Part 2 of Arda Ocal’s (@arda_ocal) interview with Bret “Hitman” Hart (@BretHart) has been posted and involved a very interesting discussion about Ric Flair:
1) Ric Flair and his matches with Ric in 1992 when Bret first became WWE champion:
“Flair was a tricky guy to work with, when I worked with Ric. When he was champion we had much better matches and the moment the title got switched we seemed to screw up my match every night… I always felt it was sabotage. I actually went to Vince, cause (Flair) was leaving the company, I thought he was purposely screwing up to ruin my run. We finally got the agents and Flair in a room to try give a little better effort in the matches and at least follow the story line… He confessed his mind wasn’t into the matches and he was having some problems at home. We would go out after the big talk and have the same screwed up match as we had the night before. I think over a period of time over the next few weeks I can remember Vince coming up to me saying he didn’t think Ric Flair was doing it on purpose – that he just didn’t know hat he was doing. I kind of agreed after a while. Ric Flair, as great was and a hard worker as he was, he just tends to get lost in the ring.”
2) Bret Hart talks about being a Champion in the WWE and how he was constantly reassured by Vince McMahon that he was the top guy and WWE was 100% behind him
3) Bret Hart’s opinion on why his first WWE championship win came at a live event in Saskatoon and not on TV or PPV:
”I think it must have been some kind of condition agreed to by Vince and Flair. I can’t imagine Flair saying that he didn’t want to lose on T.V or something like that- maybe it was something like that. I know Flair, upon dropping the title, gave Vince news that he was leaving and going back to WCW, at the time. So, I think it was all amicable. Vince was like probably happy to get rid of him- I think.”
WWE.com has an interview up with Divas Champion Layla, who talks about being a cheerleader for the NBA’s Miami Heat back before becoming a WWE diva. ESPN’s website has also picked up the story.
Layla was a dancer for the Miami Heat back in 2006 when they last won the NBA championship. Regarding her decision to leave the Heat and try out for the WWE Diva Search competition, she said, “It literally happened within the span of a week.”
Layla received a championship ring when the Miami Heat won the NBA championship back in 2006. “I still have my championship ring, which I’m very proud of,” she said. “I keep it in its box. I hardly show it to anyone; it’s really sacred to me.””
She also revealed that her favorite Heat player was Shaquille O’Neal.
Check out this video of Layla as a Miami Heat dancer:
Posted June 13th, 2012 in News, WWE. Tagged: Layla.
TNA sent out the following press release on Wednesday announcing details on this year’s Bound For Glory series, which kicks off this Thursday on Impact:
THE BOUND FOR GLORY SERIES: A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO TNA’S ANNUAL POINT-BASED COMPETITION
Twelve IMPACT WRESTLING Superstars battle in grueling series of matches with the ultimate prize on the line – a World Championship Match in the main event at October’s “Bound For Glory” Pay-Per-View spectacular, our biggest event of the year! The wrestler with the most points at the end of the Bound For Glory Series wins and advances to the Bound For Glory main event!
The 12 Competitors
Find out who will be in the 2012 Bound For Glory Series during the Gauntlet match at 8pm on Spike TV!
How to Get Points
Points are determined by wins and losses – how you win is equally as important!
The Type of Matches
Each wrestler will battle each other ONCE in the series! These matches will take place over IMPACT WRESTLING on Spike TV and on TNA’s live event tours across the country, with the point structure outlined above.
Standings and How to Win!
The standings will be updated on ImpactWrestling.com. The standings will be “locked” on the September 6 edition of IMPACT WRESTLING on SpikeTV. The top point leaders advance to No Surrender PPV (9/9) for a one-night playoff to see who gets the Bound For Glory World Title Match!
After Brock Lesnar attended last month’s UFC 146 pay-per-view, there were online reports that his meeting with UFC President Dana White did not go well – and that White was pissed off because he felt Lesnar only showed up in Vegas to fuel his WWE storyline.
Vince McMahon was said to be furious with Lesnar over the publicity stunt and almost certainly did not know about the situation in advance. Whether or not Dana White knew what was going on has been a hot topic of discussion in WWE and UFC in recent weeks – with it still being a strong possibility that this is all some sort of ploy by Lesnar to increase his bargaining power / leverage with WWE.
The feeling in WWE is that even though Lesnar got a one of a kind deal with WWE (huge money for limited appearances), there’s little to no chance that he could fight in the UFC before WrestleMania 29 next April.
Some in UFC still believe that Lesnar’s WWE deal is non-exclusive the meeting with Dana White really was to discuss a potential UFC return for Lesnar this year. Even if Lesnar was contractually able to fight for UFC, his heart really isn’t into MMA and he can no longer compete at the top level due to his past health issues.
– JBL’s Seven Summits adventure has begun. The former WWE superstar left for Russia yesterday with the WWE flag he plans to plant at the top of Mt. Elbrus, the highest peak in Europe.
– The debut episode of Steve Austin’s new Redneck Island reality show on CMT this past Saturday drew a 0.42 cable rating with 665,000 viewers. It was the highest rated CMT show for the day. Austin tweeted the following about the show’s successful first week:
“It’s a damn crying shame that Canada, Australia, England, and other great countries cannot get CMT Redneck Island. A damn shame. Spreading Redneck Island around the globe is my newest task. Yes…To provide quality entertainment and content across the globe. #CMT #BSR”
– Cody Rhodes was asked on Twitter this week who (or what) has helped him improve his mic skills in recent years. Rhodes replied:
“speech therapy CDs, then realizing we all can’t talk like news anchors and burning said CDs. Bogart…”
– WWE officials were impressed with Tensai’s match against Sheamus on RAW, with most people feeling that it was his best match since returning to the company. After getting off to a rocky start, Tensai is currently being repackaged and WWE officials still have faith that he can be used as a strong heel character.
– WWE diva AJ Lee has responded to Daniel Bryan insulting her on RAW. She tweeted:
“Was I just in the main event match on Raw with 3 of the best Superstars of all time? And my team won? My mind is blown. So happy right now. And now I can proudly rub it in Daniel’s face that I beat him in a match. Btw, once you go Bryan…you have to keep tryin’.”
– Daniel Bryan has responded to CM Punk’s insult on RAW, where Punk called him “Goat Face.” Bryan tweeted:
“Goat face is a horrible insult. My face is practically perfect in every way. In fact, from now on I demand to be called Beautiful Bryan.”
History was made at TNA Slammiversary this past weekend when the reigning WWE Intercontinental champion appeared on a rival promotion’s pay-per-view.
Christian’s appearance was indeed part of an agreement made months ago, when TNA allowed Ric Flair to appear at WWE’s Hall of Fame Ceremony.
As you can imagine, WWE was very specific about what Christian was (and was not) allowed to say/do at the pay-per-view.
According to TNA sources, Christian got along great with everybody and was telling people it was a “surreal” experience. That said – Christian was strongly against appearing at a TNA event, but he really did not have much of a choice.
TNA was permitted to hype Christian’s appearance on last week’s Impact, but Dixie Carter made the call to announce the news on Twitter and the TNA website as a way of generating Internet buzz as to what Christian would do at the show.
Check out these pictures of Christian’s appearance at Slammiverary:
– Today’s wrestling birthdays include Headbanger Thrasher (43), Virgil (50) and Jacques “The Mountie” Rougeau (52).
– The WWE website’s latest “Bring It Back” feature looks at wrestling-themed cruises. Years ago, through WWE’s Wrestle Vessel and WCW’s Bruise Cruise programs, fans could take a cruise vacation that would be attended by wrestlers from the respective promotions. WWE’s Michael Hayes was quoted in the article and thinks WWE should bring back the Wrestle Vessel:
“I think it would do very well. It’s an opportunity for the people of the WWE Universe to share a cruise with WWE Superstars in a real exotic location. The performers all get to let their hair down a little bit, so you get a different side of us. I think that’s what a lot of our audience is looking for.”
– Evan Bourne tweeted the following on Tuesday regarding his health status:
“More xrays taken today! My bones look good in the right light. Physical therapy starts next week….finally!”
– Bill Goldberg has not wrestled in years, but his name has been chanted on both WWE and TNA television in recent weeks (during Ryback and Crimson’s matches). Goldberg tweeted the following about fans comparing these wrestlers to him:
“WWE or TNA ……anytime fans would chant my name years after I’ve retired ….it’s an honor. Glass half-full.”
– WWE has renewed its efforts to scout new young talent. WWE’s recent training camp at Florida Championship Wrestling where over 20 wrestlers were brought in for tryouts is an example of this initiative. WWE is painfully aware that the past several years have produced very few marketable superstars and are now playing catchup for the sake of the company’s future.
– Bill DeMott, the new head of WWE’s developmental program at FCW, is getting positive reviews for his work thus far. In the past, DeMott was characterized as being a bully who would unnecessarily overwork the trainees, but the feeling is that he’s matured a lot since his last stint there and is doing a great job.
– WWE attorney Jerry McDevitt recently sent a letter to TNA legal counsel Erika Blonquist stating that WWE has no interest in signing Ric Flair:
“First, and as I advised you orally on the phone during our recent conference call, WWE has not solicited Ric Flair to leave TNA and enter into a contract with WWE. WWE has made no offer to Flair and has no intention of doing so.
Second, as I also advised you, WWE has not solicited any other current TNA talent to repudiate their contracts and enter into a contract with WWE. WWE has no interest in current TNA talent.”
Despite Jerry McDevitt’s recent letter, most people in WWE still believe they will sign him as soon as they can without any legal repercussions. WWE would love to have him back for the 1,000th RAW celebration on July 23rd and still plans to use Flair to help market the WWE Network this fall.
– TNA’s temporary restraining order against WWE was officially dissolved on June 8th after they told the court they could find no evidence of confidential TNA information on their computer network. The order against former WWE/TNA employee Brian Wittenstein is still in effect, demanding that he return any confidential information.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross is back with another blog update, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com.
As always, you can buy Jim Ross’ delicious line of BBQ products at WWEShop.com.
Here are some highlights of what JR wrote about:
Dolph Ziggler’s Match On RAW:: “@HeelZiggler aka Dolph Ziggler had a significant night. Opportunity knocks for Ziggler and I hope that he capitalizes on it. I’ve long been an advocate of Ziggler’s and have felt that he’s deserving of main event opportunities. I hope Ziggler and Sheamus, another one of my favorites, blow the PPV up on Sunday. That’s how you don’t get put on ignore…steal the show.”
Vader’s Surprise Return: “Loved the return of Vader on Raw. Leon White aka Vader has lost a bunch of weight after getting north or the 400 pound mark and looked to be 330ish the last time that I saw him which was down in Tampa a few weeks ago. Vader’s son is ‘Jake Carter’ who is one half of the Florida Tag Team Champions along with Cory Graves. ”
3-Hour RAW’s: “Three hour TV shows are daunting and must be approached with extensive, long term planning and preparation. I enjoyed many elements of Monday Night Raw but watching ANY TV show for three hours isn’t easy for me. Hopefully, three hour Monday Night Raw’s will provide more multiple segment wrestling matches and not more talk. Yep, old school guy here…I like the wrestling, drama, athleticism, and personal issues better than most talk.”
“Don’t get me wrong, a focused, passionate, entertaining in ring promo that engages the live audience and takes us fans on a ride and closer to the talent’s intended destination is still money. Unfortunately, an adlibbed, spontaneous promo is becoming a lost art. “
At Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown tapings, another stipulation was added to the steel cage main event of WWE No Way Out – if John Cena loses, he’s fired. This is in addition to the stipulation that if Big Show loses, John Laurinaitis is fired. With that big stipulation in place, here’s the updated card for Sunday’s WWE No Way Out pay-per-view:
Steel Cage Match (Vince McMahon at Ringside)
Big Show vs. John Cena If Cena wins, Laurinaitis is fired. If Cena loses, he’s fired.
WWE Title Match
CM Punk (c) vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Kane
World Heavyweight Title Match
Sheamus (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler
WWE Intercontinental Title Match
Christian (c) vs. Cody Rhodes
WWE taped Friday’s SmackDown on Tuesday night from Manchester, New Hampshire. Credit to Jason Dailey and WrestlingINC.com for these spoiler results:
Dark Match:
* A local wrestler defeated Dean Ambrose
SmackDown, Airing Friday:
* Sheamus, CM Punk, Dolph Ziggler, Daniel Bryan, AJ Lee and Vickie Guerrero argue in the ring.
* Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler defeated World Champion Sheamus and WWE Champion CM Punk. Kane appeared after the match and chokeslammed the champions.
* Brodus Clay squashed Heath Slater. David Otunga came out after the match and attacked Brodus.
* Beth Phoenix defeated Alicia Fox.
* In-ring segment with John Laurinaitis and Big Show.
* WWE Intercontinental Champion Christian defeated Jack Swagger.
* Triple H came out for an off-camera segment and hit the Pedigree on Swagger. He chased Vickie Guerrero to the back to end the segment.
* Ryback defeated two local wrestlers.
* Damien Sandow defeated Tyson Kidd.
* John Cena comes to the ring and calls out Big Show. John Laurinaitis comes out instead and gets assaulted by Cena to end the show.
Dark Match Main Event
* John Cena defeated Big Show, John Laurinaitis, and David Otunga in a handicap match.
WWE RAW (6/11): “The Show-Off Shows Out” by Antoine Hoffman
How does an added hour result in an epic struggle to find top moments from Sports Entertainment’s lead televised product?
Once again, WWE found a way to botch a three-hour time slot. If last night’s show was any indication of what’s to come starting July 23rd, how will Raw fair at three hours, in successive weeks?
In the midst of the drawn out dialogue, overwhelming love triangles (or squares) & dance segments fueled by buffoonery, one Superstar has put the WWE Universe on notice, making it known he is ready and is “Here To Show The World”.
Without much to work with, here are the Top 5 moments from last night’s show:
WWE Champion C.M. Punk was interviewed on The Bower Show on 97.9 ESPN radio in Hartford, Connecticut on Monday. To listen to the full interview, visit 979espn.com. Here are some highlights of what CM Punk said about:
Punk on Roddy Piper: “He was a really good villain. He made me want to do what I do now.”
Punk on whether a bad personal experience with alcohol or drugs led to him being Straight Edge: “I was born this way. For me it’s not a lifestyle. I think going out and partying and going out and getting drunk every night, that’s a lifestyle. That’s insane. This is who I am and how I’ve always been… I just never saw a reason to drink, I suppose.”
Punk on his favorite Vince McMahon story: “We recently had the Hall of Fame before WrestleMania and Edge was being inducted this year. He told a story and neglected to add that I was apart of, shockingly enough. I had been on the road maybe five-six months, and I got the call spur of the moment, somebody is injured, somebody is suspended, whatever. Okay, cool, I’ll pack my bags. So we went over to Iraq and the sleeping arrangements were hilarious.
“I can’t remember the general’s name, it wasn’t a five-star, because I don’t know if there any current five-star generals, whatever the biggest general is was. He was in our room. It was me, JBL, Undertaker, Edge, and Vince McMahon all bunking. I was on the top bunk and JBL was on the bottom. To the right of me was Vince McMahon and I think let him have his own bunks so there was nobody above or below him. To my left was Undertaker and I think Edge was top bunk…
“There was one giant bed in the room and we gave it to the general, it was his show. It was one of those moments where I’m just laying there awake thinking how bizarre my life is. I’m in a bunk bed with JBL and Vince McMahon is over here. All of a sudden I hear somebody let one off and then you hear (impersonates Vince MaMahon laughing). So then I’m sitting in a bunk bed and Vince McMahon is crapping his pants.”
Punk on whether he has ever “sexted” a photo: Punk laughed loudly. “I’m totally red. Who hasn’t? How’s that for honesty, ESPN. Yeah. I don’t even think it was done in the context you are thinking of. It was a complete goof. I wasn’t trying to be salacious. I wasn’t trying to get in anybody’s pants or anything. It was probably to my girlfriend and was more like an LOL, ha!”
– During a TV interview on Monday to promote last night’s RAW, CM Punk was asked about his recent Twitter beef with Chris Brown, where he called out the singer for his “alleged” domestic violence of singer Rihanna. Punk said that he wanted to wrestle a charity match against Brown with the proceeds going to a women’s shelter.
– Today’s wrestling birthdays include WWE referee Jack Doan (40) and ECW original Jerry Lynn (49).
– Chris Jericho’s suspension countdown continues, with 11 days to go until he’s cleared to return to action. Jericho tweeted the following lyrics from the movie Spinal Tap:
“”These go to 11? “Why don’t you just make ten louder and call ten the loudest” “these go to 11?”
– The Miz is currently filming the WWE Studios movie The Marine: Homefront: and is not expected to be back on RAW for the next few weeks. Miz noted on Twitter that he has to wake up at 4AM each day for filming.
Paul Heyman tweeted the following cryptic message on Monday night:
“@WWE #TheBossIsBack Yes, Brock Lesnar and I are indeed back. WHERE? Remains to be seen! Ahem …”
Triple H will be at Sunday’s No Way Out pay-per-view to address “his future, pending lawsuits against WWE and Brock Lesnar.”
WWE sources we’ve spoken to do not expect Brock Lesnar to be at No Way Out, but that could change by Sunday and it’s possible Lesnar’s appearance could be kept a secret until then.
Despite Lesnar’s ongoing issues with WWE, there are still plans for him to wrestle Triple H at SummerSlam on August 19th.
Florida divorce attorney Raymond Rafool recently spoke to Lawyers.com about his client Liz Huberdeau’s divorce from WWE superstar John Cena. Rafool says the main issue that will determine what Liz receives in a divorce ruling be the judge’s interpretation of their prenuptial agreement, which was signed just 16 days before they married:
“In this case, it appears the preliminary issues will be the interpretation of the prenuptial agreement, the application to the parties’s property, assets and income, whether the agreement itself is enforceable or not, which we always consider, and in the mean time addressing the temporary needs of our client in conjunction with and in spite of certain terms of the premarital agreement.”
When asked what he’s sensing from John Cena, Rafool said:
“What John has on his mind only John knows, so I can’t give you any other reasons. At this time my client is going to maintain everybody’s privacy.”
– On Monday’s RAW, Dolph Ziggler won a #1 contenders match and will now face Sheamus for the World Heavyweight title at No Way Out. Following Ziggler’s match, Mick Foley tweeted the following endorsement:
“Another excellent match involving @HeelZiggler . I think I detect some type of trend here”
Paul Heyman re-tweeted Foley’s comment and said that he agrees.
– To update Alberto Del Rio’s concussion sustained at last week’s SmackDown tapings, the WWE storyline is that it occurred when the Great Khali chopped his head during their match last week.
As previously reported, he injury actually occurred when Sheamus slammed Del Rio’s head against the metal WWE logo on the stage.
Former WWE superstar John Bradshaw Layfield was at WWE headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut on Monday. Bradshaw wrote the following message on Facebook about his visit, WWE sponsoring his upcoming “Seven Summits” mountain climbing adventure (and the danger involved), a possible return to WWE television and more:
“Did hours of TV today for future shows, mainly stuff for Seven Sumits but also some specials/DVD type stuff. For those asking, if I am alive and make this mountain-yes, I would expect to be on WWE TV, but there are NO plans by me or them. It was all focused on this mountain and the tech I need to transmit pics and videos back for the social pages. I do expect to be on WWE TV in the future but no idea the role and they don’t know either. Maybe it is just a cameo or a spot to promote the Seven Summits for Kids-who knows? I know I have a huge mountain waiting on me in Russia that 15-30 people a year die on according to Wikipedia, so my focus is on me getting my old self up and down this mountain and raising money for the kids I work with. Then we will see about WWE and they will have a chance to see what they want me to do.”
JBL recently told Bermuda’s Royal Gazette newspaper that he’s already lost 35 pounds while preparing for the adventure.
– Local advertisements for next week’s RAW Supershow are stating that John Laurinaitis has a new role – “Assistant to the WWE Board of Directors.” This could be a sign that John Cena will defeat Big Show at No Way Out this Sunday, since Laurinaitis will be fired as General Manager if Big Show does not win the match.
– Injured WWE superstar Mark Henry will be in Harlem, New York today to film footage for WWE’s Outside the Ring Youtube show. He tweeted on Tuesday morning:
“#wwe I will be doing the day in the life today in Harlem. Show called Outside the ring. Starting at 125th Lenox got to get my coffee.”
Henry confirmed that his recent surgery was on his shoulder (not his knee or groin) – and that his recovery is going well.
– On last night’s RAW, Vince McMahon rode John Laurinaitis’ scooter from the ringside area to the entrance ramp – and then pushed it off the stage. According to a report at f4wonline.com, Vince’s spot with the scooter was not in the script and nobody knew he was going to do it in advance.
– After Monday’s RAW went off the air, Vince McMahon “regained consciousnes” from Big Show’s knockout punch and was helped to the back by trainers.
John Cena then wrestled David Otunga, John Laurinaitis and Big Show in a handicap match. After accidentally knocking out McMahon just 20 minutes prior, Show accidentally knocked out David Otunga during the match, which allowed Cena to get the win. Cena then hit the Attitude Adjustment on Laurinaitis to send the fans home happy.
– The main event for Friday’s WWE SmackDown will be WWE Champion CM Punk and World Heavyweight champion Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler.