Randy Orton has received some high praise from a WWE Hall of Famer over a recent promo that he delivered on WWE television.
That praise comes from former WWE Tag Team Champion Bubba Ray Dudley as he talked about Orton’s promo in the opening segment from this week’s episode of SmackDown Live in Evansville, IN at the Ford Center on the USA Network where he talked about the reasoning behind his attack on Jeff Hardy at both the Extreme Rules pay-per-view event after his United States Title match with Shinsuke Nakamura and then last week on the blue branded show.
This promo was highly received from fans because they believe that Orton is a better heel on WWE TV.
Dudley noted on a recent episode of Busted Open Radio on Sirius XM that he enjoyed the show including Orton’s promo as he thought that Orton knocked it out of the park and did a great job with it from the words that he was saying to his tone in his voice.
“Randy Orton believed everything he was saying last night. If you listened to the reaction of the people, there was a hush over the crowd. That hush wasn’t disinterested, that was ‘oh my God, Randy does sound pissed off, and he’s about to take out his frustrations on a lot of different people.”
The Andre “the Giant” documentary released earlier this year by HBO is the most-watched sports documentary in the history of the channel. Over 7 million viewers have tuned in to see the film.
Many are speculating the news could lead to more wrestling-related documentaries in the future.
The Hollywood Reporter was the first to break the news. The outlet spoke with the film’s producer, Bill Simmons after he’d signed a new deal with HBO earlier this week.
“I’m thrilled to keep going with the HBO family and can’t wait to get started on a couple of the more ambitious projects we’ve hatched,” said Simmons. “I witnessed it firsthand with our Andre doc — when you create something unique for HBO, they’ve built so much trust and equity in their audience over the years that it’s always going to be seen. Every single time. If it’s good and it’s on HBO, it will stand out. Even though we have more entertainment choices than ever right now, HBO still cuts through in an incredibly precise, almost unassailable way — and they work better with creatives than anyone, period. I am lucky to work with them and I know it.”
Andre the Giant Documentary
Bill Simmons had originally wanted to do a documentary on Andre the Giant while he was still at ESPN. According to Simmons, Andre’s doc was on the list of original 30 for 30 series.
“I have this old computer that has a lot of the original 30 for 30 stuff from 2007 on it,” Simmons said. “Andre was on the initial list of 12 documentaries that I just thought could really resonate. Back then, HBO had a monopoly on the sports documentaries. They were doing a lot of older stuff like Joe Louis and Vince Lombardi and people like that, and it just seemed like there was an inefficiency with subjects and athletes and teams from the ’80s and ’90s, so he was always on that list but at the time the WWE kept everything for themselves and rightly so.”
Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson is believed to want to wrestle this year at WrestleMania. In previous years, however, his Hollywood schedule has prevented this from happening.
WWE is hopeful the Rock will be at the event this year, though. Should the Rock be available, it’s likely he’ll be involved in a program with Elias.
“Elias has been teasing a confrontation with The Rock,” wrote Dave Meltzer in the recent Wrestling Observer. “There has been talk of Rock being interested in wrestling at Mania this year. If there’s no schedule conflict, it would be expected he’d make an appearance in some form at the show, but he hasn’t wrestled in years.”
The Rock At WrestleMania 35
The Rock’s last official match was at WrestleMania 32. He defeated Eric Rowan in an impromptu match that night. His previous match before then had been against John Cena in the main event of WrestleMania 29.
Unfortunately, the Rock suffered multiple injuries at WrestleMania 29. He tore his abdominal and abductor muscles and also suffered a hernia. This meant he required emergency hernia surgery after the event. His injuries almost caused a delay in filming “Hercules” as a result.
The biggest obstacle in the way of Rock being at WrestleMania concerns insurance taken out on him. For instance, a movie studio might take out an insurance policy on Tom Cruise so if he breaks his leg and is unable to film Mission Impossible for a few months, the company receives compensation. If the Rock competes in a wrestling match, it will drive up the cost required to insure him. To make a long story short, Hollywood has a lot of money invested in the Rock. They would obviously prefer he doesn’t engage in risky activity, such as wrestling.
The Rock calls his own shots, however. If the 46-year-old wants one more WrestleMania match, it’s his decision to make.
Maxwell J. Friedman (MJF) is expected to miss several weeks of action due to a knee injury. The cocky Long Island native has been on a roll as of late. In addition to holding the CZW World Heavyweight Championship, MJF became the first-ever MLW Middleweight Champion last week by defeating Joey Ryan at MLW Battle Riot. That match airs Friday night on beIN SPORTS as part of MLW’s 2-hour Battle Riot cable special.
Friedman wrestled for AAW on Saturday night and defeated Ace Steel in a Bourbon Street Fight. After the match, he tweeted this photo of his knee iced up and told the “pimpled up tubby marks” asking about his knee that he doesn’t need their sympathy.
To everyone who’s tweeting and messaging me about my knee…. I don’t need sympathy from a bunch of pimpled up tubby marks. I’ll be good by Monday. pic.twitter.com/BYgCIKJcii
He was not ‘good’ by Monday. MJF posted a message on Facebook on Wednesday night and revealed that he suffered a small tear in his lateral meniscus and a tear in his LCL. Recovery time for this type of injury is approximately 2-6 weeks.
MJF had been scheduled to compete for CZW and Beyond Wrestling this coming weekend. Hopefully MJF is back in action soon, just don’t send him any well wishes on Twitter.
X-Division Championship
Brian Cage (c) vs Matt Sydal
After losing the X-Division championship on Sunday, Sydal will have a chance to win it back tonight.
At Slammiversary, Sydal missed a shooting star press (hitting his foot on the top rope) which allowed Cage to hit the Drill Claw for the win. How Sydal missed the shooting star press while having his 3rd eye open is still not entirely clear.
Tonight, Sydal claims it is not him who is asking for a rematch but rather the championship itself. He explained his comments recently on Twitter.
Actually, the X-Division Championship itself invoked the rematch clause. I’m simply flowing with the natural order of things. Nature seeks homeostasis, the X-Division Championship seeks me. ????
Johnny Impact returned to the company at Slammiversary following time away for reality television and matrimony commitments.
At Slammiversary, Impact pinned Fenix in the fatal 4-way match. The victory should vault the former title-challenger back up in the rankings. Tonight we will find out more about what comes next for Johnny.
The Chicago-based indie wrestler will make her Impact Wrestling debut tonight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqlFaCuEL1A
Fallout From Slammiversary
Impact Wrestling is also advertising tonight’s episode will see the fallout from numerous Slammiversary matches.
Su Yung is still Knockouts Champion and Madison Rayne is now locked in a coffin. King and the OGz stole the titles from LAX after losing to them at Slammiversary. Several Impact Wrestling storylines will be further developed tonight.
It’s been an interesting G1 Climax tournament in New Japan Pro-Wrestling so far this summer. Easily the most talked about part of the tournament has been the actions of Tama Tonga and Bad Luck Fale, the two members of the Firing Squad entered into the tournament.
Yesterday, we reported that Twitter temporarily suspended Tama Tonga’s account. Tonga has a knack for handling trolls online and evidently, Twitter decided he needed a timeout for a little while. Once back, however, Tonga went looking for the person who turned him in. It wasn’t long until WWE’s “Big Dog” was centered on as a suspect.
Got the #Snitch. Your bark can’t seem to get OVER your Yard for me to hear you. My yard has no fences, come test your skills here anytime. “Jealousy is a bitch trait”- what album is that from? #RomanTheRatpic.twitter.com/VMTMKjlyNR
“Got the #Snitch. Your bark can’t seem to get OVER your Yard for me to hear you. My yard has no fences, come test your skills here anytime. “Jealousy is a bitch trait”- what album is that from? #RomanTheRat”
I actually doubled your lil videos views for you in like 4 hours. You should be thankful. Thanks for the laughs tho! ???? https://t.co/cfNXpUSSGd
“I actually doubled your lil videos views for you in like 4 hours. You should be thankful. Thanks for the laughs tho!”
Thanks for time keeping and view counting, must be looking for new material…writers gave up on you? If you need more laughs just continue fist cocking, it gets funnier every time. https://t.co/Nt5eR9PsOn
“Thanks for time keeping and view counting, must be looking for new material…writers gave up on you? If you need more laughs just continue fist cocking, it gets funnier every time.”
Tama Tonga and Bad Luck Fale in the G1 Climax 28
Disqualifications are rare in New Japan Pro Wrestling but they have happened multiple times in this year’s G1 tournament. Fale and Tonga, who are joined by Tanga Loa on the tour, have repeatedly used outside interference in their matches to the dismay of the live crowds.
As a result, they have only have 1 win between the two of them so far. Fale, in particular, has seemed to come into this tournament with an unsportsmanlike attitude.
Fale met Hangman Page on the first night of the tournament. It was the first match in the G1 between a member of rival Bullet Club factions. It didn’t take long for both Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa to interfere, however, resulting in a disqualification.
Tonga also got himself disqualified in his match against Kenny Omega.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, Hiromu Takahashi, is believed to still be in hospital 19 days after his match with Dragon Lee at the Cow Palace.
Takahashi was dropped on his head during a cradle-suplex spot on the July 7th card. After finishing the match, Takahashi is said to have collapsed backstage. He was taken to a local hospital and then was transported back to Japan a few days later.
Hiromu Takahashi Injury Update
“He’s still in the hospital,” Dave Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio last night. “He’s in good spirits but it’s 18 days and he’s still in hospital. That’s not a good sign to me, at all.”
The day after his injury, NJPW updated fans on his condition by stating he was awake and able to sit and talk.
His toy cat, Darryl Takahashi, then sent out the following update:
— ????? / Hiromu Takahashi (@TIMEBOMB1105) July 14, 2018
Dragon Lee also reacted to Hiromu’s injury. “Hiromu is the most important rival I’ve ever had,” Lee said. “The most beautiful matches of my career have been against him. [Hiromu’s] injury was a wrestling-related accident. Though he is my rival, he is in my prayers.”
Juice Robinson also commented on Takahashi’s injury while on Jim Ross’ podcast.
“When you hear broken neck people think (the person is paralyzed) but that’s not with every broken neck,” Juice said. “Hopefully his broken neck is just you know time off. Even though that still sucks but that beats the alternative. After seeing it, this is probably the best case scenario cause that looked like it could’ve been the last bump he ever took.”
Sean Waltman, who has a history of neck problems, made the following comments:
“I’ve had my neck broken twice in the ring. 2nd time had it surgically repaired. I was able to make a full recovery & return to Wrestling for the most successful run of my career,” Waltman Tweeted. “Takahashi walked out of the ring on his own. He’s not done yet. Mark my words.”
Do not expect former WWE Superstar Gail Kim to appear at the company’s upcoming all-women’s Evolution pay-per-view.
Kim is widely considered one of the best female wrestlers in WWE history. She is a former WWE Women’s Champion and worked for the company from 2002-20004 and 2008-2011.
A fan asked Gail Kim on Twitter why she won’t consider returning to WWE, even for a one-time appearance. Gail Kim said it’s really a matter of what makes her happy – and she never felt happy in WWE.
Bc I’ve been there twice. I have never been happy there. Life is about happiness. Impact Wrestling is my happiness. It’s not about money sometimes…. people just don’t understand that https://t.co/rOaehEimOH
Gail Kim had a successful WWE career and is a former WWE Women’s Champion. However, her frustration with WWE has a lot to do with with her unhappiness.
During her first WWE run, wrestlers such as Trish Stratus were often made to participate in degrading and over-sexualized storylines, such as Bra and Panties matches. Her second run involved an angle where she was Daniel Bryan’s girlfriend and another one where she and Melina were “Frenemies”.
Gail Kim spoke candidly about her dissatisfaction while in WWE during an appearance on Sean Waltman’s X-Pac 1-2-360 podcast.
“I felt held down in WWE,” Kim said. “It was just the wrong timing in that company. When I first came into the company the woman’s division was strong with Trish and Jazz with all those girls. When the first diva’s search happened it kinda went away, that’s when I got fired actually, and mind you, it brought me my best friend Christy Hemme. It always felt like it was just never a right fit for me.”
Gail Kim in Impact Wrestling
Kim signed with Impact (then known as TNA) in 2005. She won the Knockouts Championship in 2007 and was also involved in several high-profile storylines and angles. After leaving WWE in epic fashion in 2011, she re-signed with Impact in 2011. She retired from in-ring competition in 2016 and was hired as a producer.
She now works with Impact’s current Knockouts division featuring the likes of Su Yung, Allie, Tessa Blanchard, Kiera Hogan, Taya Valkyrie, Rosemary, and Madison Rayne.
James Ellsworth has been fired from WWE again. Smackdown General Manager, Paige, fired Ellsworth on Tuesday night.
It had previously been reported that Ellsworth was working on a per show agreement with WWE and had not signed a contract. Ellsworth took to Twitter last night to make a statement.
The 33-year-old first debuted on WWE programming in 2016 shortly after the brand split. At the time, WWE was going back to using squash matches on television. Ellsworth was brought in as a frequent enhancement talent, losing his first WWE match to Braun Strowman.
It is believed that Mick Foley was a big supporter of hiring Ellsworth and Steve Austin has also sung his praises on his podcast. As a result of his time in WWE, Ellsworth cracked the PWI top 500 ranking in 2017. He managed to hit #410 on the list.
James Ellsworth on Steve Austin’s Podcast
When Ellsworth was on Steve Austin’s podcast earlier this year, he spoke about always wanting to become a wrestler.
“I can’t remember ever not wanting to be a pro wrestler,” Ellsworth said. “I started watching it at a young age. In kindergarten and first grade, they would ask us what we wanted to be when we grew up. People would dress as doctors or police officers, nurses, but I would come dressed as a wrestler. My dad would try to dress me up as a baseball player, but I’m like, no, I want to dress up like the Ultimate Warrior because I want to be a professional wrestler when I grow up,” Ellsworth said. “I can’t remember not wanting to be a professional wrestler my whole life. I started watching wrestling at a young age; around 4 or 5 years old. Ricky Morton was the first pro wrestler that I noticed in the NWA around 1988, 1989 when I was 4 or 5 years old. Then I noticed ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage and the Ultimate Warrior.”
New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual G1 Climax is widely regarded as the greatest tournament in pro wrestling today. Two blocks of competitors are competing in a round robin format to determine the number 1 contender to Kenny Omega’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship at January 4th’s Wrestle Kingdom.
Adam Cole faced Sean Maluta on tonight’s episode of NXT. Cole started out the match in control but Maluta was able to battle back and connect with a Neckbreaker. Cole tripled up Maluta on the turnbuckle and then booted him in the ribs. Maluta leaped off the second rope but Cole was ready and hit him with a Superkick to the face. Cole then hit Maluta with the Last Shot for the easy pinfall victory.
After the match, Cole cut a promo and bragged about being NXT North American Champion. Cole praised himself for giving Maluta an opportunity and asked if there was anyone in the back that wanted a shot at him. Ricochet came down to the entrance ramp and complimented Cole from not running from his competition tonight.
Ricochet stated that Cole has done nothing but become a coward since becoming the NXT North American Champion. Ricochet challenged Cole to prove how good he was by defending his title against him at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn. Adam Cole claimed that he was not going to diminish himself by fighting Ricochet in Brooklyn. Cole then exited the ring as Ricochet called him a coward once again.
The NXT Universe joined in on the fun and started chanting coward. Cole rushed to the ring apron but backed away after Ricochet flipped across the ring. Kyle O’Reilly and Roderick Strong joined the party and Undisputed Era marched towards the ring. War Raiders interrupted and chased Undisputed Era into the crowd.
Mustache Mount appeared behind Undisputed Era and attacked them. O’Reilly, Strong and Cole once again escaped through the crowd as War Raiders, Mustache Mountain, and Ricochet stood tall.
NXT GM William Regal sat down with Shayna Baszler and Kairi Sane for a contract signing. Baszler will defend her NXT Women’s Championship against Kairi Sane at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn.Shayna Baszler stated that Kairi Sane was just like every other female Superstar in the locker room pretending to be tough.
Baszler called Sane pathetic and signed the contract. Kairi vowed to defeat Shayna at NXT Brooklyn and Baszler responded by chuckling to herself. Baszler said that Sane is going to hear “and still your NXT Women’s Champion” in Brooklyn. Shayna then walked away and Sane told NXT GM William Regal that she can defeat Baszler at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn.
Later on NXT, Baszler was confronted by Candice LeRae backstage. Candice was held back but said that she was going to find the time to slap Shayna in the face.
Tenilla Price had the misfortune of having to face Lacey Evans tonight on NXT. Evans dominated early and beatdown Price in the corner of the ring. Sane connected with a Neckbreaker and then regrouped in the corner. Price flipped right into the Woman’s Right from Evans for the pinfall victory.
Aleister Black defended the NXT Championship against Tommaso Ciampa in the main event of this week’s episode of NXT. Ciampa started off the match in control and targetted Black’s arm. Aleister grabbed Ciampa’s leg and wrestled him down to the canvas.
Ciampa escaped for a moment but Black got him trapped in a Headlock. Ciampa battled up to his feet and countered into a Headlock of his own. Black broke free and went for an Arm Drag but Tommaso countered into a roll-up for a two count.
Tommaso smiled in the corner of the ring and pointed out to Black how close he was to winning the title. The action spilled out of the ring and Black connected with a ridiculous kick to Ciampa’s chest that sent Tommaso tumbling to the floor.
Black brought Ciampa back into the ring but Tommaso battled back and sent Aleister to the corner of the ring. Black dodged Ciampa and knocked him back down with a boot to the face. Ciampa missed with a Clothesline and Aleister once again knocked him down with a kick to the chest.
Aleister faked like he was going for a Suicide Dive but bounced off the ropes and took a seat in the ring. Black waved to Ciampa as he was regrouping on the entrance ramp. Ciampa got back into the ring and was greeted with a boot to the face. Ciampa then followed Black to the ropes and launched him out of the ring.
Ciampa launched Black into the barricade and then into the steel steps. Ciampa took a seat on top of the steel steps and waved to Black. Back in the ring, Ciampa connected with a Dropkick and followed it up with a Backbreaker.
Tommaso Ciampa applied the Abdominal Stretch in the middle of the ring and Black screamed in pain. Black transitioned into the Cloverleaf in the middle of the ring. Aleister made his way to the bottom rope to break the hold and Ciampa slammed the mat out of frustration.
Black rolled to the ring apron and Ciampa followed him out there. Tommaso pulled him up and blasted him in the face with a couple of punches. Black battled back with a couple of elbows and then a flurry of kicks that sent Ciampa back into the ring.
Aleister connected with a kick to Ciampa’s knee and then rolled him up for a two count. Both Superstars got up and connected with a Clothesline at the same time. Black connected with a boot to the Ciampa’s face and then impressively flipped to his feet. Aleister followed it up with a springboard Moonsault for a near fall.
Ciampa went for the DDT while Black was trapped in the ropes but Aleister escaped with a kick to the head. Black unloaded a series of knee strikes to Ciampa’s head and went for the cover but Tommaso was somehow able to kick out at two.
Black shouted “tweet about this!” to Ciampa and hit him with several kicks in the corner of the ring. Ciampa tripped up Aleister on the apron and Black fell back-first on the ring apron. Ciampa then leaped onto Black off the top rope for another near fall.
Tommaso hit an insane Clothesline that turned Black inside out for a two count. Ciampa took down his knee brace and ran towards Aleister but Black countered with a massive kick to the face for another two count as the crowd chanted “NXT!”.
Aleister went for Black Mass but Ciampa countered into a roll-up for a two count. Black hit Double Knees off the top rope and followed it up with an awesome German Suplex for a two count. Black went for a Moonsault off the second rope but Ciampa dodged him and shoved Aleister into a cameraman.
Ciampa then struck Black with a crutch as the referee was distracted and went for the cover but Black somehow kicked out. Black sent Ciampa out of the ring and flipped onto him. Aleister rolled Ciampa back into the ring but Tommaso caught him in the ropes and planted him with the DDT. Ciampa went for the cover but Black once again kicked out and the crowd erupted.
Tommaso got out of the ring and pulled off some padding to expose the concrete floor below. Ciampa dragged Black to the ring apron and set up for a DDT on the floor. Tommaso argued with the referee and Black escaped back into the ring. Aleister shoved Ciampa towards the ropes and Tommaso bumped into the referee.
Black then hit Black Mass and went for the cover but the referee was on the ground outside the ring. Aleister brought Ciampa back to his feet and Tommaso raked Black’s eyes. Ciampa rolled out of the ring and grabbed the NXT Championship. Johnny Gargano got into the ring and hit Ciampa with a Superkick.
Ciampa then shoved Gargano and Johnny accidentally hit Black with the NXT Championship. Tommaso then hit Project Ciampa on Aleister Black for the pinfall victory. NXT went off the air with the crowd booing as Ciampa posed with the NXT Championship on the entrance ramp.
Tommaso Ciampa is the new NXT Champion. Title changes on weekly WWE NXT television are rare these days but a changing of the guard at the top of the brand for the developmental system has taken place.
Tommaso Ciampa beat Aleister Black to win the NXT Title on this week’s episode of NXT on the WWE Network, which was taped on Wednesday, July 18, 2018, from Winter Park, FL at Full Sail University. As a result of winning this match, it marks the first time that Ciampa has held the title.
Ciampa is now the 16th champion in the history of the NXT Title that was created back in 2012 when the inaugural champion was Seth Rollins when the brand was first introduced to the WWE fans. Ciampa is also a former NXT Tag Team Champion under the WWE banner when he won the titles with Johnny Gargano, who he had been feuding with for the past few months on television where they would later headline the last two TakeOver events.
Black held the title for 102 days once when he won it from Andrade “Cien” Almas during Survivor Series weekend at NXT TakeOver: WarGames in November of 2017 in Houston, Texas.
The next NXT special is NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4, which with everything that has gone on in this brand lately, it will be interesting to see how WWE books the new few weeks of television for the NXT brand leading up to this event that is slated to go down on Saturday, August 18, 2018 in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center and will air on the WWE Network.
What are your thoughts on this title change? Sound off in the comment section.
Matt Riddle is talking in-depth about the possibility of signing with WWE and the “endless possibilities” that would await him in NXT.
The King of Bros is the latest guest on Sean Waltman’s popular XPAC 1-2-360 podcast at AfterBuzz TV. He also spoke about WWE’s upcoming all-women’s Evolution Network special.
The entire episode of Matt Riddle on XPAC 1-2-360 is embedded below.
Below are highlights sent in by the show’s producers. Matt Riddle, one of the top independent wrestlers in the world, has been rumored to be signing with WWE over NJPW. With the popular opinion that Matt Riddle is WWE bound, here is what the Evolve Champion said about:
Being One Of The Top Free Agents In Pro Wrestling
“I am in a really good position right now, I work with Evolve on a regular basis and they have a great relationship with WWE and other companies as well. Zack Saber Jr. worked with us, New Japan…I’ve been fortunate enough to travel the world and wrestle guys from New Japan, Ring of Honor, especially Progress and still wrestling WWE guys. I’m in a really good spot. The last couple of years you {Sean Waltman} helped me out a lot too but you know how granted they took issues with my past… I was kinda stuck but from what I’ve gathered, what I’ve heard from everybody, everybody is at the point where they all want me and they’re all willing to work with me. I think they’re all big fans of Matt Riddle. And I think it’s my time to make the right decision, do it and let’s see what happens.”
NXT Presenting “Endless Possibilities” For Him & Who He Wants to Work With
“I had one match with Roderick Strong, which was great and I’d love to do something like that again. I’ve wrestled Kyle O’ Reilly all around the world from Ireland to the U.S to everywhere, I’d love to do that again. Adam Cole the same. Aleister Black, I wrestled him only once and we didn’t call anything and it was one of my fave matches I’ve had and I’d like to do that again. Tommaso Ciampa, Ricochet… the list goes on. Endless possibilities for great matches.”
Being Terrified to Work With James Ellsworth:
The one that sticks out to me the most and he was terrified, he was like ‘you’re so good though’ and this and that and I’m like, ‘Bro, relax. It’s like a 5 minute match and we’re gonna kill it, it’s gonna be easy.’ And this person was James Ellsworth. He was terrified. I’ll be honest I had a lot of people tell me just to kick the shit out of him… and I’m like ‘I’m not that kinda person. And James Ellsworth can’t really defend himself against me…I don’t like that.’ But we were talking about the match and he was just shaking and nervous for it, I don’t know if he thought I was gonna turn it up on him or what. It ended up being a good match… he thanked me for the match and said it was a great experience and ‘thank you for not killing me.’
CM Punk’s Downfall in MMA:
“CM Punk, for example, he started training MMA. Did he start at like a local Jiu-Jitsu gym? No. He went to Duke Roufus, he went to one of the biggest camps in the world with some of the toughest people and I’ll tell you this that’s probably the worst thing he could’ve done. Because there are a bunch of killers there that want to beat you up. They don’t go five miles per hour, they already know all the moves and they’re going to but the beat on you because that’s what you do in fights.
While I personally think he probably should’ve gone and got a couple personal trainers. Like a personal Jiu-Jitsu instructor, a personal Muay Thai instructor got his hands, his feet, everything educated. His Jiu-Jitsu educated. And then started to maybe roll with a couple white belts, some blue belts that aren’t at the highest level school in your area and then eventually you make your way to the killers. Then you can be a killer yourself. But I think he just hopped in way to quick.”
Check out the full segment of Matt Riddle talking to Sean Waltman:
Stephanie McMahon continues to make the media rounds to promote the upcoming WWE Evolution all-women’s event that goes down later this and spoke about the importance of it during a recent ESPN interview.
Recent Major Announcements
McMahon discussed making announcements for the women’s division which she noted was an honor beyond description to be the one who gets to make these announcements then listed off the first ever all-women Royal Rumble match, and now the first ever all-women pay-per-view. She noted that to be able to honor the memories and legacies of all of those women who have competed in the WWE and paved the way for today’s stars is a demonstration of equality for them as well as for all of the young girls and women around the world.”
Her Evolution Role
Although McMahon didn’t fully answer the question about her role at this show, she did make it clear that her goal is to make it the WrestleMania version of the women’s division. “What’s awesome about this pay-per-view event is that it’s being treated the same as every other pay-per-view, because we believe in it so much. It has the creative writing team. It has all of our live events production, talent relations — all of the different departments that go into making every pay-per-view a success are behind this pay-per-view. In terms of my role, I’m going to do everything I can to make it as big and as successful as it can possibly be. I’m hoping, at any rate, that this is going to be the WrestleMania of the women’s division.”
The Evolution pay-per-view event takes place on Sunday, October 28, 2018 in Long Island, New York at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum and will air on the WWE Network.
What are your thoughts on McMahon’s comments? Sound off in the comment section.
Cris “Cyborg” Justino has called for a fight against Ronda Rousey for years. However, it won’t take place inside of the Octagon under the UFC banner but it could happen inside of a WWE ring.
The UFC women’s featherweight champion recently said in an interview with TMZ that she would be willing to fight Rousey in WWE when asked if a WWE run was a possibility after her MMA career ends. This is where she admitted that it wasn’t something planning for but would be open to the possibility.
“You know some fans ask me that like, ‘how crazy would it be to fight Ronda Rousey in WWE?'” Cyborg said. “To watch the fight that never happened. I say maybe, you know. It’s not something I have planned but if it’s something the fans would like to watch. I didn’t train for that, but I think it would be great.”
Cyborg would continue by stating that she has seen the WWE product before as she attended a few shows and that it would be cool to compete against Rousey in the company.
“It’s like acting more,” Cyborg said of the difference between WWE and UFC. “It’s very different too because when you’re fighting [in UFC] when somebody punches you have to show like you don’t feel anything.”
She added that in the WWE when someone punches you, you have to act like you’re hurt and it’s different from MMA.
If you’re an MMA fan, visit our partner site MMANews.com.
Rey Mysterio has not only given a timeline on how long he thinks he has left as an active pro wrestler but also where he wants to finish up his pro wrestling career.
The former WWE Champion talked to Noelle Foley for Ringside Collectables and in this interview, he was asked about a potential return to the WWE.
Mysterio stated that Mattel should keep making figures of him no matter what happens between him and the company as well as that he wants to end his career under WWE’s banner. “It is in my agenda. I would definitely like to close out my career with WWE,” Mysterio said. “With that being said, I don’t have much left on my watch. So I’m thinking anywhere from three to five years and I can really see a possible return to WWE without a doubt.”
Despite his recent appearances for the sports entertainment company this year, (competing in the Royal Rumble Match at the pay-per-view event in January and wrestling in the 50-Man Royal Rumble Match at the Greatest Royal Rumble PPV) Mysterio has yet to agree to terms for a new WWE contract but is expected to sign a new deal that would see him return to the WWE later this year.
The former WWE star is booked for another match for New Japan Pro Wrestling at Budokan Hall on August 12th, the ‘All In’ event on September 1st and Chris Jericho’s upcoming Rock n Wrestling Rager At Sea.
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently spoke about Hulk Hogan returning to WWE on a recent episode of his Jim Ross Report podcast.
Hogan was backstage at Extreme Rules earlier this month to offer an apology to the entire WWE roster regarding the racist comments that led to his suspension 3 years ago. Jim Ross said that he’s not sure what Hogan’s punishment should be, but he’s happy that Hulk Hogan is back in the fold.
“It’s not a surprise,” Ross argued. “Hey look, what Hogan did is just so sad, and unnecessary, and what a major mistake,” Ross said. “I think he knows that. Now, somewhere down this journey of healing, if we find out that Hogan [has] got a different agenda, well, shame on him. I don’t believe that to be true. But I believe I’m willing to stand back and let this whole process play out and see how it works at the end of the day.
“I don’t know how long we’re supposed to punish somebody for doing something so stupid. It was stupidity and ignorance. How long do you get penalized for stupidity and ignorance? It’s different now than doing bodily harm to somebody. Hey, I watch enough [Law & Order: SVU] with Mariska Hargitay to understand that. So we hope that Hogan has a nice reentry. But congratulations. I’m glad he’s back.
“Now make me proud that you’re back and do great things. He has an amazing opportunity with his influence and name identity, does Hogan, to leave lasting positive impressions on everybody, no matter their ethnicity.”
As for what kind of role Hogan could have for WWE going forward, he said he believes it will be more of a PR role and doesn’t expect the former WWE Champion to be wrestling:
“Without sounding like an asshole, [Hogan]’ll probably have a [WWE] Hall Of Fame role.” Ross explained, “PR, he [has] got a lot of ground to cover. He [has] got some fences to mend, some bridges to repair, but that could be done. I don’t see him wrestling again. He’s 65 years old. Now, I’m not knocking the guy. It’s not. ‘J.R., look at you!’
“I’m not Hulk Hogan. I never even played him on television. Could Hogan have a one-off somewhere? Of course he could! ‘Well, where do you do that?’ Hell, you do that in New York City at WrestleMania. That’s what you do! But is that what you really need to do? He’s 100 [%]. He’s got a bad back.
“He’s a warhorse, man. He’s been battered and beat up. So I think it’ll be more of a PR role. I’m glad that he’s back and it give him more motivation to make himself better, without a doubt.”
Former WCW President Eric Bischoff recently spoke in-depth about the Hollywood Blondes tag team on a recent episode of his 83 Weeks podcast. Bischoff discussed why Steve Austin and Brian Pillman were not kept together as long as some fans would have hoped.
Bischoff admitted that it was more of a financial decision than a booking one, as Steve Austin and Brian Pillman were pulling in too much on their own:
“What had happened with Brian and Steve wasn’t so much of a booking decision about them being together as a tag team as it was a financial decision,” Bischoff said. “I could tell you this for sure — later on, when I did have creative control over wrestling operations around 1994-1995 I was not a big fan of tag team wrestling. Not because I didn’t enjoy watching it as a fan, but from an economic point of view.
“If you look at a tag team, and each one of them is breaking close to $200,000 a year and they are in the ring with those of equal value, now you have a million dollars worth of talent for a seven or eight-minute segment, so from an economic point of view to have two high profile guys in a tag team match and you start looking at the economics of it, you look at it like, wait a minute, I can have two separate stories here at two separate segments to fill my content requirements with for the same amount of money that I am spending on one.”
Bischoff also explained that The Hollywood Blondes would’ve needed opponents on their level, but that would’ve been too costly to maintain:
“To have equal value or status with guys like Steve Austin and Brian Pillman at the time, you had to have other high-dollar guys with to tell stories with. Being limited in what you can do in singles matches and your storytelling for all of the content that you had to fill and put a real premium price tag on the talent that was involved in a six or seven-minute match, or one match for a pay per view.
“So it just didn’t make economic sense, which was the reason, from what I can remember early on was that if we can’t afford it we can’t afford it. Let’s get a two for one here. If we have two great guys with lots of talent it made a lot more sense from a business point of view for them to be singles then for them to be a tag team.”
Listen to Eric Bischoff & Conrad Thompson talk Brian Pillman on 83 Weeks:
WWE Superstar Bobby Lashley recently took part in a media conference call. Alex McCarthy of GiveMeSport was on the call and has provided some details on what Lashley said about a wide range of topics, including his return to WWE earlier this year, Roman Reigns and more.
Lashley was asked which WWE Superstars have impressed him the most in his latest run with the company. The former ECW champion called Roman Reigns “phenomenal” and also said guys like Elias, Braun Strowman and Finn Balor have caught his eye.
As for Reigns, in regards to the division on him amongst the WWE Universe, Bobby Lashley doesn’t really understand it. “It kills me to be out in the ring with somebody of his level and the crowd be divided as to whether or not he deserves to be in the position he is – and I don’t get it. He has the look, he’s a great athlete and he’s a great in-ring performer.”
Lashley said he thinks Apollo Crews is underrated and hopes WWE finds a meaningful role for him. “I hope they find something for Apollo because h has so much untapped potential.”
After a 10 year hiatus where he proved that he can work with virtually anyone, he is determined to capture another world championship in WWE.
He also had some very brief comments regarding Hulk Hogan being reinstated by WWE after a 3-year suspension. Lashley said simply, “If he’s in, he’s in. Nothing to do with me.”
As of this writing, Bobby Lashley does not have an opponent for next month’s SummerSlam pay-per-view. He lost to Roman Reigns on Raw in a number one contender’s match to determine the next challenger to Universal Champion Brock Lesnar.
WWE is scheduled to release a DVD on the career of WWE Champion AJ Styles on November 6th to fans in the United States.
The three-disc DVD that is titled, “AJ Styles – Most Phenomenal Matches,” features 20 full-length matches spanning his entire career with the WWE from January of 2016 – July of 2018 that includes matches with Chris Jericho and Roman Reigns as well as all of his WrestleMania matches including against Shane McMahon and Shinsuke Nakamura and more.
DISC ONE This Is Phenomenal Traveling the World AJ Styles vs. Chris Jericho – RAW • January 25, 2016 WWE Tag Team Championship Match: AJ Styles & Chris Jericho vs. New Day – RAW • March 7, 2016 First WrestleMania AJ Styles vs. Chris Jericho – WrestleMania 32 • April 3, 2016 Fatal 4-Way Match to Determine the #1 Contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship: AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens vs. Chris Jericho vs. Cesaro – RAW • April 4, 2016 The Booing Stopped WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles – Payback • May 1, 2016 Extreme Rules Match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles – Extreme Rules • May 22, 2016 The Face That Runs The Place AJ Styles vs. John Cena – SummerSlam • August 21, 2016
DISC TWO
WWE Champion WWE World Championship Match: Dean Ambrose vs. AJ Styles – Backlash • September 11, 2016 TLC Match for the WWE Championship: AJ Styles vs. Dean Ambrose – TLC • December 4, 2016 The Elephant in the Room WWE Championship Match: AJ Styles vs. John Cena – Royal Rumble • January 29, 2017 Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship: John Cena vs. AJ Styles vs. Bray Wyatt – SmackDown Live • February 14, 2017 AJ Styles vs. Shane McMahon – WrestleMania 33 • April 2, 2017 Earning Respect Triple Threat Match to Determine the #1 Contender for the United States Championship: AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin – SmackDown Live • April 11, 2017
DISC THREE
A Special Moment AJ Styles vs. Chad Gable – SmackDown Live • July 4, 2017 Triple Threat Match for the United States Championship: AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens vs. Chris Jericho – SmackDown Live • July 25, 2017 WWE Championship Match: Jinder Mahal vs. AJ Styles – SmackDown Live • November 7, 2017 Going Beast Hunting Champion vs. Champion Match: AJ Styles (WWE Champion) vs. Brock Lesnar (Universal Champion) – Survivor Series • November 19, 2017 WWE Championship Match: AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura- WrestleMania 34 • April 8, 2018 Last Man Standing Match for the WWE Championship: AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura – Money in the Bank • June 17, 2018 The Story Continues AJ Styles vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas – SmackDown Live • July 17, 2018
Do you plan to buy this DVD? Sound off in the comment section.
Former WWE and IMPACT Wrestling star Chris Masters was recently interviewed by WSVN-TV Entertainment Reporter Chris Van Vliet during That Wrestling Event in Orlando. Masters first opened up on why he asked for his release from IMPACT Wrestling back in January.
Masters was initially with WWE from 2003 to 2007 when he was released from his contract. He had a two year run on the independent circuit before making a return to the company in 2009. That run lasted two years until he was released from his deal again in August of 2011.
He went on to work for TNA in 2015 and returned in 2017 to IMPACT Wrestling. That run only lasted several months before Masters requested his release from the promotion in January of 2018, and it was subsequently granted:
“I like that group and I had a lot of fun there with those guys. It just came down to in the end that it wasn’t really enough money once they started cutting the budget for me to really show up to work. That’s all it was. I like Eli Drake but I didn’t favor the way they had me booked as his cheerleader unless it turned out into something we could do with a program and work with him and it eventually led to him being a babyface and me a heel.
“If we would have done that, it would have worked out great but I would have also wanted to be paid adequately. It just came down to those facts and obviously I just ended up quitting. I literally just after two days at the taping, booked a flight back to Toronto and just decided I wasn’t coming back. I reached out to them when I landed in Toronto and told them I wouldn’t be coming into work and that was it. It was as simple as that.
“My 35th birthday came around and something in my head just popped in and I said I’m not going to do anything that doesn’t make me feel good or that I don’t want to do at this point and that was one of the starts.”
Masters also talked about his days working as a bouncer at a bar, named the strongest wrestler he has ever worked with, reveals how often he watches wrestling now and much more in the full interview. You can check it out below:
There has been some speculation going around regarding Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt’s current tag team, and that it could be coming to an end soon.
The Deleters Of Worlds recently came up short against The B Team (Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel) on RAW to recapture the Tag Team Titles. Hardy recently took to Twitter and issued out a cryptic message, saying the single word “DONE.”:
As we’ve noted, WWE Superstar Elias has released his new album “Walk With Elias.” The new album has actually been doing very well on iTunes. Prior to Monday’s episode of RAW it had reached number 16 on the iTunes charts.
When the show finished, it was already in the top ten and jumped up to number six. If you’d like to check Elias’ album out, you can do so on iTunes or Spotify.
It was revealed on Tuesday night that Samoa Joe would be the next title contender for the WWE Title as he will challenge WWE Champion AJ Styles for the strap at the SummerSlam PPV on Sunday, August 19, 2018 in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center that will air on the WWE Network and some traditional pay-per-view outlets.
This comes off Styles’ recent feuds with Shinsuke Nakamura and Rusev. Following the announcement of the upcoming match, the former NXT Champion sent out the following warning to the champ by writing, “@AJStylesOrg Fetch your shine box and get my championship ready. #SummerSlam #andNEW,” on his official Twitter account:
As seen on this week’s episode of SmackDown Live in Evansville, IN at the Ford Center on the USA Network, R-Truth was back to wrestling on network television for the company as he lost a quick squash match to Joe, which marked his first singles match in nine months as that previous contest went down in October.
The reason for his absence was due to him needing to undergo shoulder surgery back in December. It should be noted that since that surgery, he did work the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 34 back in April in New Orleans.
What are your thoughts on WWE booking Joe vs. Styles at SummerSlam? Sound off in the comment section.
Cody Rhodes doesn’t have a bad thing to say about Randy Orton.
Rhodes worked with Orton as a member of the Legacy stable in WWE from 2008 to 2010. Soon after he went on a nice singles run that included a pair of Intercontinental Title wins. In 2016, however, the son of WWE Hall Of Famer Dusty Rhodes decided to venture out into the independent circuit and left the company.
Orton remains in WWE today, and cut an interesting promo on SmackDown Live last night (Tues. July 24, 2108) about “indy darlings.” He poked fun at The Bullet Club stealing the old Kliq “Too Sweet” hand gesture as well. One fan on Twitter seemed to take issue with this and asked Rhodes to “go off” on Orton.
Rhodes responded by saying “The Viper” could call him “a rat piece of sh!&” and he wouldn’t care. He credits Orton for his early success in the business and says he learned a lot from the former multiple time World Champ:
Earlier this week (Mon. July 23, 2018) on Monday Night RAW, the trio of Stephanie McMahon, Vince McMahon and Triple H opened up the show.
After some comments from Vince and “The Game,” Stephanie McMahon announced the first ever all female WWE pay-per-view (PPV) entitled “Evolution” which will take place in October. The entire RAW roster and the women from SmackDown Live were on the stage for the announcement.
When the segment wrapped up, the cameras cut back to the RAW commentary team of Jonathan Coachman, Michael Cole and Corey Graves. In the background, however, Stephanie McMahon, Triple H and Vince McMahon could all be seen making their way out of the ring.
Stephanie McMahon exited the ring first as Triple H held the bottom rope open for her. “The Game” continued to hold the rope open and jokingly signaled for Vince McMahon to go next. Vince McMahon grinned and pretended to kick Triple H. He then exited the ring soon after Triple H did. Check out the video here:
