Home Blog Page 1193

Kurt Angle On Wanting To Wrestle Bret Hart, His Toughest Career Decision

Steve Russell
-
0

WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle has lamented the fact he and Bret Hart were never able to have a match together. Angle opened up about the popular dream match during a recent Q&A session on his Facebook account.

He shared how he had always wanted to work with Bret, but given that Bret “got hurt and then had a stroke” it sadly guaranteed that the two technical wrestlers would never be able to face each other. Angle complimented Hart, noting how he is “one of the best.”

Kurt Angle’s Toughest Decision

Angle also answered a question asking him what the hardest decision he’s ever had to make was. For him, it came down to his in-ring career and whether he needed to retire or not. It became a real struggle for him to decide “Whether I should retire after I broke my neck several times. I decided to continue. I was very lucky to be able to.”

Despite being able to continue his in-ring career, Angle recently revealed how banged up his body is. He confessed how his “quality of life right now sucks.”

Weight Cutting

A prolific amateur wrestler, a fan asked Angle what his thoughts were on weight cutting for competitions. Angle was quick to answer, explaining why he doesn’t believe in the practice:

“I wrestled at 220lbs. I weighed 209lbs. I feel that if you have to cut weight you spend most of your time training to make weight instead of getting the most out of your training regimen.”

Kurt Angle wrestled his last in-ring matchup at WrestleMania 34. He competed in a losing effort against Baron Corbin in a “Farewell Match.”

Fit Finlay On Working With WWE’s Women’s Division, Wrestling Being “In The Family”

Steve Russell
-
0

Fit Finlay has been working for WWE as a Backstage Producer for a while now. During his time in this role, he has been instrumental in helping to grow and strengthen the Women’s Division. Joining WWE’s The Bump, Finlay spoke about the work he’s done and his hopes for the future of the division. 

“Well, it first started when I came to WWE in 2001-2002, as a producer. I was given the task of working with the girls,” Finlay explained. “As you know, during those years it was all bra and panties, lingerie matches. Whatever gimmick match it was, I had to work with the girls.”

He continued, “It was sort of embarrassing to me. I knew I was not what the girls wanted. I started teaching them how to wrestle and got them all together and said ‘Hey, I don’t really like to do this. I don’t like to tell you how to strip yourselves off in a match. It’s alien to me for one, and it’s degrading to you.’ So, I came up with a plan to start putting on wrestling matches and teaching them all the ins and outs.”

Finlay noted how he would be reprimanded by certain people. According to him, these higher-ups didn’t want their female roster wrestling “like the guys.” He was told how they should be pulling each others hair and not actually grappling.

Despite the resistance, Finlay remained resolute. He helped to develop it throughout the years, noting how it was a gradual process. Because the women put everything into it and listened to his coaches, the division started to grow and legitimize itself. 

Fit Finlay’s Family Legacy

Fit’s son, David Finlay, is currently wrestling in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. He is a former IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champion. Finlay shared how wrestling is all David wanted to do with his life, noting how pro wrestling is “in the family.”

He shared how his daughter is currently training and preparing for an in-ring debut in Japan. His 17-year-old son is also getting experience in the ring. According to Fit, they never want to do schoolwork and instead want to jump into the ring at every opportunity. 

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Stevie Ray Responds To Critics Over Harlem Heat’s Hall Of Fame Induction

Steve Russell
-
0

WWE Hall of Famer Stevie Ray has responded to critics who don’t believe he should have been inducted. Ray was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame during last year’s ceremony. He was included as a part of the WCW tag team Harlem Heat alongside his brother, Booker T.

“Yeah, man! It is cool. But, you know, people were always bothering me about the Hall of Fame and I never really had thought about it,” Stevie Ray told Wrestling Epicenter. “I always thought that the Hall of Fame meant that you left a mark in wrestling and people would always remember it and I never thought… You know, it was in the back of my mind. But it is cool that it happened and hey, Harlem Heat is in the Hall of Fame!”

Stevie Ray stressed how “I could give two sh*ts what people say” regarding his inclusion. He stressed how they were put into the Hall of Fame as a record-breaking tag team. Not only that but for being a tag team that brought tag team wrestling back into popularity and actually got ratings at a time when teams didn’t really draw. 

Stevie Ray Denied Harlem Heat Rumors

There had been rumors that a match could take place between The Revival and Harlem Heat. Despite the speculation, however, there has been no firm indication that the match will take place.

On a recent episode of WWE Backstage, Booker T highlighted how Harlem Heat wasn’t finished with the Revival. Stevie Ray, however, denied this. He stated, “I’m done with the Revival. I never had anything to do with the f***ing Revival. So, whatever sh*t he said, I don’t got nothing to do with it.”

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Tony Schiavone Isn’t Sure If AEW Will “Ever Be As Big As WWE”

Steve Russell
-
5

All Elite Wrestling’s Tony Schiavone has shared his uncertainty that AEW will ever “be as big as WWE” in an interview with Sportskeeda. He pointed to the WWE Network and the sheer longevity WWE has enjoyed since its inception. Rather than directly competing with the promotion, Schiavone revealed he’d prefer for AEW to become a “viable part of wrestling.”

“I don’t know if AEW will ever be as big as the WWE; with a Network, and the reach that they have overseas, because WWE has been around for a long time,” Schiavone explained. “But I’d like to see it be a viable part of wrestling [and] I’d like it to be a place where very good professional wrestlers – both men and women – can come and make a good living, and be treated fairly… that’s what I’d like AEW to be.”

Although Tony Schiavone worked for the then-WWF for a stint in the ‘90s, he is best known for his work in WCW. Since WCW, he also provided commentary for Major League Wrestling, prior to his signing with AEW.

There was a time that he was hired by coffee chain Starbucks. This history has been turned into an angle on AEW Dynamite, with Dr. Britt Baker often mocking him for his previous job role.

Tony Schiavone is the co-host of two popular podcasts. He hosts What Happened When along with Conrad Thompson. Last week, AEW launched the new AEW Unrestricted podcast, which features Tony and referee Aubrey Edwards interviewing AEW talent.

Shawn Spears Compares Working For WWE And AEW

Anutosh Bajpai
-
2

AEW star Shawn Spears recently gave an interview to Chris Van Vliet where he talked about things like his infamous chair shot to Cody Rhodes at Fyter Fest, whether the chair was gimmicked and more.

During the interview, the former NXT star was asked what is the biggest difference in AEW compared to his time in WWE when it comes to the day to day stuff.

Answering the question, Spears explained that the biggest difference is that the talents are very relaxed at AEW shows and the locker rooms are almost empty during the day because people are excited to wrestle:

“The biggest difference is that it’s very relaxed,” explained Shawn. “A lot of the talent is out by the ring, the locker rooms are almost empty during the day. Like people are having fun, they are excited to wrestle.

I don’t know how it is in the WWE or NXT at the moment but there was a time when I was still in WWE where a lot of the people would stay in the locker room until they had to go and do their matches cause they would try to avoid certain other aspects of the company or other people of the company.” (Transcription: SEScoops.com)

Spears continued by acknowledging that they are still a new company and they still need to iron out some things. But the All Elite Wrestling star said that everyone at the promotion is really enjoying themselves.

Apart from this, Shawn Spears recalled how he was petrified when he originally decided to leave WWE and revealed how his pairing with Tully Blanchard came about. You can check out his full interview in the video below:

Tyler Breeze Talks About Moving Back To NXT

Steve Russell
-
4

Tyler Breeze is one of a few main roster Superstars to have returned to WWE’s black-and-gold brand, NXT. He joined other names such as his Breezango partner Fandango and former WWE Universal Champion Finn Balor in returning. In an interview with The Chris Van Vliet Show, Breeze discussed his journey back to NXT.

Tyler Breeze Returns To NXT

“I wasn’t in a very good place in May, and that’s just when it came to a head, and when I kind of dropped a bomb on everything, where I just said, I gotta change my life because I am not happy, you know what I mean, and nobody can change it but you kind of thing.”

Breeze continued, “So I said, alright, I gotta change my job, I gotta change my life, I gotta change everything that’s going on. It didn’t even start as a ‘Hey, send me back to NXT, I’m not happy,’ whatever. It wasn’t that at all. It was like, ‘Look, I haven’t been doing anything. I’m not enjoying what I’m doing.'”

He explained how, at that point, it didn’t appear as though his injured partner Fandango would be returning any time soon. Breeze argued that if they didn’t need him, WWE should allow him to “go do something else and either, one, prove that you do need me or that you want me, or I’ll go find something else to do because I’m just not enjoying what I’m doing.'”

According to Tyler Breeze, he was told by WWE that they didn’t want to let him go. So he was given the option to return to NXT. It was a decision he has previously described as “one of the easiest choices of my life.”

H/T to WrestleZone for the transcription.

Shawn Spears On His Chair Shot To Cody, Becoming “The Chairman”

Steve Russell
-
1

All Elite Wrestling’s resident “Chairman” Shawn Spears has opened up about his nasty chair shot to Cody Rhodes and embracing the Chairman character. Speaking on The Chris Van Vliet Show, Spears recounted swinging the chair at Cody, not knowing the damage his attack had caused until he saw the blood.

“I swang [sic] for the fences, he leaned in, and just that one little bit caught him. I didn’t know he was bleeding,” Spears confessed. “That’s because I kinda had a moment with Brandi [Rhodes], where I looked at her and kinda had a staredown with her. And I looked at him to get that one more shot and I saw the red and I was like, ’S&*%’”

He argued that, as far as their storyline was concerned, it was a “best case scenario.” Spears noted how, regardless of that, he didn’t want to be responsible for his friend needing 10 stitches in his head. “But it is wrestling, things happen, I’m pretty sure I’ll be on the tail end of a bad shot at some point.”

Shawn Spears Becomes “The Chairman”

Shawn Spears reflected on how that one chair shot, and the subsequent damage it caused, helped to put him on the map in AEW. It turned him from a “happy-go-lucky ‘Perfect 10’” wrestler into a monster villain against Cody’s babyface, birthing “The Chairman.” 

“[…] that’s where ‘The Chairman’ thing was born, so I just kinda kept it, ran with it, and have yet hit someone in the head once again, so it’s a moniker, it’s a tagline that hangs with me for the moment. In terms of what’s gonna happen, I might swing it again soon.”

He shared how he’s much happier now than he was just one year ago. Spears highlighted how it wasn’t WWE itself that was behind his unhappiness: “It was just, I wasn’t happy being where I was there. So I needed to take ownership. They can’t change to work around you, you need to take ownership of your own situation.”

Conceding how many are afraid to take that first step in leaving and embracing the unknown, Spears reiterated how taking the gamble has led him to be much happier despite the fact he was “petrified to leave” at the time. 

H/T to WrestleZone for the transcription. 

Lio Rush Says 205 Live Should Be Treated Better

Anutosh Bajpai
-
3

Former Cruiserweight Champion Lio Rush recently held a Q&A session on Twitter where he answered questions related to his next album, his favorite feud and more.

When asked why he loves wrestling, the former Champion explained that he grew up watching the business and it’s the only thing that makes him feel like a kid once again:

“I grew up watching wrestling as a kid. It was the only thing that made me feel like a kid again the older I got. I try to remind myself this every day.”

The NXT star also made some interesting comments about the state of 205 Live when a fan asked him if the Cruiserweight Exclusive Show should have its own Takeover Style events.

Rush replied to this question from the fan with a remark on the current state of the series and said that he thinks 205 Live should be treated better as a whole. You can check out his comments in the tweet below:

https://twitter.com/itsLioRush/status/1231759723780853761
https://twitter.com/itsLioRush/status/1231674289688064005
https://twitter.com/itsLioRush/status/1231674506449690624

Lio Rush has previously been subject to reports of backstage heat and he had made a number of headlines last year by publically criticizing his WWE pay and financial status while being under contract with the company.

In light of his previous controversies, it’s debatable how wise it is for Lio to criticize the status of the show publically and it would be interesting to know how the WWE officials react to his comments.

PCO On Possibly Defending The ROH Title In NJPW

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

Current ROH World Champion PCO recently had an interview with WrestlingInc where he talked about things like finally becoming a World Champion in wrestling after 3 decades in the business and more.

Since ROH has a partnership with New Japan Pro Wrestling, the current champion was asked about an interesting possibility of defending the ROH title at an NJPW show.

Answering the question, PCO recalled how he was scheduled to make his New Japan debut by competing in the World tag league but the plans were scrapped due to Brody King injuring his knee:

“Maybe. I know I was booked for [World] Tag League and I was supposed to make my debut for New Japan Pro Wrestling. But Brody King injured his knee and tore his ACL, I missed that tournament so it will be interesting to see how things turn out. But my main focus is ROH right now and what’s going on in North America.”

PCO also talked about a potential tour of Australia for the company and revealed that ROH’s parent company Sinclair has increased the promotion’s budget three or four times from last year.

Apart from this, the ROH star talked about his last year’s entrance at Supercard of Honor and teased an out of the box entrance for this year’s edition of the show. You can check out his full interview at this link.

NXT Champion Removed From Show Due To Injury, Big Show Reveals How Steve Austin Helped Him

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

Current NXT Cruiserweight Champion and Progress Tag Team Champion Jordan Devlin announced on Twitter recently that he is pulling out of Progress Chapter 103 due to elbow bursitis. He was replaced by Eddie Kingston.

Devlin, along with his tag team partner Scotty Davis were set to defend the tag titles against Anthony Henry and JD Drake but he announced that he will not be able to compete on the show as seen below:

As Jordan noted, he is not expected to stay out of action for very long and his removal was a precautionary measure to avoid the risk of aggravating the injury.

Big Show Reveals How Steve Austin Helped Him

Former World Champion The Big Show was the latest guest on Stone Cold Steve Austin’s WWE Network series dubbed Broken Skull Sessions and during his appearance, the Monster Sized Athlete talked about a number of things.

WWE recently posted a clip from the show on their YouTube channel in which, Big Show recalls how a WWE star taught him how to be a ‘giant’ in the ring.

The WWE star was none other than the Texas Rattle Snake himself and according to Big Show, Stone Cold taught this to him during a trip to Europe. You can check out the clip posted by WWE below:

Johnny Gargano On People Calling NXT The ‘Minor Leagues’

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

While NXT has been moved to Live TV from the WWE Network, many people still consider it to be not in par with WWE’s other prominent shows, namely Raw and SmackDown.

Former NXT Champion Johnny Gargano was recently interviewed by TMZ Sports where he talked about a number of things and also responded to the people who still consider the show as the ‘minor leagues’.

Gargano claimed that this thinking is complete garbage and it’s something he and the other NXT talents have worked to dispel for a very long time:

“That’s BS, that is complete garbage and it is something that me and a lot of guys have worked to dispel for a very long time. Anyone out there that uses the words ‘main roster’ when talking about RAW and SmackDown, how about you watch the show on Wednesday nights and you’ll see the real ‘main roster.'”

Also Read: WWE Making Changes To Big WrestleMania Matches

Johnny continued by saying that in NXT, you see the best wrestling show and the best locker room on planet which is led by him. According to the former Champion, you are stupid if you still use words like ‘developmental’ and ‘main roster’.

Apart from this, Johnny Gargano also talked about his attack on Tommaso Ciampa during Takeover: Portland and responded to fans saying that he is a changed man after the attack. You can check out his full interview in the video below:

Rob Van Dam Discusses His 2006 WWE Suspension

Anutosh Bajpai
-
6

Rob Van Dam faced his first WWE suspension back in July 2006 and since he held both the WWE and ECW World title at the time, his suspension became a hot topic of discussion and it made many headlines.

The former ECW star recently appeared on The Steve Austin Show where he talked about things like smoking cannabis on his 21th birthday and more.

Van Dam also opened up about his suspension in 2006. He said that if he could do things differently, then he would avoid it and revealed how careless he was at the time:

“I would have slowed down that night going through Ohio with 18 grams of weed in my bag. I was speeding, dude.” recalled RVD. “I was so careless back then. I used to be so careless I didn’t even know there were speed limits.

The reason it made such big news was because I had the WWE Championship and the ECW Championship, so there was a lot riding on me at the moment because ECW just came back as a third brand, trying to get momentum, and I’m the champion.”

Later in the interview, Rob Van Dam also recalled how he had asked for more time off after this suspension from Paul Heyman but the current Executive Director of Raw refused his request to talk to Mr. McMahon about it.

RVD and Sabu were stopped by the police for speeding in Ohio in July 2006 and both the stars were later arrested for possession of illegal substances.

This arrest resulted in WWE suspending the ECW star for 30 days and due to the suspension, he was forced to drop both the ECW Championship and the WWE Championship.

Quotes via WrestlingInc

Beulah McGillicutty Talks About The Violent ECW Match Against Bill Alfonso

Jake Skudder
-
3

Former ECW personality Beulah McGillicutty recently appeared on Busted Open Radio alongside her husband Tommy Dreamer. This was the first time that McGillicutty has appeared on a live radio interview since she left ECW back in 1998.

Beulah McGillicutty vs Bill Alfonso

One of the more intriguing aspects of the conversation centered around Beulah’s match against ECW on screen manager Bill Alfonso from the 1997 event, As Good As It Gets. The match was described by former ECW owner Paul Heyman as his favourite in the history of the promotion.

The five minute contest was a bloody brawl, and had implications for beyond the ring also. Bill Alfonso had allegedly been feeding information to rival promotions, looking to get talent to sign deals with the likes of WCW. Paul Heyman admitted in ‘The Rise and Fall of ECW’ documentary that this performance from Alfonso essentially saved his career in the company. Alfonso and Beulah McGillicutty were not trained performers but they gave their all in the contest.

“Yeah, it really scared me. I thought he was gonna die” Beulah McGillicutty began, describing how Alfonso had cut an artery and nearly bled to death in the ring. Dreamer asked McGillicutty about her ‘stench’ of blood when came back through the curtain after the match, “it was worse when I stepped in the shower and the hot water hit my hair” Belulah elaborated. “Blood dried in. It was gross.”

Broken Arm

Tommy Dreamer also discussed an incident where Beulah actually broke her arm by hitting Alfonso; although it wasn’t made clear if it was during ‘this’ match. “I finished the match, though” Beulah confirmed. “I just want to say that I didn’t cry and leave the ring.”

Dreamer also described how the incident left her in a cast just before a trip to Japan. “She had a cast from her wrist, all the way up to her shoulder and it looks like a sickle clothesline thing. She had to fly from Detroit to Japan, 13 hours sitting next to the Sandman.”

You can listen to Busted Open Radio via Sirius XM or the Podcast version here.

WWE Making Changes To Big WrestleMania 36 Matches

Andrew Ravens
-
8

A new report has backed up the claim that plans change all the time in WWE and WrestleMania 36 is no different. 

WWE Universal Champion Bray Wyatt vs. Roman Reigns and John Cena vs. Elias was reportedly scheduled for the show. However, they’re now being changed.

Dave Meltzer noted the news on the latest Wrestling Observer Radio. Meltzer noted that the potential new matches were not known. 

Meltzer also noted that “five or six” WrestleMania matches in total have changed recently. Most of them are only on the SmackDown brand side of the card. 

WWE has already confirmed that Cena is returning to SmackDown this Friday with the belief that he’ll start his feud heading into WrestleMania on this show. Elias was reportedly his opponent as of earlier this month. 

Wyatt is slated to defend his title against Goldberg at WWE Super ShowDown. Meltzer speculated whether Wyatt vs. Reigns will take place at Mania as expected because Goldberg would win the title from Wyatt. 

WWE presents the WrestleMania 36 pay-per-view event on Sunday, April 5, 2020 in Tampa, Florida at the Raymond James Stadium that will air on the WWE Network. 

WWE will be announcing more matches for WrestleMania, which is WWE’s biggest event of the year in the coming weeks. 

Big Name Not Scheduled For WWE WrestleMania 36

Jeff Hardy Was Backstage At SmackDown This Week

Anutosh Bajpai
-
1

Former World Champion Jeff Hardy was spotted backstage at this week’s episode of SmackDown from Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona, according to PWinsider.

Not only that but he is also scheduled to be at next week’s episode of the show, and the site suggests that it could be an indication that he will become part of a Blue Brand’s roster once he returns to WWE TV.

Jeff Hardy has been out of action since April last year when he and his brother Matt Hardy relinquished the SmackDown Tag Team Championships.

Jeff was dealing with a leg injury at the time and it was reported that the former Champion will stay out of action for six to nine months after his surgery in May.

Hardy was scheduled to visit the performance center in Orlando, Florida last week to have the progress towards his recovery and in-ring return checked out.

The Charismatic Enigma’s current WWE contract was originally set to expire on March 1. Though it’s likely that WWE will add time to his contract for the period he missed due to injury, to try and stop him from leaving the company.

His brother Matt, on the other hand, seems to be on his way out of the promotion. WWE has offered him a new contract but he wants creative control over his character and he is most likely to leave the company at the end of this month.

Bray Wyatt Reportedly Wants a Match Against Jerry Lawler

Jake Skudder
-
8

RAW Commentator Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler recently held a fan “Q&A” session on his Jerry Lawler Show podcast. One of the more intriguing queries came from a fan asking who Lawler would face in WWE today if he had the chance. Lawler’s initial response was The Miz, as he felt their chemistry from their bouts in 2011 would be easy to replicate.

“Miz would be excellent to work with,” Jerry Lawler began. Lawler then described how Bray Wyatt put it out there that he wanted a match against the ‘King of Memphis.’ “And you know, after we did the little thing a while back on Monday Night Raw (August 2019), before I was back doing commentary. I just came on for a guest appearance. Bray Wyatt came to me afterwards and he said ‘King I would love to work with you down in Memphis.'”

Jerry Lawler vs The Fiend?

It is extremely unlikely that the bout would ever happen in WWE, as Lawler suffered from a heart attack during a live episode of RAW back in 2013. The situation was critical, with Lawler reportedly being clinically dead for almost five minutes before being resuscitated. There have been numerous reports and Lawler himself has said that he cannot get physical whilst on WWE television. Jerry Lawler does however still wrestle periodically on independent cards across the United States.

Lawler made it clear that he would relish the idea of facing ‘The Fiend’ in his home territory of Memphis. “I just thought back then, what matches I could have had. Because he [Wyatt] was the perfect kind of villain that we would bring in. The big scary monster type. That’s the kind of people that I love to work with, and have matches with.”

Jerry Lawler finished by saying “I would love to have a have a match with Bray Wyatt or The Fiend either way.”

Charlotte Flair To Compete In NXT This Week

Anutosh Bajpai
-
1

Former Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair will be returning to NXT this week to compete in her first match on the Black and Yellow brand in over 4 years.

WWE has announced that The Queen will be returning to the show to answer the challenge issued by Bianca Belair on last week’s episode of the brand.

The foundation for this bout was laid out during the NXT Takeover: Portland event where Rhea Ripley had defended her title against Belair in a one on one match.

Flair attacked Ripley right after the match and accepted her challenge for a bout at WrestleMania 36. However, her attack didn’t end there and Charlotte also rammed the EST into the steel steps before making her exit.

After this, Bianca had challenged the former Women’s Champion for a match on last week’s episode of NXT, which Charlotte accepted with the following tweet:

It’s interesting to note here that Triple H had indicated that Bianca Belair could continue her feud with Rhea Ripley after the latest Takeover event. The NXT Champion herself had then talked positively about the EST possibly being added to her WrestleMania bout.

Now with Charlotte Flair being announced for a match against the NXT star, the big question is if WWE is giving us hints and if the company is plotting to turn the upcoming WrestleMania match into a Triple Threat, adding Belair to the mix.

Roman Reigns On Why He Decided To Break Kayfabe For His Leukemia Announcement

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

Roman Reigns’ leukemia announcement on Raw was one of the most real moments of the professional wrestling history and it was a rare incident where the Big Dog broke the kayfabe to connect with the audience.

During his recent appearance on The Bump, Reigns talked about a number of things and he also explained why he decided to come out of his storyline character for the revelation.

The former Champion first said that he had built a relationship with the people in the past few years and Roman then claimed that he just wanted to be truthful with them:

“I just didn’t want to lie. I didn’t want people to make up stories of what I was doing or where I was going. I just wanted to be truthful and let the world know what was going on with me.

If there was anyone who could take a shred of hope and take my story and use it as strength, or experience, then I thought that would be the best use of what was going on.” said Reigns. “I just wanted to utilize the platform I had with my fanbase and help anyone who was going through that.”

Roman Reigns also discussed how this experience has changed his life and he explained that now he feels blessed every day. Per the former World Champion, he feels blessed just to be able to wake up and hug his daughter.

Apart from this, the former World Champion also talked about how his efforts of trying to spread awareness about the disease are going and more. You can check out Roman’s interview in the video below:

The Rock Recalls The Turning Point Of His WWE Career

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

Before becoming the People’s Champion, the Rock was given the gimmick of Rocky Maivia which wasn’t received very well by the fans and it wasn’t very long before people started turning on his character.

However, the Great One managed to turn the situation around and he went on to invent a character that is still remembered as one of the greatest gimmicks of the wrestling history.

During his recent interview with Oprah, The former Champion revealed that WrestleMania 13 was the starting point of this change and he recalled how his appearance at the show was the turning point of his career:

“It was a turning point in my career and it allowed me to grow. By the time I got to Chicago, 16,000 people were chanting ‘Rocky sucks.’ I remember laying there in the ring and the referee said to me ‘Don’t listen to them.’ It was crippling for me.”

Later in the interview, The Rock explained how after this, the WWE management realized that his gimmick was not working and they gave him permission to just be himself:

“At that time, the powers that be thought that this wasn’t going to work, and for whatever reason, people aren’t liking you. At that moment, it was very defining, because I asked them if I could just be myself and just go out there, speak to the crowd, and just be myself – authentic… At that time Vince [McMahon] said ‘You got it.'”

The former World Champion recalled how after getting the permission he grabbed the mic the next night on Raw. The promo he then cut was the start of his transformation and it was the beginning of his run as The Rock.

Apart from this, The Rock also talked about his tough childhood, his start in Hollywood and if he knew that he would become such an overnight sensation.

Quotes via WrestlingInc

Triple H On WWE Possibly Selling PPV Rights To A Different Streaming Service

Anutosh Bajpai
-
4

Vince McMahon’s recent comments about possibly moving PPVs out of the WWE Network has sparked many rumors and people have been discussing the impact of this move.

During the media call following Takeover: Portland, Triple H was asked about these comments from the Boss and what value can NXT bring to potential streaming partners. Replying to it, the Game said that NXT has incredible value wherever it sits:

“I think there is a lot of speculation in the question of new platforms. Vince said on an earnings call about opportunities but if you take all of that off the board, just where it is right now NXT has incredible value wherever it sits, whether that be USA or the WWE Network,”

Triple H continued by saying that he looks at it as an offshoot. He explained that if NXT with a dedicated roster and a two-hour show is the main trunk of the tree then there’s offshoot in NXT UK.

Vince McMahon On Possibly Moving WWE PPVs Out Of WWE Network

Mr. McMahon had teased the possibility of potentially moving the WWE PPVs to a different streaming service during the 2019 Q4 earnings call. He explained that there is no better time for this because all the majors are ‘clamoring for our content’:

“Right now there’s no more better time to exercise the selling of our rights to all the majors who, quite frankly, all the majors are really clamoring for our content. So that could be a significant increase, obviously, in terms of revenue.”

Reports since then have revealed that WWE is in negotiations with ESPN for a potential deal to sell the rights of their PPV. They are said to be looking for a deal similar to what UFC has with the company. You can check out a detailed report on the matter here.

Top Japanese Star Announces Signing With WWE

Anutosh Bajpai
-
2

One of the top Japanese women’s wrestlers Sareee has finally confirmed her signing with WWE after months of rumors about her move to the United States.

The former Diana Champion took on her Twitter and announced the news via a tweet in Japanese. Below is the rough translation of the female star’s post:

“I decided to think about doing professional wrestling abroad outside of Japan. And WWE joining has been decided. I am relieved to be able to properly report to everyone. Spreading Japanese women’s professional wrestling, Aiming for the top of WWE, Aim for the pinnacle of women’s professional wrestling. I will fight over my life. #wwe #Sareee”

The reports of Sareee signing with WWE first came out last year but neither WWE nor the Japanese star herself had commented on the matter back then.

The foundation for her move to the US was laid out last year in summer when WWE went to Japan for a tour and Triple H spent the time scouting talents.

The Game was reportedly impressed with Sareee’s performance and the two had numerous meetings at the time. Triple H had told media that he has heard Sareee was the future of women’s wrestling

Sareee made her wrestling debut at the young age of 15 back in 2011 and she will be reporting to the WWE Performance Center next month

Shinsuke Nakamura Shares Injury Update

Andrew Ravens
-
2

Shinsuke Nakamura got banged up in his latest match. 

On Friday’s episode of SmackDown in Glendale, AZ at the Gila River Arena on FOX, WWE booked a Symphony of Destruction Match, which featured guitars, drums, a piano, and other instruments around the ring in order for stars to use as weapons during the match.

The contest saw Nakamura and Cesaro take on Intercontinental Champion Braun Strowman and Elias with the babyfaces going over.

The finish was Strowman standing on the announce table and hitting his powerslam finisher to Nakamura on the piano, picking up the pinfall victory. 

Fans picked up online that Nakamura’s head caught the end of the piano and was bleeding as a result. After the match, WWE’s medical team checked on Nakamura but no update on his status was given on the show or WWE’s website.  

After the show, Nakamura posted photos of WWE’s medical team taking care of the wound. He wrote the following in the caption: 

“Don’t worry. I’m a tough. But, the piano was toughest. [Braun Strowman] and I couldn’t beat it.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/B8263c4Bsjv/?utm_source=ig_embed

You can watch some footage of the match here and the spot can be seen near the end of the video. 

Details On WWE Negotiating With ESPN For Potential Streaming Deal

Goldberg Shares His Feelings About Matt Riddle

Andrew Ravens
-
1

WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg did a recent interview where he spoke about Matt Riddle. 

He did so on the Total Slam podcast about the NXT star, which he has some history with. Throughout the years, Riddle has been critical of the legendary pro wrestler even before Riddle got to NXT. 

Goldberg made his feelings known but didn’t rip Riddle as some people may think. 

“Riddle is like a booger stuck in your nose; he is annoying and won’t go away. He has no influence on Goldberg’s life. Period. End of story. It’s the wrestling business and sometimes when you’re out in public you may run into a former foe and you can never know how the situation will turn out. It is what it is, and we don’t see eye to eye.”

It turns out that they ran into each other while backstage at SummerSlam last year. Riddle actually talked about it on the SummerSlam Watch Along Livestream and WWE has released footage of it since then. 

Most notably, Riddle was critical of Goldberg’s performance against The Undertaker in a singles match at the WWE Super ShowDown pay-per-view event in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in 2019. 

H/T to Wrestling Inc

Nyla Rose Talks Hiding Her Gender Identity During Wrestling Training

Jake Skudder
-
21

All Elite Wrestling crowned their second ever Women’s Champion on the February 12th episode of Dynamite. Nyla Rose defeated Riho to capture the Championship and cement her place in the AEW history books. Not only is Nyla Rose the second ever Women’s Champion in the company but she is the first ever Transgender Women’s Champion for a major promotion in North America.

Men’s AEW Champion Chris Jericho brought Nyla Rose onto his Talk Is Jericho podcast this week. ‘Le Champion’ discussed with Rose about being trans and how she felt about training in pro wrestling. This whilst presenting as a male.

“All Of The Above” – Nyla Rose

Jericho asked Rose if she started training as a man, women or transgender. “All of the above, all of the above” Nyla Rose replied. “I was there male presenting, I was there in boy mode. I was playing a part. The biggest part I’ve ever played in my life; I was playing that part, I was trying to get over and can convince everybody of something that wasn’t true.”

Rose would then discussed the difficulty of presenting as male to her fellow trainees but then ‘becoming’ Nyla Rose in her own time. “But in my own time outside of training for wrestling, I was Nyla Rose. Just in my bedroom and my own life. The first time I went out fully dressed was to take the trash out. And you would have thought I run like a marathon or like went to the Grammys or something that is such an accomplishment to have, you know. Just walk, you know, eight feet.”

Training

Jericho asked Rose how her colleagues perceived her at the time. “They [the other performers] were just very confused about me” Rose replied. “They thought I was just very flamboyant you know? I come in singing show tunes. Very feminine qualities, but looking like this macho playboy type big woman.”

Embraced

Rose would conclude by saying how embraced she was by the pro wrestling community when she opted to transition. “I have to do this, I have to make the change. I wasn’t sure if there was a place for me in pro wrestling. But pro wrestling was like one of the first places that absolutely embraced me and took me in, it’s like, ‘hey guys like I need to tell you something,’ I just very sheepishly approached it .So I can’t work your show because I wear a bra now because I’m starting to develop breasts.’ They thought I was ribbing them at first, but when they [were] kind of like, ‘is this real? Like is this a rib?’ and I was like no this is legit I’m trans and I’m going to be living as a woman from here on out and they were just like ‘alright.’

You can check out Talk Is Jericho via the Westwood One Podcast Network here.

Booker T Says That Deontay Wilder Will Beat Tyson Fury

Jake Skudder
-
8

WWE Hall of Famer Booker T recently commented on tonight’s huge boxing heavyweight contest between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury. There has been speculation since Fury’s WWE appearance in Saudi Arabia as to whether he would be returning to the squared circle. Tonight’s bout will most likely be a huge determining factor as to whether or not the ‘Gypsy King’ returns to WWE soon.

Booker is currently on location at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Booker will covering the fight, and he revealed his pick for the mega showdown on the Hall of Fame podcast.

Can Deontay Wilder Adjust His ‘Game?’

Booker T first talked about how Wilder is being expected to ‘adapt’ to Fury, according to a number of leading pundits. “Deontay Wilder, can he go out and adjust his game?” Booker began. “That’s the question I think more than anything. What I don’t know if that’s fair or not? Putting the onus on the champion to go out there and change his game.”

Booker also referenced the fact that in the pair’s first first Wilder scored two knockdowns on the ‘Gypsy King’ Tyson Fury. “He’s [Wilder] the only one that, was in that [first] fight that got two big knockdowns on his opponent. You know Fury didn’t knock him down. Wilder vs Anthony Joshua, that’s what everybody wants to see. I do feel like in this fight that Deontay Wilder will stake his claim to be the Heavyweight Champion of the world. Nobody wants to see boring Tyson Fury go out there and fight Joshua.”

The former King of The Ring confirmed that he believed Wilder would win in around 7-8 rounds. Fury himself has said that he intends on knocking out Wilder within two rounds, and Booker T responded to this by saying “for him to go and knock out Wilder in two rounds? He would probably of had to be doing something that is probably not legal; as far as the USADA side and whatnot.”

1...1,1921,1931,194...3,097Page 1,193 of 3,097