Former NXT talent and current WWE Superstar Elias recently joined E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness to talk about his run on the main roster. The man formerly known as “The Drifter” discussed the origins of his character singing to WWE crowds:

“One time I went to Largo, Florida and Terry Taylor came up to me and asked if I could sing a song tonight and I said, ‘OK, about what?’ He said that I should sing about the crowd. I came up with a song that night and the song kind of clicked right off the bat, so I evolved it from there. I started asking, at the time, ‘Who wants to walk with The Drifter?’ I would then tell a little story; it all really started at NXT, even though the NXT audience didn’t really get to see that side of me too much; the live events crowd definitely did see that.”

Elias also revealed that Triple H predicted during his time in NXT that his character would be more successful on the main roster than in developmental:

“Triple H has told me specifically from the very first time when he saw me, he said that it would be a better main roster character than NXT. It never really clicked with the NXT audience the way it has. The way I see it, I took my live event act in NXT and brought it to the main roster. They saw the live event act and said let’s put that on TV. On NXT, I would sing songs, but wouldn’t even do that, plus it was very dark and cryptic, but this is the kind of stuff I was doing on live events in NXT before being called up.”

He also discussed how he looks forward to his character evolving as he continues forward in his journey on the main roster:

“I definitely see my character evolving. I don’t want it to run until the wheels fall off. I am definitely going to get the most out of this incarnation of it, then hopefully whatever the crowd reacts to it, and storylines take me there are many level. Think about just any kind of rockstar who has had a journey; they have their ups and downs, their egos and demands and then they hit rock bottom. There’s a million ways to go with ‘Elias,’ in my mind I see it evolving in many different ways.”

You can listen to Elias on E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness by clicking this link here.

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

WWE Hall Of Famer Jake “The Snake” Roberts was recently interviewed by The Wrestling Estate to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Roberts was asked about working closely alongside Vince McMahon and Pat Patterson on the WWE creative team in the 90s:

“When I was there, we had like six people who we’d sit down and go over things. Bottom line is it all goes through Vince [McMahon], anyway. But you could talk to Vince. He would listen to a point. We got along well when I was booking with him, quite well. Pat was just a tremendous talent.

“The only problem I had with Pat was that he liked to go with comedy too much. I feel like if people wanted comedy, they’d watch a comedy show. This is wrestling, let’s see some wrestling. But to each his own. You can’t knock Vince too much because he’s still rolling.”

Roberts also shared his opinion on why he thinks there is too much comedy in professional wrestling today:

“I think so. It’s my own feeling. But they’re doing a three-hour show and I’m sure it’s very taxing trying to keep it going. I guess there is a need for some comedy, but again, I just think they put too much out there. I don’t think they pay enough attention to heat for heels.

“Of course, there are no heels and babyfaces anymore. Everybody does the same stuff. I don’t like that either. There should be a clear line as to good guy and bad guy. I think that’s what the people really want. Maybe I’m wrong, hell, I’ve been wrong before.”

It turns out that Roberts also actually reached out to fellow WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair on battling alcoholism. “The Nature Boy,” however, didn’t want Roberts’ help in the matter:

“I sent a message to him, and unfortunately, he didn’t want any help from me. I’ll just leave it at that.”

You can read Roberts’ full interview with The Wrestling Estate by clicking this link here.

– This weekend’s Elimination Chamber match competitors; The Miz, Finn Balor, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman, Seth Rollins and Elias will all compete in a Gauntlet match on RAW tongiht. WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz took to Twitter to slam Balor specifically ahead of the match:

https://twitter.com/mikethemiz/status/964987264609673216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://twitter.com/mikethemiz/status/965263527022755840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

– Triple H has reached 7 million followers on Twitter and has become the third-most followed professional wrestling personality on the social media platform, right behind The Rock and John Cena. Here’s the full top ten list:

1. The Rock (12.6 million)

2. John Cena (10.9 million)

3. Triple H (7.1 million)

4. Randy Orton (5.8 million)

5. Sheamus 4.8 (million)

6. Steve Austin (4.4 million)

7. Daniel Bryan (4.3 million)

8. Shawn Michaels (3.9 million)

9. Nikki Bella (3.4 million)

10. Chris Jericho (3.4 million)

– WWE has announced the following:

WWE® (NYSE: WWE) today announced that tickets to Survivor Series will be available on Friday, March 16 starting at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT. Survivor Series will take place Sunday, November 18, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and will be streamed live around the world on WWE Network.

Ticket prices for Survivor Series range from $25-$500. All fans who purchase a $450 or $500 ticket will take home a commemorative Survivor Series chair. Tickets can be purchased at the STAPLES Center box office, www.AXS.com or by calling 888-9-AXS-TIX (888.929.7849) / 925-357-4228 (outside U.S. & Canada). All tickets are subject to service charges and facility fees.

In addition, Survivor Series Travel Packages will be available Monday, March 5 starting at noon ET at www.survivorseriestravel.com, allowing fans the opportunity to purchase NXT® TakeOver®, Monday Night Raw®, and SmackDown®Live tickets ahead of the general public.

Former WWE Superstar and IMPACT Wrestling talent Al Snow was recently interviewed by The Roman Show at Coastal Championship Wrestling’s (CCW) recent “Breaking Chains” event. Snow discussed his time with WWE’s old developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), and what it was like working with the female talents:

“When we were doing the developmental in OVW the women, which were Beth Phoenix, ODB, Katie Burchill and a lot of those women carried the show and were the main event. In fact, we had the first ever women’s ladder match in OVW in Louisville, Kentucky for WWE developmental between Beth Phoenix and Katie Burchill. They tore the house down. It was more than often than not that the women carried the show. The women can be as strong as an attraction if done in the right manner if treated respectfully.

“The most important, and this isn’t a sexist thing, if the women continue to be women – meaning they don’t become guys with boobs – that they can perform wrestle like a man, act professionally like a man, legitimately like a man, but maintain their feminine quality so they can relate to the men and women in the public.”

Snow was asked about former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey signing with WWE, and said she’s going to need a lot more charisma in professional wrestling than she did in mixed martial arts (MMA):

“It takes a very special person to work the opposite. If she’s capable of taking the charisma she had in MMA, she’ll need ten times the charisma in the WWE. I trained mixed martial artists King Mo and Dan Severn. Both will tell you [like] King Mo, ‘I don’t know how these guys do it. I would rather much prepare for a fight than train pro wrestling because physically there’s much more demand’.”

The former WWE Hardcore Champion also has a new clothing brand out, Collar and Elbow. Here’s what he had to say about it:

“I wanted to create a brand for wrestling. At the time, I didn’t know there was one for wrestling. Ultimately the biggest fans of wrestling are wrestlers. You have to be such a fan of wrestling. There’s nothing wrong being a fan of wrestling. The problem is the general public if you wear a wrestling shirt and identify as a wrestling fan, they get the usual ‘you like that? That’s fake.’ They don’t want to wear it.”

One third of former SmackDown Live Tag Team Champions, The New Day, Kofi Kingston recently did an interview with The Buzz Adams Morning Show to promote an El Paso live even in Texas. The former Intercontinental Champion discussed The New Day’s creativity and where they draw the inspiration from:

“It’s funny, going back, it was three guys just trying to save our jobs. At first there was a time when we would pitch ideas but they said they wouldn’t want to do certain things, but then it just got to a certain point where everything we do now is ridiculous and are just trying to find the line. With Francesca, it was actually right before a promo we had in New York. I think it was around Summer Slam 4 years ago, and Xavier Woods randomly said that he can play the trombone. Me and Big E didn’t even know he could play the trombone. We thought he could play one or two notes, but he said, no, he played in concerts in High School for all four years; so we had asked [WWE Management] if we can do that live and they said sure.

“The contrast is like, one day we are trying to ask for something standard to only get rejected, and the next we are asking if we can play the trombone and all of a sudden it’s like everything is okay, so we are trying to find things to do to get away with them. Francesca was born, pancakes were born, unicorn horns were born where to the point that they started selling unicorn horns. It’s all about doing something crazy that comes from our minds and where we can draw the lines, but we haven’t drawn the lines quite yet so hopefully there will be some fun stuff coming up.”

Kingston and The New Day have released some crazy merchandise over the years, including their own cereal brand “Booty O’s.” Kingston was asked what crazy merch the trio is coming out with next:

“Who knows. Right now, this is kind of like the ‘Pancake Era’ for us right now, so, the next merchandise idea is going to revolve around pancakes. Whether that’d be pancake batter, or a pancake shirt. The guy who makes our pancakes is known as Mr. Bootyworth. We haven’t revealed him yet to the world, so you are getting an inclusive during this interview right now that everyone has been let in on Mr. Bootyworth. We don’t have an idea of where he is going to go, but we don’t know, we will have to wait and see what comes to mind first.”

Kingston is notorious for having some ridiculous saves in the Royal Rumble match, preventing himself from getting eliminated. He revealed which is his favorite and, in his opinion, the most difficult he has ever done:

“Honestly, I don’t even like ranking them myself as far as favorite. I just try to come up with new ideas and throw them out there and allow the fans to decide what their favorite is. I think, for me, the toughest was the handstand one; because, if you watch that one, I was thrown out of the Rumble by Miz. My hands are thrown on the ground, but my feet are up in the air, so I am walking around and doing a handstand headed towards the stairs where my feet are on the stairs and they don’t hit the floor. I get a lot of credit now for doing these things, but if you play close attention it is the guys around me that are doing all the work.

“This year, I just got knocked out of the ring and Xavier [Woods] sacrificed himself and then him and Big E sacrificed themselves and threw me back into the ring. I didn’t do anything on that. I got thrown out of the ring one time by Adam Rose and then I landed on his Rosebuds, which they then threw me back in the ring, so again, I didn’t do anything with that. Another time, I was riding on Big E’s shoulders, so again, he’s giving me a ride, I’m not the one doing any of the work, but I get a lot of the credit, which should mostly go towards those that help me, but they are definitely a lot of fun during Royal Rumble season.”

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

WWE Superstar Braun Strowman was recently interviewed on Busted Open Radio to talk about several professional wrestling topics. The former strongman competitor talked about owing his career to former World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry:

“Truth be told, I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for Mark Henry. I traveled around the world doing strongman competition. That’s the first time I met Mark, back in 2010 when I competed as an amateur. I introduced myself and said ‘I’ve always been a fan of his in WWE and what he’s done in the strength sports world.’ We sparked a friendship from there and he pretty much turned WWE’s eyes on me. Long and behold, here we are today.”

“The Monster Among Men” also discussed the lessons that he learned during his time in WWE’s developmental territory in Florida:

“The biggest thing was probably finding out and figuring out how to relate to the people, having the character development. That’s been the craziest thing, getting to play something that I’m not personally in real life. For the most part, I’m a very fun, easy going guy that likes to have fun. It was finding that niche that was to play Adam, but use Adam’s strengths and weaknesses to turn into Braun, and I think I’ve done a good job meshing the two together.

“The things I learned in developmental was I learned I could do damn near everything someone 200 pounds lighter than me can, but the big question was ‘Why’ would I do that. That’s the biggest thing I learned. I was injured a lot when I was in developmental and that’s because I was out there trying to work like a 180 pound Lucha wrestler, flying around and going off the top rope. I was young and excited to learn.

“I took wrestling the same way I’ve taken everything in life, and that’s I want to be the best in the world at it or I don’t want to do it all. I thought that’s what I needed to be doing. It took a few injuries, but I learned that I’m a ground based athlete. You’re 380 pounds. I bounce from 360-380 pounds depending what I eat. People come to see that, not to see me do flips and flops. They come to see a larger than life character like Mark himself.

“What put WWE on the map are these larger than life human beings that Vince McMahon has been able to find around the world that shocked and awe people because you don’t see human beings like that walking around on the streets. Take myself for example, Big Show, Mark Henry, it doesn’t matter what’s going on or where we’re at, when we walk in the room, we steal all of the attention because people go ‘oh my god, look at this human being. I’ve never seen anything like this.’

“It’s been an unbelievable rise to where I am and what I’ve been able to do in such a short amount of time.”

Strowman was then asked if he has any regrets in his career thus far, to which he responded he wished he was more careful protecting himself early on. He suffered an injury nearly three years ago that almost ended his professional wrestling career:

“If I could go back and do it all over again, I would be smarter with protecting myself and my brand, being a big man, not letting people talk me into doing stupid things I should not have been doing.

“One injury that was really close to ending my career is I ruptured a disk in my back and it cut into my side nerve and paralyzed my back. The folks at WWE take such great care of us with injury and make sure we are running at peak performance. I went to the doctor in Pittsburgh, I had to be pushed through the airport in a wheelchair because my left leg was 100% paralyzed. I had surgery and when I woke up, I walked to my recovery room. The man upstairs is certainly looking out for me.

“Having peers like Mark and Big Show, these big men that have paved the road to where I’m going and taking me under their wing and teaching me the things to do and not to do… I could not have been put in a better position. I feel like I hit the wrestling lottery. I’ve been in the right place at the right time.”

The former Wyatt Family member also divulged how grateful he is for all the opportunities WWE has given him to thrive:

“They have given me so many opportunities. They give everyone opportunities for everyone to grab the brass rings. I love competition and I’m a sore loser. In my opinion, losing is when I mess up a spot. I’m really hard on myself and it pisses me off. I want to be perfect. I want to be the best, or I don’t want to do it at all.”

– Bloomberg recently did a story on WWE that featured some comments from Stephanie McMahon. Stephanie commented on her brother’s role within WWE, revealing he’s not an actual executive within the company but “is really a strong talent for us right now.”

– Former WWE Superstar Darren Young was released from the company this past October. He has since changed his WWE-related social media handles. Young’s new Twitter can be found @realfredrosser and his Instagram account is realfredrosser. Instead of using the Darren Young name, he now uses his real name, Fred Rosser:

If you are in my way of my goals and dreams to end hate. I suggest you move. #BLOCKTHEHATE ??? pic.twitter.com/Bpps51lrFp

— nodaysoff FRED ROSSER III (@realfredrosser) February 18, 2018

https://www.instagram.com/p/BfRk_eAA97t/

– WWE posted the following video of Seth Rollins cutting a great backstage promo to hype this weekend’s Elimination Chamber match. Rollins talked about originally not having a match for the pay-per-view (PPV) event, but now being a part of the biggest Elimination Chamber match of all time. He vowed to win the match, go on to WrestleMania 34, and slay “The Beast” – again – to win the Universal Title. Check it out:

"I am tired of being OVERLOOKED and UNDERAPPRECIATED… and that main event of #WrestleMania, IT'S MINE!" – @WWERollins #RAW #WWEEugene #WWEChamber #GauntletMatch pic.twitter.com/KPss6wBjuw

— WWE (@WWE) February 19, 2018

– WWE has been teasing an upcoming feud between RAW Tag Team Champions The Bar (Sheamus and Cesaro) against The Revival, perhaps for a title match at Elimination Chamber. WWE posted a backstage video of Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson calling out The Revival, calling them a pair of “NERDS!” Could this lead to a title eliminator match between the two teams?

NERDDDSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is all. #WWEEugene @KarlAndersonWWE @LukeGallowsWWE pic.twitter.com/o8mx9oWLfM

— WWE (@WWE) February 19, 2018

– Alexa Bliss took to Twitter to react to getting her own Mattel doll. Bliss recalled telling her former teacher she wanted to grow up to be a Barbie Doll:

When I was 5 I said when I grew up I wanted to be a Barbie Doll … here’s to my teacher who said I couldn’t ???? pic.twitter.com/Jugt1JKciU

— Lexi (Kaufman) Cabrera (@AlexaBliss_WWE) February 19, 2018

– In the latest edition of their “Fantasy Warfare” series WWE posted a video teasing a potential match-up between Rey Mysterio and current WWE Champion AJ Styles. Check it out here below:

What would happen if the #MasterOfThe619 @reymysterio went one-on-one with the PHENOMENAL @AJStylesOrg? pic.twitter.com/kTR9teun5S

— WWE (@WWE) February 16, 2018

– Former WWE Superstar Sean “X-Pac” Waltman took to Twitter and revealed that he’s related to one of the victims of this week’s Florida high school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Waltman revealed that one of the 14-year-old victims was the daughter of his mother’s niece:

Rest in peace, Gina Montalto pic.twitter.com/3DUEl6g0op

— VICE News (@VICENews) February 16, 2018

https://twitter.com/TheRealXPac/status/964293130030731264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Ronda Rousey’s in-ring debut for WWE is expected to take place at WrestleMania 34. Reported plans have Rousey teaming with a mystery partner against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. Sports Illustrated is reporting that there are four names that WWE is currently considering to partner with Rousey at “The Show Of Shows.”

Those names, in order of WWE’s preference, are The Rock, RAW General Manager Kurt Angle, SmackDown Live Commissioner Shane McMahon, and Seth Rollins. It’s also possible that top WWE officials already know who Rousey’s partner will be. WWE would like for The Rock to partner with Rousey as a way to continue on from the foursome’s encounter at WrestleMania 31. We’ll keep you updated as we learn more…

WWE Superstar Rusev recently did an interview with Wrestling Inc. to talk about several professional wrestling topics. “The Bulgarian Brute” discussed what “Rusev Day” meant to him and the passion behind it:

“It’s more than just a catchphrase – it’s a mentality. t’s celebrating yourself; celebrating who you are. It’s more than just catchphrase. If you think about it, it’s Rusev Day. So it’s more than that. People understand that, and the passion behind it. That’s why people get behind it, and it’s just been amazing to see.”

Rusev also said that he feels very proud that the “Rusev Day” chant has really taken off with the WWE Universe:

“It just makes me proud. Every time I hear someone say ‘Rusev Day’, it makes me smile. The fact that I was a bad guy, a foreigner that never wanted – that wanted to get out of there , to be able to just have fun, to be ‘you’. It’s good, man. It’s a good feeling. It’s the best time of my career, the most fun of my career. Right along the time I was feuding with Lana.”

He also revealed that his initial pairing with Aiden English was meant to be a joke, but the pair ended up hitting it off:

“I have no idea whose idea it was.  It was uh… it was supposed to be a joke, a one-time thing. But then we just hit it off. It was right; the chemistry – and we were playing off each other. The people started loving it since the beginning. So it was a no-brainer for us to be together, for us to keep doing magic.”

You can read Rusev’s full interview with Wrestling Inc. by clicking this link here.

Former WWE Superstar Rosa Mendes recently did an interview with Press Box Online to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Mendes opened up on her longtime friendship with former WWE Divas Champion Paige:

“Paige and I are soul sisters. She has a heart of gold. When friends go through hard times, it’s important to be there for them, but it’s also important to step away when they need space. If your friendship is strong enough to withstand obstacles, then I feel that those obstacles will bring you closer together. I’m so happy that her and I reconnected.

“When I was going through my own problems, [Natalya] was there for me, and I don’t know what I would have done without her at that time in my life. She’s been a true friend for so many years. That’s what being a true friend is all about — being there when someone needs you, not when their friendship can benefit you.”

Mendes also offered her thoughts on the current Women’s Revolution in professional wrestling:

“All of the girls are so unique and different that I can’t pinpoint one match and one particular moment, because I had so many great experiences. WWE female superstars are extraordinary women. WWE has done such an amazing job finding women that have the most unbelievably dedicated work ethic and knowledge. The sacrifices and hard work that it takes to become a superstar and to make it on TV, it’s more than a lot of the [fans] know about.

“I’m glad that Total Divas and Total Bellas can show them a bit of what it’s like behind the scenes. My favorite memories in WWE? I feel like I need to write a book, because I’ve had so many amazing memories and funny stories that I would love to share — 10 years of them! [Laughs]”

She was also asked about a potential return to the ring – to which she said she wouldn’t rule anything out:

“Never say never!”

You can read Mendes’ full interview with Press Box Online by clicking this link here.

– Per a report from Rajah, Rey Mysterio is expected to sign some sort of a deal with WWE soon. If it doesn’t happen this year then it’s expected it could happen in 2019. It’s very possible he could sign a term-style deal similar to Chris Jericho, which would also allow him to work elsewhere. While that would be an ideal scenario for Mysterio it’s unclear if WWE would want to do something like that, especially since everything needs to be approved by Vince McMahon.

– The Rock recently took to Instagram to post how important his time is to him now at this point in his career. Here’s what he had to say:

“Reached a point in my career where my most important currency, is my time.
If I’m giving you my time, then you get me at 100%, fully committed and a passionate SOB who’s going all in. So be protective of your time. It’s the one thing we can control where it goes and who gets it. Thank you to the multiple teams of people who worked so hard to make our Super Bowl launch of #SKYSCRAPER a success.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BfOaanVFxkS/

– As we’ve previously reported, Jason Jordan will miss WrestleMania 34 after undergoing a recent neck surgery. WWE reportedly had plans for a WrestleMania match between Jordan and Seth Rollins. Jordan broke his silence on the matter via a recent Tweet:

This isn't what I envisioned my Road to #WrestleMania would look like…but this won't stop me. I'm coming back better than ever. #GoldBlooded #TheReturn https://t.co/P5mQX8yEdD

— Jason Jordan (@JasonJordanJJ) February 13, 2018

– Roman Reigns is one of seven men set to compete in the Elimination Chamber match later this month. The winner will go on to WrestleMania 34 to challenge Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title. Reigns took to Twitter to hype the match:

This isn't what I envisioned my Road to #WrestleMania would look like…but this won't stop me. I'm coming back better than ever. #GoldBlooded #TheReturn https://t.co/P5mQX8yEdD

— Jason Jordan (@JasonJordanJJ) February 13, 2018

After ending her toxic relationship with former WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio last November, former Divas Champion Paige has found herself in a new relationship. A story on Metal Injunction talks about Paige and metal core band, Attila, bassist Kalan Blehm taking their relationship public. Blehm, 33,  recently took to Instagram to post a picture of he and Paige at an Orlando Magic game last week. Here’s the description:

“Congrats on the win and the hospitality tonight @orlandomagic ||| @stuffmagic did a great job of creepin my girl out too but we cool”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Be9Zovkl-gq/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BdJDsatlgEo/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BdqEXyflT6Y/?utm_source=ig_embed

https://www.instagram.com/p/BeCE1BBljnU/?utm_source=ig_embed

– Last night on Monday Night RAW WWE confirmed Ivory would be inducted into the 2018 Hall Of Fame class. Ivory joins The Dudley Boyz and Goldberg in this year’s class. The Rock took to Twitter to react to the announcement of Ivory getting the Hall Of Fame nod:

Very happy to hear about this. One of the original ladies of GLOW. We worked a lot together and what a class act and trail blazer this woman is. Congratulations Ivory! Well deserved. #WWEHOF
https://t.co/97r66NwvOY

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) February 13, 2018

– WWE recently uploaded a video on their YouTube channel of an Extreme Rules match between Bobby Lashley and Hardcore Holly from 2007. Lashley’s contract with IMPACT Wrestling recently expired and he’s expected to return to WWE soon:

WWE Superstar Apollo Crews recently did an interview with Planeta Wrestling to talk about several professional wrestling topics. The highlights can be found below:

Last week we spoke with Tyler Breeze and he was explaining how difficult it was transitioning from NXT to the main roster. How difficult was it for you?

“It is a lot different because never in my life have I been on the road that much. I worked [independents] before I got to WWE. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday we are in [NXT in] Orlando training and Thursday we are traveling on the road, but we are not traveling too far outside of Orlando so two hours maximum outside of Orlando. When you get to WWE, literally every week you are getting on a plane from state to state and city to city; literally four different cities and states.

“I believe it is different, especially when you are used to a certain structure with my training, eating, it took me a while to figure out a schedule. Packing my meals, bringing my food on the road, training every moment I get. It is almost like you have to plan accordingly otherwise you lose sleep, training time, you lose time to eat so you really have to stay focused and really plan out your day and stay organized.”

Being focused in this new adventure with Titus Worldwide, I would like to know what is Titus O’Neil giving you as a performer point of view and if you would like to have any new additions to the group?

“Titus helped me to understand that WWE is not only all about wrestling. He helped me to understand that I need to help learn to become an entertainer as well. When you are out there having fun people can feel that and they can have fun themselves, so he is helping me be more relaxed on camera and open up my personality and not be afraid to go out there and have fun. I think when I first got to WWE I took myself a little too seriously. I just want to be a great wrestler, but I think there is a lot more to that when it comes to WWE and he has helped me to understand that, which has worked out a lot better for me. People have recognized that I have a lot more of a personality and I do have character and charisma so I thank him for that everyday.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuLNci1A5rs&feature=youtu.be

– As RAW General Manager Kurt Angle noted last night, Ronda Rousey will sign her RAW contract at Elimination Chamber. WWE released the following statement on the news:

Ronda Rousey’s official Raw Contract Signing to take place at WWE Elimination Chamber

The squared circle is about to get rowdy! WWE Elimination Chamber will not only feature the first-ever Women’s Elimination Chamber Match, but it will also mark the official entry of iconic mixed martial artist Ronda Rousey into WWE as a Raw Superstar.

The former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion instantly made headlines following the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble Match at last month’s groundbreaking pay-per-view, walking to the ring to confront winner Asuka, SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte and Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss. Without saying a word, she pointed directly to the WrestleMania sign looming in the rafters to signal that she intended to make a splash on The Grandest Stage of Then All.

According to a story published by ESPN.com following Rousey’s appearance, the former MMA star has reportedly come to terms with WWE to be a full-time Superstar.

“This is my life now. First priority on my timeline for the next several years. This is not a smash-and-grab; this is not a publicity stunt,” Rousey said. “When I first met with Triple H, I told him, ‘There are other things I can do with my time that’ll make way more money, but I won’t enjoy nearly as much.'”

Rousey’s new life kicks off at WWE Elimination Chamber, but when you consider the chaotic nature of contract-signings in WWE, as well as all the attention that Rousey’s arrival has been garnishing in the WWE Universe and in the locker room, one has to wonder whether the special moment will indeed end in bedlam.

Don’t miss a moment of the historic night, featuring the Men’s and the first-ever Women’s Elimination Chamber Matches, Sunday, Feb. 25, at 8 ET/5 PT on the award-winning WWE Network.

– WWE posted a video of Mike Rome interviewing Absolution’s Paige, Mandy Rose, and Sonya Deville. This came after Sonya and Mandy’s victory over Alexa Bliss and Mickie James on RAW. Paige then interrupted and explained how both Sonya and Mandy have the advantage heading into the Chamber. Check it out:

– Last night’s Monday Night RAW featured a Fatal-Five Way between Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, Bray Wyatt, “Woken” Matt Hardy, and Apollo Crews to determine who would be the final entrant into the Elimination Chamber match. Both Rollins and Balor pinned Wyatt at the same time and no clear winner was determined. RAW General Manager Kurt Angle was interviewed after the show by Renee Young live on Facebook, where he was interrupted by both Rollins and Balor.

Both men were bickering back-and-forth over who deserved the opportunity more, before Angle named both Rollins and Balor into the match. It will be the first seven-man Elimination Chamber match in WWE history. Rollins took to Twitter to react to the history making news:

History. https://t.co/GyUOyOTcKE

— Seth Rollins (@WWERollins) February 13, 2018

– Last night Braun Strowman put on one of the more entertaining segments in recent RAW memory when he attacked Elias with a cello. He took to Twitter to react to the segment:

https://twitter.com/BraunStrowman/status/963278135536992256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

– Per a report from Nick Hausman of WrestleZone, there seems to be talk about WWE holding another WWE Draft or Superstar Shakeup. It’s possible the Draft or Superstar Shakeup could take place at Backlash on pay-per-view (PPV) instead of on TV. The idea is to give the new dual-brand PPV format a jumpstart.

– After last night’s Monday Night RAW went off-air RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss defender her title against Asuka. The match ended in a No Contest when Nia Jax hit the ring and attacked both women. Bayley and Sasha Banks hit the ring for the save and Asuka was declared the winner via disqualification. Of course, that resulted in Bliss still retaining.

– Below is the video of Ivory’s 2018 Hall Of Fame class induction that aired on RAW last night:

Thus far WWE has announced that Goldberg, The Dudley Boyz, and Ivory will be inducted into the 2018 Hall Of Fame class. There have been a number more names rumored to be joining them, such as former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry, but it seems that another name has joined that mix.

Mike Johnson of PWInsider reports that multiple people within WWE have told him there has been talk of possibly inducting Jeff Jarrett into the Hall Of Fame this year. Johnson noted he has been hearing these rumblings for the past three weeks, and up until yesterday the rumors were still going strong. While he couldn’t officially confirm whether or not it will actually happen, Johnson noted there is definitely smoke to the fire:

“There are guys inside of WWE that have come to me and said that they have heard that Jeff Jarrett is being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. While I have no idea that this is the case or not but there certainly seems to be some smoke floating around. Whether there is fire to that smoke, I don’t know.”

We’ll keep you updated as more information becomes available…..

– In case you haven’t seen them yet, Paul Heyman’s Heyman Hustle website has a must-see photo gallery from the Universal Championship match at last month’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view.

Heyman wrote on Twitter, “I have advocated for more #WWE champions than anyone in history. Spent the majority of my time in #WWE screaming “reigning defending …

No one in history matches Brock Lesnar’s level of dominance. No one. #WrestleMania #April8 #NewOrleans #BrockLesnar”

– Both Sasha Banks and Bayley took to Twitter ahead of their “friendly competition” match tonight on Monday Night RAW. Here’s what the two women had to say:

Gulp…sounds fun. See you in da shark tank my friend ? https://t.co/IcpVB9sYm8

— Bayley (@itsBayleyWWE) February 12, 2018

Judging by your last match in your hometown, I like my odds tonight! See you in da shark tank… friend ??? https://t.co/9j7Dehzjv5

— Mercedes Moné Varnado (@MercedesVarnado) February 12, 2018

Former WWE and IMPACT Wrestling star Ken Anderson (also known as Mr. Kennedy) recently made an appearance on Sean “X-Pac” Waltman’s podcast, X-Pac12360. During their conversation Anderson discussed what it was like working with Paul Heyman when he was in OVW:

“First, when I was doing tryouts, I remember one day we were in the ring working just all the indie guys and the only two people sitting in the front row were Paul Heyman and Jim Ross. Guys were getting in [the ring] doing chain wrestling which was fine, but they just weren’t showing character. I got in there and I started putting heat on somebody, talking smack. Fast forward, Jim Cornette got released from the company and they said Paul Heyman was coming in and he’s gonna run OVW and he’s gonna run all the TV and everything. I remember he came in and said, ‘I need to talk to you.’

“[He] pulled me into a room and said, ‘You’re the next guy up… I have been a fan of yours,I’ve had my eye on you.’ At that point I been there for 6 months and he said, ‘We’re gonna do so much stuff with you on TV here that they’re gonna have to take you onto the main roster.’ Five weeks later Tommy Dreamer called me and said, ‘Hey they want to take a look at you on Smackdown. In that case Paul was correct, and I just continued to be friends with Paul.”

He also revealed that he would occasionally call Heyman for advice during his run in TNA Wrestling:

“After I got released [from WWE] and went to TNA, a lot of people don’t know this, but they would a lot of times hand me a script and I would call Paul and say, ‘Hey here’s what they gave me, I am not digging it, what can we do?’ Almost every week and he would say, ‘Give me a couple minutes and I’ll write something up for you.’ A couple minutes later he would have an email to my inbox. We just kinda collaborated, it was really cool. He’s a great guy.”

Now Anderson runs a wrestling school and enjoys passing on his knowledge of the business to the next generation:

“To me it’s not work, it is fun. I enjoy it especially when the students are really into it and it’s a really good atmosphere and everyone is having fun. It’s not work and I put a lot of time in it. We wanted to have a place that… we sorta designed it on a way lighter budget obviously, we looked at what the performance center is doing and how do we take that to an independent level.”

Molly Holly is a trainer at Anderson’s school and reacted to Holly’s appearance in the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble match:

“What a huge reaction from the people in the room, when they saw one of their coaches [Molly] come out as one of the entrances of the first ever women’s Royal Rumble. Which I must say, in my humble opinion, that was the match of the night, those women crushed it.”

You can listen to Anderson’s appearance on X-Pac12360 here by clicking this link.

Ring Of Honor (ROH) star Madison Rayne recently did an interview with Channel Guide Magazine Channel Guide Magazine to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Currently Rayne is a ‘free agent’ and she discussed what that means for herself and her family moving forward:

“I think in 2018 it’s fun and exciting to be able to control your own narrative and go where you want and do what you want. It’s also very gratifying to have a company who wants to invest in you and wants to put their branding on you and bring you on board. I don’t really know what I would prefer at this point. I want to have a contract and have that be home. Then I start doing all these things that make it exciting for me to be a ‘free agent.’ I don’t know what the right thing is.

“I’m just going to do what works best for me and my family and for my life. Right now, getting to go everywhere and do everything and wrestle so many different women. I was with Impact for so long and have this group of women who are now lifelong friends and I’ve traveled the world with, but now I’m getting to branch out more and wrestle different people and different crowds.”

With the current vamp WWE has taken in women’s professional wrestling, a debate has sparked over which promotion really started the Women’s Revolution – IMPACT or WWE? Rayne offered her thoughts on the matter:

“I know right now there is a lot of contention of, ‘Well, the Knockouts started the Women’s Revolution.’ At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. The Knockouts in 2007 did their thing and probably inspired many who are doing it now in WWE and Ring of Honor and Impact. I hate getting caught up into who did it and who did it better. I think for many years it has been growing and getting bigger and better.

“It makes me feel good that I was part of this first generation and did it at such a young age. I think I was 21 when I had my first tryout match at TNA. I’ve done it for so long. I’m in that really good spot involved heavily back then and involved into it now. It’s fun.”

Rayne also discussed ROH starting to expand their own women’s division, and it being the perfect time to do so:

“Deonna Purrazzo, Kelly Klein, Mandy Leon and Sumi Sakai, those women laid the foundation for what Women of Honor is right now. I have the opportunity to come in now to put my name and brand on the division. Brandi Rhodes is doing the same thing. … Back when I was wrestling infrequently with them, they had some incredible names and could have easily formed a championship and division. But I don’t think women’s wrestling was where it is right now.

“There was a lull in the amount of activity women had at Ring of Honor for a few years. I would say this is the perfect time for them. Women’s wrestling is probably at its highest point right now. So, for Ring of Honor to capitalize on it, I think it’s brilliant because I think Ring of Honor is growing just as quickly as women’s wrestling is going. I feel like it only makes sense right now.”

You can read Rayne’s full interview with Channel Guide Magazine Channel Guide Magazine by clicking this link here.

Ex-WCW feature producer Neal Pruitt has released another episode of his podcast, Neal Pruitt’s Secrets of WCW Nitro, and talked about several WCW related topics. One such topic covered WWE Hall Of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin’s time with the company. Pruitt talked about Austin’s issues with bing nervous during interviews:

“I don’t think anybody ever wants to really expose their weaknesses, but when you do expose your weaknesses to someone that’s willing to help you, you can really excel. Not that I had anything to do with it…but [Austin] did tell us he had an issue with speaking [upon his arrival to WCW]. [He said] it was something he really needed to work on.

“Having been in the interview room for so long, [I know] that what really freaks people out is… it’s just not natural to look in the camera lens instead of somebody’s face. So it’s already a weird thing to do, and the intimidation factor creeps in for whatever reason. [Often] when the light goes on the camera, the personality goes off.

“I knew Stone Cold was uncomfortable with that – looking right in the camera. So I told him, ‘if you’re nervous about looking in the camera, don’t even look in the camera. These people don’t deserve your gaze’. So if you watch some of his earlier stuff when he had hair and he was on WCW Saturday Night, you’ll see that he’s not looking at the camera at all.

“He worked at his talent at talking, [and] so did Cactus Jack. When they would ride down the road together, they would never turn the radio on. They would just [practice their promos]. That’s how dedicated these people were at becoming professionals at what they did. And I really admire that, because I know that’s what it takes. It doesn’t come naturally to most people, but if you work at it, you can get it.”

Pruitt also tackled the rumors that WCW fed in “Goldberg” chants to their programming when he made his entrance:

“Sometimes some of it would be recorded, and we would mix that in to get the people excited. It didn’t happen all that much as far as the live shows went, but I know I would enhance some of the pay-per-view events.

“When I did the show for Deep South Wrestling – that’s where people like Luke Gallows, Kofi Kingston, MVP, Jack Swagger, The Miz and lots of [other] guys at WWE [came from] – I would always super-enhance the audio, as far as when the show aired on TV. I had a ‘roar’ track that I used underneath [the crowd noise], that I think really enhanced the show.”

You can listen to Neal Pruitt’s Secrets of WCW Nitro by clicking this link here.