WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan is no stranger to controversy, from both his work in wrestling and outside the squared circle. Recently, the Hulkster stepped his giant boot inside the world of politics, resulting in an uncomfortable situation for the legend this week.
At a Real American Bear promotional event in Rhodes Island, comedian Robby Roadsteamer approached Hogan wearing a homemade ‘MAGA Powers’ shirt, a nod to Hogan’s recent endorsement of Donald Trump. Borrowing a line from Hogan, Roadsteamer asked “Whatchu gonna do when we drop the big boot on trans and everything? Does that work for you brother?” Trump and the Republican party have made their opposition to transgender rights clear throughout the campaign, with Trump threatening severe consequences to those who provide gender-affirming care if elected.
Robby didn’t stop there as he sang “Trump is a real felon. Then he went to Epstein Island” to the tune of Hogan’s ‘Real American’ theme song used in WWE. Security then stepped in to move Roadsteamer away from the uncomfortable Hogan.
Had a word with Hulk Hogan about MAGA and sang his own theme song to him with Epstein Plane lyrics ???? Here's the uncut WideScreen Version! Blue wave coming Brother! #MAGA#Trump#HarrisWalz2024pic.twitter.com/lyV5R5h2zV
Roadsteamer’s appearance at Hogan’s event comes one week after a man was arrested for protesting the two-time WWE Hall of Famer. Nathaniel Livington was arrested earlier this month after protesting Hogan’s appearance at a Kroger store in Liberty Township, Ohio. Livington was joined by others who protested after Hogan asked fans if they wanted him to bodyslam Kamala Harris and made ‘jokes’ about the race of the Vice President.
Hulk Hogan may fight for the rights of every man (according to his WWE theme song) but right now, his support is behind Donald Trump and the Republican Party in this November’s election. While Hogan has the right to endorse who he believes is fit for office, opponents of the Hulkster have as much right to make their views clear on the WWE legend.
WWE Hall of Famer & former Governor of Minnesota Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura recently sat down with Rev. Al Sharpton on MSNBC to talk politics and the U.S. presidential election. Voters will go to the polls this November to elect either Vice President Kamala Harris or Former President Donald Trump as the next President of the United States.
On Tim Walz
Tim Walz is the current Governor of Minnesota and the running mate of Harris. In the interview, Ventura recalled Walz seeking his advice following his first victory in the race to be governor.
“He called me and set up a being with me to pick my brain. No other Governor has ever done that, Republican or Democrat but Tim Walz did. And what that showed me, Tim Walz is the kind of guy who’s out for success and he will reach across the aisle.”
Ventura also spoke about JD Vance’s attacks on Walz, as the running mate of Trump has accused Walz of ‘stolen valor’ despite Walz’s twenty years as an officer in the U.S. Army. Ventura explained that after twenty years, an officer can retire when they want to. Ventura added that, as a former Marine, he knows what it means to show respect to those who have served and that Vance should behave like a Marine.
On Hulk Hogan Endorsing Donald Trump
At the Republican National Convention, Hulk Hogan publicly endorsed Donald Trump and called the former President his hero. Ventura chuckled to himself as Sharpton reminded him of Hogan’s endorsement and recalled Hogan’s attempts to block Ventura’s effort to form a union in pro wrestling.
“It doesn’t surprise me to see Hogan with the Republicans because Hogan’s as anti-union as you can get… It was Hulk Hogan who ratted me out to Vince McMahon and I was fired and lost my job.”
On Donald Trump
Years before he dominated the Republican Party, Trump was part of the ‘Reform Party’ after being recruited by Ventura himself. The WWE Hall of Famer said that Trump is not the same man who came to him years ago and believes the billionaire’s politics are solely based on what benefits himself.
“Donald Trump is for Donald Trump. And Donald Trump is going to do whatever it is that supports Donald Trump… He saw that he could take over the Republican Party so he changed his views. He want from pro-choice to no rights for women’s reproductive. He’s gone far right.”
Ventura added that Trump’s claims of being a Christian man, one that is echoed by many of his supporters, are hollow.
“He’s trying to say he’s now a religious person. Well to me, if you’re going to be a religious person, you have to live it. And Donald Trump hardly lives it…. I’m an agnostic athiest and I think that I’m more religious than he is.”
Ventura suggested that Republicans would have had a far harsher response if Barack Obama had had multiple affairs while they “embrace” Trump.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has shared her support for the Iron Sheik after Hulk Hogan publicly endorsed Donald Trump for President. At the 2024 Republican National Convention, Hogan called Trump his “hero” and endorsed the 78-year-old to be a “real American.”
Appearing in Lansing, Michigan, Whitmer was asked for her thoughts on Hogan’s endorsement of Trump. She joked “This was the question I was hoping not to get asked tonight” and threw her support behind the Iron Sheik. While Whitmer spoke of Sheik being from Lansing, Michigan, this was the original Sheik Ed Farhat. The Iron Sheik, who passed away in June 2023, was born in Iran.
Hogan isn’t the only notable name in wrestling backing the former President. WWE Hall of Famer Glenn Jacobs is backing Trump as he has done for years. On Twitter, Jacobs, the Mayor of Knox County, TN, argued that Joe Biden was not fit to serve as President after the Democrat leader announced he would not seek re-election this November. Jacobs was at the RNC, as was Linda McMahon who delivered a speech before Hogan and Trump himself.
Whitmer has thrown her support behind Kamala Harris for the November election. The Vice President has been endorsed by several names so far, including President Biden.
WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan gave an impassioned speech supporting Donald Trump for President at Thursday’s Republican National Convention.
Hogan referenced Madison Square Garden, Macho Man Randy Savage, slamming Andre the Giant. At one point, he ripped off a his shirt to reveal a Trump-Vance shirt underneath, as the crowd chanted “USA, USA!”
He endorsed Trump as a “Trump, calling him ”hero” and “gladiator” who is the right choice in this election to get the America back on track.
NBC News: Hulk Hogan gave what I would say is probably the best speech at this convention so far pic.twitter.com/xAMPmhjIuA
Wrestling icon Hulk Hogan, former WWE President & CEO Linda McMahon, and UFC President Dana White are among the speakers at Thursday’s closing night of the 2024 Republican National Convention. Hulk Hogan spoke with Bret Baier of Fox News about his presence at the event. The 12-time World Champion of WWE/WCW and nWo founding member likened his convention speech to body-slamming Andre the Giant.
Hulk Hogan says his speech tonight will be like bodyslamming Andre The Giant at WrestleMania. pic.twitter.com/8D2R8gHgub
Hulk Hogan does not like what he’s seen in America since Trump left office in January 2021. He says the United States’ borders have “collapsed” while food and gas prices have skyrocketed.
”When they took at a shot at my hero Donald Trump, I realized that I couldn’t be silent anymore.
You know, I had to step up, I had to be a real American, just like all of these real Americans here and Donald Trump.”
WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan is slated to make an appearance at the Republican National Convention on Thursday night, just before WWE Hall of Famer Donald Trump accepts the GOP nomination for President of the United States.
The wrestling legend will address the crowd ahead of Trump’s official acceptance speech on the final night of the convention, according to two senior campaign officials who spoke to NBC News. Trump’s nomination follows the recent announcement of Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance as his Vice Presidential running mate.
Linda McMahon & Kane Also at the 2024 RNC
WWE has had a presence at the 2024 RNC all week. Aside from the whole thing revolving around a Hall of Famer, former WWE President and and Trump’s former United States Administrator of the Small Business Administration Linda McMahon.
Hulk Hogan and Donald Trump are friends dating back to the 1980’s. In recent years, Hogan has been a proud supporter of Trump’s US Presidential campaigns.
In 2015, when Trump was running for president, Hogan publicly stated that he wanted to be Trump’s running mate [CBSNews]. During another interaction with TMZ, Hogan was asked which 2016 presidential candidate he would like to have in the ring with him. Believe it or not, the Hulkster went into self-promotion mode, brother.
“I don’t want to be in the ring with any candidates, I want to be Trump’s running mate.”
– Hulk Hogan (2015)
Stay tuned for our continued coverage of Hulk Hogan speaking at the 2024 Republican National Convention later this evening.
“What a rush” may have been running through Donald Trump’s mind after an assasination attempt was made on the WWE Hall of Famer on July 13.
The forthcoming Republican Presidential nominee was mere inches from death as he was doing a stump speech in Butler, PA. Trump’s ear got grazed by a bullet before secret service swarmed him to make sure he was safe.
However, once matters were settled and the shooter was taken out, Trump made certain to stand himself up and give a fist pump to the people in the crowd. The moment certainly created a lot of memorable photographs for the press and felllow WWE Hall Of Famer JBL made note that Trump must have been taking notes from a certain legendary tag team in Road Warrior Hawk and Road Warrior Animal.
Although JBL was posting in jest, it’s heaviily believed that Trump has adopted a lot of his speaking style and “promo skills” from the world of pro wrestling. There’s the urban legend that during his WWE Hall of Fame induction in 2013, Trump was really impressed with the promo work of Zeb Coulter, better known as Dutch Mantell.
Trump did issue a statement following the assasination attempt, thanking the police and the secret service for their work, but also sending his condolences to the victims of the shooter as one rally attendee was killed and two others were in critical condition.
Both The Rock and Logan Paul have their respective ties to politics, particularly in 2024, and a hypothetical was pitched for the two stars to be on the presidential ticket.
On “The Good Guys” podcast, co-hosts Josh Peck and Ben Soffer pitched the notion of ‘The People’s Champion’ becoming ‘The People’s President.’ Not only that, but what if ‘The Final Boss’ appointed WWE United States Champion Logan Paul as his running mate?
“Do you think if The Rock ran with Logan Paul as his running mate, they would win?
“I think that if The Rock ran with Helen Keller as his running mate, he would win.
“If The Rock ran with anybody, he would win. I think Logan would hurt his chances.
“That’s how much of a shoe in The Rock is by himself. Nobody’s ever asked The Rock for his political affiliations. He is separate of party.
“He is just the quintessential perfect human. He’s perfect.”
Someone who doesn’t think The Rock is perfect is Cody Rhodes as the two stars had quite the confrontation during WrestleMania 40. However, whenever it comes to politics The Rock has decided not to take a side this election year. Back in 2020, The Rock ended up endorsing Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, but in an interview earlier this year, expressed his disappointment in doing so. A lot of people have been clamoring for the Final Boss to run for the highest office in the land — and he hasn’t ruled it out.
The connections between wrestling and politics are endless. Logan Paul just had 45th US President and WWE Hall of Famer Donald Trump on his Impaulsive podcast. Meanwhile, former WWE President Linda McMahon was recently named a top donor to Trump.
WWE Hall Of Famer Donald Trump is getting some Presidential Campaign help from a familiar face in Linda McMahon.
According to a new article from Forbes that names the top biggest billionaire donors to Trump’s campaign, Linda McMahon is ranked in second place and the numbers are quite astonishing.
In total, Linda McMahon has shelled over $11.1 million to aid Trump in his rematch for Presidential superiority against Joe Biden. Over the course of Trump’s first run as Commander-In-Chief, Linda McMahon was apart of Donald’s cabinet serving as the head of the Small Business Administration. Linda later took the helm to co-chair the primary Trump Super-PAC in his 2020 foray against Biden.
While Donald Trump is aiming to hit the Oval Office once again at the end of 2024, Linda McMahon still remains in the fold by steering the America First Policy Institute, a non-profit that’s associated with Trump. She also is on the Trump Media and Technology group.
A little under two weeks ago, Trump debated against Biden in what was a very polarizing event, but it did take place at a historic wrestling location in Atlanta.
Along with getting inducted into the 2013 WWE Hall Of Fame, Donald Trump has lengthy ties with the McMahon family. Trump played host to WrestleMania IV in Atlantic City. He was notoriously in the corner for Bobby Lashley during WrestleMania 21 as Lashley defeated Umaga, allowing Trump to shave the head of Vince McMahon. We happened to just surpass the 15th anniversary of when Trump “bought” WWE RAW from Vince.
One of the cardinal rules of wrestling is to not blend it in with politics, but with a genre that was birthed out of the carnival grounds, it’s hard to avoid comparisons.
The U.S. Presidential Debate took place on Thursday night with former President Donald Trump going up against current President Joe Biden. This is the earliest debate to ever happen during an election year and it will go down as the most controversial.
For starters, there was no live audience or media in attendance with the expection of the moderators. Secondly, Trump and Biden were not allowed to have notes in front of them and whenever it was not their turn to talk their mics were muted. From both sides of the podium, the performances of Biden and Trump were resoundingly underhwhelming. However, Biden’s performance has been greatly panned, causing voters and pundits alike to question the future of the 2024 election.
RELATED: Donald Trump Reportedly Suggests Separate Divisions In The UFC For Americans & Illegal Immigrants
Despite the debate not being as captivating as the current Bloodline saga, the location of the occurance does have its ties to wrestling history. Donald Trump’s WWE Hall of Fame status notwithstanding, the venue in which the debate was hosted originally played host to classic wrestling. Former WCW announcer David Penzer provided some insight on X.
“Did you know… that the studio that the POTUS Debate is tomorrow is the same studio where Georgia Championship Wrestling and later World Championship Wrestling were taped in the 70’s & 80’s???”
Did you know…
that the studio that the POTUS Debate is tomorrow is the same studio where Georgia Championship Wrestling and later World Championship Wrestling were taped in the 70's & 80's??? pic.twitter.com/ny4OAQwakp
With Trump aiming to secure his second term as President, much of the speculation as to how he patterned his political presence off of Zeb Colter, aka Dutch Mantell during his “For The People” era. It was around that same time when Trump was inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame.
Vince McMahon and WWE were referenced in court several times on Tuesday during Stormy Daniels’ testimony as part of the ongoing hush money trial against former US President Donald Trump.
Daniels said that when she first met Trump, she “really wanted” to ask him about professional wrestling. McMahon and Trump have been close friends for decades and she was eager to explore that connection. She recalled a conversation with Trump where it “sort of clicked” for him that adult film stars are similar to athletes and pro wrestlers. Daniels, an adult film star, laughed on the stand as she her world to pro wrestling. Like WWE, “it’s real but it’s not.”
Visit Google News for more coverage of Stormy Daniels testifying in Donald Trump’s hush-money trial.
Former US President Donald Trump sits in court at Manhattan criminal court at the New York State Supreme Court in New York, NY, (Tuesday, May, 7, 2024)
Trump faces charges of falsifying business records to conceal payments made to Daniels, who asserts they had an affair. He has entered a not guilty plea and denies the affair claim.
On Monday, both current and former officials from the Trump Organization provided testimony on how Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, was reimbursed for the $130,000 payment to Daniels.
Judge Juan Merchan has reiterated that Trump violated his gag order twice and has warned him again about the potential for jail time if he continues to post attacks on witnesses and the jury.
New York Mayor Eric Adams stated that the city’s Department of Correction and Rikers Island are prepared to accommodate Donald Trump if he is incarcerated for violating Judge Merchan’s gag order in the trial.
Two-time WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair could have had a fruitful career in politics had his prior controversies not intervened, according to the Nature Boy himself.
In wrestling, Flair had a long, lustrious career with 16 World Championship wins to his name, though the actual amount of World title wins is reportedly much higher. Speaking to FOX News recently, Flair was asked what he’d look for in a leader of the United States.
“I think we need someone who shows strength. We need somebody to say, ‘Hey, we are the United States. Kiss my ass!'”
Flair was then asked if he’d considered running for office himself. While the Nature Boy has never set his sights on the White House, he did recall a proposed run for Governor in 2001.
“No [I have not thought about running for President] but I should have run for Governor in 2001. But, they said I had too many skeletons in my closet. Imagine that! I’d make Trump look like a baby.”
Flair didn’t go into what skeletons caused him to reconsider. During a 2020 interview, Jesse Ventura recalled encouraging Flair to reconsider after Ric disclosed 143 speeding tickets.
Ric Flair And Politics
Flair has long supported Republicans in North Carolina politics. In 2008, Flair declared his support for the Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. In 2016, Flair endorsed Ted Cruz’s campaign.
WWE Hall of Famer Donald Trump recently mentioned WWE legends The Kane and The Undertaker during his recent speech.
In WWE, Kane was billed as The Undertaker’s brother and duo went on to have great tag team run as well as memorable storylines as rivals.
After bringing down the curtain on his pro wrestling career, Kane (real name Glenn Jacobs) became the mayor of Knox County, Tennessee. In the past, the former ‘Big Red Machine’ had backed the former President and showed his support for Trump in his attempt to get elected again.
Donald Trump talks about Kane and The Undertaker
During an event held on Sunday at the Iowa caucuses, the former Kane was one of the people who attended the show and also spoke before Donald Trump’s speech. Jacobs had nothing but praise for Donald Trump like always.
Trump also reciprocated the feelings. He lauded Glenn Jacobs for his physique and his time in WWE. During the speech, he also namedropped The Undertaker.
Trump was slurring and fumbling over his words at times but didn’t shy away from speaking about the iconic duo of Kane and The Undertaker.
“And another man who’s a friend of mine. He’s another one I’m not going to mess around with. He’s Knox County, Tennessee, do you know Glenn Jacobs? Goes by the name, goes by the name of …. Kane. Kane. Where is Kane? Where’s the …. look at the size of this guy. Man o’ man – that’s – he’s all man. He’s all man. He’s good. How many years have you been doing that? You’ve been W, W …. Kane one of the great characters in uhm …. how many …. so how tall are you? You’re six what? 6’8 and weigh what – when you wrestle? Well that’s not bad – I’m not that far away either. That’s not good. You just ruined my day – 300 [pounds]!”
“When I see these guys, some of them like The Undertaker right? And I see him and walks around the ring lifting a 300-pound guy over his shoulders like this. It may be acting… then he throws him into the seats, it’s pretty great.”
Jacobs last competed as Kane in WWE back in 2021 as part of the men’s Royal Rumble match, while The Undertaker’s last match was at WrestleMania 36 in 2020 when he faced AJ Styles in a cinematic match, ‘Boneyard Match.’ against AJ Styles.
Championship belts (and documents marked ‘classified’) were among the items turned up in a search of four locations linked to WWE Hall of Famer and former US President Donald Trump.
The Justice Department is investigating the former president’s handling of classified documents. In August, The FBI discovered more than 300 classified documents that were removed from the White House and in Trump’s possession.
The Washington Post has reported that two items marked as classified have been discovered in a storage facility holding pallets linked to Donald Trump. The storage facility had a wide variety of items, including wrestling belts that were turned in to the FBI. It was not revealed which championships were held in the storage facility.
A source told the Washington Post the following:
“It was suits and swords and wrestling belts and all sorts of things. To my knowledge, he has never even been to that storage unit. I don’t think anyone in Trump world could tell you what’s in that storage unit.”
Donald Trump has Vince McMahon belt from “World Wrestling Federation” in his Manhattan office. #WWFpic.twitter.com/PMLcjrIRSK
Bobby Lashley battled Umaga at WrestleMania 23 in a match billed as “The Battle of the Billionaires” in 2007.
Donald Trump was in Lashley’s corner for the match while former CEO Vince McMahon was backing Umaga. The All Mighty picked up the victory and Trump shaved Vince’s head after the match. Shane McMahon served as the special referee but Stone Cold Steve Austin interfered and made his boss’ life a living hell once again.
It was reported by The Wall Street Journal that Trump had it written into his contract that his head was not allowed to be shaved regardless of what happened in the match. This information came to light after WWE’s Board found that Vince McMahon paid $5 million to Trump’s charity in 2007 and 2009.
Former WWE President and CEO Linda McMahon was in Palm Beach, Florida this week alongside former US President Donald Trump.
Trump, a WWE Hall of Famer is his own right, is gearing up for another run at the White House. Just days ago, he announced his candidacy for 2024.
The Trumps and McMahons go way back, dating back to the 1980’s. In addition to their collaborations in the world of professional wrestling, McMahon served in Trump’s Presidential cabinet from 2016-2019 as the head of the Small Business Administration (SBA).
Trump touted the “incredible job” McMahon did when she stepped down from her post at the SBA. He said she was a “superstar” in that role. He expected a lot from her, but was still surprised at how well she did and how many people she helped.
On Thursday, the 45th President held another event was at Mar a Lago. As seen in the video and photo below, Trump and McMahon were seated next to each other in multiple settings.
Kari Lake and Trump at Mar-a-Lago last night: “You cannot stop the Founding Fathers and the blood we have inside of us, and so I will fight what happened on Tuesday. Our elections are a circus run by clowns.” pic.twitter.com/HsDwf5YRMn
McMahon has kept a low profile since leaving public office, but could certainly mount a comeback now that Trump is running for President again. Trump almost certainly will not be selecting former Vice President Mike Pence as his running mate again. Pence remains loyal to Trump, but has publicly flirted with the idea of running against him in the primaries to determine the nominee for the Republican party in ’24.
McMahon would make an interesting choice for a running mate, considering their longstanding history together. She could also serve as an advisor.
New details have come in light regarding the $19.6 million in unrecorded company expenses by former WWE chairman Vince McMahon that were uncovered recently. According to a report from Wall Street Journal, the WWE owner made two donations to the now defunct Donald J. Trump Foundation in 2007 and 2009, in addition to the payments made to former employees.
The former American President made appearances for the promotion in the mentioned years. This included his role in the Battle of the Billionaires match at WrestleMania 23. WWE attorney Jerry McDevitt issued the following statement to the site in regards to the unrecorded expenses from Vince McMahon:
“Mr. Trump and WWE entered into a contract whereby WWE agreed to and did pay him personally an appearance fee of $1 million. At the same time, the McMahons made a personal contribution to the Trump Foundation of $4 million. There was no additional fee paid to Mr. Trump, or any additional contribution to the Trump Foundation, due to the success of the event.”
WrestleMania 23 saw Bobby Lashley battling Umaga in a singles match. Both Donald Trump and Vince McMahon were in the corner of Lashley and Umaga respectively. The stipulation for the bout was that the billionaire on the losing side will have his head shaved, which turned out to be Vince McMahon.
A WSJ source noted that Trump directed McMahon to send a $4 million appearance fee to his charity. The billionaire businessman also had his associates review the contract to ensure that under no circumstances will McMahon be allowed to shave his head, even if Lashley ‘dropped dead in the ring.’
The Rock could make a serious run for POTUS if Donald Trump’s former Chief of Staff is to be believed.
Rock is perhaps the busiest man in Hollywood. He is highly sought after in the industry but could he be pushing that aside for a presidential run in 2024? Mick Mulvaney, former Chief of Staff for Trump, seems to think so.
Could The Rock Threaten Trump In 2024?
Mulvaney told Politico (via Mediaite) that The Rock is right up there with Florida governor Ron DeSantis and senator Tim Scott as potential presidential candidates who could threaten another run for Donald Trump.
“[Gov. Ron] DeSantis [R-FL] could give him a run for his money. [Sen.] Tim Scott [R-SC] can give him a run for his money. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson could give him a run for his money,” Mulvaney said.
It’s important to note that Trump hasn’t stated his intention to run again. With that said, speculation has run rampant on who will be making a run to challenge POTUS Joe Biden in 2024.
The Rock has expressed interest in politics in the past. He once told USA Today that he’d be open to the idea of running if that’s what the American people want.
“I would consider a presidential run in the future if that’s what the people wanted. Truly I mean that, and I’m not flippant in any way with my answer. That would be up to the people … So I would wait, and I would listen. I would have my finger on the pulse, my ear to the ground.”
The TV Show, “Young Rock” is built around the Hollywood megastar running for president. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s going to give it a go for office in real life but it does stoke the flames.
Ric Flair appears to be “stylin’ and profilin'” his way to a Donald Trump political fundraiser.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution political reporter Greg Bluestein has made mention on Twitter that former POTUS Trump will be running a fundraiser for former NFL star Herschel Walker. Walker will be running for the U.S. Senate in Georgia.
Among the attendees will be former MLB starting pitcher Tom Glavine, former NFL Quarterback Doug Flutie, and “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair. The political fundraiser will be taking place in Florida.
Trump is hosting a fundraiser for Senate candidate @HerschelWalker in Florida with several sports figures serving as honorary hosts including Tom Glavine, Doug Flutie and … Ric Flair. #gapol#gasenpic.twitter.com/ZCUnH5MCwQ
Flair has found himself in hot water as of late. During an episode of Dark Side of the Ring, Heidi Doyle, a former flight attendant who served on the infamous “Plane Ride From Hell,” made some serious accusations towards Flair. She claims Ric Flair exposed himself and forced her to touch his privates.
WWE also removed any mention of Ric Flair and has yanked him from being featured in their opening video package. While WWE and Flair parted ways back in August, the removal wasn’t made until the accusations resurfaced. All of Flair’s merchandise has also been pulled from WWE Shop.
Last night’s edition of WWE Smackdown featured tributes to Triple H’s 25 years with WWE. Vince McMahon also sent out a tweet commemorating Triple H’s time with the company. President of the United States, Donald Trump, replied to the post stating he believes Triple H is a “total winner.”
Donald Trump is a WWE Hall of Fame inductee. He was inducted into the celebrity wing of the HOF in 2013. Other inductees that year include Mick Foley, Bruno Sammartino, Trish Stratus, Booker T, and Bob Backlund.
Triple H’s 25 Years In WWE
Triple H’s quarter-century in WWE was celebrated on Smackdown this week and several people have been congratulating him online as well. In a recent interview with ESPN, Triple H commented on some of his favorite matches from his career.
“Probably myself vs. The Undertaker in “Hell in a Cell” [at WrestleMania 28]. They billed it as an “End of an Era” match. Shawn Michaels was the guest referee. I think it was the most meaningful for the three of us — the end of all of our time together, the last big hurrah in the ring. So that one really stands out to me.”
Former WWE on-air personality and backstage producer Jim Cornette recently made comments on the ‘independent contractor’ status in WWE. It is a conversation that has been going on for years; WWE hires wrestlers/on-air talent on an ‘independent contractor’ status which means that they do not get the same sort of benefits as a full-time employee.
This has been a point of contention for a long time, as WWE seemingly controls a lot of what their talent can and can’t do, thus seemingly nullifying the idea of the talent being ‘independent.’
Jim Cornette on Contracts In Wrestling
“F*cking contracts in wrestling” Jim Cornette began on this week’s episode of the Drive Thru podcast. “Once you get to the level of involvement with each other where you are working for a company like the WWE or like WCW? You’re an employee.”
Interestingly, Cornette would then state that AEW, a company that he has quite a few issues with, actually should be classing their performers as ‘independent contractors.’ “Now All Elite Wrestling? They run one day a week and then a pay per view every three months or whatever. You can work for other promoters. Anywhere where you legitimately can work for other promoters, or determine what your name is or how you’re presented? You’re an independent contractor.”
Full Time Employees
Jim Cornette continued to rip on WWE, saying “when you work for the f*cking WWE? You are a full time employee, you’re an employee in spandex. AND they’ve conned the government this long. You know, they’ll continue to do so until there’s a [wrestlers] union. And then the first thing that they’ll do is say ‘well this is f*cking ridiculous. We’re gonna call the IRS and talk to somebody important.'”
McMahon and…Trump?
Cornette would then finish by seemingly referencing the President of The United States, indicating how he and McMahon are both liable for crooked dealings.
“I’ve said this before, wrestlers should have always been independent contractors and should be independent contractors,” Cornette stated. “Because that’s the way that wrestling should be run. But if it’s going to be run THIS WWE way? Then the WWE wrestlers not being employees is f*cking idiocy, and it’s against the law. Guess who technically runs the IRS? We haven’t even seen dipsh*ts (Trump?) f*cking tax returns, much less get them to reclassify Vince McMahon and Linda McMahon’s employees but nevertheless. It’s just. It’s insane.”
The idea of a wrestlers union has always been prevalent, and potentially with the issues surrounding the handling of coronavirus by WWE it may be brought back into the fold once again.
The White House and US President Donald Trump held a conference call with commissioners from major sports leagues in the United States today. Vince McMahon represented WWE on the call. The topic of conversation was how the ongoing global pandemic is impacting sports in the country.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Trump told those on the call that he hopes to have fans back in stadiums, arenas, and at live events by August or September. It is not clear, however, if medical experts agree with this timeline.
Donald Trump also told commissioners that he hopes to have fans back in stadiums and arenas by August and September, sources said, though it is currently unclear if medical experts find that to be a realistic timeline amid the current coronavirus pandemic. https://t.co/EFqDryGlTQ
In addition to Vince McMahon, Dana White was on the call representing the UFC, Adam Silver representing the NBA, Rob Manfred representing MLB, Roger Goodell representing the NFL, Gary Bettman representing the NHL, Jay Monahan representing the PGA Tour, John Middlebrook or Jim France representing NASCAR, Don Garber representing MLS and Cathy Engelbert representing the WNBA.
Most major sporting leagues across the United States have currently suspended ongoing play. The UFC, however, is still hoping to present its UFC 249 PPV. Vince McMahon and WWE have been filming content on closed-sets with no fans in attendance.
Vince McMahon is scheduled to take part in a phone conference with major sports league commissioners and US President Donald Trump today. ESPN’s Adam Schefter revealed the participants of today’s call today on Twitter:
Scheduled participants on call with Trump:
NBA – Adam Silver WNBA – Cathy Engelbert MLB – Rob Manfred NFL – Roger Goodell NHL – Gary Bettman PGA Tour – Jay Monahan UFC – Dana White WWE – Vince McMahon NASCAR – John Middlebrook or Jim France. MLS – Don Garber.
Vince McMahon To Participate In White House Call With Sports Commissioners
While the exact nature of the call is not known, it is expected it will cover the growing spread of the COVID-19 in the United States and its impact on sports. Most sporting leagues have shut down for the time being except for the UFC. The UFC is still hoping to go-ahead with UFC 249 despite the main event falling apart. WWE has been hosting closed-set shows from the WWE Performance Center.
Donald Trump was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013. Mick Foley, Bob Backlund, Trish Stratus, Bruno Sammartino and Booker T were also inducted that year. Additionally, Vince McMahon’s wife, Linda McMahon, announced last year she was stepping down as the head of Small Business Administration for the Trump Administration in order to chair the Super PAC America First Action.
WrestleMania IV and V were hosted at Trump Plaza. Trump also managed Bobby Lashley at WrestleMania 23. Vince McMahon managed Umaga. McMahon then had his head shaved after Lashley defeated Umaga at the event.
President Trump has announced a 30-day travel ban between the United States and Europe due to the coronavirus pandemic. The imposed ban will begin this Friday at midnight and end after WrestleMania 36. European fans travelling into the United States for WrestleMania 36 will be affected by this decision. It’s worth noting that the ban will not include travel to and from the United Kingdom at this point in time.
It has been reported that WWE is closely monitoring the coronavirus situation in relation to WrestleMania 36, which takes place in Tampa, Florida. Tampa city officials will be meeting to discuss viable options regarding several major events set to take place in the area, including WrestleMania. WWE recently denied reports they were cancelling this week’s episode of SmackDown due to concerns. They revealed the show will go ahead as planned, but they are putting “contingency plans” in place for future shows.
Coronavirus Pandemic
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently defined the coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic. It has been confirmed in over 100 countries so far and has infected more than 120,000 people. There have been an unfortunate 4,300 coronavirus related deaths worldwide, with a vaccine taking as long as 18 months to develop.
Due to the nature of the coronavirus, numerous events have been postponed, rescheduled or cancelled. Events, conventions, attractions and tours have been shut down in order to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
WrestleMania 36 takes place on April 5 from the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
It’s safe to say that former WWE Champion Batista is not a fan of WWE Hall of Famer and United States President Donald Trump.
Batista recently took part in a Twitter video titled “Unimportant Questions” with Sports Illustrated to promote his latest film, Stuber. In the interview, Batista was asked which person in the world he would hit his signature finisher too and that’s when he noted that it would be President Trump.
In the past, Batista has been critical of Trump over some of the comments he has made in front of the media and on social media. Batista recently called Trump “President Dumb-Dumb” and accused him of “trolling the world” in response to a followers comment.
From 2017, Batista says Donald Trump is such an awful president (and human being), he might just leave the country if he gets re-elected.
Batista faced Triple H in a No Holds Barred Match at WrestleMania 35 in East Rutherford, NJ at MetLife Stadium. This served as his final match at Batista announced his retirement just a few hours after the match.
Stuber
This is Batista’s latest film as it stars the former WWE Champion, Karen Gillan, Natalie Morales, and Kumail Nanjiani. Michael Dowse directors the film while Tripper Clancy wrote it. The movie was released on July 12th.
Bobby Lashley recently spoke with Jay Reddick of The Orlando Sentinel to promote next week’s GFW Destination X special on Pop TV. Lashley talked about various topics including working with Donald Trump at WrestleMania 23 in 2007, the recent changes with GFW and more. Here are the highlights:
The recent changes with GFW:
“We’re at that place where every company is when there’s a change in regime. There’s always a little bump and a backstep, then you move forward. I don’t want to say things are bad because I’m not a pessimist. We needed the change. There are a lot of insecurities, but at this point, I trust the decisions that are being made.”
Working with Donald Trump at WrestleMania 23:
“I think a lot of people want me to say he was arrogant and pushed his weight around, but I can’t. The first time we met, he just came over, introduced himself, shook my hand and said ‘It looks like we’ll be working together.’ Then we just joked around and he introduced me to his family and his kids. We only worked together a handful of times, but he was cool. He never tried to take over. He was all about ‘How can we make this great? How can I help make this better?’ He joked with me that when this was over, I’d be recognized by all the girls in Times Square – and he did what he said.”
Lashley also talked about wrestling Matt Sydal at Destination X and more. You can read the full interview here.