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2015 Royal Rumble PPV Buys Revealed, ROH Announces Samoa Joe Match For 3/14

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– After returning to the promotion at their 13th anniversary pay-per-view event this past weekend, Ring Of Honor has announced that Samoa Joe will face Michael Elgin at their March 14th event at The Frontier Fieldhouse in Chicago Ridge, Illinois.

– WWE has released additional information regarding their latest Royal Rumble pay-per-view. The 2015 edition of the Royal Rumble drew 141,000 buys on pay-per-view, 92,000 from international buys and 49,000 domestic. The 2014 edition of the pay-per-view, which took place prior to the launch of the WWE Network, drew 467,000 buys on pay-per-view.

Triple H Speaks On His Match With Sting At WrestleMania 31, Working With Mick Foley & More

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Triple H recently spoke with the Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden to promote his induction into the International Sports Hall Of Fame this weekend. Below are highlights from the interview.

On when it felt like he really made it in WWE: “It’s funny, because it was actually when I was working with Marc Mero that I felt, “OK, clearly they must like me.” Because they had just put a lot of money into bringing Marc Mero in.

I remember George “The Animal” Steele came to me at the TV where Mero made his debut. He worked a dark match and Steele said, “Did we make a mistake bringing this guy in here?” It was just bad.

They put me with him on the road to work with him and get him up to speed. And I thought “if they’re reaching to me to handle this guy and get him going, wow.” It was kind of a confidence boost for me.”

On if he relates to wrestlers today with the same mindset that he had when he was coming up: “As far as the talent goes, when you see somebody who’s really hungry, and talented and has a bright future, you are willing to allow them to spread their wings and try things. And sometimes they are going to make mistakes and you’re going to have to reel them in and control them. And if it gets too bad, you have to really step in.

I have the ability to look at this differently because I went through it. If you’re smart with it, and I think this is how Vince (McMahon) was with us, he allowed us to go through all that without crossing a line that was too much for him. He controlled us but allowed us to expand our wings and grow.

Seth Rollins and I went through a similar thing. He’s so talented, and he was very cocky. Like we were. We were so full of ourselves and thought we knew more than we did. We thought we knew better and were going to show the world.

Some of that is a good thing. You don’t want to squelch that. You want to almost embrace that. But you have to protect those kids from hurting themselves. I could see how much talent Seth Rollins had, but he was manifesting that self-destructively. And I was trying to help him point that in a positive way.

I was trying to help him. And we had to have some pretty stiff conversations about it. We had to get there. But I never tried to hold him back as a talent from growing and trying things. And even using that, using those feelings. If I’m pissing him off and he feels I’m holding him back slightly, use that as a character tool and get that out of him.

He and I have talked about this a lot, from when he was in developmental to today. You have to work with talent no different than you do your kids. You’ve got to let your kids do things and experiment with their lives. And they are going to fall. But you have to be there for when they are really going to cross a line to say “no, not that step.”

On if he feels his matches with Mick Foley helped him to become “The Game”: “Absolutely. And one of the things that working with Mick did, was show people “wow, this guy will go through anything too.” I earned a different level of respect.

I think for Mick and I, through all the different versions of us working together, we’re both trying to prove ourselves. Mick had worked with Undertaker and worked with Shawn (Michaels) and worked with Steve (Austin) when they were the top guys, but he was kind of the guy who was with them. I was a guy trying to come up too.

I remember having a conversation going into the Royal Rumble in 2000, because we were the main event. We were the title match and headlining. It was a big moment for both of us. We both had something to prove that night. It was a step forward. We weren’t working with someone else who was a megastar. We both came alive that night.”

On getting back in the ring to face Sting at WrestleMania 31: “Listen, it’s a lot of pressure. I haven’t wrestled since last year. Sting hasn’t wrestled in God knows how long. We were talking about how I’m getting up there—he’s 10 years older than me.

I don’t know what I’ve got. I don’t know that he knows what he’s got. So, we’re going to see. I guarantee you this though—we will leave it all out there. We’re going to have 75,000 people giving us a lot of motivation to do it.

I know for him, this has kind of been a dream he thought was never going to happen. Both stepping into the WWE ring and going to WrestleMania. I’m glad that we could make it work out for him—and for the WWE Universe.

I think it’s something our fans are really going to enjoy, no matter how it goes physically, just being there and sharing that moment. Witnessing Sting at WrestleMania is huge for them.”

Check out the complete interview at BleacherReport.com.

Nikki Bella On AJ Lee’s Comments About Diva Pay, #GiveDivasAChance & More

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WWE Divas Champion Nikki Bella recently spoke with former WCW announcer Mark Madden on his 105.9 radio show out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Below are highlights from the interview.

On AJ Lee’s comments about Divas pay: “We’re all here because we’re living our dreams. Whether it’s two minutes or twenty minutes on TV, I’m beyond grateful for that, because there are millions of people that wish they could get two minutes in that ring, and they can’t, so I’m not going to be one to bitch about it. But do I think Divas should definitely get more time on TV? 100%. But do I think pay is different? No.”

On Divas not having the star power to make the money that guys like John Cena and Brock Lesnar make: “Let me put it this way: if a Diva was to headline a show, would those seats sell out like it does when John Cena’s headlining? Roman Reigns? Brock Lesnar? Absolutely not. We’re not there yet. We’re trying to get there, but we’re not there yet. As far as merch goes, we all get the same percentage, so I don’t know why anyone’s crying about it. We all make the exact same percentage, so it’s like, sell more merch if you wanna be like the guys. At the end of the day, we’re in a man’s world. People show up to watch men wrestle, and they look at us the ‘pretty things on the side’, but I think slowly, we’re changing people’s minds about that. It’s not gonna happen overnight, but eventually we’re gonna get there. We just need patience and time.”

On who came up with the 30-second RAW match that led to the “#GiveDivasAChance” campaign: “What’s funny about that is we were given about three minutes. Three to four minutes. And we – us four girls who were in the match – we put our heads together and said look: we can either give them a two minute match, or we can give them nothing and get Brie and I so much heat and tell a great story…We’re not gonna give people three minutes of BS, and it ended up being a big chance. It ended up turning into #GiveDivasAChance trending worldwide for two days. I mean, we could’ve gone out there, done a few moves and called it a day, but we were like, ‘How do we tell a great story?’ and at the end of the day, that’s what we did. Brie and I got good heat at the end of it, we got trended for two days straight, and it was like, ‘Whoa. We’re storytelling now.’ And that’s what puts the Divas on the next level. Instead of just going out there and doing moves, we storytell. ‘Cause that’s what the boys do, and that’s what we need to do”

Check out the complete interview at Player.fm.

Vince Russo & Former Partner Explain Their Falling Out With Pyro & Ballyhoo

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Vince Russo and his former business partner Chris Cash are both speaking out and giving their sides of the story regarding their falling out over the Pyro and Ballyhoo website.

Russo’s statement is above, here’s Chris Cash’s letter:

This entire situation is a lose-lose for me. On one hand, I can tell my side and the story and some will believe me — some won’t. Either way, I’m right in the thick of all the public backlash. Or, I could tell very little and attempt to move on with my life. But knowing wrestling fans, that would be worse in their eyes.

In either scenario, however, I don’t get the one thing I was after all along: fair compensation.

I have been working alongside Vince on this entire project for nearly a year now. We were 50/50 partners, and I have proof of that if anyone needs it. However, when Vince lost his TNA money, I agreed to defer my money for awhile until we could get Vince back on his feet. That was my first and only mistake. It should have started as a true partnership from the beginning, or it should have never started at all.

If you are visitors or members of this site, you know how much I’ve done. Vince has publicly admitted it over and over again. Vince was basically the public face, while I handled literally everything else.

From web development/management, to producing, to social media, to marketing, to handling sponsorships, and even down to handling outside work that “I” found for Vince — I was the guy running things behind the scenes. Some of you may not feel my part was as valuable as Vince’s, and I’m not naive to think people were signing up because of me, but my time, energy and knowledge is valuable. Hopefully each of you can at least understand that before jumping to a conclusion about this situation.

About two months ago, I felt it was time I finally started getting my cut. The VIP subscribers were growing at a very steady pace, Vince had several appearances lined up, plus other outside work coming in each month as well. Our initial agreement was finally being met, in my eyes.

When I approached Vince about it — months ago, mind you — I could tell things were likely going to change. Anytime “business” was discussed, Vince didn’t really want to go there. We found ways to pay me a little over the past few months, but it was a far cry from the agreement Vince and I set from day one.

A couple weeks ago, Vince and I took a trip to Los Angeles to cover Lucha Underground. And yes, that is ALL we were there to do. Meltzer got his stories dead wrong, and it’s truly a shame that someone IN the company was feeding him such BS. It came with the territory though when it involves Vince — 95% of the stuff reported on him..I’ve found to be biased and/or completely off the mark.

I digress.

I had one heck of a time getting back home due to weather. I was supposed to return on a Monday evening and didn’t make it home until Thursday afternoon. Needless to say, I had plenty of time to think about things as it pertained to my future — in general, and with this project.

By this point, Vince and I are ten months into this whole thing. We just surpassed 800 VIP members and we were on pace to hit our goal of 1,000 by WrestleMania.

When I finally returned, I sent Vince an email. That email outlined the three options I saw going forward for the site. Either:

a) We start taking the profit from the site each month and splitting it per our original agreement (this was strictly website revenue and did NOT include his outside sources of income. Several of which, I was solely responsible for setting up.)

b) He buy me out and move on without me.

Or c) We shut down new memberships and close one month later.

Did Vince take it as an ultimatum? Definitely. Was it one? Maybe. But either way, it’s what I needed to continue going forward. I’ve been working a full-time job during most of this process. I also had a family to support. And, most importantly, it was time that Vince truly commit to this partnership.

Immediately, due to Vince’s response to the email, it was clear we would no longer be able to continue as partners moving forward. He felt I was being “unsupportive”, which I found to be ironic that it came the day I just got back from a week-long trip to LA specifically for the website.

Either way, one of the things he said in the email made things very clear. He said:

“You’re not going to be into this until you’re making a certain amount. I UNDERSTAND THAT. I need somebody that is into this 100% of the time regardless. You are looking at money, I am looking at passion. Two total different things and that’s OK.”

I found that also to be ironic, and also very incorrect. I was the guy running things every step of the way for virtually nothing — for ten months. Vince was the one receiving 99% of the money and refusing to budge when it came to me finally getting fair compensation.

His statement honestly said it all. He wanted someone that would do all the work, for as long as it took, without blinking an eye. And while that is commonplace in the wrestling business — trust me, I’ve been involved in this type of stuff for eleven years now — I honestly didn’t expect it from Vince.

You have to understand though — I had been taking the subtle approach for two months as it related to money. This was the only way to get his attention. And it certainly got his attention, although what followed was not anywhere close to my goal with all of this.

Now…as to what happened next, I really just want to bullet point a few things that are FACTUAL:

– When conversations broke down and both of us realized an amicable resolve was not possible, we agreed to shut down the website. My last text to Vince on Friday night was for him to write a post stating we would stop accepting new member sign-ups on March 1st, and then officially close the site down on April 1st, making sure VIP subscribers got exactly what they paid for.

Vince emailed me again late that night with one final “offer”, if you can even call it that. Basically, I was no longer viewed as a 50/50 partner in his eyes because I was no longer doing 50% of the work. I won’t deny that I scaled back, but not by much, and only because I wasn’t being treated as a 50/50 partner. So take that however you want…even when Vince suggested in that same email that the “new” agreement, according to him, should be 80/20, he also said in that email he would not put anything in writing. 80%, 20%, 100% — none of it mattered if he didn’t want to put it in writing.

Either way, the plan was still to stop accepting new members and then close a month later.

– Late Friday night, I changed the admin password to the backend of the website that both Vince and I used. I did it to protect MY interests. With that account, Vince could have basically taken everything from the site that he wanted and used it for his new project that he said MULTIPLE times he planned to start if PyroandBallyhoo shut down. Rather than pay me, he would just go somewhere else and do it. While I couldn’t necessarily stop him from doing it, I certainly wasn’t going to make it easy.

Vince found out even later that night I had changed it. This is where the whole “locked out of my own site” came about. One very important point: when Vince found out I had changed the password, he emailed me three times and called me once between 12:30am and 6:40am Saturday morning — I was sleeping.

By the time I woke up around 7:10am, another contributor to the site had written an official message on the site. You probably saw it — the whole “P&B Is Going On Hiatus” post. In that post, Vince put over his all-new “Vince Russo Experience” that was going to be coming back, and even further, he put a box at the bottom soliciting emails where people could get updates on that launch of his new project.

— My intention when I changed the password to the admin account was to give Vince a new limited-access account to the site where he could continue still post his content for that final month of operation. However, rather than give me a reasonable amount of time to respond to him — literally, I was asleep — he decided to go public with everything and, as the saying goes, the “sh*t hit the fan”.

— As for the “hi-jacking” of Twitter. By the time I woke up that Saturday, Vince had already changed the passwords to literally everything else associated with the site. Emails, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube — all properties of the site that “I” set up. So yes, I went through the security measures to regain access and control of those accounts.

— I did NOT block people on Vince’s Twitter account as he has suggested during the time I had possession of it with the exception of one person, I believe. And that person was personally attacking Vince Russo. Anyone else that was blocked, Vince blocked them before I had control and now, I can only assume as an attempt to use it to his advantage, Vince is selling it like he’s doing people a favor by unblocking them. Seeing as how HE was the one that blocked them in the first place, I can only assume he’s trying to position himself in a “certain light”. Got to admit though — it’s pretty smart. He was very “Block happy” the entire time I’ve known him, and most of the time, I didn’t blame him at all.

— I never once blocked Vince from PayPal. He STILL has full access and control over that account, and always had it. Full transparency — I couldn’t have changed that password if I wanted to because HIS personal bank account is tied to the account. Vince said in a recent YouTube video he posted that he was blocked from PayPal — it’s a blatant lie. While he is trying to shift liability of refunds and Support on me — and even though I did help some people with their issues — I was NOT the one being paid directly for VIP memberships. The majority of that money got deposited directly into one particular bank account — and it wasn’t mine.

— I received a threatening legal letter from Vince’s attorney on Saturday around 1:00pm my time. I didn’t see it until 3:00 when I got home from work. In the letter, the lawyer said that Vince owned the domain and all its content, that I was not to operate the site without him (didn’t plan on it), and that I was to turn over all of it, including Vince’s Twitter account, promptly. The website domain was registered in my wife’s name (in order to get a $.99 special through GoDaddy), I produced the majority of the content on the site without compensation so I had legal rights to those, and the Twitter account, I was already planning to turn it over.

— Speaking of the Twitter account, it’s come to my attention that people close to Vince are claiming Twitter forced me to return Vince’s account. Again — not true. I willfully handed it over and had never planned on keeping it.

That’s really it. Vince’s lawyer and mine went back and forth a couple extra times, I held off on a statement because I was told that Vince might be interested in some sort of buyout option, and I thought that MAYBE, an amicable solution might still be reached.

Vince had plenty of time to show what his intent was going forward, but he made it clear when he didn’t respond to our emails about it. Thus, my lawyer instructed me that it was time to move on, put all of this behind me, and simply tell my side of the story.

Look — I know I will take the heat from Vince Russo supporters. I know Vince Russo bashers will have a field day with this, burying Vince any chance they get. I can’t control that and I wish I could. I don’t want either of those things to happen.

I don’t want to turn this into a personal attack on Vince. Personally, I think Vince is genuinely a good guy. But, in MY opinion, I was done wrong in this situation. Vince was willing to sing my praises, and he did on many occasions, when it came to the fact that he couldn’t have done any of this without me, but when it was time to actually take the business to the next step professionally, he refused to do it. Most importantly, he refused to offer any rational or realistic alternative or compromise.

Everything had to be done on his terms, or nothing. His terms were nowhere near fair, and it was clear we needed to part ways. It absolutely should have been done in a better manner, but as soon as Vince went public, a private solution simply wasn’t going to happen.

So, there you have it — my side of the story. Since I’ve come to peace with the fact that I will not be getting compensated fairly for my time and energy invested into this project from day one, I didn’t see any other option but to get my statement out there as quickly as possible.

I’m sure many of you will still support Vince in his next project, and that’s fine — it’s your prerogative. I just ask that you look at the facts listed here, listen to his side, but then…read between the lines and find what TRUTH works best for you.

If you think I’m lying about something, simply ask me to prove it. I will likely be able to do just that. If you don’t care, then that’s fine too.

Vince’s plan — he told it to me several times — is to find a way to take what WE created and start it elsewhere, cutting me out completely. He feels justified in doing so, but I find it, simply, stealing what was half mine. I gave him ample amount of time, and plenty of opportunities, to try and make this is a peaceful split. He refused to accept any of them.

Lastly, I do want to apologize to any visitor of this site, any listener or viewer of the podcasts we produced, and especially, “The Brand” VIP members of the site. None of you deserved this. And unfortunately, it ultimately falls on both me and Vince for not being able to find a mutually-beneficial solution.

I feel like I honestly tried to do just that. Vince refused. That’s the truth.

I’m happy to answer any further questions if any fans or media wants it. Don’t look for me to bury Vince Russo, however. I still think the guy is genuinely good-hearted, has an incredible work ethic, and I genuinely wish him the best of luck in the future. But I simply couldn’t go on putting in the work I was putting in without getting fairly compensated going forward.

As long as it’s respectful, you can reach me via email at [email protected].

As far as PyroandBallyhoo.com is concerned, I will be shutting it down. Again, I’m not naive to think this website is worth anything without him. That being said, my whole point is that it’s not worth anything without me either.

The moral to all of this? For me, at least, it’s that you don’t put trust as the focal point of your new business — no matter how trusting you are, or how trustworthy your partner may seem at the time. Get everything in writing. Vince and I should have done just that from the very beginning. That way, there would be no gray areas — it would be clear as day..black and white.

Again, I want to apologize to all of you affected by this. I honestly thought Vince and I had a good thing going, and I know he did too. It’s just unfortunate that he would rather close it all, attempt to start over from scratch, rather than just try to do what’s right by the one guy who was there with him from day one.

Either way, you live and learn. And I can bet that I’m not the only one who learned from this situation. How much you want to bet Vince is definitely making sure EVERYTHING is in his name moving forward.

If you need to refunds or have Support-related question, I recommend you go through PayPal to get it. If you paid in the final days of Feb or first days of March, you are entitled to your refund if you choose.

Thanks again everyone for a fun journey. I was proud, along with Vince I’m sure, of what we accomplished in less than a year. It’s very unfortunate the way things went down — everyone loses.

I will now be putting this behind me. Moving on. I’m available for questions and I won’t dodge any of them. I truly have nothing to hide and I only did what I felt was best for me and my family, just as I’m sure Vince thinks he’s doing it for those same reasons.

Either way, thanks to everyone who supported us during all of this. Aside from the last week, I had a blast and it’s been a great learning experience.

Until next time…here’s to tomorrow and what it lies in store.

– Chris Cash

PS. Sorry for the long-winded explanation, but I wanted to try and get as many details fit into my explanation as I really only plan to tell it in this much detail once. I hope you understand. What you choose to believe, or not believe, is truly up to you.

Brock Lesnar Owes WWE An Additional Date?, News On Crowd Reaction To Roman Reigns

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There is speculation that Brock Lesnar may legally owe WWE an additional appearance due to the fact that he walked out without appearing on the February 23rd edition of RAW as scheduled. As noted, Lesnar walked out after a business “blow-up” with Vince McMahon.

Lesnar’s current deal with WWE is set to expire following the post-WrestleMania 31 edition of RAW. As of right now, he is advertised to work the RAW in Pittsburgh on March 9th, the RAW in Los Angeles on March 23rd and the aforementioned post-WrestleMania 31 edition of RAW. The only date Lesnar could work to make up the show he walked out on would be the RAW in Des Moines on March 16th. As things stand currently, he has not been added to that show.

Despite all of the uncertainty surrounding Lesnar’s future, the belief among many within WWE is that there is still a good chance that he will end up re-signing with the company when his current contract expires.

Regarding the Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns main event for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 31, there’s a feeling that with the “smart fan” WrestleMania crowd, Reigns, who hasn’t been getting cheered as much as WWE would have liked by now in recent weeks, may end up being a wildly popular babyface if word spreads that Lesnar is leaving WWE for a UFC return after WrestleMania 31. A similar scenario played out back at WrestleMania XX between Bill Goldberg and Brock Lesnar, as the smart crowd knew both guys were leaving after WrestleMania, so it immediately made both guys nuclear level heels to the Madison Square Garden fans.

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Bob Holly Says He’s Heard Similar Claims Made About Bill DeMott

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The controversy surrounding Bill DeMott continues, as another former WWE Superstar has come out and touched on the issue, claiming he has heard similar stories about DeMott’s training methods.

Following comments from Chris Jericho, Ethan Carter III and Joey Ryan, former WWE Superstar Bob “Hardcore” Holly is the latest to chime in on the controversy. Below are tweets from Holly responding to fans about the subject.

https://twitter.com/TheBobHolly/status/573221942435586048

https://twitter.com/TheBobHolly/status/573222626497191937

https://twitter.com/TheBobHolly/status/573223028944838656

https://twitter.com/TheBobHolly/status/573223246209814529

https://twitter.com/TheBobHolly/status/573249510492651520

https://twitter.com/TheBobHolly/status/573263972054536192

Details On When Rey Mysterio Will Debut For Lucha Underground

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Earlier this week, Mexico’s AAA promotion held a press conference to announce the signing of former WWE Superstar Rey Mysterio. He will be competing at next Sunday’s Rey de Reyes event, teaming with Myztezis (the original Sin Cara) against Hijo Del Perro Aguayo and Pentagon Jr.

Aside from working AAA shows, their affiliate promotion Lucha Underground is planning to make Mysterio a focus of their upcoming storylines to capitalize on Mysterio’s crossover popularity.

Mysterio is expected to work the next set of Lucha Underground tapings on March 21st from Boyle Heights, California.

* Photos of REY MYSTERIO With Alberto El Patron From AAA’s Press Conference

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Bushwhacker Luke Talks WWE Hall Of Fame Induction, Butch’s Health & More

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Luke Williams of The Bushwhackers, this year’s tag-team inductees into the WWE Hall Of Fame, appeared on Main Event Radio recently to talk about their induction. Below are highlights.

On being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame: “To all the fans, thanks for pushing for the Bushwhackers to get in [the WWE Hall of Fame]. I knew in January mate, they notified us that we were picked to get into the Hall of Fame. I don’t know how it happened, but here we are.

On the Hart Family and three generations of Samoans: “I worked in the ring with and against all the Harts – with Stu Hart, with Smith, Bruce, Keith, Bret, Dynamite Kid. Not many people can say that. Bret was a piece of talent. Both he and Shawn Michaels, when I worked with HBK when he was 18 years of age, I knew already that both of those guys would go far in life. I was fortunate in that I worked against Peter Maivia, I worked against Rocky Johnson, and I worked against the Rock in the last year of mine in the WWF.”

On the culture shock when he first came to North America: “I had never been in cars with electric cars and electric windows. I had never seen escalators or elevators. I had never seen microwave ovens. The first time I ever saw an electric carving knife I thought there people are bloody lazy, never saw one before!”

On transitioning to the Bushwhackers: “We came in as the Kiwis from 1971-1979. Then we became the Sheepherders in 1979. The transition to the Bushwhackers was easy for us. Vince said he wanted us to be between the Moondogs and the Sheepherders. The Sheepherders had been on TV for 10 years, the Moondogs for many years – so we decided that we wanted to create something different than either of those teams. Moving away from the roughhouse style, we were professionals – we went from a wrestling company in the NWA to a celebrity company. They [NWA] sold wrestling; WWE/WWF sold celebrities – Hulk Hogan, Wrestlemania. I’m a Sheepherder because I’m wild and hardcore at heart. But the Bushwhackers made the money; Vince’s promotion put my face around the world.”

On Bushwhacker Butch’s health: “He left me in 2002 due to sickness. He was in the hospital for 12 weeks, in a really bad state. He was in ICU for 11 days, arms strapped down and on tranquilizer. If I hadn’t found him, a few hours later he would have been dead. He’s much better now. After the 12 weeks he packed up and went home to be with his kids and grandkids. In 2010, he had a relapse and woke up in the hospital. They took his hip out, and didn’t put another one in until 2012. He will be using crutches, but he will be at the Hall of Fame.”

On today’s stars: “I was around in ROH when Bryan was there, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, CM Punk, Tyler Black [Seth Rollins] – great bunch of guys, turned out to be great workers. Dean Ambrose, he’s a bit of a lunatic, he worked for me. I was a booker for years, originally for Joe Blanchard in 1983 and then in Puerto Rico with Bruiser Brody and Stan Hansen and Abdullah the Butcher. Then more recently for eight years in IWA Puerto Rico with Savio Vega and Vampiro and Ricky “Mesias” Banderas. Abyss was created by me and Dutch Mantell. I gave him the mask and put him in the ring, and Dutch gave him the name Abyss.”

Check out the complete interview at MainEventRadio.com.

Kevin Owens vs. Finn Balor Announced, Renee Young Confirms Who She Is Dating

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– NXT Champion Kevin Owens will defend against #1 contender Finn Balor on the March 25th episode of NXT.

– WWE announcer Renee Young recently confirmed that she is dating Dean Ambrose. When asked about the rumor during an appearance on the Gorilla Position podcast, she said:

“It’s true, yes. I can’t give away too much, because we are very private about our relationship because we respect it. We don’t need people knowing about it or caring what we’re doing – I’m not going to post pictures of us on the internet… but people berate me no matter what I post on the internet. [I hear:] ‘Tell us about Dean, we hate you!’”

Video: Guy Giving His Girlfriend WWE Finishers Into A Pool

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YouTube star Joe Weller has published a video giving his girlfriend WWE finishing moves into a swimming pool. The video has racked up nearly 3 million views on this video in less than 3 days.

Brooklyn’s Barclays Center Hosting WWE SummerSlam

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WWE sent us the following announcement this morning:

BARCLAYS CENTER TO HOST WWE® SUMMERSLAM®

Tickets on sale Saturday, March 14 at 10 a.m.

STAMFORD, CT AND BROOKLYN, NY – March 5, 2015 – Barclays Center and WWE® announced today that WWE’s biggest event of the summer, SummerSlam, will take place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Sunday, August 23, 2015.

Tickets will go on sale Saturday, March 14 at 10 a.m. and will be available online at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, or by phone at 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center beginning Monday, March 16 at noon (pending availability).

SummerSlam, featuring the biggest stars of WWE in action, will be broadcast around the world on WWE Network and pay-per-view. SummerSlam weekend will also include fan events, autograph signings, Be a STAR anti-bullying rallies, hospital visits and other community outreach programs designed to leave a lasting impact throughout the region.

“We are thrilled to be back in New York for WWE’s second largest destination event of the year,” said John P. Saboor, WWE Executive Vice President, Special Events. “We look forward to continuing our wonderful relationships with both Barclays Center and NYC & Company in what will surely be a memorable weekend in Brooklyn.”

“We are happy to have WWE’s SummerSlam back in New York City. There’s no better place for WWE’s biggest event of the summer,” said Fred Dixon, President and CEO of NYC & Company. “Events like SummerSlam bring people from around the world to New York City, giving them yet another reason to visit and explore the five boroughs. Thanks to WWE, there’s another fantastic reason to visit us this summer.”

“Brooklyn is an international brand and is the perfect stage for a major global event like WWE SummerSlam,” said Brett Yormark, CEO of Barclays Center. “Our strong relationship with WWE has enabled us to host many successful events together at Barclays Center. We are excited to build on our partnership by bringing SummerSlam to Brooklyn.”

This marks the first time that SummerSlam will be held at Barclays Center. The event has previously been held in New York in 1988, 1991, 1998 and 2002. The Staples Center in Los Angeles hosted the sold-out event the past six years, and other major venues such as Wembley Stadium in London, Target Center in Minneapolis, SAP Center in San Jose, Air Canada Centre in Toronto and TD Garden in Boston have also played host to the historic event throughout its 27-year history.

Viewership Drops For This Past Friday’s Edition Of TNA Impact Wrestling

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The Friday, February 27th edition of TNA Impact Wrestling on Destination America averaged 366,000 viewers, down quite a bit from the previous week’s show, which drew 453,000 viewers.

The 11pm EST. replay of the show this past Friday night drew 136,000 viewers. If you add the live show and the replay show together, the 2/27 edition of Impact Wrestling drew a total of 502,000 viewers. By comparison, the previous week’s show on February 20th, when combining the live and replay airings, drew 578,000 viewers.

Lana To Take Time Off From WWE Soon, Uhaa Nation Set To Report To NXT

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– Following months of speculation, independent pro wrestling star Uhaa Nation is finally scheduled to head to NXT. The indy wrestling sensation announced his departure from Dragon Gate USA on their March 1st event after losing to BxB Hulk for the “Open the Dream Gate” title.

– Due to the fact that she secured a role in the new WWE Studios movie “Interrogation,” WWE Diva Lana is expected to take some time off from WWE television in the near future to film the project. Whether or not this affects Rusev’s character remains to be seen.

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Reason WWE Feels Lesnar Won’t Miss WM31, More On Blow-Up With McMahon

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As of this week, the business “blow-up” between Vince McMahon and Brock Lesnar has yet to be resolved, although McMahon is said to be confident that Lesnar will work WrestleMania 31 as scheduled.

As reported over the weekend, WWE writers reportedly asked McMahon if they should write a back-up script for WrestleMania 31 that doesn’t involve Lesnar, but he told them not to. Not only would Lesnar be in breach of contract if he didn’t show up for WrestleMania, but his pay for working the show is so significant that skipping the show doesn’t appear to be much of a concern to WWE officials, as they are confident he will work it. There is, however, concern regarding whether or not Lesnar will continue to work for WWE after WrestleMania 31.

We reported previously that Lesnar and McMahon were involved in such a heated shouting match backstage at RAW in Nashville that people who overheard the argument were concerned for McMahon. This is the same night that Lesnar walked out during the show and went home. The issues with McMahon that night reportedly had to do with negotiations over a new WWE contract, but apparently those differences were not so great that they can’t get past it. It’s said to be a situation where two people — Lesnar and McMahon — simply did not want to back down.

As far as Lesnar’s appearance at the UFC 184 pay-per-view is concerned, he made the arrangements with the UFC President Dana White at least a few days before the show, which would have been just one or two days before the big blow-up backstage at RAW.

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Update On Where SummerSlam PPV Will Take Place, Recent WWE Attendance Figures

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– The latest talk about this year’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view is that it will take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. For those wondering why WWE won’t be moving SummerSlam to Madison Square Garden, it’s because the costs of running televised events, or in this case a pay-per-view event, at MSG are much higher than other venues. SummerSlam was originally scheduled to emanate from the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey until the arena was shut down earlier this year.

– Below are some recent WWE attendance figures:

February 27th for WWE NXT in Jacksonville, FL drew a sellout of 500 fans
February 27th at Madison Square Garden in NYC drew 12,000 fans
February 28th in Toronto drew a sellout of 8,000 fans
February 28th in Bridgeport, CT drew 5,600 fans
March 1st in Buffalo, NY drew 5,500 fans
March 1st in Uniondale, NY drew 6,000 fans
March 2nd for RAW in Newark, NJ drew a sellout of 11,900 fans

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Report: Richie Steamboat Still With WWE?

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A Twitter account that appears to belong to former WWE developmental wrestler Richie Steamboat, son of WWE Hall Of Famer Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, has new tweets on it calling out NXT Champion Kevin Owens and praising current “Mr. Money In The Bank” Seth Rollins.

Steamboat hasn’t wrestled a match since October of 2012 due to a back injury that appeared to be bad enough that it was career-ending.

The son of the legendary WWE performer was reported to be released back in 2013, however that report ended up being shot down and the current belief is that he could still be signed by WWE.

Below are the aforementioned Steamboat tweets about Owens and Rollins.

https://twitter.com/WWERichie/status/571536645574557697

https://twitter.com/WWERichie/status/571535463732928514

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Mikey Whipwreck Tells Paul Heyman Critics From ECW To “Get Over It,” More

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Former ECW World Heavyweight Champion Mikey Whipwreck recently spoke with Pro Wrestling Illustrated for an interview. Below are some of the highlights.

On still wrestling at age 41: “I feel it before I even get through the curtain. But they say it about ‘Taker, too. On a much, much smaller scale, they say I’m like Yoda. I can barely move. But when the music hits and it’s time to go to the ring, something just clicks in the brain. The adrenaline kicks in. The endorphins kick in . . . Some of the bumps hurt more than they used to. I took a tackle bump last month and it was like I got hit by a damn bus. But then I take a sidewalk slam or something big off the top rope, and it’s fine.”

On Roman Reigns: “He doesn’t have the experience that the other guys have. And he doesn’t know how to protect himself—not physically, but protect his character and how it comes across. He also doesn’t have the stroke to put his own spin on his character. I’ve heard him talk and do interviews, not on TV, but candid interviews. He’s very well-spoken. He’s really good. I just think when he was in The Shield and got over, he didn’t really talk. He was the ass-kicker. Now you have him out here talking and kind of trying to be like John Cena. And there’s nothing wrong with John Cena, but he’s very polarizing. You’ve got the guys that hate him and the kind and girls who love him. And that’s the kind of boat you’re going to get in with Roman Reigns. The smart people see he’s just not ready yet. They didn’t get him over. He was picked.”

On his career highlights: “The part now that everybody talks about is, ‘You pinned Steve Austin.’ That’s what I get. Yeah, being champion was cool. For me, at the time, it was mind-blowing. I though tit was the greatest thing over. But I pinned Steve Austin. That’s the one that really did it.”

On Paul Heyman’s current run in WWE: “I love it . . . When he comes on, it seems legit, like he’s really talking the truth. Yes, he’s in a wrestling character. But it really seems like he’s head and shoulders above everybody else. It’s super entertaining . . . It almost exposes everybody else. He’s pretty much had this same character since nineteen eighty-whatever. And he’s had a chance to master it. He’s just super good at it. He just takes his real personality and amps it up. And that’s what everybody says to do. You take a guy like Roman Reigns’ real personality—nobody knows what it is. So we don’t know what they’re amping up.”

On his relationship with Paul Heyman: “Without Paul Heyman, there’d be no me. Did he lie to me? Did he ever screw me over? No. Did the company owe me money? Yes. But, I knew we weren’t getting paid, and I made the decision to go to work every day. When I needed a break physically and I wanted to make some money and I went to WCW, he didn’t give me his blessing in WCW. But when I was fed up in WCW, he brought me back and gave me a really decent push after I was back a couple months with the Network and Tajiri. So what can I say? The guys what really hate him and still bury him and complain, it’s like, ‘It was 15 years ago. Get over it.”

Check out the complete interview at PWI-Online.com.

Reason Behind WWE Bringing Veterans Back In NXT, Update On Ticket Sales For WrestleMania 31

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– Regarding WWE bringing in veterans like Rhyno and Brian Kendrick to NXT, the idea behind it is that new developmental talents will improve faster if they work with more experienced talent. This is a similar move to that made by Jim Ross, who had a similar philosophy when he was working with Ohio Valley Wrestling, WWE”s developmental territory at the time. WWE is rumored to be bringing in more past veterans to work with the young guys in NXT.

– Ticket sales for WrestleMania 31 have reportedly picked up since the WWE World Heavyweight Championship between Brock Lesnar and Rmoan Reigns was officially announced after the WWE Fastlane pay-per-view. Comped tickets are said to be down a considerable amount compared to 2014 and the overall pace of ticket sales for the show as a whole are said to be slightly ahead of where WrestleMania XXX was at this time.

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Top WWE Executive Quietly Parts Ways With The Company, Speculation That She Was Released

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Jane Geddes, who has appeared a few times during the first season of Total Divas and served as the head of WWE Talent Relations before being moved to the position of running Triple H’s office, has quietly parted ways with WWE.

Geddes reportedly left the company on a Friday somewhere between one month and six weeks ago. The reason behind her departure from the company are currently unknown.

Current speculation within those in WWE is that Geddes was actually released from the company, as opposed to leaving on her own.

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

WWE Grooming Triple H & Stephanie McMahon To Take Over The Company?, NXT Video Preview

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– The move of voting Triple H and Stephanie McMahon onto the WWE Board of Directors was said to be done in an attempt to give the two more legitimate corporate experience for if and when they end up running the company. It’s believed that with WWE being a public company that Wall Street, at this point, would have qualms about an ex-wrestler with limited business management experience actually being in the CEO position.

– The following is the official video preview for tonight’s edition of NXT television on the WWE Network.

(Partial Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Triple H On His Favorite Moment In His Career, Helping WWE Transcend & More

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Triple H recently took part in a Q&A with the folks at MensFitness.com to promote his upcoming induction in the International Sports Hall Of Fame, which is scheduled for this coming weekend. Below are some highlights.

On what he feels makes WWE Superstars stand out compared to other athletes from other sports: “I think the well-roundedness. Charisma, quick wit, the ability to perform in front of tens of thousands but also one or two. Our athletes are very well rounded and some of the best in the world physically, and they also have to have the ability to improvise and do theater at the same time. It’s like playing football and doing Shakespeare at the same time. I think that’s a rare combination. It’s a broader skillset. Also, with all these other sports, they want the athletes to be a cog in the wheel. With WWE, we want you to be larger than life. The bigger your brand is the bigger ours is.”

On something he’s done in his career that helped sports entertainment transcend: “One of the cool things for me is growing up as a gym rat and then being on the cover of Flex and Muscle&Fitness and to be representing fitness and health. That was me transcending the WWE world. One of the things I love most about doing a signing is when somebody comes up to me and says they were inspired to lose 100 pounds, or says, “You’re why I went to the gym in the first place.” That means a lot to me. When you can alter someone’s life in a positive way, that’s huge.

That’s one of the things I’m looking forward to most about this Arnold [Sports Festival] weekend. I want to talk to Arnold about health and fitness and how can he and I and my wife work together to affect the world. I brought it up to him a while ago—when he was on the President’s Council on Physical Fitness, everybody knew about it and was striving to do these physical challenges. I feel like that’s all been lost and no one is representing that anymore. As many people work out as ever, or maybe more so, but there’s not that front line where kids today are getting it and making working out fun.”

On his favorite moment in his career: “I’ve had a long career. I had a series of matches with Mick Foley in 2000 which was a big turning point in my career. Then, coming back from my quad injury in 2001, a lot of people were saying my career was over. A few years ago I wrestled the Undertaker at Wrestlemania with Shawn Michaels as guest referee. That was sort of a symbol of the end of the Attitude Era and our generation. There’s a moment where the three of us are standing together that I’ll never forget.”

Check out the complete interview at MensFitness.com.

Video: HHH Talks To Michael Cole About Sting, Problems Within The Authority & More

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Triple H is once again the guest on this week’s sit-down interview with Michael Cole, which you can watch above.

Michael Cole asks whether or not Sting is starting to get under Triple H’s skin. HHH says Sting is good, just like he was in WCW. He mentioned his “firing” of Booker T on RAW and spoke about how no one in WCW could control Sting. He says there’s a reason Sting never came to WWE, and that’s control. He said sometimes you have to show that you still have control.

Cole asked HHH about the problems within The Authority, noting that he appears to be preoccupied as of late. HHH says that when you’re a parent, sometimes you have to let the kids battle things out among themselves. He said when RAW went off the air this week, everyone seemed to be getting along and he doesn’t have a problem letting them work out their issues by themselves.

When asked about WWE and NXT going to Ohio for the Arnold Classic this coming weekend, HHH spoke about his International Sports Hall Of Fame induction and said it’s an honor and having Arnold Schwarzenegger induct him is huge.

NXT Preview For Tonight, Nikki Bella Reaches Milestone, Wrestling Birthdays

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– Nikki Bella, who busted her nose up pretty good at Monday’s RAW, has reached a personal milestone as WWE Divas Champion. The Bella Twin has held the Divas title for 100 days.

– WWE referee Scott Armstrong celebrates his 56th birthday today. Armstrong was born on March 4, 1959. Also celebrating birthdays today are former WCW star Crowbar (41) and former TNA Knockout Sarah “Sarita” Stock (36).

– WWE taped the following matches for tonight’s edition of NXT on the WWE Network.

Adam Rose comes vs. Tyler Breeze
Blake and Murphy vs. Sawyer Fulton and Angelo Dawkins
Baron Corbin vs. Tony Briggs
Solomon Crowe vs. Bull Dempsey
Charlotte vs. NXT Women’s Champion Sasha Banks

Possible Match For Next Week’s RAW, Goldust/WM31 Note, More

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– Following this week’s SmackDown television taping, WWE will be returning to Washington, D.C. on Monday, June 29th for a live RAW television show. The pre-sale code for tickets to the event is “WWEDC.”

– It looks as though Rusev vs. Curtis Axel will be taking place on next Monday’s edition of WWE RAW, likely for the WWE United States Championship.

– Goldust referenced the WWE Intercontinental Championship ladder match at WrestleMania 31 in a new tweet, leading some to speculate that he may take part in the match. Whether or not he’s throwing fans off the scent of what his real match will be remains to be seen. Goldust, a former three-time I-C champ himself, tweeted the following:

https://twitter.com/Goldust/status/572942611692040192

Randy Orton Praises Jon Stewart, RVD Hosting Arm-Wrestling Competition, Regal’s Comedy Shows

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– NXT’s William Regal has announced some more comedy events for the month of April. Regal will be appearing in London and Birmingham while WWE holds their WrestleMania Revenge tour. For more information on “An Audience with a Wrestling Villain,” visit Facebook.com/ErosComedy.

– Rob Van Dam will be hosting an arm-wrestling competition to support the Marijuana Policy Project on April 19th in Denver, Colorado. For more information, visit MPP.org.

– Randy Orton praised Jon Stewart’s performance on this week’s RAW in a new tweet posted on his official Twitter account. “The Viper” tweeted the following.

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