SEScoops

Category: WWE

  • Great Khali Involved In Legal Dispute, Update On Perry Saturn

    — Various Indian media outlets report that a land encroachment complaint has been filed against The Great Khali, who plans to set up a wrestling academy in Paonta Sahib. A local resident has alleged that his acre of land is within the area purchased by the WWE Superstar. Though police have started an investigation, they are waiting for him to return settle the dispute.

    — Awesome Wrestling Entertainment announced Thursday they have signed Perry Saturn to a contract. The former WWE star competed for the first time in over five years on October 15 at their Night of the Legends pay-per-view event. He defeated C.W. Anderson.

    — Shelly Martinez stated on Twitter she will be hosting a dating show.

    She wrote, “I am so stoked Got film dates for a new project!! I will b a segment host on a new dating web series Details soon!!”

  • Major Former Star Confirmed For “WWE ’12”, Buchanan Update

    — Batista will be a playable character in THQ’s WWE ’12 video game, set for release on November 22, 2011 in North America and on November 25 in the United Kingdom.

    THQ posted a screenshot on their official website denoting Batista as a character in the game.

    — The Scripps Howard News Service has an article on former WWE star Bull Buchanan, who now works as supervisor at a SONY distribution and packaging center in Carrollton, Georgia. He believes his transformation from a serious enforcer to the more light-hearted B2 character who briefly seconded John Cena turned off Vince McMahon, leading to his departure from WWE in 2003.

    “The fun part of it probably boomeranged on me,” Buchanan said. “Everything I had done to that point in my career had been so serious. I took this as something where I could be a little more tongue-in-cheek. Vince, though, had always seen me as a killer brutalizing people in the ring and throwing them around. This was different.”

    — Former WWE star MVP turns 38 years old today.

  • John Cena Says The Jorts Are Retired, Discusses New T-Shirt

    Sunday at Vengeance, John Cena debuted new ring gear, replacing his trademark “jorts” with shorts featuring a variety of camouflage designs. He says this will be a permanent move.

    “The jean shorts, for the moment, have been retired,” Cena tells WWE.com. “These are military-issued camo, and I think they will stand out. I have every U.S. Military service branch represented: Army, Marine Corps., Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard. I’ll be changing it up from time to time.”

    Cena, however, clarified that he hasn’t ditched the denim completely.

    “They’re always in the closet,” Cena said. “Maybe when they come back in style 30 years from now I’ll bust them out for the WWE Hall of Fame or something.”

    Cena also discussed his new “Rise Above Hate” shirt, which features the logo of the anti-bullying “be a STAR” campaign printed on the sleeve.

    “I wanted to make a positive statement,” Cena said. “I have a varied group of loyal fans out there that will literally back me through thick and thin. I’m known for crazy graphics and colors on my shirts, and I’ve pretty much run through the entire rainbow. I didn’t want the message to be drowned out with a graphic or anything like that, so we went real simple and put the words ‘Rise Above Hate’ with ‘Hustle, Loyalty, Respect’ on the back.

    The full article is available here.

  • Gerald Brisco Death Rumors False, Family Upset With DDP

    Rumors circulated Thursday that WWE Hall of Famer Gerald Brisco had passed away after suffering a mild stroke recently. Jim Ross has confirmed the rumor as a hoax.

    “Just talked to Jerry Brisco and he is ALIVE and doing well,” he wrote on Twitter.

    Diamond Dallas Page believed the rumor to be true as he offered condolences on Twitter.

    DDP wrote, “Gerald Brisco was a Great Wtestler! A Great TV character but most of a Great Man! And he will be Extremely missed! RIP Brother!”

    He later clarified his remarks, writing, “Just found out Gerry is Alive and well! Thank God! Damn some times I hate the twitter thing.”

    Page’s statement upset Brisco and members of his family.

    Brisco wrote on Facebook, “I’m well enough to kick DDP butt for putting this out there and upsetting my family.”

  • Pictures of WWE Divas As Zombies For Halloween

    Check out these pictures of “Zombified” WWE divas .. Which one do you think looks the hottest as a zombie?

  • Concern Over The WWE Network, Wrestlers’ Weights & More

    – WWE is currently searching for a producer for the WWE Network – with the starting salary ranging from $300,000-400,000 and benefits. While this sounds like a great job opportunity for most, there is a lot of uncertainty in the television industry as to whether the network will be successful – and whoever gets that job could look bad if the network flops.

    Industry insiders believe that the WWE Network’s best chance for success would be for WWE to buy an existing network (with its own clearances already in place) – but WWE’s efforts to buy an existing network have not panned out so far. In the event that WWE has to start their network from scratch – the situation is much more of an uphill battle. WWE will be investing so much money in the network that many believe it could “make or break” the company.

    – Sunday’s WWE Vengeance pay-per-view from San Antonio, Texas drew approximately 8,000 fans, which is considered disappointing.

    – We reported several weeks ago that there is a new initiative in WWE to announce wrestlers at their legitimate weights. After a few weeks of that – WWE has modified the policy – and the minimum weight wrestlers will be announced at is 210 pounds. Wrestlers under 210 will be announced as 210 or higher – while wrestlers actually weighing more than 210 will be announced at their real weights. This policy is a throwback to the old school territory days, where no wrestlers were announced as being less than 220 pounds – as a way to portray them as ‘larger than life.’

    – Former WWE executive Donna Goldsmith, who left WWE earlier this year after working closely with Vince McMahon for many years (in the marketing department and later as the company’s COO) – has just started her new job as the General Manager of Operations for the 2014 New York/New Jersey Super Bowl Host Committee.

    (Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

  • Update On WWE-Twitter, Vince Upset Over Zack Ryder Shirt

    – Expect to see even more references to Twitter on WWE television in the coming months. Vince McMahon is said to be a huge fan of the social media service and has several ideas about how to integrate Twitter into WWE programming even further.

    WWE announcers are encouraged to constantly reference Twitter, with the idea being that if they mention Twitter a lot at the beginning of shows, they will get topics trending worldwide and can talk about the topics even more.

    At the 2012 Royal Rumble – WWE is planning to have superstars tweet right before they go through the curtain and enter the Rumble.

    – Vince McMahon freaked out several weeks ago when he saw the company’s latest t-shirt for Zack Ryder. The phrase printed on the t-shirt that got so much heat from Vince was – “Take care, spike your hair.”

    Because Vince McMahon hates Spike TV right now (due to their affiliation with TNA), Vince was so mad that he almost pulled shirts from being sold. Eventually, he agreed to sell the existing shirts that were still in stock – but forbid any more from being printed. A new Zack Ryder shirt without the “Spike your hair” phrase is now on sale.

    (Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

  • The Rock Training With Miz & R-Truth, Survivor Series Matches

    On Monday’s RAW, it was announced that John Cena and The Rock will be teaming up at Survivor Series against the team of The Miz and R-Truth. With The Rock currently in New Orleans while filming the new GI Joe movie, Miz and R-Truth will be traveling to the city today to train with The Rock in preparation for their upcoming match.

    Aside from the big Rock-Cena tag team main event – we have news on several other matches discussed for the big event.

    WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio vs. CM Punk and World Heavyweight champion Mark Henry vs. the Big Show are among the matches we’re likely to see.

    Despite the fact that WWE is reporting that Triple H suffered a back neck injury at the hands of Kevin Nash and RAW and will miss up to 6 weeks, expect The Game back in time for some sort of gimmick singles match with Nash at Survivor Series.

    Also discussed is  a traditional 5-on-5 elimination matches with the following competitors:

    – Randy Orton, Sheamus, Daniel Bryan, Kane and Blue Sin Cara vs. Christian, Cody Rhodes, Wade Barrett, Brodus Clay and Black Sin Cara.

    At one point, WWE had been discussing David Otunga, Christian, Cody Rhodes, Jack Swagger and Dolph Ziggler vs. Kofi Kingston, Evan Bourne, Mason Ryan, Zack Ryder and one more partner, but last we heard, this match is not going to happen.

    (Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

  • Cody Rhodes: Restoring The IC Title, Face Mask, Ugliest Crowds

    WWE Intercontinental champion Cody Rhodes spoke to SkySports.com this week to promote WWE’s upcoming return to the UK. Here are some highlights of what Cody said about:

    His feelings for the Intercontinental Championship: “I’ve had the opportunity to have a very open platform on how I feel about the Intercontinental title. I feel about it in the same way that a lot of fans have felt about it and I was glad that I could be honest about it. At one point it was probably the most revered title in the WWE and it was in the hands of some of the most revered Superstars and talents.

    “Without getting too specific, somewhere in the last five or seven years it kind of got lost. That was why I decided to bring back the classic look of the title because there is also a classic feel that comes with it. That’s the type of Intercontinental Champion I wanted to be…It should say a lot to be Intercontinental Champion. Today it seems like the Money in the Bank Briefcase means something, but I kinda wanted to trump that with something that used to be that way. That’s how I feel and it’s on a definite upswing.”

    His Protective Face Mask: “It’s funny because things in sports entertainment get misconstrued. What we do is entertainment, but what happened with me was a little bit more than that. My nose was legitimately broken, my septum was horribly deviated, but it was the most lucky break I guess I ever had. I’m definitely not afraid to take it off and I’ve enjoyed the few times I’ve gotten away with taking it off and I can see it being around for a while, but not so much a major fixture of myself. I’m trying to make it like Triple H; he’s got his sledgehammer and I’ve got my mask.”

    The Best Looking & Ugliest WWE Crowds: “The best-looking crowds is a tough one, but consistently the worst looking crowd that I ever see – and if I tell them that I’m not lying and trying to get under their skin, I’m just telling the truth – is Vienna, Austria. I got up close and personal at a signing with them and my God…”

  • Randy Savage & Another Legend Confirmed For “WWE ’12”

    The December 2011 issue of WWE Magazine has an article highlighting ten features in THQ’s upcoming WWE ’12 video game and it is disclosed that “Macho Man” Randy Savage and Mick Foley will be playable characters via downloadable content pack.

    The magazine states: “WWE ’12 boasts a WrestleMania-sized roster of icons that, for the first time ever, can be used by gamers right off the bat. Superstars such as Demolition, Ricky Steamboat, Kevin Nash and others are available initially: future downloadable greats will include the likes of Shawn Michaels, Randy Savage and Mick Foley. Oh yeah, and they’ll also offer alternate attire for Edge and Christian, a throwback to their late-’90s tag team heyday, just for the benefit of those with flash photography.”

    THQ announced the first group of downloadable characters earlier this week: Shawn Michaels, Jerry Lawler, Jim Ross and Michael Cole.

  • Eve Torres Says She’s Not A Model, Paul Bearer Reappears, More

    — Eve Torres posted a message on Twitter apparently in response to Madusa saying she should stay out of the ring and stick to modeling after watching her compete against Beth Phoenix at Sunday’s Vengeance pay-per-view.

    Torres wrote, “To answer some questions I have received, having a couple of photoshoots doesn’t make you a “model”. I was never a model. My degree is in engineering, & I pursued dance professionally for a while. Now I’m a WWE Diva & not going anywhere anytime soon. Deal with it!”

    Though Torres says she is not a model, she lists herself as one in her Twitter bio: “Double-U Double-U EEEE Diiiiiva. Def: An athlete, actress, model, performer, traveler, public speaker, philanthropist, and a hard workin’ woman!”

    — WWE Classics On Demand is currently running a video package highlighting Paul Bearer’s career prior to select shows. Bearer, in character though without his hair dyed, appears following the package and plugs the video on demand service.

    — Caryn Mower, who in 2000 briefly appeared as Stephanie McMahon’s personal trainer Muffy, now works a stuntwoman. She is filming stunts this week for the upcoming ABC comedy-drama series GCB, starring Kristen Chenoweth.

  • Details On The City of Miami Securing WrestleMania 28

    As WrestleMania has become the global phenomenon we know it as today, state government officials around the United States have been going all-out trying to entice WWE to bring the annual event to their city.

    The Miami Herald has published a new article looking at what the city of Miami did to land WrestleMania 28.

    City officials promised WWE a $250,000 subsidy, along with other perks, and access to Miami-Dade county’s three largest venues – Sun Life Stadium, the Miami Beach Convention Center and the American Airlines Arena – for WrestleMania weekend activities.

    To gear up the locals for next April’s blockbuster event, city officials will be hanging WrestleMania banners from light posts along the highways. A “street team” of approximately 200 volunteers has been assembled to help increase awareness about WWE events taking place next April.

    Mike Sophia of Miami-Dade’s Sports Commission told the Miami Herlad,  “This event is as big as it gets. WrestleMania is up there in the league with Super Bowls and Final Fours. To be honest with you, when I got the [WrestleMania] bid book, I looked at it and I put it on the corner of my desk and I said, ‘Nah, this isn’t us.’”

    Comparing WrestleMania to the biggest annual sporting event in the world, Sophia said, “[WrestleMania] looks exactly like a Super Bowl. It’s exactly something we could and should do. If you want to sit down and split hairs as to whether it strictly fits the definition of a sporting event, I’m not going to have a great argument.”

  • Video: The Headbangers Call Out Air Boom & More

    Former WWE tag team The Headbangers have resurfaced on the independent scene and are calling out the top tag teams in the industry today.

    Mosh and Thrasher are now working with the Wrestle Axxess independent promotion and have posted a series of videos calling out the tag team champions of WWE, TNA and Ring of Honor. Check ’em out:

    Headbangers call out WWE tag champions Air Boom (Kofi Kingston & Evan Bourne)

    Headbangers call out TNA tag champions Mexican America

    Headbangers call out ROH tag champions Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin

  • 3 Dark Matches Took Place After SmackDown Tapings

    Fans who attend WWE television tapings usually get to see a bonus dark match main event. Fans who attended Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown tapings from Houston, TX were treated to three.

    After the conclusion of the SmackDown taping, Sheamus won a 41-man Battle Royal featuring superstars from RAW and SmackDown. The Celtic Warrior eliminated more superstars than anybody else en route to his victory. It came down to Sheamus and The Miz, who was eliminated. Christian re-entered the match but caught a Brogue Kick to be eliminated again.

    Next up was a WWE Championship match between Alberto Del Rio and John Cena. This one ended in a disqualification after World Heavyweight champion Mark Henry got involved and help Del Rio beat down Cena. Out came Big Show to make the save – and Teddy Long booked a tag match right then and there.

    In the final match of the evening, John Cena and BIg Show defeated the championship team of Alberto Del Rio and Mark Henry. Cena hit the Attitude Adjustment on Del Rio while Show chokeslammed Henry for the double pin and the win.

  • The Rock To Make His Decision, Matches Taped For Superstars

    – Monday’s RAW Supershow concluded with Interim Raw General Manager John Laurinaitis ordering The Miz and R-Truth to exit the ring after the two continued to batter Cena following their match. The executive then made a huge announcement — John Cena will take on The Miz and R-Truth at Survivor Series with a partner of his choosing.

    Cena extended an invitation to his opponent at WrestleMania XXVIII, The Rock.

    WWE aired an advertisement for Monday’s Raw during tonight’s NXT taping in Houston, Texas asking whether The Rock will accept Cena’s offer to join forces at the Survivor Series.

    – The following matches were taped on Tuesday night from Houston, Texas for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars:

    • Cody Rhodes vs. Ted DiBiase
    • Ezekiel Jackson vs. Jinder Mahal

  • RAW Rating, Triple H-Nash Feud Update, WWE & Twitter

    – The ratings are in for Monday’s WWE RAW Supershow – and the post-Vengeance show did a strong 3.31 rating – up a bit from last week.

    This week’s show averaged 4.71 million viewers with 4.93 million viewers for Hour 1 and 4.64 million viewers for Hour 2.

    RAW was #2 on cable for the night in the coveted male demograhpic (behind ESPN’s Monday Night Football). RAW was #1 this week in the Males 12-17 demographic.

    – The @WWEInsider Twitter account is reporting the following regarding Triple H’s condition following Kevin Nash’s attacks on RAW:

    “Triple H has spinal damage following Kevin Nash’s attack on Monday Night Raw.”

    The WWE website has an article up saying Triple H has a fractured vertebrae and doctors say he will miss up to 6 weeks.

    That said,  it is expected that a Triple H vs. Kevin Nash match will take place at Survivor Series with some sort of stipulation to compensate for Nash’s in-ring limitations.

    – If you thought WWE was going overboard with the amount of Twitter references on WWE television – you ain’t seen nothing yet. WWE has reportedly inked some sort of business relationship with Twitter and will be going into overdrive with the Twitter integration as we head into the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania season.

    (Source: f4wonline.com)

  • Harry Smith Campaigns For The British Bulldogs In WWE HOF

    Speaking to Arda Ocal of The Score, former WWE talent Harry Smith discussed his relationship with Tom “Dynamite Kid” Billington, who was a cousin and tag team partner of his late father. Billington presently resides in Manchester, England and suffers from the after-effects of steroids and his high-impact wrestling style, which has left him confined to a wheelchair and partially paralyzed.

    Smith said, “I’ve keep in touch with my Uncle Tommy, I went and saw him last November, that’s when the WWE did a tour over there (in England). It was really great seeing him; we watched some of his old matches in Japan. Physically he’s in rough shape but mentally he’s still pretty sharp, we had a pretty good time and I hope to see him again soon.”

    Smith also campaigned for the British Bulldogs in the WWE Hall of Fame.

    “I don’t know if anything nice can happen for him maybe a Hall of Fame induction for the Bulldogs or a DVD would be really great. If the Bulldogs got called to the Hall of Fame, I would love to induct them,” Smith said.

    The full interview is available here.

  • Former Women’s Champion Says Eve Should Stick To Modeling

    Madusa, who brought the WWE Women’s Championship back to prominence in the 1990s, gave her thoughts on her former employer’s Vengeance pay-per-view event on Facebook.

    The wrestler formerly known as Alundra Blayze commented on the Divas Championship bout between Beth Phoenix and Eve Torres. She has high praise for “The Glamazon,” but not her opponent.

    “Well I wish I would of met Beth during my days…she really needs some great talent to be able for her to shine…. as in my days this was my problem as well… again great talent, Beth and no one to wrestle…she’s believable,” she writes.

    “Eve needs to keep modeling…awesome looking girl in the ring… should not be there.. just saying.”

    Madusa adds that she would love to drop “the REAL WWE/WWF title” to Phoenix. “What a great match that would be,” she says.

    Upon seeing Kevin Nash make a surprise appearance at Vengeance, the women’s wrestling great vented on her former colleague’s real-life character.

    She wrote, “Something about Kevin Nash on WWE stinks……I bet if Stephanie had a twin he would be all up in that.. and no disrespect to steph….Nash always seems to hurt people…..in the ring and out…..

    “and by the way…. that is just how the man brain thinks… you guys are too funny… but love ya guys… Nash is a very manipulative guy…he works his silver tongue to his advantage….he should of been a sit down comedian.. he’s good, and i have no grudges….. on any of my co workers…just experience.”

  • WWE ’12 Downloadable Content Pack #1 Revealed (Pictures)

    THQ has unveiled the first downloadable content pack for the upcoming WWE ’12 video game.

    The playable Superstars that have been announced for Downloadable Content Pack 1 include:

    * Shawn Michaels
    * Jerry Lawler
    * Jim Ross
    * Michael Cole.

    It’s worth noting that Shawn Michaels will have his Survivor Series 1997 attire, the night of the infamous Montreal Screwjob.

    Jim Ross and Michael Cole will have their attire from WrestleMania 27.

    DLC 1 will also include alternate ring gear for:

    * The Road Warriors (NWA black and white spikes)
    * Edge & Christian (“5-Second Pose” era attire)

    Check out these screenshots of the WWE ’12 DLC Pack #1:

  • Batista In “WWE ’12”?, Fox Using Former Diva’s Theme, More

    — Characters are still being finalized for THQ’s WWE ’12 video game (scheduled for released on November 22 in North America and on November 25 in the United Kingdom) and Batista may be included.

    A THQ representative stated on Twitter this week that there’s “still a chance” the former WWE Champion will be in the game.

    — As seen on Monday’s Raw SuperShow, Alicia Fox withdrew her “Hot in Herre” inspired entrance theme in favor of a new entrance theme. WWE released her new theme on iTunes today and it is titled “Pa-Pa-Pa-Pa-Party.” Former WWE Diva Maria used the theme in 2005 and 2006 before being given “With Legs Like That.”

    — The October 23 episode of A.M. Raw scored a 0.41 cable rating, with 417,000 viewers.

    source: PWInsider.com

  • Former WWE Star Says John Morrison Is In “The Doghouse”

    While watching John Morrison suffer another loss on the Raw SuperShow Monday, former WWE talent Sean Waltman attributed The Prince of Parkour’s recent struggles to his dismissive treatment of revered women’s wrestler Trish Stratus at WrestleMania XXVII.

    Waltman wrote on Twitter, “Eventually they will take Morrison out of the dog house. He brought it on himself with the way he treated Trish Stratus at WM.”

    In response to a remark that Morrison’s days with the sports-entertainment league are coming to an end, he wrote, “If he was smart he’d ride out the storm. HHH was in the doghouse forever & now look.”

    While promoting the release of Ball Enforcers in April, Stratus confirmed reports that Morrison behaved in disregard to her during their post-match celebration at WrestleMania XXVII. She also stated that he passed over suggestions she had for the bout.

    “I got a bit of cold shoulder action, correct,” Stratus said in response to an interview question that Morrison snubbed her following their match against Michelle McCool, Layla and Dolph Ziggler at the event. “John Morrison himself is amazing. He’s a great athlete. I was really looking forward to working with him. I thought it would be cool if we could do some stuff together. He didn’t think it would be that cool. It happens.”

    She continued, “Hey whatever. It happens. You know he’s into his thing and just didn’t think that I should part of his thing I guess, but I still admire him as an athlete, as a performer. I think he does a great job out there. Cold shoulder? Yeah I felt it. I was shunned. Some people are not smart maybe? You know they wrestle well, but maybe they’re not smart. I don’t know.”

    According to the Pro Wrestling Torch, friends of Morrison were shocked by his cold behavior towards the legendary female performer. The assumption of many within WWE is that Melina, his significant other, was in his ear earlier because she believed Stratus was taking “her spot” at the annual pay-per-view extravaganza.

    WWE sources say as Stratus was presenting match suggestions to Morrison backstage, he said things such as “I’m not feeling that” (a phrase coined several years ago by Hulk Hogan in World Championship Wrestling) and “I don’t want to look at you.”

  • Video/Pictures: CM Punk Gets Slimed At Nickelodeon Awards

    Check out these pictures and video of CM Punk getting slimed last week at the Nickelodeon awards in Australia:

    Video:

  • Video Highlights From Monday’s RAW Supershow

    Check out these videos from Monday’s RAW Supershow, courtesy of WWE’s Youtube channel:

    Kevin Nash attacks WWE COO Triple H:

    Kevin Nash intercepts Triple H’s ambulance:

    Orton & Sheamus vs. Rhodes & Christian

    John Cena chooses The Rock as his tag team partner at Survivor Series

  • Developmental Wrestler Released, Update On Andy Leavine

    The official website of Florida Championship Wrestling has removed developmental wrestler Rodney Thomas from their roster section, which would indicate that he has been released from his contract with WWE.

    Thomas, previously known as “Shotgun” Brock Barker on the Canadian independent wrestling scene, is a graduate of Lance Storm’s professional wrestling academy in Calgary, Alberta. He signed a developmental contract with WWE earlier this year following a tryout.

    Meanwhile, Tough Enough winner Andy Leavine has been added to their roster under the name Kevin Hackman. Photos of Leavine holding the Tough Enough Championship are enclosed but no mention is made of the Florida native winning the reality television series.

    Leavine has been training at their Tampa facility since June, during which he was reportedly suspended for a violation of WWE’s Talent Wellness Program. He has since returned to action.

  • Gail Kim Says She Knew She’d Return To TNA

    Diva Dirt caught up with the woman of the moment, Gail Kim, Monday for an exclusive interview about her return to TNA, quitting WWE and much more.

    Gail made a “kimpact”, if you will, when she returned to Impact Wrestling last Thursday on Spike TV — and was even a worldwide trending topic on Twitter!

    In this 50 minute interview, Gail discusses her return to the company she calls “home”, reveals more details about her time in WWE, frustration at the way the Divas are used and more.

    Gail, who is due to marry TV chef Robert Irvine (Food Network’s Restaurant Impossible) next year, also reveals an upcoming TV project: an episode of TLC’s “Say Yes to the Dress” which she filmed a month or so ago.

    On her return to TNA: “During the time that Johnny [John Laurinaitis] said that he wanted to re-sign me, I already kinda knew that I didn’t want to re-sign and it was just a matter of timing because I was under contract. That was pretty much my plan the whole entire time; to go back to TNA.”

    “Everybody was very positive and happy and said, ‘We’re so glad to have you back’. First off, I’m really happy that they were happy to see me back. The first thing I always said was, ‘You know, I already knew I’d be back’. I even said it in my last interview on the [Knockouts] DVD – hopefully, I’ll finish my career there. That’s always what I pictured, anyway. […] I always hoped for the best there [in WWE], obviously, and it didn’t turn out the way I had pictured completely, but I’m back where I pictured I would be. I’m just happy with the way everything turned out.”

    “I’m a true believer in everything happens for a reason. I was meant to leave there [TNA] at that time. […] I think it was a refresher in some ways, too, for me to leave and try something else and then come back to where my home was.”

    On the growth of the Knockouts division since her last run: “Well, there’s a lot more girls, it seems like. We had a lot of girls back then, but we have a lot of girls now. […] I love it because the girls there are all from pretty much an independent background. You get to the point where you’re happy to be in a division where you know the girls can step it up, and that you can have a challenging match, and that you guys can rock the house, basically.”

    On whether she made the right decision to quit WWE: “I’m very confident in my decision making. Everything happens for a reason. I made this decision for a reason. It’s supposed to happen.”

    “I don’t regret anything. I always had to accept what they gave me. It wasn’t even about how they used me because I knew going in, I had to accept whatever they gave me & how they used me. It was more about the disrespect behind the scenes, and that’s what pushed me over the edge to say, ‘I just don’t wanna be here anymore. I’m miserable. I just have to leave for my own sanity’.”

    On quitting instead of waiting for her contract to run its course: “I was pretty much at my wit’s end at that point. […] For my own sanity, like I said, I had to leave. I knew seven weeks out from my contract end, ‘Okay well, you know what? I know that I can survive financially, and take a little break, and be with my fiancé’. Him and I both discussed it because it’s a decision for both of us as well, for our lives. I just couldn’t take it anymore mentally or emotionally. Physically, no problem. But on the other end, you can’t go to work and feel like you’re just dreading it. I just didn’t wanna go to work anymore. I’ll miss my friends and the people there, but that’s about it. You can’t contribute to a company when you don’t feel passion anymore. It’s a waste of time.”

    Gail talks about much more in the interview including working with Karen Jarrett and Madison Rayne in TNA, which WWE Divas she’d like to see in TNA, WWE controlling its Superstars & Divas and the projects they can do, her first match back on Impact with Tara this Thursday and much, much more.

    The interview is available here.