-Former WWE Superstar Stevie Richards was at the house of fellow former WWE Superstar Diamond Dallas Page this week in Atlanta, Georgia. Apparently Richards was receiving his certification to become an official DDPYoga trainer. Richards will be doing classes in multiple markets.
-Next week’s edition of the Top Chef show on the Bravo Network will feature a Lucha Libre theme. The show will also feature appearances from multiple Lucha Va Voom personalities.
-WWE Hall Of Famer “Iron” Mike Tyson was a guest on the Conan show on TBS on Wednesday night.
-Speaking of WWE Hall Of Famers, Pete Rose is back in the news, as he’s currently dealing with another tax lien from the IRS.
-WWE legend The Ultimate Warrior appeared at the PAX Convention in Seattle, Washington this past weekend. When asked about the possibility of being inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame in the near future, Warrior replied by simply saying, “Probably not, but we will see.”
-The official WWE website recently added an article that features a look at a list of the top 15 World Heavyweight Champions in company history. Coming in at number one, of course, was Triple H. Rounding out the top five were Batista, Edge, The Undertaker and Booker T. Check out the complete list online at WWE.com.
-Former WWE Superstar and ECW original Tommy Dreamer revealed in a new tweet on Monday evening that he will be tagging with hardcore icon and WWE Hall Of Famer Terry Funk, for “the last time ever”, at the House Of Hardcore event on November 9th. Dreamer and Funk will team up to take on the duo of Lance Storm and Sean “X-Pac” Waltman. For more information, visit HouseOfHardcore.net.
-WWE Superstar CM Punk recently made his argument for The Ultimate Warrior and Randy Savage to be inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame. In a new tweet, Punk wrote:
“Ultimate Warrior. Better be hall of fame bound. Savage too. All them Poffos.”
-WWE posted the latest edition of “Backstage Fallout” for this week’s RAW on their official YouTube channel. The description for the video reads: “Miz tangos with Fandango, and the Divas division breaks down.”
Check out the RAW “Backstage Fallout” for this week below:
-Miami Herald writer Scott Fishman recently posted a blog about the HBO Real Sports piece on Diamond Dallas Page. He also makes his case for DDP in the WWE Hall Of Fame. Check that out online at LayfieldReport.com.
-WWE Diva Brie Bella tweeted the following about what she has learned from her sister Nikki’s injury:
“Nikki’s Injury has taught me how strong I am on my own! it’s just the start of the strength you’ll see! Just wait Xxoo B #briebella #bellaarmy”
-WWE Hall Of Famer “Iron” Mike Tyson announced during a press conference this past Friday that he has been lying for years about being sober. Tyson claimed he is still a bad alcoholic, but was proud to be clean 6 days (as of the interview). Celebrity-gossip website TMZ.com picked up the story as well. Here’s the footage:
-The new film “Riddick,” which features former WWE Superstar Dave Bautista, will be released in theaters on Friday, September 6th.
-Add USAToday.com to the list of mainstream outlets that covered Bill Goldberg at the Marlins game.
The following are highlights from a recent Q&A with WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:
On rumors that he was drunk at the WWE 2K14 symposium: “I wasn’t but thanks for asking.”
On Daniel Bryan not holding the WWE Championship for any real length of time: “I think Bryan is more popular today than he ever has been. I’ll enjoy the chase.”
On whether or not Bill Watts ever owned a part of Georgia Championship Wrestling, and talent-sharing in those days: “WATTS at one time owned a piece of Georgia. Talent trades were not unusual in those days either way. JYD & others wrestled in Atlanta.”
On what The Undertaker’s reaction was following the infamous Hell In A Cell match at King Of The Ring 1998: “That was 15 years ago. I really don’t recall. He was likely spent.”
On chances of a Steve Austin vs. CM Punk match in WWE: “Seems like that ship has sailed but I’m merely guessing. I’d love to see it.”
On politics in WWE: “I think politics are overrated and discussed usually on hearsay & by disgruntled individuals. Cream always rises to the top w/ few exceptions.”
On the subject of wrestling newsletters back in the day: “Newsletters weren’t a big topic of open discussion back in the day. Most guys tried to distance themselves from wrestling while traveling.”
On who will replace John Cena as the face of WWE and if a “streak” storyline would work: “I’d say Daniel Bryan is next man up. Don’t see Streak launching a new face of WWE.”
On if Owen Hart will ever be inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame: “Likely so. Don’t know when.”
On the career of “Rugged” Ronnie Garvin: “Ronnie was a tough, highly skilled, intelligent in ring talent. Also a pilot. I thought the sharpshooter was a Japanese submission.”
On past WWE Divas in the new WWE 2K14 video game: “I’m not aware of the Diva involvement. Sorry.”
Check out more of JR’s Q&A online at JRsBarBQ.com.
The following are highlights from a recent Grantland.com interview with WWE’s Triple H:
On his role as head of talent relations for WWE: “Everything that has to do with talent, from the legends to the developmental system, to the live events and all of its operations and the towns we book, to where the pay-per-views are, all of it. Obviously I have a massive team that does all that, but they report to me.
“I started in the office full-time a few years ago. Vince had been bugging me for a while, saying ‘When are you going to stop messing around in the ring and come get a real job?’ So one time when I was injured, I shadowed him in the office for three months. I did everything he did. When I finally started full-time, he was like, ‘Take a few months. I want you to dig into everything. Have meetings with finance, dig into every part of this company and see what you think needs work.’
“And the thing I came back to him with was we have this huge global marketing juggernaut, but we’re a victim of our own success. We’ve shut down all the other territories. There’s almost no place for guys to go learn, and when they do, they’re learning how to work in a junior high in front of 50 people. It’s a completely different thing than working in front of 10,000 or a million on TV with a camera in your face.
“So I started this little division called talent development. It was basically to build a bridge between creative and the developmental wrestlers. Now, other than Vince saying, “OK, you can have that amount of money,” he doesn’t have anything to do with it. Honest to god, he hasn’t even seen the Performance Center yet. He’s supposed to go next week.
On Stephanie McMahon’s role in WWE: “Technically, creative reports to Steph, but Steph is kind of the aggregator. Her office does everything from the magazine to digital to the shows, so it’s funny when people will say, ‘Oh, Steph and the creatives.’ She really doesn’t have anything to do with the day-to-day. I mean, she’ll weigh in on something if Vince asks or if the writers ask her what she thinks before they bring something to Vince.”
On a physical WWE Hall Of Fame building: “Halls of fame are not a lucrative business. But here’s the bigger reason: If and when the time is right to do a Hall of Fame, it’s not just going to be a place where you walk in and say, “Oh, look, there’s a pair of trunks.” If we do it, it’ll be an immersive experience. With technology the way it is, a 4-D experience, whether it’s a ride, or, picture this: You walk into a locker room, lights go down, smoke comes out, and Andre the Giant walks out in a hologram and stands there and talks to you. That’s what it has to be. But is the Hall of Fame the priority? Absolutely not. It’s out there someplace in the stratosphere. But if we do it, it takes a lot of research because we want to do it right.”
On what is written about him on the internet: “I wish I had the brainpower and the wherewithal and the drive to be as maniacal and devious as people f—-ing think I am. I’d be f—ing Darth Vader. I’d run the Empire, and I guess maybe that’s how some people see it, right? They’d say ‘Oh, he went in there and he buried this guy,’ and it’s like, f—, I had nothing to do with that. I didn’t even know he was coming in until I saw him that day.”
Check out the complete interview online at Grantland.com.
-As noted, WWE recently released developmental wrestler Jody Kristofferson, the real-life son of actor Kris Kristofferson.
Kristofferson, who performed under the ring name “Garrett Dylan”, was said to be a nice guy with a ton of passion for pro wrestling, but unfortunately came up short in terms of actual in-ring skills and the ability to portray a wrestling character, or gimmick.
It was said that if he could portray himself, as opposed to a character, he would be able to do well. WWE also felt he didn’t do much to stand out, and didn’t have the body-type they look for in a wrestler.
-According to reports, one big name that is up for consideration as a 2014 WWE Hall Of Fame inductee is former WWE Superstar “Dr. Death” Steve Williams.
Williams, a legitimate tough guy, was at one point during his WWE career considered for a run as champion until he was knocked out by Bart Gunn in the infamous “Brawl For All” series, which mixed amateur wrestling and boxing in “shoot” style matches.
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently updated the Q&A section of JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
An Off-Season for WWE: “I do not think that an off season is necessary in our biz. I do think that giving talents ample off time is imperative along with strict adherence to the Wellness Policy and stellar PT for injuries.”
Why Undertaker Left WCW In 1990: “WCW was underpaying him and undervaluing his worth and potential. Great ‘get’ by WWE obviously”
Dudley Boyz Promos from ECW: “Good, old school, effective promos.”
The Best In-ring Storytellers: “Too many to mention. There have been tons of great one’s. It’s a vague, subjective question, with no right or wrong answer.”
The Need to Sound Excited On Commentary During Boring Matches: “One has to be creative and not try to sell something that isn’t there. Overselling something is not a good thing. Every facet of a broadcast will never be ‘great.’ ”
WWE Not Properly Hyping PPV Undercards: “Those are a production or creative issue. Times change. I don’t know why that was gone away from but it is what it is.”
Chris Benoit In The WWE Hall of Fame? “I do not think that Benoit will ever be inducted into the WWE HOF.”
John Cena Not Selling The Effects Of His PPV Matches: “How John Cena is booked is not an issue to me whatsoever.”.
As always, you can buy JR’s amazing line of BBQ products from WWEShop.com.
-WWE Superstar Triple H recently spoke to the Orlando Business Journal about a potential physical WWE Hall Of Fame building. Hunter said, “I don’t want a Hall of Fame or some other attraction to just be something where people see some guy’s shorts. We are the WWE and we are big, so whatever we do needs to be the same. If I were to say what it could be, think of it as something that has shows or live interactive things for fans. For example, something like a 4-D experience where the fan would come face-to-face with a 3-D Andre the Giant – something along that scale.”
-The Xtreme Sports Entertainment (XSE) mixed-martial-arts promotion announced an appearance by former WWE Superstar Dustin “Goldust” Rhodes for their next event, which is scheduled for Saturday, July 27th in Melbourne, Florida. Goldust will be doing a meet-and-greet with fans at the live event.
– WWEShop.com is now selling the 2013 Royal Rumble on DVD ($14.99) and Blu-Ray ($20.99).
– WWE might say publicly that they do not view TNA as competition, but TNA’s recent announcement that they are taking Impact Wrestling on the road has already resulted in action from WWE. WWE has reportedly began contacting a number of mid-sized arenas to put holds on them for future dates, in order to keep TNA from running those venues.
In the event that TNA starts running shows every Thursday, WWE, there is even talk of WWE changing their touring schedule and running shows on Thursday nights as well in similar markets that TNA runs.
– WWE will be inducting a celebrity into this year’s Hall of Fame class, rumored to be Cindy Lauper.
– Monday’s 2/4 edition of WWE RAW drew a 3.56 rating, down only slightly from last week’s 3.68. The show averaged 4.81 million viewers, down only 4% from 5,020,000 for the post-Rumble show. Here’s the hourly breakdown:
As announced on Monday, Bruno Sammartino will finally be entering the WWE Hall of Fame on April 6th from the site of his most memorable matches, Madison Square Garden. The story was broken by ESPN, which featured some interesting comments from Bruno about why he decided to bury that hatchet with WWE and accept the honor.
“Being inducted into the Hall of Fame at Madison Square Gardens is the biggest thing in my life,” Sammartino said in an exclusive interview with ESPN. “Anytime that people feel that you accomplished enough to enter into a Hall of Fame, of course this is a tremendous, tremendous thrill for me. I had a lot of my success due to appearing at the Garden. I wrestled there over 200 times, it’s where I won the title, and it’s where I picked up 630-plus pounds of Haystacks Calhoun.”
The article notes that despite Sammartino’s decades-long feud with Vince McMahon, it was Triple H who stepped in and finally got the deal done.
“In talking to Paul Levesque, I made it clear, I’ve had issues with WWE and wrestling in general, because there were other organizations,” Sammartino said. “I didn’t like the direction they had taken. It was bothersome to me. I’m an old-school guy. I spent 25 years in this business. But after talking to Paul, and him explaining to me the changes they’ve made in their program, and how they’ve hired a doctor like Dr. Maroon, who is a world-renowned neurosurgeon, who also operated on me, and now that he has been put in charge of the company’s wellness program and their drug testing, that impressed me. I know what kind of a man he is, and he is a giant in that field, so I take my hat off to WWE because they took such huge steps to make things better for the wrestlers themselves and making sure they are healthy to perform. That was very, very important.
“But as Paul explained to me, WWE made a lot of other changes. There’s no more profanity, there’s no vulgarity in the current product, and that stuff had bothered me as well. When Paul first spoke to me and told me all the changes, I started watching it again, and I was very convinced that they are doing amazing things. I see the wrestlers and all the changes they made. There’s no profanity, there’s no vulgarity, and it’s a family-friendly program. That’s what it used to be, and that’s a huge role in the whole factor.”
Sammartino will be joined by Mick Foley, Bob Backlund and Trish Stratus in what’s easily one of the strongest Hall of Fame classes ever.
– WWE recently reached out to Martha Hart, widow of the late Owen Hart, about getting Owen inducted to the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2013. According to PWInsider.com, WWE inducting Owen would be part of a settlement agreement that would involve Martha Hart ending her ongoing lawsuit against WWE. She reportedly turned down the offer.
– Zack Ryder will be appearing in Levittown, New York at the FYE store on Hempstead Turnpike next Friday, December 28th at 3pm. The signing is limited to the first 400 fans.
– The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that former WWE announcer Ernest “The Cat” Miller is now the Director of Chuck Norris’ World Combat League.
– Here is the latest episode of Zack Ryder’s Z! True Long Island Story, featuring “Another Very Broski Christmas”:
With the 2013 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony taking place from Madison Square Garden in New York City, there has been talk of featuring inductees who have had special moments at the Garden – including Bob Backlund, Mick Foley and the Brooklyn Brawler. It’s also no secret that WWE has been pushing hard for strike a deal with the Ultimate Warrior and Bruno Sammartino.
Despite both men still considered “long shots” – WWE remains optimistic that they can reach a deal with either the Ultimate Warrior or Bruno Sammartino to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame’s class of 2013.
While Sammartino has been very against the idea for years, he’s softened his position in recent months, has spoken with Triple H about it and has told friends that he’d be willing to finally give in if the price was right.
Warrior’s situation is also tricky as a result of his various legal battles with WWE and Vince McMahon over the years. Relations between WWE and Warrior are the best they’ve been in a very long time, but there are trust issues and WWE does not want Warrior to back out or hold them up for more money once he’s been advertised to appear.
Owen Hart is another contender, but his widow Martha Hart wanting nothing to do with WWE could hold that up.
Paul Heyman weighed in on weather Brock Lesnar should be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, and if he should ever compete in the octagon again. Now it’s time to tell us your thoughts! Be sure to leave a comment below.
– Devin sent the following: The FCW event at the Armory in Orlando, Florida has been moved to Thursday, August 2nd. It’s original date was Wednesday, July 25th. The FCW event at the Fenn Center in Fort Pierce, Florida has been moved to Friday, August 17th. It’s original date was Friday, July 27th.
– Former WWE Diva Maria Kanellis attended last night’s Pro Wrestling Guerrilla event in Reseda, California.
– WWE’s YouTube channel was ranked #6 for the week ending July 18th. They had 2,717,804 views.
– As seen yesterday, Michael Hayes paid tribute to the late Terry Gordy of The Fabulous Freebirds and WWE’s website did a feature on the group. There has been talk of inducting The Freebirds into the WWE Hall of Fame.
– Joey Styles mentioned on Twitter this week that he’s still hoping to induct Paul Heyman into the WWE Hall of Fame next year.
– Alberto Del Rio wrestled at Wednesday’s live event in Sheffield, England, winning a quick match over Mason Ryan. Live reports that we’ve read stated that it looked like Del Rio was working very “safe” and not taking any risks.
– WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Jim Ross attended the Cauliflower Alley Club Reunion show on Wednesday night from Las Vegas last night. Austin was introduced by Jim Ross and received the Iron Mike Award. Ross wrote on Twitter that it was an honor to introduce Austin and that Austin asked him to do it.
Speaking of Austin, he was interviewed for the latest issue of Men’s Fitness Magazine.
– SmackDown newcomer Damien Sandow, who debuted in a backstage vignette on Friday’s show, is on Twitter @TheDamienSandow. The account is being managed by Sandow’s “personal scribe” – Ignatius. The account wrote on Friday after Sandow’s debut:
“THAT WAS AMAZING!!!! We will remember this day for a long time. Please, share your thoughts on Mr. Sandow’s words. Sincerely, Ignatius #wwe”
– Former WWE Superstar Bobby Lashley is reportedly in talks to fight Fedor Emelianenko on June 21st in St. Petersburg, Russia.
– With Brock Lesnar signed on to wrestle at next year’s WrestleMania 29, there is buzz in WWE that Lesnar’s wife, former WWE diva Sable, will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame next year.
WWE will air the 2012 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony tonight on the USA Network. The 1-hour special begins at 8pm EST as a lead-in to RAW and will feature the inductions of Mike Tyson, The Four Horsemen and Edge.
Tonight’s WWE RAW Supershow takes place from the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida and will feature the fallout from WrestleMania 28.
The Rock, John Cena, CM Punk, Chris Jericho, Big Show, Randy Orton, Sheamus, Christian and Zack Ryder are among the WWE superstars advertised to appear.
WWE is promoting tonight as the beginning of the “Team Johnny Era” after John Laurinaitis’ team won at WrestleMania.
It is believed that WWE will make some sort of announcement related to next year’s WrestleMania 29 event.
WWE is advertising a 10-man match for tonight featuring John Cena, CM Punk, Randy Orton, Big Show and Sheamus vs. Kane, Mark Henry, Cody Rhodes, Daniel Bryan and Chris Jericho.
– The Hall of Fame inductions for Edge, the Four Horsemen and Mike Tyson will be spotlighted on the one-hour special next Monday before RAW next Monday night. This year’s Hall of Fame ceremony will not air (live or on tape delay) on Saturday night, when the event takes place.
– WWE ran another promo during Monday’s RAW for the new Lord Tensai character, who will be played by Matt “Albert” Bloom. This week’s video showed another person with Tensai, played by developmental wrestler Sakamoto. Sakamodo, who currently wrestles at FCW, was trained by former WWE superstar Taka Michinoku
The WWE has website posted the following translations of the Japanese phrases that were shown during the vignette:
“It was said he would find himself in a faraway land.”
Extreme Pro Wrestling Radio with Edge
Hosts: Big D, Crisco, and Road Warrior Animal
Available at KFAN.com.
Edge on his actual retirement plans:
“I was going to get through WrestleMania 27 and then wrestle through the year and call it quits after WrestleMania 28. So I was planning on sticking around for another year.”
Edge on whether it was easy to retire knowing that if he continued it could affect his quality of life:
“I had no choice. The WWE medical staff kept a real close eye on my health and the situation with my neck and we knew it could be anytime now. They wouldn’t clear me to compete so it was pretty easy.”
Edge on who is inducting him into the Hall Of Fame:
“Christian. The WWE asked me the other day and it wouldn’t make sense to have anyone else. I mean if I showed up and Sarge (Sargent Slaughter) was inducting me, I’d be like, ‘I love ya’ Sarge, but why you?”
Edge also confirmed the release of his DVD set the first week of April.
It’s official – the late Rodney Anoa’i, former WWE champion Yokokuna, will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in less than two weeks. The official announcement on the WWE website states:
“One of the largest and most imposing WWE Champions of all time, the mighty Yokozuna will be posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame the night before WrestleMania XXVIII.”
WWE released the following video package highlighting the career of Yokozuna, one of the greatest big men to ever step inside a WWE ring: