SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Natalya recently did an interview with M Live ahead of her title defense against Charlotte Flair on tonight’s (Sun. October 8, 2017) Hell In A Cell pay-per-view (PPV). Natalya discussed which WWE Superstars catch her attention when they’re in the ring, her match with Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Live Women’s Title, and the possibility of Carmella cashing-in her Money In The Bank (MITB) briefcase. You can check out the highlights here:
Which WWE Superstars catch her attention when they’re in the ring:
“It’s funny because I work with so many talented people. Everybody from Randy Orton, Dolph Ziggler and Jinder Mahal. Mahal has blown me away this year. He actually started his training with my family in ‘The Dungeon’ the same time I did. To watch him succeed is really cool. For me, the person who I love to watch is Cesaro. Whenever he’s the ring, cool stuff happens. Can you think of anyone other than myself, I got my teeth knocked out last October and finished the match. But Cesaro, I watched last week his teeth get shoved up into his gums and he doesn’t miss a beat. He’s just so good. Cesaro is just fun to watch. He and Sheamus formed an awesome tag team and have just grown. Whenever they are on I don’t want to miss what they are doing.”
Facing Charlotte Flair at HIAC for the SDL Women’s Title:
“I think about all of the incredible women I’ve competed against and I would put Charlotte Flair on top of the list of my favorite opponents. At the same time, the tables have turned. In the past, Charlotte was always the ‘bad guy’ facing me and was always the champion. Now she’s turned over a new leaf and the tables have turned. I’m the champion. It’s my house. It’s going to be interesting to see her prove to herself and to the entire WWE universe that she can hang with me. There’s probably no other women in this industry I respect more than Charlotte, but she’s going to have to show me why she’s fit to be champion.”
Carmella possibly cashing-in her MITB briefcase:
“Charlotte is not taking my SmackDown Live Women’s Championship and neither is Carmella. If Carmella even gets close to me, I promise you I’ll be putting her and James Ellsworth in the sharpshooter at the same time.”
Check out Natalya’s full interview with M Live by visiting this link here.
– WWE posted the following video of Rusev cutting a promo on Randy Orton ahead of their match at tonight’s (Sun. October 8, 2017) Hell In A Cell pay-per-view (PPV). “The Bulgarian Brute” vowed to break “The Viper” and promised everyone will celebrate “Rusev Day”:
– There has been no word yet on when Darren Young will return to WWE TV, however, he has been active on live events lately. He has been working as a heel lately after teaming with Elias, Goldust and Dash Wilder in a losing effort against R-Truth, Heath Slater, Rhyno and Apollo Crews:
WWE Hall Of Famer and commentator Jim Ross recently spoke with AV Club to talk about a variety of professional wrestling topics. “Good Ole JR” discussed Kenny Omega and Okada’s 60 minute draw and if he thinks it was the greatest match of all time, how important former Memphis Wrestling Announcer Lance Russell was, and what is his most favorite match that he has called in recent years. You can check out the highlights here:
If Kenny Omega vs. Okada’s 60-minute draw was the greatest match of all time:
“I thoroughly enjoyed it. Excellent. Was it the best I ever saw? I have a hard time thinking somebody would actually want to argue the Okada-Omega matches were better than [Ric] Flair-[Ricky] Steamboat from 1989. I think both of those trilogies were phenomenal. And there’s nothing to complain about them, much less say one was better than the other. It depends on your taste, if you’re a big fan or a casual fan.
“I’ve been real lucky to call some great ones. Foley-Undertaker Hell In The Cell is the most memorable. It wasn’t the best match, but it gets talked about more. Those three Flair-Steamboat matches are hard to beat. The three Austin-Rock matches at WrestleManiaswere pretty incredible as well. I’ve just been so blessed in my journey. Fat kid from Oklahoma, buddy— Southern accent and Bell’s palsy, becoming a broadcaster and hanging around a fickle business for 40 years. You wonder how in the hell that happened. It was somebody’s plan.”
How important ex-Memphis Wrestling Announcer Lance Russell was:
“Oh my god. I can try. First of all, make no mistake: He was really important to the success of that entire territory. Jerry Lawler said to me many times that without Lance Russell, there’d be no Jerry Lawler. Lance was challenged with being the host of a no-net, live studio wrestling show every Saturday morning in Memphis. It was wild, wooly, crazy, edgy, and unpredictable, and Lance was the guy who kept the rudder in the water every single week. The ratings that they got for that show were frightening.
“He was so good at enhancing talent, and he did this for decades and decades. He was just a wonderful and honest guy, and he came across that way on television. He was so believable, so when he thought he feared for Jerry Lawler’s life, you really believe that’s how he felt. He could express angst, fear, trepidation, and the jeopardy on the heroes really well.”
His most favorite match that he has called in recent years:
“There’s so many things that go into matches that make me like them. Obviously, calling Undertaker and Roman Reigns on a grand stage like WrestleMania— there’s nothing even close to that. But I’ve also called three of the [Kazuchika] Okada-[Kenny] Omega matches. I called Omega in Long Beach when he won the U.S. title for New Japan. The live stuff will always trump going into a studio to do voice-overs.”
You can read Ross’ full interview with the AV Club by visiting this link here.
On Thursday, we had the opportunity to attend MLW: One-Shot from Gilt nightclub in Orlando, Florida. The return of Major League Wrestling was amazing to witness in person and the card delivered – especially the main event that saw Shane Strickland getting the win over Ricochet.
MLW: One-Shot is now streaming at MLW.TV for only $4.99.
Not only did the show deliver in a big way, but the broadcast features commentary from former NXT lead announcer Rich Bocchini and the voice of WCW Nitro, Tony Schiavone.
At the show, MLW announced they are returning for another live event from Orlando on December 7th – MLW: Never Say Never.
Here are results from MLW: One-Shot:
– Tama Tonga answered the open challenge by Martin Stone and picked up the win in a hot opener.
– Seth Petruzelli & Rhett Giddins defeated Saive Al Sabah & Parrow After the match, Parrow powerbombed Al Sabah for tapping out to Petruzelli’s armbar.
– MJF defeated Jimmy Yuta after a low blow and roll-up pin. MJF was very charismatic on the mic and was talking trash to Yuta throughout the match.
– Barrington Hughes defeated Markos Espada in a squash match after delivering a big splash in the corner in the opening moments of the contest.
– Darby Allin defeated Jason Cade in a solid high-flying match.
– Santana Garrett defeated Mia Yim in a battle of the Mae Young Classic competitors.
– “Filthy” Tom Lawlor defeated Jeff Cobb. Very physical, hard-hitting match. Cobb got busted open mid-way through. After the win, Lawler called out Matt Riddle, who later answered the challenge on Twitter, setting up a match for Never Say Never.
– MVP defeated Sami Callihan in a wild brawl that took place in and out of the ring. MVP got the win with a Fisherman’s suplex.
– Shane “Swerve” Strickland defeated Ricochet in the main event. The match went over 30 minutes and actually lived up to the incredible hype via MLW’s MLW360 documentary series.
MLW: One-Shot is now streaming at MLW.TV for only $4.99.
WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar is in the final year of his current WWE deal and even he might not know what will happen as free agency approaches.
After returning to WWE back in 2015, it’s been widely reported that Lesnar signed deal that would keep him under contract through WrestleMania 34, which takes place on April 8th, 2018. With a possible departure taking place right after WrestleMania, a likely scenario would see Brock Lesnar putting over Roman Reigns on his way out.
According to UFC President Dana White, Lesnar will still have several months with WWE after WrestleMania 34 comes around.
During an interview with Dan Le Batard of ESPN, UFC President Dana White revealed that Brock Lesnar’s WWE deal actually runs through August 2018. White would have insider knowledge of Brock Lesnar’s contractual status since Lesnar was rumored to be training for a return to the Octagon against former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones.
White told Dan Le Batard, “Well Lesnar was still under contract to the WWE until next August. Who knows what would have happened. I don’t count my chickens any more, I’ll tell you that. They didn’t want to do that again. You saw what happened the last time he was under contract (and fought).”
Plans for a Brock Lesnar vs. Jon Jones dream fight have been scrapped since Jones tested positive for the steroid Turinabol after defeating Daniel Cormier for the Light Heavyweight title this summer at UFC 214. Jones’ win was later overturned, the fight was ruled a no contest and Jones was stripped of the belt.
With a UFC return effectively off the table, WWE fans’ favorite Beast will be handing out first class tickets to Suplex City through next summer.
Chris Jericho recently spoke with the folks at Aesthetic Magazine Toronto to promote his new book, “No Is A Four-Letter Word.” Jericho spoke about the possibility of being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame one day, who he’d want to induct him, who he travels with on the road and more.
Here are some highlights of what Jericho said about:
A WWE Hall of Fame Induction & Who He’d Want to Induct Him:
“I don’t think about stuff like that, like I said. If it happens, I probably wouldn’t show up. I don’t like these big pomp and circumstance things like retirement matches, and everybody kissing your ass telling you how great you are, because I know how great I am, so I don’t need people telling me that.
So, depending on what mood I’m in, I’ve always been the anti-star for that kind of thing anyways. But yeah, I’ll leave that to somebody else, but not me. I’ll show up, maybe, depends how I feel.”
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Teasing A Presidential Run:
“I say he should go for it. Maybe I’ll become the first Prime Minister and President, where I’ll run Canada and the States together since I’m a dual citizen. You never know, I could make it happen.”
During Shane McMahon’s match with Kevin Owens, it is highly likely that the commentary team will say something along the lines of:, “This man has no regard for his body/family!”
WWE viewers are used to seeing Shane McMahon put everything on the line. Here is a key example from WrestleMania 32 against The Undertaker.
Sunday’s Hell in a Cell will be no exception as Shane takes on the former Face of America, Kevin Owens. In an unusual move, the match has been given the added stipulation that falls count anywhere. It is clear that something big is going to happen and it will be extremely shocking.
However Dave Meltzer has provided an explanation as to how and why Shane can pull off these risk maneuvers, giving him an unfair advantage over the full-time superstars like Kevin Owens.
Meltzer said that other wrestlers would often comment on how Shane could take a huge hit or bump and then have time off to rest and recover without making many appearances. This contrasts with full-time superstars who would be contracted to appear and possibly perform the following night or week.
‘Well, Shane’s gonna do one or two matches a year, and he’s gonna do this big bump, and he can get hurt and rest up. And he shows us all up that are trying to do big bumps, and we gotta come back the next day.’
The manner in which Dave Metlzer presented this information in TheWrestlering Observer Newsletter suggests that full-time wrestlers were annoyed by the way Shane could get away with these jaw dropping moments that create instant memories for those watching.
Opinion: I don’t think any superstars would openly criticize or comment on Shane’s apparent preferential treatment, however it will be interesting to see how extreme the match becomes and where this takes the feud with Kevin Owens. If Owens wins, SmackDown Live may need a new temporary commissioner to help Daniel Bryan run the show while Shane recovers.
This public spat took place at the Cobo Center, which saw past and present wrestling stars come together for the XICW Cobo Legends Convention.
According to Cornette on Twitter, he left the event early following the confrontation.
Sorry to anyone I missed at Cobo, some comedy midget wanted me to slap him AGAIN so he could sue since he's unemployed. Walked out instead. https://t.co/ezgCj7mqLV
There has been heat between the two dating back to 2005. Marella, real name Anthony Carelli, began training that year at Ohio Valley Wrestling, which served as WWE’s developmental promotion at the time. During an angle at a show in July 2005 where he was supposed to act afraid of The Boogeyman, but instead laughed, Marella was shouted at and slapped by Cornette, OVW’s head booker, and co-owner. This incident led to Cornette being fired as OVW booker by WWE.
Former WWE Intercontinental, United States, and Tag Team Champion Santino Marella recently participated in a Judo tournament for the first time in nearly 20 years.
As many fans already know, Santino has an extensive Judo background and also competed in a few mixed martial arts fights during his time in Japan before signing with WWE and Ohio Valley Wrestling back in 2005.
Santino posted this video on Twitter from the Judo tournament:
“Some people might think it’s an illness but sometimes it does feel like an extra ability. I think when it’s a part of you, you can see it in other people. I think the fans saw it through the television. And I would see them outside the stands and they’d confide in me about their anxiety, about cutting themselves, about their suicide attempt, and [how] seeing my character on TV made them feel less alone.
As that happened more and more, I realized it was my responsibility to embrace that and be open to them and let them know that they weren’t wrong and they were seeing something that was very similar in me. They could see right through to my soul. So to connect with fans and be even more open was very important to me. Even the fans, I can remember their faces at the signings. I want them to know that we’re similar in that way.”
Check out the video here featuring AJ Lee talking about Mental Illness Awareness Week.
What do a WWE champion, cheerleader, chef, and Navy vet have in common? They’ve dealt with mental illness and want everyone to know that it’s OK to talk about it. We interviewed these Chicagoans about their experiences for Mental Illness Awareness Week, October 1 to 7.
– WWE Superstar Charlotte Flair recently did an interview with In Touch to promote her new book, Second Nature: The Legacy of Ric Flair and the Rise of Charlotte. During the interview, Charlotte revealed the best advice she has ever received from her father and two-time WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair:
“To go to bed every night knowing who you are and I guess that could be professional as well, but professionally the best advice was, ‘When you go through that curtain, you have to know exactly who you are as a character and believe in yourself, because if you don’t the fans won’t buy it from the second you walk through that curtain.'”
– A fan recently asked Matt Jackson of The Young Bucks on Twitter if it was true that Hot Topic would be selling Bullet Club Pop Funko merchandise soon. Jackson confirmed the news with an “Uh huh.” The recent deal between The Young Bucks and Hot Topic has been huge, as their Bullet Club t-shirts have been a major seller for the company:
Monday Night RAW Commissioner Stephanie McMahon recently made an appearance on ITV’s Lorraine to discuss a variety of professional wrestling topics. McMahon would go on to put over the ongoing Women’s Revolution and discuss how much women have have taken over the industry today:
“I am the boss,” McMahon joked. “Well, my character is the boss. I use my power at any given chance. And women are a force to be reckoned with! There is now a women’s only tournament, which is part of this whole women’s revolution, where women have gone from lesser roles to becoming the main events at shows. They have taken the world by storm. Women are forces of nature that have been stealing the show – as women often do!”
Stephanie would go on to claim that 40% of today’s WWE audience is women and noted that 40% of families who go to WWE events bring their kids. The Women’s Revolution in the WWE continues to grow astronomically with WWE Superstars such as Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Bayley, Becky Lynch, and so many more. That revolution could continue to grow with recent rumors sparking that female tag team titles could soon be implemented.
Former WWE Universal and United States Champion Kevin Owens recently did an interview with ESPN ahead of his Hell In A Cell match against SmackDown Live Commissioner Shane McMahon. During the interview “KO” discussed what it was like to work with “The Chairman Of The Board” Vince McMahon, getting mixed reactions from the WWE Universe much like John Cena and Roman Reigns do, and how being a top guy in the promotions doesn’t necessarily mean he needs to be champion. You can check out the highlights here below:
What it’s like working with Vince McMahon:
“There’s a lot of things in my WWE career I’m very proud of, things I accomplished that not many people get to live out in their careers. I’ve done it in a relatively short period of time, so that’s really cool. But being in the ring with Vince McMahon and the ensuing situation there was definitely at the top of the list of things I’ll look back on when I’m older and I’m not wrestling anymore. When I was 11 years old, I started watching WWE. He’s been the figurehead of this company. He’s been the man behind the thing I was obsessed with for years and years and years.”
Getting mixed reactions from the WWE Universe like stars such as John Cena and Roman Reigns:
“Whether it’s one way or another or a mix of both, I feel like those kinds of reactions are the most interesting. The kind of reactions Roman Reigns elicits. The kind of reactions John Cena elicits. They’re the strongest because you can almost have crowds competing with themselves. People cheering ’em, people booing ’em, people trying to be heard louder than the people next to them.That creates for this really special atmosphere. That’s what I’m striving to, that’s what I’m hoping to get one day. I’m well-aware that no matter how big of a jerk I am, some people will cheer me, and no matter what I do, some people will boo me, and that’s fine. I just need to elicit emotion. That’s all I care about.”
How being a top guy in the promotion doesn’t necessarily mean you need to be a champion:
“I used to say that even on the independent scene, I remember a specific incident where one particular wrestler was really worried about being world champion. It’s the company that I used to wrestle for on the independent scene, and I remember telling him that it didn’t matter who the champion was because no matter how many times he became champion, I’d always be the top guy [there]. I feel like that’s true in WWE as well. Not that I’m the top guy, but I’m saying I don’t necessarily think the WWE champion, or the Universal champion, or any kind of champion, equates to being the top guy in WWE.
“I think that’s determined by performances and attitude. Consistency is very important. Obviously, being WWE Champion, or a Universal Champion, is as big as it gets as far as winning titles goes. And that goes a long way to helping somebody become top guy, be viewed as top guy, but I do think that there’s a difference between being a champion and being a top guy, for sure. I obviously value being a top guy more than being a champion, but one helps the other; they kind of come hand in hand.”
You can check out the full interview between Owens and ESPNhere.
WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley recently took to his official website, RealMickFoley.com, to discuss his upcoming book, Saint Mick. Foley discussed why he picked Monday Night RAW Commissioner Stephanie McMahon to write the forward for his book, how he reacted after reading it, and what he really thinks of her as a person. You can check out what he had to say here:
Why he picked McMahon to write the forward to his book:
“Writing the foreword to a book is a pretty big deal. I guess I should be honest and tell you that Stephanie McMahon was not my first choice when it came to writing the foreword for SAINT MICK. She was my only choice. While we may have bickered on the air – saying terrible things about each other in the hope of creating good TV – behind the scenes, Stephanie was my weekly sounding board for my book, and her interest and encouragement helped convince me that this very personal memoir might just deserve a wider audience than the 100 people I had planned to self-publish it for.”
How he reacted after reading it:
“I didn’t like Stephanie’s foreword, though. I loved it! While I have no doubt she could have produced a fine forward in 90 minutes, while watching TV, the hard work she put into creating this generous piece of writing (that’s what my publisher called it – a generous piece of writing) is so obvious, is such a great addition to my book – and so greatly appreciated. I teared up when I read it, then teared up again when I read it to my wife – who teared up as well. ‘Mick, that’s really beautiful,’ my wife said. ‘And she obviously worked very hard on it.’ She certainly did. First drafts. Proofreading. Edits. In the end, it was worth the wait, and I will forever be grateful to Stephanie McMahon for going so far above and beyond both the call of duty, and my expectations to produce something so eloquent and beautiful.”
What he really thinks about her as a person:
“Stephanie McMahon is great. Not ‘great’ as a synonym for ‘cool’ or ‘awesome’ or great with an exclamation point behind it in a text message to convey happiness in a single word. Stephanie is great in the sense that she possesses qualities of true greatness, with the potential to accomplish truly great things in her lifetime.”
You can check out Foley’s entire blog entry by visiting this link here.
Ring of Honor Cody Rhodes has issued a statement clarifying his recent reactions to WWE reviving Starrcade and War Games, two creations of his late father, the “American Dream” Dusty Rhdoes.
When WWE announced that Starrcade will be returning next month as a special SmackDown live event from Greensboro, North Carolina, Cody and his wife Brandi were initially critical of the news. Brandi wrote on Twitter”
Starrcade was created and delivered by Dusty Rhodes. WWE didn't want to do it while he was here. Now they want to do it and not give credit? pic.twitter.com/5ZLsoptjHE
Earlier this week, it was revealed that the next NXT Takeover show during Survivor Series weekend will feature the first-ever War Games match in WWE. Cody noted on Twitter that “he was told” ahead of WWE’s announcement, but he’s received some criticism on social media and Reddit for being overly protective of WWE using Dusty’s creations.
On Saturday, Cody tweeted the following statement (our formatting added):
“Received a lot of praise, but also a good deal of criticism in regards to my remakrs on Starrcade & War Games…with that said I’d like to clarify my position and clear up some confusion.
As I try to climb the ladder in my sport, with every arena I walk into, I carry my Father’s legacy. It is also my job to protect it. Literally. As head of his estate, I try to always honor and never exploit. There’s no guidebook on how I’m supposed to do that. I loved him. He was my best friend and his death was a shock. My comments are certainly from the heart, but they are measured and I stand by them.
Nobody ever claimed they needed me or Michelle’s permission. “I was told” doesn’t mean anything more than that. They didn’t have to, but they did and for that I am thankful.
Dusty didn’t just name/grid/book these events…he gave them life. Starrcade he did in honor of my sister, Teil. The PPV era would have come much later without the direct consequences of closed circut and the large scale event concept.
HOWEVER, I do understand that to the victor goes the spoilers, and that my Dad’s many many creations for Jim Crockett Promotions and later WCW…they belong to WWE. They can do with them what they choose. That doesn’t mean I always have to like it though.
If my Father had not been a public figure, I wouldn’t have to share him with the millions of wrestling fans out there. But I gladly do share him. I want generations of fans to know what he brought…because I feel it’s a beautiful legacy filled with treasures.”
WWE Hall Of Famer Amy “Lita” Dumas recently took part in a Q&A session while in Paris, France and confirmed that there have been talks of WWE adding women’s tag team championships.
Here are some highlights of what she said, courtesy of GiveMeSport.com:
Rumors of WWE creating Women’s Tag Team Championships:
“There has been talks of tag titles for the Women’s Division, and I think that I love that they first introduced the Money in the Bank briefcase, that’s been a long time coming and that adds an element of surprise within the title picture.
I would love to see these rumored tag titles appear sooner than later, but for that to happen, I hope they bring up these women that are already at NXT or some women they’ve seen on the Mae Young Classic and expand the roster.”
The pressure that she felt while commentating the Mae Young Classic tournament:
“So, when I was asked to call the action alongside JR for the Mae Young Classic, it was a big honor, and I love being able to come full circle. JR is the one who hired me initially to start my journey with the WWE so to work on that capacity on the other side behind the desk with him, I was really excited not only with that but the unprecedented history-making of a 32 women tournament is also very exciting to be a part of.
So while I was very honored, I will say that I felt a lot of pressure, and I was very nervous because I’ve watched million wrestling matches and I’ve listened to commentating but when I’m watching, I’m not talking I just go like ‘Wow, that’s cool’ and so to translate to all-of-a-sudden jump in to be a commentator … [Looks at Sylvain Guernalec] I hear you’re a commentator. Is it hard right? Because you wanna do justice to the hard work that’s happening in the ring. I had just met these 32 incredible women and tried to do justice to them and to their matches. So yes, I was honored, but at the same time I was pressured, they’re saying a lot of things to you in your ear, you’re trying to hit time queues, it’s a whole thing. Very challenging but I enjoyed it.”
Working with The Hardy Boyz again:
“I don’t think that its Team Xtreme without Lita, so all I want to say is keep your eyes open if you see a third member, whoever The Hardys are facing, messing around with them and their needs to be an equalizer potentially for a ‘One Night Only’ attraction, I think that would be fun.”
WWE COO Triple H was in Mumbai, India last week to announce WWE’s upcoming live events from the country, scheduled for December.
While there, he stopped by Facebook’s office in Mumbai and took part in a Facebook Live interview. You can check out the full Q&A session here:
Among the most interesting topics discussed was Triple H’s interest in having another ‘WrestleMania moment’ with The Rock. Making no bones about it, Triple H declared,
“I’ll dance one more time with The Great One.”
While both men’s days as active competitors on the WWE roster have long passed, a WrestleMania moment with The Rock is something that would be too good for him to pass up. Triple H mentioned that the idea of one more match with The Rock stems from a backstage interaction they had on SmackDown back in 2014:
Opinion: I don’t think we’ll see Triple H in the ring with The Rock for the next WrestleMania, however I believe we should keep an eye on Kevin Owens…
WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle recently did a Q&A on Facebook and commented on a number of interesting topics, including CM Punk returning to WWE one day, Nakamura being qualified to carry the WWE Championship and where he ranks himself among the best wrestlers ever.
Here are some highlights of what RAW’s General Manager said about:
The possibility of CM Punk back in WWE one day:
“Anything is possible. I think so.” Shinsuke Nakamura as WWE Champion:
“Yes. I wrestled Nakamura 9 years ago, it was epic, and he’s much better now! I think it’s his time, but Jinder is a beast.”
Which female competitor he wants to see inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018:
“Right now? Trisha Stratus. If she’s not already [Note: She was, back in 2013], Mickie James will be a shoo-in once she hangs it up. I hope not too soon though!”
If he’s excited about The Shield reuniting:
“Who isn’t?!?! I wish Team Angle could go a round with the Shield.”
His favorite exercise:
“I love to run, it clears my mind. And if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it. If I stop running it will be very difficult to start back up at my age. LOL.”
If he listens to Bruce Prichard’s Something To Wrestle With podcast:
“No. But Bruce was there and was a big part of it. What he says is true…at least most of it…lol.”
Where he stands with the best wrestlers ever:
“At the very top. Yes, I feel that way. It kind of sucks that my matches in TNA were just as good as the ones in WWE, but the WWE Universe didn’t see them. If you add my 11 years in TNA/Japan plus my 7 year WWE run, then yes. I think most would agree with that.
But, we all have our own opinions. That’s what is fun about debating. Hearing others’ opinions on it.”
Rev Pro has announced the latest blockbuster match as part of their Global Wars events. 2017 G1 Climax winner Tetsuya Naito will be taking on ‘The Villain’ Marty Scurll on November 9th at the world famous York Hall.
Other matches currently planned over the two days of shows are as follows:
Night 1
Yuji Nagata Vs Zack Gibson
Tomohiro Ishii vs Keith Lee
Night 2
Tomohiro Ishii Vs Dave Mastiff
Rocky Romero Vs Bubblegum
New Japan legend Minoru Suzuki has also been announced for the two nights of actio
WWE Superstar Chris Jericho recently appeared as a guest on WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross’ Ross Report podcast for an in-depth interview. Here are some of the highlights of what Jericho said about:
Vince McMahon producing stars:
“When you work for Vince McMahon, there is a work ethic that is instilled in you that is second to none. Anybody that comes through that system, if you have talent, you will work extra hard to make things happen. I am talking about everybody from Jesse Ventura becoming the Governor of Minnesota; Mick Foley becoming a New York Times Best Selling Author, The Rock, Batista, John Cena, you [JR], me, there is a work ethic that is instilled in us that has enabled it all to happen and that comes from working in the WWE.”
If he’s thinking about retiring from wrestling:
“No, I am not there. Never. The last run I had in 2016 with Kevin Owens and the Festival of Friendship and all that stuff, it was one of my favorite runs, one of my top two favorite runs.”
Working for Vince McMahon:
“I really love working for Vince McMahon. I have a really great relationship with him now, and have for the past 5-6 years; it’s actually really fun to see the creative side of Vince, to go in there and disagree and agree and not have to worry. Vince always tells me that he doesn’t care where he is, to come and talk to him. I feel that is a great position to be in.”
Working with younger talent at this stage of his career:
“A lot of the young guys that are coming through the system now, it reminds me of my guys; of the Dean [Malenko], Chris [Benoit], Rey [Mysterio], Eddie [Guerrero], those guys; all really good workers who only cared about the matches and not about the ego. A lot of them still need help with experiences that I have that others don’t have at this point.
“I enjoyed the Kevin Owens storyline so much. Once it ended, I knew that I needed to get away for a while because I knew there was nothing that can compare to that. It’s good to step away and step aside for a bit, but when the time comes I am sure I will be back, but until then I am so busy that you will be seeing me all the time anyways.”
Check out the complete episode of The Ross Report podcast featuring the Chris Jericho interview at PodcastOne.com.
Impact Wrestling held a media conference call featuring James Storm earlier this week. Storm spoke about his current relationship with former tag team partner Bobby Roode, his short stint in NXT back in 2015 and more.
Here are some highlights of what James Storm said about:
The perception that TNA used to sign WWE castoffs:
“I tell fans all the time; they don’t get it. The talent looks at this as a business. So many fans look at it like, ‘oh well, he’s a sell-out. It’s not like that. We have to provide for our families so wherever we have to go to get work, that’s what we’re going to do. It seems to get over looked when the WWE picks up TNA guys, but as soon as TNA Impact picks up a WWE guy, ‘oh, they’re picking up a WWE guy, blah, blah, blah’. That’s not really fair for the guy because he’s just looking for a place to provide for his family.”
The reason why he ultimately decided against a run in NXT in 2015:
“A lot of people say it was money, but it wasn’t. It was a family thing. Hunter told me they’d run 100-125 shows over the next two years. My wife wanted to have another kid, but she had to do shots, and I had to be at home a lot more. It was a decision: do I go and live this crazy of wrestling in the WWE or do I stay home and help my wife have another child that she wants? I decided that my family was what is really important to me.”
His current relationship with former longtime tag-team partner Bobby Roode:
“I’ll shoot him a text every now and then. I’ll text him and say congratulations because that guy definitely has earned everything that he’s got coming to him. He proved what he proved here, that he can get in the ring with anyone. I always say, if he can go on and make a living, which is what he’s doing, the best to him. I wish him nothing but good luck.”
This week’s Impact Wrestling episode averaged 251,000 viewers, down from last week’s Victory Road episode, which drew 264,000 viewers.
Impact featured AAA stars Texano Jr. & El Hijo del Fantasma defeating Impact stars James Storm & Grand Champion Ethan Carter III in the main event.
This week’s show did not make the Cable Top 150. Last week’s show ranked #128.
The NFL and the MLB brought competition this week but both of those programs averaged less than 4 million viewers on cable for the night. The NFL topped the night with the MLB coming in second.
All Female British promotion Pro Wrestling EVE held their ‘Nasty Women’ event last night from a sold out Resistance Gallery in London, England.
During the event company co-owner Emily Read announced that the stars of EVE would be heading to the world famous York Hall in Bethnal Green. You may know that name as Revolution Pro Wrestling hold regular events there featuring stars from Ring of Honor, New Japan Pro Wrestling and the British Scene.
This will be the biggest All-Women show to ever happen in Europe and if you are a fan of the UK scene then it is more than essential viewing. PROGRESS will be holding one of their Super Strong Style shows earlier in the day so if you’re heading into the capital then you can see both!
Star of the UK Independent scene and New Japan Pro Wrestling Will Ospreay took to the Twitter to congratulate the company on such a historic achievement.
Massive congratulations to @DannRead for announcing the the first all female York hall show! @ProWrestlingEVE support the girls
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross was the latest guest on the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestlingpodcast to discuss his new book, memories of the late Lance Russell, WWE bringing back War Games at the next NXT Takeover show and whether or not he’s interested in calling the War Games match.
What it meant to have Vince McMahon to write the book’s foreword:
“He was my first choice. He was my overall number one draft pick and I got what I wanted which I am happy to say. Somebody asked me just how hard it was to get Vince to do my foreword and I said I just sent him a text. He responded and said that he’d be proud to do it. So he did and it was great. Stone Cold did the afterword and we got contributions from The Rock and Bob Stoops (before he resigned from Oklahoma) and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, Mark Cuban (the other billionaire I work for) so it is really a fun thing and I think that there is a lot of life lessons in this book and one thing I can tell you is that it is not a wrestling book. It is not JR outlines his ten favorite matches or JR’s ten favorite wrestlers or ten matches I hated the worst or my best draft pick or whatever, it is not that it is about life and my life is so intertwined with wrestling that almost anywhere in my journey wrestling has embraced that aspect of my living being.”
Memories of his friend Lance Russell:
“We were great friends. Lance and his late wife Audrey and my late wife Jan and I were friends and became friends largely over the filming of the “Man on the Moon” movie. Ironically and don’t ask me to explain it because I have no idea but in that movie I play Lance Russell’s role even though in the credits it didn’t mention Lance Russell or me playing Lance Russell by right there by my credit it’s got “ring announcer” Lance Russell. So why I didn’t do the ring announcing and Lance just play Lance is a head scratcher to me. But we became great friends over those few days in Los Angeles filming and I knew Lance in WCW when he used to be driven crazy by The Freebirds (Hayes and Garvin) and I’d see him here and there.”
“I never hear a single human being say a remotely negative remark about Lance Russell. In life and in general that is very rare and in the wrestling business it is essentially extinct. The only other person that I can think of that would fit in that same conversation at least off the top of my head is Owen Hart. So Lance Russell was a national treasure and he was the best weekly TV wrestling host ever and that there will ever be. That side of the business has become a dying presentation but what Lance did for decades and decades with no rehearsal and no teleprompters and nobody in his ear to keep him in line and just freewheeling with a stick mic in a small TV studio and got these ridiculous rating that you’d think were typos makes Lance the best ever in his role and I don’t think anybody will ever come close. The big thing for me is that Lance was a gentleman and a class act and a wonderful guy.”
The WWE’s announcement of the returning War Games match:
“I was happy. It is a neat hook to build around for the NXT Takeover. It is a very marketable tool and that is how I look at it. It’s got name identity with some older wrestling fans and the name has been bandied about some to the younger fans and trickled down. War Games has got a little bit of a legacy, if it and I don’t know exactly the structure of it but I can just tell you that if it is executed correctly it could really be special. I thought over the years and maybe it is just my own bias but I thought in the early going of the War Games we had better matches than they subsequently got and the end of the War Games. But I may be bias and wrong but that is my take on it.”
“The talent has got to fit the environment but the concept is really unique and it is very nostalgic in a good way (I think) and it is kind of like WWE having a Starrcade event in Greensboro, that is kind of cool and even though I don’t think it is going to be televised it has got people talking about a live event so I kind of think that has served its purpose and it is very nostalgic and the fans in that area should get some enjoyment out of it.”
“It’s nostalgic, has got some name identity and it is nice to see it back but it is not something I’d want to see every year and the other thing is that the previous War Games some of them have been very violent and that doesn’t seem to be en vogue these days. That is not a bitch from my end, I’m just saying if everybody thinks it is going to be a War Games like it used to be in the old days it is probably not but that doesn’t mean it can’t be better and certainly different so I am open minded. I am glad that the basic canvas is there called the War Games now let us see where they take it and I am curious.
Would he like to call the War Games match:
“I am certainly sure that even with my busy book signing schedule, if I was needed in Houston for NXT Takeover I’d certainly make myself available (laughing).”
For this and every other episode of The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling please subscribe on iTunes, Podomatic, Player FM, Tune In Radio and The IRW Network.
