@madusa_rocks
WWE Hall of Famer Madusa posted a photo to Instagram on Thursday night along with Ric Flair, The Undertaker, Scott Hall, Sean Waltman and Tatanka. At a glance its a nice picture with some all time greats. A closer look shows The Undertaker is sporting a prominent black eye.
The Dead Man bled from around his eye on RAW during his brawl with Shane McMahon – so Shane o Mac has already left his mark on his WrestleMania opponent.
This week’s SmackDown featured live cut-ins from AT&T Stadium, site of Sunday’s WrestleMania 32.
Photos of the set being constructed have been circulating online this week, but this was our best look yet at the venue that will house WWE’s largest crowd in history.
WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes was honored at WrestleMania AXXESS on Thursday night with a bronze statue in his likeness. Dusty’s family was on hand for the unveiling.
In previous years, Bruno Sammartino, Andre The Giant and The Ultimate Warrior were honored in similar fashion.
The legendary “American Dream” passed away last June 11th, 2015. #ThankYouDusty
#ThankYouDusty! #Wrestlemania #Axxess pic.twitter.com/M0JhrVBBuI
— WWE WrestleMania (@WrestleMania) April 1, 2016
Beautiful memorial. #ThankYouDusty #WrestleManiaAxxess pic.twitter.com/ekdbJy7cWr
— Jenna Lynn ? (@RookieJen) April 1, 2016
Several fans from the Dallas area have noted that local advertising and merchandise at the WWE Axxess events are listing Triple H vs. Roman Reigns as a no disqualifications match. This opens the door for outside interference in the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match between the two.
Triple H defends his World Heavyweight Title on April 3rd at WrestleMania 32, and we’ll have live play-by-play coverage right here on Sunday night.
https://twitter.com/TheFrayMovement/status/715657523655651328
During Thursday’s wrestling media conference call, WWE COO Triple H announced the first 7 competitors for this summer’s Global Cruiserweight Series:
The 32-man tournament will air over 10 weeks this summer on the WWE Network. It’s already been announced that EVOLVE, PROGRESS Wrestling and Revolution Pro will host qualifying matches starting next month.
WWE and popular social media platform Snapchat have signed a multi-year partnership that kicks off with WrestleMania 32, according to an exclusive report by Variety.
Snapchat will cover WrestleMania 32 via a “Live Story.” WWE fans will be able to contribute video and photos that will be curated and packaged by Snapchat along with WWE-supplied content into a brief video available to the app’s more than 100 million daily active users.
Jayar Donlan, WWE’s Senior VP of Digital and Social Content, told Variety, “We are thrilled to partner with Snapchat and provide our fans with a new way to experience WrestleMania. The Snapchat Live Story allows WWE fans to share their stories from our annual pop-culture extravaganza and dive into the live action of WrestleMania in more ways, and from more perspectives, than ever before.”
“By partnering with WWE for our coverage of WrestleMania and future events, we are able to bring Snapchatters and WWE fans new and old even closer to the action and behind-the-scenes of some of the biggest events in sports and entertainment,” said Ben Schwerin, Snapchat’s director of partnerships.
For more information, visit Variety.com.
John Cena is a lot closer to being medically cleared than previously expected. Cena, who has been intensely rehabbing his shoulder following rotator cuff surgery back in January, is expected to be cleared very soon. PWInsider reports:
“John Cena is just about ready to return to the ring and is expected to be cleared anytime, if he hasn’t been cleared already.”
Cena was very public about his efforts to return in time for WrestleMania, but it wasn’t meant to be. He’s been doing plenty of media appearances on WWE’s behalf to promote WrestleMania and was backstage at Monday’s RAW from Brooklyn.
During an interview with FOX News conducted earlier this week, Cena explained the procedure that was performed, his grueling rehabilitation schedule and “sweet talking” doctors so they’ll give him the green light to return.
“I had a rotator cuff reattachment. I had an AC joint reconstruction and I had a giant arterial defect on the bone that goes into the ball in the socket in the shoulder. Basically, the round space was not round, it was cut in half. So all that had to regenerate and grow, but after over 400 hours of physical therapy, I feel pretty darn good.”
“The people who said conservatively nine months have now said well maybe I’ll reevaluate myself,” Cena said. “So I’m looking okay. I just got a little bit more sweet talking to do to the doctors so they can give me the green light.”
Surprisingly, WWE isn’t even advertising that he’ll be at WrestleMania, but he certainly will be backstage. Join us here all weekend for our non-stop coverage of everything Wrestlemania live from Dallas, Texas.
Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows are scheduled to be at this week’s WWE TV tapings, as first reported by PWInsider. They will be backstage at WrestleMania on Sunday and are scheduled to debut on the main roster within the next week.
Karl Anderson was training at the WWE Performance Center earlier this week. NXT head trainer Jason Albert tweeted a photo of Anderson in Orlando, so they’re not keeping it a huge secret.
It remains to be seen if they will be aligned with Finn Balor from the get go. Rumored names for the faction include Balor Club and Bulletproof.
Balor defends the NXT Championship against Samoa Joe tomorrow night at NXT Takeover: Dallas.
It is Monday today pic.twitter.com/L9QomAS9Wm
— Finn Bálor (@FinnBalor) March 28, 2016
— The Machine Gun (@MachineGunKA) March 18, 2016
– Lucha Underground star King Cuerno was reportedly offered a spot in WWE’s Global Cruiserweight Series tournament. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Cuerno was all about it, but AAA and Lucha Underground blocked him from accepting. Cuerno is signed to a seven-season deal, but wasn’t at the first round of Season 3 tapings and hasn’t wrestled for AAA since March 4th.
– The next WWE NXT Takeover event after “Takeover: Dallas” this Friday is scheduled for Wednesday, June 8th.
– WWE has moved the Andre Memorial Battle Royal match from the WrestleMaia 32 Kickout Pre-show to the main card for the show. The Kickoff Pre-show still remains at two hours long, with two hours on social media, Youtube and the WWE Network, and one hour programming on the USA Network.
WWE announced on Thursday that Holy Foley, a new docu-series starring Mick Foley and his daughter Noelle, will premiere on the WWE Network in August.
Produced by Trooper Entertainment in association with Lionsgate, Holy Foley will offer “a comedic, behind-the-scenes look into the life of WWE Hall of Famer, husband and father Mick Foley and his unique relationship with his daughter Noelle.”
The 10-episode, 30-minute family reality series is slated to premiere in August 2016.
“I am excited to give fans a behind-the-scenes look into the Foley family life,” said Mick Foley in a press release. “Holy Foley will be filled with surprises, lots of drama and moments that will make you laugh out loud.”
Show Synopsis:
“At the Foley household on suburban Long Island, Mick Foley simply sees himself as a stand-up comedian and Santa-loving dad to his family of five, including wife Colette, sons Dewey, Mickey and Hughie, and daughter Noelle, with whom he shares a picture-perfect, father-daughter relationship.
However, unbeknownst to Mick, Noelle has decided she wants to follow in her father’s footsteps, and has been secretly training to join WWE. Just when Mick thought he was out of the ring, Noelle is leading the charge to pull him back in.
As if Noelle’s aspirations weren’t enough, Dewey, Mick’s oldest son, recently landed his dream job as a writer’s assistant on the WWE creative team.
In Holy Foley, real-life antics and laugh-out-loud moments will unfold as cameras follow two generations of Foleys trying to make it in life – and at WWE.”
Fighting Spirit Magazine editor Brian Elliott broke the unfortunate news that veteran British independent wrestler Kris Travis has passed away due to complications from stomach cancer. He was 32.
It is with deep regret that I write that Kris Travis died this morning. Kris was an FSM Readers' multi-award winner. He will be missed.
— WrestleTalk Magazine (@WrestleTalkMag) March 31, 2016
As a tribute, FSM’s website has reprinted an article from their October issue that featured a number of UK wrestlers sharing stories about Travis. The Preston City Wrestling website has a tribute blog post written by promoter Steven Fludder, and a number of big names who knew him have expressed their condolences on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/FightOwensFight/status/715525593220026369
https://twitter.com/FightOwensFight/status/715526442231025664
Rest now @RealKrisTravis it was a pleasure knowing/working with you and I pray for your family's strength! #RIPKRISTRAVIS
— Brian G. James (@BrianRDJames) March 31, 2016
Kristopher Travis was a true inspiration to me. He gave hope to every human being he ever crossed paths with. A true hero. Deeply saddened.
— Vince Russo (@THEVinceRusso) March 31, 2016
Deeply saddened by the news. Kris was a brilliant performer but more importantly a genuine human being. Goodbye friend. #RIPKrisTravis
— BASTARD (@BASTARDPAC) March 31, 2016
Travis, who would probably be best known for his appearances on TNA’s British Boot Camp reality show, was one of the veterans and top stars of the thriving UK indie scene. He shocked fans and wrestlers throughout the region when he abruptly announced his retirement and diagnosis last year, and while he briefly attempted a comeback, it wasn’t something that he could sustain as the cancer recurred
In the blog entry linked earlier in this post, Preston City Wrestling promoter announced that this weekend’s show (the one hit by the EC3 cancellation controversy we previously reported on will be a tribute to Travis.)
– Babatunde Aiyegbusi, a Polish giant who tried out for the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings last season, was recently at the Performance Center. He’s 6-foot-9 and 331 pounds.
– If he can get medically cleared in time, Cesaro is rumored as a surprise entrant for the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania.
– WWE has hired Andrea Ocampo as a ring announcer. Ocampo is a former reporter for the NHL’s Florida Panthers and will use the name Andria DeMarco.
– WrestleMania will be broadcast on the WWE Network in several languages, including Japanese. Former WWE Superstar Funaki is Dallas (with several familiar faces) and will be doing Japanese commentary.
Yes! INDEED! #HappyWrestleMania @LanceHoyt @HideoItami @ShinsukeN @WWEAsuka @WrestleMania @WWENXT #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/8XMi2uPzQT
— FUNAKI (@shofufu824) March 31, 2016
Despite the mixed reactions Roman Reigns has been receiving from WWE audiences, the company does have some tangible evidence that he is worth investing in.
Results from a recent marketability study showed Reigns among the most popular Superstars on the roster. The study, which was conducted amongst current WWE fans, yielded the following results in terms of popularity and likability: John Cena, The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns. Cena earned the top spot by a wide margin.
Other talent that scored well were Randy Orton, Triple H and AJ Styles. Ambrose was surprisingly far behind that 2nd tier, while Kevin Owens didn’t fare well at all. In this era, WWE is very much a global corporation and data like this is considered in business planning.
It’s also worth noting that an (undisclosed) major retailer had these Superstars selling the most merchandise in 2015: John Cena, Daniel Bryan, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose.
– Friend of the site The Solomonster got a tip that Snoop Dogg will be performing at WrestleMania this Sunday. Snoop will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame the previous night.
I'm told by someone who would know that Snoop Dogg is scheduled to perform during Sasha Banks' entrance at #Wrestlemania.
— Jason Solomon ?? (@solomonster) March 31, 2016
– Former WWE Superstar Virgil has responded to Baron Corbin referencing him in a derogatory way during a promo on this week’s NXT.
Staying relevant & getting that #fuckmoney 30 years later. Love it like I love my meat sauce @BaronCorbinWWE pic.twitter.com/jiq8G49z0d
— Virgil (@TheRealVirgil) March 31, 2016
– Alex Riley continues to vent his frustrations on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/AlexRileyWWE/status/715347650636345344
https://twitter.com/AlexRileyWWE/status/715356075399241729
It sounds like the WWE creative team may have changed their mind regarding pushing Braun Strowman right away. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE is getting cold feet after planning for months to push Strowman. There were apparently concerns within management after his match with Dean Ambrose at the recent RAW in Philadelphia.
Strowman was at one point considered a lock to win the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 32, but WWE is now reportedly working on different possible winners. Previous plans called for Strowman to win the battle royal and then face Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam.
Despite the lumbering style he works on WWE television, we continue to hear that he’s actually a talented performer capable of a lot more than we’re currently seeing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3zKJOyiZ5w
After wrestling Rey Mysterio at the URShow.TV Fight PPV Event in Phoenix, Kurt Angle plans to take a year off from in-ring action. The Olympic gold medalist was a guest on the Wrestling Compadres Slamcast, and revealed some behind-the-scenes details on his final TNA matches.
“Drew Galloway and Bobby Lashley , those two alone are the two most physical wrestlers I’ve wrestled since Brock Lesnar. And Bobby Roode and I had a pure wrestling match, and you just don’t see that much anymore,” Angle said. “That whole concept we did with the final three matches was my idea. I wanted Lashley to take out the whole locker room and have him face off with the new face of the company, EC III.”
One of Kurt Angle’s on-air rivals in WWE was Shane McMahon. Angle says Shane’s match with Undertaker has the ability to steal the show at WrestleMania, and both competitors still have “it.” Angle was also asked about possibly returning to WWE one day, which he didn’t rule out.
“I had a great career with WWE, but I won’t say I’m going to return to WWE or TNA,” Angle answered. “I have to keep my options open and see what the best situation will be in the future. I will be back in one of the two companies, I just don’t know where yet.”
You can listen to the full podcast with Angle here.
– Bubba Ray Dudley says that he and D-Von want their old entrance music back, for at least one night. According to Bubba on Twitter, the former Tag Team Champions put in a request to use their old entrance music at WestleMania 32, and the request was apparently denied. Here’s what Bubba said to a fan asking if anyone else wanted them to use their old music:
Yeah…US!!!! Trust me…we tried. https://t.co/XDFVgRNhQB
— Bully Ray (@bullyray5150) March 30, 2016
– WWE producer Dean Malenko will be missing WrestleMania week in Dallas as he recovers at home from a recent surgery. There’s no report on what kind of surgery the former WWE & WCW wrestler had.
– WWE posted a new “WrestleMania Diary” video on YouTube showing Sasha Banks training for her WrestleMania 32 match against Becky Lynch & WWE Divas champion Charlotte:
Join us here this Sunday for our live WrestleMania 32 coverage & discussion.
TMZ caught up with John Cena this week while he was in town doing the media rounds to promote WrestleMania. Cena commented on Shane McMahon’s match against The Undertaker, claiming that Shane is “energy personified.” It’s good to have Shane back in the folds and he knows Shane is amped for Hell in a Cell.
Cena said he’s been in the ring with Shane and he’s earned the right to be there, despite the fact that she’s not a full-time Superstar. When asked if he thinks Shane could handle the life of a WWE Superstar week in and week out, Cena said Shane’s heart and passion are in the right place.
Other topics discussed include Donald Trump, the Presidential race’s similarities to WWE and “shaving for his lady.”
Dean Ambrose spoke with FOX Sports this week to promote his match against Brock Lesnar this Sunday night at WrestleMania 32.
The former Shield member wrestlers a very physical style, yet somehow he’s avoided the injury bug that’s plagued WWE’s roster and kept stars like John Cena and Seth Rollins on the sidelines. Ambrose said a lot of that has to do with the way he trains and takes care of himself. He focuses a lot on flexibility and makes a point of not exceeding his “normal” bodyweight by much. He says a lot of guys carry excessive muscle mass, which makes them more injury prone. He likes to keep himself lean and healthy and also admits to being lucky.
That said, he is used to dealing with pain on a regular basis and it’s just part of the job.
“On the other hand, I’m also constantly hurt. I’ve been hurt for 10 years,” Ambrose said. “It’s not like I’m not constantly dealing with a litany of injuries that I have myself. If it’s not one thing, it’s another thing but I’ve just been able to keep rolling. I’ve not had anything catastrophic happen to me. It’s a funny thing because it’s always like the crazy freak things. It’s not like ‘Oh he got hurt when he jumped off the top of the cage.’ It’s like ‘He got hurt stepping into the ring’ or ‘popped his shoulder out giving a high five’. It’s the little things you can’t plan for. It’s not anything that ever enters my mind.
Not only is he facing the toughest opponent of his life this Sunday in Brock Lesnar, but the No Holds Barred Street Fight stipulation adds an extra element of danger.
“It’s the most dangerous match possible. It’s the most hardcore stuff. It could be a flaming table, ladder, exploding ring, whatever stuff you can think of and I’ve been in all of them. But there’s no more dangerous match than just being in the ring with Brock Lesnar. He is so physically overwhelming and the attributes that he has — let alone against little old me. That in itself makes it a very hazardous and dangerous situation.”
He said that he likes to “play with fire” in what could be a foreshadowing of what to expect in their match. The idea of him and Brock Lesnar being armed with weapons excites him because it’s kill or be killed. “It’s not every day you get to play a game of legit Russian roulette,” he said. “It’s very exciting for me.”
Shane McMahon was on ESPN SportsCenter on Wednesday night to promote Sunday’s WrestleMania 32 in Arlington, TX. The main topic of discussion was his Hell In The Cell match with The Undertaker. Shane also explained that being able to wrestle in front of his kids is his main reason for doing it.
“I’m really excited to be in there. I’m nervous to be in there. It’s a whole different atmosphere. When you’re against a guy that big… And I have so much respect for The Undertaker,” Shane said of his WrestleMania 32 opponent. “He’s the measuring stick of the business. He’s carried the business on his back for quite some time. I’ve known him a very long time. But when you’re in there it’s intimidating, so you just got to let it rip and that’s exactly what I’m going to do. I’m kind of known for I will do anything, especially when the stakes are high, I will definitely do that just as I showed the other night, so I will give it everything I possibly have.”
Shane McMahon has been part of a lot of memorable moments on WWE pay-per-views and when asked, Shane couldn’t choose just one favorite moment from his in-ring career. Shane says it was never in the original plans for him to have multiple matches or become known for jumping from tall places.
“Gosh, I don’t know. I always thought I would have one match because it was never supposed to be a series of things, and then it kind of caught fire,” Shane explained. “And then everyone becomes accustomed to it and you have to start thinking about different things and then it starts to build, so I always thought I would have one match. I was like, let’s give them some cool stuff, and then that evolved and escalated and has grown into what it is today.”
We’ll have live play-by-play coverage of WrestleMania 32 right here on Sunday night, in addition to the latest backstage news before & after the event.
Following this week’s episode of NXT, Apollo Crews vs. Elias Samson is now official for Friday’s NXT”Takeover: Dallas special. Here’s the final card for the show:
NXT Takeover: Dallas airs live this Friday night on the WWE Network. Join us here for Live Coverage of the event.
WWE Hall of Famer Jake “The Snake” Roberts believes that Bray Wyatt is a “very unique” talent on the WWE roster. In a recent interview with Ring Rust Radio, Roberts was asked about who on the current WWE roster he thinks is excelling both in the ring and on the mic.
“Bray Wyatt; he definitely gets it done,” Roberts answered. “I think they’re holding him down. I think he could do a lot more, and I would like to see them turn him loose, but I don’t think they’re going to. He would be something hard for WWE to ram something down his chute because his character is so strong. So they keep him beaten down and I think it’s a shame because he is very unique.”
While he believes Wyatt is capable of more, he doesn’t believe he’s capable of being a top heel. Roberts compared Wyatt to his own old character facing Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, saying it would be too hard for him to get booed by everyone.
“He will never be a top heel because people are infatuated by him. Just like the way they were with me,” Roberts said. “Whenever I wrestled Hogan they cheered me, with Savage it was split. People are funny man. When you’re doing your job really well, and you’re different and unique and you have this edge, that’s very special. People dig that, they respect that and they want to be with that. If they are scared of your character like they were of me and Bray, they want to be on the winning team, so they will want to cheer for you regardless.”
The WWE Hall of Famer also spoke on the recently retired Daniel Bryan, a talent he says WWE needs desperately. Roberts discussed his own experience with concussions, saying he believes they are to blame for spots on his brain that “don’t look good.”
“As far as Bryan goes, that’s a huge loss and I hate to hear that. WWE needs him desperately,” Roberts said. “I’m very proud of him that he is smart enough to get out after being injured. Most of us weren’t. As far as concussions for myself, I went and did all the tests because I am having issues. We did all the tests and stuff and it did not come out good. It come out there’s some spots on my brain that don’t look good and shouldn’t be there. It came down to how many concussions do I think I had, and I thought I had maybe two or three year. It’s a very low number when really I think it was more like eight or ten. So let’s say two or three, but I wrestled for 40 years, that’s 120 now. So I am going to have problems, and I’m already having problems.”
You can listen to the full interview here.
It’s a bit strange that this wasn’t officially announced yet, but it’s hard to argue with the evidence: Dave Meltzer is reporting at F4WOnline.com that it looks like WWE may have found a way to quickly get some major historical figures into their hall of fame at this Saturday night’s induction ceremony. A WWE Hall of Fame class of 2016 shirt being sold at the WrestleMania store at AT&T Stadium includes not just the announced inductees, but also a “WWE Legacy Award” with Ed “Strangler” Lewis, Frank Gotch, George Hackenschmidt, Lou Thesz, Mildred Burke, Pat O’Connor, and “Sailor” Art Thomas all listed under that heading.
As of this writing, WWE has not said anything else about the new Legacy Award. The obvious inference, though, is that the company is addressing the long-held criticism that they won’t ever put in a number of deserving inductees due to the unofficial “quota” on deceased inductees for each year’s ceremony. This would be a simple way to solve that problem: Induct several missing historical figures each year as a group. If there’s something else to it, who knows? But it’s hard to think of any alternative scenario besides the one outlined here.
While the pre-television era wrestlers included here (Lewis, Gotch, and Hackenschmidt; Thesz and Burke straddled both eras) were never really considered realistic candidates to be inducted. Thesz not being in had been controversial for many years. It goes a bit deeper than that, though: When he and Wahoo McDaniel passed away within two weeks of each other in April 2002, neither death was acknowledged on WWE programming. The uproar online was significant enough that WWE eventually ran a quick feature honoring both. Given the alleged “death quota,” nobody ever really expected him to go in the Hall of Fame, especially after when happened in the first place when he passed away.
Thesz was in the first class of the WCW Hall of Fame, but in the 15 years since WWE bought WCW and the 12 years since the WWE Hall of Fame was restarted, WWE never adopted WCW’s hall as their own. That would have been a quick way to add Thesz and McDaniel, among others.
One would think that the Legacy Award will be officially announced on this week’s edition of SmackDown. We should know that any moment now, as the show has already aired in Canada. If it’s not announced on SmackDown, this may just be a small gesture that WWE is making without a lot of fanfare.
– Sam Roberts scored an interview with Dean Ambrose this week on his Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast. Topics discussed include Wrestlemania 32, Dean’s recent match with HHH at Roadblock, dating Renee Young, winding up on Total Divas, and much more. Plus, Sam breaks down Monday’s RAW in a “State of Wrestling” segment. Definitely worth checking out:
– Cesaro arrived in Dallas, Texas today for WrestleMania week. The Swiss Superman is advertised to return to action during next month’s WrestleMania Revenge tour of the UK.
https://twitter.com/WrestlingSheet/status/715304062967623680
– If you’ve paying close attention to your TV, you may have noticed a fresh cut on Ric Flair’s forehead recently. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Flair demonstrated the process of “blading” for his upcoming ESPN 30 For 30 documentary on his life and career. There’s no word yet on when the special will air.
– The Wrestling Observer Newsletter also reports that Germany is a strong new market for the WWE Network. The Network launched in Germany this past January and is considered a success in the region. WWE is working on German commentary for all their pay-per-views on the WWE Network this year.
– Vince McMahon recently Tweeted about WrestleMania 32’s ticket sales at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. WrestleMania 32 takes place this Sunday, April 3rd, and we’ll have live coverage right here on SEScoops.com.
Old Record: 93,173 at Pontiac Silverdome.
New Record: This Sunday at @ATTStadium?#WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/6qt0BSxfDT
— Vince McMahon (@VinceMcMahon) March 30, 2016