Booker was the one who talked me into doing it on the top rope and it just worked so much better because I had more time to adjust and spin.”

You talked about yourself being kind of a shy person. When you’ve seen the success of Total Divas, is that something that would be hard for you or would you look forward to the opportunity if presented with it?

“You see everything. Me being the reclusive person that I am, I don’t know if that’s something I would do. I’ve been on Total Divas a couple of times in a guest role and I just don’t know. I really don’t. I’m not saying I would say “No.” I just don’t know.”

You can read Moon’s full interview with The New York Post by clicking this link here.

Adam Cole Talks His WrestleMania Dream Match, Pressure Of NXT Debut

Andrew Ravens
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0

Adam Cole has revealed who would be his dream opponent at WrestleMania.

During a recent interview with WFF while in the UK this past week for the NXT UK Championship Tournament, the NXT North American Champion spoke about various topics.

Cole did discuss the pressure of making his debut with the sports entertainment company. If you recall, he made his debut at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III last August in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center.

“Very nervous. So, it’s exciting when you think, ‘Okay, I’m going to make my WWE debut in NXT,’ but in my brain, I was a successful independent wrestler for ten years and I had gotten to wrestle all over the world. But WWE is a whole different animal and in my mind I’m thinking, ‘I really, really hope these people care and they know who I am. I hope they react and make noise when I come out.’

Finally, when it did happen and they reacted the way they did, I had such a sense of relief and was just so happy they responded the way they did. It was a big combination of emotions: excitement, nerves, fear, pressure, and all that stuff, but it ended up being one of the best nights of my life.”

It’s just a matter of time before the WWE calls Cole up from NXT to the main roster. Cole also talked about when he is on the main roster, who would he want to wrestle at WrestleMania, which is the biggest event of the year for the sports entertainment company.

“AJ Styles would be my number one pick. The reason being I wrestled him twice before and I didn’t beat him, either time. On top of that, I think AJ is the best pro wrestler that I’ve ever been in the ring with. I think he’s absolutely number one. His ability is just second to none, so to get the chance to wrestle him on that stage would be really cool and on top of that I can beat him. [Laughs]”

H/T to Wrestling Inc for the transcript

What are your thoughts on Cole’s comments?

AJ Styles Mocks Rusev On Social Media, WWE Releases Mae Young Classic Promo

Andrew Ravens
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6

AJ Styles Tweets

WWE Champion AJ Styles is slated to make his next title defense against Rusev 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.

As noted, Rusev earned this title shot after beating Big E, Daniel Bryan, The Miz, and Samoa Joe in a Gauntlet Match to become the #1 contender on this week’s episode of SmackDown Live in Toledo, OH at the Huntington Center on the USA Network. Styles sent out the following tweet to mock Rusev:

“Excited to face @RusevBUL for the #WWEChampionship and I know many are as well. And just for you and the little songbird next to you, I’m gonna make #RusevDay #Phenomenal. #AndStill.”

WWE Hypes Tournament

WWE has sent out this promo on their official YouTube channel hype Mae Young Classic tickets being on sale now. As noted, the sports entertainment company will be taping the 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.

What are your thoughts on this match between Styles and Rusev?

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