WWE NXT star Kairi Sane tweeted about making a surprise appearance this past Saturday night in Vancouver, BC at the Rogers Arena at a WWE live event where she made the save for Carmella. For those who may have missed it, Sane and Carmella teamed up in a match to defeat Peyton Royce and Billie Kay at the show.
She wrote, “Last weekend, I participated in the #SmackDown Live house shows for the first time. Everyone was really kind and it was such a moving experience. Thank you so much for giving me this great opportunity Ahoy??”
This isn’t the first time that Sane has worked with main roster talent as she competed in the second edition of the Women’s Royal Rumble Match at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event in Phoenix, Arizona.
Big E On Names Of RAW Stars Being Changed
Fans who were watching Monday’s episode of RAW noticed that Heavy Machinery’s Otis Dozovic and Tucker Knight have become the two latest stars to undergo a name change as they are now just going by Otis and Tucker.
Former WWE Tag Team Champion Big E noticed this change and decided to tweet about it when he wrote, “Welcome to the club, boys. Silver lining: autograph sessions are much quicker.”
Xavier Woods is having an interesting trip to Malaysia. Upon arriving in the country, Woods says he had a rather interesting interaction with a customs agent. Woods described the encounter on his Twitter account:
Landed in Kuala Lumpur
Customs agent: You're with WWE
Me: Yea
CA: Kofi Kingston
Me: Nah I'm the other black guy
CA: hmm, so you're not Kofi Kingston
Me: 🙄No
CA: (Takes me to a shady side room) Guys, pretty sure this is Kofi Kingston and he just doesn't wanna tell me
“Landed in Kuala Lumpur Customs agent: You’re with WWE Me: Yea CA: Kofi Kingston Me: Nah I’m the other black guy CA: hmm, so you’re not Kofi Kingston Me:
No CA: (Takes me to a shady side room) Guys, pretty sure this is Kofi Kingston and he just doesn’t wanna tell me”
It does appear Woods was allowed into the country without incident, however.
Xavier Woods Left Up To His Own Devices
Woods is an adventuristic superstar. On Friday WWE was in Manila in the Philippines. Woods did not take long to become enamored with the country:
JUST GOT OFF THE PLANE IN MANILA AND I ALREADY HAVE A PET CHICKEN AND A BAG OF SODA – DO NOT LEAVE ME TO MY OWN DEVICES @WWEpic.twitter.com/yX8dgMB4b5
“JUST GOT OFF THE PLANE IN MANILA AND I ALREADY HAVE A PET CHICKEN AND A BAG OF SODA – DO NOT LEAVE ME TO MY OWN DEVICES @WWE”
Xavier Woods On Survivor Series Raw vs Smackdown Scoring
Woods was not happy following Survivor Series recently. While the Smackdown tag-team division defeated the Raw tag-team division on the pre-show, WWE neglected to mention this when touting Raw’s “clean sweep” over Smackdown on the main PPV.
Woods sent out the following in regards to the controversial brand vs brand scoring:
Current SmackDown Live Tag Team Champions The New Day are arguably the best trio in professional wrestling today. The squad consisting of Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods have proven dominant over the past several years. The New Day have faced the best tag teams WWE has to offer.
However, there’s one team that sits above all that the three men have yet to share the ring with. That team being New Japan Pro Wrestling and Ring Of Honor’s The Elite (The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega). The two teams had a run-in with one another at E3 earlier this year. Their chemistry as entertainers got fans excited about a possible professional wrestling program.
New Day member Kofi Kingston spoke about this on a recent media call to promote tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live. Here’s what he had to say:
“It would be The Elite. It would be The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega. I think it’s something that from the moment we came out, people were like, ‘Oh, is this going to happen? I mean, The Young Bucks and Kenny, and The New Day, there are three of you’.
“They are so talented, and they’ve been able to do so many cool things all over the world, especially in Japan, which are… the way they’ve been able to do those cool things. I think it’s kind of a fantasy match-up that people have been waiting with bated breath to see.
“But, you never know what’s going to happen in the WWE. Never say never, and I hope that it does happen at some point in time, but I guess we will have to wait and find out.”
What do you think about a potential New Day vs. Elite match?
Things just got real between SmackDown Live stars Big E and Sheamus on Twitter. Earlier today, Big E took to Twitter and dished out a personal story about “The Celtic Warrior.” The SmackDown Live Tag Team Champ said he met the Irishman back in 2009 when he was getting his start in WWE.
Big E then claimed that Sheamus would visit FCW and “bully” the new kids and listen to the boys tell him how great he was:
“I met Sheamus in 2009. I was 23 & he was significantly older. Although he was on the main roster, he used to come down to FCW to bully the new kids & hear the boys tell him how great he is. In those days, it violated wrestling etiquette to swing on him. Etiquette be damned.”
I met Sheamus in 2009. I was 23 & he was significantly older. Although he was on the main roster, he used to come down to FCW to bully the new kids & hear the boys tell him how great he is. In those days, it violated wrestling etiquette to swing on him. Etiquette be damned.
Sheamus didn’t hesitate to respond, and called The New Day member’s story “BS”:
“In this fairytale I see you scribing this tweet a with quill, wearing a smoking jacket, and surrounded by many leather bound books. Any more from Big E’s BS Stories of Yore?”
In this fairytale I see you scribing this tweet a with quill, wearing a smoking jacket, and surrounded by many leather bound books. Any more from Big E’s BS Stories of Yore? https://t.co/gBGAWGmpDw
– This past Tuesday on SmackDown LIVE, The Bar beat Gallows, Anderson and The Colons in a Triple Threat Match to move one step closer to a SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match against The New Day at the WWE Hell in a Cell pay-per-view event on September 16.
WWE.com has announced that Sheamus and Cesaro’s opponents will be determined in a Triple Threat Match on next week’s episode of SmackDown LIVE. The teams that will be facing off are The Usos, SAnitY and the tandem of Rusev and Aiden English.
– Tino Sabbatelli, who is currently sidelined after tearing his pectoral muscle during a match in April, revealed on his Instagram Story earlier this week that he underwent another procedure.
There’s no word on how long the NXT star will be out of action, but this type of injury generally requires a six to nine month recuperation period following the initial surgery.
On another note, Sabbatelli turned 35 years old on August 24.
For several years now the team of Woods, Big E and Kofi Kingston have been going strong in WWE. Usually a faction will split up after a good run of several years – if not shorter. Woods recently addressed this in an interview with GiveMeSport.
Woods said that he has no intentions of coming to work and not working with his friends. While he knows some fans might think he’s saying this because it’s going to happen – Woods shut that down as well.
He seemingly went out of character, saying he’s speaking as Austin Watson now (his real name). He proclaimed that what he’s saying is the truth, and The New Day are not breaking up:
“I don’t remember a group in wrestling that hasn’t turned on itself, or they’ll turn, then come back and be a group again. New Day – I’m telling you this right now – New Day will never turn. Ever. And that’s because we have zero desire to ever do that. I have zero desire to go to work and not work with my friends.”
“People say on Twitter, ‘New Day is doing this, Big E is going to turn, this is happening. Oh, Woods is the snarky one, he’s going to turn. Oh, Kofi’s been up at the top of the mountain before, he’s gonna turn!. It’s like, why? We are having the most fun we’ve ever had in our careers.
“It’s not like someone’s like, ‘Oh, I need to sabotage my friends to be champ.’ What is it to be champ when you’re a champ by yourself? You’re standing up there alone on this cold mountainous castle? That’s not fun. I’d rather be up there with my friends.
“Especially, if Kofi wins the Heavyweight Title, I’m also the Heavyweight Champion because we have ‘The New Day Rule’ and we share it. Just basic mathematics, we have a better chance of becoming Heavyweight Champion if we stay a group and we just share it.”
“So, there’s your answer, internet. We will all retire before we turn. That’s a legitimate answer, this is not some, ‘Oh! He’s saying this because it’s happening!’ No, my government name is Austin Watson. Austin Watson is telling you that is the truth. Thank you.”
Discussion: What do you make of Woods’ comments? Do you think The New Day will split soon? Sound off in the comments section!
Here's a snippet of my chat with @XavierWoodsPhD at #insomnia63 and he addresses the internet's speculation on when the New Day will break up and which member of the group will turn on the group first. @TrueKofi? @WWEBigE? Himself? Just watch. #WWEpic.twitter.com/LK8lTWRR5B
When The New Day first formed back in 2014, the group wasn’t exactly met with open arms from the WWE faithful. Largely billed as a heel faction, The New Day struggled to gain a foothold with audiences but the talent possessed by the three members — ‘Big’ E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods — was undeniable.
While ‘Big’ E had tasted some success as a singles wrestler while previously holding the Intercontinental title, Kingston was by far the most established superstar of the group after a long run as one of the WWE’s top performers.
It turns out when The New Day first came together, The Big Show actually pulled Kingston aside and told him that he’d be better off without ‘Big’ E and Woods because he deserved to be competing for world titles, not mired in a three-man faction.
“So ‘Big Show’ when we were trying to get off the ground, ‘Big Show’ would pull Kofi to the side — like legit pull him [nearby] so we’re within earshot — and say ‘what are you doing with those two? They’re bringing you down. You should be in the world title picture’,” ‘Big’ E revealed when speaking to “Open Late” with Peter Rosenberg. “And this is [not] at a time when it’s ‘oh ‘Big Show’ it’s all fun and games’.
“We’re struggling to get on TV, me and [Xavier] Woods, thinking we’re about to get fired.”
Woods added that Big Show never tried to hide his contempt for the New Day when having conversations with Kingston backstage.
“He was legit concerned for me” ~ Kofi Kingston on The Big Show’s advice
“I had been on the road three months doing nothing,” Woods said. “So I had just come up from developmental like ‘oh everything is so shiny and new, I’m so happy to be here guys’ and then he’s just taking a dump on me like to my face.”
Kingston says Big Show wasn’t trying to be ill willed towards ‘Big’ E or Woods but rather was showing concern about his own individual future in WWE.
“I don’t think he cared that they were there at all,” Kingston said. “He was legit concerned for me.”
Obviously, The New Day stuck around past a rocky beginning and they are now one of the most marketable teams in all of WWE following multiple reigns as tag team champions. The New Day sell a ton of merchandise and are a massive hit amongst the WWE fanbase.
As it turns out, Woods says out of everyone who has ever talked bad about The New Day, Big Show was on the one superstar who came back around and apologized for what he had said previously.
“To his credit, for all the people who didn’t say things to our face, said things behind our back, he’s the one person who came up to us and said ‘I was completely wrong, you guys are awesome and you’re killing it and I’m glad that you didn’t listen to me’,” Woods stated. “He’s the only one.”
Becky Lynch enjoys puns. She’s made several comments and videos attesting to this fact.
Recently on Twitter, Lynch and New Day’s Big E discussed a possible pun-related gimmick change. This will not be for everybody.
Been pitching @BeckyLynchWWE the Becky Lunch character for years. I haven’t really thought it through but it mostly consists of her wearing actual bologna and pizza rolls as ring gear.
“Been pitching @BeckyLynchWWE the Becky Lunch character for years. I haven’t really thought it through but it mostly consists of her wearing actual bologna and pizza rolls as ring gear.”
Becky Lynch is already confirmed for SummerSlam this year while Big E has a chance to qualify for the Smackdown tag-team title match at the event on Tuesday.
Lynch will challenge Carmella for the Smackdown Women’s Championship at SummerSlam in a triple threat match. Charlotte Flair was added to the match after returning on Tuesday night and defeating Carmella in a non-title match.
Big E and New Day defeated Sanity recently on Smackdown to advance to the finals of a 4-man tournament. Smackdown GM, Paige, scheduled the tournament to determine who will challenge the Bludgeon Brothers at SummerSlam. New Day will face the Bar on Tuesday in the finals of the tournament.
Big E has given some insight into the longevity of The New Day alongside Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods.
Big E recently spoke with TampaBay.com to promote this week’s episode of WWE SmackDown Live in Tampa, FL at the Amalie Arena where he talked about why he thinks the group lasted as long as it has in today’s era of pro wrestling.
The WWE star noted that one of the biggest things is they’re pretty selfless amongst themselves as they wanted to make it clear from the beginning there is no leader and no one hogging the spotlight and believing in the group as a whole where there is no bickering or battling. “I’m not saying we don’t have different ideas sometimes. But were always able to discuss it. We’re always trying to think of what’s next. There’s no complacency. There’s no feeling we made it and it’s time to coast. We’re always trying to push for new ideas. Trying to get better in the ring.
Big E continued by stating, “We fought tooth and nail from the very beginning. We weren’t three guys the office put together. We were three guys on our own, whose career was stalling. We needed to do something and that was what fortified it.”
He was also asked about the importance of having a place like NXT for younger wrestlers where Big E stated that it’s fantastic and that it has become more than just a feeder system for WWE as it has turned into a brand with such a different feel compared to RAW or SmackDown Live. “When I was in NXT five years ago, we didn’t travel nationally. And not only are they traveling and doing shows around the country, but they’re doing tours of Japan and Europe. And people across the world have taken to NXT so passionately.”
What are your thoughts on Big E’s comments? Sound off in the comment section.
WWE fans weren’t always behind The New Day as a popular group and Big E has taken the time to reflect on it.
Big E recently spoke with the State Journal-Register to promote this Sunday’s WWE SmackDown live event in Springfield, IL at the Bank of Springfield Center and to talk about various topics including fans not initially buying the upbeat, positive characters that they portrayed on television.
“To me, obviously, what swung things was us finally embracing the fact that the crowd didn’t like us. … The first time we really cheated (in a match) was instrumental because instead of trying to go against the grain and be these good guys that people didn’t like or didn’t care for, we finally decided to cheat … and it ended up working out really well for us.”
He noted that the real change came from just being themselves on TV as there are sometimes where talents are saddled with an idea or a gimmick that doesn’t feel right but you have to make it work and once the reins were finally taken off and they were allowed to be themselves then they took more creative control which is when things took off for them.
Big E also talked about the differences between live and TV events, his background and more. You can read the entire interview here.
At one point in time, WWE had some plans to add some additional members to The New Day, according to Big E.
The former WWE Tag Team Champion was recently interviewed by The State Journal-Register and in this interview, he was asked about any potential interest in pursuing a singles run.
This is when he dropped some interesting info as he revealed that they originally had plans to add members to the New Day when they first formed.
“The thing is when we first decided to do this (New Day) thing, we honestly saw ourselves as a faction. We had ideas of adding people along of way. But honestly I’m very glad we ended up as a trio because I can’t imagine it as anything else. … But we want to be equipped to do anything, whether it’s tags or singles. We definitely think that is a possibility and something we’re very open to, and we do believe strongly the three of us have the ability to carry that out well.”
Big E continued by stating that a lot of people are very quick to preach about breaking up the group and that it was said by fans almost two years ago that they should separate but they feel that they as a group could continue for a very long time. He noted that they could move on from their current gimmick but stay as a trio. “We feel like as a trio we have legs to continue for a very long time. And that could mean we move on from the happy, clappy, gospel-inspired music … but stay a trio. Or we move on to singles. There’s so many incarnations of this group that have yet to really be forged and fleshed out”
What are your thoughts on Big E’s comments? Should WWE add more members to the group or keep it the same? Sound off in the comment section.
The Undertaker joined social media a few weeks ago, launching an Instagram account. Many begun to wonder whether or not it was real. Since its launched, Undertaker’s wife, Michelle McCool has tagged the account in a few photos, and several WWE stars follow the account as well.
McCool finally took to her own Instagram account to confirm that the account is in fact Undertaker’s and it’s his only account:
“YES, y’all….THIS is official! My man @undertaker is officially on IG & this is his ONLY account! Sit back & enjoy the ride…..#myheart #hubs”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BkOtiz6BbPk/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BkIrNu-gquH/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BkOQi2pAEDQ/
Big E On The New Day Breaking Up
One fan recently responded to a WWE Tweet, asking them to break-up The New Day. Big E saw this and responded to the fan in a hilarious manner:
The New Day was expected to reveal which member of their team will compete at the upcoming Money In The Bank match during the Miz TV segment on SmackDown Live last week.
However, instead of it, the segment ended with the trio throwing pancakes at the A-Lister after which the Miz was put in a match with Big E by General Manager Paige.
These events made many believe that the company will hold off this announcement up until the PPV itself, though now it appears that we know who will be the final participant of the upcoming Ladder match after Samoa Joe’s victory this week.
During the latest episode of PwinsiderElite Audio, Mike Johnson revealed that according to backstage talk, Big E is going to be the New Day member representing their team at the upcoming bout.
It’s worth mentioning here that recently it was reported that the Officials are considering E for a singles push in near future and the upcoming PPV could be the start of it.
Whether or not it means the former NXT Champion will win the bout remains unknown, but after these reports, we can expect him to put on a good performance during the Ladder match next month.
WWE Money In The Bank will take place on June 17th from Rosemont, Illinois. You can check out an updated match card for the event here.
While Big E has spent most of his time in the main roster being part of one faction or another, it appears that the company may finally be ready to give him the singles run many believe he is worthy of.
According to PWinsider, WWE is considering Big E for a singles push in near future and the upcoming Money In The Bank ladder match could be the start of it.
If these reports are true then it can be regarded as a spoiler for the New Day vs. the Bar match which has been announced for next week’s episode of SmackDown Live.
The stipulation for this bout is that the winning team will earn a spot in the Money In The Bank ladder match for one of their members and after these reports, the former NXT Star looks to be the most likely star to qualify for the bout.
A former NXT Champion in his own rights, Big E made his main roster debut in December 2012 where he quickly aligned himself with former WWE Star AJ Lee and her storyline boyfriend at the time, Dolph Ziggler.
While he had a short singles run after his storyline with the former Diva’s Champion ended in late 2013, it wasn’t long before E formed a faction with Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston in mid-2014.
This trio which later acquired the name New Day has been together ever since and has become one of the most successful tag teams in the history of the company.
– John Cena continues to pursue a match with The Undertaker at WrestleMania 34. “The Leader Of The Cenation” has been calling out “The Deadman” on RAW for the past several weeks.
Cena took to Twitter to post a workout video of himself, taking a shot at Undertaker in the caption:
– Former SmackDown Live Tag Team Champion Big E took to Twitter to reveal the terrible gimmick idea he pitched nine years ago. He called it Mel Mann, who’s character was supposed to be a postal worker:
Almost 9 years ago, when I got signed, my very first pitch was to be a wrestling postal worker named Mel Mann. Shockingly, it was shot down.
– WWE announced that the annual post-WrestleMania 34 conference call will take place on Monday, April 9, 2018. Here is the official statement:
WWE® Network Post-WrestleMania® Conference Call
STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– WWE (NYSE:WWE) will host a conference call on Monday, April 9, 2018 to provide an update on the growth of WWE Network, including the level of subscribers following WrestleMania. The Company’s Co-Presidents, George A. Barrios and Michelle D. Wilson, will host the conference call beginning at 4:00 p.m. ET (3:00 p.m. CST) to discuss the results.
All interested parties are welcome to listen to a live web cast that will be hosted through the Company’s web site at corporate.wwe.com/investors. Participants can access the conference call by dialing 855-200-4993 (toll free) or 323-794-2092 from outside the U.S. (conference ID for both lines: 6005057). Please reserve a line approximately 10 minutes prior to the start time of the conference call.
The presentation referenced during the call will be made available on April 9, 2018 at corporate.wwe.com/investors. A replay of the call will be available approximately two hours after the conference call concludes, and can be accessed on the Company’s web site.
Although Kofi Kingston and Big E had found some success while singles competitors, they have found their niche as a tag team. The stable originally debuted on the July 21, 2014, episode of RAW, but made their official television debut as The New Day in November 2014. During their time together, they are three-time world tag team champions within the company. They won the WWE (RAW) Tag Team Champions twice with their second reign being the longest for any Tag Team Championship in WWE history at 483 days, and the SmackDown Tag Team Championship once.
“A lot of WWE and wrestling books are very serious. They will take through the rise and fall, and the hard times, but THIS is a fun read. It’s about a 165 pages. It’s very colorful, it has trivia, it has a top ten list…it has an instructional tutorial on how to dance like Big E. It’s meant to be a fun read. It’s for kids, and adults who are kids at heart. It’s definitely very us, and we wanted something to reflect that.”
Over the course of the last year, the sports entertainment company has booked The New Day vs. The Usos quite a bit to see who would be the supreme team on the blue brand as well as the Tag Team Champions of that show.
During this interview, Big E opened up on New Day’s chemistry with The Usos.
“From a backstage perspective…you can see the rapport, you can see the chemistry that we have with those guys. There is a real friendship there, and a real brotherhood, and I have known those guys since I was signed…For us to gel so well I think we also see the business and the way matches should work in a very similar way. I think a lot of guys are too worried and too concerned about looking strong or getting their stuff in.
“To have a great match I think you really have to be selfless and understand that hey at this point in this match it’s not about me looking good it’s about what do we do to get the best reaction…In many ways I think of really great wrestling like jazz. The ability to feel, to improvise, that ability to kind of ride the rhythm and have an understanding of what kind of reaction we’ll get when we do this, or the timing the positioning all of that stuff…I think the Usos have a very similar perspective on what wrestling should be on how great tag team wrestling is done, and I can’t thank those guys enough for being the best dance partners imaginable.”
– One-half of the NXT Tag Team Champions may have a problem working shows in Canada.
WWE advertised Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly for NXT’s recent four-event tour of Ontario, Canada (Feb. 22 through Feb. 25), but the duo did not appear at any of the events. The Undisputed ERA instead worked NXT shows in Florida over those days.
According to Dave Meltzer in the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Fish, at least in the past, had problems entering Canada. However, he was told that the problem “was taken care of.”
Meltzer also notes that he can’t find a record of Fish working in Canada since 2014 for Ring of Honor.
– NXT announcer Percy Watson appeared on Thursday’s season premiere of the FX comedy-drama series Atlanta as a Georgia state cop.
– If you were watching SmackDown Live last night you probably noticed that three of the company’s biggest stars were missing – The New Day! Stephanie McMahon Tweeted out the following pictures; revealing that she, Triple H, The New Day, Mark Henry, The Miz, Maryse, and WWE Hall Of Famer Shawn Michaels were in California for the Television Critics Association Winter Tour event:
Big E recently took part in an interview with entertainment website, the Wrap, and spoke about New Day potentially turning heel. During the interview, Big E admits he thought that’s where the team was headed not long ago.
Big E Interview Highlights
On New Day Turning Heel:
“After we dropped the titles to Sheamus and Cesaro about a year ago, I really thought that’s where we were headed,” stated Big E. “I think there was a lot of feeling that we were stale, and we kind of felt that way as well.”
“We were getting a smattering of boos — sometimes more than a smattering,”
On New Day Turning Heel in the Future:
“I really don’t know if being heel is gonna be in the cards anytime soon,” E said. “I feel like we have a lot left to offer in terms of different varieties or different incarnations of The New Day”
He did leave the door open for a potential heel run, however, adding “You never know in 6 months how people are gonna feel,”.
– On last night’s episode of Talking Smack following WWE’s Clash Of Champions pay-per-view (PPV) event, Charlotte Flair was asked by Renee Young about what’s next for her in her title reign. Flair noted that she wants to continue to improve but she also wants to be irreplaceable. She wants to be a feature attraction and the reason people are buying tickets to shows – much like WWE Champion AJ Styles. You can check out the video here:
– Last night also marked five years since former NXT Champion Big E made his main roster debut in WWE at the 2012 Slammys episode of Monday Night RAW. E took to Twitter to comment on the anniversary:
Five (yes, FIVE!) years ago today, I stared blankly into your homes for the first time. pic.twitter.com/2ZGlPgKZIP
SmackDown Live stars The New Day will be working on the RAW brand for the remainder of the ongoing UK Tour, according to a report at PWInsider.
For those who missed it, New Day made a surprise appearance at the conclusion of Monday’s RAW and interfered in the tag title main event, allowing Cesaro and Sheamus to capture the gold from Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose.
The Bar will now face The Usos at Survivor Series in an inter-brand Champions vs. Champions match.
With Roman Reigns expected back on WWE television next week, the stage is set for The Shield vs. New Day at Survivor Series.
Of course, this match occurring depends on Roman Reigns’ health by next week and whether or not he’s medically cleared to return to active competition.
A fan sent in a photo of his friend’s ridiculous New Day/unicorn themed tattoo on his leg. Big E responded and simply asked why the friend would let this happen.
Sasha Banks on the evolution of the women’s division in WWE
Sasha Banks spoke with Stuff while WWE was touring in New Zealand recently. Banks discussed the women’s division and how it has evolved over the past five years. Here are Banks’ comments:
“Five years ago we weren’t given this opportunity that we’re having now to be equal to the men. Just two years ago we were considered Divas, that was our brand name, and we had a championship that was in the shape of a butterfly. I was like ‘this is not us, we’re not divas, we’re superstars’. And so two years ago we changed that.
We have all different shapes, sizes, all different looks, and it’s so beautiful to see, because legit five years ago it was all models. Now, the sky’s the limit.”
New Canvas 2 Canvas with Dusty Rhodes
Dusty Rhodes was the subject for this week’s episode of Canvas 2 Canvas. WWE artist Rob Schamberger discussed Rhodes’ legacy while creating the artwork. Dusty Rhodes will be inducted into the 2017 National Wrestling Hall of Fame on July 20-22 and this week’s episode was done as a tribute to him.
Big E and Kofi Kingston were recently in India for a promotional tour and got the opportunity to speak to NDTV Gadgets 360 on a variety of professional wrestling topics. You can check out some of what they had to say here:
If they have creative freedom in WWE:
“We have a long leash for sure. That’s taken time to get trust from the higher ups and people of importance. But yeah, we don’t write everything. A lot of times we’re given scripts and we disagree with the script’s directions and we have some leniency to retool. A lot of times it’s ‘hey we need an overhaul and none of it works’ and sometimes it’s just a few tweaks here and there.
“We’ve been very fortunate. A lot of talent really don’t have that ability to just say ‘hey I want to rewrite this promo’ but it’s really helped us. And one thing we’ve noticed too is that as much as we – as a company – try to attach ourselves to pop culture, we felt also that a lot times they were a little outdated or a little bit, outside of their window of freshness.”
How social media influences their work:
“We’re on Twitter, we’re on Instagram, we like viral videos. It’s something we felt was needed in WWE. Something that was contemporary, something that was just hot on Instagram or Twitter or when Vine was still a thing, we wanted to implement that stuff immediately. Cause that’s the stuff we were just in the car buzzing over that made us laugh so why not use that the next day? I still vividly remember the hubbub over the Steph Curry shoes happened and when we talked in the car I think, it was a day later and we were in New Orleans and Kofi was all like ‘alright I gotta get these shoes’ and we wore them on TV and then we had to clown them for it.
“But it’s things like that people enjoy. People want stuff that’s up to date, that feels current, that feels fresh, that’s in the zeitgeist, that’s still being talked about so that’s an element that we’ve tried to use to separate ourselves and we take a lot of pride in that.”
WWE Superstar and one-third of former WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day, Big E, recently did an interview with Mid Day. Here’s what he had to say:
The impact The Hardys have had on the WWE’s Tag Team division:
“I think it’s definitely heating up obviously with the addition of the Hardy Boyz… that’s huge for igniting people’s passion with WWE tag team wrestling again. Also, The Revival, dastardly as they maybe, I think they are very talented. They say ‘what’s old is made new’ so, they borrowing a lot of Brainbusters from the tag team and wrestling of that age has helped them feel new. On SmackDown Live, seeing The Usos with their latest turn as heel and reigniting their careers as well as seeing how much momentum they have. I am a big fan of Breezango as well. Those guys need to be given a chance which they are finally getting. I really feel they are gonna tear it up with the opportunity they have with The Usos.
“It’s exciting to sit back a bit, we are kind of forcibly before we eventually make our SmackDown Live debut. The tag team division is in pretty good hands. We also have an eye on what is going on at NXT. There’s a lot to like about tag team wrestling and we will see how things shape after the superstar shake up.”
The New Day’s journey from being heels to where they are now:
“Oh it is a very long story! Well, Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods (the third member of The New Day) and me noticed quite early that we shared chemistry and a bond that was uncommon. Regardless of what incarnation the group would take, the WWE universe would see our chemistry and that would be the selling point. We believe that energy attracts energy. When we have fun and enjoy each others company, people are drawn in. However, The New Day would have manifested, we would be fine. Initially, we had a rocky start with ‘The New Day sucks’ chants. I remember, Xavier Woods being really fired up in the ring a few times. Initially it just started with a ‘clap’ (The New Day’s gimmick) and no words and Xavier Woods came up with that. It was a way to give us a clap that was unique and one that fans register as The New Day. It was hard on us for months. I remember us working a lot of time outside of WWE, at home, writing texts and emails trying to get on the same page and going out of our way to get this off the ground. And for people to tell us we suck, I mean, we are working as hard as we can.
“Most of WWE’s hardcore fan base wants to see underutilized wrestlers in better positions. And that was us. Kofi has been with WWE for a long time and never really had a world title opportunity and Woods never got to showcase his talents. We thought people would pull through for us, as underutilized guys, but it was not that way.
“I think, the one beautiful thing is that the WWE universe demonstrated that they have a voice and that they matter. If it wasn’t for them being so vocal and if they were apathetic, The New Day would have been dead in the water. It was perseverance for us as we believed in each other and that is the biggest take-away from this for us. If the WWE universe believes, they can definitely change a lot – like with Daniel Bryan and his WrestleMania moment. That is what is unique about WWE, that the fans can change and alter careers of the very WWE superstars that they watch.”
– Sheamus noted on Twitter that today marks 10 years since his WWE tryout.
– On last week’s episode of Total Divas, Nikki Bella said she thinks Brie “feels lost” since leaving WWE and had a rough time after leaving the company last year. Nikki said,
“Brie retired from WWE because she can’t be a mom and wrestle at the same time. Giving that up and not automatically getting pregnant, I feel like she’s just in this in-between stage. And I think she feels lost and it kind of makes me feel bad for her.”
Brie and husband Daniel Bryan are expecting a baby girl in about a month. Previously on the show, Brie revealed the child will be named Birdy Joe Danielson.
“Joe, her middle name, is after my grandfather – his name was Joseph, and he meant the world to me,” Brie said. “Birdy is because my husband and his whole family are B’s. And he married me, a B too, so his one request was that our kids have B names. I didn’t realise how hard it was to find girl B names, but we both came across Birdy and knew that was it!”
– Big E recently announced on Twitter that he is available to officiate weddings in the Los Angeles are later this month. He made sure to clarify he is not joking around.
I may be officiating weddings in LA April 20-22. Hit me if you're weird. MarriedbyBigE@gmail.com. I'm actually not joking. For once.
Big E spoke to WWE.com about the decision to start officiating weddings and revealed it came about because he had some free time on his hands and he ‘really doesn’t do well’ with idle time. “I think I was talking about it in the locker room,” Big E said. “I actually have to give all credit to Enzo Amore. He came up with this idea. As soon as I heard it, I thought ‘This is kind of ridiculous, but kind of phenomenal, as well.’ So, I gave it some thought, ran it by a couple of my friends, got their feedback. I couldn’t really think of a reason not to do it and got even more excited about the prospect.”
As for what couples can expected from a Big E wedding, Big E knows people will probably expect to see him ‘in character’ like they see on WWE television. “I’m not going to approach it as a normal minister would,” he said. “My job is an entertainer, so my thought is people want to see me entertain. That’s something we can talk about, of course. If you have a grandmother at your wedding who is uncomfortable with me shaking my hips, that’s something that I can tone down. It’s a case-by-case basis. I’m sure people who would try to employ my services would want something fun, but we’ll talk about it.”
