The following matches have been announced for next week’s Impact Wrestling:
– TNA World Heavyweight Champion Magnus vs. Samoa Joe vs. Abyss vs. Eric Young
– Bully Ray and Ethan Carter III vs. Willow and Bobby Roode in a Tables Match
– Velvet Sky and Angelina Love vs. Madison Rayne and a partner of her choice
– Sanada vs. Tigre Uno in Match 1 of their Best-Of-Three Series
– Mr. Anderson vs. Sam Shaw in a Straightjacket Match
Former WCW star Ray “Glacier” Lloyd stepped in to the IN THE ROOM program with Brady Hicks and his crew this past Tuesday night to talk about his time with WCW and what it could have been; his legacy in wrestling; thoughts on DDP, Bill Goldberg, and The Great Muta; the lack of the territories; and what mentor Lou Thesz thought of his Glacier character. Plus, Lloyd gives the inside scoop on his new Florida Fight League.
IN THE ROOM airs live Tuesday nights, 9 PM ET, as part of the VOC Nation Radio Network at vocnation.com. Call in to the show (855) VOC-RADIO.
On WWE’s “Attitude Era“: I think WWE was definitely on the inside lane on [being racy] … I just wasn’t a fan of [risque content]. I never have been and I never will be. I think that a great wrestling show should be family entertainment for everybody, from the 5-year-old to the 95-year-old. I’m not saying that there’s gotta be a totally. absolute G-rated type of thing. You just don’t need to push the envelope as far as profanity and all of that stuff. You just don’t need it. It’s a cheap gimmick that only gets a limited reaction … I know you don’t need all that to have a great show, and I think at the end of the day fans really appreciate that. You can go edgy, that’s fine. But you don’t have to go there. To me, anybody could do that. My grandmother could get in the ring and curse at people. She probably could do a great job at it. That doesn’t say you’re a professional to me.
On The Character of Glacier: Did it turn out exactly the way I’d hoped? Absolutely not. Then again, I don’t know of any wrestlers whose careers did turn out as they hoped. The thing was we were given a great challenge, to bring something to life that had never been done before. Eric [Bischoff]’s vision was to bring heavyweights into the ring that really kind of move like cruiserweights, and it had never really been done before. Kind of bring a video game to life in the ring. He was very, very determined that he wanted it to be played totally straight. He didn’t want it to be made fun of or comical … Some people laugh all the time at the Glacier gimmick, but I say all the time, “As soon as I’m done with the wrestling, I’ve got a great Halloween costume. Trick or treat!”
On the “Secret” to Succeeding: I tell these young wrestlers that ask me … looking for that mythical secret that doesn’t exist … You have to be consumed by this business. Its gotta to be a 100% commitment. That means when you’re sitting at home and you’re watching TV, and you see something on TV that you can somehow take that, add that and make it part of your gimmick or who you are. You have to be thinking and you have to be on all of the time. You have to constantly be thinking, “How can I get better? What can I do to improve? What can I do to stand out? What can I do to make me better so that I can share that?” … People will forget what you said or what you did, but they won’t forget how you made them feel.
The following is a non-spoiler match listing for this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown. For complete spoiler results, click ahead to page two.
– Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose vs. Drew McIntyre & Jinder Mahal
– Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose vs. Ryback & Curtis Axel
– Damien Sandow vs. Sin Cara
– Goldust vs. Fandango
– Batista vs. Sheamus
– The Bella Twins vs. AJ Lee & Tamina Snuka
– Jack Swagger vs. Jimmy Uso
– The Miz vs. Mark Henry
– Bray Wyatt vs. Big Show
For complete spoiler results for this week’s WWE SmackDown, click ahead to page two …
The following are highlights of a new FOX Sports interview with Chris Jericho:
On if he’s excited to watch WrestleMania XXX: “Kind of half and half. I’m not wrestling because I choose not to. I have other things going on. I don’t see myself wresting five years from now, so now is the time to make that transition. I follow the shows more online than anything. I don’t really watch wrestling because there are too many other things I like to watch. If I were at home for a couple of days, I’d rather watch “True Detective” or “Walking Dead” or “House of Cards” than wrestling. WrestleMania, I might check it out if I’m home. But my house isn’t really a wrestling house. My kids don’t care for it, my wife’s not a fan. If I do watch it, it’s more like I have to tape it and watch it later.”
On if he’s ever walked out on WWE and his thoughts on CM Punk walking out: “No. I’ve never done that. When I felt the way that Punk did in ’05, I just waited until my contract was done, and then I left for two-and-a-half years. I never walked out in the middle of a contract, nor would I. I’m not saying that it’s a bad thing that Punk did because that’s his decision. I don’t know anything about it. I know as much as everyone else. The thing is, the wrestling business goes on. There’s never been one guy who has ever left and caused the business to shut down. Hulk Hogan left. Bret Hart left. All these guys have left and guess what? They get replaced.”
On the fact that Jim Ross told FOX Sports that Punk is leaving a lot of money on the table: “Then, he must have made a s—load of money. I walked away from WCW when they offered me a contract, but I had enough. They could’ve paid me $3 million or $5 million or $10 million, and I still didn’t want to be there. If you don’t want to be there, the money is irrelevant. Yeah, you could look at it like he’s walking away from a s—load of money, but he’s also walking away from a situation where he’s saying, “I don’t care what they pay me, it’s not enough. It’s not worth my sanity, and I’m leaving.” It’s easy to play armchair quarterback with this situation, but no one knows what’s going on except Punk, and he’s not talking, so it’s all speculation at this point. The bottom line is, life goes on, the business goes on, and Punk doesn’t seem to worry about it too much because he’s not there.”
On if he keeps up with the current WWE product: “I follow what’s going on, but I don’t really sit down to watch and analyze it. I need to follow what’s going on. It’s part of what I do. Whether it’s my podcast or just being Chris Jericho. I never understood the guys who would come back into wrestling after being gone for five or six years and have no idea who all the characters are, and what’s what. I’m kind of in the middle. I still follow along, but I don’t really watch a lot.”
Check out the complete interview at FOXSports.com.
The following are highlights of a new Sky Sports interview with Rey Mysterio:
On Tyson Kidd: “He hasn’t really been given the opportunity but when he gets it he will blow people’s minds. He will wow Superstars – including even myself – and fans because top to bottom and all around he is a complete athlete with a ton of potential.”
On his style: “I am always on the lookout for new gear. If I walk into a Louis Vuitton store and they have a belt that I don’t have, I want it straightaway. I am always updating and coming up with something fresh, whether it’s a colour, a trend or a design, as my uncle always taught me to be unique and different. He told me not to be plain and dull like everyone else, and that you have to spice things up and catch people’s attention with more than just your in-ring work. My uncle inspired me and it was because of him that I become a wrestler, but besides him, the one Superstar that really caught my attention growing up as a kid was ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage.”
Check out the complete interview at SkySports.com.
We’re still over a week away from WrestleMania XXX, but WWE has already begun constructing the production setup at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. Check out this first look of the WrestleMania XXX stadium, courtesy of the Squared-Circle Entertainment Facebook group:
Rob Van Dam is scheduled to make his WWE return on the post-WrestleMania XXX edition of RAW, which emanates from The Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana on Monday, April 7th.
According to one report, Van Dam is scheduled to remain back on WWE television for a run that should last several months.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
There reportedly continues to be absolutely no communication lately between CM Punk and WWE. Punk has apparently been completely out of communication with people that he has been friends with in the past. Some find the level of absolute silence on the Punk situation surprising.
Speaking of Punk, as previously reported, his appearance on AMC’s “Talking Dead” was one of the higher rated editions of the show. While many attributed the spike in ratings due to it being Punk’s first television appearance in a while — and it likely did help — it was also said that the episode of “Walking Dead” that preceded it had a controversial ending, which likely led to more viewers sticking around for the post-show.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
– The movie “Oculus,” which WWE Studios is co-producing, has an inside joke in one of the scenes. The movie is about a haunted mirror that kills people and in an early scene in the film, the mirror is auctioned off as the property of the “Levesque Estate.” The movie is currently set for a April 11th release.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair, who is going to have a busy personal appearance schedule after WrestleMania weekend, has been given some of the bookings that were originally designated for CM Punk at various Comic Cons.
Speaking of Flair, this week marks the one year anniversary of the death of his son Reid Fliehr. Reid passed away on March 29, 2013.
– Part of the reason WWE is inducting Carlos Colon into their Hall Of Fame is due to the fact that they will likely be purchasing his WWC video library. The general consensus seems to be that if they’re going to buy the library, it would only make sense to put the Hall Of Fame “stamp of approval” on the guy who is the enduring star of the collection.
– This year’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view, which will be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California on August 17th, is officially sold out. Of the 14,000 tickets sold for the event, approximately 3,000 were bought with the mindset that the event would be a quick sellout — which it was — and are now available in the secondary market. Those tickets now range from $22 for cheap seats to $1,000-$5,000 for the first four rows.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
The following are highlights from the latest Jim Ross website Q&A update:
On his best and worst XFL experiences: “I do my best to forget bad experiences as one can’t do any thing about them. I’d say sitting out in frigid, wet weather was not too much fun. The most fun was simply calling the games on TV. Wish I could call football again but likely that ship has sailed. Executives want youth of which I’m not.”
On trying to bring prestige back to the Intercontinental and United States titles: ” I Can;t speak for the wrestlers. If they perceive that the IC or US titles are insufficient then that’s regrettable. Can they mean more? Of course.”
On his match in 2005 with Triple H and how him blading in the match came about: “How did it come about? It was an angle. It’s simply what was done in those days. Not sure of your question.”
On how someone could be part of a WWE tryout: “I’m unaware of any open tryouts at the WWE Performance Center without an invitation. You need to get noticed on the indy circuit and then earn the invitation. Good luck nonetheless.”
Check out more from JR’s latest website Q&A update at JRsBarBQ.com.
WWE Hall Of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin noted on the most recent edition of his “Steve Austin Show” podcast that he is looking to make plans to travel to New Orleans, as he mentioned that he wants to attend the WWE Hall Of Fame ceremony.
Speaking of Austin’s podcast, his latest show is available online. The official preview for the show reads as follows:
SASu – EP102 – Live From 316 Gimmick Street
Steve’s telling your favorite kind of stories – wrestling stories! Hear about the time he ran over The Rock’s Lincoln Town Car with a monster truck, what happened to Steve & Bret Hart in the ring in Germany, and why Big Van Vader was drinking beer in nothing but his underwear in a hotel bar in London. Oh, and if you need some help with your resume – Steve’s gotcha covered!
You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.
As of right now the leading candidate for Scott Hall’s WWE Hall Of Fame inductor is Kevin Nash. Whether or not he would be introducing him as Diesel is another question. An outside shot for Hall’s inductor would be Shawn Michaels due to their famous WrestleMania X ladder match, although most seem to feel that Nash is the more likely candidate.
The Paul Bearer induction is an interesting one, mainly because Undertaker has never attended a WWE Hall Of Fame ceremony due to the belief that it doesn’t fit his character. At the same time, Undertaker is clearly the obvious choice for Bearer, so many are curious to see how that one is handled.
– 25 years after the Megapowers exploded at WrestleMania V, WWE.com has published an interview with Hulk Hogan talking about his personal relationship with the late “Macho Man” Randy Savage.
Here’s what Hogan said about reconciling with Randy Savage after not speaking for eight years just 3-4 months before he passed away:
“We ran into each other at a doctor’s office. I was on my seventh or eighth back surgery, and I couldn’t pass an EKG because I was getting just jammed up with anesthesia every three or four months. They couldn’t get my back right. My back was collapsing and they were telling my new wife Jennifer I’d never walk again and all of this craziness. Jennifer and I were sitting on those little seats in the doctor’s office in Tampa and all of a sudden the door opens and in comes Randy. “Yeeeah! Ooooh yeah! What’s up?” I went, “[Gasp].” Freaked me out, scared me to death. And he goes, “Hey, brother. What’s up, Hogan?” He had that gleam in his eye and looked really healthy. He gained his weight back and he had a wedding ring on. I said, “Hey, Mach, what’s up with the ring?” He said, “Hey, just married my childhood sweetheart.”
– Arnold Schwarzenegger appeared on CBS news this week at the premiere of his new movie “Sabotage” and commented on his appearance on Monday’s WWE RAW:
Following their debut at the 2012 Survivor Series, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, and Roman Reigns, collectively known as the Shield, quickly became one of the most dominant and influential stables in recent memory.
The group primarily acted as heels throughout their successful run, although they were frequently cheered as well. In particular, Roman Reigns would frequently receive huge pops from the crowd, as seen during his breakthrough performances at the 2013 Survivor Series and 2014 Royal Rumble.
After attacking Director of Operations Kane, the group officially turned babyface and the crowd has been eating it up in recent weeks, with their celebration following their beat down of Ryback and Curtis Axel on this past week’s RAW serving as evidence of the group’s popularity.
The group now seems to be reunited and stronger than ever after there was serious tension between the Hounds of Justice. So why did the WWE decide to turn the Shield face after it seemed they would dissolve just a few weeks prior?
The Wyatt Effect
One of the primary reasons the Shield were forced to turn face was the emergence of the Wyatt Family. There is only so much room on the roster for stables, and the Wyatt Family are without a doubt the predominant heel group on the roster today.
With the Wyatt Family serving as the main heel stable on the roster and essentially adopting the same M.O. as the Shield (appearing out of nowhere to savagely destroy unsuspecting foes), it only makes sense that creative would not want two stables acting in a similar manner, even if their gimmicks are stark contrasts of one another.
The working idea right now in WWE as it pertains to Sting is that he will do one match and then retire from in-ring competition. As of right now, everyone seems to be under the impression that the one match will be against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 31 in Santa Clara. Sting has reportedly been studying tapes of Undertaker matches, leading many to believe that he is under a similar belief.
Whether the idea for this match is made clear at WrestleMania, RAW the next night or at some point closer to the actual show is unknown. As of right now, the only thing that seems to be for sure is that Sting will only be doing one last match, likely against Undertaker.
As far as his contractual status with WWE, nobody has confirmed that he has actually signed at this point, although the feeling seems to be that it’s an inevitability.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
– WWE appears to be ending its’ run with WWE Main Event on the ION Network on April 2nd. The ION Network is currently listing a “Burn Notice” marathon for April 9th.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Bret “The Hitman” Hart may soon need to undergo another surgery on either his foot or ankle in the near future. Hart recently discovered that he has been suffering from a broken foot. He hadn’t been walking well recently, but that was due to a knee replacement surgery he had in 2013.
– As previously reported, the early estimates have this year’s WWE Royal Rumble selling 445,000 pay-per-views. The breakdown is 285,000 domestic (North American) buys and 160,000 international buys.
We also noted that this year’s WWE Elimination Chamber sold 203,000 buys on pay-per-view. The breakdown for that show has 156,000 domestic buys and 47,000 international.
– In a bit of a small “where are they now?” type of update, former WWE Diva Stacy “The Kat” Carter, who was at one time the real-life wife of WWE Hall Of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler, is now working as an insurance agent at Florida, Life, Health and Annuities.
While there are only limited tickets left for WrestleMania XXX through traditional outlets, the Mercedes-Benz Superdome has sent out a mailer to people offering discounted tickets. What this basically means is that they don’t feel as though they are going to sellout at this late date without essentially lowering the price for the tickets that remain.
There are still over 8,600 tickets available on Stubhub alone, which are actually going at market value (and even under market value for the cheaper seats), with the exception of the good seats going at far above the market value. For example, the few front rows, and there are only singles and very few available, were going in the $10,000 range.
At the end of the day, when April 6th rolls around, the building will be full, however this year’s WrestleMania isn’t seeing the type of demand for tickets at the levels of the last two years.
– With almost all of the key wrestlers on the WWE roster figured into the main card at WrestleMania XXX, it looks as though whatever matches they plan on adding to the two hour pre-show will be comprised of NXT talent.
– Current online betting odds for WrestleMania XXX, which at this point don’t mean a whole lot past educated guessing until the “smart money” comes in during the day of the show, have Daniel Bryan as the favorite to end the show as WWE World Heavyweight Champion at -270. This means if you bet $270, you clear $100 profit, making Bryan basically a near three-to-one favorite to walk out of the show as champion. Randy Orton is +400 to end the show as champion, Batista is +250 and Triple H is +1500.
Other odds for the show include Undertaker as a 60-to-1 favorite over Brock Lesnar, Daniel Bryan as a 27-to-1 favorite over Triple H and Bray Wyatt at -350 (a little over three-to-one) over John Cena.
The following press release was issued today:
“Finding Zach Gowen” – Full-Length Documentary On Sale Starting WrestleMania Weekend (DVD & Digital)
After a tumultuous childhood, an 8-year-old Zach Gowen faced the ultimate adversity – cancer. It was a battle that would cost Zach his left leg, but still he refused to be a victim. Just ten years later, Zach would see his childhood dream come true – a career as a world-famous professional wrestler, eventually signing with the global phenomenon World Wrestling Entertainment. However, success was fleeting, and a young, immature, and now unemployed Zach now found himself on a new road – one of self-destruction. Fame and fortune gave way to drugs and alcohol, and it seemed like what was once an inspirational story of hope was destined for a dark and depressing end – death. Had Zach lost his way for good or could he re-discover that light that had guided him through so many perils of his past? For the first time ever, watch in its entirety, the life story of one man who was given everything, before he was ready to handle anything, and who had to lose it all… to find himself.
“Finding Zach Gowen: The Life Story of the World’s First One-Legged Pro Wrestler” is a 2-plus hour journey of emotion and drama that must be seen to be believed. Despite being just 30 years of age, Zach has experienced enough to fill four or five lifetimes, and for the first time ever, Zach is completely open and honest about his greatest triumphs & tragedies in this two-disc four-hour DVD set.
FEATURING: In-depth interviews with Zach Gowen and his family & personal friends, as well as wrestling superstars Jimmy Jacobs, Truth Martini, Rhino, Paul London, Jimmy Korderas, Gregory Iron and more!
Rarely or never-before-seen photographs and video footage of Zach throughout his life from the cast’s personal collections!
Plus: Special Bonus Matches featuring alternate commentary by Zach himself, including:
Zach Gowen vs. Truth Martini (Zach’s first ever match)
Zach Gowen vs. N8 Mattson (Zach’s final match before rehab)
Zach Gowen, Christopher Daniels & Matt Cross vs. Johnny Gargano, Josh Prohibition & N8 Mattson
Zach Gowen vs. Gregory Iron
BE THE FIRST TO OWN “FINDING ZACH GOWEN”
“Finding Zach Gowen” will be available in New Orleans next weekend! Film co-producer Joe Dombrowski (Montreal Theory, Ring of Honor) will be on hand at the following locations:
Mid-South Legends Fanfest – Friday, April 4 – www.MidSouthLegends.com
Wrestlecon – Saturday & Sunday, April 5-6 – www.Wrestlecon.com
“Finding Zach Gowen” will also be available on DVD as well as Digital Download starting April 4 on www.Joe-Dombrowski.com
Stay tuned, as we release the official “Finding Zach Gowen” trailer in the coming days!
For more information stay posted to www.Joe-Dombrowski or find Joe or Zach on Facebook or Twitter!
Ring Of Honor issued the following press release today:
RING OF HONOR WRESTLING® & LEADING STREAMING PROVIDER USTREAM COLLABORATE TO STREAM ROH / NEW JAPAN SUPER SHOWS LIVE IN HIGH DEFINITION
Baltimore, MD (March 27, 2014) – Ring of Honor Wrestling® (ROH) has come to terms with Ustream, Inc. to provide the May 10th ROH GLOBAL WARS and May 17th ROH WAR OF THE WORLDS events live online. Ustream is a leading service provider of live and on-demand international, sports and variety programming delivered via broadband.
Rated the #1 LIVE online video streaming platform and winning the 2013 Streaming Media Readers’ Choice Awards for their live streaming service, Ustream has an unprecedented track record for reliable, high quality streaming content for almost a decade and has worked with New Japan Pro Wrestling for over two years in providing exceptional LIVE broadcasts.
The two Internet pay-per-view cards, produced and distributed live online by Ring of Honor for $14.95 each, will feature Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s most decorated wrestlers.
The date and times for these super shows are:
ROH GLOBAL WARS: Saturday, May 10th at 7:30 p.m. EST/4:30 p.m. PST
ROH WAR OF THE WORLDS: Saturday, May 17th at 7:30 p.m. EST/4:30 p.m. PST
Both events can be purchased separately in advance or at the time of the event at www.UStream.TV with all major credit cards via Paypal.
Also, the super shows will both be available as a replay immediately after their conclusion of the events on ROH’s Ustream channel and at www.ROHWrestling.com.
“Fans are always asking for live ROH Internet Pay-Per-Views and Ustream’s capabilities allow us to deliver,” Chief Operating Officer Joe Koff said. “Through this technology and our production team, fans have an awesome opportunity to enjoy two of the biggest shows of the year live. Ustream is an industry leader in video streaming infrastructure with exceptional reliability for distribution of its live streaming events and we’re excited to collaborate with them on offering these events to our customers worldwide.”
For more information on experiencing Ring of Honor versus New Japan Pro-Wrestling LIVE, visit: www.ROHwrestling.com.
Check your local listings to see where you can watch Ring of Honor TV each and every week or subscribe and watch online at: www.ROHWrestling.com.
AMC Networks announced earlier this week that they are picking up an “Untitled Billy Corgan Wrestling Project,” which is a reality show on Smashing Pumpkins lead singer Billy Corgan’s Resistance Pro Wrestling promotion.
The official synopsis for the show, courtesy of the AMC press release, reads as follows:
“Smashing Pumpkins lead singer Billy Corgan pulls back the curtains on the pro-wrestling world as he takes over creative direction for the independent wrestling company Resistance Pro.”
TNA Impact Wrestling returns tonight on Spike TV with James Storm vs. Gunner in a “Falls Count Anywhere” match. Also scheduled for the show is a Knockouts match featuring Angelina Love vs. Madison Rayne.
TNA World Tag-Team Champions The Bro-Mans will be conducting a live Twitter chat during the show. Fans looking to participate can submit questions at #AskBroMans.
Here is the opening video for tonight’s show:
http://youtu.be/Wt-YEUKTOx0
WWE announced the release of the original Sin Cara on Thursday with the following statement on the company website:
WWE releases Luis Ignacio Urive Alvirde
WWE has come to terms on the release of Luis Ignacio Urive Alvirde effective on March 26, 2014. We wish Luis the best of luck in his future endeavors.
