Home Blog Page 1648

Bruce Prichard On Setting Up Sable’s Playboy Deal

Jon Fuentes
-
0

In a recent edition of Bruce Prichard’s Something To Wrestle, Prichard discussed Sable’s run with WWE. One of the more interesting topics of discussion was WWE striking a deal with the famous men’s adult magazine Playboy. Sable graced the cover of the April 1999 edition of the magazine:

“We were hot at the time and the product itself was hot and Rena was — good god, Sable that character [was] one of the most downloaded females in the world,” Bruce Prichard said. “Playboy as they often or at least did back in the day would often reach out to celebrities or other people who would appeal to their audience and make that offer, ‘would you pose nude for Playboy?’

“They approached WWE about Sable and asked. There was even talk of doing the women of WWF and all that other stuff but Playboy had approached us. I don’t know all the particulars about this but usually they approach the company and since we have the talent contract we’re the ones that broker the deal and yeah the company gets a portion of that money because they’re under contract to the company.

“So I’m sure Vince looking at it and saying, ‘which of the females?’ Then approached her and asked if she would even be in interested in it if it’s something she’d consider doing and she interested in doing it so they went further on with the deal until finally it was actually done and everybody agreed on it.”

Two different photos were shot as options for Sable’s cover photo. The first was Sable being covered by nothing except a WWF Women’s Title. The other, which was eventually selected, was Sable wearing a black catsuit:

“I think it was Playboy’s choice looking at the two pictures and deciding which one was gonna sell more magazines,” Prichard said. “Not just appealing to the wrestling fan with the belt and what have you. I don’t know what the hell their thinking was behind it but I thought the cover they picked was a pretty good one.”

You can listen to Something To Wrestle With Bruce Prichard by clicking this link here.

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

Edge Discusses Exchanging Gear With The Undertaker At WrestleMania

Jon Fuentes
-
0

WWE Hall Of Famer Edge and Christian discussed exchanging ring gear in a recent episode of their podcast, E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness. Christian first started things off by confessing that he never has been good at keeping memorabilia from his matches, and knows he’ll probably regret that one day:

“I have talked about this before, I have always been bad at saving memorabilia. I tried to get better at it my last two years,  have done it on a couple of occasions, but I know for you [Edge], like when you had your match against Undertaker, you were better at exchanging things and doing things like that than I have.

“I wished for some of the bigger moments and matches, looking back now someday I am going to regret not doing more of that.”

Edge then revealed that the only time he ever swapped gear with someone was after WrestleMania 24 with The Undertaker. Edge lost the World Heavyweight Championship to The Undertaker. Edge gave Taker his kick-pads and tights, while Undertaker gave him his gloves:

“The only time I have exchanged gear with someone was with The Undertaker at WrestleMania 24. I gave him my kick-pads and my tights from that and I got his gloves. It is pretty cool. I am glad I got that memory. I saved everything; all my gear over the years; my trench coats and stuff that I have saved.

“It is all packed away nicely and neatly in vacuum-sealed bags and all that stuff. One day if the girls decide they want to do something with it—whether they want to give it away to charity, or buy a slushy with it, I don’t know, but it’ll be there.”

You can listen to E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness by clicking this link here.

H/T IWNerd for the transcriptions

Seth Rollins Could Join Elite Company Tonight, Stephanie McMahon Congratulates Charlotte

Jon Fuentes
-
10

Seth Rollins Could Join Elite Company Tonight On RAW

Tonight, Seth Rollins invokes his rematch clause for the WWE Intercontinental Championship against Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler defeated The Architect for the strap last week on Monday Night RAW.

According to WWE’s Instagram account, Rollins could join some Hall Of Fame company tonight. If Rollins defeats Ziggler and reclaims the Intercontinental Title he’ll be one of a few names to have held both the Intercontinental and WWE Championship several times each:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bkc7PrjAU8e/?utm_source=ig_embed

Stephanie McMahon Congratulates Charlotte Flair On ESPN Honor

SmackDown Live star Charlotte Flair has been featured in ESPN The Magazine’s Body Issue. Flair has already teased her shoot on her Instagram account with a few pictures:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkdBHdNFVmN/?taken-by=charlottewwe

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkNZ9t3F6dr/?taken-by=charlottewwe

WWE’s Stephanie McMahon recently took to Twitter to congratulate Flair on the ESPN honor:

Adam Cole On Being In Both The Undisputed Era & The Bullet Club

Jon Fuentes
-
0

NXT North American Champion Adam Cole was recently interviewed on the So Catch by Hal YouTube channel to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Cole first discussed having been a part of two of the most famous factions in professional wrestling today – The Undisputed Era and The Bullet Club:

“I’ve been in a lot of different factions my whole career and all the guys who made up those factions are different performers. For example, if you look at the Undisputed Era as a whole I’m very different than Roderick Strong who’s very different from Kyle O’Reilly who’s very different from Bobby Fish.

“Bullet Club was the exact same way. Everyone was different but together collectively that’s what made The Bullet Club what it was. Of course you’re gonna see people who compare the groups especially when someone jumps from group to group.

“Undisputed Era has the same cocky, no-nonsense, do whatever we want attitude that Bullet Club does so you get the comparisons, but at the same time I do think the group that we have now in the Undisputed Era is different in that sense. I definitely have noticed differences, yeah.”

Cole then talked about being NXT’s North American Champion and getting to defend that strap in EVOLVE:

“It’s exciting, I made a comment before when I won the North American Championship I said I was gonna make it the most important title in NXT and one of the ways for me to do that is to go out and defend the title in other companies like Evolve. I think it makes it cool. I think it adds to the coolness of pro wrestling in 2018 where NXT champions are showing up elsewhere.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zd-WqPu7EgA&feature=youtu.be

H/T 411Mania for the transcriptions

Jim Ross Not Happy With Fan Who Brought Beach Ball To Recent WWE Event

Andrew Ravens
-
8

Jim Ross has voiced his frustration with one fan who brought a beach ball to a recent WWE event.

The WWE Hall of Famer recently spoke about the topic during an episode of his podcast, the Jim Ross Report.

The incident went down during the NXT Takeover: Chicago II event where one fan decided it was a good idea to bring the item to the event and started using it during the NXT Women’s Title match between Shayna Baszler and Nikki Cross.

“Whoever brought the damn beach ball and punted that around at the match should have their ass kicked. How can you be — ‘oh I’m a fan, I’m a real fan, I’ve got a tee shirt that’s got a wrestler’s picture on it.’ Yeah right. Why would you bring a beach ball to a live event unless you just needed the attention? That you need to tell your buddies, ‘Hey you see that beach ball man? Hey dude, guess who brought it?’ No, you’re an idiot.

So no more beach balls please….you disrespected the people in the match. That’s not the game. So, no more beach balls please and if you see a beach ball, stick a fork in it. Like [Gorilla] Monsoon would say, ‘It’s done”

It should be noted that Ross is not the only one who has an issue with this trend as Cesaro had similar comments about fans bringing them to events.

H/T to Wrestlezone for the transcribed quotes.

What are your thoughts on Ross’ comments? Sound off in the comment section.

RAW Preview: Rollins’ Rematch, Road To Extreme Rules

Staff
-
11

Tonight’s edition of WWE Raw takes place from San Diego, California at the Valley View Casino Center. We’re less than 3 weeks out from Extreme Rules, which takes place Sunday, July 15th.

WWE.com is advertising the following items for Raw:

– Seth Rollins gets a rematch against Dolph Ziggler, who captured the Intercontinental championship last week.

– Brock Lesnar’s next challenger will be decided in a multi-man match at Extreme Rules. Last week, Bobby Lashley and Roman Reigns were named as participants in the match. Who else will battle to become #1 contender?

– What does Nia Jax have planned for Alexa Bliss?

– KO and Baron Corbin forge powerful alliance.

– Where do Sasha Banks and Bayley go from here after failing to function as a team and later brawling backstage last week?

As always, join us here tonight for our WWE RAW Live Results & Discussion. 

Cody Takes Shot At NXT and WWE Developmental

Chris Stephens
-
2

As Cody and the Young Bucks gear up for All-In on September 1st, 2018, questions remain as to how the WWE might respond to the event. Cody responded to a suggestion on Twitter that WWE may decide to sign talent booked for All-In.

A fan asked Dave Meltzer if WWE would possibly organize a show near Chicago on September 1st to rival All-In.

“Nope and tickets are sold,” Meltzer replied. “All they can do it try and sign the talent on the show and pull them, and most are under contract elsewhere past that date.”

Evidently, Cody was following the discussion and offered a response.

“That’s a possibility. Everybody has different goals. If your goal is to take a meet/greet style handshake photo, and pretend to be excited about going back to wrestling school…that’s your prerogative ha.”

Cody and WWE

Since leaving the company in 2016, Cody has had both positive and negative things to say about WWE. Cody has taken issue with the company running a Starrcade themed house show but also responded positively to NXT running a War Games themed event.

Earlier this year, Cody responded to a fan on Twitter who asked if he’ll ever go back to WWE. “Unlikely. They have a huge place in my heart. They raised me,” Cody Tweeted.
“But my music is my music and I play it how I want, I am literally incapable of taking direction.”

Cody has earned the praise of his fellow Bullet Club members. Adam Page recently had this to say on his Cody’s work ethic:

“He’s just a person who, legitimately every minute of every day, he’s on,” Page said. “He’s two-a-day at the gym, or coming up with stuff for The Elite, or thinking of long-term ideas for what he wants to do at Ring of Honor or New Japan or for a match that day, he’s just somebody who legitimately is always on, and I think that has motivated me as well a little bit.”

WWE Files For New Trademark Relating To UK Division

Chris Stephens
-
1

WWE recently filed for a new trademark. The company has applied for a patent on the term “British Strong Style.” The name has previously referred to the stable of wrestlers consisting of Pete Dunne, Trent Seven, and Tyler Bate.

Dunne and Seven originally formed the stable in Progress back in June of 2016. Bate was added to the group a few months later. The name is said to be derived from their mash-up between British and Japanese style wrestling. Although they have primarily competed for Progress, the stable has also appeared in Chikara. They won the King of Trios tournament in 2017.

WWE filed for the trademark on June 18th, 2018 with the status officially being updated on June 21st, 2018.

Pete Dunne on British Strong Style and WWE UK Division

In a recent interview, Pete Dunne talked about the role he and his fellow WWE UK wrestlers are playing on NXT programming as of late.

“It’s a big part of it, again using this as the marker, not only are we now finally relaunching our own brand kick-starting that properly, but we are also now becoming a big part of NXT,” Dunne said. “It feels great to have had that journey but also I’ve had my own independent stuff with British Strong Style and Progress wrestling, so it feels like two worlds are meeting in the middle and we get to take something that we built alongside WWE in a company like Progress and we get to bring that together when we face the Undisputed Era at the Royal Albert Hall.”

Dunne also spoke in regards to the future of WWE’s UK Division. “Something you’ll find in wrestling, in general, is that people have a respect for the British style,” Dunne continued. “So to be able to have this title now and create something a little bit unique and have a unique part of the NXT show that has our stamp on it is great, and to hear that Johnny Saint is going to be the general manager of the UK show, you know if anybody epitomizes British wrestling as something quirky and unique it’s that man, and he brings so much experience to the table and hopefully that really adds to our show.”

Triple H On What Changes He Wants To Bring To Indie Promotions

Anutosh Bajpai
-
6

WWE Executive Vice President Triple H is considered to be the catalyst for a lot of changes within the company and one of them is the promotion working with other local indies.

In a recent interview he gave during the tapings of the UK Championship Tournament, The former World Champion talked about many things and also revealed what changes he wants to bring to the indie scene by working with the various promotions.

According to the Game, he wants to make upgrades behind the scenes and provide things like better medical care for the people who are working for small promotions in hopes to make it into the business:

“There are also groups out there just putting on shows and you’ve heard the stories of are you going to get paid? Is there medical? There’s a lot of things we’re trying to upgrade. It’s hard, but I’m trying to upgrade the behind-the-scenes for the talent, for their health, for their well being, [and] for their careers.”

Continuing on the topic, Triple H also talked about how he wants wrestling to become a career for people and not something where a lot of them work for years and then are left without anything to show at the end.

You can check out the full interview of Triple H, courtesy of Inside The Ropes in the video below:

Quotes via WrestlingInc

Shinsuke Nakamura Reveals Why He Left NJPW To Sign With WWE

Anutosh Bajpai
-
8

Shinsuke Nakamura is considered a legend in Japan and a lot of people were surprised when he decided to leave NJPW to join the WWE’s development territory, NXT.

Nakamura was recently interviewed by former WWE announcer Lillian Garcia at the Ace Comic-Con where among other things he also revealed why he left New Japan Pro Wrestling for his current employers.

According to Shinsuke, it was 2015 and he felt like he had accomplished everything in Japan. He then got a call from a WWE friend when he was trying to figure out what he should do next and that’s when the former NXT Star decided to sign with the company:

“In Japan, I thought I accomplished everything, So, I tried other things. So, then in 2015, [I thought], what should I do next? At the time, my friend, who works in WWE, called me. Probably it’s time to challenge next. Then I [decided to join WWE].”

Continuing on the topic, the Japanese Star also talked about how he couldn’t follow WWE when he was a kid because he didn’t have money to go to the video shop.

Shinsuke Nakamura signed an exclusive contract with WWE in January 2016 and as a result, he was stripped of the IWGP Intercontinental Championship.

WWE then announced his debut for the Takeover: Dallas event in April the same year where Nakamura defeated Sami Zayn. You can check out his full interview in the video below:

Quotes via WrestlingInc

Championship Match Announced For SmackDown Live

Anutosh Bajpai
-
4

The latest episode of Raw saw a surprising title change when Dolph Ziggler answered Seth Rollins’ open challenge and defeated the Architect to win the Intercontinental Championship.

Now the company has announced another Championship match for this week where we could possibly see another title switch, though this time on SmackDown Live.

General Manager Paige recently made a tweet, saying that it’s her responsibility to make the matches that we want to see, and announced a US title match between Jeff Hardy and Shinsuke Nakamura:

“As General Manager of #SDLive, it’s my responsibility to make matches that you want to SEE … so, I’m making it official. Jeff Hardy will defend the US Title against Shinsuke Nakamura THIS Tuesday,”

Jeff Hardy did not defend his Championship at the Money In The Bank PPV and the Charismatic Enigma has not been involved in any long-term feud since his move to SmackDown Live.

On the other hand, Shinsuke Nakamura lost the final bout of his rivalry against AJ Styles at the PPV and he now looks to be moving away from the WWE title picture.

The two started a rivalry when Shinsuke attacked the champion 2 weeks ago and both the stars then cut a promo on each other during last week’s episode of SmackDown Live.

While not confirmed, Nakamura looks to be a worthy opponent to defeat Hardy for the title and he could certainly use the championship now after losing the feud against Styles.

So it shouldn’t be a surprise if he ends up taking the title away from Jeff during his rivalry and it could be as soon as this Tuesday night during the announced bout.

NXT Star Suffered Injury During Takeover, Why The Bar Has Been Off TV

Anutosh Bajpai
-
9

NXT Star Suffered Injury During Takeover

Both Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan gave everything they had during the NXT Tag Team Championship match at Takeover: Chicago II but they still failed to defeat the Undisputed Era for the titles.

However, now it appears that this loss was not the only bad news for the duo coming out of the special event as Pwinsider reports that Lorcan suffered an injury, during the same bout.

The site reveals that Oney suffered a broken orbital bone and he is set to have surgery to repair the damage. No word yet on when the surgery will take place or how long he will be out of action but we’ll keep you posted.

Why The Bar Has Been Off TV

Former Raw Tag Team Champions The Bar Sheamus and Cesaro were moved to SmackDown Live during the Superstar Shakeup earlier this year, however, the duo hasn’t been featured much on the Blue Brand.

Since the Greatest Royal Rumble event in April, the two have appeared on only three episodes of the Blue Branded Show, making many wonder about their status.

Now in an update, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer revealed the reason for their absence and killing the rumors about them on Twitter, Meltzer stated that the only reason why the former Champs have been away from TV is because the creatives don’t have anything planned for them.

Adam Cole On How Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks Would Fit In The Undisputed Era

Jon Fuentes
-
7

WWE NXT North American Champion Adam Cole recently did an interview with Sports Illustrated to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Cole was first asked if he thinks Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks would be good additions to The Undisputed Era:

“Those guys would fit perfectly in the Undisputed Era. They’re exactly what the Undisputed Era is all about: cutting-edge, going against the grain, doing what they want when they want.

“Obviously, a lot of people know my history with Kenny Omega, and I have a very long history with the Young Bucks, and those guys would fit perfectly. It’s like two peas in a pod.”

Cole then discussed going back-and-forth on the NXT TakeOver: Chicago pre-show with panelist Pat McAfee:

“Pat McAfee is real quick on his feet and he’s real entertaining to listen to when he talks, but every time I speak to Pat, I make sure he knows that he’s in my world. This isn’t a football field, and I make sure he’s very aware of that every time we exchange words.

“Pat got a taste of that again on NXT TakeOver: Chicago’s pre-show panel. As long as Pat’s running his mouth the way that he does, I guarantee I’ll be there to back up every word that comes out of my mouth, as well.”

The North American champ seems confident in his ability inside the ring. So confident in fact that he believes he’s not just the best in NXT or in WWE, but the best in the world:

“I’m not just the best in NXT, I’m not just the best in the WWE, I’m the best on the freaking planet. Part of backing that statement up is competing outside of WWE, and the North American championship has given me the opportunity to do that.

“I can go to a company like EVOLVE and wrestle a talent as good, as big, and as strong as WALTER and defend my championship on a non-WWE show. That’s the epitome of making the North American title a world championship, one I can defend all over the world.”

You can read Cole’s full interview with Sports Illustrated by clicking this link here.

Jim Ross Offers Advise To Big Cass After WWE Release

Jon Fuentes
-
18

Big Cass’ recent release from WWE is very much a mystery at this point. There are several rumors floating around as to why the seven footer was recently released from the company, but no clear answer has yet to be given.

WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently took to his podcast, The Ross Report, to offer his thoughts on Cass’ recent release:

“I saw where Big Cass got released. I don’t know what it was, I have no idea and it’s none of my business,” Jim Ross said. “Hey look, I have had three sabbaticals from that company. Did I like it? Nope. Did it ruin my life and my career? Hell no.”

Ross went on to offer Cass some advice, saying he’s far too young to let these recent actions define him. JR seems to believe that Cass is capable making a WWE comeback in the future:

“So all he’s gotta do is figure out how I can get better how I can cure the perceived ills that I may or may not have. Your world’s not over. Don’t say anything stupid, don’t do anything stupid just get better. You’re too damn young with too much of an upside to not be able to resurrect yourself without question. Let’s keep an eye on how Big Cass progresses.”

You can listen to The Ross Report by clicking this link here.

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

Ricochet Reveals His Reaction To Getting Signed By WWE

Jon Fuentes
-
4

Ricochet recently did an interview in his hometown with the WPSD 6 local news outlet. He began by discussing how he got into professional wrestling in the first place:

“I was having more fun doing wrestling than I was going to school, since I can remember I always watched it. … I quit the football team to start wrestling and at first my Dad was like, ‘I don’t think it’s a good idea, I don’t like it. It’s not a good idea.'”

Ricochet then talked about signing with WWE and when it had actually hit him that he’s inked a deal with the professional wrestling juggernaut:

“I never thought I would be here, the fact that I am is insane. I always say nothing is certain until it’s certain. That’s just always the way I looked at it. … It didn’t really hit me until I had the [WWE] contract and I was at the post office. I thought, ‘Oh man, when I send this off, that’s it. You know what I mean?'”

Being from Paducah, Kentucky may not sound like the coolest thing to hear from the WWE announcer who introduces you. In fact, some have suggested Ricochet opt to be billed from Louisville instead:

“They all poke fun at me like, ‘Where’s Paducah from? Where’s Paducah? You should be from Louisville, because Paducah doesn’t sound cool.’ I’m like, ‘Aw no, Paducah’s cool, man!’ I like the fact they say I’m from Paducah, Kentucky because home is where it all started.”

You can check out Ricochet’s full interview with WPSD 6 by clicking this link here.

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

Rey Mysterio Explains Why It’s Hard For Heels Today To Get Heat

Jon Fuentes
-
8

Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Rey Mysterio was recently a guest on Hall Of Famer Jim Ross’ podcast, The Ross Report, to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Mysterio first offered his thoughts on Chris Jericho, proclaiming Y2J a “visionary”:

“I’ve actually, without picking his mind that much, I’ve learned a lot about how he likes to roll and do his own thing.” Mysterio continued, “and I tip my hat off for him because he has worked his ass off. He has. He has been on the grind.

“He was the first guy ever to leave WCW, take that risk, go to WWF at the time, and look at him now. He has his rock band. He’s a visionary. He sees something, if he wants to go for it, he goes for it. And he’ll achieve it when he’s finished.”

The Master Of The 619 then explained why he thinks it’s difficult for heels today to get heat. In Mysterio’s estimation, fans tend to cheer on heels as if they were babyfaces in today’s professional wrestling universe:

“It is [impossible for heels to get real heat nowadays] because of the fact that, for the fans, if you have a rich history on your way to becoming one of the top heels, all-of-a-sudden, heels are loved. Why? Because you worked hard to obtain your spot.” Mysterio added, “it sounds weird, but you become a babyface in their eyes.”

Mysterio then stated that fans can’t cheer for both competitors inside the ring, the same way they can’t cheer for both football teams in the NFL, both competitors in a fight, etc.:

“You can’t go to an arena and cheer both fighters.” Mysterio explained, “in this case, you can’t go for Manny Pacquiao and cheer for Julio César Chávez. You either go for one or the other. And same for football. You can’t go for both football teams. You’ve got to pick one.”

Finally, Mysterio discussed his involvement in All In. He admits he doesn’t know who he’s facing yet but said Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks are looking to put together the best card possible:

“I don’t have a clue yet [about his All In opponent].” Mysterio said, “I’m sure they have something good cooked up because they’ve been doing this very methodical and just the way they announced the show, the way they’ve announced talent little by little. It’s a good strategy, so I’m sure they have a good show lined up.

“I’ve been in contact with both the Bucks and Cody, so they’re letting me choose as well. They’re throwing some stuff around. But, at the end of the day, whatever we think the fans are going to love the most, that’s what we want to give them.”

You can listen to Mysterio’s interview on The Ross Report by clicking this link here.

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

ROH’s Christopher Daniels On Still Wrestling At 48

Jon Fuentes
-
5

Former Ring Of Honor (ROH) World Champion Christopher Daniels recently did an interview with Monsters and Critics to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Daniels first discussed how his latest run with ROH compared to his previous ones:

“I was there in 2011 and left right when Sinclair bought the company. I came back in 2014 with Frankie [Kazarian] and it was different because over those three years, Sinclair brought Ring of Honor from a company that was just starting to do syndicated television. In those three years, they brought them to the point where they were doing live pay-per-views, which is where Frankie and I debuted at their first broadcast pay-per-view.

“It was great to get back. It was different because over the course of my career there, I’d sort of been by myself, but I came back with Frankie, who was the best partner I have ever had. It put a different dynamic into what we were doing and what I brought to the company, anyway. Over the course of the last four years, Frankie and I have held the tag team titles twice and just recently we were the six-man tag team champions with Scorpio Sky. We have been very successful, and it has been very beneficial to the three of us.”

Daniels then named two ROH stars that he thinks professional wrestling fans should keep their eyes on – Scorpio Sky and Adam Page:

“The first guy I have to talk about is Scorpio Sky. We were very fortunate to get Scorpio as a part of Ring of Honor and to bring him in as part of SoCal Uncensored with me and Frankie. I mean, he’s been wrestling for 15 years but I feel like people weren’t really aware of him because he hadn’t had that breakout performance on a national stage. In the last year in Ring of Honor, people have started to see that Scorpio is, hands down, one of the best guys on the planet.

“I feel like whatever the future holds for him and us, as SoCal Uncensored, no matter what happens, Scorpio is going to be a big part of Ring of Honor for a very long time. Another guy that I feel has the world in front of him as far as wrestling goes is Adam Page. In the last couple of years as part of Bullet Club, people have started to see Adam grow as a performer and as a wrestler. It is tough too because there are so many dynamic personalities in Bullet Club that, for a while, it seemed that Adam was in the background.

“Now, he sort of stands out front and he is one of the dynamic personalities that people have come to expect from Bullet Club. He has become one of the more popular guys and certainly one of the most talented guys that Ring of Honor has had in the last couple of years. There is probably going to be championship gold in his future.”

At 48-years-old Daniels is still putting on great matches. He offered his explanation as to how that is:

“It is not an age thing for me. It is, for me in my head, I have always tried to do the things that I know I can do no matter what part of the match it was in. I’ve always told other wrestlers that, in terms of staying safe and staying smart, you do the things that you can do whether it is the first five minutes of the match or the last five minutes of the match. For me, I have been very cognizant of taking very calculated risks. I am not a high flier in the sense that I take those high risks in every part of my match.

“I wrestle what I feel is a very safe style for me. That might be comical to an outside eye to see some of the things I do at the age of 48. It’s something I feel comfortable doing and I feel safe doing. Whatever acrobatic things that I do that seems high risk to other people, to me it is a very calculated risk. Those are the risks that I take any time I wrestle. I know that no matter what I am doing — if it seems dangerous — it is something I know I can do 10 times out of 10.

“I have been fortunate to avoid the accidental injuries that come and go in everybody’s career. I keep my risks at a minimum in my head. That is something all pro wrestlers have to learn. There are things they can do every time and not suffer from fatigue or mistake and keep it within that risk factor.”

You can read Daniels’ full interview with Monsters and Critics by clicking this link here.

Sting Comforted Vader In His Final Days

Chris Stephens
-
3

The wrestling world lost Leon White earlier this week. The wrestler better known as Big Van Vader touched a lot of people in his 63 years. Wrestling legends and personalities, such as Mick Foley and Jim Ross, have paid tribute to Vader in the days since his death. His memory was honored at the NJPW shows this weekend as well.

TMZ has published an interview with Vader’s son, former NXT wrestler Jesse White. White wrestled under the name Jake Carter in WWE developmental from 2011 to 2013. According to Jesse, Sting was a big help to the family in Vader’s final days.

“Dallas Diamond Page, [Stone Cold Steve] Austin, Mick Foley,” White mentioned as having helped but one of Vader’s old friends made an extra special impression. “I do have to send a big thank-you out to Sting, Steve Borden.”

“Sting has been a huge blessing,” White said, also noting they had grown closer since Vader’s health began to decline.  “My father was a God-fearing man and so was Sting, and they would sit down and read the bible together. Go over the Bible, just talk about life and good time stories and, yeah, Stings been a huge blessing throughout this process.”

Sting and Vader were rivals in the ring. Vader won his first WCW World Championship from Sting in 1992, simultaneously ending Sting’s first run with the belt. Vader would lose the belt to Ron Simmons but gain it back just 5 months later. In 1993, Sting defeated Vader to win his 2nd WCW World Championship. He would drop the title back to Vader just 6 days later, however. All throughout 1992 and 1993, Sting and Vader would wrestle each other on WCW house shows as well.

MLW Announces 3 More Names For Battle Riot

Chris Stephens
-
0

Major League Wrestling’s upcoming Battle Riot match has 3 more confirmed participants. So far, the promotion has confirmed 17 of the planned 40 participants.

The Battle Riot match will take place July 19th, 2018 from the Melrose Ballroom in Queens, NY.

Sami Callihan, Joey Ryan, and Jason Cade are the latest 3 wrestlers to be confirmed for the match. A recent report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter also stated MLW was hoping to broadcast the show on pay-per-view. As it stands now, however, the event is scheduled as a TV taping for MLW Fusion on the BeIN Sports Network.

List of Confirmed Battle Riot Participants: 

  1. Pentagon Jr.
  2. Pierre Carl Ouellet
  3. Rich Swann
  4. Jason Cade
  5. Joey Ryan
  6. “Taskmaster” Kevin Sullivan
  7. ACH
  8. John Morrison
  9. Lance Anoa’i
  10. Swoggle
  11. Konnan
  12. Jake Hager
  13. “Worldwide Desperado” Sami Callihan
  14. Davey Boy Smith Jr.
  15. Teddy Hart
  16. Barrington Hughes
  17. Jimmy Yuta

In addition to the Battle Riot match, ACH and Rich Swann will team up to go against the New Hart Foundation. Teddy Hart will team with Davey Boy Smith Jr for the first time in years. Hart and Smith will also be managed by Brian Pillman Jr.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1010685183580876802

What is a Battle Riot Match?

Major League Wrestling describes the rules of Battle Riot to be a mash-up between a Royal Rumble and Lucha Underground’s Aztec Warfare.

“A mash-up of a battle royal, royal rumble and anything goes street fight, this super-sized main event will feature 40 wrestlers with new participants entering the ring every 60 seconds.

Elimination is by pinfall, submission or by throwing an individual over the top rope.

Anything is possible July 19th in a Battle Riot!”

Where Can I Watch MLW?

MLW signed a television deal with BeIN Sports and has broadcast 10 episodes on the network thus far. The episodes air on Friday nights but viewers who are unable to get BeIN Sports can check out the full episodes on YouTube the day after they air.

Adam Cole Comments On Wrestling For EVOLVE Tonight

Chris Stephens
-
0

Adam Cole will defend the NXT North American Championship tonight. He will face the powerhouse Austrian, Walter at EVOLVE 107 from Melrose, MA.

“I’m not just the best in NXT, I’m not just the best in the WWE, I’m the best on the freaking planet,” Cole said to Sports Illustrated recently. “Part of backing that statement up is competing outside of WWE, and the North American championship has given me the opportunity to do that. I can go to a company like EVOLVE and wrestle a talent as good, as big, and as strong as WALTER and defend my championship on a non-WWE show. That’s the epitome of making the North American title a world championship, one I can defend all over the world.”

“Who’s to say I won’t defend the North American championship later this year in the U.K. or Australia or Japan?” Cole continued. “My goal is to make the North American championship the most important championship in NXT, and I feel like I’m on the path to doing that by taking on all challengers around the world.”

Adam Cole at EVOLVE 107

EVOLVE 107
Sunday, June 24th, 2018
Melrose Memorial Hall
Melrose, MA

  • NXT North American Championship
    Adam Cole (c) vs. WALTER
  • EVOLVE Championship Match (If Riddle Retains At EVOLVE 106 against Shane Strickland)
    Matt Riddle (c) vs. AR Fox with Ayla & The Skulk
  • FIP World Heavyweight Championship
    Austin Theory w/ Priscilla Kelly vs. DJZ
  • Tracy Williams vs. Chris Dickinson with Stokely Hathaway
  • Darby Allin vs. Jarek 1:20 with Candy Cartwright
  • Dominic Garrini with Stokely Hathaway vs. Josh Briggs

“Kyle O’Reilly, Roderick Strong, and Bobby Fish all share that exact same mentality,” Cole said on the Undisputed Era. “We said we’re going to take WWE and NXT over. Actions have to speak louder than words, and our actions have spoken much louder than our words.”

Big Cass Update: Reporter Alleges False Accusations Have Been Made

Chris Stephens
-
55

There has been no shortage of theories as to why exactly Big Cass was fired from WWE recently. A report from Sports Illustrated indicated Cass’ drinking on the most recent European tour was to blame but there’s been speculation this was not the only reason.

A report from Wrestlingnews.co claims to have insider information regarding the situation.

“We were told that he went up to her and, according to a well-placed source, caused a scene while asking her to forgive him, apparently in hopes for a reconciliation,” the website states in their report. “Carmella tried to walk off but he grabbed her arm and wrestlers in the area stepped in. We’re told that The Usos and Erick Rowan were the ones to get Cass to back away.”

Robbie Fox from BarStool Sports is claiming these are false accusations, however.

Big Cass Allegations False?

“I’ve been pretty silent about Big Cass’ release from the WWE because he’s a good friend of mine and it’s just an unfortunate situation all around that I’ve felt really bad about, but this report that it’s because of an “altercation with Carmella” is complete and utter bullshit.”

“There never was an altercation with Carmella, or Vic Joseph, or the Usos, or ANYONE, and it fucking sucks to see Cass getting dragged through the mud because of a report from one of the most notoriously inaccurate “journalists” in modern pro wrestling history.”

“It’s disappointing that none of the names involved in the report have come forward to dispel the rumor like I figured they would, but hey, I guess if it doesn’t make THEM look good it’s not worth it, right?”

Hangman Page Busted Open In Australia (Photo)

Chris Stephens
-
1

Hangman Page was busted open at a World Series Wrestling show in Australia yesterday. The 26-year-old was wrestling Austin Aries for the Impact World Championship. Page lost the match and had his eye split open in the process.

He posted a photo of the injury to his Instagram account:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkXTCOjgZGd/

World Series Wrestling just announced a deal for their events to stream on the Global Wrestling Network. Impact’s streaming service also features events from promotions such as Destiny Wrestling, Border City Wrestling, RISE, and Smash Wrestling.

Hangman Page

Page revealed in an interview recently that he only quit his job as a teacher after learning he was to become a member of Bullet Club in 2016.

“With one phone call I was told I would be in Bullet Club and I was going to Japan for three weeks, then continually after that. It was pretty cool and life-changing. At the time I was a high school teacher,” Page said.

“I taught graphic design, multimedia, and journalism. I would take sick days and wrestle on the weekends. At that point, I knew if I was doing three-week tours of Japan I couldn’t keep teaching because I couldn’t be “sick” that long.”

Here is a Tweet Page sent shortly after finding out he was joining Bullet Club:

https://twitter.com/theadampage/status/732985688115793921?lang=en

Page started wrestling in 2011 and started working for Ring of Honor the following year.

“I could also afford not to teach anymore because I would be more in-demand so to speak. I quit teaching and became a full-time wrestler. That more than anything in my whole career changed my life.”

Page is scheduled to team with Marty Scurll to take on Hiroshi Tanahashi and KUSHIDA at the G1 Special in San Francisco next month.

Alberto Del Rio Says He’s Proud Of CM Punk, Comments On Leaving Wrestling

Chris Stephens
-
8

Alberto Del Rio says he only takes 2-3 wrestling bookings a month these days and the rest of the time is for his children and other projects. He recently talked about his current schedule,  his transition to other forms of entertainment, and his relationship with WWE in an interview with Chris Van Vliet.

One of the most interesting topics Del Rio addressed, however, was CM Punk’s UFC career. Del Rio himself has a background in MMA. He has a 9-5 pro record in the sport. Del Rio is currently involved with the Combate Americas promotion as well.

“I just hate to hear people talk crap about someone like Phil,” Del Rio said about Punk. “Someone’s who’s got the balls to go and try something different.”

“90% of the m*****ers in this business have never been in a real fight in their life.” Alberto Del Rio

Alberto Del Rio Interview

In regards to his current wrestling schedule, Del Rio mentioned he’s keeping his wrestling bookings to a minimum these days.

“A lot of people know I only take 2 or 3 wrestling shows or indy booking or whatever wrestling shows out there per month,” Del Rio said. “my time is for my kids, my time is for the other stuff I’m doing.”

“I’m in the middle of the transition from being a pro-wrestler to being an entertainer,” he continued. “I still love wrestling, I still have a lot of passion for wrestling but I think it’s time for me to start moving on to other stuff.”

Undertaker & Ronda Rousey’s Opponents Announced For WWE MSG (7/7)

Lesly Sincere
-
24

Madison Square Garden has released an updated lineup for the July 7th WWE live event featuring are rare in-ring appearance by The Undertaker and Ronda Rousey’s Garden debut.

The Undertaker will team with Roman Reigns & Braun Strowman against Kevin Owens, Elias & Baron Corbin. It will be The Undertaker’s first MSG appearance since 2010.

Ronda Rousey will re-match her MITB opponent Nia Jax with WWE Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss serving as the special guest referee.

New WWE Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler will put his championship on the line against Finn Balor and Seth Rollins in a triple threat match.

Also advertised for the event are WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Bray Wyatt & Matt Hardy, Jinder Mahal, Bobby Lashley, Bayley, Natalya, Bobby Roode and more.

The Deadman and The Baddest Women on the Planet Return

News of the Undertaker’s return back to the square circle has been circling online for weeks now. In addition to Wrestlemania 34, where he defeated John Cena in less than two minutes, the Dead Man has also competed at the Greatest Royal Rumble Event where he defeated Rusev in a casket match.

This six-man tag match will allow fans to see The Undertaker in action while limiting the physical toll on his body. He’s scheduled to face Triple- H in October for the WWE Super Show-Down stadium show from Australia.

Rousey’s match against Nia Jax is still a go despite her “30-day Suspension” for attacking Alex Bliss and Kurt Angle on RAW.

Update On Big Cass’ Release

Lesly Sincere
-
37

News about Big Cass’s release has been the big topic of the wrestling community lately. The reason why his sudden release has been brought into the light.

Three Strikes And You’re Out

While many sources claim that Cass’s heat goes as far back to when he expressed his political views about Donald Trump backstage with bad reception, it’s been his recent return from injury and the events following that lined him up for the unemployment line.

The segment where Big Cass attacks a “little Daniel Bryan” wasn’t supposed to last as long as it did. According to the Pro Wrestling Sheets, officials were mad that Cass “went into business for himself” and didn’t follow the script.

Sports Illustrated‘s Justin Barrasso reported Cass “was drinking the majority of [WWE’s] European tour and had attitude issues when drunk.” Which only dug the hole even deeper.

The last straw comes an incident that involves Cass’s ex-girlfriend, Carmella.

According to WrestlingNews.co, reports come in from last Friday that Cass “caused a scene” when speaking to Carmella. She tried walking away but was immediately “grabbed by her arm” which led to other wrestlers to intervene.

PWInsider reported on Thursday that Cass has a 90-day no-compete clause that went into effect immediately after his release, which will prevent him from immediately working with another wrestling company.

 

1...1,6471,6481,649...3,404Page 1,648 of 3,404