TMZ Sports ran an article today reporting that former NFL star Shawne Merriman is currently negotiating a contract with WWE to work both as an announcer, and possibly an in-ring performer.
The article notes that Merriman, who worked the WrestleMania XXX pre-show panel this past weekend in New Orleans, will be sent to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando to train with the hopes of becoming a NXT wrestler.
You can check out the complete article at TMZ.com.
TNA issued the following press release today regarding Eric Young’s World Heavyweight Championship victory at last night’s Impact Wrestling:
TNA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP CHANGES HANDS
ERIC YOUNG WINS TNA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP ON IMPACT WRESTLING
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (April 10, 2014) – In a surprising twist, professional wrestler, TNA Superstar, fantasy sports fanatic and Animal Planet star “Showtime” Eric Young (twitter: @ShowtimeEY) tonight became the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion, defeating reigning champion Magnus during an explosive episode of IMPACT WRESTLING. Airing weekly on Thursday at 9/8c on Spike TV and viewed by millions in more than 120 countries around the globe, IMPACT viewers were treated to an explosive episode with the return of President Dixie Carter after she lost control of wrestling operations more than a month ago and a 10-man gauntlet match for the #1 Contender’s spot resulting in Young’s win. Demanding that he face Magnus in the ring the same night, Young captured the TNA World Heavyweight Championship after delivering the piledriver to the reining champ.
This is the first time the remarkably athletic adrenaline junkie Young, who often goes by “EY,” has held the TNA World Heavyweight Championship belt. A hockey-loving native of Canada and current Nashville, Tenn. resident, Young, age 34, has been a stable of the TNA roster for more than a decade.
“This moment is 17 years in the making and a childhood dream realized,” said Young. “Professionally, it doesn’t get any better than becoming the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.”
Young began his professional wrestling training after graduating from high school and quickly made his mark. He joined TNA in 2004 and went on to become a multiple time Tag Team Champion. Young is also the first and only male to hold the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship, winning with his now wife, ODB. Recently Young has been feuding with his former best friend, former lawyer turned Monster and Magnus business associate, Abyss.
A fan-favorite known for his antics, and charisma inside and outside of the squared circle, Young began hosting Animal Planet’s hit series “Off The Hook: Extreme Catches” in 2012 and is preparing his return to the channel with a new program premiering in early summer.
Despite initial reports to the contrary, the latest word going around is that CM Punk is still receiving his merchandise checks from WWE. As noted on Thursday, WWE has been continuing to sell Punk merchandise, including the distribution of new Punk merchandise at WrestleMania Axxess in New Orleans this past weekend.
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin has mentioned several times when reflecting on his walkout of WWE that during his hiatus, he was not receiving money from WWE, including profits earned on his merchandise being sold. He noted when talking about Punk walking out on the company during recent podcasts and media interviews that Punk is leaving tons of money on the table, but apparently that is not the case.
At the time Punk walked out on the company, he was the number two merchandise-mover, trailing only John Cena. At this point in time, while the latest official figures have yet to come in, it is believed that he is still among the top five wrestlers in the company in terms of current merchandise sales, and possibly as high as number three.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Radio)
– The following is the latest edition of The JBL & Cole Show, which features an appearance by WWE Hall Of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.
– As previously reported, former WWE Superstars Chris Jericho and Edge noted that they would be attending the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony in Brooklyn this week. You can check out a photo of the two at the event below.
Edge & Chris Jericho at #RockandRollHallOfFame
#WWE #WrestleMania @MBoone420 @RyanClarkWZR #Raw #SmackDown #WWEHOF pic.twitter.com/LePirDNznx
— Jorge Romero (@Jromer0) April 11, 2014
– The official WWE website recently added a new “Never Before Seen” photo gallery of The Ultimate Warrior. You can check that out at WWE.com.
– Speaking of Warrior, MLB’s Los Angeles Dodgers paid tribute to him by playing his famous WWE theme music during one of their recent games. You can check out video footage of that below.
The following are highlights of a new Roman Show interview with Ken Shamrock:
On the passing of Ultimate Warrior: “Anytime you know of someone who passes away is always a sad feeling. You understand that this is stuff that happens in life. You wish the family and friends a little bit of comfort. He is in a better place. Its really the people that are left behind you want to pray for.”
On his first time meeting Warrior: “First memory is a funny one. I was in Gene Anderson’s organization and WWF came to town they brought me in for three house show. I worked two matches with Barry Horowitz and one with Mega Man. The two with Barry were good and the one with Mega Man was a horrible match. I went to the locker room they told me ‘don’t worry about it that guy is as green as you are’.” The Ultimate Warrior had come had his match. He sprinted to the ring, he hit the ropes, beats the guy and sprints all the way through the locker room and immediately sits down. As am talking he passes out. I said wow what happened. One of the Anderson brothers said don’t worry he probably just got gassed. I thought he died. That was the first time I met him. After that he wouldn’t talk much. He was nice to me. I respected him. He was a man of few words. I respected him.”
Check out the complete interview at RodolfoRoman.com.
Hulk Hogan is taking issue with the “Sadermania” documentary that a fan put out last week. Hogan wrote the following on Twitter about it.
To all the wrestling websites,I did not put out a Hulk Hogan can doc,it a fan/friend that is now turning our friendship into a
— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) April 10, 2014
Business. HH
— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) April 10, 2014
I never said they could use my name to promote their little project HH
— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) April 10, 2014
Sorry maniacs,I never put out a Hulk Hogan Fan doc,they are using my name to try to make money by misleading you. HH
— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) April 10, 2014
He also posted this tweet about fans selling fake Hulk Hogan-autographed items.
Just got the word a certain fan/friend is selling off Hogan stuff,it might not be my real signature. Be careful. HH
— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) April 11, 2014
The following are highlights from a new Jim Ross blog:
On the Nancy Grace segment on Ultimate Warrior: “The polarizing Nancy Grace of HLN really was made to look ill informed and poorly prepared by her staff Wednesday night on her report of the death of the Ultimate Warrior. So much erroneous info was reported as fact that I actually felt bad for her. I’d like to believe that Ms Grace is not a mean person but she let down by her producers and research people notwithstanding those who wrote her script for her teleprompter.”
“For Ms Grace to implicate Owen Hart into any drug or steroid scandal is egregious and appalling.”
On mainstream media coverage of pro wrestling: “Pro wresting/sports entertainment is given little credit by the mainstream news media and, as we have seen, seemingly the only time the genre is mentioned is when there is a tragedy. I never heard anyone talking about the economic impact that WrestleMania had on NOLA or the hundreds of Make A Wish interactions that are granted, the work WWE does with the Susan B. Komen Breast Cancer organization, the support done in conjunction with the United States Armed Forces, among other great causes.”
“Good news isn’t news in today’s society or so it seems. That’s truly a damn shame.”
On ESPN’s Colin Cowherd: “Same goes for Colin Cowherd of ESPN who has had the basic same stance on pro wrestling since he became a shock jock-like TV character on ESPN. Cowherd plays the role of a broadcasting antagonist on television, IE a heel, and he can’t be positive about ‘rasslin’ or show compassion for a dead man’s family as it would apparently adversely affect his show biz persona.”
“Cowherd is a talented guy and likely a decent man but his pro wresting bias act is getting old and stale and comparing today’s product to the tragedies of a decade or two ago isn’t good journalism and make Cowherd look like he’s grasping for ratings with heat seeking remarks.”
Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com.
– WWE stars Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella are scheduled to officially get married today in Sedona, Arizona. Many WWE talents arrived in town for the big wedding on Thursday.
– John Cena cut a promo on Tuesday night at the WWE SmackDown tapings — prior to the news of Ultimate Warrior’s passing — where he joked about Warrior’s promos, mimmicking his style a bit. That promo was apparently edited out of respect, and will not make the air during tonight’s WWE SmackDown broadcast.
– As noted earlier in the week, Christy Hemme was added to the TNA creative team. Apparently one of her key roles, at least early on, will be focused more on costuming than booking wrestling angles for the company. She’s supposed to work with everyone in the company to help improve the look of their ring outfits and costumes, but will also have some creative input as well.
– The TNA live event on April 4th in Augusta, Georgia drew approximately 450 fans.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
Former WWE Tag Team Champion Samu Anoa’i stepped IN THE ROOM with Brady Hicks this week to talk about his time on the road, being part of one of wrestling’s most legendary families, and his WXW C4 promotion in Allentown, PA. Check it out as Samu talks about fighting with kids in school because they called wrestling “fake,” what inspired him to be a wrestler, the legend of a Samoan headbutt, and having so many family members in the business, including The Rock.
IN THE ROOM airs Tuesday nights at 9 PM ET live on the VOC Nation Radio Network at vocnation.com. Call in to the show at (855) VOC- RADIO.Brady Hicks is a wrestling journalist best known for his ongoing work with Pro Wrestling Illustrated.
Training Batista: “He always had the look that you knew. [He was] positive. He had the passion and the desire. He had a little late start, but he was still a fast learner. And he was able to be very marketable for a while … I don’t know what happened, if anything, to discourage him or to change his mind. I know that the business has done a lot for him and his family. And that’s something you should never forget, that you always remember. He just got a late start I believe and time catches up to all of us. And especially now they’re really pushing the younger generation.”
What’s Missing from Wrestlers Today: “There’s a lot more on-the-job training now. They’re trying to build these kids so fast, and get them ready for Main Event. It’s hard to get that timing like back in the day because there [used to be] territories where you were still working 6 or 7 nights a week, and learning that timing that you cannot find here and now. In the indies you’re lucky if you get out 2 or 3 times in a weekend. So it’s harder to build that timing now and get them ready … Now guys are [also] afraid to get hurt Guys are afraid they’re going to hurt their finger and not be able to go to the gym tomorrow. We didn’t care if we were hurt. We knew if we were hurt we’d have to get out there anyway or somebody else would take our job. That’s the difference between then and now … They don’t have to pay there dues. Plus they don’t have that road to travel on too. They’re not out enough. How can you do it?”
The Learning Process: “I was lucky to be able to be in the middle with all the old timers. I was younger, but I was a sponge, and I was sucking up everything. I had my mouth shut and my eyes ears open, and just tried to learn everything I could. I was lucky enough to hang in there, keep my oars in the boat, and make a living off of it and continue on through all the eras. Again it comes back to the schooling that I give those kids now. I’m able to see another change how the business is and hopefully steer them in the right direction.”
What Wrestling is Missing Today: “Back in our days we were always out protecting the business. People were talking bs, saying it was fake, [and] this and that. And [with] my father being in [WWE] and, knowing the injuries he was coming home with, it always kind of pissed me off. It always was a big thing to me to protect the business back then. We don’t have that so much anymore. I feel that that should be carried through in the schools today that they have out there nowadays, they need to learn how to act not just in the ring but how to act out of the ring too.”
– The main reason TNA star Samoa Joe was kept off of the non-televised live events this past weekend, as well as the second and third live events last weekend was due to an apparent concussion he suffered during his March 28th match with Magnus in Lincoln, Nebraska.
– Speaking of concussions, TNA Knockout Angelina Love suffered one on April 4th while working on the Traditional Championship Wrestling/Mid South Fan Fest in Chalmette, Louisiana.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
As previously reported, the TNA contracts of Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian are due to expire within the next few weeks. The biggest name due after them is Kurt Angle. His deal with TNA is set to expire in August or September.
The general consensus as it pertains to Angle is that he has made noises, and said all of the right things in terms of getting back into the mix with WWE.
In the past, WWE has shown little to no interest in re-signing Angle. There is also some concerns as to whether or not Angle could pass the extensive WWE physical, something that is required to work for the company these days.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
The TNA contracts of Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian are both due to expire within the next couple of weeks. As of early this week, neither had signed a new deal with the promotion.
In the case of Daniels, many are watching closely as to how his contract negotiation turns out. He is said to be one of the guys who has one of the better remaining contracts in the company, and following the recent deals with AJ Styles, Hulk Hogan and Sting, all of whom ended up not re-signing with the company, the feeling is that Daniels is the next major one to keep an eye on.
Additionally, there is a feeling that the reason Daniels and Kazarian have been kept off of television for the last several weeks is due to their contractual situation with the company, something that many point to as a negative sign as far as either guy re-signing.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
The wrestlers in TNA continue to be nervous over the fact that nothing has been announced regarding the company signing a contract renewal to remain with Spike TV.
Additionally, there has been talk that one of the reasons TNA is looking at going into the expensive New York television tapings this summer is to impress Spike TV management and prove that they are still looking to improve. They also feel that the Northeast audience will come across as more rabid on television.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
After one of the most exciting, memorable weekends in recent years, the wrestling world was rocked on Tuesday night with the tragic news of The Ultimate Warrior’s death. I wanted to take a few days to let the news sink in before writing a memorial article about the loss of another one of my childhood heroes. The initial shock is beginning to subside and now we’re left with shattered pieces to make sense of.
Warrior was a very controversial figure – in and out of the wrestling business. When he first burst onto the national wrestling scene in the late 80’s, Warrior stood out like a sore thumb. Admist the landscape of muscled-up, bombastic WWF superstars of the day, never before had we seen anything like him. The face paint, the freakishly muscular physique, the unprecedented intensity in the ring, the otherworldly promos. He was a real life super hero that captured the imaginations and inspired millions of people around the globe.
In the ring, Warrior was no master technician. He’d get ‘blown up’ after his sprint to the ring and rope shaking (like you wouldn’t?). His move set was limited. He required technically superior opponents to carry him to great matches. That said, his WrestleMania matches with Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage are amongst the greatest in WrestleMania history and Warrior is the only man to hold pinfall victories over both men on WWE’s grandest stage.
Warrior got a lot of heat for being a loner backstage. Much the Road Warriors, his a meteoric rise required a lot of top talent to step aside and get obliterated by this colorful force of nature. He spent the majority of the 1990’s embroiled in a bitter legal battles with Vince McMahon and WWE over the rights to his character and likeness.
After his in ring career, he became a public speaker and had some very conservative political views, making very unpleasant comments about homosexuals and Arabs. He tweeted some pretty ugly stuff about late actors Heath Ledger and Philip Seymour Hoffman, both of whom died from drug overdoses. He also had bitter feuds via social media with the likes of Hulk Hogan, Ted DiBiase and Jake Roberts.
Warrior finally made peace with WWE over the past 18 months. He returned to the WWE Universe last weekend for the first time in nearly two decades. After years of being trashed by the company and his peers at every turn, Warrior came back to have his legacy portrayed in a positive light and to be celebrated for the legend he was.
When he brought his two young daughters out with him on stage at the Hall of Fame ceremony and greeted his wife and mother in the crowd, it was a side of him few people ever saw. He told his daughters in the audience that as incredible as his Ultimate Warrior character was, the greatest thing he’ll ever do. Touching stuff that humanized him for the first time in front of his audience.
His appearance on RAW is absolutely haunting in light of his death the following day – but there was a common theme to his Hall of Fame speech and RAW promo: humility. Warrior profusely thanked his fans and the WWE employees behind the scenes for making his character what it grew to be. He talked about the talent of the current locker room and encouraged the WWE Universe to get behind today’s top stars so that one day they would become legends themselves.
Had Warrior died 2 weeks ago or 2 years ago, the impact of the loss would simply not be as profound. It is truly a blessing that he to got to return the spotlight one last time, make peace with estranged friends and cement his legacy his way. Since his passing, there has been a tremendous outpour of grief and love for Warrior from his colleagues, many of whom he had long standing beef with (Hulk Hogan and Vince McMahon in particular).
It’s a sad reality of life that we simply do not appreciate things enough until they are gone. There is a lesson to be learned here.
For all of his flaws and quirks, Warrior was a MAN. He possessed an unbelievable belief in his abilities and potential, as well as a passion for life that we should all strive for.
The Ultimate Warrior character has been immortalized and will be celebrated by fans around the world for decades to come.
Goodbye, Warrior. Rest in Peace and thank you for the memories.
Always Believe.
Shield member Dean Ambrose spoke to Eric Goldman of IGN.com during WrestleMania weekend. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
The Shield Turning Babyface: “You know, we never went out of our way to do anything that is… We’re doing the exact same thing that we’ve always done; we’re just focusing it in a different direction. Our destruction is now pointed at the same place as fans — our enemies that are in our sights are the same people who fans might see as enemies. Look, we haven’t changed anything we’ve done, and we don’t do anything any differently; it’s just positioned in a different way, so people might feel a different way about it.”
When They Realized The Shield Was Getting Over: “I don’t know that I can remember a first moment with us, but it was really early on when we could tell… Actually, you know what? I say that, but it was probably TLC 2012. That was our first real match together, and it was our first match in WWE. For myself that was my first match in WWE, so it was nearly a decade buildup to this one match. It took me that long to get here.”
“For the other guys, they have their own personal journeys and stuff. Whatever it took to get there, that was the first time we were really going to find out — you know, the crowd was going to see, and we were really going to find out ourselves just how well we could work together, because we were all on the same page. We knew we could trust each other, and we all had faith that we could deliver, but that was the first time any of us I think probably really felt that chemistry between us. It was so seamless and so easy, probably easier than we thought it was going to be. That was probably the moment where we were just like, ‘Yeah, this is a thing. This works.'”
There’s much more to the interview, including Ambrose’s thoughts on the energy surrounding WrestleMania weekend, WWE crowds and more.
Wrestling legend Sting has finally signed a contract with WWE, according to Dave Meltzer in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
While there was some speculation that Sting would be signed to a Legends contract, the agreement is for an on-camera role that will include at least one match.
Sting negotiated with WWE several times over the past few years and worked directly WWE CEO Vince McMahon in, but wound up staying with TNA each year.
Sting was written off TNA television in January when he lost a “career vs. title” match against Magnus.
Earlier this week, TNA officially removed Sting’s profile from the TNA Roster page on the company website.
The following is a spoiler-free preview for tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown, taped Tuesday night from Lafayette, LA.
– WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan & WWE Tag Champions The Usos vs. Randy Orton & Batista & Kane in a six-man tag match.
– Big Show vs. Cesaro
– Rob Van Dam vs. Damien Sandow
– Kofi Kingston vs. Wade Barrett
– Fandango vs. Santino. Fandango debuts a new ‘dancing partner’ valet.
– Ryback & Curtis Axel vs. Los Matadores
Monday’s episode of RAW will feature a special tribute to WWE Hall of Famer The Ultimate Warrior, who tragically passed away earlier this week.
The official announcement will be made on tonight’s episode of SmackDown and has already aired on the Australian broadcast of the show.
WWE will pay tribute to Warrior’s “memory and legacy” on the show.
Diamond Dallas Page published the following video on Youtube on Thursday featuring Jake Roberts breaking some ‘bad news’ after receiving a call from WWE back in January. Jake tells DDP that the company decided against using him in the 2014 Royal Rumble match, but then drops the bombshell news about his WWE Hall of Fame induction.
Jake tells page that the door has been left open for him to appear in next year’s Rumble.
The footage is a ‘sneak preview’ for their upcoming documentary, The Resurrection of Jake The Snake Roberts.
– Angelina Love became the #1 contender to the Knockouts title on Thursday’s Impact and will challenge Madison Rayne for the gold at Sacrifice.
– TNA has announced the upcoming Manhattan Center tapings will take place from the Grand Ballroom on June 25th, June 26th and June 27th. They will tape four episodes of Impact and a One Night Only pay-per-view.
– Next week’s Impact will feature Willow vs. Rockstar Spud and Ethan Carter III in a 2-on-1 handicap match.
Follow last night’s episode of Impact Wrestling, TNA taped the following matches for next week’s 4/17 episode:
* Madison Rayne defeated Velvet Sky in a non-title Street Fight.
* Willow defeated Ethan Carter III and Rockstar Spud in a 2-on-1 handicap match. The heels attacked Willow after the match until Kurt Angle returned and made the save.
* Angle cut a promo saying that he’s back and won’t be done until he’s taken out on a stretcher or in a body bad.
* Kenny King cuts a promo putting himself over.
* Tigre Uno defeated Sanada in the second match of their best of three series. Kenny King was on commentary.
TNA tape more episodes of Impact Friday night from Orlando.
On Thursday’s live episode of Impact Wrestling, Eric Young defeated Magnus to become the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion.
Earlier in the night, Young won the Gauntlet match to earn a title match at the upcoming Sacrifice PPV on 4/27, but demanded the match that night. MVP granted him the match and the rest is history.
Here’s a post-match reaction from Young’s title win:
WWE Hall Of Famer Bret “The Hitman” Hart recently posted the following blog on his official Facebook page regarding the passing of Ultimate Warrior:
“I’m deeply saddened at the sudden passing of Jim Helwig, The Ultimate Warrior. I wish I’d been kinder to him in the last moments that we had this past weekend at WrestleMania 30.
We did cross paths once or twice, but we were all so busy. I never went out of my way to see him, but if I could… I’d tell him he looked good. He looked content, and he looked like he’d finally found happiness within his children and his wife. He never ever harmed me nor did we really work with one another… I wish we had.
His final ring promo breaks my heart. I’ve many fond memories of times we shared, only now do they pile up in my head. I’d also tell him that he was right, he never was such a bad guy. My thoughts are with his wife and children. I never thought his time would be so short.
I know one thing, I will never forget him.
– Bret”