Former SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair was previously scheduled to appear on WWE’s upcoming tour of Japan. Events were set for Sumo Hall on June 29th and 30th, however, The Queen has been pulled from those appearances.
According to a report from Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Flair is scheduled for surgery after this weekend’s Money In The Bank (MITB) pay-per-view (PPV). The surgery it due to a ruptured breast implant that she has been working with for months now.
Flair has reportedly been putting the surgery off as she didn’t want to miss WrestleMania 34 in April or the MITB PPV. She will likely miss a few weeks to recover from the procedure and will likely return around late July to begin her build-up for SummerSlam.
Discussion: Who would you like to see Flair work with when she returns from recovering from her upcoming surgery? And who’s your pick to win the Women’s MITB Ladder match?
Earlier this year WWE Hall Of Famer Shawn Michaels did an interview with Sky Sports and admitted he’d entertain offers for an in-ring return, but warned fans that they wouldn’t be seeing the same Heartbreak Kid they did in his prime:
“I’ve been retired for eight years now and when it got to the five-year mark I thought people would start asking me but they just kind of stopped,” Michaels said. “I think it’s one of those that you would never say never about and if it was just for a one-off then it’s something that I would take a look at.
“It would have to be done the right way and just for one match rather than something that ran for longer. It could be possible but people would have to accept they wouldn’t be getting the Showstopper, Mr WrestleMania, and that I’m 52 years old now.”
NXT Champion Aleister Black recently did an interview with Iain Chambers at the Download Festival in the UK this past weekend, and was asked if he saw Michaels’ comments about an in-ring return:
“I read that, I was very intrigued,” Black said. “I think as a wrestler, a performer, that ‘bug’ never dies. I truly hope that he will come back for one more. In the back of my head I have a few things that I would like to see, obviously, I’ve connected myself to those things as well. We’re gonna find out, if he does, it’s going to be fantastic.”
Michaels is currently working as a trainer at the WWE Performance Center, meaning Black crosses paths with the Hall Of Famer quite often. When asked if the former WWE Champion ever gets in the ring at the PC, here’s what he had to say:
“I know he can still go,” Black quickly responded. “He can go. Don’t worry about that.”
Finally, Black was asked if he had to choose between two men for Michaels’ return opponent – AJ Styles or Daniel Bryan – who would he choose:
“You’re asking me to pick the two guys – arguably – who are the best in the game,” Black responded. “Each opponent has a specific thing that makes them ranked at the top of the world.
“I think I would like to see AJ more only because Shawn had a big hand in training Daniel and would have an advantage. However, then you could work with a ‘student versus teacher’ aspect of it, but I’d like it to be AJ. Sorry, Daniel.”
It should be noted that in Michaels’ most recent interview at the WWE’s “For Your Consideration” Emmy event with Red Carper Report he back-stepped a bit on his comments with Sky Sports:
“I’m always humbled and very flattered the fact that after all these years people still believe enough in my ability to still do it,” Michaels said. “Look, there’s a part of me that knows I could, but at the same time this is a young man’s game.
“I love the fact that the future of the WWE is in such good, capable hands. It’s a pleasure for me to watch it and go forward. As much as it would be enjoyable to [wrestle], I’m more excited in seeing these young men take WWE into the future.”
Former WCW President and RAW General Manager Eric Bischoff was recently interviewed by The New York Post to talk about several professional wrestling topics. One such topic was the mega broadcasting deal that the WWE just landed for SmackDown Live on FOX – worth $1 billion.
Bischoff explained how the WWE-FOX deal makes it difficult for other promotions to land big broadcasting deals of their own:
“Anybody who comes along and wants to sell a wrestling show, guess who you are not gonna sell it to? You are not going to sell it to FOX and any of its affiliates and, oh by the way, you are not going to sell it to NBC Universal or any of its affiliates,” said Bischoff.
“So the world in terms of one’s ability to sell a traditional [wrestling] television show to a traditional television or broadcast partner has just collapsed.”
In today’s age of social media and technology, Bischoff doesn’t believe that promotions need big broadcasting deals to make themselves famous. With free streaming outlets like Twitch and YouTube you can essentially make a name for yourself by other means:
“You no longer have to have a big record label behind you and have to kowtow to the politics that enabled you to get there,” said Bischoff. “You can be a phenomenal artist and put your stuff out there on YouTube and find yourself becoming a star.”
You can ready Bischoff’s full interview with The New York Post by clicking this link here.
Former WWE Superstar Rosa Mendes recently did an interview on Women’s Pro Wrestling Weekly to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Mendes first discussed her passion for professional wrestling and her current mindset:
“I feel like, for me, even when I was in training, I was the first one in the ring and the last one to leave. I still have that work ethic. I am so passionate about pro wrestling. A lot of fans don’t know that because I was a Manager.
“I bring that passion in the ring and I feel like, because I have been in the business for 11 years, I know what it takes to be a top girl. I am not going to stop until I am a top girl and wrestle like a top girl. I know what to do and how to get there, so that is how my motivation is now. That is where my mindset is at right now.”
Now having a child, Mendes discussed how she’ll balance a career as a professional wrestler while still being a mother:
“I know that you can be a great mom and a great wrestler. I just didn’t know that at the time when I had her. I was at the Performance Center, I had a character and was ready to go, but I kept leaving her and I kept thinking that I couldn’t do this anymore. I know that you have to give 100% in WWE and I didn’t know if I could so I made that mature decision to retire. It was the hardest decision, and I still get teary-eyed thinking about it.
“It was the toughest decision of my life, but I knew it was what I had to do at the time. Me being a mom, I hate to put myself over but I will; I am the best mom. I feel like I am such a great mother it’s like, I never even knew I had this in me. I know that I can do both. I know that I can be a great mom and even be a better mom fulfilling my dream. I want to show her that you can be a great mom and inspire other women, it’s all about women empowerment.
“I want to set that example for her because to be honest, my character and who Rosa Mendes, but at the same time I was dancing. I was doing what I love, but I wasn’t fulfilling my ultimate passion, which was to be in the ring. I was shaking my butt and being hot but I never got to be that athletic-powerful woman that I know I can be. I know that I can do both.”
As far as a WWE return goes, Mendes wants to dominate the indy scene and get herself over before returning to the professional wrestling juggernaut:
“I feel like this is my business plan; I want to conquer the independents. I want to dominate in the independents and be super over and have incredible 30-40 minute matches in the independents and show people that I am a great worker and a great performer.
“As soon as I can say that about myself then I am going to talk to them. They may talk to me before then, but I really want to establish myself in the independents before I even step foot in a WWE door again.”
Mendes was then asked if she believes that she could be inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame one day:
“Thus is the thing, right now, Rosa Mendes would never be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. I feel because of who I was and because of my character and being a manager. I know some managers have, but if you look back, my best time as a manager was with Primo & Epico, and I did a lot in those matches.
“They got the tag team titles but I just feel like I don’t think it would happen, and I don’t think I would deserve it. I feel like once I go back I want to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. I want to make history and I want people to respect my work in the ring.”
Finally, Mendes explained her current situation with the father of her child, Bobby Schubenski:
“This is not going to make sense, but it’s going to make sense for us. We are exclusive, but we don’t have a title. Me and Bobby Schubenski broke up in December, but basically he was so immersed in his business, and I was so immersed in my business and we were both immersed with Jordan that we forgot to take care of each other. We weren’t happy so we decided to separate and work on our businesses and take care of Jordan and figure stuff out, but I miss him, and he misses me, so we decided to work things out.
“The separation was really hard on the both of us. Him and I are very strong-minded people, and strong people, but it hurts, and we don’t ever want to get back to that hurt phase. It was hard for me to work on Totally Fit Mama, like, it was hard for me. We are going to take our time, take things super slow and just figure stuff out and want to see what we both have. We don’t want to go all in right away because we don’t want to break up again. He is so inspiring. I never met anyone that is more motivated than I am.
“I am a big dreamer and a visionary, and he is beyond that so that is one of the things that I fell in love with him for. I never imagined falling in love and meeting someone and feeling like that again. He is hard to beat. Now, I am back in wrestling, and he started his own pro wrestling promotion. To start your own pro wrestling promotion and only have 40 tickets left. The hard part is to draw people and he has gotten all the people. He busts his butt and works so hard. That work ethic that we have in WWE, he has it, which is also what I love more about him as well.”
As we’ve previously noted, WWE Hall Of Famers Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan were interviewed by WSVN-TV Entertainment Reporter Chris Van Vliet at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
During the interview Flair seemed to indicate that Rousey’s deal with WWE was only for one year, as she planned on starting a family soon:
“In my humble opinion, if Rousey wants to elevate her status in the company she needs to go through The Queen and The Queen ain’t afraid of her, I got news for ya. I just saw her deadlift 315 lbs and she can bench 205 lbs for 6 reps. She is gifted beyond belief.
“I’m not involved obviously in any of the thinking but if they’re ever going to put the women where they belong, this is the year because I think Ronda has only signed a one-year deal and then she wants to get out of there. She wants to have kids and all that. She just needs to be be prepared to lose. Not if sure if Ronda likes that.”
A new report from Wrestling Inc. suggests that Rousey’s deal with WWE is actually a multi-year deal. It should be noted, however, that Rousey did tell Yahoo! Sports in March that she plans on having children with her husband, UFC heavyweight fighter Travis Browne, soon:
“We’re ready to start having kids soon and I was thinking about what I’ve left unfinished in my life because I want to entirely focus on having kids when that time comes,” Rousey said.
“I took a long look at my life and thought that if I don’t try and take a shot with the WWE, I would regret it for the rest of my life. I want to be an example to my kids about pursuing your dreams and being able to do anything. I guess this is my way of nesting and getting ready for children. I’m trying to prove to my unborn babies that they can accomplish any dream that they want to go after.”
Discussion: How long do you think Rousey’s WWE career will last? Do you expect her to take a significant amount of time off soon to begin a family?
WWE Superstar Drew McIntyre was recently a guest on Jim Ross’ podcast, The Ross Report, in which they discussed several professional wrestling topics. McIntyre revealed that current NXT General Manager William Regal still mentored him while he was on the indies, and was a big part in getting him a second shot in WWE:
“The whole time I was gone [from WWE], I was gone for three years, he was always there for advice.” McIntyre continued, “we’d kind of speak back and forth and he always kept an eye on everything I was up to. And then, when the time came, my TNA contract was up, my wife and I decided not to re-sign.
“We tried to decide the next step, thinking, ‘is it Japan?’ He was the one that said, ‘alright, you need to have this conversation with Triple H. Now is the time to come back home.’ I got on the phone with Hunter and we spoke for about 30 minutes. And at the end of that conversation, I knew it was time to come home. He is the reason that I’m back right now.”
McIntyre then discussed his pairing with Dolph Ziggler on RAW. The former Intercontinental Champion noted he was happy with the pairing but only found out about it on the day he made his main roster return:
“I love it.” McIntyre remembered, “I got told about it when I got to TV that day. I didn’t quite know what was going on. I was a single’s babyface when I was NXT Champion there. And when I came back, I was leaning more towards the heel side with Dolph and Dolph’s somebody I go way back with and I was really looking forward to work with him.”
A lot of fans have been impressed with McIntyre since making his main roster return, and already want to see him on the main event scene as a singles competitor. McIntyre has heard these remarks, but urges fans to be patient and enjoy the storyline that is being presented right now:
“The way things have gone so far, people are asking a lot of questions.” McIntyre professed, “I know a lot of people are jumping way ahead and I appreciate all the positive things people are saying, but just remember there are 52 weeks of TV a year. Let’s just take our time and introduce the casual audience to who Drew McIntyre is now. We’re going to get there and it’s going to be a fun journey.”
As far as who he’d like to work with when he does go solo; McIntyre lists names such as Braun Strowman, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns:
“When Braun Strowman and I stepped into the ring together, I could literally feel the crowd rumble.” McIntyre explained, “and I’m just back and I still have some equity to build with those casual fans, but just from a visual perspective, I could feel them rumbling, and I was like, ‘wow, this could be something really good down the line.’
“And Roman, he works his butt off. That’s another guy I’m looking forward to getting in the ring with. Rollins is killing it every single week. When we get the opportunity, we’re going to tear the roof off. And that’s just a few obvious names of guys that are working their butt off and I’m looking forward to working with.”
You can listen to McIntyre’s interview on The Ross Report by clicking this link here.
As we’ve noted, current WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar has broken CM Punk’s 434 day World Title reign and is now the longest reigning World Champion in the history of the modern era of WWE.
Punk set that record with the WWE Championship, while Lesnar broke it with the Universal Championship. Since winning the Universal Title from Goldberg at WrestleMania 33 last year, Lesnar has only defended the Universal Championship 10 times (including live events).
According to reddit user cheikhyourselfm8, at this rate Lesnar is going to take 16 years and 9 months to match Punk’s amount of title defenses during his record-setting reign as WWE Champion. This really puts into perspective just how little Lesnar has been defending the Universal Title since winning it.
While Lesnar may now be the longest reigning World Champion of the modern era in WWE, there’s no way he can match the true all-time record. That record is held by late WWE Hall Of Famer Bruno Sammartino – who held the WWE Title for eight years from 1963 until 1971. That’s a reign of 2,803 days and a record that will likely never be broken.
WWE Superstar Samoa Joe was interviewed by Memphis NBC affiliate, WMC Action News 5, to promote tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live in Memphis. Joe first discussed how huge the culture of professional wrestling is in the Memphis area:
“I think Memphis is kind of, one of – wrestling is ingrained in the local culture here and you were just telling me here that we’re kind of sitting on hallowed ground this being the original studio where a lot of Memphis wrestling went down.
“And I think we like to come to towns like this, especially leading into bigger shows cause the crowds have a lot more energy. They’re very, very opinionated and usually makes for some wild TV.”
The Destroyer was then asked what fans can expect from tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live, the final show before Money In The Bank (MITB) this Sunday:
“I’m definitely beating somebody up tonight, so that’s probably the highlight of the evening, but aside from that, tonight, like I said, it’s going to be a night of statements. You’re going to see a lot of people making some big moves tonight and I know I definitely will, so it’ll be pretty fun.”
Joe was then asked about being a professional wrestler in the WWE, as opposed to everywhere else he has worked in his career:
“I’ve been fortunate enough to work for every major company in our industry, in the world. WWE just kind of being my latest. Obviously when you come to WWE the level of spectacle and production in what we do is far and above anywhere else I worked so it’s kind of cool to be apart of the big show now. Obviously I’ve had a fantastic career leading up to this point so I’m kind of in the bonus.”
Finally, the former NXT Champion again put over Memphis’ rich history in professional wrestling:
“I think in general when you talk about great wrestling towns in the history of the world I think Memphis kind of shoots up there into the top three if not the top two. And obviously there’s been so much that has gone on here, so many kinds of epic encounters when it comes to our industry and tonight we look to extend that tradition and keep it going.”
Joe also ended the interview by putting one of the news production team members in the Coquina Clutch. Check that out here:
WWE's @SamoaJoe stopped by the #WMC5 studio to show off his signature Coquina Clutch on our poor digital producer. Check out his full interview (including where he says his favorite Memphis BBQ spot is) here>>https://t.co/oolwzw8wjipic.twitter.com/frXBLmhUJ4
As we’ve previously reported, WSVN-TV Entertainment Reporter Chris Van Vliet interviewed WWE Hall Of Famers Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. During the interview Flair discussed the possibility of his daughter, Charlotte Flair, wrestling Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania 35.
During his answer he let it slip that Rousey may have signed a one-year deal with WWE, as she wants to start a family soon:
“In my humble opinion, if Rousey wants to elevate her status in the company she needs to go through The Queen and The Queen ain’t afraid of her, I got news for ya. I just saw her deadlift 315 lbs and she can bench 205 lbs for 6 reps. She is gifted beyond belief.
“I’m not involved obviously in any of the thinking but if they’re ever going to put the women where they belong, this is the year because I think Ronda has only signed a one-year deal and then she wants to get out of there. She wants to have kids and all that. She just needs to be be prepared to lose. Not if sure if Ronda likes that.”
He also was asked why he never faced Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania during their heydays:
“I had no idea I was going to win the Rumble, I just came in and I was 40 years old and this was 1991. People had waited for it so long that I think they said we’re not waiting until WrestleMania. Let’s put these guys together because nothing else was working at the time.
“We actually started on the West Coast and sold out everything and in all honesty Turner did not have the audience or the viewership in the West Coast that they had in the Midwest. So they knew me but not that well. So we went to Oakland, LA, Phoenix, San Diego and back on the road I landed in New York, Bobby Hennan quit then we did the Garden and we didn’t see each other.”
We previously noted that PWInsider reported that James Ellsworth is pencilled in to return to the company at this weekend’s Money In The Bank (MITB) pay-per-view (PPV). Ellsworth was released from the company back in November.
It was speculated he could return during the SmackDown Live Women’s Championship match between Carmella, who he as affiliated with on-screen before making his WWE exit, and Asuka. The report did note that Ellsworth was “definitely” planned for MITB.
Ellsworth recently took to Twitter and seemingly killed that rumor. He revealed he’ll be in China over the weekend on Sunday for the Middle Kingdom Wrestling promotion. Ellsworth is scheduled to defend his Intergender Championship against Ferguson, Tyra Russamee and a mystery opponent in a Fatal Four-Way match.
He’s also scheduled for an MLW meet and greet on Saturday. If all this proves to be true, it looks like Ellsworth won’t be in Chicago for MITB:
Next weekend is going to be action packed in #Harbin China. Everything from Coszone Convention, to an #MKW Meet & Greet on Saturday June 16th, followed by the must see event "Eyes On The Prize" Sunday June 17th!! These events you don't want to miss!! pic.twitter.com/oVCeZ8rqbV
Former WWE Hardcore Champion Raven recently appeared on Prime Time with Sean Mooney to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Raven first discussed his struggles with mental health, and seeking the help of a Psychologist to help him get through it:
“Wrestling is full of tough guys, but we’re creative, because we’re creative people or you wouldn’t be in this particular sport. But tough guys don’t go to Psychologists. So many people could benefit from that, it saved me. I’m content now as a human being. I never could have dreamed of being content until I went to a Psychologist’s couch.”
Raven then talked about how he used to think that his professional wrestling career was a failure:
“I always held myself to a higher standard. I thought my career was a failure because I never was the World Champion of WWE. Of course, the odds against that were astronomical.
“The fact that I burned my bridge up there numerous times was making sure it’s not going to happen and I may not have been qualified to be the World Champion – I mean, I think I was – but let’s say some people didn’t think I was.”
He then realized that he actually had quite a successful career in the business:
“[My Psychologist] pointed out, ‘The only one holding you to a higher standard is you. You don’t have to hold yourself to that standard. You’re career was incredible successful’ and I go, ‘Yeah, but…’ and she goes, ‘Let me ask you this.
“If somebody else had your career, what would you tell them?’ Oh, they had an incredibly successful career! ‘Then why can’t you let yourself have that?’ That’s what I dealt with and that’s what we went through over and over until I accepted the fact that I had a hell of a goddamn career.”
According to a report from 411Mania, WWE Champion AJ Styles missed WWE Live events over the weekend. Styles hasn’t wrestled in almost three weeks. His last match was a dark match against Shinsuke Nakamura after the May 22nd SmackDown Live tapings.
The Phenomenal One’s last match on WWE TV occurred on a May 15th episode of SmackDown Live. He lost a non-title bout to Shinsuke Nakamura for the right to select the stipulation for their match at Money In The Bank (MITB). Styles is scheduled to return to the ring this Sunday against Nakamura at MITB for the WWE Title in a Last Mat Standing match.
Lana & Rusev Burglarized In Hotel Room
Rusev took to Twitter to Tweet at the Sheraton Hotels, claiming that the people who “cleaned” he and Lana’s hotel room stole his wife’s camera and money out of his wallet:
Thank you @sheratonhotels Memphis for “cleaning” the room and stealing my wife camera and my money from my wallet
WSVN-TV Entertainment reporter Chris Van Vliet recently interviewed WWE Hall Of Famers Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair at the “Legends Of The Ring” event from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Hogan was asked about a possible return to WWE in the near future.
The Hulkster revealed that things are moving in that direction rather quickly, and hinted that WWE could simply be holding off for the right place at the right time:
“Things are moving in that direction quite quickly. It’s all about execution and timing and the right place and the right time but things are good.”
Hogan also commented on why he and Flair went face-to-face at WrestleMania during their careers:
“We don’t know. We were on fire. We did some house shows in Chicago, Milwaukee, three or four shows in a row we set all kinds of records all over and we were pushing real hard towards that WrestleMania time and for me I have a personal opinion, the chemistry was so powerful between Ric and I, I hate to say anything bad about any of the other wrestlers, I hate to say anything bad about the company but with Ric and I heading into WrestleMania it kind of took over everything.
“If we would have wrestled at WrestleMania, we would have taken so much of the focus because there would have been the rematch and the cage match, the title would have dropped and hopefully I would have won it back and back and forth. I think that Vince knew that this was such a powerful turbulence between the two of us he could conquer and divide and make it work even better and pretty much that’s what he did. He sent me off in one direction and him in another and we drew money in both directions.”
WWE Hall Of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler recently did an interview on The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling to talk about several professional wrestling topics. One such topic was Vince McMahon and his first time working as a heel being in Memphis during the mid 90s. Here’s what he had to say:
“That was part of the deal of Vince sending us some talent to help us out and keep us a float while I was working up there as well. It first started with basically the deal of me and Bret was going really big in the WWE and I asked Vince if it was a possibility we could send Bret and Owen and some of the guys down here to help us out on Monday nights in Memphis so that is what we did.
“The one thing I can’t remember is I think that I had one of our Memphis Championship belts up there with me and I think it was Vince’s idea to make an interview and promo holding the belt talking about how he was sending the WWE talent down. I think it was his first opportunity to become a heel and to talk down to the fans because in the past all Vince had ever done was the commentary in WWE and talk about the product and talk good to the fans.
“But when he was defending the WWE against the Memphis territory, it was his first opportunity to be a heel and I think he fell in love with it. He volunteered to come down and he sat ringside during one of the matches and wound up tripping me and had Pat Patterson as his bodyguard and I honestly belive that was the genesis for the heel Mr. McMahon, who I think and still in my mind is the best heel (and I’m not saying this because I work for the guy or kiss up to him) but during the Attitude Era with Stone Cold Steve Austin and the stuff with The Rock, I think he is the best heel that has ever been in the WWE.”
You can listen to Lawler on The Two Man Power Trip Of Wrestling by clicking this link here.
Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Ryback recently took to his podcast, Conversation With The Big Guy, and discussed how he came up with the “Feed Me More” catchphrase. He noted that he used to work at a restaurant and wasn’t making enough money to buy his own food.
Thankfully the cooks at the restaurant were nice enough to give him free food from the leftovers that were sent back to the kitchen:
“Back when I was working at a place called ‘Smokey Bones,’ I would eat so much food. The cooks knew how much I loved to eat. Oftentimes, people would take a bite out of the steak, and this would be the most expensive steak there, and for whatever reason, they wouldn’t like it, and at that time I was really struggling.
“The cooks would give me free food, but I ate so much that I had to end up paying a portion of my money by tips for food throughout the day,” Ryback said. “Oftentimes, especially during slow periods I would order a couple of chicken breasts and put them on the table and take a bite on the table as I am hustling. I would be there all day from morning until night, so I would cut the piece of the part that they bit off then I would eat the other part that wasn’t bitten.
“I would have multiple aprons and dry clean them. I would put the steaks in my apron and just take bites of the steak. Sometimes it would be so busy that I wouldn’t have time to cut the bitten part, so I would just eat the opposite end and once I got close I would throw it away.”
Ryback said that he and the cooks in the kitchen developed a good friendship, and the “Feed Me More” chants represent a time in his life where he was able to change a struggle of his into something positive:
“One of the cooks there, they took great pride into feeding me. They would cook extra stuff and hide it. There would be a half of rack of ribs in the back and I would have to find it. It wasn’t a joke because I was there from morning until night. Everyone assumed I would make it in pro wrestling, even after I had originally been fired.
“They got great pride into feeding me more. The cook one time said something like, ‘feed me more.’ So, I got the idea from that. I would say to them, ‘feed me more,’ and they would hide food for me to have to go and find it. I originally said it to them and it then became a joint thing, but on WWE TV I kept saying it so it stuck from there,” he said. “The arms, I got the idea from Bloodsport, and it looked silly, but it was different.
“I was doing this arm taunt that didn’t have words with it. After the ‘feed me more,’ I started to do it with the arms and then it just started making sense, and it just happened, but the idea came from ‘Smokey Bones.’ It has great meaning to me because I own it and the idea that the cooks would feed me when I had nothing, so it holds a special place in my heart because I created it when I was starving, both literally and figuratively.”
You can listen to Ryback on Conversation With The Big Guy by clicking this link here.
Adam “Hangman” Page recently made an appearance on The Unsanctioned Podcast to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Page first commented on why he thinks now is a great time to be a fan of professional wrestling:
“After a while, people start to look for alternatives and today it’s easier to find alternatives than it ever has been. It’s very easily accessible. We just launched HonorClub, and soon we’ll get that up and running on Roku, Apple TV, iPhone, all that kind of stuff.
“It’s just so easy to look for something else. And when you look at something else and see our product [ROH] or you see New Japan’s, it’s night and day. So if it’s that easily accessible you just become a fan, you become hooked to it.”
Page then discussed what it’s like being a part of The Bullet Club, and and the faction’s fifth anniversary:
“It’s been great. Bullet Club has been huge. It’s something that’s transcended wrestling a little bit. I’m sure there are people wearing Bullet Club shirts who don’t even know what it is. It’s one of those kind of things, but that’s good. That’s good for us, that’s good for wrestling as a whole.
“Bullet Club’s success for me, it’s been really big for my career. It’s opened a lot of doors for me, doors in New Japan, more opportunities in Ring of Honor. I say all that, but honestly my one takeaway from it all is that it’s given me some of the best friends I’ve ever had in my life. I’ve probably spent more time with Matt, Nick, Cody, and Marty than I have my own wife this year.”
As for the current state of The Bullet Club after Kenny Omega and Cody’s issues with one another, Page believes that the group is fine for the moment:
“I think…Bullet Club is fine. Obviously there are a few issues that need to be worked out. Honestly, we had a bit of a moment at [NJPW] Dontaku for the five-year anniversary of the Bullet Club where we had that 10-man tag and maybe there were some frustrations beyond just Cody and Kenny. We just had to get that out of our systems a little bit and all get together on the same page.
“Cody and Kenny, these are two alphas, it’s just who they are, they’re huge personalities. They want to be ‘the leader’ I guess. My feeling is we’re grown men, why does someone need to be the leader? I’m a grown man and I’ll do what I want, we’re just friends. You know what I mean? But it’s in their blood…at the end of the day I respect both men.”
Page then discussed how Cody has provided him with inspiration by seeing how “on” he is all the time:
“I wouldn’t say there’s any piece of advice or anything like that. But he’s just a person who, legitimately every minute of every day, he’s on. He’s two-a-day at the gym, or coming up with stuff for The Elite, or thinking of long-term ideas for what he wants to do at Ring of Honor or New Japan or for a match that day, he’s just somebody who legitimately is always on, and I think that has motivated me as well a little bit.”
You can listen to Page on The Unsanctioned Podcast by clicking this link here.
IMPACT Wrestling star Eddie Edwards recently did an interview with Wrestling Epicenter to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Edwards first discussed what it’s like to play a more unhinged persona:
“I’m enjoying it. It is a chance for me to do some things I’ve never done in my career, obviously. To be able to go and try this here, that there. It’s cool! It definitely has my creative juices flowing. And also, with vignettes and stuff behind the scenes also … a lot of things are going on. It is definitely a change of pace, but it is a welcomed change of pace for me.”
He then discussed some elements of his persona mirroring Tommy Dreamer during his old feud with Raven in ECW:
“I don’t know how much thought went into it. It just so happened that Tommy is my guy and was around at that point. It just so happened that it resembled that Tommy Dreamer in ECW type look. We were definitely going for that grungier type look especially going out there to oVe’s territory. But, I think it was a happy accident. That is the direction we were going for, a more gritty, hardcore style.”
Edwards then discussed his brutal feud with Sami Callihan and how quickly it has escalated:
“We kind of found ourselves in this. Obviously, it began with the baseball bat. We had to escalate from that. As tough as it was to escalate from that, things have escalated! We’ve had to step it up and step it up and step it up time and time again. This has been a perfect storm of incidents and accidents – A perfect storm of emotion, really!”
You can check out Edwards’ full interview with Wrestling Epicenter by clicking this link here.
WWE Superstar Drew McIntyre was recently a guest on WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross’ podcast, The Ross Report, to talk about several professional wrestling topics. McIntyre first started off by saying that regardless of what WWE Superstars are given by creative, they should make the most of it because there are men and women in NXT ready to take their spots:
“No matter what it is, don’t blame creative.” McIntyre said. “Don’t sit there with the boo-hoo face. You figure out the story and you tell the story because there are other people in NXT waiting to take your spot if you’re not willing to step up on RAW.”
McIntyre then discussed there being ‘filler’ in WWE programming, and blames it on the complacency of some current WWE performers:
“I understand that RAW is the best show in the world.” McIntyre said. “It’s the best product in the world today as evidenced by the TV deals we’re getting and the consistent ratings. We have the best talent. But also, we have five hours with SmackDown every week. And as goof as a lot of it is, there is a lot of filler in there and a lot of guys just sitting around. They just don’t have the passion. It’s as simple as that.
“I can say it because I was that guy before I got released. I was that guy at some point. I wasn’t confident. I wasn’t pushing myself to get to the top. I wasn’t bettering myself in the gym. I wasn’t pitching stories. I wasn’t trying to be a better performer. I think that a lot of people forget they’re in WWE and get complacent. It makes me sick because [Ross has] seen the independent scene right now.
“[Ross] know[s] how much talent is out there. I was NXT Champion. I know how much talent is there. They’ve got the fire in their eyes. They’re ready to take those spots and I’m there to make sure Monday Night RAW is all killer. We don’t need any filler anymore. It all trickles down from the top, like, the whole industry. Monday Night RAW needs to be killer from top to bottom. And right now, there is room for improvement and I’m there to be the wakeup call that it needs.”
He then discussed the importance of building relationships with WWE brass, and explained that he’s not sure that the legends he shared the locker room with in his last WWE run would approve of how things are done nowadays:
“I built my business and WWE brought my business in.” McIntyre continued, “I want to be successful in my business and, in turn, make WWE successful. How do I do that if I don’t have a relationship with the people in charge? It sounds so simple saying it. And hopefully, a lot of the guys in the back that are listening to me right now, because it took me a while to get there, but you have to start thinking this way if you want to be on top of the show, which you should, if you want to be champion, you need to look yourself in the mirror and be accountable.
“Have you given everything you can to build those relationships? Have you done everything? And I can assure you, a lot of people aren’t and I’m not going to be shy in telling people time goes on. And, honestly, I’ve been in the locker room with The Undertakers, Mysterios, Christians, even Ric Flair when I was 22. I don’t know if all of them would be happy to see how the locker room is these days.”
You can listen to McIntyre’s interview on The Ross Report by clicking this link here.
This past November, James Ellsworth was released from his deal with the WWE. He has since been keeping very busy on the independent circuit. PWInsider is reporting that Ellsworth could be gearing up for a WWE return at the Money In The Bank (MITB) pay-per-view (PPV) in Chicago.
The report also suggests there are a ton of creative suggestions for Ellsworth’s return, but he is definitely slated for the PPV. It’s possible he could interfere in the SmackDown Live Women’s Title match between Carmella and Asuka.
Weak Ticket Sales For RAW Tonight
According to a report from WrestleVotes, no tickets have been sold on the second level for tonight’s episode of RAW in Arkansas. As a result, WWE may tarp off some sections of the arena so it doesn’t look so empty:
Not the best sign for tonight’s RAW, 0 second level tickets sold for the show, no tickets on the hard cam side sold either. Pic is from Stubhub, showing resale options. Resale options only available on sections that are sold initially. Don’t expect a hot crowd unfortunately. pic.twitter.com/RNbINhiGlN
In my personal experience, security officials often times move fans down to better seats in view of the camera shot so it looks more full on TV. Perhaps WWE will have to do something like that tonight.
Former SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero was recently a guest on The Roman Show to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Guerrero first commented on the possibility of WWE naming a tournament after her late husband and WWE Hall Of Famer Eddie Guerrero:
“I always dream about that, “ she said. “Me and the girls we always talk about If Eddie could be relived they’d have a tournament someway, but it never is too late and I’m hoping that if WWE is watching or listening I’m hoping that, we’d love to see Eddie have his own tournament named.”
She then noted that her experience of seeing Eddie practice his promos in the ring, and observing his mannerisms on TV helped her when she was cutting her own promos in the ring:
“No, I wouldn’t train (wrestling) with him. He would scare me. I watched him at the house do his promos in the mirror and watching him every night when he was on TV. I think his mannerism, habits rubbed off on me. Every time I was in the ring, I always pictured Eddie in the ring with me so I knew it wasn’t about myself.”
Guerrero then discussed writing her book about life with Eddie and wrestling:
“Honestly, I am writing a book right now about my life with Eddie I hated wrestling when I dated him. My grandfather used to make his dad’s robes. We used to play in the playpen together when we were like three years old.
“I never liked wrestling. I said, “if you can change that would be great’, but of course the sport grew on me I started getting a lot of respect for the wrestling industry and I was hooked.”
WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar has reigned as the World Title holder for over a year now, and in the process he has broken a record.
Lesnar has been Universal Champion for 435 days, officially passing former WWE Champion CM Punk’s record of 434 days. The Beast is now the longest reigning World Champion in the Modern Era of WWE.
Of course, Punk and Lesnar held different World Titles, as the Universal Title wasn’t implemented until after Punk had already left WWE. But seeing as they are both considered World Titles, Lesnar’s reign is still considered longer than Punk’s in the record books.
Of course, as one Twitter user points out, Lesnar’s amount of title defenses compared to Punk’s is ridiculously lopsided:
Punk still holds the longest reign for the WWE Championship in the Modern Era nonetheless. Unofficially, the longest WWE Title reign belongs to the late WWE Hall Of Famer Bruno Sammartino – who held the belt for eight years from 1963 until 1971. That’s a reign of 2,803 days and a record that will likely never be broken.
Former WWE Superstar Wade Barrett was recently a guest on Chris Jericho’s podcast, Talk Is Jericho, to talk about several professional wrestling topics. As for why he left WWE; Barrett named numerous reasons including being burned out from the road, his frustration with creative, and issues with some in WWE management positions:
“I was kind of burnt out on the road as [Jericho] said. I mean, when you start on the road, everything’s new and everything’s fresh. You don’t care that you’re not home 275 nights a year, and you’re constantly exhausted, and beat up, and even if you’ve got bad booking or something like that, it’s all fine because you’re living this amazing experience.
“After I had been up there for several years, I kind of got to the point where even the little things were irritating me, and the travel was really killing me, and I’d get to the arena, and it seemed that every RAW and every SmackDown, every Monday and Tuesday, I’d get to the arena and be so disappointed when the script for the show came out. And every week, there would just be something where I’m like, ‘man, I don’t want to do this.’
“And I’d kind of plead my case with the people in the creative or in management about doing something different or tweaking it this way, ‘hey, how about moving the story this way?’ and just whatever I was doing, I was just banging my head against a brick wall. And it got to the point where it felt like Groundhog Day. And my contract was running up and I’d signed a pretty long contract after the Nexus deal and stuff like that.
“They got me on a pretty long contract and that was just coming to a head. So they had approached me a couple of times about re-signing, and extending, and coming up with a new deal, and stuff like that. And it hadn’t even got to the point of negotiating with them. I just explained to them, ‘look, I need to get out.
“This is just killing me and I need to go do something else for a while and get away from pro wrestling,’ which is essentially what I did.” Barrett added, “and there [were] other things. It wasn’t just in terms of the creative I wasn’t happy with. There was some stuff behind-the-scenes.
“I had fallen out with a couple of people kind of in the talent relations and management department. I’m not going to get into specifically what that was about, but it was, ‘okay, this is all coming together now to show that, with my contract coming up, I should just get away.’ And that’s really how it kind of all shook out.”
Barrett revealed that he knew his time with WWE needed to end when he couldn’t even phantom signing a new three-year deal with the company:
“I’d already got to the point where I knew I was moving on and the thought of signing the new three-year deal that they had for me at that point, when I felt that way, nothing good would come out of it.” Barrett professed, “A) I was miserable being around wrestling, and being on the road, and stuff like that.
“And B) for me to not even have the fight in me to not even try to make the improvements I could try to make or try to make suggestions, that told me look, ‘if I did re-sign here and take whatever money they’re offering me, financially, it might make sense, but in terms of what I’m going to be putting out of it, it’s going to be bad and things are not going to improve around there at all,’ so that for me was like, ‘yeah, whatever happens to me, I have to leave and reground. And we’ll see where the future takes me.”
He then revealed a heated argument he got into with talent relations on his last day with WWE:
“I went into the building that day and I knew I was kind of tying up loose ends at this point and there was this one big issue that I’d kind of been banging heads with talent relations about for a long time and it kind of came to a head there that day. So we get there at 2 o’clock or whatever it is, and around about three or four o’clock I’m having this big kind of blow up with talent relations there, which looking back it was all really silly, but we have this blow up, I get really angry, they get really angry.
“I’m not on the show anyway, so at that point, I’m like, ‘do you know what? I’m just going to grab my bags and go home. I’m done.’ So this is me basically leaving WWE, so it was obviously a really stressful moment. I was angry, I was mad, this, that, and the other. I grabbed my bags, I went straight to my car, slammed my bags in the car, started the engine up, and started driving up the ramp, and in my head, I’m still angry about the blowup we’d just had. All I’m thinking about is, ‘wow, that’s me done with WWE! I’m finished! That’s it! Here today.’
“And it was pretty crazy considering I spent the majority of my life thinking about working there, and how great it was, and stuff. So as I’m heading up the ramp, all I see is the top of the tunnel to the outside and I’m thinking, ‘as soon as I’m over there, that’s freedom!’ And there [are] a bunch of fans there and stuff. So I get to the top of the ramp and just as I’m about to burst out into freedom, and light, and this whole new world that might be ahead of me, a car pulls across in front of me and stops me in my tracks.
“I’m like, ‘who the f–k is this?’ I look up and it’s [Jericho] and [Jericho is] turning up at the building at four [o’clock]. And I’ve got a face like thunder and I look at [Jericho], we lock eyes [Jericho] flip[s] me the bird, and [Jericho] kept driving down the tunnel.” Barrett recalled, “that was my big goodbye to the WWE, getting flipped off by the guy who brought me in storyline-wise and sent me off into the sunset. Looking back that actually makes me laugh.”
You can listen to Barrett’s interview on Talk Is Jericho by clicking this link here.
Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Rey Mysterio made his return to the company for a one-off appearance in the 2018 Men’s Royal Rumble match this past January. He later returned to work the 50-Man Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia this past April.
There have since been rumors that WWE is attempting to lock Mysterio down to a deal that will bring him back to the company. Dave Meltzer reports on Wrestling Observer Live that still no deal has been made as of last week. WWE and Mysterio continue to negotiate for a potential deal.
He did note that there’s a feeling Mysterio could return to WWE sometime around September, as he currently has commitments he would like to fulfill through this summer. We’ll keep you updated as we learn more…
Discussion: Would you like to see Mysterio return as a full-time WWE Superstar? Who would you like to see him work with?
Kenny Omega recently spoke with New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) to promote his IWGP Heavyweight Championship match-up against Kazuchika Okada at NJPW Dominion. The Cleaner first discussed how dominant of a champion Okada is, and how he is the one that has been calling the shots:
“As he made those defenses, one after another, after another, it came to a point where no one would just walk through the curtain and say, ‘I’m going to be the next challenger.’ He has done so much and beaten everyone so many times that he calls the shots! He makes the challenges, he makes the rules. That’s the situation we’re in right now.”
He then talked about taking the first fall in their Two-Out-Of-Three Falls match:
“I know the secret to this match, Okada, and the secret is that first fall. I won’t let you take it. So, if you’re thinking, ‘Hey, this is going to be a 15 minutes here, 10 minutes there, and a crazy stretch and we’re goin’ home!’ That’s not gonna happen. I am not going to give you any freebies. I’m not going to give you a first free fall, if I feel like I need a bit of a rest. You’re not getting the first fall. I’m going to take the first fall and control the pace.”
While Omega admits that Okada is probably the best professional wrestler in the world, he believes that he himself is still the best performer:
“You may be the best wrestler on the planet and I’ll admit it, you are. You’re the best and it’s not even an opinion thing anymore, this is something that you’ve proven. But you can’t say you’re the best performer. That goes to me. And if we’re going to move this thing forward, if we’re gonna cause this revolution of professional wrestling and make this something worldwide and something cool.
“We can’t just have the best natural pro wrestler steering the ship. We need someone who captures the imagination. Who captures the heart. We need a performer and a showman, which is why I’m doing everything I can in my power to overtake you’re natural wrestling ability.”
You can read Omega’s full interview with NJPW by clicking this link here.
WWE Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins took to Twitter last night and noted that he hung out with New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) star Juice Robinson on Wednesday. Rollins said that Robinson is one of his favorite people, and put him over as the future of NJPW.
Unfortunately, The Architect said he and Robinson were having so much fun that they forgot to take a picture together:
Hung out with Juice Robinson yesterday. One of my favorite humans and the future of @njpw1972. I should’ve taken a pic, but we were too busy livin’. #budtweet
Former WWE Champion CM Punk is gearing up to make his second UFC appearance tomorrow night, when he takes on fellow 0-1 record holder Mike Jackson on the main card of the UFC 225 pay-per-view (PPV) in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois.
During a media scrum, Punk was asked about the current controversy surrounding Super Bowl winners The Philadelphia Eagles not visiting the White House this year, as per tradition.
When asked if he’d ever accept an invitation to the White House from United States President Donald Trump, Punk claimed he wouldn’t and called Trump a racist:
This comment received praise from former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Batista, who took to Twitter and said “just another reason to love this dude!!”:
