WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross spoke to ChicagoNow.com this week to promote his “RINGSIDE: An Evening With Jim Ross” one-man show on Saturday afternoon from Chicago’s House of Blues. Here are some highlights of what JR said about:

If Wrestlers Should Use Social Media: “Well whatever they do, I think they should be consistent with it. If you want some privacy with your real life, then yes stay in character. Whatever you decide to do I think you shouldn’t insult the audience either personally or intellectually. I think the wrestling fans on the internet today know wrestling is entertainment. I love Twitter because I get to interact with the people. That’s why I love doing these shows so much because there are so many fans out there and I get to find out what’s on their mind.”

If He Will Ever Do Wrestling Announcing Again: “It’s foolish to close any door. I’m not looking to do anymore pro wrestling broadcasting, but if the right opportunity arises then I will listen. I’m not soliciting companies but I will always keep my ears open. It would be stupid for me to say it’s over. I have my Podcast that is doing a lot of great things and I’m writing for FOX. So I’m staying busy but again I’m a wrestling fan, but as an entrepreneur. I am willing to try MMA or football if it’s the right opportunity.”

If CM Punk Could Appear At His One Man Show In Chicago: “There are no plans for CM Punk to be at my show but stranger things have happened. I honestly don’t know but he knows how I think of him. I hold him as high regard as a performer and more importantly as a man.”

For tickets to Saturday night’s “An Evening With Jim Ross” from Chicago, visit HouseOfBlues.com.

WWE Intercontinental Champion Bad News Barrett did a radio interview this week with 106.7 The Fan in Washington, D.C. Here are some highlights of what he said about:

How Real Total Divas Is: “I think for the most part it’s genuine characters and genuine personalities… As with any TV show their aim is to make it entertaining. So, certain scenarios might be set up where they’re put into a very strict environment and seeing how they respond. It’s not like they have lines like a movie… it’s a lot of improv.”

Wanting To Be WWE World Heavyweight Champion: “I want to be champion of the world. There’s never been a British world champion before. I think that’s a terrible statistic and somebody needs to wipe that out. Hopefully, it’s me. I’m going to take it as far as I can. There’s certain elements involved in pro wrestling that aren’t solely down to the performer. There’s only so much I can do. I’ve kind of stopped beating myself up about things not working out the way I want them to every time.”

Other topics discussed include ECW’s influence on UK Wrestling, Tyson Kidd’s potential and more.

The first round of betting odds have been released for Sunday’s WWE Payback pay-per-view. Here are the favorites, courtesy of International betting site PaddyPower.com:

– The Shield and Evolution are neck and neck with who will win the 6-man Elimination tag match.

– Divas champion Paige is a strong favorite to retain against Alicia Fox.

– IC Champion Wade Barrett is a strong favorite to retain against Rob Van Dam.

– John Cena is a slight favorite over Bray Wyatt in their Last Man Standing match.

– US Champion Sheamus is a slight favorite over Cesaro.

– El Torito is a strong favorite over Hornswoggle in the pre-show Mask vs. Hair match.

Make sure to check back this Sunday for our Live Coverage Results of WWE Payback.

2-time WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair was interviewed by Mike Mooneyham of The Post and Courier this week. The article covers Flair’s experience breaking into the business, his love of nightlife, his current relationship with WWE and his daughter Ashley (NXT Diva Charlotte), who was crowned NXT’s new Women’s Champion last night at NXT Takeover.

Flair, who hasn’t wrestled since August of 2012, is itching to get back on television. He’s scheduled to wrestle for a Japanese promotion in September. “I’m down to 228 now, and I’m in the best shape I’ve been since TNA” he said. “I’m excited. I’ve got so much energy, it’s ridiculous.”

While he almost certainly has wrestled his final match in a WWE ring, he’d welcome the chance to manage a WWE superstar. Specifically, he’d like to manage Dolph Ziggler. “I think he’s awesome. He’d be a great guy to manage. He looks like a million bucks. He just can’t find his gimmick. He needs to work on his entrance. I could help him with that.”

When asked about his 28-year-old daughter Ashley (NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte), Flair gushed with pride. “She will be the greatest Flair of all time. Her credentials speak for themselves. I’d put her resume up against anybody.” Ashley boasts an impressive athletic background, as a gymnast in high school as well as a four-time All-American cheerleader. As a college volleyball player for Appalachian State, she was a two-time state champion and player of the year in North Carolina. “She’s Rey Mysterio but bigger,” Flair joked. “She is going to be the greatest female wrestler and the most famous diva in the history of the WWE.”

Through all the highs and lows he’s experienced in his life, the Nature Boy sounds like he’s in a great place. “I couldn’t be better. Do I feel like I’m 65? No. I feel like I’m 15. That’s my problem. I’m trying as hard as I can to act like I’m 65, but it’s very difficult.”

Backstage News On Why WWE Doesn’t Want Ric Flair Managing Dolph Ziggler

The following is a spoiler-free preview for tonight’s 5/30 episode of WWE SmackDown. Hit up Page 2 below for spoilers.

• Bray Wyatt vs. Jimmy Uso in a Last Man Standing match
• US champion Sheamus vs IC Champion Bad News Barrett
• Cesaro vs. Kofi Kingston.
• Divas champion Paige vs. Tamina Snuka
• Bo Dallas vs. Xavier Woods
• El Torito vs. Jinder Mahal.
• Big E. vs. Titus O’Neill
• Adam Rose vs. Jack Swagger

Also appearing are The Shield, Paul Heyman, Rusev & Lana, Alicia Fox and more.

Full Sail and WWE Celebrate Two Years of Education and Entertainment Partnerships

On May 17, 2014 Full Sail University and WWE celebrated the second anniversary of a partnership that has made the sports entertainment giant a permanent fixture on campus, and provided one-of-a-kind educational and professional opportunities for both students and alumni.

At the center of this collaboration are regular tapings of the WWE NXT television series in the Full Sail Live Venue – which airs in more than 60 countries worldwide. The first broadcast performance was held May 17, 2012, and there have since been 100 episodes of NXT produced that have brought generations of WWE Superstars to campus. Just a few of these entertainers include Triple H, Sheamus, Sin Cara, John Cena, Big E Langston, Daniel Bryan, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, The Great Khali, Big Show, “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, and the WWE Divas.

The NXT series focuses on up and coming athletes, and on July 11, 2013 the WWE opened a dedicated Performance Center for new talent in close proximity to Full Sail’s campus. This facility offers a comprehensive program for potential entertainers – including in-ring training, physical preparedness, and character development. The 26,000 square-foot space also features seven training rings, a world-class strength and conditioning program, and edit and production facilities.

In addition to the entertainment output, NXT tapings have also allowed Full Sail students to become involved with their promotion and production. Spearheading these efforts is the WWE & Full Sail Student Initiative, which provides opportunities to volunteer, learn alongside, and shadow with WWE employees in areas like marketing, social media, media production, graphic design, and more. For any given event approximately 50 to 60 students will participate on the day of the production, with another approximate 30 assisting throughout the week to set up and break down equipment in the Live Venue.

The program has also allowed students to assist on other WWE productions in the Central Florida area and beyond. A recent highlight saw eight travel to New Orleans, Louisiana for WrestleMania 30, held on April 6, 2014. Six members of this student group took on production roles as part of the camera team, helping broadcast the organization’s largest annual event to a record 1 million U.S. households through the WWE Network and pay-per-view.

In addition to supporting the practical education of students, proceeds from ticket and merchandise sales from NXT go toward a scholarship fund for students enrolled at Full Sail.. To date, WWE has awarded six $10,000 scholarships to students since 2012, and these recipients are Geraldo Gutierrez (Recording Arts), Felipe Giannazzo (Show Production), Allison Iliev (Creative Writing), Claribel Ross (Entertainment Business Masters), Hamza Aboufirass (Film), and Hunter Haines (Film).

This is only a portion of the campus events and opportunities that have been open to students as part of the Full Sail and WWE partnership, and we’ve also seen many continue to work with the company after graduation.

Looking back on the last two years of this unique relationship, Full Sail President Garry Jones offered, “We are humbled by the continued dedication from WWE in recognizing the efforts and dreams of our students. Collaborating with WWE has elevated the education experience here at Full Sail University by creating many opportunities for our students to be mentored by some of the best minds in the entertainment production industry. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for this evolving partnership.”

“We are proud to celebrate our unique partnership with Full Sail University, which continues to help build WWE’s next generation of talent, both in the ring and behind-the-scenes,” said Paul Levesque, Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events & Creative, WWE. “Full Sail students continue to serve as an integral part of our NXT production team and we look forward to working with Full Sail University for many years to come.”

Other notable Full Sail/WWE collaborations include:

In August 2013 Full Sail and WWE hosted the “WWE Hackathon,” a global game jam-style contest available exclusively to Full Sail students. 64 students participated, and during the 48-hour hackathon, designed, prototyped, and presented an action game concept to a panel of WWE judges, as well as other communication/technology professionals. The winning team, Team Synapse, was awarded $5,000; second place Team Vorpal received $3,000; and third place Team High Five Games received $1,000.

In February 2014 Full Sail served as the host for an episode of NXT ArRIVAL, which was the first in-ring event to be live streamed on the recently launched WWE Network, the sports entertainment giant’s subscription-based video streaming service.

In February 2014 students got an inside look at the new WWE Network during a lecture called “The Future Is Now: A Conversation with WWE.” This included a panel discussion and Q&A session with WWE Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events & Creative, Paul Levesque (WWE Superstar Triple H), the “Voice of WWE” Michael Cole, Lead Writer & Showrunner for Raw and SmackDown, Dave Kapoor, and WWE Executive Vice President of Special Events, John Saboor.

Last night was NXT Takeover, the second live NXT special on the WWE Network. Here’s a recap:

– NXT Champion Adrian Neville successfully retained against Tyson Kidd in the main event.

– Charlotte defeated Natalya in the finals of the NXT Women’s Championship tournament to be crowned the new champion. Ric Flair was in Charlotte’s corner, while Bret Hart was in Natalya’s. Prior to the match, WWE Divas Champion Paige came out and brought the NXT Women’s championship to ringside.

– Tyler Breeze defeated Sami Zayn in a phenomenal match to become the #1 contender to Adrian Neville’s NXT Championship.

– The Ascension defeated Kalisto and El Local to retain the NXT Tag Team titles.

– Rusev (with Lana) came out during the show and dismantled Mojo Rawley.

– Adam Rose defeated Camacho in the opening contest. Rose was very over and showed a lot more potential in the ring than we’ve seen on WWE television since his debut.

– The dark match that took place prior to Takeover going live on the WWE Network saw Bayley defeat Sasha Banks with her “Bayley to Belly” suplex finisher.

– Michael Cole, WWE legend Haku (father of NXT star Camacho), former TNA Knockout SoCal Val, Cesaro and actor Kris Kristofferson (father of NXT star Garrett Dylan) were all in attendance.

– Overall, the event was seen as another huge success. The entire NXT roster was at Full Sail University watching the show on a big screen at the campus auditorium.

Shield member Seth Rollins recently spoke to Jonathan Snowden of Bleacher Report to promote WWE’s new Greatest Factions DVD/Blu-Ray. Here are some highlights of what he said about:

The Shield Perceived As One Of Wrestling’s Greatest Factions: “You know what, man? Even if I really had the opportunity to sit back and really take that information in, I don’t know if it would ever become less surreal. You’re talking about guys who are legends in our business, who really paved the way for people like myself and Dean and Roman. That’s pretty impressive, to even be in the same breath as those guys. It’s just pretty wild.”

How Veterans Deal With His Fast-Paced Style:  “It was mostly trial by fire. You get out there and, once you steal the show a couple of times, you start to earn the trust of those guys you’re talking about. They start to see that what you do works, and if they don’t have a better answer for you, they’ve just got to trust. It’s kind of like that in any working environment.”

“The guys know what they’re doing. They know how to work. They’ve been doing it for a long time. And when you come in with a new idea, people are going to be skeptical. But once they see that your style works too, that there’s multiple ways to stack this ice cream and it all tastes delicious in the end, they’re going to be more willing to work with you. That’s just the nature of politics I guess, right?”

The Shield Eventually Breaking Up, As All Great Factions Have: “You know, you say that, but I don’t know if these factions are all ever really dead. Because when Shawn (Michaels) and Hunter (Triple H) get back together and you get that “Are you Ready?” pumping on the Titan Tron, or when you get Scott (Hall) and Kevin (Nash) together and they put up the “Too Sweet” to each other, or you put Arn and Ric in the same room, they’re definitely not enemies.”

“It doesn’t always have to end badly. There’s a lot of longevity that comes with having a gang of friends with you throughout your career in this business. So there’s no telling when The Shield will run its course. If it ever will. We’re just happy riding this wave of success right now, trying to make this place a better place for everybody, wrestlers and fans alike, and we’re going to keep doing that until we can’t do it anymore.”

WWE Magazine Hints That The Shield Is Breaking Up

One half of WWE’s Tag Team Champions, Jey Uso, recently spoke with The State Journal-Register to promote Saturday’s WWE live event in Springfield, Illinois. Here are some highlights of what he said about:

His brother Jimmy Appearing on Total Divas: “Sometimes it does get overwhelming, especially for my brother. The cameras go home with him, and on his days off they’re around him. It does get uncomfortable. Sometimes you’re talking with the cameras there, and if we get too deep, then it’s like, wait. … To me it’s a weird feeling.”

Never Wanting to Break Up The Usos: “I feel like me and my brother will never break up. Why can’t we be tag-team champions/WWE World Champion or Intercontinental Champion and tag champs? I don’t think it has been done before. But if it came down to it, I think we’d draw a lot of money (if my brother and I broke up and faced each other). Have my dad come in there and get involved.”

The following are highlights of a new interview with Santino Marella:

Donald Wood: WWE’s Payback pay-per-view is Sunday, June 1, and there is a real buzz in the air about the show. As someone with a unique view of the action being in the trenches, what are you most looking forward to during the show?

Santino Marella: I really want to see the Shield vs. Evolution, for me, because this is a real classic story of the old champions that are past their prime and the new up-and-comers and somewhere theirs paths have to cross, somewhere one was going to be better than the other and it all was going to shift and change. Now? Is it maybe 2 years from now? That’s what I am really curious to see.

Mike Chiari: Having been with WWE for seven years you’ve had a lot of different experiences, but what one match or angle or moment stands out to you as your favorite thing you’ve been a part of in WWE?

Santino: It’s very difficult for me and I often tell people that the best moment is yet to come, but I believe winning the United States Championship was very nice, Elimination Chamber was very special for me, defending my US Title in a cage vs. Jack Swagger was cool; I had never been in a cage match before, to have just one moment; maybe wrestling in Italy.

Brandon Galvin: Not many fans know about your background in MMA, is this a style you would like to incorporate more into your future matches?

Santino: For my matches maybe not because my character is established but for the future and young talent, I believe this is the way the business should go because of the growth of MMA and people are becoming more savvy when it comes to submissions and takedowns and things like that. Before, when we said that wrestling was real we didn’t have to work so hard, but now that we acknowledge that it’s entertainment we have to be very realistic and that is the style we teach at Battle Arts Academy in Toronto.

Donald Wood: Your ring name Marella was an homage to WWE Hall of Famer Robert “Gorilla Monsoon” Marella. Did you have any say in this decision and how did it feel to be bestowed such an honor?

Santino: When they told me, immediately I realized it was an honor and a privilege and it did put some pressure on me to deliver the goods, so to speak.

Mike Chiari: You’ve been paired with a lot of different Divas over the course of your career like Maria, Beth Phoenix, Tamina and now Emma. As a performer how does sharing the stage with a valet or partner impact and enhance what you’re able to do?

Santino: If you know how to use them then of course you have a synergy and if you don’t know how to use them it can be a waste of time. I have been with very different women, for example, Maria was very delicate, more like a model, Beth Phoenix was very strong, Emma is very funny and Tamina was like an amazon. So you have to know how to incorporate them and it all depends on how the personalities mingle.

Donald Wood: You trained in Ohio Valley Wrestling under the tutelage of Paul Heyman. Heyman is widely regarded as one of the smartest minds in the business, but how did he influence your career and do you still go to him for advice?

Santino: Paul Heyman is like a wrestling genius. His input weighs a lot for me. In training, he was observing me and he pulled me aside and said I have an idea for you and he heard about my background and we became more selective and it was very good and it was very fun. I believe the people that watched, they believed 100 percent so we did our job, you know.

Brandon Galvin: You’re always willing to take a chance on something different and creative, whether it’s in the ring or outside the ring, with your character. How much of this a collaboration with others, or do you come up with everything we see?

Santino: In the beginning, it was more regionalized, then it was a collaboration, and now I have more freedom for input. They give me a skeleton, and say ‘you need to say this, this and this, but in your way’ and I come up with what I want to say.

Check out the complete interview above.

TNA World Heavyweight Champion Eric Young recently spoke to The Sports Courier’s Fred Richani for a new interview.

Young spoke about his upcoming “Off Limits” show on Animal Planet, his TNA Slammiversary pay-per-view main event against MVP, his epic beard and more.

You can check out the complete interview above.

– Former WWE and WCW wrestler Buff Bagwell recently stopped by the Animal House to talk about his time as a pro wrestler, being a gigolo and more. You can check out the audio interview online at CBSLocal.com.

– The following are some preview clips for the season finale of WWE Total Divas:

• BACKSTAGE NEWS: WWE To Make HULK HOGAN The NEW RAW GM?! [Full Story >>]

The following are highlights of a recent interview with Vader:

On his relationship with Vince McMahon: “As far as Vince is concerned, I’ve worked for so many great promoters such as Misawa, Inoki, etc who were very good at what they did. But Vince is the best. Everything he wanted to do with the WWE, he has done it and has done so successfully. It’s the largest pro wrestling company in the world and has been for a long time.”

On his relationship with Eric Bischoff: “Eric was a unique individual. He was an announcer and didn’t really know a lot about wrestling. When he first moved into the top spot, the top guys were me, Ron Simmons, Sting and Cactus Jack. The company drastically changed when guys like Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair came in. But the thing you have to admit about Eric is that he made history. What he did is on the record books. He took the nWo and created a monster company that was highly successful.”

On the interview incident in Kuwait: “I was standing backstage watching a show on the air. The representative for the WWF was next to me. The producer of the show was a friend of the interviewer. He came over to me and said the interviewer was going to ask me if wrestling was fake. He told me to stand up, act insulted, kick over the coffee table and scare him, don’t hurt him. I said that we were told not to do anything of that nature in this country. And he said “No, this guy’s a good guy, he knows it’s gonna happen, he’s a good friend of mine and it’ll be funny.” The manager from the agent in charge from WWF said, “Leon, do what they want you to do.”
I was acting under orders from the producer, not the agent in charge. But when I did what I did, the interviewer was caught off guard and was frightened. The cops were called and I went to jail. I took the heat. But the point is that it was a skit. They wanted to use this thing to increase ratings, but it just wasn’t the case.”

On pulling off his moonsault: “I just have the athleticism to do it. I guess it gets harder if you’re heavier. But to me, it is just second nature and I am still able to do it to this day.”

Check out the complete interview at PWMania.com.

As far as Rey Mysterio’s contractual status with WWE is concerned, his deal reportedly expired last week. From there, Vince McMahon renewed it for one year, despite not having such an option to do so in the contract. WWE contracts are allowed to be frozen in the event of an injury to a Superstar.

WWE went with the mindset that since Mysterio missed so much time during his contract period due to various injuries, that he owed them the time and he was renewed through May of 2015 on that basis.

Current plans in WWE call for KENTA, Prince Devitt and Kevin Steen to all report to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida in August.

In the case of all three guys, there would be hangups with Visas, medicals or other issues, but WWE is currently going with this as the running plan.

Former WWE Superstar CM Punk recently spoke to RedEyeChicago.com and made his first public comments about his status with WWE since leaving the company earlier this year.

While most of the interview focused on Punk’s love for Chicago’s sports teams (specifically the Cubs and Blackshawks) and his recent charity work, he did comment on his status as a pro wrestler.

When asked how it feels to be retired at 35, he replied, “It feels good.”

Back in February during a WWE Investor conference call, Vince McMahon commented on Punk’s status with the company, stating, “CM Punk is taking a sabbatical. Let’s just put it that way.” It appears Punk sees things a little differently.

CM Punk’s Ex-Girlfriend Says She Fears For His Safety

– WWE will now be releasing new episodes of RAW and SmackDown on 30-day delays on the WWE Network. This likely has to do with their new contract with NBCUniversal.

– The following is the latest edition of WWE Inbox:

There is at least preliminary discussions within WWE of involving The Four Horsewomen (Ronda Rousey’s MMA “faction”) at the SummerSlam pay-per-view on August 17th in Los Angeles, California.

The feeling is that since it’s in L.A., and considering Rousey’s popularity, it would be a decent publicity stunt for the show.

Rousey has claimed to have interest in doing something at WrestleMania, but the timing didn’t work out for this year. She hasn’t ruled out possibly working at a WrestleMania in the future, such as next year’s, which takes place in California.

• BACKSTAGE NEWS: WWE To Make HULK HOGAN The NEW RAW GM?! [Full Story >>](Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

There are reportedly plans within WWE to make T.J. Wilson (aka Tyson Kidd) into a masked wrestler. Kidd has already reportedly had the mask designed.

The feeling within the company is that Kidd is very talented, but has been marginalized for so long that they can’t really do much with him beyond the lower card.

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what he said about:

His Debut As A Boxing Announcer: “I had a great time in El Paso at Fort Bliss broadcasting Golden Boy Promotions boxing event Monday night that aired on Fox Sports 1. It was a new experience for me professionally and one that I enjoyed. The feedback has been largely positive even from the established boxing community. Getting back into the groove after a somewhat long layoff on Monday Night TV wasn’t as difficult as I perceived that it might be.”

“We signed a one fight deal with @GoldenBoyBoxing and @FoxSports1 so, for those asking, I don’t know what the future holds as it relates to more boxing broadcasts but we’re open to it.”

Videos Of Jim Ross’ Debut As A Boxing Commentator

Rumors Of The Shield Breaking Up: “Hoping that the Shield stay together at Sunday’s Payback event in Chicago. With WWE woefully low on top heroes those three can and will continue to grow into their expanded, main event level roles but are they ready to do so solo today? Nope. But they can get there if they steer the course. A hot, protagonist faction is marketable and the longer they can go forward as a unit as they are currently being booked the hotter one of more will be when they turn.”

“Some have speculated that Roman Reigns will defect on Sunday but I hope not. Patience is needed here but the pro wresting business isn’t known for it’s patience these days or so it seems.”

WWE Magazine Hints That The Shield Is Breaking Up

There’s much more to the blog, including JR’s thoughts on John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt at Payback and Alicia Fox’s new character development.

As things currently stand, Willie Mack and Kevin Steen are reportedly in the background check phase with WWE, which would indicate that both will be offered a contract.

WWE generally does a background check first, and as long as there aren’t any issues, they are then scheduled for medicals. If the talent passes the medicals, they are then offered a deal.

While this may have no impact on the WWE World Heavyweight Championship angle WWE is hyping up heading into Payback, new official WWE advertising recently came out that had Daniel Bryan listed as wrestling on the SmackDown television taping on June 24th.

The match on 6/24 for Bryan is listed as a six-man tag-team match, with The Shield and himself against Randy Orton and The Wyatt Family.

Several days after Bryan’s neck surgery, WWE sent out new advertising for their July 12th live event at Madison Square Garden, which is the company’s biggest annual non-televised show, which lists him in the main event against Triple H in a street fight.

Considering the fact that the 6/24 date is only a few weeks away, it would seem likely that if WWE wanted to, they could keep the title on Bryan since he would be back in the ring at a reasonable time.

Here is the content listing for “Ladies and Gentlemen, My Name is Paul Heyman,” courtesy of WrestlingDVDNews.com. The DVD/Blu Ray is scheduled to be released in August.

(On a side note, Paul Heyman’s client, Brock Lesnar, conquered The Undertaker’s streak.)

DISC 1

Survivor
Photographer
Promoter
Manager
Memphis
AWA
WCW
ECW
Team Mentality
Rebels
Commentator
Writer
OVW
New ECW
Businessman
Father
Return to WWE
Embracing the Moment

DISC 2

Paul E. is always in contact
AWA Championship Wrestling • August 1987

Pink Suspenders
AWA Superstars • August 1987

I’ll Be Johnny Carson
AWA Championship Wrestling • August 1987

Danger Zone with Ted E. Bear
AWA Championship Wrestling • September 1987

You want to be a Cartoon?
AWA All Star Wrestling • September 1987

If Excitement Had a Name
AWA Superstars • September 1987

More Publicity
AWA Championship Wrestling • September 1987

Adrian Adonis
AWA All Star Wrestling • October 1987

The Definition of Pro Wrestling
AWA Superstars • November 1987

The Sequel Jim Cornette
NWA Pro Wrestling • October 1988

Nobody Wanted Paul E.
World Championship Wrestling • November 1988

Louisville Slugger
NWA Pro Wrestling • December 1988

The Year of Paul E. Dangerously
World Championship Wrestling • January 1989

Danger Zone with Ric Flair
World Championship Wrestling • March 1989

I’m So Handsome
NWA Main Event • March 1989

I Don’t Have Wrestlers I Have Animals
World Wide Wrestling • March 1989

Ding Dong Who is it?
NWA Main Event • July 1989

The Era of the Dangerous Alliance
World Championship Wrestling • September 1989

Sting’s Doll
Power Hour • May 1991

Save Us from Captain Oklahoma
World Championship Wrestling • November 1991

The Dangerous Alliance
World Championship Wrestling • November 1991

The Paul E. Awards
World Wide Wrestling • February 1992

The Ultimatum is at Hand
Pro Wrestling • April 1992

A New Dangerous Alliance
ECW Hardcore TV • October 1993

WCW Wants Sabu
ECW Hardcore TV • June 1994

Wrestler and Violence
ECW Hardcore TV • July 1994

Winds of Change
ECW Hardcore TV • November 1994

Cash Rules Everything
ECW Hardcore TV • December 1994

Best Damn Wrestling You’ve Ever Seen
ECW Hardcore TV • January 1995

There Ain’t No Organization Like ECW
ECW • February 1996

ECW Comes to Pay-Per-View
ECW • February 1997

We Cleared Cablevision!
ECW • March 1998

The Card Has Changed
ECW Guilty As Charged • January 1999

The War Has Just Begun
ECW on TNN • June 2000

DISC 3

Paul Heyman Hates Mr. McMahon’s Stinkin’ Guts
SmackDown • November 15, 2001

Introducing: “The Next Big Thing”
RAW • April 8, 2002

Paul Heyman, Mr. McMahon & Eric Bischoff All Share One Ring
RAW • May 23, 2005

Paul Heyman Thanks the ECW Faithful
ECW One Night Stand • 12 June 2005

The Resurrection of ECW
ECW One Night Stand • June 11, 2006

From the Bingo Hall to the Garden
ECW • September 12, 2006

Mr. McMahon Gives Paul Heyman a Performance Review
RAW • January 28, 2013

Paul Heyman Gives CM Punk His Resignation
RAW • February 11, 2013

It’s Clobbering Time for CM Punk
RAW • July 15, 2013

Volcano
RAW • October 21, 2013

Paul Heyman Drops a Pipe Bomb
RAW • March 3, 2014

The Original Midnight Express vs. The New Midnight Express
Main Event • January 21, 1989

Hardy Boyz vs. Brock Lesnar & Paul Heyman
Judgment Day • May 19, 2002

No Disqualification Handicap Elimination Match
CM Punk vs. Curtis Axel & Paul Heyman
Night of Champions • September 15, 2013

Monday’s 5/26 Memorial Day edition of WWE RAW drew a 2.64 rating, the lowest rating since New Year’s Eve 2012.

Here’s a look at the past 5 weeks of RAW ratings:

• 3.25 (Extreme Rules Go-Home Show)
• 3.02 (Night after Extreme Rules)
• 2.88
• 2.72 (Taped UK RAW)
• 2.64 (Memorial Day)

As you can see, not a good trend. Monday’s show averaged only 3.54 million viewers.

Tonight on the WWE Network, WWE presents NXT’s second live special event, NXT Takeover.

At 7:30pm (EST), there will be a 30-minute Kickoff Show. At 8, NXT Takeover goes live.

We’ll have the Chat Room open tonight at 7:30pm (EST), so check back later and you can chat with other users throughout the show.

Here’s the final card for NXT Takeover:

NXT Championship Match:
– Adrian Neville (c) vs. Tyson Kidd

NXT Women’s Championship Tournament Finals:
– Natalya vs. Charlotte

NXT Tag Team Championship Match:
– The Ascension (c) vs. El Local and Kalisto

#1 Contender Match:
– Sami Zayn vs. Tyler Breeze

– Adam Rose vs. Camacho