– WWE performers Rusev (Miroslav Barnyashev) and Lana (CJ Perry), who as noted in the past are actually a real-life couple, purchased a home together in Nashville, Tennessee recently. The two bought a four bedroom, four bathroom home for $644,000. You can check out photos of the property at TMZ.com.
– Speaking of pro wrestling couples, CM Punk and AJ Lee attended a comedy show that featured Nerdist’s Chris Hardwick and Mike Lawrence at the Atheneum Theatre in Chicago, Illinois on Friday night.
– Former WWE Superstar Rey Mysterio continues to pile up the bookings, as he is now officially being advertised to appear at the London Film & Comic Con event on July 17th, 18th and 19th. For ticket information, visit LondonFilmAndComicCon.com.
Mysterio and fellow Mexican pro wrestling legend Konnan, along with others from the pro wrestling world will take part in the event, hosted by hip-hop artist Wale at The Taste Night Club in San Jose, California.
More details will become available soon, however we can report right now that there will be a $20 general admission ticket, plus a V.I.P. ticket, which will include a Q&A session and a post-party featuring a performance by Wale, at the same club.
Advanced tickets are on sale right now at WaleMania.com.
Vince Russo announced this weekend that he is parting ways with his own official website, PyroAndBallyhoo.com.
On his official Facebook page, the former WWE, WCW and TNA writer wrote, “I will not be posting anything—blogs, videos, podcasts, from this point going forward. I am no way any longer associated with the site.”
Regarding those who signed up for the paid membership portion of his website, Russo stated, “Please know, that if you renew your monthly membership, you will not be getting any content from Vince Russo from this day going forward. I also ask you to not buy any Vince Russo merchandise, as I no longer have access to the orders.”
What this means for the future of the website and for those who paid for a membership remains to be seen.
It seems to me that Robert Rodriguez is traveling the Ted Turner road and starting a cable network with a wrestling show as one of its marquee programs. Most of us may or may not know who he is yet all of us have been influenced by his work because American culture itself has been influenced by his work as he is by far one of the most respected film directors (not to mention screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and editor) of our generation. He has directed plenty of successful and groundbreaking films such as From Dusk till Dawn, Sin City, Desperado, The Faculty, Spy Kids, The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Planet Terror, El Mariachi, Grindhouse, Machete and Machete Kills. He has worked with every actor you can think of including the Hollywood elite and has made films with the likes of John Carpenter, Guillermo Del Toro and Quentin Tarantino, three of the greatest minds in the history of cinematography. Well, in 2014 Rodriguez launched his own cable TV channel, El Rey. Together with his primary investor Univision, which has the largest audience of Spanish-language television viewers on the planet (and specializes in sports, world news, telenovelas and feature films), the network looks to revolutionize the world of broadcasting and mass communications with a creative approach to television known as “original programming”.
Among the hottest prospects to air on El Rey was, you guessed it, Lucha Underground. The Network’s vice Chair Scott Sassa released the following statement last year: “The ‘Lucha Underground’ franchise is perfect for El Rey Network. It features good versus evil, intense action, humor, drama, great characters and most importantly great stories from two of the best storytellers in the business- Mark Burnett and Robert Rodriguez. It’s the perfect time and they are the perfect team to bring lucha to America.” Virtually every website and reporter has praised Lucha Underground for its production and cinematography (from the Greek roots ‘kinema’ which means “movement” and ‘graphein’ which means “to record”), a word that in short explains the science of catching and recording light and image on film. It’s also where the word motion picture comes from. The reason why Lucha has been so well received is because of the aforementioned men and in essence I wanted you to meet them, even if it’s only on paper.
Mark Burnett is the genius CEO of United Artists Media Group, a subsidiary of MGM, and is currently the executive producer of 11 network television series. This man won six Emmy Awards, one Producers Guild of America Award and five People’s Choice Awards. He is so well known he is practically a star. His current series include critically acclaimed shows such as Survivor, The Apprentice, The Voice, The Sing Off, Shark Tank, Beyond the Tank, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader, 500 Questions and the People’s Choice Awards. Yes, he produces the Awards. This is who’s producing your show people. I personally love ‘Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader’ and have great respect for the ‘Survivor’ series. Don’t let that one go over your head. In addition to these shows Burnett also produces cable series: Women of the Bible, On The Menu, Lucha Underground and Intervention. In 2013 TV Guide Magazine named Burnett its “Producer of the Year” and in 2014 The Hollywood Reporter named Burnett No. 1 on the Top 50 Reality Players of 2014. I don’t know of anyone else in the wrestling industry with this level of experience and success. He was responsible for producing ‘The Bible’, a historic series that brought in 100 million viewers nationwide and ended up being the most-watched cable miniseries of the year. Kevin Dunn only wishes he had these credentials, let alone his knowledge and skill.
Rodríguez and Burnett are changing the face of wrestling as we know it. Rodriguez not only has the credits of producing, directing and writing his films, he also frequently serves as editor, director of photography,camera operator, steadicam operator, composer, production designer, visual effects supervisor, and sound editor on his films. Hence the reason for his nickname “the one-man film crew”. He highlights his numerous roles in his film credits; Once Upon a Time in Mexico, for instance, is “shot, chopped, and scored by Robert Rodriguez”, and Sin City is “shot and cut by Robert Rodriguez”. He is that good and Lucha Underground proves it.
On to the show.
Let me just say Boyle Heights is the right place to shoot the show. The indy wrestling scene in LA is white hot and has been for two decades now. PWG sold out their last show in five minutes and this is no exaggeration. As someone who was born and raised in the city and grew up wrestling in many a backyard and small inner city promotions I can tell you that the city of angels is passionate about wrestling and is riddled with biased die hard fans like me. Lucha is here to stay.
We get a video package detailing the events of past weeks and it sets us up for the opening scene where we see a car driving up Boyle Heights with a girl tied up in the trunk to start the show. An everyday thing in this neighborhood. The camera work and special effects make this show feel like a Hollywood movie, a suspense thriller about wrestling. Simply put, amazing. Mariachi El Bronx welcomes us to the show and Matt Striker is with Vampiro on commentary. Prince Puma returns tonight after the brutal beating he and Konnan received from Cage a few weeks ago. Matt Striker says these two fought last week which is obviously not the case. Considering when these were taped, they really should have done everything in their power to correct the mistake. Obsessing over the little things is what makes the difference. They mention Cage gets a title shot if he win’s tonight’s non-title match. Aerostar is mid-ring to meet Drago.
It should be noted that the event is sold out and there are almost 300 fans in attendance for our show tonight and many more lingering outside waiting for the event to be over. Also in attendance for tonight’s tapings are former LA Lakers star AC Green, women’s MMA star Shayna Baszler, UFC star and New Japan announcer Josh Barnett, former TNA Knockout “Cheerleader” Melissa Anderson (Alissa Flash, Raisha Saeed) and UFC fighter Goyito Perez. Not bad, not bad at all. Are you interested in Lucha yet?
They are.
Aerostar vs Drago
Aerostar hits a hurricanrana that sends Drago to the floor. Goes for a springboard plancha, almost botches, but still manages to launch himself from the top rope onto the outside to hit a clean high cross on Drago. Match is starting fast. Drago gets up and hits Aero with a springboard tornado DDT off the apron and onto the outside floor. The crowd is alive and not a person is sitting on their seats. Drago turns a fireman carry into an X-factor which looked great. He runs into the corner but Aero hits a somersault flip before nailing a double knee strike to the back of Drago’s head as he’s trapped in the corner. Powerbomb gets Aerostar 2. Drago flips him and kicks him before nailing a flying senton to the outside.
Aerostar makes it in first but quickly finds himself outside again as he releases his body through the ropes to land a suicide dive. They’re back in the ring, both men on the top apron and Drago hits a perfectly executed super Japanese armdrag on Aerostar from the top. “This is awesome” chants break out and they’re not doing anyone a favor, this is legit awesome on every level. Aerostar counters the Dragon’s lair with a cradle for 2. He sets him up on the apron and jumps over Drago with a running sunset flip into a powerbomb on the outside floor! Sick. Now the crowd is chanting holy sh**. He hits a beautiful springboard splash ala Rey Mysterio for the win and the match is over. Great bout, you could tell the crowd didn’t want it to end. Neither did I. They shake hands in sportsmanship but Dario Cueto comes out of his office to say he doesn’t care how much Aero loves Drago, he’s going to put them in a best 3 out of 5 series and offers the winner a “unique opportunity”. These guys could have a best out of 10 for all I care.
King Cuerno is in the gym looking ripped and ready for action while they show a brilliantly produced super-slow motion shot of his arrow dive made even more impressive by sound effects. That’s how you get a move over.
Non-Title/No. 1 Contenders Match:
Cage vs. Prince Puma
Not sure how I feel about the LU champion working the mid-card. I’m pretty sure I don’t like it. It’s a number one contenders match as well. I’d like to know the reasoning behind this. Cage lands a big toss to Puma, who comes back with a strong elbow before botching a springboard hurricanrana. Cage no sells a head kick and shoulder tackles Puma off the ropes and into the apron. His back hit really hard against the apron. He couldn’t stop the fall and landed his head hard on the outside floor. The crowd immediately starts chanting holy sh** and rightfully so. Cage hits the deadlift suplex from the apron for a near fall. Cesaro himself would’ve been proud of that one. Puma dives in the air but Cage catches him, curls him as if he was curling at the gym and hits him with a fall away slam. The crowd is all over this match.
Cage hits a beautiful wheelbarrow suplex and a powerslam, but misses a moonsault from the second rope. Puma hits a tornado kick sending Cage outside and hits a spectacular looking springboard shooting star press from the top turnbuckle to the floor! Insane. That was as spectacular as it was suicidal. Crowd chants holy sh** again. This guy is a highlight reel. It was truly awesome. It must feel great to be able to defy the laws of gravity. He continues to wow everyone as he lands a picture perfect 450 splash for a near fall but Cage kicks out! Puma makes the hardest moves in the industry look so easy. This match is delivering on so many levels.
Cage blocks the Benadryller, Puma reverses a gut wrench powerbomb into a near fall, Cage no sells a superkick, Puma lands two enziguris and heads to the top. He misses the Phoenix splash, Cage hits a clothesline from hell and somewhere JBL is hearing a ring in his ears. He gets a near fall as the crowd chants ‘that was three.’
Cage lands a pump handle into an inverted Falcon Arrow and locks on the Stretch Muffler. This is what a number one contender’s match should look like. Puma is bent out of shape but Konnan appears out of nowhere from out of the crowd to cheer him on and Puma somehow reaches the ropes. Cage hits a powerbomb, a second powebomb but this time to the turnbucle ala Seth Rollins and then the Gory special flatliner he calls Weapon X, the best finisher and name for a finisher (Wolverine anyone?) in wrestling today. He mounts on top of Puma and begins to clobber him with his fists. Konnan then tosses in the towel and the senior official stopped the match. This one is over.
They worked really well together, and put out a great match considering the time they were given. Cage looked like a beast and Puma played the role of a resilient champion well. A suspicious Konnan continues to be the centerpiece of this storyline. Their relationship is very interesting; Konnan is obviously out for himself, attaching himself to Puma out of interest. Puma has repeatedly been shown to be upset with Konnan and the fact he doesnt allow himself to be manipulated by him is intriguing. Is Konnan setting up Puma for a fall in order to back a better prospect? Weapon X
After a commercial, we go backstage where Konnan explains to Puma that he did him a favor. He says it is all about deception in the art of war and they must bring their plan into fruition. Very Machiavellian.
ROH bought an ad on El Rey for their 13th Anniversary PPV.
Sexy Star complains to Cueto about men getting involved in her matches. Cueto makes Sexy Star vs. Big Ryck (what!?) next week, and promises no men will get involved or at all try to save her. Dario is such a sleazeball he even winks at her. All he wants is for her to get hurt. They cut another great all-Spanish promo. Sexy star looks pretty when she’s up close and personal. I don’t know what she’s going to do against Big Ryck next week. Last week she took big hits to the body and face courtesy of the Crew. She’s as tough as she is sexy but I wouldn’t recommend showing up.
Another ROH PPV commercial which focuses on Alberto El Patron being on the show. Vinny Massaro is mid-ring to face Pentagon Jr. Someone is going to get broken off.
Vinny Massaro vs Pentagon Jr
Collar and elbow tieup sets up for one of my favorite maneuvers – Pentagon Jr. slapping the living daylights out of someone’s chest. Superkick connects then sets him up for a nasty looking driver for the win. That is one sweet move. Pentagon Jr. gets a table, sets him up, slaps the back hard before powerbombing him right through it. And, of course, snaps his arm back while he’s down to continue his reign of terror. Wished they would’ve done more with this one as Vinny is a big athlete that could’ve given Pentagon a run for his money, not to mention it was unbelievable he didn’t get one single piece of offense.
After a break, King Cuerno comes down to the ring followed by Johny Mundo – leading to an intense shot of them staring each other down. It’s time for our main event.
On Friday night, WWE held a “Hulk Hogan Appreciation Night” at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Among those in attendance for the special event were Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Triple H, Ric Flair and Jimmy Hart. Additionally, a special tribute video package aired that featured comments from the likes of The Rock, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart and The New Age Outlaws.
The ring ropes for the MSG event on Friday were red and yellow, in honor of “The Hulkster.” They also had a special t-shirt to commemorate the event.
WWE had several camera crews at the show to film the Hogan ceremony, likely for future use on television, the WWE Network or a DVD/Blu-ray release.
MSG raised a special Hogan banner, which you can see pictured below, to go along with their other legendary banners that hang from the rafters. They also presented Hogan with a portrait from WrestleMania 1, which was held in MSG back in March of 1985.
Courtesy of WWE and Triple H’s official Twitter accounts, below are a couple of photos from the event.
– For the eighth time, WWE Hall Of Famer Bob Backlund’s official autobiography has been delayed. The new release date for the project is now Tuesday, August 4th.
– As reported recently, Diamond Dallas Page, Scott Hall and Jake Roberts were in attendance at the Slamdance Film Festival for the premiere of the new “Resurrection of Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts” documentary. Below is additional footage of the trio at the film festival.
– The latest edition of WWE’s “Fantasy Match-Up” online series, which you can check out below, features a look at a fantasy match between Dolph Ziggler and Mr. Perfect.
– The Thursday, February 26th edition of WWE SmackDown scored a final cable rating of 1.86, according to Nielsen Media Research. This week’s rating was up compared to last week’s show, which delivered a 1.77 cable rating. SmackDown this week averaged 2.624 million viewers, which was also up from the 2.403 million viewers who tuned in the previous week.
– WWE broadcast member Renee Young recently held a Q&A on social media. When asked by a fan if she would ever consider wrestling for WWE, she replied with the following joking comment.
Adrian Neville recently spoke to the folks at the “This Is Awesome Wrestling Show” to promote the upcoming NXT live event in Cleveland, Ohio on March 6th. Below are highlights from the interview.
On if there is any jealousy between main roster and NXT roster: “I don’t think so. I certainly don’t get that when I’m working the main roster shows. I think, if anything, the main roster guys are supportive and they are excited to see us thrive and make the transition from NXT to the main roster. And looking forward to standing across the ring from us and competing against us. I know, if I was on the main roster, and I saw the young guys coming in who were hungry and killing it down in NXT, I’d look forward to facing them. I don’t think that’s the case at all. I don’t think that’s true at all.”
On meeting Vince McMahon for the first time: “I haven’t sat down and spoke with Vince in any depth. It’s just been hellos and goodbyes. The first time he caught me off guard backstage at Monday Night Raw. He was just walking down one of the corridors backstage. It was a bit surreal. But it was just a quick, ‘hello, sir, I’m Adrian Neville, one of your developmental talents. Pleasure to meet you.’ It lasted about 20 seconds. It wasn’t very notable or noteworthy.”
On who his choice is to hit the Red Arrow on and who he’d like to rosterfeud with on main roster: “Red Arrow – Daniel Bryan. We’ve been across the ring from each other before and it would be great to do an one-on-one with Bryan on a big stage. Feud – I’d love to wrestle (feud) with Dolph [Ziggler]. I’ve never wrestled Dolph and I think he’s a phenomenal talent. I think it would be a trip. Also, Seth [Rollins]. He’s on fire at the moment. I’d love to go up against Seth. One of those two would be unbelievable.”
On a NXT match at Wrestlemania 31: “Absolutely. Like I said, I don’t think NXT is considered a developmental brand or territory anymore. I feel like, we put out a product that’s just as good as the main roster. So, I’d say yes.”
On if we will see him on main roster within six months: “I very much hope so. I can’t tell you for definite, because the truth is, I don’t know. If I was a betting man, I’d bet on yes. But we will have to wait and see.”
Part-time WWE performer Chris Jericho recently spoke with the folks at Back Sports Page to promote his new autobiography. Below are highlights from the interview.
On a delay to his book because of a disclaimer about Chris Benoit and the process of writing the book: “No, it was chosen by me personally. There was no real push back from the book company. It was all me. I had to put a little bit of a forward in there because Chris (Benoit) is talked about so much in the book in a favorable way. I had to put a little something in. This wasn’t a major thing to hold the book back. When book one did well, we got the offer from them to do book two and when book two did well then we got an offer for book three. There is no way I can begin the process for another two years for a fourth book. When I wrote the “Best in the World” I could tell you that I just didn’t have enough stories to write within the year time frame. Then I realized I have too many stories and I have to put some aside for a fourth book. That’s why I am so proud of book three because it happened in the shortest of time. It’s the most suffice and story wise the strongest because of things that happened in that time frame.”
On getting lost in his character during his feuds with Shawn Michaels and Rey Mysterio: “Yeah, people don’t understand we play characters on TV and it is acting. When you become very good at what we do, you become attached and into the character you play. I was such an evil role on TV and was doing it so well that I felt I was the best on the planet . I felt I was the best I the world at what I did and a lot of people agreed. Not all the time, but on certain nights and at certain times. Listen you do drop into a character and it is very dark and it’s the type of character that people attacked on the streets for real. People were literally attacking me on the street. People knew that wrestling is a show, but they pointed at me and said that guy was real. When you look at how Heath Ledger passed away with the pills and he couldn’t get out of the darkness of the Joker character. If you are not an actor or performer you might think that it’s a little crazy, but as a performer you drop down so far it’s like inception and you are not really sure how to get back to the real person. It was a really a dark time for me on screen and off as I really started acting like this person. Not completely but elements of that character remained in me at all times.”
On how involved he is with the creative direction of his character on television: “You could read about that in “Best in the world”. When you read it you could see how much involvement and input I had with my programs with Shawn Michaels, Rey Mysterio and CM Punk. I was involved with the creative aspect as they used my ideas, not all of them but I was very involved with them. When I came in to the WWE in 1999 I helped write my own stuff, but over time we bought in more writers. I work with the writers in collaboration. Nobody ever gives me a piece of paper and tell me to say things on the air. For other guys they do that and it works for them. They have to gain a trust on what they do between them and the company. You are able to work out and gain the experience to know what you are doing and know who you are. It takes experience on what you can get across as a performer in your promo and the storyline . Sometimes the boss will go with your suggestions and sometimes he won’t and if he doesn’t want to do it then there is not thing you could do. The more I could interject more of my ideas into my character and add my own personality into my storyline and in my promo the better it’s gonna be. Everybody is in their own case by case basis but in my case everything is in collaboration and it has to be. I cannot do any other way.”
On if he has the option to be hands on and have input in what he does in WWE: “Some guys don’t have that option because they don’t have the experience. You pretty much have to do what they are told. I am not doing it because I am such a visionary, I do it because I have the experience and the trust and it takes a while to earn that and get that. When you do get the trust then you can branch out on your own. Until you do get that then you have to do what you are too told do like you would at any job. Certain guys will break free and figure it out and become bigger characters and the own that become Hall of Famers.”
On differences in the style of WWE compared to WCW: “Once again there is a certain WWE style which is taking your time and learning what you’re doing, it takes some time to figure it out when you worked in some other organizations a little bit of time to figure it out for yourself. I figured it out in 2008 with the suit and tie Jericho. I know people think there is a mythical WWE style but it is a real thing. It’s not one of those things that hold you down, or chains you down. It teaches you how to work properly, and how to have the best match you could possibly have and I didn’t learn that until I got to the WWE because I was never taught that way.”
On if there is not enough experience in the current WWE locker room: “There is a bunch of young guys now. You can’t just bring in guys who have experience anymore. It’s not the way it used to be. They have guys training these kids from the inside but things have changed. It’s not their fault it’s the way it is. It was a very magical time in the early 2000’s because you had guys who had ten to twenty years experience in this industry all together in the same place. That made it so magical because of guys who had been through trenches already. Sadly you are not going to have that anymore so you have guys learning as they go. They have to create new guys, new stories, new situations but it will take time. The company is in the right direction and in good shape as new talent is currently being developed.”
– The Thursday, February 26th edition of WWE SmackDown averaged 2.624 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. By comparison, last week’s show scored 2.403 million viewers. Thursday’s show marks the highest rated edition of SmackDown for this month.
– WWE has added Brian Kendrick to the official NXT roster page, the same way they did with Rhyno following his NXT debut last week. As things stand now, there has been no word of either Kendrick or Rhyno signing a new deal with WWE.
– The following is Bray Wyatt’s promo regarding The Undertaker from this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown.
– CM Punk and Colt Cabana are both scheduled to appear on a future episode of IFC’s “Maron” with Marc Maron.
– Following this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown, Adam Rose and Fandango are now both official for the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 31. With those two added to the mix, the updated list features Rose, Fandango, The Miz, Curtis Axel and Ryback. More names will likely be added on Monday’s RAW.
– Speaking of the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, Alex Riley has continued his social media campaign with his focus now being on obtaining a spot in the match. He tweeted the following today:
Following his release from WWE earlier this week, Rey Mysterio’s next move has been revealed.
It’s been rumored that Rey will be working with Lucha Underground and AAA, now f4wonline.comhas confirmed the news. A press conference is scheduled for Tuesday where AAA will announce the signing.
Mysterio is reportedly charging $20,000 per appearance on the indy scene.
– As seen based on the vignettes on television for the past few weeks, Sheamus is scheduled to make his WWE return after being on the sidelines for several months.
As things stand now, WWE is looking at bringing back Sheamus as a heel. In fact, there’s talk that he will be in for a main event push as one of the top heels in the company.
– Below is this week’s “Top 10 WWE SmackDown Moments” video.
– Finally, here is this week’s “JBL (Not Cole) Show.”
Triple H recently spoke with USA Today’s “For The Win” blog to promote his upcoming induction into the International Sports Hall Of Fame. Below are highlights from the interview.
On WWE changing from a cast of larger-than-life guys to a more diverse group of athletes: “It’s changed with the world. You can see the differences in the performers in the WWE from the ’70s and what those bodies looked like, to the ’80s and the ’90s with the Hogans and that era, to the Attitude Era, my era… and the bodies [becoming] sleeker, faster, more versatile…. As crossfit has become more mainstream, as parkour has become a part of the vernacular, you see these guys that are able to do amazing things that 20 years ago we would’ve not even been able to think about doing.”
On if he misses wrestling every week and his transition from wrestler to executive: “Yeah, every now and then I’ll hip toss somebody in the board room by accident. I’ll just walk in there and clobber somebody. Old habits die hard. It’s tough — when I first made the transition, Vince [McMahon] was on me about doing it a lot. He felt like I was getting to a point where I could really contribute. I had been doing it behind the scenes a lot for years and he just wanted me to contribute more in that role. It eventually got to a point where I had an injury, spent some time in the office, and it just sort of morphed into me doing it full time and becoming an executive. When you’re used to traveling 250 days a year and then next thing you know you’re in an office every day wearing a suit and tie having meetings. 90 percent of my day is spent doing either creative or things like developing talent or recruiting talent, so that is the stuff that’s very intriguing and stimulating to me and I love doing. I could do without maybe some of the finance meetings.”
On his biggest accomplishment outside the ring: “We didn’t even have a department called ‘talent development’ when I came in. It was a concept that I pitched to Vince, that I said ‘we have talent relations and all this stuff that we do with talent, but we’re not doing anything to develop the future.’ Or very little, I should say. And we started a division called talent development that I just grabbed, and Vince thankfully gave me the freedom and the trust and confidence and ability to be able to create this.
I started a process of creating something from nothing, and I just looked at it from the standpoint of ‘if I was 20 years old, and I was trying to make it in the WWE knowing everything I know now, what would I want?’ What would I need? What would make it the easiest for me to get where I needed to be? And then I set about creating that system and designing it. We opened up a little less than 30,000-foot Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, partnered with Full Sail college to produce a TV show with us, and NXT was born. We started a recruiting process where we, rather than sitting and waiting for talent to call us, we were going and finding them. We were starting to find out that people were really interested, but they had no idea. Like how do you go about being a WWE superstar? So we created a system and a format for them to be able to do that.”
WWE Superstar David Otunga recently spoke with the Chicago Tribune to discuss his new role in WWE as part of the RAW pre-show. Below are highlights from the interview.
On his new role on the RAW pre-show: “It kind of fits with what I’ve been doing as a legal analyst on HLN and CNN. It’s great to be back. I was off for a while and missed it greatly. (WWE) is family.”
On taking time off from the ring: “I needed to spend more time with my family and son. But now I really want to get back in the ring. I hear it 20 times a day from fans: ‘When are you coming back?’ My son is like ‘Dad, I want to see you wrestle again.’ He’s five and now of the age where he and his classmates are big into it.”
WWE returns to Madison Square Garden tonight for “Hulk Hogan Appreciation Night.”
Here’s a preview for this evening’s live event.
– Hogan Appreciation Night with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash
– US Champion Rusev vs. John Cena
– Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt
– Daniel Bryan & Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins & Kane.
– IC Champion BNB vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Dean Ambrose.
– Chris Jericho’s Highlight Reel
Plus Paige, The Bella Twins and more will be in attendance.
With Randy Orton siding with the Authority on RAW, it remains to be seen if he’ll still be teaming with Daniel Bryan against The Authority’s Rollins & Kane.
Things just got real for Jon Stewart. After some trash talking back and forth with Seth Rollins, Mr. Money in the Bank showed up in person on Thursday’s episode of The Daily Show.
Rollins first appeared via video, hijacking Stewart’s show concluding “Moment of Zen.” As Stewart was responding, Rollins showed up in the studio and challenged him to show up at Monday’s WWE RAW from the Prudential Center in New Jersey.
WWE’s official Facebook page issued a breaking news alert on Thursday evening to announce that Bad News Barrett will defend the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 31. But this won’t be any old title defense:
BREAKING NEWS: Intercontinental Champion Bad News Barrett will defend his title against multiple WWE Superstar opponents in a Ladder Match on the Grandest Stage in Entertainment, WWE WrestleMania 31, LIVE Sunday, March 29 at 8e/5p on WWE Network. #31to31
– The following matches were taped on Tuesday night in Atlanta, Georgia for tonight’s edition of WWE SmackDown on the SyFy Network:
– Dean Ambrose vs. The Miz
– Naomi vs. Natalya
– Intercontinental Champion Bad News Barrett vs. Daniel Bryan in a non-title match
– Curtis Axel vs. Fandango
– Goldust vs. Adam Rose
– Dolph Ziggler, Ryback, and Erick Rowan vs. Seth Rollins, Big Show, and Kane
– The following press release was sent out today regarding Jim Ross’ one-man show during WrestleMania weekend …
PinUp Productions is proud to present RINGSIDE: An Afternoon with Jim Ross Saturday March 28th at the Rockbar Theater at 360 Saratoga Avenue San Jose, CA 95129. Tickets are currently on sale on TicketWeb and at the Rockbar Theater Box Office.
There will be a pre-show meet and greet for VIP ticket holders. The meet & greet runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Doors open for General Admission ticket holders at 12 p.m. with the show beginning at 1 p.m.
Known to sports entertainment fans around the world as the Voice of Professional Wrestling, “Good Ol’ J.R.” has nearly done it all.
From sports entertainment executive to New York Times Bestselling Author, to enduring the struggle of Bell’s palsy and even playing the role of entrepreneur with his own barbeque sauce brand, Jim Ross has certainly worn many hats. But, come March 28th, he will puts on his most famous hat: a 200X Resistol when he takes the stage for a matinee performance to share his life story.
As one of the most influential sports executives of the past 40 years, J.R. has been welcomed into the homes of millions of viewers each and every week. His cool yet dry Southern charm became the soundtrack for wrestling’s most memorable clashes in the sport’s rich history. J.R.’s tales of the road and personal anecdotes featuring some of wrestling’s most legendary stars will have you howling with laughter.
After a successful performances around the world including the United Kingdom, Manhattan and most recently in Philadelphia, J.R. will bring his one-man show to San Jose for a special matinee performance: sharing his stories with wrestling fans in the intimate setting of the Rockbar Theater on March 28th, 2015.
The event will also feature a no holds barred question and answer session with J.R. where the fans become the stars!
Listen to the Ross Report with Jim Ross on PodcastOne to learn more about this event.
“Like” RINGSIDE with Jim Ross on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/JimRossLIVE
Follow Jim Ross on Twitter: @JRsBBQ
Visit Jim Ross online at: http://jrsbarbq.com
WWE issued a press release today to promote a charitable endeavour they are taking part in that will benefit the Special Olympics, as well as the Lucille Packard Hospital.
The company issued the following press release today with additional information.
WWE® LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO BENEFIT SPECIAL OLYMPICS INTERNATIONAL AND LUCILE PACKARD CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL STANFORD
STAMFORD, Conn., February 26, 2015 – WWE (NYSE: WWE) today announced the launch of Superstars for Hope, a fundraising campaign on Indiegogo, the world’s largest crowdfunding platform, to benefit Special Olympics and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford in honor of Connor’s Cure. The announcement was made exclusively on Twitter by WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon, WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan and WWE Superstar John Cena. To kick off Superstars for Hope, WWE and the San Francisco 49ers Foundation have each donated $25,000, the first in a series of community outreach initiatives in celebration of WrestleMania 31 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on Sunday, March 29.
Beginning today, supporters can donate at SuperstarsforHope.com and receive unique WWE merchandise, autographs, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences from WWE Superstars, Divas and Legends. Each week, WWE will add new exclusive experiences to the campaign, including:
– A tour of WWE’s state-of-the-art Performance Center in Orlando, Florida
– Backstage access to Monday Night Raw or SmackDown
– VIP package to WWE pay-per-view events
– Lunch with WWE Superstar Triple H® at the WWE Performance Center
– WWE World Heavyweight Championship title signed by WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon and Triple H
– An ultimate WrestleMania 32 package
– Lunch with the cast of the hit E! reality show Total Divas
“WWE’s support of Special Olympics gives us a unique platform from which to reach, educate and welcome countless new fans and athletes to our movement,” said Janet Froetscher, CEO, Special Olympics. “The important work we do around the world to create communities of acceptance and respect for all will only be successful when the world heeds our call to Play Unified in order to Live Unified.”
“Every day at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, our doctors, staff, and researchers strive to ensure the best possible care for children with cancer,” said Christopher G. Dawes, president and CEO of Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford. “WWE has been a strong advocate of pediatric cancer research and we’re pleased to support the important mission of Connor’s Cure.”
“WWE is dedicated to using the power of our brand to give back to the community in as many ways as we can,” said Stephanie McMahon, WWE Chief Brand Officer. “I am proud that this year’s Superstars for Hope campaign will support two worthwhile causes, Special Olympics celebrating acceptance and inclusion, and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford in honor of Connor’s Cure in an effort to find a cure for pediatric cancer.”
“The 49ers Foundation is proud to be partnering with WWE to further our commitment to making an impact on and off the field,” said John York, Chairman/Co-Owner of the San Francisco 49ers. “Special Olympics and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford provide much needed resources for superstars in our community – athletes with intellectual disabilities and children fighting life-threatening and life-limiting illness. It is an honor to join with WWE to support them through the Superstars for Hope campaign.”
In support of Superstars for Hope, celebrities and athletes are serving as official social media ambassadors to help raise funds and awareness. Ambassadors include San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, journalist Joan Lunden, journalist and Yahoo! global news anchor Katie Couric, multi-platinum recording artist and actress Jordin Sparks and actor Kellan Lutz.
Fans can click here now through Tuesday, March 31 to participate and use the hashtag #STARS4HOPE when donating.
– WWE.com has published a gallery of rare Vince McMahon photos from throughout the years.
– Triple H was interviewed by USA Today this week about his induction into the International Sports Hall of Fame.
– Hulk Hogan, John Cena and Stephanie McMahon were at Google headquarters in Mountain View, California earlier today as part of the #31to31 Wrestlemania campaign. They each held a Q&A session on Twitter, with #AskCena and #AskSteph still trending. They will also tour the campuses of Twitter and Facebook as part of the tour. Here are some photos from today:
