There was a lot of concern about Justin Credible when he posted an alarming video this past summer. WWE stepped in and offered him a chance to go to rehab in Tampa Bay, Florida. Credible resurfaced on social media last month and thanked WWE for getting his life back on track.
Last night, Justin Credible showed up at a show put on by Blitzkrieg Pro Wrestling in Enfield, CT. Credible rushed the ring and demanded a microphone. Credible was visibly stumbling around and slurring his words.
The wrestlers can also be heard asking whether this was a shoot or not. The promoter for the event then got involved and told Credible that he was his hero growing up and now he is a disgrace. The promoter added that he asked Credible not to show up tonight because he reeked of alcohol and is not sober, despite telling everyone that he is.
Credible eventually left the ring, only to return a few minutes later to try and get a microphone again. He was once again denied and finally left.
WWE Clash of Champions 2017 airs this Sunday on the WWE Network from the TD Garden in Boston, MA. Every title on the SmackDown brand will be on the line. Mojo Rawley will face Zack Ryder on the Kickoff Show. Here are 5 predictions for WWE Clash of Champions 2017:
Gable & Benjamin Will Win The Tag Titles
Photo Credit: WWE.com
This match was originally supposed to be a Triple Threat, but Rusev and Aiden English earned their way into the match after defeating New Day on the December 5th edition of SmackDown.
Gable and Benjamin have had their shot against The Usos before but they were unable to cash in. There will be four Superstars in the ring at all times, so I can see Gable or Benjamin winning the match with a pinfall over Aiden English or Rusev.
The Usos deserve to hold onto the titles for a long time, but WWE likes to flip-flop the tag titles. It would be silly if the New Day recapture the titles so quickly after dropping them to The Usos. The two teams are just coming off of a long feud.
Rusev and Aiden English are a fun team and I wouldn’t mind seeing them steal a victory in this match. It would at least be something new on SmackDown. I think Gable and Benjamin make the most sense to walk out of this match victorious.
Charlotte Will Escape With The Women’s Championship
Photo Credit: WWE.com
Charlotte will defend her SmackDown Women’s Championship tomorrow night against Natalya in a Lumberjack match. The Riott Squad, Carmella, Tamina, Naomi and Lana will surround the ring.
On this past Tuesday’s episode of SmackDown, Charlotte faced Ruby Riot. Natalya was on commentary for the match, but she wound up attacking Charlotte at ringside and Ruby Riott was disqualified.
The Riott Squad then beatdown Charlotte and launched her into the barricade. The trio was about to slam the steel steps on top of her when Naomi made her her return. Naomi chased off Riott, Logan and Morgan to the top of the entrance ramp. The remaining Lumberjacks then attacked the Riott Squad from behind.
I don’t see a scenario where Charlotte loses the title here. There will definitely be chaos throughout this match and the Lumberjacks will brawl with each other. I’m sure some of them will attack Charlotte at some point. There have also been rumors of a women’s Royal Rumble for some time now. It will be interesting to see if that comes to fruition over the next few weeks as the Royal Rumble PPV is next month.
Carmella does still have her MITB contract and maybe tomorrow night is the night that she finally cashes in. I still think that the most likely outcome is that Charlotte retains after the Lumberjacks take each other out ringside.
Dolph Ziggler Will Take The Pinfall
Photo Credit: WWE.com
Baron Corbin will defend his United States Championship against Bobby Roode and Dolph Ziggler tomorrow night at Clash of Champions. Dolph Ziggler was a late addition to this match and it seems obvious that he is going to be the Superstar that gets pinned on Sunday.
If Bobby Roode pins Ziggler to win the title, Baron Corbin can complain that he was never pinned to the lose the title. If Corbin pins Ziggler, Bobby Roode can wiggle his way into another shot at the title because he was never pinned.
Everything about this match is wrong and I have very little interest in it. Roode is boring as hell as a face on SmackDown. Corbin looks like a monster, but every time he gets rolled up in a match I think he is going to lose. Dolph Ziggler is a terrific in-ring performer, but it seems like his purpose now is just to make the new Superstars look good during their matches. I think Corbin will wind up retaining at PPV and I’m confident he will pin Dolph Ziggler to do so.
AJ Styles Will Overcome Mahal & The Singh Brothers
Photo Credit: WWE.com
AJ Styles will defend his WWE Championship against Jinder Mahal tomorrow night at Clash of Champions. The rematch was originally supposed to happen on an episode of SmackDown, but Mahal pushed it back to the PPV.
The Singh Brothers tried to convince AJ Styles that they no longer were associated with Mahal after he attacked them on a recent episode of SmackDown. AJ didn’t buy it and wound up beating down Samir and Sunil Singh this past Tuesday night as Mahal looked on from the entrance ramp.
AJ Styles should hold onto the title until WrestleMania. The only reason I can see WWE giving the title back to Mahal is if they want to have Cena versus Mahal at WrestleMania 34 for the WWE Championship. I’d much rather see AJ Styles have a dominant title run until we get to April 8th, 2018.
As for Jinder Mahal, I thought all along that this would have worked better if he was the United States Champion. The whole thing would have made much more sense and I would have enjoyed it more. I honestly wouldn’t even care if Mahal became the United States Champion next Tuesday night on SmackDown. It would be more interesting that what is going on with that title now. I think it is time for AJ Styles to be in the main event every week on SmackDown and for Jinder Mahal to slide back to the midcard for now.
Owens & Zayn vs Orton & Nakamura Will End In Controversy
Photo Credit: WWE.com
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn will face Randy Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura at WWE Clash of Champions this Sunday. Shane McMahon announced that he will be the special guest referee for this match and that if Owens and Zayn lose, they will be fired from all WWE. SmackDown GM Daniel Bryan announced on this past Tuesday’s episode of SmackDown that he will serve as a second referee in the match.
It seems obvious that it will and the storyline will continue after Sunday’s PPV. Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon haven’t been seeing eye-to-eye recently on SmackDown. It all started when Shane McMahon invaded RAW with the SmackDown roster before Survivor Series. The SmackDown Commissioner failed to inform the SmackDown GM of his plan to invade RAW.
Owens and Zayn have been a thorn in Shane McMahon’s side as of late. Owens brutally attacked Vince McMahon back in September. This led to Shane McMahon facing Owens at WWE Hell in a Cell. Sami Zayn interfered in that match to save his best friend, Kevin Owens. Zayn and Owens were then left off of Team SmackDown for Survivor Series.
Owens and Zayn interfered in the Survivor Series main event and Orton and Shane chased the two Superstars off. Since then, Shane McMahon has made it a mission to make Owens and Zayn’s life a living hell. He recently barred Sami Zayn from ringside during a match between Kevin Owens and Randy Orton. Sami Zayn found a loophole and attacked Orton on the entrance ramp.
Sami Zayn then had to face Randy Orton while Kevin Owens was handcuffed to the ring ropes on the December 5th episode of SmackDown. Owens used bolt cutters from under the ring to break free, but Nakamura came down to the ring to make the save. Orton and Nakamura then beat down Zayn and Owens. It was after that when Shane announced this match and stated that Owens and Zayn will be wrestling for their careers. Daniel Bryan once again didn’t seem to agree with Shane’s decision.
On this past Tuesday’s episode of SmackDown, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn started the “Yep! Movement”. They handed out flyers calling for Shane McMahon to be ousted as SmackDown Commissioner. Daniel Bryan came down to the ring and announced that he will be the second referee in the tag match at Clash of Champions to ensure it is a fair match.
Daniel Bryan then joined commentary during the main event between Kevin Owens and Shinsuke Nakamura. Byron Saxton repetitively accused Daniel Bryan of betraying Shane McMahon and siding with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. During the match, the referee was knocked down and Daniel Bryan ripped off his referee shirt and put it on. Bryan then refereed the rest of the match that saw Kevin Owens get the victory over Nakamura with a Pop-Up Powerbomb. Nakamura was distracted by Sami Zayn hopping up on the ring apron and Kevin Owens took advantage. Daniel Bryan counted to three as Saxon shouted that this proves that he will side with Owens and Zayn at the PPV.
This match is all about the power dynamic between Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon in my opinion. Shane McMahon wants nothing more than to get Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn off of SmackDown. Daniel Bryan thinks Shane McMahon is starting to abuse his power and thus has inserted himself in this match.
I don’t think we are going to see anything crazy during this match on Sunday night. I doubt we are going to see Daniel Bryan hit the running knee to Shane McMahon’s face out of nowhere. I think that Sami Zayn or Kevin Owens is going to take out Shane McMahon while Daniel Bryan is distracted. Daniel Bryan will then be left as the lone referee in the match and Owens and Zayn will pick up the victory. The storyline will then continue as Shane McMahon thinks Daniel Bryan is against him, even though he simply didn’t see that Owens and Zayn attacked him.
It was announced during a segment on the latest episode of 205 Live that Cruiserweight Star Noam Dar has suffered an injury and he would require a knee surgery.
Now WWE has revealed that Dar suffered a meniscus tear during the November 27th episode of Raw and underwent successful surgery in Orlando on Thursday.
Commenting on his status, the Raw star revealed that while the exact timeframe for his return is yet to be decided, he is expected to stay out of action for almost 5 months:
“We don’t have any confirmed time frame just yet because I obviously need to see the post-op, but it’s more than likely going to be around the five-month mark, that would be with me working extensively at the [WWE] Performance Center, so that will make a huge difference. Staying on top of everything so we can hopefully take that time down a little bit.”
WWE notes that the injury had been bothering Noam for weeks but his knee went out again this past weekend. He competed in a Fatal Four Way match during the mentioned Raw episode.
We’ll update you once a confirmed schedule for Noam Dar’s return to WWE programming is revealed.
While Chris Jericho attacking Kenny Omega at World Tag League Finals has become one of the hottest topics among wrestling fans in no time, it appears former WWE Star Taz is not impressed with a part of this segment.
During the latest episode of his podcast, Taz explained that he didn’t like the way the announcers Kevin Kelly and Don Callis, sold the whole angle. Below are some highlights from his podcast:
How Kevin is an underrated commentator:
“I love Kev. I think he’s a really good, underrated play-by-play man… When I first started as an announcer in the WWE, Kevin Kelly was in the WWE, and Kevin helped me out my first couple of days with the gig. He’s just a good guy, a real pro’s pro. I think he’s a great fit there with the New Japan stuff”
Disagreeing with the way the commentary team handled Jericho’s appearance:
“But, I don’t know if he was directed this way or not, he and [Don Callis] started screaming, ‘It’s Jericho. Oh my God, it’s Jericho!’ I can understand them getting hung up on the emotion, they’re there in the building. I get it. I just disagree with the way this was handled. If it was something that was done from someone in their holding area, whatever they call their Gorilla Position.'”
How they should have played dumb until they saw Chris on their monitors:
“I don’t agree with that move, because, and I’m saying that respectfully because I love Kevin, but…I just don’t agree with it because I can’t see who it is. Yelling ‘It’s Chris Jericho,’ well the announcers, the number one rule for the announcers, at least from what I was taught for many years by some pretty high-end guys, you gotta look at your monitor. And what the monitors sees, the fan at home sees, or vice versa… You have to play dumb, and do the job, until you can see him [in the monitor].”
Rumors have starting circulating through Twitter on a planned revival of the XFL professional football league.
If you aren’t aware, the XFL was a league created by Vince McMahon during the height of WWE’s Attitude Era, the venture was a huge failure on all counts as the presentation did not appease fans of wrestling or pro football, not knowing what either demographic wanted and subsequently the project ended up costing the WWE reportedly in the hundreds of millions.
SEScoops contributor David Bixenspan of Deadspin contacted WWE to confirm if there were any truth to these rumors and he received an interesting response. It appears as though McMahon is personally funding a separate entity from WWE named ‘Alpha Entertainment.’ The goal is to “explore investment opportunities across the sports and entertainment landscapes, including professional football.”
While this is nowhere near confirmation of an XFL return it is interesting to note that “professional football” is on the cards, and it is highly unlikely that Vince is looking to work alongside the NFL…
This past week on USA Network was billed as WWE Week and NXT was broadcast on the network for the very first time. The show was headlined by Aleister Black taking on Adam Cole and also featured appearances from the NXT Champion Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas, The Authors of Pain and NXT Women’s Champion Ember Moon.
The number for the show was in the region of 841,000. This equates to being the 22nd highest rated cable show of the night and the highest rated programme on all of USA Network on Wednesday night.
As a comparison, the more established Total Divas show on the E! Network drew 517,000 viewers on Wednesday night, gaining the 43rd highest cable spot.
Zack Sabre Jr recently faced Chuck Taylor in a ‘no ring, falls count anywhere’ match in a Brooklyn bar. The Tender Trap bar played host to one of the most unique bouts in recent times and saw one of the world’s most technically gifted wrestlers in ZSJ perform about as far outside his wheelhouse as is possible.
Check it out below and let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Former WWE Star and Manager of the Attitude Era faction Kaientai, Yamaguchi San has been hospitalized following a stroke and is fighting for his life, as reported by The Mirror.
Yamaguchi’s Brother Shunsuke Yamaguchi, who currently works for WWE as one half of their Japanese announce team, posted the following update on his status on Facebook:
“Some of u might have heard but my brother Yusuke, aka Yamaguchi Wally or Yamaguchi San, had a stroke, This is a pic from 1am est. Don’t know how long he has. Some of his friends from school and Gong Magazine have visited him. Love you brother!!!”
Kan’s managed faction Kaientai made their debut on Japanese wrestling promotion Michinoku Pro Wrestling back in 1994.
The group originally contested Shiryu, Dick Togo, and Mens Teioh, and was later joined by Sho Funaki and Taka Michinoku.
However, Yamaguchi San only started managing them once the stable made their WWE debut in early 1998. The group also had a short stint with ECW prior to their run with the company then known as WWF.
No further details about his health are available at this point but we’ll keep you posted if anything comes to light.
WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair recently had an interview with Starsport where he talked about John Cena getting negative fan reaction and more. Below are some highlights from his interview:
Randy Orton having the ability to play John Cena’s role in WWE:
“If you look at John Cena, you have to look at the whole scenario of John’s career. John is just an in-ring performer. He’s very good in interviews, number one. Number two, he exhausts himself giving his off time to stuff he doesn’t get paid for. Kids love him. Randy [Orton] doesn’t want that role. Randy is happy, he wants to be home with his wife and kids. Could Randy pull it off? Of course. But Randy isn’t interested in working in his days off. I don’t blame him, not everybody is. That’s a tough role, you sacrifice a lot of personal time and that’s what my daughter [Charlotte Flair] is doing right now, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Cena getting booed by fans:
“If you don’t respect John Cena, you don’t respect anybody. I’m not sure how I feel about that [the boos]. Look what they say to Kurt Angle when he walks out: ‘You suck’. It doesn’t make sense. Because Kurt’s very popular and of course John is the flagship of the company. He’s working in a limited schedule now and pursuing other avenues that he’s earned the right to do. He conducts himself, carries himself, he’s very classy, he is very, very well-read, very intellectual, and that speaks volumes. We don’t have a lot of people like that.”
Top performers in the company today:
“I think the two best performers in the company right now are Randy Orton and AJ Styles – Seth Rollins being close right there.”
As noted before, Dolph Ziggler recently joined Edge and Christian for their E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness podcast where he discussed a number of wrestling related topics. Below are some more highlights from his interview:
Zack Ryder’s weird backstage outfit:
“[Ryder] is just as weird now, just so you guys know. But he wears a suit at TVs now, so I don’t know if he’s getting groomed to be like an agent or something. There’s a lot of [purple]. He has a lot of suits now! I think there’s a suit guy that goes around here, but purple is often times almost a… I’m trying to think… almost like an H&M slim fit version of a Michael Hayes costume that you’d get.”
The recent Starrcade event:
“I walk into Starrcade and Flair is there, of course, and social media Nikki goes, ‘hey, you two guys should cut a promo! Are you ready? Okay, you do it and then he comes in.’ And I’m like, ‘what? Okay!’ So I kind of cut a Ric Flair promo in the arena in Greensboro [North Carolina], next to Flair, threw it to Flair, and then, he finished it off, and it was so cool. And then, meanwhile, I got to go out with Bobby Roode. Bobby Roode and I had plenty of time to tear it down and ‘The Enforcer’ was out there and he just did a couple subtle things that turned the crowd around.”
Having the same feeling at Starrcade as WrestleMania:
“Backstage, even before the specials guests start filling in, and [Ricky] Steamboat shows up and Rock n Roll [Express] shows up. There was already a special [feel]. In the weirdest, weirdest way, had a feel to it like a couple of hours before WrestleMania.”
How he tried to stand out after the cancelation of the Spirit Squad:
“When I was trying to get back to TV after they canceled The Spirit Squad, I go, ‘what are things that no one’s doing? Okay.’ At the time, it was really cool to be Randy Orton. And by that I mean short buzzcut, black trunks (almost Austiny), and everybody was, like, working, but everybody wanted to be tough. Everybody wanted to be straightforward. Nobody wanted to give anything. And I went, ‘how can I stand out?’ I went pink trunks, I dyed my hair blonde and grew it out. I said, ‘okay, nobody wants to do that? I’ll go above and beyond. And I started watching genuine boxing knockouts. And I would try to take where your knees buckle and apply that only to finishers, or, like, the strongest false finish of a match. At the beginning, I was kind of trying to be Mr. Perfect and do everything big. But then I go, ‘okay, hang on. Now we’ve got to make things count.'”
You can check out some more highlights from the same interview including Dolph Ziggler hinting at possibly leaving WWE here.
Ring Of Honor’s Final Battle 2017 takes place on December 15th at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, NY.
ROH Final Battle 2017 Results
– Matt Taven def. Will Ospreay:
– War Machine def. the Addiction: War Machine gets the win via pinfall with a tandem top rope leg lariat/slam.
– Jay Lethal def. Marty Scurll: Lethal hits a low blow and follows up with the Lethal Injection for the win via pinfall.
– The Motor City Machine Guns (c) def. the Best Friends: The MCMG’s retain the ROH Tag Team titles after a jackknife pin to Baretta.
– Silas Young def. Kenny King, Punishment Martinez, & Shane Taylor: Young wins in a Four Corners Elimination match for the ROH Television title. Young gets the pin after he hit Misery on Punishment Martinez for the final elimination.
– The Briscoes def. Tommy Dreamer and Bully Ray: This one was a New York Street Fight. Bully set up a table and was pouring gasoline on it, but Mark kicked him and then the Briscos delivered a 3D to him on the table. The table didn’t break, so Mark also hit a top rope elbow that drove Bully through the table.
– The Young Bucks & Adam Page def. Flip Gordon, Dragon Lee and Titan: The Bucks retain the ROH Six Man Tag Team championship with a double Indy Taker/Rite of Passage. After the match, Scorpio Sky and the Addiction attack both teams.
– WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash will be donating his brain and spinal card to the CTE Center at Boston University and the Concussion Legacy Foundation after his death. Nash spoke with Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com this week about the decision.
“Chris Nowinski started the program, and I’ve had several concussions throughout my life and had scans done and stuff and knew that somewhere down the line, I’ve already had short-term memory problems,” Nash said. “I decided to go ahead. The only way you can diagnose this is after you’re dead.”
Former WWE Superstar Chris Nowinski said, “It’s so powerful when icons like Kevin Nash are willing to pledge their brain for research and talk about it publicly. Brain donation is really driving our growing knowledge of CTE and the long-term effects of brain trauma. And so I’m hoping that we solve this problem before Kevin’s time comes, but Kevin announcing this means that other families are aware that this research is important and that if they lose somebody, they may think of the concussion legacy foundation.”
– Cruiserweight Superstar Noam Dar underwent successful knee surgery in Orlando on Thursday, according to WWE.com. Darr recently suffered a “bucket handle tear” of his left meniscus and underwent an MRI prior to Monday’s RAW. According to Darr, he will most likely be out of action for around 5 months.
– NJPW high flyer Will Ospreay released this list of wrestlers he hopes to work with for the first time in 2018.
New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) star and IWGP United States Heavyweight Champ Kenny Omega recently did an interview with Rolling Stone to discuss his upcoming match with Chris Jericho at Wrestle Kingdom 12 next month.
“The Cleaner” discussed NJPW executives being okay with the use of blood in his segment with Jericho, his feud with Jericho standing out in a somewhat family-friendly NJPW product, and how he thinks things will be this time next year with NJPW rolling out to the United States. Here are the highlights:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3Qp-Yy7WpQ
NJPW executives being okay with the use of blood in his segment with Jericho:
“I’ve been lucky where I’ve asked for a little bit of trust from the company. When you put yourself in a situation like that, you either hit consecutive home runs or you’re dead in the water, because there’s a lot of money on the line, there’s a reputation on the line. And a lot of times I really forced them to step out of their comfort zone. Between last year’s G1 and now with Jericho, I have done a lot of things the company isn’t necessarily comfortable with, but they’re seeing positive growth from it. Drawing blood is a faux paus. They don’t like it at all. Our parent company makes its money through anime and card games.”
His feud with Jericho standing out in a family-friendly NJPW:
“Yeah, and even if it wasn’t what they’ve been expecting, we want to give them something completely different from what’s gonna be on the rest of the card. And not just different because, ‘Hey, it’s a WWE legend coming in to invade New Japan.’ From how we went about it, how we’re going about it and how we will execute the match, we want it to stand out from anything in recent memory. It’s really important for us to do that.”
How he thinks things will be this time next year with NJPW rolling into the United States:
“It’s hard to picture what the situation is gonna look like. [Omega Vs. Jericho] is a real self-contained story that can maybe only happen once, but I’m excited to see where it leads because it’s showing more of my range and a little bit of self-discovery on my part. I’m able to explore now this side of pro wrestling that is generally regarded here as taboo, but it’s the wrestling I grew up watching.
“It goes back to the territorial stuff with Ric Flair, the way he’d promote his matches. You can’t do it anymore. There’s always an A, B and C point you have to hit, and things are overly scripted and micro-managed, and now we’re gauging by how everything feels. Everything that this match evolves into has been an organic evolution, and that’s why we haven’t lost people yet.”
You can check out Omega’s full interview with Rolling Stone by clicking here.
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross was recently a guest on Submission Radio to talk about a variety of professional wrestling topics. Ross discussed if there’s a chance we see Brock Lesnar not resign with WWE, and if so, where he’d go instead. Ross also discussed why he doesn’t think Lesnar will go back to MMA. Here are the highlights:
The possibility Lesnar doesn’t re-sign with WWE and where he’d go if he doesn’t:
“I don’t know the answer to your question, but I’ll tell you this, if I were advising him – I’m not by the way – I would say, you’re going to leave to do what? Are you going to leave to retire and not do anything but hunt and raise your sons and be a good husband to your wife? I don’t know, are you going to launch another career? Some guys like to do that, sometimes they need new challenges. I read that he might be the son of the, in the Rocky movie, (Apollo) Creed’s opponent that got beat by the Russian guy and he may play that Russian guy’s son.
“I read that. I had no idea if that was even true, but I don’t know why you’d even want to leave. He’s got a beautiful schedule, he’s making well north of seven figures a year, and he works part-time and he has fun. I don’t know why you would… I would say this, it might answer your question with a question, leave to do what that’s better? Plus, he can still be contracted to WWE and make movies or things like that. I don’t see him getting back into MMA. Now, I might be wrong on that one, but I don’t see that being a fit for him going forward.
“But I can certainly see him in Hollywood, I can certainly see him doing other things like that, but that’s not really his style either. He likes to be home or working at the wrestling, so I don’t know why he would want to leave, other than the obvious with scheduling and so forth, my boys are getting older. But he’s got a great gig, man, and I think he really embraces it and appreciates it.”
Why he doesn’t think Lesnar will return to MMA:
“Well, he’s been there, done that. He got that one more match when he beat Mark Hunt at UFC 200 – I was there by the way, so I saw it in person – he’s 39, what is he 40? You know, MMA fans jones about Lesnar being gone because the MMA in general is lacking superstars, they’re lacking box office attractions. They’re no different than any pro wrestling promotion in the world, their job is to create superstars that people demand to see more of.
“And right now, of course with the fighting as it is, you’re lucky to have three fights a year if you stay healthy, and there are no major stars that are early 20’s, young guys who are like the next big thing. I don’t know who that is. And everybody’s got an opinion, but the MMA world in general, the reason people are jonesing for Lesnar is because they’ve got nobody better to cheer for right now. That’s why they wanted Georges St-Pierre back, that’s why they want Cain Velasquez back in the ring, they want Conor McGregor to fight again. We’re not missing any new names here. I’m mentioning all these dudes that have got some mileage and track records.”
“The Franchise” Shane Douglas has been very critical of former NWA Champion Tim Storm and new promotion owner Billy Corgan on The Triple Threat Podcast. At last weekend’s annual CZW Cage of Death event, Douglas’ House Of Hardcore stablemate, Nick Aldis, captured the NWA World Title. Douglas offered his thoughts on the title change and discussed if he knows how to put together a plan than anybody else in wrestling. Check out the highlights:
Nick Aldis winning the NWA Title from Tim Storm:
“I’ll say it again, the NWA to me died seven years before I threw the belt down. Like my Dad in 1993 and my Mom in 2010 until somebody comes up with a way to resurrect the dead, the dead are dead to me. The NWA died seven years before I threw the belt down.
“You have to question what the motive is? You are making assumptions that Nick is going to go travel the world as the NWA Champion and he may or he may not. They (the NWA) may have invited the fox into the henhouse. It is never happenstance or coincidence. I asked Santa this year and I have crossed my fingers in hopes that Santa brings it because I’ve asked for a big smelter because I have some big chores that need to be done around the Franchise abode here and you never know when a smelter can be useful.”
If he knows how to put together a plan better than anybody else in the wrestling business:
“I don’t know about better than anybody else but considering that I’ve learned from Bill Watts and from Dusty Rhodes and Eddie Gilbert and Paul Heyman and Pat Patterson and Ole Anderson and a little bit of Troy Martin’s smarts in there too but I would say that I am probably as qualified as most and more qualified than many. I’ve always said this throughout my career and you guys know this and that is the guy with a plan always succeeds and I’ve always got a plan and a backup to the backup plan. So is it just a coinkydink that one of my guys (Nick Aldis) became the NWA Champion?”
You can check out The Triple Threat podcast by clicking this link here.
As we’ve noted, former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Rich Swann was suspended indefinitely by WWE after being arrested this past Sunday. Swann was arrested on false imprisonment/kidnapping and misdemeanor battery (touching or striking) charges, stemming from an incident that occurred with is wife, Vannarah Riggs (and independent wrestler by the name of Su Yung).
He was scheduled to face off against Drew Gulak on this past Monday’s episode of RAW to determine the new No. 1-contender for Enzo Amore’s Cruiserweight Title, however, he was removed from the match as a result of the arrest and his WWE career is now up in the air. Per a report from Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter, many Superstars in the WWE locker room were shocked to learn the news.
For those who knew Swann and his wife, Vannarah, however, they expected a situation like this was very possible. Many people who knew the couple from their time in the independent scene described the pair as “broken” due to the events that transpired in their lives before wrestling. They were able to find love with one another, but their relationship was vulnerable to combustibility.
There are some Superstars in WWE who feel bad for Swann and how this will affect him and his wife financially if he’s let go by the company. Meltzer did note that it’s possible Swann’s WWE career is done for good.
– As he continues to rehab his recently repaired bicep, former NXT Champion Drew McIntyre posted a clip on Twitter of himself training with former 3MB member and ex-WWE Champion Jinder Mahal. Check it out:
– SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair is set to do a Facebook Q&A this Monday at 8 P.M. EST. If you’d like to be eligible for a prize pack, use the hashtag #SecondNature.
WWE COO Triple H recently did an interview with Sporting News to promote this past Wednesday’s airing of NXT on the USA Network. “The Game” revealed if he’s surprised by the success NXT has seen and if he pushed for it to air on the USA Network. You can check out the highlights here:
You’ve had NXT on the WWE Network now for 3-4 years. Is there anything that’s really surprised you about its growth and what it is now?
“Look, I’m always surprised. I don’t want to say surprised because it’s pleasantly surprising. You planning for it to be great and you hope that it is and then you’re pleasantly surprised that it is. You want to put on the best product possible. I think, for me, I look at the Performance Center and the talent there and I look at the talent that we have coming in and I just try to say what would I want to see if I’m a kid and if I put myself that way. At the end of the day, I’m just a fan, right? A fan of this industry and the business of what we do and I say I really like that talent. I’d love to see him face this talent. I there would be a really cool way to do it but doing this and that’s how we put it together. What’s been nice about it is even when we’ve had setbacks, I think the thing that’s been probably, if there’s been one thing that’s surprising is the ability to continue to just let it evolve organically on its own.
“You can look at the short period of time that NXT’s existed in that four years or whatever and you can see distinct, almost little eras of the Finn Balor time and then Samoa Joe, then there was (Shinsuke) Nakamura, then Bobby Roode. Before that it was Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn and Neville. You have these sections of time that almost become these eras of NXT. Whether talent gets called up or whatever the situation is, there’s kind of that next thing that begins to pocket in there and people latch onto. There are a lot of talented performers available. Yes, they’re all learning. Yes, they’re all getting better every day but there’s a lot of talented performers available. To me, the exciting part about it is if you build it, they will come. We just put it out there in a way that people seem to appreciate and they continue to watch so it’s exciting.”
NXT being on USA Network is part of WWE week on the channel. Is this something you have previously pushed for, getting NXT on USA Network, even for a one-shot?
“No. It’s funny, I really haven’t. This has been exciting in that … break this down however you want and you can look at it and say holiday week or however you want. NBCUniversal, USA Network, the No. 1 cable channel in America, is taking an hour of primetime television and giving it to NXT which is huge from where this has come the last two, three years, where NXT has come. And they called us for it.
“It wasn’t like we went to them and pitched it. This was a “we would like to do Monday ‘RAW,’ Tuesday ‘SmackDown,’ Wednesday we’ll do ‘NXT.'” When they sent me the email, our television studio, to ask if I would be interested in doing this, I was like, is this a trick question? Yeah, I’ll put “NXT” on USA for a week and expose it to a much, much, much larger audience than what we have on the (WWE) network.
“While the WWE Network will always be NXT’s home in some way for sure, this is a great opportunity for a lot of people to see a product they’ve never really had an opportunity to see before other than clips and bits and pieces. I’m sure they’ve heard a lot about it and I’m hoping a lot of people will tune in and sample it for the first time because it’s different. It’s an alternative and it’s a different flavor and I’m hoping people will sample it.”
You’ve obviously learned a lot of different things behind the scenes over the last five, ten years. Is there anything in particular that you’re looking at now that you want to learn or get more experience at?
“This industry, what we do, is fluid. It’s constantly changing and I feel like you’re never going to stop learning. The generation that watches right now is different than a generation that watched five years ago, 10 years ago, 15 years ago. It’s totally different. So, you’re constantly learning, you’re constantly having to put your finger on the pulse of what works today. It’s like music in a way and it’s the closest thing that I can relate what we do.
“When you make music, when it’s really good, it stays classic forever. That song will stay classic forever. But a song that’s classic today from 30 years ago, if you wrote that song today, would die. It would be miserable. No one would like it. It’s changed. People’s tastes have changed. People’s acceptance of things has changed. Everything changes on a constant basis so you have to stay ahead of that and the people that are open to that and can continue to change and are willing to change stay consistently successful. The ones that aren’t are one-hit wonders or are successful for a period of time and then it goes away for them. It’s constantly learning and staying open to that because, I think, the moment that you start thinking I know what I’m doing, you just do this and it’s good; you’re done.”
You can check out Triple H’s full interview with Sporting News by clicking this link here.
– After undergoing knee surgery, PWInsider is reporting that Primo Colon will be returning to in-ring competition in order to work WWE live events this weekend.
– The Bella Twins released a video on their YouTube channel in which they tease reaching a milestone of 1 million subscribers. The video is teasing the 1 Million Subscribers Celebration. Check it out:
IMPACT Wrestling star Chris Adonis (a.k.a. Chris Masters) recently did an interview on the Arm Drag Takedown podcast with Pollo Del Mar to talk about a variety of professional wrestling topics. Adonis discussed getting over “The Master Lock Challenge” in WWE, working with Shawn Michaels early in his career, and his thoughts on IMPACT Wrestling World Champion Eli Drake. You can check out the highlights here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTGH4B1EOCc
Getting over “The Master Lock Challenge” in WWE:
“They were trying to take a step back from doing all the crazy stuff and get [fans] conditioned back to just some basic stuff that’s fundamental and works, like the full nelson. It’s a simple move, but it works if it’s presented right the way.”
Having the opportunity to work with WWE Hall Of Famer Shawn Michaels early in his career:
“Everything he did, he just did really well. Not only do you have great moves you execute, you execute the right emotions at the right time. You execute all those little things, and the storytelling aspect, which goes along with the emotions at what’s happening, how you’re ‘selling’ — how you’re able to bring a crowd into it and convey pain.
“You put all that together, and you realize it doesn’t really matter how innovative a move…it just matters the performance overall.”
His thoughts on Eli Drake:
“He’s been kind of a homegrown talent in Impact and has worked really hard to get where he’s at. People are really starting to react to him, so it’s really the right time for them to do something with him.”
You can listen to Adonis’ interview on the Arm Drag Takedown podcast by clicking here.
Dolph Ziggler recently spoke to ESPN to promote this weekend’s WWE SmackDown Live-exclusive Clash Of Champions pay-per-view (PPV). Ziggler discussed the importance of WWE’s work with Tribute To The Troops and his shot at winning the Triple Threat match for the United States Championship against Baron Corbin and Bobby Roode. Here are the highlights:
The importance of WWE’s Tribute To The Troops:
“The other WWE stars, we were constantly texting each other all day long to see who’s doing what, and where we are going. Who’s going in a helicopter and who’s shooting guns. It’s just a fun day for us, just to give back to those men and women.”
“Hey, listen, it’s actually really easy for me. I don’t have a wife or kids at home. A lot of these soldiers do, and they’re away from their families so much. They talk about how WWE was their family ritual — how they’d all sit down and watch the show or go to an event. Those conversations make me realize how much they’re missing everyone back home. That means a lot to me that our product can be what reminds them of home.”
His chances of winning the United States Title this weekend:
“Bobby Roode has been around a long time, but he’s still new to the WWE. Baron Corbin is young and also somewhat new to the WWE, but he’s picking it up really fast and is really good at what he does. And I have been around seemingly for 20 years.”
“I know how good I am. The world knows how good I am. I love doing what I do, and no one else can do what I do. Hopefully I walk out of there as champion and shove it into everyone’s face one last time.”
You can read Ziggler’s full interview with ESPN by clicking this link here.
As we’ve previously noted, WWE Superstar Paige was recently a guest on former ring announcer Lilian Garcia’s podcast, Chasing Glory, to talk about a number of topics. During the interview, Paige actually shared a story about meeting The Rock backstage at WrestleMania 30 and how he broke the news to her that she’d be debuting on the main roster the following night on RAW.
Paige did, in fact, debut the following night and defeated AJ Lee for the Divas Championship:
“I remember being at WrestleMania the day before I debuted. I got told by Dwayne to come in and was talking to him. And he…spilled the beans to me saying ‘You’re going to debut tomorrow’ and I was like ‘what?’”
But that wasn’t the only bombshell “The Great One” dropped on Paige:
“And he was like ‘I got some more news for you’. And I was like ‘What more could you possibly tell me?’”
The Rock then revealed his plans to her to spin her family story into a major motion picture. Now Fighting With My Family is et to release in 2018 with actors such as Vince Vaughn, Lena Headey, and Nick Frost:
“He took that idea and turned it into this global phenomenon. It blows my mind.”
You can listen to Paige’s interview with Lilian Garcia on Chasing Glory by clicking this link here.
Actor Macaulay Culkin got physically involved at a pro wrestling event in Los Angeles on Thursday and utilized some “Home Alone” tactics during a 6-person mixed tag team match.
It all went down at Bar Wrestling’s Christmas special show. Culkin was ringside for a match involving Joey Ryan, Candace Larae and Dick Justice vs. Peter Avalon, Ray Rosas and Swoggle. Culkin, rocking a Roddy Piper t-shirt (and bunny ears), channeled his inner Kevin McAllister and rolled marbles into the ring, sending the villains flying.
The crowd went nuts chanting “Home Alone!” as Culkin squared off against Hornswoggle and hit a top rope splash Jimmy Snukka would have been proud of.
Check out this footage courtesy of Marc Raimondi of MMAFighting:
Santa Claus throws Macaulay Culkin on top of Hornswoggle for the pin! "Home Alone!" chants break out! Merry Christmas, y'all. @BarWrestlingpic.twitter.com/C16DBaKZC8
Sasha Banks spoke to Times Of India while visiting India for the recent WWE Live Event. Below are some highlights from her interview with them:
Her favorite match on main roster:
“I would definitely have to say it would be my Wrestlemania match against them (Charlotte and Becky Lynch). Just because of what it meant. We were introducing the Raw Women’s Championship and to find out that we wouldn’t be called Divas anymore and we’re going to be called superstars meant something so special to me. I always dreamt of changing the Divas title to the RAW women’s title because I didn’t want to have the butterfly championship anymore. To change the whole division, what it meant and represents, that is so huge and I remember crying when Triple H and Stephanie told us that we’re going to be superstars now.”
If it was a ‘deja vu’ moment for her when Paige returned to WWE:
“You could say that because there were three of them. But before that, Paige was with Charlotte and Becky and I was with Team Bad so it felt more like someone was trying to steal my spotlight again. Because Paige was gone for a whole year while I was here breaking down doors, creating history. But welcome back, Paige.”
Meeting Kavita Devi:
“I just met her today and she was so sweet and incredible. It’s so amazing to see women all over the world and making it to the WWE and especially for her it’s huge because she’s the first ever Indian woman to sign. We got a little taste of her during the Mae Young Classic but you know, it’s going to be a long journey for her. I’m sure she’s going to inspire a lot of young women and show Indian fans that if you have a dream, you can accomplish anything. So I look forward to her journey and Best of Luck to her.”
Her matches with Charlotte Flair:
“There have been so many. We’ve gone at each other since our NXT days. It’s been non-stop and we’ve had this rivalry that just no one really can touch. From the Hell in a Cell match to multiple main-events on Monday Night Raw to a Falls Count Anywhere match, it were all was so crazy. I really got my revenge on her with that Kendo Stick. It felt so good. That’s for all those chops, Charlotte. And then I went on to win my second championship. So yes, it was one of my best matches.”
Charlotte Flair recently had an interview with Arm Drag Takedown podcast where she talked about her brother’s death, her divorce and more. Below are some highlights from her interview:
Fearing that people would make fun of her divorce:
“It really got to me when I first started in WWE that people would make fun of me being divorced. My dad has been divorced so many times. I don’t know why it bothered me. I don’t know whether it’s because I hate failing or I was embarrassed or comparing myself to my female peers — I don’t know. But to just get that off my chest, explain what I’ve been through or what I’ve learned, [how] I’ve come out a better person. I think that was the hardest part to share.”
Dealing with the death of her brother Reid:
“I don’t think I’ll ever put losing my little brother to rest, because I have so much guilt. Just the fact he has never seen me on the main roster is so hard — like I deal with it every, single day.”
Feeling the pressure of being Ric Flair’s daughter:
“When you walk out through that curtain, and people know you’re Ric Flair’s kid, you’re not going to get away from it — either you accept it or you don’t. Fans can think what they want. But if I was just another 5’10” blonde that was very athletic that stepped through, I don’t think I would have dealt with as much criticism as I did. I think the criticism and pressure is what’s gotten me to where I am today. It elevated my game.”
