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Pro Wrestling EVE Heading to York Hall, Will Ospreay Reacts

Jake Skudder
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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!

https://twitter.com/ProWrestlingEVE/status/916607200889589760

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.

Jim Ross On Possibly Calling NXT: War Games, His New Book, Lance Russell Memories

Staff
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WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross was the latest guest on the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast 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.

Here are the highlights of what JR said about:

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.

First Two PROGRESS Chapter 56 Matches Announced

Jake Skudder
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0

PROGRESS has announced the first two bouts for their upcoming Chapter 55 event ‘La Danse Macabre’ that takes place on October 29th from the Electric Ballroom in Camden, London.

ATLAS Championship Match: WALTER (c) vs Wolfgang – wXw star WALTER captured the ATLAS championship at last month’s show from Alexandra Palace from then champion Matt Riddle. After the bout ICW stalwart Wolfgang made a surprise appearance and gestured to WALTER that he was here for the title.

British Strong Style (Tyler Bate and Trent Seven) vs ‘Sexy Starr’ David Starr and Jack Sexsmith – Former PROGRESS Tag Team Champions British Strong Style will be taking on the unique pairing of David Starr and Jack Sexsmith. Dubbed ‘Sexy Starr’ (I see what you did there PROGRESS…) Sexsmith and Starr will be looking to establish themselves as legitimate title contenders in this ‘new’ era of the company.

Kevin Owens Explains That He Isn’t Trying To Be A Heel

Jon Fuentes
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This weekend former WWE Universal and United States Champion Kevin Owens will be locked inside Hell In A Cell against SmackDown Live Commissioner Shane McMahon. “KO” recently joined CBS’ “In This Corner” podcast to promote the event and talked about a variety of professional wrestling topics.

One topic of discussion was how well Owens plays the role of a heel. Surprisingly, however, Owens says that he actually isn’t trying to be a heel:

“You know, people throw these words around so much; heel, babyfaces… shoot, kayfabe, work, all of this crap that they hear wrestlers say. I can honestly, genuinely say that I am not trying to be a heel. I don’t know if that makes me a good performer or a bad performer, I’m sure many veterans of the industry will have their opinions on what I just said, but I try to do the best performance I can, and I try and achieve the goal that I know is required of me.

“That always leads to people hating my guts and makes other people loving what I do. I always try to get the loudest reaction I can, whether it’s being booed out of the building or being cheered… nothing I do is in hopes of receiving either reaction. I just want people to be loud, and I want to elicit emotions and that’s what I always try for, so people ask me ‘how are you such a good heel?’

“I don’t know the answer, I’m just being me and I just go with what I need to do to get the job done on any show that I’m on and on any particular evening what’s required of me I try to achieve that and I go from there. If people enjoy my work, that’s great, but I don’t set out with a goal in terms of getting a reaction, I just try to do what I can to do it as good as I can.”

You can check out Kevin Owens’ full interview on the “In This Corner” podcast here.

Bobby Roode On Being Trusted To Be NXT Champion

Jon Fuentes
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3

Former NXT Champion Bobby Roode recently did an interview with ESPN to talk about a variety of professional wrestling topics; including his entrance theme, being trusted by WWE to be the NXT Champion, and working for WWE. You can check out the highlights here:

Changing his entrance music:

“It wasn’t me at all, actually. I had a different song picked out. I was about to debut on NXT, and about a week or two later, as I waited for some paperwork to be finished up, I had a conversation with Triple H about the character and what I wanted to do. He came up to me that TV taping and said, ‘Hey I’ve got this song that we have, and I think it kind of fits your character a little better, so why don’t you have a listen?’ So it could’ve went one of two ways: It could’ve really sucked or it could’ve been really great. And it’s been better than great — glorious, I guess you could say. The song itself was a blessing. It’s been a gift, because in this business, everyone talks about the entrance, but without the song, there is no entrance.”

Being trusted to be the NXT Champ:

“Being the focal point, being the guy who was put on the posters and having a good championship run, and being the guy they had faith in to carry the company and be in the main event every night, that was such an incredible feeling for me to come here. Coming from a different place, and 19 years in the business is a long time. I had a lot of experience, but I wasn’t sure kind of what to expect.”

Working in WWE:

“The WWE is the be-all and end-all of sports entertainment. They just do things right. They’ve done it for so many years, and the business aspect of it, the WWE machine … WWE is a machine and so many brilliant people here, the experience, it’s just a different feel, especially now being a part of SmackDown, being on the road, doing the live events, touring around and coming to things like this to be able to promote a video game.”

You can check out Roode’s full interview with ESPN by clicking this link here.

Charlotte Flair Reacts To Sneak Peak Of 30 For 30, (Video) WWE 24 Goldberg Teaser

Jon Fuentes
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1

– After viewing a sneak peak of ESPN’s 30 For 30 special on her father and two-time WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair, WWE Superstar Charlotte Flair took to Twitter to react to what she saw. The full special will air on Tuesday, November 7th:

– Speaking of specials, the WWE posted the following teaser for their WWE 24 special on Bill Goldberg which will air after Monday Night RAW on  Monday, November 13th. Check it out here:

Batista Lands Role In New Film Franchise, Update On Enzo Amore

Jon Fuentes
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9

– Per a report from Deadline, former WWE Superstar Batista has partnered up with STX Entertainment to produce and star in a new action-comedy franchise. No further details on the project have been announced but we’ll keep you updated.

– WWE Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore took to Instagram to post the following workout clip in Los Angeles. Per a report from Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Amore has been walking around the city with the title on:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZ4Ki4wA91z/

WWE Hell In A Cell 2017 Preview & Predictions

Robert Lentini
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8

WWE Hell in a Cell 2017 airs this Sunday from the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. WWE Champion Jinder Mahal defends his title against “The Artist” Shinsuke Nakamura and Shane McMahon battles Kevin Owens inside the Hell in a Cell.

Kickoff Show:

Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin vs Hype Bros

hype bros gable benjamin hiac kickoff
Photo Credit: WWE.com

WWE really hasn’t done anything with Gable and Benjamin since making them a team. Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley haven’t been on the same page lately and that has cost them some matches. Gable and Benjamin will win this match and the Hype Bros will once again argue after the loss. Pick: Gable & Benjamin

Main Card:

Dolph Ziggler vs Bobby Roode

ziggler roode 1
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Ziggler has spent the past several weeks mocking various Superstars entrances. Bobby Roode finally confronted him and challenged him to a match at WWE Hell in a Cell 2017. Ziggler accepted and then on Tuesday night’s SmackDown, Dolph said that Roode was nothing more than an entrance. Roode picks up the victory on Sunday in a competitive match and proves that he is much more than a glorious entrance. Pick: Bobby Roode

Randy Orton vs Rusev

rusev orton hiac
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Orton defeated Rusev at SummerSlam in ten seconds. Rusev then defeated Orton on an episode of SmackDown very quickly, after Orton was distracted by Aiden English. Rusev and English celebrated the first ever “Rusev Day” a couple of weeks ago. It didn’t end well for Rusev as he was hit with an RKO out of nowhere. Orton defeated English on Tuesday night while Rusev was at ringside. Rusev gets the win with help from Aiden English on Sunday night and hopefully this boring feud comes to an end. Pick: Rusev

SmackDown Women’s Championship: Natalya (c) vs Charlotte

natalya charlotte hiac
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Natalya has gotten the better of Charlotte recently and made her tap out to the Sharpshooter on Tuesday night’s episode of SmackDown. Charlotte was distracted by Carmella hitting Becky Lynch with the MITB briefcase outside the ring and Natalya took advantage. Charlotte will eventually win the title, but I feel like this feud is going to continue after Sunday. Natalya cheats to win and holds onto her title for now. Pick: Natalya

SmackDown Tag Team Championship Hell in a Cell Match: New Day (c) vs The Usos

the usos new day
Photo Credit: WWE.com

The Usos and New Day essentially are the entire SmackDown tag division right now. The two teams cut a promo on each other on Tuesday night. There hasn’t been a lot to this feud as of late, it is just the two best teams on SmackDown battling one more time. I think this match might wind up stealing the show and New Day will retain their titles. Pick: New Day

United States Championship: AJ Styles (c) vs Baron Corbin

aj styles corbin
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Corbin has been embarrassing himself on a weekly basis since the final episode of SmackDown before SummerSlam where he lost his MITB cash in match. On Tuesday night, Corbin lost to Tye Dillinger via a roll-up. Styles then appeared on the jumbotron and said that Corbin always takes short cuts and that won’t work on Sunday. I think Corbin has been embarrassed enough and I also believe AJ Styles needs to be in the WWE Championship picture. Styles loses the title on Sunday but heads back to the main event where he belongs. Pick & New United States Champion: Baron Corbin

WWE Championship: Jinder Mahal (c) vs Shinsuke Nakamura

Mahal Nakamura Hell in a Cell
Photo Credit: WWE.com

This entire feud has been Jinder Mahal and the Singh Brothers poking fun of Nakamura’s appearance and the way he talks. On Tuesday night, Mahal attacked Nakamura from beind and then planted him with the Khallas. Mahal defeated Nakamura at SummerSlam with the help of the Singh Brothers. I’m expecting something similar to happen on Sunday. I’d much rather see Shinsuke with the title, but I think Mahal is going to hold onto the WWE Championship for now. Pick: Jinder Mahal

Hell in a Cell Match: Kevin Owens vs Shane McMahon

shane mcmahon kevin owens
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Kevin Owens believes that Shane McMahon cost him his United States Championship match with AJ Styles at SummerSlam. McMahon was the special referee and Owens blamed him for the loss. Owens then got his rematch and made Baron Corbin the referee. Corbin wasn’t calling the match down the middle and SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon called him out on it. Corbin then took off the referee shirt and threw it at Shane McMahon.

Shane then made himself the referee for the match and Kevin Owens wound up losing yet again. Owens once again blamed Shane for the loss and things became personal when Owens brought up Shane’s children. Shane lost it and attacked Owens. SmackDown GM Daniel Bryan announced that Shane was suspended indefinitely. Vince McMahon then made a rare SmackDown appearance and confronted Kevin Owens. Vince stated that he didn’t suspend Shane because he attacked Owens, he suspended him because he didn’t finish the job.

This led to Sunday’s match between Owens and Shane being made. Owens then headbutted Vince McMahon and hit him with a Frog Splash. Owens has avoided Shane for a couple of weeks, but beat the hell out of him on Tuesday night. Owens Powerbombed Shane through a table in the concourse area of the Pepsi Center in Denver and then hit him with a Pop-Up Powerbomb in the ring.

Owens and Shane will definitely put on an exciting match this Sunday. It really is the only match on this card that has had an entertaining storyline leading up to the PPV. I think Vince McMahon inserting himself into this storyline and allowing Owens to beat the hell out of him says something. WWE clearly thinks a lot of Owens and wants him to be one of the top heels in the company going forward. I don’t think a loss to Shane McMahon would help that cause. It will be a back and forth match and Shane will do something crazy. However, Owens will prevail in the end and win the match. Pick: Kevin Owens

Natalya On Setting WWE Record At Hell In A Cell, Tyson Kidd Returning To Total Divas, More

Andrew Ravens
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SmackDown Women’s Champion Natalya, who will be defending the title against Charlotte Flair at this Sunday’s WWE Hell in a Cell PPV, recently spoke with Scott Fishman to promote the event and the upcoming season of Total Divas on the E! Network. Here are the highlights:

Tyson Kidd returning to Total Divas this season:

“Tyson came back to the show and jumped into a new role in WWE that he loves. So, we are both in happy places. But the first time I met Brie and Bryan’s Birdie I was telling my husband, ‘So much has changed for us. Birdie almost makes me want to have a baby.’ Granted, I’m not in that place in my life yet, but Birdie is like no other baby I ever met. She is the best of Bryan and Brie. She is just so good-natured. I’ve never seen her cry. She could give any girl baby fever.”

Setting a WWE record at the Hell in a Cell:

“Come Hell in a Cell, I would have had the most pay-per-view matches out of anyone in WWE history. I will surpass Trish Stratus’ record. To know how hard I worked, and to get this opportunity, it’s so great because 100 or so episodes later you see me achieve my dream. It’s a great message for men and women alike that if you believe in yourself and don’t give up, no matter how many times you want to throw in the towel, you can reach your dreams. Everything you ever wanted to happen can. You just have to keep going.”

You can read the entire interview here.

Original Plans For NXT Takeover: War Games, WWE Takes A Look At Kane’s Career

Anutosh Bajpai
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– As we noted before, WWE announced the return of War Games for the upcoming NXT Takeover event during the Survivor Series weekend, though it appears it wasn’t what the company originally had in mind.

According to Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the original plans for the event were for SAnitY to defend the NXT Tag titles against Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish in a regular tag team match.

It’s not known what caused the plans to change but as reported previously now there will be a War Games match between Sanity, The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly) and The Authors of Pain with Roderick Strong at the event

Additionally, Drew McIntyre was expected to defend his NXT Championship against Adam Cole at the upcoming NXT Show but he will now face Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas instead.

– While Kane had wrestled for WWE before using various gimmicks, he made his debut as the ‘Big Red Monster’ during the Badd Blood PPV on October 5th, 1997.

Yesterday marked 20 years of his debut and WWE remembered it by posting the following photo story from their official Instagram account in which they take a look at his career:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZ3_Jf0ghcI/

James Storm On The Rebranding Of Impact, How They Can Improve

Anutosh Bajpai
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‘Cowboy’ James Storm is one of the TNA Originals who first signed with the company back in 2002 and has been with them for the majority of the time ever since.

The former World Champion recently had an interview with WrestlingInc where he talked about the company which has been his home for so many years and more. Below are some of the highlights from his interview:

On the rebranding of the company:

“I’m so used to calling it TNA, just because I’ve been here for 15 years, I know a lot of other guys still refer to it as TNA. But I think it’s just the lettering – especially here in the States, when you tell someone you wrestle for TNA, they look at you like you’re a weirdo because they think something totally different – but I think it should just be called Impact Wrestling. Plain and simple. That’s what the name of the show is, that’s what a lot of wrestling fans are accustomed to. But at the end of the day, that’s not my call.”

On how Impact can improve:

“We don’t have the John Cena or even the Roman Reigns. With Impact, it seems like they try to make everybody on the same level; being in the wrestling business 20 years, I’ve never had it be like that,” he says. “To me, it seems like in Impact they try to have everyone on the same level and everyone’s fighting for the same title. Whereas, to me, I think you should have your main event guys, and you have your undercard and undercard title, and all of the undercard guys are working to get to that spot.”

On where his journey in GFW is headed next:

“There’s a lot that I can’t really talk about, but I always say: you never know what the future holds. There might be a new door opening, I don’t know. All I can do is work my butt off, get in the best shape I can, just show up to work and do what I’m told.”

You can check out the complete interview of James Storm here.

Chris Jericho Reveals His Favorite Match, Batista To Star In New Movie Franchise

Anutosh Bajpai
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– According to a report from Deadline, former World Champion Batista has partnered with STX Entertainment to produce a new action-comedy movie franchise. He will also be starring in the films, though no further details have been revealed till now.

– Chris Jericho recently made an Instagram post and revealed which is his favorite match of his own long illustrious career. According to the former World Champion his Ladder match with Shawn Michaels from No Mercy 2008 is his favorite:

“When people ask me what my favorite match is, I always say the ladder match vs @officialshawnmichaels from No Mercy on Oct 5, 2008!. The match, the story, the build up, the finish…it was the culmination of one of the best told stories & angles in @wwe history! Thanks Shawn!”

The full post of Jericho can be seen below:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZ4JbVBFErg/

Ted DiBiase Talks About Bobby Heenan, His Million Dollar Man Gimmick, More

Andrew Ravens
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WWE Hall of Famer Ted DiBiase recently spoke with Bleacher Report to talk about various topics. Here are some of the highlights:

His “The Million Dollar Man” gimmick:

“The Million Dollar Man the character is actually a Vince McMahon original. It was presented to me and Vince kind of started laying it out. In a moment when he was called away and I was just sitting there with Pat Patterson who at the time was his right-hand man, Pat looked at me and said, ‘Ted, if Vince can be a character in his own show, this is it, this is who he would be.’ It had never been done before. Vince said, ‘I chose you because you’re articulate; you carry yourself well; you interview very well; you are a great wrestler; you’re perfect for this.'”

The late Bobby Heenan:

“Bobby Heenan to me, he was the best. Of all the guys that have been managers that can pick up a microphone and talk, he was a natural and so good. His character like mine was so hated, it was like a little weasel. Everybody wanted to kill him and that was the whole point. Bobby Heenan was as quick-witted off the cameras as he was on the camera and just as funny. A great guy and I just thought the world of him as a person.”

You can read the entire interview here.

Indie Company Not Happy With WCPW’s New Name

Jake Skudder
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What Culture recently announced that they were rebranding their pro wrestling company WCPW. The new name was confirmed as ‘Defiant Wrestling’ with the official relaunch being slated for December 4th.

One US based independent company is certainly not happy with the name change. DEFY Wrestling based out of Seattle, Washington has made their displeasure public with the following tweet:

Although DEFY and the new Defiant brand operate out of two separate territories it is easy to see why the Seattle company are more than a little aggrieved with this development. DEFY has been steadily building their brand over the past few years and attract some major indie stars to their events.

Rey Mysterio’s Opponent Announced for ICW Fear & Loathing

Jake Skudder
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0

Insane Championship Wrestling will be hosting Fear & Loathing X on November 19th from the SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland.

Fear & Loathing is ICW’s biggest annual event and it sees top stars from around the globe compete with some of the UK’s finest. The company made the blockbuster announcement that Rey Mysterio would be competing earlier this year and now we know who his opponent will be.

World of Sport star Kenny Williams will be taking on the ‘Master of the 619,’ Kenny is a standard bearer for ICW and one of the top prospects on the UK scene right now, this is a huge opportunity for him to showcase his abilities to an even bigger global audience.

https://twitter.com/InsaneChampWres/status/914578836402163712

Jinder Mahal On Getting Backlash For His Promo About Shinsuke Nakamura, Becoming WWE Champion

Andrew Ravens
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WWE Champion Jinder Mahal, who is scheduled to defend the title against Shinsuke Nakamura at this Sunday’s at WWE Hell In A Cell PPV, recently spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated about various topics. Here are the highlights:

Winning WWE Championship:

“There was originally no plan in place for me to become WWE champion. It felt like I became the number one contender out of nowhere. I call what I did forcing the results. I wasn’t happy with my position. I was putting in the work, but I wasn’t getting the results. I was going to force the result no matter what the cost.”

His planned promo on Shinsuke Nakamura last month that received backlash:

“Every day in WWE is also an opportunity. I have to rise to the occasion every time I am given that opportunity, and that includes every promo on SmackDown, too.”

You can read the entire interview here.

Amazing Story Of How Randy Orton Covered For Christian Following In-Ring Accident

Jon Fuentes
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26

WWE Superstar Randy Orton was recently a guest on former WWE Tag Team Champs Edge and Christian’s podcast, E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness, to talk about a variety of professional wrestling topics. During their conversation, Christian recalled an incident between he and Orton after one of their matches back in 2005. “Captain Charisma” jumped Orton after their match, however, he legitimately injured “The Viper” during the segment:

“I came out and I jumped you after a match … it was just going to be a little TV program. I cuffed you so hard in the head and I guess it knocked your equilibrium all crazy because you were down in the ring. You weren’t moving.“

Orton suffered from a ruptured eardrum after the attack, causing a great deal of worry from Christian as he knew Orton was set for a big push in the coming months. Orton covered for Christian by telling everyone backstage that he was okay and was just selling:

“They finally got you up, they carried you back and you opened the curtain and you said, ‘Relax everyone. I was just working. I was just selling it,’. Everyone’s like, ‘Oh, cool, good job Randy.’ We got down the stairs, you put your arm around me and you whispered, ‘I am so f—ed up.’ “

Cody Rhodes Reacts To WWE Bringing Back War Games, Sasha Banks Donates Jacket For Charity

Jon Fuentes
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– As we previously reported, the WWE is bringing back War Games at NXT: TakeOver Houston next month (November 18, 2017). Former WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes took to Twitter to react to the news, and while not being happy that the company brought back Starrcade, Rhodes claimed that he wasn’t made about War Games and believes “care and effort will be placed into it”:

– Former WWE RAW Women’s Champion Sasha Banks teamed up with WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T to donate her ring-worn jacket that she wore the night she won the NXT Women’s Championship. All proceeds will go directly to those affected by Hurricane Harvey. eBay has the current bidding for the jacket at $8,000:

Former WWE Champ Returning For One More Match, WWE Star Lands Their Own Pair Of Sneakers

Jon Fuentes
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12

– Former WWE Women’s Champion Candice Michelle will be making her return to the squared circle for one more match at House of Hardcore 36: Blizzard Brawl Homecoming on December 2nd. She hasn’t been inside the ring since 2009 after being released from WWE. Michelle will be taking on Lisa Marie Varon (a.k.a. Victoria in WWE):

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZ2miPdlcYc/

– Footlocker officially announced on their Instagram page that they will be dropping Reebok’s new collection “inspired by (WWE Superstar) Sin Cara’s roots” on October 13th. Check out a sneak peak of the sneakers here:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZ10mwOgAk1/

WWE Heading To India For Live Events, Jinder Mahal Reacts

Jon Fuentes
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7

As expected, the WWE has announced that they will be returning to India for some Live Events in the midst of Jinder Mahal’s WWE Championship. The shows will take place in New Delhi at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on Friday December 8th and Saturday December 9th. Here’s the WWE’s official press release, which includes a comment from Mahal:

“WWE® LIVE RETURNS TO INDIA WITH “THE MODERN-DAY MAHARAJA™” JINDER MAHAL™

“MUMBAI, India & STAMFORD, Conn. October 5, 2017 – WWE (NYSE: WWE) and Sony Pictures Networks India today announced that WWE LIVE will return to India with two shows in New Delhi at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on Friday, December 8 and Saturday, December 9. Ticket information will be announced in the coming weeks.

“The shows will feature “The Modern-Day Maharaja”, current WWE Champion Jinder Mahal, who will be accompanied by The Singh Brothers™. In addition, WWE LIVE will feature WWE Superstars Roman Reigns™, Seth Rollins™, Dean Ambrose™, Braun Strowman™, Alexa Bliss™, Sasha Banks™, and more.*

“”It is an honor to represent the people of India every time I step into the ring, and it will be a true privilege to perform for them live,” said Jinder Mahal.

“”WWE enjoys a large, dedicated following in India, with the highest TV viewership after only cricket,” said Mr. Rajesh Kaul, President, Sports and Distribution Business, Sony Pictures Networks. “We are delighted to announce to our loyal fans the return of WWE LIVE, presenting them with an opportunity that will take them closer to their favorite WWE Superstars.”

“”Following overwhelming demand from our massive and passionate fan base in India, we are excited to bring WWE LIVE back to New Delhi for two shows of spectacular, non-stop, family-friendly entertainment,” said Sheetesh Srivastava, Vice President and General Manager, WWE India. “I know our fans cannot wait to fill the Indira Gandhi Stadium and welcome back their favorite WWE Superstars.”

“Sony Pictures Networks India offers WWE programming, including Raw®, SmackDown LIVE®, Main Event®, NXT®, Total Divas®, and monthly specials, such as WrestleMania® and SummerSlam®, on Sony TEN 1 and Sony MAX. Earlier this year, WWE Sunday Dhamaal, an exclusive new weekly highlights show in Hindi, launched on Sony MAX, giving Indian fans a unique, localized WWE viewing experience.”

Jim Ross On His WWE Debut At WrestleMania 9, Bringing The Rock And Steve Austin Into WWE

Andrew Ravens
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WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross spoke to ESPN to promote his book Slobberknocker: My Life in Wrestling. Here are some of the highlights:

Bringing The Rock and Steve Austin into WWE:

“They are two of my signees. They’re two guys I had a very strong personal relationship with. And you know I just thought the world of both those guys. They were what we needed to revitalize the talent relations department. They were components of what we needed to re-jump-start the competitive feeling you get often times when you have a locker room that’s dotted with overachievers and ex-mainstream athletes. It’s all because of that group of guys and gals that we assembled, that we put in that team environment, that had great skills and we were able to, maybe not 100 percent of the time, but more often than not, give them the opportunity to fully express their creative abilities. And those are still being felt. Randy Orton’s still a key member, John Cena, those guys are two of my last guys.”

Making his WWE debut at WrestleMania 9 in 1993:

“That’s not the greatest feeling to have when you’re getting ready to do your first assignment. It’s only going to be a live show with no net, and the biggest event of the year. So, that was a little unsettling, but you persevere, man, you work through it. Poor me. I’m going to broadcast WrestleMania IX. I’m a wrestling fan. It’s taken me 19 years to get here. And I’m going to b—h and moan that I didn’t get the Chamber of Commerce welcome wagon welcome? You kidding? The first night was an adventure, commentating alongside “Macho Man” Randy Savage and Bobby Heenan, but Ross pushed forward and did his job as well as he could do it, toga and all. Things could have gone sideways in a hurry if the iciness from the rest of the boys continued, but Ross found a pair of key allies in one of the most recognizable commentary teams in wrestling history.”

You can read the entire interview here.

John Cena No Longer Advertised For Survivor Series

Anutosh Bajpai
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After being defeated by Roman Reigns at No Mercy, it was speculated that John Cena will take some time off and return to WWE for their final Big 4 PPV of the year Survivor Series next month.

However, now it appears that the fans of the former World Champion will have to wait longer than earlier expected to see him returning back to a WWE ring.

Cena is no longer being advertised for the upcoming Non-Exclusive PPV and he has been replaced with Brock Lesnar, who wasn’t part of the lineup for the event so far.

Now the nearest show John is being advertised for is a Raw Brand WWE Live Event from Madison Square Garden, New York, on December 26th.

Interestingly he is also being advertised for a SmackDown Brand Live Event from Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL on December 30th, so it’s hard to say which Brand he will show up at when he finally makes his televised return.

This is not very surprising news as many speculated that the Leader Of Cenation will remain out of action for the remainder of the year ever since he landed a role in the Transformers Spin-Off Movie.

Currently, there is no news on when John Cena will make his televised return to the company and what storyline Officials have in mind for him upon his return.

Lucha Underground Star Taya Valkyrie On Sexy Star Incident, Her Impact Debut

Anutosh Bajpai
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Lucha Underground Star Taya Valkyrie who made her Impact Wrestling debut last month was recently interviewed by Wrestling Epicenter where she talked about a number of Wrestling related topics. Below are the highlights from her interview:

On her debut with Impact Wrestling:

“This is only the beginning! It’s been amazing! It is so different from what I’m used to like being in AAA and Lucha Underground, but that’s what is exciting! I try to always evolve as a wrestler and a performer and as a character. I just think this was a natural progression and next natural step in my career.”

How Impact is different from AAA or Lucha Underground:

“[Laughs] Everything about it is different! It is a totally different roster, obviously, so I’m facing women I’ve never faced before who all wrestle in different styles. I’m Canadian, but I also spent 5 years of my life in Mexico in AAA. It’s just so different. The speed is different. We’re wrestling to the left instead of the right. The ring is different. The fans are completely different! But, it’s cool! It’s a challenge just like anything, but, you know, I’ve started at the bottom and came up from there always. I’ve always had these challenges throughout my career and different barriers I have to break through and create a name for myself. This is just one more opportunity to do so!”

On the infamous Sexy Star shoot incident:

“I was just so disappointed. I was in LA watching, I was not in Mexico, even though some people try to say that I was. I was just so disappointed in the whole situation because I consider myself to be the face … Heavily involved within the Lucha Libre world. It was really sad for me to watch. I don’t think I really want to say too much about it because I think it has been talked about enough. Some people just don’t deserve that attention, but I just think that everyone’s true colors show in the end.”

Apart from this, Taya also talked about her boyfriend Johnny Impact and how she is on her own at Impact.

Lita Reveals WWE Is Considering New Tag Titles, Talks Women’s Royal Rumble

Anutosh Bajpai
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During a recent Q&A session in Paris, WWE Hall Of Famer Lita talked about a number of WWE Related topics and revealed some interesting backstage details about the plans for the Women’s Division.

She revealed that there have been talks within the company about introducing a tag team title for women and said that she loves the introduction of Women’s Money In The Bank:

“There has been talks of tag titles for the Women’s Division and I think that I love that they first introduced the MITB briefcase, that’s been a long time coming and that adds an element of surprise within the title picture.”

Talking about the possibility of a Royal Rumble for female participants, the former Women’s Champion said that she would love it if there was a Women’s Rumble:

“I would absolutely love if there was a Women’s Rumble. If anybody has seen the Mae Young Classic, has watched Ring of Honor, has watched these promotions around the world, there are no shortage of entrants of who could be in that Royal Rumble.”

While it’s yet to be seen if any of these plans for the Women’s Division actually turn out to be a reality in the upcoming times, both these ideas are definitely worth exploring as the next step into the Women’s Revolution

Quotes via RingSideNews.com

Roman Reigns Tops WWE 2K18 Ratings, Road Dogg & Michaels Run NXT, 6-Man Tag Match Announced

Robert Lentini
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Roman Reigns is the highest rated Superstar in WWE 2K18

Roman Reigns is the highest rated wrestler in WWE 2K18. Reigns received a rating of 95 out of 100. Stone Cold Steve Austin is rated at 92, The Rock comes in at 93 and The Undertaker also got 93 as a rating.

John Cena and Brock Lesnar are also rated 93 in the game, Finn Balor (as Demon King) and Seth Rollins are at 92. AJ Styles is at 90, WWE Champion Jinder Mahal is rated 88 and Braun Strowman comes in at 88 as well.

WWE 2K18 releases on October 17th.

Road Dogg and Shawn Michaels take over NXT tapings

Triple H posted on Twitter earlier today that he was gutted to miss his first NXT taping ever. He added that he had the best team in the world doing it and wished them luck. Road Dogg responded and said that he and Shawn Michaels are holding the fort down.

Triple H responded with the following:

6-Man tag match announced for NXT in two weeks

A 6-man tag match has been announced for the October 18th episode of WWE NXT. The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Rielly) will face the NXT Tag Team Champions SAnitY (Eric Young, Killian Dain and Alexander Wolfe). This the first time The Undisputed Era has competed in a match together as a trio. Below is WWE’s announcement for the match:

Six-man mayhem: SAnitY fights The Undisputed ERA on Oct. 18

Katy, bar the door, because unadulterated mayhem is on its way to NXT.

The chaotic collective of SAnitY’s Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe & Killian Dain will battle The Undisputed ERA’s Adam Cole, Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly in a massive Six-Man Tag Team Match on the Wednesday, Oct. 18, episode of NXT.

The match will feature The Undisputed ERA competing as a unit for the first time inside an NXT ring.

The warring factions have been at odds since The Undisputed ERA’s emergence at TakeOver: Brooklyn III, when Fish & O’Reilly ambushed Young & Wolfe after SAnitY dethroned The Authors of Pain to win the NXT Tag Team Titles.

Cole scored The Undisputed ERA’s first official victory against SAnitY by pinning Young in a singles match on the Sept. 27 episode of NXT. During that electrifying match, an all-out brawl erupted between Fish & O’Reilly and Wolfe & Dain at ringside.

Whether the squared circle will be able to contain the action remains to be seen. Don’t miss this colossal main event when it streams exclusively on WWE Network on Wednesday, Oct. 18, at 8/7 C.

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