– There was some talk during WrestleMania 31 weekend of Leon “Vader” White possibly moving to Florida to help out with up-and-coming NXT talents at the WWE Performance Center. There has also been some talk within WWE of having Goldust work with the NXT guys as well.
– WWE has confirmed the departure of NXT star CJ Parker. They wrote the following on their official website today:
“WWE has come to terms on the release of NXT Superstar CJ Parker, as of today, April 3, 2015. WWE wishes CJ Parker the best in all his future endeavors.”
– CMT announced that WWE Hall Of Famer Steve Austin’s “Broken Skull Challenge” reality show has been picked up for a new season. New episodes of the show are scheduled to premiere on August 2nd. CMT wrote the following:
“Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Challenge (Aug. 2): The ultimate badass competition show returns with host Steve Austin as he brings eight elite athletes to his Broken Skull Ranch to test their strength, stamina and endurance. Each episode sees contestants go head-to-head until the last man or woman standing earns the right to take on the toughest obstacle course in America, the “Skullbuster,” for a chance to win $10,000 in cold, hard cash.”
As it turns out, Hideo Itami was not the first choice to be the NXT representative in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal on the WrestleMania 31 Kickoff Show this past Sunday.
According to PWInsider.com, having Itami in the match was a late decision made by the company, as Finn Balor or Adrian Neville were originally considered for the spot. Once the decision was made to bump the battle royal from the pay-per-view to the pre-show, the decision was made to go with Itami instead.
Another reason Itami got the spot was due to the strong Japanese media presence at the show for Tatsumi Fujinami’s WWE Hall Of Fame induction.
McMahon is said to be very high on Charlotte after seeing her match on the show against NXT Women’s Champion Sasha Banks. There has been talk of bringing Charlotte to the main roster for a while now, however that talk has picked up now that McMahon is on board.
McMahon also requested that Charlotte be more prominently featured in the new Tapout commercials that are part of the new WWE deal with the company.
In addition to Charlotte, McMahon was also reportedly impressed with Banks’ work at the NXT show on Friday.
NXT star CJ Parker was released from the company on Saturday.
According to PWInsider.com, Parker requested his release and the parting of ways was said to be on amicable terms. In fact, it was so amicable, WWE allowed Parker to wrestle at WrestleMania AXXESS on Saturday and Sunday to finish out his run with the company.
Parker, who was originally trained by ROH star Truth Martini, signed a developmental deal with WWE in 2011.
WWE representatives contacted members of the pro wrestling media on Tuesday, correcting an error that was included in the press release on Monday.
The NXT “Takeover” specials will remain a quarterly occurence, and WWE has promised to change the wording in the press release that was issued yesterday.
– This year’s WWE live events during the summer are being branded as the “SummerSlam Heatwave Tour.”
– NXT trainer Robbie Brookside and WWE Superstar Bad News Barrett praised the debut efforts of Neville on Monday’s RAW. The two posted the following on Twitter:
Words cannot express my pride and happiness for @WWENeville and his RAW debut. He is THE best and a canny lad from the Tyne.
– Sunday’s WrestleMania 31 event featured a NXT Alumni talent in every match except the Triple H vs. Sting match. HHH posted the following comment about that, as well as Neville and Kalisto making their main roster debuts at Monday’s RAW.
– It was announced on Monday’s post-WrestleMania 31 edition of WWE RAW at the SAP Center in San Jose, California, that Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler will team up to take on the duo of Bad News Barrett and the returning Sheamus in tag-team action on this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown.
– Also announced for this week’s SmackDown, John Cena, Randy Orton and Roman Reigns will all be appearing on the show.
– Former NXT Champion Adrian Neville made his main roster WWE debut on Monday’s RAW. He was billed as simply “Neville” – The Man That Gaviroty Forgot, and defeated Curtis Axel in a match that showcased his fluid in-ring style.
NXT standout Finn Balor spoke with SportingNews.com to promote Sunday’s WrestleMania 31 pay-per-view, and admitted that he was apprehensive about making the move to WWE.
“I’ll be honest with you, I had a very comfortable life before I came here,” said Balor. “I was very on the fence about whether I was making the right decision. I was very apprehensive about the move to WWE and whether I was doing the right thing.”
Balor continued, “I had established a very good career in New Japan Pro Wrestling and a good life on the independent scene as well. I was very happy. There’s always that question, should I do it or should I not. I didn’t want to be looking back at 40 years old saying what if I had done this or what if I had done that.”
“I can safely say six months down the line, hands down the best decision I’ve ever made,” Balor concluded.
Check out the complete interview at SportingNews.com.
Hideo Itami finally pulled out his “GTS” finisher in NXT, using the move to win his match in the opener against Tyler Breeze.
Vince McMahon, Triple H, Shawn Michaels and Seth Rollins were among those backstage watching the NXT event on Friday night in San Jose, California. Jim Ross was also in attendance, sitting in the front row. Below is a photo of McMahon, HHH and some of the other WWE executives watching some of the action from backstage.
Speaking of last night’s NXT show, the building was packed with lively fans from start-to-finish, with the rowdy crowd doing a lot of “This Is Awesome!” and even “We Are Awesome!” chants.
Regarding the rumors that WWE was planning to bring NXT star Adrian Neville to the main roster with a “Mighty Mouse” type-character, there has been no discussions of this happening recently. It is, however, an idea that Vince McMahon has wanted to do with a short wrestler for quite a while.
There was talk at one point of bringing Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo in for that role, however he chose to pursue a career in MMA instead, with his second UFC victory taking place this past weekend.
TNA performer Ethan Carter III recently spoke to the folks at WhatCulture.com about his experiences training under former NXT head coach Bill DeMott.
EC3 stated the following about working with DeMott while in the WWE developmental system.
“(Worked with him in WWE developmental) Having been there at that time, I witnessed a lot of it. This industry is extremely difficult and, to achieve success in it, I 100% agree it needs to be hard. It needs to be earned. Preparing for the demands of the industry, both physical and mental, are essential. It requires a special psyche that all may not possess.
Having said that, I feel there is a big difference between a hard-nosed individual pushing you to the limit to become great, and blatant bullying.
It is an unfortunate scenario that transpired, as that position holds great power in many peoples careers and physical well being. I feel that in this day and age, with what we know about concussions, someone being slapped in the head while possibly suffering from one is unacceptable. Asking talent to conceal injuries that your “training tactics” are responsible for is unacceptable. Leading the charge on an anti-bullying campaign, while that very thing is taking place under your watch, is unacceptable.
A company making a statement that the accusations “fully investigated” when they were not, well, that is just is very disheartening.
Then again, it is not my company to run. I don’t know the inner workings. Perhaps I am wrong. Our generation has been labeled “unmotivated and lazy,” which I can’t disagree with more. Some of the hardest working/creative people I know are putting in maximum effort for just an inkling of success.
Saying that this entire group has “a feeling of entitlement and a certain level of defiance” (which has since been recanted) is painting very broad strokes and not looking at individual talent. Plus, I believe it was a “level of defiance” that made people like Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, The Rock, HHH and John Cena some of the biggest stars this industry has ever seen.
In the end, if you believe or enable homophobia, racism, and bullying as coaching methods, we strongly disagree.”
– The following are some recent WWE live attendance figures:
March 12th in Largo, FL for NXT drew a sellout of 500 fans
March 13th in Abbotsford, BC drew 5,000 fans (Roman Reigns tour)
March 14th in Seattle drew 6,000 fans (Roman Reigns tour)
March 14th in Milwaukee drew 7,000 fans (John Cena tour)
March 14th in Citrus Springs, FL for NXT drew 225 fans
March 15th in Portland drew 3,200 fans (Roman Reigns tour)
March 15th in Minneapolis drew 5,500 fans (John Cena tour)
March 16th in Des Moines, IA for RAW drew 9,300 fans
– Despite previous reports to the contrary, WWE is still of the belief that top Ring Of Honor stars The Briscoes will be signing with them and will be heading to NXT by mid-summer.
– As previously reported, Jey Uso is currently out of action with a shoulder injury. Due to the injury, Uso’s status for WrestleMania 31 will not be known until he is evaluated by WWE doctors, which is expected to happen later this week. The injury occurred when Xavier Woods landed awkwardly on Uso while executing a somersault plancha during a recent match on WWE SmackDown.
WWE announced that the NXT events scheduled for March 19th in Orlando, Florida and March 21st in Tampa, Florida have been postponed.
The event planned for Orlando will instead take place on April 4th, while the event scheduled for Tampa has been moved to April 2nd.
WWE.com wrote the following about the postponements:
“The NXT events on Thursday, March 19, at Orlando Armory in Orlando, Fla., and Saturday, March 21, at UACDC Gymnasium, in Tampa, Fla., have been rescheduled. The event at Orlando Armory will now take place on Saturday, April 4, at 7:30 p.m., and the event at Tampa’s UACDC Gymnasium will take place on Thursday, April 2, at 7:30 p.m.
All tickets purchased for NXT will be honored on the rescheduled dates. Fans that cannot attend the rescheduled dates should call (877) 840-0457 for refunds.”
Bully Ray spoke with Alex Obert of the Journey of a Frontman website while at Tommy Dreamer’s “House of Hardcore VIII” event in Philadelphia last weekend. Below are highlights from the interview.
On returning at the WWE Royal Rumble: “Well the Royal Rumble is a lot of fun. As far as the reaction was concerned, it was awesome. To be able to come back to Philadelphia ten years after I had left the WWE to that type of reception, you really can’t put any words to it. I kind of knew in the back of my head that I was gonna get a warm reception from the Philly crowd. Some people might of been shocked just how big the reaction was. It was overwhelmingly positive. If that was my last time that you ever saw me in a WWE ring again, not that I’m saying that I want it to be, but if that was the last time that you ever saw me, that’s a hell of a way to go out!”
On being in the ring with Luke Harper and Bray Wyatt: “I’m a big fan of those guys. I’m a big fan of most guys in the WWE, they’re all extremely passionate about what they do. You can tell that they whenever they go out there, they always strive to be the best and steal the show and do the absolute best that they can. The Wyatt Family is kind of reminiscent of the old Dudley clan back in the day. Big fan of Bray. Big fan of Luke and Erick Rowan. They’re doing a great job. It was fun to be in there with The Miz. It was fun to be in there with R-Truth doing the What’s Up and the 3D. It was all good, lots of fun.”
On possibly appearing at NXT: “I am open to anything that is fun and that would be good business. Me and D-Von have accomplished so much as a tag team and I’ve accomplished more than I thought I ever would as a singles guy. If you listen to the fans, they would love to see the Dudley Boyz back in the WWE and help bring that tag team division back to the heights that it once was. Our school is going on almost ten years now and we’ve been very proud of the students that we turn out. We are very proud of the way we train our students. On a whole, I’m really happy with the way everything has unfolded so far.”
On Rey Mysterio leaving WWE: “Whenever people leave a company or go to a company, everyone will ask what my thoughts are. It goes on every day. People come and go from companies every day, whether it’s wrestling or a bank or a big business or McDonald’s, people come and go all the time. When one person stays in a company for too long, they can sometimes get stagnant or stale. So it’s good because with Rey leaving WWE now, maybe he’ll go do some stuff that will light a fire under his ass even more. And now that opens up a spot for a younger guy in WWE to step up and become the next Rey Mysterio. It’s always good for the business when people come and go and rosters constantly get mixed up.”
On Samoa Joe possibly going to WWE: “That’s awesome for Joe. Great! I would love to see Joe be ultra successful in the wrestling business. WWE is the top of the food chain. When you get into pro wrestling, everybody always wants to wrestle for the WWE. Joe went to Ring of Honor, helped build Ring of Honor and he paid his dues there. He went to TNA and helped build TNA, paid his dues. Now he’s gonna have an opportunity with the WWE and I hope he knocks it out of the park. He’s worked very hard and he deserves it.”
NXT Champion Kevin Owens underwent a partial menisocectomy late last week for a knee injury that he has been dealing with.
Owens made the following comments regarding the operation and his recovery:
“I’m not the kind of person that lets things like this get in my way. I’m already walking around without crutches and doing physical therapy at the WWE Performance Center.”
“Now that I’m at the level I am now, and with as much at stake as there is, I don’t think it’s going to slow me down. I’m on the way back.”
Samoa Joe is still expected to sign with WWE next month, as we reported a few weeks ago. In fact, while the original plan called for Joe to end his run in Ring Of Honor in late April, it is now believed that his ROH run will end after his appearance at the promotion’s WrestleMania 31 weekend event in Redwood City, California.
This would explain why Joe has not been advertised for ROH’s April 4th event in San Antonio, as well as the company’s upcoming event in Minnesota.
ROH and WWE have yet to confirm this news, and Joe is expected to work his advertised independent wrestling events in April before moving to WWE, likely as part of the NXT brand.
TNA star Ethan Carter III spoke with the Journey Of A Frontman website while at Tommy Dreamer’s “House of Hardcore VIII” event in Philadelphia last weekend. Below are highlights from the interview.
On working with top guys such as Sting and Kurt Angle: “Looking at it from the perspective as a fan growing up watching wrestling, it’s surreal to be in the ring with guys I considered heroes, guys I watched every week. From being a little kid to a teenager, I would see a thing Kurt Angle did in a match one time and pause the TV. Then I’d look to my dad and say, “Someday I’m gonna do that.” And he’s like, “Okay.” Then someday I’m doing it and I’m in the ring with a guy that inspired me. As a fan, that’s incredible. As far as a talent or performer, you only get better being in the ring with people that are better than you. The only way to improve is to be in situations you’re not accustomed to and being taught through hands-on training. Being in the ring with Sting, Bully, Angle, even all the other veterans in TNA like Eric Young, Austin Aries, Matt Hardy, Abyss, you’re always learning with all those guys. You always learn with everything you do. Guys that have been around longer have learned from some of the best too. It’s the trickle-down effect. Trickle-Down Economics, Ronald Reagan style.”
On having freedom with his character: “I think being locked into a verbatim script is hard for a wrestler because we’re not professional actors. If we were, we’d be getting paid not to get hurt. The thing about being a wrestler and a character is that it’s an extension of your personality. It’s hard for somebody to write who you are. It’s easier to be given a scenario and a situation where you can act in it. You get a script in both places, there’s a difference in that sense. In the sense of TNA, I’ve been able to take scripts and feel it out there. I’m not deviating from the important things, but I’ll put it in my own words. And I think that’s helped me greatly because I’m the best me that I can be and every talent is the best they can be. It’s also the talent’s responsibility to incorporate themselves into their character and not be apprehensive by saying that something sucks and they don’t want to do it. You have a segment on national television, take that as an opportunity to make it something special. Every time you have a chance, do something special.”
On the Bill DeMott controversy: “It’s an unfortunate situation that happened. There’s varied opinions. As far as wrestling training, it should be difficult a hundred percent. You’re in a place where you’re supposed to represent the best. During my time in developmental, I had some of the best coaches in the world. I had Dr. Tom Prichard, Steve Keirn, Norman Smiley, we had Billy Kidman for a time, Ricky Steamboat, and all these guys push you. They push you to be better constantly. I would be dead dog tired from those practices, but it was never at the expense of my humility as a human being, at the expense of being made an example of, it was to get better. I was pushed to get better. I firmly believe that fully. As far as that scenario, what’s come out are things that did happen and it isn’t a place for that. Not in 2015. Not in wrestling in general. It’s not bettering you as a wrestler.”
NXT star Rhyno recently spoke with the Journey Of A Frontman website to promote his current run in the WWE developmental system. Below are highlights from the interview.
On his recent appearance at WWE NXT: “Yeah, it really came out of nowhere. I was just finishing up a loop one day and they’re like, “Hey, you wanna come down to NXT?” I’m like, “Yeah.” That’s all I’ve heard about, NXT this and NXT that from the fans. Really, if you’re gonna make a splash, you want to do it where everybody’s talking about.”
On who in NXT has his attention right now: “Gosh, who doesn’t? From top to bottom, you see it in their eyes and you see it when they go out there. They’re hungry. You see it everyday when they get up. I don’t just tune into the program, I see who’s working the hardest in that Performance Center. I see and I listen and I hear and I ask questions. I have been in wrestling for twenty years, I have a lot of friends and I have eyes and ears in all different places. Not that I’m spying, but I’m asking questions and I’m doing my research. There’s a lot going on.”
On being released from WWE in 2005, showing up on RAW and One Night Stand, then going to TNA: “Well I was released from WWE for a little incident, but it’s not a secret. It involved alcohol and I was going through a difficult time in my life. Alcohol wasn’t an issue, I just happened to be drinking. And I was very irresponsible. As a man, you have to take responsibility for your actions. Every action. There was no physicality, I just threw a flower pot. I laugh at it now and my ex-wife laughs at it now. But like I said, you have to be a man and stand up. No matter what was said or done, there is no excuse for the behavior. And when you behave, you have to be responsible. I understand what I had to do, I had to work hard and work towards the indies. We already had the One Night Stand booked and I fulfilled my commitment with that. They wanted me to honor that commitment and we did good business. We professionally parted ways. They were good on their part and did everything as far as they were contractually obligated to, they did not try to mess around or anything. It was just one of those things where it was a very good learning experience. But it was a good situation for me. I made it a good situation by learning from the mistake and that mistake becomes an error, then I move forward in my career. I put my nose to the grindstone and worked to keep my career going. I moved forward, there’s no dispute about it. I began to create some good memories like working with “The Monster” Abyss, he’s a great talent. I worked on the independents and developed a great relationship with the fans. I met and interacted with them, one on one, on a smaller intimate level. You have that time and you have that ability. When you’re doing the bigger venues, it’s harder because there’s so many more fans and it can get chaotic.”
On what NXT means to him now that he’s had the experience: “At this moment in my life, the fans of NXT and their passion, I see that same emotion and that same passion and that same drive from all the fans that I did fifteen years ago. I see that same passion and drive from the performers that I did fifteen years ago. They had something to prove fifteen years ago in the company that I worked for, we all know the company that I’m talking about, don’t even have to say it. They were rejected, look at each and every single talent, they had something to prove. Stone Cold Steve Austin was fired from WCW, they said he’d never make it and that he’d never be anything better than a midcarder. Where did he go for six months to prove his worth? He had something to prove because he was rejected and he proved it in under six months. Then he went to WWE and within six, seven months, he started taking off. The rest is history. Kevin Owens has something to prove. Sami Zayn has something to prove. The list goes on and on. Finn Balor. The list goes on and on. It’s the same stuff that happened then, people crave that same passion. There’s a lot of great wrestling out there and there’s a lot of great things happening in wrestling, just with a little different formula. And that brings a person alive. That brings me alive. I feel alive all the time and I feel great, but this makes me feel really young again. The fans and their passion makes me feel really young again. You’ve just gotta feel it. Whether you’re in the crowd or in that ring, it brings you alive.”
– Part two of Roddy Piper’s interview with Mick Foley is available on the latest edition of the “Piper’s Pit” podcast. You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.
Issues with DeMott in the past is one of the reasons WWE had cameras installed in the WWE Performance Center, and are also why all practices are filmed.
WWE reportedly wanted proof to defend themselves in case any lawsuits came up in the future. As noted recently, WWE is expecting lawsuits to be filed as part of the recent DeMott controversy.
The issues surrounding DeMott were well known within the company, so much so that many were said to be surprised that he still had a job. There was said to be a feeling that the controversy was a time-bomb that could go off at any point.
Additionally, there’s a feeling that some of the stories that came out about DeMott in recent weeks were exaggerated by those who were telling them.
The belief is that former NXT head trainer Bill DeMott, who resigned from WWE last week, received a significant severance package on his way out of the company.
WWE is apparently expecting lawsuits to be filed as a result of the controversy surrounding DeMott and their developmental system, which is why they were careful in making it clear that they admit no wrong doing in their official statements regarding the situation.
Additionally, there was said to be a feeling that some WWE employees were aware of the complaints, but didn’t expect so many people to come forward because generally everyone aims to stay in their good graces, as it’s everyone’s dream to work and/or return to WWE one day.
It’s also being said that some of the people speaking out right now, while they were still in WWE, they were asked about the allegations and at the time, they said the stories were untrue.
One in particular has to do with the Kevin Owens vs. CJ Parker match at the NXT Takeover: R Evolution event back in December. The match that we ended up seeing was the one that the three worked out together ahead of time.
Between not liking Owens, the big guy, doing a flip-dive and not working so many moves into the opening match, DeMott reportedly did not like the match.
Prior to the match, Owens reportedly complained to Triple H about what was planned, to which HHH told him to simply let Owens do what he wants.
This apparently led to some issues, as many felt that Triple H allows “his guys” to do whatever they want while the rest of the guys are said to be micro-managed and told not to wrestle the “independent style” of matches that they are used to.
Former NXT employee Rob Naylor noted during a recent Wrestling Observer Live appearance that he keeps in touch with many people who work in NXT and they claim there hasn’t been any bad behavior from Bill DeMott or any other trainers as of late.
WWE officials reportedly “cleaned up shop” before the letters started surfacing about DeMott’s behavior in the past.
Speaking of which, the belief right now is that more letters about DeMott that were written in the past will begin surfacing in the near future, despite the fact that WWE accepted his resignation last week.
– The Lucha Dragons (Sin Cara and Kalisto) vs. Enzo Amore and Big Cass in a tag-team match to determine the number one contenders for the NXT Tag-Team Championship has been announced for this week’s edition of NXT TV on the WWE Network.
– Speaking of NXT, former NXT World Champion Sami Zayn is now officially on Facebook. You can check out Zayn’s page at Facebook.com/SamiZaynWWENXT.
– Lucha Underground and Ring Of Honor star Alberto El Patron will be coming out with a new YouShoot DVD produced by the folks at Kayfabe Commentaries on March 17th. The DVD will be available at KayfabeCommentaries.com.
– Former WWE Diva Melina Perez will be the guest on this week’s Jim Ross “Ross Report” podcast, which will be available on Tuesday night at approximately 9pm EST. at PodcastOne.com.
