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More Details On Brock Lesnar’s Contract, Reigns Considered A Flop?

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Even more details are coming out about Brock Lesnar’s new contract with WWE. After making his big announcement earlier this week on Sports Center that he has decided to remain with WWE, Lesnar told the Associated Press that he re-signed for 3 years. According to WWE insider MetsFan4Ever, Lesnar’s deal is for $3 million a year and he’ll continue to work a limited schedule.

WWE writers have been working nonstop with Vince McMahon, Triple H and their inner circle to come up with multiple scenarios for the main event of WrestleMania. According to MetsFan, Vince McMahon is said to be on board with the idea of Lesnar retaining the title, although Lesnar winning is not a sure thing by any means. What’s interesting is that there is finally an understanding amongst WWE’s top brass that Reigns did not get over as they hoped he would.

Internally, there have been some comparisons to Lex Luger, who was pushed to the moon back in 1993 with the Lex Express before WWE ultimately went with Bret Hart. While WWE could still have Reigns win the title on Sunday, WWE is not oblivious to the fact that he’s not getting over like somebody in his position should be. While Luger was relegated to mid-card status after WrestleMania X before jumping ship to WCW, WWE has a lot invested in Reigns and we could see a big shakeup in his character in the coming months. He’s still got a very bright future ahead of him, but management is now more open to Lesnar going over.

MetsFan also says that Dean Ambrose is slated to get a strong push leading into SummerSlam.

NXT Champion Kevin Owens Issues A Challenge To Samoa Joe

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NXT Champion Kevin Owens was on CBS Radio’s The Chad Dukes Wrestling Show this week to discuss NXT, Sami Zayn, his knee injury, Brock Lesnar, and more. At the end of the interview, he even throws out a challenge to Samoa Joe. Here are some highlights of what he said about:

His Experience In NXT So Far:

“I was so excited to sign with WWE because it’s been my dream since I was a kid and I was 11 years old when I first saw WrestleMania and knew that’s what I had to do in life. It took a while to get here but now that I am here I’m not going to wait in line or do anything by the book. I took the bull by the horns as they say and two months after my debut I’m the NXT champion. So it’s going pretty well so far, it’s a really special feeling to be part of something that’s growing and that people are so excited about. To be at the forefront of it because I’m the champion makes it even better.”

Brock Lesnar:

“As a fan him, re-signing is incredibly exciting. As a competitor, it’s even better because of the chance of getting to be in that ring with him one day is something that motivates me. I’ve been a Brock Lesnar fan since the first time I saw him. I was there when he made his debut in Montreal, the night after WrestleMania 18 and from the get go I was like, “this guy’s awesome.” I even named my dog Brock as a tribute, whatever you wanna call it, so I’m a big fan of his. The fact that he’s gonna be sticking around here for a while and gonna do great things with WWE is exciting all around but yeah I’d love to be in the ring with him.”

Who He’s Like To See Join NXT:

“I feel like Adam Cole would be a great addition to NXT, a guy like Cedric Alexander also would be really good but they’d all have to come through me first and that won’t work out that good.”

“I’m open to a challenge from anyone, including Samoa Joe, I’ll just put that one out there.”

Lucha Underground Planning WrestleMania-Style Event For This Summer

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Over the past several months, Lucha Underground has been winning over fans as one of the most exciting, original wrestling products on television. With Lucha Underground gaining momentum and developing a loyal following, the promotion is now planning a WrestleMania-style event for this summer.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Lucha Underground is planing to run a flagship show titled “Ultimo Lucha” that will air in August on the El Rey Network.

It’s believed that Ultimo Lucha will be a live 2 or 3 hour broadcast that will be hyped as their biggest show of the year.

Video: John Cena On Jimmy Kimmel Live

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John Cena appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC last night to hype his match against Rusev this Sunday at WWE WrestleMania 31.

Cena took on took on a much edgier persona than we’re used to seeing on WWE programming, marketing himself to the audience watching his late night appearance. Cena talked about his days working at a club bouncer in California before signing with WWE, as well as his movie career. Cena has been praised for his work in the upcoming Judd Apatow movie “Trainwreck” where he has a sex scene with comedian Amy Schumer, who used to date Dolph Ziggler.

Cena hard sold the patriotic aspect of his challenge against Rusev this Sunday, saying that he’s been eating apple pie, visiting WalMart and watched all of the Rocky movies to prepare for the match.

TNA Announces New Television Deal With Top Brazilian Sports Network

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TNA issued the following press release on Thursday to announce a new Brazilian television deal with Esporte Interativo.

TNA DEBUTS IN BRAZIL ON TOP SPORTS NETWORK ESPORTE INTERATIVO

Rio de Janeiro (Thursday, March26, 2015): TNA IMPACT WRESTLING has arrived on Brazilian TV screens for the first time ever, after a deal between the company and major free to air sports broadcaster Esporte Interativo (EI).

The new partnership, which began this month, brings TNA Superstars including Kurt Angle, Lashley, Bobby Roode, Jeff Hardy, MVP, EC3, James Storm, Gail Kim and Taryn Terrell to one of the world’s largest and fastest growing TV markets.

Flagship programme IMPACT WRESTLING will first air on Esporte Interativo every Sunday at 10pm. Fans will also be able to watch TNA’s monthly PPV and One Night Only events, as well as TNA Xplosion – which will broadcast every Monday at 7.45pm. All shows will be repeated throughout the week, so as many fans as possible are able to tune in.

Programming will air in Portuguese, thanks to a dedicated Brazilian announce team.

TNA will join global brands including the NFL and the UEFA Champions League on Esporte Interativo, which can be seen by 105 million people in Brazil and is also the home of MMA in the country. Turner Broadcasting, the television arm of the American media group Time Warner, recently became the sole owner of the network.

TNA President Dixie Carter said: “To partner with Esporte Interativo, a major Brazilian network with a reach of more than 100 million people, is another significant chapter in the incredible TNA international story and an important milestone as we look to expand across South America.”

Jonathan Coachman On Brock Lesnar Using ESPN For His Announcement, Reigns Crowd Reaction

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Former WWE announcer and ESPN personality Jonathan Coachman recently appeared as a guest on the Busted Open Radio show. Below are highlights from the interview.

On if he was surprised by Brock Lesnar retire from MMA and re-sign with WWE? “I wasn’t because I know how difficult it was for him the way it ended in UFC and the toll the illness put on his body. I spoke to him about a year and a half ago and it was very evident that he was really happy to be back in the WWE. I’ve spoken to both UFC and WWE guys and they each say that they wouldn’t be able to do the other. To only do UFC twice a year, and possibly have the disappointment if his body failed again, it would be too much for Brock to handle psychologically and probably physically as well.”

On Brock Lesnar’s decision to use ESPN for his announcement: “I thought it was cool that he chose SportsCenter to make his decision and I also thought it was cool that ESPN decided to do that. We’re definitely heading in the right direction. ESPN is my home but my love for WWE hasn’t gone away. To be able to do both for at least one day and hopefully more in the future, it was fantastic. ESPN contacted me to be an analyst and ask Brock a couple of questions based off his decision. I didn’t know what he was going to do until he actually announced it. We were coming up with those questions on the spot so it was a surprise to everybody.”

On Brock’s attitude change and having fun in the WWE ring: “When you first start out in the business, you’re worried about how to make the most money. You’re working 28-30 days a month and you realize while you’re making all this money, you’re killing your body, you can’t get to the gym, can’t eat right. All these factors stop it from becoming fun. During my last few years it stopped being fun for me. So when you step away for a while and then come back, you gain a different perspective and it becomes fun again. Brock’s in his mid to late 30’s now so his perspective is different from when he first came out as an NCAA champion and needed to show the rest of the world how tough he was. He doesn’t need to do that anymore so he’s going to have more fun than he ever had before.”

On if he feels the rest of the WWE roster will resent Brock Lesnar for having a special long-term deal “There has always been that factor in the locker room when it comes to that type of situation. One of my roles in WWE when I was there was making the young guys understand how the world of WWE works. What I would say to those guys is until you’re a main event guy and people are spending money just to see you, you won’t be treated like a star. Star Power is a real thing and while it doesn’t seem fair, the star does deserve more money and benefits. This is show business. The faster they learn that they need to be able to talk and climb that ladder, the faster they will reach the top and get that treatment as well.”

On how tough the WrestleMania crowd will be on Roman Reigns: “It’s going to be really tough on him. Stars have to learn how to connect with the fans and stay connected. It starts with what comes out of your mouth and if you can’t make people believe in you with what you are saying, it doesn’t matter how good you can wrestle. He needs to focus on how to get the fans to get emotional about him and buy into what he is selling them and not worry so much about his match with Lesnar. Lesnar succeeded in that with his interview yesterday and did what Reigns hasn’t been able to do yet. The Rock proved that if you can be a great heel, you can become the biggest babyface in the business.”

Check out the complete interview at BustedOpenNation.com.

WWE Announces New Partnership With Toy State

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WWE issued a press release on Thursday morning to announce a new partnership with a toy company.

Below is the press release:

Toy State Agrees to Partnership with WWE®

NORWOOD, MA (March 26, 2015) – Toy State, a toy industry leader and innovator, has entered into a licensing agreement with WWE. The deal includes products developed for the remote-controlled (R/C) vehicle category for the North America market, the first of which will be in stores later this year. This agreement marks Toy State’s first licensing agreement under the Nikko brand since their acquisition of the company last year.

“There are few brands with as loyal and passionate a fan base as the WWE,” said Andy Friess, Toy State president. “The personality of the brand is perfectly aligned with the attitude and innovation of our toys, and we can’t wait for WWE fans to see our products when they hit the shelves.”

Today’s announcement comes on the heels of Toy State’s nine-race agreement to be the primary sponsor of Tommy Baldwin Racing’s No. 7 car on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Circuit. The last 12 months have been a time of incredible growth for the 30-year-old company, highlighted by its acquisition of the global operations of Nikko.

Roman Reigns Reveals Which WWE Legend Was His Idol, Has Message For His “Haters”

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WrestleMania 31 headliner Roman Reigns recently spoke with Yahoo! Sports to promote this Sunday’s pay-per-view event in Santa Clara, California.

Regarding his haters, Reigns said, “I have a good bit of doubters and haters. Go ahead and irritate me and piss me off. Because when I’m in that mindset, I’m unstoppable.”

Reigns also revealed during the interview that WWE Hall Of Famer Bret Hart was his idol growing up.

“Every time he’d come out with that leather jacket and give his sunglasses away to a kid in the crowd, I used to dream about being that kid,” said Reigns. “That hair, all that gear. To this day I still think he has kickass gear. He seemed like a standup guy. A really nice dude. He is a very cool dude.”

Check out the complete interview at Yahoo.com.

WWE SmackDown Preview For Tonight (Non-Spoiler)

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The following matches were taped on Monday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California for tonight’s WrestleMania 31 “go-home” edition of WWE SmackDown.

– Cesaro vs. Jimmy Uso vs. Big E vs. Fernando in a four-way match

– AJ Lee promo

– Roman Reigns, John Cena, Daniel Bryan, and Mark Henry vs. Bray Wyatt, Big Show, Kane, and Seth Rollins in an eight-man tag match

For complete WWE SmackDown spoilers, click here.

Senior WWE Officials Meet With Top Movie Studios, 10 Unknown Undertaker Stories

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– The “Bro Bible” website has an interesting new piece up that details ten stories “you’ve never heard about The Undertaker,” listing several unknown, or little-known facts about the legendary WWE performer. You can check that out at BroBible.com.

– Many senior WWE officials, including Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, have been making the rounds and meeting with several of the top movie studios while in Los Angeles, California this week. As noted recently, HHH and Stephanie met with executives at Paramount Pictures on Tuesday. WWE reached an agreement with Paramount to promote Arnold Schwarzenegger’s new “Terminator” film all the way through its’ release in July, a deal that calls for use of imagery from the film in HHH’s entrance at WrestleMania 31 this Sunday.

(Partial Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Spoilers: Plans For Top Three Feuds In WWE Coming Out Of WrestleMania 31

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WWE has decided on some of their plans for post-WrestleMania 31 programs for their secondary championships.

As things stand right now, which could always change before Sunday, WWE is looking at John Cena and Rusev to continue their feud over the WWE United States Championship for a third pay-per-view match after Sunday’s show.

For the WWE Intercontinental Championship, WWE is looking at a three-way program between Bad News Barrett, Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler coming out of WrestleMania.

For the big picture, things aren’t as clear just yet, although the working plan right now is for Roman Reigns to work a program with Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship if he beats Brock Lesnar for the title on Sunday.

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Update On WWE’s Plans For Undertaker’s Retirement, Legends Returning To The Ring For WM32?

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Due to the fact that WWE is looking at setting the new all-time attendance record at Cowboys Stadium next year, the company is looking at going all out for WrestleMania 32.

WWE is reportedly going to reach out to as many legends that can still work as possible for next year’s show, although Ric Flair is considered to be out of the question, as WWE refuses to have him work a match in their company after giving him the grand send-off for his retirement angle.

For the past few years, the talk has been that Undertaker’s retirement match will be at Cowboys Stadium, both due to the fact that he is from Texas and because WWE feels it’s an angle that will help sell a lot of tickets for a show that they need to sell more tickets than ever before.

When asked about it over the past couple of years, Undertaker has reportedly said that he doesn’t feel he will be able to go that long, although many are under the impression that the ultimate decision will be based off of how he looks and feels after his match against Bray Wyatt at this Sunday’s WrestleMania 31 pay-per-view.

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Roman Reigns Shares His Idea For The Perfect WrestleMania 32 Main Event

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WWE has talked about the idea of doing a prominent triple-threat match between all three former members of The Shield on a big pay-per-view event, an idea that Roman Reigns feels would make for the perfect main event of next year’s WrestleMania.

While WWE is currently looking at Brock Lesnar potentially facing The Rock, The Undertaker or John Cena in the top match at WrestleMania 32, Reigns feels a three-way battle between all of the former Shield members is the way to go.

When speaking with The Sun out of the U.K. recently, Reigns was asked what he feels should be the main event at next year’s WrestleMania in Dallas, Texas.

“It should be a Triple Threat match,” said Reigns. “The Shield reunites to fight each other for one more night.”

Reigns was also asked about possibly facing The Rock in the headline match at WrestleMania, however he didn’t seem to think that is the way to go.

“Where I’m at right now, with our family ties, I don’t really see that happening,” said Reigns. “But if it did happen, it would be in WWE. Going out on a limb right now, I’d say most likely not, but this is WWE, anything can change.”

Backstage News On WWE’s Plans For Next Year’s WrestleMania Main Event

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With Brock Lesnar re-signing with WWE for a three-year deal this past Monday, the door is now open for a WrestleMania 32 main event against The Rock next year in Dallas, Texas, as long as WWE can get The Rock to commit to the match.

As seen earlier this week, The Rock did an interview promoting the film “Furious 7” where he was asked about the possibility of facing Lesnar at next year’s WrestleMania.

The Rock vs. Brock Lesnar was originally the planned main event for WrestleMania XXX, however an injury prevented The Rock from being able to do the match.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar have been bringing up The Undertaker, The Rock and John Cena in recent weeks as a way of planting the seed for next year’s potential WrestleMania main event. In the case, of The Undertaker, that would require him winning this Sunday against Bray Wyatt, although that is expected to happen either way. As things stand now, in a perfect world, it’s said that Lesnar vs. The Rock would be WWE’s first choice.

How Long Is Brock Lesnar’s New WWE Contract?, Will Ferrell Segment From RAW, More

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– As noted, WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar has signed a new multi-year contract with WWE.

According to a new Associated Press article, Lesnar’s new WWE deal is for three years.

– Below is the segment from Monday’s RAW which features The Miz and Damien Mizdow talking to Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart.

– Here is this week’s “Top 10 WWE RAW Moments” video for the WrestleMania 31 “go-home” edition of the show.

https://youtu.be/G4VTLwRoSNs

Anti-Reigns Signs Confiscated At RAW, Jericho Interviews Cheech Marin, Jim Ross Note

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– Actor and comedian Cheech Marin is the guest on the latest edition of Chris Jericho’s “Talk Is Jericho” podcast. The show, which you can download right now at PodcastOne.com, also features Jericho talking about the Perro Aguayo Jr. tragedy from this past weekend.

– Tickets for the May 16th “Evening with Jim Ross” one-man show in Baltimore, Maryland go on sale this Friday. For more, visit RamsHeadLive.com.

– WWE had security confiscate anti-Roman Reigns signs at this past Monday’s WrestleMania 31 “go-home” edition of WWE RAW at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. While it’s not the most crystal clear picture you will ever see, below is a photo of one fan getting his anti-Reigns sign taken by security during the show.

Stephanie McMahon On Her Daughters Possibly Becoming WWE Divas, Connor Michalek & More

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Stephanie McMahon recently spoke with Houston Mitchell of the L.A. Times website to promote Sunday’s WrestleMania 31 pay-per-view. Below are highlights from the interview.

On Connor “The Crusher” Michalek: “Meeting Connor was absolutely a life-changing event for me. I love kids. I’m a mom and have three daughters. They are 8, 6 and 4. Connor was the same age as my oldest daughter. And he was just so full of life and personality and love. And you would never know he was sick from his personality and the way he acted. But you could tell from his physical appearance because he had scars, and he didn’t have any hair. He looked sick, but he certainly didn’t act that way. And Connor just really had this profound impact on me and my husband, and we kept thinking, “What can we do for him? What can we give him to look forward to, to hang on for?” And we came up with the idea to invite him to WrestleMania. And at WrestleMania, his dad said that he didn’t even act sick. That he was the little boy his dad remembered. Connor’s hero, Daniel Bryan, ironically defeated my husband and went on to become WWE world champion that night. Daniel Bryan’s struggle as a character sort of paralleled Connor’s struggles, so Connor identified with him. And after Daniel won the championship, the very first person he went to was Connor, who was in the front row. And we have that moment captured forever as a part of WrestleMania. And Connor was just so strong, so heroic and so courageous that it is only fitting that he be the first recipient of the Warrior Award.”

On how she would react if one of her daughters told her they want to be a WWE Diva: “That has already happened! My oldest daughter would love to be a WWE Diva. She actually wrote a book that said, “I want to be a WWE Diva.” We are telling her what we would tell any girl or boy, that school comes first. Get your education and then if you want to pursue becoming a WWE Diva or Superstar, absolutely. But a huge part of it too is your health and your fitness. You have to be sure you are active, eat right and exercise every single day.”

On the possibility of wrestling at WrestleMania one day: “I would love to wrestle at WrestleMania! And who knows, if the time is ever right and the moment calls for it, it would be a dream come true for me.”

Check out the complete interview at LATimes.com.

WWE Releases Updated List Of Events Planned For WrestleMania 31 Week

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WWE has released an updated schedule of events and activities planned for WrestleMania 31 week in the San Francisco Bay Area. Below is the press release WWE issued today.

WWE Takes Over the San Francisco Bay Area for WrestleMania Week

STAMFORD, Conn., March 24, 2015 – Fans from all 50 states and nearly 40 countries will descend upon the San Francisco Bay Area for a week-long lineup of festivities in celebration of WrestleMania 31, taking place this Sunday, March 29, live on WWE Network and pay-per-view at 7 pm ET/4 pm PT, from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. WWE will also host a dozen community outreach events designed to give back to the local region. WrestleMania Week begins tomorrow, Wednesday, March 25, and includes the following events:

· Children’s Hospital Visits – Wednesday, March 25

Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford and Ronald McDonald House at Stanford

WWE Superstars Sin Cara and The Usos and WWE Divas Cameron and Eva Marie will visit the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford and Ronald McDonald House at Stanford. Mattel will donate WWE action figures for the WWE Superstars and Divas to distribute to the patients at these two facilities.

· WrestleMania Reading Celebration – Thursday, March 26

Horace Cureton Elementary School

More than 100 students at Horace Cureton Elementary School will participate in a Reading Celebration (#WWEReadingSuperstar) featuring WWE Superstars Sheamus and Hornswoggle and WWE Diva Rosa Mendes. In an effort to promote literacy, WWE partners with First Book for the WrestleMania Reading Challenge, delivering an innovative digital reading experience for children, age 4-12, and teens, age 13-18.

· Be a STAR Anti-Bullying Rally – Thursday, March 26

Joseph George Middle School

WWE’s anti-bullying program, Be a STAR (Show Tolerance And Respect), encourages young people to treat each other with tolerance and respect through education and grassroots initiatives. WWE’s Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon, WWE Superstars The Miz, Damien Mizdow and Darren Young, WWE Diva Layla and representatives from GLAAD and Facebook will deliver anti-bullying messages to 300 students at Joseph George Middle School (#BeaSTAR). The lovely and talented WWE announcer Renee Young will emcee.

· WrestleMania Axxess – Thursday, March 26 through Sunday, March 29

San Jose Convention Center

WrestleMania Axxess (#AXXESS) is the ultimate fan experience for the WWE Universe. WrestleMania Axxess will occur Thursday, March 26 through Sunday, March 29 at the San Jose Convention Center. Fans will have unprecedented access to meet their favorite WWE Superstars, Divas and Legends through a host of interactive fan experiences, including autograph signings and live matches. New this year, fans can experience the Elimination Chamber where they can take photos with WWE Superstars. The imposing structure takes eight hours to set up and is made of 16 frames of steel, each weighing 300 pounds. Famed wrestling artist Rob Schamberger will be outside Axxess, creating a Randy Macho Man Savage painting and meeting fans.

· Veteran Employment Panel and Networking Event – Friday, March 27

San Francisco 49ers Museum at Levi’s Stadium

WWE, in partnership with the 49ers Foundation, Hire Heroes USA and Orion International, will host a Veteran Career Panel and Networking Event giving veterans an opportunity to network with key employers from the Bay Area and receive one-on-one career coaching. The panelists include:

· Dave Bakkeby, VP of Business Development, Orion International

· Sean Cleary, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, WWE

· Sean Kundu, Director of HR and Employment Counsel, San Francisco 49ers

· Joel Lunenfeld, VP Global Brand Strategy, Twitter

· Brian Stann, CEO, Hire Heroes USA

· Pat Wadors, Senior Vice President, Global Talent Organization, LinkedIn

WWE Superstars Jack Swagger and Goldust, WWE Diva Tamina and WWE Announcer Lilian Garcia will be on-site to meet the veterans.

· Make-A-Wish Pizza Party – Friday, March 27

The Tech Museum of Innovation

WWE Superstar John Cena will host his annual Make-A-Wish pizza party at the Tech Museum in San Jose, where he will induct 25 wish kids into WWE’s Circle of Champions. As part of its 30-year alliance with Make-A-Wish, WWE will also host the wish kids and their families at WrestleMania 31. With more than 475 wishes and counting, Cena has granted more wishes than any celebrity or athlete in Make-A-Wish history.

· Special Olympics Basketball Game – Saturday, March 28

Peterson Middle School

WWE, a promotional partner of the 2015 Special Olympics World Games, along with Special Olympics Northern California, will host an exhibition basketball game at Peterson Middle School. Special Olympics athletes will participate in a basketball game where WWE Superstar Kofi Kingston and WWE Diva Cameron will serve as honorary coaches and WWE Hall of Famer Howard Finkel will be the official commentator.

· WWE 2015 Hall of Fame Red Carpet – Saturday, March 28

SAP Center

TV personality and former WWE WrestleMania competitor and WWE Hall of Fame presenter Maria Menounos hosts the most glamorous event on the WWE calendar. Superstars, Divas, Legends and a host of celebrities walk the red carpet and tell-all to Maria and her co-hosts.

· WWE 2015 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony – Saturday, March 28

SAP Center

Randy Macho Man Savage and Arnold Schwarzenegger headline the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2015 (#WWEHOF). The WrestleMania eve tradition will telecast live from the sold-out SAP center in in San Jose, Calif. at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST on WWE Network. This year’s inductees also include The Bushwhackers, Rikishi, Alundra Blayze, Larry Zbyszko and Kevin Nash. In addition, WWE has created The Warrior Award, which will be presented each year to someone who has exhibited unwavering strength and perseverance, and who lives life with the courage and compassion that embodies the indomitable spirit of WWE Hall of Famer, The Ultimate Warrior. The inaugural award will be presented to Connor Michalek, a passionate WWE fan who passed away last year from cancer. The Ultimate Warrior’s widow, Dana Warrior, and WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan will present the award to Steve Michalek, Connor’s father.

· WrestleMania 31 – Sunday, March 29

Levi’s Stadium

More than 70,000 fans are expected to converge on the Levi’s Stadium for WWE’s annual pop-culture extravaganza, WrestleMania 31 (#WRESTLEMANIA).

Brock Lesnar (with Paul Heyman) defends his WWE World Heavyweight Championship against a Superstar on the rise, Roman Reigns.

After 14 years of anticipation, Sting steps into a WWE ring for the first time to battle Triple H.

In his first appearance since WrestleMania 30, Undertaker returns against Bray Wyatt.

Plus, John Cena challenges Rusev (with Lana) for the U.S. Championship, and The Viper Randy Orton wrestles The Authority’s hand-picked face of the future, Seth Rollins, (with Jamie Knoble and Joey Mercury).

The stars of Total Divas, The Bella Twins, face AJ and Paige.

Dean Ambrose, Bad News Barrett, Daniel Bryan, Luke Harper, R-Truth, Stardust, and Dolph Ziggler vie for the Intercontinental Championship in a ladder match.

Twenty-men will compete in the second annual Andre the Giant Battle Royal. Participants include The Miz, Curtis Axel, Ryback, Fandango, Adam Rose, Zack Ryder, Jack Swagger, Titus O’Neil, Darren Young, Big Show, Kane, Erick Rowan, Damien Mizdow, Sin Cara, Goldust, Heath Slater, Mark Henry, Konnor, Viktor, and the winner of the NXT WrestleMania Axxess Tournament. Inaugural winner Cesaro, a current WWE tag team champ, is competing on the pre-show.

The pre-show match will be a fatal four-way tag match for the WWE tag team titles with champs Tyson Kid and Cesaro (with Natalya) vs. Los Matadores (Diego and Fernando with El Torito) vs. The New Day (Big E and Kofi Kingston with Xavier Woods) vs. former champs The Usos (Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso with Naomi).

A medley of the WrestleMania 31 theme songs, “Rise” by David Guetta featuring Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Skylar Grey and “Money and the Power” by multi-platinum rapper Kid Ink will be performed live by Skylar Grey and Kid Ink, both joined by legendary drummer Travis Barker.

Grammy Award winner and entertainment icon LL COOL J will appear in the video opening of WrestleMania, titled “The Showcase of the Immortals.” He previously appeared on WWE’s flagship television program, Monday Night Raw in March 2014 with his “NCIS: Los Angeles” co-star Chris O’Donnell. LL recently partnered with Rouse Social, a social media aggregate app that brings all your favorites in music and sports to one place. Next, he can be seen hosting and producing the new show Lip Sync Battle on Spike TV premiering Thursday, April 2.

For more information on WrestleMania 31, visit

www.wrestlemania.com.

· Monday Night Raw – Monday, March 30

SAP Center

The night after WrestleMania, Monday Night Raw comes to the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. Fans can see their favorite WWE Superstars and Divas as the road toWrestleMania 32 begins. WrestleMania 32 will occur at the AT&T Center in Arlington, Texas on Sunday, April 3, 2016.

Lucha Underground Preview (Episode 20)

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The following matches are confirmed for tonight’s edition of Lucha Underground on the El Rey Network.

– Alberto El Patron vs. Texano in a Bullrope match

– Angelico vs. Son of Havoc

– Prince Puma vs. Cage in a Boyle Heights Street Fight

Check back later this week for Rudy Cabrera’s full rundown of the show.

Jim Ross Gives His Take On Brock Lesnar Re-Signing With WWE

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Jim Ross recently updated the blog on his official website to share his thoughts on the new that Brock Lesnar has re-signed with WWE. Below is an excerpt, which features JR commenting on that subject.

Brock Lesnar made his announcement on Tuesday that he was staying with WWE and retiring from MMA of which is great news for WWE and their fans and something that I though would happen for the past several weeks even though I too have vacillated on this matter numerous times. Knowing Brock since he was a Junior in college at Minnesota when we started recruiting him, I know the gladiator spirit in the man desperately wanted to close out his MMA career on a more positive note than it ended but after becoming the Undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion what else was there to prove? Lesnar is a wrestler and not a skilled striker in that world but the first thing to go with a wrestler’s skill set is their quickness and the older one gets the less speed and quickness they possess.

Who knows what the affects of fighting in a rugged sport featuring four ounce gloves will do to one’s brain as it relates to concussions so why take the risk especially when one is in their late 30’s and especially one who has great financial options being offered them?

I’m sure that Brock’s family and closest friends participated in the decision making process but at the end of the day the final, final decision had to be made by the man himself. A younger Brock, full of P&V, might have made a different decision but the responsible husband, loving father, son and friend looked at it from a different point of view.

Brock Lesnar made the best decision for him and everyone close to him by staying in WWE and earning what I’m sure is a magnificent salary for working what is essentially a part time schedule. Plus, by having a part time schedule it will manage how much exposure that he will get to insure that Brock remains an attraction and will not allow him to be over exposed as so many in his profession are in today’s marketplace.

WWE would e well served to allow the talents to be rotated within the system to provide more talents additional off time to rest and recover and Lesnar’s contract guarantees that he will be able to function in a more idealistic environment. No one is a bigger Lesnar fan than me as evidenced on how hard and long we recruited him but not even the most ardent Lesnar fan needs to see Brock every week. That goes for any established star on the roster for that matter.

Every amateur booker and even some of us who have done that job for a living as it relates to booking matches are having a field day looking at all the possible scenarios that might occur this Sunday at WrestleMania in the Lesnar-Reigns WWE Title match. There are potentially endless of scenarios that ‘could’ be utilized which makes this main event infinitely more intriguing that it was before the ESPN announcement with the talented Michelle Beadle and the “Beast Incarnate.”

While many complained about the ‘build;’ to this WrestleMania being tepid in the eyes of some, the game changed drastically when Lesnar declared his intentions on ESPN Tuesday.

Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com.

Abdullah The Butcher Selling His WWE HOF Ring, HHH/Stephanie Meeting Note & More

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– WWE Hall Of Famer Abdullah The Butcher is selling his Hall Of Fame ring on eBay. The wrestling legend is asking for $19,999 for the item, which is available right now at eBay.com.

– Triple H and Stephanie McMahon mentioned on social media that they had a great meeting with executives from Paramount Pictures on Tuesday. As noted, WWE has a deal with Paramount that calls for promotion of the new Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, including imagery from the film being part of Triple H’s entrance at WrestleMania 31 this Sunday night.

– UFC Hall Of Famer and former WWE Superstar “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” Ken Shamrock is the guest on this week’s edition of Jim Ross’ “Ross Report” podcast. You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.

Josh Mathews On Vince McMahon Yelling In His Ear While Announcing In WWE, Joining TNA

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TNA announcer Josh Mathews recently spoke with Josh Modaberi of the Cult Of Whatever website. Below are highlights from the interview.

On receiving an ear bashing from Vince whilst on commentary: “He definitely is on and he is at every show, he is always listening to every word that the commentators are saying. There were conversations every night, he was a very hands on kind of producer.”

On joining TNA: “It’s been a great move for me, I feel more invested in this company than I was in WWE for 13 years and I’ve only been here for a matter of months so that is a really odd feeling to have. I’m learning the different parts of the business, the commentary aspect well I love it, it’s only one part of what I do, it’s only one part of what I’m capable of doing.”

On the TNA roster: “I said it the day I came here and I will say it again now, I think you can put our roster up against any other roster and we are either on par or a little bit better – I think the roster here is just incredible.”

Check out the complete interview at CultOfWhatever.com.

Backstage Update On WWE’s Plans For Brock Lesnar, Changes To WrestleMania

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As seen on Tuesday, WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar appeared on ESPN SportsCenter and announced that he signed a new multi-year contract with WWE after Vince McMahon “made him an offer he couldn’t refuse” backstage at Monday’s RAW in Los Angeles, California.

Lesnar, who as recently as a few days ago, was doing serious MMA training in preparation for a possible return, noted that he had to make a decision as a father and a husband, and noted that his professional fighting days are over. It’s also worth noting that Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that Lesnar’s wife (Sable) did not want Brock going back to MMA.

With Lesnar staying in WWE, it’s widely expected that he will turn babyface at some point, likely as soon as this Sunday at WrestleMania 31.

If and when Lesnar makes the face turn, the door will be open for a number of high-profile feuds, including the rumored WrestleMania 32 match against The Rock, if things work out that the match can be made by this time next year. A Lesnar babyface turn has reportedly been decided on within WWE since the very beginning of this year.

Prior to Lesnar’s announcement, WWE had multiple scenarios for the finish to Sunday’s WrestleMania 31 main event, all of which were dependent upon knowing where Lesnar’s future would be. With Lesnar staying, he will likely fill the spot that Roman Reigns was scheduled to take as the top babyface of the company. This has also led to speculation that Reigns will be turning heel at this Sunday.

It’s also worth noting that Lesnar’s announcement resulted in a flood of activity at online sports betting sites, with Lesnar now favored to defeat Roman Reigns at WrestleMania.

Final Rating & Viewership For WrestleMania 31 “Go-Home” Edition Of WWE RAW

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The WrestleMania 31 “go-home” edition of WWE RAW on Monday, March 23rd drew a 3.03 final cable rating, up from the previous week’s 2.73 rating, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Monday’s RAW averaged 4.187 million viewers, which was also up from the previous week’s show, which delivered an average of 3.919 million viewers.

The hourly viewership breakdown for Monday’s RAW is as follows:

Hour One: 4.18 million viewers
Hour Two: 4.34 million viewers
Hour Three: 4.04 million viewers

Video: Rusev’s WrestleMania Workout

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WWE has published a video looking at Rusev’s training for WrestleMania titled, “Preparing for War.”

Step inside the gym with United States Champion Rusev and witness the brutal physical preparation he’s going through for his WrestleMania showdown against John Cena.

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