WWE legend and Hollywood megastar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is keeping the door open for another match. During a recent Q&A session (video below), The Rock was asked which three current WWE Superstars he’d like to face if he does get back in the ring.
The Rock named Triple H, Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns.
All 3 men have been rumored as possible WrestleMania opponents for The Rock in recent years. Preliminary plans were eventually scrapped due to scheduling conflicts and film producers being hesitant to him wrestling again, as the risk of injury would delay production of his various projects.
Discussion: Do you think The Rock will ever wrestle again?
You can watch The Rock’s comments about Triple H, Lesnar and Reigns here:
Two WWE Superstars who have been off television are reportedly in Baltimore, MD for tonight’s RAW from the Royal Farms Arena. According to reports at PWInsider, both Samoa Joe and Nia Jax could be returning as soon as tonight.
Samoa Joe has been out of action since late August. During his time away, Joe underwent surgeries on his knee to repair a nagging injury and his nose, which had been broken several times and was affecting his breathing.
Nia Jax has been on the sidelines for approximately two weeks. There have been conflicting reports surrounding the nature of her hiatus, but on Sunday she retweeted a message stating that she’d be returning to RAW tonight and was dealing with a nagging back injury.
Both are expected to be added to RAW’s Men’s and Women’s traditional Survivor Series teams.
Join us here later tonight for our weekly WWE RAW Live Coverage!
After finding out the years of alcohol abuse contributed to his recent near-death scare, WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair has been using his public reach to change the message he may have spread inadvertently through his wrestling persona throughout his legendary career.
In a new interview with Dan Gelston of the Associated Press to promote next week’s premiere of his ESPN 30 For 30 documentary, “The Nature Boy” continued that theme.
Flair wanted to send a message to younger fans who want to emulate the character he has portrayed for so many years.
“Going forward, I want people to take my advice as opposed to wanting to be or act like me,” Flair said. “There’s a lot of 20-year-old kids that want to be Ric Flair. That’s cool if it’s in a good context. But if it’s drinking to relieve stress or cope with life, that’s not the answer.”
Once again, Flair says that he’s committed to abstaining from alcohol and tells fans to let him have it if he returns to consumption.
“I wouldn’t even begin to think about drinking,” Flair said. “If you ever hear that I’m out drinking again, say, ‘Ric, you (dummy), you deserve whatever you get.’”
WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin was the latest guest on the Ring Rust Radio podcast. The Texas Rattlesnake spoke in-depth about Season 5 of his ‘Broken Skull Challenge’ reality competition show, how the competitors’ athleticism compares to that of WWE Superstars, which current WWE Superstars he enjoys watching, Neville’s WWE status, where Kurt Angle ranks on the list of all-time great pro wrestlers and much more.
Here are the highlights they sent in:
Ring Rust Radio: This is the fifth season of Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Challenge, which last year averaged more than four million weekly viewers. What can fans who have never seen the program expect when tuning in?
Steve Austin: It’s just bad-ass competition. It’s very simple, very basic, very strenuous, very hard and in a tough environment. Basically, we film this on top of a mountain in the desert right outside Los Angeles. Everything we are using from boulders to barrels to logs, there’s no scientific nothing out there. It’s bracket-style competition. Eight athletes come out each week through three rounds of competition and you either win or you lose. If you win, you go on, and if you lose, you go home.
At the end of the day, out of eight competitors, one will be left standing. That competitor will come back the next day and run my obstacle course and it’s called the Skull Buster. It’s a half mile course with ten obstacles standing in your way. If you can beat a bench-mark time, you get $10,000 and remain there until someone can dethrone you. It is a very simple formula to understand. If you have never seen it before, you can tune in and understand exactly what is going down. What is going down is extreme, hardcore, physical competition. There ain’t no reality, the only reality out there is you either are going to win or lose, it is a challenge show.
Ring Rust Radio: Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Challenge has built quite a fanbase since its debut. Did you expect the show to take off the way it has and how many more seasons do you think you have in you?
Steve Austin: Man, I love doing the show. I love being outdoors, I love competition and I love to be able to help motivate people to push their bodies and their minds to the absolute limit. I am never bored out there and I am having a great time. I’m not out there trash talking or cutting promos like I did in the wrestling business. I am out there trying to motivate some of the best athletes in the United States of America; there is a big difference there.
So, it’s fun being around such driven people that are pushing themselves so hard. I was hoping, and in anything you do you want to have some confidence and want to believe in yourself, but at the end of the day it’s up to the people who watch and if the product is good enough. So far, it has been and I would love to keep doing this for as long as we can. As long as we can keep making this thing challenging for the athletes so that they want to come out and get their challenges met and see how tough they really are. If people are still interested in the show, I would love to keep doing it for a long time.
Ring Rust Radio: It obviously takes an incredible athlete to be able to conquer the Broken Skull Challenge. From your perspective as the host of the show and a WWE Hall of Famer, how do the top Broken Skull Challenge competitors compare to WWE Superstars in terms of their athleticism?
Steve Austin: In many ways, the athleticism, because this people are training specifically for these tasks and what I am asking them to do. Whether they are coming from the world of Cross Fit, Spartan Race, obstacle course racing, they are training specifically for these types of events. We will shake it up so they never know what we are throwing at them.
The guys and gals in the squared circle these days, and I’ll speak of WWE because that’s where I spent the bulk of my career and that’s where I am from and who I am basically with, man those athletes there are off the charts from the generation that I came up. They are outstanding athletes in their own rights. They are extremely tough athletes in their own right. Living that road schedule, getting in that ring every single night, pushing their bodies to the limit in the ring, and then stepping into the gym to stay in tune with what they do.
They aren’t training to come out and do what I do, but if you put the athletes from the Broken Skull into a squared circle and have a match, they wouldn’t be able to do it. The athleticism I would say is equal, but both parties are training for uniquely and specifically different endeavors.
Ring Rust Radio: For the Steve Austin Show on Podcast One, you have to watch the WWE product as much as you can. Who are some of the current Superstars that get Stone Cold excited when they show up on TV?
Steve Austin: You know what, I watch as much as I can. I DVR the show just to fast-forward through the commercials. It’s hard to watch because three hours of Raw every Monday and then two hours of SmackDown, but because I am still involved with the business, I try to watch as much as I can. Brock Lesnar is an absolute beast. I enjoy watching him and seeing what AJ Styles is up to next. Waiting to see if Finn Balor will continue to find his way. Waiting to see what they will end up doing with Shinsuke Nakamura and give him a green light push with that great background he brings from New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
With the women’s division, their athleticism is just off the charts now. They have been main eventing Monday Night Raw, SmackDown and pay-per-views. I like the entire product and it has changed a lot since I have been gone. It’s sped up a lot since I have been gone. It’s a different world. So, when I watch with the old school mentality that I have, I have to try to lose myself in it and suspend disbelief and enjoy the ride.
Ring Rust Radio: There’s been a lot of rumors and speculation recently surrounding Neville about him walking out on WWE due to creative differences and/or unhappiness regarding his pay. Having been in a similar situation before yourself, what advice would you give Neville if he has, in fact, decided to leave WWE?
Steve Austin: Well, my situation when I walked out, I wasn’t on board with the direction creative wanted to go. I was working my ass off and I just was not happy with that decision. So, I could have made a better decision with how I handled it. Just walking away like I did was a bad idea. I don’t know specifically what Neville’s business deal is or what his contract is or the circumstances under which he left. I know that any time you walk away from something and you don’t have that meeting or that one-on-one time with Vince or Paul or whoever it may be, but that’s the most prudent decision to make.
By the same token, I can respect the guy that has enough balls to walk away just because he had a gut feeling like I did. I just wish him all the best in the world. In my opinion, he is an outstanding talent, he was really coming around with his gimmick and character, and he was a guy that I really liked watching. I’m sure a lot of people in the WWE Universe fell the same way. Hopefully he gets past this and whether he goes back to WWE or goes somewhere else, I hope he continues to have a successful career and have fun. At the end of the day, pro-wrestling, to be able to get paid to do that, it’s a fun job but it is a business and you need to get paid accordingly. I want the kid to have a great career, make his money and go on to the next phase of his life when it’s time to do that.
Ring Rust Radio: Recently we lost one of the greatest wrestling personalities ever, Bobby The Brain Heenan. What was your relationship like with Heenan and what are your thoughts on the legendary commentator and manager?
Steve Austin: I barely knew Bobby because he was a generation and half before me. I was a huge fan because I was watching WWF back in the day. Watching his commentary with Gorilla Monsoon, his interactions with Vince or whoever it was, that guy was absolute gold on the microphone, a premier entertainer. If he had to put on the tights to wrestle or put on that weasel outfit, the guy knew how to entertain people. If he hadn’t gotten into the pro-wrestling business, he would have been a stand-up comedian or something, Bobby was going to be successful in whatever he did because that’s how talented he was.
A lot of times, when you are on the road and sitting around at the show, one of our agents was Blackjack Lanza. Blackjack is in the Hall of Fame and he is a great story teller. He and Bobby used to travel together back in the day. A bunch of guys and myself would be gathered around Blackjack while he is telling Bobby Heenan stories. Whether they were at the bar doing this or that, the shenanigans they got involved in, so I felt like I knew Bobby a lot more than I did just because I heard so many stories from Blackjack. The guy was a premiere, Grade A, awesome performer. I loved it, I didn’t know him, but I loved it.
Ring Rust Radio: One of your peers, Kurt Angle, made his in-ring return to WWE on Sunday at TLC, wrestling in his first match for the company in 11 years. As someone who worked with Kurt on numerous occasions, where do you place him among the all-time greats, and what would you like to see WWE do with him now that he’s back in the fold as a wrestler?
Steve Austin: I don’t know what I want them to do with him because I don’t know Kurt’s physical capacity with what he can do in the squared circle from a performers stand point. As far as I would rank him as an all-time great, with what he can do in the ring and character standpoint, let’s talk about his in-ring work: off the charts. When this guy came in, I know he won the gold medal at the 1996 Olympics, he comes in to the company and I see this raw talent. He is having these fast-paced wrestling matches, and I was like, holy smokes, this guy is catching onto this like no one I have ever seen in my life. So as a performer, so far ahead of his time and probably the fastest guy in the history of the business to pick it up at the level he picked it up at and just lights out. It didn’t matter who he was getting in the ring with, anybody who got in the ring with him they got a chance to steal the show. His work ethic and desire to be the best was among the highest I have ever known in the history of that business. As a character and persona, some of the backstage stuff we were doing because he was injured and I had three broken bones in my lower back, that comedy stuff we did was mostly adlibbed. The guy was a once in a generation talent. I love him as a person and I love his work in the ring. He was an absolute, true warrior and a bad ass in that ring. Not everybody can keep up with him.
Ring Rust Radio: You have been adamant that you will not return to in-ring competition, but when you see contemporaries like Kurt Angle, Shane McMahon and others making an impact on the product today, do you ever get that itch to be in front of the WWE Universe again?
Steve Austin: No, man. I got a fire in my belly for the business because I love pro-wrestling. I have zero desire to ever try to get back in the ring. I have so many great memories and I look back on those times fondly. It’s the young guy’s time to shine and I am enjoying seeing what they are coming up with. I like seeing the old school guys like myself still in there and doing their thing. When people decide to step away from the ring like I did or the guys that decide to step back in, it’s on a case-by-case, person-by-person basis. Some guys just like to hang on for as long as they can.
For a while there, I didn’t understand why guys would do that. When I really thought about it, it’s because they love being in that god-dang ring so much that they just can’t get away from it. I had that neck injury and I needed to get out of the business so I did. I can understand that mindset now. I am done, I am happy being done, I wish I could of stayed in the ring a little bit longer, I rode off into the sunset a little bit sooner rather than I would of like, but it is what it is. I have come to terms with that and I have moved down the road. I am still a fan of the business and watching the men and women do what they do in the business and on Raw and SmackDown and the pay-per-views on the network.
RAW Superstar Roman Reigns has been pulled from WWE’s upcoming UK tour. News broke earlier this month that a ‘medical outbreak’ hit the WWE locker room, with several superstars infected with the mumps, a highly contagious viral disease.
Reigns was forced to withdraw from last weekend’s TLC pay-per-view, derailing The Shield’s big reunion. Dave Meltzer noted last week that Reigns was scheduled to be evaluated by doctors today (Oct. 30), but it appears he is not yet cleared to return.
The first show of this week’s UK tour takes place on Wednesday from Glasgow, Scotland. The Shield had been advertised for all 5 shows of the tour, but RAW General Manager Kurt Angle has announced that Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose will be defending their RAW tag team titles instead.
At this time, WWE officials are hoping that Reigns will be fit to return in time for Survivor Series on November 19th.
Last week, VICE Sports ran a lengthy feature examining WWE’s decision to use The Ultimate Warrior as the face of their Breast Cancer Awareness campaign. The crux of the article looks at controversial comments Warrior made surrounding Bobby Heenan’s cancer battle, Martin Luther King Jr., Hurricane Katrina victims and actor Heath Ledger’s death.
WWE issued the following statement in response to the article:
“WWE’s ‘Unleash Your Warrior’ breast cancer awareness campaign and annual ‘Warrior Award’ recognize individuals that exhibit the strength and courage of WWE’s legendary character The Ultimate Warrior. Any attempt to distract from the mission of these initiatives and take the spotlight away from the honorees is unfortunately misguided.”
Warrior’s widow Dana also commented, noting that Warrior evolved his controversial viewpoints after conversations with their daughters.
“I will not be disloyal to my husband’s memory or speak ill of a man who is not here to defend himself. I can, however, tell you his heart was changed by conversations with his two daughters. The true testament of the man behind the character is his ability to evolve. My husband did just that.”
Next month at Survivor Series, Intercontinental Champion The Miz will face United States Champion Baron Corbin as part of the event’s RAW vs. SmackDown theme.
After last week’s #UnderSiege SmackDown invasion of RAW, Baron Corbin posted a video on Twitter bragging about their surprise attack on the RAW roster. He also made reference to his “little wife” Maryse, which was not a great idea in hindsight.
The road to Survivor Series continues tonight as Monday Night RAW emanates from Baltimore, Maryland at the Royal Farms Arena.
The top item WWE is advertising for the show is fallout from last week’s SmackDown #UnderSiege invasion.
“After the Raw brand suffered an all-out onslaught, courtesy of Commissioner Shane McMahon and the SmackDown roster, the WWE Universe is chomping at the bit to know what will happen next. WWE.com has some thoughts as Raw and SmackDown prepare to battle for brand supremacy at Survivor Series.”
WWE.com is also advertising:
Who will join the RAW Men and Women’s Traditional Survivor Series teams?
Will the current Raw titleholders still be in place for their Champion vs. Champion Matches at Survivor Series?
Will Elias still be singing a new tune?
Who will be next to dare to step up to Kane?
Join us here tonight for our weekly WWE RAW Live Coverage!
The 25th anniversary of Monday Night RAW is fast approaching and WWE has announced full details on what’s planned for the big occasion. RAW will emanate from both the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York and the Manhattan Center in New York City, site of the first-ever Monday night RAW back in 1993. Here’s the full press release:
WWE® to Celebrate 25th Anniversary of Raw® Live on USA Network on January 22
STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– The 25th anniversary of Monday Night Raw® will emanate from Barclays Center and Manhattan Center in New York City on Monday, January 22, 2018, and air live on USA Network at 8/7C. Tickets are available for each event starting this Friday, November 3 through all Ticketmaster outlets, www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000.
WWE Superstars from both Monday Night Raw and SmackDown® Live will be at Barclays Center, while the event at Manhattan Center, the site of the first episode of Raw, will feature both WWE Superstars competing, and special appearances by WWE Legends Undertaker®, Shawn Michaels® and Kevin Nash®, amongst others. VIP packages, including a meet and greet with a WWE Legend, will be available for fans at Manhattan Center.
“We look forward to celebrating this unmatched milestone with our fans around the world, but 25 years only marks the beginning of WWE surprising, delighting and entertaining generations to come,” said WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon.
Monday Night Raw debuted on January 11, 1993 from the Manhattan Center, and since that time, has been broadcast from iconic venues around the world. Raw is the longest-running, weekly episodic program in U.S. primetime TV history and is one of the most-watched, regularly scheduled programs on cable, airing live every Monday night on USA. Each week, it is rated one of the most socially active shows and continues to be a “must-stop” for celebrities to reach WWE’s TV audience and its more than 825 million social media followers. Raw has aired more original episodes than some of the most popular television series of all time, including The Simpsons, Gunsmoke, Lassie and Monday Night Football.
In its 25-year history, Raw has also helped launch the careers of pop-culture icons including Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Undertaker, Triple H, John Cena and The Bella Twins.
NXT star Lio Rush is back peddling after an insensitive tweet following Emma’s WWE release. Shortly after WWE announced Emma’s departure, Rush tweeted,
“I guess these are the things that happen when you’re not TRULY ready for @WWEAsuka?”
Rush, who made his NXT debut just last month, gives a ‘sorry if you were offended’ non-apology and says he’s saddened that his tweet got ‘completely blown out of proportion.’
Rush says he respects Emma, would never mock somebody for losing their job …. and wishes her good luck on behalf of himself and WWE.
On Sunday, WWE announced the releases of Emma, Darren Young and Summer Rae.
Several pro wrestling personalities have commented on the situation, offering Emma support during this difficult time.
Paige thanked Emma for her time in WWE and noted that the two of them helped jumpstart the ‘Women’s Revolution’ (with their stellar match back at NXT Takeover: Arrival back in February 2014):
Austin Aries, who recently wrote a book about his vegan lifestyle, is looking to link up with Emma regarding her ‘Taste of Tenille’ Youtube cooking series:
On Sunday morning, WWE announced that Emma, Darren Young and Summer Rae are no longer with the company.
NXT newcomer Lio Rush mocked Emma on what has to be a very tough day for her, joking that she ‘wasn’t ready for Asuka’ after losing to her twice over the past week.
Fans on Twitter are giving him strong negative feedback for the tweet, noting that he’s not really in a position to be talking trash about a veteran performer.
WWE legend Sean Waltman and NXT star Payton Royce expressed disappointment and gave him some words of advice:
Earlier today, WWE.com announced the release of Emma. That article has since been updated to mention that Darren Young and Summer Rae are also no longer with the company.
“WWE wishes them the best in all of their future endeavors.”
Darren Young (Frederick Rosser III) had been with the company since 2005, working for FCW and later NXT. He joined the main roster back in 2010 as part of the memorable Nexus storyline before returning to NXT in 2011. He was back on the main roster in 2012 and teamed with Titus O’Neil as part of the Prime Time Players. He later had a singles run as the protege of Bob Backlund
Summer Rae had been with WWE since 2011 and was a Total Divas cast member for the show’s second and third seasons.
On Sunday morning, WWE announced the release of RAW Superstar Emma.
A brief statement at WWE.com reads, “WWE has come to terms on the release of WWE Superstar Emma. WWE wishes Emma the best in all of her future endeavors.”
At this time, it’s unclear what led to her release. She tweeted the following in response to the news:
Emma’s final WWE television appearance took place last week on RAW, when she lost to Asuka.
Emma, real name Tenille Dashwood, had been with the company since 2011, when she began training at the company’s former developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling. She made her NXT debut in 2012 before making her main roster debut in 2014. She returned to NXT the following year, her most successful run with the company.
Her return to the main roster in in 2016 was plagued by injuries and a botched gimmick reboot as Emmalina. Unfortunately, Emma never attained the success on the main roster that she did in NXT.
Emma remained a fan favorite throughout her WWE run, but not featured prominently as part of the Women’s Revolution as fellow NXT alums Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Alexa Bliss, Bayley and Becky Lynch flourished.
Two-time WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair recently did an interview on Busted Open Radio to talk about his recent health scare this past summer. “The Nature Boy” discussed not taking anything for granted anymore after the scare, and his physical struggles after being released from the hospital. You can check out the highlights here:
Not taking anything for granted anymore after his recent health scare:
“I had ten days of life support, brother, that would wake anybody up,” Flair said. “I’m just lucky I’m here, I just kind of take each day, I don’t take anything for granted anymore. They gave me a 20 percent chance of living and somehow I made it through it.”
His physical struggles after being released from the hospital:
“When I got out I only weighed 206 pounds, I lost 43 pounds. I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t even twist the top off a Gatorade bottle. I could stand on my legs, but I couldn’t walk, so I had to go to a rehab place for 20 days of physical rehab where they make you walk with a walker and then a cane and then you learn to walk by yourself,” he said. “That took a while, and then I couldn’t drive a car.
“I ate anything in the world, but couldn’t gain any weight because all the food I was consuming was going towards repairing internal tissue that was ruined because when I went into the hospital my kidneys failed, I had respiratory heart failure and I had pneumonia all at the same time. Brother, I don’t drink anymore… The doctor told me if I ever had a drink again, I wouldn’t make it through another operation like that.”
Feeling relatively back to normal now:
“I’m back, I feel good, I weigh 220 now. Everything is normal, I have to go to the doctor every other week.” He said he hasn’t been able to exercise or do any physical activity, which has been an adjustment that is still taking time for him to accept. But Flair is in good spirits and living one day at a time.
“As far as lifting weights and stuff like that, nothing for probably another month,” he said. “It’s just a different way of life, I’m not used to living like this and I’m certainly not used to not having a drink by three o’clock (laughs). When I wasn’t working I used to start at 11 in the morning, are you kidding me?”
You can listen to Flair’s interview on Busted Open Radio by clicking this link here.
WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan and longtime friend Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake have been going at it on Twitter this weekend. It began on Thursday, with Beefcake announcing on Twitter that he’s writing a book and implied that he’ll be airing out dirt on Hogan.
Beefcake alleges that Hogan stabbed him in the back and accusing Hogan of hanging out with his ex-wife in an attempt to get under his skin. Hogan says Beefcake is a ‘poisonous snake’ who has always been a follower and has no idea ‘how deep the water is.’
You can check out the full exchange below, including a statement from Beefcake’s ex-wife Barbara.
Working on my book which is fastly becoming a tell all! Hold onto your bandana Brother it's about to get real! #BTFBB#KARMA
while hanging out with my ex-wife trashing the person who always had your back!? Keep praying to that false God of yours! Jesus is my Savior pic.twitter.com/bITupUMQTS
Parental alienation for 7 years and that's the TRUTH! Hogan never have time for my X or my daughter until he ended our friendship! #BTFBBpic.twitter.com/JRRpEE6fTb
Former WWE and WCW World Champion Kevin Nash recently made an appearance on Sean Waltman’s (a.k.a. X-Pac) podcast, X-Pack 12360, to talk about a variety of professional wrestling topics. Nash discussed why he had heat with former WCW President Eric Bischoff after his initial run with the promotion, and Bischoff pitching him the idea for the N.W.O. You can check out the highlights here:
Having heat with Bischoff after leaving WCW, following his first stint with the company:
“He and I didn’t have a relationship, in fact, I actually had heat with him. I was trying to get out of my contract when I was Vinnie Vegas and he said to me that I had talent and that he was going to try and take over this place and that I should stick around; of course I didn’t believe he would take it over,” Nash said.
“He told me that he had heat with me because I told him that I would stick around but then requested for my release the next day, so he told me he was disappointed in me because I told him that I was staying, but I told him, you were an announcer, it wasn’t like you were the boss. It’s one thing to lie to the boss, but I was just trying to get out of the office alive, and go use the fax machine down the hall to get my release.”
Bischoff pitching him the NWO idea:
“It was actually Eric’s idea. Eric pitched it to me. He came out to Scottsdale, Arizona and pitched the idea,” Nash explained. “I remember them doing something similar in Japan but it wasn’t that big of a deal; it was effective but it wasn’t to what the nWo became, so I said okay. I mean, all I am knowing is that I am getting guaranteed money and it’s a lot. For the first time in my life, I am actually going to be able to budget my money because I knew exactly what I was receiving before coming in.”
You can listen to Nash’s full interview on the X-Pack 12360 show by clicking here.
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross has released another blog over on his JR’s BBQ website. “Good Ole’ JR” discussed the epic AJ Styles vs. Finn Balor match at TLC earlier this month, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins taking on The Usos at Survivor Series, and Jeff Jarrett’s departure from Impact Wrestling. You can check out the highlights here:
AJ Styles vs. Finn Balor at TLC:
“Enjoyed watching WWE TLC on the WWE Network from my home in Norman. The last two bouts were, as they were designed to be, the proper show closers. AJ vs. ‘The Demon’ was the best match of the night and one that I am somewhat sure that we will see again some day, as it’s simply too good to not feature again when it can receive a more structured and timely creative build.”
Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins vs. The Usos:
“I fully expect that match to blow most of the card away, no matter what else is booked. You heard it here first. Those two teams have the ability to re-create the tag team scene in WWE and make tag team wrestling as in vogue as WWE has done with the women grapplers.”
Jeff Jarrett’s departure from Impact Wrestling:
“Troubling to hear that Impact Wrestling has severed ties with co-founder Jeff Jarrett within the past few hours. Jeff had taken a leave of absence, which generally isn’t a good news sort of thing, and then was permanently separated from Anthem, the now parent company of Impact Wrestling. I am pulling for Impact, their talents, and personnel in a big way, but as long as they have a weak USA TV clearance, any success that they may have in the future likely will be limited. If they can create some new stars and produce solid TV shows, who knows in this wacky world of TV with so many options for a company to utilize, including digital. In the meanwhile, I hope that Jeff Jarrett resurfaces as he’s expected to do. Jeff is a wrestling lifer, like me, and this is what he loves and knows best. Regarding any other issues that may or may not be prevalent, I can only hope that all these issues are remedied in a timely manner for Jeff and all involved.”
You can read Ross’ full blog entry on his JR’s BBQ website by clicking this link here.
– WWE Superstar Randy Orton recently took to Instagram to take a bit of a shot at Kevin Owens. Orton posted a picture of a meal he got at McDonalds and claimed he needed the calories because he’s training for a feud with Kevin Owens. “KO” was quick to fire back in the comments section of Orton’s photo, saying he’s also preparing for the feud “I watched paint dry today. I’ve got you all figured out.” Check it out:
– Last night the Los Angeles Clippers had a “WWE Night” in which WWE Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore, Intercontinental Champion The Miz, Becky Lynch, and Darren Young were in attendance. Becky Lynch slapped and stepped on the Clippers mascot for getting too close to her while Amore had fun by dancing out on the court. Check out the highlights below:
Keith Lee recently spoke to ESPN to talk about various topics. Here are the highlights:
His decision to leave Ring of Honor: “You know, when I made that decision, I was 100 percent comfortable with it then. I felt like I made the right decision. Other people will tell you, ‘Now it’s justified — now I made the right decision.’ No, I made the right decision then, and I’ve been able to capitalize on opportunities given to me. I think that knowing that I was going to get opportunities to push myself and have the matches I believe I’m worthy of, and opportunities to be in a position where I can stand out or have the opportunity to run with the ball, so to speak, meant more to me.” Working with Matt Riddle: “Matt Riddle is a very unique competitor. I think more people are trying to emulate his style nowadays, but his style, as a wrestler, is something I enjoy. We’re actually somewhat similar in terms of how we carry ourselves too. I’m a fairly laid-back fellow and I often just enjoy myself in a ring. And Riddle is very much the same. But when he gets pushed to another level he becomes a very intense animal, so to speak. And so getting in a ring with him, automatically, if you are a true talent, it’s going to push you to another level.” You can read the entire interview here.
Posted October 29th, 2017 in News. Tagged: Keith Lee.
A week after the successful return to the ring at TLC, Kurt Angle is fully involved with more plans for his competitive future in WWE.
The Olympic gold medalist featured in the main event which saw The Shield take on The Miz, Sheamus, Cesaro, Kane, and Braun Strowman. As Roman Reigns was ruled out of The Shield’s PPV return due to a viral infection, Kurt was medically cleared to compete in WWE for the first time in 11 years.
Here is the RAW General Manager’s take on his emotional return to the ring:
Since Sunday’s TLC, it appears that WWE has given Kurt Angle the green light to move forward with more in ring appearances. He recently posted this photo on instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BazcCDMA6gm/
At TLC Angle wore a tactical vest, a must for any member of The Shield. Therefore, a photo of him working on his patriotic attire tells us that WWE want to use him in the ring again, and not just as a replacement.
To add even more fuel to this, WWE have released a poll asking the fans who Kurt Angle’s next opponent should be. To be absolutely clear though, it does state “If Kurt Angle were to compete…”.
AJ Styles, Cesaro, and Brock Lesnar feature as the top three competitors that fans want to see against Kurt Angle, while Bray Wyatt is last with 0% of the vote.
Opinion:
Kurt Angle won’t have many big matches left in him. While WWE appear to be giving him what he deserves, the matches he features in will need to be chosen carefully to make the most of this golden opportunity.
The next step for Kurt Angle however, is taking control of his roster and delivering at Survivor Series after Shane McMahon and SmackDown Live ransacked RAW.
The tag team of Adam Thornstowe and Luster the Legend collectively known as Reno Scum announced on twitter yesterday that they have parted ways with Impact Wrestling:
The duo made their Impact debut back in March this year. In April the company announced that Thornstowe has suffered a torn bicep and they have been inactive ever since.
– Chris Jericho posted a message for the fans of Fozzy on his official Instagram account earlier today, thanking them for the recent success of his band:
It’s been a terrible week for Jeff Jarrett to say the least. On Monday it was announced by Impact Wrestling that the promotion had ended its business relationship with Jarrett before he checked into a WWE-sponsored rehab on Thursday. Last Friday Jarrett was involved in an incident at Real Canadian Wrestling in Calgary where he arrived in absolutely no condition to wrestle in the show’s main event.
Jeff’s daughter, Joslyn Jarrett, recently took to Instagram to support his decision to go to rehab as there had been a recent strain on their relationship:
“I know I haven’t been the biggest fan of my dad for the past few years but in the end he is still my dad and I love him more than anything. Dad, I hope when you see this, you really know how much I love you. I’m so proud of the decision you made and excited to see how the next few months go. You can do this and can’t wait to see that smile again.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/Batzwy5n3xN/
Joslyn took things a step further by retweeting a Tweet on Twitter that blamed Jeff’s current wife, Karen, for his personal issues. She retweeted the Tweet by urging others to retweet by adding in a “RT”:
“Karen Jarrett with another husband in rehab??? Drives men to the sauce.”
Karen was previously married to WWE Hall Of Famer Kurt Angle, who she had two children with before the pair divorced in 2008. She then married Jeff in 2010. Karen had a daughter with Kurt, Kyra Angle, who replied to Joslyn’s Tweet on Twitter:
WWE Superstar Goldust was recently a guest on former WWE Tag Team Champions Edge and Christian’s podcast, E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness, to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Goldust discussed his famous Hollywood Backlot Brawl with WWE Hall Of Famer Roddy Piper from WrestleMania 12, how he got to know Piper better during the feud, wanting to get color in the match despite Vince McMahon’s wishes, hitting Piper with a car, and Vince McMahon taking he and Piper to the hospital after the match. Here are the highlights:
Getting to know Piper better during their feud:
“That’s where I really got to know Roddy and kind of get close to him. And, man, he was gung-ho and ready to go. I didn’t really find out until the TV, I think, when [WWE personnel] came up to me and said, ‘you’re flying to L.A. with Vince [McMahon] and Bruce [Prichard] and Roddy after our TV.’ And I’m like, ‘okay, what are we doing?’ I don’t have any idea what I’m doing, so I was going to go shoot this backlot brawl with Roddy Piper. I was like, ‘wow, this is pretty awesome.’ Yeah, I was just like a kid in a candy store, man and it was very cool.”
Wanting to bleed in the match despite Vince McMahon’s wishes:
“I was really wanting to get some juice back then, really badly. Vince did not want it, so I asked Roddy to open me up the hard way. And that was my way of, ‘okay, Goddang it! I’m going to do bleed whether you like it or not because I want to blade. It gets you into it more. And so [Piper] slammed me up on the hood [of the car]. That’s the only thing I told Roddy about this whole thing: ‘please, hit me. Bust me open.’ And you’d think that Roddy being in the [professional wrestling] business for has long as he had, he would know how to do that, right?
“So he put me on the hood, and he mounts me, and I’m ready for it, man. He’s looking straight at me and he throws his fist straight down, but he hits me square in the forehead and I mean hard. It’s like a brick hitting cement. And I’m just like, ‘what the hell?’ And still in my head, ‘ah, nothing, man.’ He’s still beating me up. ‘Do it again!’ He reaches up and he drills me again and you hear a crack and it’s his hand that breaks on my head.”
Him hitting Piper’s knees with the car despite the planned finish being Piper is supposed to narrowly escape getting hit:
“I started revving up the car and I’m looking at Roddy and he’s probably a good 20 feet away, so I put it in park and I start to drive. I speed up just a little bit and I’m looking dead at him and I’m thinking, ‘please, dear God, move.’ He doesn’t move. He doesn’t move and his knees hit and it just buckled the whole car. It was gross sounding.”
“His knees too, man. I mean, when I watch it back, his fist on my head, you can see it and hear it. You’re not really seeing it or hearing it while it’s happening, but I remember his knees specifically hitting the front of that hood of the car, man, buckling. And I was like, ‘ooh, man. That sounded terrible. I just killed Roddy Piper!'”
Vince McMahon taking both he and Piper to the hospital after the match:
“Vince took us both to the hospital. He had his hand fixed. I had a concussion. One take. One take.” Goldust added, “I went into that dumpster hard too, but I was fine. It was more Roddy’s hand than anything. And Roddy’s tough, man. They didn’t have a cast on his hand. I don’t think. I can’t recall that. He just tapes. That’s the way they did it back then. Those old school guys, they just tape up and go, man.”
You can listen to Goldust’s appearance on E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness by clicking here.
Global Force Wrestling (GFW) star Laurel Van Ness recently did an interview with Metro to talk about a variety of professional wrestling topics. Van Ness discussed making a living as a full-time indie wrestler, wrestling fans yelling out sexist comments to her, and fans chanting her boyfriend’s (WWE Superstar Zack Ryder) name during her matches. You can check out the highlights here:
“It’s so amazing that to an extent we can compete with WWE. They’re always going to have the mainstream audience, but right now we’ve got so much attention. There is a crazy spotlight on indie wrestling, and that’s amazing because it’s what we love to do, and a lot of us are doing it for a living. We’re trying to make money and entertain people, and for that to be our sole career. It’s crazy how things have changed and we’re now able to do that without having to work second and third jobs. This isn’t just a hobby, this is our life.”
Wrestling fans yelling out sexist comments to her:
“One that sticks out to me was when I was wrestling Nicole Matthews in Vancouver. I was very new and there was some very sexual comments made by a couple of drunk fans. As we were wrestling, Nicole stopped and said something to them. It did the trick, they stopped what they were saying. There’s such a fine line between letting it affect you, but staying silent about it. I don’t think it’s right to yell at a female like that, it is our place of work and we’re trying to entertain you.
“Freedom of speech, sure, but to an extent – you have to be respectful, we are humans and we’re working essentially for you. I do have a time when I hear things in the ring, but me personally I try to ignore it because I find a lot of people are trying to get your attention by screaming profanities or saying sexual things towards women. But I have a limit as much as anyone else, and if someone did cross that line, I think I would have to say something at the time.”
Fans chanting her boyfriend’s (Zack Ryder) name during her matches:
“This is very different from the sexual comments, but another thing that makes me frustrated, and I get this a lot, is that I do get a lot of people doing my boyfriends chants at me. To me, that is very disrespectful and I don’t think people understand that. I have nothing to do with my boyfriend when I step into the ring. I’m not defined by my relationship or who my boyfriend is or where he works. So it’s very disrespectful when a fan does his chants because he’s not putting in the work in that ring, I am, so sometimes when people do the Zack Ryder chants it really affects me, and I have said some things to people. You have to figure out, do they want your attention? And if they do, don’t give it to them, do not give them what they want.”
You can check out Van Ness’ full interview with Metro by clicking this link here.