As reported a few days ago, WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross shared his thoughts on the Bill DeMott controversy in a blog posted on his official website.
Since then, JR has returned with a new blog to clarify the comments he made. Below is an excerpt.
“Perhaps because my lack of writing expertise or maybe some simply wanted to believe what they chose to believe regarding what I wrote in my last blog about former WWE NXT Head Coach Bill DeMott so I will attempt to clarify my stance on this matter.
Firstly, I do not endorse the old school method of coaching whether it be on an athletic field, the gym or in pro wrestling classes. I do believe in pushing students to improve in all areas of their game and their presentation and to challenge them to achieve every thing that they envision earning as it relates to their career. The physical and mental toughness that is required to be a successful pro wrestler can be ascertained during drills and other exercises in the camp quite easily. Most talent evaluators can determine rather quickly, as in a few days, if someone has what it takes to thrive and grow in most pro wrestling camps.
I do not endorse any type of bigoted or bullying behavior in any walk of life and not just in sports or entertainment. How could any reasonable person embrace such behavior?
Many people have taken me to task about what I wrote recently about Bill DeMott and some reacted very callously and with no respect, apparently not practicing what they preach. Many of these people I’ve answered and very few have I ‘blocked’ even though their expressing themselves was often times hurtful.
Social media is a strange animal. I blogged about an idea aka fantasy booking about Ronda Rousey facing Stephanie McMahon at WM32 simply as an idea off the top of my head that I thought, and still do, that would be intriguing especially if played out over time and with the villain, Steph, loading the deck in her favor to prove that Ms McMahon is the alpha female in the ring and not Rousey. I stand behind that idea because I feel that fans will line up to support Ronda and likewise to see Stephanie get what is perceived that she has coming to her. For this ‘fantasy booking’ I was treated by many with defiance and disrespect and as if I had no clue about booking simply because I’m 63 and “the times have passed you by” stance. Trust me, I have a full grasp of the wrestling business in a multitude of areas plus age discrimination is just as insensitive as any other strain.
When I said in the DeMott blog that some of today’s youth feel entitled and defiant at times, this Rousey-Stephanie example alone exemplifies that point or so it seems to me. All young people aren’t defiant or suffer from entitlement but I will argue that many do and are, at times, challenging to coach. Again, no excuse to abuse them.
Again, being defiant or feeling entitled gives no one a free pass to exercise abuse in any form. Bigotry and discrimination must die or it will continue to decay our society.
Once all the facts come in and this matter is thoroughly investigated, if Bill DeMott is guilty of the many allegations that have popped up then Bill needed to step away from his role, as he has, and re-evaluate his philosophies and reassess his professional approach to coaching future pro wrestlers if that is what he pursues.”
WWE has announced that Divas Champion Nikki Bella and her sister Brie will square off against Paige and AJ Lee at WrestleMania 31.
The announcement comes just a week after AJ Lee returned to WWE television and aligned herself with her former rival against the Bellas.
WWE’s official announcement reads:
“As the #GiveDivasAChance movement continues picking up steam, will AJ & Paige be successful in their effort to supplant the dangerous and sly Bella Twins, or will Nikki & Brie just further demonstrate why they are WWE’s most dominant Divas? Perhaps more importantly: Will the WWE Universe witness a paradigm shift in the Divas division at The Showcase of the Immortals?”
Join us here on March 29th for our Live Coverage of WWE WrestleMania 31.
WWE Superstar Jack Swagger recently spoke with The Huffington Post U.K.’s “Royal Ramblings” blog. Below are highlights from the interview.
On what it would mean to win the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 31: “It would mean a lot. Just to be on a Wrestlemania card, I think, means more to the superstars than a pay check or going to work that day. It’s such a special thing, such an honour to be on there. So to win the Battle Royal would be very impressive and I’d put it up there with one of the best feats of my career. Anything named after Andre the Giant in our line of work is something very special and should be put on a pedestal.”
On Rusev vs. John Cena at WrestleMania 31: “Rusev is one of those competitors that comes around once in a generation. Everything that you see about him is legit. If anyone were to stand a chance against him it would probably be Jack Swagger! I think I’ve probably got one more Wrestlemania to get him! Me aside, if anyone wants to take him down in this day and age in the WWE it will be John Cena – and what a moment that will be.”
On advice he’d give Roman Reigns going into his match with Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 31: “I think I would tell Roman that he just needs to do everything he has done his entire life. He knows how to win and how to prepare himself. The hay’s in the barn at that point, it’s just time to believe in himself and go win the biggest match of his life. That, and to stop putting so much conditioner in his hair before he goes out! It’s not naturally that shiny! It makes me mad. It’s all product! You’re all product Roman!”
On the “#GiveDivasAChance” movement and who he feels the next big Diva will be: “I think our divas division is very strong and more competitive than it has been since I’ve been on the roster. They definitely are underutilised and don’t get enough air time – some matches just leave you blown away by what they do. I think Trinity (Naomi) is one of the girls that is going to transcend and change the division. She’s so athletic – if she was a guy she’d be a Pro Bowler in the NFL or an All-Star in the NBA, she’s that good.”
Former WWE performer Joanie Laurer (aka Chyna) is back at it again.
The former WWE Intercontinental Champion resurfaced on YouTube recently with some bizarre videos where she takes some more shots at Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.
Laurer, who recently made headlines by accusing Triple H of physically abusing her in the past, is now calling HHH an “assh*le” and Stephanie McMahon “a b*tch, a total b*tch,” and is warning HHH that “she is coming for him.”
Jeff Jarrett’s Global Force Wrestling will be holding their first TV tapings from Las Vegas, Nevada later this year.
There are conflicting reports regarding whether the first tapings will take place in May or July, but Jeff Jarret himself has confirmed that big announcements are forthcoming.
Jarrett released the following video giving fans an update on “The State Of Global Force Wrestling” –
WWE is advertising the return of WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar at tonight’s RAW in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
In the RAW “Five-Point Preview” at WWE.com, the company wrote the following:
“As WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar returns to Raw and Wiz Khalifa gets set to perform in his hometown of Pittsburgh, what else awaits on WWE’s flagship show? WWE.com has some ideas.”
Additionally, the company is teasing an appearance by The Undertaker. WWE.com wrote the following:
“Not content with The Undertaker’s silence on The Road to WrestleMania, Bray Wyatt is about to make his boldest statement yet, vowing to bring what appears to be The Undertaker’s urn to Raw and “unleash its spirit.” Will The New Face of Fear finally garner a response from The Deadman, three weeks before The Show of Shows?”
Make sure to join us here at SEScoops.com later this evening for live WWE RAW play-by-play results coverage.
– The Lucha Dragons (Sin Cara and Kalisto) vs. Enzo Amore and Big Cass in a tag-team match to determine the number one contenders for the NXT Tag-Team Championship has been announced for this week’s edition of NXT TV on the WWE Network.
– Speaking of NXT, former NXT World Champion Sami Zayn is now officially on Facebook. You can check out Zayn’s page at Facebook.com/SamiZaynWWENXT.
– Lucha Underground and Ring Of Honor star Alberto El Patron will be coming out with a new YouShoot DVD produced by the folks at Kayfabe Commentaries on March 17th. The DVD will be available at KayfabeCommentaries.com.
– Former WWE Diva Melina Perez will be the guest on this week’s Jim Ross “Ross Report” podcast, which will be available on Tuesday night at approximately 9pm EST. at PodcastOne.com.
“Today at the ISHOF with Arnold and Evander Holyfield, Lenda Murray and Ed Coan – just this amazing cast of elite level sports figures, the whole thing was just surreal,” said “The Game.”
“It was very humbling and just a moment I’ll never forget” Triple H continued. “To have my wife and kids there was the best part. I listened to all these amazing people speaking before me, I thought about inspiration and what inspires people to do things. I thought about Lenda Murray, this amazing woman who transcended her sport, but at the time showed that women could do anything they wanted to – like being this elite, professional level bodybuilder if they wanted – she broke a barrier showing that women can compete in the same sport as men.”
HHH continued, “I’m listening to Lenda’s speech and I’m looking at my daughters in the front row and thinking about what it means to them to have someone in front of them that has already broken these barriers and telling them they can do anything, because the biggest thing I want to instill in them is that they can be whatever they want to be.”
Below is a video of HHH’s induction.
Additionally, here’s a video of Triple H with Arnold Schwarzenegger discussing the importance of the International Sports Hall Of Fame.
Finally, here are some tweets, including photos, from Stephanie McMahon and Vince McMahon regarding HHH’s induction.
Lucha Underground star Johnny Mundo (aka John Morrison) recently spoke with the Shining Wizards podcast to talk about his post-WWE career, as well as a number of Lucha Underground-related topics. Below are highlights from the interview.
On Lucha Underground: “I like a lot that you compared it to ECW, because that’s one of the comparisons that I make often. Not necessarily that it is ECW, but ECW really felt like it was its own world. It wasn’t WWE’s lights. It was its own thing, and I definitely felt that way about Lucha Underground from day one. It always had its own identity. That Identity is evolving as time goes on. As the bigger superstars get signed, and that happens more frequently, as we got (Alberto) Del Rio now and who knows what could be happening in the next couple of weeks. This isn’t just a wrestling show. This is a world we are creating and that appealed to me. It’s not just a typical wrestling show that’s going to be gone the next day or move. The Identity is not going to be changing. So far it’s been really good.”
On being happy post-WWE: “Oh, 100 percent. In WWE, you’re wrestling matches with handcuffs on. You come up with ideas constantly, and half the time you’re not allowed to do what you want. I understand why it’s like that because it’s a business and they’re very protective of talent, angles, and the things that they’re doing, but I feel like it started to become a case where they were trying too hard to resist all this new stuff, ideas, and moves. I think it started hurting their product, and it’s been hurting their product for a while. And it’s really nice to not have to deal with that and to go in and say that I’ve got 5 cool ideas, and Prince Puma has 5 cool ideas, and while we’re not probably going to be able to do all of them in every match, let’s pick the coolest stuff and do it.”
On Lucha Underground’s faith in him: “It means a lot. And like I said, I couldn’t be happier to be a part of this organization. I do think that what I’m doing in Lucha Underground is great for me and it’s really good for them too. I’m pouring a ton of energy into Lucha Underground and going out of my way to not even have the best matches that I can have, but have the best match I can have and then some. Taking risks and pushing myself to try things that I’ve never tried in WWE because they probably wouldn’t have been allowed or the people that I was working with might not have wanted to go that far. To have free range and the responsibility and the trust to let me pull the wagons so to speak for Lucha Underground has been really rad.”
On Lucha Underground vs. WWE creative: “For one, the Lucha Underground creative team is top notch. They are very all solid, talented people. There’s no eccentric billionaire who’s showing up at the last minute and demanding Lucha Underground to be rewritten the day of TV. I really feel like that is the difference. I feel like other promotions have too many chefs in the kitchen, so to speak. There are too many people with power, and they have different agendas, and when those agendas collide, and arguing starts to happen over storylines with stuff getting changed the day of, it starts to suck for the fans because you’re following a story and a couple weeks in the whole thing gets squashed or changed and it doesn’t seem like anything ever happens or pays off. I think Lucha Underground has done a good job so far of having their stories pay off and creating intrigue in this world they have created.”
Vince Russo’s involvement: “Yeah, he was there. I did an interview with him for his YouTube channel. He was there to watch the show, though. He is in no way going to be a part of the creative team of Lucha Underground. Everyone there knows that’s 100 percent true. Vince Russo knows that’s 100 percent true. I don’t know if he’s trying to tell people he is or not, but he’s not. He was there as a wrestling fan. He told me and everyone there that he watched the show and he had a good time. He interviewed some of the talent, and I had a really fun 20 minute interview with Vince Russo. Just shooting the shit about WCW, TNA, WWE, Lucha Underground, and when he puts it up on his channel I hope everyone watches, but he is not involved with the creative of Lucha Underground.”
On last night’s season finale of Total Divas, the Bella Twins teased that they are leaving WWE soon.
Nikki and Brie informed WWE officials that they are not planning to renew their contracts.
The scene was filmed around the time of November’s Survivor Series, where Nikki Bella captured the Divas Championship. Nikki is still the Divas champion and has been feuding with AJ Lee since she returned to television last week.
Season 4 of Total Divas premieres this summer on July 7th.
The road to WrestleMania continues tonight as WWE RAW rolls into Pittsburg, Pennsylvania.
– WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar has been advertised for the show in recent weeks, although WWE has not promoted him on TV or social media recently. This would be Lesnar’s first WWE TV appearance since walking out of RAW last month.
– US Champion Rusev will face Curtis Axel in a non-title match. Axel is pushing for a US title shot at WrestleMania if he defeats the champion tonight.
– Rapper Wiz Khalifa will be guest starring and performing live in his home town.
– Bray Wyatt continues playing mind games with The Undertaker.
Other top superstars appearing include John Cena, Roman Reigns, Daniel Bryan Seth Rollins, Randy Orton, Dean Ambrose, Kane and Big Show.
The dark match main event will see John Cena, Randy Orton, Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins, Bray Wyatt, Kane and Big Show.
Join us here tonight for Live Coverage of WWE RAW.
At a press conference held earlier this week in Mexico City, an “alpha” global city with a gross domestic product (GDP) of US $491 billion, Mexico’s Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) officially announced that Rey Mysterio will be joining fellow ex-WWE wrestlers Alberto El Patrón (formerly Del Rio) and Myzteziz (the original Sin Cara) and will debut next weekend at the company’s Rey de Reyes (King of Kings)show on Sunday, March 15th. The press conference was designed to emphasize AAA’s intentions to compete with WWE in the global pro wrestling market and confirmed they will be running a trios tournament for the first time since 2006 on the May 23rd show they are calling an “International Tournament of Lucha Libre”. The event will feature three Mexican teams, a Japanese team, a U.S. team and a “rest of the world” squad. It’s expected that Rey, El Patrón and Myzteziz will form the trio representing AAA. One of the highlights also covered was AAA’s expansion into the English-speaking market with Lucha Underground. There was no mention of when Mysterio will join the program but I have it on good authority Mysterio is expected to work the next set of Lucha Underground tapings on March 21st in Boyle Heights, California. Can AAA compete in the U.S. with Vince McMahon? That’s the real storyline here.
Another great video package this week calling attention to the things that have transpired over the last few episodes. The recap included the Texano/Alberto feud in both AAA and Lucha Underground, the Catrina/Mil Muertes/Fenix love triangle and the history between Big Ryck and his former allies, The Crew. Let us also not forget Black Lotus was kidnapped (and apparently rescued) last week by a mystery man who was shown fighting with a green mask and a green shirt in the very first segment of Lucha Underground. These angles are somehow connected so stay tuned. We go straight to business in Dario’s office after beautiful screen shots of the Los Angeles city skyline.
Cueto says tonight is epic because El Patron debuts in his very first Lucha Underground match against Ricky Mandel but this infuriates Alberto who demands a worthy opponent in Tejano Jr. Cueto says he needs to warm up first and suggests he face Famous B but El Patron will have nothing to do with enhancement talent and demands a match against his archenemy Tejano. Cueto then says he needs at least two weeks to promote such attraction and asks “How about Alberto El Patron versus El Hijo de Havoc?” El Patron grows even angrier and wipes Dario’s desk clean of everything on it. Without nearly as much apprehension, Cueto finally agrees and gives him what he wants – a match against Tejano Jr. Dario says it is the making of a great main event and tonight is going to be a historic night. Alberto thanked him and left office.
That’s what I’m talking about, a pay-per view caliber main event on television. If this was happening week in and week out on Raw and Smackdown, Vince McMahon would have made it to the Forbes list of billionaires again this year. Alberto looked like a bada** here. Great opening segment promoting a huge match and once again showing Albertos new found fire. I cant stress out how important this match really is. Tonight’s main event will literally feature the hottest wrestling feud in all of Mexico. Everybody’s talking about it south of the border. You can find posters on the walls of every city, from the Northern states all the way down to the National Palace and even beyond to the peninsula. Next to world news and geo-politics, commercials promoting lucha libre are among the most important to air on television. In case you’re wondering, I travel a lot. I’m shocked this match is going down tonight without proper advertisement but I’m loving it. This is the kind of spontaneity we need in professional wrestling. With today’s predictable booking and the Internet to tell us everything, legit shock value is tenuous and virtually non-existent. I can’t wait to see what they do with it. Talk about momentum, Lucha is on a roll.
Matt Striker and Vampiro welcome us to another thrilling hour of Lucha Underground and introduce the new house musician, “Amandititita.” They hype the main event between El Patron and Texano with colorful clips of both men standing in the hallway preparing for battle. The spotlight shines down on ring announcer Melissa Santos who is ready to introduce the opening contest.
Mil Muertes vs. Fenix
These two put on one hell of a match. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, very few men in the industry have a build like Mil Muertes, and in wrestling where everybody is working to look like Goliath, that’s saying a lot. Fenix is an amazing talent, fearless doesn’t even begin to describe him. The action starts immediately as Fénix descends the staircase toward the ringside area, leaps onto the rail from the sixth step and catches Muertes with a high flying hurricanrana. Muertes regains control with a series of powerful elbows but is taken off guard with a super kick that connects and can be heard from LA to the New York. The action travels to the ring where the match is finally underway; Phoenix springs toward a downed Muertes from the top rope with a spectacular Alabama Jam leg drop. He literally flew, seriously, and the crowd loved it so much. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? It’s Fenix. He continued to take the monster to his limits but soon meets the sadistic side of Mil – a knife edge chop that flips Fenix like a clothesline from hell followed by sick DDT that turns him inside out. People always tell me wrestling is fake but I always tell them if it looked like it hurt it’s because it did. When it comes to wrestling the public can be so dumb and naive. I’d like to see them step into a ring and try it. By the way, please don’t try this at home. A perfectly executed TKO from Muertes and suddenly Fénix is the one flat on his back. He throws Fenix outside and Muertes is about to go for a suicide dive but Fenix quickly rushes back into the ring and hits an RKO, literally out of nowhere. Didn’t see that coming. The audience is hot, equally supporting both competitors, something I find interesting being that the consummate babyface in the match is Fénix. According to Vampiro, Fénix is the only member of the Lucha Underground roster to own a victory over the diabolical masked man. Suddenly, a light cast down from the ceiling centered at the top of the staircase where Catrina made her surprise appearance. She looks like she came to arouse. Muertes is mildly distracted, as is all of the audience, and Fénix capitalizes by landing a twirling leap over the top rope which causes the audience to go absolutely insane, cheering for the match above any particular individual. The clash of styles between the super heavyweight and the flashy highflyer is incredible, leading one to wonder who has the advantage. Fénix climbed the ropes in an effort to earn a second pin fall over Mil Muertes, but is instead caught by an uppercut and a heinous top rope Code Breaker that looked like it broke Fenix in half. He hits him with the Flat Liner and this one is over. Following the bell, he summoned his former valet to the ring where he once again ordered her to lick the face of his fallen opponent. Upon denying his request, Catrina is brutally choked and dragged over the ropes and into the ring but is once again saved by her prince in shining armor as he hits Muertes with a flying kick to the head. Catrina then to applies the “lick of death” on Mil Muertes himself and we go to commercial. Lucha Underground has been catching a lot of heat from different media outlets for its portrayal of violence on women. Women are choked, lifted from their feet, beat, jumped,abused and kidnapped. Not sure how the PR team is going to handle this. Personally I don’t think they care. Mexico’s true culture is one of chivalry, honor and respect but over the last couple of decades Machismo, violence and drugs have lowered morale. Here’s hoping our people can regain themselves. Great match exemplifying everything wrestling should be about – physicality, athleticism, innovation, crowd response and story telling.
Back from break we get a video of Konnan standing in the rain, in what is perhaps the most beautifully framed shot since this show hit the air, and, again, that’s saying something. If you can make rain look bada** and put water over, then you can pretty much put anything over. I’ve been watching WWE for 20 years and never have I seen this level of production. Kudos to Lucha for already having the upper hand in this department over the giant conglomerate. The phrase “Appear weak when you are strong” is shown at the end of the promo and now I’m convinced the writers/creators have thoroughly read Niccolo Machiavelli’s “The Prince” and more than that, they are students of his.
Dario is really busy this evening as another Luchador is seeking a main event spot from the querulous promotor, but this time it’s the beautiful and aggressive Ivelisse. She starts to go off again about how she’s the “baddest bit** in the build–” but Dario comically interrupts, “I know, I know—I got your calls and texts and emails.” Dario says that she only beat Angelico because Son of Havoc got involved; next week Ivelisse will have a rematch with Angelico, and to ensure that Havoc doesn’t interrupt, he will be the special guest referee. This is all very interesting as spoilers dictate that these three wrestlers will capture the inaugural Lucha Underground Trios belts in just a matter of weeks. That’s right we’re getting new belts. Can’t wait to see what other titles they create. Angelico is one of my favorite all around competitors in wrestling today. He’s so good and comes off like a seasoned actor on the silver screen. You can’t buy natural born talent, just ask Roman Reigns.
The Lucha Underground Champion Prince Puma is hitting the bag backstage when Alberto El Patron shows up. “That’s right brother! That’s right,” he began. “I don’t know what Konnan told you to motivate you—what I do know is that if you want to survive, you’re going to have to man up. Because next time you see Cage, you have to make sure you let all that aggression out, amigo. Because you’re not going to need it.” El Patron started to back away, but left Puma with the following warning: “If I were you, I would pay close attention to my match tonight. Because if you keep that title, you know I’m coming for it after.” Great segment except Prince Puma is the LU champion and deserves to be holding the title. Hopefully it’s being redesigned after Cage ripped it to shreds because now that Alberto El Patron is interested in holding it, the title’s prestige is about to go to a whole ‘nother level.
Big Ryck vs. Sexy Star
According to Melissa Santos, the winner of this match will get a 3-on-1 opportunity against the Crew. What a prize. Big Ryck now wears an eye patch over his right eye thanks to the actions of his former boys, the Crew. Sexy Star makes her way to the ring along with a standing and ruckus ovation from the Boyle Heights fans. The crowd chants, “She’s so sexy,” although everyone knows what this woman is capable of between the ropes. Big Ryck immediately tells Sexy she should just lay down but Star begins to assault the super heavyweight. Although Ryck has been commonly featured as a heel where he may be despicable and unapologetic, in this match he maintained a glimmer of decency. Even though Ryck wants to exact revenge on the Crew, he isn’t willing to completely obliterate a female competitor in order to do so. Ryck simply places Sexy Star on the mat and holds her shoulders down for the 1-2-3. He immediately relinquished the pressure when the bell sounded and out of nowhere The Crew strikes with kendo sticks. Cortez Castro, Mr. Cisco and Bael emerged on the scene to attack Ryck, but didn’t count on Sexy sticking around to help even the odds. The Crew tried to break Ryck’s arm as they wrapped it around the pole but the Guyanese powerhouse turned the tide and caused all three to flee before he could finish the job. Can’t wait to see Ryck dismantle these wanna be gangsters.
Back from the break Melissa Santos introduces the AAA Mega Champion Alberto El Patron. A video package hypes his dominance and triumph in the world of wrestling as well as his family pedigree. I cannot do justice to the video with words. You have to see it for yourself. If you think I’m exaggerating, I’m not. For the most part I try to be critical and objective because that’s my job but I must give credit where credit is due. It was an outstanding video package highlighting Alberto’s journey from Dos Caras Jr. to an American household name. El Texano Jr. arrives to a litany of heat from the audience as he prepares to fight the man who ended his historic 735-day championship reign. Vampiro points out that this is the first time the two meet on American soil. The match hasn’t even started and it already feels like a main event.
Following Sunday night’s two-hour season finale, WWE has confirmed that the next season of Total Divas will premiere on E! on Sunday, July 7th.
Filming for the next season has either begun in recent weeks, or is set to begin in the very near future. All of the Divas who appeared on the most recent season are scheduled to return for the new season.
WWE tweeted the following regarding tonight’s Total Divas season finale and the new season in July.
– Alberto El Patron is suffering from a torn quad, an injury he suffered Wednesday night while wrestling a match in Mexico. He did, however, work a match again on Friday night in Waterbury, Connecticut for the Northeast Wrestling promotion, but that does explain why there was a change in the card and why he was so limited.
– The folks at Newsday.com have photos up from this weekend’s Jim Cornette tribute show.
– WWE announcer JBL is teasing that he will reveal the new co-host for his “The JBL (Not Cole) Show” web series on Monday. He tweeted the following teaser this weekend:
– All tickets available for the WWE SummerSlam 2015 pay-per-view pre-sale are officially sold out.
– VIP tickets for the Jim Ross “RINGSIDE” one-man show on March 28th in San Jose, California are sold out.
– The “Black History Month” and “12 Days of Attitude” segments are both no longer available on the WWE Network. Both were meant as temporary content for the digital subscription service.
– Former WWE Hall Of Famer Jimmy Hart is featured on the web series “Loud Satisfaction,” a comedy show based out of Boston. You can check out the episode below.
– While still unofficial at this point, based on Saturday night’s Ring Of Honor television taping, it was strongly suggested that Samoa Joe vs. Jay Briscoe for the ROH World Championship will take place as the main event for the “Supercard of Honor” event in Redwood City, California on March 27th.
For those who missed it, Samoa Joe is also scheduled to wrestle Michael Elgin at the ROH event at The Frontier Fieldhouse in Chicago Ridge, Illinois on March 14th.
Alberto El Patron recently spoke with The Troy Show, where he spoke about WWE Dr. Chris Amann suing CM Punk and Colt Cabana, Roman Reigns, Vince McMahon and more. Below are highlights from the interview.
On CM Punk being sued by WWE doctor Chris Amann: “I never had any issues with the WWE medical staff, I’ve had problems with other departments similar to that. I know CM Punk, I know he’s not lying… Hopefully Punk goes well with this lawsuit and hopefully we get to see him pretty soon.”
On if he feels CM Punk go to Lucha Underground: “You never know buddy. There will be more surprises will be coming in the next 3 to 4 weeks.”
On Roman Reigns: “Great guy, great talent. A lot of talent and a lot of potential.”
On Vince McMahon: “A great person. A gentleman. I have nothing but good words for him.”
On Triple H: “I’m going to reserve my comments on that one [laughs].”
TNA announced that their “British Bootcamp 2: On Tour” documentary is scheduled to air on March 25th on Challenge TV in the United Kingdom.
The documentary features behind-the-scenes footage of the British Bootcamp 2 cast members while they were on tour with TNA during their shows in Glasgow, Scotland, Manchester, England and London, England.
Below is the official press release issued by TNA today:
Challenge and TNA Wrestling go behind the scenes to follow the British Boot Camp finalists on Tour
TNA Wrestling: British Boot Camp 2 on Tour show features exclusive backstage footage and interviews
Airs: Wednesday March 25 at 10pm
Challenge today announces an exclusive new special – TNA Wrestling: British Boot Camp 2 on Tour – packed full of behind-the-scenes footage of all six finalists from the hit reality TV series.
The hour-long show follows the action as TNA Wrestling: British Boot Camp 2 winner Mark Andrews, plus finalists Grado, Kay Lee Ray, Noam Dar, Dave Mastiff and Rampage Brown, join TNA’s roster of international Superstars in some of Britain’s biggest arenas on the MAXIMUM IMPACT 7 Tour.
Filmed in late January in Glasgow, Manchester and London – the programme will give fans a truly exclusive look at the goings-on backstage on a TNA UK Tour. For the first time ever, TNA cameras capture exactly what happens when young British wrestlers mix it up with some of the world’s top talent – meaning a show chocked full of brand new interviews and footage, including TNA Superstars giving their frank opinions on the Boot Camp six.
TNA Wrestling: British Boot Camp 2 on Tour will be broadcast at 10pm on Wednesday March 25 on Challenge, and repeated at midnight on Sunday March 29. The show follows six weeks of TNA programming on Challenge, all recorded in the UK, as part of the channel’s annual #TNAINTHEUK season.
This special will answer many of the questions on fans’ lips ever since the critically-acclaimed series TNA Wrestling: British Boot Camp 2 ended in December. How will the UK crowds take to winner Mark Andrews, as he makes his first appearances in his home country as part of the full TNA roster? Can Scottish sensation Grado get revenge over the judge who dumped him from the show, Al Snow, when they fight in front of his family, friends and countrymen? And can any of the finalists impress enough to join Mandrews as a full-time TNA star?
The show features insight from top TNA personalities including Magnus, Rockstar Spud, Ethan Carter III, Robbie E, Josh Matthews, Christy Hemme and Brooke, plus the return of a couple of favourite faces from the Boot Camp series… so it’s one not to be missed by any wrestling fan.
Stephen Ladlow, Director of Challenge, said: “The search for a new star of IMPACT WRESTLING in TNA Wrestling: British Boot Camp 2 really captivated Challenge viewers, so we are delighted to be able to broadcast this special show about the contestants and how they fared on the MAXIMUM IMPACT Tour.
“You really see their passion and commitment to wrestling shine through, as they interact with the stars of the famous TNA roster and delight fans across the country.”
TNA President Dixie Carter added: “TNA Wrestling: British Boot Camp 2 on Tour is a fascinating documentary that shows the passion of our roster, including the talented finalists of British Boot Camp 2, as they travel to three arenas in three consecutive days to film six television shows. It will bring a newfound respect for the grit and determination of these remarkable athletes and entertainers.
“Our company is proud of the success of the British Boot Camp franchise and the Superstars we have found in Rockstar Spud and Mark Andrews. And, we are thrilled to partner once more with Challenge in bringing this exclusive, never-before-seen look at professional wrestling on tour.”
The original TNA Wrestling: British Boot Camp 2 series was commissioned for Challenge by Chris Brogden, Commissioning Editor, Entertainment, Sky. It aimed to compliment the burgeoning success of the TNA IMPACT WRESTLING series, which is one of the top performing series on the channel.
Challenge is available on Freeview channel 46, Sky channels 125 and 164 and Virgin Media channel 139.
TNA Knockout Gail Kim spoke about the state of women’s wrestling and the “#GiveDivasAChance” movement in her latest column, which is featured in the March issue of Total Wrestling magazine. Below are some highlights.
On the current state of women’s wrestling: “NXT has proven that with opportunity and time, the women can put on a show, with great athletes and characters emerging from there. Total Divas, reality show has given the women a platform to be seen but not necessarily as the strong empowered women they really are. With WWE Raw on for three hours, I feel as though they could be given a much more prominent and positive role.”
On the “#GiveDivasAChance” movement: “Why not follow the successful formula that NXT has? It was at such a low point recently that the fans spoke out with #GiveDivasAChance trending and the fans voices were heard loud and clear. I hope this path continues for all of us women. With TNA president Dixie Carter and Stephanie McMahon in prominent positions of the top two wrestling promotions in America at the moment, the future can be very bright for women in pro wrestling. Perhaps equality some day?”
The March issue of Total Wrestling magazine is available right now at Issuu.com.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley appears to be teasing a big WWE-related announcement of sorts on social media. “The Hardcore Legend” recently tweeted the following:
Former WWE Superstar and current Ring Of Honor performer Matt Sydal (aka Evan Bourne) recently spoke with Aaron Oster of The Baltimore Sun to promote this weekend’s ROH show in Baltimore, Maryland. Below are highlights from the interview.
On if ROH would be able to compete with WWE if they got a big cable deal: “It’s not about competing, it’s about putting on a product that people enjoy, and fostering love for this wrestling art that we all do. If anything, it would probably boost WWE’s numbers because wrestling ebbs and flows together. So if somebody comes in and lights a spark in wrestling, which is what Ring of Honor does, then we light a fire for the entire industry. Wrestling has the ability to get red-hot again at a moment’s notice. Ring of Honor could be the coal that gets that done.”
On being in “wrestling purgatory” at the end of his WWE run between injuries and suspension: “Forget wrestling purgatory, I was in life purgatory. One of the hardest things, as someone who has based his entire life on being an agile athlete, was to be literally stuck on a couch for two years. Going from ninja-like agility to unable to walk up the stairs for 18 months. It was very much a trial of my will and forced me to adapt to a whole different life that I never experienced. I wasn’t traveling on the road. I wasn’t wrestling. That’s something I hadn’t done since I was 17 years old. It’s hard to change your trajectory in life, and very rarely do you get the chance to sit back and think about where you’ve been and where you want to go. That’s what I was able to do. Being injured physically reminded me that your body is a temporary vessel. However, you have many things that can last a lot longer, like your mind. If you exercise your mind as much as your body, you’re going to get a lot more mileage out of everything. I was able to gain certain valuable insight that I was able to use to become the best wrestler I’ve ever been.”
Check out the complete interview at BaltimoreSun.com.
During Friday’s edition of “Talk Is Jericho,” Chris Jericho asked his guest, Samoa Joe, whether or not he has any intentions of joining the WWE.
Joe mentioned that he wanted fans to know that there have been discussions between the two sides and that, “there’s some negotiations going on.”
Additionally, Jericho noted that Joe’s name came up when he was talking to Triple H a few years ago. Jericho said that HHH told him that he was a fan of Joe and his in-ring style.
You can download the latest edition of Jericho’s podcast at PodcastOne.com.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Hulk Hogan gave his endorsement of NXT talents Kevin Owens and Sasha Banks. “The Hulkster” tweeted a photo out on Saturday that features himself, Triple H and Jimmy Hart with the NXT champions and wrote, “This is why the WWE will live forever brother.”
– Jim Ross touched on the build to this year’s WrestleMania and the fan reaction to the push of Roman Reigns in his latest website blog. Below is an excerpt where JR comments on these two subjects.
“For those looking at the build to this WrestleMania as being not to their personal liking because of not enough hype and a lack of momentum in their eyes, I equate it to the Super Bowl. This year in the Super Bowl I did not have a horse in the race so I did not have an emotional investment to a high degree but I still watched the game with interest simply because I’m a NFL fan and it was, after all, the Super Bowl. Could that analogy apply to WrestleMania as it currently stands? I’m not jacked to the max today about WM31 but I promise you that I will be come that weekend and wouldn’t miss watching the show on the WWE Network for anything. Why? Because I’m still a true, wrestling fan. Let the show happen and then judge it as you choose.”
“Continue to get feedback from fans on Twitter or here at our Q&A’s that Roman Reigns “isn’t ready.” How many of you think that JYD was “ready” when Bill Watts made him the top star in Mid South Wrestling back in the day? Simply ask some of Dog’s opponents. But Dog had much of what many feel that Roman Reigns does. “Charisma” and a marketable look. Time will tell on that one but I say put Roman in the game and let’s see what’s in his heart when he knows he’s being relied on to pull the wagon. I’d enjoy seeing Reigns and Heyman put the screws to Brock this Monday in Pittsburgh on RAW whereby Lesnar goes into the main event at WM31 as a fan favorite defending his title against a stacked deck w/ Heyman ‘making’ a couple of villains by enlisting their help as “backup.” Just an idea much like Fantasy Football from my friends a @DraftKings.”
Speaking of the DeMott situation, as we reported earlier this week, Matt Bloom (aka Jason Albert, Tensai and A-Train) is rumored to be DeMott’s replacement as NXT head trainer. Bloom tweeted the following on Sunday, which alludes to the fact that he is indeed the new head trainer for WWE’s developmental system.
Sometimes doors open that you never expect to open and amazing opportunities are presented to you. I plan on busting through those doors!
Ring Of Honor has announced a fourth date with New Japan Pro Wrestling. The two will co-promote an event at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Tuesday, May 12th.
Below is the official press release from ROH.
RING OF HONOR & NEW JAPAN ADD AN ADDITIONAL PHILADELPHIA EVENT Tuesday, May 12th, 2015 – 2300 (ECW) Arena
RING OF HONOR WRESTLING® AND NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING® WILL NOW PRESENT 4 SUPER SHOWS THIS MAY IN NORTH AMERICA
Due to record-breaking demand, Ring of Honor Wrestling® (“ROH”) is happy to announce that we will be adding an additional WAR OF THE WORLDS ’15 event on Tuesday, May 12th, 2015 at the 2300 Arena in South Philadelphia. Tickets for this additional event will go on sale Monday, March 9th @ 10am Est to the general public.
All ROH & NJPW stars, and matches will be announced at a later date.
Follow ROH on Twitter: @RingofHonor
Like ROH on Facebook: FB.com/RingofHonor
Watch and learn about ROH: www.ROHWrestling.com
Learn more about New Japan Pro-Wrestling: http://www.njpw.co.jp/english/
Previously announced events
Wednesday, May 13th, 2015 – WAR OF THE WORLDS ’15
Friday, May 15th, 2015 GLOBAL WARS ’15 Night #1 – click here to purchase tickets
Saturday, May 16th, 2015 GLOBAL WARS ’15 Night #2 – click here to purchase tickets
Ring of Honor is fully owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. is the largest and one of the most diversified television station operators in the country. The company regularly uses its website as a key source of Company information which can be accessed at www.sbgi.net. For more information related to Ring of Honor, please visit rohwrestling.com.
