– Reports have resurfaced regarding actor Liev Schreiber playing Chris Benoit in the “Crossface” movie. One of the producers told the Wrestling Observer Newsletter this week that Schreiber will not be playing Benoit, but the film is still happening. The movie is based on Matt Randazzo’s book “Ring of Hell,” and Randazzo is reportedly one of the producers involved in the film.
– Former TNA star Jesse Neal, who was also an invited guest at one of WWE’s Tribute To The Troops specials, announced his retirement on August 29th at an In Your Face independent wrestling show. Neal married independent women’s wrestler Brittany Savage and the two have a child together. He has announced his retirement in the past, however he seems adamant about it this time around.
– FOX is reportedly working on a television drama series based on professional wrestling. The project is said to be in development right now and is undergoing script revisions.
With WrestleMania only a week away, we continue our survey of the best matches in the event’s history by looking at the second decade of action. This was an important and transitional decade for the company, as they started the period relying on superstars such as Bret Hart, Diesel, and Shawn Michaels at the top of the card, while ending it with guys such as Triple H, Brock Lesnar, and of course, Steve Austin.
The content of the product also changed dramatically during this time period, with it starting as a family-friendly product during the “new generation” era, and we all know what went on during the Attitude Era after the company shifted focus due to pressure from rival WCW. With that said, here are the ten best matches from this era. Matches are judged based on workrate, in-ring psychology, pre-match build, and historical significance, and a full video of the match is included with each entry.
10. Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle vs. Chris Jericho (WrestleMania 2000)
Despite being billed as the greatest thing since electricity, WrestleMania 2000 was basically a bust. One of the few bright spots was the two-fall triple threat match between Benoit, Angle, and Jericho. The stipulation was unique in that both the Intercontinental and European Championships were on the line, with the first fall deciding the former and the second deciding the latter. Angle would go into the match holding both titles, but would unfortunately walk out with neither. Benoit won the first fall with a diving headbutt and pinning Jericho. Jericho would win the second by delivering a Lionsault and pinning Benoit. It featured fast-paced action with a ton of near-falls, and it told a great story by having Angle lose both of his titles without being pinned or forced to submit.
This was the first time Chris Jericho had the opportunity to headline a WrestleMania, and he came into the match aligned with Stephanie McMahon as a heel. It told a great story that featured a thorough build, and eventually ended with The Game winning the Undisputed Championship after hitting the Pedigree.
8. Chris Benoit vs. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania XX)
These guys were three of the best technical wrestlers in the game at the time. The match was entertaining, there were multiple near-falls, and in the end, the title changed hands after Benoit forced Triple H to tap out to the Crippler Crossface. After the match, Benoit’s best friend Eddie Guerrero came to the ring and the two embraced while confetti rained down from the rafters. It’s of course a little bittersweet due to what happened years later, but it is still an emotional moment and a great match nonetheless.
7. The Rock vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan (WrestleMania X8)
This match seems to receive a mixed reaction from a lot of fans. In my opinion, it is one of the most entertaining and unpredictable matches in WrestleMania history, largely due to the crowd reaction. Going into the match, The Rock was the fan favorite while Hogan was booked as the heel. However, the crowd turned on Rock halfway through the match and started to cheer Hogan. The two improvised from there the match ended with Hogan once again turning face and celebrating with The People’s Champion after going down in defeat.
6. Steve Austin vs. Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania XIV)
Following his match with Bret Hart at the previous WrestleMania, Austin was undoubtedly the top dog in the WWE. It wouldn’t be until this night that he would finally capture his first WWE Championship, however. This wasn’t a technical affair by any means, largely due to Michaels wrestling with a severely injured back. With that said, it was still an entertaining contest that featured great in-ring psychology and one of the best builds of any main event in WrestleMania history due to the involvement of Mike Tyson. Austin would of course go on to win the title and start his run as perhaps the most successful superstar in WWE history.
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently appeared on Under The Mat Radio, talking in-depth about this year’s WrestleMania 31 pay-per-view. Below are highlights from the interview.
On WrestleMania 31 card so far: “Wrestlemania is a special event and it will always be a special event no matter the card. We’re in the age were everyone is going to second guess big events and cards more often than not until they see it. I find it amazing that some people have the ability to judge a card before it happens.”
On what comes to his mind when he hears the word “WrestleMania”: “Wrestlemania 9 was a matter of migrating into the world of WWE from the world of WCW and having your first assignment be the play by play for Wrestlemania. It was a pretty auspicious way to start I mean where do u go from there? So I’d say Wrestlemania 9 the first one you always remember the first one.”
On the transition from WCW to WWE: “I didn’t change a thing; I didn’t change anything that I did. You call a wrestling show based on what you see and not based on what you want to see or what you want to hear or say. The wrestlers provide the music and the announcer provides the lyric.”
On fans who keep asking if Chris Benoit will get into the WWE Hall of Fame: “They (fans) ask me don’t you feel Chris Benoit should be in the Hall of Fame and I say no I don’t. I get them saying oh you guys are being etc… I don’t work for WWE, who in the hell are guys?? And who are you to tell me what I have to do? What are you 13 in your parents basement? It Benoit could communicate right now he’d say no I’d be a distraction…”
Part-time WWE performer Chris Jericho recently spoke with the folks at Back Sports Page to promote his new autobiography. Below are highlights from the interview.
On a delay to his book because of a disclaimer about Chris Benoit and the process of writing the book: “No, it was chosen by me personally. There was no real push back from the book company. It was all me. I had to put a little bit of a forward in there because Chris (Benoit) is talked about so much in the book in a favorable way. I had to put a little something in. This wasn’t a major thing to hold the book back. When book one did well, we got the offer from them to do book two and when book two did well then we got an offer for book three. There is no way I can begin the process for another two years for a fourth book. When I wrote the “Best in the World” I could tell you that I just didn’t have enough stories to write within the year time frame. Then I realized I have too many stories and I have to put some aside for a fourth book. That’s why I am so proud of book three because it happened in the shortest of time. It’s the most suffice and story wise the strongest because of things that happened in that time frame.”
On getting lost in his character during his feuds with Shawn Michaels and Rey Mysterio: “Yeah, people don’t understand we play characters on TV and it is acting. When you become very good at what we do, you become attached and into the character you play. I was such an evil role on TV and was doing it so well that I felt I was the best on the planet . I felt I was the best I the world at what I did and a lot of people agreed. Not all the time, but on certain nights and at certain times. Listen you do drop into a character and it is very dark and it’s the type of character that people attacked on the streets for real. People were literally attacking me on the street. People knew that wrestling is a show, but they pointed at me and said that guy was real. When you look at how Heath Ledger passed away with the pills and he couldn’t get out of the darkness of the Joker character. If you are not an actor or performer you might think that it’s a little crazy, but as a performer you drop down so far it’s like inception and you are not really sure how to get back to the real person. It was a really a dark time for me on screen and off as I really started acting like this person. Not completely but elements of that character remained in me at all times.”
On how involved he is with the creative direction of his character on television: “You could read about that in “Best in the world”. When you read it you could see how much involvement and input I had with my programs with Shawn Michaels, Rey Mysterio and CM Punk. I was involved with the creative aspect as they used my ideas, not all of them but I was very involved with them. When I came in to the WWE in 1999 I helped write my own stuff, but over time we bought in more writers. I work with the writers in collaboration. Nobody ever gives me a piece of paper and tell me to say things on the air. For other guys they do that and it works for them. They have to gain a trust on what they do between them and the company. You are able to work out and gain the experience to know what you are doing and know who you are. It takes experience on what you can get across as a performer in your promo and the storyline . Sometimes the boss will go with your suggestions and sometimes he won’t and if he doesn’t want to do it then there is not thing you could do. The more I could interject more of my ideas into my character and add my own personality into my storyline and in my promo the better it’s gonna be. Everybody is in their own case by case basis but in my case everything is in collaboration and it has to be. I cannot do any other way.”
On if he has the option to be hands on and have input in what he does in WWE: “Some guys don’t have that option because they don’t have the experience. You pretty much have to do what they are told. I am not doing it because I am such a visionary, I do it because I have the experience and the trust and it takes a while to earn that and get that. When you do get the trust then you can branch out on your own. Until you do get that then you have to do what you are too told do like you would at any job. Certain guys will break free and figure it out and become bigger characters and the own that become Hall of Famers.”
On differences in the style of WWE compared to WCW: “Once again there is a certain WWE style which is taking your time and learning what you’re doing, it takes some time to figure it out when you worked in some other organizations a little bit of time to figure it out for yourself. I figured it out in 2008 with the suit and tie Jericho. I know people think there is a mythical WWE style but it is a real thing. It’s not one of those things that hold you down, or chains you down. It teaches you how to work properly, and how to have the best match you could possibly have and I didn’t learn that until I got to the WWE because I was never taught that way.”
On if there is not enough experience in the current WWE locker room: “There is a bunch of young guys now. You can’t just bring in guys who have experience anymore. It’s not the way it used to be. They have guys training these kids from the inside but things have changed. It’s not their fault it’s the way it is. It was a very magical time in the early 2000’s because you had guys who had ten to twenty years experience in this industry all together in the same place. That made it so magical because of guys who had been through trenches already. Sadly you are not going to have that anymore so you have guys learning as they go. They have to create new guys, new stories, new situations but it will take time. The company is in the right direction and in good shape as new talent is currently being developed.”
Former WWE and WCW star Marc Mero recently spoke with Slam Wrestling about his Champions of Choices non-profit organization. Since 2007, Mero has been visiting schools, churches and other groups to talk about Mero’s motivational story of triumphs and tragedy. He’s done 180 events in the past 12 months.
Mero told Slam Wrestling about his decision to star the project shortly after the Chris Benoit tragedy:
“Of course the thing that really catapulted me, unfortunately, was when Chris Benoit killed his wife and his kid and there was such a culture of so many of the guys that were dying. At that time I just wanted to make a difference and help younger people not go through some of the mistakes that I made. I don’t point my fingers at other people, but at what I did wrong, drug and alcohol abuse, broken relationships and broken dreams. I just wanted to help other people so I started the Champion of Choices program eight years ago and it is now taken off to over a thousand schools, churches and corporations around the world.”
With the help of friend Diamond Dallas Page, the embedded video above went viral and has received over 7.5 million views. Mero says he hopes he can work with WWE through his non-profit soon:
“The one thing that I hope comes out of it, and if it doesn’t I’m okay with it as I am busy, I would really like to reconnect with the WWE in a sense of working with them on their school programs. I see their school programs; of course, you put a wrestler in front of kids and they just go crazy, but they don’t really walk out of there changing a life. Sure it is great to see a superstar, but they are not delivering the same message that we are at schools. I would really hope someday that Triple H or someone in the upper echelon would come out and see one of our presentations and see the value of what we’re doing to associate with WWE once again.”
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross shared his thoughts on last night’s “Stone Cold Podcast” with Triple H, as well as the changes to the upcoming WWE Fast Lane pay-per-view in the latest blog posted on his official website.
Below are highlights:
On the “Stone Cold Podcast” with Triple H: “Enjoyed the Austin-HHH podcast Monday night after RAW on the @WWENetwork and look forward to more programs such as this as they are somewhat easy to produce and more cost efficient than many other original programming concepts. For me the long term key to the Network are the PPV’s and Original Programming. The ideas for original programming are seemingly endless. Both Austin and Triple H were straight forward and once they got on a roll it created some interesting content. I could have easily listened to another hour.”
On WWE Fast Lane changes: “I liked the tweak in the booking as it relates to the the Fast Lane PPV in a few weeks in Memphis as it gets Daniel Bryan back involved, provides multiple ways to go and even potentially positions Reigns as the villain against fan favorite Lesnar. As I said when many fans were knocking themselves out with their uncontrollable knee jerks, the weekly TV between now and WM31 could and should be good programming. I see that happening if the stories are kept simple and not over thought.”
On Chris Benoit in the WWE Hall Of Fame: “The annual Chris Benoit into the WWE HOF topic has reared it’s head again and will likely linger until after the WWE HOF event the night before WM31. I do not endorse Chris, who I hired and had immense respect for until the final days of his life when he murdered his family and then committed suicide. Knowing Chris as I did I feel that he would NOT want to be enshrined into the WWE HOF because of the backlash that it would create and because the story would not be about Chris’s stellar career but instead about the infamous murder/suicide. The entire matter is still a gut wrencher including me representing the WWE at Nancy and Daniel’s funeral services which was a task that was SO hard for me to attend on a personal level. IMO one cannot separate the career of an overachieving athlete from the fact that he murdered his family and then took his own life and no matter the alleged motive.”
Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
– During this week’s episode of the Monday Night War looking back at the fall of WCW, Chris Benoit was mentioned by name. While footage featuring the late wrestler is featured in its original form on the WWE Network, this may be the first time where he was mentioned by name on an original program.
The subject of Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko and Perry Saturn defecting to WWE in 2000 was addressed and a clip of the group debuting on the January 31, 2000 episode of Raw was shown with audio of Jim Ross mentioning all four by name. The accompanying clips, however, were focused on Guerrero, Malenko and Saturn.
Vince McMahon has said in the past that he is okay with acknowledging Benoit within a historical context, but not in a promotional manner.
“It’s not right to pretend he didn’t exist,” McMahon said in a 2009 interview with WWE Magazine when asked whether Benoit’s history can be acknowledged by the company. “It’s one thing to include him as part of a historical perspective, which I believe is okay, and it’s another thing to promote him, which is not okay.
“The situation is very similar to that of O.J. Simpson—despite his controversy, O.J. was still a part of the NFL scene. You can’t deny that he existed.”
– Here is a preview clip of this Sunday’s episode of Total Divas as Nikki and Brie Bella bring their personal issues to work when they get into an argument backstage.
– Here is the latest Kevin Owens vignette hyping his NXT debut next week at TakeOver: R Evolution on the WWE Network:
– 2K Sports is preventing fans from uploading scans of Chris Benoit’s face to be used in WWE 2K15. A gamer asked 2K about it on Twitter and got this response:
The following are highlights of a recent Chris Jericho “Ask Me Anything (A.M.A.)” chat on Reddit:
Do you feel like WWE dropped the ball on Bray Wyatt? I thought he looked like a complete joke in his feud with Cena so I appreciated that you took him more seriously. Bray will be a world champion within a year
Thoughts on the rapid rise of Dean Ambrose? Much deserved
What happened to Lights Go Out being in WWE 2K15? It’s not listed in the official press release! Tell me about it. I’m pissed
You don’t mention much in your book about your 2010 departure from the WWE. How did you put that storyline together? Were there plans for you to return and feud with Orton? the plan was for me to return and feud with Orton for Wrestlemania. I chose to do DANCING WITH STARS instead
Do you think Benoit should be in hall of fame? Never
Do you think the wrestling business is better off now (PG, concussion awareness, no blood, etc) or during the peak Monday Night War era (better creatively, more jobs with three companies, worse medical checks in place, etc)? Better now.
Have you ever sneezed/seen someone else sneeze in front of Vince? What was his reaction? He hates sneezing!
Chris Jericho held a live Q&A on Twitter on Sunday night. Below are some highlights.
– He said Triple H was his biggest guest and best interview on his podcast so far. He said the ratings for his HHH interview are insane. He also mentioned that the next 12 weeks worth of “Talk Is Jericho” guests are planned out and he has some “amazing” names scheduled.
– He said Fozzy is working on a huge U.K. tour that will be announced in the near future.
– He confirmed that he will not be part of the WWE’s U.K. tour in November. He also confirmed that he won’t be wrestling at the WWE Hell In A Cell pay-per-view.
– He said if Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero were still alive today they would still be “kicking ass” and “working behind-the-scenes.”
You can check out more from Jericho’s Twitter Q&A at @IAmJericho.
The following are highlights from a recent Jim Ross Q&A update:
On if he’d like to have Eve Torres on the Ross Report: “It could and I’d enjoy it as well. TBD.”
On if top MMA heavyweights from this era could beat up Haku: “Hmm, I havent heard those rumors but they sound like figments of someone’s imagination. Where were these yarns printed? The answer is in a bar or in the street your assumption is likely inaccurate.”
On his blogs and regular Q&A updates at JRsBarBQ.com: “My time, repetitive questions, one persona submitting multiple questions in one day all factor in. Plus, I like when people are honest and let me know that hey use our products. There’s little reason to devote all the time to the blogs and Q&A’s if we aren’t monetizing the effort and time selling some of our products. Plus, I don’t like to delve too deeply into questions that are so subjective that they have no right or no wrong answers. It’s futile to address. Some I eliminate simply because they are embarrassingly illogical or profane.”
On working with “Macho Man” Randy Savage: “Randy was very unpredictable and could be volatile at times. He did not trust many people but was a very charismatic and talented man.”
On pro wrestling rankings: “Ranking pro wresting within a company would still work and wold add realism to the equation.”
On Chris Benoit’s son Daniel entering the wrestling business: “Mixed feelings and I don’t know what to expect from this matter. I know that his journey like most others won’t be easy.”
Check out more JR Q&A updates at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
The following are highlights of a recent Ask Me Anything Reddit chat with legendary wrestling manager Jim Cornette:
On if he’s spoken to Ed Ferrara since his “Oklahoma” parody character on Jim Ross: “I saw him in Nashville in 2002–I had promised the promoter I wouldn’t punch him, but I didn’t promise I wouldn’t try to get HIM to punch ME first–I told him what I thought of him for doing that to JR and I spit in his face in front of 30 witnesses, and the gutless pussy did nothing. That’s what he deserved for making fun of a near career-ending disability suffered by a guy who has more talent in his finger than Ferrara in his whole body, he should have never been allowed in our business in the first place. If anyone sees him, tell him Jim Cornette STILL says he’s a gutless sack of shit.”
On his thoughts on Colt Cabana: “Colt is a fine mid-card wrestler, an average look and an oK at best promo, he was perfect for WWE and I have to assume he pissed someone off there–he was NOT a fit for ROH as we were trying to present an athletic, serious, credible style of pro wrestling and funny doesn’t draw money. We didn’t offer him a contract because he didn’t fit those plans, and he has made a big deal out of it, we never said this publicly until he made it an issue-personally, I don’t think his comedy is funny and I don’t think anyone trying to make a career in pro wrestling should make fun of it at the same time, a la his bullshit “$5 wrestling” with the asshole who runs Highspots. I have no use for that type of horseshit.”
On why Kevin Steen hates him so much: “Because I got him a raise, a contract renewal, Visa paid for, a 9 month undefeated run with the World Title and tons of TV time, even after he refused to lose weight to get the spot, so you tell me.”
On his thoughts of WWE deciding to air Chris Benoit footage on the WWE Network: “He was a great talent, a wonderful friend and a fine human being who for some reason or combination of reasons went insane and did horrible, unforgiveable things in the last two days of his life–you can’t erase him from history, but if anyone would confront it we might learn something to prevent it from happening again.”
On Kevin Dunn: “I don’t think about Kevin Dunn, the wrestling fan’s worst enemy, so I can sleep at night–I take comfort in the fact that ebveryone else who knows him hates him too.”
On the worst booking decisions ever: “The Brawl for All tied with Austin hugging McMahon at WM17 that led to the collapse of the entire business.”
Check out more of Jim Cornette’s A.M.A. chat at Reddit.com.
– Independent pro wrestler Steven Walters, who frequently works for Anarchy Wrestling out of Cornelia, Georgia, has signed a developmental deal with WWE. He is expected to start with the company in Orlando in mid-April.
– Chris Harrington recently compiled a list of the 20 wrestlers who have appeared in the most WWE, WCW and ECW pay-per-view matches in history. That list looks as follows:
1. The Undertaker 161
2. HHH 158
3. Big Show 156
4. Kane 155
5. Chris Jericho 149
6. Rey Mysterio 129
7. John Cena 124
8. Edge 123
9. Booker T 119
10. Randy Orton and Shawn Michaels 114
12. Chris Benoit 113
13. Ric Flair 105
14. Christian and Steve Austin 90
16. Dustin Rhodes aka Goldust 90
17. Sting 83 and Lex Luger 83
19. Hulk Hogan and C.M. Punk 82
New TNA star MVP recently appeared on the v2 Wrestling Podcast. The following are some highlights from the interview:
On his goals in TNA: “WWE is a spectacular company, and their market saturation and visibility is monstrous, but the most prosperous time during the history of wrestling was during the Monday Night Wars when WWF was going head-to-head with WCW. You had 12 million people a week tuning in to watch wrestling, and the fans benefited as well as the wrestlers. TNA is a smaller company and doesn’t have the outreach and audience that WWE does, but I’d like to try, along with some of the other guys, to move the needle a little bit, and try to create something where fans can go ‘Hey, this is really cool, there’s something going on over here that we can watch as well,’ because I firmly believe that there’s room for two big dogs in the yard.”
On the TNA departures of Hulk Hogan and Sting: “While it’s sad to see them go, it’s also tremendously exciting to see that void filled by new stars who are stepping up and working hard to try to become legends in their own right.”
On Chris Benoit: “When I got signed, we travelled together, we trained together, and he was hugely responsible for my success. Of course, you can’t condone what he did, but I tell people all the time, there’s an issue with mental illness. There’s a stigma attached to it. If someone has cancer, we feel sorry for them, but if somebody has a mental breakdown, we don’t feel the same way. All those negative connotations make people sometimes not want to get help if there’s something going wrong. What Chris did was horrible, it was tragic, but I knew him personally, and I knew that he loved his wife and child, and I had been to that home and I had interacted with them personally.”
On WWE airing Benoit footage on the WWE Network: “I think that’s a good thing, because regardless of what happened out of the ring, he is without question one of the best in-ring technicians that ever existed. So, if you’re a fan of wrestling then you have to be a fan of Chris Benoit the wrestler, and maybe not so much Chris Benoit the tragic murderer.”
Check out the complete MVP interview at v2Journal.com.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley will be launching his WrestleMania Dream Vacation raffle tonight during WWE RAW at 9pm ET. The raffle will send some lucky fans to WrestleMania XXX in New Orleans and benefit RAINN, an anti-sexual assault organization that Foley has done some work with in the past.
– Brandi Rhodes, who as noted is again working under the name Eden Stiles, has been teasing something to happen on February 12th. She noted that she’s an “open book” and said it will be an adventure.
– Following his lengthy interview with Chavo Guerrero on the death of Chris Benoit on his “Talk Is Jericho” podcast last week, Chris Jericho noted recently that he will be having Christopher Nowinski on his show soon. Nowinski is the former WWE Superstar who examined the brain of Benoit after his passing.
The following are highlights from the latest online blog by WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:
On Kurt Angle returning to WWE: “Speaking of another Pittsburgher, been reading a great deal about Kurt Angle’s thoughts on returning to WWE to end his pro wrestling career. I don’t know what’s accurate or not but personally it would be fun to see Kurt finish where he started as it’s obvious that the 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist should seriously be thinking of hanging up his boots and looking at other avenues within the business of which he can contribute. There are many for the record.”
“I’d surmise that for Kurt to return to in ring competition in WWE that he would have to pass an extensive physical as that particular landscape has changed drastically, and for the better, since Angle last appeared in WWE.”
On Chris Benoit footage airing on the WWE Network: “Glad to see that the much anticipated WWE Network will air some Chris Benoit matches accompanied with the proper ‘warning.’ What Chris did in the last days of his life are unpardonable but no one has ever said that Benoit wasn’t a great in ring technician. Should Chris be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame? Absolutely, not. However seeing some of his matches on the new, WWE Network feels fitting even thought there will be some who will raise hell over it just because they can somehow justify it via their keyboards.”
On Mr. Perfect: “Curt Hennig aka Mr. Perfect passed away 11 years ago tomorrow Feb 10. Arguably as naturally talented in all phases of the pro wrestling game as anyone I’ve ever been around. We went into the 2007 Hall of Fame class together at WM23 in Detroit. One of the funniest guys ever and a fabulous in ring performer. One could tell that the influence of so many of the great talents in the AWA had a positively profound influence on Curt. That would apply especially to Bobby Heenan and Nick Bockwinkel, among others.”
Check out the complete blog online at JRsBarBQ.com.
– Earlier this week, a report at WrestlingINC.com stated that Colt Cabana told a fan in India that ‘CM Punk walking away from WWE is not a work. Punk has been pissed off for a while and he probably won’t be at WrestleMania.’
Cabana is calling BS on the report, tweeting:
Some dude in INDIA has been lying about me talking about Punk. I’m sorry yall but Internets been lying. I think he’s dead.
– Stephanie McMahon was interviewed by Pittsburgh’s KDKA-TV during Royal Rumble weekend and commented on controversial footage airing on the WWE Network, such as the 1999 Over The Edge pay-per-view (when Owen Hart passed away) and Chris Benoit matches.
The Over The Edge pay-per-view will in fact be available on the WWE Network, but all references to Owen Hart will be edited out. As for Chris Benoit matches being included on the Network, she said:
“They are incredible challenging decisions to make. At the end of the day, we try to do what’s right for our fans and we try to give them exactly what they want to see.”
An Emotional Two Part Interview. Part 1: Eddie Guerrero, Part2: Chris Benoit
LOS ANGELES, February 5, 2014 – Due to an ongoing demand by his fans, Chris Jericho will now be airing Talk Is Jericho twice a week, every Wednesday and Friday at PodcastOne.com. This week’s guest is famed member of the Guerrero wrestling family, Chavo Guerrero, who sits down with Jericho for an intimate interview about his life, his career and the final days of Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit.
Available at https://podcastone.com/Talk-Is-Jericho, Wednesday’s episode with Guerrero offers a revealing discussion about the life of Chavo’s uncle Eddie Guerrero, the days that lead up to his death and the emotional scene that took place in the hotel bathroom.
Friday’s episode continues the conversation as Chris and Chavo discuss the tragic loss of their dear friend Chris Benoit. For the first time, Guerrero speaks publicly about Benoit’s final days and the tragic murder-suicide that rocked the wrestling world.
– As previously reported, WWE is planning on airing footage that involves Chris Benoit on their new WWE Network service with an advisory message that will be shown before he appears. The current word is that any show that includes Benoit will have an advisory message that will specifically state that all characters on the show are “purely fictional.”
– WWE Superstar Kofi Kingston is in Saudi Arabia doing some promotional work for WWE. Kingston hosted an anti-bullying rally at the Al Faris International School in Riyadh on Thursday morning.
The following are highlights from another Q&A update from WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:
On WWE never booking a program between The Dudley Boyz and The Road Warriors: “The Dudley’s are two of my all time favorite guys to work with in WWE or elsewhere. I don’t recall why creative did not book them vs. the Road Warriors. Creative did many things over the years that I did not understand.”
On his thoughts of Chris Benoit as a wrestler: “Obviously, Benoit was a great in ring performer, one of the best pound for pound wrestlers that I ever saw. Unfortunately, that isn’t what he’s going to be remembered for. Please do not continue to send me more questions about Benoit. I’ve answered this the best that I can and, no, he will never be in the WWE HOF, IMO, because of the last hours of his life.”
On whether or not TNA can ever come close to WWE: “Not even close but they don’t have to come close to be profitable.”
On who The Undertaker should end his career against: “Whoever would provide the biggest challenge, who’s the hottest, and who will sell the greatest number of PPV’s while providing the most intrigue/threat.”
On why WWE holds back Dolph Ziggler: “I’ve addressed this SO many times. I don’t know anything about WWE Creative. Ziggler has talent. If he steers the course he will be just fine. He’s a big time athlete who simply needs to be cast in the right role.”
Check out more JR Q&A updates online at JRsBarBQ.com.
WWE Hall Of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin recently shared his thoughts on the possibility of the late Chris Benoit being inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame. Regarding the subject, Austin said on a recent podcast, “Well first and foremost, what I think about Chris Benoit is that guy was one of the most nicest guys I ever met in my life. He’s one of the most talented, hard working cats I’d ever seen in the squared circle. Anybody who knew Chris would tell you those exact two things. That guy loved the damn wrestling business, he was born to be a wrestler and was absolutely phenomenal. Drawing a lot of his influence from The Dynamite Kid, he blazed a path as the Pegasus Kid and his legacy as The Crippler Chris Benoit was just one hellacious career.”
Austin continued, “One night, Chris ended up killing his wife and his kid. That is an act so terrible and horrible I can’t even comprehend or guess as to what happened in that house. That will always overshadow any accomplishment Chris had in the ring. He’ll never be in the Hall of Fame, it will just never happen. His career will speak for itself but his record as a human being, his first and foremost, and those actions will never be forgotten. That’s my feelings on that, we don’t even need to talk about the Hall of Fame. Speaking for myself, Chris Benoit as the person I knew, loved him. Chris Benoit as a wrestler, loved him. Chris Benoit as the person who did what he did, unforgivable. Bottom line.”
You can listen to Steve Austin’s podcasts online at PodcastOne.com.
– Former WWE Superstar Chris Benoit, who is banned from appearing on WWE programming or DVD releases, was featured briefly in a WWE TLC video package for the John Cena vs. Randy Orton title unification main event match. Benoit was shown being pinned by Orton during the package that aired on WWE Main Event this week.
– The following are some known independent wrestlers at the previously reported three-day WWE tryout camp going on this week at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida:
Ricochet (Dragon Gate USA)
Pepper Parks (CZW)
Bestia 666 (Lucha star and son of former WCW wrestler Damien 666)
Gaylon Summers (6’7” 270 lb. independent wrestler)
– The premiere of the WWE Studios film “Christmas Bounty” starring The Miz drew 828,000 viewers on ABC Family on Tuesday night. The movie drew a 0.3 cable rating in the adult 18-49 demographic.
– As previously reported, Chris Benoit’s son David Benoit is interested in becoming a professional wrestler. Benoit has trained with Harry Smith, among others recently, and along with Scott Hall’s son Cody Hall is attempting to see if he can get into the New Japan Pro Wrestling dojo. Benoit’s ultimate goal is to apparently get to WWE one day.
Last week, WWE revealed the official synopsis for the upcoming “Mr. WrestleMania” DVD/Blu-Ray set looking at the legendary career of WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels. The synopsis included the following:
“Now, fans can own all 17 of his iconic WrestleMania matches. See all the jaw-dropping action from The Showstopper on WWE’s grandest stage.”
.. which implied that Michaels’ triple threat match against Triple H and Chris Benoit from WrestleMania XX would be part of the project. We can now confirm that the Michaels vs. Triple H vs. Benoit will not be included.
“Mr. WrestleMania” – set for a February release, will actually feature 16 of Shawn’s WrestleMania matches, along with newly-filmed interview footage from the WWE Hall of Famer.
Comment Below and tell us what you think about WWE’s decision to omit the WrestleMania XX main event.
The following are highlights from a recent Gerweck Radio interview with former WWE Superstar Paul London:
On Chris Benoit’s dark side: “Chris was dark, he was extremely dark. We used to have a joke that Chris was tri-polar, because it was a step up from bi-polarity. He would flip sometimes. I think a combination of Chris’ background of with steroids, mixed with the partying, is a recipe for disaster. One of them is a recipe for disaster. Its literally taking Drano and pouring it on your hard drive. See what that does for your computer.”
On Triple H being jealous of Rob Van Dam: “That is another reason I’m pretty sure I won’t be returning there any time soon. Hunter was pretty obviously jealous of certain individuals. I’m not saying he was jealous of me. I could tell he was envious of (Rob) Van Dam. He was extremely envious of Rob’s success. He was jealous of Van Dam’s personality. He was jealous that people gravitated towards Rob, because people liked being around Rob because he was very positive. The most glaring was the work rate. Hunter has had the same matches his whole career. If the guy is so damn tough, why does he need a sledgehammer. How do you justify this guying be a bad ass if he always has a weapon. Hunter is like that nerd that throws out a joke expecting the room to start laughing and ends up laughing at his own joke.”