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This week on Because Wrestling, we return from our week off to announce our huge partnership with SEScoops.com, and we dig into the latest news including the death of Reid Flair, the retirement of Charlie Haas, Chris Masters vs. Nature, X-Pac’s medical trouble, Evan Bourne’s return, the Hall of Fame, Matt Hardy, El Generico, Chyna, we answer reader questions and give our predictions for this Sunday’s WrestleMania 29!
– Comedian Gabriel Iglesias (@fluffyguy) has been named as the Social Media Ambassador for WWE WrestleMania 29.
– NorthJersey.com has a up looking at the financial impact WrestleMania 29 will have on the region, with WWE expected to bring $100 million to the local economy over the next week.
– The latest weather forecast for WrestleMania 29 Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey is Partly Sunny with a high of 53 degrees and cloudy in the evening with a low of 40.
– WWEShop.com has released new “Know Your Worth” t-shirts for the Prime Time Players.
– Forbes.com has an interview up with Kane, who talks about his Team Hell No tag team, WrestleMania 29 and the 2K Sports Video Game Challenge at WWE Axxess.
– G.I. Joe Retaliation took in over $130 million during it’s opening weekend, with around $50 million coming domestically and $80 million coming internationally. The decision to delay the movie’s release by 9 months to convert it to 3D (to charge higher ticket prices) has paid off quite nicely.
Paramount pictures has officially started work on a third G.I. Joe film, so The Rock has another blockbuster movie to add to his schedule.
Trish Stratus recently spoke to the Toronto Sun about her legendary career and her upcoming Hall of Fame induction. Growing up, Trish said she was always a huge wrestling fan, but planned to become a doctor, because there were not many women in prominent roles back in the 80’s & 90’s:
“There wasn’t really a role for the women to look at and go, ‘I want to do that when I grow up’. There was a time when Wendi Richter and Cindy Lauper were doing their thing,” she said, “And I remember thinking, ‘Gosh, that’s so cool,’ but I guess it was such a once-in-a-while thing that you didn’t really look at it as a feasible career option.”
“I’d even say that when I started wrestling, there was no real defined role for the women,” she said. “We knew there were some women in wrestling, but there was no real, ‘This is what women can do in wrestling.’ So I decided to set out and change that once I got in there.”
Stratus would of course go on to have a legendary career that will culminate in her WWE Hall of Fame induction this Saturday night in New York City. Trish has teased that close friend Lita will be inducting her – but says there’s a chance somebody else will:
“I have someone and you’ll just have to wait… That’s obviously been swirling around [Lita inducting her]. It was a difficult choice. There’s a number of people that have really, really impacted my career. In my speech, you’ll know the choice I made is very clear. But you’ll know soon enough.”
WWE superstar the Big Show recently spoke to Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard blog and spoke about WrestleMania 29 and his past as a college football player. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
WrestleMania In Front Of A NY/NJ Crowd:
“It’s completely different. New York and New Jersey fans are like no other fans anywhere in the world. It’s funny because New York is known for being competitive. New York likes champions. If you’re not pulling your weight, New York lets you know. Trust me: If you have a crappy match, New York fans will let you know right in the middle of it. They’ll chant boring. They’ll chant you suck. They’ll chantyou messed up. The pressure to do well is always a little bit higher in New York. But like anything, that pressure makes you better. So the only thing that I’m a little concerned about is the weather. Because, you know, I’m not wearing much. I’m wearing Spandex. It’s gonna be a little chilly out there.”
His College Basketball Career:
“My college experience at Wichita State was definitely a learning curve. I had a great time at Wichita State. It’s a great university. I love the program. I chose Wichita State specifically because they didn’t have a football program. Wichita State was all about basketball and baseball — and we all know I have a strike zone the size of Nebraska so I don’t think I would have made it as a baseball player.”
“The basketball program had a lot of potential and I think that was one of the reasons I made the decision. I really liked Coach [Mike] Cohen at the time, who recruited me. I liked the university. I liked the town. The people in Wichita are very supportive of their athletic programs. Wichita’s a fun place. It’s a great place to go to school. It’s a big university, but at the same time it’s not too big. The program was awesome. The colors were cool with the black and gold. I still haven’t figured out exactly what a Shocker is. People ask me all the time: “It’s a … shock … of … wheat … I don’t know?”
Here’s Part 17 of our WrestleMania Retrospective series, looking back at past WrestleMania events as we march towards WrestleMania 29 on April 7th
WrestleMania X-Seven (2001) Tagline: Houston, We Have A Problem. Sponsor: Snickers Date: April 1, 2001 Venue: Reliant Astrodome, Houston, Texas Attendance: 67,925 The Undertaker’s Streak: 9-0 (Def. Triple H)
WrestleMania X-Seven was the seventeenth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and presented by Snickers Cruncher. It took place on April 1, 2001 at the Reliant Astrodome in Houston, Texas. The event was the first WrestleMania held in the state of Texas.
The main event was a No Disqualification match between Steve Austin and The Rock for the WWF Championship. The main matches on the undercard featured Triple H versus The Undertaker, the second Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match for the WWF Tag Team Championship, and Vince McMahon versus Shane McMahon in a Street Fight. With WWE’s acquisition of long-time competitor WCW mere days prior and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin joining forces with storied rival Mr. McMahon.
A record-breaking attendance for the Reliant Astrodome of 67,925 grossed US$3.5 million.Shane McMahon misses an elbow on to his Father Vince McMahon at WrestleMania X-Seven
A major feud that was built up in the lead to WrestleMania was the one involving Vince McMahon and his son Shane McMahon. The feud started with Vince’s disapproval of Mick Foley’s job as then-WWF commissioner as well as Foley’s decision of holding a six-man Hell in a Cell match at Armageddon 2000, taking into consideration about the well-being of the wrestlers involved in the match. Despite his attempts Foley was given full support by Linda McMahon, Vince’s wife and the WWF’s CEO. Not pleased with this result, Vince immediately demanded a divorce from Linda. Shortly after Armageddon, secretly to Vince’s delight, it was revealed Linda was rushed to hospital suffering with a nervous breakdown. With Linda hospitalized, the Board of Directors appointed Vince as the new CEO of the WWF, allowing him to fire Foley as commissioner. With Linda in a comatose-like state, Vince started to have a public affair with Trish Stratus. Vince’s daughter, Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley, was at first far from pleased about the turn of events. At No Way Out, Stephanie and Trish squared off, with Stephanie scoring the victory after a run-in by William Regal. On the February 26th episode of Raw is War, however, during a match that placed Vince and Trish against Stephanie and William Regal, Stratus was turned on by the other participants in the match and had sewage dumped over her. In the following shows, Vince continued to demean Trish by having her do such actions as bark like a dog around the ring and stripping down to her lingerie.
TLC 2 at WrestleMania X-Seven was considered one of the best matches on the card.
Despite this, Trish remained loyal to Vince and begged for his forgiveness.On the March 12 episode of Raw is War, Shane McMahon made his return to the WWF. Angry with his father’s actions, Shane started to throw punches at Vince only to be stopped by William Regal.Shane explained his actions on the following episode of SmackDown! as a result of frustrations over the manipulation of his sister, his mother’s state and Vince’s treatment of Trish. On March 23, World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. purchased their longtime rival promotion, World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. With it, the purchase brought in an extra twist to the storyline. On the March 26 episode of Raw is War, Vince McMahon made a live speech that was also simulcast on the series finale of WCW Monday Nitro. In the speech, Vince announced that the signing was not final and that he wanted Ted Turner to come to WrestleMania to hand-deliver the contract for signing. He then promised that with the purchase he was going to bury his rival forever. However, Shane, who was at the venue for Nitro, interrupted the speech and made an announcement:
Edge Going for The Spear on Jeff Hardy from a ladder at WrestleMania X-Seven
The Street Fight between Vince McMahon and Shane McMahon was next. Shane dominated his father during the start of the match with attacks involving a Kendo stick and monitors from the Spanish announcers’ table. Lying Vince on the table, Shane climbed back into the ring and attempted to perform a diving elbow drop off the top rope. His sister Stephanie moved Vince off the table, however, leaving Shane to crash into it. Trish Stratus came towards the ring, pushing Linda McMahon out on a wheelchair. Vince tried to embrace Trish, but she slapped him. In retaliation, Stephanie got into a fight with Trish that led them out of the stadium. With Linda alone, Vince approached her to the detestment of guest referee Mick Foley but the owner replied with a few chair shots. Dragging Linda into the ring and placing her on a chair, Vince forced her to watch him beat his son down a couple of times with a trash can. As he went for a third shot with the can, however, Linda stood up and kicked Vince in the testicles. With Vince in the corner, Shane placed a garbage can in front of Vince’s face and hit a Coast-to-Coast dropkick through it, before pinning his father to win the match.
The eighth match, dubbed “TLC II”, was a Tag Team Championship match pitting the champions, the Dudley Boyz, against Edge and Christian and the Hardy Boyz in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match. The match contained many dangerous spots involving the weapons involved. Respective associates of each tag team, Spike Dudley on behalf of the Dudley Boyz, Rhyno on behalf of Edge and Christian and Lita on behalf of the Hardy Boyz, interfered during the match. With Spike and Rhyno both laying on two tables outside the ring, Jeff Hardy set up a huge ladder beside them and performed a Swanton Bomb onto them through the tables. Jeff tried to go for the belts but has his ladder pulled off his feet by Bubba Ray Dudley, leaving Jeff hanging onto the belts in the air. After climbing onto a bigger ladder, Edge jumped off it and spears Jeff onto the ground. Bubba Ray and Matt Hardy started to climb the same ladder but were met by Rhyno who pushed them off the ladder and through some more tables outside the ring. With a boost from Rhyno, Christian managed to unhook the belts, making him and Edge the new Tag Team Champions.
The Iron Shiek wins the “Gimmick” Battle Royal at WrestleMania X-Seven.
The ninth match was a gimmick battle royal, featuring nineteen WWF alumni famous for their outlandish gimmicks. To further increase the nostalgia, former announcers “Mean” Gene Okerlund and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan took over the commentary booth for the match. The match was a short one with the Iron Sheik throwing Hillbilly Jim out of the ring to win the match. In revenge for being eliminated, Sgt. Slaughter locked the cobra clutch hold on the Sheik.
The secondary feud leading into the event pitted the Brothers of Destruction (The Undertaker and Kane) against Triple H and The Big Show. After defeating Steve
Austin in a Three Stages of Hell match at No Way Out, Triple H felt that he deserved to be in the WrestleMania main event having defeated everyone in the WWF, including The Rock and Austin.11] The Undertaker took exception to that and told him that Triple H had never defeated him. Before WrestleMania X-Seven, the two had never faced each other in a one-on-one match on a pay-per-view event. During his entrance for a Hardcore Championship match against The Big Show, Triple H ambushed Undertaker. Kane ran in and saved the Undertaker from a further attack but was met with his own ambush by The Big Show. On the following episode of SmackDown!, Undertaker tried to break into the limousine of Triple H and his wife, Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley, on arrival but ended up being arrested by the police. As a result, Kane requested a match against Triple H later that night but lost when The Big Show interfered on behalf of Triple H. In retaliation, Kane interfered in The Big Show’s Hardcore Championship match against Raven on Raw is War, helping Raven pin Big Show to become the new Hardcore Champion. Undertaker’s arrest led to a restraining order from Stephanie. To circumvent this, the Brothers of Destruction interfered in Triple H’s match against Test, with Kane ordered to run after Stephanie. With Stephanie held at ransom on a balcony in the arena, WWF commissioner William Regal gave Undertaker and Kane matches at WrestleMania against Triple H and The Big Show respectively. After being attacked during a Hardcore Championship title defense, Regal would later include Raven into Kane and Big Show’s match, making it a Triple Threat Hardcore match for the Hardcore Championship.
Now known as “The American Bad-Ass” The Undertaker defeats Triple H at WrestleMania X-Seven to keep the streak at 9-0
The second to last match was between The Undertaker and Triple H. For his entrance, Triple H had British heavy metal band Motörhead perform his theme song, “The Game”, live. The match started with the two fighting outside of the ring with Triple H ending being put through the replacement Spanish announcers’ table. Later on, the referee Mike Chioda ended up being attacked with first by accident through Undertaker’s Catapult and later on by The Undertaker’s dissatisfaction over a two-count. With Chioda knocked out, the two brawled outside the ring without any risk of a countout and into the technical area. Over there, Triple H gave Undertaker several shots in the head with a steel chair but was eventually reversed into a Chokeslam off the scaffolding followed by an diving elbow drop. Back in the ring as Chioda regained consciousness, Triple H tried to pin The Undertaker after preventing Undertaker’s Last Ride maneuver with a sledgehammer shot in the head but only gained a two-count. Continuing the match, Triple H sent The Undertaker’s towards the corner with shots to the head but Undertaker reversed them with the Last Ride, allowing him to pin Triple H and increase his WrestleMania winning streak to 9–0.
The WrestleMania XV rematch between Stone Cold Steve Austin and “The Rock” at WrestleMania X-Seven
The main feud leading into WrestleMania X-Seven consisted of Steve Austin challenging The Rock for the WWF Championship. This event marked the second time that the WrestleMania main event featured The Rock and Steve Austin for the WWF Championship, the first one being WrestleMania XV. In April 1999 at Backlash, The Rock and Steve Austin fought in a WrestleMania XV rematch with Steve Austin retaining the Championship. The Backlash event was originally the last time the two men would wrestle for the WWF Championship until this event. Steve Austin earned his opportunity to compete for the WWF Championship in the main event at WrestleMania by winning the 2001 Royal Rumble match when he last eliminated Kane, while The Rock became the first ever six-time WWF Champion when he defeated Kurt Angle at No Way Out. During their feud, Austin’s wife Debra, who was trying to get back into managing, was ordered by WWF chairman, Vince McMahon, to be The Rock’s manager against her wishes as well as both Rock and Austin’s. As a result, Austin would hold The Rock and McMahon responsible if any harm came to her. On the March 12 episode of Raw is War, The Rock was placed in an overlong Ankle Lock hold during his rematch with Kurt Angle. When Debra went to check on The Rock, Angle also placed her into an Ankle Lock hold. Austin soon ran in to save her and knocked Angle out of the ring. Keeping to his word, he immediately gave The Rock a Stone Cold Stunner as punishment. The following week on Raw is War, during a handicap tag team match involving The Rock, Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, and William Regal, Austin made his way down to the ring and ended up getting a Rock Bottom from The Rock as a result of the stunner the previous week. On the March 29 episode of SmackDown!, Debra was relieved from her managerial role by Mr. McMahon after failing to prevent a brawl between Rock and Austin.
The match between Stone Cold Steve Austin and “The Rock” at WrestleMania X-Seven was No Disqualification.
The final match of the night was the WWF Championship match between The Rock and Steve Austin. Before the ring entrances for the main event, it was announced that the match would be a No Disqualification match. During the match, the two took the fight outside of the ring and into the crowd. When the wrestlers returned to the ring, blood was shed from both Austin and The Rock after both had hit each other with the ring bell. The Rock attempted to place Austin into a Sharpshooter hold, but Austin reversed it and placed The Rock into his own Sharpshooter. After releasing the hold following the referee’s request he held The Rock by use of the Million Dollar Dream, a submission hold best known from his former gimmick, The Ringmaster. Shortly after, The Rock used Austin’s own finishing maneuver on Austin by executing a Stunner. Vince McMahon then came to ringside to observe the match. When The Rock tried to pin Austin after the People’s Elbow, McMahon pulled The Rock away. After chasing McMahon around the ring, Austin responded by using The Rock’s signature move, the Rock Bottom. Later, after The Rock improbably kicked out of the Stunner after a two count, which he received after attacking McMahon in the ring, McMahon then handed Austin a steel chair to hit The Rock with at Austin’s request, revealing that Austin had sided with McMahon, a man he once considered his arch-nemesis. With this, Austin turned heel. Austin tried to end the match with the Stone Cold Stunner again, but after The Rock kicked out a furious Austin decided he’d had enough. The challenger then pummeled the champion with sixteen consecutive chair shots, enabling Austin to pin The Rock and become the new WWF Champion. The show ended with the chairman and the new champion shaking hands and sharing beers.
Stone Cold Steve Austin, Turns Heel at WrestleMania X-Seven by aligning with Vince McMahon
WrestleMania X-Seven Results
Heat X-Factor (Justin Credible and X-Pac) (with Albert) defeated Steve Blackman and Grand Master Sexay Tag team match
• Chris Jericho (c) defeated William Regal Singles match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship
• Tazz and The APA (Bradshaw and Faarooq) (with Jacqueline) defeated Right to Censor (The Goodfather, Val Venis and Bull Buchanan) (with Steven Richards) Six-man tag team match
• Kane defeated Raven (c) and The Big Show Triple Threat Hardcore match for the WWF Hardcore Championship
• Eddie Guerrero (with Perry Saturn) defeated Test (c) Singles match for the WWF European Championship 0
• Kurt Angle defeated Chris Benoit
Chyna defeats Ivory to become the WWF Women’s Champion
• Chyna defeated Ivory (c) Singles match For the WWF Women’s Championship
• Shane McMahon defeated Vince McMahon (with Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley) Street Fight with Mick Foley as the special guest referee
• Edge and Christian defeated The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von) (c) and The Hardy Boyz (Matt and Jeff)
Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match for the WWF Tag Team Championship
• The Iron Sheik won by last eliminating Hillbilly Jim1 19-man Gimmick Battle Royal
• The Undertaker defeated Triple H
• Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated The Rock (c) No Disqualification match for the WWF Championship
Solomonster is back with a packed show featuring the latest on Reid Flair, the 10 year anniversary of Steve Austin’s final match, the absurdity of John Cena talking about winning the “Big One”, the current list of Hall of Fame inductors, ROH Supercard VII preview and the sudden retirement of Charlie Haas, the cost of each Impact road taping, Adam Pearce on Gut Check next week, TNA steals a concept from WWE, Sean Waltman’s painful mistake, Brock wrestling at Extreme Rules and will Randy Orton ever be “the man” in WWE?
Here’s Part 16 of our WrestleMania Retrospective series, looking back at past WrestleMania events as we march towards WrestleMania 29 on April 7th
WrestleMania 2000 (2000) Tagline: First Ever Fatal Four Way Sponsor: M&Ms Crispy Date: April 2, 2000 Venue: Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, California Attendance: 18,034 The Star-Spangled Banner: Lilian Garcia The Undertaker’s Streak: 8-0 (Did not compete)
WrestleMania 2000 (chronologically known as WrestleMania XVI) was the sixteenth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). It was presented by Snickers and took place on April 2, 2000 at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California.
The main event was a four-way elimination match for the WWF Championship involving reigning champion Triple H, The Rock, Mick Foley, and The Big Show, which Triple H won after last eliminating The Rock. Main matches on the undercard included a triangle ladder match for the WWF Tag Team Championship involving Edge and Christian, The Hardy Boyz, and The Dudley Boyz, and a two-fall triple threat match for the WWF Intercontinental and European Championships involving Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, and Chris Benoit.
The only one on one match at WrestleMania 2000. Teri vs The Kat
Many critics site this as one of the worst WrestleMania’s of all time, with only the Tag team Ladder Match getting excellent reviews. The only one-on-one match w was a Cat fight between Terri and The Kat.
The brightest spot of WrestleMania 2000, the Tag Team Ladder Match
The second main feud heading into the event was between Edge and Christian versus The Hardy Boyz (Matt and Jeff Hardy) versus The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von) for the World Tag Team Championship in a Triangle Ladder match. On the January 17 edition of Raw, Jeff Hardy was scheduled to face Bubba Ray Dudley in a match. The match saw Jeff pinning Bubba Ray after delivering a Swanton Bomb. After the match, the Dudley’s attacked the Hardy Boyz, in which they powerbombed Matt on top of a table. On the January 20 edition of SmackDown!, Matt was placed in a match again D-Von Dudley. The win was given to Matt, after a disqualification took place. Jeff and Bubba Ray made their way to the ring, in which both teams began brawling against one another. Bubba Ray prepared to powerbomb Matt into a table, that was set up by the Dudley’s. Bubba Ray, however, was hit by Jeff with a chair, causing him to fall onto the tables. The Hardy’s then set up a table of their own and put D-Von on it, and Matt proceeded to perform a legdrop on D-Von through the table. At the Royal Rumble, the Hardy’s defeated the Dudley’s in a tag team tables match. The following night after the Royal Rumble, the Dudley’s showed respect towards the Hardy’s in which they would help them defeat the New Age Outlaws for the World Tag Team Championship. In return, the Hardy’s would have to grant the Dudley’s a title shot at the Tag Team Championship. During the tag title match, the Dudley’s stopped the three count, after the Hardy’s had the match in their favor and allowing the Outlaw’s to retain the titles. After the match, the Dudley’s then went onto perform the 3-D on them.
Jeff Hardy sores at WrestleMania 2000
In The WWF Tag Team Championship triangle ladder match involving The Hardy Boyz, Edge and Christian, and champions The Dudley Boyz . Edge and Christian first gained the advantage after Edge climbed the top rope and speared Jeff, who was climbing a ladder. Edge and Christian were then given consecutive 3-D’s by The Dudley Boyz. The Dudley Boyz then brought tables into the ring and onto ringside, where D-Von splashed Jeff through a table in the ring, while Bubba powerbombed Matt through another at ringside. The Hardy Boyz would then retaliate after Jeff delivered a Swanton bomb off a ladder onto Bubba, through a table. As Jeff did so, Matt climbed a ladder, along with Edge and Christian, who pushed Matt off the ladder through a table. The situation allowed Edge and Christian to reach and grab the championship belts that were hung from the rafters, thus gaining their first ever the Tag Team Championship.
Before the main event of WrestleMania 2000, the tag team encounter between Kane and Rikishi against D-Generation X (X-Pac and Road Dogg). Shortly into the match Rikishi delivered a Diamond cutter onto X-Pac, which proceeded into Kane delivering a Tombstone piledriver into a pinfall for the win. The San Diego chicken came out to celebrate with Kane and Rikishi. Thinking that it was Baseball great Pete Rose, Kane went to attack the chicken. While the real Pete Rose came into the ring, with a baseball bat. Rikishi took the bat out of Rose’s hand, to allow Kane to give a chokeslam by kane, followed by a Rikishi Stinkface.
Pete Rose for the third year in a row, is on the receiving end of Kane’s wrath.The WWF Champion The Game, with his on-screen wife at the time. Heading to the Main event at WrestleMania 2000
The main feud heading into WrestleMania was between Triple H, The Rock, Mick Foley, and The Big Show, with the four feuding over the WWF Championship. At the Royal Rumble two months prior, The Rock won the Royal Rumble match to become the number one contender to the WWF Championship at WrestleMania by last eliminating The Big Show, and Triple H defeated Cactus Jack (Mick Foley) in a Street fight to retain the WWF Championship. The proceeding month at No Way Out, The Big Show defeated The Rock to gain entry into the WWF Championship match at WrestleMania. Also at the event, Triple H defeated Foley in a Hell in a Cell match to retain the WWF Championship. Per the pre-match stipulation, Foley had to retire from professional wrestling. On the March 13 edition of Raw is War, The Rock managed to win back his title shot by defeating The Big Show with help from a returning Vince McMahon, thus making the WWF Championship match a Triple Threat match. Then, the following week, after Triple H retained his title against both The Rock and The Big Show, Linda McMahon came out announced that he would be defending his belt in a Fatal Four-Way match against not only The Rock and The Big Show, but also Mick Foley.
The Rock delivering a Rock Bottom to The Big Show at WrestleMania 2000
The main event was a WWF Championship four-way elimination match involving The Big Show (with Shane McMahon), Mick Foley (with Linda McMahon), The Rock (with Vince McMahon), and the defending champion, Triple H (with Stephanie McMahon). In the beginning of the match, Show press slammed Triple H and Rock; however, all three competitors then attacked Show. The situation allowed The Rock to eliminate Show, after delivering a Rock Bottom into a pinfall. After the elimination, Foley delivered a double arm DDT on Triple H. Though, Triple H retaliated as he performed two consecutive Pedigrees, and hitting Foley with a steel chair into a pinfall, thus Foley was eliminated. After Foley was eliminated, The Rock and Triple H brawled in and out of the ring with neither superstar gaining the advantage over one another. Although, Triple H gained the advantage when Vince hit The Rock with a steel chair two consecutive times, thus turning Vince heel. The attack with the steel chair allowed Triple H to pin The Rock to retain the WWF Championship. After the match The Rock gave the Rock Bottom to Vince, Shane and Stephanie McMahon, before giving Stephanie a People’s Elbow.
The Big Show, one of the four participants at WrestleMania 2000
The Undertaker
After SummerSlam (1999), The Undertaker suffered a groin tear and was seen limping in several matches. He avoided competing in wrestling matches in the following weeks, instead tyrannically ordering The Big Show to fight all his battles and oblige all his many wishes. To compensate for his lack of physical action, Undertaker became more vocal on the mic, often making smart-aleck remarks and performing commentary at the announcer’s table.
In an angle that occurred in September 1999 on SmackDown!, Undertaker was fired by Mr. McMahon in a backstage interview when he refused to participate in a casket match against Triple H. In actuality, Undertaker went on a four month hiatus from WWF in order to treat his groin injury.
In January 2000, one month before a scheduled return at the Royal Rumble, he tore a pectoral muscle. He would remain out until May 200, missing WrestleMania 2000
Mick Foley, living his boyhood dream of competeing in the Main Event at WrestleMania 2000
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Also absent from WrestleMania 2000 was Stone Cold Steve Austin. When Survivor Series 1999 rolled around, Triple H was the WWF champion. Austin was booked into a Triple Threat match for the Championship against Triple H and The Rock. However, Austin was run down by a car in the parking lot. What followed was neck surgery by Dr. Lloyd Youngblood and a nine-month rehabilitation. Stone Cold Steve Austin would at the end of April 2000, at backlash assisting The Rock in defeating Triple H To win the WWF Championship.
Triple H defeats The Rock, Mick Foley and The big Show to win the WWF Championship at WrestleMania
WrestleMania 2000 Results
• The Big Boss Man and Bull Buchanan defeated The Godfather and D’Lo Brown (with Ice-T and The Godfather’s hos). Tag team match 09:05
• Hardcore Holly won by last defeating Crash Holly (c).[Note 1] Hardcore battle royal for the WWF Hardcore Championship 15:00
• T & A (Test and Albert) (with Trish Stratus) defeated Head Cheese (Al Snow and Steve Blackman) (with Chester McCheeserton).
• Edge and Christian defeated The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von) (c) and The Hardy Boyz (Matt and Jeff). Triangle Ladder match for the WWF Tag Team Championship. 22:29
• Terri Runnels (with The Fabulous Moolah) defeated The Kat (with Mae Young). Catfight with special guest referee Val Venis
• Too Cool (Grand Master Sexay and Scotty 2 Hotty) and Chyna defeated The Radicalz (Eddie Guerrero, Perry Saturn and Dean Malenko). Six-person intergender tag team match
• First fall: Chris Benoit defeated Kurt Angle (c) and Chris Jericho.
Second fall: Chris Jericho defeated Kurt Angle (c) and Chris Benoit. Two-fall Triple Threat match for the WWF Intercontinental (first fall) and European Championships (second fall)
• Rikishi and Kane (with Paul Bearer) defeated D-Generation X (X-Pac and Road Dogg) (with Tori).
• Triple H (c) (with Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley) defeated The Rock (with Vince McMahon), Mick Foley (with Linda McMahon) and The Big Show (with Shane McMahon). Four-Way Elimination match for the WWF Championship
Here’s Part 15 of our WrestleMania Retrospective series, looking back at past WrestleMania events as we march towards WrestleMania 29 on April 7th
WrestleMania XV (1999) Tagline: The Ragin’ Climax Sponsor: M&Ms Crispy Date: March 28, 1999 Venue: First Union Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Attendance: 20,276 America the Beautiful: Boyz II Men The Undertaker’s Streak: 8-0 (Def The Big Boss Man)
Butterbean Vs Bart Gunn lasted only 32 seconds at WrestleMania XV
WrestleMania XV featured a main event that contested the WWF Championship between the challenger Steve Austin and The Rock. Another major match at the 1999 event saw The Undertaker wrestle Big Boss Man inside the Hell in a Cell, a roofed cage that surrounds the ring. Lower on the card, six of the seven active championships were defended, including the first WrestleMania defense of the Hardcore Championship. Also on the undercard was a Brawl for All match, an unscripted type of shootfight between wrestler Bart Gunn and boxer/mixed martial artist Butterbean.
The ticket sales of 20,276 at the First Union Center Philadelphia, Pennsylvania drew a gross of $1,437,050.
In the previous year, due to the suddenly enlarged roster, a shootfighting (unscripted) knockout tournament entitled WWF Brawl for All was organized on a voluntary basis with Bart Gunn winning the tournament on August 24 after defeating every opponent by knockout aside from his opening round opponent Bob Holly. When Holly rechristened himself Hardcore Holly on February 15, decrying the poor gimmicks and tag teampartners he had been given in the past, Gunn made his first appearance since winning the tournament, to remind Holly that not all his partners
were of a poor caliber. After a hardcore match between the two, which Gunn dominated until a masked assailant threw him off the stage, noted mixed martial artist and boxer Eric “Butterbean” Esch, who held a 43–1–1 record at the time, challenged him to a Brawl For All fight.
At WrestleMania XV, in The Brawl For All boxing match Butterbean defeated Bart Gunn in the first Wrestlemania’s boxing match since Wrestlemania 2. The match lasted a total of 34 seconds. This was followed with an appearance from the San Diego Chicken, who mocked special referee Vinny Pazienza and was punched to the floor for it.
Baseball’s Pete Rose returns to attack Kane, however gets a tombstone piledriver for his efforts.
Before Kane’s match with Triple H, Kane entered the ring only to be attacked while he was performing his signature entrance by the San Diego Chicken. Kane fought back and unmasked the chicken, revealing it be Pete Rose, trying to gain revenge for the previous year’s incident but receiving a Tombstone piledriver.
Prior to WrestleMania XV Chyna turned on Triple H, and allined herself with The McMahon Corporation. Durrning the match between Kane and Triple H, at WrestleMania XV, Triple H was distracted by Chyna coming to ringside. Triple H tried to Pedigree Kane as he stood up but failed while Chyna pushed the steel steps into the ring. Kane picked them up and ran into Triple H, who used the turnbuckle to swing his feet up and kicked them back into Kane causing Kane to stagger backwards and drop them before smashing his face into the steps from a drop toe-hold.
Triple H and Chyna reunite, with everyone seemingly back in DX.
Triple H then clotheslined Kane out of the ring, following himself and attempting to Pedigree Kane on the steps but was backbody dropped. When they made it back into the ring Kane chokeslammed Triple H while Chyna entered the ring with a steel chair, telling Kane she wanted to attack Triple H but as Kane turned, Chyna hit him with the chair causing him to corner her but again was hit with the chair, this time by Triple H who followed it up with a Pedigree onto the chair. Chyna and Triple H celebrated the reunion of D-Generation X afterwards.
Triple H & Chyna turn on X-Pac and DX helping Shane McMahon retain his European Championship.
Having been buried alive in a Royal Rumble qualification match at Rock Bottom: In Your House, The Undertaker disappeared from television while The Acolytes, Faarooq (Ron Simmons) and Bradshaw (John Layfield), began to act strangely eventually abducting Dennis Knight and leaving him tied up in a darkened room. On January 11 The Undertaker returned in slightly new attire, taking a seat in a ceremonial throne on the Raw is War stage while Paul Bearer stood beside him and The Acolytes brought Knight out and tied him to a table. There Undertaker performed a ritualistic ceremony, rechristening him Mideon. Undertaker began delivering ambiguous apocalyptic messages, but after recruiting Mabel, now Viscera (Nelson Frazier, Jr.) and The Brood he began to be more direct, revealing his plan to attack Mr. McMahon and take over the World Wrestling Federation.
The security of Mr. McMahon’s Corporation, The Big Boss Man, challenged the Ministry to a six-man tag team match which ended in a no contest when the Ministry abducted Shane McMahon and took him to Undertaker, who threatened him while choking him then gave him a letter to give to his father.
The Undertaker Goes 8-0 after defeating The Big Boss Man At WrestleMania XV
McMahon replied the following week on February 22 by booking The Undertaker in an Inferno match with Kane on Raw is War, the first network television airing of that type of match. During the match McMahon provided commentary, nonchalantly revealing he had placed Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match against Big Boss Man for WrestleMania.
After defeating The Big Boss Man in The Hell in a Cell match, with a tombstone piledriver, The Undertaker stood up and looked to the heavens with his hands upwards, signaling The Brood to descend onto the roof of the cell. They cut open the roof of the cell and passed through a noose, securing the other end to the top of the cell. The Brood then ascended back into the rafters as Undertaker put the noose around Boss Man’s neck, with Paul Bearer causing the Cell to rise and take a hanging Boss Man with it. After the match a video package of the Rage Party was shown while Boss Man was taken down and carried off on a stretcher.
During the X-Pac Shane McMahon match, Triple H came to the ring seeming to help remove Corporation Member Test out of the ring. While this was happening X-Pac hit McMahon with an X Factor. Chyna then distracted the referee to allow Triple H to Pedigree X-Pac, turnning on him and DX, and cover him with Shane, allowing him to retain the title. The New Age Outlaws ran in the ring and brawled with Triple H and Test until the lights went out and Kane’s music began to play but by the time the lights came up The Corporation were clear of the ring and had fled.
WWF The Rock faces Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania XV, he will go on to face him at two more WrestleMania’s
In The 1999 Royal Rumble, Vince McMahon tried to prevent Austin winning back the WWF championship by ‘randomly’ drawing him as the first entrant. and drawing himself as the thirtieth. Having annoyed Commissioner Shawn Michaels McMahon was placed into the match as the second entrant. Despite a $100,000 bounty on his head, Austin survived almost all of the match, being the last person eliminated by Mr McMahon thanks to the distraction of The Rock, meaning that McMahon had earned a right to go to WrestleMania.
As a part-time wrestler and a fellow member of The Corporation, McMahon explained the following night that he would be relinquishing his place at WrestleMania, the first Royal Rumble winner to do so, only to be told by Commissioner Michaels that if the winner is unable or unwilling to fight then the place goes to the runner-up. With McMahon irate, Austin revealed that he was willing to put his place on the line and not headline WrestleMania if McMahon would give him the opportunity to fight him one-on-one with no interference from The Corporation, and if he could beat him Austin would not go to WrestleMania.
Their steel cage match at St. Valentine’s Day Massacre mostly consisted of McMahon running away but eventually the two fought with Austin winning the match under unusual circumstances when Big Show made his debut, coming from under the ring and throwing Austin into the cage with the walls of it coming open, meaning that Austin had inadvertently won the match.
The Rock and Austin in front of 20,000+ at WrestleMania XV
Before the main event, Michael Cole announced Jim Ross returning to call the match. Mr McMahon then came to the ring as the special guest referee but once he was in the ring Shawn Michaels’ music began to play. Commissioner Michaels came to the ring and cut a promo joking that he had to buy a ticket to get in, then explaining that only the commissioner is entitled to appoint a referee for WrestleMania, ordering McMahon to the back and barring all members of The Corporation from ring side.
During the championship match, Mr McMahon came to the ring, distracting Austin while The Rock lowblowed him; the two men kicking away at Austin in the corner and punching Earl Hebner when he tried to stop them. As the two double teamed Austin, Mankind came running to the ring in his referee’s uniform, throwing McMahon straight out the ring and Austin tried a roll up pin. He followed with a Lou Thesz Press but Rock soon took the advantage with another Rock Bottom. With Austin in the middle of the ring, The Rock tried the Corporate Elbow but Austin moved out of the way at the last second. Rock caught Austin’s foot and spun him round, trying to Rock Bottom him again but Austin elbowed him away and delivered a stunner, finally securing a pin fall and winning the WWF Championship. This also marked the final appearance of Gorilla Monsoon before his death. Monsoon hadn’t been seen on WWF television since SummerSlam 1997.
Prior to this, Gorilla Monsoon had appeared in 12 of the last 15 WrestleMania events (from I to X, XII). In WrestleMania XI, he appeared only in the Coliseum Video release. Here, he would make his final appearance as a judge for the WWF Brawl for All match.
Stone Cold Steve Austin Becomes WWF Champion again at WrestleMania XV
WrestleMania XV Results
Sunday Night Heat Jacqueline (with Terri Runnels) defeated Ivory (with D’Lo Brown)
Sunday Night Heat D’Lo Brown and Test won when Droz and The Godfather eliminated each other in a 21 Man Battle Royal to become the no. 1 contenders to the WWF Tag Team Championship
• Hardcore Holly defeated Billy Gunn (c) and Al Snow Triple threat hardcore match for the WWF Hardcore Championship
• Owen Hart and Jeff Jarrett (c) (with Debra) defeated D’Lo Brown and Test (with Ivory) Tag team match for the WWF Tag Team Championship 03:58
• Butterbean defeated Bart Gunn Brawl for All boxing match
• Mankind defeated “The Big Show” Paul Wight by disqualification. Singles match to become the special guest referee of the main event.
• Road Dogg (c) defeated Ken Shamrock, Goldust (with The Blue Meanie and Ryan Shamrock) and Val Venis Four corners elimination match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship
• Kane (with Chyna) defeated Triple H by disqualification.
• Sable (c) defeated Tori Singles match for the WWF Women’s Championship
• Shane McMahon (c) (with Test) defeated X-Pac Singles match for the WWF European Championship
• The Undertaker (with Paul Bearer) defeated The Big Boss Man in a Hell in a Cell match
• Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated The Rock (c) No disqualification match for the WWF Championship
– Jack Swagger is scheduled for a court appearance on April 9th in Biloxi, Mississippi to face charges from his arrest last month. His first court date was March 12th but it was continued to a later date at the request of his lawyers.
– Chris Jericho noted on Twitter that he will return to the Jimmy Fallon show on Thursday, April 4th to promote WrestleMania 29.
– Former WWE star Carlito tweeted the following regarding Sean “Diddy” Combs performing live at WrestleMania 29:
Sean diddy combs is performing at wrestlemania 29, thats friggin awesome…said 1997!!!
Carlo’s Bakery from reality TV show Cake Boss delivered a WrestleMania 29-themed cake to WWE headquarters on Friday. Stephanie McMahon noted on Twitter that the cake was a surprise and thanked owner Buddy Valastro. The cake features a huge MetLife Stadium and an Empire State Building with the WrestleMania 29 logo on it. On the side, it says, “From Your Tag Team Partners At Met Life Stadium, NJ & NYC.”
– Several readers sent in word that WWE Headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut had their flags flying at half mast on Friday in respect to the passing of Reid Flair.
– Just a day before his death, Reid Flair tweeted the following message about the independent wrestling shows in Maryland he and his father Ric were supposed to appear at:
March 2013 marks 9 years since the launch of SEScoops.com. It’s been one hell of a ride – with so many changes in not just the wrestling industry, but also the Internet and the way content is delivered. With the recent launch of our latest website build, we wanted to take a look back at how SEScoops has evolved over the years. Hit up the comments below and tell us when you first discovered us!
WWE superstar Sheamus was recently interviewed by DirecTV to promote WrestleMania 29. Here are some of the highlights of what he said about:
What He’s Looking Forward To At WrestleMania:
“Everything about WrestleMania. I mean, I remember as a kid my fondest memories were of watching ‘Mania and dreaming of becoming a WWE superstar. That’s probably cliche because a lot of people say it. But I’ll tell you something fella, I was the kid coming from Ireland that snuck down a 2 a.m. to watch pay-per-views when my dad and ma were asleep.
“I was creeping down these wooden stairs and these wooden floors. It was actually brutal, it was great when they had carpets, no problem at all. But when they got rid of the carpet and varnished the floors, I’d literally be treading down on tippy-toes all the way down so I wouldn’t be heard on the day before school.
“I was in for every pay-per-view but WrestleMania was special. To be involved in WrestleMania 26 when I was there with Triple H — first of all, I can’t believe I’m here and two, I can’t believe I can get paid for this. And of course, last year was special with Daniel Bryan.
“But every year you evolve and every year you strive to push the boundaries. That’s what is going to happen this year I think. It won’t be with The Undertaker, it won’t be for the World Heavyweight championship, but I guarantee you that whatever I’ll be involved in is going to be very special.”
What Is So Special About Performing At WrestleMania:
“Every time I go out there, I get those goosebumps and I get that feeling in my stomach of nerves. I think that never goes away because you’re always with a different crowd and it’s special to you and it means so much to you. You always get nervous, I always get nervous.
“But for ‘Mania, it was incredible. I remember being at the stadium and being all hyped up. I’d literally been on Raw for maybe four months, I’d already been WWE champion — I’d done a awful lot very quickly. This was another step being in there with such a superstar like Triple H.
“I just remember walking the ramp and looking around and going, ‘Wow, this is unbelievable, it’s like a huge football stadium.’ Then, I remember going down and…I was blown away. I remember my knees, for just a half a second, just got weak. I actually thought I was going to go down. I composed myself and I went down that ramp. It felt like it took me 5 minutes to get to the ring. That’s how long that entrance way was for that ‘Mania.
“I remember getting in there and seeing Irish flags and trying to pick people out. It was absolutely incredible.”
His Favorite WrestleMania Moments:
“I loved the Roddy Piper vs. Adrien Adonis match with Jimmy Hart involved. It wasn’t a long match but it was an exciting and fun match with guys like Jimmy Hart being pulled in by Adrien Adonis, Roddy Piper being on fire and both of them being pulled over the top rope. Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake coming down and cutting Adonis’ hair and him freaking out. That, to me, was a great match.
“I also loved Bret and Shawn at WrestleMania XII. I was really torn, I liked both of them but I was more a Bret Hart fan at the time. When he lost, I was gutted. Another great — well, I don’t know if it was great, but a hyped-up match — was Ultimate Warrior vs. Hulk Hogan. I was never a Hogan fan, I was an Ultimate Warrior fan. I just like Warriors’ energy in the ring. I just remembering hoping Warrior would beat Hogan.
“Those are the type of matches that are great, where you’re torn between the two.”
Bret Hart Motivating Him to Become a WWE Superstar:
“He was the first person, it was unbelievable. I always wanted to be a WWE superstar, I just knew it was the route to go. I remember I was working at a club called Lillie’s Bordello where I worked part-time just to get some extra cash.
“He came in to the club in Dublin and I asked him a question about getting a career in WWE. First, he sat down and he was there with his daughter. He sat me down and gave me some really great advice.”
His Dream Opponent:
“Undertaker. Absolutely Undertaker. I was absolutely gutted [when I lost the four-way between myself, C.M. Punk, Big Show and Randy Orton]. That was the match I wanted. The ‘Dead Man’, he’s one of the biggest legends and greatest superstars there ever will be in our business. To be able to step into the ring with him at WrestleMania, fella, there would be nothing bigger.
The International Olympic Committee Eliminating Amateur Wrestling:
“I think the people on the committee have completely lost their marbles. I think that is the most bizarre, ridiculous thing I have ever heard in my entire life. They’re literally removing one of the core sports of the Olympics that’s been there since the very beginning: Greco-Roman wrestling. And they’re taking it out to put in, what? What’s in there now? Badminton? Table tennis? Fly-fishing? Stamp collecting? Is stamp collecting in the Olympics now?
“I’ll be honest, that’s lost all credibility with me. I think that should be one of the core sports. Taking it out is ridiculous. I think they should be removed from their position in the committee because they have no idea what they’re doing.”
WWE tag team champion Kane spoke with Gary Spears from New York’s KISS-FM radio station this week to hype WrestleMania 29. Here are some highlights of what Kane said about:
The Possibility of Snow at WrestleMania:
“Who knows what’s going to happen, right?This may be the first Wrestlemania that they bring the snowplows out. This is going to be really interesting.”
If He Was Surprised The Undertaker Returned For WrestleMania:
“Not really. He’s still got some gas left in the tank. If you’re going to be on the show, this is the show to be on, right? And of course, he’s a guy who really loves the business and loves to be out there. So, that didn’t surprise me at all, no.”
If There Is Jealousy Over Part Time Wrestlers (Rock and Lesnar):
“I don’t think so, because what we try to do is parlay that into better business all around. When the Rock comes back, that takes to a completely different level. The interest he generates is mainstream. It’s beneficial, more so than anyone else can do, frankly. Any petty jealousies that there might be need to be set aside, because we all benefit. It’s like when people say I don’t like so and so because they’re in the top spot, and I’m like well I do like them because I get to work with them and make more money. That’s how I look at it, and I think everybody does. We all benefit from those guys, and the excitement and tension they generate.”
If He Is Surprised At Team Hell No’s Popularity:
“Yeah, I was, and also the fact that it was such a departure from what I normally do. For me anyway, maybe that’s why it worked so well, because it was such a contrast from what Kane has done in the past. Despite the fact that I’m dealing with Daniel Bryanall the time, which is an enormous pain, I’ve actually had a really good time and a lot of fun doing that angle because it has been something different. It gives me some versatility and being able to show a side of Kane that people haven’t seen before makes the character a lot more well rounded. You’re not just a monster, you’re a monster who can crack jokes.”
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR said about:
Which WM29 Match He’s Most Looking Forward To:
“What match am I looking forward to the most at WM29? Several have my interest and ALL are important for those involved on a variety of levels. I certainly look forward to the Shield’s 6 man tag in their debut at the ‘Big Event.’ Very curious to see how @TripleH and Brock Lesnar engage. I love these physical, hellbent for leather type of matches. The Streak is a WM highlight and no element in WrestleMania history has been more significant than the Undertaker going 20-0 at the Super Bowl of WWE. As one who had a hand in signing both @JohnCena and @TheRock I am proud that they are going to close the show, again, but also am nervously anxious to see how they follow all that precedes them. Big time players step up and play when the game’s on the line and closing a WrestleMania event is akin to the game being on the line.”
How He Think Fandango Will Do At WrestleMania:
“I honestly feel that he will do well & have a surprisingly good match with the great Chris Jericho, @IAmJericho. I know that Fandango can wrestle because I’ve seen him pre-Fandango in NXT and it is unfortunate that some fans have already indicted this young man before they’ve see the new persona in action. Just because one doesn’t like the gift wrapping doesn’t mean that the package inside, inside the ropes in this case, won’t be a pleasant surprise.”
Kurt Angle In The WWE Hall Of Fame:
“Do I think that Sting or Kurt Angle will ever be inducted into the WWE HOF? Absolutely, is my best educated guess. When? I have no idea but I hope I’m around to see both inductions.”
– G.I. Joe: Retaliation looks to be having a strong opening weekend at the box office. According to Deadline.com, early data shows the movie pulled in $10.5 million on Thursday (including $2.5m from some Wednesday midnight screenings) and around $15 million on Friday. If they can keep up that pace, it will do around $45-50 million for the four-and-a-half day Easter weekend. Audiences gave it an A- CinemaScore, better than the first installment’s (B+).
– WWE has announced Gerrit Meier as new Executive Vice President of International, reporting directly to Vince McMahon.
– The Baltimore Sunhas an interview with Hacksaw Duggan, talking about his career, older wrestlers still performing and more.
– The official WWE website held a poll Friday asking who Divas Champion Kaitlyn should defend her title against. AJ Lee was the runaway winner, capturing over 70% of the vote. A member of The Bella Twins, however, pondered on Twitter whether Lee is even actually a “Diva,” while also taking the opportunity to slam her promiscuous behavior.
– Speaking to XFINITY by Comcast, Dolph Ziggler revealed that he is none too pleased with WWE opting to utilize part-time talent in the premiere matches at WrestleMania instead of regulars—four of the six wrestlers advertised in the top three billed bouts are part-timers. When asked whether he is annoyed or inspired by this fact, he replied “it’s both.”
“It really pisses me off,” Ziggler noted. “But, it also is good business. Every year a part timer comes back, but there’s a reason that they’re back. Whether it’s the fans want to see them, if they’re a draw, if they’re a movie star, there’s a reason that they’re back. They’re not back just to do it. There’s business to be had. And it pisses me off and it motivates me a hundred percent. It makes me want to be that guy that they’re begging to come back. I appreciate it, it’s just good business. When people come to Wrestlemania to see the Rock and the Undertaker and they leave that Wrestlemania thinking, “Wow, that Dolph Ziggler stole the show. I can’t wait to tune in to ‘Raw’ to see what he does next.” That’s how I’ve lived my entire career.”
“The Show-off” also offered his two cents on his affiliation with Big E Langston and AJ Lee, saying it’s “crazy” that he’s now a locker room veteran assisting young talent.
“As the roster is changing and we have less guys from the late 90s, unless they’re on a light schedule, I’m good enough to be giving back to young up and comers,” said Ziggler. “And it’s really cool to have someone like an AJ and a Big E. I really appreciate that they want the best, they want to know what’s going on, they want to know why I did things in a match. It helps that they were childhood fans. AJ’s dream as a child was to be a WWE Superstar. I was five-years-old and I wanted to be a Superstar. We have that bond. It makes it that much more rewarding. And we’re just getting started. Once Wrestlemania comes and goes we’ll have more time to settle in and I think you’ll see a nice trio of great talent that could be the future of the business.”
Ziggler also discusses hosting WWE Download, the wear and tear of the Money in the Bank briefcase, who he idolized growing up, and more. The full interview is available here.
– As reported today, Reid Fliehr, better known to wrestling fans as “Reid Flair,” son of legendary wrestler Ric Flair, was found dead in a hotel room in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Friday morning. WWE issued a statement via its official website acknowledging the 25-year-old’s passing.
“WWE is saddened to learn of the passing of Reid Flair, son of WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair,” WWE states. “Our deepest condolences go out to the Flair family and friends.”
– Renee Young, who hosts various minor shows for WWE, made her SmackDown debut on tonight’s show in a backstage segment interviewing Randy Orton, Sheamus and Big Show. Reacting to her debut, she wrote on Twitter: “Wow!! Seriously, thanks for all the tweets about making my debut on #Smackdown. Very cool! Let’s all hug in a totally friend-zone kinda way.”
– Former WWE Divas Champion Maryse Ouellet will in New Jersey during WrestleMania weekend as she has been announced to appear at WrestleCon at the Meadowlands Expo Center 355 Plaza Dr. Secaucus, New Jersey. The event takes place the day of WrestleMania from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
– On this week’s “Backstage Fallout” for SmackDown, John Laurinaitis reacts to his appearance on the show. Plus, Kaitlyn explains why she was happy to be Daniel Bryan’s tag team partner despite their differences.
– In 1992, Marvel Comics released the first issue of WCW: World Championship Wrestling a comic book featuring the biggest WCW biggest stars of the time including Sting, Lex Luger, The Steiners, Paul E. Dangerously’s Dangerous Alliance and PN News. The official WWE website has published an article examining ten of the best moments from the first four issues.
– Former WWE Superstar Vader has been announced to appear at the “Wrestling Spectacular 1” taking place May 18 at the Middletown Market 128 Dolson Ave. Middletown, New York. (Event Details)
