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)
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has published his latest blog, which includes thoughts on WrestleMania and whether TNA Wrestling stars Sting and Kurt Angle will ever be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Highlights from the post are as follows:
What WrestleMania match is he looking forward to most? “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.”
Where he’ll be during WrestleMania week: “Yes I am going to WrestleMania and will be appearing at the WWEShop Super Store Friday afternoon from 1-3 signing and taking photos, as I understand it. The Super Store which is located just inside the MetLife gate at the Stadium is going to be a big hit and they will be stocking all JR’s products Thursday-Saturday and everything but the Beef Jerky on Sunday but I’m hoping that we well out of Jerky by Sunday.
“I have one AXXESS appearance. It is Saturday morning 8-10 at the Legends booth. Autographs and photos as usual there and I hope we have a big crowd. Bring your JR’s products Saturday morning and I will be happy to sign them.”
Has WWE considered releasing a Jim Ross DVD? “WWE has never discussed doing a JR DVD featuring my favorite matches and updated interviews with many of the stars involved but that’s not to say that it won’t or can’t happen some day. Might be a nice idea for WWE.com visitors and fans to vote an select their choices.”
Whether Sting or Kurt Angle will ever be inducted into 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.”
To read the full post, which includes more thoughts on WrestleMania, click here.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg police department has confirmed that Reid Flair, the 25-year-old son of legendary wrestler Ric Flair, was found dead Friday in a Charlotte hotel.
According to a press release issued by police, officers received a call for service in reference to an unresponsive individual at a room at the Residence Inn in SouthPark. Police identified the person as Richard Fliehr (his real name), and he was pronounced dead.
Police say there didn’t appear to be foul play involved in his death.
Ric Flair’s agent, Melinda Morris Zanoni of Legacy Talent and Entertainment, issued a statement on Facebook: “We are heartbroken to confirm that Ric’s son, Reid Fliehr, has passed away today March 29, 2013 in Charlotte, NC.
Ric Flair’s agent, Melinda Morris Zanoni of Legacy Talent and Entertainment, issued the following statement on Facebook concerning Reid’s passing: “We are heartbroken to confirm that Ric’s son, Reid Fliehr, has passed away today March 29, 2013 in Charlotte, N.C.
“The investigation into the cause of death is ongoing. Reid was 25 and an incredible son, brother, friend, and professional wrestler.
“No words can describe the grief that Ric and his family are experiencing and they do request privacy during this devastating time.”
– The official WWE website has posted an article listing ten wrestlers who were “ahead of their time.” This list includes Dynamite Kid, Gorgeous George, Brian Pillman, Nick Bockwinkel, Bad News Brown, Goldust, Sabu, “Superstar” Billy Graham, Raven and Antonino Rocca.
WWE compares Pillman to CM Punk, stating, “Before CM Punk broke the fourth wall with his unforgettable “pipe bomb” tirade in June 2011, Pillman regularly cast his wild eyes right at the camera’s lens and unleashed bold messages that captured the unbridled emotion of The Attitude Era. Despite Pillman’s relatively short career, his body of work — including rivalries that took deeply personal turns — continues to influence a new generation of performers.”
– Highlights from this week’s episode of WWE Superstars are now online, which features Natalya going one-on-one with Aksana.
Also featured is Kofi Kingston squaring off against Primo.
Seven-time WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus joined “The Rack” Thursday night she discussed her pending Hall of Fame induction, what will she be wearing to the ceremony, the poll from her website about her top 10 favorite outfits, who are some of the people she wished she could have faced, her feelings on the state of the current Divas division, her iconic match at WrestleMania 22 vs Mickie James, how does someone come down from the highs of WrestleMania, possibly getting a Mattel Trish Stratus Barbie, an update on her yoga studio, who would she like to see as the next female inductee to the Hall of Fame and more. Highlights from the interview are as follows:
Her reaction to entering the WWE Hall of Fame: “I’m super excited; oh my gosh. The call was like ‘Oh my God, seriously?!’ That was my first reaction. But I mean I’m actually honored; I know I keep saying this but I felt like ‘it feels like a little bit too soon’ but then I realized I have been retired for seven years. I don’t know, I think I have such an active role in the company at this moment that I don’t feel like I’ve been away from it for that long, you know? But I’m just, I’m thrilled, I’m very honored and when I heard the class this year, it’s just like wow; I’m just blown away. And as the fan, I feel like it’s amazing. I’m really looking forward to that weekend.”
Who is someone she wished she could have faced in the WWE today: “I feel like I’ve been saying it a lot but I mean the two women that really did some awesome stuff after I left was, well, one thing I say is I was so satisfied when I retired because I felt like I worked with just about everyone I wanted to work with, right? And then, all of a sudden, there was this wonderful burst of Nattie and Beth and it was the ‘Divas of Destruction’ and it was just this awesome stuff that they were doing and I’m like ‘I want a piece of that’. That is something I would like to go back to because it was good wrestling again. And Beth, thankfully, I had a chance to go back and wrestle with her, and you know Nattie is just, and we both say it, I would just love the opportunity to work with her, I think. And when I say work with her, I mean partner or even I would, it would be my pleasure to kick her butt. So, you know, we both being a Canadian mix of things and I just see some double Sharpshooter action; I just see some good stuff that would be really good. But you knows? It’s kind of like who is on my wish-list. “
Her thoughts on the current state of the Diva’s Division: “I think what is missing is I think everyone has the right tools. I think we’re seeing; listen, when you look at, and it’s funny, I fell in Kaitlyn because I loved her quirky attitude and she reminds me of me and I like that a lot, and there’s that afraid to not be silly and I just think that the fans don’t know that side of her, or know as much as we do on the inside, right? So, what I think is missing overall, and it’s something I’ve said for years, is the development of the characters.
So, everybody’s got the right tools, everybody has the skills to wrestle and definitely I think we have distinct personalities out there, even someone like Rosa Mendes. To me, the lost art is the valet to full-time wrestler transition and I think the more we see of Rosa in her valet role, it allows us to really get to know her and develop her character, right? And for her, and I hope she realizes, it’s one of the best places to be to really understand and to get wrestling. Like, I know when I was ringside watching the guys wrestle and watching every movement and what evokes and emotion and you kind of watch what works and what didn’t work, it made me when I got in the ring, it made able to draw on that, those experiences, and really bring that into the ring and be a better performer. So, I think everyone’s got the capabilities, certainly everyone’s been wrestling more and I think there’s some great wrestling technique going on now and characters for sure. I think now, we just have to sort of look at the division as a whole and it would be awesome to just think ‘Ok, how do we position each person a little differently and make these storylines?’ because everyone’s kind of wrestling with each other but there’s no storylines. And it’s like, what’s the direction, what’s the storyline, why are they wrestling, why do they hate each other? And I want it to be more than ‘You’re a girl’ and ‘I want the title’ it has to be more than just the title because obviously, that’s what we’re all going for, that’s the purpose of being in wrestling and why you compete in your division but there’s got to be an underlying storyline and that’s usually what stems from your characters. “
On the quality of matches given by Divas today: “That’s the thing, these girl’s matches are great; they’re actually having really good matches, to be honest. Tamina is fantastic in there, I mean and it’s like everyone happens to be under the radar because they’re like ‘Yeah, that was a good match’ but it’s true. It’s like, you need that storyline, there’s no way around it. You see they deliver the good, they just need something to fuel them in there, so when they’re there it’s like I care what that kick means, or why that cheat means so why I hate her for that cheat. So, that’s one thing missing, that’s for sure.”
Who would she like to see next inducted into the Hall of Fame, female wise: “I mean, I think Lita would be a great pick. She and I obviously sort of have this parallel our entire career. She’s a great friend of mine, I respect her and our career was a real special thing that we had; the relationship and our character’s relationship as well; I think she would be deserving. But, at the same time, you know it’s a long list. There’s some great women; I know one thing I kept hearing was Luna Vachon; why is Trish Stratus going in before Luna Vachon and I concur. You know, I think Luna, to me it would be great to see her go in but there’s so many women who’ve contributed to the overall of what women and how women are perceived in wrestling, but these women will all get in at some point. It’s not a matter of will they, it’s a matter of when.”
The wrestling world is expressing its shock and support for the Flair family on Twitter in response to the tragic passing of 25 year old Reid Flair. Here are some tweets from today:
Words cannot express our emotions re: death today of Reid Flair the 24 year old son of Ric Flair. Condolences to the Flair family. So sad.
Reid Flair, the 25-year-old son of legendary wrestler Ric Flair, has been found dead on Friday, according to multiple sources. Details concerning his passing have not been disclosed.
With his background, Flair was hailed as future wrestling star dating back to high school as he was an accomplished amateur wrestler who achieved numerous awards. His career, however, was sidetracked in 2009 due to a slew of personal issues, including an arrest that found him in possession of black tar heroin.
Following a hiatus from the squared circle, Reid made his in-ring debut for All Japan Wrestling in January, replacing his sick father in a tag team match due to the WWE Hall of Famer suffering a blood clot in his leg. Last month, Reid competed in All Japan’s Excite Series tour, wrestling undercard tag team matches. On March 15, Flair wrestled his first singles match in All Japan, causing Yasufumi Nakanoue to submit with the Figure Four Leglock.
In recent months, there was talk of Reid joining WWE developmental along with his sister, Ashley (NXT Diva Charlotte). WWE did take a look at him, but he was never signed to a contract.
He was scheduled to make independent appearances in Maryland this weekend with his father.
Our deepest condolences go out to the friends and family of Reid Flair.
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WWE Champion The Rock appeared on Jimmy Kimmel last night to hype promote G.I. Joe: Retaliation. Although he did not have the WWE Championship belt with him, The Rock did speak about WWE during a good portion of the interview. The Rock talked about his crazy schedule, training and dieting for both WrestleMania 29 and the upcoming film Hercules at the same time.
Kimmel asked The Rock why he needs to focus on his match against John Cena at WrestleMania if the outcome is per-determined. The Rock laughed off the remark and said, “Here’s the thing. If I lose, ‘God, it’s phony. If I win, then it’s real.”
The Rock talked about starting with WWE back in 1996, when he had zero wrestling experience and showed up with “no trunks, no boots, no nothing.” Kimmel asked him if he had to wrestle naked. The Rock said he was then sent back to the minor-leagues and had to start from the bottom, wrestling in flea-markets, used-car dealerships, and barns, where fans threw batteries at him and cut him with exacto-knives. Kimmel said, “I guess it worked out.”
(please submit YOUR questions to [email protected]) or follow @solomonster on Twitter and submit them that way!
Q: Last week on the Sound Off [podcast], you talked about the Booker vs. Triple H match at WrestleMania 19 and said that he squashed him, with no rematch. I found on YouTube though that they had a rematch on Raw with HBK as the special referee. It ended in some kind of no contest after Jericho and Nash interfered. As someone who didn’t watch WWE during Triple H’s “reign of terror”, I’m curious to what extent you think it really took away from the product and frustrated you that he kept putting himself over? – Draven
A: Was that the match where the bell never rang to signal the end of the contest? How can I forget that? Technically, that match is still in progress, making it the longest match in history. It was incredibly frustrating (and boring, quite frankly) to see Triple H put himself over at the expense of others on a weekly basis. The things he would do, and say on promos, did his opponents no favors. This differs greatly from the way his idol, Ric Flair, did business in the midst of his NWA title runs. You could argue that his being champion for so long made the title mean more, and that may be so, but during his 434 days reign as champion, I never felt that CM Punk did anything to make his opponents look inferior the way that Triple H did.
Q: I’m not against Rock being around, but I am against him being the WWE Champion. For me, the title still means something and it should only be held by guys who will be around the whole year. I find it ridiculous that The Rock can’t even take 10 seconds on his media rounds to say that he’s wrestling, he’s the WWE Champion or even mention his upcoming title defense vs Cena at WrestleMania. I was hesitant at first, but thought it might end up good for WWE if Rocky gave them some publicity heading into Mania. Do you think Rock hasn’t done his job as WWE Champion? – Justin from Puerto Rico
A: WWE wanted him to be champion. He could have told them to go piss off, but he agreed to it. He’s doing just fine. I would have preferred they at least tape something with him to air during one of those two weeks of Raw that he missed, but that’s WWE’s fault for not thinking of it. I was quite suspect of Rock going on The Tonight Show and not saying a word about WrestleMania or being the champion, but since then, he’s talked wrestling on “Live with Kelly and Michael” and devoted an entire segment to it on Jimmy Kimmel’s show. Rock is doing his job just fine. Believe me, WWE will be more than happy once they tally up this year’s box office for Mania.
Q: I’m pretty sure [Daniel Bryan] and Kane are breaking up soon after WrestleMania. Do you think [Bryan] will be in the main event scene, or will he be placed in a mid-card comedy program with Santino or Hornswoggle? Also, do think he’ll turn heel and transition back to the entertaining “YES” man, or could he try to change it up and turn into a wrestling machine like Kurt Angle later in his late WWE run? – Gareth
A: Everyone has to adapt. You mention Kurt Angle, who went from goofy comedy figure to serious submission machine in the span of a few years. I have no doubt that Bryan could pull off the same if they wanted him to. But right now, the comedy stuff is working, so I say run with it until they actually have a plan for him. The worst thing they could do is break up Hell No and turn Bryan serious without having a direction in mind for him. But I think I can safely say he won’t be feuding with Santino or Hornswoggle, so you can rest easy.
Q: Why do fans give into near falls that aren’t [preceded] by someone’s finish? I just find it strange that we as fans [fall for] the idea that a pinfall can come out of nowhere that doesn’t involve a rollup, GTS, RKO, etc. You would think after the way our brains have been trained we’d know otherwise. – Kenneth
A: That’s a sign you’re watching a great wrestling match with two guys who know what they’re doing. Matt Hardy used the Side Effect as a setup move for years and the fans ALWAYS reacted to it like they thought it was the finish. It always amazed me, but he had the people invested. That’s the magic of pro wrestling.
Q: I just watched Raw from this past Monday. Wow. Just wow. This show sucked and is indicative of where WWE is at right now. I haven’t seen WWE this bad since 1995 when Diesel was champion and we were treated to the likes of T.L. Hopper, Duke “The Dumpster” Droese, and the Dentist Soon To Be Known as Kane. Was WWE 1995 worse than WWE today? – Cliff
A: WWE right now is nowhere near as bad as it was in 1995. I don’t want to say there was nothing redeeming about the product that year because, to be fair, they had some great wrestlers in Bret and Owen Hart, Shawn Michaels, 1-2-3 Kid and Hakushi. Even the pirate guy had a great match with the Hitman, and the Waylon Mercy character is highly underrated, even if Danny Spivey was past his expiration date at that stage of his career. But whatever good there may have been is negated 100 times over by those atrocious gimmicks we were subjected to that year. Could you picture Chris Jericho as The Goon? It almost happened! And let’s not forget Mantaur. I bet Jim Cornette sure wishes he could.
Q: With [the groundhog] lying to us here in the northeast yet again, my question is simple. Does WWE have a backup plan for WrestleMania if the winter weather has not released its grip in the northeast? With the long, elaborate entrances for Mania, what do you think they would do? – Tim from Mechanicsburg, PA
A: Supposedly, they have invested in giant heaters for the stage and ringside area if it’s really cold that night. The rest of us in attendance may freeze our asses off, but otherwise, the show goes on!
Q: Was Ahmed Johnson released from the WWF in 1998 or did he leave on his own? And what’s he up to these days? – Ravonn from NY
A: Ahmed walked out on a Raw taping one night and never came back. He claimed in later interviews the reason he left was because his sister was dying of cancer and he never told Vince McMahon about it. I guess it was a macho thing. As for what he’s up to these days, judging by recent photos, I’d say about 450.
Keep those questions coming to [email protected] and remember to include your name!
Paul Heyman recently spoke with Philly.com to promote WrestleMania 29. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
The City of Philadelphia:
“There is no Paul Heyman in 2013 without the city of Philadelphia. Each city has a unique flavor… and Philadelphia is the reason why ECW became such a global phenomenon and in turn solidified my reputation and afforded me the opportunity to build my reputation that I would have never had in any other city in America or in the world for that matter.”
Working with CM Punk and Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania:
“How could it be bad for me? I have two of the three main events properly represented on the biggest Wrestlemania of all time in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area. How could things be going anything but splendidly for me? I’m ecstatic with my current role in WWE. I get to work every Monday with my two best friends: Brock Lesnar and CM Punk. I have ‘The Beast’ [Lesnar] and ‘The Best’ [Punk].”
Final Hype for Brock vs. Triple H and Punk vs. The Undertaker:
“One, you have a chance to come and witness true history, where The Undertaker’s streak is finally going to be snapped. You get to say that ‘I saw it live when The Undertaker’s streak was broken by CM Punk. Far from least important, you get to sat thank you to Triple H for all of his in-ring contributions to the WWE Universe throughout the years because if you’re a Triple H fan, you’re not going to get to see him wrestle again. This is going to be his last match because Brock Lesnar is going to beat Triple H and this is your chance to say thank you to the The Game.”
Here’s Part 14 of our WrestleMania Retrospective series, looking back at past WrestleMania events as we march towards WrestleMania 29 on April 7th
WrestleMania XIV (1998) Tagline: The Greatest PPV Attraction of all time! Sponsor: M&Ms Date: March 29, 1998 Venue: Fleet Center, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 19,028 America the Beautiful/The Star-Spangled Banner: Performed by Chris Warren and The DX Band (Off air) The Undertaker’s Streak: 7-0 (Def Kane )
WrestleMania XIV was the fourteenth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), which was presented by M&Ms and took place on March 29, 1998 at the FleetCenter in Boston, Massachusetts.
This pay-per-view event was notable for the involvement of boxer Mike Tyson, who acted as a ring enforcer for the main event. The main event also saw the start of Steve Austin’s first WWF Championship reign. His victory in the main event, against Shawn Michaels (who performed despite a severe injury and would not compete again until SummerSlam 2002), has been cited as the beginning of the Attitude Era.
WrestleMania XIV night began a tag team battle royal Won by The Legion of Doom. (LOD 2000 w/ Sunny)
After Legion of Doom lost their Tag Team Championship to the New Age Outlaws, they were assaulted by the Outlaws and D-Generation X. At the Royal Rumble they lost a championship match largely because Road Dogg handcuffed Hawk to the outside of the ring.Following this they suffered two defeats by the NWA members Jeff Jarrett and Barry Windham and finally on the February 23 episode of Raw, they lost again to the New Age Outlawswhen, despite having the match all but won, the non-legal Hawk did not leave the ring and while the referee was busy removing him, Animal was struck by the title belts and lost the match. Following the bout the two brawled all the way to the back and announced their dissolution, not appearing again until WrestleMania.
Triple H retains his WWF European Championship, against all that was left in the Hart Family. Owen Hart.
After the Montreal Screwjob, Owen Hart was the only member of the Hart family to remain with the company, and after a temporary absence returned during In Your House: D-Generation X to attack Shawn Michaels.Following this he turned his attention to Hunter Hearst Helmsley and the European Championship that Michaels had given to Helmsley as a Christmas present. After weeks of deterring a championship match by way of a fractured kneecap, Triple H finally acquiesced to a match on January 26’s Raw is War, only for the Artist Formerly Known as Goldust (who was dressing up from week to week in a bid for attention) to appear in Helmsley’s place. After Hart won the match, WWF Commissioner Slaughter declared the disguise so convincing that he upheld the decision and awarded the belt to Hart.On Raw, March 2, Hart defended the title against Mark Henry, Chyna came to the ring and pushed Hart off the turnbuckle allowing Henry to lock on a bearhug, but before he could submit she gave an obvious lowblow to Henry, resulting in a disqualification in favour of Hart. The following week in a match against Barry Windham, Hart landed awkwardly on his ankle suffering a (kayfabe) injury. On a special Tuesday edition of Raw, March 17, the following week Hart joined the commentary team with a supportive case on his leg; while commentating Triple H came to the ringside and goaded him into an impromptu title defence despite his cast, during the match Chyna appeared and hit his ankle with a bat allowing Helmsley to win the title back.
The Rock keeps his Intercontinental Championship, after Ken Shamrock disqualifies himself.
After successively beating members of the Nation of Domination until Mark Henry turned on him, Ken Shamrock beat the Intercontinental Champion[2] Rocky Maivia despite being hit with a foreign object; The Rock convinced the referee that it was in fact he who suffered an illegal attack and the referee reversed his decision.The following month at No Way Out of Texas: In Your House, Shamrock capitalised on the in-fighting of the Nation, due to leadership disputes between Faarooq and The Rock, by pinning the champion in a ten-man tag team match.
The Undertaker makes a grand entrance at WrestleMania XIV
At the end of the inaugural Hell in a Cell match at Badd Blood, just as The Undertaker looked to have won the match against Shawn Michaels, the lights went out and a masked man came to the ring and delivered a tombstone piledriver to the shocked Undertaker.The masked man was revealed to be Kane, Undertaker’s (kayfabe) half-brother and, despite the animosity and the presence of Paul Bearer, Undertaker vowed never to fight his little brother. Before Undertaker’s casket match with Michaels, D-Generation X claimed Kane had joined them but in fact he came to the ring to assist Undertaker.
The Undertaker goes 7-0 at WrestleMania XIV, defeating his bother Kane.
The alliance was short lived, however, as during the Royal Rumble event Kane came to the ring and locked Undertaker in his casket before setting it ablaze, presuming his brother dead.On the March 2 edition of Raw is War, Kane’s opponent, Steve Austin, was taken out by DX and with nothing to do, Bearer ordered the time keeper to deliver a ten-bell salute for The Undertaker’s passing, before telling Kane to tombstone him. After he did, more bells were heard to ring, this time signalling Undertaker’s theme music. The ringing continued much longer than normal, with Bearer denying the possibility of it being the Deadman. Eventually a sarcophagus appeared on the top of the ramp and after lightning struck it, The Undertaker sat up before revealing that he had been through hell and talked to his parents to tell them that he would have to go back on his vow. The week before WrestleMania, Kane came to the ring and began to display similar supernatural powers as his brother, striking the TitanTron with lightning, as well as the announce table, before striking a crew worker with lightning, setting him on fire; Undertaker was shown on the same episode speaking to his parents’ gravestones, revealing it may have to take the damnation of his soul to reunite the troubled family.
Baseball Great Pete Rose just seconds before getting a Tomb Stone Piledriver from Kane.
Before The Undertaker’s match with Kane, baseball record-holder Pete Rose came to the ring as the special ring announcer. However, after insulting the home-town team and introducing Kane, the wrestler gave him a tombstone piledriver starting a tri-year tradition. The Undertaker was preceded by a league of torch-bearing druids to the tune of O Fortuna. The Undertaker would eventually defeat Kane to become 7-0 at WrestleMania. His effort took three tombstones with a guillotine leg drop and flying clothesline in between to stop Kane kicking out and sitting up. As soon as the match was over Bearer attacked Undertaker and ordered Kane attack him, which he did with a chair shot to the head and then a tombstone piledriver onto the chair. After Kane and Bearer left, Undertaker sat up and left the ring.
Stone Cold Steve Austin, Defeats Shawn Michaels to become WWF Champion
In January, Steve Austin won the Royal Rumble while Shawn Michaels retained his WWF Championship, both under the auspices of Mike Tyson from the director’s box. The following week on Raw is War, Vince McMahon revealed that Tyson would be the special guest referee for WrestleMania’s main event until Austin appeared and gave the finger to Tyson, offering him a fight and proclaiming the wrestling ring to be his, not Tyson’s.] At the ensuing press conference, McMahon announced that due to the explosive situation Tyson’s role was being changed to that of ring enforcer. On February 2, in a scheduled match against Road Dogg, D-Generation X stormed the match and tied Austin in the ropes, shouting abuse in his face and rubbing the Championship belt in his face, taunting him with it until Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie came to his aid. The following week Austin stole the belt from Michaels in the hope of baiting him in a singles match but the partnership of D-Generation X and New Age Outlaws continued. This led to a “non-sanctioned” eight-man tag match at No Way Out of Texas: In Your House, which Michaels declined to participate in and that Austin won by pinning Road Dogg. With WrestleMania drawing closer, on March 2 Tyson appeared once again to be interviewed only for Michaels to interrupt and challenge Tyson to a fight. After both entourages left the ring, the two grabbed at each other until Michaels ripped Tyson’s shirt revealing a DX t-shirt showing the enforcer’s degenerate alliance; later in the evening Austin came out to take place in a match against Kane he saw Triple H on the ramp and walked over to him, only to turn round into Sweet Chin Music which knocked him out, something that occurred again the following week. Also that week, a St. Patrick’s Day Tuesday broadcast of Raw on March 17, Austin called out Vince McMahon and attacked him for describing Tyson as ‘the baddest man on the planet’ but McMahon would not be goaded into a fight, instead he forced Austin to fight Rocky Maivia the following episode just, before WrestleMania.
Mike Tyson raises the New WWF Champion’s hand: Stone Cold Steve Austin. At WrestleMania XIV
With Mike Tyson enforcing from ring side, the WWF Championship fight began with both superstars dancing around each other, engaging in a few light punches before Shawn Michaels escaped the ring and ran back in to take advantage of Steve Austin, but was met with a standing clothesline. Towards the end of the match, Austin then tried to reverse a standing sleeper hold by throwing Michaels back into the turnbuckle but unwittingly trapped referee Mike Chioda who fell unconscious. With both men on the floor, HBK recovered with a kip-up and landed a high-flying elbow drop, getting in position to taunt for his finisher. As Austin eventually stood up, he ducked the super kick, attempting a stunner on Michaels as he turned round only to be thrown into the ropes and met again with a Sweet Chin Music which he grabbed, spinning Michaels round and finishing with a Stone Cold stunner.
Tyson jumped into the ring to make a quick three count and the new champion celebrated by tossing the enforcer an Austin 3:16 t-shirt. When Shawn Michaels stood up, he confronted Tyson about his turn but was met with a punch that instantly floored him, and draped with Austin’s t-shirt.
19,028 packed the Fleet Center, in Boston, Massachusetts for WrestleMania XIV
WrestleMania XIV Results
• L.O.D. 2000 (Hawk and Animal) (with Sunny) won by last eliminating The New Midnight Express (Bombastic Bob and Bodacious Bart) (with Jim Cornette).[ 15-team battle royal for the number one contendership to the WWF Tag Team Championship. Other participants were: Los Boricuas (Savio Vega and Miguel Pérez, Jr.), Los Boricuas (Jose Estrada, Jr. and Jesus Castillo), The Truth Commission (Recon and Sniper), Bradshaw and Chainz, the Nation of Domination (Mark Henry and D’Lo Brown), the Nation of Domination (Faarooq and Kama Mustafa), The Quebecers (Jacques Rougeau and Pierre Ouellet), The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson), The Headbangers (Mosh and Thrasher), Too Much (Scott Taylor and Brian Christopher), Disciples of Apocalypse (8-Ball and Skull), Steve Blackman and Flash Funk and The Godwinns (Phineas and Henry)
• Taka Michinoku (c) defeated Aguila Singles match for the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship
• Triple H (c) (with Chyna) defeated Owen Hart Singles match for the WWF European Championship.
• Marc Mero and Sable defeated The Artist Formerly Known as Goldust and Luna
“The Austin Era, has begun!” – Jim Ross at WrestleMania XIV
• The Rock (c) (with Kama Mustafa, Mark Henry and D’Lo Brown) defeated Ken Shamrock by disqualification Singles match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship with the stipulation that The Rock could lose the title by disqualification 04:49
• Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie defeated the New Age Outlaws (c) (Billy Gunn and Road Dogg) Dumpster match for the WWF Tag Team Championship
• The Undertaker defeated Kane (with Paul Bearer)
• Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated Shawn Michaels (c) (with Triple H and Chyna) Singles match for the WWF Championship with Mike Tyson as special outside enforcer
WWE superstar Evan Bourne returned to action at Thursday night’s WWE NXT live event after a full year out of action due to injury. Bourne defeated NXT star Sammy Sane, formerly known as El Generico.
Bourne was asked a fan on Twitter earlier this week when he’ll be returning to action and he replied, “Not Long!”
Bourne suffered a badly broken foot in a car accident last March. He tweeted at the time that the foot was “Broken in 4 spots, dislocated in 5” and has been doing physical rehabilitation in recent months in preparation for his return.
WWE Champion The Rock did a “Rock Talk” live chat with his fans on Twitter on Thursday evening and spoke about everything from WrestleMania 29, his movie career, his diet and more. Here are some highlights of what he said:
“My fav Wrestlemania moment will come April 7. Met Life Stadium. The greatest way I can give back to the @WWE. #RockTalk”
“My current diet is a 14 week prep to shoot Hercules. 7 meals a day. Protein/carbs/greens. Zero fat. It’s a bitch;). #RockTalk”
“Making #GIJoeRetaliation & playing Roadblock was a childhood dream come true. Super cool, plus Block’s a bad mofo! #RockTalk”
“Prep for #GIJoeRetaliation fight scenes was tough. Trained w Navy SEALs & fight choreographers. Had to look legit. #RockTalk”
“Working w/ Michael Bay & Wahlberg on PAIN & GAIN was solid. My boys. P&G will be unlike anything you’ve ever seen..;) #RockTalk”
“3 important things I learned for success: Stay hungry, humble & surround yourself w/ quality peeps. (And eat pancakes) #RockTalk”
“I want to play a Jedi, Space Cowboy & Evil Sith all rolled into one. Anything’s possible – calling JJ! #StarWars #RockTalk”
– London’s O2 Arena has announced that The Undertaker will be appearing at the April 23rd Smackdown taping. It’s being promoted as a “London Exclusive.”
– The Elimination Chamber preliminary buyrate released as part of WWE’s monthly business figures – and the show did approximately 221,000 buys, with 161,000 domestic buys and 51,000 international. This is way up from 178,000 buys in 2011 and 199,000 buys in 2011. The show featured the Rock vs. CM Punk rematch for the WWE Championship and Jack Swagger winning the SmackDown brand’s Elimination Chamber match to earn World Heavyweight title match against Alberto Del Rio at WrestleMania 29.
Also released in the business figures is an updated buyrate for January’s Royal Rumble – which came in at 498,000 buys total.
TNA taped next week’s episode of Impact wrestling on Thursday night from Jonesboro, Arkansas. Here are spoiler results, courtesy of Stephen Williams:
* Adam Pearce won his Gutcheck bout against a Latin talent. Didn’t catch their name.
* Petey Williams defeated Sonjay Dutt and Scorpio Sky in a great match. Big reaction for Williams’ return.
* There was a contract signing for TNA Tag champs Austin Aries & Bobby Roode to defend against Chavo Guerrero & Hernandez at the Corpus Christi, Texas taping.
* AJ Styles vs. James Storm was set up by Hulk Hogan during a segment where the two faced off in the ring on the mic.
* Aces & Eights promo – they teased offering AJ Styles a slot and noted TNA “fired” D-Lo Brown. This led to Kurt Angle attacking them.
* Aces & Eights’ Wes Brisco & Garett Bischoff & Knox & DOC & Devon defeated Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, Magnus, Joseph Park and Eric Young.
Maria Menounos to Induct Bob Backlund into WWE® Hall of Fame
WWE (NYSE:WWE) announced today that Extra Host Maria Menounos will induct Bob Backlund into the WWE Hall of Fame. The ceremony will be held at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, April 6, 2013 as part of WrestleMania® Week.
Maria Menounos competed at WrestleMania 28 in Miami, FL on April 1, 2012. She will induct Bob Backlund into the WWE Hall Of Fame Class of 2013 at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, April 6, 2013. (Photo: Business Wire)
Menounos has made multiple appearances on WWE programming dating back to 2009 when she made her in-ring debut and co-hosted Monday Night Raw with Nancy O’Dell. In 2011, Menounos appeared at WWE Tribute to the Troops where she teamed with Eve Torres, Kelly Kelly and Alicia Fox to defeat the team of The Bella Twins and WWE Divas Natalya and Beth Phoenix. Menounos continued her feud after Phoenix and Eve Torres interrupted an interview segment with Kelly Kelly on Extra. This led to a tag team match at WrestleMania 28 where she teamed with Kelly Kelly to defeat Torres and Phoenix.
Menounos, a lifelong WWE fan, idolized Backlund while growing up and met him through partner Keven Undergaro, who as Head Writer of MTV’s Singled Out, cast Backlund to guest star alongside Jenny McCarthy and Chris Hardwick. Menounos then worked with Backlund on the comedy feature, In the Land of Merry Misfits, and the two have been close ever since. Backlund was present at Menounos Miss Massachusetts USA competition and ran alongside her at the Nike Celebrity Road Race.
“It is an honor to induct my good friend Bob Backlund into the WWE Hall of Fame,” said Maria Menounos. “Watching him carry the title for a since unmatched five years and then stage such an incredible comeback with a reinvented persona puts him in a class all his own. Add in his incredible work ethic and high moral caliber, and you have everything that defines the word champion. And astonishingly, he can still wrestle with guys a third his age! He’s my hero and my friend. I can’t wait for the ceremony on April 6.”
“I am truly humbled to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame,” said Bob Backlund. “Maria has been a friend for years and I can’t think of someone I would rather have induct me at Madison Square Garden.”
A one-hour Hall of Fame special will air on Tuesday, April 9 at 10:00 p.m. ET on USA Network. WrestleMania 29 airs live on pay-per-view Sunday, April 7 at 7:00 p.m. ET from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.
