– If you’re also a fan of professional boxing then you’re going to enjoy this. The Rock took to Instagram, as a favor to HBO, to announce the highly-anticipated rematch between Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin on May 5, 2018:
– WWE has uploaded a new video in which Mike Rome interviews the newest addition to the RAW commentary team – Jonathan Coachman. “The Coach” will be replacing WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T at the commentary booth. Coach said he is excited to be back and call action with Michael Cole and Corey Graves, and briefly touches on his time with ESPN as well:
So far WWE has confirmed that former WCW World Heavyweight Champion Goldberg and former WWE Tag Team Champions The Dudley Boyz will be inducted into the 2018 WWE Hall Of Fame class. PWInsider now reports that there were rumblings last night at the Royal Rumble that both former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry and former three-time WWE Women’s Champion Ivory will also be inducted this year.
Names such as Henry, Ivory, Bam Bam Bigelow and Kid Rock (celebrity wing) have been rumored for this year’s Hall Of Fame, however, WWE has only confirmed The Dudley Boyz and Goldberg thus far. While Mark Henry and Ivory have yet to be confirmed by the company an announcement should be expected soon. Perhaps as early as tonight’s episode of Monday Night RAW.
The 2018 Hall Of Fame induction ceremony will take place from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana on April 6th, two days before WrestleMania 34.
During last night’s Universal Championship match at the Royal Rumble things got real between Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman. At one point in the match Strowman actually caught Lesnar with a stiff knee to the head.
Lesnar is probably the last person you want to let that happen against. “The Beast” gave “The Monster Amongst Men” a receipt in the form of a stiff right hand to Strowman’s jaw:
It then sounded like Lesnar said something along the lines of “slow the fu*k down.” Lesnar would go on to pin Kane for the finish and retained his Universal Championship.
It’s expected he’ll defend his Universal crown against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans this April.
– After making history and winning the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble match last night, former NXT Women’s Champion Asuka took to Twitter to comment on the accolade:
– Shortly after the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble match ex-UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey made her WWE debut. Rousey signed a full-time deal with WWE and is expected to wrestle at WrestleMania in New Orleans later this year. WWE.com released their “4 reasons why Ronda Rousey is a complete game changer for the WWE Women’s division” list. Check it out here:
4. She has already proven she can hold her own in a WWE ring
3. She has an unparalleled competitive nature
2. She has a diverse set of skills and accomplishments in combat sports
1. She is on the shortlist of most iconic female athletes of all time
– After her debut at last night’s WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view (PPV) former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey spoke to members of the media about her jump to professional wrestling. A funny picture has emerged of Triple H peeking around the entrance ramp trying to snap a photo of Rousey himself. Check it out:
– If you watched NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia then you noticed Nigel McGuinness wasn’t on commentary as he was replaced by Percy Watson. F4WOnline reports that McGuiness missed the event after getting the flu. Mauro Ranallo and Watson took over commentating duties for the show.
– WWE uploaded a video of Mixed Match Challenge partners Bobby Roode and Charlotte Flair backstage at the Royal Rumble last night. Two-time WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair joined them, and “The Nature Boy” and Charlotte tried to teach Roode how to properly “Woo!” Charlotte and Roode are looking forward to a week six match-up against Nia Jax and Apollo Crews in the Mixed Match Challenge:
– WWE.com has listed its top five best moments from the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble match. Here’s what they listed:
5. The return of women from WWE’s illustrious past
– On last night’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view (PPV) pre-show United States Champion Bobby Roode held an Open Challenge for his title. Mojo Rawley ended up answering the challenge, but PWInsider is reporting that wasn’t WWE’s initial plans.
Apparently Dolph Ziggler was originally supposed to answer the challenge from Roode, however, WWE decided to have him enter the Royal Rumble match at number 30 instead. He’s also expected to appear at SmackDown Live tomorrow night.
– During the Women’s Royal Rumble match last night Nikki Bella eliminated her twin sister Brie Bella before going down to the final two with Asuka. Bella was eventually eliminated by Asuka and “The Empress Of Tomorrow” became the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble winner.
Per a report from Bryan Alvarez of F4WOnline, Nikki eliminated Brie as a part of a storyline for Total Bellas. The Bella Twins’ brother, JJ, was also backstage at the show along with the filming crew.
Earlier today at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s (NJPW) New Beginning Jay White defeated Kenny Omega to become the new IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion. Following the match Adam Page challenged White by taking the title from him, before Omega took it back and handed it to White again. Cody Rhodes then hit the ring, along with more Bullet Club members, and began to argue with “The Cleaner.”
Cody said Omega wasn’t being a leader before hitting Omega with the Cross Rhodes. Page held Omega while Cody got a chair to hit him with. Koto Ibushi then came out for the save and chased everyone off. Ibushi and Omega hugged before heading to the back. Check it out here:
– Monday Night RAW General Manager Kurt Angle may have just given away a major spoiler for tonight’s Women’s Royal Rumble match. The WWE Hall Of Famer posted the following blurry poster for the Women’s Rumble, featuring former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey – who has been speculated for the event for some time now:
The poster looks to be a fake but WWE actually retweeted Angle’s post on Twitter rather than telling him to take it down. We’ll keep you updated….
– Sports Illustrated recently caught up with former WWE Champion Rob Van Dam who revealed he didn’t receive an invite from the company to return at RAW 25. He also said he prefers wrestling sporadically on the independent circuit compared to working for WWE:
“I know some people can’t understand that, but I’m wrestling overseas and I’m wrestling way less matches,” said RVD. “I don’t enjoy the road life or WWE’s really hectic schedule.”
– The WWE always likes to bring in some big names for the Royal Rumble each year, and it seems that they’ve brought in one of the biggest for tomorrow night. PWInsider is reporting that both The Undertaker and Michelle McCool are in Philadelphia for the Royal Rumble.
It’s possible that the couple is just there for McCool’s appearance in the women’s Royal Rumble, as WWE did reach out to her for an appearance. As for The Undertaker there’s no word yet on if he’ll be competing in the men’s Royal Rumble. Here is a photo and video of Taker and McCool in Philadelphia earlier today:
– Big Cass appeared alongside NXT Women’s Champ Ember Moon, Mandy Rose, Dana Warrior, and No Way Jose at the WrestleMania Reading Challenge in New Orleans this week as they read to over 300 students for National Reading Day. Here are some photos:
WWE Superstar Elias recently did an interview with he Baltimore Sun to talk about his time with the company on the main roster. Several weeks ago Elias got the opportunity to work with John Cena on Monday Night RAW, and it looks like a feud between them is brewing. The man formerly known as “The Drifter” said when you’re working with John Cena in WWE – that’s where you want to be:
“That’s where you want to be in the WWE. John Cena has been the franchise for so long. In the ring across from John, you know you have a lot of eyes on you. As a performer, that’s where you want to be as far as I’m concerned.”
Elias also had the opportunity to work a small segment on RAW 25 with Chris Jericho. He said that Jericho annoyed him by trying to play the guitar and the whole situation rubbed him the wrong way:
“Well, I gotta say that the guy who really annoyed me on Monday Night Raw, Chris Jericho. He shows up, he wants to make some sort of claim that scarves are gimmick infringement. Though if you go back and look, I was wearing it long before him … but that’s OK. But then he pulls out a guitar and tries to play a song. So I’d definitely like to get in the ring with him. Something about the way that interaction went down on Monday rubbed me the wrong way.”
He was then asked about getting a bigger reaction on the main roster than he did in developmental on NXT:
“You know, I’ve heard that. In fact, I’ve heard Triple H himself say that in interviews, that Elias is maybe made for Monday Night Raw. But I can remember very clearly times in Full Sail where I’d sing songs and I couldn’t hear myself sing because the crowd was so loud for it. So it’s definitely an interesting dynamic, that’s for sure, being on Raw and hearing the way the crowd interacts with me. So I don’t know if that’s how I’d describe it, but I’m on Raw now and I’m doing my thing.”
You can read Elias’ full interview with The Baltimore Sun by clicking this link here.
Posted January 27th, 2018 in WWE, News. Tagged: Elias.
Former WWE Superstar and Divas Champion Celeste Bonin (better known as Kaitlyn in WWE) was recently interviewed by WSVN-TV Entertainment reporter Chris Van Vliet to talk about several professional wrestling topics. She has since announced that she will be returning to wrestling and explained her decision to do so:
“I retired pretty much 4 years ago and I didn’t really have any intention of going back or making any kind of come back or even wrestling for any other promotion like TNA. I was just super focused on my business and wrestling was kind of just in my past. Then when I got in the ring I was just super rusty which was a little embarrassing but I missed it so much.
“I had such a tumultuous year in 2017, I went through a divorce and a bunch of changes in my company and moving warehouses and moving where I lived. I kind of fell out of a routine and I wasn’t working out and my life was kind of upside down but when I started wrestling again I kind of felt more purpose and structure and passionate about life in general again.”
Bonin also explained why she isn’t allowed to wrestle under the name “Kaitlyn” anymore:
“Kaitlyn is dead. We had her funeral. It’s a name that WWE owns and it’s a character that they own. They built it and they put money into it. I don’t own it.”
With the Women’s Royal Rumble right around the corner there has been a ton of speculation as to who the WWE will be contacting to participate. Bonin said she hasn’t received a call from WWE to appear but knows they sometimes do so as late as two days before the event:
“I haven’t got a call or anything. As far I know I’m not going to be there. But they’ve been known to call you 2 days before and that’s what happened to me when I debuted on NXT. They called me on a Friday and told me I was going to debut on a Tuesday. So anything is possible in the world of professional wrestling.”
Since Bonin has departed from WWE the female division has seen a major revamp in how serious they take women’s professional wrestling. The newfound “Women’s Revolution” is something that she’s really proud of, but not necessarily envious of:
“It’s really cool to look at the woman’s division now, I’m not envious that I’m not part of it right now because I have so much other sh*t going on with my business and the other projects I’m working on, but it makes me really proud that it’s gotten to the point where it’s at right now. The girls are getting longer matches and cool stories and characters and I’m super proud of it.
“Last time Smackdown Live was in Miami, I went to see a few friends backstage and I was hanging out in the locker room and it was so cool in there and it’s not always like that. There’s different eras I guess and when I was there, there was some tension and a**holes and whatever. But it’s such a cool, chill vibe in the locker room now and it made me really proud of what they have going on right now.”
Posted January 27th, 2018 in WWE, News. Tagged: Kaitlyn.
Former WWE executive Bruce Prichard was recently interviewed by 6-ABC to talk about several professional wrestling topics, including his return to the company at RAW 25 last week. Prichard was first asked about the big news of his former boss and friend Vince McMahon’s revival of the XFL. Prichard said that he’s excited for the return of the franchise, and the fact that McMahon is waiting two years for the relaunch shows maturity:
“What is there to say about the announcement of the XFL in 2020? Like everybody else, I was highly anticipating this announcement. It was met with I think a little bit of mixed reviews because I think people wanted more. But, at the end of the day, the XFL is returning. Vince McMahon is at the helm, even though he says he’s going to have the best in the business and professionals that know the football game and know that world.
“Vince will find the best. And Vince will hire the absolute best. I’m excited this time around because I don’t think Vince often makes the same mistakes too many times over. And the fact that he is taking two years to launch this league is a sign of, I don’t want to say maturity, but a sign of knowing the mistakes that he made last time and not wanting to repeat them. So already, he’s not rushing into this.”
Prichard also discussed his encounter with Vince McMahon at RAW 25 last week and described their brief reunion:
“I did get to say hello to Vince. I saw Vince right before he went out to start Monday Night Raw, in the hallway, and it was a short ‘Hello. Have fun.’ And at the very end, I thanked him and gave him a hug and that was it. Spoke to Stephanie and Shane [McMahon], as well, and it was great to reconnect with both of them. So all in all, it was an exciting day, a great night, a lot of history made, and, in a word, I had a blast, so it was it was an awful lot of fun.”
This year there’s going to be two Royal Rumble matches on the pay-per-view (PPV) card, a men’s Royal Rumble match and the first-ever Women’s Rumble as well. Prichard offered his thoughts on having two Rumbles on one card:
“Having two Rumbles in one show concerns me a little bit because those are two long matches and they’re the same type of match. It’s kind of like having a night of cage matches or a night of the same gimmick matches. It can wear on you after a while, but I’m confident that they’ll be able to make it different enough that people will enjoy it and pretty much be into everything that they do.”
You can read Prichard’s full interview with 6-ABC by clicking this link here.
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently did an interview with Business Insider to talk about a variety of professional wrestling topics. “Good Ole’ JR” was asked for his opinion on 72-year-old WWE frontman Vince McMahon and his ability to continue to run the company. Ross said that Vince isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, as he’s still very healthy for his age, but has his own idea of where the company will go without him:
“I have an opinion on where the company will go. I will say this — you know, Vince is very healthy. He still works out like a crazy man. He really takes care of himself,” Ross said. “So, he ain’t going anywhere soon. We don’t want him to go anywhere soon. He’s the rock that built that thing. He’s the rudder in the water. It’s an amazing company.”
As for who Vince’s successor would be once he decides to step away from WWE, Ross said that he’d put his money down on son-in-law Triple H rather than McMahon’s own son Shane McMahon:
“I think that, if I’m guessing, and it’s gonna strictly be a guess — that the money would be on, probably, Paul Levesque to be Vince’s successor,” Ross said.
The future WWE Hall Of Famer currently serves as the WWE’s Executive Vice President Of Talent, Live Events, and Creative. Because of these roles and opportunities given to “The Game” Ross feels that McMahon is grooming his son-in-law to take the helm once he steps down:
“I think Vince is kind of preparing him for that in a lot of ways. You always knew that he was different from the other guys because he was very studious, and very – under control,” he said. “He didn’t drink. No drugs. He looked to be a lifer early on, and he got a lot of that from being a fan all his life growing up in the northeast — New Hampshire. Then, getting trained by Killer Kowalski who was a great, old-school guy. So, I think he’s probably the heir apparent.”
Ross believes that both Stephanie and Shane McMahon would continue to be involved with the company after Vince steps away, but in smaller roles, while Hunter is left as the right man for the job:
“Stephanie is very involved and, you know, is really more of a face of WWE. She does a lot of charity work. And she’s great at that. And you’ve got to have that in that world,” he said. “I think Shane seems to be, apparently, content with being a TV character. I don’t know where his role’s gonna be going forward or what he wants it to be. But, I think that Paul Levesque is the one that seems to be earmarked to be the next guy, if and when Vince is not in that role.”
You can read Ross’ full interview with Business Insider by clicking this link here.
Former WWE personality Jonathan Coachman was recently interviewed on Busted Open Radio to talk about a variety of topics. One topic of discussion was how ESPN, Coachman’s now-former employer, helped bring WWE back into mainstream sports media:
“I feel a lot of pride. When we decided to push the envelope a little bit, I got a call from the office and they said ‘can you help us’. That’s one of the biggest criticisms of Vince over the years is he always felt like the superstars are all we need. These days with social media, you need crossover all of the time. They realized that. There is no more crossover at the time than ESPN.
“I’m very proud of the fact that we not only got a segment every week on Sportscenter, but it became the highest rated segment on social media. We created a dropdown on ESPN that when you go there today, it’s right there next to the NBA, NFL, WWE is right there at the top.”
Coachman got in trouble during his days with ESPN for issuing out a Tweet that stated ‘journalism is dead.’ He explained what happened between himself and his bosses after the Tweet:
“I got in trouble when I tweeted this. I said ‘journalism is dead as we know it. Anybody that wants to go to college to be a writer and write for the Washington Post, stop right now, because your career will never take off’. If you don’t entertain me, I’m turning the channel. Entertainment needs to be the #1 priority. That’s what I told my bosses at ESPN. This is entertaining. Who cares where the eyeballs come from?”
When answering the question of why he left ESPN, Coach explained how the sports media juggernaut ‘dropped the ball’:
“They dropped the ball. They could have done so much more. Every single project I’m about to start doing, I pitched to ESPN, and they said no to. It was very frustrating near the end. I said to my boss ‘you are so shortsighted on what we need to be doing, that it’s incredible to me’. The night before Summerslam 2016, Conor McGregor fought Nate Diaz for the 2nd time. I said to them, ‘I will go to Vegas, cover the fight, then fly to New York, cover Summerslam, and put both stories into a package to celebrate the biggest weekend in combat sports’.
“My boss said, ‘can’t do it. Nobody’s gonna want to watch that. I’ve already sent 3 cameras to preseason football.’ I said you gotta be kidding me. When I was getting ready to leave, I went to his boss and asked if this idea ever came across your desk. He said ‘No. We would have absolutely ran with that.'”
Coach then described what it’s really like working with “The Chairman Of The Board” Vince McMahon. Apparently McMahon really likes his former storyline executive assistant:
“He liked me a lot. For that, I was very close to him. He’s very difficult to be around sometimes, but there’s no-one else I’d rather work with. Part of the reason I was able to be at ESPN for almost 10 years is because what I learned from Vince, and that’s business comes first, you never burn any bridges, and you do what’s always right for the business. You also show up. The one thing that Vince taught us was you show up. I’ve actually seen him fire talent because they went out on an autograph session on Tuesday, and saw a blizzard coming to their hometown, they went home, and then couldn’t make the TV taping.
“The one thing you do in this business and for Vince is you show up. He was also the orchestrator of an incredible rib on me in North Carolina that I was arrested and jailed. When he really likes you, that’s what he does to show you. He’s very difficult to work for. He demands excellence. He is very demanding. He always doesn’t make the right call, but when you do TV 51 weeks a year, it’s hard to make things right every single time and make it hot. As far as leadership goes, I don’t know if there is a better leader, because you always know which direction you’re going. It may not always be the right direction, but you know which direction you’re going. There was no waste of time proposing ideas to him. He loves hungry talent. If you don’t want to sit on the sidelines, come prepared and pitch him ideas.
“Take The New Day for example. These are three guys whose careers were basically over, and here they come with this act, and Vince signed off on it. He is a guy who you better be prepared to talk to, don’t stumble over yourself and have your thoughts together. He will die on the road. There will not be a Vince McMahon who sits at home and watches the show. That’s just who he is. If you have a baby, you want to watch that baby grow. That’s just who he is.”
We reported earlier this month that WWE Hall Of Famer Hulk Hogan told The Associated Press that he is a fan of what The Bullet Club has been doing over in New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). “The Hulkster” spoke to The AP to discuss RAW 25 and whether or not he’d be appearing. During the interview he said he’d love to jump on a plane and go over to Japan and ‘get involved with that Bullet Club.’:
“I’m about ready to jump on a plane and fly to Japan and get involved with that Bullet Club, man. I’m so excited about those kids.”
Matt Jackson of The Young Bucks, and Bullet Club member, told Sports Illustrated this past September that he’d love to have the opportunity to work with Hogan:
“I’d love to welcome Hulk in. He’s honestly my favorite wrestler of all time, so working with him in any capacity would be fun.” His brother Nick added, “I’d love to have him walk us down the aisle at the Tokyo Dome while the three of us play air guitar. That would be a dream come true.”
Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that negotiations actually took place to possibly have Hogan associated with The Bullet Club, however, Hogan was asking for too much money and members of the faction were hesitant to welcome him out of fear he’d jump right back to WWE the moment they showed any interest.
– Inaugural Mae Young Classic winner Kairi Sane returned to action inside the squared circle at last night’s NXT live event in Albany, New York. Sane defeated “The Lady Of NXT” Lacey Evans in one-on-one competition after hitting an Insane Elbow. Sane hadn’t competed since November at NXT TakeOver: WarGames when she took part in a Fatal 4-Way Match against Nikki Cross, Peyton Royce, and Ember Moon for the vacant NXT Women’s Title.
Moon eventually won the match. No specifics have been reported on Sane’s hiatus from competition, but Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter did note on Twitter recently that she was “banged up.”
– Monday Night RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss recently did an interview with Sky Sports to promote this weekend’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view (PPV) and the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble match. Bliss said that the Women’s Revolution is isn’t done yet, and has here eyes on a future female WrestleMania main event:
You’re never done,” Bliss said. “The WWE has been at the forefront of promoting women in sports entertainment and athletics. But it would be awesome if one day we main event WrestleMania. That would be amazing. At the moment, the fact that we’re making history is very exciting. I’m very excited by this Royal Rumble Match because the revolution didn’t start with just one or two women. So the fact you have every woman included is awesome.”
Read Bliss’ full interview with Sky Sports by clicking this link here.
Last February steroid dealer Richard Rodriguez was arrested by the DEA following a year-long investigation after having his gym, Iron Addicts Gym, raided in Miami. Rodriguez is being accused of importing goods from China, manufacturing illegal steroids in Arizona, and distributing them in Miami. Forbes reports that Rodriguez’s Wellness Fitness Nutrition LLC (WFN) company had “at least 50 customers in the Eastern District of New York” and made over $10 million off the distribution of illegal steroids.
Jon Bravo is doing a documentary on the Iron Addicts Gym and recently did an interview with Rodriguez. Last week Rodriguez implicated WWE Superstar Roman Reigns and actors Mark Wahlberg and Josh Duhamel as clients of his. Reigns released this official statement denying any involvement in the scandal:
“I have never heard of Richard Rodriguez or Wellness Fitness Nutrition,” Reigns stated. “I learned from the mistake I made nearly two years ago and paid the penalty for it. Since then, I’ve passed 11 tests as part of WWE’s independent drug testing program.”
Both Wahlberg and Duhamel also denied the allegations in statements of their own. In a new video released by Bravo, Rodriguez stated that he named Reigns, Duhamel, and Wahlberg as clients of his specifically in order to get a better plea deal. There are also bigger names involved that apparently won’t be revealed until the release of the documentary. Rodriguez also teased members of President Donald Trump’s administration are involved as well.
Rodriguez claims that he was introduced to Reigns a few years back by a wrestling enthusiast, and claims he will soon be releasing texts proving he was in contact with the three stars.
“That information with us communicating with Roman via text messages will be provided to the appropriate party, which will then be disclosed prior to our documentary that’s going to be filmed soon,” Rodriguez said.
More specifically Rodriguez claims he will be providing “snippets of proof” in the next week; including text messages, tracking numbers and addresses where he had the products shipped to his clients. The addresses are said to be on movie sets in London and various other locations where the pickups would be able to be made.
The video of Rodriguez’s recent claims can be found here:
– One-half of the Monday Night RAW Tag Team Champions, Jason Jordan, has been out-of-action for the past few weeks with an undisclosed injury. Per a report from Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Jordan is actually dealing with a back injury, but he’s still scheduled to team with his partner, Seth Rollins, to defend their RAW Tag Titles against The Bar (Sheamus and Cesaro) at this weekend’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view (PPV).
– Rusev followed through on his promise recently, as WWE Shop has released a new “Rusev Day Calendar” for just $9.99. Both Aiden English and Rusev Tweeted out photos of the calendar, which features Lana as well:
This weekend the 2018 Royal Rumble pay-per-view (PPV) will go down from Philadelphia, which means that the 30-man Battle Royal to determine who will headline WrestleMania 34 will also be going down. There are a lot of favorites to win this year’s Rumble; such as Roman Reigns, Daniel Bryan, Shinsuke Nakamura, and more. Recently WWE Hall Of Famer Edge did an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard and was asked about the Rumble.
“The Rated-R Superstar” gave his pick for this weekend’s main event, and said that he’d like to see former New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) star Shinsuke Nakamura punch his ticket for WrestleMania – likely setting up an AJ Styles vs. Nakamura match for the WWE Title:
“I think it would be awesome,” said Edge. “Nakamura has that kind of Jeff Hardy intangible, and then you add in the history with him and AJ. The North American audience and, to an extent, the worldwide audience, has not seen what Nakamura brings to the table. We’ve seen flashes of it in his matches against Sami Zayn and Randy Orton. As evidenced by his New Japan work, he can be a very special performer. It would be nice to see him at least given that shot. From there, it’s up to him whether he sinks or swims. Sometimes, not everyone adapts to the style.
“It’s a different company, it’s a different audience, it’s an entirely different hurricane. Sometimes styles don’t translate. Rey Mysterio was a master of doing that. No matter where he went, Rey could make his style adapt. But not everyone is Rey Mysterio. I love Nakamura, but it’s a transition for anybody who comes to WWE. You start him off with Sami at NXT, and talk about having the ultimate meal set for you: you get this amazing selling babyface and get to have this spectacular match. As I’ve talked about on the podcast, NXT is a different beast from WWE.
“But I think he and AJ can be one of the main events, and I also know the people want it. With the proper build, AJ-Nakamura could be the match on last. That’s why I’d like to see Nakamura win the Rumble. He and AJ would have an amazing match, and that would give a different flavor to WrestleMania. You’d also have Brock-Roman and maybe Cena-Taker, as well as the women’s division, so then you’re pretty much set with a solid card.”
You can ready Edge’s full interview with Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard by clicking this link here.
Posted January 26th, 2018 in WWE, News. Tagged: Edge.
– Former WWE Universal Champion Finn Balor took to Twitter to post some pictures from he and The Club’s encounter with DX at RAW 25, and also said he’s coming for ‘everything they said I couldn’t have’:
– The Undisputed Era’s Adam Cole also took to Twitter and noted that he’s focused on capturing the NXT Title this year. Zelina Vega responded to this Tweet and said that current NXT Champion Andrade “Cien” Almas, who she manages, may have something to say about that:
Prior to his big victory over Roman Reigns on RAW 25 earlier this week where he recaptured the Intercontinental Championship, The Miz spoke to ESPN to talk about several professional wrestling topics. One topic of discussion is the fact that he and his wife, Maryse, are expecting their first child this Spring. The Miz does not want to miss the birth of his first daughter so he said he has a private jet on standby at all times:
“I’m so excited to be a father. I’m excited, nervous, happy, scared. It’s every emotion you could possibly think of, I’m going through it. It’s a WrestleMania baby. The only thing my wife asked me was that [she wanted me to be there]. I literally have a private jet on call at all times.
“I will spend whatever amount of money to get there, to be there and support her and witness my first child being born because I am ecstatic. I don’t want to be the dad that’s not there. I don’t want the kid to ever think that I wasn’t there. I want her to be the one that says you were there, you guided me, you supported me in the best way you knew how.”
Several huge names have held the WWE Intercontinental Title over the years, and the title means a great deal to “The Hollywood A-Lister.” He said he wasn’t happy seeing it become a ‘second-place title’:
“Ultimate Warrior, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Mr. Perfect, Rick Rude — you name it. Every superstar that was my hero growing up as a kid has held that title. It’s a title I always loved as a kid. When I got it for the first time, you’re ecstatic, you’re happy, but you watch the title become a second-place kind of title.
“The last time I got it, I literally said I [was] sick of people looking at this as just a placeholder, as like a whatever title. I want people to understand that when you hold that title, it is prestigious, it is relevant, it has a rich history and that’s what I set out to do. I think I’ve been doing a pretty good job of it, but I’m not done until I’m main-eventing WrestleMania with the Intercontinental championship.”
Miz lost the Intercontinental Title to Roman Reigns this past November in order to go film a new movie for a few weeks. Upon his return two weeks ago he received “Welcome Back” chants from the WWE Universe, something that took Miz aback:
“When I came back two weeks ago to Monday Night Raw, I was gone for six episodes, six weeks. And literally I came back and there were ‘welcome back’ chants. I thought wait a second. Brock Lesnar was gone longer than I am and he doesn’t get welcome back chants, but I am? Usually you guys hate me and boo me and tell me I suck, but now you’re welcoming me back? It made me feel that I was a piece of this puzzle and the main piece was missing.”
You can read Miz’s full interview with ESPN by clicking this link here.
Posted January 24th, 2018 in WWE, News. Tagged: The Miz.
– Following his epic return to WWE on RAW 25 earlier this week, WWE Hall Of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin took to Twitter to comment on his return. Here’s what he had to say:
– One name that missed RAW 25 is Hall Of Famer Hulk Hogan, who has since been distanced from WWE since his racist comments in a leaked sex tape came to light several years ago. Hogan took to Twitter and said it was hard to sit at home and not be a part of it, but enjoyed watching what he called a ‘great show’:
Very hard sitting at home and not being at #Raw25 with all my friends but really enjoyed seeing it all. My how great the show was HH
– Following his loss to Bray Wyatt on RAW 25, “Woken” Matt Hardy teased the likes of Reby Hardy, his son Maxel, and Senor Benjamin coming to WWE with him. He also said he needs to return to the Hardy Compound to draw power from his ‘platoon.’ Hardy then stated that he needs to return to his “BROKEN” beginnings, teasing that he may soon be using the “Broken” gimmick instead of the “Woken” one he has been using on WWE TV as of late:
On this Eve in The York of New, I lost a single Battle in #TheGreatWar to an ETERNAL RIVAL.
I must return to The Hardy Compound & draw from the POWAH of my PLATOON.
– In the main event of last night’s episode of 205 Live, Cedrick Alexander and Mustafa Ali put on an incredible main event that garnered “This Is Awesome” chants from the crowd. Highlights from the match, including both Alexander and Ali’s reactions, can be found below: