After competing at last week’s NXT tapings from Full Sail University, former ROH star Tommaso Ciampa is denying that he’s been dealing with a neck injury. Ciampa said the reports are false and noted that he was completely healthy.
Ciampa appeared with independent star Johnny Gargano at NXT last week and also worked a recent TNA Impact Wrestling taping a match with Crazzy Steve.
https://twitter.com/ProjectCiampa/status/633046435357925376
Actor Stephen Amell will be appearing at this Sunday’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view, however it appears that NXT Takeover: Brooklyn is not a big enough priority for the “Arrow” star.
NXT star Dash Wilder of “The Mechanics” invited the actor to this Saturday’s special at the Barclays Center, however Amell told him he can not make the show.
You can check out their Twitter exchange below.
https://twitter.com/amellywood/status/633054243163803648
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently updated his official blog with his latest thoughts and comments on a number of topics. Below are some of the highlights.
On SummerSlam “go-home” edition of RAW: “Key, Monday night RAW broadcast especially as it pertains to what WWE does with the main event of Summer Slam, Brock vs.Taker. After the massive, multi person pull apart of a few weeks ago, what’s next? More physicality? No physicality? Another award winning @HeymanHustle promo? Will Heyman fall prey to the Undertaker?
There are always several, right ways to do something good on a pro wrestling show which is why the biz is so subjective. Nonetheless, Lesnar w/ Heyman vs. the Undertaker is the primary match fans are paying to see come this Sunday night in Brooklyn. It’s a little predictable if Taker wins to even the score against Brock to set up a rubber match at WrestleMania but that’s not what I would do.”
On what he would like to see at SummerSlam: “I’d love to see clear cut winners and losers in the two main events at Summer Slam including the Title vs Title match featuring Seth Rollins vs. John Cena. For some reason, I see HHH getting involved in this match and not for any specific reason as to why.
In today’s world, it seems that most fans are non plussed when it comes to untimely disqualifications and count outs. Keeping the fans happy, content and enjoying the product has to be any company’s #1 priority.”
On his issue with wrestlers and titles: “Does it bother anyone else that so many pro wrestling champions carry their titles over their shoulder to the ring instead of wearing them? That makes the titles look even more like a show biz ‘prop.'”
Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
WWE legend The Honky Tonk Man recently released a video where he revealed the fact that he and Roddy Piper were having some issues at the time of his passing.
HTM and Piper had some Twitter exchanges earlier this year after Piper called HTM an “assh*le” on The Adam Carolla Show and said he was jealous.
HTM claimed that as far as he knew, he and Piper were on good terms when he passed away and he was recently looking to appear on the “Piper’s Pit” podcast. He also noted that the two were supposed to meet up at a wrestling convention in California to smooth things out.
“We were going to kind of bury the hatchet, so to speak, and find out really what our problem had been, that I wasn’t aware we had one,” said HTM. “But I was looking forward to seeing him and talking about it.”
Tonight’s WWE RAW takes place from the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
RAW will feature appearances from Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker ahead of their match at SummerSlam this Sunday.
United States champion John Cena is also scheduled to return after taking two weeks off while recovering from surgery to correct a broken nose. He’ll be there to hype his match against Seth Rollins at SummerSlam.
Other top stars appearing include Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, Randy Orton, Kevin Owens, Cesaro, IC Champion Ryback, Big Show, The Miz and more.
The advertised dark match main event will see John Cena, Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens & Bray Wyatt Wyatt in a six-man tag match.
Join us here tonight for Live Coverage of WWE RAW.
WWE Divas Champion Nikki Bella was pulled from this weekend’s live events due to an apparent back injury. She tweeted on Sunday:
Wish we were at #TeenChoiceAwards but rehabbing the back & Bri's at #WWELive We're so beyond honored 2 be nominated 4 best female athlete! N
— Nikki & Brie (@NikkiAndBrie) August 16, 2015
It was reported last month that Nikki was working through a partially separated shoulder that was causing her some pain and discomfort but would not require time off.
Nikki is scheduled to compete at Sunday’s SummerSlam PPV in the 3-team Divas Elimination Match. She’ll be teaming up with Brie and Alicia Fox as part of Team Bella against Team B.A.D. and PCB.
Late last week on Instagram, Lana sent a lengthy response to a female WWE fan who posted a critical message asking her whether she finds it awkward that people only enjoying watching her perform because she’s attractive. The fan feels that since she doesn’t wrestle, her character is limited, and therefore unable to carve the legacy she often vows.
The fan wrote, “Lana do you find it awkward how many people only like you because they think you’re hot rather than enjoy your character? And that we’ve yet to see you do anything to give yourself a legacy but that’s all you ever post about? I think your character seems a sweet woman but until you wrestle I don’t see how anyone can adore you other than how you look because like we don’t see much of your character other than your character escaping a toxic relationship and growing stronger and more confident.”
Lana responded, “awkward no I find it exceptionally awesome what I do. Are you saying Paul Heyman hasn’t created one of the most epic legacies ? He will be remembered more than 98% of women and men that ever wrestled in WWE. How about Stephanie McMahon? She picked wisely when to wrestle and when not to wrestle. I am not here to be adored I am here to help create compelling stories. I don’t have to fight and wrestle everyday because I am that good at what I do. This is WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) and I bring the BIG E to the WWE. And thank you, if I can help one person stand up for themselves & leave a toxic relationship, then my story is more then worth while. Thank you.”
This is not first time where Lana has responded to fan criticism of her character. In June, she replied to a fan who ripped her character for turning into a “starry-eyed love struck dope” due to her alliance with Dolph Ziggler.
What's more insulting is that you think that strong women can not experience love. 1st & foremost I am a human being https://t.co/U9WE47RMAW
— CJ Perry (@TheCJPerry) June 23, 2015
Giorgia “GiGi” Piscina, who was eliminated from Tough Enough on last week’s show, spoke to Scott Fishman of Channel Guide Magazine. In the interview, she talks about how supportive Paige was of her.
“Early on in the competition she was giving me a little bit of heat, but I think she was just trying to see how I can do under pressure,” she said.
“Coming to the end of it, she has been my guardian angel. She saved me last week. You can see she was disappointed that I left the competition now. I know people have been sending messages and tweets where she commented on one of the videos online saying the only girl talent that was left was gone, and well done WWE Universe or something like that. She was definitely supporting GiGi, which was incredible. I look up to her for being so unique and staying true to herself. She doesn’t change for anybody, and I think that is what makes Paige so great.”
The 21-year-old also talked about watching WWE as a child, with Rey Mysterio being her favorite. She explains why she began watching the product again.
“I lost touch as I got older. Before the last year or so I’ve been watching Total Divas. I got addicted to that. It kind of brought me back to WWE because I saw their lives. So then I wanted to see them in the ring and wrestling. It kind of threw me back in. I’m glad that happened.”
Piscina also discussed her Tough Enough elimination, Lita, what’s next for her, and more. The interview is available here.
Speaking to Mike Jones of DC101, Paige discussed the Divas Elimination Match at SummerSlam, if John Cena would be ready to go at the event, Brock Lesnar vs. Undertaker, confiscated food at the airport, why isn’t she the face of Doc Martens, and more. Highlights from the interview are as follows:
Helping the new NXT Divas – “I try and help them out as much as possible but luckily all the girls are great and will give them advice, give Sasha advice. They’re really lucky all the girls are super nice up here because back in the day that wouldn’t have happened.”
Stephen Amell at SummerSlam – “We were in Vancouver and Victoria this weekend and he came both days to train really hard. He’s a really awesome celebrity to have because he really wants to do it and he loves it and he’s actually really good. He’s actually one of the best celebrities we’ve had do something in ring.
“Usually our fans are not very welcoming to non-wrestling celebrities but the crowd loved him, everyone backstage loved him, he did a really good job and we’re proud of him.”
Will John Cena be ready to go with his broken nose – “Everyone thinks he’s like a superhero because he heals so quickly, quicker than anyone. I think he’s ready to go and strong enough to go so hopefully we’ll get to see the match.”
Watching Brock Lesnar vs. Undertaker with the other WWE Superstars – “Some of us will sneak out in the arena because the atmosphere is so intense and awesome. I went out for the main event of WrestleMania and I’ll go out for this too!”
The audio interview is available here.
– Former WWE performer Nick “Big Bully” Busick underwent surgery on Friday in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for esophagus cancer. T-shirts are being sold at BullyStrongShirts.com to help with Busick’s medical costs.
– Jim Ross’ former on-air partner in WCW, Tony Schiavone, will be his guest on next week’s edition of the “Ross Report” podcast, which will be available on Tuesday night at 9pm EST. at PodcastOne.com.
– WWE Diva and off-and-on Total Divas star Cameron appeared on BET’s “Lift Every Voice” program with Fonzworth Bentley on Sunday morning to discuss her journey to success in WWE. Below is a photo of Cameron with the Bentley.
Tune into tomorrow morning at 10A ET on BET and watch LEV hosted by @FonzBentley because yours truly will be a guest pic.twitter.com/L6VUkzA8YT
— Ariane Andrew (@ArianeAndrew) August 15, 2015
Prior to this week’s NXT television tapings at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida, some of the NXT talent taught the current cast of WWE Tough Enough competitors how to set up a wrestling ring.
Below are some photos and a brief video clip that shows that Tough Enough crew working on setting up the ring, which will likely air as part of next week’s episode on USA Network.
The #toughenough competitors are tasked with assembling the @WWENXT ring! https://t.co/30GKWlzvxQ
— WWE Tough Enough (@WWEToughEnough) August 12, 2015
In order to be a #WWE Superstar, you have to pay your dues! #ToughEnough pic.twitter.com/ifEr9vNySe
— WWE Tough Enough (@WWEToughEnough) August 12, 2015
More stills from today's ring setup! #ToughEnough pic.twitter.com/hdrIM7MgWi
— WWE Tough Enough (@WWEToughEnough) August 12, 2015
As reported on Saturday evening, former WWE announcer Jonathan Coachman has been teasing an appearance at next Sunday’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view.
Coachman, who worked in WWE for years before leaving to work at his current place of employment, ESPN, will be at the show at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York to cover the event for the sports channel.
So next weekend does anyone know of anything to do in Brooklyn. Don't have anything on my schedule. No wait… Yes I do. #SS
— The Coach (@Thecoachrules) August 16, 2015
“@JoshNASCARWWE: @TheCoachESPN Will we see you on air? The masses want to know!”-I'm not going just to be a spectator. #sportscenter.
— The Coach (@Thecoachrules) August 16, 2015
After dropping hints on social media, ESPN’s P.R. team has confirmed that Coachman will be in Brooklyn covering the event for ESPN’s SportsCenter.
The belief is that while ESPN won’t be covering SummerSlam like a major “SportsCenter on the Road” type of coverage that they give other major sporting events, Coachman will be at the show specifically to cover it as a reporter for ESPN.
Whether or not he appears on the show in some form or fashion remains to be seen.
(Credit: F4WOnline.com)
Ring Of Honor booker Delirious announced at the beginning of the final G-1 Climax show that ROH will be heading to Japan in 2016 for a multi-show tour.
While specific dates or other information is available yet, we can confirm that New Japan Pro Wrestling and ROH have been working on putting this deal together for months, and that they may be running a 2-3 show tour in the first quarter of the new year.
There will likely be additional information regarding ROH’s 2016 tour of Japan coming in the near future. Stick with us here at SEScoops.com for all of the updates.
Ring Of Honor issued a press release this week announcing that DISH Network has discontinued all Ring Of Honor/Sinclair broadcasting. Below are the details.
DISH Network Discontinues Ring of Honor/Sinclair Programming
Call DISH now to get us back!
As a result of an expired agreement between DISH Network and our parent company, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Dish will no longer carry Sinclair stations or programming, including Ring of Honor. At this time, we do not know if or when Dish will resume carrying our content.
We regret the inconvenience this is causing to Dish Network subscribers who want to continue to watch Ring of Honor on Sinclair stations.
We wish to remind these subscribers that numerous other means exist for receiving Ring of Honor programming, including DirecTV and at least one cable television company, for free over-the air, and on rohwrestling.com. You can also catch Ring of Honor every Wednesday at 11 p.m. ET on the Destination America channel.
If you are affected by this situation, we suggest that you contact Dish Network by calling them at (855)-318-0572, or through their website at dish.com/contact, Facebook at facebook.com/DISH, or on Twitter at twitter.com/dish, and let them know you want them to carry these local stations and receive their popular programming, including Ring of Honor.
For more information, including answers to FAQ, please visit dishnetworkretrans.com
It looks like a former prominent member of the WWE broadcast team during the infamous “Attitude Era” is teasing a possible appearance at next Sunday’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view.
Jonathan Coachman, who was often affectionately referred to as “The Coach” during his run in WWE, dropped a hint on Twitter on Saturday evening, only hours later to basically outright confirm the news.
“So next weekend does anyone know of anything to do in Brooklyn,” Coachman wrote. “Don’t have anything on my schedule. No wait… Yes I do. #SS.”
From there, a fan asked if we would see “The Coach” on-air during the event, to which Coachman replied, “I’m not going just to be a spectator.” Coachman, who now works for ESPN as an on-air analyst, concluded with the hash-tag, “#SportsCenter.”
Check out Coachman’s tweets below.
So next weekend does anyone know of anything to do in Brooklyn. Don't have anything on my schedule. No wait… Yes I do. #SS
— The Coach (@Thecoachrules) August 16, 2015
“@JoshNASCARWWE: @TheCoachESPN Will we see you on air? The masses want to know!”-I'm not going just to be a spectator. #sportscenter.
— The Coach (@Thecoachrules) August 16, 2015
MTV.com recently spoke with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson about the new movie he will be starring in, which will be based on the old hit television series “Baywatch.”
Above is a video of the interview. Below are some of the highlights.
On hiring the right people to ensure the movie is of quality: “We’ve all taken great care, and steps, into making sure that we do it right. We hired really great writers. We have a really director on board, Seth Gordon… he’s got a great vision.”
On what type of film fans can expect: “We want to make a big movie — a fun beach movie. [We want to] bring the beach movie back to the world, but also have something that has edge and has badass action and really dirty, rated-R humor, which is right in my wheelhouse.”
On the casting for the film: “The casting of ’Baywatch’ has become such a thing. We’ve cast Zac Efron, and now this is the fun thing about it. Who’s going to play C.J.? I can’t tell you the amount of calls we’ve been getting from the most gorgeous actresses and models in the world, from their agents and managers. They all want to be C.J.”
Former WWE Diva Kelly Kelly recently spoke with FashionStyle.com to promote the new E! reality show, “WAGS (Wives And Girlfriends),” which she will be co-starring in. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On how it was transitioning from professional wrestling to reality TV: “They are both very similar, WWE is just like a soap opera but with wrestling, while Reality TV is just like that but the characters are real and the drama is real! The transition was very easy for me because I’m used to the cameras being around and I was very comfortable so I was able to be myself. I would have to say the biggest challenge was to not let myself get into my old wrestling character (haha), because when I would get into arguments with the other girls I would automatically turn into a WWE DIVA. So I had to remind myself how would Barbie react? Not Kelly Kelly — we are not in a wrestling ring! Even though sometimes I wish I could be with some of the girls!”
On how she met her fiancé: “I met him through a mutual girlfriend I was living in Tampa at the time. He had a hockey game that next day, so my girlfriend invited me to go to dinner with a bunch of people and he was there and immediately I felt sparks!”
On her reaction when she decided to join the cast of WAGS: “He has been nothing but supportive of me and my career. I honestly couldn’t have done it without his support, and when this opportunity presented itself he told me to go for it and have fun!”
On what fans can expect to see on season one of WAGS: “They can expect to see a lot of drama! Friendships go up and down and relationships go up and down. It’s a great look at what women in the WAG world go through on a daily basis, how we deal with our men being on the road, having our own identities and careers and lots more!”
Check out the complete interview at FashionStyle.com.
The New Day — Big E., Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods — recently appeared together as guests on Chris Jericho’s “Talk Is Jericho” podcast. During their appearance on the show, a lot of behind-the-scenes information about Vince McMahon’s plans for the group and his reaction when those plans didn’t go as he expected them to are covered.
The following are some highlights and notes from their appearance on the show.
On how the idea for The New Day began: “So I’m working on that character, trying to get something going and then I’m kind of realizing that, ‘oh, [Big] E’s not doing anything, he’s kind of coming off his I.C. title run and starting to float, so, you know what? I like E, he’s one of my good friends, lets see if we can merge him into this,’ said Xavier Woods. “So we kind of start working on something, literally weeks at a time, and we’re going into pre-tapes, filming things, pitching ideas and then we’re thinking, ‘something is missing from this, like, we need one more thing.’
“That’s when we kind of thought, ‘maybe Kofi’, but it was kind of a heel thing. We’re thinking, ‘Kofi has never been a heel – I don’t know if [WWE] would let him turn heel’. After talking about it for a while, we kind of approached them with what we wanted to do and rather than being this group that everyone thought it was going to be, like three angry black guys, it’s like, ‘no, it’s three guys who come up from kind of the same background, that just want more from life, more from their jobs, more from their friends, more from everything around them’. So we tried to take that mentality and get it across TV as best we could and we did.”
On WWE taking The New Day off of TV immediately after forming the group: “We got taken off [TV] and then we basically had to reevaluate and come up with something different,” Kofi Kingston said. “We were told we needed to go in a kind of positive, uplifting type of direction and we would be going into Vince [McMahon’s] office, pretty much every week for probably months.”
On Vince McMahon changing the idea to a preacher gimmick, and their reaction: “We kind of got frustrated too and then we didn’t go back to his office for a little while and then he called us back in, like, a few weeks later, and he’s like, ‘you know, guys, it [has] taken me a long time to come up with this, but I think I got it: I want you guys to be preachers’ and all three of us are like, ‘oh my god,'” said Kingston.
Kofi would go on to explain that the preacher gimmick was the exact opposite of what they wanted to do, however Big E. saw it as an opportunity. The trio then decided collectively that if they were super over-the-top with the gimmick, it would become a heel stable, which is basically what happened.
From there, Kingston claimed McMahon told him he felt The New Day preacher characters would be “the greatest babyface thing ever.” Woods noted that McMahon looked visibly emotional when talking about the group failing to get over as a babyface faction.
You can listen to the complete interview at PodcastOne.com.
– WWE has a 30-minute pre-show for next Saturday’s NXT Takeover: Brooklyn event planned for the WWE Network. The pre-show will air at 8:30pm EST. on Saturday, August 22nd, leading directly into the two-hour NXT Takeover: Brooklyn event, which is scheduled to begin at 9pm EST. on the WWE Network. Currently, there is no post-show scheduled for the NXT special.
– The latest edition of WWE’s “Canvas 2 Canvas” web-series features artwork on The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar, both of whom will be headlining next Sunday’s SummerSlam event against each other.
– Speaking of next weekend’s SummerSlam pay-per-view, WWE released the following look back at the 20 greatest moments in SummerSlam history to promote this year’s event.
NXT Champion Finn Balor recently spoke with Sports Illustrated’s “Extra Mustard” blog to promote next Saturday’s NXT Takeover: Brooklyn event at the Barclays Center. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On his verbal skills being the biggest knock from WWE coaches and Dusty Rhodes: “Dusty would say, ‘Finn, your work in the ring is up here, but you’re talking is down here – you’ve got to balance them out.’ He was always very straight to the point, and we had a great relationship together. I remember him saying one time, ‘Prince, you know I heard them talking about you before you came in here, and goddamn, I thought Lou Thesz was gonna walk in that door the way they talk about your work.’ I’ll never forget that, and I was very lucky to work with Dusty. He helped me incredibly with my communication, as he called it, and I learned a lot of lessons with him. ‘The Dream’ was someone who filled me with confidence the first time I walked in the door.”
On NXT being WWE’s best product right now: “Right now, NXT is the main roster. NXT is the hottest thing in wrestling. I’m not in any hurry to go anywhere else but take NXT to the next level.”
On possibly main eventing WrestleMania one day: “I started wrestling fifteen years ago, and my goal was to have just one match. I had one match, and then I wanted to have two. Then I wanted to wrestle in Japan, and I wrestled in Japan for eight years. Then I wanted to wrestle in WWE. Here I am, a year later, as NXT champ. So I don’t set long-term goals. The next goal is Brooklyn [against Kevin Owens at NXT Takeover]. But it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to think, in another fifteen years time, the odds are highly stacked in my favor about WrestleMania some day.”
Check out the complete interview at SI.com.
Speaking to Doug Mortman and Larry Dallas of Busted Open on the Sirius XM Radio Network, Paige discussed a number of topics including Triple H’s influence on the “Divas Revolution,” which Diva she feels has the most the potential, how the women of Tough Enough may fare in WWE, and more. Highlights from the interview are as follows.
Triple H’s influence on the Diva’s Revolution
“Just seeing him come in and completely take what was then called FCW like under his wing and make it into this huge brand to the point where it sold out in Brooklyn – 15,000 people are coming to watch NXT – that’s MIND BLOWING … and it’s all because of that guy. He really wanted to make it a success and he really did, especially with the Divas. He really did give the Divas a chance in NXT – like me and Emma, the first network show that we did – he really gave us a chance on there and it just progressed. He killed it. He knocked it out of the park with it. We’re all extremely thankful for the opportunity that he gave every single one of us.”
Which Diva Paige feels has the most promise
“Even though she’s on the opposing team, I would say Sasha Banks. I’m a huge fan of hers. And I’ve always said it. I’ve always said Sasha Banks. She’s just the full package to me. She can promo, she can wrestle, she looks good … she definitely shows the most, I think.”
On whether she sees either of the remaining two Divas on Tough Enough becoming a big name in NXT and eventually the main WWE roster
“As much as I like Sara Lee, and everyone thinks I pick on her, I would have to say Amanda – and it’s not being biased because you know how I’m like with both of them, I’m brutally honest with both of them. Amanda is kind of the full package too – she can talk, she’s really starting to get things in the ring, and she’s really embracing that heel role that she’s got going on. She really doesn’t care what people think of her and that’s cool to me, I like that, she doesn’t care about being liked or not. She’s not afraid of being different, she’s not afraid to be herself. She does great in the ring. She takes control as well, especially with her and Sara’s match she really took control of it. That’s cool. I like that about her.”
On the winners of Tough Enough and their eventual transition to the NXT roster
“It’s definitely going to be hard transition for them because they’re going to have to start working extra hard … especially because there are a lot of people on NXT that have worked their whole lives to get where they are. To be honest with you, they DO work hard, but they’re doing it on a reality show and then they get handed the contract at the end of the day. I can see a few jealous people [in NXT] but everyone is cool and cordial and they’ll be fine.”
For more information on Busted Open, visit BustedOpenNation.com.
Following his untimely passing, Diamond Dallas Page reflects and shares some stories on the late, great “Rowdy” Roddy Piper.
– The post-SummerSlam edition of WWE RAW at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, is officially sold out after another set of tickets for the show were released.
– ECW Originals Raven and The Blue Meanie have put their stamp of approval on the late “British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith as a future WWE Hall Of Famer. The two posted the following videos endorsing the late wrestling legend.
Former WCW character Glacier recently appeared as a guest on The Two Man Power Trip Of Wrestling podcast. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On who made the initial introduction to Eric Bischoff: “Dallas (Page) and I had become good friends. We would work out together at Main Event which was a gym that everybody was working out at then. I had mentioned that I was going to start using martial arts in ring and he mentioned that (Eric) was into all of that stuff. So we scheduled a meeting and in January I had literally a three hour meeting with him and he grilled me up and down. At the end of that conversation he said I want to sign you to a contract and he asked if I was wrestling on the Independent scene and I had been wrestling there a lot. I remember him saying to cancel all my bookings on the Independent scene and totally disappear and I remember saying I can do that and just totally disappear.”
On the work that went into creating the gimmick and the characters: “I got to know (Chris) Kanyon, Bryan Clark and I were already friends and I got to know Ernest (Miller) and we quickly all kind of gelled together as a unit. Chris and I became very good friends all the way up until he passed away. For Chris and I this was it, we may only get this one shot so we didn’t take it lightly at all and Page was assigned to oversee it all. We were at the Power Plant everyday, all day and then we would all meet up and watch the videos of the day and then be back at the Power Plant the next day and did that for months before we ever went on TV. We put a lot of hard work into that, just figuring out who the gimmicks were. Eric’s whole thing was it’s like a video game come to life but said I want you guys to play it very serious. At the end of the day did it become exactly what I thought it could be, no. But it was an unbelievable opportunity to break new ground in wrestling, the Glacier entrance broke new ground in wrestling, I was the first guy to wrestle with a colored contact and I was definitely the first guy to have arena snow when I came out.”
On the money spent by WCW to bring Glacier to life: “I tell people all the time, that armor all together weighs over twenty pounds. For an entrance it’s no big deal but for a three hour appearance it’s a big deal to wear it. I actually became friends with the head of AFX Studios, he was a young and upcoming artist and really creative, I introduced him to Eric and they decided to go with him for the persona’s of all four of the gimmicks and they spent a lot of money. I can confirm that I saw all the invoices he submitted to WCW and it was around $35,000 for the creation of the Glacier “look”. Keith Mitchell has looked me right in the eye and said that my entrance was close to $400,000 and almost $10,000 every time I came on TV. I’m glad I didn’t know all of that back then.”
On the impact made by Glacier and how has the WWE Network helped his legacy: “The costume, when I do appearances was built to be durable. Almost twenty years later I still have the full costume and when WCW folded they never asked for it back. I have one of the original masks that I got back then, one of the three I had originally got. Thank GOD I still look somewhat like I did on TV back in the day and am not the three-hundred pound Glacier. With the WWE Network and them replaying some of our stuff it’s a huge thrill for me now to be able to go out and make appearances and still be Glacier because a lot of wrestlers never get that opportunity, there gimmick comes and goes and is forgotten. I am so fortunate that people remembered it and still appreciate it.”
Check out the complete interview at Podomatic.com.
Lucha Underground star Chavo Guerrero recently appeared as a guest on The Two Man Power Trip Of Wrestling podcast. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On what is The Chavo Show and what makes it different from other shows: “What I didn’t want to do is another wrestlers podcast. This is a different kind of interview show on the net and you know how the interest of fans go, so it’s a quick little twelve to nineteen minute video thing but it’s actually more then just a podcast with talking it will be something where you can see us interacting.”
On Roddy Piper taping the pilot episode of The Chavo Show: “The way it came about and it’s sad that we are even talking about it like that now but it was going to be my pilot episode. That actually was the fourth episode that I filmed but it was Piper, so he gave us some They Live stories and how that all came about, I’ve known the guy since I was five years old so just the camaraderie of us hanging out together really came through on camera and since things weren’t really ready we were wondering, do we scrap this episode but it was just so good and I want people to see Roddy the way I knew Roddy. It’s getting a great buzz and again Roddy Piper is getting ratings and stealing the show and thank GOD he was able to help me out so it’s kind of bitter-sweet. I am happy and proud it’s out there but I am missing my friend.”
On how do you handle working different characters and gimmicks when they are pitched: “A lot of times it was how things were done at TV and thinking about how you get on TV, so when they pitch stuff to you sometimes you say that’s something I probably wouldn’t pick for myself but if it was all up to us we would all be the Heavyweight Champion, the John Cena or the Batista. When they give you something it’s like, Ok let’s not knock it out of the park and let’s run with it. One thing that I’ve been told also is that I kind have shown on TV that I was able to do everything. I’ve been able to be a tag team wrestlers, a singles wrestler, a heel, a face, a different character making people laugh and cry and people hate me. So I’ve kind of been able to do a little bit in a sense, kind of do everything. Which is cool because that translates into Hollywood because they kind of start seeing different ones I play on TV and they start thinking wow this guy can do some stuff.”
On if being an accomplished performer has helped at Lucha Underground: “Being on Lucha Underground now it’s like a movie so you’ve got to be able to act a little bit. We go back there and the Director Skip Chasyn likes working with me because I can do things in a few takes so it’s kind of worked to my advantage.”
On Eddie Guerrero not being recognized by management while alive: “If you remember he (Eddie) went a long time with getting overlooked and passed over and told by WWF/WWE he was just a Cruiserweight and would never be THE guy. We all knew that Eddie was great. The fans knew that Eddie was great. But it’s like he wasn’t 6’10’ and he wasn’t 300 pounds, he was always the guy that could work and get those people over who couldn’t get themselves over. Eddie was in that spot for a long time and even after he was the World Champion in WWE he went back and he ended up working with Luther Reigns they wanted him to get this big (Kurt Angle’s) henchman over and Eddie was pissed. He was just coming off a World Champion run and now they wanted him to get a guy over when he should have been working with Triple H, with Shawn Michaels but they put him back with putting guys over. It took him a long time to get that recognition.”
On wrestlers similar to Eddie that don’t get the respect they should by management: “It makes me kind of angry a little bit. People always say he’s so good, well YES. Like CM Punk it was the same thing. He was really good, threatened leaving the company so they put the rocket on him for a little bit. Sometimes, the guys that are always held down are the guys that are the best ones at making everyone look good. They are so good at their craft that nobody else can make them look good so they are stuck in a rut just alway putting people over.”
On what made Eddie and Chavo, Los Guerreros so special as a team: “I think at that time and there were a lot of good tag teams that were at their best. The Hardyz, The Dudleyz, Edge and Christian were still around here and there but there was a lot of really, really good tag teams. But at that time as far as overall and as far as wrestling and performance and entertaining and kind of doing everything I feel that we were just in the zone. Teaming with Eddie was the best because we didn’t even have to talk matches. We knew each other so well, we’ve been doing this with the ring in the back yard since we were born it just came so natural to us.”
Check out the complete interview at Podomatic.com.
