The following is TNA’s official preview for tonight’s episode of Impact Wrestling on Spike TV:
Tune in Thursday night on SpikeTV to witness the fallout from MVP’s new alliance and the path of destruction they unleashed this past week! After beating down World Heavyweight Champion Eric Young, Austin Aries and World Tag Team Champions The Wolves, is there anyone in TNA that can stop the trio of MVP, Bobby Lashley and Kenny King?
– Plus, TNA President Dixie Carter confronted MVP this past week, but she was interrupted by Bully Ray before she could finish. Will we find out more about Dixie and MVP’s current business relationship this Thursday? Tune in and find out! Video: Dixie Carter confronts MVP and his alliance
– Speaking of Bully Ray, will he unleash all his fury after being beaten down by MVP, Lashley and King…AND then humiliated after Dixie ordered ECIII to put him through ANOTHER table? Will everyone feel Bully’s wrath on Thursday? Don’t miss it!
– After what happened this past week, Brittany has challenged The Beautiful People (Angelina Love and Velvet Sky) to a Knockouts tag team match on IMPACT! Who will Brittany get to be her tag team partner?
– Also on Thursday’ IMPACT, Mr. Anderson and Gunner will take on The BroMans in tag team action
– Plus, TNA newcomer Bram will be in action as he continues to try and get Magnus to unleash a more violent, aggressive side!
All this and much more on Thursday’s huge IMPACT WRESTLING broadcast on SpikeTV at 9/8c, including all the latest news on the upcoming “Slammiversary” event!
The following are highlights of a new Q&A update from WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:
On Pat Patterson’s importance to WWE: “For the lack of a better term Pat has been like an assistant head coach in WWE and has a brilliant mind for ring psychology and finishes especially in big bouts. Pat understand basic fundamentals as well as anyone I’ve been around. He is missed re: the day to day.”
On Dolph Ziggler being underutilized in WWE: “Ziggler gets on a roll and his world changes quickly for the better. I don’t know why that hasn’t occurred. It’s rather obvious to me that Dolph Ziggler is one of the most under utilized WWE talents in recent years.”
On the unique booking of Bray Wyatt: “Interesting thoughts but only time will tell to see how this works out with Bray Wyatt. For the sake of all involved I hope that it is a huge hit.”
Check out more highlights from JR’s Q&A updates at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
The following is highlights of a new Lows Blows interview with Prince Devitt:
On whether he’d get into training when he’s finished wrestling: “I would, I wouldn’t see it as a business opportunity but as a hobby. I really love helping people out, a lot of people have helped me out and though I can’t pay it back maybe I can pay it forward in the future.”
On never facing Sheamus in the ring: “That whole ‘this is our club and we don’t work with you guys’ (caused it). I think just as Sheamus and I left the scene the companies were starting to work together. But yeah, Sheamus put Irish wrestling on the map. I just had a chat with him last night, he’s in good form. I was never aware of being an ‘international hope’, for me I was just happy to do what I was doing and still am. Obviously I would’ve loved to work with Sheamus but the opportunities never arose because of the divide there. It’s sad but you can’t change the past but ultimately I hope people can learn from it and change the future.”
On ending up in New Japan: “I was only going out there for 3 months on an internship and it turned into 8 great years.”
On making his debut in Korakuen Hall: “I’d watched Japanese tapes growing up and actually felt like I was walking into one of these tapes.”
On whether other countries could learn from the Japanese model of training: “The whole system in Japan is tailored towards respect. I think the way people are trained in the west, some people may get it too easy, whereas in Japan everyone comes through the exact same way and everyone has come through the hard way. If I look across the ring from a lad in Japan, I know exactly what he’s been through to get there.”
On if he expected to be so successful in Japan: “The contracts are so short, I was never sure if I was going to be brought back again. I’ve never stepped back and thought, ‘Wow, I’ve done a lot of stuff.’ Maybe in the future it’ll hit me, but for the moment I’m trying to look forward and not dwell too much on the past.”
– The next edition of WWE Countdown, which airs on Tuesday night on the WWE Network, will look at the top ten greatest couples in history.
– The next edition of WrestleMania Rewind, which also airs on Tuesday night on the WWE Network, will look back at the epic encounter between Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker from WrestleMania 25.
– Speaking of WrestleMania Rewind, here’s a new WrestleMania Rewind Extra featuring Chris Jericho:
Former WWE and TNA star Matt Morgan recently commented on Twitter about rumors of a WWE Network price increase, as well as rumors of commercials possibly being added to the Network.
Morgan tweeted the following:
I'd prefer to pay MORE $ each month if that meant no advertising in 2015 for #WWENetwork. To me, Old Stuff& original shows/docs r worth it!
The Monday, May 26th Memorial Day edition of WWE RAW, which was also the WWE Payback “go-home” show, averaged 3.59 million viewers, making it one of the lowest numbers for a RAW show in the modern era that didn’t face competition from NFL.
The hourly viewership breakdown for Monday’s RAW is as follows:
Hour One: 3.54 million viewers
Hour Two: 3.86 million viewers
Hour Three: 3.41 million viewers
The final rating, which should be out later today, will likely fall somewhere between a 2.5 and a 2.7.
The following is highlights of a new Wrestling Podcast Network interview with Diamond Dallas Page:
On “The Resurrection Of Jake ‘The Snake'” Documentary: “Our goal is to not just make a movie. Our goal coming into this movie is to do an Oscar nominated documentary. That’s our goal. Whether that becomes true or not remains to be seen. I would love to do something with the WWE when it comes to it.”
On teaching DDP Yoga to WWE talent: “Triple H brought me down there about four months ago. I did a seminar with the guys and girls down there and they loved it. Everybody has the program now. It’s great for healing your body. Ryback is another guy that does it (DDP Yoga) and does it consistently too. Ryback is still hitting the weights obviously so he can maintain that massive size that he has. For him, its strength and conditioning, preventive maintenance for his body so he doesn’t break down.”
On his time in wrestling: “I lived the dream in a different level. I was the anomaly in terms of Star Trek, an anomaly means this is not supposed to happen.”
Check out the complete interview at TheWrestlingPodcastNetwork.com.
WWE has added the latest sit-down interview between Michael Cole and Triple H to their official YouTube channel. The official description for the interview, which you can view above, reads as follows:
“The WWE COO gives a preview of what to expect at NXT Takeover, including Charlotte vs. Natalya for the NXT Women’s Title and the NXT Championship Match between Adrian Neville and Tyson Kidd.”
– The latest edition of Chris Jericho’s “Talk Is Jericho” podcast, which features an interview with TNA star Bully Ray, is now available. The official description for the show reads as follows:
TIJ – EP42 – TNA’s Bully Ray & Tour of Fozzy’s bus
“TNA’s Bully Ray… formerly known as Bubba Ray of the Dudley Boyz tag team at WWF/E has lots to say about TNA today, the WWE style, TLC IV against Chris Jericho, wrestling school, Mick Foley, and meeting Ronnie James Dio. Plus, his three childhood dreams and which two have come true!”
The new issue of WWE Magazine features a fan Q&A section where Dean Ambrose refers to Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns as his “former partners.” When asked which WWE Superstars make him laugh, he replied:
“My former partners, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns. I was probably the class clown of the group so I’d usually start the joking and ribbing. But those two are hilarious. Daniel Bryan is funny too but more because he’s funny looking.”
While this is by no means a sign that The Shield is breaking up any time soon, it’s a strong indication that The Shield was in fact planned to break up around WrestleMania time, as was rumored earlier this year.
Here’s a screenshot, courtesy of SEScoops discussion community member Undertaker316:
Sports reporter Michelle Beadle was Jim Ross’ guest on this week’s Ross Report podcast at PodcastOne.com and spoke about her infamous backstage incident with AJ Lee at last year’s Tribute to the Troops tapings.
Michelle said that she considered Phil a friend but apparently she was wrong. She saw him backstage at Tribute to the Troops and affectionately said “What up F*** face?” She noted that Punk was alone at the time and she was with members of WWE PR at the time. Then the next thing she knows, AJ Lee confronted her and started yelling in her face, which she thought was a rib. She looked at Punk to get his reaction of what was happening, but he kept his back to her. WWE apologized to her for AJ’s behavior. A few days later, she saw websites writing about the altercation.
While she and CM Punk used to go out to dinner and text each other, they stopped being friends that day.
“Phil was one of those cool guys that didn’t fall into a certain role and kind of did what he wanted but to watch all of that happen and have someone tattle on me and have their girlfriend get in my face is a little pathetic. It’s ok, i’ve moved on.”
JR asked her if she was surprised at CM Punk’s decision to leave WWE. She said she’s not shocked he left, but it’s more shocking that he has not yet returned. She expected him to appear at WrestleMania and as a WWE fan, she misses his TV character.
Other topics discussed include her job at ESPN, how she became a wrestling fan and more. She also revealed that she’s had talks with WWE about joining the company. You can listen to the full interview below:
Former WWE & WCW Superstar Goldberg was recently interviewed by Donald Wood, Mike Chiari and Brandon Galvin for Ring Rust Radio. The interview provided insight into his WWE career, his path to the top and view of WCW, a possible return to the WWE, his new PodCast One show and much more. Here are the highlights of what he said about:
One More Match: “First and foremost, let me back you up for a second here. It’s funny anytime that I mention anything about wrestling, even my words can be taken out of context. There have been a number of different publications that have run the story that ‘Goldberg’s back and begging to have a match again’ and he wants to get back in the ring, at the end of the day, I would definitely listen to that type of conversation but it’s not something I wake up every morning and I pray to God to and hope that I can lace up my boots one more time because I have to end on a nostalgic note. If the opportunity arose and it was a favorable condition for everybody involved, and I mean working condition, not necessarily the money, and opponent, I would definitely cater the thought.
“As to specific people that I would like to face, man I’ve been forthright and upfront that I’m not on top of the wrestling business like the normal fan would be since my departure, it hasn’t been the number one thing in my life, so to just throw a couple of names off the top of my head would be the only way that I could do it. I couldn’t give an educated guess as to what the good storyline would be in this day and age as far as television storylines are concerned. Like I said, I’d consider it, for sure, but it’s not something I’m longing for.
“J.R is a very good friend of mine and I can talk straight with him and that’s what these podcasts do. They catch intimate conversations and now that I have my own I can point the mic at someone else and let them spew so they can get themselves in trouble more than I can. I enjoyed the wrestling business, there were a lot of things that I didn’t like about it, but there were things that I did like about it so I would consider something like that.
“As far as schedule is concerned, who knows. I’m in pretty decent shape, I don’t know what to compare it to, but for a 47 year old guy walking around and he goes to a Muy-Thai Gym a number of days a week, I’d say I’m pretty much ahead of the game. For the schedule, I don’t know. I don’t talk to Brock enough to compare what I would think would be acceptable for myself. It’s a topic that interests me but it’s not a topic I think about daily.”
Negative Fan Reaction for Part Time Wrestlers: “Obviously in anybody’s mind, any type of failure, whether it be to yourself or the fans or management, is something that you don’t want to encounter and if you can keep yourself out of it then that’s always a consideration if you’re a smart person. How much that would play in my decision? Honestly, it wouldn’t play very much because that’s not why I would do it. At the end of the day, I would do it to invoke a positive response from my son and my wife. I’d love to be able to please the fans, so many of them that have asked me over the last 10 to 11 years to go back, I would obviously do it for them also. It’s always a crap shoot. Whether you’re away 10 years or you’re away 10 minutes every single time I’ve looked at it, you’re only as good as your next performance. So it would weigh in my mind but it wouldn’t be a factor in my decision.”
– After Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown tapings from Atlanta ended, The Shield defeat The Wyatt Family in a 6-man tag match. Roman Reigns hit a Superman punch on Bray Wyatt and a spear to Luke Harper for the win.
– Several WWE Hall of Famers were backstage at the show, including Ric Flair, Jake Roberts and Scott Hall, who was joined by his son Cody. Jake Roberts tweeted:
N atl atSmackdown visiting and shaking some hands. Such an awesome feel just to walk thru these men and women!!! Makes me dream sweet dreams
TNA star Magnus recently wrote in a column for Fighting Spirit Magazine, calling the wrestling media “parasites” and urging WWE and TNA to stop insider information from being leaked online. Here’s an excerpt of what he wrote:
“Why do internet fans and gossip writers always have to find an ulterior motive for decisions? It baffles and frankly irritates the hell out of me that these people always have to assume the worst, and report it as fact. More needs to be done in both companies to combat internal sources talking to these parasites. I was asked by a promoter if I lost the title because there was heat between me and John Gaburick, our Executive VP of Talent and Creative. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, “Big” and I are able to freely express ourselves to one another, which means we get to speaks our minds properly, and we’ve had that relationship since he first arrived in TNA.
Furthermore, how ridiculous is that notion? Do you think if there was heat, that he would have put the title on me in the first place? On average, numbers went across the board while I had the strap. The job of the heel champion is to get the babyfaces over, and leave the place in a better state than he found it. Mission accomplished. I can’t wait to sink my teeth into my next chapter.”
[attention]Join us here this Sunday night for our Live Coverage of WWE Payback.[/attention]
It was announced at Tuesday’s SmackDown tapings that Big E will face Rusev at Payback. With that match set, here’s an updated preview for the show:
WWE Payback 2014 Preview:
No Holds Barred Team Elimination Match
– The Shield vs. Evolution
Last Man Standing Match
– Bray Wyatt vs. John Cena
United States Title Match
– Sheamus (c) vs. Cesaro
Intercontinental Title Match
– Bad News Barrett (c) vs. Rob Van Dam
Divas Title Match
– Paige (c) vs. Alicia Fox
– Big E vs. Rusev
Mask vs. Hair Kickoff Pre-show Match
– El Torito vs. Hornswoggle
– Daniel Bryan will appear to answer Stephanie McMahon’s request to surrender the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. If he does not, his wife Brie will be fired.
The contract that was used for the upcoming WWE Payback pay-per-view match between The Shield and Evolution had an interesting message at the bottom, to say the least.
The last paragraph of the contract from Monday’s RAW, which is seen in the photo below, reads as follows:
“World Wrestling Entertainment is a creative genius. The whole creation of the universe was fashioned by his ever-toiling hands. All living mortals should praise his name and image.”
– Monday night’s WWE Payback “go-home” edition of RAW was reportedly the final RAW appearance by Batista for the time being. As noted in the past, “The Animal” will be taking off a couple of months to do some movie promotional work and other things.
– It is believed that when the current WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan makes his return to the ring he will be working with Kane, likely in a “Buried Alive” match, as was planned prior to Bryan taking time off to undergo neck surgery. Bryan was currently added to advertisements for future WWE live events, where he is scheduled to work with Kane.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross was recently interviewed by Ryan Glasspiegel of USA Today’s TheBigLead.com. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
WWE Announcers Being Told Not To “Yell” At The Audience:
“[Vince] told me many times not to yell at the audience. My interpretation of yelling: I got excited, I was emotionally invested in the fans, and my style was that of an old school sportscaster. If the moment merited raising one’s voice or tone or inflection, I did that organically and naturally. It just happened. Sometimes, Vince didn’t share my timing, obviously, so he would tell me not to yell at the audience. He may have been right on some of those occasions, and I think that sometimes I was right. That was my style. That was how I worked. I presented the product with a little bit of gusto, and a little bit more fuel in my tank.”
“I don’t know how to answer your question. I don’t think that my yelling was the reason, per se – I was there 20 years. I had done everything from broadcasting to administration to becoming an executive vice president. I had a lot of health issues that had to be addressed, or I wouldn’t be here talking to you right now. It was time that I needed to get away from the weekly grind of travel, and the pressure with my job description, and I was not the type of guy who was going to take myself out of the game.”
Building The Ideal Wrestler (Face/Heel):
“For the face, I’d do Austin on the mic, body of Ricky Steamboat — you want someone that’s big enough to be believable, but small enough to be vulnerable — and the ring skills of Shawn Michaels.”
“For the heel, I’d do the Rock on the mic, body of Triple H, and the ring talent of Ric Flair.”
Stephanie & Triple H Eventually Taking Over WWE:
“I think they’re going to be great leaders because they have an inherent love and understanding of the genre. I don’t think anyone can lead WWE without understanding the two key components of talent and television. This is a different field than being the president of the New England Patriots, for example. Bob Kraft is smart enough to leave the football operations to Bill Belichick and company, and he’s also smart enough as a businessman to hire really good people to manage the other aspects of the business.”
“I think that Triple H and Stephanie will have good instincts on which people to surround themselves with. More importantly, I think they’ll have thorough understanding of the core business as far as to assemble a team of wrestlers, prepare them, manage them, and produce compelling television.”
“This is not like a job for them — it’s not like going to a headhunter and hiring an executive. This is their life, and I’ll take my chances any day with somebody who has that kind of passion in managing a company.”
There’s much more to the interview, including Jim Ross’ transition to boxing announcing, if he’s interested in calling UFC fights, his previous health issues and more.
TNA has announced that Japanese Wrestling legend and Wrestle-1 President The Great Muta will be appearing the company’s upcoming Impact Wrestling tapings from New York City Tapings on June 25th:
Simply, The Great Muta is one of the brightest international stars the professional wrestling world has ever known. Throughout his career, he’s held wrestling gold 19 times and has won awards and praise across the globe. Not only that, but The Great Muta has consistently worked to shine a light on new talent from his native Japan – most recently sending his protégé Sanada to TNA, who quickly captured the X-Division Championship. The Great Muta is also responsible for some of the most exciting Japanese wrestling under his own Wrestle-1 banner!
TNA Wrestling is extremely honored and excited to announce that The Great Muta will be returning to TNA this summer and is set to take part in our first IMPACT in New York City, on June 25 at the Manhattan Center. Additional details will be revealed shortly.
Muta was last seen at TNA Lockdown in Miami, where he teamed with his Wrestle-1 proteges, Sanda and Yasu.
WWE ring announcer Lilian Garcia is headed to Vegas. Starting June 14th, “Lilian Garcia & The Fuse” will be performing live every Saturday night at the Club Madrid at the Sunset Station Hotel & Casino. She told WWE.com:
“I couldn’t be more excited to have this opportunity! Performing a mix of covers and originals, I plan to leave it all on stage and be interactive with my fans! Can’t wait to see you all in Vegas!”
Doors open at 9 p.m. with Lilian Garcia & The Fuse taking the stage at 10 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door or $5 with a BoardingPass card.
Follow Lilian Garcia & The Fuse on Twitter @LGandTheFuse.
This Thursday night at 8pm (EST), WWE presents “NXT Takeover” – the developmental promotion’s second live special on the WWE Network.
The night before, a special “NXT Takeover Preview” show will air on the WWE Network at 10pm (EST). Hosted by Renee Young, the show will feature interviews with WWE Hall of Famers Ric Flair and Bret Hart, previewing the NXT Women’s title match between Charlotte and Natalya.
Prior to Thursday’s big 2-hour event, there will be a 30-minute pre-show show on the WWE Network.
It’s also been announced that NXT Takeover will then kick off with Adam Rose and the Exotic Express.
Paige made perhaps the most memorable debut in Divas history after appearing on Raw a few weeks back and winning the Divas Championship from AJ Lee during her first match on the main roster.
Since arriving, Paige has been booked as a soft-spoken, overly modest underdog who has had to overcome the odds in order to retain her title. She will once again defend her title this Sunday at Payback against Alicia Fox.
Fox has been on fire in recent weeks, as she has secured a title shot and has also abused a number of ringside employees along the way. Perhaps most importantly, she earned the title shot by beating the Divas Champion clean two weeks ago on Raw.
Paige has been consistently booked as an underdog since capturing the Divas Championship.
During the contest, Paige got in very little offense and was dominated by her foe, with Fox ultimately picking up the winning and going on a tangent afterward. The decimation of Paige by Fox makes one wonder if Paige is perhaps being booked too weak.
It is one thing to be booked as an underdog. Take Daniel Bryan, for example. He had to overcome all odds in order to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania. He lost a few matches along the way, but his losses were mostly due to outside interference or circumstances where anyone on the roster would succumb to the odds, such as receiving Sweet Chin Music from the referee of the match.
Paige, on the other hand, is supposed to be the best Diva in the company because she is of course the champion. She has never looked that way, however, largely because most of her matches consist of her taking most of the damage before picking up a win out of nowhere at the end.
The following are highlights of a new In Your Head Wrestling Radio interview with WWE Hall Of Famer Dory Funk Jr.:
Was it intentional that your brother Terry Funk was the more hardcore wrestler and you were the more technical wrestler, or was that just your personalities?: “I guess it probably reflects our real personalities. You wouldn’t believe it, but we both had the same teacher, who was my father, Dory Funk, Sr. He had a side of him that was a great wrestler, he was an amateur wrestler from Indiana University and had a terrific wrestling career, but he also was the king of the Texas Death Matches. Some of the bloodiest battles I’d ever seen in my life took place when I was a kid in Amarillo, Texas, watching my father. So, I guess my brother picked up one side of what my father taught, and I picked up the other side.”
What was it like to have a four-year run as NWA World Champion?: “There is nothing like being in the ring performing for the wrestling fans…It’s what you do all the hard work in wrestling for; it’s for the performance. That’s the most pleasure in wrestling. It’s not like it was a grind; it was a pleasure. At that time, with the leadership of the National Wrestling Alliance and Sam Muchnick, every place I went was a first-class trip. It was the best hotels; it was fabulous money and a fabulous way of life. It gave me the opportunity to provide my family will all that they needed at that time. I enjoyed every minute of it, especially the time in the ring. There is another part of it that you mention, and that is the part of being away from home, and that’s a sacrifice that you have to make, but I think it was good for everybody. I think it was good for family, I think it was good for me, and I certainly enjoyed it and had a wonderful time doing it.”
