– The Rock’s new movie, San Andreas, grossed $18.2 million on Friday. Variety is estimating that the film will draw $47 million for its’ opening weekend, which would be the biggest opening for a Rock film, not including the Fast & Furious franchise.
– The official WWE website published a “Best Of” gallery featuring the best photos of WWE Diva Lana. Lana is promoting the gallery with a little contest on social media. She tweeted the following earlier today:
– Paul Heyman promoted his appearance on the “Stone Cold Podcast” with Steve Austin, which is scheduled to air on the WWE Network immediately after Monday’s post-Elimination Chamber edition of RAW. Heyman tweeted the following on Saturday:
WWE Superstar Neville recently spoke with Sky Sports to promote this Sunday’s WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. Below are some highlights from the interview.
On working with the likes of John Cena and Seth Rollins: “I have been incredibly fortunate to be thrown into the mix straightaway and you can’t ask for more than that as a newcomer. It is such an opportunity to wrestle those guys, as well as Dolph Ziggler and Sheamus, and it is something I was adamant I was going to grab with both hands.”
On his ambitions over the next few months: “I want to keep seizing my opportunities. I still feel like I am in my introductory period in terms of making my name in WWE so want to keep my head down and work hard. I would also love to have a match with Daniel Bryan. I don’t know exactly what his health is like but if and when he does return it would be great to get in the ring with him.”
On who the biggest influences of his career were: “There are so many role models who I watched and idolised growing up, mainly guys with a similar athletic style to myself. I loved Dynamite Kid, Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio, as well as Japanese juniors like Jushin Liger, Ultimo Dragon and Tiger Mask. I always wanted to emulate those stars. However, other guys who have been more actively involved in my progression would be people like William Regal, Terry Taylor and Joey Mercury. Those great minds have really helped and guided me to where I am.”
On if he misses the atmosphere in NXT: “I do, yes. A different demographic of people watch NXT compared to Raw and Smackdown; NXT is followed by the real knowledgeable, hardcore internet audience whereas the main shows have a more family feel. The products, therefore, are very different but I am having a blast on Raw and Smackdown and the new challenges they bring.”
– WWE recently issued an SEC filing stating the following:
“On May 27, 2015, the Stephanie McMahon Levesque Trust u/a Vincent K. McMahon Irrev. Trust dtd. 6/24/04 (the “Trust”) adopted a 10b5-1 stock trading plan. The plan provides for the sale of shares of Class B common stock (“Class B Shares”) of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (the “Company”) held by the Trust. Stephanie McMahon, the Company’s Chief Brand Officer and a director of the Company, is the sole beneficiary and investment director of the Trust. Under the plan, beginning on August 10, 2015, a brokerage firm will be authorized to sell a certain number of Class B Shares periodically provided the price per share is above certain levels. The plan expires on December 31, 2015. The maximum number of Class B Shares that can be sold over the duration of the plan is 609,733 shares. In connection with the sales, the Class B Shares will be converted into shares of the Company’s Class A common stock.”
– The latest edition of Jim Ross’ weekly “Ross Report” podcast, which is available now, features an interview with Ohio Valley Wrestling’s Danny Davis. You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.
– The latest edition of “WWE Top 10,” which you can check out below, features a look at the ten “Steamiest Love Triangles” in WWE history.
– Rapper Machine Gun Kelly, who performed in the main event of WrestleMania 28 in Miami, Florida, announced via social media that he will be appearing at the June 15th edition of WWE RAW at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
– TheStreet.com has a new article up looking at WWE’s business model where the WWE Network is the focus. You can check that out at TheStreet.com.
– NXT Diva Carmella will be hosting a live Twitter Q&A today, fielding questions from WWE and NXT fans. You can take part in the Q&A, which begins at 4pm EST. today, @CarmellaWWE.
– Global Force Wrestling founder Jeff Jarrett recently appeared as a guest on former UFC title contender Chael Sonnen’s podcast, “You’re Welcome! With Chael Sonnen.” You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.
– Speaking of Jarrett, the folks at GFW sent along the following clip of his appearance — along with Lance Hoyt and “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan — on CBS Sports Network on Friday evening.
“Here is video from Jeff Jarrett, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, and Lance Hoyt’s appearance on CBS Sports Network from last night. They were in Round Rock, TX at the El Paso vs. Round Rock game to promote the Global Force Wrestling Grand Slam tour and for early ticket sales for the September event in Round Rock. Jarrett threw out the ceremonial first pitch.”
https://youtu.be/3uQ3eNvW7wc
Also, here’s an updated list of Global Force Wrestling live events:
6/12 – Jackson, TN – Jackson Generals – Tickets on sale – https://globalforcewrestling.com/jackson-tn
6/13 – Knoxville, TN – Tennessee Smokies – Tickets on sale – https://globalforcewrestling.com/knoxville-tn
6/20 – Jackson, MS – Mississippi Braves – Tickets on sale – https://globalforcewrestling.com/jackson-ms
6/21 – Bowling Green, KY – Bowling Green Hot Rods – Tickets on sale – https://globalforcewrestling.com/bowling-green-ky
7/9 – Appleton, WI – Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
7/10 – Erie, PA – Erie SeaWolves
7/11 – Lake County, OH – Lake County Captains
7/24 – Las Vegas, NV (TV Taping) – Tickets on sale – https://globalforcewrestling.com/las-vegas-nv/
8/21 – Las Vegas, NV (TV Taping) – Tickets on sale – https://globalforcewrestling.com/las-vegas-nv-2/
8/22 – Reno, NV – Reno Aces
8/28 – Harrisburg, PA – Harrisburg Senators
8/29 – Richmond, VA – Flying Squirrels
9/3 – Waterloo, IA – Waterloo Bucks
9/4 – Cedar Rapids, IA – Cedar Rapids Kernals
9/5 – Clinton, IA – Clinton LumberKings
9/25 – Corpus Christi, TX – Corpus Christi Hooks
9/26 – San Antonio, TX – San Antonio Missions
9/27 – Round Rock, TX – Round Rock Express
10/23 – Las Vegas, NV (TV Taping) – Tickets on sale – https://globalforcewrestling.com/las-vegas-nv-3/
Former TNA writer Vince Russo is speaking out about the news coverage of Dixie Carter’s talent conference call from earlier this week, where she addressed various issues including their relationship with Destination America and Ring of Honor joining the network.
Russo called out a particular ‘dirt sheet’ for claiming that the wrestlers weren’t happy with the way Dixie Carter handled the situation, claiming she was evasive and does not communicate well with the TNA roster.
He says that the report was based on one source, who may have been biased and that it’s irresponsible to trust the view of one person who might have their own agenda.
Here’s what Russo wrote on Facebook on Saturday:
Today, the same dirt sheet who broke the story about the imminent cancelation of TNA on Destination America filed the following report concerning a conference call that Dixie Carter held with the talent:
“The wrestlers at the meeting were not happy because they felt overall Carter was being evasive, and also it was hard to buy the idea that she was presenting that adding ROH to Destination America was to their benefit. The keys to the talent question and answer period is that talent complained that they wanted better lines of communications”.
Here lies the issue, folks—unless you were actually on that call yourself, this is second hand reporting coming from “a source”—a mole—who was presumingly on the call and then in turn reported the result to the said dirt sheet—speaking for ALL the wrestlers at the meeting. The information did not come directly from the call to reporter—there was a middle man. A middle man. A middle man who was perhaps dissatisfied with the call himself, was maybe even a bit disgruntled, thus putting HIS/HER spin on the phone conversation the way THEY saw it—in speaking for ALL the wrestlers on the call.
The overall feelings of the wrestlers are being stated as “fact”, when the only “fact” is that the person/persons who gave that information—gave it from THEIR perspective which is simply that—THEIR PERSPECTIVE.
Again, when looking at stories such as this, you just really have to be careful in determining “truth” from “perspective/opinion”. No two people view anything the same, everybody always has, and presents their own “take”, or “spin”.
My point–take what you read with a grain of salt. Don’t fall into the trap of allowing “reporters” to make you believe what they want you to believe.
It was previously reported that Big Show would not be returning to WWE television until it was time to hype up the Money In The Bank pay-per-view due to the fact that he is not scheduled for a match at this Sunday’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.
It is now official that Big Show is being advertised for the June 15th edition of RAW in Cleveland, Ohio, the June 22nd RAW in Indianapolis, Indiana and the June 29th RAW in Washington, D.C.
Additionally, Big Show is also advertised for all events in the month of July.
– In response to rumors that she is out of action due to a shoulder injury, NXT Women’s Champion Sasha Banks wrote the following on social media: “No I didn’t. Stupid news.”
– WWE recently posted the following clip of various talent singing Shawn Michaels’ infamous theme song.
– Former TNA Knockout Sarita (Sarah Stock) was recently at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida working with the NXT Divas. Stock was reportedly brought in to teach the women the Mexican style of wrestling. NXT coach Sara Del Rey tweeted out the following photo of Sarita working with some talent.
In the latest edition of his “Thoughts From The Throne” web series, TNA star Matt Hardy addressed the TNA/ROH/Destination America situation.
Hardy noted in the video, which you can watch above, that he is investing his faith in TNA and will do all he can while he is under contract through February of 2016.
Hardy also mentioned in the video that he hopes the best for Ring Of Honor and hopes that both ROH and TNA can work together in the future.
The Huffington Post’s Royal Ramblings blog has released part two of their interview with TNA World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle. Below are some of the highlights.
On how he is holding up physically: “I’m fine. I’ve adapted. It’s a tough schedule. Even though I have been reduced to a certain amount of dates a year, it’s hard. When you’re a world heavyweight champion, you’re in demand to wrestle almost every single week on TV. And the way that we structure our TVs right now, there’s a possibility of Kurt Angle wrestling eight main event matches in four days. That’s hard on the body. Especially at my age and at this point in my career. I believe at the last sets of TVs, I did seven matches in four days and I was hurting for a few days. I think anybody would. However I do have the ability to have five or six weeks off when I don’t have to wrestle. So there’s a give and take but I rather enjoy it. The challenges of wrestling guys like Eric Young to Bobby Roode to Austin Aries, Spud, Bobby Lashley… it’s been very challenging but I’ve had a lot of fun.”
On if we’ll see him in the WWE Hall Of Fame: “I don’t know. You never know what they’re thinking. It would be nice. Would it kill me if I wasn’t? No. I know who I am and I know what I was and I know the impact I made on wrestling. I don’t need a WWE Hall of Fame to tell me what that is. It’s not that important to me. What’s important to me is I’m in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame for Olympic wrestling and that’s my legacy. But it’s always nice to be recognised as a Hall of Famer. TNA Hall of Fame was great. WWE Hall of Fame would be great but if they decide not to, its not going to kill me. That’s their option. I did leave them in 2006 and went to TNA and I don’t know if that has any bearing but I’ve been happy with my career. I can tell you nobody made as much noise as I did, the six years I spent in WWE. Nobody did that in that short a period of time like I did. That legacy will be set in stone forever. I will tell you I had a better career in TNA than in WWE and that’s scary. Im very grateful for that and at the same time it kind of sucks because the hardcore WWE fans that only watch that, won’t see my best matches. They think they saw my best matches in WWE but they haven’t seen TNA. I’m hoping more of them will turn on to it.”
On Jack Swagger using his Ankle Lock as a finisher and if it upset him: “You know what, no. Because I didn’t come up with the Ankle Lock. Ken Shamrock did. When he retired, I took it. And when I left WWE, Jack Swagger decided to take the Ankle Lock. And I’m sure it wasn’t his idea. Someone went over and said “Hey, Kurt Angle wants to leave, we’re going to replace him with this guy”. And I think Jack Swagger’s done a great job. I think he’s a great talent. Is he a Kurt Angle? No, no I don’t think he is but I think he’s very good. I have a lot of respect for him, I think he’s done a great job. I don’t have any problem with him doing the Ankle Lock; I might have tweeted it five or six years ago, like “Hey! He stole my move” but it was meant in more of a jokey sense. He’s a great talent and I like watching him wrestle. He’s a big boy too!”
WWE Superstar Neville recently spoke with the U.K. Mirror to promote this Sunday’s WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. Below are some of the highlights from the interview
On facing Seth Rollins on his second RAW appearance: “It’s crazy and I think to be given that opportunity so early on, it’s very, very flattering and I think it’s testimony to the faith they have in me. There are opportunities that I want to grab with both hands and run with and I feel like I did that to a certain extent. It’s very gratifying to be able to do that, to get an opportunity like that and to be able to perform well, on that level in front of the world, it’s really quite cool. For me personally, for my career, I think it was priceless. I’m very fortunate to get that chance.”
On his match with John Cena before Rusev interfered: “I know mate, it’s hard to believe. Honestly I have to pinch myself. I’m just trying to enjoy it – these are memories I will have for the rest of my life. I’m really just enjoying every step of the way and whether I beat John Cena or Seth Rollins or whoever, anytime I go out there I make the most of whatever is thrown at me and I’m going to enjoy it at the same time. It’s been the most incredible couple of months in my life. I’m just hoping it continues, it’s been quite unreal.”
On his feud with Bad News Barrett: “I was very happy to be able to do that. I’m a very proud Englishman, I came up through British wrestling, through the independents in Britain, and what we’ve seen in Britain is something really special. There is a lot of great talent out there so to be able to represent that on the big stage is something I take very seriously, something I’m very proud of, that is very important to me. To be doing it with someone like King Barrett who is an exceptional talent himself and has achieved a lot of success in WWE, I felt like it was a really good test for me. Also to represent England both of us together I felt was a real privilege and I think Barrett felt the same. We’re both very proud of where we’re from so it’s very cool to be able to do that.”
On his match at Sunday’s Elimination Chamber PPV: “I think Bo is certainly one of the most underrated superstars on Raw and SmackDown. I think a lot of the time maybe he gets overlooked because maybe he is a bit deluded and a bit of an eccentric character! But the fact of the matter is, when it comes to in-ring action, performing and competing, Bo can certainly go. We have a lot of history and I know what he is capable of. We had some really grueling matches in NXT that really tested me and I’m looking forward to doing the same on Sunday. I think we’re both ready for the challenge and we could both certainly do with the victory.”
On if he had any input in his ring entrance in WWE: “Yeah, I actually had a lot of input. That was a concept I came up with along with a few of the agents. We thought it would be cool. The concept is that it’s like every time I appear on the stage it’s almost as if I have been shot down from somewhere in space, like I’m a meteor that arrives on Earth. More than anything it’s a cool concept and then I got together with the production team and stage crew and we bounced ideas around. I don’t know if you’ve noticed the first few weeks we were kind of hashing around trying different things and I feel like now we’ve really got it down. We’ve got the pyro and the ziplines that look like the meteor hitting Earth and it’s a very cool visual that I’m very happy with.”
NXT World Heavyweight Champion Kevin Owens recently spoke with TheWhig.com to promote this Sunday’s WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. Below are some highlights from the interview.
On a conversation he had with Sami Zayn: “I remember a conversation I had with Sami Zayn, it must have been around 2003. We were travelling to a little show in Quebec City, which is about two hours from Montreal so we were somewhere between Montreal and Quebec City at a restaurant and he was telling me how wrestling for WWE was his dream. And I told him, ‘Yeah, well me too, but it’s not really a dream, it’s a goal.’ And he was like, ‘What do you mean by that?’ I said, ‘Dreaming of something is nice, but having it as a goal I think is different. I know it’s going to happen.’ I told him that. I said, ‘I know I’m going to get there.’ And he was kind of blown away by that perspective and that outlook on it.”
On his first day with WWE: “My first day was pretty interesting because I got the call that I was hired. I was going to start full time August 25 at the Performance Center, but my first day was actually before. A couple of weeks before, they brought me in so that I could visit the Performance Center, there was an NXT TV taping that week so I stayed for that. I had to find a house, so I found a house for my family to live in in Orlando. My first day was technically not an official first day, it was just more a bit of a sample of what I could expect. I got in the ring with Norman Smiley in his class. And of course there was the NXT TV taping, I saw that whole process. I met Triple H and I met Stephanie McMahon. It was just a really surreal experience because those are people I’ve been watching for years and years and years. To now get to see them and to get to talk to Triple H, who was basically welcoming me on board. He’s telling me, ‘Thanks for coming, thanks for accepting the invitation, thanks for coming on board.’ In my head, I’m like, ‘Well thank you for hiring me.’ That was pretty cool.”
On developing a relationship with Triple H: “You know, I feel like I’ve developed a bit of a relationship with Hunter throughout these last few months. It goes beyond the ring. We’ll talk about our kids, we’ll talk about life. He’s very good to me. To have him take time out of a very busy day, he’s busy on Raw, and he took the time to tell me to just make sure you are who you are. And I know that’s kind of the advice he gives everyone, but to hear it from him, it really means something because ‘Make sure you stay who you are’ means that who I am, he’s got faith in. That’s a big thing.”
“I wanted to make my kids proud, I wanted to make my wife proud, I wanted to make my parents proud, and I wanted to make Hunter proud because he took a shot on me. I’m not the typical WWE superstar. He hired me anyway and he saw something in me. And I want to deliver for him. I want to pay him back for that by delivering the way he thinks I can and I think I did.”
On facing John Cena on Sunday: “There’s no denying how big it is. There’s not a whole lot of people that walk into WWE, show up on Raw, lay out the top guy in the industry for the last 10 years and get to wrestle him two weeks later at a major event like Elimination Chamber, but I get to do that. That will literally never be taken away from me, no matter what happens from here on out.”
Samoa Joe recently spoke with the official WWE website about his recent NXT debut, his aspirations in WWE, his history with John Cena and more.
Below are some highlights from the interview.
On signing with WWE: “I’m over the moon. It’s something I never really thought I would have the opportunity to do. To be here now, it’s an unreal feeling.”
On his history with John Cena: “I had the chance to work with John quite a bit in UPW and even beyond that. When John was just getting started, we hung out a lot. Being a trainer at the school, I taught the beginner course. John was the type of guy, who even though he was past the basics, he would come to the beginner class in the morning. I would see him at the advanced class at night, where I would go to get train and improve…”
On whether he thought John Cena would become the star he is today: “I had no doubt. It’s funny, I’ve been asked that before. He didn’t have to come to the beginner class. He didn’t have to come to all the practices. But John came to all of them; he did all of the work and extra work on top of that. He was so laser-focused on becoming a WWE Superstar, much more than anyone else from UPW who had gotten the opportunity to go to WWE at the time. There really wasn’t a question in my mind that he would become the star he is today.”
On what led to him coming to WWE: “I’ve had a great career up to this point. I’d pretty much wrestled everywhere in the world. The one place that eluded me was WWE. I had put out feelers to a few friends and confidants in WWE. They did some probing on my behalf. Slowly, but surely, a small glimmer of hope opened up. Talks progressed and the opportunity presented itself.”
On his WWE goals: “At some time, I would love to make a trip up to the main roster and wreak my brand of havoc. So many people I’ve come up with have succeeded in WWE. Though I thought the opportunity would never present itself, I’m here now. I’m in the best shape of my career and I’m more than happy to fulfill the destiny that has eluded me for far too long, and that’s to be the WWE World Heavyweight Champion.”
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently updated his official blog with his latest thoughts and comments. Below are some of the highlights.
On ROH coming to Destination America: “Still lots of buzz surrounding Destination America adding Ring of Honor (ROH) to their broadcast line up as a lead in to TNA Impact Wrestling beginning next week on Wednesday nights. It is certainly feasible that by adding ROH to pair with TNA that the two brands could compliment each other and provide the most devout wrestling fans a destination to support both brands. There’s nothing wrong with one network featuring two, different wrestling brands no different than featuring two different sitcoms, ect. Stations having a ‘wrestling block’ isn’t a new concept and was done in multiple markets back in the day including Dallas and Atlanta. By pairing the two brands together, Destination America may have backed into a really nice package that wrestling fans will find attractive during the md week. Could ROH being on the same network actually be a blessing for TNA? Never say never as the ratings will tell that story.”
On the TNA talent call: “Good to see that TNA finally reached out to their roster of athletes to attempt to update them on the companies current status. Communication is the key in unsettling times such as this as wrestlers, not unlike any other pro athlete or entertainer, generally are prone to be paranoid and restless by nature and not communicating with them is one of the most undesirable things management can do. Honesty is always the most advantageous policy when dealing with any one especially any one in the world of wrestling where trust, in general, is fleeting.
I have been firm in my stance with how TNA has communicated with their talents which in no way is an indictment that I want the brand to fail as anyone who listens to my podcasts or reads my blogs knows that I am a fan of the business and want ALL companies to succeed.
I can say without hesitation that over the years that the ‘closed nature’ of the pro wrestling business has never fostered viable, on going communications from the ‘office’ to the ‘talents’ at least since I found my way into the biz in 1974. That needs to change IMO and if it does many talent rosters will galvanize and acquire the “us against the world” mentality that allows the perennial underdogs to feel that collectively that they hve a chance to succeed if they stick together in a united front.”
On Kevin Owens moving to the main WWE roster: “Looks like Kevin Steen Owens has seemingly begun to finish his stay in NXT and move to the main WWE roster permanently from what many sources are saying. Congrats to him and here’s hoping that he can stay healthy and catch a creative break to be able to show the world just what he can do bell to bell. Kevin is a great talent who’s certainly paid his dues and I wish him the best. I wonder if some of WWE’s top hands fully realize that Owens is coming take one of their jobs? WWE has a great opportunity to facilitate Owens making a memorable impact come Sunday at the Elimination Chamber.”
Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
– The Thursday, May 26, 2015 edition of WWE SmackDown drew 2.574 million viewers. The show, which is the final edition of SmackDown before Sunday’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, was actually down from last week’s show, which drew 2.589 million viewers.
– The new WWE DVD project on Owen Hart will be titled, “Owen Hart – Hart of Gold.” The set is scheduled to be released in November.
– NXT Champion Kevin Owens is the guest on the latest edition of Chris Jericho’s “Talk Is Jericho” podcast. You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.
Brock Lesnar is being advertised to wrestle in Japan for the first time in twelve years for WWE.
The official YouTube account is promoting that the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion will be appearing at the Sumo Hall in Tokyo, Japan on July 4, 2015. According to WWE.co.jp, Lesnar’s opponent at the event will be WWE Tag Team Champion Kofi Kingston. It will also be his first wrestling appearance at a non-televised WWE event since 2004.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTrvQhQTDJs
On the F4WOnline.com message board, Dave Meltzer said Lesnar is working the event because he planned to visit Masa Saito, a retired Japanese wrestler, with friend Brad Rheingans (a former wrestler from Minnesota who competed for the American Wrestling Association, New Japan Pro Wrestling and briefly WWE in 1986 as an enhancement talent).
“Lesnar and Brad Rheingans wanted to go to Japan to see Masa Saito,” Melter wrote. “Just figured since he was going anyway, make it tax deductible, get his trans paid and work one show.”
Meltzer noted that Lesnar is only working that one show. Another show will be held at the same venue on July 3, 2015.
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently updated his official Q&A section, answering questions from fans on a variety of topics. Below are some of the highlights.
On if he thinks GFW can get on Destination America: “I don’t know GFW TV situation except that they need to find a viable TV network to make themselves viable or they won’t make it.”
On Scott Steiner: “Scott is an interesting guy and I worked with him beginning in his rookie year.”
On if he expects to see blood at Elimination Chamber: “No I do not expect to see self inflicted wounds that cause bleeding this Sunday.”
On working with Sunny in WWE as an announce partner: “She had a sound aptitude for the business and did well at the announcer desk. Too bad outside influences adversely affected her.”
Check out more Jim Ross Q&A at his official website, JRsBarBQ.com.
NXT World Champion Kevin Owens has signed a new main roster contract with WWE and it is believed that he will be making the transition from NXT to the main roster imminently.
Owens is now officially booked for every RAW show going forward, and will soon be added to the main roster non-televised live events on the weekends.
As the current NXT Champion, Owens will continue as a character on the NXT brand for a couple more months so his transition to the main roster is a smooth one.
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins recently spoke with the folks at Digital Spy to promote this Sunday’s WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. Below are some highlights from the interview.
On his match with Dean Ambrose at Elimination Chamber: “Ambrose is a confident performer, like you said he got a couple of wins under his belt against me, but when the chips are down, always bet on Rollins when it comes to Rollins versus Ambrose. assume he thinks things will be different, but you look at the deck and it’s a little stacked against him. There’s really nobody that performs better in big match situations than me. That’s over the last two, three years, even if you go deeper into my career. Any time it’s a big match and there’s a lot on the line and I’m the guy who needs to hit the home run, I do it. I think Elimination Chamber is another one of those and actually every title match is one of those, and I’m looking forward to it.”
On Kevin Owens coming to the main roster: “No. You know, Kevin’s great. I’ve known Kevin for years and years and years. He’s an excellent talent. There’s a reason The Authority sees big things in him, there’s a reason the WWE Universe sees big things in him. But Kevin Owens is Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins is the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. So I’m not terribly concerned at this point in time. I think I earn my keep quite well. Maybe down the line we’ll have to consider other options, but that’s definitely not the case right now.”
On John Cena fading down in his career: “The end of John Cena is an interesting prospect. I think that John has given this company and this industry so much for the last 15 years that it’s gotta be taking its toll on him, physically speaking. He’s not a young man anymore and you get in there with guys like the names you’ve mentioned, all hungry, young, exciting performers with styles that he’s not accustomed to. I think that throws him a little off. He likes that challenge. I know John, he loves a new challenge and he looks forward every day in his whole life. The end of John Cena? I don’t know, but definitely the beginning of a new era in WWE for sure.”
On Brock Lesnar’s return: “The suspension is indefinite, luckily, so we’ll see how long it lasts. But I’m sure Lesnar’s got his eyes set on the prize, I don’t know why he wouldn’t. And I would be glad to give him a rematch, when the time is right. When the situation calls for it. Until then he can sit on the sidelines and enjoy his time at home.”
On ROH going to Destination America: “Great for Ring of Honor. It’s tremendous any time our wrestling industry continues to grow. That’s awesome for them. They were a breeding ground for a lot of talent that now exists [in the WWE]: Kevin Owens, myself, Sami Zayn, obviously Daniel Bryan, Cesaro. They have proven to be a valuable asset when it comes to cultivating great talent as far as moving guys up to the bigger ranks. It’s great – I’m super thrilled for them and I hope they can sustain and hopefully we see more talent coming out of there and into NXT and eventually into WWE. It’s a good time to be a wrestling fan, that’s for sure.”
On Samoa Joe in NXT: “I was very thrilled for Joe. He’s a guy who was an idol of mine growing up, someone I watched when I was in my formative teenage years. He’s someone whose style I emulated when I first started. There’s definitely pieces of Samoa Joe in the Seth Rollins repertoire so it’s cool he’s part of the company now – something you thought you’d never see. Like I say, it creates a lot of super-interesting match-ups, so it’s a great time to be a professional wrestling fan, a great time to be a WWE fan for sure.”
– As noted recently, Daniel Bryan is advertised to appear at next Monday’s edition of WWE RAW. Bryan has since been added to the August 24th edition of WWE RAW at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York as well.
– SIRIUS/XM radio personality Sam Roberts is the guest on the latest edition of the “Steve Austin Show” podcast. You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.
– Stevie Ray announced on social media this week that he has signed a Legends Deal with WWE. Below is the announcement Ray tweeted:
Suckas gots to know! I've signed a legends deal with @WWE! As my brother @BookerT5x would say, I know ya can dig that! #HarlemHeat#slapjack
NXT Champion Kevin Owens appeared on the PodNasty Wrestling Podcast and spoke about underrated talent in NXT and the upcoming Money In The Bank pay-per-view. Below are some highlights from the interview.
Most underrated talent in NXT:“I think the answer to that would be The Dillinger, he’s a Canadian boy and he’s been on TV a few times, he was even on the WWE version of ECW, if you will, a few years ago I believe his name was Gavin Spears at the time. He’s in NXT right now, and he’s been picking up steam lately so I hope that translates to an NXT TV role.”
“I look up to Tye Dillinger. He’s been around for a long time and there’s just something about him that I really expect and obviously he’s become a good friend throughout the last couple of months but regardless of if he was my friend or not I would be saying the same thing right now. He’s very talented, and it’s not just me who looks up to him, pretty much everyone in the Performance Center looks up to him, not only for the stuff he does in the ring but how he behaves outside of the ring. And I feel like if you’re going to say who’s the most underrated guy—because there’s a lot of underrated guys over there—I’d say Ty Dillinger probably tops that list.”
On appearing in the Money in the Bank ladder match: “I have interest in competing in every big even tike Money in the Bank or Elimination Chamber or SummerSlam or whatever it is. I want to be part of those shows, I want to be part of that product that’s where I want to be. So regardless of what match I would be it whether it be a MITB Ladder Match or if I was just wrestling anybody on that show I definitely want to be there, that’s the goal, absolutely. I think beating John Cena at the Elimination Chamber would probably give me a pretty good shot at being [in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match] so that’s what I’m thinking about.
TNA executive John Gaburick announced this week that three talents have re-signed with TNA. Gaburick noted on Twitter that The Wolves — Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards, along with Bram, have all re-signed with the promotion.
NXT star Tyler Breeze recently spoke with the folks at AfterBuzz TV about a number of topics. Below are some highlights.
On Xavier Woods: “I came to a crossroads at NXT [with my character Mike Dalton]…And fortunately for me, [Xavier Woods] is a genius when it comes to technology stuff. Saying he is a genius at one thing, he’s kind of a genius at all things. And at the time he had somehow got ahold of some video editing software…He was figuring out how to edit these really cool videos. He basically said, “We’re going to turn this around. I’m going to come over today and come up with like 5 or 10 characters. We’re going to throw them at everybody and say, ‘What about this one? What about this one?’ I came up with three different ones. One was a snowboarder. One was a darker version of Mike Dalton, which I was at the time. And one was Tyler Breeze. As we were filming it, we were laughing our heads off…but I had eight other characters ready to go. I ended up getting a couple emails back saying, ‘You might have something with this Tyler Breeze thing. None of it would have happened if [Xavier Woods] hadn’t made these videos. And he’s done a lot for other people down here too.”
On if his character is inspired by Zoolander: “Everyone thinks it must have been inspired by Zoolander, but the funny thing is it really wasn’t until later. I kind of based it off the people I had seen come in and try out. There’s a lot of people in a lot of different industries that do that. There’s people on the outside that come in and think, “Nah It can’t be that hard. I can do this.” They were actors and models and they would try to give wrestling a try and they would happen to say some funny things. At the time I was Mike Dalton. I was very much a wrestler and nobody really wanted to see it. And I thought, why not go entirely the opposite. I’m going to wrestle like I don’t know how to wrestle, I’m just this outsider looking in and from there it kind of turned into that he was a model…from there, I did this face at the end of interviews and then I started watching some Zoolander stuff and switched my voice a little bit. As I started doing more interviews it kind of turned into more of Ben Stiller from Dodgeball than it actually was Zoolander. I was this loose cannon that would get angry at anything and everything you asked me was the stupidest question I’ve ever heard in my life.”
On his wrestling goals prior to getting signed by WWE: “My goal was always WWE. When I was a kid, at 6-years-old, and that was what my dad showed me was WWE. I didn’t even know that any other wrestling exited. I didn’t know that WCW existed, I didn’t know that Japan existed. I just assumed that WWE was everywhere and that was the goal. As I went through school, everything was geared towards WWE. Once I went and trained with Lance Storm…he had this extensive collection of Japanese stuff and I started learning there’s so much more than WWE. But still my personal goal was to go to WWE.”
On training with Lance Storm: “I couldn’t ask for better training. In three months he prepared me for everything I was going to encounter. I trained with him in 2007, so he was fresh off of WWE. He had connections still and he went out of his way to talk to everybody about money, about working with agents, that etiquette was very important. I still look to him for advice on a lot of different things.”
On underrated talent in NXT: “Everybody on twitter always uses the word “underrated” or “overrated.” There are a lot of deserving people. I don’t want to say underrated, but people you maybe haven’t seen yet and that’s Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson. And we have a lot of new people in that you can see that they’re going to be good, but we have a good crop of people from top to bottom. Another one I’ll add to the list is Tye Dillinger.”
On some of his favorite matches: “There have been several that are the cornerstones or milestones for me, that have taken me to different levels. That first Takeover with Sami Zayn, that moved me to a different bracket. I’ve gotten to work with Zayn and Neville a lot. When Hideo came in, I really liked all the stuff I did with Hideo. He is such a star and has international appeal. He’s not just an NXT guy, he’s coming in and there was a lot of buzz with him. He showed that I could hang with someone that kicks the crap out of you essentially. Now even moving onto Finn [Balor], he’s another international superstar.”
On the Elimination Chamber and NXT talent being involved: “It’s good for everything. It’s intriguing. Everything in the last couple of months, with Zayn coming up and showing that he can hang with Cena. Neville just freshly debuting showing that he can hang with Cena and then we’ve got Owens coming up and laying out Cena. He’s creating a lot of intrigue. Heading into this PPV I think it’s less about the individuals [debuting] and more about NXT. It’s showing that NXT is WWE. It’s not below it. It’s side by side…We’ve had guys like Rhyno coming in, like Tommy Dreamer coming in. NXT has got this feel to it. It’s very similar to that thing ECW had. [The fans] are very loyal and they feel like NXT is cutting edge. The fact that I’m getting to be in the opportunities that I’m in…the fact we’re getting to do that is cool.”
David Bixenspan tweeted a leaked 2006 email from Vince Russo to Dixie Carter, pushing for TNA to feature an “attractive, sexy, female executive” character to make the show “hip” and add a new dimension to the product.
Russo, who has had a long standing feud with Jim Cornette, also pushes for Cornette’s removal from television, since he is a 1980’s throwback rasslin’ cartoon character and conflicted with the edgier elements of the show like Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe.
– WWE NXT Women’s Champion Sasha Banks responded to a report attributed to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter from Dave Meltzer claiming that she missed last week’s WWE NXT events due to an injury to either her arm or shoulder.
She quoted the report on her account on Tumblr and wrote, “No I didn’t stupid news.”
After successfully defending the WWE NXT Women’s Championship against Becky Lynch at WWE NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable, Banks didn’t appear at the following night’s WWE NXT tapings, nor did she work that weekend’s non-televised events. Meltzer says he was told she suffered either an arm or shoulder injury, but is not sure whether she suffered the injury during her match against Lynch or if she entered the contest hurt. Banks was scheduled to wrestle during the fourth WWE NXT episode taping but left Full Sail University to go to the hospital when her fiancé, Sarath Ton, was legitimately knocked unconscious during a tag match teaming with Jason Jordan against The Vaudevillians. Ton was recently hired by WWE to go on the road with the main roster and work as a seamster.
– It was reported in April that Sarah Stock, formerly known as Sarita in TNA Wrestling, served as a guest trainer at the WWE Performance Center for one week that month. She has been in Orlando, Florida since last week showing the ropes to some of WWE’s female talent. Sara Del Rey, WWE NXT Assistant Head Coach, put over the internationally acclaimed grappler on Twitter on Thursday.
It was reported in this week’s edition of Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Stock, who primarily competes for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) as Dark Angel, was brought in to teach the women the Mexican style of wrestling. The same publication reported earlier this month that Stock has not wrestled for CMLL since her initial training stint at the WWE Performance Center. She will, however, be making her return to CMLL ring this Saturday in a six-women tag team match. (see poster).