Curt Hawkins was recently a guest on Sam Roberts’ Wrestling Podcast. During the show, Hawkins talked about his relationship with WWE CEO, Vince McMahon.

Hawkins said he has always had a good rapport with McMahon, and even said “The Chairman Of The Board” has called him a good hand several times:

“He’s obviously intimidating,” Hawkins said. “He’s the ruler of professional wrestling, but I’ve always had a good rapport with him. I am very comfortable talking to him and things like that.

“I think he has seen me wrestle all these years and knows that I am a very serviceable pro wrestler and knows that I work hard every night, and I think he appreciates that.

“I’m not Roman Reigns, but as far as where he sees me on a star level, but there is a value of Curt Hawkins for sure. He has called me a good hand several times in meetings and to my face.”

Hawkins’ first run with WWE lasted from 2006 to 2014. After being released he learned what it was like working in professional wrestling away from the company. Hawkins worked all over the indies, including stints with promotions such as IMPACT Wrestling.

Advice To Frustrated WWE Stars

In 2016 Hawkins inked a deal to return to WWE. When he comes across Superstars who want to leave the company and work the indies, Hawkins offers some advice:

“I try to give them my perspective. I had a great time on the indies. The experience was cool and I did some cool things, so, I love pro wrestling but it was a lot of hard work and a lot of hustle,” said Hawkins.

“A lot of lonely ‘Virgil’ moments where you have to suck it up. That autograph line is not never ending wherever you go. There are moments where you have to check your ego and I don’t think that a lot of guys who have not done it don’t understand what the experience is like.

“If you do a good job and consistently work somewhere, and not work a lazy match and just take someone’s money, because I was doing the opposite. I told them that they don’t have to pay me this much, but that I would like to be involved with storylines and feuds and earn rapport of the fans where people are coming to see ‘The Prince of Queens’ Brian Myers and not Curt Hawkins, so that was my business philosophy.”

Discussion: What do you make of Hawkins’ comments to fellow WWE Superstars who want to leave the company? Let us know in the comments section below!

WWE Hall Of Famer Goldberg was interviewed by Inside The Ropes and discussed several professional wrestling topics.

Goldberg discussed Brock Lesnar’s eventual UFC return during the interview. The former Universal Champion will challenge Daniel Cormier for the UFC heavyweight title. The UFC hasn’t announced a date for the fight as of this writing. However, it’s looking like it will be early 2019:

“Show me another guy who can do [UFC],” said Goldberg. “You gotta have cojones, you gotta have a special ability, you gotta have a desire to do certain things. Brock is a different human being.

“Brock is a guy who reinvents himself all the time and who capitalizes on opportunities that others don’t have the cojones to capitalize on.”

The former WCW World Champ then offered his thoughts on Hulk Hogan. “The Hulkster” was reinstated into the WWE Hall Of Fame this year. Goldberg offered a rather blunt response to the matter:

“Well if WWE didn’t think it could be a positive thing, he never would have been reinstated,” Goldberg said.

Discussion: What do you make of Goldberg’s comments? Let us know in the comments section below!

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

Former WWE Superstar MVP was recently interviewed by The Mirror to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Initially, MVP believed he would retire from wrestling at the age of 45.

Just a few weeks away from his 45th birthday, however, MVP’s tune has changed. He still feels great at his age and has decided to hang around for a few more years:

“I’m at a point in my career where I am ready to transition. I always said that I was going to retire at 45, and I’ll be 45 in October. I decided that I still look and feel pretty good, so I’m going to hang around for a couple more years, but I know that my actual in-ring career is coming to a close.

“I’m ready to move into the next phase of my career, which would be motivational speaking. I know that my life story is an inspirational one and one that can, hopefully, help others achieve goals in their own lives.”

MVP worked with WWE from 2005 to 2010. During his time with the company, he won two United States titles and a Tag Team Title reign with Matt Hardy. MVP says he looks back on his time with WWE with pride:

“Sure, absolutely. I think about that young kid who grew up in Florida with a single mom and in poverty, essentially. I made some bad decisions and was able to overcome that because Vince McMahon gave me an opportunity.

“Society said ‘You’re an ex-convict, we’ll give you a minimum wage job,’ but Vince said ‘Hey, you’re talented, let’s give you an opportunity.’ I was able to travel the world as one of WWE’s top talents.

“I was able to take people that I watched on television with awe and make them my peers and my colleagues, and I was a two-time United States Champion and a Tag Team Champion. So I look back and go ‘Wow – I’m in the history books!'”

Discussion: What do you think about MVP’s comments regarding how long he wants to wrestle? Let us know in the comments!

WWE Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins recently did an interview with NOLA.com to discuss his professional wrestling career. “The Architect” was asked about the “Burn It Down” line being added to his entrance theme.

The line was added to Rollins’ theme during the dramatic pause in his music. At first, some fans didn’t like it and prefered the pause in the song. However, eventually, it grew on everyone as they love chanting it during Rolins’ entrance.

When asked who was responsible for adding the line into the song, Rollins revealed that it was a Vince McMahon decision. McMahon didn’t like the long pause in the music and wanted to add something in to fill the void. Rollins listened to a few options and eventually decided on “Burn It Down”:

“Honestly, I don’t exactly know. I feel like it was partially a take on the commercial for the video game last year where I’m sort of an arsonist when it comes to burning down the artifacts of the past.

“Having words in the entrance was totally Vince’s idea. There was nothing in that space, a weird dead space to Vince. He thought it was a good idea to fill it with something.

“We went through a couple of options, and that one fit the best. I chose it, and the next thing you know, it’s a huge part of my character.

“Thanks to Vince for having 50 years of pro wrestling knowledge in his back pocket. It’s a fun interactive thing for the audience. That many people screaming Burn it Down at WrestleMania was insanity.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXLjDq7ysG8

Over All In weekend, former WWE star CM Punk held an autograph signing at the One Hour Tees store in Chicago.

There was a ton of speculation going around suggesting Punk could make an appearance on the pay-per-view (PPV). As we all know, Punk never appeared on the program and it left a lot of fans disappointed.

Today (Fri. September 7, 2018) All In star and independent wrestler Scorpio Sky took a shot at Punk on Twitter. Sky partnered with Frankie Kazarian to take on The Briscoe Brothers on the All In: Zero Hour preshow.

Sky said Punk missed the one show that could’ve reinstated his love for professional wrestling. He said he knows he is somewhat scarred from his experience with WWE, but this is a “different world” now:

“Hey @CMPunk you missed a show that would have completely reinstated your love of pro wrestling over the weekend.

“You may hate it now because of your former employer but this is a different world. Where you at?”

WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross took to his podcast, The Ross Report, and commented on this week’s Monday Night RAW. Ross touched on the segment between The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels.

Many believe the angle could be teasing a future match between the pair again. Ross said that the two legends put on the best segment he has seen on WWE TV in some time:

“The thing that stood out the most to me on Monday Night RAW, and I don’t know what would be second, and that sounds like I’m knocking the show, but I’m really not! I thought The Undertaker/Shawn Michaels business was so much better than anything that I have seen on television.

“I thought the Becky Lynch and Charlotte [Flair] business at times has been extremely good because it feels real; it’s organic; I get it. But, boy, this took me back.” Ross later added, “The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels stole RAW. They stole the show.

“They’re so far ahead in making an emotional attachment than some of their peers, might I say most of their peers on their team, it’s not even funny. These guys are what you would say is over. They’re really over. And it’s a lot easier to support your guy if he’s ‘over,’ either as a villain or as a hero.

“And to get over you’ve got to get on a roll. At some point, these guys have got to get on major extended rolls, R-O-L-L-S, rolls. So we’ll see how that works out for the rest of the roster. Bottom line, ‘HBK’ and Undertaker were amazing.”

Neither The Undertaker or Michaels are in the prime of their careers anymore. Their best matches are likely behind them given their ages, but Ross still thinks they can put on a quality match in WWE:

“I had the privilege of being there for WrestleMania 25, 26, and many prior to that, with those guys and Triple H, so I’ve had a lot of experience with those three men and their matches.” Ross recalled, “I think one of the best matches I ever called or ever saw was Triple H and Shawn when Shawn came back fro his four-year hiatus!

“It was awesome! I mean, it was textbook. He didn’t miss a damn beat, so anyone that thinks that Shawn and The Undertaker couldn’t have a good match, think again please. And if the glass is always going to be a half empty, they’re not in their prime. Well, no s–t. They’re not in their prime.

“Wow, what a revelation! Of course they’re not in their prime physically. Mentally, I suggest to you, they’re probably the best they’ve ever been mentally to tell a story, to bring you in, to captivate you, to capture your attention. It’s done psychologically more often than not. I just think that they can give us a great match if and when it’s going to happen.”

Finally, if the match were to happen, Ross thinks WrestleMania 35 would be the perfect location:

“If we said Undertaker and Shawn were going to be figured in some way at WrestleMania in New York City [New York], MetLife [Stadium], whatever, New Jersey, everything, you guys know.”

“That would be huge! That’s huge! That’s huge. It’s going to sell out anyway no matter who’s wrestling. The name, the brand, the event sells out. The card sells pay-per-views and [WWE] Network subscriptions. That’s why the card [has] got to be extraordinary for these extraordinary events, these tentpole events.

“And that’s why I think that there is a better than average chance. You don’t develop this much time on television without going somewhere with it.

“Why make me think that that could happen and give me that great of a sales job to measure my level of anticipation and enthusiasm regarding the storyline without somewhere down the road being able to deliver it? So time will tell.”

WWE Hall Of Famer Road Warrior Animal was recently interviewed by WrestleZone during Starrcast last weekend. Animal gave his thoughts on Saturday’s All In pay-per-view (PPV) event from the Sears Centre. The former WWE Tag Tema Champion said the show was “awesome”:

“It was awesome. This year was the 35th year anniversary of Hawk and I and to get 10,000 people chanting L.O.D. was fricking awesome. All I have to say is that the wrestling world needs to look out because there’s a new game in town.

“Between The Young Bucks, you got Cody, and All Japan and New Japan and all the guys that were on the card and all the girls that were on the card, it was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen.”

The interviewer mentioned that there was an intergenerational mix of talent at the event. Animal interjected and said that very fact made the event all the more successful:

“I think what makes the difference there is that this company has gotten it that you have to mix in the heroes that got this business to where it is today and the new guys.

“Once you blend that in there perfectly – they did last night- you get the result you had and that’s the benefit of it, it works. Its that hard formula that works.”

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JTG is all about that money. So much so that the former WWE Superstar has opened up a new business venture.

Pro Wrestling Sheet has announced that JTG has released his own line of beard care products. The line is named “Sexy As Hell Beard Care.” JTG noted that he has been experimenting with proper beard care since growing his out in summer of 2016.

As his beard continued to grow, many began to ask the Cryme Tyme member for advice. This inspired JTG (real name Jayson Paul) to start his own beard care line. Paul wrote the following on his Facebook page to introduce the product:

“With the knowledge I picked up along my beard journey, I’m ready to share it with the world and make beards across America healthy,” Paul said.

You can check out JTG’s new beard care line, Sexy As Hell Beard Care, by clicking this link here.

Ask any professional wrestling fan who’s the best of all time, you’ll get several different answers. Instantly names such as Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Andre The Giant, John Cena, and Bret Hart come to mind. The debate could go on forever, but Steve Austin is very sure in his answer.

In fact, he says “anybody that actually knows the business” will agree that the greatest of all time (GOAT) is – “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair. Flair is a two-time WWE Hall Of Famer and a 16-time World Champion.

A fan on Twitter posted a GIF of Flair and Angle together in the ring. The fan tagged Austin in the Tweet, and “The Texas Rattlesnake” responded. He said “Flair is the GOAT. And that’s the bottom line.”:

Flair is the GOAT. And that’s the bottom line. @WWE RT @DeVon_FNMfan2K8: @PWGifs @steveaustinBSR @RicFlairNatrBoy Looks like Steve Austin thinks Flair is #1!!!

— Steve Austin (@steveaustinBSR) September 7, 2018

One fan attempted to battle Austin on his claim. He suggested that the GOAT is, in fact, Andre The Giant. The fan argued that, had it not been for Andre’s contributions to the business, there would be no Ric Flair. Austin says there is no comparison and Andre just simply was not in Flair’s league.

No comparison, bro. Andre was a great star. Important for the business. Anybody that actually knows the business knows Flair is the GOAT. That is all.

— Steve Austin (@steveaustinBSR) September 7, 2018

Independent wrestling star Joey Ryan was recently interviewed by WSVN-TV entertainment reporter Chris Van Vliet. During the interview, Ryan discussed his unique entrance at All In last week.

It turns out that several months of planning actually went into the entrance. Initially, the “Who killed Joey Ryan?” storyline was supposed to last a few weeks. Instead, after seeing the success it drew, it was decided to extend it:

“There was quite a few months of preparation because we had shot the murder and the murder scene revival all at the same time. It was supposed to be like a 2 or 3 week storyline but then they saw the footage and said it was really good and that we needed to draw this out as long as we could.

“And it was really up to the audience of how long they would let us stretch it out and how receptive they would be to the bits like the false arrest of Stephen Amell which actually played into his storyline with Christopher Daniels.

“We stretched it out as long as we could adding elements with other characters as long as the audience were taking the new additions we were adding in.

“Then when we realized we could let it sit all the way until ALL IN, we figured if we’re going to do this at ALL IN we needed to do something big with it and that’s where the idea for the penis druids came up.”

Ryan also said that he doesn’t really have any interest in signing with WWE. He knows the standard rate given to guys in NXT, and makes well above that at this point in his career on the indies:

“I know the standard NXT rate that they give most newcomers and I make well beyond that. But I know people who have signed on from the indies who were doing well and they get a better rate because they are more valued.

“It’s weird because pretty much in every business, the goal and the dream is to be your own boss, set your own schedule, be successful on your own terms. In wrestling, a lot of wrestling fans want you to give all that up and sign your future to someone else’s hands and have a boss and have a schedule that you’re required to keep.

“So it’s kind of weird that in just about any other business, the dream is to do what I’m doing now but in wrestling everyone thinks you’re not successful until you have a boss which is kind of bizarre. But that’s the way it is and I’m pretty confident and really enjoy what I’m doing.”

Discussion: What do you think about Ryan not wanting to go to WWE? Let us know in the comments section below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIMmUT2p4JQ&feature=youtu.be

Last weekend, IWGP Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho shocked the professional wrestling world.

After Kenny Omega’s victory against Pentagon Jr., the lights in the Sears Centre went out. When they came back on, Pentagon Jr. shot back to his feet and attacked Omega. Once Pentagon hit Omega with a Codebreaker, however, it was realized that the man attacking Omega wasn’t Pentagon.

When the mask was removed, it was revealed that Jericho was actually Omega’s assailant. He said he would see him on the Jericho cruise. The moment may have very well stolen the entire show – which is really saying something.

The Journey To All In

It turns out, that moment almost never happened. Jericho initially didn’t want to take part in All In. He has a self-rule about competing at wrestling events in the United States that aren’t WWE. Eventually, he decided to make the exception for All In.

Jericho detailed the decision-making process in the latest edition of his podcast, Talk Is Jericho:

“Months ago, when All In was announced, Cody called me and said, ‘Do you want to be involved?’ I said, ‘No, I’m not really one to work any shows in the States that aren’t WWE shows.’

“For various reasons, I just didn’t feel like it was where I was at career-wise. I told him that I appreciated the offer, but I’m not going to do it. I also got asked to do Long Beach and those New Japan shows as well.

“Over the course of the last few months, my mindset has changed a bit to where I’m enjoying being part of this new revolution of wrestling. I thought I would consider it, but the idea has to be right.

“Cody called me again and I started thinking, ‘I wonder if I could make this work.’ The idea was ‘what if I could come in earlier in the show and attack Kenny?’ The idea was to keep the angle alive from the Tokyo Dome to the Cruise.”

Discussion: What do you think about Jericho deciding to appear at All In? Sound off in the comments section below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2WH-DDkVy8&feature=youtu.be

Anything can happen in WWE, and tonight (Thurs. September 6, 2018) was a perfect example.

SmackDown Live star Luke Harper appeared at the NXT live event in Buffalo, New York. He challenged NXT North American Champion Ricochet for his title. Check out a video of Harper making his surprise entrance here:

At #NXTlive, anything can happen… @LukeHarperWWE #NXTBuffalo pic.twitter.com/8wpYqOd49S

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) September 7, 2018

Some in attendance said the match between the pair was actually pretty good. They even shook hands after it was all said and done:

https://twitter.com/MikeStrawMedia/status/1037873193598562305

Harper needs to keep busy after his tag team partner, Erick Rowan, suffered an injury that will keep him shelved for some time. The pair were forced to drop the SDL Tag Team Titles to The New Day a few weeks ago due to Harper’s injury.

As for Ricochet, he’s enjoying his reign as NXT North American Champion. He defeated Adam Cole at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4 to capture the title in an amazing bout. He’s definitely someone to keep your eye on when he eventually comes to the main roster.

Discussion: What do you think of main roster talents making surprise appearances at NXT shows? Let us know in the comments section below!

On Thursday, Hollywood legend Burt Reynolds passed away at the age of 82-years-old. Reynolds served as the guest ring announcer for the main event of WrestleMania X back in 1994, which saw Bret Hart defeat Yokozuna for the WWE Championship.

Reynolds co-starred in the the remake of the 2005 movie The Longest Yard. That movie featured cameos from many professional wrestlers, including Steve Austin, Kevin Nash Goldberg and The Great Khali.

WWE issued a statement on the passing of Reynolds; extending their condolences to his family, friends, and fans:

“WWE is saddened to learn that Academy Award-nominated actor and Hollywood icon Burt Reynolds has passed away at the age of 82.

“The star of more than 50 feature films, including “The Longest Yard,” “Smokey and the Bandit,” “The Cannonball Run” and “Boogie Nights” (for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor), Reynolds was a special celebrity guest at WrestleMania X, serving as ring announcer for the main event WWE Championship Match pitting Bret Hart against Yokozuna.

“WWE extends its condolences to Reynolds’ family, friends and fans.”

WWE Superstar The Big Show was recently interviewed by CBS San Francisco to discuss several professional wrestling topics.

Firstly, “The World’s Largest Athlete” talked about his recent physique change. There was a point in his career that he believed he needed to be 500 pounds to truly be “The Big Show.” He soon realized, however, that wasn’t the case at all:

“As my career started winding down, so to speak, I realized I didn’t need that anymore. I didn’t need that to be successful,” Big Show said. “I needed to be lighter, I needed to be in better shape. And it was just a personal challenge.”

It’s John Cena’s Fault

The Big Show credits John Cena and a conversation they had backstage at a show one night as a big motivator for him. Cena sort of challenged Show to become a “giant with abs.” One year later, Big Show was 90 pounds lighter:

“The whole thing is John Cena’s fault,” said Big Show. “John Cena and I were watching the show in a monitor. Usually, if you go to our shows, if John and I aren’t working, we’re sitting there watching the show together.

“John and I were just cracking jokes on each other, and I made the comment about a giant with abs, who’d want to see that? And John Cena looked me square in the eye and said, ‘Yeah, a giant with abs. Who would want to see that?’

“And he walked off. But the way he said it, he challenged me that I couldn’t do it. And it really upset me so bad that I got my act together that week and started in. It took me a little over a year and I dropped 90 pounds.”

Discussion: What do you think about John Cena motivating Big Show to get in better shape? Let us know in the comments below!

Big Cass recently joined WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T’s podcast, Heated Conversations. Cass was released from WWE in June. He lost back-to-back pay-per-view (PPV) matches against Daniel Bryan.

After the Money In The Bank (MITB) PPV, Cass was released from WWE. It was reported that Cass was let go due to behavioral issues and disobeying direct orders from Vince McMahon. Since his release, Cass says he hasn’t watched WWE programming:

“One-hundred percent. I haven’t watched SmackDown, Raw, PPV, I haven’t watched anything wrestling since I got released. I’ve just been doing my thing, working out, and eating right.

“Binge watching my favorite television shows that I’m trying to catch up on. I have not watched a single second of wrestling since I got released. I don’t even know who the champions are these days.”

Just cause Cass is gone from WWE doesn’t mean he doesn’t keep in touch with his old coworkers. Cass says he still keeps in contact with Kevin Owens and Daniel Bryan:

“I talk to my buddies from WWE still, like Kevin Owens, or Daniel Bryan who has helped me in more ways than one. They just say the work outside WWE is incredible compared to what it was when they were just working independents.”

Discussion: What do you think about Cass not watching WWE TV since being fired? Sound off in the comments section below!

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

WWE Hall Of Famer Sting was recently interviewed on the Apter Chat podcast to talk about his professional wrestling career.

The WWE Hall Of Famer first talked about his transition into the “Crow” character and why he never went back to his old blonde look:

“The Crow character by the time it came alive and hit the scene and evolved to what it turned into, it would’ve never made sense to go back to the blonde flat-top haircut,” Sting said.

“Even if I wanted to, there’s not enough hair on my head to do that anymore. So I just couldn’t pull it off. But let me tell you something, if I thought I could pull it off, I would’ve attempted it in these later years.

“Because so many people talked about it and they’re so nostalgic about it. And WrestleMania 31 is a big example of that with DX and nWo and people just freaked out over that.”

Who’s Idea Was It?

Upon transitioning to the “Crow” character, Sting implemented face paint into his look. Sting revealed which fellow Hall Of Famer came up with the idea to use face paint:

“They put Ric (Flair) with Ricky Morton, and Ricky gets hurt,” said Sting. “So Dusty says, ‘Stinger baby, I want to put some color on your face, color on your tights and color on your boots. And I want to put you with Ric.’

“So we did a little story line with JJ Dillion and the Four Horseman and Ric Flair in Raleigh, North Carolina for a TV taping. It was no real heat angle, we just kind of did our thing and it took off. So Dusty is the real reason why the color started to begin with.”

Discussion: Which of Sting’s gimmicks did you prefer? Let us know in the comments section below!

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

Don Callis offered his thoughts on All In weekend in the latest episode of his podcast, Killing The Town. Callis is the executive vice president for IMPACT Wrestling and a commentator for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW).

Callis served as a commentator for the All In pay-per-view (PPV) this past Saturday. He revealed The Young Bucks asked him to do so back at Dominion 6.9 in Osaka, Japan in June. Callis said he enjoyed All In weekend and visiting with some of his old wrestling buddies.

Stay In Character

He did, however, note one thing he wasn’t too big a fan of. Kayfabe is dead in today’s era of wrestling. However, Callis doesn’t believe “monster heels” should be getting chummy with fans at events such as autograph signings. He’d prefer they stay in character:

“I think there’s too much familiarity, in my opinion, between fans and wrestlers,” said Callis. “But I also see why it’s good for business, so I don’t have a quote-unquote ‘problem’ with it.

“I’ll tell you one of the things I don’t like, and it’s not anyone specifically, but I think there are characters in wrestling.

“Like if you’re a heel, if you’re a strong heel, if you’re a monster heel, like a Su Yung or an Undertaker, or those sorts of characters, I don’t think you should be out selling gimmicks, signing autographs without your gimmick on.

“Your facepaint, or your hair, or whatever you do to yourself to get in this monster heel gimmick, I don’t think you should be out there signing autographs and being nice to the fans.

“Because, I think now the fans will like it, but you’re actually doing them a disservice, because if you’ve protected your gimmick as a heel properly…if you are an actual heel and you have actual heat, why would you want to screw that up by meeting [fans].

“Like if you meet 100 fans over the course of a weekend, why would you want to spoil all the hard work that you’ve done and spoil what the fans have been enjoying about you by being a babyface to them? I just don’t understand that.”

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross took to his podcast, The Ross Report, to recap All In weekend. All In was a huge success thanks to all the work Cody and The Young Bucks put into it over the months.

The Sears Centre in Chicago was jam-packed for a show that more than lived up to the hype. There were several big events during All In weekend for visiting fans to attend. Most of them were streamed on Fite TV so fans not in the area could enjoy them as well.

Ross revealed that Fite TV did “record business” over All In weekend:

“They set record business,” JR said. “The Fite app is saying that their PPV business is the biggest they’ve ever had and it will easily exceed one million dollars in sales. They just did phenomenal business.

“I talked to Mike Weber and Mike told me that Fite was the number one sports app over the weekend in the land.

“That means that this wrestling event orchestrated by Cody, The Young Bucks and certainly Conrad Thompson, drove more revenue than MLB TV, ESPN, Fubo TV, UFC and even the fantasy football draft. That’s some app business baby.”

Fans Upset CM Punk Wasn’t At All In

Pro Wrestling Tees’ store also reaped the rewards of All In weekend. CM Punk held a massive autograph signing at the store in Chicago. Many fans were hoping for a surprise appearance from Punk on the All In pay-per-view (PPV). That never happened, however, much to the disappointment of fans:

“This kinda bothered me. CM Punk had a great signing that did phenomenal business for him and for Pro Wrestling Tees, Ryan Barkin, all those great people that work there.

“By the way, Pro Wrestling Tees sold about a half-a-million dollars worth of t-shirts over the weekend,” Ross revealed. “Half-a-million dollars worth of t-shirts at this ‘indie wrestling event’. That’s pretty damn special isn’t it?

“Anyway, CM Punk has this successful signing. Punk did not show up at All In and I don’t even think that is the right terminology. I said that he didn’t show up like he was supposed to show up, and then didn’t.

“And that’s not true either. CM Punk was never advertised to be at All In. I was not disappointed watching the replay on Fite that he was not there, because I never expected him to be there.

“I didn’t feel badly by deserting his fans by not going to All In, I just think we all need to move on, really. Let the guy be happy in whatever he wants to do. I enjoyed his work for a long time and if he wants to move on, let him move on.”

Yesterday (Tues. September 4, 2018) it was reported that James Ellsworth was backstage for SmackDown Live.

As we now know, he did not appear on the show in any capacity. So what was Ellsworth doing backstage? PWInsider is reporting that Ellsworth was backstage being interviewed for something pertaining to WWE female talent.

It’s unknown if it’s something for the upcoming Evolution pay-per-view (PPV) or a WWE Network special.

Ellsworth’s WWE Runs

Ellsworth last appeared on WWE TV back on July 24th. He was “fired” by SmackDown Live General Manager Paige. It’s believed Ellsworth was let go because he was done being used on WWE TV. He’s also not under full-time contract with the company as of this writing.

He returned to TV at the Money In The Bank (MITB) PPV, assisting Carmella in defeating Asuka. Ellsworth remained at Carmella’s side until being “fired” by Paige on the July 24th episode of SmackDown Live.

WWE Hall Of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin recently took to his podcast, The Steve Austin Show, to comment on several professional wrestling topics.

Austin commented on the current feud between Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch on SmackDown Live. Lynch turned heel at SummerSlam, attacking Flair after she defeated her for the SDL Women’s Title.

Despite the heel turn, WWE fans are still cheering Lynch and sometimes booing Flair. After seeing the fans’ reactions, WWE seems to be changing their course and not presenting Lynch as an all-out heel.

In Austin’s point of view, he thinks Lynch should be whatever the people want her to be:

“I loved [Ric] Flair as a heel. He’s the greatest [pro] wrestler of all time, but his heel work was outstanding. His baby work, eh, he’s still Ric Flair, but I like Ric Flair as a heel. Charlotte I like as a heel.

“Becky I like either way. But, man, when she knocked the hell out of Charlotte, that crowd came unglued when they turned her heel, but it was the biggest babyface reaction of the night. People came unglued, so where does she go?

“I just think let her be whatever the people want her to be. To me, for her, she doesn’t need to be a heel or a baby – she just needs to be Becky Lynch.

“And this is truly one of those cases where they say, Roman Reigns, no matter how the people want to take him, they can take him as a heel or baby, but he’s just going to be Roman.

“To me, I just think let’s take that out of the equation. Whatever they’re going to do with him, they’re going to do, with him beating Brock [Lesnar], but Becky ought to just be Becky because there’s money in Becky being Becky.

“Let the people decide. As long as she’s being true to herself, she’s going to fly as high and as far as they want her to.”

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

WWE Superstar Samoa Joe was recently a guest on Sam Robert’s Wrestling Podcast to talk about several professional wrestling topics.

During the show, Joe discussed signing with WWE and making his NXT debut. “The Destroyer” debuted in NXT in 2015, stopping Kevin Owens from attacking Sami Zayn at NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable.

It turns out, after making his NXT debut, Joe shot up to number two in merchandise sales in all of WWE:

“I think after the first week, [the] main roster was already happening,” Joe said. “When they got the merch and viewership numbers…

“I think the simplest way to describe it was that I had debuted with NXT and I had gone to the next city for tapings and Triple H had walked out of his bus and he came up and shook my hand and said to me, ‘congratulations,’ and I said, ‘for what?’

“He said that I was #2 in merchandise last night. I said, ‘oh, #2 in merch for NXT is pretty impressive’ and he said ‘no, for the entire company.’ I was like, ‘who was #1?’

“He said Kevin Owens, but that was because he had just debuted against John Cena and I said, ‘okay, fine I will take those numbers’.”

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

Former WWE star Sean “X-Pac” Waltman has released a new episode of his podcast, X-Pac 12360. During the show, Waltman talked about several professional wrestling topics such as All In and The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels’ RAW segment.

Undertaker & Shawn Michaels

This past Monday, Undertaker and Michaels came face-to-face on RAW. The pair bickered about “The Deadman’s” chances against Triple H at the WWE Super Show-Down. Some fans have speculated it could be teasing a rematch between the pair at some point.

Waltman offered his thoughts on if he believes Undertaker and Michaels will run it back again:

“It was a magical moment. (RAW, HBK & Undertaker Segment) First Shawn {Michaels} comes out, he can carry something on his own just fine, he kills it on the mic everytime…Then Taker {Undertaker} comes out and it was the best Taker mic work I’ve ever seen.

“It was tremendous, very compelling between those two. I loved it. I’m pretty sure, I may be be going out on a limb here but I’m pretty sure this is planting a seed for some kind of Undertaker vs. Shawn, whether it’s a singles or some kind of a tag or triple-threat or something, I see that…

“It’s the history those two have… he {Shawn Michaels} can still go out there and do a lot of stuff but he doesn’t want the pressure I think; from talking to him; it’s not gonna be Undertaker vs. Shawn at Wrestlemania, where they had one of the greatest matches ever.”

Match Of The Night From All In

“X-Pac” then shifted his focus to All In. As for what he thinks was the match of the night, Waltman named Kenny Omega vs. Pentagon Jr. as his favorite:

“For me that was by far the best match on the show, however they bogarted time and I am little bummed that the Golden Elite versus {Rey} Mysterio, Bandido, {Rey} Fenix didn’t get the time they deserved.

“It was their show and they got screwed on the time, we have to stick to our time it’s inexcusable that that happened to those guys. It does take some points away from the match for me knowing that, but it was amazing and Marty Scurll is one of my favorites.

“They have amazing chemistry, told the best story and took their time on things. To me that was the match of the night.”

WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently took to his podcast, The Ross Report, to talk about several professional wrestling topics.

During the show Ross told the story of Vince McMahon first meeting Brock Lesnar. The meeting apparently took place at the 1999 SummerSlam pay-per-view (PPV) in Minnesota. This was just a few miles away from Lesnar’s old college, The University Of Minnesota.

Here’s how Ross said “The Chairman Of The Board” reacted when he first laid eyes on “The Beast” Brock Lesnar:

“It was the first time Vince McMahon physically laid eyes on Brock Lesnar. You’re not going to hear that in a lot of places. Brock came to the event. We were recruiting him. Jerry Brisco was recruiting him heavily. He was on him.

“He was our number one target and we got him. We got our guy. And he came to the show because, Brock, I don’t think he had been to a pro wrestling event in his life. He was not a fan.

“It didn’t mean he hated it. He just was occupied with working on the farm, playing football, and wrestling at a high, high level. So I remember that.

“I remember Vince walking out of his office and down [the hall] and I said, ‘Brock Lesnar is here’ and I had to refresh his memory about who that was. No face, no name – Vince didn’t know.

“And so, I said, ‘he’s standing out here’ and when Vince walked by, he gave him a little wave. He saw, ‘wait a minute, is that what I think it is? Is that 6’3?, 280 [lbs.]? Is that blonde hair?

“Looks like an angry Viking or a heifer bull.’ So Vince made a little detour, shook Brock’s hand, the rest, as they say, is history.”

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

Believe it or not, Heath Slater has been with WWE for over 10 years.

Slater signed with WWE in 2006 and was sent to their developmental territory of Deep South Wrestling (DSW). In 2007 he debuted in Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) where he remained for three years.

Following his stint on NXT, Slater made his debut as a member of the Nexus on an episode of RAW in 2010. Since then, Slater has been involved with several tag teams. He was a member of Three Man Band (3MB) with Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre.

He also teamed with Titus O’Neil to form “Slater And The Gator.” Today, Slater is partnered up with Rhyno on Monday Night RAW. In his time with WWE Slater has never won a singles title. He has, however, captured several Tag Team Championships in his day.

At this point in his career, Slater may be looking to change that. He wrote a lengthy post on Instagram about his current WWE position:

“I got signed with @wwewhen I was 22 years old. I’ve been through Deep South, Florida Championship Wrestling and The Foundation of @wwenxt Ive been in faction after faction and tag team after tag team none of them actually went the way I hoped.

“I just hope that one day before this is all over that I can do things my way. And as a grizzled young vet in the business I hope that time comes sooner than later.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BnWvqpEAmgS/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

This past weekend’s All In pay-per-view (PPV) was a huge success.

Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks self-funded a professional wrestling event that sold out over 10,000 seats in just a few minutes. Some of the biggest names in the industry were on the card; such as Kenny Omega, Okada, Rey Mysterio, Nick Aldis and more.

One of the premiere matches on the card was Cody and Nick Aldis’ match for the NWA World Heavyweight Title. The entrances to the match were very MMA/boxing like. Both Cody and Aldis were followed by camera from the back, walking to the ring.

Cody was accompanied to the ring by Diamond Dallas Page and Tommy Dreamer. Aldis had WWE Hall Of Famer Jeff Jarrett at his side. The pair put on an emotional match, which ended with Cody winning the World Title his father once held high.

On a recent edition of Busted Open Radio, WWE Hall Of Famer Mark Henry offered his thoughts on the match. Henry revealed he actually teared up during the bout:

“When @CodyRhodes won I started to well up because I started to think about what Dusty did for that title, and then I started to think about what Cody sacrificed to make that PPV happen. I have so much respect for him.”

"When @CodyRhodes won I started to well up because I started to think about what Dusty did for that title, and then I started to think about what Cody sacrificed to make that PPV happen. I have so much respect for him" – @TheMarkHenry on #ALLIN @nwa @ALL_IN_2018 pic.twitter.com/xzgSpJCrlX

— SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) September 5, 2018