– WWE’s one-hour special on the Hall of Fame on USA Network averaged 1,677,000 viewers. The special aired on Thursday night after SmackDown. Inductions for Sting, Snoop Dogg and The Fabulous Freebirds were shown.
– WWE tapes RAW on June 6th at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City. Tickets go on sale April 15th. Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, New Day and The Wyatt Family are all confirmed for the event.
– Brock Lesnar is booked for WWE’s house show on June 29th in Hawaii. This will be Lesnar’s first non-televised appearance since March, although there’s talk that the event could end up being a WWE Network special. Reigns, Chris Jericho, AJ Styles, Kevin OWens, Shinsuke Nakamura, Asuka and Bray Wyatt are all advertised for the event.
– WWE heads to Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kokugikan on July 1st and 2nd, and it’s likely all or most of the names above will be on those shows as well.
Wrestlemania 32 is in the books and it is fair to say that there were some….intriguing….booking choices made by the company, probably the most notable was Y2J picking up the win against AJ Styles, a man who as far as I can recall is the only man to have ever performed at Wrestle Kingdom and Wrestlemania in the same year and lose at both events.
More confusing is that the next night on the Raw after Mania they gave the number 1 contendership to AJ in a match where he pinned Jericho following a Styles Clash, driving home the ‘parity’ booking mentality the company seems to rely on heavily. Jericho has certainly lost more than his fair share of matches and has been more than willing to put over newer talent, even if it leads to obscurity for said talent (….Fandango), but for AJ’s first PPV event he really should’ve picked up the win.
After the win against AJ I fully expected Jericho to be placed in a program with Roman Reigns for the WWE Championship, this feud would’ve been an ideal opportunity for Reigns to learn from a grizzled vet and you can guarantee that Y2J would’ve done all he could’ve to try and stop the fans cheering him in an attempt to get Reigns over. But now that AJ has been placed in this slot for the Payback match what is there left for Jericho to do? There are 4 opponents that I would like to see him face off against from here:
Dean Ambrose – After an underwhelming match with Brock Lesnar at Mania; Ambrose also appears to be a man without a purpose, I have no doubt that an eventual Shield 3 way match for the title is on the cards when Seth Rollins is healthy, but in the meantime I see no reason why Jericho can’t have a similar program to that with CM Punk back in 2012, both are good promos and have the ability to work in a variety of stipulation matches that could re-establish Ambrose as a main event contender going forward, his reactions from the live crowds certainly warrant a prolonged push and I felt he was put in a difficult position with Lesnar as there was no way that they could live up to the Street Fights of yesteryear without the ability to bring blood into their match and that Brock Lesnar should not be losing matches, especially at Wrestlemania.
Shinsuke Nakamura – Even if they aren’t willing to bring Shinsuke up to the main roster full time just yet we’ve seen plenty of examples of NXT talent having cross-over matches, Kevin Owens benefitted greatly from having a program with John Cena while NXT Champion. The storyline could be as simple as Jericho calling Nakamura another ‘Y2J-Wannabe’ as he wrestled in Japan first, you could easily bring up Jericho’s past in the Super-J cup tournament to create a bit of legitimacy as the company appears to be more willing to acknowledge accomplishments outside of the WWE these days, you could even have Jericho perform at a Takeover show, something I’m sure the Full Sail crowd would not complain about. Really I would love to see Shinsuke on the main roster and a feud with Jericho (the gatekeeper of the WWE ‘style’) could be a great way to introduce him to the RAW audience.
Cesaro – He had built up quite a lot of momentum before his injury but a placeholder feud before going for a title could be the ideal way to re-build Cesaro. I feel that this is really the time for the WWE to decide if they are going to really take a push in Cesaro seriously and if so they need to put him up against a heel that will go above and beyond to put them over to the next level, I can definitely see a feud between them working as both Y2J and the Swiss Superman are both well travelled veterans and have experience in the European style of grappling. These two could easily have a show-stealing performance at the likes of Payback and while I don’t see this as a multiple month feud it certainly warrants getting a PPV match out of them at least.
Sami Zayn – Out of the 4 wrestlers mentioned I would say that a program with Sami Zayn is definitely more for further down the road, once he has finished the first (of hopefully) many matches with Kevin Owens I would really enjoy seeing Zayn, who is probably one of the best babyface performers in the world right now, get a feud with Jericho; who could again impart a decent amount of wisdom onto Sami and help him move from the lighter schedule of NXT to the full 300+ days a year main roster workload he will have to adapt to.
Thanks for reading, you can check out the second episode of the R & J Wrestling podcast below looking at the 2008 feud between Jericho and Shawn Michaels:
Yesterday, a curious link popped up on Wrestling Twitter which also showed up on Reddit an hour later: GlobalForceGold.info. Someone, and I’m not sure who it was, must have gone to the Global Force Wrestling website and seen the pop-over ad that it now serves up:
For starters, whatever it is, in the welcome video (embedded above),Jeff Jarrett calls it “GlobalForceGold.com,” which is not a good sign when the domain is actually GlobalForceGold.info. In the video, he says that he, his family, his friends, and his fans are all joining “Team Jarrett” and that we can, too! The website explains that if you enter your name, email address, and phone number, you will be contacted about getting a free autographed photo and get an opportunity to watch a seven minute video.
So what the heck is it? If you just put in dummy information, you get this video, called “Karatbars Explained”:
What the heck is Karatbars? Well, their website has a frequently asked questions page. Apparently, they’re a German company that is a “bank-independent trading houses [sic] for merchandise and precious metals, especially Gold bullion in form of a card in small denominations.” Uh Oh. It looks like just one of many businesses trying to capitalize on various myths, conspiracy theories, etc. about owning gold…but with some kind of multi-level marketing layer added in. It doesn’t sound completely on the level, does it?
There are a number of websites proclaiming it to be a scam, with one self-proclaimed “scam buster,” Ethan Vanderbuilt, even calling it a “ponzi scheme.” Technically, it sounds more like a pyramid scheme, as it’s based on recruiting affiliates who will recruit more affiliates, with promises of unrealistic financial returns. On top of that, among many other red flags, Vanderbuilt claims that one purported “scam busting” site that’s pro Karatbars is actually a Karatbar affiliate in disguise, and he has this to say about the “Business Packages” that they sell:
[You get a] cardboard box. That’s it! A large, FedEx delivered cardboard box with less than 10% of the value of gold actually contained in the box. For example, the VIP box is almost U$ 2,300 (shipment and transaction ‘fees’ are extra charges) and you get 3 grams of gimmick gold (approximately U$ 180 in value) therefore 90% of what you paid for is the card board box.
There’s a whole lot more at his site and others, but you probably get the gist. Karatbar’s own site has an incredibly convoluted “marketing plan” (PDF) that makes it pretty obvious to anyone with a discerning eye what’s actually going on here. Being involved with something that sure sounds like a pyramid scheme is an absolutely terrible look for Jarrett, especially in 2016 when the general public is more educated about what to look for to identify scams than ever before.
As much skepticism as there’s been about him the last couple years, especially with how nebulous a concept Global Force Wrestling was early on, it’s not entirely surprising to see Jeff Jarrett doing something like this. Still, t’s still a bit sad to see him mixed up in such a blatantly suspicious venture.
On the latest episode of his Talk is Jericho podcast, Chris Jericho briefly commented on the length of his current run with WWE – essentially telling fans, it’s none of your damn business.
“For all you jack-offs that think you can predict what my future is, I’m not going anywhere.” Jericho said. “Am I going to be here next week? Yeah. Am I going to be here one more month? I’m not going to tell you. You’re just going to have to wait and see.”
WWE’s first-ever Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion got a big win over AJ Styles this past weekend, an outcome that most fans did not see coming. Jericho said he had an amazing time at the event and said it’s addictive working in front of the massive crowds WWE draws for its biggest shows of the year.
“When you actually get there, you get to that stadium and see 101,000 people, I’ll tell you what, man, it’s an experience like no other. And it doesn’t matter how many shows I’ve done, how many matches I’ve had, how many WrestleManias I’ve had, there [have] been 12, nothing beats going out there in front of that type of crowd and having a great match. And it’s what we do this for.”
Jericho thinks he and Styles had one of the top 3 matches on the show, along with the IC title ladder match and the Women’s Championship match.
“I had a great time working with AJ Styles all four of our matches and the last one at WrestleMania [32] was exactly what we wanted. And especially after the amazing spectacle of the seven-man Intercontinental [Championship] ladder match. Our mission was to bring it down a bit and then build it back up with wrestling. And we did that. It was one of the best matches on the show. I don’t mind saying that.”
You can listen to the entire episode now over at PodcastOne.com.
H/T to William Windsor of WrestlingINC.com for the transcribed quotes
TNA was recently sent a Cease & Desist letter last month by Ohio indie wrestler Justin Carnes regarding the Crazzy Steve character and the Decay stable, according to PWInsider.
Carnes, who wrestled under the name Krimson (an evil clown) and has worked for TNA as an enhancement talent, claims that Crazzy Steve and TNA ripped off his likeness, including mannerisms, costumes, face paint and the red mist.
He also claims to have created a stable called “Dead Wrestler’s Society” back in 2010, which he feels was the ‘inspiration’ for the Decay.
TNA’s legal department has reportedly received the letter – no word yet on how they plan to respond.
Crazzy Steve has been with TNA since 2014. He and Abyss currently hold the company’s tag team titles.
The following are results from last night’s NXT live event from Concord, North Carolina, which featured NXT Champion Finn Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura teaming up in the main event:
– “No Way Jose” Levis Valenzuela defeated Riddick Moss.
– Elias Samson defeated John Skyler.
– Alex Riley defeated Wesley Blake.
– Eva Marie defeated Carmella. After the match, Carmella attacked Eva.
– NXT Tag Team Champions Jordan & Gable retained against Dash and Dawson.
– Austin Aries defeated Manny Andrade.
– Tom Phillips came to the ring and invited a couple to join him. The guy proposed to his girlfriend and she said yes.
– NXT Women’s Champion Asuka defeated Peyton Royce. Eva Marie interrupted the match to tell Asuka she’ll be challenging for the Women’s championship at Friday night’s show from Columbia, South Carolina. After the match, Asuka grabbed a mic and said, “Eva Marie. Tomorrow night I kick your ass.”
– NXT Champion Finn Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Tye Dillinger and Baron Corbin in the main event. The fans in attendance knew they were being treated to something special, as the crowd was super into the match. After the match, both Nakamura and Balor briefly spoke to the crowd before celebrating. Balor grabbed a fan sign teasing the arrival of his former Bullet Club partners Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson.
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin called into TMZ Live this week and said commented on Hulk Hogan’s potential future with WWE. Austin feels that Hogan may come return one day once his ongoing “issues” pass, but it’s entirely up to the boss – Vince McMahon.
When asked about the racist comments Hogan made on his sex tape, Austin says what Hogan did will never be forgotten – but it might be forgiven. He’s known Hogan for a lot of years and thinks Hogan was simply ‘having a bad day’ and doesn’t believe the hateful things he said.
Video: Steve Austin’s Surprise Appearance At WrestleMania 32
We haven’t seen the last of The Undertaker – but several of his advertised dates for WWE’s upcoming European tour have been pulled.
Many fans noticed that The Undertaker left his gloves in the ring at WrestleMania 32, a sign that often signals the end of a fighter’s career. Dave Meltzer noted that The Undertaker was telling people backstage at WrestleMania that his match against Shane McMahon would be his last – something he’s said a few times over the past few years.
The Undertaker had been scheduled for a bunch of dates for this month’s WrestleMania Revenge tour – but he is no longer advertised to appear at the following shows:
Brussels, Belgium (April 21st)
Paris, France (April 22nd)
Málaga, Spain (April 23rd)
The Dead Man is still scheduled to appear at the 4/19 SmackDown tapings from London’s O2 Arena as well as the 4/20 live event from Newcastle. It’s unknown if he’ll be wrestling in London, but he’ll be teaming with Kane against Braun Strowman and Erick Rowan in Newcastle.
During a recent appearance on Bolin Alley podcast, Former WWE, TNA and WCW writer Vince Russo spoke openly about his time working for TNA and controversial company president, Dixie Carter.
Over the years “Fire Russo” became a chant synonymous with TNA’s crappy booking, but Russo told host Kenny Bolin that during his near-decade stint with TNA, he only served as head booker for 2 months.
“I was at TNA for the good part of 10 years and there was about 2 months where as Mr Bolin would say I had the book. Other than that I will not claim 100% responsibility, simply because I did not have 100% responsibility,” Russo said. “If I had it, I would claim it and have no issue with it. When I first started, Jeff [Jarrett] was in charge of creative and my job was to bring Jeff as many ideas and as many storylines as I could, that was my job but at the end of the day Jeff decided what was on TV and what wasn’t on TV. Jeff was the boss, it was me, Jeff and Dutch Mantell. Then Jeff was sent home because of the Kurt Angle incident and there was about a 2 month there where I was literally in charge of writing the TV.
While talking about Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff’s stint with TNA, Russo bluntly stated that lying is simply part of Dixie Carter’s persona.
“Matt Conway was helping me but shortly after [Jarrett’s departure], Dixie brought in Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan and of course, she lied to me from the offset because Dixie lies very much, that’s part of her persona,” Russo said. “She told me the only creative input that Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan were going to have was as it pertained to Hulk’s character and literally within a week, there was Eric Bischoff sitting in on creative meetings acting like he was the boss, Hulk Hogan acting like he was the boss by the time we got to TV, so that was a period where I was definitely not in control of either.”
His time with TNA wasn’t all negative. Russo said his first year with TNA was probably his most enjoyable time in the wrestling business because he felt that he would have the opportunity to evolve the concepts he helped create during the Attitude Era. However, by the time TNA reached a deal with Fox Sports, it became clear he wouldn’t have the creative freedom he wanted and things went downhill from there.
Ricochet, known as Prince Puma in Lucha Underground, is reportedly not taking any more bookings after June. The Wrestling Observer reports that it’s very likely he’s headed to WWE in the near future.
WWE had previously shown interest in him, but he was under contract to Lucha Underground. His contract finishes after filming the third season of Lucha Underground next month, but he isn’t supposed to work for competition for another 6 months after the season finishes airing in late 2017. The Observer reports that it would be hard for LU to enforce that as they don’t pay him during that time, as opposed to WWE’s 90-day no compete clause where talent does get paid during that time.
Additionally, New Japan is currently looking for a replacement for Ricochet. He currently works for New Japan as Matt Sydal’s partner.
When asked by a fan on Twitter about his future, Cody Rhodes aka Stardust revealed his plans for retirement. His father Dusty wrestled until he was 60 years old, and his brother Dustin currently wrestles at 46, but Cody says he’s going to bow out of competition a little sooner.
Xavier Woods told IGN in a post-WrestleMania 32 interview that Kofi is the one who came up with their Dragon Ball Z-inspired outfits for the big pay-per-view. He says WWE trusts them more now than when they started to come up with their own outfits, and revealed what usually happens when Vince McMahon first sees one of their ideas up close.
“It’s funny, because we’ll always have some kind of harebrained idea, and then [Vince] sees it right before we go through the curtain, and just kind of gives a little grin and thumbs up,” Woods said.
“It’s to a point now where we kind of have a little bit more trust than we did when we started. And they know we’re not going to go out there and do something that’s going to mess up a sponsorship or anything like that. Things we do are going to do are going to be in-bounds for our PG parameters. Still be fine for kids, but then have something that’s a little bit for adults. We liken it to Shrek: we’re in PG parameters but there’s jokes in there for adults if you’re paying attention.”
Between the first and second airings of Lucha Underground on Wednesday night, the company drew a total of 234,000 viewers on the El Ray Network. That’s the highest viewership number in show history.
The first airing averaged 156,000 viewers, and the second airing right after averaged 78,000
Last week’s show drew 159,000 for the first airing and 63,000 for the second.
Recap of Lucha Underground – Season 2 Episode 11 – Bird of War – April 6
In a basement locker room, Vampiro stands above a sink holding his anti-psychotic medication. Dario enters, “Ian Hodgkinson, oh I’m sorry, you don’t use that name anymore. Now you are just Vampiro, Pentagon’s master. And I imagine there’s some part of you that wants to do something stupid, like bash my brains in and then go looking for my brother.” Vampiro grits his teeth and says, “It’s not just part of me, it’s all of me.” Dario replies, “My brother went too far, but truthfully, we are lucky that Pentagon is still alive. Lay a hand on me or, worse, my brother, and I don’t think you will be so lucky. You are very valuable to me, you’re practically the voice of Lucha Underground. Tonight, I have a huge main event, and I need you out there doing commentary. Ian, Vampiro, the master, whoever you are, please don’t make the same mistake as Pentagon.” Vampiro downs the anti-psych meds, and the camera cuts away.
Joey Ryan and Mr. Cisco are back at the police station. The detective tells the undercover cops, “So, Dario Cueto’s back, nice work Officer Meehan (Joseph Meehan).” Joey replies, “Just doing my job.” Castro breaks in, “You didn’t have anything to do with it.” The detective replies, “And who did, Reyes, you?” Castro (Ricky Reyes) responds, “No, he just came back. And get this captain, he’s let his brother out of that cell, he’s loose.” Joey says “You sound scared, doesn’t he sound scared Captain?” Reyes cuts in, “I’m not scared.” She says, “Shut up. I need some real evidence, something that will help me build a case against Dario, now that he’s back. I want you both on him, tag team if you have to, get the job done.” Joey replies, “It’s funny you should use the phrase tag team, see I actually made sure to introduce myself to Dario and I can tell that he liked me. So much so, that he entered me in the Trios Tournament which starts tonight. And guess who he paired me up with, yup, Reyes and his boy Cisco.” Cortez annoyed replies, “That’s Mr. Cisco.” She says, “If that gets you close to El Jefe, then you win those Trios Titles. You understand me? Good, now run along, you don’t want to be late.” They exit, she hangs a picture of Dario on the bulletin board, and says, “Gotcha.”
A band in luchador masks, El Conjunto Nueva Ola, opens the show. Matt Striker and Vampiro introduce us to the temple. Vampiro says “I can’t front. What that sick bastard did last week to Pentagon, for any amount of money, I wouldn’t want to be Fenix’s show, bro.” Striker says, “All right, with that said, let’s Lucha!”
Ivelisse vs. Kobra Moon
The first match tonight is a women’s match. Both competitors are already in the ring, Melissa Santos introduces Ivelisse, Striker tells us Ivelisse is “about to have a one-on-one encounter with an undefeated newcomer here in LU.” Santos introduces Kobra Moon, Striker says, KM “is definitely slithering her way into the LU temple, in the right way.” Vampiro notes that Ivelisse is sporting a fresh new look tonight. The bell rings and we’re off. Hammerlock, standing side headlock by KM, armbar, then a kick by Ivelisse, arm drag, and then tries to hyperextend the arm of KM. KM gets out, swings-and-misses, Ivelisse catches her, rolls her in a hammerlock, KM tries to reverse, Ivelisse hooks a legs submission, and then KM gets a headscissors on Ivelisse, KM bridges, the women exchange sunset flip rollovers, pin attempts, and kickouts.
KM hits a reverse dragon sleeper, Ivelisse works her way out, 2 armdrag takeovers by Ivelisse, throws her into the corner, Ivelisse hits a running back elbow, then KM locks in a rope-assisted headscissors choke, and breaks the hold at 4. KM with a knee to the head, before she crawls back under the bottom rope, slithers into an exotic cover, but Ivelisse kicks out. Ivelisse fights out with strikes to the liver, catches an Irish whip to the corner, and KM spears her in the gut. KM runs into the corner again, but Ivelisse gets out of the way, KM hooks her legs around Ivelisse’s torso and locks a modified tarantula submission over the top rope, and she breaks the hold at 4. Striker tells us, “It’s a submission hold, but because it’s on the ropes, it is illegal, but damage may be done. A lot of KM’s moves, here, involve the ropes and pressure on the head and neck.”
KM chokes Ivelisse on the second rope, double underhook suplex, into a S-grip (or Gable grip) submission. Ivelisse gets to her feet, Ivelisse hits a Northern Lights counter, pin attempt, kickout. Ivelisse locks in a Front Chancery, KM finds the ropes and breaks the hold, Ivelisse sent to the ropes and goes for a Tilt-A-Whirl headscissors, but Ivelisse lands on her feet, and KM hits a side Russian leg sweep instead. KM and Ivelisse exchange forearms, chops, then Ivelisse lands 2 forearms, 2 kicks, then hits a T-bone Exploder-like suplex on KM, cover, kickout. KM with a chin drop, hooks the arms back-to-back and then plants her on her face, KM covers, but doesn’t hook the leg, and Ivelisse kicks out. KM reverses, arm lock, they exchange kicks, then the Code Red sunset flip powerbomb out of nowhere by Ivelisse, pin 1-2-3, and KM receives her first loss.
Winner: Ivelisse
We are shown a pre-recorded backstory segment from Kill Shot. “Who is Kill Shot? That’s an interesting story. I enlisted the day I turned eighteen, we shipped overseas, I was good with a gun. They said I had a killer’s instinct and they made me a sniper. Kill Shot quickly became my nickname. 37 confirmed kills, all bad guys, or so they told me.” “I was good with my bare hands too, so they put me on an Elite Squad, going into hostile territories, getting the job done. We were the best, but sometimes, even the best isn’t good enough. My team was captured, I was the enemy’s prisoner for 13 months, before I was finally able to escape and find my way back home.” Video is shown of Kill Shot shooting his captors and escaping from an enemy encampment. “I don’t know if my brothers made it out alive. According to the US government, we never existed. I fight a different kind of war now. In Lucha Underground, I fight to forget. I fight, because I can’t (forget). Who is Kill Shot? I am a man with no identity, no face. All I have left is that killer instinct, and hope that my brothers will find their way back too.”
Famous B enters the locker room, seeking his first client, and meets midget wrestler Mascarita Sagrada working out on the weight bench. “Well well well, if it isn’t el pequeño Tigre Blanco. Relax, I’m here to give you my business card. I think you are a real talent Mascarita Sagrada and you could be a huge star, so call me. There’s my number is 423-GET-FAME, hit me up, and I’ll make you famous.” Famous B exits and walks past Sexy Star and The Mack. The Mack says, “Hey Sexy, that’s damn rat Dario put me on a Trios team with Mariposa and the Moth. I want you to come out the and show me some moral support.” She nods her head no. He continues, “After what those two bugs did to me last week, I’m going to need your help.” She says, “I’m sorry,” and shakes her head no. “Sooner or later, those two are going to have to pay for what they did to you, I just hope you’re there to collect.” Sexy Star increases the intensity of her arm curls while visions of The Moth and Mariposa dance in her head.
The Crew and Joey Ryan vs Marty “The Moth” Martinez, Mariposa, and The Mack
The Trios Tournament begins with a first round match. Melissa Santos introduces Cortez Castro, Mr. Cisco, and Joey Ryan. Joey pours oil down his trunks and then Melissa Santos introduces Marty Martinez, Mariposa, and The Mack. The Moth flaps its wings and Mack looks on in confusion. The fans chant, “Joey!” as he sucks on his lollipop. The Mack and Joey are in the ring to start it off, but as soon as the bell rings, Joey tags in Cisco.
Mack and Cisco slap hands and exchange fist-bumps, showing mutual respect. Cisco hits the ropes, leapfrog, then Mack hits a shoulder block, pin, kickout. Mack with an Irish whip to the corner, Cisco hits a back elbow, and then a top rope armdrag. Cisco sends Mack to the corner, Mack stands on his head on the top turnbuckle, and then an armdrag on Cisco. Mack runs into the corner and meets a boot, Cisco off the top rope with a hurricanrana, misses a clothesline, Mack hits the ropes, armdrag, leg sweep, pin and kickout combinations, then Mack flips up from the ground to a standing position, and the fans cheer.
They fist bump again and Joey Ryan tags himself in, to the surprise of Cisco. Joey says he wants Mariposa (Cheerleader Melissa) and she tags herself into the surprise of Mack. Joey is licking his lollipop, smearing it all over his body, she slaps Joey, and he pushes her to the mat with a facepalm. Mariposa with an arm wrench, walks the ropes ala. Undertaker, and then an arm drag, hurricanrana, hooks the legs, but Joey kicks out. Mariposa hits the ropes, lands a low dropkick to the knee on Joey, and then a kick to the back. Mariposa walks over Joey, tags in Marty, Joey hits a dropkick on Martinez, and then he tags in Castro. Marty with a knee to the gut, Marty misses, kick from Castro, then Cisco with a baseball kick through the middle rope to the outside while Marty lays in the corner. Cisco drags him to the center of the ring, covers Marty, kick out. Cisco hits forearms to Marty, goes to springboard off the ropes, but Mariposa kicks him in the head. Marty climbs on top and rains punches on Cisco, arm rake, tags in Mariposa, slam, she hits the ropes, Marty grabs her by the waist to pick her up, and slams her down on top of Cisco, pin, but Cisco kicks out. Forearm by Mariposa, they run the ropes, sunset flip, Cisco goes for a dropkick and misses, but Mariposa connects with a dropkick of her own. She tags Marty, and the Mack is frustrated that he’s not getting any action.
Whip reversal, then Marty suplexes Cisco into the turnbuckle, drags him back to the center of the ring, cover, but Cisco kicks out. Vampiro says Marty is like “one of those weirdos who’s going to dig a hole in their basement and put little kids in it.” Striker says, “As long as he doesn’t dress up like a clown, I think we’re good.” Back neckbreaker from Cisco, crawls to the corner, and gets the hot tag to Castro. Marty ducks the kick, Castro gets out of the way, Marty throws a punch but Cisco gets out of the way and Marty punches the turnbuckle, shoulder to the gut, DDT, pin attempt, but Mariposa breaks it up. Cortez goes to tag Cisco, but Joey jumps in front and gets himself tagged in. Next Mack tags himself in, and Marty is angry.
Joey turns Mack around, Mack hits a open hand chop, clothesline, European uppercut, power slam, runs the ropes, leg drop, Mack covers, Joey gets out. Mack runs into the corner, Joey connects with a boot, but Mack gets a fireman’s carry, into a Samoan drop, standing moonsault flip, pin attempt, but the Crew come in take out everybody. A fight starts on the outside, Mack hits the ropes, but Mariposa is standing on the apron twirling her cheerleader pigtails, Mack pushes her off the apron with his boot, and now finally Mack runs and hits a front flip suicide dive over the top rope. The fans chant, “Mack!”, he throws Joey in the ring, sets up, hits the ropes, but Marty tag himself in, and tells Mack to get out of the ring. They exchange chest slaps and yell “my tag”, then chops and yell “I’m in”, then a stunner by Mack and Marty is wobbling. The Crew is in, hits a double team finisher, but Joey slides in at the last minute, and covers Marty, 1-2-3.
Winners: The Crew and Joey Ryan
The referee goes to raise the arms of The Crew, but Joey pushes their arms away, and says “I won!” and the referee raises Joey’s arm. Mariposa rolls her brother out of the ring, Joey celebrates, as The Crew look on, dumbfounded. Mariposa comes in and attacks Mack, until Sexy Star comes out to make the save. Mariposa starts yelling at Sexy Star, at first Sexy Star seems intimidated, but she screams and delivers 3 knife edge chops, 3 grab the hair takeovers, snapmare takeover, kick to the back, kick kick, stomp stomp, stands on her stomach and neck, grabs her by the hair, drag her back to the center of the ring, punch to the gut, kick to the back of the head, and now finally Marty rescues Mariposa.
Outside, Rey Mysterio joins Dragon Azteca Jr, who is sitting on a rooftop. “I know what you’re thinking.” Aztec responds, “The monster killed our teacher.” Mysterio says, “And now you’re going to kill him. Sorry for a hard dose of reality, but he kicked your ass at Aztec Warfare. You now fight for the pride of our tribe, but you’ve still got a lot to learn.” Azteca agrees. “You wear his mask, so fight for honor, not revenge, that will come in time. Now, for the good news, I got us in at trios tournament and we have a match next week.” Azteca asks “Who’s our partner?” then Prince Puma appears and says “Me.” Fist bump, fist bump, Mysterio continues, “You know something? I discovered Puma fighting on the streets, just like El Dragon Azteca found you.” Azteca says, “Well, next week, we fight together.” Puma replies, “Damn right we do.”
Fenix vs Matanza Cueto (c) (Lucha Underground Championship match)
Melissa Santos introduces us to the LU Championship match. Out first is Fenix, he stands at the top of the steps, does his spit spray, and high-fives the fans as he walks down the steps. He enters the ring by springboarding off one rope, handspring off the other rope, then rolling through. The fans chant, “Let’s go Fenix!” Next out accompanied by Dario, is the champion “The Monster” Matanza Cueto, and we cut to commercial.
Senior official Marty Elias shows the belts to the crowd. Fenix runs in, Mantaza throws him back, Fenix gets a go-behind waist lock on the Monster, Matanza twists the arm, Fenix ducks a clothesline, and then a kick to the gut, Matanza catches him, send him to the ropes, Fenix hits a kick to the head (that hurts his foot because of the mask), rolls out of a clothesline, and then Matanza pushes him away to the mat. Matanza climbs on top and slams his head repeatedly into the mat. Matanza working slowly, methodically on Fenix’s neck in the corner. Fenix jumps over, kick to the leg, kick to the gut, kick to the head, and it has no effect on the Monster. Matanza grabs him and suplexes him into the turnbuckle. Matt Striker says below that turnbuckle is a “steel nut”. Matanza drags him by the lip of his mask, and Dario yells “Sangre! Sangre! (Blood! Blood!).” Fenix thrown to the ropes, Fenix catches himself, gets a kick kick, and then a drop toe hold into the ropes, kicks Matanza in the head, the Monster struggles back to his feet, Fenix with a springboard, Matanza catches him, hits the The Rack sidewalk slam, Fenix kicks out. Fenix with a handspring off the ropes, but Matanza catches him again, and hits a tilting German suplex.
Matt Striker calls Matanza “The Eater of Worlds” (They really should copyright that.) Matanza shoves Fenix into the corner, Fenix meet him with a superkick, Matanza still on his feet, dropkick off the top rope, Matanza stumbles but does not go down. Dario says “recuerda la mamá (remember Mother).” Matanza backdrops Fenix on the apron, strike by Fenix, but he hurts his hand by punching the mask. Then a big right hand by Matanza knocks Fenix off the apron.
Matanza follows him to the outside, Fenix runs at him, Matanza throws him up and over, Fenix lands on his feet on the ropes, and delivers a kick to Matanza, then a second kick, jumps into the ring, hits the ropes, and then suicide dives to the outside, but Matanza catches him, and now hits The Rack on the floor. The fans chant, “Holy s***!” Matanza climbs on top, punches to the face, throws him back into the ring, picks him up, carries him around the ring, and nails The Wrath of the Gods on Fenix, 1-2-3, and wins easily.
Winner: Matanza Cueto
After the bell, Matanza crawls on top and pummels Fenix with more shots to the head, stretches his face by the nose, when suddenly Katrina comes out and and yells, “Stop!” She stands at the top of the steps holding the rock, Matanza turns to look at her, but Mil Muertes runs in from behind and attacks Matanza, knocking him to the outside of the ring. Muertes turns and finds a fallen Fenix laying in the corner of the ring. Striker wonders, “Either Mil inadvertently saved Fenix. Is Mil Muertes showing mercy? A human side? Or is there a burning desire to regain the title?” Muertes looks at Fenix, and walks away. The credits roll with Katrina standing tall on the steps, as Striker says, “Goodnight everybody.”
The show kicked off with Roman Reigns coming out to the ring and saying he is “the guy” again. AJ Styles confronted Reigns and said he is going to beat him and take the title. It was an awkward promo to say the least. Both of these guys would be so much better off if they weren’t required to talk and simply just performed in the ring.
The Vaudevillians vs Lucha Dragons
The first match of the night was a quick one but featured the debut of the Vaudevillians. They got the victory of the Lucha Dragons in pretty easy fashion. Hopefully the WWE has something planned for them and they don’t quickly become another tag team that didn’t work out on the main roster.
This was another quick match with Natalya getting the win via the sharpshooter. The match between Charlotte and Natalya is going to be awesome when they finally get to it. For now, I’ll gladly take this over watching Ric Flair dance around the ring for 10 minutes.
Zack Ryder vs the Miz for the Intercontinental Championship
Zack Ryder won the IC title at Wrestlemania only to immediately lose it on Raw to the Miz of all people. Maryse made her surprising return and accompanied the Miz to the ring on Smackdown. Maryse played a key part in this match as she distracted the referee as the Miz hit Ryder with a thumb to the eye. This was a decent match but I don’t really understand how having the Miz be the Intercontinental Champion is any better than having Zack Ryder hold the belt. At the very least, Zack Ryder being relevant is a breath of fresh air. I guess it wasn’t in the cards.
Well Zack Ryder, back NXT you go w/ Mojo. #SmackDown
Total squash match. Apollo Crews is now 2-0 since coming to the WWE. Crews is another guy with great in-ring talent that I really hope the WWE has a plan for him. I wouldn’t mind seeing Crews vying for the United States or Intercontinental Championship sooner rather than later.
Dean Ambrose vs Tyler Breeze
Tyler Breeze has the greatest entrance in wrestling. That is right, I said it. This was yet another squash match with Breeze losing to Ambrose in under a minute. Not much to say about this one. The only interesting thing that happened is that after the match, Jericho’s music hit while Ambrose was just outside the ring. Ambrose hit Jericho with a death stare as he walked passed him. Maybe a Jericho vs Ambrose match in the future? Sounds good to me.
This was a very entertaining match to close the show. Kevin Owens did a hilarious impersonation of AJ Styles in the middle of the match and also shouted “I’m phenomenal” a few times. Sami Zayn wound up factoring into the decision in this match when he came out with arm bandaged and distracted Kevin Owens. AJ Styles snuck up behind Owens and scored the victory via a roll up. The Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens feud is the most interesting one the WWE has going right now. AJ Styles vs Roman Reigns is certainly intriguing, I just know for a fact Owens vs Zayn will steal any show they are on.
The youth movement is finally here, for better or for worse. I’m excited that so many talents from NXT are being called up to the main roster, I’m just n0t confident in the WWE’s ability to use them correctly. For example, Tyler Breeze is already an after thought and he seemingly never got a chance to prove himself on the main roster. While it is awesome to Apollo Crews and the Vaudevillians on Smackdown, I’m worried that they won’t be on it for long. Hopefully, that will not be the case.
In an interview during WrestleMania weekend, AJ Styles revealed that he had a chip on his shoulder when he left TNA. The former TNA World Champion told the Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast about the difference between him leaving TNA and leaving New Japan Pro Wrestling.
“I didn’t shed one tear when I left TNA. I was very emotional when I left New Japan,” Styles said. He mentioned that he had nothing but respect for NJPW, and that the opportunity to work for them helped make his decision to leave TNA.
Styles also noted that he was approached by WWE in 2002 and was offered a developmental deal, but it would have conflicted with his family life so he turned it down. Styles also feels he wasn’t ready for WWE back in 2002.
WWE Fastlane was the least-purchased PPV in company history, according to the Wrestling Observer.
Fastlane did 18,000 PPV buys in North America and 25,000 ppv buys outside of North America with a total of 43,000 PPV Buys. In comparison, last years Fastlane did a total of 56,00 PPV Buys.
Fastlane 2016 was headlined with Roman Reigns defeating both Dean Ambrose and Brock Lesnar for the right to face Triple H at Wrestlemania 32.
Its worth noting that WWE is primarily focused on getting people signed up for the WWE Network, which would reflect the poor buy-rate numbers, but WWE still makes PPV available to fans. In a press release on Monday, WWE revealed the WWE Network now boasts 1.82 million subscribers, which is a 39 percent increase from a year ago.
Following this week’s WWE television tapings, the card is starting to take shape for next month’s Payback pay-per-view. The following is the planned card for the show (via Wrestling Observer):
WWE World Heavyweight Championhip
– Roman Reigns (c) vs. AJ Styles
WWE Women’s Championship
– Charlotte (c) vs. Natalya
– Chris Jericho vs. Dean Ambrose
– Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn
– Wyatt Family vs. League of Nations
– The Dudley Boyz vs. Enzo Amore & Big Cass
– Becky Lynch vs. Emma
Payback airs live on the WWE Network on Sunday, May 1st from the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois.
Scottish women’s wrestler Nikki Storm has signed with WWE, according to a report at Squared Circle Sirens.
Storm has been rumored to be joining the company since last year and finished up her independent bookings over the past weekend, losing a “loser leaves town” match against Sammii Jayne. Storm was carried out to sell her departure.
She’s expected to report to the WWE Performance Center sometime over the next week.
While WWE has had a number of victories in court last month, just as the dust cleared from WrestleMania weekend, they were named in another lawsuit. Yesterday, Rene Goguen, best known as Rene Dupree, filed a lawsuit against the company in federal court in WWE’s home state of Connecticut. The main thrust of the complaint is that Dupree has not been paid royalties for his matches being aired on WWE Network Just over a week ago, Dupree had been asked on the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast about the rumors of such a lawsuit being shopped to wrestlers, and here’s what he had to say:
“I wish they would pay me for the WWE Network because I think everyone who is on it should get some type of royalty off of that. Because I guess you are still part of the company in some way if they are showing your stuff, but at the same time they say that nobody watches the “old stuff”. Well take off all the old stuff off and watch your f–king subscriber count drop within six months. You know there is a lawsuit coming from that as well? They are being sued by everybody. They are being sued with the concussion lawsuit, the guys with the royalties and also the investors. Remember when they lost like 400 million dollars in one day? They pissed off a bunch of people and a bunch of investors are suing them too.”
When asked if he was a potential plaintiff, Dupree replied that “I cannot confirm or deny, I plead the fifth” while laughing. That was the last he said publicly about the potential lawsuit before it was filed yesterday.
I reached out to Jerry McDevitt, WWE’s outside counsel, for comment on the lawsuit, and here’s what he provided us in response:
“Aside from the complete lack of merit, the fact there are numerous decisions precluding the non-contractual claims, and the fact that the contract does not give him any rights that relate to the WWE Network, Goguen signed an agreement in 2011 which we believe precludes these claims. I do not think he told his lawyers about the above agreement, and they were notified of it last night with the obvious demand that the lawsuit be dismissed. They thanked me for telling them, and said they would look into it, which to me confirms he did not tell them.”
McDevitt later added that the 2011 agreement was not a WWE “Legends’ Contract.”
The 19 page complaint, which is embedded at the bottom of this article (and can also be viewed on Archive.org) focuses primarily on the language regarding home video royalties in Dupree’s 2003 Talent Booking Contract with WWE. Subsequent to Dupree signing with WWE (believed to be about 2004 when WWE launched the WWE 24-7/WWE Classics on Demand subscription video on demand service; an online version was added later), this language was added to the standard contract (emphasis mine):
7.5 No Royalties Paid to WRESTLER. Except as specifically set forth in Section 7.1 through 7.3 above, WRESTLER shall not be eligible for any payment or royalties with respect to any other goods, services or otherwise including without limitation to the following: television license fees; television subscription fees; internet subscription fees; subscription video on demand fees; magazine subscription fees and/or advertising; and/or distribution fees of any kind paid to PROMOTER by any entity in connection with the exploitation of the Intellectual Property.
Dupree’s attorneys (Clinton A. Krislov and Matthew T. Peterson of Krislov & Associates in Chicago and Brenden Leydon of Tooher Wocl & Leydon in WWE’s home town of Stamford, CT) are arguing that under the language of the contract Dupree signed in 2003, he’s entitled to royalties from WWE Network. There are various sections of the contract entitling him (or anyone else who signed this version of the contract) to various different royalty rates on different forms of WWE Video Products. Those are defined in the contract as (emphasis taken from the complaint) “video cassettes, videodiscs, CD ROM, or other technology, including technology not yet created,” In addition to WWE Network, the complaint argues that this language should also include licensing fees that WWE gets from Netflix.
The basic argument of the complaint is that…
Defendant breached its Booking Contract with Plaintiff by selling WWE Video Products (streaming videos on the WWE Network) of PPVs and Non-PPVs without paying any royalties to Plaintiff. Plaintiff assigned his intellectual property rights in perpetuity to WWE in exchange for royalty payments from the sales of WWE Video Products of PPVs and Non-PPVs.
And…
Defendant breached its Booking Contract with Plaintiff by licensing WWE Video Products (streaming video) of PPVs and Non PPVs without paying any royalties to Plaintiff.
Dupree’s lawyers are also trying to have the case certified as a class action lawsuit, which means that others similarly situated could join in. Here’s how they’re trying to define the class:
All individuals who have assigned their original and new intellectual property rights to WWE or a promotion that WWE has acquired the assets and/or the video library of, in exchange for perpetual royalty payments from WWE’s (or acquired promotion) or licensees’ sales of past pay-per-view events or non pay-per-view productions.
They then split the class into two sub-classes for WWE performers and non-WWE performers who were signed to promotions that WWE bought the video libraries of. I’m just a layman, but the way this is laid out in the complaint seems like it’s opening them up to plenty of scrutiny for WWE, as they make sure to note the contract language entitling wrestlers to home video royalties going back to 1980 (which may not be entirely accurate in the first place) while ignoring the aforementioned language about not being entitled to royalties from “television subscription fees; internet subscription fees; [and] subscription video on demand fees” that has been there for the past decade or so.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBKuom1D9W8
There have been other lawsuits like this in the past, but they didn’t involve plaintiffs with a WWE Talent Booking Contract. Doug Somers’ lawsuit over using his AWA matches failed, as did Steve Ray’s lawsuit over ESPN airing matches from herb Abrams’ UWF, while Doug and Tommy Gilbert (with Tommy representing his son Eddie’s estate) dropped their lawsuit against both WWE and ESPN over various footage of Eddie and Doug in the GWF, ECW, and WCW.
We are saddened to report that WWE Hall of Famer Robert Windham, best known as Blackjack Mulligan, has passed away at the age of 73.
A former United States Marine and NFL player for the New York Jets, the no-nonsense outlaw from Eagle Pass, Texas was a member of the the iconic 1970’s tag team, the Blackjacks. Along with Blackjack Lanza, the team won championships in various promotions across the country, including the WWE tag team titles back in 1975.
Blackjack Mulligan was the father of WWE Hall of Famer Barry Windham and Kendall Windham. He was also the father-in-law of Mike Rotunda (IRS) and the grandfather of Bray Wyatt and Bo Dallas.
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns was a guest on Ring Rust Radio during WrestleMania weekend, prior to his big win over Triple H. There were many topics discussed, including main eventing WrestleMania in back-to-back years, multiple WWE legends calling for him to turn heel and a potential match with The Rock. Here are some highlights of what Reigns said about:
Steve Austin, Jim Ross & more calling for him to turn heel:
“You know, I don’t look at it as turning on the fans, because I don’t think they have turned on me. I still have a really large fan base and supporters that dig what I do. They love my matches and are entertained by my segments. For me, I think I need to stick with what I have been doing. We live in a world where everybody has an opinion and an opportunity to voice their opinions so it becomes a very critical era that we live in. For me, I know who I am, where I want to go, so I am just going to stick to my guns and keep doing what I am doing. It’s making for a loud reaction and that’s all that matters.”
A potential match with The Rock:
Roman Reigns: We haven’t spoken too much about wrestling each other. We speak and I do see him quite a bit. We usually exchange different ideas, share different tips, and advice. If I do win on Sunday, there are only a couple of people I want to see and that would be my wife, daughter, mom, and dad. It would be my immediate family. If he comes out there I might be on high alert and he might get it too.
A potential reunion of The Shield:
“I’ll always hold the Shield close to the heart. I think we can all say that’s the vehicle that got us out of the warehouse. We spent many hours in that hot, Tampa warehouse trying to get to this point. I definitely one day would want to do it but I don’t see it anytime soon. I think that’s what makes the Shield different is we all broke out and were able to maintain the level of success that we had within the group but now we are doing it as individuals. It’s really nice to be the quarterback out there. You don’t always have to worry and coordinate with everybody else. You just go out there, do your thing, beat some ass, and go home. I always enjoy that part of it. I think the Shield was so special that one day we will have to get it back together.”
His love-hate relationship with the WWE Universe:
“The beauty of this business is that it’s changing and evolving. The crowd, the company, the business, the stories, everything is different now. It makes it that much greater of an opportunity to become that much better of a performer. It helps when it’s that tough and that big of a learning curve. It’s intense and you have to have that urgency to learn. I think that’s what makes us better and makes a great performer overall. Dealing with tough crowds has helped me and I am grateful for it. It’s not the perfect situation as far as receiving cheers and things like that but it is the perfect situation to learn and get better with.”
WWE sent in the following press release on Thursday announcing even more records set this past weekend at WrestleMania 32. Not only did WWE shatter their all-time attendance record and live gate – but they also posted record-setting numbers for digital/social media, merchandise sales and WWE Network viewership.
WRESTLEMANIA®BREAKS MORE RECORDS
STAMFORD, CONN. – April 7, 2016 – In addition to setting a new attendance record of 101,763 fans, which led to the highest-grossing live event in WWE history at $17.3 million, WrestleMania also broke records for digital and social media engagement and merchandise sales.
Digital/Social Media
WrestleMania 32 was the most social event in WWE history, according to Nielsen Social with 2.5 million mentions on Twitter throughout the day and 1.3 million mentions during the broadcast alone, an increase of 50 percent and 18 percent year-over-year, respectively.
WWE-related content saw more than 250 million video views across WWE.com, WWE App and social media during WrestleMania Week, an increase of 122 percent year-over-year.
WrestleMania set data usage records, totaling 8.6TB on the AT&T network. This set a new record for data traffic at AT&T Stadium, an increase of 36 percent over the data traffic during the College Football Playoff National Championship Game in 2015.
WWE Network
WrestleMania reached 1.82 million global households on WWE Network alone, making it the most-watched WrestleMania in history, with pay-per-view data still forthcoming.
WWE Network subscribers viewed 21.7 million hours during WrestleMania Week or 12 hours per subscriber during the week. This compares to 15 million hours last year, a year-over-year increase of 45 percent.
Merchandise Sales
WWE generated a record-breaking $4.55 million in WrestleMania merchandise revenue, an increase of 37 percent or $1.2 million, from last year’s previous record at WrestleMania 31.
“Superstar” Billy Graham watched WrestleMania 32 on Sunday and wasn’t impressed by Shane McMahon’s bump off of the Hell In A Cell cage. At the biggest pay-per-view of the year Shane McMahon jumped off the huge cage and crashed through a table, a move Graham says was a “stupid stunt” that could have paralyzed or killed Shane.
“I give Shane McMahon zero credit for jumping off the top of that cage, landing on a table that collapsed after the Undertaker moved. Only fools put their life on the line for a stupid wrestling stunt. Risking being paralyzed or dying with a wife and children waiting for him. He has more money than he can spend. So this insane stunt was all for ego. Well, he didn’t impress me. Did he impress you folks?”
As part of EVOLVE’s working relationship with WWE, the company will soon begin putting a stronger emphasis on talent that could wind up in WWE, making talent that also works for TNA, ROH and Lucha Underground less of a priority. The news comes courtesy of this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
You can call it territorial or a political move, but WWE is raising the profile of Gave Sapolsky’s promotion and it’s understandable that WWE would gain some influence. An example of what WWE is trying to avoid would be Johnny Gargano, who has a ‘touring’ contract with NXT, holding the Evolve tag titles with TNA World Champion Drew Galloway. Gargano and Galloway dropped the belts to Catch Point (Drew Gulak and Tracy Williams) at Evolve 59 in Dallas, so it looks like this edict has already gone into effect.
Evolve will continue using TNA, ROH & Lucha Underground stars, but wrestlers who could be WWE bound will be showcased more prominently.
It’s also worth noting that Evolve will be running shows more frequently. Look for them to start running two shows a weekend once a month instead of every six to eight weeks.
As noted earlier, Evolve, Progress and Rev Pro will be announcing details of their WWE Global Cruiserweight Series qualifying matches in the next week or two. WWE was scouting talent at Evolve’s WrestleMania weekend shows (as well a their training seminar and tryout camp), so the partnership seems to be blossoming.
