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WWE RAW Preview: Brock Lesnar, John Cena Returns

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Tonight’s episode of WWE RAW takes place from the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN.

United States Champion John Cena returns tonight after taking a week off to sell the post-match attack by Kevin Owens after their match at Money in the Bank.

Following his surprise return at the conclusion of last week’s RAW, #1 contender Brock Lesnar is also advertised to appear.

The dark match main event will see John Cena, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens and Big Show.

Join us here tonight for Live Coverage of WWE RAW.

Samuel Shaw Parts Ways With TNA Wrestling

Matt Boone
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It looks like Gunner wasn’t the only main roster talent to part ways with TNA Impact Wrestling this week.

Just 24 hours after the news broke that Gunner had parted ways with TNA, the news surfaced on Sunday that Samuel Shaw may be on the way out as well.

Shaw, who made his first appearance with TNA back in August of 2010, wrote on Twitter, “I can be an artist in any promotion.”

Shaw, who also spent a year in TNA’s Ohio Valley Wrestling developmental system before coming back as a regular character on television in 2013, also wrote on Sunday, “Time to explore new artistic ventures. Thanks to everyone at Impact Wrestling that helped maximize my talents.”

Whether or not Shaw was informed of his TNA release on Sunday, which happens to be the Father’s Day holiday, remains to be seen, although one would assume that the announcement of the release came earlier, and that he just made the news publc today. For that matter, Shaw may have personally requested to be released from the promotion.

We should have more information on this story on Monday afternoon.

Below are the tweets Shaw sent out on Tuesday, June 21, 2015:

https://twitter.com/TheSamuelShaw/status/612331550064144384

https://twitter.com/TheSamuelShaw/status/612767895404290049

First Matches Revealed For ROH’s Death Before Dishonor iPPV (7/24)

Staff
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At Saturday night’s Ring of Honor TV tapings from New York City, the company revealed several top matches for the upcoming Death Before Dishonor iPPV:

Here’s the card:

– ROH World Champion Jay Lethal vs. Roderick Strong

– ROH Tag Team Champions The Addiction vs. ReDragon vs. The Kingdom vs. War Machine.

– Cedric Alexander vs. Moose

– A.C.H. vs. Adam Page

Death Before Dishonor takes place on Friday, July 24th from Baltimore, Maryland.

Update On CM Punk At WWE Event Confusion (Photo), Ryback’s Family At Live Event

Matt Boone
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– WWE Intercontinental Champion Ryback’s family was sitting at ringside during the WWE live event in his hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday evening. The family of the I-C champion witnessed their son defeat Bray Wyatt in singles competition in the opening match, and saw him again as he made a run-in to make the save after the main event later in the show.

– As reported earlier, there was some confusion due to the ring attire, pre-match promo and the work style during the match against Jack Swagger used by WWE performer Brad Maddox on Saturday night that led fans to believe he was CM Punk making an unannounced, surprise appearance. We can confirm that Punk was not at the show, as you can clearly tell in the photo of Maddox below, although one could see how lesser educated fans could make that mistake.

https://twitter.com/Memo__HD/status/612476321097060352

Paige Says She Has Trouble Handling Money, Talks Her WWE Debut & More

Matt Boone
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WWE Diva and Total Divas star Paige recently spoke with Biz Journals to promote the return of WWE Tough Enough. Below are some highlights from the interview.

On what she has learned business-wise in her career thus far: “That’s what I got told as soon as I got [in the entertainment industry], because you could be gone tomorrow and you don’t want to be completely screwed. Also, stay humble and hungry.”

On her favorite moments of her career: “Getting signed to the WWE was the biggest accomplishment I could do and also being at such a young age and being the WWE Diva’s champion was big.”

On having issues handling money: “This goes back to the saving money plan. The first year and a half that I was here, I thought “man, I have money. What should I do with it? Save it? No.” I would buy stuff immediately, but I got into a lot of trouble. I had to get surgery, I got into a car accident and someone took all of the money I had in my bank account and all of it came at once and I fell into debt. After that, I learned that I needed to be very smart with my money.”

Check out the complete interview at BizJournals.com.

Hulk Hogan On His Biggest Accomplishment, Lessons He’s Learned & More

Matt Boone
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Biz Journals recently spoke with WWE Hall Of Famer Hulk Hogan to promote the upcoming premiere of the new season of WWE Tough Enough. Below are some highlights from the interview:

On three business lessons he’s learned: “Save your money, save your money and save your damn money.”

On the biggest accomplishment of his career: “My biggest accomplishment is staying relevant for 35 years because a lot of guys will be in this business for five years, 10 years, 20 years, but I had a really great run and had to stay relevant. I changed characters a few times and did reality TV and a bunch of different TV series. I never dreamed at 61 years young that I would still be here.”

On the biggest business challenge he’s faced and what he learned from it: “Making the transition from actually wrestling to trying to figure out how to generate revenue without physically getting in the ring. I had to figure out how to use my brand and exploit the 35 years of goodwill with the world and turn that into a money making machine. Once you wrestle main events for 30 years and all of a sudden it’s taken away from you because physically you can’t do it, reality sets in and you have to figure out how to reinvent yourself. I made that transition out of survival. I went through a crazy divorce, I had a huge $60 million civil suite from an accident and my body shut down on me for two years — I had nine back surgeries. I had to figure out how to take the brand, make it work and do stuff I wasn’t used to doing such as open other businesses and other ventures.”

Check out the complete interview at BizJournals.com.

Update On WWE Tough Enough Airing On YouTube For Those Who Can’t Get It On TV

Matt Boone
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As previously reported, the new season of WWE Tough Enough will be airing on YouTube for fans who will not have access to the show on their local television stations in their country.

WWE has confirmed that the show will begin airing this coming Tuesday night at 8pm EST. on their official YouTube channel. This is the same date and time that the show will debut on the USA Network.

WWE posted the following with all of the details.

WWE Tough Enough returns for its sixth season on Tuesday, June 23 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on USA Network. Check out the listings below to see how you can watch the hardest-hitting reality show in your country.

TEN SPORTS: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka
• Live Wednesdays, 5:30 a.m. on Ten Sports and Ten HD
• Rebroadcasts: Wednesdays, 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Ten Sports

OSN: Algeria, Bahrain, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Gaza Strip, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudia Arabia, Somalia, South Sedan, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, West Bank and Yemen

• KSA: Live Wednesdays, 3 a.m.
• UAE: Live Wednesdays, 4 a.m. on OSN Sports 2 HD
• Rebroadcasts: KSA: Wednesdays, 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. on OSN Sports 2 HD; UAE: Wednesdays, 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. on OSN Sports 2 HD

SKY ITALIA: Italy, Monte Carlo, San Marino and Vatican City

• Live Wednesdays, 2 a.m. on Cielo
• Rebroadcast: Sundays, 12 p.m. on Cielo

Other countries outside the United States can watch the series live on YouTube.com/WWE starting June 23 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Photos: WWE Superstars & Divas Wish “Happy Father’s Day”

Matt Boone
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– In honor of WWE’s new “The List” show on the WWE Network, the official Twitter account for WWE is asking fans to nominate who they feel has the craziest family in WWE. You can check out the tweet below.

– Speaking of Father’s Day, below are some tweets from WWE performers who wish their fathers a “Happy Father’s Day.”

Hornswoggle

Darren Young

The Miz

https://twitter.com/mikethemiz/status/612664188104781825

Natalya

Eden

John Cena

The Usos

Kevin Owens

https://twitter.com/FightOwensFight/status/612648442964385792

Triple H

Hulk Hogan

The Rock

Rumor Killer On CM Punk Returning At WWE Live Event On Saturday Night

Matt Boone
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There was some confusion at the WWE live event in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday evening regarding whether or not CM Punk made a surprise appearance at the show.

The confusion comes from the fact that former WWE on-air performer Brad Maddox, who worked the show, came out sporting a new look, one that apparently resembled that of CM Punk’s former on-air appearance.

At one point during the show, enough people in the crowd mistaked Maddox for Punk, so a light “CM Punk! CM Punk!” chant broke out, although it didn’t last very long.

Despite reports to the contrary, Maddox did not come out to Punk’s theme song, as was reported on social media all Saturday evening.

Another reason fans thought Maddox was Punk was because of a promo he cut prior to the match where he made the statement that “people forgot who he was.” Additionally, Maddox’s in-ring style could appear like a Punk wrestling style, as Maddox used a lot of kicks and more of a MMA style in the ring.

Vince McMahon Wishes Happy Father’s Day, Rock’s New HBO Show Premieres Tonight

Matt Boone
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– The Rock’s new HBO Series, “Ballers” premieres tonight on HBO at 10pm EST. The description for the show reads as follows:

“After the unexpected death of a friend and former teammate, retired football star Spencer (The Rock) increases his efforts to develop a post-football career in Miami; Charles (Omar Miller) has trouble landing a new job; skilled wide receiver Ricky (John Washington) must find a new home.”

– Vince McMahon posted the following “Happy Father’s Day” message on his official Twitter account today.

*Spoilers* ROH TV Taping Results From New York City (Ep. 4-5)

Matt Boone
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The following are results of the first three sets of ROH television tapings held at Terminal 5 in New York City on Saturday evening. Results come courtesy of ProWrestling.com.

For episodes one through three of the ROH TV tapings from NYC on Saturday night, click here.

Episode Four

1. Michael Bennett and Matt Taven beat Corey Hollis and Jonathan Gresham.

2. Moose defeated Dalton Castle, Cheeseburger, Caprice Coleman, Brutal Bob Evans, and Silas Young.

BJ Whitmer was joined by Adam Page Colby Corino and tried to cut a promo. He drew major heat from the crowd. He hyped that he had a gift for Colby –
four wrestlers from the ROH tryout camp to wrestle against. Steve Corino jumped in the ring to confront Whitmer. Nigel McGuinness prevented them from going at it.

3. Bobby Fish beat ACH.

Episode Five

1. The Briscoes, Roderick Strong, and ODB beat Jay Lethal, Donovan Dijak, J Diesel, and Truth Martini.

-Samoa Joe and A.J. Styles defeated The Addiction in a non-title match in a match that was not taped for television.

Global Force Wrestling Results (6/20): Jackson, Mississippi

Matt Boone
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Thanks to Charles Humphreys for sending along the following live report from the Global Force Wrestling event in Jackson, Mississippi.

– Sonjay Dutt d. Jimmy Rave with a splash from the top rope in about 10 minutes.

– Jigsaw d. Chuck Taylor in 6:20 with a double foot stamp off the top.

– Karen and Jeff Jarrett promo. Karen thanked the sponsors. Jeff thanked the Mississippi Braves. Karen led a “Thank You Jeff” chant.

– Thea Trinidad d. Le’D Tapa with a hurricanrana in 5:55. Thea used a 619 near the end too. Tapa attacked multiple officials post match.

– PJ Black & Andrew Everett d. the Hot Shots in 12:20 after a springboard 450 splash from Black. Hot Shots were your typical southern 80s Memphis tag team. Black & Everett are great. Match was fun. Post match the Hot Shots did some heel mic work.

– Doc Gallows d. Luke Hawx in 7:57 with a two handed choke slam. They announced Doc from “Jacksonville, GA by way of Tokyo, Japan”. Crowd sort of died for this one. Bad call having Gallows work heel.

– Scott Steiner promo interrupted by Chris Masters. Refs had to pull them apart.

– Shelton Benjamin d. Chris Masters in 13:02 with Paydirt after a ref bump and Steiner hitting Masters with a bat. Shelton to pre-match mic work and announced he was fighting for the honor of Scott Steiner.

– Post show pics with Steiner & Jarrett for $20.

*Spoilers* ROH TV Taping Results From New York City (Ep. 1-3)

Matt Boone
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0

The following are results of the first three sets of ROH television tapings held at Terminal 5 in New York City on Saturday evening. Results come courtesy of PWInsider.com.

Dark Match:

A team named “Nuclear Casserole” defeated former EVOLVE champ AR Fox (making his ROH in-ring debut) and a partner who’s name I didn’t catch. Solid match. Fox got a nice round of applause.

ROH Matchmaker Nigel McGuinness came out to announce Jay Lethal will defend the ROH title against Roderick Strong in Baltimore, Maryland on 7/24 on iPPV. I think that might be Death Before Dishonor. Nigel then noted that someone else has tapped Lethal out and taken him to a time limit draw in the last year, Kyle O’Reilly. That means he is now a top contender for the title.

Nigel then said they have to make a decision about the ROH Tag Team championship on 7/24, so it will be The Addiction, The Kingdom, War Machine and ReDragon on iPPV. He pushed that this is ROH, the best professional wrestling in the world today.

Ring announcer Bobby Cruise announced they would be taping their 200th episode of ROH TV tonight. That blew my mind. Not only was I at the first taping in Chicago, but the first taping for HD Net and hell, the first ROH show ever. I feel really old right now!

He introduced announcers Kevin Kelly and King Steve Corino.

First Episode:

Watanabe vs. Dalton Castle

Watanabe wasn’t sure of what to make of Castle’s unique approach to the ring. Watanabe knocked him down in the corner and Castle’s cornermen fanned him. The crowd chanted, “Fan up!” Castle grabbed a side headlock and was sent into the ropes. He rebounded and shoulderblocked Watanabe down. Watanabe backed into the corner. Castle’s underlings fanned him as Watanabe wondered what in the world was going on. That was pretty funny.

Watanabe used his power to control Castle. Castle came back with a front facelock but Watanbe battled his way out. Castle brought him back to the mat and scored with several headbutts before going to a side chinlock. Watanabe worked him over for a long time. He drilled Castle with a nice back suplex for a two count. Castle came back with an inverted Whirlbird for the pin.

Winner: Dalton Castle

Castle cut a promo (and wait until you see how he was presented for the promo) after about beating Silas Young at Best in the World. Young came out and told Castle that he got lucky. Castle told him to “eat his heart out.”

Decent match. Castle has one of the most original, fun presentations to come around in some time. Watanabe looked good here.

Nigel McGuinness brought out the new ROH champion (as well as ROH TV champion) Jay Lethal, who came to the ring with Truth Martini, J. Diesel and Donovan Dijak. Nigel asked him to say a few works to his fans. Before Lethal could speak, the crowd chanted, “You deserve it.” Martini said that Lethal does deserve it, but these fans are not Lethal’s people. They are Lethal’s people. He said that history was made at the PPV and the fans witnessed the greatest first generation wrestler in the world and the undisputed champion of the entire world, Jay Lethal. Nigel said he wanted to hear what the champ has to say. Lethal said that he wants to say what he’s been saying since the very beginning – that he is the best in the world. He said to be the best you have to be the undisputed champion of the greatest wrestling company in the world – ROH. He said ROH is the greatest company in the world because he is the champion.

Lethal tried to leave but Nigel wanted to ask him a question. He said fans are wondering if he’s going to vacate the ROH TV title after working so hard to raise the prestige of the belt. Lethal said he’s not giving up a damn thing because he earned them. He said that Nigel knew at the end of Best in the World, one man was going to hold both and got angry Nigel even questioned them. He said to be undisputed champion he has to have both belts. Nigel said that they are separate belts and entities, so it means Lethal might have to defend both belts in one night. Lethal accused him of stacking the deck and trying to take away from his moment and said if he has to do that, he will. They announced Mark Briscoe would be challenging for the ROH TV title next week. Lethal promised to destroy Briscoe and then said at Death Before Dishonor, he’s going to do the same to Roderick Strong.

This brought out Strong, who came to the ring. Nigel told Strong he obviously has something to say and asked him to say a few words. Strong said he wanted to make Lethal fully aware that he was walking into their match as ROH champion but Strong would be walking out as the new champion. He and Lethal had a staredown.

Good segment. Lethal got his moment. He and Strong each had good mic work setting the stage for their iPPV bout.

IWGP Tag Team champions Michael Bennett & Matt Taven & Adam Cole (with Maria Kanellis) vs. Michael Elgin & ReDragon

Kanellis came to the ring and said that she knows Adam Cole was a little upset about losing at Best in the World, but it’s OK. She said they have been traveling the world and are the Internet darlings they are. She said it wasn’t Cole’s fault because as the leader of the Kingdom, she takes the blame. She said she believes in him and tonight they will show the Kingdom will never fall. It was a pretty good promo. I wonder if that is the start of teasing some issues between Adam Cole and the others.

Elgin and Bennett opened the match. Elgin used his power to control Bennett, despite Bennett’s brash attempts at taking Elgin down. Elgin held up Bennett in the air for a LONG time for a delayed vertical suplex. Cole and Taven tried to interfere but Elgin held him strong. Finally ReDragon took them down to allow Elgin to finish holding as long as he wanted. Some good action.

The Kingdom tripped Elgin and pulled himto the floor, allowing Bennett to nail a dive to the outside. Back in the ring, The Kingdom controlled, tagging in and out for a series of near falls. They were pretty great at berating the referee when they didn’t like his calls as well. They have really grown into a hell of a unit. They worked over Elgin in the corner.

Elgin finally made a comeback with an inverted sitdown suplex. He fought to the corner to make the tag but just as he did, the other members of the Kingdom pulled ReDragon to the floor. That allowed The Kingdom to continue their assault on Elgin. He finally mad the tag to ReDragon who began cleaning house on everyone with all their crazy, athletic double-team maneuvers.

The battle continued back and forth. Taven hit an awesome dive to the outside in Fish. Elgin cut him off and nailed Taven with a somersault legdrop off the second rope. You can see a marked improvement in the crispness of Elgin’s work. He nailed a double Samoan Drop on the Kingdom, wiping out Adam Cole in the process as well. The crowd chanted, “This is awesome.”

Elgin slugged it out with the Kingdom as they tried to take him out but the three on one odds finally took their toll. They scored several two counts on Elgin after some spectacular moves. ReDragon hit the scene and helped Elgin. They nailed a combination superbomb off the ropes on Bennett but Cole and Taven broke the pinfall at the last second. The Kingdom took over and nailed a spike piledriver for a two count.

Cole went for a Canadian Destroyer but Elgin backdropped him O’Reillly and Cole drilled each other with forearms. O’Reilly nailed a series of kicking combinations but was snagged with a forearm, Cole nailed a superkick but O’Reilly used the momentum to boomerang off the ropes with a lariat. He scored the pin.

Winners: Michael Elgin & ReDragon

A HELL of a six man tag. Just all sorts of cool moves plus they told a great story in Elgin having to persevere and overcome the Kingdom. A PPV worthy main event. Loved this one.

Cole shook hands with his opponents after the bout, which Taven and Bennett weren’t happy about. ReDragon raised Cole’s hand and Cole left on his own, leaving his partners behind.

ROH TV results for the second taping continued on page two …

WWE SmackDown Rating Up, Viewership Down For This Week’s Show

Matt Boone
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The Thursday, June 18, 2015 edition of WWE SmackDown scored a final cable rating of 1.79, according to Nielsen Media Research. The 1.79 final draw marks an increase compared to last week’s show, which finished with a 1.75 cable rating.

This week’s SmackDown show averaged 2.466 million viewers, which despite the increase to the final rating, was down from last week’s viewership. The Thursday, June 11, 2015 edition of SmackDown averaged 2.661 million viewers.

By comparison, the same show around this time last year (June 20, 2014) delivered a 1.84 final cable rating, with 2.762 million viewers, however it was the WWE Payback “go-home” edition of SmackDown on that particular week.

  • WWE Legend Makes SHOCKING Debut At BIG MMA Event + FULL FIGHT Video Of Shamrock vs. Kimbo, Lashley!

Jim Ross Q&A: Vince’s Problem With Sneezing, Issues With ROH, Cena/Undertaker

Matt Boone
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WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently updated the Q&A section on his official website with his thoughts and opinions on a wide variety of topics submitted by fans. Below are some highlights from his latest Q&A update:

On if WWE should hire more proven talents from the international scene: “Likely all are viable suggestions assuming that they all want to join WWE of which I don’t know. WWE does a good job of evaluating talent such as you mention so I’m sure that they will continue to make good selections.”

On if the internet provides more behind-the-scenes news than it used to: “Times are always changing I would assume and more info becomes available through various sources today so I’d say the answer would be yes.”

On Vince McMahon’s issues with sneezing: “Vince can’t control his sneezing, like all of us, and he doesn’t like things occurring that he can’t control. Many of us found it a source of humor.”

On who he thinks will win at UFC 189: Conor McGregor or Jose Aldo: “UFC is in a no lose situation here but until someone beats Aldo he’s my choice.”

On which match interests him more: Steve Austin vs. John Cena or Undertaker vs. John Cena: “Austin is out so of the two I’d obviously go with Cena vs. Taker of which I’ve fantasy booked on my podcast months ago. Do you listen to the Ross Report?”

On problems he has with ROH’s style and how he feels they could improve: “I am a ROH fan but they wrestle too fast, sell too little and need to slow their pace so that when they hit the next gear it means more.”

Check out more updates from Jim Ross’ Q&A segment by visiting his website at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.

Steve Corino Talks About Feuding With Dusty Rhodes In The Original ECW & More

Matt Boone
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ROH’s Steve Corino recently appeared as a guest on Busted Open Radio to talk in-depth about his memories of the late WWE Hall Of Famer “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes. Below are some highlights from the interview.

On how it was like a family member passed when he found out Dusty passed: “Oh absolutely. He was bigger than life. I went from a kid that would watch him every month at the old Philadelphia Civics Center to being able to look across the ring and face him in the ring and after ECW and WCW he had started his own promotion and I would sit there and I would be his opponent and I would argue with him and he would call me bad names and it was such a fun relationship. I had to sit back sometimes and think, wait this is the American Dream Dusty Rhodes that I am arguing with. And I am sure a lot of guys would tell you that he was like a second father to a lot of the boys and a lot of the women of professional wrestling and going over the tweets from all the NXT talent and fans that were tweeting in and sending me messages and stuff like that… bigger than life is just the best way that I could describe Dream.”

On how it felt to feud with Dusty in ECW: “It sounds punished but it was like a dream come true and it’s funny that you mention that first promo because I was just talking to Tommy Dreamer about this yesterday. That promo, I didn’t even know that he was in Atlanta… he had just gotten released by WCW that week… ECW happened to be in Atlanta… I had just done the thing with Limp Bizkit and the stars were aligned and I always called Tommy Dreamer “Dream”. And we would always joke and he would talk about himself in the third person just the humor of Tommy Dreamer and myself and CW and Jack Victory … so I asked that night, I go “Hey what am I doing tonight” and he goes “Oh you’re working with The Dream”… so I looked at him and go “So what are we doing?” and he goes “No man, you’re working with the REAL Dream tonight”. And that quick “Here comes the American Dream” and it was like an aura around him, and I’m just like, “You got to be kidding me, this is Dusty Rhodes!” And I remember walking up to him and I said “Sir, is there anything you’d like to talk about or go over?” and he said (Dusty impression) “Kid, if you as good as Bill Alfonso says you is… then there is no need to talk about it beforehand” and I said “Oh… yes sir”. And what a lot of people don’t realize… that fist promo … that was a one shot. We never knew that there was gonna be another chapter to all of this. We just thought that it was something we were gonna do in Atlanta. It was originally supposed to be dark and that’s why you see Joey Styles say “Oh, we’re not gonna put this on TV!” And afterwards he was so thrilled with how the boys treated him and the atmosphere that he said “Hey, let’s do something” and Paul sat me down and said “Are you ready for this? You’re going to become a star”. And it was true because he did what no one else could do for me. At the time I was feuding with Tommy Dreamer and Taz, who were such great talents and the heart and soul of ECW, but I was talking about the old school… these guys were current stars. And when Dusty came into ECW he legitimized the King of Old School character and I just rode that star of his. Now, my wife and I just moved into the house of our dreams and there is no way we could have done that if Dusty Rhodes doesn’t come to ECW. I’ve been riding that star for 15-16 years now because of 3 guys: Dusty Rhodes, Paul Heyman and Shinuhas Moto and a lot of supporting players around me and it’s hard to believe that 2 out of 3 of those guys are gone now and it’s just crazy, just crazy.”

On how much Dusty has effected the business and his legacy: “Absolutely. People would, you know, the negative would be “Oh he was always on top, he didn’t know when to step down, but that’s not true because he was ALWAYS making guys. JR said it best… Nikita Koloff NEVER should have been the star that he was in 1984 but Dusty gave him that rub and Nikita rode that wave and got better and became a star in his own right. He just did that for so many different guys. And all 3 of his world title reigns that lasted a week to two weeks – he deserved them … he deserved a longer run but you know what? For him it was about the chase and getting the people engaged and stuff like that. I know Rick talked about traveling with him and just learning because he would talk and just tell a story and I would ask about booking things because I’m so interested in that side of the wrestling business and he would talk about it as if it was a movie and it was always the John Wayne reference. I would go watch John Wayne movies or I would listen to Bob Dylan because a match would be a Bob Dylan song. He was so complex and he was on so many different levels that creatively… one of the top I’ve ever been around and I’ve been around Heyman and Cornett and so many different great minds. Dusty was a storyteller. He knew not only how to tell his own story, but how to tell everybody else’s story and it’s a lost art I believe. I totally believe the storyteller in everybody – just, he had it. I asked him once, real quick, and this was after a few beers and I said “Dream, why did you put the NWA title on Ron Garvin?” And at first he joked around, he goes “Because you weren’t available! Do you have any other stupid questions?” I thought Barry Windham was ready. He said “Barry Windham was the chaser. People wanted to see Barry chase. But Ron Garvin deserved it. He worked hard. He worked so hard. And I would do it all again tomorrow and I thought “Wow, this is a guy that, even when people questioned his booking decisions, he stuck by his guns and that was something that taught me, you’re going to make mistakes but stick by your guns and believe in what you say, believe in what you write. I say it all the time, he was bigger than life and I’m gonna miss him.

Check out the complete interview at BustedOpenNation.com.

ROH Wrestler Moose On WWE Tryouts, GFW Rumors, His Contractual Status & More

Matt Boone
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1

Ring Of Honor wrestler Moose was recently interviewed about his WWE tryout, working with Global Force Wrestling, his contractual status and more. Below are some highlights.

On his WWE tryouts: “I’ve had tryouts with them (WWE) actually more than the one but I’ve had tryouts with them and it was just one of those things where I just felt comfortable with where I was at. I’m not saying that WWE is not somewhere I wouldn’t want to work at some point in my career because it is. Every wrestler in the world would tell you that. That the WWE is somewhere they would want to work at, at some point in their career. But I felt comfortable staying where I was currently at. I’m not saying there they even offered anything, I’m just saying that it’s just one of those things where I looked at what I had in front of me and where I wanted to go I felt that right now that staying with Ring of Honor was the best choice for me. Like I said, not that WWE ever offered me anything because they didn’t. With what I had in front of me and the choices and the options available to me, staying in Ring of Honor was the best possible choice.”

On the Global Force Wrestling rumors: “I have plans with Ring of Honor and I haven’t signed anything with any other company. It’s crazy because just to segue out here and I normally hear the same thing and sometimes I laugh about it, sometimes it’s just funny because how people get their information and how quickly the information is spread through social media and how truthful or not truthful the information is and by the time it’s because it’s funny by the time hear it one thing and by the time it gets back to me it’s totally different from what I actually said or what I actually told to them and that’s what media is about it’s a fun little circle and its part of the world we live in. So no validation to that. I haven’t signed anything with any other company. Recently, I signed with Ring of Honor and that’s true and that’s it. I will be with Ring of Honor for another year maybe more years to come we’ll see. For the next year I will be with Ring of Honor where I consider home.”

On his future and ROH Best In The World: “I definitely see some kind of title around my waist. Right now, for those that don’t know and the hardcore fans, I’m in a number one contender match at Best in the World versus Mr. ROH Roderick Strong and Unbreakable Michael Elgin so we’ll see what happens. I’m planning on winning it so I could win the ROH world title whoever has it after Best in the World if its Jay Lethal or if its Jay Briscoe we’ll see only time will tell who wins that match and advance for the title. But it doesn’t matter because whoever wins it is just keeping that title warmed up until I get it. If that doesn’t work out as I planned then there is always the television title which we’ll see who has that title after Best in the World if its Jay Lethal or if its Jay Briscoe so there are a lot of questions to be had but at Best in the World we’ll definitely get answers on what is going on.”

You can check out the complete interview by clicking here.

Justin Gabriel Skydiving (Video), Hulk Hogan/Tough Enough, More

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– WWE Hall Of Famer noted on social media on Friday that he is in Orlando, Florida doing promotional work for the upcoming new season of WWE Tough Enough. “The Hulkster” tweeted the following.

– SEScoops.com reader Danny Warren sent along the following video clip that features former WWE Superstar Justin Gabriel making history as he jumps out of an airplane to discuss his Canadian Wrestling’s Elite debut for the “Fear Factor Tour.” For more on CWE, visit their official website at CWECanada.ca.

You can check out the Gabriel skydiving clip below.

Update On The Future Of Lucha Underground

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Lucha Underground talent has still not been told anything definitive about a second season or another round of TV tapings.

Since Lucha Underground has first priority over their talent’s bookings, a lot of the guys have been holding off on agreeing to work shows in August and September, when the first round of tapings would take place for season 2.

Company officials are still moving forward under the assumption that there will be a second season and there is strong interest in bringing in former EVOLVE star AR Fox.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Ring Of Honor “Best In The World” PPV Results

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Ring of Honor held their Best in The World PPV event on Friday night in New York, New York at the Terminal 5. Here are the results:

– Mark Briscoe with ODB defeated Donovan Dijak.

– The Decade (Adam Page and BJ Whitmer) defeated Matt Sydal and ACH.

– Dalton Castle defeats Silas Young.

– War Machine defeat C & C Wrestling Factory.

– #1 Contender’s Triple Threat Match: Roderick Strong defeats Moose and Michael Elgin.

– The Bullet Club (AJ Styles and the Young Bucks) defeated the Kingdom (Matt Taven, Michael Bennett and Adam Cole).

– No DQ Tag Team Title Match: The Addiction (C) defeated ReDRagon.

– Champion vs. Champion Match: Jay Lethal defeated Jay Briscoe to become the new ROH World Heavyweight Champion.

Dolph Ziggler’s WWE Contract Expiring, Speculation He’s Leaving

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Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Dolph Ziggler’s contract is expiring in just a few months and there’s a lot of speculation that he could be leaving the company later this year.

Ziggler has been understandably frustrated about the way he’s been booked over the past few years and has been branching out into standup comedy.

During a recent episode of MLW Radio, former WWE creative writer Court Bauer commented on the possibility leaving WWE, noting that it’s a similar situation to John Morrison’s departure. Bauer said:

“Dolph’s deal is up in a few months and he has indicated informally that unless he gets a big push, he may leave like Mundo.”

Davey Richards On What To Expect At TNA Slammiversary, Training With WWE HOF’er

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TNA performer Davey Richards was interviewed to promote the upcoming TNA Slammiversary pay-per-view event. Below are some highlights from the interview.

On what to anticipate at TNA Slammiversery: “We are going to do what we always do and go out there and deliver the best package of professional wrestling match that we can on the planet today. For this one, I don’t want to spill the beans but we’re going to have something truly special and something that hasn’t been done in a very long time and it takes a very unique blend and a lot of trust from a company to do and they are going to allow us to do it. It’s going to be something that I think we are going to be remembered for a very long time and something I’m very proud to be a part of. So definitely don’t miss it.”

On training under “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff and Tony Kozina: “Paul was real old school. When I say old school, people always say what does that mean. He was really just get in there and do the basics over and over and over again I have a lot of respect for what you do where you had to have it perfect because you were taking someone’s life in your hands. I learned all the basics and a real good fundamental grasp of wrestling and Tony really helped me out with getting out there and getting my name known and getting out there and travelling and being recognized and really sacrificed a lot of things for himself to really help me get out there and make my name. I wouldn’t be where I am today without either one of those guys so I’m eternally in debt both are great guys. Paul was a little more scary and a little more stern and Tony is definitely the funniest person I have ever met so it’s very unique blend of guys.”

Check out the complete interview by clicking here.

Bret Hart Says Daniel Bryan’s Career Is Over, Explains Why Roman Reigns Isn’t Getting Over

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WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart spoke to Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard blog to discuss the state of WWE, Daniel Bryan’s future, Roman Reigns and much more. It’s a great read and definitely worth checking out.

Despite Daniel Bryan telling fans that he’s optimistic about returning to the ring one day, Bret Hart says he’s seen this story play out before and thinks Bryan has wrestled his last match.

“Daniel Bryan is finished,” said Hart. “He’ll never wrestle again. I don’t think he knows it yet. I feel terrible about Daniel Bryan. For all intents and purposes, he had the exact same thing happen to him that happened to me after Bill Goldberg kicked me in the head [ending Hart’s career].

“One day, you learn it’s over. Doctors tell you that you can’t wrestle and you’ll never wrestle again. I lost millions of dollars because of that. I pray that it’s not the same for Daniel Bryan.”

Hart also talked about why Roman Reigns didn’t get over the way WWE expected, and sees a strong similarity between Reigns’ character and a former rival of his.

“It was so manufactured that it hurt someone who was naturally getting over on his own,” said Hart. “As soon as the company decided they were going to make him the star, people started to sour on him. Roman Reigns is a really good wrestler and he’ll find his path. He turned the corner at WrestleMania when the fans accepted him on his own merit just ‘cause he had a great match.

“But, in the creation of Roman Reigns, he seems to now be a lot like Triple H’s character. Long hair, indestructible, no facials, he’s always angry, and there’s no softness in his eyes, so it’s very hard to get sympathy. All of that was poorly thought out.

Other topics discussed include the passing of Dusty Rhodes, Dustin and Cody, Seth Rollins and much more.

Hogan/Gawker Lawsuit On “Good Morning America,” ESPN Honors Dusty Rhodes

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– Mainstream sports news outlet ESPN paid tribute to the late, great “American Dream” Dusty Rhodes during a SportsCenter segment. The hosts of the show, Jay Harris and Robert Flores, both shared their own personal memories of Rhodes during the segment, which you can watch at ESPN.com.

– The Gawker-Hulk Hogan lawsuit was covered on ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Friday. The segment, which featured an interview with Hogan’s attorney, was introduced by Robin Roberts. As previously reported, Hogan is suing Gawker for $100 million over the sex tape, which involved Hogan and Bubba The Love Sponge’s now ex-wife. The trial begins on July 6th.

Dusty Rhodes’ Former Valet Baby Doll Talks Working With Him, His Death & More

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Former wrestling valet Baby Doll (aka Nickla Roberts), who worked during the 1980s alongside the late Dusty Rhodes, recently spoke with the folks at Busted Open Radio for an interview. Below are some highlights.

On hearing the news of Dusty’s death: “It was a shock to me too. It’s one of those things that you always … it hits ya and then you think “Wow, I wish I had just one more time to see him just one more time to do one more Fan Fest or one more autograph show just to see Dusty again. He was such an icon in my life. For a lot of us, he made us stars. He made us household names. He made us legends and I am forever grateful for that.”

On her time with Dusty: “I was so young then too. I was in my early 20s and the guys were a little bit older, they were more established in wrestling, like in their early 30s, you know a little bit later, and for them to take me in and to be a girl, and to be the only girl that was working at that time in that huge area, I couldn’t ask for a better respect that was given to me and how I was treated and just everything that was given to me… it was amazing, it really was.”

On Dusty’s creative genius: “He took what was going on already and just bumped it up. That was one of the things that got me started. I had two showed left with World Class, and that was the two shows in Miami and Tampa that I had against Stella Mae, and it was Christmas Day and the day after that that was in like 1984. So I only had two shows left and I didn’t have any more bookings after that, I was done. I didn’t know quite what I was going to do. I knew that Michael Hayes was promoting Florida so I landed and I got in a rented car and stopped at the first liquor store and got a huge bottle of Jack Daniels and went to go talk to Michael Hayes… and Michael Hayes was like “Oh no honey, I’m getting ready to close down Florida, it’s slowed down a lot. Who you need to talk to is, go talk to Dusty. You know Dusty. He’s over there in the other dressing room. He’s getting ready to do big things in North Carolina. It’s already goin’, but North Carolina is literally about ready to blow up.” And Michael Hayes had put Dusty over and this was in like December of 1984 and Michael Hayes predicted it… that Dusty was getting ready to do something amazing in North Carolina and that’s where I needed to go. And I went over there and Dusty was sitting down and Tully was standing off to the side and I was kind of like “Well, here I am… I’d sure like to work some more… do you think you can use me?” They went out and watched my match and after that it was history because they were looking for the perfect 10 at the time and Dusty just saw that character in me… he just saw a lot that he could work with. But I just thought that it was so cool that back in December of 1984 that Michael Hayes predicted all of that.”

On how many young superstars that he took under his wing and got the best out of and Dusty’s lasting legacy: “It was done the right way. It showed a created part of wrestling. It was very cool what he did. He had a magic. It was just something that I will forever be grateful for. And it was the same thing with Big Momma, Jimmy Valiant’s ex-wife… the character that he brought out in her — that was fantastic. Like “Here, I’m giving you my women… I’m giving you my woman off the street to make you feel better man!” (laughs) And I’m like, “Oh my god, how are you doing this?” It was awesome. And if you look at my face in some of the promos, like when I’m standing back behind Dusty, and he’s talking, you can kind of see it on my face like “Oh my god, are you really saying this? I can’t believe you’re saying this”. It just cracks me up because he was just so much more and even with his passing it’s so cool to hear everybody talking great things about him. But even before this, I can’t even think of anybody that said anything bad about Dusty. It was always… Dusty was making a lot of money and made a lot of people money and how creative he was.”

Check out the complete interview at BustedOpenNation.com.

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