As noted, The Rock will be appearing as a guest on “Oprah’s Master Class” this Sunday night at 8 p.m. EST. on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). Another promotional clip from the show has been released, as seen above, and features The Rock talking about WWE.
The Rock spoke about feeling angst early into his WWE run due to the fact that he couldn’t be himself.
“I remember I had great angst every night before I went out, because I was not able to be myself,” said The Rock.
He also commented on getting booed as a babyface at his first WrestleMania event:
He continued, describing the time he appeared at his first-ever WrestleMania as a babyface and was booed by the fans, noting it was when he realized he needed to make some changes.
“It was a sobering moment,” said The Rock. “And that was the beginning of the end of my initial run in the WWE. A few weeks later, I tore a tendon in my knee, and I was out for the rest of the summer. I came to the realization before I went back that it wasn’t me, personally, that they didn’t like. It was that I wasn’t being me.”
The Rock said while he was on the sidelines recovering, he received a call from Vince McMahon suggesting that he turn heel when he returned.
“He said, ‘When you come back, we could continue to shove you down people’s throats or we could turn you heel because they want to boo you anyway,'” Rock said. “I said, ‘I think it’s a great idea.'”
“About a month later, I was the hottest heel in the company and things were on fire,” said The Rock. “And the greatest lesson about that is be you. … The most powerful thing you can be is yourself.”
For another preview of The Rock’s appearance on “Oprah’s Master Class,” which features Rock talking about his battle with depression and his transition from WWE to Hollywood, click here.
Rey Mysterio called into Busted Open Radio this week to remember Eddie Guerrero on the 10th anniversary of his passing. Mysterio said that he was not ready for his first WWE title run, but was thrust into that role after Eddie’s tragic death.
“No, especially not under those circumstances. I guess my career was heading in a different direction. We had just finished our feud with my son, Dominic, and the great story that Eddie put together and how much passion he threw behind that, that character that he was. He was ready to move on with Batista and I really don’t know where I was going, but that changed direction completely for, I believe, for everyone.
So I really wasn’t ready at the time, but of course you’ve got to make the best out of it. This was a big opportunity for me and the people knew. The people knew that it was going down for Eddie. I was put on the spot, but I was there representing Eddie.”
You can find more from the interview here at BustedOpenNation.com and tune into Busted Open Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays from 2-4pm ET on SiriusXM Rush 93 and on the SiriusXM App on your smartphone.
Former TNA star Samuel Shaw was recently interviewed by Alex Obert of Journey Of A Frontman about getting his big break in TNA, what he took out of training with Bubba Ray and D-Von, working with Ken Anderson, NXT, discovering his artistic talents, the current state of wrestling and more.
Several former WWE superstars have been outspoken about working with Bubba Ray being reckless in the ring with them, including Renee Dupree and Rico. Shaw trained at Bubba Ray and D-Von’s Team 3D Academy in Florida and told a story of Bubba Ray hazing several of the students for showing up to a TNA TV taping in jeans instead of suits. Shaw says that Bubba pushed the students so far that guys were puking, tearing hamstrings and “some guy ripped his assh*le out.”
“Do a thousand squats. Right now. Otherwise you’re kicked out of the school.” He felt like we needed to be disciplined for not being a good representation for the school. I got text messages from all these guys and they’re all like, “Oh my God, Bubba made us do a thousand squats. None of us could do a thousand. Guys were puking. Some guy ripped his asshole out, tore his hamstring. Guys are just dropping like flies.
Bubba’s disappointed in everybody. He said ‘Don’t think I won’t get Sam cause I’ll go to one of his little indy shows and I’ll make him do it in front of all the boys there.’” I was just waiting for mine. I was like, “Okay, I’ve never done a thousand squats before. I’m gonna go in every day and if that’s what he wants me to do, I’m ready for it.”
I went in every day and he never showed up for about two weeks. And then all of a sudden, he showed up one day. Everybody thought he’d forget about it and that it’s all water under the bridge. But nope, he sees me and he says, “Get your ass in the ring. A thousand squats. You gotta go past parallel. If you don’t do a thousand, I’ll just know what kind of man you are and you’re not welcome back here.” I proceeded to do a thousand squats and I never thought that I could do that. It was a challenge. The thought of doing it sucked, but once I completed that, I realized that was all mental. He tested me and I did it.
I went in the office and I thanked him. I’m not saying that he had ultimate respect for me after that or anything, but I think he was like, “Okay, I see this kid. He fessed up to fucking up. He paid the price and he did it.” He’s always gonna test you. You’re gonna screw up in this business, especially as a young guy just trying to come up and make it. Hopefully you don’t screw up in front of a Vince McMahon or something like that. Screwing up in front of a Bully Ray, that’s probably worse. I just made it a goal of mine to just always make him proud.
NXT Diva Alexa Bliss has responded to rumors spreading online that were apparently started by another WWE developmental talent.
The rumors were started on a gossip website called TheDirty.com, which is a website that allows people to anonymously submit “dirt” on other people. The website has been in the center of many big scandals involving athletes and other celebrities in the past.
The anonymous user who submitted the information on Bliss claims to be a talent currently training at the WWE Performance Center and claims Bliss needs to be called out for being a “ring rat.” A ring rat is a pro wrestling insider term that refers to someone, generally female fans or wrestlers, that is known for sleeping with the wrestlers on a regular basis.
The post regarding Bliss read as follows:
“THE DIRTY ARMY: Nik, I am currently training with WWE to be a wrestler. We train at NXT in Orlando. A great group of men and women are down here but I have to call out one girl, Alexa Bliss. I wish to stay anonymous but this needs to be out. She is a ring rar as we call it. She sleeps with just about every person who walks in the door here and has slept with trainers, higher ups, wrestlers and whoever else she can get her hands on. I have heard nasty stories I refuse to share. She is cute and nice but is a total slore. She is not very good in the ring but isn’t bad as a manager. I hope she sees this and cleans her act up asap.”
Bliss acknowledged the post on her Twitter account, writing “All false” in one tweet before deleting it and simply leaving this one up:
One Thing my mother always taught me… "Your reputation is something you will NEVER out grow, so make sure it's one you're proud of"
WWE Superstar King Barrett recently spoke with The International to promote the current WWE tour of the United Kingdom. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On filming a movie recently, changing his Twitter handle to his real name and if he’s enjoying his wrestling career right now:
“I’m still as passionate about wrestling as I ever was, but I think it’s inevitable that at some point in your career you’ve got to start looking for things outside of wrestling. I’m not going to wrestle forever, though I certainly feel that I’ve got a lot of time left in me if I want to. Maybe at some point I’ll be taking a career break, I’m not sure.
I’ve done some movie work lately and that’s an area I really enjoyed and would be looking to explore. Certainly in terms of acting and doing things outside of wrestling, that’s something I’ll be looking to do more of in the not-too-distant future.”
On being a heel throughout his WWE career outside of England and if he’s ever had desires to be a babyface character:
“For the most part I excel as being the bad guy, and that’s definitely a strong point for me. There was a period about a year ago when I was performing as Bad News Barrett that I felt that the company should have turned me into the good guy kind of role because I think the fans were wanting that at that time.
I suggested it, but the powers that be made the decision that they didn’t want me to do that, instead they wanted me to continue as the bad guy. That decision was made at the time, but I feel that at the moment it’s not the right time for me to be a fan favorite because I’m universally hated. Maybe one day it will change, but I’m currently quite happy being the bad guy.”
Nielsen (the research company best known for being behind television and terrestrial radio ratings in the United States) has released data from a survey they conducted about UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion, wrestling fan, and WrestleMania guest star Ronda Rousey. There are a number of stats listed, but one is of special interest to wrestling fans:
Rousey fans are 32% more likely to have attended a WWE or other pro wrestling card in the last 12 months.
By comparison, Rousey fans are also:
* 30% more likely to have a subscription to an online music service.
* 29% more likely to be “very” interested in the UFC,
* 32% more likely to be “very” interested in pro boxing.
* 40% more likely to be “very” interested in “extreme/action sports”
In the email sent out to the media going over all of stats, Nielsen ran down these items as the key findings:
* 44% Americans know Ronda Rousey. Among those who know her, 70% find her to be likable and 67% think she’s successful.
* Rousey’s endorsement of Carl Jr.’s is a fit with her fans: Rousey’s fans are 30% more likely than the average U.S. adult to have visited a fast food restaurant 10+ times in the past 30 days.
* Rousey’s fans are willing to shell out money for tickets for other sporting events. In fact, they’re 44% more likely than the average U.S. adult to be willing to pay over $75 for NBA tickets and 30% and 20% more likely to do the same for MLB and NFL tickets, respectively.
* Fans of Rousey are more likely than the average American adult to be very interested in pro boxing (32% more likely) than UFC (29% more likely).
Rousey fights tomorrow night at UFC 193 live on pay-per-view.
If you asked me about the first time I ever saw Eddie Guerrero wrestle, my first instinct would be to respond with one of the more common answers: The match where he and Art Barr lost their hair to El Hijo del Santo and Octagon at AAA When Worlds Collide in 1994. It’s a positively brilliant match, one that not only blew away the lucha libre newbies watching on pay-per-view, but played off years of storylines that long-time fans would know. The match got him his job in ECW, which he parlayed into his WCW run.
When I think deeper about when I first saw Eddie, the real answer is probably one of two other matches. The first would be his famous squash match loss to Terry Funk in WCW in May of 1989. I don’t really remember for sure if I saw it when it aired since I was very young, but I was watching all of WCW’s shows then and I’m pretty sure I did see it. Funk was wrestling his first WCW match since debuting by injuring Ric Flair, and Eddie was brought in as a great working job guy to make him look amazing. Funk being Funk, he gave Eddie a lot, including a gorgeous plancha, before winning the match. Since it was 1989, Eddie was “too small” to hire and not given a second look.
The only other match I would have seen first was from a TV taping for Red Bastien’s WIN promotion, a short-lived lucha libre startup. Mario Savoldi’s ICW promptly lifted matches from WIN shows to craft an “international” tag team tournament in 1990, which included a throwaway Eddie Guerrero match that I know I saw. That’s how I saw a lot of older wrestling for the first time: ICW airing it because reasons.
I became a huge fan of Eddie’s during his ECW run, though unlike most fans, I was partial to his matches with 2 Cold Scorpio over his more famous feud with Dean Malenko. As wonderful as the technical wrestling was in the Malenko matches, the Scorpio matches weren’t run into the ground and had a more clear babyface/heel dynamic. In WCW, he built upon that by becoming one of the best babyfaces in the business, even being named the most likable wrestler in the company when they hired research companies to poll the audience.
As he mastered the psychological side of the business more and more, that became his strength. It carried him to a level of stardom in WWE that nobody could have foreseen, especially as his body was breaking down. Not only was his heart on borrowed time as we soon learned, but his back was a wreck to the point he shouldn’t have been able to walk.
I hate to say it, but my reaction when he died was not exactly surprise. He had gotten too muscular and he had a long history of drug abuse. When the coroner listed steroid use as a contributing factor in his death, there was hope that the black and white information would lead to changes. To a point, they did. Days later, another wrestler had a drug-related episode on WWE’s European tour, and the company announced that they’d be resuming drug testing. As much as there’s been skepticism into WWE’s Talent Wellness Program, and rightfully so at times, in the long run, it has been a net positive.
But that’s just a silver lining. It doesn’t bring Eddie Guerrero or anyone else back. There should have never been the pressure on him to get bigger that he had to deal with for his entire career. Has that changed? Probably.
Has it changed enough? I honestly have no idea, and that worries me.
Billy Gunn was fired by WWE on Friday due to a drug test he failed over the summer while competing in a powerlifting event, according to f4wonline.com.
The 52-year-old former tag team champion reportedly tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone back on July 25. He had a testosterone/epitestosterone ratio of 37-1, which is off the charts compared to the 4-1 limit. He was suspended from competitive powerlifting for four years – with WWE officials completely unaware he was competing as a powerlifter until just a few weeks ago.
Gunn had been working as a trainer at the WWE Performance Center. He appeared on the most recent season of Tough Enough as well as Breaking Ground on the WWE Network.
Ten years ago today, former WWE champion Eddie Guerrero passed away from heart failure in a Minneapolis hotel. One of his best friends and fellow WWE alumni Dean Malenko recently spoke with The Sun to remember Guerrero.
On his match with Guerrero at WCW Starrcade ’97:
“We’d always try different things every night — see what worked, what didn’t work. And we fell into something, some kind of move – and the place started going crazy.
“I grabbed Eddie in a rear chin lock, and he goes: ‘Listen to the crowd! They’re going nuts!’
“I looked over my right shoulder into the audience, and everybody’s looking up into the tiered seating. There was a girl who had lifted her shirt off and was well-endowed and entertaining the menfolk there in the crowd. So I turned to Eddie and said: ‘This is what they’re popping on, buddy.’
On Seth Rollins using the frog splash:
“Seth [Rollins] had a match with Kane and he hit a frog splash off the top. And the crowd responded by chanting Eddie’s name, and it gave me goosebumps.
“Wrestling fans have never forgotten and will never forget Eddie Guerrero.”
– After joining the tour in progress due to the fact that she was on the sidelines with what has been described as “nagging injuries,” former WWE Divas Champion Nikki Bella left the WWE U.K. tour early this week to take her grandmother to London and Paris for her 83rd birthday. As it turns out, Brie Bella joined the two, so it appears that she is taking off the last leg of the current WWE overseas tour as well.
– Also taking off the last leg of the current WWE tour is one-half of The Prime Time Players, Titus O’Neil. He mentioned on his official Instagram page that he woke up in Rome on Thursday morning, but would be sleeping at his home in Tampa, Florida on Thursday evening. He added that he couldn’t wait to see his sons.
The WWE Network will continue to roll out globally in January, when the streaming service officially launches in Germany. German fans will be able to access the Network starting on Thursday, January 5th, 2016.
It’s believed the service will launch in Japan early next year as well, and the company is also planning to expand in China, the Philippines and Thailand. The WWE Network was at 1,233,000 subscribers as of the end of Q3 2015.
Beginning Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, fans in Germany can order WWE Network online by going to WWENetwork.com and receive their first month of service free. WWE Network in Germany will cost $9.99 USD per month, with no commitment and the ability to cancel any time.
Subscribers will have access to the U.S. English language version of WWE Network and get all 12 WWE pay-per-view events at no additional cost, as well as 24/7 scheduled programming and the most comprehensive video-on-demand library, with more than 4,000 hours of content, including Raw and SmackDown re-airs, and every WWE, WCW and ECW pay-per-view.
WWE Network will first be available on desktop, laptop and mobile devices, followed by Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Sony PlayStation 3, Sony PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Roku and Smart TVs in time for Royal Rumble.
“Germany is a strategically important market for WWE with a passionate and engaged fan base,” said George Barrios, WWE Chief Strategy & Financial Officer. “We are committed to growing our brand internationally, and global expansion of WWE Network is critical to achieving that goal.”
In addition to the 12 live WWE pay-per-events, WWE Network original programming includes:
Breaking Ground – WWE Network’s newest original series gives viewers access to the WWE Performance Center, chronicling what it takes to become a WWE Superstar and Diva.
Swerved – Directed by Jeff Tremaine (Jackass, Bad Grandpa), Swerved combines the worlds of comedy and sports entertainment as WWE Superstars and Divas play hilarious pranks on one another.
The Monday Night War – WWE Network’s 20-episode original series documents the epic television ratings battle between entertainment icons Vince McMahon and Ted Turner.
Stone Cold Podcast Live! – WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin sits down with the biggest names in WWE, and the world of sports and entertainment, for a no-holds-barred, in-your-face, exclusive interview.
NXT TakeOver – The future is here. WWE’s hottest up-and-coming Superstars compete to prove they’ve got what it takes. More than just evolution, it’s a revolution. Witness these WWE Superstars of tomorrow as they take over WWE Network with live two-hour specials.
WWE 24 – The acclaimed 30-minute docu-series takes viewers on a lightning-fast journey through a day in the life of WWE’s most intriguing Superstars and groundbreaking events.
Total Divas (Seasons 1-3) – Total Divas gives viewers an exclusive, outside-the-ring look at WWE’s top Divas with an inside glimpse into their personal lives as they balance their own drama and the non-stop action of their professional careers.
WWE Network will also be available in Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. For a complete listing of WWE Network availability by country and device, please click here.
After recently trying out for WWE at the Performance Center in Orlando, FL, Australian rugby star Daniel Vidot has decided to stick with rugby for two more years before making the switch to pro wrestling. Vidot, 25, spoke with The Courier Mail this week about his decision to stay with the Super League’s Salford Red Devils. Here are some highlights:
Getting the call from WWE:
“It would be a dream come true to make it in the WWE, it would be a massive achievement, but there is a lot of responsibility and sacrifices I would have to make. It was something I didn’t expect. I got a call out of nowhere, but the trial over there went really well and they were really happy with me. My big journey has only just started.”
His WWE tryout:
“I did some rolls around the ring and got the feel of it. The actual ring and ropes are harder than you think. I got a sore back doing some drills and the blisters on my back from hitting the ropes were so bad I was bleeding for a couple of days. It’s a long process, but it’s nothing new to me being a professional NRL player. it’s a huge challenge, but I like taking on challenges.”
WWE supporting his return to rugby:
“The WWE guys said most wrestlers don’t start until their late 20’s, so my time is on my side. I told them I am not finished with football yet and they were very understanding with that. I’ll do my time with Salford and eventually make my trip to the States to become a professional wrestler.”
WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin has put an end to the rumors once and for all that he does not plan on wrestling at WrestleMania 32 in April.
During Episode 272 of the Steve Austin Show: Unleashed podcast, Austin said there’s no amount of money that WWE could offer him to get him back in the ring. He likes money and he loves his fans but he’s not going to do something that he’s not into. “My heart is not set on wrestling again” he said.
Earlier this month, the WWE Hall of Famer said that he’s 99.9% sure he’s already has his last match. Now, the door is officially closed. You can listen to the podcast below – Austin comments on wrestling again occur around the 1-hour mark:
WWE veteran Randy Orton is getting married to his fiance Kim this weekend. The wedding will take place on Saturday, November 14th in Las Vegas and is Orton’s second time down the aisle. scheduled to get married on November 14th in Las Vegas, Nevada. This will be Orton’s second marriage.
Orton is currently out of action due to a shoulder injury and is going to find out soon if he will need surgery.
Here are some tweets from Randy Orton, Kim and Orton’s mother as they get ready to head off to the destination wedding.
On this week’s SmackDown, Kalisto defeated Ryback and Neville defeated King Barrett to advance to the quarterfinals in the WWE World Heavyweight Championship tournament.
Here are the updated brackets for the tournament, which continues Monday on RAW:
Roman Reigns vs. Cesaro
Alberto Del Rio vs. Kalisto
Kevin Owens vs. Neville
Dolph Ziggler vs. Dean Ambrose
Share your predictions in the comments and tell us who you think will be facing off in the finals at Survivor Series.
– In addition to The Undertaker and The Rock, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon took to social media for the third time in one day on Thursday to send congratulations to former WWE Champion Batista on the success of the new James Bond “007: Spectre” film, which co-stars Batista as the character “Mr. Hinx.” You can check out McMahon’s comments via the following tweet:
– The Rock posted a “Throwback Thursday (TBT)” photo and blog on his official Instagram account on Thursday honoring WWE Hall Of Famer Pat Patterson. The Rock wrote the following, which was accompanied by the below photo of the two talking together backstage at a past WWE event.
“#TBT 2013 becoming #WWE Heavyweight Champion for the 8th time. First person to congratulate me backstage was WWE Hall of Famer and close family friend Pat Patterson – one of the greatest mentors I’ve ever had in the world of sports entertainment.
At 23yrs old I called Pat and told him I was training to get into the business. He said “What business?”. I said “the wrestling business”. He said with great clarity, “Why the f–k would you want to do that?”. He eventually agreed to come watch one of my ring workouts in Tampa, and after the session I said “Do you think I have what it takes?”. He simply said “Just keep working”. He immediately went home and called Vince McMahon and said “Vince you gotta see this kid, I think he can be great one day”. One week later I had my very first tryout match for the WWE in Corpus Christi, TX in front of 15,000 people.
Pat has been instrumental in creating some of the greatest storylines (Rock vs Austin, Rock vs HHH) and matches of my entire career and I’m forever grateful for his guidance and knowledge. He’s also responsible for dropping the greatest lines ever… in this picture he literally said “My God Rock when you won the title tonight the people went f–kING BANANA!” For some reason he always forgets the “s”. #PatPatterson #Legend #Mentor #Grateful”
Vince McMahon was a little busier than usual on social media on Thursday afternoon. The WWE Chairman posted comments about The Undertaker’s appearance on “The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon” from Wednesday night, as well as a congratulatory message directed towards The Rock, who announced earlier this week that he and his girlfriend are expecting their first child.
Regarding The Undertaker’s appearance on Fallon on Wednesday, McMahon tweeted the following:
WWE announced this week that the next NXT TakeOver special, which is scheduled for Wednesday, December 16th, will air live on the WWE Network from the SSE Wembley Arena in London, England at 3 p.m. Eastern time and Noon Pacific time.
Although an official lineup has yet to be released, the card is loooking like:
NXT Champion Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe
Apollo Crews vs. Baron Corbin
Asuka vs. Emma
The 12/16 TakeOver show is also expected to include NXT Tag-Team Title and NXT Women’s Title matches. Those two title matches should become clear on November 19th when the final television tapings leading up to the show are taped at Full Sail University.
Make sure to join us here at SEScoops.com on Wednesday, December 16th for the best NXT TakeOver: London live results coverage on the web!
Hulk Hogan’s lawsuit against Gawker is the pro wrestling news story with the most wide-reaching “real world” consequences, and rolls on next week with a hearing on Wednesday, November 18th. An amended notice about the hearing went up today, and it outlines which topics will be covered, time permitting, over the course of the hearing. All of the matters mentioned in the notice were raised by Hogan’s side, and they include:
1. Hogan’s motion for attorney’s fees and costs on discovery rulings:
This was covered in detail here at SEScoops about two weeks ago. The short version is that Hogan’s side is accusing Gawker of violating the rules of discovery (the process that includes document production, deposition testimony, and so on) in bad faith. This would put them on the hook for Hogan’s fees in the discovery issues where he had to fight them in court, which total $427,665. Most of that comes from attorney’s fees with less than 10% being from court costs. Hogan accused Gawker, of, among other things, making it difficult to secure some depositions and doing things designed to drag him into court so often that he’d drop the case for financial reasons.
2. Hogan’s motion to compel complete production of documents in response to financial worth discovery, reconsideration of a related ruling, and a request for sanctions:
This sort of ties into #1. Hogan has won previous motions for additional financial information from Gawker, and Gawker has refused to produce some documents. Specifically, Gawker hasn’t provided Hogan with a “Transfer Pricing Study” that shows exactly what Gawker pays Hungarian sister company Kinja. Last year, one of Hogan’s discovery requests specifically asked for the study, but Gawker said the only versions that existed were confidential, covered under attorney/client privilege. Hogan is moving for sanctions against Gawker because a privilege log (filing that outlines what the other side can’t see due to attorney/client privilege) as an “economic analysis” instead of a “transfer pricing study.” Gawker insists it’s still privileged, Hogan’s side argues it’s not.
Similarly, Gawker founder Nick Denton is saying he does not have records of his family’s trust, which the court ordered him to produce. Hogan’s side is saying that’s ridiculous. So this all comes down to whether or not Gawker is acting above board.
3. Hogan’s motion to determine the confidentiality of court records, specifically an affidavit filed by Charles J. Harder (one of his lawyers):
Like #2 tying into #1, #3 ties into #2, because the affidavit is in support of the financial worth discovery motion. It looks like Hogan wants Gawker’s information out there.
Those will all be covered for sure on Wednesday. The following are listed as being dealt with “time permitting,” so they may be held off for a later hearing…
4. Hogan’s motion to strike Gawker’s affirmative defenses:
Gawker’s most recent answer to Hogan’s most recent amended complaint includes two “affirmative defenses,” which are that Hogan is:
* Committing a fraud upon the court.
* Violating recent Florida’s statutes that bar Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP, or essentially a lawsuit filed solely to censor a legal exercise of free speech).
Hogan’s side, of course, is arguing that the case can’t be a SLAPP, because the heart of the matter is Gawker publishing clips of Hogan having sex that were shot in private without his knowledge or consent. As for the vase being a “fraud upon the court,” Hogan’s side argues it’s not an affirmative defense. Cornell’s legal dictionary defines an affirmative defense as “a defense in which the defendant introduces evidence, which, if found to be credible, will negate criminal or civil liability, even if it is proven that the defendant committed the alleged acts.”
5. Hogan’s stipulation and motion to amend/modify 10/27/15 order on motions to determine confidentiality:
Both Gawker and various outside media companies have filed motions this year to get various sealed filings unsealed with the idea that Florida’s public records laws were being violated. This applies to not just the FBI records from their investigation into Hogan being extorted with the sex tapes, but all sorts of other exhibits and motions. They range from financial information to a magazine photo spread of him with naked women with who knows what else in between. Hogan is willing to let some of the exhibits be unsealed as long as the filings they’re supporting are left sealed, and his side’s suggestions will be considered.
That’s a lot to cover, so if they don’t have time to cover #4 and #5 this will bleed into a second hearing. Some past hearings have streamed live on Florida TV station websites, so keep an eye out and we’ll let you know if this one is streamed, but either way we’ll keep you updated.
Viewership was up for both TNA Impact Wrestling and Ring Of Honor on Destination America this week.
TNA Impact Wrestling had a total of 374,000 viewers, up from 343,000 last week. The first airing at 9pm EST drew 277,000 viewers while the 11pm EST replay/West Coast feed after ROH TV did 97,000 viewers, up from 81,000 last week.
Ring Of Honor bounced back this Wednesday after dropping in viewership last week. ROH on Destination America this week drew 172,000 viewers, up from last week’s final total of 141,000 viewers.
There has been talk of featuring more of a “space alien” type of theme with more dramatics for the second season of Lucha Underground, which is scheduled to return next year.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the plan is to actually go even further into the “supernatural” direction for the storylines in the sophomore season of the show, which will return on Mark Burnett’s El Rey Network cable channel.
Additionally, the Observer reports that the long-term goal for Lucha Underground is to create at least one “super babyface star,” as well as some “monster heels” for a potential movie or series of movies. Apparently the promotion is looking to recreate something like the El Santo genre of movies, with Rey Mysterio possibly in the Santo role.
Filming for season two of Lucha Underground is scheduled to begin this Saturday, November 14th in Boyle Heights, and the season itself is expected to air on the El Rey Network in early 2016.
Brock Lesnar’s contract with WWE has been renegotiated yet again, according to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Lesnar re-signed with WWE earlier this year shortly after WrestleMania 31. He had strongly considered returning to UFC and even began an MMA training camp only to realize his heart wasn’t fully in it.
Lesnar’s multi-year deal was for limited dates and he recently took WWE up on an offer to make additional appearances at his premium rate. He will be making a rare house show appearance on December 19th at The Forum in Los Angeles, CA. Starting in early 2016, he’ll be back on TV for the Royal Rumble and the start of WrestleMania season.
It’s possible the longterm absences of Seth Rollins, Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan led WWE to rely on Lesnar more and the latest WrestleMania 32 plans call for Lesnar to face Roman Reigns for the WWE Championship.
WWE legend turned Hollywood megastar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will be appearing on ‘Oprah’s Master Class’ this Sunday (11/15) on the Oprah Winfrey Network network. Oprah.com has released some quotes from the interview, providing fascinating insight on The Rock’s battle with depression and his decision to transition from pro wrestling to movies.
After playing football for the University of Miami and winning a national championship with them in 1991, The Rock failed to be drafted by an NFL team. He played in the Canadian Football League for a stretch, but was eventually let go by his team, the Calgary Stampeders. At 23, he found himself living in his parents small apartment and battling depression.
“I found that with depression one of the most important things you could realize is that you’re not alone. You’re not the first to go through it,” he says. “I wish I had someone at that time who could just pull me aside and [say], ‘Hey, it’s going to be okay.'”
About a month and a half later, he got a phone call from the head coach who had let him go from the Calgary Stampeders offering him a chance to rejoin the team. He declined because his gut told him he was done with football. He told his father Rocky Johnson that he wanted to follow in his footsteps and become a pro wrestler. His father told him it giving up on football was the biggest mistake of his life, but The Rock felt in his heart that he had to give wrestling a shot.
After a Hall of Fame worthy career and becoming an international superstar in WWE, The Rock walked away from wrestling in 2004 to embark on another new career.
“When I was at the height of my career, I felt for the very first time that I was close to accomplishing everything that I was close to accomplishing in wrestling. So, I quietly walked away,” he said.
“It kind of shook me a little bit because wrestling was all I knew at the time. I had dabbled in acting (The Mummy), but I also felt that I wanted to do more. I wanted to achieve more. I wanted to grow. I wanted to grow as a person. I wanted to reach as many people as people as possible. Not for the box office value of it, but the connection. I had come from a world where I was connecting with an audience every night. And, I wanted that connection.”
The Rock wasn’t looking to cash in on his fame from wrestling, make a few movies and move on. He planned to learn the film industry inside and out and has gone on to become one of the highest grossing action stars in history.
Oprah’s Masters Class airs on the OWN Network Sunday nights at 8pm EST.
Hulk Hogan was recently interviewed by Radio Yorkshire to promote his upcoming one-man show in the UK. The WWE Hall of Famer, who famously turned heel in 1996 with the NWO, was asked if he thought John Cena could pull off a major heel turn of his own. Here’s what Hulk had to say:
“Yeah, I mean, God, I hate to keep saying it, “Never say never.” With Vince McMahon’s machine and the WWE and the writers and John Cena’s talents. With his talent alone, if he were to turn heel and WWE let him go, let John go and pull that edge out of John. Ooh boy, he’d be a good heel!”
Independent wrestling star Drew Gulak recently appeared as a guest on The Two Man Power Trip Of Wrestling podcast and remained very vague about anything to do with WWE business. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On if he has signed a developmental deal with WWE:
“I am not allowed to speak on that issue. If I was allowed to I would be in great detail. But I can’t really elaborate on any business with WWE or if there has been any business with WWE.”
On his take on the WWE Performance Center:
“Based on everything I’ve seen it’s really amazing. It’s like they are pulling all their resources and talent and utilizing it to provide an environment for people to train in and become better and it’s already where the top professional wrestlers and people with minds for the wrestling business have gravitated towards at least traditionally. For the most part that’s where they hover around. It’s an amazing amount of resources that they pulled there and it’s nice to see them broadcasting that.”
On growing up as a wrestling fan and seeing the product live for the first time:
“I was a huge fan my whole life, I grew up watching it since I was young. When it really started clicking was when I started attending Combat Zone Wrestling shows live around 2001. I was super young probably about fourteen at the time and my brother was around eleven and we started watching the shows live and actually didn’t even know Independent wrestling existed because this was before YouTube was around and the internet wasn’t really privy to video sharing and wasn’t as common. For an Independent Wrestling fan you were getting your stuff through VHS tapes that were traded and I didn’t have access to any of that. I barely watched ECW because I didn’t know it was on TV half the time or I wasn’t around to check it out or up at that time to watch it. As ECW folded Combat Zone Wrestling was my first live experience where I was within feet of a wrestling ring and having watched it my whole life this was something that seemed larger than life.”
On training with Chris Hero and Mike Quackenbush:
“I’d go to Allentown and train with Chikara and at that time they were around three years in and sort of a fledgling promotion and Mike Quackenbush was the head trainer there along with Chris Hero. I’d pull up and have a couple seminars with them and when you see guys like that in the ring they do standout and there is a reason for it. They are innovators and ground breakers and having seen them a few times at Combat Zone Wrestling and then at Chikara shows it was really important for me to go and make the most out of that opportunity to train with them. He (Quackenbush) teaches to his students to go out and to learn from as many people as you can and he is very giving in that nature and is so knowledgeable and he loves wrestling and talking to you about it.”
