Home Blog Page 3090

Bill Goldberg Meets With TNA Wrestling Executive

Daniel Pena
-
27

TNA Wrestling executive and personality Eric Bischoff stated on his Facebook account last night that he arrived in New York City for meetings this weekend.

He wrote, “Just arrived in NYC for meetings over the weekend. Some pretty exciting stuff happening. Going to try and get in a 3 mile run before my first meeting tonight and try out this new pair of NIKE Frees! I have been wanting to try.”

One of his meetings included an encounter with Bill Goldberg.

The former WCW World Heavyweight Champion posted a video on his Twitter account this morning of himself and Bischoff flying above New York City in a helicopter.

He added, “The last tweet was a sign of the end of the world….”

Ric Flair Comments On The Death Of Randy Savage

Daniel Pena
-
1

TNA Wrestling talent Ric Flair appeared on Charlotte’s “The Fan” 610 AM WFNZ sports radio station on Friday to discuss Randy Savage following his passing earlier in the day. Highlights are as follows:

Flair on “Macho Man” Randy Savage:

“It sure did (hit hard). It’s pretty sad. He just recently got married, it’s been a little over a year, and was happy and, you know, really seemed to be at peace with himself. He just had a phenomenal career and to have this happen is just really, really sad.”

Flair on his WrestleMania VIII match with Savage:

“That was a huge day for me and my first dance at Wrestlemania, of course. It was just a tremendously well-written program. It was like he was married to Liz back then and she was a huge commodity and a huge star with the WWF, or that’s what they were called back then, of course. And the thing was, ‘She was mine before she was yours.’ It was well-written and done and Randy worked hard at it and I worked hard at it. We had a really good match. Curt Hennig, God rest his soul, managed me and Liz managed Randy and we gave them a helluva show and it was awesome. That was my first Mania and one of the finest memories of my career.”

Additional thoughts on Savage:

“My thoughts about Randy are different. I think he was such a competitive guy. Randy had a really hard time relaxing and I feel bad. I think about the times I used to say to him ‘Hey man, just calm down and don’t worry about this and this and this… whatever happens is going to happen.’ If you go to sleep at night worrying about what’s going to happen the next day, it’s just too hard. You know, he worked like I did, 365 times a year back in the old days. He actually broke in in Charlotte in 1975. I’d only been here a year when Randy moved in down here. He played semi-pro baseball, I think, in St. Louis and was doing fairly well but wasn’t blowing up the ladder like expected so he came here and broke in the business.

“The irony in that is when I first moved here in ’74, I actually traveled with his dad several times. I knew the whole family very well. His dad just passed recently and I think that hurt Randy really bad. They were very close. Randy just dropped out of sight when the company was sold from WCW (to WWE).

“The thing I feel worst about, of all of the guys that are available and eligible to be in the WWE Hall of Fame — there most be something that I’m unaware of that’s gone on and they’ve never inducted him because Randy certainly was a major player for the WWF in the mecca days of the eighties and nineties.”

Flair on whether Savage is one of the 10 greatest wrestlers ever:

“Of course. Yeah. Of course. … I didn’t always agree with Randy. I’m not gonna lie to you. I didn’t sweat things out like he did. But I wasn’t… I didn’t have to fight like a dog in that race they had to be whoever they were in the eighties in that show, where everybody was fighting for position everyday of their life. I didn’t have to evolve from that. I never had personal differences with him, nothing about lifestyle. It was just about business and it doesn’t stop my opinion (of him) — he always did favors for me. He came in and opened some of my Golds Gyms. We were great friends. He and I clashed in business, but outside of the ring we were great. He could drink beer and have a good time. And, I made him laugh and helped him take his mind of things that bothered him. We got along great and had a lot of fun together.

“I used to say to him all the time, he probably died with 300 million dollars in the bank. I’m not exaggerating. I’m being facetious. But, Randy was very thrifty. I used to say to him all the time, because he would stay at hotels that were less cost effective than where I stayed. (laughs) You can criticize it all you want but I’m going to enjoy the moment because you never know, you know.

“The irony in that is Randy was only 58-years-old. That’s sad because I guarantee you he’s got enough money to live 200 more years. He made it. He worked hard to earn it. He worked very hard to earn it. He deserved it. But I always used to say to him, ‘Man, you live for the day.’ Today’s another example of why you have to live for today. You never know.”

Slim Jim Issues Statement On The Passing Of Randy Savage

Daniel Pena
-
8

In addition to his world famous exploits inside the squared circle, “Macho Man” Randy Savage was also well known as a celebrity spokesman for the beef jerky line Slim Jim throughout the 1990s. Through his promotional efforts, he helped make Slim Jim one of the most popular snack foods in the world.

“Snap into a Slim Jim, oooooh yeah!” became a popular catchphrase from his commercials.

Following the tragic passing of Savage Friday morning due to an automobile accident in Seminole, Florida, ConAgra Foods, Inc., parent company of Slim Jim, issued the following statement to TMZ.com:

“We’re saddened by the loss. Randy was a beloved ambassador for the Slim Jim brand for many years and will be greatly missed.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this time.”

In a coincidence, ConAgra Foods, Inc. shut down production of Slim Jim at its Garner, North Carolina facility Friday, concluding a 40+ year run. Slim Jim production is being shifted to a plant in Troy, Ohio.

NY Post Erroneously Lists Ultimate Warrior As A Dead Wrestler

Daniel Pena
-
7

Authors of the New York Post‘s story on the passing of Randy Savage erroneously listed former WWE Champion Ultimate Warrior among other prominent wrestlers from the 1980s to have died.

They wrote: “Savage’s passing follows the deaths of several other prominent wrestlers from the 1980s, including Yokozuna, Ultimate Warrior, Bam Bam Bigelow and Savage’s one-time female partner and wife, Miss Elizabeth.”

The article, which is available here, has since removed the Ultimate Warrior mention.

The death of Ultimate Warrior has been a common misconception dating back to 1992 when he appeared at WrestleMania VIII following a lengthy sabbatical with shorter hair and a less muscular physique.

Warrior himself acknowledged the misconception in the introductory message of his official website, UltimateWarrior.com.

He wrote, “I am not dead. Nor have I ever died. Don’t laugh. There are plenty of kooks (too many) who write and inform me that I am or that I have — and then demand I write back and confirm it!”

Two Matches Added To WWE Over the Limit Pay-Per-View

Daniel Pena
-
13

Brie Bella announced on tonight’s episode of SmackDown that she would be defending the WWE Divas Championship this Sunday at Over the Limit. WWE.com is teasing possible interference by Kharma in their preview for the match.

Sin Cara vs. Chavo Guerrero was announced for the pay-per-view event following SmackDown.

The announced card is as follows:

“I Quit” Match for the WWE Championship
John Cena (c) vs. The Miz

WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match
Randy Orton (c) vs. Christian

Kiss My Foot Match
Jerry Lawler vs. Michael Cole
(Jerry Lawler will give up his WWE Hall of Fame ring to Michael Cole in the event of a loss.)

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Wade Barrett (c) vs. Ezekiel Jackson

WWE Tag Team Championship Match
Big Show and Kane (c) vs. CM Punk and Mason Ryan

WWE Divas Championship Match
Brie Bella (c) vs. Kelly Kelly

Rey Mysterio vs. R-Truth

Sin Cara vs. Chavo Guerrero

TNA Honors Savage At Live Event, New WWE HOFers Appear

Daniel Pena
-
6

TNA Wrestling held a ten-bell salute for Randy Savage at tonight’s live event at Amsterdam High School in Amsterdam, New York.

Savage, who performed for the organization in 2004, died in an automobile accident this morning in Seminole, Florida.

Meanwhile, new WWE Hall of Famers Road Warrior Animal and Paul Ellering attended the event and were introduced to the audience alongside legendary grapplers Nick Bockwinkel, Danny Hodge, J.J. Dillon, Dominic Denucci, The Destroyer, Mark Lewin and Doink the Clown.

Animal was advertised to guest host next weekend’s Raw live events in Canada, but pulled due to WWE’s belief that he was critical of their drug testing policy in a recently published interview with Power Slam magazine. He appeared on a Minneapolis based sports radio station yesterday and said his remarks were taken out of context by a wrestling website—actually copied verbatim from the magazine article.

MAILBAG: Is There Still Heat Between Triple H and The Rock?

Jason Solomon
-
6

SEScoops Mailbag for May 20th

(submit YOUR questions to [email protected])

Q: I read your articles and see how badly people bash TNA in the comments section. In my opinion, TNA/Impact Wrestling has done well for a company that hasn’t even been around for a full decade. What do you think of TNA and the progress they’ve made? If you had control of the company, what would you change and is it capable of being saved? – Cody S.

A: Here’s the deal with TNA. If their success was judged solely on the product they’ve been putting out on TV the last 5 years, they would have been dead and buried long ago. The talent is there, but the brain trust does more harm than good. They’ve done well for a company that hasn’t been around very long because of two things, money and luck. They’re backed by millions from Bob Carter and if he decided to back out tomorrow, they’re dead. On top of that, they got very lucky back in 2005 when Spike tired of its negotiations with WWE and cut them loose to go back to USA Network. TNA had left Fox Sports Net and without TV on a solid network, they were dead (as evidenced by their failed weekly PPV experiment during the NWA-TNA days). That’s when Spike gave them a chance and Impact got picked up. Now, they’ve rebranded their show and have “Wrestling Matters” as their new tagline. It should be apparent within a few weeks whether or not they are truly interested in making a change to their product. Lord knows wrestling could use a viable alternative to WWE.

Q: A lot of people have been talking about a dream feud between Steve Austin and CM Punk (ending at WM28) that even those two would like to have. I would love to see this feud just as much as everyone else, but I personally feel like Austin should be the one to face The Undertaker at his last WrestleMania. What do you think? – J. Walker

A: Another Austin/Undertaker match would be a big deal, but there’s no reason for Austin to come out of retirement and risk his health just to lose to Taker. Someone like Punk has so much more to gain just by being in a program with Austin, I would much rather see that match. And while I still don’t think Austin will wrestle again, if he WAS to come out of retirement for one more match, I think he would want Punk to be his opponent.

Q: There has been much debate between posters on some forums lately over the validity of the ECW title. The question is two-fold. Was the ECW championship a World title, and secondly, when did it stop being a World title? When it first entered the WWE era, the champions were referred to. But, when you look at WWE history these days, it seems to not be considered. When Christian won the WHC, the headlines were “It took him 17 years to win a world title.” Granted, we know they won’t acknowledge TNA, but there was the ECW belt. The consensus we have come to agree on is [that it happened] around the time of Vince/Lashley feud. – Paul Busa

A: The ECW Title in WWE was a World championship in name only. It never meant as much as the other two World titles (what a ridiculous concept that still is, having multiple World titles) and it was never going to. At first, they tried to make it a big deal by putting in on RVD and then Big Show, but it quickly became an ugly belt to give a mid-card guy in the hopes it would help get them over more by carrying a brand on their back. Not a bad idea, in theory, but Christian was already over before he won the title and I’m not sure it really did much to help Matt Hardy, Mark Henry, Ezekiel Jackson or Jack Swagger. Then again, I’m not sure winning the WHC did much to help Jack Swagger either, which signals a much greater problem when it comes to titles today.

Q: Do you know what happened to Muhammad Hassan (Mark Copani)? Where is he now and will he ever come back to wrestling? – Syed R.

A: Copani is currently working on completing his degree in adolescent education and history. After leaving WWE, he moved to Los Angeles to try his hand at acting and writing. He has worked with another former WWE star, Shad Gaspard, to write a graphic novel called Assassin and Son, which is due out soon. He has said that he has no interest in getting back to into wrestling.

Q: Is it true The Rock and Triple H have personal issues that kept them from feuding again when Rock still active during his last run in 2003-2004? I noticed in 2003, when Rock could win at the RAW Battle Royal for the #1 contender slot at WM19, but Booker T won instead to face HHH. And in 2004, The Rock N’ Sock Connection feuded with Evolution whose leader was Triple H, but somehow both of them never saw each other. Then, at the HOF in 2008, when Rock inducted his father and grandfather, we saw Austin, Cena, Stephanie, but when he mentioned Triple H’s name, he wasn’t there. And after WrestleMania 27, Triple H only met Austin on TV, but we know Rock attended that event too. When Rock had his birthday party, I watched all of his career footage they showed, but once again, I didn’t see any Rock vs. Triple H footage. – Archer

A: There has been an alleged professional jealously on Hunter’s part that goes back to the late 90’s when Rock exploded as a star. The story was always that Triple H was upset Rock got “his” spot and was given the title before he was. I even recall the episode of Raw from 2002 when Booker T was literally kicked out of the nWo by Shawn Michaels who made a comment about Booker stealing their thunder or spotlight or the like, “just like Rock does to Hunter.” Whatever heat may have existed back then seems to have cooled in recent years, especially since Triple H (as a company executive) must realize the value in having Rock back in the fold. But the examples you cite are ridiculous and have nothing to do with heat between the two. Rock put Booker over in that Battle Royal because the plan all along was to have Rock face Austin at WM19. As for WM20, again, Triple H may have been part of Evolution, but he was busy building to a title match in the main event while Rock was in an undercard match and had nothing to do with him. And the reason Triple H wasn’t shown on camera when Rock mentioned him at the HOF was because (as Rock himself said) he was backstage preparing for his induction of Ric Flair. The bottom line is that Rock and Triple H had one of the great WWE feuds of our time and by working with each other, both elevated their game and became big-time players.

Q: With The Rock vs. John Cena taking place at WrestleMania 28, it got me thinking of another “dream match” that was hyped but never took place: Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Hulk Hogan. I recall Hogan on Raw (maybe about 2005-2006 or so) issuing a challenge to Austin. They also exchanged verbal jabs at one another during that years Hall of Fame ceremony. Why did this match ultimately not take place? – Jesse

A: You are referring to the Raw Homecoming show on USA back in 2005. The show was running long after an earlier segment where Austin stunned each member of the McMahon family (or whatever it is that he did to Linda). So, they rushed Mean Gene Okerlund out there for an interview with Hogan, who only spoke for about two minutes but in doing so, he asked the fans how they would feel about a match between Austin and himself. Of course, the crowd roared in approval and the segment just ended. That was it. The problem is that nobody bothered telling Steve Austin this was going to happen and he was pissed. He was adamant for years that he would not wrestle Hogan as he didn’t think the match would be very good, and there was still some resentment towards Hogan for not wanting to work with Austin back in WCW. The HOF was a quick throwaway line that Austin snuck in before his induction speech for Bret Hart as a “receipt” for Hogan’s promo months earlier. Austin has softened his stance more recently, acknowledging that a match with Hogan would have been huge, but he’s still not interesting in doing it, and Hogan shouldn’t even be wrestling anymore.

Q: If WWE can’t get Sting to agree to a WrestleMania match with Undertaker, do you think they would reach out to Kurt Angle? They could possibly give him the HOF induction, DVD treatment, as you’ve stated could/should be done with Sting. I remember Vince McMahon stating in interviews following Kurt’s release that the “door is open” for Kurt to return, but with Angle taking shots at Randy Orton on Twitter recently and him re-signing with TNA, I guess it’s less likely. I wasn’t following WWF/WWE much during Angle’s final years with the company, so I can’t remember seeing a big match between them. I think this would make for a good threat to Taker’s streak. What are your thoughts? – Michael Avila

A: Kurt either has or will be signing a new long-term deal with TNA, so this is no longer an option. More telling is that WWE knew he was potentially available and made no attempts to negotiate a deal with him, which reportedly upset Angle a great deal. For WWE to not at least send feelers to the guy, especially when he was a big star in their company and their roster could use as much main-event level talent as they can get these days, that really says a lot about how risky they still think it is to have Angle under contract. Really, it’s probably in Kurt’s best interest to stick to the TNA schedule and continue making his independent films on the side. You mention not being able to remember seeing a big match with him and Undertaker, and they had many, but the one you need to go out of your way to see is their WHC match from No Way Out 2006. It was easily their best match.

Q: Do you know if WWE will induct Edge into the 2011 Hall of Fame, or maybe even Kevin Nash? – deadman619

A: Both are locks to be inducted in the next few years. Nash is under a Legends deal with WWE, so I could see it happening as early as next year. As for Edge, I’d wait another year or two, especially if the plan is to induct Rock next year in his hometown of Miami. Edge deserves to main event a class all by himself. Frankly, in light of today’s tragic news, I can think of one man in particular who deserves a spot in the HOF before either of these men.

Keep those questions coming to [email protected] and remember to include your name!

Will WWE Honor Savage On TV?, Posts Tribute Video Online

Daniel Pena
-
14

There are conflicting reports on whether WWE will honor Randy Savage next week on television following his tragic passing this morning in Seminole, Florida.

PWInsider.com reports that the production team was ordered to work on a video piece honoring the wrestling legend for inclusion on next week’s television programming.

F4WOnline.com noted shortly after news of his passing broke that the organization would pay tribute to him in some form at this Sunday’s Over the Limit pay-per-view event in Seattle, Washington. However, they now say that no tribute is planned for Savage, at least for Sunday.

Meanwhile, WWE.com posted a video dedicated to the wrestling legend’s memory here, as well as several photos and clips highlighting his extravagant career. The video package is from WWE’s 2009 DVD release Randy Savage: Macho Madness.

Savage died this morning in Seminole, Florida after a head-on collision with a tree. Lanny Poffo, his brother, says the accident occurred after Savage suffered a heart attack while driving his 2009 Jeep Wrangler. He was 58 years old.

sources: PWInsider.com, F4WOnline.com

Rating For This Week’s Impact, Knockout Comments On Rapture

Daniel Pena
-
18

— The first official episode of iMPACT Wrestling scored a 1.17 cable rating, with 1,714,000 viewers.

Last week’s “Night of Reveals” themed episode scored a 1.26 cable rating.

— Christian radio host Harold Camping predicts that a Rapture will take place on May 21, 2011 at 6 p.m. local time (the rapture will sweep the globe time zone by time zone) and that the end of the world as we know it will take place five months later on October 21, 2011.

TNA Knockout Tag Team Champion Rosita commented on the possibility of the event today on her Twitter account.

She wrote, “Wow there really are some sad and troubling things going on in the world today.. heard the world is ending tomorrow.. God forbid it does I want all of you to know that I truly love and appreciate you all from family to friends to fans.. you all have been incredible and big thanks to certain people who know who they are.. you are positive motivating forces within my life. I love you all.”

She also noted the following regarding an oral procedure: “In the oral surgeons office again… let’s hope its good news today. Grrrrr…”

source: PWInsider.com

TNA’s Head of Talent Relations Resigns, Replaced By Prichard

Daniel Pena
-
8

Terry Taylor, TNA Wrestling’s Director of Talent Relations, has resigned from his post with the organization.

TNA published the following statement on the company website: “Terry Taylor, TNA Director of Talent Relations, has decided to leave TNA effective May 31, 2011. TNA is grateful for Terry’s contributions to TNA’s growth and wishes him success in his future endeavors.”

Dean Broadhead will oversee contractual matters while former WWE executive Bruce Prichard will handle Taylor’s remaining duties.

Taylor had been with TNA since 2003 in a management role and served as head of talent relations for the majority of the organization’s existence.

According to sources in TNA, Prichard is not well-liked by most wrestlers in the organization. He joined the organization last year in a backstage capacity after spending a number of years in WWE as Vince McMahon’s “right hand man.”

source: Pro Wrestling Torch

Autopsy Scheduled For “Macho Man” Randy Savage

Daniel Pena
-
21

TMZ.com reports that an autopsy will be performed on the body of Randy Savage tomorrow.

His remains will be transported to the Pinellas County Medical Examiner’s Office later today where doctors are scheduled to perform an autopsy.

The wrestling legend died this morning in Largo, Florida after a head-on collision with a tree. Lanny Poffo, his brother, says the accident occurred after Savage suffered a heart attack while driving his 2009 Jeep Wrangler.

He was 58 years old.

WWE & TNA Issue Statements Regarding Randy Savage’s Death

Daniel Pena
-
21

Both WWE and TNA Wrestling have issued statements concerning the passing of “Macho Man” Randy Savage, who died in an automobile accident Friday morning in Largo, Florida.

WWE stated:

“WWE is saddened to learn of the passing of one of the greatest Superstars of his time, Randy Poffo, a.k.a. Randy “Macho Man” Savage. Poffo was under contract with WWE from 1985 to 1993 and held both the WWE and Intercontinental Championships. Our sincerest condolences go out to his family and friends. We wish a speedy recovery to his wife Lynn. Poffo will be greatly missed by WWE and his fans.”

TNA stated:

“TNA joins the entire wrestling world in mourning the passing of the legendary “Macho Man” Randy Savage

“Savage was one of the most talented athletes to ever compete inside a wrestling ring. He truly transcended professional wrestling, becoming one of the true “icons” of our sport. Millions of wrestling fans grew up watching Savage battle other legends such as Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat and many more.

“Savage appeared with TNA during our 2004 “Victory Road” and “Turning Point” events – memorable moments that we hope wrestling fans will never forget.

“TNA hopes all of our fans remember Randy Savage’s amazing life and career, and how he helped shape the sport as we know it today.”

New Details On The Death Of Macho Man Randy Savage

Staff
-
49

New details are coming regarding the shocking death of WWE legend “Macho Man” Randy Savage .

According to the Florida Highway patrol, Savage was driving his 2009 Jeep Wrangler when he suffered a heart attack. Savage lost control, veered across a concrete median into oncoming traffic and “collided head-on with a tree.”

Savage was taken to Largo Medical center, where he died from his injuries.

Savage’s wife was a passenger during the time of the accident but survived with “minor injuries.”

COMMENT BELOW and share your memories of Macho Man Randy Savage’s career.

(Source: TMZ.com)

BREAKING NEWS: Macho Man Randy Savage Has Died

Staff
-
49

We are in shock right now over this news .. TMZ.com is reporting that WWE legend “Macho Man” Randy Savage has died.

TMZ spoke with Randy’s brother, Lanny “The Genius” Poffo, who told TMZ that Savage suffered a heart attack while driving at 10am this morning, lost control of his vehicle and crashed.

Randy Savage was 58.

This is absolutely heartbreaking news … We’ll have more on this throughout the day.

Christian Discusses Edge, Says He Was Never In His Shadow

Daniel Pena
-
10

After losing the World Heavyweight Championship just two days after he won it, Christian hopes to keep the “emotional wave” going. Though his best friend, Edge, has retired, he will nonetheless be a part of it.

“It was two guys that grew up as fans and broke into the business together. We’ve both gone up and down different paths, and things like that. We were both able to realize a dream. Yeah, it was real emotional. The flipside of that is that unfortunately Edge has to retire, and the landscape has all changed,” Christian told SLAM! Wrestling, referring to roster changes and post-WrestleMania fallout.

“I’ve just got to go out and do what I do every night, and that’s go out and perform. I think one of the things that the people, the fans, know about me is that every time I step in the ring, I give everything I have to entertain everyone that’s spent their hard-earned dollars on a ticket for a WWE event. I think that’s apparent. I think that’s what people know about me, that every night I leave it in the ring. I’m just going to carry that emotion away with me and bring it to my matches and all those sorts of things. The rest should take care of itself.”

Christian, does however, refute the notion that he was ever in Edge’s shadow.

“[Edge] got everything he worked for, and he deserved it. He’s one of the best,” he said. “That being said, everyone takes different paths, and mine was a longer way, for whatever reason. But I never got down on myself, never tried to compare myself — ‘Oh, he’s doing this, and I’m doing this.’ I never looked at it that way, and you can’t look at things that way. You have to look at your situation, and ‘how do I make the best of my situation every single night?’ That’s what I looked to do. I never looked at being second banana to anybody, I never felt that way, ever. If other people did, that’s the way they looked at it, but I never did.”

“Captain Christian” believes that leaving WWE for TNA Wrestling in 2005 was greatly beneficial to his career.

“It was just one of those things that I needed for myself at that time. I was just worn down from the road schedule, from being on the road for eight years. I just needed to be home and recharge the batteries for a couple of years, do some things with family and friends,” he said, continuing.

“When I left WWE, I always knew that I wanted to come back when the time was right. I felt that I did that. Since I’ve come back, especially coming back from the injury that I had, I feel that I’ve done some of the best work of my career. It’s probably the most exciting time of my career up to this point.”

Christian also discusses his “peeps,” how he dealt with suffering a torn pectoral muscle last year, the rising stars of SmackDown, and more. The article is available here.

Match Preview For Tonight’s SmackDown, FCW Taping Notes

Daniel Pena
-
3

— WWE.com is advertising a match between World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton and “The World’s Strongest Man” Mark Henry for tonight’s episode of SmackDown on Syfy. Other matches taped Tuesday night in Corpus Christi, Texas for tonight’s show include:

* Christian vs. Sheamus

* Trent Barreta vs. Ted DiBiase

* Big Show, Kane and Ezekiel Jackson vs. Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel and Wade Barrett

* Natalya vs. Brie Bella

* Daniel Bryan vs. Chavo Guerrero

— SmackDown Superstar Trent Barretta worked last night’s Florida Championship Wrestling television tapings in Tampa as Mr. Florida, a masked wrestler. Meanwhile, NXT Season 3 contestant appeared as Ms. Florida, also under a mask.

— Jon Moxley, who recently signed a developmental contract with WWE, was on hand for last night’s Florida Championship Wrestling television tapings but not used.

source: PWInsider.com

Animal Pulled From WWE Shows Due To Criticism Of Drug Policy

Daniel Pena
-
11

WWE Hall of Famer Road Warrior Animal has been removed as the advertised guest host of upcoming Raw live events in Canada due to WWE’s belief that he was critical of their drug testing policy in a recently published interview with Power Slam magazine.

An article was published two weeks ago on SEScoops.com (article available here) pertaining to his comments regarding WWE’s Wellness Policy. The multi-time tag team champion appeared Thursday on Minneapolis based sports radio station KFAN Sports Radio AM 1130 (podcast available here) and said his remarks were taken out of context in the online article, thus leading to his removal from the WWE shows he was advertised for.

Animal said, “Well, this other idiot, this other site… I’m not going to mention that site because he doesn’t deserve the time of day or breath of my air, gets on there and he… now this was a six page article now people, you gotta remember this!

“This other idiot takes one little paragraph, puts it in bold print in his own headline and the caption says, “Recent WWE Hall of Famer Road Warrior Animal slams Wellness Policy.”

“I by no means slammed the Wellness Policy.”

He adds that his published comments dismissing the Wellness Policy were “strictly off the record.” He then claims he made the following “on the record” comments during the interview.

“I made it very clear, I said, “The state of the Wellness program is very strict, you cannot beat the tests. And it’s for everybody’s own good. I said it’s a publicly traded company and that’s just the way it is.”

Contrary to his statement, no comments praising WWE’s Wellness Policy were published in the magazine article. He discussed his own personal steroid use following his dismissive remarks of the Wellness Policy.

Animal said that while he resolved the matter with WWE officials after he gave his side of the story, he will not be appearing at the live events he was originally scheduled for. He adds that Power Slam will publish a follow-up in their next issue with additional comments from him to clear up the matter.

The interview was conducted on March 23, days before his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame. Towards the conclusion of the interview, he was asked about how important the larger-than-life, steroid-enhanced physiques were to the image of The Road Warriors. He was also asked if the team would have been the same force had they debuted in the modern WWE era where performers are drug tested.

Animal replied, “Let’s be totally honest with people right now. Look at the guys that are in [WWE] now. If anybody thinks that everybody there is 100-percent clean, they’ve got be smoking something.

“I know they get drug tested and they do catch people, and people do get suspended, but I really don’t believe that everybody gets drug tested on the same level. I know the look of a person who looks like they’ve been on or off [steroids].”

“When we took them, it was totally legal to carry them on you.”

New FCW Tag Champs Crowned, AJ Lee Appears At SD Taping

Daniel Pena
-
3

— New Florida Tag Team Champions were crowned last Thursday in Tampa, Florida as Big E Langston and Calvin Raines (a/k/a Patrick Brink) defeated Richie Steamboat and Seth Rollins.

Steamboat and Rollins had reigned since March 25.

— WWE developmental wrestler AJ Lee beat Rosa Mendes in a dark match prior to Tuesday’s SmackDown taping in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Lee worked this past weekend’s SmackDown live events, teaming with Natalya against Alicia Fox and Rosa Mendes. The babyfaces won both matches.

— Mason Ryan has been announced for autograph signings at the June 3 Florida Championship Wrestling live event at Largo Minnreg Hall in Largo, Florida and the June 4 show at the Charlotte County Fairgrounds in Port Charlotte, Florida.

New FCW Champion Crowned, Dick Ebersol Resigns From NBC

Daniel Pena
-
3

— Bo Rotundo beat Lucky Cannon to win the Florida Heavyweight Championship at tonight’s Florida Championship Wrestling television taping in Tampa, Florida. WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes and Mike Rotunda participated in a post-match celebration with Rotundo.

— Dick Ebersol, a long-time television partner of WWE and Vince McMahon, has resigned from his position as chief of NBC Sports, according to multiple news outlets.

Ebersol was the producer of Saturday Night’s Main Event, not to mention a key component of the XFL ten years ago. More recently, he inducted Bob Uecker into the WWE Hall of Fame at last year’s ceremony.

— Former WWE star Balls Mahoney headlines a Bodyslam Wrestling Organization event this Saturday in Elmwood Park, New Jersey at The American Legion located on 1 Legion Place. He faces Damien Darling in a “Tap Out or Knockout Match.”

source: PWInsider.com

New Additions To FCW Roster, Ring Announcer Given New Name

Daniel Pena
-
3

Four new WWE developmental talents have been added to the Florida Championship Wrestling roster page on FCWWrestling.info; Alexander Rusev, Audrey Marie, Eden Stiles and Ethan Levin.

Rusev formerly competed as Miroslav “The Bulgarian” for Knokx Pro Entertainment in California. He was signed to a developmental contract last year.

Marie, a brunette, introduced herself as Ashley Miller at a FCW live event last month and indicated she is from Houston, Texas.

Stiles is Tampa based model Brandi Reed, who signed a developmental contract with WWE in March. She debuted last month in FCW as a valet for Lucky Cannon and has conducted ring announcer duties the past two weeks on WWE Superstars.

Levin is a 6’6″, 270 pound wrestler billed from Tel-Aviv, Israel. He is the first male wrestler to earn a WWE developmental contract directly from Florida Championship Wrestling beginner’s class.

Potential “Tough Enough” Spoiler, WWE Holding Event In Poland

Daniel Pena
-
5

— Tough Enough contestant Christina wrestled at tonight’s Florida Championship Wrestling television taping, which could indicate that she wasn’t eliminated due to an ankle injury suffered at the conclusion of this week’s episode, or at least recovered enough to resumed competing.

Matches featuring the other remaining Tough Enough contestants are being filmed tonight for future use.

Meanwhile, WWF Hall of Famers Afa and Sika are in attendance at the event.

— WWE will hold a SmackDown live event at the Ergo Arena in Gdansk, Poland on November 11, 2011. Tickets go on sale May 23, 2011 at noon via www.livenation.pl.

— WWE returns to Ohio this September. Dates and locations are as follows: Sept. 6 – Huntington Center in Toledo; Sept. 19 – Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland; Sept. 20 – Nutter Center in Dayton.

source: PWInsider.com

Paul Heyman Knocks WWE For Not Pushing CM Punk

Staff
-
45

Paul Heyman is making headlines today with some controversial remarks about how WWE is handling the career of Nexus leader CM Punk.

Amid reports that CM Punk is unhappy behind the scenes and is considering leaving WWE when his contract expires later this year, Paul Heyman wrote on Twitter (@heymanhustle):

“I’m sure he will get heat for me saying this, but @CMPunk is STILL the most underutilized talent on the WWE roster. And my apologies to @CMPunk for the heat he’ll get, but come on already. Punk is the best heel in the biz today! WAKE THE F**K UP! It’s amazing to me (and not in a good way) that WWE doesn’t see how @CMPunk has brought out the best in every opponent.”

CM Punk caught wind of Paul Heyman’s rant and responded with:

“oh you know me, if I don’t have heat I’m doing something wrong. Keeps me warm.”

WWE Hall of Fame Steve Austin, who has exchanged words with Punk over Twitter in recent weeks, quoted Paul Heyman’s tweet and added, “Agreed.”

COMMENT BELOW and tell us what you think about CM Punk’s lack of push in WWE .. Does Punk have what it takes to be pushed ahead of other top young heels like The Miz and Alberto Del Rio?

Divas Match Scheduled For Over the Limit, Has Khali Gone Soft?

Daniel Pena
-
6

— WWE Divas Champion Brie Bella indicated on her Twitter account this afternoon that she will be facing Kelly Kelly this Sunday at Over the Limit.

The message, however, was quickly deleted. No official announcement has been made thus far.

Kelly beat Bella in a Non-Title Match this past Monday on Raw.

— WWE has posted a video package entitled “Has The Great Khali gone soft?,” which highlights the uproarious comedy stylings of “The Punjabi Playboy.”

Khali is currently involved in a storyline where Jinder Mahal is trying to get him to behave in a more serious manner. The newcomer interrupted “The Khali Kiss Cam” last Friday on SmackDown by slapping the former World Heavyweight Champion twice before walking away.

— Hunt to Kill starring Steve Austin will be added to Netflix’ Video on Demand servce in a few weeks in the United States.

Christian Talks About His Short Title Reign, Edge’s Retirement

Staff
-
11

WWE star Christian was interviewed this week on by Brian Fritz of the Between The Ropes radio show. Here are some highlights of what Christian said about:

Edge’s Retirement: “I knew he was having a little bit of trouble before WrestleMania. I knew that his neck had been bothering him a little bit. Obviously, none of us knew the extent of it… He called me right after he got the news so I knew right away. Obviously, he was pretty shaken by it, taken by surprise, and things like that. We all were. One of the things we discussed is what an amazing career he’s had. You can compare it to some of the best that have ever lived.”

His Short Reign As World Heavyweight Champion: “Obviously it was overwhelming, surprising, and flattering to an extent. It’s the age that we live in now with the internet and with spoilers and people like that, the show hasn’t even aired yet and people are giving opinions and these other sort of things. You have to take it with a grain of salt. The most important thing is that Randy (Orton) and I put on an amazing match for the fans.”

Whether He Thought He’d Ever Be Champion: “I did I always believed in my talent. I think it shows every time I step through the ropes. It was always my goal and I was never going to give on it. I always believed it would happen … Obviously, I wanted to hold it longer than five days, but that’s what happens. I look forward to become a two-time World champion.”

You can listen to the full show here:

Goldust Comments On Return, Shane Helms Undergoing Surgery

Daniel Pena
-
8

— Goldust stated on his Twitter account that he will not be returning to the square circle in the near future.

“Here’s the deal…I’m not coming back to wrestle anytime soon,” he wrote.

Goldust has been sidelined since December due to a shoulder injury, which was expected to keep him sidelined for five to six months. He has since undertaken a behind the scenes role with WWE.

— Matt Hardy stated on Twitter that Shane Helms is undergoing “major surgery” today to repair his broken leg.

Helms suffered the injury after he and his girlfriend were involved in a motorbike accident in Smithfield, North Carolina on May 5. The former WWE Superstar also suffered a broken ankle, jaw, and nose during the accident, as well as sustaining other fractures and receiving over 200 stitches, while his girlfriend sustained a broken neck.

— Former WCW World Tag Team Champion “Dirty” Dick Slater celebrates his 60th birthday. Also, WWE Hall of Famer Andre the Giant was born on this date in 1946.

1...3,0893,0903,091...3,320Page 3,090 of 3,320