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NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10 Preview

David Bixenspan
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7

January 4th has been home to one of the biggest shows of the year in pro wrestling since 1992, with tomorrow marking the 25th annual January 4th Tokyo Dome show in the history of New Japan Pro Wrestling. It’s the tenth annual use of the Wrestle Kingdom name, and as always, it’s a loaded card. This year, it’s available in English for the second year in a row, but it’s being handled differently this year. Last year, the English feed with Jim Ross and Matt Striker was available on traditional pay-per-view, while this year, it’s being called by Striker and Kevin Kelly on the NJPW World streaming service, which costs less than $9 per month. While the site is still in Japanese, sign-up (and potential cancellation) is aided by both this guide and the “Select Language” drop-down box (which is a Google Translate front-end). Striker and Kelly will also be calling the January 5th New Year Dash card that serves as the equivalent to NJPW’s “Raw after WrestleMania.”

As for the card itself, it starts at 3:00 a.m. ET tonight/tomorrow morning. The pre-show starts at 1:45 a.m. ET and includes the New Japan Rumble battle royal. This match includes NJPW wrestlers not on the main card as well as surprise outsiders (including legends and more). Here’s the lineup with some notes on what to expect:

IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Okada (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

NJPW’s legendary feud of the current generation. The big hook is that while Okada has beaten Tanahashi in major matches, he’s never done it at the Tokyo Dome. So essentially, this is Steve Austin vs. The Rock at WrestleMania 19, but but with The Rock as the champion. Last year, they had a tremendous main event where Tanahashi dominated the latter part of the bout en route to retaining the title and sending Okada staggering to the back in tears.

IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. AJ Styles

The big dream match of the show, as this is their first singles match together and they’ve only faced off a handful of times in tags. Styles is hurting and his back problems must be horrific if he left the tag tournament early to try to recover, but he’s turned it on against Jay Lethal at ROH Final Battle. That makes you think he’ll do it again here, even if it’s not the wisest move. This is a matchup of the consensus two best wrestlers in the world, and Nakamura stole the show last year against Kota Ibushi, so expectations are sky-high.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfkOFRLbJ9w

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: Kenny Omega (c) vs. KUSHIDA

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: reDRagon (c) vs. Matt Sydal & Ricochet vs. Roppongi Vice vs. The Young Bucks

From an athletic standpoint, these are going to be the most impressive matches on the show. The division is somewhat stagnant since KUSHIDA is the only pushed native, but the addition of Sydal and Ricochet has livened things up a bit.

ROH World Championship: Jay Lethal (c) vs. Michael Elgin

The biggest match of Lethal’s career by far, and you could argue the same for Elgin, who’s become a big fan favorite in NJPW. His style, both physically and in terms of his personality, just clicks better in Japan, where he feels like a star.

IWGP Tag Team Championship: Bullet Club/Guns & Gallows (Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows) (c) vs. GBH (Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma)

Honma, the lovable loser character, got the biggest win of his career in the tag tournament last month, which got he and Makabe the title shot. Honma got a big win last year at the Dome and this feels like the match where he finally wins a title in NJPW.

NEVER Openweight Championship: Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs. Katsuyori Shibata

These two will beat the hell out of each other in ways that will shock you if you’ve never seen them before. Shibata has never held any titles in the promotion in spite of a long career, so this feels like another title change.

NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Titles: Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga & Takahashi) vs. Toru Yano & The Briscoes (Mark & Jay)

This is a new title and a big match for the Briscoes starting in NJPW, but it feels like a title for the Bullet Club to have if they’re going to add something as extraneous is this. That said, this should be a fun, short, energetic brawl.

Hirooki Goto vs. Tetsuyta Naito

This is part of the feud between Goto and Shibata (Meiyu Tag) and Naito’s Ingobernables group, and feels like it might be used to continue the storyline more than be the climax you’d expect on this level of show. They could have a hell of a match together, but it depends on if Naito brings back his old tricks, which have fallen out of favor since he turned heel.

New Japan Rumble: Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Jado, Jushin Thunder Liger, Manabu Nakanishi, Ryusuke Taguchi, Satoshi Kojima, Tiger Mask IV, and Yuji Nagata are the announced participants.

Photos: Natalya & Tyson Kidd Backstage At PWG “Lemmy” Event On Saturday

Matt Boone
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12

WWE Superstar Tyson Kidd and his wife, WWE Diva and Total Divas star Natalya were both backstage at the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla event in Reseda, California on Saturday.

Both Kidd and Nattie posted photos they took with their old friend Jack Evans, who lost to former WWE Superstar and TNA Wrestling star Drew Galloway (Drew McIntyre) at the PWG “Lemmy” event last night.

“Haven’t seen this talented individual in 4 years,” Kidd wrote in a caption that accompanied the photo of the two together backstage at the show on Saturday evening. “Saw him briefly tonight and it was as though we hadn’t missed a day.”

Natalya wrote this one along with the photo she posted of herself and Evans:

“I love this guy! Jack Evans was one of the first people I learned to wrestle with 14 years ago. He is one of my all time favorite wrestlers and people… A great friend, too.”

Bubba Ray Says The Dudley Boyz Are Bringing Back The Classic Tag Title Belts

Staff
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You may recall that WWE ran a poll last month asking fans which WWE championship belts could use a redesign. The tag team titles got the most votes by a long shot. Bubba Ray Dudley agrees the current tag team titles need to go and says they’re bringing back the classic belts the next time he and Devon become champions.

Title Match Added To Live Premiere Of Impact Wrestling On POP TV This Tuesday Night

Matt Boone
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7

https://youtu.be/WgNo0T5ujT0

TNA and Bobby Roode announced that in addition to the conclusion of the TNA World Title Series tournament with the semifinals and finals, Roode will be defending the King Of The Mountain title on the two-hour live premiere of Impact Wrestling on POP TV.

With that now known, below is a look at what’s in store for the first real Impact Wrestling episode on TNA’s new cable television home.

* Bobby Roode defends his KOTM Title

* World Title Series Semi-Final: Ethan Carter III vs. Bobby Lashley

* World Title Series Semi-Final: Matt Hardy vs. Eric Young

* World Title Series Final to crown a new TNA World Heavyweight Champion

Photos: Mickie James & Magnus Get Married This Week

Matt Boone
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12

https://youtu.be/AofqWjCRMpU

Former TNA Wrestling stars Mickie James and Nick “Magnus” Aldis officially tied the knot on New Year’s Eve. The two got engaged back in December of 2014.

The following are a couple of photos from the James-Aldis wedding earlier this weekend, including a comment from Samuel Shaw, who was at the ceremony and is featured in one of the below photos.

MVP: “Certain People” Are Responsible For TNA Not Being A “Solid Alternative” To WWE

Eric Lynch
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16

Former WWE and TNA star MVP was recently a guest on the Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast to discuss various subjects. He spoke at length about the difference between WWE and TNA, and has a theory about why TNA is not a “solid secondary alternative” to WWE right now. Here’s what he had to say:

“There is no competition and I don’t want to sound mean or to take the piss out of [TNA], but WWE has no competition,” MVP said. “You can have alternatives to [WWE], but there is no competition. In my opinion, certain people in managerial roles at TNA leave a lot to be desired and that’s the reason TNA is in the situation it’s in right now. They’ve been around for 13 years. At this point, they should be a solid secondary alternative to WWE [and] well in the black, but they’re not.”

MVP also touched base on Chris Jericho’s career turn from wrestler to recording artist, saying:

“I’m more inspired by what Chris Jericho has done with Fozzy because you’ve heard some of my hip hop and my songs. I’m 42 [years old] and before it gets to be too late, I want to start my own hardcore band. Yeah, I want to front my own band and I’ve got songs that I wrote years ago and that’s a project that I’ve really been thinking about a lot lately that doesn’t take much to do.”

You can listen to the full podcast here.

Another Title Match On Monday’s RAW?, Second Entrant For 2016 Royal Rumble Announced

Matt Boone
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23

– WWE announced this weekend that Curtis Axel has declared his entry into the 30-man over-the-top-rope Royal Rumble match, joining Big Show as the only two WWE Superstars to officially enter the annual match, which takes place on pay-per-view on Sunday, January 24, 2016 at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida.

WWE.com wrote the following about Axel, who is still claiming he was never eliminated from the 2015 Royal Rumble match, in their RAW Five-Point Preview:

“With the 2016 Royal Rumble Match less than three weeks away, the entire WWE Universe is buzzing about which Superstars will declare their entry in WWE’s iconic over-the-top-rope tradition. Big Show emerged on Raw to become the first competitor in this year’s 30-man melee, and we’ve since learned that Curtis Axel — who claims he was never eliminated from last year’s Royal Rumble Match — will also enter the fray (even though he evidently never left it). Which other Superstars will announce their participation in the weeks ahead? Expect more Royal Rumble news on Raw.”

– Also featured in the official WWE.com RAW preview for the first 2016 episode of RAW this coming Monday night is what appears to be a tease for another John Cena vs. Alberto Del Rio match for the WWE United States Championship. Cena made his WWE television return at last week’s RAW after taking several weeks off to film and promote some television and film work. He went one-on-one against Del Rio for the U.S. title he coincidentally lost to Del Rio in his last match with WWE before taking the hiatus, and if the following blurb from the RAW preview for Monday is any indication, we could be seeing it again.

The official WWE website wrote the following about a potential Cena-Del Rio U.S. Title rematch from last week’s RAW:

“John Cena made his anticipated return to WWE last Monday night, goading United States Champion Alberto Del Rio into a title bout and coming incredibly close to recapturing his star-spangled prize. Were it not for The League of Nations, we’d all be eagerly anticipating one of the Cenation leader’s exciting U.S. Open Challenges this coming Monday night.

“With his last encounter with The Essence of Excellence ending in a disqualification, might Cena make another attempt at Old Glory early in the New Year? Even better, will Cena head to SmackDown on USA Network next Thursday night with the U.S. Title slung around his shoulder?”

Headlined by a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match between Roman Reigns and Sheamus, with Vince McMahon serving as the special guest referee, the first WWE RAW show of 2016 takes place this coming Monday evening, January 4th, at AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.

Join us here at SEScoops.com this coming Monday night for live WWE RAW results coverage!

Finn Balor Reveals His Goals In WWE For 2016, Nominees For 2015 NXT Year-End Awards

Matt Boone
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16

– NXT Champion Finn Balor revealed his New Year’s resolutions for 2016 in a new post on his official Twitter account this weekend. Balor noted that he would like to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion and perform at Madison Square Garden in addition to some more generic resolutions, such as “[being] a positive influence,” “[becoming] the best” and “[changing] everything.” You can check out Balor’s tweet below.

– Speaking of Balor, WWE announced the categories and nominees for the first-ever NXT Year-End Awards for 2015, and the current NXT Champion is nominated in every male singles category, including being featured in four of the eight matches nominated for NXT “Match of the Year” for 2015.

Fans still have time to cast their votes for the NXT “Year-End Awards,” as voting will remain open until Wednesday, January 6th at 10am EST. The winners will be revealed on a special edition of NXT TV on the WWE Network on Wednesday, January 13th. Cast your vote today at WWE.com.

Overall Competitor of the Year: Finn Balor, Bayley, Kevin Owens, Sasha Banks, Samoa Joe, Charlotte, Sami Zayn, Becky Lynch, Tyler Breeze, Asuka

Male Competitor of the Year: Finn Balor, Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe, Sami Zayn, Tyler Breeze

Female Competitor of the Year: Bayley, Sasha Banks, Charlotte, Becky Lynch, Asuka

Tag Team of the Year: Blake and Murphy, The Vaudevillains, Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady, Dash and Dawson, The Lucha Dragons

TakeOver of the Year: Rival, Brooklyn, Respect, London

Match of the Year: Bayley vs. Sasha Banks (Takeover: Brooklyn), Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens (Brock Lesnar: The Beast in the East, Live from Tokyo), Women’s Fatal 4-Way (Takeover: Rival), Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor (Takeover: London), Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens (Takeover: Rival), Bayley vs. Sasha Banks – 30-Minute WWE Iron Man Match (Takeover: Respect), Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch (Takeover: Unstoppable), Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks (WWE NXT, July 15, 2015), Finn Balor vs. Neville – No. 1 Contender’s Tournament Final (Takeover: Rival), Kevin Owens vs. Finn Balor (WWE NXT, March 25, 2015)

Steve Austin On Roman Reigns Winning WWE World Heavyweight Title: “It’s Put Up Or Shut Up”

Matt Boone
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20

WWE Hall Of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin recently appeared as a guest on Wade Keller’s PWTorch Livecast and shared his thoughts on Roman Reigns winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, as well as the responsibility that comes with the title belt. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

On Roman Reigns winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and the pressure that is going to come with it:

“With him being champion, it’s going to remain to be seen how they book this guy. You’re talking about a guy whose work has really improved, but he’s got to be more aggressive and he’s gotta have a sense of urgency. Now, he’s defending that belt, not chasing it, but he’s still pretty green in that regard, especially with respect to holding a championship belt. Man, he’s really got some pressure on him with the fact that now he is the champion. Right now, he is their number one guy.

“All of a sudden when you become that top guy or get that belt, it’s put up or shut up. It’s always good to have a goal, but when all of a sudden you’ve been kind-of prematurely pushed and kind-of rejected and then all of a sudden you’re the guy, now the pressure is on more than ever. All he’s got to do is shine, but the bottom line is he’s got to shine. He’s got to make chicken salad out of chicken scratch.”

On the fact that as champion, Reigns needs to step up his in-ring skills and deliver his end of a match regardless of his opponent:

“At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter who you put him with, he’s got to shine and he’s got to do his half of the match. You know, you can book him with anybody, but now you’ve got to put on your big-boy trunks and have a badass match. Wanting to be the top guy is a goal that everyone should have, and wanting to have that championship belt is something everyone wants to aspire to.”

Photos: Zack Ryder & Emma Go Public With Their Real-Life Relationship

Matt Boone
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23

Longtime WWE Superstar Zack Ryder and WWE Diva Emma have decided to go public with the fact that the two are a real-life couple.

Ryder and Emma posted the following photos of the two spending the New Year’s Eve holiday together in Los Angeles, California this weekend, as well as pictures of their trip to Disney California Adventure Park on New Year’s day.

The popular Zack Ryder last appeared on WWE television in a Royal Rumble segment on last Monday night’s edition of RAW, while Emma has been paired with Dana Brooke in NXT as of late.

Below are the photos Ryder and Emma posted on social media, where they confirmed their relationship by writing “with my woman” and “with my man” on the posts.

The Rock Reveals He Has A “Little Surprise” Planned For His WrestleMania 32 Appearance

Matt Boone
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56

As we settle into 2016, future WWE Hall Of Famer Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson continues to keep the buzz going on social media regarding his WrestleMania 32 appearance this April, which he announced this past Monday afternoon.

In addition to hyping up the fact that he plans to make “all-time WrestleMania history,” which he noted in his initial announcement earlier this week, The Rock is now promoting the fact that he has a “little surprise” planned for “The Show of Shows” this year as well.

It’s still unclear whether or not The Rock will be wrestling or simply appearing on the show, however the belief is he won’t be able to wrestle due to a number of issues, including his inability to get insurance coverage for his next movie project, something he was told would happen if he agreed to step inside the squared circle again before wrapping up filming.

Regardless, if you have been following The Rock’s various social media accounts since his announcement on Monday, it’s clear at this point that he has more planned than stopping by AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Sunday, April 3rd to simply say “hello” to the WWE Universe.

Below are The Rock’s latest tweets related to his WrestleMania 32 announcement, which shows the mainstream media coverage he can still garner for WWE by simply agreeing to appear at a big event for the company. As seen in the tweets below, “The Great One” responded to WWE, Variety, Vibe Magazine and Entertainment Weekly to hype the “next-level sh*t” and “little surprise” he has in store for WWE fans in April.

ROH Stars Reportedly Sign With TNA, Rumored To Debut On First Impact Wrestling On POP TV

Matt Boone
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28

https://youtu.be/CjOlMG1swP0

Former Ring Of Honor Tag-Team Champion Michael Bennett and his real-life wife, former WWE Diva and ROH performer Maria Kanellis, have both reportedly signed deals with TNA Wrestling, according to the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

According to the weekly newsletter, Bennett and Kanellis likely received a big deal, one that is financially guaranteed in nature.

Bennett and Kanellis, along with the third member of their on-air team, Matt Taven, finished up with Ring Of Honor last month when they dropped the ROH Tag-Team Titles to War Machine at the ROH “Final Battle” event. Bennett and Kanellis officially wrapped up business with ROH at the television tapings the day after the Final Battle event, as it was the final date on their contracts.

In related news, TNA has also wanted to “shore up” their roster by making sure their key players are under official contracts and that they acquire whatever talent that they can, as long as it makes financial sense.

TNA handled their last cable television move the same way, as just prior to and immediately following their debut on Destination America, they re-signed those that had deals that were about to expire and pursued outside free-agents in an attempt to freshen the brand.

It’s also worth mentioning that TNA has been airing mysterious vignettes promoting “The Miracle” for their debut episode of Impact Wrestling on POP TV, their new cable home now that the company no longer has a deal with Destination America. There are those who feel this could be the build to the TNA debuts of the former ROH stars, however that is strictly speculation at this point.

The premiere of Impact Wrestling on POP TV is scheduled to air live for two-hours this coming Tuesday, January 5th, beginning at 9pm EST.

NXT Prospect Shows Off Freaky Strength, WM 9 Celebrity Passes Away, WWE In Toronto

Daniel Pena
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10

– Music fans are mourning the loss of Grammy Award-winning singer Natalie Cole, who died Thursday evening at 65-years-old in Los Angeles, California due to complications from ongoing health issues. There is a WWE connection to Cole as she was the only non-wrestling celebrity to appear at WrestleMania IX at Caesars Palace in Paradise, Nevada on April 4, 1993. Cole had a ringside seat and was interviewed by Todd Pettengill during the live pay-per-view broadcast.

– NXT prospect Dylan Miley tweeted this video of himself showing off his impressive strength.

Miley, who according to Wrestling Observer Newsletter editor Dave Meltzer is 6-foot-3 and 285 pounds, began training at the WWE Performance Center in the summer of 2014. He only has one wrestling match under his belt, which took place at WrestleMania Axxess last March. Meltzer said at the time that some people in WWE were really high on him due to his unique look and verbal skills, but considered a long-term project.

– Greg Oliver of SLAM! Wrestling has an article recapping Wednesday’s WWE live event at Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto. In the main event, John Cena beat Alberto Del Rio by disqualification.

Video: TNA Hyping “The Miracle” For Impact Wrestling Debut On POP TV On Jan. 5th

Matt Boone
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15

https://youtu.be/CjOlMG1swP0

TNA posted the above teaser for “The Miracle” on ImpactWrestling.com and their official YouTube channel on Friday afternoon to hype up the debut edition of Impact Wrestling on POP TV.

The description that accompanied “The Miracle” video on their official website, but not on YouTube, reads as follows:

MIRACLE (Noun) – A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency

TNA is officially done airing their programming on Destination America and will officially run their weekly flagship program, Impact Wrestling, on Tuesday nights on POP TV. After airing some non-first run programming on their new cable home, TNA will officially launch Impact Wrestling on POP TV on Tuesday, January 5, 2016.

The Miz On Vince’s Original Vision For Him, Big Show’s Infamous Flatulence & More

Matt Boone
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22

The Miz recently appeared as a guest on Allegedly with Theo Von & Matthew Cole Weiss and spoke about working with Vince McMahon early in his career and more.

On Vince McMahon’s original vision for The Miz and working with him early on:

“I remember being in there with Vince McMahon and Vince was like, ‘we’re going to have you kind of be like the Ryan Seacrest of WWE’ and I went, ‘what? No, I want to be, like, the big star. Like, when I was a kid, The Ultimate Warrior was the man. Like, let me be him, not the host.’ But then, I was like, ‘well, they’ll give me the mic. As long as I have the mic, I know I can get this crowd to either boo me or cheer me.’ So the first thing that comes out, I have to host this Diva Search where I have to memorize a number and I wrote the number on my wrist because it was a hard number to remember. It was like seven [digits]. It wasn’t like a 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. No, it was like a number, so I totally forgot it. As I was looking on my wrist, you could see me looking on my wrist and the sweat kind of made it go off, so I totally ruined, basically, that whole competition. It was bad, so I was completely worried I was going to get fired. I went backstage and I was like, ‘I am so sorry’ [and McMahon] was like, ‘oh, it happens, blah, blah, blah’ and to his credit, he kept allowing me to host that show and as time progressed, I kept getting better and better.”

On advice for aspiring WWE Superstars and Vince having him cut promos on everything:

“So is there an art to trash talk? If kids want to become a WWE Superstar, I say start cutting promos in the mirror. We did a class. Like Vince did a class for, like, seven of us. We’d have to go in there and we’d cut promos. Vince would go, ‘alright, cut a promo on armbar. Alright?’ ‘Armbar? Okay!’ And he would just say a word and we’d have to do it, so I’d practice that while I’m in traffic in L.A. Like, stop sign. Cut a promo on a stop sign.”

On if wrestlers ever crap themselves in the ring and Big Show’s notorious flatulence:

“A lot of gas. Sometimes there’s some gas and you wonder if the audience can smell it. And you’re breathing heavy, like, you’re tasting it. It’s not very fun.” The Miz added, “Big Show [is the gassiest WWE Superstar]. He is 500 pounds. He’s seven-foot tall. The best running gag that he has is like, he’ll get in an elevator and once he’s leaving the elevator and the door’s closing, he’ll just let it rip and walk out.”

Hector Guerrero Talks His Family, The Gobbledygooker, & More

David Bixenspan
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3

The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast interviewed Hector Guerrero on their latest episode, and in addition to discussing his brief run as the Gobbledygooker in WWE, he covered a number of other topics, with some key quotes excerpted below.

On giving back to the pro wrestling business:

I’ve been giving back to it all the time and all my life my friend. That’s what wrestling is all about. You say how do I give back? I’ve given it all I’ve got. My body, my thoughts, my mind and every time I wrestled, I wrestled with my heart. I gave it all. I was reading a blog from Kurt Angle and it was about how when he was ready to give up and went home for three months and he said he was going to give it all he had and the rest was history. He won a gold medal and then he came back and got into professional wrestling and look at what he’s done in professional wrestling. It’s kind of like the way my Dad taught all the Guerreros. When we went out to the ring we gave it all we had. If it wasn’t good enough for the people or wasn’t good enough for the promoter or good enough for myself I still would have that satisfaction that I gave it all I had. That has been the main thing that I think all of the Guerreros have had. Everyone of us, Gory who taught us to Chavo Jr. who is holding the name up right now.

How has the pro wrestling business evolved?

Wrestling has changed but it always evolves. But it always comes back. It’s like a circle. It says on the marquee wrestling. It doesn’t say circus or it doesn’t say Soap Opera or it doesn’t say football game. It says wrestling. It’s always had it’s own following and it’s a big following here in the United States and a big following in Japan and a big following in many other places too. Europe has always been big on wrestling but I didn’t think it would evolve to this situation but it will cycle again. Every time, it was always go to wrestling again.

Learning about pro wrestling from growing up in a wrestling family:

There is always going to be people out there who think they know everything about the business. That includes me too. We don’t always know everything but me, I started when I was a kid learning how to fall in a backyard ring. We learned how to do all the Lucha drills when we were 5, 6, 7, 8 years old and that is including Eddie. He was doing arm-drags and head-scissor takeovers with us when he was a baby. So it’s something we grew up in. It all depends on the circumstances of how life evolves. With us, it evolved because we took it as something we loved. We lived it and we would mastermind the shows around our dinner table at dinner. That was just the way my Dad had us. Even my Mother would give her input and even Eddie I remember giving his input as a little baby. Everybody was laughing but Dad had always said he was right.

The whole family being such great workers:

Gory Guerrero was a brand name in Mexico. He was known as “The Phoenix Bird”. The reason they called him that was because he created riots. My Dad was not afraid. I’ve heard stories that my Dad would back down crowds of people that were coming at him and just wave his fists and they would back off. My Dad had such a respect of him in Mexico that you would have no idea but what you saw, you saw Eddie. Eddie has a lot of big moments but all of us had our big moments. I’ve heard about myself that I couldn’t have a bad match. My Dad taught us to wrestle like if we were wrestling with brooms. If we could wrestle with a broom, you could have a match. I’ve seen my oldest brother Chavo [Sr.] move the Olympic Auditorium in ecstasy in a match with him vs. Rowdy Roddy Piper. I’ve seen matches where my brother Mondo would wrestle and be in matches with Victor Rivera. I had great matches with John Tolos at fifty years old and I was in my youth and he would keep up toe to toe with me. Unfortunately my brother left us too soon. That is why there has been such an impact. If it was an impact on you, can you imagine the impact on us?

In the full interview, Guerrero talks about his time in TNA, working under a mask as Lazertron, and more.

Mick Foley Names His WWE Match Of The Year For 2015

Matt Boone
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24

WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley took to social media to share his 2015 “Match of the Year” on Thursday, and anyone who has been reading Foley’s blogs over the past few months will probably not be surprised in the slightest who “The Hardcore Legend” gave the nod to.

Foley posted the following on his official Facebook page on New Year’s Eve to reveal who he felt had the best match in WWE during the 2015 calendar year.

MY MATCH OF THE YEAR

Sasha Banks vs Bayley: August 22, 2015 – ?#?Brooklyn?, NY.

My oldest and youngest son spent several hours today compiling the top 15 matches in WWE NXT or WWE in 2015. They were deadlocked on which match should be number one with one son picking Sasha Banks vs Bayley and the other picking Seth Rollins vs Dean Ambrose from MITB, June 14, 2015. So I got to pick the tiebreaker. I went with Sasha and Bayley because of the emotion, because it captured a moment in time, and created a memory that many wrestling fans will hold dear for years. Grown men cried. I know; I was one of them.

WWE Superstars Give New Year’s Resolutions (Video), Lawler/Ranallo, Dudleyz DVD Note

Matt Boone
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6

– WWE posted the above video on Thursday evening featuring various WWE Superstars and Divas giving their New Year’s resolutions for 2016.

– It looks like Jerry “The King” Lawler will be remaining on the announce team when respected sports and pro wrestling announcer Mauro Ranallo joins the WWE broadcast booth in just under a week. Lawler and Ranallo posted the following on Twitter about the announce team for SmackDown on the USA Network.

https://twitter.com/mauroranallo/status/682714244303826945

– WrestlingDVDNetwork.com is reporting that the following Table Matches will be included in WWE’s new “Straight Outta Dudleyville: The Legacy of The Dudley Boyz” DVD and Blu-ray, which is scheduled to be released in April:

* The Dudleyz vs. The Hardyz, Tables Match, Royal Rumble 2000
* The Dudleyz vs. The Rock and The Undertaker, Tables Match, 9/14/2000 SmackDown
* The Dudleyz vs. Test & Albert vs. Edge & Christian, Tables Elimination Match, Rebellion 2000
* The Dudleyz vs. The Hardyz vs. Edge & Christian, TLC, WrestleMania X-Seven
* The Dudleyz vs. Rob Conway & La Resistance, Handicap Tables Match, Unforgiven 2003

Natalya Says 2015 Is The Year That Changed Her Life, Sheamus’ New Year’s Eve (Photo), Eden

Matt Boone
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– Featured above is the latest edition of “Eden’s Style,” where WWE ring announcer Eden gives fans a glimpse at her personal wardrobe.

– Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion and League Of Nations member Sheamus rang in the New Year with Irish wrestling legend Finlay. “The Celtic Warrior” tweeted the following photo of the two having a pint of Guinness together last night.

– WWE Diva and Total Divas star Natalya called 2015 “the year that changed her life” in a new cryptic message posted on her official Instagram page. Natalya wrote the following, which is accompanied by a photo of her in the ring at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.

“2015: The year that changed my life. I’m beyond grateful for everything that made me stronger! I’ve wanted to explain SO much. Maybe I will tomorrow… #HappyNewYear”

Jeff Hardy’s Second Daughter Born, The Rock & Bull Dempsey Have Funny Twitter Exchange

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– The Rock and NXT star Bull Dempsey had some fun on Twitter earlier this week. The two joked around after Dempsey tagged The Rock in a tweet where he wrote, “The Rock obviously knows that #FitHappens. #BullFit.” The Rock ended up responding and before you knew it, “The Rock & Fruck Connection” was born. Below are the tweets Dempsey and The Rock sent to each other this week.

https://twitter.com/BullDempseyWWE/status/682420773034811392

– Jeff Hardy and his wife Beth had an extra special New Year’s Eve on Thursday, as the couple welcomed their second daughter, Nera Quinn Hardy, to the world. Hardy posted the following on his official Instagram page:

Xavier Woods On The New Day’s Doubters, His Trombone Getting Over With The Fans

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WWE Superstar and New Day member Xavier Woods recently spoke with DetroitNews.com to promote the post-Christmas WWE live event in Detroit, Michigan. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

On his trombone routine getting over with fans:

“It became its own beast. That’s the beauty of it. People don’t realize it, but some of the best stuff comes from not having a plan.”

On rubbing The New Day’s success in the face of his doubters:

“I like proving people wrong. The best revenge is success, and I’m a very vengeful, grudge-keeping person. So when someone says I can’t do something and I prove them wrong, I don’t have to say I told you so, because they see me on TV doing it.

“Those people that disregarded me and made fun of me? I fulfilled my lifelong dream becoming a WWE champion. The fact that I navigated life in a way to reach those goals makes me feel good.”

Matt Striker On State Of Announcing Today, What Makes Lucha Underground Special & More

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Former WWE announcer and current Lucha underround announcer Matt Striker recently appeared as a guest on The PodNasty Wrestling Podcast and spoke about a few topics related to Lucha Underground. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

On the state of announcing today:

“The way we tell stories and narrate things today, is not the same as it was 20 years ago. People are smarter, we’ve evolved as human beings and to leave things to people’s imaginations is a nice thing because everyone wants to put their own little spin and make things relevant to themselves.

“So as far as where we are [as a society today], I think we have a smarter wrestling fan, I think that the level of talent and the athletic caliber of the fighters also forces us to raise our game as commentators, narrators, but in the end some of the best stuff I could do is not say anything at all.”

On what separates Lucha Underground from other promotions:

“In this sport, it’s so hard to do something new. Look at all the sports today, a guy hits a 440 home run and we go…’oh,’ because we’ve seen it. So it’s really hard to make people go ‘holy…’ and that’s what they’re doing here.”

On Lucha Underground fans being a part of the show as opposed to taking it over:

“The Lucha Underground fan understands their role. The fan understands that they are that addendum or that supplement to what’s going on and I really think that the tip of the cap needs to go to the old ECW crowd because they really kind of ushered in that ‘we are the part of the show’ as well. And also when you go to places like England and Germany, the fans are that way too.”

Jim Ross Blog: Kurt Angle/WWE Hall Of Fame, Royal Rumble Betting Odds, The Rock

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WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross updated his official blog at JRsBarBQ.com with his thoughts on a number of topics. Below are some of the highlights.

On Kurt Angle in the WWE Hall Of Fame:

I’d think that Kurt Angle going into the WWE Hall of Fame is a lead pipe cinch but when its the only question that I have. I’d love to see Kurt in a WWE retirement match and then be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame if and when WWE has the time and desire to make this matter a priority. I’d assume WWE inducts Kurt into the Hall likely before he wrestles for them in a high profile match at Wrestlemania. Simply speculating that WWE is leery of Kurt’s lingering neck issues but that’s merely my speculation.

“I have no speculation that Kurt Angle isn’t a deserving WWE Hall of Famer in the future. How can that be debatable?”

On talking to The Rock through email recently:

“Exchanged emails with The Rock while in Miami as he’s busy with a new baby girl and HBO’s ‘Ballers.’ I know of no one who seeming stays as busy as the Rock in the world of show biz. He’s a one man conglomerate who will be appearing at Wrestlemania Texas in April but I’m doubtful that he will be in a match but I hope that I’m wrong.”

On the early WWE Royal Rumble betting odds:

“There is an early betting line on the ’16 Royal Rumble. I’m being serious. Where were all these betting lines on WWE events when I was in administration there? Probably a good thing it wasn’t around at least that I’m aware or I might have been guilty of ‘insider betting.’ BTW the favorites to win are entrant #1, go figure, and entrant #30. I’d lean toward Brock Lesnar as my favorite to win it all if he’s in it.”

Kenn Doane Talks Possible WWE Return, Power Changes Backstage In WWE & More

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Former WWE Superstar and Spirit Squad member Kenn Doane, aka Kenny Dykstra, recently appeared as a guest on The Two Man Power Trip Of Wrestling podcast and spoke about the possibility of a WWE return. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

On the recent article published by WWE on what Kenn has done since leaving the company:

“When I saw it, I was nervous leading up to it because you never know. What if they spin it in a bad direction or who knows. When it came out I was so nervous and I didn’t tell anybody about it because in case it has a bad spin than I am not telling anybody. But when I read it I said WOW this is really good and exactly what we talked about. Not like I am going to get a Bret Hart “screw-job” here but you just never know and you can never be too sure.”

On if he thinks the interview could lead to a return to the company:

“When I left I kind of knew it was coming. I had just come off tearing my knee and they had moved me from one to show to the next show and those are tell-tale signs and when you end up working dark matches against new guys from developmental it’s just kind of like a process that happens. With the interview, there is more to this life than just wrestling. If you don’t watch wrestling for one month your life is not going to change. The interview had come up because I had been chosen to receive a scholarship award and before I had left WWE I had made it a point to go to John Laurinaitis and Hunter and Stephanie and I said I appreciate what you do to help people who need it like with rehab stuff but what about people that are doing the right thing and want to go to college. When it finally came up last year I thought I was totally going to get it since I kind of sparked the idea and they didn’t choose me. So this year I had to write an essay and fill out an application and I thought they aren’t going to choose me and I got an email saying that I had got it. So they like me now (laughs) who knows. You never know. I never disliked them, we always love each other. It’s a love/hate relationship. We are like brothers and sisters.”

On still being so young and being a “veteran”:

“I have fans that come up to me and ask me why did I leave? I say it wasn’t my choice and that I said hey, I think I’m leaving today. I have sixteen years’ experience, I’m only 29 years old and even if I was on the roster now I’d be one of the younger guys there and at the same time I’d be one of the most experienced guys there. It’s a weird combination. It’s not like I am fat now and I’m out of shape.”

On changes in power leading to changes at WWE:

“I think it does have to do with the leadership thing. I know Hunter is very big on protecting the ‘boys’ and not to say Vince was a bad leader. Vince was great and built it to what it is. I guess he was always on the business side of things and was never one of the workers so I guess Hunter knows what it is like to be a worker and build yourself up to that level. But he probably doesn’t know what it is like to be released from WWE and go and do your own thing. But I am sure he can still relate to it in some aspect. Looking out for everyone I would say is more on him but I also think it has a lot to do with developmental and the leadership there. In Louisville, Danny Davis, Jim Cornette and Paul Heyman, Al Snow and Tommy Dreamer and Bill Demott would stress this is not a long term gig. Enjoy it now, save your money and what you can because eventually it’s going to end and they would say everyone is going to get fired at some point in their life or career. Granted, you might think looking at it now and some people do think but nobody lasts forever and everybody will get fired.”

On the aggressiveness of the Spirit Squad making ot onto WWE TV:

“Eventually The Spirit Squad started coming about and they started liking it. They flew us into one of the Carolinas and they weren’t sure about it then. So we all came up with this idea that we are going to wait in Vince’s office and when he comes in we are going to blow the air horn in his face and do a cheer. We thought you either going to get fired or it will work. We don’t want to be in developmental so he was stuck in the production meeting for quite a while so we said let’s find him and break in. So we bust into the production meeting and blow the air horn, we did a big cheer and we just kind of stopped in our position and Vince looked up and he said ‘great, you will be on RAW next week.'”

The Rock’s RAW Status For WrestleMania Season, Changes Made For NXT TakeOver: Dallas

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– Regarding The Rock’s confirmed WrestleMania 32 appearance in April, which he continues to claim will “make history,” his availability to appear on RAW to help promote and build-up his appearance could be limited due to his Baywatch filming schedule.

– WWE is planning to use a smaller stage for their upcoming NXT TakeOver: Dallas live special during WrestleMania 32 weekend in April. The new stage setup will block fewer seats than usual and will allow an estimated 9,156 fans inside the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, as opposed to the 7,000 seats normally available with their standard setup. NXT TakeOver: Dallas is projected to be the third most-attended NXT event in history, trailing only NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn at the Barclays Center and NXT TakeOver: London at Wembley Arena.

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

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