WWE COO Triple H recently did an interview on CBS Sports’ In This Corner podcast and shared his thoughts about gaining creative control over 205 Live recently. “The Game” discussed his attempts to try and make the program more exciting:
“I think it’s a work in progress,” said Triple H. “I think we did the ‘Cruiserweight Classic’ and it was an excitement and an opportunity. We jumped on making it into its own show, but I don’t know if that was totally just kind of thought out in the right way or done in the right way. I think we made an attempt at it that.
“Vince will say a lot that the business is like flavors – chocolate and vanilla – and not everyone is going to agree on the flavors. So we went in the direction of a certain flavor. We gave them vanilla and people weren’t buying the flavor of vanilla, so we went back to chocolate and people are seeming to like that again.”
He also noted that the division is still a work in progress and he’s excited to see the future opportunities in store for its talent:
“The great thing about [WWE] is we can change them on a dime,” said Triple H. “We can put it in a different direction, and if people don’t like something, just keep watching [because] we are probably going to get you there. We are probably going to get you to a place that works for everyone. That is the intent.
“I think 205 continues to be a work in progress. I’m excited about that opportunity for all of the athletes there because, for a lot of them, there was no road in front of them. There was no big path, and it was doing what they were doing but this opened up doors for them. Hopefully it will continue to grow, much like NXT has, much like the [United Kingdom efforts] will and all of that. I think there is tremendous opportunity and in some way we are just kind of nicking the surface of where we will be.”
You can check out Triple H’s full interview on CBS Sports’ In This Corner podcast by clicking this link here.
Braun Strowman is the number one contender for Cesaro and Sheamus’ RAW Tag Team Championships – without a partner.
Strowman won a Tag Team Battle Royal several weeks ago on Monday Night RAW to earn the opportunity. He now needs to find a partner to challenge for the titles at WrestleMania 34 against The Bar.
There has been a ton of speculation as to who Strowman could partner with, but a recent report from Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated suggests that former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Rey Mysterio could make his return to the company to be “The Monster Among Men’s” partner.
Vince McMahon is reportedly strongly considering the possibility as he likes the big guy and little guy dynamic that he has used in the past.
It was also noted that if Mysterio returned to WWE, it would be under a short-term deal. Wrestling Observer Newsletter recently noted that Mysterio and WWE are still in negotiations, but nothing has been brought up regarding a WrestleMania match.
WWE COO Triple H and Monday Night RAW Commissioner Stephanie McMahon recently appeared on ESPN First Take to promote their Mixed Tag Team match at WrestleMania 34 against Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle. Host Stephen A. Smith asked the pair who they think is the biggest star in WWE.
Stephanie named WWE Hall Of Famer Andre The Giant, while Triple H named off several stars like The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and The Undertaker. Here’s what they had to say:
Stephanie:
“For me personally it’s got to be Andre the Giant. I think a lot of people would say The Rock, a lot of people might say John Cena, especially recently, but I would say Andre,” Stephanie said. “He’s a pop culture icon that has transcended media around the world. Of course we have our HBO special that’s going to be premiering in a couple of weeks in April and it’s just going to be an incredible reflection on the life of an icon.”
Triple H:
“For me the answer is kind of mixed because there are different aspects to that,” Triple H answered. “You can talk about the impact of Hulk Hogan or The Rock and him now being the biggest box office attraction in Hollywood, you can talk about “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. But there’s one guy for me within our industry that resonates beyond all else.
“When I go to India or the Middle East or Europe or Japan or Australia, South America, it doesn’t matter – one of the names that’s always brought up first and foremost is The Undertaker. The character, iconic character of that… it just transcends everything and it is for so many people that kind of character that encapsulates what WWE is.”
Co-host Max Kellerman named Hulk Hogan and Stephen A. Smith agreed, before naming others like The Road Warriors, Ric Flair, Randy Savage and Paul Orndorff. Triple H responded with the following:
“That is the thing, when you talk about it, you can talk about the genius of Vince, you can talk about the brand, you can talk about all the things, WrestleMania and all that. Nobody, nobody in any form of entertainment or sports has put out the amount of characters that have transcended generations,” Triple H responded.
“That storytelling, that level of character development that transcends generations, that touches your childhood and makes you feel something, takes you back in time to that moment … those moments transcend time, connect with you on a level and a character level that few things in this world can. That’s really the genius of Vince McMahon, that storytelling and that character creation.”
WWE Superstar Ronda Rousey recently did an interview with Yahoo Sports to promote her in-ring debut at WrestleMania 34. “The Rowdy One” will team up with WWE Hall Of Famer and RAW General Manager Kurt Angle in a Mixed Tag Team match to take on Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.
Rousey discussed how important it was for her to live life outside of the spotlight, get married, and enjoy life before joining WWE:
“It really was myself and Travis [Browne] planning on settling down that made me decide that I needed to go for it. We’re ready to start having kids soon and I was thinking about what I’ve left unfinished in my life because I want to entirely focus on having kids when that time comes. I took a long look at my life and thought that if I don’t try and take a shot with the WWE, I would regret it for the rest of my life.
“I want to be an example to my kids about pursuing your dreams and being able to do anything. I guess this is my way of nesting and getting ready for children. I’m trying to prove to my unborn babies that they can accomplish any dream that they want to go after.”
The ex-UFC women’s bantamweight champion also discussed getting slapped by Stephanie McMahon on an episode of RAW:
“I’ve never been slapped before. Anybody who has ever been slapped tells me that it hurts more than you think. Man, when she hauled off and whacked me, my first thought was ‘Wow, that really hurt way more than I thought it would.’ Everyone was right. Slaps suck and there was a loud noise followed by the crowd’s ‘Ooooh!’ I didn’t see that coming at all.”
Rousey also said that she’s looking forward to paying McMahon back for the slap at WrestleMania:
“Oh man, I can’t wait. As they say, revenge is a dish best served cold and I cannot wait to serve her the coldest dish at WrestleMania.”
You can read Rousey’s full interview with Yahoo Sports by clicking this link here.
Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Ryback was recently interviewed by The Two Man Power Trip Of Wrestling to talk about several professional wrestling topics. “The Big Guy” first offered his thoughts on SmackDown Live General Manager Daniel Bryan getting cleared by WWE doctors to return to in-ring action:
“I am very happy for him. I saw him back at Rusev’s wedding last year and we were talking and it was when he had returned (I believe) he was on TV as an on air role at that time but I could see that it wasn’t fulfilling to him because he didn’t have that outlet to perform and he didn’t have that physical aspect of it.
“You’ve got to understand that when you wrestle and he wrestled for a majority of his life and I could tell you first hand that especially for myself having to back off a bit this last year that it is extremely and mentally difficult when you are used to making money with your body and being told you can’t do something is extremely taxing on the human mind.
“For him to have to still be in that environment, granted not as much as he was but to still show up to TV every week and to watch all these guys he came up with getting their opportunity to perform and not being able to do that is extremely frustrating.
“I felt for him deeply because I knew how bad he wanted to wrestle. It is really cool to see him get another chance because he was so hot when it all got taken away and I was there for that and I witnessed that on different occasions where he went through the different injuries up there and overcame them.
“So to see him return, I’d like to see him take it easy for a little bit and he seems to have thrown himself back into the mix full steam by taking an apron power bomb and doing those God damn dropkicks where he lands on his head but I would have liked to have seen him ease back in but I guess if you are going to go and he only knows one speed and that is why everybody loves him.”
He then commented on the supposed “bad blood” between himself and Rusev. Most notably, Ryback commented on one of Rusev’s live Instagram videos and teased “The Bulgarian Brute” by saying he hopes he’s not involved in Jon Bravo’s steroid controversy documentary:
“I guess there are a lot of people out there that are so smart and they know everything about wrestling and I can’t tell you how many times I talk about Rusev as one of my favorite all time opponents and one of my favorite people. What friends do is they go online sometimes and they bust each other’s balls. He’s done it to me and I’ve done it to him and it is unfortunate that we live in a day and age where people can just cherry-pick something.”
“I see he is doing an Instagram live and I click on it. He sees me, cracks a smile and says ‘big guy’. I leave a comment and he makes a comment about me which we talk about through text. He made a comment about me not being natural and I made a comment back to him that he could lose more weight and I got pegged the bad guy in that one because two friends were having fun and it was one of those things where he says me and Ryback have no beef, well nobody takes that part.
“Everybody just thinks that Ryback was blocked from Rusev’s Instagram and I can assure that I am not blocked and we were just talking earlier today. People have to understand that guys laugh at this sh*t. If I had a beef with someone the last thing I would do is go on an Instagram live and hash it out on that.”
Ryback also responded to the constant comparisons he receives to WWE Hall Of Famers Ultimate Warrior and Goldberg:
“People are always going to do that and the only thing you can do is go out and live your life and have your career. It is unfortunately that you are going to have people that they’re extremely loyal to the people that came before you and I’ve always said that and I never once tried to go out there and replicate being any of those guys. I have a bald head and I have big traps.
“They did short matches and I do longer matches but that is the role that they played and I had played that role as well doing the shorter matches but that is just what people like to compare you to in the guys that came before you. In ten or fifth teen years if another guy comes along wearing an air-brushed singlet he might get compared to me.
“It is just the way that the business is and you can’t really get too caught up in that because we are all our own individual person or wrestler at the end of the day and I think the fans that know our styles were completely different, the move sets are completely different and the characters are completely different.”
– John Cena continues to pursue a match with The Undertaker at WrestleMania 34. “The Leader Of The Cenation” has been calling out “The Deadman” on RAW for the past several weeks.
Cena took to Twitter to post a workout video of himself, taking a shot at Undertaker in the caption:
– Former SmackDown Live Tag Team Champion Big E took to Twitter to reveal the terrible gimmick idea he pitched nine years ago. He called it Mel Mann, who’s character was supposed to be a postal worker:
Almost 9 years ago, when I got signed, my very first pitch was to be a wrestling postal worker named Mel Mann. Shockingly, it was shot down.
– WWE announced that the annual post-WrestleMania 34 conference call will take place on Monday, April 9, 2018. Here is the official statement:
WWE® Network Post-WrestleMania® Conference Call
STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– WWE (NYSE:WWE) will host a conference call on Monday, April 9, 2018 to provide an update on the growth of WWE Network, including the level of subscribers following WrestleMania. The Company’s Co-Presidents, George A. Barrios and Michelle D. Wilson, will host the conference call beginning at 4:00 p.m. ET (3:00 p.m. CST) to discuss the results.
All interested parties are welcome to listen to a live web cast that will be hosted through the Company’s web site at corporate.wwe.com/investors. Participants can access the conference call by dialing 855-200-4993 (toll free) or 323-794-2092 from outside the U.S. (conference ID for both lines: 6005057). Please reserve a line approximately 10 minutes prior to the start time of the conference call.
The presentation referenced during the call will be made available on April 9, 2018 at corporate.wwe.com/investors. A replay of the call will be available approximately two hours after the conference call concludes, and can be accessed on the Company’s web site.
Last week news broke that WWE and Hall Of Famer Hulk Hogan were in talks for a potential return. WWE actually confirmed this with an official statement:
“We have had discussions with Terry Bollea (aka Hulk Hogan) about how he can help others learn from his mistakes, however, he is not under any contract with WWE.”
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter now reports that Hogan and WWE have had regular communication for the past year. He also noted WWE has always been looking for the right time to bring “The Hulkster” back, but feared backlash from sponsors.
Also, company sources say that the idea for bringing Hogan back would be to allow him to talk about how stupid he was for what he said. It would be angled as a redemption/forgiveness plot.
The overall goal from WWE was to ensure enough time had passed so that the return wasn’t controversial. Meltzer also acknowledged the rumors that Hogan could become the next SmackDown Live General Manager, however, they’re only rumors as of this writing.
Last August two-time WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair underwent emergency hospitalization in order to remove an obstructed part of his bowel.
This led to several complications, and Flair was held in the hospital for over a month to recover. He suffered from kidney failure, which required dialysis treatment, and was at one point given a small chance to survive.
After returning home the following September, Flair has begun to turn around his life and focus more on his health – and the first step has been giving up drinking.
In a new update, Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s Dave Meltzer reports that Flair is set to undergo a “very serious” surgery on July 9th. The surgery will reportedly remove his colostomy bag.
Flair wants this done so he can return to serious training. He has had the bag in ever since having his life-saving surgery. We’ll keep you updated as we learn more…
Mae Young Classic competitor and current reigning Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW) Women’s Champion Viper/Piper Niven recently faced fellow Mae Young Classic star and Stardom SWA Champion Toni Storm in a bout for their aforementioned titles.
You may remember that these two fought during the Mae Young Classic on episode 7 of the series, Storm took the victory on that occasion but went on to lose to eventual winner Kairi Sane in the Semi-Finals. Going into this match Storm had held the SWA belt for over 600+ days and Viper had recently gone through some gruelling bouts to finally become the ICW Champion…Viper eventually took the win to become a co-ICW/SWA Champion.
There have been rumors surrounding both women and their WWE statuses for quite some time, Australian star Toni Storm is expected to be heading to WWE in the very near future whilst news surrounding Piper Niven has been more sparse of late.
Former WWE Superstar and Hardcore Legend Mick Foley has commented on PROGRESS Wrestling’s upcoming WrestleMania weekend shows at the Pontchartrain Convention Center in New Orleans.
PROGRESS co-owner Jim Smallman and Foley are reportedly good friends having met on the comedy circuit in the UK. Smallman was the support slot for Foley’s 2013 UK stand up tour, he also supported William Regal as part of his speaking tour across the region in the same year.
Foley tweeted “Wishing @ThisIs_Progress all the best this #WrestleMania weekend. Still can’t believe it was only 5 years ago that @jimsmallman said “Mick, I have an idea for a different kind of wrestling promotion.”
Tickets for these massive shows are available to purchase from $25 from TicketFly and several big matches are expected to be revealed in the coming weeks as we head towards WrestleMania.
Former WWE Superstar James Ellsworth has been announced for IPW:UK’s upcoming ‘Chin Up Son’ event on Wednesday May 2nd from Milton Keynes Unit Nine venue.
This UK exclusive match for Ellsworth will be his debut for both IPW and in the United Kingdom in general. Since leaving WWE Ellsworth has been making sporadic appearances for independent promotions across the United States, including an upcoming bout against former UFC fighter Matt Riddle as part of Joey Janela’s Spring Break 2 on WrestleMania weekend.
This event takes place just days after IPW:UK’s International Battle Royale event which sees Austin Aries, Mark Haskins, Tenille Dashwood and more invading the Casino Rooms in Rochester, England.
Tickets for IPW:UK’s ‘Chin Up Son’ are available to purchase here.
New UK based promotion Frontline Wrestling (owned by NJPW star Will Ospreay) has announced the latest name for their debut event ‘Build Me An Empire’ which takes place June 28th at Stratford Circus in London.
Former Pro Wrestling NOAH GHC Heavyweight Champion Kenoh will be making his way to the Frontline alongside these already announced stars:
Travis Banks
Aussie Open
‘Flash’ Morgan Webster
Mark Haskins
El Phantasmo
Bea Priestley
Chris Brookes
Rob Lynch
Toni Storm
Wild Boar
Adam Brookes
Connor Mills
Maverick Mayhew
Kenoh has been a part of Japan’s Pro Wrestling NOAH promotion since 2014, following an extremely successful stint in the Michinoku Pro promotion from 2007 when he was scouted by Jinsei Shinzaki. As well as being a former GHC Heavyweight Champion he has held the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, GHC Tag Team Championship and Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Championship.
Frontline Wrestling are looking to bring the Japanese ‘Puro’ style to British shores in a way that has never been seen before. This announcement with these incredible athletes shows that the company is going full bore on ushering in a new era of Strong Style in Great Britain.
Jinder Mahal has had an interesting run with the sports entertainment company.
If you recall, in April of 2011, Mahal made his main roster debut and would eventually find himself as a member of the Three Man Band (3MB) trio alongside McIntyre and Heath Slater. In 2014, however, his run with the WWE came to an end when he was released from his deal.
After he was released from WWE, he returned to the independent circuit for two years where he would reinvent himself creatively and physically before being brought back to WWE around the time of the Superstar Shake-Up. After some time on RAW upon his return, the shake-up moved him over to Tuesday nights on SmackDown Live.
Mahal would win a Six-Pack Challenge match that earned him the status as No. 1-contender for the WWE Championship, which was then-held by Randy Orton who defeated Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 33 for the strap.
Mahal would later beat Orton for the title and held it for several months before losing it to AJ Styles on an episode of WWE SmackDown Live on the USA Network.
Stephanie McMahon recently spoke with the Times of India, and during the interview, she was asked if Mahal’s run as WWE Champion last year was a success. This is what she had to say:
“I think his Championship run was incredibly interesting and successful to our global audience and not just to India. If he became a bit of a hero in India as a result, well that is awesome too… Jinder of course is playing the antagonist here in the States.
I think he was received as a homecoming hero when he performed live in India and whenever there is a local star there is significance to the audience there. Our audience is so much bigger, it is global, so we have to entertain everyone.”
When speaking about Rusev, you have to bring up his wife due to her being such a big part of his life and career.
Lana debuted on the October 23, 2013 episode of NXT by scouting Rusev. The following month, WWE put her as Rusev’s manager on television. They had a short run while in the developmental brand. Lana made her main roster debut on an episode of SmackDown where she and Rusev in the following weeks appeared in a series of self-promotional videos and speeches. Fast forward to May of that year; they made their television debut. WWE has kept both Rusev and Lana strong on television. Rusev would end up winning the United States Title while with her.
When Lana and Rusev are together, they have success, but when separated, not so much. However, Rusev has caught some fire now that he has been paired up with Aiden English on SmackDown Live.
Lana recently spoke with Hollywood Life to talk about various topics. During the interview, she talked about her husband being a super athlete and talented person.
“I think he is a super athlete and I have been saying that for years. I would introduce him as a super athlete and he truly is one of the best in ring competitors. I also think in Total Divas, he also showed that he is really funny and entertaining. On the show, he shows that he has a great personality.”
Lana also commented on SmackDown Live General Manager Daniel Bryan being medically cleared to return to in-ring action.
“We are so excited. We are so excited to have him back. I know for me, personally, I was in tears when he did his speech on coming back because it gives me hope that no matter what anyone says, I am going to continue for my dreams and continue to wrestle and compete.”
The 619 will not be represented at WrestleMania 34.
Following a surprise appearance at the Royal Rumble earlier this year, Rey Mysterio seemed like the perfect candidate to make a return to WWE at the biggest card of the year on April 8 in New Orleans.
Unfortunately, Mysterio says anybody who is looking for him to pop up out of nowhere will be disappointed because he recently suffered an arm injury that’s going to keep him out of action for several weeks, which will overlap WrestleMania 34.
“Unfortunately, I just suffered a torn bicep three weeks ago,” Mysterio revealed on “Below the Belt” with Brendan Schaub. “Opted not to get surgery.
“It’s a full tear but I’m just gonna kick back, do some therapy for it and hopefully I’ll be ready next month.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWk4b3RO4EA
It was natural to think that Mysterio might show up at WrestleMania 34 considering the response his appearance at Royal Rumble generated back in January.
Mysterio’s appearance at Royal Rumble was one of the biggest stories throughout the entire evening. In fact, Mysterio’s surprise entrance into the Royal Rumble generated over 14 million views for that video on YouTube. Even Ronda Rousey’s first official appearance in WWE from the same event only ended up with 3.7 million views by comparison.
“It was intense,” Mysterio said about his surprise appearance at Royal Rumble. “I didn’t know what to expect. I know the fans were excited cause you always get on social media ‘when you coming back?’ but to actually be there and live that moment. You got that butterfly sensation I always get before I step into the ring.
“Once I make that eye contact with the fans, I’m out there, I go that’s game time. Let’s go.”
Would you like to see Rey Mysterio make another run with WWE in the future? Sound off in the comments to let us know!
Goldberg has had quite the career in professional wrestling. He made his name known while being the top star of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) at the peak of the Monday Night Wars.
While under contract with WCW between 1997 and 2001, Goldberg rose to fame in WCW with a lengthy undefeated streak in singles competition from 1997 to 1998, which was considered the longest winning streak in professional wrestling. After twelve years away from the WWE, he returned to WWE in 2016 and headlined Survivor Series against Brock Lesnar, and Fastlane against Kevin Owens where he won the WWE Universal Championship. He lost the title to Lesnar at WrestleMania 34 in Orlando, Florida. He was last seen on WWE television the night after Mania on Raw. WWE has announced that Paul Heyman would induct Goldberg into the 2018 WWE Hall of Fame class.
Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the reason Heyman is inducting Goldberg into the WWE Hall Of Fame this year is due to Heyman being one of the instrumental figures in the Lesnar vs. Goldberg storyline heading into WrestleMania 33 last year. Heyman largely produced Goldberg’s material and helped put together the angles for all the Goldberg vs. Lesnar matches. Thus, that’s where they developed a personal relationship.
Jeff Cobb has reportedly been offered a contract by Impact Wrestling. A recent report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter is stating Cobb was offered a 2-year deal but has yet to sign.
Cobb most recently spurred some rumors he might be joining NJPW on a more regular basis. He Tweeted out a photo of himself at the New Japan dojo in Los Angeles recently.
Let the rumors begin ??????
This is where people need to be, scratching, clawing, and trying to get into to learn and get better in our profession. 2 great trainers teaching in Shibata and Scorpio Sky. Boys and girls, it’s in our backyard! pic.twitter.com/Ym0lQLaZjw
Impact Wrestling tonight is a taped show from the company’s January tapings in Orlando. The main event will feature a champion vs champion match between Matt Sydal and Austin Aries.
Impact continues to build towards their April 22nd Redemption PPV.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWK_wtE0MLw
Impact Wrestling Confirmed Matches for Tonight (non-spoiler)
Fatal 4-way
Rohit Raju vs Taiji Ishimori vs Suicide vs Petey Williams
Brian Cage vs Bobby Lashley
Champion vs Champion
Matt Sydal (Grand Champion) vs Austin Aries (World Champion)
Eddie Edwards will go to Ohio seeking Sami Callihan and OVE.
Su Yung to make in-ring debut
KM vs Fallah Ball
In addition to building towards their Redemption PPV, Impact will also take part in a head-to-head show with Lucha Underground at WrestleCon.
Last week, WWE commented on rumors they had reached out to Hulk Hogan. The company released a statement indicating they had spoken with Hogan but he was not under contract.
“We have had discussions with Terry Bollea (aka Hulk Hogan) about how he can help others learn from his mistakes, however, he is not under any contract with WWE.”
TMZ reporters caught up with Hogan recently. Hogan was on his way to the HBO Andre the Giant documentary premiere and he confirmed he won’t be at WrestleMania.
Mark Henry’s Delegation
Mark Henry has made several public comments regarding Hogan’s potential return to the company. Henry feels the time is not yet right for Hogan’s return. He also noted that he is part of a delegation of wrestlers who have spoken about what Hogan would have to do to redeem himself.
”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.” – Mark Henry on Busted Open Radio last week.
Henry continued to say everyone should be given a second chance but you have to own what you did.
”There’s gonna have to be more community service and outside work. Support for programs and even creative programs that deal with diversity in the workplace. … I don’t process everything like everybody else. 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.”
WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and other members of the creative team made a decision to add Rusev to a key match at WrestleMania 34 at the last minute.
As seen on this week’s episode of SmackDown Live in Pittsburgh, PA at the PPG Paints Arena on the USA Network, it was announced that Rusev had been added to the United States Title match at WrestleMania 34. It will now see Randy Orton defending the title against Bobby Roode, Jinder Mahal, and Rusev in a Fatal 4-Way. We now know the reason for this as Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the reason why Rusev was added to the match at WrestleMania 34 was because of his massive merchandise sales. Those who are wondering what the WWE originally had planned for him, it was noted in the report that Rusev was initially slated to be in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royale at the event, but plans were changed.
WWE Chairman Vince McMahon is re-launching the XFL under Alpha Entertainment. The announcement was made earlier this year during a press conference. McMahon noted that the new XFL will begin in 2020. There will be eight teams with 40-man rosters, a ten game regular season, and a four-team postseason including a championship game. McMahon made it clear that there will be no crossover from WWE to the new XFL. The original XFL only had one season, which took place in 2001 and was produced by WWE and NBC. It took place during the NFL off-season and promoted as having fewer rules and encouraging rougher play than other major leagues. There were only eight teams in two divisions. Some of the teams took place in major markets such as Birmingham, Las Vegas, Memphis, and Orlando. The XFL operated as a single entity, with all teams centrally owned by the league.
Although NBC signed with WWE to air two seasons of the league, NBC pulled out of its broadcast contract for the XFL after the inaugural season, citing the poor viewership. The league ceased operations entirely in May 2001. The Los Angeles Xtreme was the XFL’s first and only champions. McMahon has gone on record in the past by stating that the league was a “colossal failure.”
Triple H and Stephanie McMahon did media with ESPN on Wednesday on First take to promote WrestleMania 34. During the interview, Triple H was asked about McMahon bringing back the XFL football league in 2020. Here is what “The Game” had to say:
“I think if anything he has proven over time that you learn from failure, much more than you learn from success,” he said. “He’s gone at this once and it didn’t work out. I think he learned a ton from that and he’s been chomping at the bit from the time to be right to do it again. I feel like he believes the time is right, now. I think he’s learned more fro that success and certainly I wouldn’t bet against him.” “I think the time is right in the world, I think the time is right on a global basis. Social media and the ability to get it out on a digital level. Instead of playing catch up to that, you’re starting it fresh with that. I think the time is right in a lot of ways.”
WWE is gearing up for the next Takeover event for the NXT brand.
As seen on this week’s episode of NXT on the WWE Network, the sports entertainment company announced several matches for this upcoming special. Johnny Gargano would take on Tommaso Ciampa in an unsanctioned match.
Also announced was a six-man Ladder Match featuring Ethan Carter III, Ricochet, Killian Dain, Adam Cole, Lars Sullivan and The Velveteen Dream to crown the inaugural North American Champion.
This event will have to go head-to-head with many shows on this night during WrestleMania 34 weekend including the ROH Supercard of Honor event just a few miles away.
The advocate for the reigning, defending, undisputed WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar is one of the best talkers in the history of pro wrestling. Paul Heyman is better than ever on the microphone as he represents his client.
With WrestleMania 34 around the corner, Paul Heyman has started to conduct interviews to promote the biggest event of the year for the sports entertainment company.
During an interview with Newsweek, he was asked what happens if Lesnar loses the WWE Universal Championship to Roman Reigns.
There is a lot of speculation about Lesnar’s future with WWE as his contract is up after WrestleMania and he could head back to the UFC.
“I don’t think it’s any secret that Brock is looking to get back into the octagon. He is obviously eyeballing another fight in UFC. There’s no secret. He’s posing for pictures with Dana White wearing a UFC shirt in the UFC offices in Las Vegas. That’s not a negotiating tactic, Brock Lesnar wants to compete inside of the octagon. There’s no leveraging that; it’s a fact. I have an agency that has expanded so fast we’re now expanding into also being a full-fledged production studio. We have several projects and deals we will be announcing after April 8, for film, television, representing clients etc. We both have a number of projects we have been interested in pursuing that will start to kick off after WrestleMania.”
Since SmackDown General manager Daniel Bryan was cleared last week by WWE doctors, various WWE Superstars have commented on the news while fans have speculated on who Bryan could wrestle in the near future.
It’s already been confirmed that Bryan will team up with Shane McMahon to take on Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in a Tag Team Match at WrestleMania 34.
During this interview, Heyman was asked about Bryan being cleared to return to the ring and Lesnar potentially wrestling Bryan.
“Ecstatic. This is all Daniel Bryan has wanted since the moment he was told he was being forced to retire. And the emotional rollercoaster that he has been on since that moment has always been with the light at the end of the tunnel, thinking ‘somehow, someway a miracle will be bestowed upon me that I can be cleared and step back into the ring and do what I love to do more than anything else in this world.’ That’s all he wants to do. It’s what he dreams about, what he envisions, it’s what he wakes up wanting to do and thinks about when he’s going to sleep. So ever since that moment the doctors told him ‘sorry we’re going to have to advise if you retire’ the only dream Daniel Bryan has had, the fantasy in his life, is to be cleared and to exploit the opportunity of stepping back into the ring. And now he has that chance. So I’m ecstatic for Daniel Bryan. Very few people I know deserve to live out their dreams more than Daniel Bryan.”
“I have wanted to see Brock Lesnar vs. Daniel Bryan even before Lesnar debuted on the main roster when Bryan was known as The American Dragon. I loved his matches even in the early part of his career and found him to be one of the most compelling, riveting performers in the history of this industry.”
More testimony in defense of the Fabulous Moolah has come to light. Earlier this week, 9 former Moolah students came together to deny the allegations against their trainer.
Now, the son of Sweet Georgia Brown, Michael McCoy, has also come to Moolah’s defense. He has said his mother had an agenda for saying the things she did against Moolah. Brown’s statements against the former women’s champion played a key role in her name being removed from the WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal.
Sweet Georgia Brown’s Son Denies Allegations Against Fabulous Moolah
“I come to say today, that’s not true. That’s not true at all. Especially knowing the Moolah that I had grew to know.”
McCoy would continue to say members of his family may have an agenda for making the claims against Moolah.
“I’m not a fake. I’m not a phony and I’m not fronting today. And nobody is coercing me to say what I’m saying. Moolah did the right thing and she helped my mother.”
