– Five young talents have been added to the official roster page of Florida Championship Wrestling, the official developmental territory of WWE:
Three superstars: Alexander Rusev, Dean Ambrose, and Ethan Levin.
Two divas: Audrey Marie and Eden Stiles.
– Following an unsuccessful bid for United States Senate last November, former WWE CEO Linda McMahon is still strongly considering another run next year. McMahon’s publicists issued a brief statement to Connecticut’s Hearst Newspaper this week, saying: “It is still a very strong consideration.”
– WWE has announced details for the upcoming SummerSlam Axxess convention. The 2-day event will take place on August 13th and 14th from the Nokia Plaza in Los Angeles. Tickets will go on sale July 9 at 10 AM PST. For more information on the event, click here.
Kurt Angle was recently interviewed by the UK’s Bamber Media to promote next January’s Maximum Impact tour. Here are some highlights of what Angle said about:
Competing In the 2012 Summer Olympics:
“After Atlanta (1996), I wanted to take a break. Then I got caught up in pro-wrestling. I was going to try-out in 2004 but I broke my neck. Before 2008 I went a divorce and was at a really difficult time in my life. I’m a very competitive person. With the UFC I needed three to six months to get ready. They wanted me ready in four and a half weeks. I wanted to do it under my terms. A lot of people were saying ‘Kurt said he was going to fight but he didn’t. He backed out six different times and he’s going to back out of the Olympics’. No I’m not – because this is under my terms.”
His New TNA Contract:
“I’m going to start going part time. I’m at a point in my career where TNA can’t afford me to be travelling around and getting injured at house shows when they need me on TV. If I want to perform the way I do and steal the show every time I wrestle I have to be 100% healthy and we are both in agreement on that.”
Helping TNA’s younger stars:
“When you’re on your way out you want to make the younger guys more popular. You want to put these guys over and that’s where I am with my career. Look at James Storm, Robert Roode, Crimson, Amazing Red, Kazarian, Mr Anderson, The Pope. We’re starting to get the Brits where they need to be. Desmond Wolfe, Magnus or Doug Williams – one of those three are going to end up being World Champion. They’re great technicians, they’re great in the ring, and they’ve got a lot of charisma. Those are the kind of guys I want to help.”
It was reported here that The Miz was injured after RAW during a dark match against WWE Champion John Cena. A fewl live reports came in from fans who were at RAW saying that The Miz suffered a leg injury, so we ran the story.
After some further investigating, it turns out there was no dark match that took place after RAW – and the reports were false.
The Miz wrote the following on Twitter regarding the reports:
“Tsk tsk kiddies did we learn something tonight? Don’t believe everything u read on the sheets.”
We apologize for the confusion. Unfortunately, due to the nature of live fan reports, sometimes errors occur.
Furthermore, several readers sent the following video in, showing the end of last night’s RAW where John Cena left after the beer bash with Steve Austin:
On Monday’s RAW, it was announced that next week’s special 3-hour episode will be “WWE All Star Night” – featuring appearances from WWE legends.
The show, which will will take place from Long Island’s Nassau Coliseum , will feature talent from both RAW and SmackDown, as well as a special appearance from WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.
WWE’s “All Star Night” is designed to promote the WWE All Stars videogame, which was released back in March prior to WrestleMania XXVII.
— As of Monday morning, fourth row ringside tickets were available for next week’s SmackDown taping at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island. This comes on the heels of WWE canceling this past weekend’s SmackDown live events due to poor ticket sales.
— The movie 12-24, which stars former WCW talent Rob Kellum (a/k/a The Maestro), won the award for Best Feature over the weekend at the Pittsburgh Horror Film Festival in Monroeville, Pennsylvania.
— WWE Hall of Famer Sunny has been announced for the Wizard World Chicago Comic Con at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center 5555 North River Road Rosemont, Illinois. The event takes place August 11th – 14th.
— The June 3 episode of WWE SmackDown featuring a World Heavyweight Championship Match scored a 1.77 cable rating, down from 1.83 on May 27 and 1.89 on May 20.
SmackDown averaged 2.7 million viewers, extending the program’s streak of less than 3.0 million viewers to five consecutive weeks.
Prior to the program’s ratings downturn, the show was averaging 3.06 million viewers per episode in 2011.
— Currently airing on WWE Classics On Demand is the June 22, 1998 episode of WCW Monday Nitro. One of the matches featured is Steve “Mongo” McMichael vs. Stevie Ray, which climaxes with Benoit interfering in the bout by preventing the Harlem Heat member from using a steel chair.
— WWE will highlight “High Flyers” during July on WWE Classics On Demand. The synopsis reads: “All July on WWE Classics On Demand, we soar to new heights with sports-entertainments greatest “High Flyers.” Relive the aerial artistry of pioneers like Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka to the modern day aerial masters like Rey Mysterio. Plus don’t miss an all-new episode of the original roundtable series, Legends of Wrestling.”
Mick Foley was recently interviewed by notinhalloffame.com and discussed a wide variety of topics, from wrestling to being an author to his charity work. Here are some highlights of what Foley said about:
Whether He’d Accept An Invitation To WWE’s Hall Of Fame:
“It’s funny. I used to go back and forth because deep down everyone needs that healing moment with Vince whether they realize it or not. Everybody wants to have closure with Vince. I would say to people when I asked “I don’t know, maybe for my kids, maybe if I got to go first or last” but the game changer for me was when they mentioned my book (Countdown to Lockdown) on the air in October. I thought that showed a great deal of respect. It was a nice gesture and much appreciated. At that point I made the mental decision that if I was ever asked I would go in.”
WWE’s Current “PG” Product:
“You know a lot of what I did was just high impact, not high risk. A lot of things I did have caught up with me over time, headshots notwithstanding. There is no way that people should take an unprotected chair shot. Honestly there is room in a match for a guy to get a hit and get his hands up and he should be fine. It’s just not good, and I think that the WWE has shown that you don’t need those chair shots. It was overused, it was an easy pop, guaranteed reaction and they have showed that when you use it sparingly as in The Undertaker-Triple H match at WrestleMania that a chair really means something. I don’t think you will see guys do stuff that is quite as wild, but I always felt that with head injuries, repetitive trauma of moves in the ring, and not necessarily moves outside the ring were more to blame.
– The ongoing war of words between the Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan continues. Warrior, who has promised a 1-hour video in the next few days where he’ll “expose Hulk Hogan for the man he truly is,” tweeted on Monday:
“Hogan takes high road-where?when? Never has. In WM6 best sports entertainer in the world prevailed. Today, best man will. No punches pulled.”
Interesting to see Warrior using WWE’s “sports entertainment” lingo ..
– Eric Bischoff posted the following on Facebook, once again taking aim at the “irrelevant” Internet “dirtsites” for not giving TNA the pat on the back it so rightfully deserves for Impact Wrestling’s stellar 1.1 rating last week:
“What the 10%’ers and the dirtsites that feed them don’t want to report: Per Spike TV, Impact Wrestling was the #1 cable show in its time period among M18-49 despite under-delivering its STD average among key demos and TNA increased from its Jail (rpt) lead-in by +129% in M18-49 (.78), with an additional +6% gain in the following quarter hour. TNA peaked in the 10:15p quarter with a .99 in M18-49.”
— Deadline Hollywood reports that Dwayne Johnson is in negotiations with Paramount Pictures to play the Roadblock character in the G.I. Joe sequel Cobra Strikes.
— WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart announced today on Twitter that he will appear on WWE’s upcoming tour of South Africa.
“Yes, I will be a part of the WWE tour in South Africa. Always thought Cape Town was a beautiful city. Was last there in ’97. Very excited,” Hart wrote.
The Smackdown brand tours South Africa July 6-10.
— John Cena is featured on the cover of the July 2011 issue of WWE Magazine.
The Official IMPACT WRESTLING Fantasy Game has arrived. If you think you know everything about IMPACT WRESTLING – better yet, if you think you can predict everything that’s going to happen on IMPACT WRESTLING – now there’s finally place to truly test that knowledge. Featuring a revolutionary, one-of-a-kind scoring system that tracks and awards points for happenings in each episode of IMPACT WRESTLING as well as Pay-Per-View events, the IMPACT WRESTLING Fantasy Game takes the extremely popular world of Fantasy Sports inside the ring…where “Wrestling Matters.”
“Our fans can now visit ImpactWrestlingFantasy.com to compete against one another the same way that tens of millions of Americans play fantasy football, baseball, basketball, golf and other fantasy sports each year,” said Al Ovadia, Chief Marketing Officer of TNA Entertainment, LLC.
“Our fantasy engine takes fantasy sports and entertainment to the next level, and may even change the way our fans tune-in. We have created a unique scoring system, a schedule that requires line-ups to be locked prior to IMPACT WRESTLING tapings, and ‘fantasy seasons’ that will last three months , in which fans can build teams that accumulate points based on IMPACT WRESTLING stars that they select to be on their fantasy rosters, ” added Ovadia.
Fans can create a fantasy roster to compete in the main public league free of charge, or upgrade to the premium Commissioner Package for less than $2 a month, which allows the user to create and customize an unlimited amount of their own private leagues to compete against friends and family, and hold live online drafts with league mates. The game includes customizable scoring, a live trash talk/trade talk feature, and real-time live scoring functionality, which enhances the fan experience, allowing access to a real time play-by-play of events and tally of fantasy points during each episode of IMPACT WRESTLING and Pay-Per-View broadcast.
“This isn’t your average fantasy sports and entertainment game,” said Paul Hickey, President/CEO of Fantasy Brand Marketing, LLC, the official fantasy partner of TNA Entertainment, LLC .. “A word to IMPACT WRESTLING fans and fantasy sports players alike – it’s not what you think. Wait until you see what we’re awarding points for and how we’re awarding them. Wrestling Matters…and everything that happens throughout every show matters when it comes to trying to win your fantasy league.”
– Prior to Season One of the IMPACT WRESTLING Fantasy Game, a one month free trial period will begin with the summer’s hottest Pay-Per-View, “TNA Slammiversary” on June 12, allowing fans to build their leagues, hold their live drafts and set their rosters.
– Rosters will lock prior to each IMPACT WRESTLING taping, assuring no unfair advantage for anyone who attends a live taping, or reads about the results. All of the game’s features will be offered free of charge, until the free trial period culminates with the airing of IMPACT WRESTLING on Thursday, July 7.
– The Official Season One of the IMPACT WRESTLING Fantasy Game will kick off on July 10 with Destination X. At that point, the three-month fantasy season format will take shape, and a free version of the game will remain, along with the ability to upgrade to premium features. Season One will culminate on Thursday, October 13 with the airing of IMPACT WRESTLING.
– Season Two of the IMPACT WRESTLING Fantasy Game will kick-off at TNA’s biggest PPV of the year, Bound for Glory, on October 16, and the quarterly fantasy season cycle will repeat itself.
– Fans will have multiple opportunities each season to manage their rosters by making waiver moves and trades, and they’ll be able to either redraft their teams prior to each season, or carry over rosters from season to season.
— The ESPN news magazine program E:60 is considering doing a piece on Scott Hall, which would center on his publicized struggles with alcoholism and drug addiction. The piece could also be in conjunction of the death of Randy Savage and the recent story of over 25 percent of the performers for WrestleMania VII no longer being alive.
— WWE Hall of Famer “Rowdy” Roddy Piper spoke to WWE.com about lending his voice to an alien bounty hunter named Bolphunga in Green Lantern: Emerald Knights, available on DVD and Blu-Ray this Tuesday.
— Former WWE talent Diamond Dallas Page, Stacy Carter and Kizarny are advertised to appear at the Frank & Son Collectible Show in Industry, California on Saturday, June 25 from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Visit www.frankandsonshow.net for more information.
VIVID MAKES ‘BACKDOOR TO CHYNA’ AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY ON VIVID.COM
Former Professional Champion Wrestler Emerges Triumphant in “Full-Out Nasty” Movie
LOS ANGELES — (June 6, 2011) – Responding to strong consumer demand, Vivid Entertainment has advanced the release date of “Backdoor to Chyna” and is making it available at www.vivid.com starting today. The no-holds-barred sexual adventure movie stars former professional wrestling champion Chyna, aka Joanie Marie Laurer.
“Word got out that we had made a movie with Chyna and the reaction has been strong, so we decided to make it available immediately on vivid.com our website, says Steven Hirsch, founder/co-chairman of leading adult film company Vivid. “We knew she had a sizeable fan base from her wrestling days, but we didn’t realize how huge it is. Fans will love it because the movie reflects Chyna’s uncompromising approach to life. She knew exactly what she wanted in the movie — to push her sexual boundaries as never before. Together Chyna and her director B. Skow deliver one sizzling package.” A trailer from the movie has also been posted on www.vivid.com.
“This is the XXX movie that I always wanted to make for my fans and it is full-out nasty,” says Chyna, who was called the “Ninth Wonder of the World” during her fighting days because of her aggressive wrestling style against both men and women. In addition to winning the WWF Women’s Championship, Chyna is the only female in professional wrestling history to compete full time in the men’s division, where she twice held the WWF Intercontinental Championship.
“I chose the guys in the movie and made sure that the sex is as wicked as it can be,” Chyna adds. “We did scenes in a warehouse, a bar, a gym and even in my own home in the Hollywood Hills — and I guarantee you it is hot, hot, hot.”
“She was so over-the-top sexually that she blew me away and I think viewers will love it,” said Skow.
Chyna has continually set the bar very high for herself. She graduated from college with a 3.9 GPA; speaks fluent Spanish, French and German; served in the ROTC and the Peace Corps; has been on the covers of numerous magazines from Playboy to People and on such TV shows as “The Surreal Life: Fame Games” and “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.”
“I’ve always been a pioneer in my life and I am thrilled with this movie. I loved every minute of it. It made me feel beautiful, sexy and very empowered. My fans know that I’ve been through many obstacles and I want them to know that I feel and look better than ever and I’m definitely ready for them to see me close-up,” said Chyna. “I think almost every adult can use a little porn in their lives. If they don’t want to make a movie, they can benefit from watching one. And, if they don’t think sex is a natural human function, they should seek help.”
“Backdoor to Chyna” DVDs will be available in stores across the country on Monday, June 27. The cast includes Dylan Ryder, Diana Prince, Dayna Vendetta, Evan Stone, Lee Stone, Jerry, Mick Blue and Billy Glide.
An inflammatory message being attributed to Hulk Hogan was posted yesterday on the wrestling legend’s Facebook account.
The message read: “That’s good to know brother. But in reality it was a lot of you idiot fans that killed wcw with your lack of appreciation and support for everything we did for you. Funny enough a lot of you morons like TNA too. Go figure. HH”
Hogan later denied writing the post, claiming it was done by a miscreant user.
“Something so evil to hurt me or my fans.I assure you I would never say anything so evil about the great fans that I love and have made my Career.I have nothing but love and respect for each and every HH fan.maby somebody that knows the INS and outs of computers can get to the Bottom of this and find out who is trying to hurt my fans and my career,thank you HULKAMANIACS nothing but love and respect. HH”
He added, “Hulkamaniacs – I have verified that my account was not hacked, and the posted screen shot was made by a person who was banned from this page due to abusive behavior. The screen shot was photo shopped, and the statement was NEVER made by me. You all make what we do worthwhile. HH”
Within TNA, no one spoken to on the subject believes that Hogan wrote the fiery comments in question.
“No way Hulk did that. You should know that. His entire I love the Hulkamaniacs shtick is 100% real,” said a TNA wrestler. “He’s not like some of the guys babyfacing fans in public and then mocking them behind the scenes. He cares and means it when he says it.”
Solomonster talks Savage in The Hangover, the Tough Enough finale, why Kharma leaving WWE right now may be the BEST thing that could happen, Christian’s heel turn, WWE plays a cruel rib on Mark Henry and its fans, they finally admit their “brand warfare” concept is a failure, Mick Foley gone from TNA, Eric Bischoff shoots his mouth off on Twitter, Hogan/Warrior insanity, Shaq vs. Punk at WrestleMania, and Chyna does porn. Just another week in wrestling and Solomonster is here to sort it all out. Download this now!
World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton spoke with Roanoke Virgin’as The Roanoke Times over the weekend to hype Tuesday’s SmackDown taping. Here are some highlights of what Orton said about:
The best and worst part of being a WWE superstar: “I’d say the best part of being a WWE superstar is traveling the world, meeting new and different people of all walks of life. I love what I do for a living. One of the things people don’t think about — the travel is good, but at the same time it’s very tiring, and you don’t have an off season like your regular professional football team. I got buddies of mine out swimming with their families in the pool right now. Yesterday they were barbecuing. I was in La Crosse, Wis., you know? I have a wife and a daughter, and I don’t get to see them much.”
Whether He Wants to Work As A Babyface: I don’t think I’m a true babyface. I’ve made some slight changes, and the more time that goes by the more changes I’ll make. But technically, I guess, you can call me a babyface because I’m facing other heels most of the time, of course, except for Christian right now. As a heel, I acted a certain way. I did certain things and I wasn’t afraid of getting dirty. But as a babyface, I don’t really want to change too much. Last time I turned in ’04, I tried to change 180 degrees and it failed miserably. So this time, I’m trying to take what I thought people were into about my character as a heel and really just slowly fine tune things instead of making any drastic changes.
“Macho Man” Randy Savage’s Recent Death: “It was awful. I would hope everyone’s reaction would be somewhere along those lines. Awful, in disbelief, saddened, mortified.”
The Legacy He Hopes To Leave In WWE: “I’ve won every title there is to win, just about, and I think right now my main goal is in the longevity of my career. I’ve been around 10 years, but that’s not really nothing compared to some guys in our business who have been able to stay on top for a long amount of time — like Triple H, Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair. I want to be one of those handful of guys who are household names, that when people think WWE, or sports entertainment — whatever the hell they’re calling it now — I want to be at the top of that list. I want to be known worldwide for how good I’m able to perform in that ring.”
It’s also worth pointing out that the person who conducted the interview noted that before the session, WWE’s handler stressed repeatedly that Orton is a “sports entertainer” – NOT a wrestler.
Sean “X-Pac” Waltman has posted a new video Q&A on his RealXPac.com website. In this edition, Waltman answers questions about Scott Hall, how he got linked up with the Kliq in the first place, WWE removing the word “wrestling” from the company name and much more.
Regarding Scott Hall’s recent tough times, Waltman said:
“Scott seems to be doing really well at the moment, and I’m very grateful for that .. Yeah, at that time that his ex-wife was going on her Twitter rant and Facebook rant and all over the internet, Scott wasn’t doing the best to put it mildly, but he sounds really good right now.”
— The debut season of WWE Tough Enough concludes tonight with Luke or Andy being named winner by “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and awarded a WWE contract.
The format for tonight’s show will include a pre-taped portion from FCW in Florida, and a live portion prior to Raw tonight. The taped portion at FCW will have Luke & Andy in separate matches wrestling in front of a crowd.
WWE Hall of Famer Ricky Steamboat will be the guest star of tonight’s finale.
— WWE RAW takes place from Richmond, Virginia and will feature R-Truth apologizing to John Cena in order to receive a WWE title shot at Capitol Punishment. As of now there are no confirmed matches for the upcoming PPV, which takes place in less than 2 weeks.
Also on RAW, expect the latest in the The Miz/Alex Riley storyline, plus the follow up to Kharma’s TV write off from last week.
Hulk Hogan is featured in IMPACT WRESTLING’s latest “Why Wrestling Matters” video. The legendary grappler discusses what drives his passion and dedication for professional wrestling.
“When I step in that squared circle, I’m in the moment,” Hogan said. “That’s all I care about, that’s all I focus on. It’s so simple to understand, it’s so simple for people to dive in and just forgot all their cures and everything that’s going in the world and live through IMPACT WRESTLING.
— Mick Foley took to Twitter to comment on an online report indicating that TNA Wrestling officials perceived him as being difficult to work with. Foley wrote,
“I pushed hard for changes I felt would benefit Impact Wrestling. I can understand how some would interpret that as difficult to work with.”
He did not deny reports that he asked for his release from the organization.
Earlier in the week, Foley wrote the following on Twitter, asking fans what his next career move should be:
“I am getting the sneaking suspicion that many of you would like to see me come back to WWE. It looks like a toss-up – 90% WWE, 5% Impact, 3% just want me to be happy, 2% try nude modelling! Okay, I made up the nude modelling part. But that really was an accurate breakdown.”
— On Saturday, Scott Hall made his first wrestling related appearance since appearing intoxicated at an independent wrestling event in Fall River, Massachusetts on April 8. The multi-time champion seconded Santana Garrett for her match against the D.T.W. Ninja at an independent wrestling show in Sanford, Florida.
Hall cut a promo prior to the match putting over Garrett, calling her “the future of ladies professional wrestling.”
— Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson won the award for “Biggest Ass Kicker” at the Spike TV 2011 Guys Choice Awards last night in Los Angeles, California. The dedicated the victory to the U.S. military. The awards show airs this Friday.
— Former WWE star Simon Dean celebrates his 39th birthday today.
Barring a dramatic change, Mick Foley’s run as television character for TNA Wrestling is over. Though his contract with the organization expires in September, he reportedly asked to be released prematurely due to creative differences.
Foley was removed as on-screen character on last week’s episode of IMPACT WRESTLING. The program concluded with Hulk Hogan announcing that Foley had been fired as the Network Executive.
Both sides have been frustrated with each other in recent months. Foley was upset that TNA didn’t take interest in promoting his outside projects, while some within the company felt he was difficult to work with. Foley, however, wasn’t shy about expressing his disenchantment with the organization.
“The Hardcore Legend” stated during an interview late last year that he didn’t plan on renewing his contract when it expired not to mention that he was upset that TNA didn’t air footage of his appearance at Jon Stewart’s Rally To Restore Sanity at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Then last month, he took a shot at TNA live event attendance by comparing an “empty arena match” to a TNA house show. He later apologized.
Former WWE Champions Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan have continued to attack each other on Twitter. After vowing to keep negative energy at bay, Hogan has begun retweeting messages depicting Warrior in a negative light, such as:
“Warrior was a jabroni. Hulkamania still runs wild… Brother.”
“Warrior is just jealous and angry about the sad way it all ended for him… without a whimper.”
“Warrior let alot of fans down over & over. Not something that’ll ever be easily forgiven. Or forgotten.”
Warrior shot back at Hogan by comparing him to a pet that is at the end of its rope.
“They say I hate Hogan. Never did,” he wrote. “Like a favorite loved pet who has come to the end of its useful life, time to put an end to his misery.”
Warrior also revealed yesterday in a blog post on his official website that his much anticipated “Karma is Coming to Collect” video will be approximately one hour long and surface online next week. He also says that he’s developing a major media project and is legitimately on Twitter.
“Still figuring out how to work Twitter,” he wrote. “Once I get it down, I’ll level you warriors with clotheslines of creativity, courage and wisdom — each thrown with Ultimate Warrior intensity.”
WWE diva Melina tweeted the following on Saturday regarding her boyfriend John Morrison’s condition after recent neck surgery
“John is doing great. It’s going to be awhile ’till he can wrestle again. Strength in his arm is the same since the day of surgery. He went back to the doctor this week. He’s on his way to recovering. We just (h)ave to (b)e patient. I’m just happy he’s not in pain and that He Is getting better.”
Morrison had surgery in early May day to alleviate pain caused by a pinched nerve in his neck. His recovery time was slated to 4-6 weeks at that time, so hopefully he’ll be back in action within the next month or two.
— WWE.com has added newcomers Jinder Mahal and Johnny Curtis to the SmackDown roster page.
Mahal beat Yoshi Tatsu in his SmackDown debut last night with a full nelson, suplex slam. He then instructed The Great Khali to manhandle Tatsu with the Khali Vise Grip.
Curtis appeared in peculiar backstage segment on SmackDown. After being declared the winner of WWE NXT season four, Curtis was promised a WWE Tag Team Championship Match with his Pro, R-Truth.
“But that’s not gonna happen,” Curtis chuckled. “And that’s the truth.” He then proceeded to do what any other WWE Superstar would do; cry over spilled milk.
— On Twitter, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin commented on the possibility of a second season of Tough Enough.
He wrote, “I have had many questions regarding a season 2 of Tough Enough…no word yet. Very interesting…”
The WWE Hall of Famer also stated last Monday during an interview with AfterBuzz TV that he does not know whether there will be a second season.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar recently spoke with Jeff Wagenheim of Sports Illustrated to hype UFC’s Ultimate Fighter show as well as the release of his new biography, Death Clutch.
Here are some of the wrestling-related highlights from the interview. Lesnar talks about the differences between working for Vince McMahon and UFC president Dana White, as well as which company he prefers working for.
SI.com: In moving from the WWE to the UFC, you went from having Vince McMahon as your boss to working for Dana White. How are things different?
Lesnar: One thing about working for Vince: I never was able to get a really good read from him. He’s dealt with a lot of entertainers in his day. But when I sit down and talk to somebody, I just want to shoot straight and have the same thing done to me. You can’t take this away from Vince, though: He has taken his product and made it very successful.
SI.com: Are you happier in the UFC? Is it a better fit for you?
Lesnar: I finally found my calling, and it’s to be an ultimate fighter. But don’t get me wrong: The WWE did a lot for me. They made me a household name throughout the world. It’s just that in the WWE, the pen and paper are pushing you, along with the man behind the company. In the UFC, I kind of had to make my own name. Dana wants to see you do well, but at the end of the day you’ve got to get in there and execute the job.
