– It was announced on the RAW Pre-Show on the WWE Network that Brad Maddox has been officially added to the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal at this Sunday’s WrestleMania XXX pay-per-view.
– Vickie Guerrero revealed on commentary during RAW that the Vickie Guerrero Diva Invitational, where AJ Lee will be putting her Divas Championship on the line, will be a one fall match.
The WrestleMania XXX “go-home” edition of WWE RAW, which comes to us live from Washington, D.C., opens with the “Gong.” The Undertaker slowly makes his way to the ring as Michael Cole hypes his streak and match against Brock Lesnar this Sunday on commentary.
Undertaker talks about 21 opponents trying, and 21 opponents failing to beat him at WrestleMania. He says Brock Lesnar is probably thinking how is he going to break the streak. He uses a sinking under water analogy to further point out how Lesnar will not break the streak this Sunday. He says many people believe in three things that can’t be beat: death, taxes and “the streak.” He goes to conclude his promo by informing Lesnar that he will “rest in peace,” however Lesnar’s music hits.
Out walks Lesnar and Paul Heyman. Heyman says he means no disrespect. He says his client, however, does. Heyman says this isn’t a match Lesnar has to win, it’s a match Undertaker must not lose. The fans drown out Heyman with loud “CM Punk” chants. In most cases, over the past few weeks, the Punk chants died down quickly. This week? Not so much. At least not in this case. After 20 seconds or so, they finally die down. Heyman goes on to talk about how Lesnar will break Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania. Heyman says that’s not a prediction, that’s a spoiler. He throws down the mic.
Heyman and Lesnar turn to leave, but Lesnar stops. He turns around. He and Heyman slowly walk towards the ring. Taker takes his big robe off. Lesnar stops. He turns and walks away again. He stops again. He turns and walks back to the ring again. He stops. He puts a big smile on his face and backs off once again. Well, gee-wiz. He turns around and starts walking to the ring again. This time he circles around the outside of the ring.
Heyman throws a chair in the ring and Taker goes to grab him. Lesnar attacks Taker from behind. Lesnar knocks the “Dead Man” off his feet. Lesnar hoists Taker up and nails him with his F-5 finisher. Lesnar stands over Taker, looking down at him, raising his hands in victory. His music plays and he exits the ring. He and Heyman go to leave, but Lesnar again approaches the ring. He doesn’t get back in the ring, instead he grabs the bottom rope from the floor, shakes it ala Ultimate Warrior, and lets out a trademark Lesnar screech/scream. We head to our first commercial break of the evening.
Big E. vs. Alberto Del Rio
When we return from commercial, WWE Intercontinental Champion Big E. makes his way to the ring. Out next is Alberto Del Rio.
The bell rings and these two immediately go at it. When the smoke clears, Big E. is in control of the offense. Big E. spears Del Rio in the corner and then hoists him up with a body-press over his head, dropping him down in Ultimate Warrior style for a near fall. Big E. goes for another spear in the corner, but this time Del Rio moves and the I-C champ blasts the ring post shoulder-first.
Del Rio pulls Big E.’s arms outside the ring, places them on the ring steps and stomps on them. On that note, we head to a mid-match commercial.
When we return from commercial, Del Rio is working over the arm of Big E. in the middle of the ring. Del Rio ends up applying a version of his Cross Armbreaker on Big E. through the ropes. Del Rio goes to fly onto Big E., but the I-C champ catches him coming off the top and slams him down to the mat.
Big E. is making his big comeback now as he nails Del Rio with a belly-to-belly suplex. He goes to follow it up with a big splash, however Del Rio gets his knees up. Del Rio calls for a superkick, but Big E. avoids it. Big E. simply throws Del Rio up in the air and lets him crash down face-first. Big E. goes for the Big Ending, but Del Rio reverses it into a double-knee backbreaker.
Del Rio is calling for the Cross Armbreaker. He grabs Big E., but Big E. back-body drops him. He follows that up with a big splash, this time hitting it successfully. Big E. pulls the straps down, but when he goes to pick up Del Rio, Del Rio reverses Big E. into a Cross Armbreaker. Big E. almost fights out, but Del Rio re-applies it. Big E. again tries to power out of it, and this time he does. He goes to pin Del Rio, but Del Rio grabs the bottom rope.
Del Rio tries crawling out of the ring, but Big E. drags him back in. Big E. sits Del Rio on the top rope. Del Rio knocks him off, but Big E. grabs the middle rope with both arms. Del Rio jumps off the top and double-boot stomps him in the chest. Del Rio blasts Big E. with a big superkick and covers him. 1-2-3. Del Rio wins.
Winner: Alberto Del Rio
On Tap For Tonight …
We are told that the fans get to vote on who will face Kane tonight. The options are all three members of The Shield. We are reminded that Randy Orton vs. Batista takes place tonight. We are told that “up next” there will be a “Farewell to the Yes! Movement” segment with The Authority. Right after that, we are told that “up next” is “Follow The Buzzards,” as Michael Cole says Bray Wyatt will address John Cena. I wonder which one is actually “up next?” I guess we’ll find out soon enough! On that note, we head to another commercial.
Backstage Segment: The Wyatt Family
When we return from commercial, Michael Cole hypes up the feud brewing between Bray Wyatt and John Cena. We see some highlights of last week’s RAW, complete with Cena ending up in the sheep mask tied in the ropes.
After the video package concludes, we see a shot of the sheep mask backstage. The camera pans out and we see all three members of The Wyatt Family. Bray talks about craving change. Bray asks “do I have your attention now, kids?” He says he’s going to burn everything they love down to the ground. He says “they’re going to cry for you, John.” He says in time they are going to forget you. He says then they will see you the way he does, as a monster. He sings “he’s got the whole world, in his hands.”
Summer Rae vs. Natalya
We see highlights of last night’s Total Divas, with the focus being the clip where Summer Rae slaps Natalya outside of her house. After that, Summer makes her way to the ring. Michael Cole informs us that coming up after the break is Summer Rae vs. Natalya. On that note, we head to commercial.
When we return from commercial, Natalya makes her way to the ring. Vickie Guerrero joins Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler and JBL on commentary. She talks about the Vickie Guerrero Diva Invitational match at WrestleMania XXX. She says the match will be one fall only.
Meanwhile, in the ring, Summer gets Natalya in the corner and stomps away at the back of her head. She clotheslines her down for a near fall. Natalya fires up and suplexes Summer a few times. Summer bitch-smacks Natalya and Cole says it’s a little payback. JBL corrects him, as it was Summer who smacked Natalya in the first place.
Natalya goes for the Sharpshooter but Summer kicks her off. Summer goes to run out of the ring, but Natalya grabs her by the hair and yanks her back in. As she was trying to do that, Summer blasts her with a kick. Summer pins her. 1-2-3. Summer Rae wins.
Winner: Summer Rae
The following are results for this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown. The show was taped on Monday night in Washington, D.C. prior to WWE RAW.
– The show opens with the host of WrestleMania XXX, Hulk Hogan, coming down to the ring. Hogan talks about some of his WrestleMania memories and once again hypes up the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
– Dolph Ziggler def. Titus O’Neil in singles action in the first match of the evening.
– The Real Americans def. Los Matadores in tag-team action.
I’m not sure if they’re taping additional matches and segments for this week’s SmackDown after RAW, or if the rest of the show will be video packages, etc. If they’re more content filmed for this week’s show after RAW, we will update this post.
The following are results for this week’s edition of WWE Main Event. The show was taped on Monday night in Washington, D.C. prior to WWE RAW.
– Sheamus def. The Miz in singles action to open the show. Miz played heel throughout this match, as many would expect. The finish saw Sheamus pick up the victory after hitting Miz with his Brogue Kick for the 1-2-3.
– Tamina Snuka def. Nikki Bella in Divas action. AJ Lee was in Tamina’s corner, and of course Brie Bella was in Nikki’s. The finish came when Tamina hit the top-rope splash on Nikki for the 1-2-3.
The following are results of the match taped for this week’s edition of WWE Superstars. The match was taped on Monday night in Washington, D.C. prior to WWE RAW:
– Heath Slater (with Drew McIntyre and Jinder Mahal) def. Kofi Kingston in singles action. The crowd was pretty into Kingston in this one. This was a mostly back-and-forth type of match, which ended with the 3MB member getting the victory.
The following are highlights of a recent Jim Ross Q&A update:
On why Undertaker and Chris Jericho never had a major feud: “No reasons that I can think of other than merely timing as I know that Jericho and Taker have great respect for the other.”
On if cable companies charged a per-usage rate instead of flat fee for broadband data, would it affect the WWE Network: “This question is intriguing but way beyond my level of interest or pay grade. I’m certain that WWE has likely thought of every scenario that might occur with their creation of the WWE Network. Lots of high paid people have been in the loop so one would think that all bases have been covered.”
On his memories of working with Bob Caudle at the Great American Bash ’89 event: “Bob Caudle was a great partner. Most underrated broadcaster that I ever worked with in my career. How could a Flair vs. Funk match be bad if both were willing to give of themselves to make the match great….and they did. Bob and I were not over produced and allowed to use our skills and instincts to get the talent over as best that we could. Hopefully, we succeeded. Thanks.”
On his invite to WWE HOF and if it will lead to the resolving of issues between he and WWE: “There’s nothing unresolved. My relationship with WWE is exactly what we want it to be. I’m staying very busy and doing something for WWE Network on an ongoing basis would be challenging. They’ve moved on and so have I with no regrets.”
Check out more Q&A updates from “Good Ole’ JR” online at JRsBarBQ.com.
WWE Superstar Hornswoggle recently spoke to The Northwestern about his role in the “Muppets Most Wanted” film. “It was cool on so many different levels,” said Hornswoggle. “The fanatic in me was just going crazy. I had to pinch myself daily to realize what I was doing.”
Hornswoggle continued, “I never would have thought that in a million years that this would have happened, being in WWE and being in a Muppet film. But for some stroke of luck I guess they both did and I’m loving both of them.”
Check out the complete interview at TheNorthwestern.com.
– The official WWE website recently published a new article called, “The untold stories behind 10 WrestleMania matches that almost happened,” which as the title states, tells the story behind some of the biggest WrestleMania matches that never actually took place. You can check that out at WWE.com.
– Also new from WWE is another installment of their “My First WrestleMania” YouTube series, which looks at William Regal’s debut at the big show. You can watch that below:
The New York Times recently ran a featured article regarding the WWE Network and the upcoming WrestleMania XXX event, which takes place at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana on Sunday, April 6th.
The article features quotes from various WWE executives, pro wrestling insiders, as well as Vince McMahon himself. “I think any good entertainment product has to change with the times,” said McMahon in the article. “You have to have your fingers on the pulse of the marketplace.”
Check out the complete article at NYTimes.com.
In addition to the Poughkeepsie Journal interview with Paul Heyman that we reported earlier today, the manager of Brock Lesnar also spoke with Brian Fritz of Between The Ropes for a WrestleMania XXX promotional interview.
The official description for the interview reads as follows:
“Paul Heyman talks about WrestleMania 30 where he will be in the corner of Brock Lesnar as he faces The Undertaker, how his close friendship with Lesnar came about, being in the wrestling business for almost three decades now, if his work comes naturally to him, his future in the business, who he thinks are the stars of the future, the WWE Network and more.”
Check it out above.
The following are highlights of a WGD Weekly interview with Ron Simmons:
On the significance of becoming the first African American World Champion in WCW: “Out of everything that I’ve accomplished in professional wrestling, that, without any doubt, tops the list. As I have stated before, once we leave this earth, man or woman, we want to be known or leave something behind that is good for mankind, period and that to me was the best gift I could’ve given, not only to my race, but to any aspiring wrestler, or anyone aspiring to do the best in anything they can…at that time there wasn’t many African Americans in the business, and then for myself to come along and be the one, while not setting out to be that one, or that trailblazer, or the first to wear that heavyweight belt. it means a lot to me. To see the other guys like Booker T, or Mark Henry who had come after me and for them to come up to me and say ‘Thank you, Ron, for inspiring me and opening the door for me to get an opportunity to pursue my dream. That’s what sums the whole thirty years of this business, that I have been in the ring, that’s what makes it all worth while.”
On who he feels deserves to be in the WWE Hall of Fame that has not yet been inducted: “My brother, as I do say, at some point he definitely has to go in there. Whether it is as a tag team or as a singles, he was a world champion there and in numerous world championship tag teams there with myself, and that’s my partner, Bradshaw.”
On sitting down with Vince McMahon and being pitched the Faarooq Asad gimmick: “We sat down and we started going over things, and we thought about how I was going to be presented in my gimmick…so, he said, ‘This is when I sat down with my team and envisioned you as.’ Now this was far from my mind, but, he pulls these drawings out and says, ‘I see you as this gladiator, as this spartan. Now, so far I’m thinking, man, this is great, I can get with that. Then he starts to show me more and more and then he says, ‘And this will be something like what you’ll be wearing, this helmet right here, it’s made out if leather.’ So, at first I’m waiting there, you know, I’m waiting for him to laugh or to joke. Because, I’m laughing at this point and I’m thinking, this guy has a good sense of humor, he is ribbing me. So, as I’m laughing, I look at his face and think, ‘Oh god, he is serious.’ So, my face goes right back to poker face right then and all I can say is, ‘You know, I think that is great. That is fantastic and it will be the best thing I’ve ever done.’ I’m thinking in the back of my mind, ‘I can’t believe this.'”
On he and Bradshaw having to “welcome” incoming talent to the WWF that may have not had the best attitude coming in: “There is a lot of truth to that, absolutely. There were guys that came there from other organizations that perhaps they thought they should just skip everybody else and skip right to the top and have things right away the way they wanted. I mean, hey, there are rules and things that you have to abide by as far as this business goes…and you have to respect those. But, when you don’t respect those, then hey, we have got a problem. So, yes, we had a lot of guys who came in with that attitude, and John and I would have to be called upon to let them know ‘hey, that is not how it works here’.”
You can check out the complete interview above.
The following are highlights of a recent Chad Dukes Wrestling Show WrestleMania Spectacular interview with Batista:
On his return to WWE: “I left for very specific reasons and the reasons were because there were certain opportunities I wasn’t getting when I was with the company, and we were so locked down and I mean when you’re under contract with them you’re pretty much limited to the things, you can do. You really can’t do anything else in the company without their say so and they weren’t…certain guys were getting opportunities that I wasn’t getting and I wasn’t real cool with that. So I left to accomplish certain things, and I felt like once I accomplished them, I always wanted to come back. At the end of the day I love professional wrestling. I really, I really do, man. So it’s not like I never planned to come back, I wanted to come back sooner. It’s just that you know it took me longer to accomplish certain things that I really want to accomplish. I didn’t want to be working and do one movie a year. It’s just I was out there auditioning and stuff, these were the jobs I was getting, and once I landed it, you know the Marvel deals, I felt like I accomplished everything I wanted to and then some. We didn’t come back and demand a lot of money you know I didn’t say, ‘I’m not doing house shows I’m only doing Monday Night Raw.’ I mean I said, ‘I’ll do Smackdown, I’ll do house shows.'”
On being selective with film roles: “I got offered a lot of roles, coming out of wrestling, on stuff that was going straight to DVD and it wasn’t the stuff that I want to do and I really wanted like, really good projects. I really, I really had a passion for acting and I really wanted to become a better actor. So I passed up on a lot of that stuff and held out for like better roles, and stuff that will put me in the next to guys were really established actors, so I could kinda learn from, so it wasn’t easy man. I got out there and pounded the pavement.”
On his heat with Daniel Bryan fans possibly coming from a 2011 tweet: “For some reason I think people thought that I didn’t like Daniel Bryan or I had this personal thing. I said a comment, I had one comment about him when he first won the world heavyweight championship and I was like, I was in shock and I said, “Okay.” Because I just didn’t get it. The reason I didn’t get it because it was too soon and that’s my personal opinion. I felt it was way too soon and they did that constantly over and over. I thought they, they just slap the title on people like, way too fast. It’s like, I think sometimes that they used the title, I might get a little grief for saying it, sometimes I think they use the title to get guys over. I thought it just, they did it, it was premature. I never had a problem with him being you know, World Heavyweight Champion, I just thought that they did it way too fast.
You can’t convince me that some body else was a bigger supporter of Daniel Bryan cause I mean that was years ago, before everybody was you know on his jock, when they wanted me to job him out, and I was like, “Hell no.” He’s just too good. He had been coming around for years and I could never figure out why they didn’t give him a job, but he had come out and they wanted me to work a match with him, and squash him and I was like, “No, not gonna happen.” He’s way too good man, we could have a good match, and we did. I mean we gave ‘em a version of what they wanted, but we gave ‘em a hell of a match. It looked like a competitive match. When at the time it’s not with what they wanted.”
On current WWE Superstar who are impressing him: “I love Bray Wyatt. I love him. I love that whole gimmick, that whole Wyatt Family gimmick, but Bray I think he’s gonna be a huge star. I get caught up in this guy, man. When I watch him he’s one of those guys. He’s another guy, I mean he doesn’t look like a stud. He’s not a statue of a man, but he is athletic as you can get, that kid can move man. He is agile, he is a stud man. That kid is as an athlete. He gets when he cuts a promo, you just get sucked in man. He is hypnotizing. When I talk to him like personal, on a personal level, he’s one of those kids who’s not afraid to learn, he has no ego. He’s still learning and he knows he’s still learning and he’s not afraid to ask questions, and I think that’s why he’s going to be so good. Cause he’s this good right now and he still wants to learn. I love the whole Shield gimmick, everyone’s real focused on Roman, and I think he’s definitely going to be a huge star, but Dean Ambrose to me, he’s the star of that.”
Check out the complete interview at ChadDukesWrestlingShow.com.
– WWE announced today that the WWE Tag-Team Championship match between The Usos, The Real Americans, Los Matadores and Ryback & Curtis Axel has been moved to the WrestleMania XXX pre-show. The match, as well as the pre-show in general, will air live on the WWE Network.
– WWE has added a new “30 Greatest WrestleMania Moments” video to their official YouTube channel. You can check that out below:
As previously reported, WWE held another tryout camp at the WWE Performance Center earlier this month. The tryouts were held by Bill DeMott, Norman Smiley, Matt “Tensai” Bloom, Billy Gunn, William Regal and Dean Malenko.
One of the participants in the camp was Matt Dawson, a professional bodybuilder who stands 6’3” and weighs in at 282lbs. Dawson wrote the following blog recently at JTStrong.com about his experience.
“Incredible experience, but the most difficult thing I have EVER done, as far as athletics go.
I arrived in Orlando on Wednesday evening. Met my roommate and several others who were attending the camp at the car rental place inside the airport. We got our car and headed back to the hotel to unpack. Several of us then went out to eat, and turned in pretty early, as we knew we were about to go through hell.
Hell just might be an understatement. We arrived to the WWE Performance Center at 7:30am, as we did not want to be late for the 8am start time. We checked in and immediately had full physicals to ensure we were all healthy enough for the camp. I measured in at 6? 2 3/4? and 282lbs. I was the second largest athlete there. There was somebody they brought in from Russia who was at least 6’4? and 320lbs.
There was 30 of us in total. 20 of the guys were experienced “professional” style wrestlers, who have been doing this type of wrestling for years and years (some as long as 10 years). They were professional wrestlers from Japan, and various countries around Europe, as well as the US. These are the people who have worked their entire lives and are 100% dedicated for the sole purpose of making it into the WWE. Almost all of them have impressive amateur athletic backgrounds, from All State and All American amateur wrestlers, football, track and field and other athletic endeavors. Several of them even majored in theater while in college for the sole purpose of trying to make it into the WWE.
The other 10 of us were referred to as “athletes.” We have no “professional” style wrestling experience at all, but all have extremely various athletic backgrounds ranging from former NFL football players, All American amateur wrestlers, bodybuilders, powerlifters, Olympic bobsledders, All American college football players and even All American gymnasts.
I was extremely impressed with the coaches, as they knew ALL of us right when we walked in. They definitely did their homework as they knew our entire athletic backgrounds and all of our previous experiences. For all you wrestling fans, the coaches were Bill Demott, William Regal, Billy Gunn, Dean Malenko, Normal Smiley, Matt Bloom (Prince Albert) and several others.
Anyways, day 1 and 2 were broken down into two, 3 hour training sessions, with a 90 minute lunch break or so. After all the physicals were complete they immediately began our training which consisted of 3 hours of pure, 100% conditioning. This certainly isn’t my forte, as all my training for the past 15 years has been geared towards lifting maximal weights, and no conditioning work longer than 30 second bursts. There were 3 wrestling rings set up and we went nonstop from one ring to the other to the other doing various wrestling style conditioning drills. Let me emphasize that this was 3 hours of practically non stop conditioning with various rolls, jumps, flips, slams, updowns etc… I thought I was going to die at least 5 times, but I never quit or gave up. I couldn’t believe the extent that they pushed us, as this was by far the hardest thing I have ever done athletically. I would rather go through 2 months of college football 2-a-days then experience another 3 days of this. Brutal is an extreme understatement.
After each and every training session I honestly didn’t know if i was going to survive. Every single muscle, joint, tendon, and ligament was screaming.
Day 3 was a bit easier as it was the final day, and we only had one session, half of it consisting of doing our “promos” and photoshoots. I did my promo as a crazy school teacher who was fed up with children who were spoiled, parents who don’t discipline their children, and kids running the show while the parents sit back, hopeless and afraid to set rules and guidelines for their kids. Apparently it went extremely well, as everybody was super impressed with the promo I gave….little did they know it wasn’t that far off of what I truly believe anyways!
At the end of the camp, the coaches gave us a great speech. Basically they all said that this was one of the best camps they have ever had (they hold 3 camps per year). Nobody quit, and we all powered through the training. They knew all of our backgrounds and knew many of us were not designed for that crazy level of conditioning. They simply wanted to weed us out, see who was tough enough, and who wouldn’t quit. The WWE is a great company, and they took very good care of us while we were down there. I was totally impressed with the professionalism and dedication of the WWE. They said they will let us know, one way or another, if they want to offer us a contract or not within 6-8 weeks.
All in all it was an amazing experience, but an experience I never want to repeat. I have an entire new respect for all the WWE superstars, and the brutal training they put their bodies through day in and day out.”
The following press release was issued on Monday:
EMBRACE PRESENTS:
JIM ROSS
Friday, May 9, 2014 – 8:00pm
The Danforth Music Hall, 147 Danforth Avenue, Toronto ON
Embrace proudly presents wrestling legend Jim Ross speaking at The Danforth Music Hall on Friday, May 9, 2014.
From sports entertainment executive to New York Times Bestselling Author, to coping with the struggle of Bell’s palsy and even playing the role of entrepreneur with his own barbeque sauce brand, Jim Ross has certainly worn many hats.
As one of the most influential sports executives of the past 40 years, J.R. has been welcomed into the homes of millions of viewers each and every week. His cool yet dry Southern charm became the soundtrack for some of wrestling’s many memorable clashes and spectacular moments in the sport’s rich history. J.R.’s tales of the road and personal anecdotes feature some of sports entertainment’s most legendary stars.
Wrestling fans unite at The Danforth Music Hall on Friday, May 9 as Jim Ross takes the stage for one night only!
ADV. TICKETS $23.50 to $50.00 (plus s.c.) · All Ages Event · Doors 8:00PM
Pre-sale tickets are available now with general on sale beginning Tuesday, April 1 at 10AM.
Tickets available at Ticketmaster.ca, Rotate This & Soundscapes.
Daniel Bryan was interviewed by Chad Dukes last week to promote WrestleMania XXX. Here’s the recap of what he said about:
If he gets any flack for fans chanting his name during matches he’s not involved in:
Nobody’s ever come up to me and said anything. Nobody’s ever come up to me and said, “Hey! I’m sick and tired of these people cheering for you during my match!” But I mean there’s nothing that you really can say, you know, it’s not my fault people are doing it. I didn’t start an internet petition to say “chant for me during everybody else’s matches” or anything like that. It’s crazy and that’s one of the beautiful things about wrestling. Man, people can just go out there and do what they want, you know what I mean. It’s such a unique art form in the sense that it’s, you go out there and it’s live and anything can happen and the crowd can do anything and you just don’t know what’s gonna happen at the end of the show and all that kind of stuff. It’s really fun and the crowd participation just makes it more unique.”
Being part of Total Divas:
“The cameras are actually filming me now as we’re doing this. We are doing this and we are being filmed as we do this. Not only that but our little dog Josie is trying to attack the boom that’s hanging above the bed. So yeah, it’s just interesting because like there are days, a day like today, where I should be able to relax be at home, be getting ready for WrestleMania but here we are, actually today we’re doing some cake testing and food tasting. Which is fun right? It’s a lot of fun, we’re in this beautiful cabin right by a creek, and all this stuff, but it’s funny, yeah these are times that should be down time for a lot of people but we’re off doing stuff. But a lot of it’s fun stuff. I probably would have never gotten the bus had I not been pushed to do it by Brie and the show and all that kind of stuff.”
If anybody ribs him for appearing on Total Divas:
“People tend to not rib me in general, and I think it’s a penchant I have for when people do something like that I kick them in the groin. So people stopped ribbing me a very long time ago and I think that that’s why. ‘Oh yeah that’s real funny-WHACK!’ Because that is always funnier than any rib you put on or any jokes you put on somebody.”
The following are highlights of a recent NOLA.com interview with Hulk Hogan:
On returning to WWE: “When I came around the corner and the people saw me (the first night), it felt like I was standing behind a 747 and all the engines were firing. It was just so much energy, and the people were so loud, I went, ‘Wow. It still works.’ Second appearance was better. The crowd was electric. And then this last one in Brooklyn. I’m definitely cool now. There’s nothing to worry about. I’m OK.”
On the reason he says “brother” all the time: “It kind of started after WrestleMania I. As soon as we became mainstream, I would fly into cities and do newspapers and go to radio stations and just meet kids in hospitals. Sometimes, I was meeting up to 100 to 200 people a day. If you meet 10 people a day, it’s hard to remember everyone’s name. So as I was meeting a couple hundred people a day, the word brother just stuck because I couldn’t remember everybody’s names.”
On his health: “Everything’s good. My body kind of went through some drama with back surgery and stuff, but I’m pretty much patched up and ready to go. I feel like I got a shot in the arm when I came back to the WWE. So, I’m all charged up with gas and ready to rumble.”
Check out the complete interview at NOLA.com.
March 31, 2014 STAMFORD, Conn., March 31, 2014 – WWE Network, the first-ever 24/7 streaming network, has unveiled its programming lineup for WrestleMania Week, which includes the 2014 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, an expanded two-hour WrestleMania pre-show and concludes with WrestleMania 30, all live from New Orleans. Fans can subscribe to WWE Network by signing up exclusively at WWE.com, clicking on the WWE Network button on the top right corner of the navigation bar and creating an account. Upon signing up, fans will instantly have access to live and scheduled programming as well as the most comprehensive video-on-demand library.
The WrestleMania Week programming line-up on WWE Network includes:
WrestleMania 30 – Sunday, April 6 at 7 pm ET
WWE’s annual pop-culture extravaganza, WrestleMania 30, will air live on Sunday, April 6 at 7 pm ET. More than 70,000 fans from all 50 states and more than 30 countries are expected to converge on the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Current WWE Superstars will be joined by a host of WWE Legends for a celebration 30 years in the making. Featured matches include the first-ever Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, The Undertaker® defending his epic WrestleMania winning streak against Brock Lesnar™, John Cena® battling Bray Wyatt™ and Randy Orton® defending the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Batista® and the winner of a showdown between Daniel Bryan® and Triple H®.
WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony – Saturday, April 5 at 9 pm ET
For the first time ever, the 2014 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will air live in its entirety on Saturday, April 5 at 9 pm ET from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. On the eve of WrestleMania 30, a new class of inductees will join WWE Legends from the past as they are enshrined into the WWE Hall of Fame. This year’s inductees include The Ultimate Warrior®, Jake “The Snake” Roberts™, Lita, Razor Ramon, Paul Bearer, Carlos Colon and Mr. T.
At 8 pm ET, one hour prior to the WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, WWE Network will air a live red carpet arrival show hosted by Michael Cole and Renee Young. The show will consist of interviews with WWE Legends, Superstars and Divas as they arrive to celebrate history and welcome in the new inductees to the WWE Hall of Fame.
WrestleMania 30 Pre-Show – Sunday, April 6 at 5 pm ET
WWE has expanded its WrestleMania pre-show to two hours for the first time ever. The first hour will simulcast across all WWE platforms, including WWE Network, WWE.com, WWE App, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pheed beginning Sunday, April 6 at 5 pm ET. During the second hour, WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos™ will defend their titles in a Fatal 4-Way match against Los Matadores™, Ryback® and Curtis Axel™ and The Real Americans™, which can be seen exclusively on WWE Network.
WrestleMania Press Conference – Tuesday, April 1 at 11 am ET
Before WWE takes over New Orleans and Randy Orton defends the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in a Triple Threat match against Batista and the winner of Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H, all four WrestleMania headliners will come face-to-face on Tuesday, April 1 at 11 am ET at the Hard Rock Café in New York City live on WWE Network. They will be joined by WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon, WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon, WrestleMania 30 host Hulk Hogan and WWE Superstar John Cena® to offer a preview of this year’s historic event.
WrestleMania Today LIVE – Thursday, April 3 – Saturday, April 5 at 6 pm ET
WrestleMania Today will premiere with three nights of live coverage on Thursday, April 3 through Saturday, April 5 at 6 pm ET originating from WrestleMania Axxess. Hosted by WWE’s Josh Mathews™, Booker T™ and Alex Riley™, the two-hour show will welcome in-studio guests including WWE Legends and Superstars as they analyze the biggest matches at WrestleMania 30. WWE reporters Renee Young, Byron Saxton and Tom Philips will cover all the action live from the Axxess floor.
WrestleMania Weekend Marathon – Friday, April 4 – Sunday, April 6
The weekend will be highlighted by a marathon of WrestleMania themed programming from Friday, April 4 through Sunday, April 6. On Friday, April 4, WWE Network will air a replay of WrestleMania 25 from Houston, TX at 2 pm ET. Then, on Saturday, April 5 and Sunday, April 6, fans can see blocks of WrestleMania Rewind™ from 6 am – 9 am ET, a show that takes a comprehensive look back at the most groundbreaking matches and dramatic moments in WrestleMania history.
Immediately following WrestleMania Rewind on Saturday, WrestleMania 26 airs at 9 am ET and WrestleMania 27 at 1 pm ET. WrestleMania 28 and WrestleMania 29 air Sunday, April 6 at 9 am ET and 1 pm ET, respectively.
Legends of WrestleMania – Friday, April 4 at 10 pm ET
Legends of WrestleMania premieres on Friday, April 4 at 10 pm ET featuring a round table discussion with WrestleMania Legends as they look back at their greatest WrestleMania moments. Fans will hear never-before-told stories about WrestleMania as well as commentary on the biggest matches at WrestleMania 30.
WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair published the following letter to his late son Reid one year after his tragic passing:
“My dear son Reid,One year ago today God took you away from your family that loved you so much. As hard as it is to not see and be with you everyday, we all know that you are safe with my parents in heaven and in a far better place than you were here on earth. Your mom, brother, sisters and I miss you so very much. Not a day goes by we don’t all think of you. I adored you as you did me, and I’m forever thankful for you. We traveled the world together and experienced so much side by side. I am so proud to be your father and you will forever be my beautiful son. My world will never be the same without you.
I love you,
Dad”
As previously reported, Prince Devitt has been booked by New Japan for a “Loser Leaves Town” match on April 6th. Many are pointing to this as another possible sign that he’s going to accept the offer on the table to come to WWE.
On Sunday, after winning the Zero G title in Scotland, Devitt cut a promo to address these rumors. You can check that out above.
We also received this live report from SEScoops.com reader Pablo regarding last night’s Prince Devitt appearance:
Prince Devitt made a surprise appearance at ICW in Glasgow last night. He won their Zero G Title from Mark Coffey then cut a promo.
He said that there were all kinds of rumors about his future, about him going to TNA or WWE, but his future was “right here.”
Make of that what you will.
ICW is a Scottish promotion which is currently expanding and growing into England as the result of major mainstream publicity. Last night’s show was a 1100 sell out (three weeks in advance.) Their belts don’t change hands very often.
They may just have Devitt booked for their London show to drop the title, but it’s interesting that he seemed pretty committed last night.
Paul Heyman recently spoke to Phil Strum of The Poughkeepsie Journal to promote WrestleMania XXX and spoke about his new WWE DVD coming out in August:
“I really don’t know much about it. I’m sure WWE has been trying to dig up a lot of dirt on me. You don’t have to dig too hard. It will be a snapshot of Paul Heyman at 48 years old, which would be a different look than if he was 38 years old and a different look from when he was 28 years old. If you did this documentary 10 years from now when I am 58, that would be a far different look at me. It’s a look at Paul Heyman at this stage of his career, begrudgingly reflecting on what he has accomplished so far and very much passionately looking forward to future things to accomplish in the next stage of his career.”
Heyman also talked about why he doesn’t watch old footage on the WWE Network, what he thinks of Renee Young’s work, The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar and more.
– WWE is not currently advertising a WrestleMania XXX Backstage Pass post-show.
– WWE’s new Legends of Wrestling roundtable show will air live on the WWE Network on Friday at 10pm (Eastern). It will be hosted by Michael Cole and will feature feature several “WrestleMania legends” discussing their memories of the big event live from Axxess.
– WWE will be airing a show on the WWE Network titled WrestleMania Today on Thursday and Friday from 6-8pm (Eastern). The show will air live from WrestleMania Axxess in New Orleans and will be hosted by Booker T, Alex Riley and Josh Mathews.
WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan is front and center on the official pay-per-view poster for Extreme Rules 2014.
Extreme Rules takes place on Sunday, May 4, 2014 at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
– As we’ve been reporting, former WWE Champion Rob Van Dam is returning to WWE and is expected back on television in the next week. We’ve heard Van Dam’s travel plans to New Orleans have already been booked.
Van Dam’s last appearance for WWE was at October’s Battleground pay-per-view in a match against Alberto Del Rio.
– The latest word regarding WWE’s talent scouting philosophy is that they’re looking for standout independent wrestlers. As usual, wrestlers with larger physique are still getting a stronger look. Gerald Brisco has been WWE’s top recruiter lately, while Triple H reviews his picks and makes the final call as to whether WWE should sign them to a developmental deal.
(Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
Tonight’s episode of WWE RAW takes place from Washington, D.C. and is the “go home” show before Sunday’s WrestleMania XXX pay-per-view.
The advertised main event for tonight’s RAW will feature WrestleMania main eventers Randy Orton and Batista squaring off in a non-title match.
Also appearing are Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar.
As in previous years, WWE will also tape portions of the “go home” edition of SmackDown tonight as well. SmackDown will also feature footage from WrestleMania AXXESS, which will be taped later in the week.
Join us here tonight for Live Coverage of WWE RAW and SmackDown spoilers for Friday.