Viewership was down this week for TNA Impact Wrestling and Ring Of Honor on Destination America.
TNA Impact at 9pm EST drew 327,000 viewers, down from last week’s 343,000 viewers. The midnight replay drew 42,000 viewers, down from last week’s 64,000. Impact had a total of 369,000 viewers for the night, down from last week’s 407,000.
Ring of Honor at 11pm EST drew 151,000 viewers, down from last week’s 171,000.
– As reported this afternoon, Rosa Mendes announced in an interview with WWE.com that she is pregnant and expecting a girl in February. On Instagram, the WWE Diva revealed the father as her boyfriend, Bobby Schubenski.
https://twitter.com/Bobbyrageshard/status/593902448202231808
The two have been dating for a few months. Schubenski is a musician and co-owner of clothing company Blackcraft Cult, a heavy metal T-shirt operation.
– After several years, Lilian Garcia is once again the premiere ring announcer in a WWE video game.
Soooo excited 2 announce that I am back in the @WWEGAMES & in a big way this year! #WWE2K16 here I come!! ???????
— Lilian Garcia (@LilianGarcia) August 6, 2015
The first significant footage from WWE 2K16 was released this week and Garcia was shown as the ring announcer. She appeared in last year’s game, but only for the “Rivalries” mode focusing on famous WWE rivalries.
– WWE.com has published a photo gallery of WWE Superstars and Divas competing in Brisbane, Australia tour today.
Part two of “Ultima Lucha,” the season finale of Lucha Underground aired last night (August 5th). For results on the first hour of the special event, click this link.
The show opens with a tribute to the late “Rowdy” Roddy Piper.
Johnny Mundo defeated Alberto El Patron after Melina appeared and attacked Patron with his own AAA title belt to allow Mundo to get the pin.
In a backstage segment, Dragon Azteca is shown trying to help Black Lotus, after Dario shows up, she betrays Azteca and seemingly kills him. Dario sets her free, but for what purpose?
Pentagon Jr. defeated Vampiro
After the match Pentagon Jr. calls for his master, Vampiro calls for him to break his arm and he does, Vampiro then proclaims that he is his master and that he’s ready.
Fenix wins the Seven Way Gift of the Gods Battle Royal
Before the next match, a card is handed to ring announcer Melissa Santos who explains that Dario Cueto has agreed to make this a No DQ match.
Blue Demon Jr. defeated Texano
The main event of Ultima Lucha is hyped up some more with both Mil Muertes and Prince Puma in their locker rooms, preparing for the match.
Mil Muertes defeated Prince Puma to become the new Lucha Underground Champion
After the match Catrina gives Prince Puma the lick of death before The Disciples of Death come out to the ring standing tall, with most of the gold.
It’s not over yet however as we see Black Lotus helping Dario clear out his office, as they leave the building a mysterious face is shown – the brother of Dario?
Fenix is shown leaving the building with his new title, but is being stalked. Marty the Moth is shown having kidnapped Sexy Star and has her tied up so she can become his sister.
Son of Havoc, Ivelisse and Angelico are shown leaving the temple proclaiming that they want the Trios Titles back while Vampiro is shown teaching Pentagon Jr. the way.
Drago and Aerostar are shown leaving the Temple in their own way and Dario is shown at the very end, as all the lights go out, smiling… but with a sinister look on his face.
To Be Continued is shown on the screen…
It looks like WWE announcer Renee Young is interested in becoming a correspondent for The Daily Show on Comedy Central, which will see Jon Stewart sign off on his final broadcast later this evening.
Young, who was reportedly on ESPN’s radar not too long ago, recently posted videos on Vimeo of herself playing a Daily Show correspondent, with Dean Ambrose (off camera) filling in for Jon Stewart.
In each clip, the two acted out two old skits from the show. The Vimeo clips were quickly set to private, but not before being captured and re-uploaded to DailyMotion. You can see the two videos here and here.
Renee did a great job with the mock segments, hopefully she’s not going anywhere any time soon, because she’s easily one of the most talented broadcasters in WWE.
Stone Cold Steve Austin was recently confirmed as the cover star for WWE 2K16, the next WWE video game which is due to be released in October on a number of platforms.
WWE.com recently spoke with the Texas Rattlesnake to promote the game, you can check out highlights from the interview below:
On being the cover star of WWE 2K16:
“It caught me completely off guard. I was very surprised when I got the phone call. You know, I figured I’d been gone for such a long time; it’s been a while.
I think it really speaks to how Austin and The Attitude Era resonated with the fans back then and, obviously, it resonated enough for 2K to pick a guy like me. I’m thankful to have had so many dance partners and so many Hall of Famers to work with. It was really an all-star cast of people in a 20-by-20 squared circle, entertaining people. At the end of the day, you really gotta thank the fans for being there for us. It’s an extreme honor.”
If there was any Superstar from his past who he would like to go one more round with:
“A guy that I’ve always had so much respect for and only got a chance to meet one time was Andre the Giant. So, I would like to play Andre the Giant as myself, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. And some of the new guys that they’re bringing into this game like Finn Bálor, who I think is an outstanding talent and a veteran who’s moved to WWE, but a guy who is probably one of the best wrestlers in the world. There are many dream matchups that I could sit and talk to you about all day.”
The amount of respect he has for John Cena:
“Man, John Cena. I got a lot of respect for that guy. You talk about a road warrior, a guy that works his tail off, shows up with a smile on his face every single day and adds himself to shows when he’s needed. Hell, even when he’s not needed, the guy just loves to get on the road, and he loves the company that much. He’s an absolute workhorse.”
WWE 2K16 is due to be released on October 27th, 2015, in North America and October 30th, 2015, internationally. Check out the full interview with Steve Austin at this link.
As we reported last night, Triple H was testing out the latest streaming service brought to you by Facebook and took some time to answer some fan questions. Below is more of what was discussed:
– The WWE COO revealed that Bayley would be challenging Sasha Banks for the NXT Women’s Championship at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn but that wasn’t all he spoke about.
– While speaking about NXT Takeover: Brooklyn, he revealed that there were still some seats available for the event, but added that it will sell out.
– Triple H gives fans a small tour of his office which also shows the live stream of the Performance Center down in Orlando.
– He is asked about Ronda Rousey and whether or not we will see her in a WWE ring again, he explains that this depends on a lot of factors. He says they are huge fans of hers.
Triple H explained that the opportunity is there for Ronda but it all depends on what they can make happen and also congratulated her on her victory at UFC 190 adding “never say never.”
– Going on the road with NXT is brought up and Triple H discusses some of the tours and festivals they will be taking the show. He also addressed international shows and the potential for NXT dates in the UK. He explained that NXT will go wherever there is demand.
WWE Diva Rosa Mendes is pregnang and will be having a baby girl in February 2016. She broke the news in an interview with WWE.com posted on Thursday.
When asked about what this means for her future in WWE, Rosa said:
“This baby has really motivated me and inspired me. I look at powerful moms like Stephanie McMahon. She’s a mother of three and she does it all, and her kids are bright and intelligent. So, this has truly motivated me. And, I look at my accomplishments — I’m a WWE Diva, I’m an entrepreneur and now I’m going to have the most important job in the world, being a mother and giving this baby an amazing life.”
Congrats to Rosa!
https://twitter.com/realpaigewwe/status/629353768715468801
The results for this week’s episode of Ring Of Honor TV, which was filmed at Terminal 5 in New York City and aired last night (August 5th) on Destination America are shown below:
ROH TV opens with Roderick Strong talking about his match against ROH Champion Jay Lethal at Death Before Dishonor XIII and demands a rematch after it ended in a draw.
The Young Bucks defeated War Machine by pinfall
Adam Cole is shown backstage talking about his match tonight against Kyle O’Reilly. He discusses the apparent issues between him and The Kingdom and shoots these down, he references the FutureShock tag team and says that tonight they will face-off, walk in, and leave with respect for each other.
Cedric Alexander w/Veda Scott defeated The Romantic Touch by pinfall
ROH World & TV Champion Jay Lethal is backstage with Truth Martini talking about the match against Roderick Strong and says that he now has to go to the back of the line with regards to his rematch.
Back to ringside and Christopher Daniels is out to join Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino on commentary for the main event of the night.
Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly goes to a No Contest
After The Addiction interfere in the match, Cole grabs the mic and says that they are tired of The Addiction messing around with reDRagon and the Kingdom leading them to challenge the Addiction to a tag team match which they accept – FutureShock have reunited for one night only.
FutureShock defeated The Addiction by pinfall
The Addiction appear along with Chris Sabin and attack Cole & O’Reilly, Bobby Fish quickly makes his way to the ring for the save. reDRagon and Cole clear the ring and then stare them down. The Kingdom along with Maria appear on the rampway, visibly unhappy with what they’re seeing.
NXT Takeover: Brooklyn is just a number of weeks away and during last night’s episode of WWE NXT on the WWE Network, a number of new matches were confirmed.
Below are the results from last night’s edition of WWE NXT:
Bayley defeated Charlotte with a Bayley-to-Belly suplex from the top rope.
An interview is aired with Michael Cole and Kevin Owens. Cole questions Owens’ apology to William Regal. Owens goes on to speak about why the NXT Title is so important explaining that it reminds him of what he did to Sami Zayn, and of course it adds money to his bank account. Owens reveals that he’s concerned that Regal might try to screw him over at Takeover and challenges Balor to a ladder match.
Baron Corbin defeated Jesus De Leon with the End of Days
Bayley is shown meeting with General Manager William Regal and asked for a title match against Sasha Banks. Regal signed Bayley vs. Becky Lynch for next week to determine the number one contender and the opponent for Sasha Banks at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn.
Tyler Breeze defeated Aaron Solo with the Beauty Shot followed by a pin
William Regal appears on stage following the match and announces that at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn, Tyler Breeze will take on Jushin Thunder Liger. A video package is aired.
Another video package is aired showing Uhaa Nation, he confirms that he will debut at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn under the name of Apollo Crews.
Hype Bros defeated Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder via pinfall
William Regal is backstage with the Vaudevillians and gives them a tag team title rematch at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn with Blake & Murphy.
Samoa Joe defeated Rhyno with the Muscle Buster in the main event of this week’s show
Click here to see the current card for NXT Takeover: Brooklyn
All day today (August 6th) the WWE Network has been paying tribute to the late “Rowdy” Roddy Piper who passed away recently at his home in Hollywood at the age of 61.
WWE confirmed the following regarding the Roddy Piper marathon, including a brand new show “Table for 3” which also stars “Mean” Gene Okerlund and “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff.
Check out the full listings below:
Starting this morning, the award-winning WWE Network presents a special “Rowdy” Roddy Piper–themed Throwback Thursday, featuring legendary events where “Hot Rod” blazed a trail in WWE. From his Intercontinental Title victory in 1992 to exciting interviews inside “Piper’s Pit,” revisit these moments and more as WWE Network celebrates Piper’s WWE Hall of Fame career.
Tonight at 10/9 C, catch a special presentation of Table for 3, featuring Piper, Gene Okerlund and Paul Orndorff at the dinner table discussing their favorite pranks and stories from their careers.
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. ET – TODAY
WWE Royal Rumble 1992
It’s every man for himself as 30 top Superstars compete in the annual Royal Rumble Match for the vacant WWE Championship. And, Piper battles The Mountie for the Intercontinental Title.Tuesday Night Titans – July 17, 1984
Vince McMahon hosts Tuesday Night Titans with Lord Alfred Hayes. Studio guests include Piper, Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, Tony Garea and Wendi Richter.Saturday Night’s Main Event – Nov. 2, 1985
“Rowdy” Roddy Piper hosts a very special Halloween celebration.Raw Flashback – Feb. 26, 1996
Witness the storied rivalry between WWE Champion Bret Hart and Shawn Michaelsreach another historic chapter as WWE President “Rowdy” Roddy Piper announces the stipulation for their epic encounter at WrestleMania XII.Table for 3 – TONIGHT at 10/9 C
Piper, “Mean” Gene Okerlund and “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff sit down to dinner and discuss the importance of the groundbreaking first WrestleMania event, as well as their favorite road stories, pranks and memories from their WWE Hall of Fame careers.
– Tuesday’s “Week 7” episode of WWE Tough Enough dropped to a season-low 0.70 rating with 856,000 viewers. The show premiered with a 0.87 rating, peaked during Week 3 (0.96 rating) and has been trending downward ever since.
WWE announced that John Cena will be making a guest appearance on the show next week, which is probably their best card to play in order to turn things around for the struggling show.
– Dolph Ziggler is scheduled to return to action this weekend. Radio ads for WWE’s live event from Vancouver are promoting that Ziggler will be facing Rusev in the co-main event of the evening, along with Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt. (Thanks to reader Scott Williamson).
– There continues to be talk within WWE about introducing Divas tag team titles, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
More details are “coming out” regarding WWE considering Brock Lesnar portraying a gay character back in 2002, courtesy of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
According to Dave Meltzer, it was Dr. J. Kober Zehner who originally came up with the idea. Brian Solomon and Aaron Feigenbaum developed the idea and pitched it to the head writers at the time, which included Paul Heyman, Brian Gewirtz and Seth Mates. Heyman was said to be completely against the idea, since Lesnar had already established himself on TV as a freak athlete that didn’t need a controversial gimmick to get over. Meltzer speculates that Lesnar would have likely hated the idea, since it could have wrong a dozen different ways.
An excerpt of the pitch to WWE’s lead writers reportedly stated:
“[Brock] is physically dominant, has impeccable credentials concerning believability, and because he is new and relatively unknown, his character can be crafted easily. His ascension could also raise the scores of other Superstars with whom he feuds. The following possible scenario to increase Brock’s ability to grow the industry is radical. It’s unprecedented and may appear crazy at first. There are risks involved, but if it works, it has Austin/McMahon like potential. The solution: Turn Brock Gay.
Everything else about him stays the same. He’s pushed in a traditional babyface manner. He’s not the stereotypical Billy/Chuck character. He’s Brock. He continues to annihilate people. He’s just gay. It has to be presented as completely real, especially in the beginning.”
In the end, the idea never came to fruition and Lesnar has had a Hall of Fame career without his character’s sexual orientation ever coming into play.
Comment below and tell us if you think Brock would have reached the heights that he did, had WWE revealed his character was gay.
– A lot of controversy has spread regarding UFC President Dana White’s “FAKE” comments when referring to a legion of pro wrestling fans on social media, a campaign that WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins was a major part of, in terms of back-and-forth comments between himself and White.
Earlier this week, current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, current FOX Sports analyst and lifelong pro wrestling fan (need proof — watch UFC champ Daniel Cormier completely mark out when watching Rollins win the WWE title at WrestleMania earlier this year by clicking here for possibly the funniest crowd reaction from a celebrity in WWE event history) appeared on the “Steve Austin Show – Unleashed!” podcast, and the two shared their in-depth feelings about the backlash behind UFC President Dana White’s “FAKE” comments.
Surprisingly enough, Austin and Cormier did not side with who you think they would side with. In fact, to make things even crazier, forget who they each sided with, and listen to why they each backed who they did by CLICKING HERE.
– WWE is planning on having the feud between John Cena and Seth Rollins run as a long-term program, as Cena vs. Rollins is booked as the advertised main event for most of the key WWE live events through September.
The company will continue to market “anti-Cena” t-shirts for the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, one of which Rollins debuted this past Monday night on RAW in San Jose California. Two of the shirt ideas read, “Never Shut Up” instead of “Never Give Up,” and “You Can’t See Knee” instead of “You Can’t See Me.”
Speaking of the knee, which Rollins landed to Cena’s face over a week ago, resulting in Cena needing reconstructive surgery to repair a badly broken nose, the fact that it happened is part of the reason WWE is running with Cena-Rollins long-term.
Cena vs. Rollins in a “Title vs. Title — Winner Take All” match is scheduled for this year’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view, which will be a four-hour event live on Sunday, August 23, 2015 from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
WWE is gearing up to give Eva Marie a big push in the coming weeks at the expense of Lana, according to Dave Meltzer in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
After getting over in a big way as Rusev’s manager and more recently as his rival and Dolph Ziggler’s love interest, it appears WWE is getting ready to pull back on Lana’s push in favor of Eva Marie.
Eva Marie has been training hard to improve her in-ring work, which has been universally mocked by the WWE Universe since she started with the company. Higher ups in WWE are looking to feature Eva Marie as one of the cornerstones of the Divas revolution, with the storyline being Eva Marie took the rejection from fans to heart and it drove her to work hard and become Divas champion.
Many fans have been calling for Lana to be reunited with Rusev, since both of them saw the most success when they were paired together. During a recent workout video clip published by WWE, Lana teased that she’s been working on her own in-ring work and sent a message to the other Divas that she’s becoming a threat they need to watch out for.
It remains to be seen if Lana does eventually become an active competitor, but expect to see some pullback on how much TV time she’s been getting.
Another batch of screenshots from WWE 2K16 has surfaced online featuring Stone Cold Steve Austin, Daniel Bryan, Finn Balor, Seth Rollins and Bad News Barrett. (Pre-Order now from Amazon.com)
The game is scheduled to be released in October and will boast the largest roster in WWE video game history, with over 120 playable characters.
As seen on Monday’s edition of RAW, WWE has given the trio of Paige, Charlotte and Becky Lynch a team name, similar to Sasha Banks, Naomi and Tamina being called “Team B.A.D.” and the team of Nikki Bella, Brie Bella and Alicia Fox being referred to as “Team Bella.”
Unfortunately, the team name for the babyface trio, “The Submission Sorority,” is also the name of an adult website, a fact that WWE quickly found out about after mentioning the name on national television.
A traffic analyst for the BangBros website told TMZ.com that their web traffic shot up 56% overnight, and they saw a 35% rise in subscriptions. The adult movie company plans on sending Vince McMahon a ‘thank you’ gift basket for the spike in business.
As a result of the slip up, WWE is already talking about changing the group name to “The Submission Sisters.” There was actually some discussions about giving the group the name “Horsewomen,” however the belief was that it could be seen as stepping on UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey’s toes.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
– Earlier today, Curtis Axel’s profile on WWE.com was altered to reflect his Hulk Hogan-based Axelmania schtick. It has been changed again as all references to the persona have been removed.
When WWE terminated Hogan’s contract two weeks ago amid allegations that he made racist comments, virtually all references to his legendary name were removed from the official website, including his listing as a judge for Tough Enough, his merchandise on WWE Shop, and his entry in the Hall of Fame portion of the Superstars section. This included anything that could be associated with Hogan, which meant the end of Axel’s character.
– AJ Brooks (a/k/a AJ Lee) has changed her Twitter handle to AJBrooks.
At last, I have a new handle: @AJBrooks. New name. Same asinine tweets.
— A.J. (@AJBrooks) August 5, 2015
– Here is the synopsis for Total Divas airing on Tuesday, August 18, 2015 at 9/8 CT on E!: “Tensions ride high in the Bella family when JJ tries to take over the twins’ new business; Trinity goes above and beyond in her role as stepmother; and Eva devises a risky plan to prove herself to the Divas.”
Former independent wrestling sensation Uhaa Nation, who recently signed with NXT, will be making his official debut with the promotion later this month.
Uhaa Nation will now be known as “Apollo Crews” in NXT, and will debut at the Saturday, August 22nd NXT Takeover: Brooklyn event, which airs live on the WWE Network the night before WWE SummerSlam.
As of right now, there is no official word regarding who Crews’ opponent will be at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn.
The following matches are scheduled for tonight’s edition of Lucha Underground on the El Rey Network, which is their “Ultimate Lucha” two-hour season finale.
– Alberto El Patron vs. Johnny Mundo
– Vampiro vs. Pentagon Jr. in a Cero Miedo match
– Fenix vs. Sexy Star vs. AeroStar vs. Bengala vs. King Cuerno vs. Jack Evans vs. Big Ryck in a 7 Way Gift of the Gods match
– Texano vs. Blue Demon Jr.
– Prince Puma vs. Mil Muertes (w/Catrina) in a Lucha Underground Championship Match
Check out a video preview for tonight’s Lucha Underground season finale at the top of the page.
As reported earlier this week, Insight Editions have announced August 22, 2015 as “Ultimate Warrior Day,” in honor of the late WWE Hall Of Famer.
Below is a press release issued by the company this week, which announces details on the tribute, including Dana Warrior launching “Ultimate Warrior: A Life Lived Forever” book during WWE SummerSlam weekend.
Join Insight Editions at The Powerhouse Arena for Ultimate Warrior Day!
Including a Book Signing with Dana Warrior
Saturday, August 22, 2015, is Ultimate Warrior Day, and Dana Warrior will be at The POWERHOUSE Arena celebrating Ultimate Warrior’s enduring legacy and promoting Insight Editions’ new book, Ultimate Warrior: A Life Lived “Forever.”
Known for his vibrant face paint, Ultimate Warrior’s true colors can be seenin Ultimate Warrior: A Life Lived “Forever.” Releasing on Tuesday, September 15, 2015, this biography showcases the WWE Hall of Famer through stories and photographs of his historic matches, as well as rare candid, behind-the-scenes images and personal ephemera from his family, making this the ultimate collectible for diehard Warrior fans worldwide.
This book launch will feature an autograph table, Warrior statue, museum displays, a face paint artist, and more! Ultimate Warrior Day, on Saturday, August 22, 2015, begins at 3:00 p.m., and is open to the first 300 fans at The POWERHOUSE Arena, which is located at 37 Main Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11210 and is exclusive to Ultimate Warrior book purchases made at POWERHOUSE.
About Insight Editions:
Insight Editions is a publisher focused on creating superlative illustrated books on photography, music, and popular culture. Lavishly produced and visually stimulating, every volume from Insight is dedicated to the skillful interplay of word and image. The books produced are unique works that combine the highest quality print production values with time-honored traditions of publishing and rich subject matter. Elegant and informative, books from Insight showcase the best of art and photography in exquisite presentations of the bookmaker’s craft. For more information, visit www.insighteditions.com.
About POWERHOUSE Arena:
The POWERHOUSE Arena is a laboratory for creative thought. Home to world-renowned art book publisher powerHouse books, the Arena is a gallery, boutique, book store, performance, and events space located at 37 Main Street, in New York City’s scenic DUMBO neighborhood. With soaring 24- foot ceilings on the 5,000 square foot ground floor (with over 175 linear-feet of glass frontage and amphitheater-style seating), The POWERHOUSE Arena showcases a series of landmark exhibitions, performances, and controlled mayhem fusing the worlds of art, photography, design, fashion, pop culture, advertising, music, dance, film, and television into a glorious whirlwind of captivating spectacle. For more information, visit: www.powerhousearena.com.
When WWE terminated Hulk Hogan’s contract on July 24 amid allegations that he made racist comments, virtually all references to his legendary name were removed from their website, including his listing as a judge for Tough Enough, his merchandise from WWE Shop, and his entry from its WWE Hall of Fame page. This included any imagery that could be associated with him, and for Curtis Axel, it meant the demise of his character patterned after the legendary wrestler.
In an update, Axel’s profile on WWE.com was reverted back to the “Axelmania” character today.
Former WWE Tough Enough contestant Chelsea Green recently spoke with the folks at After Buzz TV about her elimination from the show, her relationship with Tanner, her ankle injury and more. Below are some of the highlights from the interview, which you can check out in full above.
On her WWE Tough Enough elimination: “When I woke up this morning I think it had sunk in a little bit more. Of course I’m upset but I feel better than I did last night. I’m just gonna keep training, get back in the ring and I’m just using this as a stepping stone to improve and better myself.”
On dealing with the ankle injury: “I was put into this competition late and I didn’t have time to take a month off. So I knew that I just had to tape it up, put a brace on it and get back out there and do as much as I could and do it to the best of my abilities and I think I did pretty well.”
On her relationship with Tanner: “We were having a good time. We’re stuck in the barracks, we just need to have a good time. Sometimes I had good times with Tanner, sometimes I had good times with the girls and you saw in the hot tub, we were just having fun.”
TNA Wrestling performer Matt Hardy recently spoke with Sean Ross Sapp of Wrestling Inc about a wide variety of topics. Below are some of the highlights of part one of their two-part interview.
On his match at tonight’s Impact Wrestling and being in such a high-profile position at this stage in his career: “It’s always an honor to be in a top position. When it comes down to it, I’m a kid who came from a small down in North Carolina and the dream was to become a professional wrestler. Obviously my brother and I have been very successful, but I still have a passion to be as good as I can be. I realize after 24 years that it’s hard to be as athletic as I used to be, but I feel like I have a lot of mileage in the tank. To go into this Full Metal Mayhem match tonight and challenge for the world title is very special. I guarantee people will walk away from this match in disbelief that Matt Hardy is still doing these things when he’ll be 41 in a month. That’s my goal coming out of this. I feel like no one can represent TNA better than I can right now.”
On both of The Hardy Boys wrestling at age 40 despite people thinking they wouldn’t due to their style in the ring: “I don’t know, man. I never try to predict the future. Even when we started with the WWE and were doing regular matches, the pace, the moves. We were doing splashes and Jeff was taking flat back bumps to the floor, and our finish was a legdrop/splash. The veterans who watched our matches said we wouldn’t be able to walk by the time we were 35. It was very scary. To still be a part of that right now and be able to do the things I do, I’ve had to totally change my thing. It’s a lifestyle, and you can tell the changes I’ve made in the last year. I really just try to work hard and stay passionate about things. I’m very lucky, I think.”
On still working crazy stipulation matches this late into his career: “Honestly, I didn’t expect it. I’m pleasantly surprised that I feel as good as I do. I try to be a statement for someone who is a regular person in this business and their longevity. I’m living proof that it can happen. I’ve been through struggles and survived. I was with the Young Bucks this weekend and we were talking about how intense Kevin Owens’ schedule was. For 12 years I was doing ten days on, four days off, then 5 days on, a day and a half off. There’s no way to describe the damage that puts on your body, especially if you wrestled a high impact style like I did. These TNA TVs are a little challenging sometimes because we have several days back-to-back. We did that recently. It was aggressive and tough for me. As soon as I was done, I’d get back to the room and sleep for an hour, then I’m up training, stretching, staying in survival mode. I really had to change my game. I have to make wrestling my lifestyle and what I build my schedule around.”
On his thoughts on TNA as a whole: “I encourage fans to check out TNA on Destination America not just tonight, but each week. We have a lot of really great programming and wrestling, and I think maybe some older fans who fell away from the brand would really enjoy it.”
Check out the complete interview at WrestlingInc.com.