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TNA Impact Wrestling Moving To Wednesday Nights?

Matt Boone
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TNA Impact Wrestling has gone through a number of changes in recent months, moving to different channels on different nights and different times, and it looks like it’s about to happen again.

Last week, there was talk in the TNA offices in Nashville, Tennessee about the possibility of moving Impact Wrestling to Wednesday nights, possibly as soon as next month.

One of the driving forces behind the idea is the fear within TNA regarding how well their viewership will hold up on Destination America on Friday nights as we head into the summer months.

As things stand right now, the talk is that Impact Wrestling will switch to Wednesday nights at 9pm EST. as soon as June.

(Credit: PWInsider.com)

Photos: Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, Hulk Hogan & Others At NBCUniversal Upfronts

Matt Boone
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WWE had a large presence at the NBCUniversal “Upfronts” in New York City on Thursday.

Representing WWE at the NYC upfronts were Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, Chris Jericho, Hulk Hogan, Roman Reigns, Titus O’Neil, The Bella Twins, Eva Marie and Natalya.

Below are photos of the WWE Superstars and Divas at the NBCUniversal Upfronts:

Jim Cornette, WWE Hall Of Famer & More Confirmed For Global Force Wrestling

Daniel Pena
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Fans can expect the heated verbal feud between The Young Bucks and Jim Cornette to play out inside the squared circle as Cornette has joined Global Force Wrestling.

Global Force Wrestling relaunched its website today and Cornette is listed as a roster member.

In addition, Scott Hall, Takaaki Watanabe, Jeff Jarrett and Karen Jarrett are also listed on the roster.

The feud continued last week with The Young Bucks responding to a Twitter message Cornette had issued.

https://twitter.com/MattJackson13/status/596721775968329728

Cornette has said that the animosity from the Bucks stemmed from his review of their match at Wrestle Kingdom 9 in January. Following a dust-up on Twitter, he was briefly blocked by the tandem on the social media platform.

“They blocked me on Twitter! They blocked me! I’ve never been so insulted,” Cornette joked on In Your Head Wrestling Radio in January. “No… I’ve been in riots. I’ve had a couple dozen people in my life try to kill and the Young Bucks think they’re going to hurt my feelings because they blocked me on Twitter.”

WWE Payback Lineup: New Match Added To Sunday’s PPV

Matt Boone
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On Thursday’s edition of WWE SmackDown, one final match was made official for this Sunday’s WWE Payback pay-per-view.

During SmackDown, it was confirmed that The Bella Twins will be taking on the team of Tamina Snuka and Naomi. With that now known, below is a look at the final lineup for this Sunday’s show.

Fatal 4 Way for the WWE World Heavyweight Title
If Rollins fails to retain, Kane is fired from The Authority
Dean Ambrose vs. Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins

I Quit Match for the WWE United States Title
– Rusev vs. John Cena

2 of 3 Falls Match for the WWE Tag Team Titles
– Cesaro and Tyson Kidd vs. The New Day

– Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler

– King Barrett vs. Neville

– Ryback vs. Bray Wyatt

– Tamina Snuka and Naomi vs. The Bella Twins

Kickoff Pre-show Match
– Damien Sandow and Curtis Axel vs. The Ascension

Make sure to join us here this Sunday for the best WWE Payback live results coverage!

Vince McMahon Comments On “CM Punk!” Chants From WWE Fans, WrestleMania In Chicago

Matt Boone
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The Chicago Tribune has a new article up on Vince McMahon’s induction into the Boys & Girls Clubs of America Hall Of Fame, and during the interview, McMahon spoke about CM Punk.

When asked if he is tired of the “CM Punk! CM Punk!” chants in Chicago from WWE fans, McMahon simply replied, “No. No.”

McMahon also spoke about WrestleMania possibly being held in Chicago.

“I wouldn’t say Chicago is out of the running. We can do colder environments. We went to (MetLife) Stadium (in New Jersey). People wear coats to football. Why won’t they were jackets and so forth to Wrestlemania? They will.”

McMahon concluded, “Chicago will definitely be in the running in the future.”

Check out the complete article at ChicagoTribune.com.

Teenage Vandals In Michigan Spray Paint 8 Cars With “DX”

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Two teenage suspects are being sought after in Harper Woods, Michigan after 8 cars were vandalized with the letters DX.

According to local ABC affiliate WZYZ, police say the vandals hit a neighborhood near Eastwood and Woodcrest in the area of 8 Mile and Kelly. “Victims were stunned when they found out what happened right in their own driveways.”

At this time, there’s no reason to believe Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Sean Waltman or the New Age Outlaws were involved in the incident.

Waltman expressed his ‘disapproval’ on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/TheRealXPac/status/598733746502774784

Matt Sydal Talks Owens/Rollins, The NXT System, Jushin Thunder Liger & More

Matt Boone
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Former WWE Superstar Evan Bourne, who is now working under the name Matt Sydal, recently spoke with the Chad Dukes Wrestling Show about his recovery from injury and the opportunity he has to team with one of his idols — Japanese pro wrestling legend Jushin Thunder Liger.

Below are some highlights from the interview.

On recovering from injuries in pro wrestling: “Injuries are two-fold, as professional wrestlers we walk to the ring feeling completely invincible. When I step into the ring, there’s no doubt in my mind, there’s no hesitation, there’s no second thoughts, it’s a 110 percent, full force all the time. If you walk into the ring worried about your ankle, if you walk into the ring worried about your neck, that’s only going to increase the likelihood of something bad or something traumatic happening or getting worse. So when you’re coming back from an injury the keys are that mental game, getting that locked up, and then the physical game’s gonna come because as wrestlers we know what we need our bodies to feel like. That first match back it does not feel good, that second match doesn’t feel good. I mean when I came back I felt like I was drowning in a sea of super athletic young wrestlers. These guys were taking me into the middle of the ring, taking me out into deep waters and seeing if I could sink or swim.”

On teaming with Jushin Thunder Liger: “If there was a Hall of Fame for junior heavyweights he would have his own wing. He’s one of the guys who brought wrestling from Canada, Mexico, and Japan, and combined them into a really magical style of wrestling and that’s what connected with me when I was a young man. The style of Jushin Thunder Liger is how I’ve been molding myself.”

On NXT: “It’s brilliant. This is a third brand that can tour, it’s a third stream of revenue for the WWE, it’s extremely cost effective, and you’re giving amazing talent that has a fanbase a platform that can reach more people. That’s the beauty of NXT, because it just goes to show that the men who walk through Ring of Honor are WWE caliber people. Because there is no difference between Kevin Owens, your NXT Champion, and Kevin Steen, your Ring of Honor Champion. Between Seth Rollins, your Ring of Honor World Champion, and Seth Rollins, your WWE World Champion.”

Check out the complete interview at ChadDukesWrestlingShow.com.

Photos: Dolph Ziggler On Stage With Britney Spears

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Dolph Ziggler got up close and personal with Britney Spears at her show last night at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. Ziggler spoke to WWE.com about the experience and revealed how he wound up face to face with the pop singer.

“I’ve tagged Planet Hollywood – which hosts Britney’s ‘Piece of Me’ show – a few times on social media when I visit Las Vegas, saying it’s a cool place, and I’ve seen Britney a couple of time before,” Ziggler told WWE.com. “They reached out and asked if I wanted to possibly be brought on stage.”

When he got the show, Ziggler said he wasn’t sure what the plan was, until a staff member pulled him aside.

“I got to the concert, they told me they weren’t sure if I’d go on stage, and then they just grabbed me,” The Showoff explained. “They knew where I was sitting and then just told me to play along and have fun.”

As a longtime fan of Britney, Ziggler used the opportunity to to show off his moves on stage and tell the pop icon how good she looked.

“I just told her she looked like a total babe,” he said. “She autographed a T-shirt for me and kicked me off the stage.”

When asked what Britney said to him, Ziggler told WWE.com, “That’s between me and her.”

https://twitter.com/heelziggler/status/598901384235192321

Tyson Kidd On His Pre-Match Rituals, Randy Savage, Working In Famous Arenas

Matt Boone
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WWE Superstar Tyson Kidd recently spoke with the folks at Atlantic City Weekly to promote this weekend’s WWE live event in the local area. Below are some highlights from the interview.

On what it’s like working at a venue like Boardwalk Hall that has so much history behind it: “For me it’s very cool. Macho Man is one of my all-time favorites and Wrestlemania IV was where he won the World Championship in the tournament. That was the only Wrestlemania set up like that. And Macho Man wrestled four times that night and he came out as champion and that’s always cool. Every time I pull up to that arena I always know that this is the place that Macho Man main-evented Wrestlemania IV and won the WWE Championship. Things like that are always cool.”

On how he personally stays in shape and stays fresh with his constant travel: “I train seven days a week. A couple of those days are straight cardio days and just getting that blood pumping and I think that’s the secret. I know everybody is different but, for me, that’s the secret. If we have a long flight — Friday I flew from Tampa to Denver — as soon as I land, the first thing I did, Cesaro and I worked out. I went and got my blood pumping and I felt awesome. Instead of showing up to the live event and feeling all sluggish and lethargic, I felt great.”

On what type of pre-match shows or rituals get him into the zone for the night: “A little bit before my match I make sure I stick to my old Japanese roots and bust out 100 hindu squats, especially since my knee injury, I make sure the blood is warmed up in my legs. I do a bunch of pushups and I play with this resistance band that I have. I leave a couple at home because I know I’ll lose this one on the road because I’ve left about 10 to 20 of them on the road over the years.”

Check out the complete interview at AtlanticCityWeekly.com.

Bushwhacker Luke On His WWE HOF Induction, Not Talking To Vince At The Ceremony, More

Matt Boone
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WWE Hall Of Famer Bushwhacker Luke recently spoke with the folks at The Two Man Power Trip Of Wrestling podcast about his induction this year and more. Below are some highlights from the interview.

On whether he ever expected to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame: “Never would have thought we would end up in that. When we started there was no wrestling on television in New Zealand. I’m not just talking wrestling on television but television itself. On Saturday or Sunday night you would sit and listen to the Soap Operas on the radio. To promote a wrestling show you would actually go down to a radio station and promote it there or just put posters around town so when you walk the streets at lunch time, the main streets of town is where everyone congregated. It has really all come a long way. When we walked out on that stage, I looked out and saw some of our friends from 1970s in the audience like Roddy Piper, it was just so great to be on that stage. At last we are on the biggest platform in sports entertainment.”

On if he spoke to Vince McMahon prior to his speech: “No, no we only talked to Jimmy (Hart) and Terry (Hulk Hogan) in the morning. When we first went in the back we were just going over old times and BS’ing like it was in the ’80s. It’s a completely different ballgame today.”

On what caused the switch from the villainous Sheepherders to the lovable Bushwhackers: “When we first went up there and met with Vinny (Vince McMahon) he said to us that he wanted to make us “good guys” and Butch got up on Vince’s desk and his nose was about fifth teen inches from Vince’s nose and said; “If you can make these faces good-guys then go ahead”. Vince turned around and said check out the mugs on my top baby faces; Hogan, Jake (Roberts), Hacksaw Jim Duggan they aren’t the prettiest. He said I want you guys to be between the Moondogs and the Sheepherders but I want you as good guys. Butch said to me afterwards, that the Moondogs have been on the USA Network for five years, we were on Ted Turner’s WTBS off and on for ten years so let’s create something different. Hence, what we came up with. The marching and the licking and all of that BS. Vince gave us a new name but we came up with the characters.”

On the creativity of the team and the origin of the infamous Bushwhackers’ march: “I’ve got to give it to Butch. He came up with that. We were always creative, when we first came over to North America in 1972, we were Sweet William and The Brute but he (Butch) had to change his name because the Brute here was Brute Bernard. He had been all over Canada and the States so they changed his name to Crazy Nick Carter, so it was Sweet William and Crazy Nick Carter and I led him around on a chain. I was doing that from around (19)69 to 73-74, we were doing the Beauty and the Beast gimmick at the time and we constantly changed our gimmicks. When we went back to New Zealand in the mid-70s to do the first television shows we went back as The Dream Team which later on in life I saw Vince had Greg Valentine and Brutus the Barber as the Dream Team. When we were the Sheepherders we would go to the outside and when we were out on the floor we would go “WHOA” to the people. That was the Whoa and Yay. We had done that before as heels swinging our arms in the air to sort of scare the people at ringside at the barrier. So we decided to put that into our baby face thing, knees up high and swinging the arms.”

Check out the complete interview at Podomatic.com.

Mick Foley Says Adam Rose Deserves A Push & More Character Development

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WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley says Adam Rose deserves second chance and a big push following the ESPN’s recent “WWE: Behind The Curtain” special.

Foley says he’s a huge fan of the Adam Rose character and thinks the inside look at Rose’s family life was the perfect chance for WWE to add a new dimension to the party boy gimmick. Foley wrote on FAcebook:

“I loved the gimmick; I even offered to sign my legend’s contract if they let me and my kids make a cameo as pert of the “Exotic Express”. I assumed, like any WWE NXT call-up with some years to his/her credit, that the guy had worked hard and overcome obstacles to get his shot. But until watching ESPN e60 “Behind the Curtain” documentary, I had no idea just how hard Rose had worked, just how many obstacles he had overcome – in both wrestling and in life. Within minutes, I found myself rooting for Adam Rose – WWE Universe as not just a wrestler, but as a person – as a husband and father trying to make a difference in not only the world of wrestling, but in the game of life.”

“I just learned that the Rose character was influenced by Dude Love, and that his previous Leo Kruger character was influenced by Mankind. Maybe Mr McMahon can take a page out his 1997 playbook, and afford Adam Rose’s real-life story the type of attention he afforded my own. For me, it was a game-changer. I think a similar setting could produce similar results for Rose, and WWE. I strongly urge the powers-that-be to do not only what’s best for Adam Rose, but what’s best for business.”

NXT Stars Talk About Their Dream Opponents, Undertaker Book Update & More

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– Author Kevin Sullivan is currently working on a WWE book focusing on The Undertaker. PWInsider.com noted this week that it will be kayfabe book about the Undertaker character, not Mark Calaway.

– A new episode of Jerry Springer’s “Too Hot for TV” premieres tonight on the WWE Network after SmackDown.

– On this week’s WWE Inbox, watch the Superstars of NXT take front and center as share their dream opponents. Hear from Enzo Amore, Big Cass, Bayley, Becky Lynch and many more as they discuss their dream opponents.

* Major Heel Turn Rumored For Sunday’s WWE Payback Main Event

Jim Ross Blog: Daniel Bryan Situation, Rousey/WWE, Lack Of Buzz For Payback

Matt Boone
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WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently posted a new blog with his latest thoughts and commentary on the current wrestling scene. Below are some highlights.

On Daniel Bryan’s RAW segment: “Solid Daniel Bryan interview where he unfortunately had to relinquish the Intercontinental Title. I’m just guessing here but I would not be surprised if DB didn’t have concussion issues but it certainly could be a neck issue as many speculate. I don’t know his diagnosis but I do that his health is his most important commodity and if he’s essentially done with his career it will be ill timed, as are all career ending injuries, but Daniel Bryan is the type of individual that any wrestling company should want to associate with and he can help WWE in a variety of ways. Hopefully Daniel Bryan can get a clean bill of health to resume his career but he will have to change some of the things he does in the ring whether he likes it or not and embrace the ‘less is more’ philosophy of in ring, bell to bell activity.

“The ‘less is more’ philosophy, taking unprotected and unconventional bumps, wrestling too fast while taking higher risks and not stopping long enough to sell what has been done, isn’t doing any one in the business any favors. It’s the current trend within the business that sees very few wrestling holds properly applied in a business with wrestling in its name.”

On the lack of buzz surrounding WWE Payback: “I will be back from Baltimore in time to watch Payback from the same city but I don’t feel the ‘buzz’ for the event that one would generally prefer. Perhaps it will overachieve and be a ‘sleeper’ event. It should not be an enhanced version of Monday Night Raw only with it being on Sunday night instead of Monday.”

On Ronda Rousey: “Ronda Rousey adorns the cover of Sports Illustrated this week and no matter what is speculated, I still feel she will be in AT&T Stadium next April to be a special attraction at WrestleMania Texas. STill thnk Ronda vesus Stephanie McMahon, and her stacked deck, would make a sensational ‘special attraction’ and is a creative booker’s dream.”

Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.

Eye-Witness Account Of What Really Happened With Bob Backlund Incident At Verne Gagne’s Funeral

Matt Boone
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While there has been some conflicting reports regarding what went down with WWE Hall Of Famer Bob Backlund at legendary AWA promoter Verne Gagne’s recent funeral, former AWA announcer Mick Karch, who was there, shared his side of the story in a new post published on his official Facebook page.

Karch wrote the following about the story:

“If you weren’t there, it is pretty absurd to say it didn’t go down as reported, even if you’re a fan of Backlund (and there is nothing wrong with that). I will say one more time, Greg Gagne was wrapping up his eulogy for Verne when Backlund stood up, made some shouting references to representing WWE, and then told Greg, `Don’t talk back to me!’ He smiled and sat back down. Greg’s response was, `Who was that?’ Someone said, `Bob Backlund,’ and Greg responded, ‘Who let him in here.’ Backlund hadn’t just spoken the words, he was shouting as if he was cutting a promo from his Mr. Backlund days.”

The Latest On TNA Morale, Mike Tenay On Commentary This Week & More

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– TNA just wrapped up several nights of Impact Wrestling tapings from Orlando, with spoiler results from all the shows available at our TNA News section. Morale was said to be ‘so-so’ and talent is still adjusting to the ever-changing company dynamics. With so many shows taking place, everybody was focused on making the shows as good as possible.

Management informed the wrestlers that no live events are going to be taking place until the summer, at the earliest. As noted last week, there was a lot of negativity regarding TNA’s live tour of China being cancelled.

– Mike Tenay will be returning to commentary on this week’s Impact Wrestling, but he’s not returning to the position full-time. No word yet on why Al Snow wasn’t brought back to work with Josh Mathews this past week, but “The Pope” D’Angelo Dinero did commentary for the May 22nd episode of Impact.

(News from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter was used in this report. Visit f4wonline.com for subscription information)

Average RAW & SmackDown Ratings For March, WWEShop Orders Increase

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– WWE RAW averaged a 3.02 rating with 4.23 million viewers for the month of March 2015, down 2.6% in ratings and 2.1% in viewership from March 2014.

With the RAW after WrestleMania taking place in March this year instead of April, the data is not exactly apples to apples. Without the final post-WrestleMania edition of RAW included, RAW averaged a 2.86 rating with 3.94 million viewer in March 2015, down 7.7% in ratings and 8.8%  in viewers from March 2014.

By comparison, RAW averaged a 3.29 rating and 4.67 million viewers in March 2013.

– SmackDown’s averaged a 1.89 rating with 2.59 million viewers in 2015, down from March 2014’s average of 2.03 rating with 2.88 million viewers. SmackDown averaged a 2.00 rating with 2.78 million viewers in March 2013. The increase in 2015 can partly be attributed to SmackDown now airing on Thursday nights, which traditionally does much better viewership than Fridays.

– WWEShop.com averaged 1,433 orders per day in March 2015, up from 1,161 orders per day in March 2014. Back in March 2013, they averaged 903 orders per day, so things are definitely trending in the right direction there.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Most-Watched WWE Network Shows, Unpopular Network Shows, NXT Stable Splits Up

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– NXT’s Shoot Nation stable is now simply a tag team with Sawyer Fulton and Angelo Dawkins. They will continue using the Shoot Nation name, while the former leader Chad Gable is going solo.

– Below, in order, are the top five most-watched shows on the WWE Network for the past week:

1. WWE 24: Roman Reigns
2. Chris Jericho interviews Stephanie McMahon
3. WWE NXT, May 6th episode
4. Jerry Springer Too Hot for TV: Love Hurts
5. Extreme Rules

– Other shows that drew well on the WWE Network include the special on Floyd Mayweather vs. Big Show, the previous week’s NXT show, the Culture Shock show with Corey Graves, Unfiltered with Renee Young, Mick Foley’s “Cheap Pops” special, the sneak peek at ECW Uncensored Volume 3 and Jerry Springer’s new show.

– On the other side of the coin, two shows that aren’t getting a lot of views at all are the Cinco de Mayo special with Los Matadores, and pretty much any episode of WWE Superstars.

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Reason Why Chris Jericho vs. Finn Balor Is Happening, Hideo Itami Update

Matt Boone
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Chris Jericho will be wrestling Finn Balor at the upcoming WWE live event in Tokyo, Japan on July 4th.

Originally, Jericho requested to work with Hideo Itami because he wanted to work a match that would be special to the Japanese fans. When Itami went down with an injury, Jericho then asked to work with Balor.

Speaking of Itami, despite his injury, he is still scheduled to head to Japan at the end of May to do some promotional work for WWE during their tour.

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Top Indy Wrestler For WWE Tryouts Revealed, WWE Parts Ways With German Announcer, More

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– Top independent wrestling star Biff Busick, who is a former CZW World Heavyweight Champion, is one of the independent wrestlers scheduled to attend the WWE tryouts at the WWE Performance Center in June.

– Longtime German WWE announcer Bernhard Wullf has parted ways with the company. Wullf has been replaced by Manu Thiele, a new, 22-year-old German announcer.

– Below are some recent WWE attendance figures:

May 8th in Broomfield, CO drew 2,900 fans (missing John Cena and Daniel Bryan)
May 8th in Largo, FL for NXT drew a sellout of 275 fans
May 8th in Louisville drew 7,500 fans (John Cena tour missing Daniel Bryan)
May 9th in Orlando for NXT drew a sellout of 400 fans
May 9th in Charleston, WV drew 6,500 fans (Roman Reigns, Randy Orton tour)
May 10th in Lexington, KY drew 2,500 fans (John Cena tour missing Daniel Bryan)
May 10th in Wheeling, WV drew 2,200 fans (Roman Reigns, Randy Orton tour)
May 11th in Cincinnati for RAW drew 9,000 fans

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

WWE Payback Poll, NXT Debuts In Philly Tonight, SmackDown Preview

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– NXT kicks off a live events tour of the North East tonight at the Tower Theaters in Philadelphia, PA. They’ll be at the same venue on Friday night before wrapping up in Albany, NY on Saturday.

Top stars advertised for the tour include NXT Champion Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Finn Balor, NXT Women’s Champion Sasha Banks, Charlotte, Tyler Breeze, and Enzo Amore & Big Cass.

– The following matches are scheduled for tonight’s WWE SmackDown on Syfy:

  • Seth Rollins vs. Ryback
  • Roman Reigns vs. Kane
  • Dean Ambrose vs. Sheamus
  • Tyson Kidd vs. Kofi Kingston

– WWE.com is running a poll asking fans who they think will leave Sunday’s Payback PPV as WWE World Heavyweight Champion. With over 14,000 votes cast, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose each have 29% of the vote. Roman Reigns has 26%, while 16% picked Randy Orton.

Backstage Reaction, Problems With WWE Planning To Induct Owen Hart Into Hall Of Fame

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WWE is moving ahead with their plans to produce a new Owen Hart DVD and Blu-ray set, despite disapproval from Owen’s widow, Martha Hart.

In addition to the DVD, WWE has been discussing inducting Owen Hart into the 2016 class of the WWE Hall Of Fame during WrestleMania 32 weekend in Texas.

There are many in the company, however, who feel that it’s not worth the controversy to induct Owen if his widow Martha isn’t supporting it.

WWE could always try and work on Martha to go along with the idea, as they have done with those in the past who were apprehensive about being inducted into the Hall Of Fame or working with WWE on any level in general, although Martha Hart would be a tough case, as she hasn’t budged on her stance regarding WWE in several years.

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

The Young Bucks Turn Down TNA Offer, TNA’s New Creative Structure

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– Matt and Nick Jackson of The Young bucks recently turned down an offer from TNA. The duo competed for the promotion between 2009-2011 as Generation Me and have also been courted by WWE and Lucha Underground.

As noted earlier this week, they will be debuting for Jeff Jarrett’s Global Force Wrestling on June 21st as part of the GFW Grand Slam Tour.

– Former TNA X Division Champion Sanada, who was released early from his TNA contract last month, will also be working for Global Force Wrestling.

Sanada’s TNA stint was part of a working relationship with Japan’s Wrestle-1 promotion, which involved TNA Bound For Glory being held in Tokyo last year. Due to Wrestle-1 dealing with financial issues, they’ve stopped booking TNA talent, paving the way for Sanada signing with GFW.

– Dave Lagana is now heading up the creative team in TNA, working alongside Matt Conway, Christy Hemme and Billy Corgan. They all report to Dixie Carter and John Gaburick, who make the final decisions.

(Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Update On Sami Zayn’s Status For NXT Takeover Unstoppable

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As of this week, WWE is still moving ahead as if Sami Zayn will be challenging Kevin Owens for the NXT Championship at Takeover: Unstoppable on May 20th.

Since NXT is taped several weeks in advance, the shows that have been airing up until last night were taped prior to the shoulder injury Zayn suffered on RAW during his ring entrance for his match with John Cena. It’s interesting to note that they shot an interview for RAW Fallout that night where Zayn said he was injured about 30 seconds into the match, which obviously comes off better than blowing your shoulder out before even stepping into the ring.

Zayn tweeted the following on Wednesday night, one week before the match:

Tyler Breeze Talks About Getting Called Up To The Main Roster, The NXT Live Experience

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Tyler Breeze was interviewed by Brian Fritz for SportingNews.com to promote this weekend’s NXT live events from Philadelphia and Albany. Here’s what Breeze said about:

The Atmosphere At NXT Live Events: “It’s so underground. It’s such a cool atmosphere. There’s such a cool feeling to it. We’ve really been branching NXT out so far that everybody is excited about it. The fact that you can feel it. Like, if you come to the shows we’re having in Philadelphia and Albany, the atmosphere is so cool. You can’t capture it on TV. You have to actually be in there and feel it.”

His Character: “At first, I just wanted to be someone on the outside looking in. I started watching a lot of old Gorgeous George stuff which was remarkable. It was awesome. It was really ahead of its time. And I took a lot of that and just tested it out. And I took some Buddy Rogers and then I added in some Shawn Michaels. I added in some Bret Hart. It was bits and pieces from a lot of different stuff that came into what the character is now.”

Getting Called Up To The Main Roster:  “If they see me once, they can Google me or look on the WWE Network. We have so much content on there already with NXT and with the live specials — the TakeOvers — are on there that you can really find out who I am in essentially five minutes. I think the transition from NXT to Raw and Smackdown is going to be an easy one. Just knowing how we do stuff I think it will be really innovative and really cool. My character and the fact that I get to do a lot of modern stuff in terms of technology and in terms of a lot of stuff that really hasn’t been done before. I think it should be really cool and I think the ideas and the possibilities are endless with this. I’m really excited to see where we go with it.”

Reaction To Daniel Bryan’s Situation, WWE Considering Non-Wrestling Role For Him?

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WWE was originally hoping that Daniel Bryan would be able to get back in the ring this month, with the plan being for him to defend his WWE Intercontinental Championship against “King” Bad News Barrett at the WWE Payback pay-per-view.

As we learned on Monday’s WWE Payback “go-home” edition of RAW, Bryan received MRI results this past Friday that informed him that he would not be cleared to return any time in the near future, and possibly forever.

The situation with Bryan has caused a great deal of frustration behind-the-scenes in WWE. The company obviously wants what’s best for Bryan, but at the same time, would really like for him to be actively working and on television because they have a new Bryan DVD, book and other items that need to be promoted.

The concern for Bryan not being able to wrestle for such a potentially long amount of time, and the belief that he and his style make him very injury prone, have WWE contemplating putting him in a non-wrestling role. This would allow them to keep the character on TV, and help keep his face out there to move the merchandise.

Ever since Monday’s edition of RAW when Bryan surrendered the Intercontinental Championship, the talk has been that Bryan is actively trying to find a way to get cleared to return.

As of right now, there is no word whether or not Bryan is willing to get the surgery that he has long been reluctant to get, or if that is even an option at this point.

Needless to say, there are a lot of people in WWE that feel bad for Bryan considering the awful personal and professional hardships he’s been forced to endure over the past year or so.

(Credit: PWInsider.com)

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