Molly Holly inducted Ivory into the WWE Hall of Fame tonight. Molly said that she was happy to present a woman with a sports entertainment career spanning twenty years. Molly stated that Ivory’s passion for adventure led her to live each day to the fullest and that she did all of this with her faithful companion, Frankie the cat.
Molly added that she was in a hotel in Texas with Ivory during the attacks of September 11th, 2001. She added that Ivory was determined to lift others up and that the Superstars were given an option whether to compete or not two days later and that Ivory chose to compete twice that night. Molly added that Ivory had tremendous work ethic and confidence on the microphone has kept her at the forefront at the women’s revolution. She stated that Ivory joined social media to help her gear up for this night and connect with her fans. Lillan Garcia then came out and introduced Ivory as a true trailblazer, humanitarian, 3 time women’s champion and now WWE Hall of Famer.
Ivory stated that Lilian sings like an angel but can be a little devil and noted that one night she pretended that car was running out of gas to freak everyone out. Ivory said that Molly was the wiser one of them and was always lovely to drive with. Ivory brought up Hurricane Katrina and how it displaced tons of people and animals. She said that she was booked in Ohio on an independent wrestling show, but raised money for the animals and then drove to Mississippi and worked for 10 days with the rescued animals.
Ivory said that she couldn’t wait for the female Superstars to tear the house down at WrestleMania 34. She added that the female Superstars have come a long way and that things were different back in the day. She added that Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling changed the landscape forever. Ivory then brought up Trish Stratus, Jazz, Terri Runnels, Stephanie McMahon and Gail Kim. She said that the division continues to grow and she is proud to be their sister.
She thanked the fans for helping her over the past several months and stated that she wouldn’t be their without them. Ivory compared the moment to getting married and added that she has never been asked to get married. A couple of fans shouted “marry me Ivory!” and Ivory said that in a lot of ways this is like a wedding experience. The Right to Censor alarm then went off.
Ivory mentioned Luna Vachon, Chyna, Mae Young and the Fabulous Moolah. Ivory added that her father was here in spirit and that her mother was watching from home. She continued with the wedding jokes and said that she was ready for her final vows now. She then thanked the fans, colleagues, memories and moments that will stay with her forever. Ivory then thanked everyone for being her witness and blew the crowd a kiss to end her speech.
JUST MARRIED: @MorettiIvory & Sports-Entertainment!!! ??
Jimmy Hart inducted Hillbilly Jim into the WWE Hall of Fame tonight. Hart stated that Hillbilly Jim grew up loving 3 things, playing his guitar, going to his grandmother’s house every week to watch professional wrestling and playing basketball for his high school. Jimmy noted that Hillbilly Jim took a job as a bouncer at a bar/nightclub. He would work as a bouncer during the day and then play music during the night. One day, a local wrestling promoter came in and said that he wanted to make Jim a star and put him on the road.
Hillbilly Jim still waited for that one phone call from the WWE and he finally got it. Hart brought Hillbilly Jim blowing his knee out and had to undergo a 6 hour operation. The doctor told him that it would be a miracle if he ever wrestles again. Hillbilly Jim made his comeback at WrestleMania 3. Hart said that Hillbilly Jim was the person that got him into WWE and that he wouldn’t be up here today if it wasn’t for him. Hart added that Hillbilly Jim has been his friend for almost 39 years now and then introduced Hillbilly Jim.
Hillbilly Jim said that he knows that this can be kind of a long evening and that he was going to try to keep his comments as brief as he could. He said that he had some things to talk about and a lot of people to thank. Hillbilly noted that he was in a gym one day in Kentucky and a guy came up to him and said that he would be good for this business. The man was Beautiful Bruce Swayze and that started him going and it never slowed down for him.
He brought up Jim Ross’ HOF speech and how he used a word that described him and the word was “opportunity”. He stated that everyone needs to take their opportunities seriously because they will go to the next person if you don’t. Jim brought up taking every opportunity that came before him. He noted getting a call from Stu Hart and he invited him to come compete at Stampede Wrestling. He stated that Stu was wonderful him and he got to work several times a week.
Hillbilly then brought up Bruce Hart and thanked him. He added that he got another call from a WWE future Hall of Famer that he has an idea for him if he wants to come to Memphis. The man was Jerry Lawler and he and Jerry Jarrett wanted to do some stuff with them in Memphis. Hillbilly Jim brought up meeting Pat Patterson and how he helped him get into this company.
He said that he never wanted to leave and he stayed the entire time. Hillbilly said that Hogan took him under his wing and that his deal was made right there. He added that this business took an old boy from Kentucky that didn’t have anything really besides a big hillbilly smile. They took him and made it possible for his family to have a whole lot of everything. Jim noted that the industry can be tough on families and that he is glad he survived.
Jim stated that the fans accepted him from day one and they never left him. He said that he was asked by a writer and responded that “it is not about how I want to be remembered, it is that I will be remembered”. Jim brought up thinking about the wrestlers that aren’t here and mentioned Johnny Valiant, Andre the Giant, Lord Alfred Hayes, Gorilla Monsoon, Bobby Heenan, Freddie Blassie, Captain Lou Albano, Macho Man and Randy Savage. Hillbilly added that he has never gotten over losing his friend Roddy Piper. The crowd chanted Roddy as Hillbilly told everyone to enjoy WrestleMania weekend.
"I accept this induction on behalf of YOU, the FANS… the fans accepted me from DAY ONE and they NEVER left me!" – #HillbillyJim
WWE’s Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony aired tonight on the WWE Network. Jerry “The King” Lawler hosted the event and was greeted with “Jerry” chants from the crowd in attendance. The Dudley Boyz were the first Superstars to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame during the ceremony.
Edge and Christian inducted Bubba Ray and D-von Dudley. Christian stated that 5 years ago that he watched Edge get inducted into the Hall of Fame and that he knew that this day would come for him. Edge interrupted and said that Christian was trying to induct himself into the Hall of Fame. Edge joked that Christian wasn’t going in the Hall of Fame, you are inducting again. The crowd chanted “you deserve it!” at Christian.
Christian said that wasn’t what he was trying to say and brought up the Dudley Boyz. Edge poked fun at internet fans for flipping out that Paul Heyman wasn’t inducting the Dudleyz and told them to relax because mom’s macaroni and cheese is still waiting for them upstairs.
Edge stated there was two reason that they are inducting the Dudleyz:
We don’t owe them any money
We owe them a lot of receipts
Christian joked that they were the only two in the locker room that actually liked Bubba. Edge brought up ECW and Christian stated that ECW was the place that gave birth to the Dudley Boyz. Edge added that the Dudley Boyz would incite riots in ECW and helped build the company.
Edge brought up trying to build up WWE with Matt & Jeff Hardy and the The Hardys were shown in the crowd. Edge and Christian noted that the first test for the Dudley Boyz was the APA and they beat their asses. Ron Simmons was shown in the crowd and he grabbed a microphone and shouted “damn!”.
Edge added that there is no E&C or Hardys without the Dudley Boyz. Edge joked that there were five fearless wrestlers and then Devon. Christian noted that they created TLC and that match would later become a PPV. Christian stated that they all decided that they weren’t getting paid enough for the TLC match and addressed it with Jim Ross. Jim Ross replied with “you felt like your pay was a little soft?”. Edge did his best Bubba impression and said that Bubba Ray responded with “J.R., I feel like I just got kicked in the nuts”. Edge admitted that they did get a bump in pay following that meeting.
Edge noted that the Dudley Boyz have won more Tag Team Championships than any other team in the history of this industry. Christian and Edge put on some Dudley Boyz glasses and Edge instructed Christian to get the Dudleys.
Bubba and D-von shared a hug with Edge and Christian and put on the glasses they were wearing. D-von stated that it was an honor and a privilege, but Bubba quickly interrupted and told D-von that he just says “testify!” and that was all he has to do. D-von responded that he was office now and Bubba cracked up. D-von noted that he may have gotten the tables for 20 years, but now he tells Bubba when to speak, talk and when to move. D-von told Bubba to get his ass in line because he is going first and is about to testify.
Bubba once again interrupted and said that he sometimes gets a text from the boys that reads “D-von is my producer LOL”. D-von stated that they are just glad that Bubba is not their producer. Bubba immediately responded that if he was their match might get over and started laughing. D-von claimed that he was the one that got them over when they were in the ring.
D-von brought up Hulk Hogan and said that he mesmerized him as child and made him want to become a professional wrestler. D-von added that he tried to look like Hogan, hell he had the tan. D-von admitted that he even tried to get his hair to look like Hogan’s growing, but realized later on in life they pretty much have the same hairdo. D-von brought up Roddy Piper, Macho Man, Steamboat and Andre the Giant and added that he knew at that point that he wanted to be the guy he saw on TV. D-von noted that he didn’t have a dad growing up and said that he told his sons that were in the crowd that one day they will be able look up at him being honored and say “that is my father”.
D-von said that he could talk about his momma for about 30 minutes, not as long as MR. T, but he could go on and on. He stated that they made it through moving out of Brooklyn and moving on up like the Jeffersons and they never looked back. D-von added that he was honored and privileged to say that he loves his mother and his mom blew him a kiss in the crowd. D-von added that his sons were the reasons why he took the ass kickings that he took during his career. D-von continued that his sons are wrestling themselves and they are going to follow in the footsteps of their father and their uncle.
D-von thanked Bubba and stated that he couldn’t have done it with anyone else besides him. He added that he wasn’t just his brother in the wrestling business, but he was his brother in life and then shook his hand. D-von then said “Bubba, now you can talk” and Bubba made his way to the microphone.
Bubba said that he didn’t know if he could follow him for once. Bubba noted how important family was to them. Bubba stated that he wished his mom and dad could be here today because they would have loved it. Bubba said that he did the closest thing he possibly could and took out their in memoriam cards. He said that he was in the front row when Jimmy Snuka jumped off the steel cage in Madison Square Garden and said that he and D-von were die hard WWE/WWF fans. D-von claimed that Bubba cant say the “F word” and Bubba responded “sorry sir, that will never happen again sir”.
Bubba added that he went to go see WrestleMania 3 and as he was walking out of the arena with his dad and his uncle, his dad asked him how he liked the show. Bubba responded “that is going to be me one day”. Bubba said that his uncle was here tonight and he told him to shut up and get in the car. Bubba flaunted his HOF ring and Bubba’s uncle was shown in the crowd laughing.
Bubba stated that tonight was vindication for them for all the hard work they have done. Bubba added that they are the most proud of being the first original ECW act to be inducted into the WWE HOF. Bubba pointed out Tommy Dreamer in the crowd and he got a great reaction. Bubba thanked the entire ECW roster and every man and woman that stepped in the ring with them. He thanked Paul Heyman for listening to them when they asked to be put together as a team. They thanked Spike as well and said that he was the toughest 150 lb man in the ECW locker room. D-von thanked him for everything that he put his body though to help make the Dudley Boyz.
Bubba thanked every team that wrestled with them because they needed them to help get over. Bubba added that the Sex Pistols “My Way” song sums up their career because they did things their way. D-von then thanked Tommy Dreamer and said that he remembers him being there when he had his tryout in ECW. D-von added that Dreamer helped him along the way so much and thanked him from the bottom of his heart. Devon added that their are so many wrestlers here tonight that he did that for and said that he loved him from the bottom of his heart. Bubba thanked Dreamer once again and then brought up the future misses Dudley, Velvet Sky. Bubba thanked her for being here tonight and his partner in life.
Bubba said that the first time he ever met Vince was at an airport in NYC. He saw Vince and Linda right behind him and said hello to them. Bubba didn’t know if Vince remembered him and Vince did and stated that he was looking forward to working with them. D-von brought up Simmons and Bradshaw and APA was shown in the crowd. D-von brought up introducing himself to Ron and Simmons kept saying his name wrong and always called him that. D-von added that APA gave them the stamp of approval to the locker room. D-von brought up the Reverend gimmick and Bubba told him to not bring that up and to wrap it up.
Bubba thanked Mae Young and claimed that she got the Dudley Boyz over more than anyone else. Bubba said that he will never forget the first night they slammed her and hit the What’s Up?” headbutt. Mae grabbed Bubba after they were done and said “hey hot shot, if you are going to slam me, you slam me like one of the boys” Bubba then called Mae Young the toughest man he has ever met in his life.
Edge, Christian, Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy then joined the Dudley Boyz on the stage. Bubba noted that they have not been in the same place at the same time since TLC II. He added that it was the 6 of them that created their history together. Bubba noted that sometimes the wrestling business can be bitter and selfish, and said that they wouldn’t be standing here today without everybody that was on the stage right now. The Hardys, Edge & Christian and The Dudley Boyz then posed on the stage.
D-Von was about to continue to speak when the Dudley Boyz theme hit. A “producer” came out from the back and told them to wrap it up. Bubba and D-Von started arguing with the producer and then Bubba grabbed him. Bubba told D-Von to get the tables and the crowd chanted along. D-Von set up a table and the Dudleys Powerbomed him through the table as the crowd erupted. D-Von then said “oh my brother testify!” and the Dudley Boyz posed on the stage.
This producer obviously never heard the third commandment…
The WWE Hall of Fame “Class of 2018” induction ceremony takes place at the Smoothie King Center and airs live on the WWE Network at 8 PM ET. For those watching live – sound off with your thoughts on the speeches and inductees in the comments section!
Below is the lineup of inductees for tonight, and some photos from the Smoothie King Center:
– Bill Goldberg
– The Dudley Boyz
– Ivory
– Jeff Jarrett
– Hillbilly Jim
– Mark Henry
– Kid Rock
– Warrior Award recipient Jarrius “JJ” Robertson
Roman Reigns will once again be headlining WrestleMania as he battles Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship on Sunday night. Reigns has been subjected to backlash from wrestling fans for years while WWE has tried over and over again to present him as the face of the company. Fans of Roman Reigns believe that he deserves to be “The Guy” in WWE, while others have grown tired of WWE placing him in the main event.
Here is a look back at some of the times WWE has tried to get the fans behind Reigns and the backlash it created from fans:
The Evil Boss Makes His Return (2015-2016)
Sheamus defended the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Reigns at WWE TLC 2015. Roman scaled the ladder and was inches away from retrieving the title, but Alberto Del Rio and Rusev came down to the ring and interfered. Reigns fought them off with a couple of Superman Punches, but turned around into a Brogue Kick from Sheamus. The interference allowed Sheamus to retain his title. After the match, Reigns lost his mind and beatdown Sheamus, Del Rio and Rusev.
Triple H, Stephanie McMahon and WWE officials came down to the ring to stop Reigns. Roman turned his attention towards Triple H and delivered an epic beatdown to the WWE COO. The following night on RAW, Vince McMahon made his first appearance on WWE RAW in over a year. McMahon was fired up and wanted to fight Reigns. Sheamus interrupted and stated that he wanted the pleasure of beating an apology out of Roman Reigns himself. Sheamus asked for a match that night and added that he wanted to put the WWE World Heavyweight Championship on the line. The crowd chanted “yes” and Vince McMahon said that there was no chance in hell of that happening. Reigns insulted Vince’s manhood and McMahon made the match official.
Vince added a stipulation to the match, if Reigns didn’t win he would be fired. Vince then extended his hand for a handshake, but delivered a low-blow instead. Roman went on to win the match to become to the WWE World Heavyweight Champion later that night.
Reigns was then forced to put the title on the line in the 2016 Royal Rumble. The League of Nations got their revenge for what down at TLC 2015 and attacked Reigns during the match. Roman made his triumphant return to the match a half hour later, but ultimately lost the belt to Triple H. Reigns went on to recapture the title at WrestleMania 32, but the fans had already turned their backs on him once again.
Daniel Bryan Shakes Roman Reigns’ Hand At WWE Fastlane 2015
Roman Reigns won the 2015 Royal Rumble in Philadelphia to become the #1 contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 31. The Philadelphia crowd booed Reigns out of the building, as most of them wanted to see Daniel Bryan win the match and headline a second straight WrestleMania.
Despite winning the Royal Rumble match, Reigns went on to battle Daniel Bryan at WWE Fastlane 2015 to determine who will face Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 31. Reigns and Bryan put on a very solid match. Bryan went for the running knee but Reigns countered into a Spear for the pinfall victory. Following the match, Daniel Bryan shook Roman Reigns’ hand and told him to kick Brock Lesnar’s ass at WrestleMania. The crowd was fully behind Daniel Bryan, but WWE hoped that Bryan showing Reigns respect would get them on Roman’s side.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhYKPqZsvBM
Unfortunately for WWE, their plan didn’t work out. The crowd at Levi’s Stadium for WrestleMania 31 were more behind Brock Lesnar than Roman Reigns. Seth Rollins wound up cashing in his MITB briefcase and pinned Roman Reigns to become the new champion. Even though Rollins was a heel at the time, the crowd rejoiced as the fireworks went off around him on the entrance ramp.
The Rock Saves Roman Reigns At WWE Royal Rumble 2015
Photo Credit: WWE.com
The month before WWE Fastlane 2015, Reigns won the Royal Rumble match. The crowd turned on the match immediately after Daniel Bryan was eliminated. It was a foregone conclusion that Reigns was going to win and the crowd wasn’t having it all. The final three Superstars in the match were Reigns, Kane and Big Show. Reigns eliminated them both and seemed to have won the match. However, Rusev was hiding outside the ring and had not been eliminated. The Philadelphia crowd at Wells Fargo Center grabbed onto that last bit of hope tjat Reigns wouldn’t win as Rusev snuck into the ring to try to and eliminate Roman. However, Reigns eliminated Rusev shortly after and won the match anyway.
After the match, Kane and Big Show attacked Roman Reigns from behind. The Rock came down to the ring and helped out Roman Reigns. The Rock then raised Reigns’ hand and the crowd booed them out of the building. Triple H and Stephanie McMahon came down to the entrance ramp pissed off because Reigns won and The Rock was in the ring celebrating with him. The hashtag #CancelWWENetwork was the number one trend on Twitter following the show. Amazingly, even The Rock couldn’t get the fans to cheer Reigns at WWE Royal Rumble 2015.
https://www.instagram.com/p/yT6y3qIh_e/
Roman Reigns “Retires” The Undertaker At WrestleMania 33
Photo Credit: WWE.com
Last year at WrestleMania 33, Roman Reigns faced The Undertaker. The entire build to this match was both Superstars wanted to prove that WWE was their yard. Reigns defeated The Undertaker by connecting with a massive Spear. After the match, The Undertaker left his hat and jacket in the ring to symbolize that he was retired.
The following night on RAW, Reigns came down to the ring to an unbelievably negative reaction from the crowd. Roman stood tall in the ring and took it. Whenever he tried to talk, the crowd would get angrier and chant louder. After several minutes of hearing nothing but negativity, Reigns simply stated “this is my yard now” and left the ring to a chorus of boos.
The negativity towards Reigns has never been as loud as it was on the RAW after WrestleMania 33. The victory over The Undertaker did not cause the majority of fans to find a new level of respect for Roman Reigns, it just made them even more sick of him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fsoq1MteXSU
John Cena Raises Roman Reigns’ Hand At WWE No Mercy 2017
Photo Credit: WWE.com
WWE just recently had John Cena pass the torch to Roman Reigns at WWE No Mercy 2017. The build up to this match featured several promos in which Cena and Reigns traded insults. During one promo, Reigns forgot his lines and Cena told him that he is going to have to learn how to do promos if he wants to be “The Guy”. Reigns blasted John Cena for being a part-timer and Cena responded by stating that he could do this part-time better than Reigns could ever do full-time.
John Cena lost to Roman Reigns at No Mercy and raised his hand after the match. John Cena claimed that Reigns was not capable of being “The Guy”, but after the loss he showed Reigns a ton of respect. Cena then appeared on RAW Talk following the PPV and stated that he didn’t pass the torch to Reigns, Roman took it. Cena added that WWE’s future is in good hands with Roman Reigns.
John Cena emotional saying future in good hands. Says he didn't pass the torch. Roman Reigns took it. Put him over huge on #RawTalk. #WWE
Roman Reigns called Brock Lesnar “Vince’s boy” on March 12. Lesnar had been no-showing episodes of WWE RAW and Reigns was pissed off about it. Reigns took it as a sign of disrespect to him, the Superstars in the back and the WWE Universe. Reigns marched backstage and confronted Vince McMahon. The two then argued in Vince’s office and Reigns was indefinitely suspended. Vince admitted to Renee Young that Lesnar does have special privileges, but claimed that he has earned them.
On this past Monday’s episode of RAW, Kurt Angle instructed WWE Superstars to line up on the entrance ramp to prevent Reigns from getting into the ring with Lesnar. Reigns asked the Superstars if they really wanted to protect a part-timer who didn’t respect them. The Superstars cleared a path for Reigns to get into the ring. Lesnar rolled out and grabbed a chair before getting back in the ring with Reigns. Roman connected with 5 Superman Punches, but somehow Lesnar shook them off and planted Reigns with an F5.
Brock Lesnar will defend his Universal Championship against Roman Reigns this Sunday at WrestleMania 34. The build for this match has placed Reigns in the position of fighting not only for the title, but for the Superstars in the back and all of the fans that enjoy WWE. UFC President Dana White has conveniently announced that Brock Lesnar will be returning to UFC at some point. WWE is hoping that enough fans in New Orleans will cheer for Reigns during the match this Sunday.
The storyline for this match has had Lesnar attack Reigns while he is in handcuffs and mercilessly beat him down. Lesnar’s advocate, Paul Heyman, has admitted on the microphone that Lesnar only cares about the money and doesn’t give a damn what the fans think. Vince McMahon even suspended Roman Reigns for questioning him and accusing him of catering to Lesnar. All of these elements are supposed to get you on Roman Reigns’ side at WrestleMania 34. Just like every previous attempt to get the majority of fans on Reigns’ side, it will likely backfire on Sunday night.
Former WWE Divas Champion AJ Lee (AJ Mendez) has launched a new “Call Me Crazy for a Cause” GoFundMe campaign to benefit the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The campaign currently has raised $2,105 of a $25,000 goal with 16 people donating. You can see the campaign at this link.
Above is a video promo for the campaign and below are details on the campaign, which were sent out by GoFundMe today:
Call Me Crazy for a Cause
My name is AJ Mendez and I’m a fighter. I have fought to go from a scrawny kid growing up in severe poverty to a wrestling champion on international television. I have fought to go from a college dropout to a bestselling author. I have fought to go from being confused and scared lying in a hospital bed after a suicide attempt to being in charge of- and proud of- my Bipolar Disorder diagnosis.
I have always considered myself a one-girl revolution; responsible for making the change I want to see in the world- starting with myself. But headed into my next battle, I was so grateful to have an army alongside me. About a year ago, I teamed up with the National Alliance on Mental Illness. I had written my book Crazy Is My Superpower as a way to reclaim hateful words like “crazy” and to showcase the beauty in our differences. But I needed the guidance of mental health professionals to continue the conversation and help shatter the stigma around mental illness. NAMI has given me invaluable support and the tools necessary to help educate others.
NAMI provides no-cost, essential information, education and support to individuals and families in need. They raise awareness and advocate for the 60 million Americans affected by mental health conditions. They give help and hope, so crucial to those still navigating their mental health journeys. NAMI saves lives.
As a NAMI Ambassador I want to help them keep up the good fight. This campaign will raise funds to support their amazing work–helping to equip NAMI’s grassroots volunteers with training for our no-cost education, support and awareness programs offered in communities across the country and supporting our no-cost HelpLine, which responds to tens of thousands of inquiries each year to people in need of essential support sand referrals. And you can earn fun rewards in the process! No donation is too small and anything you contribute will be greatly appreciated.
Thursday’s Impact Wrestling episode, featuring a Case vs. Case main event with Eli Drake defeating Moose, drew 294,000 viewers. This is down from last week’s 399,000 viewers, which was the best Impact viewership since The Final Deletion episode in July 2016, which drew 410,000 viewers.
Impact ranked #128 on the Cable Top 150 this past week. Last week’s show ranked #104.
The Jersey Shore return on MTV topped the night with almost 5 million viewers across both episodes.
Below is our 2018 Impact Viewership Tracker:
January 4th Episode: 309,000 viewers January 11th Episode: 276,000 viewers January 18th Episode: 309,000 viewers January 25th Episode: 310,000 viewers (Genesis edition) February 1st Episode: 319,000 viewers (Reboot) February 8th Episode: 294,000 viewers February 15th Episode: 300,000 viewers February 22nd Episode: 262,000 viewers March 1st Episode: 365,000 viewers March 8th Episode: 325,000 (Crossroads edition) March 15th Episode: 350,000 viewers March 22nd Episode: 362,000 viewers March 29th Episode: 399,000 viewers April 5th Episode: 294,000 viewers April 12th Episode:
2017 Total: 16.147 million viewers 2017 Average: 311,000 viewers per episode
– Below is the latest episode of WWE Playback with Paul Heyman re-watching Brock Lesnar vs. Bill Goldberg for the WWE Universal Title from WrestleMania 33:
– Kane, Aiden English, Curt Hawkins, Shelton Benjamin and Chad Gable are now official for the fifth annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 34. Below is the updated list of confirmed participants:
* Kane, Aiden English, Curt Hawkins, Shelton Benjamin, Chad Gable, Primo Colon, Zack Ryder, Rhyno, Heath Slater, Goldust, Matt Hardy, Scott Dawson, Dash Wilder, Tye Dillinger, Fandango, Tyler Breeze, Mojo Rawley, Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, TBA
– Natalya revealed on Twitter that she’s filming a “Table For 3” episode with Nia Jax and WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix in New Orleans. As noted, WWE will be filming several specials for the WWE Network this weekend. Natalya tweeted:
– Below is another new WrestleMania 34 Diary video with 2018 WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett and his family traveling from Nashville to New Orleans for the big weekend. Jarrett greets various WWE Superstars before being asked to spell his name at check-in for a throwback moment.
– WWE Shop has released new t-shirts for Nia Jax, Triple H, WWE Champion AJ Styles, Carmella, Finn Balor and Matt Hardy, just in time for WrestleMania 34. Remember to visit WWE Shop via this link to save on your purchases.
– WWE veteran Goldust tweeted the following praise for the current locker room this week:
Paul Heyman recently did an interview with USA Today’s “For The Win” to promote WrestleMania 34, and his client Brock Lesnar’s Universal Title defense against Roman Reigns. Here are the highlights:
Brock Lesnar will take the stage at WrestleMania having held the universal title for more than 365 days – the longest reign of his career. Where does Brock’s reign rank among the great heavyweight champions?
“I never rank Brock alongside anyone else, because I don’t think Brock belongs in a category that should be shared by others. Brock Lesnar is the most unique athlete in this history of World Wrestling Entertainment, and I say that with without embellishment or exaggeration.
“A, there’s no one that has his credentials that has ever stepped into the ring. B, I daresay there’s no one that has his ability, either in the aspect of entertainment or in the aspect of legitimate fighting, that’s ever stepped into the ring. And C, he is the only person in history that has been able to go back and forth between mixed martial arts and sports entertainment with this level of success. So I never compare Brock to others, nor others to Brock, because I feel he’s a category all unto himself.”
You shared an amazing photo on Twitter from when you managed the Samoan Swat Team – what was that experience like and how well did you get to know that family?
“I’ve known the members of Roman Reigns’ family since I was 15 years old. Afa and Sika [Reigns’ father] were very generous with their time and their teachings with me and to me. I knew Roman Reigns when he used to come into the locker room with his father, holding his father’s hand, barely out of diapers. And I don’t say that as an ironic statement… I mean it sincerely. So I’ve known Roman Reigns his entire life and I’ve known his family and worked with his family since I was 15 years old. I had a wild time with the Samoan Swat Team in 1989. Samu and Fatu, who’s now better known as Rikishi, were just coming into WCW from Dallas, Texas, and they were as wild as wild could be.
“There are famous stories about wars we had on the road, on the highways, with Sting and the Steiners that are legendary in the South. I, to this day, am blackballed from renting a car in the city of Charlotte, North Carolina, because of the Samoan Swat Team…. It was a most unique experience for me, but it was a learning experience because I learned so much about the culture and the upbringing and the closeness of that family.
“Without any kind of exaggeration, there’s about 100 members of that family that are in and around and involved in the pro wrestling business. They all have each other’s back, they all have a passion for this industry – or the others won’t allow them in. So for Roman Reigns to now step up as the leader of the family, and taking the family name and legacy into the main event of WrestleMania for the fourth consecutive year is an awful lot of pressure on Roman Reigns. And I commend him on the dignity with which he carries that legacy.”
People love to speculate about who you may advocate for in the future – but it’s very clear that you have a special connection with Brock Lesnar. If Vince McMahon told you ‘hey, I want you with so-and-so tomorrow,’ is that something that could even work, or do you have to be invested in that performer first?
“Yes, I would have to be invested in that person first. B, I think I have established such credibility in the things that I say with Brock Lesnar, that I don’t envision Vince McMahon forcing someone to be paired with me – because unless I truly believe in that person, I don’t think Vince would want me to advocate for them. And again, to be blunt here, Brock and I are fully committed to making this WrestleMania, April 8th in the main event with Roman Reigns, as memorable an event as has ever been presented by WWE. Neither one of us has made the commitment to stay after April 8th yet because we’re so focused on April 8th.
“Brock is very task-oriented. He learned that on the dairy farm in Webster, South Dakota, when he was a child. 5 a.m., wake up, milk the cows. 7:30 a.m., get the eggs from the chickens. You handle the wheat at 11:00 a.m. And he takes on each task as it stands in front of him. We both made the commitment through April 8th. I can, with great candor, tell you I have no idea WrestleMania for either one of us in this business, because Brock is obviously eyeballing a return to the octagon.
“It’s no secret now. I’m developing projects in a co-production between my agency, the Looking 4 Larry agency, and Roy Bank’s Banca Studio, to pitch to networks. Whether that means April 8th is the last day in this industry? I don’t know yet, and I’m very comfortable with that because it just allows us to laser-focus on putting together the greatest main event possible for this year’s WrestleMania.”
You can ready Heyman’s full interview with USA Today’s “For The Win” by clicking this link here.
It looks like The Rowdy One has interest in becoming the first-ever Paul Heyman Girl – but don’t hold your breathe on the possibility.
Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s Dave Meltzer reports Rousey wants to have Heyman advocate for her in the ring. That’s highly unlikely to happen, however, due to backstage politics between Heyman and the McMahons.
Rousey is being booked up to be a huge babyface fighting against the authoritarian figure of Stephanie McMahon. Heyman is seen as a heel on WWE TV, despite the fact that current Universal Champion Brock Lesnar is received as a babyface due to Heyman’s representation.
Discussion: Does having Heyman paired up with Rousey make sense? Would Rousey do better as a heel? Will WWE bite the bullet and allow Heyman to advocate for The Rowdy One?
WWE COO Triple H recently did an interview with ESPN to talk about several professional wrestling topics. One such topic was NXT Superstar Adam Cole. The Game had some high praise for Cole and believes he has a very bright future with the company. Here’s what he had to say:
“I think he plays a very big role, probably, in what WWE will be over the [next few] years. He’s a very talented young man, lot of charisma. That’s the thing that I would say first. Talented in-ring performer, absolutely, but the charisma and the character, that’s there. Great human being, too. Those are the things that make me happy about his success, and I’m looking forward to seeing what he does with all the things that are coming his way, and how he takes advantage of them
“The truth is, we can put the opportunity out there, but what’s done with it and where it goes is on the talen, I say that all the time. We just set the table, and you can say whether it was set right or it was set wrong, but we set the table, and they get the opportunity. Everybody has the chance to knock that opportunity out of the park, and to run with it. He, so far, has. Hopefully he will continue to.”
You can ready Triple H’s full interview with ESPN by clicking this link here.
With rumors circulating that Big Cass is nearing a return to WWE TV, following a torn ACL suffered several months ago, it appears he could possibly be returning under a new name. WWE filed to trademark the name “Colin Cassady” on March 30th, 2018. This was Cass’ name before being known as Big Cass in WWE.
Perhaps WWE is attempting to remove any sort of association with Enzo Amore by bringing back Cass as a new character. Here is WWE’s explanation of what they plan on trademarking the “Colin Cassady” name for:
“Entertainment services, namely wrestling exhibitions and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer rendered live and through broadcast media including television and radio and via the internet or commercial online services; providing wrestling news and information via a global computer network; providing information in the fields of sports and entertainment via an online community portal; providing a website in the field of sports entertainment; fan club services; organizing and staging entertainment events with wrestling fan club members; providing online newsletters in the fields of sports entertainment; online journals, namely blogs, in the fields of sports entertainment”
UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor has landed himself in some hot water over this past week. The Irishman attacked a UFC fighter bus by tossing a dolly at it and breaking a window. The glass cut UFC lightweight Michael Chiesa – forcing him to pull from his fight against Anthony Pettis and also landed glass fragments in the eye of UFC flyweight Ray Borg – also forced to pull from his respective bout.
McGregor later turned himself into the local authorities hours after the incident and is awaiting bail. The attack was in retaliation for tomorrow’s UFC 223 pay-per-view (PPV) main event fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov punking McGregor’s teammate, Artem Lobov, in their hotel earlier this week. Nurmagomedov was on the bus that was attacked.
Sheamus took to Instagram to poke fun at The Notorious One, posting a picture of a dolly and saying it will be Braun Strowman’s partner at WrestleMania on Sunday:
For more coverage of McGregor’s situation, run over to our sister site, MMANews.com. We have staff in Brooklyn exclusively covering the latest surrounding the event!
WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz is set to defend his title in a Triple Threat match against Finn Balor and Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 34 this weekend. The Miz has experienced many snubs in the WWE promotional department in the past, but to be left off an advertisement for The Grandest Stage Of Them All as a title-holder – it’s the ultimate disrespect.
Before Miz made his scheduled appearance at the Cricket Wireless store in New Orleans, he took to Instagram to comment on being left off the ad. Check it out:
Ex-UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey is officially now a WWE Superstar. Rousey is expected to make her in-ring debut at WrestleMania 34 this weekend in New Orleans. She will team up with WWE Hall Of Famer Kurt Angle against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in a Mixed Tag Team match.
The Queen Of Harts recently did a column for The Edmonton Sun and praised The Rowdy One’s work ethic in her professional wrestling career. Here’s what she had to say:
“At the Royal Rumble, no one could forget the debut of Ronda Rousey. Ronda is one of the most prominent names and a pioneer for female athletes. To have her join our roster of strong, empowered women is truly awesome. Ronda is very special in so many ways. She is a dedicated athlete who is passionate about what she believes in. What I love about her is that she makes no apologies for who she is.
“If she has a dream, she goes for it, even if she’s not entirely sure how it’s going to all work out. She knows that if she gives it her all and puts in the work, she won’t have regrets. I respect Ronda, I admire her and I’m proud to call her a friend. I also can’t wait to wrestle her one day!”
We now know who is the highest paid WWE Superstar right now.
Forbes reported on Friday that John Cena had passed current Universal Champion Brock Lesnar as the highest paid WWE Superstar.
Lesnar is slated to defend his Universal Title against Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 34 this Sunday night live on the WWE Network at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
On the flip side, Cena doesn’t have a match officially listed for the show but is rumored that he will be wrestling The Undertaker at the show.
According to the article that was published about this topic, Cena reportedly cleared $10 million last year through his WWE work, his roles in “Ferdinand” and the critically acclaimed comedy “Blockers.”
Former ROH World Champion Adam Cole has taken the WWE by storm since signing with the sports entertainment company last year.
Cole was with Ring of Honor from 2009 – 2017 and made his name known there. As a result of that signing, he made his debut at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III last August in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center. Instead of him just sitting in the crowd at the NXT special, WWE had much bigger plans for him. As seen at the event, Cole beat down then-NXT Champion Drew McIntyre along with Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly after McIntyre’s big win over Bobby Roode.
Cole recently spoke with Newsweek to talk about various topics. During the interview, he was asked if it was his idea to start in NXT instead of the main roster. “No they put me in NXT, but I also wanted to be in NXT. I remember I did a podcast interview with Steve Austin and he asked me, “In a perfect world, what would you want to do?” And I told him, for sure, go to NXT. And the big reason, again, is those fans and the talent that’s down there. If I were to go right to RAW or SmackDown, I would miss out on something really special. I think the guys who have been on NXT and got to go to RAW or SmackDown got the full experience. That’s what I want. NXT is not overlooked now. For a long time NXT was seen as developmental. NXT is absolutely a third brand now. If you get to be a part of NXT and a part of something special, these shows that are so cool, and the relationship I’m building with the fans there will absolutely transition into RAW or SmackDown. So NXT was something I wanted to be a part of right out of the gate.”
As seen at the Royal Rumble PPV event in January, Cole competed in the Royal Rumble match which was his first match on the main roster. “That was surreal. Not only because it was the Royal Rumble, it’s when WrestleMania season really starts. The fans are a bit more excited, the performers are a little more on edge. I love that environment. On top of that, because it was in Philadelphia I used to go to all the shows when it was called the First Union Center and I used to go and watch Monday Night RAW, SmackDown and the pay-per-views. I would drive or get my mother to drive me, an hour and a half to two hours, to watch these shows. That place was so special to me, I had so many positive memories as a child there. So for the Royal Rumble debut to happen by circumstance in Philadelphia, I don’t know—it was like a book, or a movie. I was so excited and happy. If we were to talk about top three moments, that’s in there for me.” Cole added, “Not necessarily. I see so many cool things going on in both brands that I can sink my teeth into. Obviously, going to SmackDown where Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are. AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Randy Orton, Bobby Roode… the list goes on, there’s so many talented guys. They have them on RAW too. That’s the coolest thing about the two shows right now, they offer something different, but no one is really better than the other, they have their things and their strengths and things that make you want to watch the show. I look at the performers on RAW or SmackDown and I see where I can fit in, and I feel I can fit in a lot of situations on RAW and SmackDown so I don’t know, it’ll be tough for me to pick one.”
WrestleMania 34 is set to be held on Sunday, April 8, 2018, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. Just four years ago, WrestleMania 30 went down and saw an interesting match between John Cena and Bray Wyatt.
At the time, Wyatt was the leader of The Wyatt Family. The group, which was created in 2012 while in NXT, includes Luke Harper, and Erick Rowan. For a short amount of time, Braun Strowman was featured in the group. The group had a throwback feel to them. They were these people who came from the woods and the darkness into the light. You had three big, hard-hitting talents, who could get it done in the ring. Wyatt, who was the leader, cut different style promos before and after matches. It was truly unique to the NXT brand and later on the main roster.
Cena briefly spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated about WrestleMania and his memory of his match against Wyatt. Here is what he had to say:
“Wherever we draw inspiration, that is what makes the beauty of creativity special,” said Cena. “A character like Bray Wyatt has gone through so many evolutions. With me, it was very different. I encompassed the commercialization of hip hop in the 90s and 2000s, and that’s how I got my jumpstart.” “Bray started as a close correlation to a DeNiro character,” said Cena. “His origins were kind of like, ‘I saw this on screen in Cape Fear, and I would kind of like to take traits from that and put it into what we do.’ It’s gone unbelievably expensive since then.”
It seems that everyone wants to see Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson make an appearance at the biggest event of the year for the sports entertainment company, WrestleMania 34.
The Rock is regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. He picked up his popularity in the mainstream while working in the WWE from 1996 to 2004 and was the first third-generation wrestler in the company’s history. He returned to WWE part-time from 2011–13 and continues to make sporadic appearances for the company. Every year there is speculation on whether he will appear at WrestleMania. He hasn’t wrestled since WrestleMania 29 against Cena but did have technically a match with Erick Rowan at WrestleMania 32 but it was very brief.
Johnson said in an interview with Chris Van Vliet that he won’t be in New Orleans for Wrestlemania 34.
The Rock said, “You will not see me there.” He then joked that he would team up with his Rampage co-star Jeffrey Dean Morgan.You can see the interview here:
Emma had a rough time while in the WWE. She signed with the promotion back in 2011 and was placed in FCW (Florida Championship Wrestling). When Triple H and WWE decided to up their developmental brand in 2012, she was transitioned into NXT along with everyone else. The Australian is a great wrestler with some good microphone skills and got over with the WWE Universe with her loveable character.
She was a comedy performer who could back up her actions in the ring. She would later change her character as a heel and got over but was hurt quite often in her WWE run. In October 2017, WWE announced that Emma had been released from her WWE contract.
Tenille Dashwood recently spoke withthe Sporting News about various topics. During the interview, she talked about her sudden release from WWE and working with Paige. Here is what she had to say:
“I was definitely surprised. I really enjoyed my match with Asuka at the pay-per-view, and that was the first singles match [on pay-per-view] that I had there. So I was definitely surprised when I found out, but it gave me almost like a launching pad to go out and wrestle for all these companies elsewhere. It was almost a reminder for the fans that I can wrestle. So it really helped me moving forward and I’m glad that I can wrestle everywhere now and the demand is there.”
“In the [“NXT: The Future is Now”] book it says that the matches that Paige and I had were what kick-started the whole women’s evolution, or revolution, and obviously from there on everyone has just jumped on the opportunity and these women have had some of the most amazing matches. It was special to be a part of, but we never would’ve seen women’s wrestling being where it is today. It just goes to show the talent that’s out there, and when given an opportunity these amazing women are able to deliver.”
WWE Superstar Elias performed “Drift Away” at Razzoo on Bourbon Street in New Orleans last night. Elias is not currently on the card at WrestleMania 34, though he has promised a performance of a lifetime on Sunday night. Elias has defeated both Rhyno and Heath Slater on recent episodes of WWE RAW.
— ? FTC – Frank The Clown ? (@FrankTheClown_) April 6, 2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_up8G4OoJQ
Jerry Lawler Shoots Fireball At Joey Ryan
Joey Ryan cosplayed Andy Kaufman and issued and open challenge at last night’s WrestleCon SuperShow in New Orleans. Joey Ryan refers to himself as “The King of Dong Style” and claims that his package is the strongest muscle in professional wrestling. As seen in the video below, Lawler’s kick to the groin doesn’t phase Joey Ryan at all.
After Joey Ryan informed Jerry Lawler that the Piledriver was illegal in Louisiana, Lawler had to come up with something else to takedown the King of Dong Style. Lawler then shot a fireball and it was a direct hit. Joey Ryan dropped to the mat and rolled around as the crowd erupted.
Hulk Hogan’s name has been mentioned quite a bit in wrestling circles as of late. The former WWE Champion attended the premiere of the HBO documentary on Andre the Giant and there have been confirmed talks between Hogan and WWE for the first time since leaked audio conversations led to his excommunication from the company.
In recent weeks, soon-to-be Hall of Famer, Mark Henry, appeared on the Busted Open radio program to say he doesn’t feel Hogan has done enough just yet to earn a second chance.
Today, former wrestler and World Karate Champion, Ernest Miller, is stating Hogan attempted to help him receive a major push in WCW.
Ernest Miller on Hulk Hogan
Miller appeared on the Pancakes and Powerslams Show recently and spoke about how Hogan once pitched an idea of him dropping the WCW World Title to Miller.
“You know what, Hogan wanted to lose the title to me one time to get me involved with the nWo. But then, if you noticed, we had so much little to nothing going on outside of the nWo.”
Miller talked further in regards to his relationship with Hogan.
“[I] may have been different from a lot of people. [Hulk Hogan] and I had a bond, he was really a good guy and easy to talk to,” Miller said. “I would run things past him, and he’ll give me some of his respects about the situation… Hulk Hogan was just another wrestler, tell me what to do and he was professional at it. Give me some advice, and I’ll take it and move on. I had a great experience with Hulk Hogan.”
WWE has released merchandise for their Hall of Fame Class of 2018. 7 new t-shirts have been added to WWE Shop, all of them featuring the class of Hall of Famers scheduled to be inducted tonight.
This year’s WWE Hall of Fame ceremony takes place tonight from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. The event will air live on the WWE Network.
Headline Inductee: Bill Goldberg (to be inducted by Paul Heyman)
the Dudley Boyz (to be inducted by Edge and Christian)
WWE kicked off WrestleMania weekend last night with a show from the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.
The event featured the 1st round matches in the Axxess title tournaments. WWE is holding tournaments over WrestleMania weekend to crown new contenders in the NXT tag-team, North American, United Kingdom, and NXT Women’s divisions.
Additionally, NXT Superstar, Kassius Ohno, challenged Keith Lee for the WWN title.
Results from WrestleMania Axxess Night 1
WWN Title Match
Keith Lee (c) defeats Kassius Ohno
WWE NXT Tag Team Title Invitation First Round Match
Trent Seven & Tyler Bate defeat Riddick Moss & Tino Sabbatelli
WWE NXT North American Title Invitation First Round Match
Fabian Aichner defeats Jason Kincaid
WWE NXT Women’s Title Invitation First Round Match
Nikki Cross defeats Aliyah
WWE United Kingdom Title Invitation First Round Match
Lio Rush defeats Buddy Murphy
WWE NXT Tag Team Title Invitation First Round Match
Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) defeat Adrian Jaoude & Cezar Bononi
WWE United Kingdom Title Invitation First Round Match
Drew Gulak defeats Dan Matha
WWE NXT North American Title Invitation First Round Match
Akira Tozawa defeats Kona Reeves
WWE NXT Women’s Title Invitation First Round Match
Kairi Sane defeats Bianca Belair
