The National Wrestling Alliance continued to grow this week as the World League Wrestling promotion is now an official NWA territory. In a statement, the NWA announced the inclusion of the Missouri-based WLW, the fifth regional promotion to join the NWA in the last two years.
WLW was founded by Harley Race over a quarter of a century ago and has been active ever since. Trevor Murdoch, a former NWA World Champion and current Tag Champion who began his career in WLW before arriving in WWE, shared his excitement for the news and the connection to Race in a statement:
“When you thought of NWA back in the day, you thought of Harley Race. It was a company had a lot of pride and respect for… As the student of Harley Race and representative of him throughout my career, it feels good that I can do this for World League Wrestling and bring these two together.”
As an official territory, the NWA will recognize all NWA WLW champions going forward. Additionally, a talent-sharing agreement will benefit both promotions, according to Murdoch.
“We are going to be a developmental system for the NWA to find some of the top, young talents that have not been seen, that might not be getting opportunities they deserve.”
Race, an eight-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, isn’t the only huge name tie to WLW which has always worked with legends like ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper, Ric Flair, ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage, and Meng/Haku. WLW joins other companies to become NWA territories, including Exodus Pro, which made the move in October 2023.
Murdoch is one of several major players in the NWA, which includes Mike Knox, Kenzie Page, Max the Impaler, and reigning NWA World Heavyweight Champion Thom Latimer. Stay tuned to SEScoops for the latest on the NWA and its continued efforts to expand with territories across the United States.
WWE 2K24 is set to have the first batch of downloadable content on May 15. The popular video game series will have five DLC packs, which fans can purchase together in a season pass for $39.99. In preparation for next week’s release, WWE 2K24 has shared a first look at ECW legend The Sandman.
The upcoming DLC titled the ECW Punk Pack features The Sandman, The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley & D-Von Dudley), Terry Funk, and CM Punk as playable characters. It will mark the first time they will be playable in the last few years, including The Sandman, who hasn’t been in a WWE video game since Smackdown vs. Raw 2008.
WWE 2K24’s X/Twitter account previewed a first look and the entrance for The Sandman.
Although the hardcore icon character model looks good, his appearance resembles his time in WWE. Fans may be disappointed that his signature ECW theme, Enter Sandman by Metallica, isn’t featured in his entrance. It’s also noticeable that the ECW legend doesn’t come to the ring from the crowd in the game.
The Sandman is rated 86 in WWE 2K24
It’s unclear why WWE 2K developers didn’t include The Sandman’s signature entrance in their latest installment. Alongside the first look at the hardcore legend, WWE 2K24 revealed that he has an 86 overall. The Sandman’s stats come as a surprise, with the ECW icon having better numbers than current WWE superstars.
The Sandman’s Overall Compared To Current WWE Superstars In The Game
The Sandman’s high overall may surprise some fans compared to active WWE talent featured in the game. WWE 2K24 has the former ECW World Heavyweight Champion rated higher than the likes of AJ Styles (85), Chad Gable (80), and Austin Theory (72). He also has a better overall than other WWE Hall of Famers featured in the game, like Booker T (85) and Harley Race (84).
SEScoops’ Thomas Lowson transcribed the following quotes.
“For us on the design side, we’re really big on character differentiation and making sure that when you select a character that they are of their appropriate hierarchy on the card. Not everybody can be a Roman Reigns. You have people that are at the tippety top of the card and then you have people that are not, but there’s no slight on anybody,” said Williams.
Williams also noted how many championships a wrestler has held and their win/loss record were considered when making the decision.
It’s unclear why the WWE 2K developers felt The Sandman should have a better overall than several top current talent and legends. However, fans of the ECW legend will soon get a chance to put his overall to the test next week.
Pro wrestling fans got excited the moment it was confirmed that it was confirmed that Dark Side of the Ring is coming back for season five. Now, we are getting even more details about what is in the pipeline.
VICE TV’s Dark Side of the Ring has become a must-watch for wrestling fans, as they dive into sometimes controversial topics from pro wrestling’s past. With its past four seasons generating significant discussion in recent memory, season five has a lot to live up to.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter noted that the upcoming fifth season of Dark Side of the Ring is in the works, and a list of episodes has been revealed.
Season five is set to cover “Black Saturday,” the 1984 moment when Vince McMahon orchestrated a takeover of Georgia Championship Wrestling’s lucrative TBS cable TV timeslot. Additionally, WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle and ECW legend The Sandman will each have episodes dedicated to their life stories.
Other people slated for featured episodes in season five reportedly include Brutus Beefcake, Buff Bagwell, and Harley Race, who passed away in 2019 due to lung cancer.
Chris Adams, who is credited for training Stone Cold Steve Austin and popularizing the superkick, will also get a focus for an episode on season five.
For the new season of Dark Side of the Ring, we know of these episodes: Brutus Beefcake, Harley Race, Buff Bagwell, Kurt Angle, Chris Adams, Sandman and Black Saturday (when Vince McMahon purchased Georgia Championship Wrestling to get access to the TBS time slot in 1984. Glenn “Kane” Jacobs was campaigning for Donald Trump in Iowa.
Dark Side of the Ring Season 5 Air Date
As of right now, there is no information on the air date for season five on VICE TV, as filming is scheduled for later this year. We will keep you updated when an actual date comes out.
The show is unafraid to tackle wrestling’s darker moments, such as The Plane Ride from Hell, the Benoit family tragedy, and Owen Hart’s tragic death. The success of the show also led VICE TV to produce several spinoffs, including Dark Side of the ’90s, Dark Side of Comedy, and Dark Side of Football in recent years.
If you have a brother or a sister you’re close to, get ready to text them after you see “The Iron Claw.” I was fortunate enough to have mine sitting right beside me to catch an advance screening of the film, and both of us being ardent wrestling fans, it hit several different notes.
The looming tragedy of the Von Erich’s is immediately set in the first scene of the film with Holt McCallany as Fritz Von Erich, battling in “Raging Bull” black and white, showing the raw brutality that pro wrestling fanatics of yesteryear yearned for. The punishment wrestlers put on their bodies is a lingering backdrop to the sad story that’s on tap. Director Sean Durkin does a beautiful job at making it a visual necessity, giving the viewers the feeling that they’re the ones taking the elbows and backdrops. The cinematography is foreboding and immersive throughout the majority of the film.
Dominic DeAngelo of SEScoops is joined by his wrestling podcast brother, Marcus DeAngelo, to give their advanced (spoiler-free) review of “The Iron Claw” – including if it hits with wrestling fans, if it hits with the non-wrestling fans, the standout performances and what was missing.
The Acting ‘Does The Work’ In “Iron Claw”
From a performance standpoint, there isn’t a weak link in “The Iron Claw.” McCallany (from “Mindhunters” the amazing short-lived FX boxing series “Lights Out”) is prideful, blunt and frustratingly cold as patriarch Fritz. Zac Efron will surprise people with the range he shows playing the title role of Kevin Von Erich, bringing a caring naivety to a person who ultimately endures so much. Jeremy Allen White delivers as Kerry, so much that it feels like he doesn’t get enough screen time. However, the low-key stars of the Von Erich brothers are the portrayals of David and Mike.
Harris Dickinson gives the role of David his just due, the Von Erich brother who really defined the familial identity that so many World Class fans were drawn to. He’s positioned in a supporting role, but his efforts are imperative to displaying the loving kinship the brothers have with one another, making his passing all the more devastating.
Stanley Simons is spot-on at portraying the unnecessary loss that became Mike Von Erich. Due to his lack of desire to wrestle, Mike was a lighting rod for the cruelty of Fritz. Simons is excellent as the funny, sweet son who could have been an invaluable asset to the family’s success without ever having to step inside the ring. He, for many reasons, defines the tragedy as a whole.
Familiar Faces & Heels
When it comes to the wrestler cameos, they are there, but they don’t necessarily stand out to the un “mark”-ed eye. Ryan Nemeth has brief dialogue as Gino Hernandez and you see Chavo Guerrero Jr. working smoothly against Efron as The Original Sheik. “Iron Claw” executive producer MJF gets just a sip rather than a full “cup of coffee” as Lance Von Erich. The fake family cousin has literally a second of screen time (but the AEW Champ does makes the most of that).
Two legends do get their promo time in the film. We have a full monologue from Ric Flair, portrayed by Aaron Dean Eisenberg. His mannerisms, cadence and body type are pretty accurate to that of The Nature Boy’s and it’s likely the closest you can get without grabbing a time machine. It’s hard to nail Ric Flair without actually having Ric Flair.
The other talent to get a spotlight was Harley Race and it’s with good reason. Kevin Anton nails it as “The Greatest on God’s Green Earth.” Fans will also enjoy seeing the Fabulous Freebirds get their screen time, but may also come away not being fully satisfied considering how big that rivalry was for WCCW. The late Jerry Jarrett gets a hat-tip with a portrayal near the end of the film.
Music Puts You In A “Stranglehold”
Music in “The Iron Claw” is, quite simply, great. You want those 1979 vibes? The film delivers and Von Erich fans will absolutely eat up the “Tom Sawyer”-fueled montage mid-film (I know I did). It should be a sought-after playlist on Spotify. Coinciding with this vibe, is the film’s first showing of Allen White as Kerry. In true pro wrestling fashion, Durkin makes you wait in anticipation for your first sight of the late great Texas Tornado.
Significant Differences From The Full Story Down In Denton, TX
From a historically accurate standpoint, “The Iron Claw” takes its fair share liberties; primarily its biggest one is not including the youngest brother, Chris Von Erich, at all in the film. Like Kerry and Mike, the smaller Chris also committed suicide in 1991 after not being able to compete in the ring due to health issues.
In addition to that glaring omission, timelines are shifted and occurrences are substituted in an effort to streamline the story for the masses. Fans super in tune with the Von Erich history may come away frustrated, but local Pittsburgh wrestler, Shawn Blanchard, a WCCW diehard, didn’t let that deter his overall enjoyment of the film. In turn, fellow wrestling journalist Tom Letergy noted it may be difficult for the regular movie goer to keep track of all the “who, where, and when” (Note: We were watching it on a Dolby surround screen and the bottom part of the film was cut off, so there could have been significant notations us viewers didn’t see.)
While it’s touched upon, the wild lifestyle of all the Von Erich brothers was mostly burdened onto Kerry in an effort to show his own unraveling. Like Kerry, Kevin also had the tendency to get crazy and miss shows. More of an effort could have been made to embrace the fun (yet ultimately destructive) side of the business that the brothers were known for, simply to give viewers a break from all that heartache.
Family Comes First In “The Iron Claw”
As expected, the overall story of the film is drastically sobering. That’s all the more accentuated if you grew up in a family of siblings, have experienced loss, or are concerned with losing someone. There were several moments where I wanted to turn to my own brother and tell him how much I love him, but I followed the unhealthy method of the callous Fritz by expressing no feelings. It’s certainly moving for a wrestling fan looking through such a prism. Therefore, the ending of the film makes a very unique choice to lighten all the sadness the family endured and if you loved the Von Erichs, you’ll be grateful for the effort made.
If you’re an old school wrestling fan, you’ll have plenty to appreciate. If you have a brother you can talk to afterwards, you’ll have even more.
“The Iron Claw” releases everywhere on December 22. Follow Dominic DeAngelo on X @DominicDeAngelo.
Kevin Anton has joined the cast of A24’s “The Iron Claw,” a movie about the rise and fall of the Von Erich family.
He will portray legendary wrestler Harley Race. Anton recently appeared in Showtime’s seven-part limited series, “The Loudest Voice,” based on a bestselling book about Roger Ailes, the founder of Fox News.
He will also be featured in the upcoming Amazon series, Dead Ringers, starring Rachel Weisz. Anton is represented by Stefanie Talent and Entertainment.
Rest of The Cast
Harley Race
Zac Efron (Kevin Von Erich), Jeremy Allen White (Kerry), Harris Dickinson (David), Holt McCallany (Fritz Von Erich), Maura Tierney (Doris Von Erich), Aaron Dean Eisenberg (Ric Flair), AEW‘s MJF (Lance Von Erich) and Lily James in an unknown role make up the rest of the cast.
The film is written and directed by award-winning filmmaker Sean Durkin. A24 and Access Industries are co-financing the film. Producing alongside A24 are Tessa Ross, Derrin Schlesinger, and Harrison Huffman. The Iron Claw began principal photography beginning in Louisiana in October.
Although no release date has been announced for the movie, production is currently underway, and the film will premiere sometime in 2023.
Race passed away from lung cancer on August 1st, 2019. A few months after his death, Punk spoke to Sportsnet about getting a tattoo to honor him.
“The Harley Race tattoo is in motion, so to speak,” Punk said during the interview. He also mentioned a tattoo he has honoring the late Mitsuharu Misawa.
“Harley was a big piece of my career whether people realize it or not,” Punk continued. “He’s somebody who deserves to be memorialized.”
CM Punk Harley Race Stories
Bruce Prichard once revealed that CM Punk actually took a shot of alcohol once to celebrate Harley Race’s birthday. Prichard told the story on an episode of his podcast.
“Everybody got shots for Harley’s birthday. Now Punk doesn’t drink, don’t do drugs, but he took a shot out of respect for Harley Race,” Prichard said on his podcast. “And he goes, ‘you know, Harley asked me to do it, one shot’s not gonna kill me. I’m not gonna go get hammered, I took a shot out of respect for Harley Race.’ and for whatever reason, I just thought that was cool.”
Trevor Murdoch was trained by Harley Race and now spends his time as a trainer for the Harley Race Wrestling Academy in Eldon, Missouri. He revealed on his Facebook page recently that WWE paid for Race’s last flight back to Missouri when insurance wouldn’t.
“I just wanted to put this out there. Harley needed to be transferred from Atlanta to St.Louis. He needed to take a Med flight because he was in rough shape. Medicare wouldn’t help him. A call was made to WWE and 10 mins later it was paid in full. Vince McMahon never blinked an eye. He wanted to make sure Harley was taken care of,” Murdoch’s statement reads.
YouTube channel Boston Wrestling MWF recently published a video of Harley Race talking about how he wants to be remembered.
“I think by my peers I’m going to be remembered as a guy who says it as it is,” Race says in the video. “And by the fans, I want to be remembered as a fan of all of you. Because if it was not for you around the world, none of this would be happening for me, for him, for him, or anyone else involved in it. This whole business revolves around you people.”
I just wanted to put this out there. Harley needed to be transferred from Atlanta to St.Louis. He need to take a Med flight because he was in rough shape. Medicare wouldn’t help him. A call was made to WWE and… https://t.co/JHJS4BqTgR
Former NWA World Champion and WWE Hall of Famer Harley Race has passed away. The pro wrestling legend was 76-years-old.
Today at 12:50, we lost the man that fought up until the very last of his existence. More information will be released soon, but just know that he loved pro-wrestling and the fans that loved him.
The entire sport of professional wrestling and the National Wrestling Alliance sends its deepest condolences to the family and friends of Harley. pic.twitter.com/rEiHknbYn1
Race had been diagnosed with lung cancer earlier this year and was hospitalized for more than one week due to health issues in mid-July. He was scheduled to travel to Knoxville, TN for a fan convention at the time. He would later cancel all upcoming bookings.
WWE is saddened to learn that WWE Hall of Famer Harley Race passed away today at age 76. WWE extends its condolences to Race’s family, friends and fans. https://t.co/lO4OimLsSd
We send our thoughts and prayers to the Race family at this difficult time.
AEW issued a statement on Twitter by writing, “AEW is saddened to learn that Pro Wrestling Hall of Famer Harley Race has passed away. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and fans at this difficult time.”
Wrestling World Reacts
RIP to one of the greatest performers there ever was. He was a friend. You will be missed #HarleyRace#RIP
On January 25th 1993 in met a great man who became a great friend and mentor. A proper man in and out of the ring. One of the true greats. Harley Race passed today. I will be forever grateful for the time I’ve spent with him.
The wrestling world has lost another legend and I have lost a dear friend and mentor. RIP Harley Race. You are loved and will be very much missed. https://t.co/KDJzcQY2sI
Harley Race has been in hospital since Thursday. Updates on his condition have been coming through his official social media accounts and from his promotion, World League Wrestling. The promotion sent out an update on the legend’s condition recently.
“All that can and will be said is that Harley Race was, is, and will always be a fighter. He doesn’t know anything else and he hasn’t thrown in the towel and he has promised that as long as it is up to him, that won’t be an option,” a portion the statement from WLW reads.
As Race was traveling when he became ill, WLW noted that this has created some unexpected expenses. To help cover these costs, the promotion is selling classic t-shirts of the legend. The t-shirts can be ordered here.
“Regardless, please continue to support Harley Race, The Harley Race Wrestling Academy, and World League Wrestling. All events and camps are going to take place as scheduled and we look forward to keeping it that way because that is what Harley Race would do. We look forward to getting him back home and continuing to have the Greatest Wrestler on God’s Green Earth.”
WWE Hall Of Famer and Wrestling Legend Harley Race has been
hospitalized since this past Friday, according to the feed from his official
Twitter account.
The Wrestling Legend was traveling to Knoxville, TN for a Fanboy Expo when he said to have “showed some signs that needed to be checked out” after which he stopped at a hospital.
Later it was announced that he won’t be able to make it to the convention due to his hospitalization and an update posted on Saturday revealed that he was still at the hospital.
A new update on his status was posted earlier today and it revealed that Race was still under doctor’s care and there isn’t any timetable because his health is the utmost priority:
For the fans attending #fanboyexpo, Mr. Race was en route to Knoxville and while travelling, showed some signs that needed to be checked out. Currently, he is waiting on the OK to leave and then – well-being pending – he will proceed to Knoxville to fulfill his appearance.
To the fans of Mr. Race that are in Knoxville for Fan Expo. He is still under medical watch at the moment and will unfortunately not be able to attend the comic con. As a result of this. We are working on a suitable form of replacement along with the staff of Fan Expo.
Just a quick update on Mr. Race, he is still at the hospital under doctors care. There isn't any time table for any situation as his health is of utmost priority. We will be releasing more info later this afternoon. Thanks to everyone for their concern and continue the thoughts.
Harley Race made his wrestling debut in 1960 and he went on to wrestle for almost every major promotion including NWA, WWE, AWA, and even WCW.
He won a number of singles and tag titles during his career
and Harley went on to become an 8 time NWA World Champion in a time where
wrestlers barely got opportunities to hold the belt twice.
We are relieved to provide an encouraging update on the health of wrestling legend Harley Race.
Friday night, Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan appeared the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, NJ Friday night for a Legends of the Ring stage show. During a Q&A panel that took place towards the end of the event, Ric Flair told the audience that longtime friend and former rival Harley Race was battling terminal lung cancer.
On Monday, Ric Flair released a statement clarifying the situation. Flair says he is overjoyed to report that he was misinformed and “so wrong” for stating that Harley Race is battling terminal lung cancer. According to Flair, his longtime hero is “doing well.”
Here’s to many more years of good health for the one and only Harley Race.
After Being Misinformed, I Am Overjoyed To Report That I Was So Wrong For Stating That Harley Race Had Terminal Lung Cancer. It's Great News To Hear That The Former World Champ And My Lifetime Hero Is Doing Well! pic.twitter.com/QMeXZGC8rc
The NWA 70th Anniversary is just minutes away from starting. Earlier this week, Harley Race spoke to Sports Illustrated in regards to the history of the title and Cody’s performance so far as champion.
“If Cody keeps on at it, he’ll continue going in the right direction,” Race said. The legendary wrestler would continue to say that he feels his longtime rival, and Cody’s father, Dusty Rhodes would be proud of his son.
“Each and every person picks out his own spot, and that’s what Cody has went and done. He’s doing good. I’m sure Dusty would be very proud of him.”
Harley Race and the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
Race first won the title in 1973. He would trade the title back and forth with names such as Jack Brisco, Giant Baba, and Terry Funk. He is a 7x champion, second only to Ric Flair’s 9 runs with the belt. His 1,799 total combined days spent with the title is third only to Ric Flair and the record-holder Lou Thesz, who held the title for 3,749 days. Cody has held it for 48 days thus far.
“People that were watching me noticed I was the same from word go until I had to get out,” said Race. “I just tried to keep myself in that type of position all the way through my career. Once I made up my mind that this was what I was going to do, I decided I was going to do it damn well.”
WWE Hall Of Famer Harley Race recently did an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard to offer a health update after a fall at his home earlier this year that caused him to break both of his legs. He also talked about inspiring fellow legends such as Ric Flair, Bret Hart, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and CM Punk, as well as being the “world’s champion.” Check out what he said here:
Update on his health following his fall last month at his home that caused him to break both his legs:
“Right now, it’s the legs that are bothering me. I’m sitting here now with two legs that aren’t very good. They’re in route to recovery, and I’m right along with them. In a little amount of time, I’ll be up walking again.”
Inspiring the likes of Ric Flair, Bret Hart, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and CM Punk:
“I love that. And it’s all true. I was the guy who would go out and do whatever he needed to do, no matter what.”
Being the “world’s champion”:
“Being world’s champion is what I set out in life to do. I’m one of the few people on earth that can say they completed, in every aspect, what they wanted to do with their life. …Whether it was sitting in a steak house eating a steak or getting onto the edge of the ring with two or three people standing there, it was all the same to me.”
– Rusev won a battle royal on RAW to become the #1 contender to Kalisto’s United States Championship. Rusev eliminated Zack Ryder to win after the League of Nations members turned on each other. After the match, Rusev celebrated with Lana and taunted Kalisto, who was on commentary. The title match will likely take place at Extreme Rules in less than 3 weeks.
– WWE Hall of Famer and local legend Harley Race was backstage at Monday’s RAW from St. Louis.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Trish Stratus recently took part in a photo shoot for a future issue of Shespoke Magazine. Trish tweeted the following photos from the shoot.
– WrestleCade announced that WWE Hall Of Famer Harley Race has been pulled from their WrestleCade IV event in Winston-Salem, North Carolina due to health issues.
– The Undertaker is featured on the cover of the 2015 WWE Survivor Series DVD, which is scheduled for a December 22nd release. Below is the artwork for the DVD, courtesy of Amazon:
WWE Hall Of Famer Harley Race recently spoke with the folks at The Two Man Power Trip Of Wrestling podcast about a number of topics related to his legendary career. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On what students take away from a Harley Race Wrestling Camp: “They are going to learn how to take care of themselves and then how to perform inside that squared circle. After that we start sticking them into the ring and see how they would look for the public. When you’ve got the physical side and that’s pretty much all the way down then the other parts will come along to you fairly easy.”
On heat with Ric Flair during his career and not wanting to drop the NWA Title: “Overall, Flair and I have had a hellishly active part of wrestling. He knows and I know that we are too old to want to get involved with this stuff now. In 1983, Flair was just starting to really get involved and I was at that point in time thinking that that he wasn’t ready but once he got really involved in the championship part of it (the business) he came along to be one of the best ever. Flair proved to me that he was a good hand in the ring and he was in there with the absolute very best so it was all pretty easy from there.”
On memories of Dusty Rhodes: “Dusty was probably one of the best interview people ever in wrestling. He could talk about anything on the face of God’s green earth and make it sound like it was extremely important. Overall, Dusty could perform in that ring as well as just about anybody. I never really had a bad performance with Dusty in any of the matches that we ever had. There are very few people that I can say that about.”
On working against Terry Funk and Dory Funk Jr. and if he has a preference between the two: “Dory was very, very good in the ring. He and Terry both were great in there but I can’t mention one without mentioning the other. Between the two of them it was just the flip of a coin, with Dory you could have a little bit better of a wrestling match. Terry was good for wrestling but he was very very good at scrambling.”
On bodyslamming Andre The Giant: “The only reservation I ever had was to have everything in the right spot at the right time and to be able to come up with him. Because you were lifting the world’s biggest athlete. It was a hell of a lot better to be on the same side as him.”
On the WWF’s national expansion and invading “his territory” during the 1980s: “By the time they had done the expansion you knew that they were going around the whole entire country. I didn’t want to get involved in fights with them or against them. I just wanted to stay Harley Race in the wrestling world, worldwide and that is what I did for a long time.”
– NXT star Hideo Itami is in Japan this week to promote WWE’s live events tour of the country scheduled for next month. After recently undergoing shoulder surgery, Itami will be out of action 6-8 months.
– Daniel Bryan is scheduled to for tonight’s WWE RAW. Bryan announced last night that his in-ring career is not over and will likely be there to promote his new DVD/Blu-Ray set, which will be released tomorrow.
– Big Show is currently backstage at the site of tonight’s RAW. No word on if he’ll be appearing on TV, but he’s expected to be back in action soon.
– There is currently no timeframe for Rusev’s return. He injured his foot at last week’s SmackDown tapings.
– Former WWE Superstar Trevor Murdoch has been working for Harley Race’s World League Wrestling promotion, which is based out of Missouri.
The official WWE website has a new poll up for a future episode of the WWE Network original series, “WWE Countdown.” The poll asks for fans to vote on who they feel the “most royal Superstar in history” is.
The options for the poll are as follows:
– “The King of Harts” Owen Hart
– King Booker (Booker T)
– “Macho King” Randy Savage
– Don Muraco (WWE King of the Ring 1985 Tournament winner)
– Jerry “The King” Lawler
– “The King” Harley Race
– Sheamus (WWE King of the Ring 2010 Tournament winner)
– “The King of Kings” Triple H
– Tito Santana (WWE King of the Ring 1989 tournament winner)
– William Regal
– “The Billion Dollar Princess” Stephanie McMahon
– Bret Hart (King of the Ring 1991 and 1993 Tournament winner)
– “King of Wrestling” Jim Duggan
– Bad News Barrett
– King Mabel
The following are highlights of a new Miami Herald interview with Sheamus:
On being face or heel: “I’m not opposed to going either way to be honest. I enjoy both sides of the coin. I’m sure it will come around again [for me to be a heel], but I want it to be for the right reason and right story. My goal right now is to keep moving forward and put on the best matches I can. I want to keep getting better and let people into who Sheamus really is. Character-wise, there was stuff I did before that wasn’t really me…I really want to reeducate people into who Sheamus really is. I can have a laugh and throw a crack in and have fun, but when it comes to the match it’s all business.”
On wanting to re-establish the prestige of the United States Title: “There was more prestige when I won it the first time back in 2010, but I will wrestle Cesaro or anyone. I just want to defend the title more. That was the goal when I won it was to bring it back up to where it had been for decades. The cool thing about Night of Champions was seeing the shots of all the former champions with the title around their waste. That was really cool to see before each match. So you see that and superstars who came before you with Harley Race and Ricky Steamboat. It gives you chills. It gives you goose bumps.”
Check out the complete interview at MiamiHerald.com.
Ronda Rousey vs. TRANSSEXUAL?!, Wanderlei Silva BANNED FOR LIFE From MMA + MORE!
The following are highlights of a new In Your Head Wrestling Radio interview with Harley Race:
What are your thoughts on Hulk Hogan as a wrestler? “Well, no matter how you want to word it or how you want to say it, if you’re good enough to get to all the places that Hogan was at you’ve got to be way the hell above average…Hogan gets good and bad raps virtually on a daily basis, but the end product was he was who he was and he would not have gotten there were he incapable of handling the process of getting there and then handling it once after he was there.”
What was the feeling like when you beat Lou Thesz’ record for the number of world title reigns? “Well, it was a reign that had stood for…a long time, and everybody knew that Lou Thesz, no matter who beat his record was not going to take away anything from his name. I was very very proud to be the person that was capable of doing that, and I made sure that Lou’s name stayed right where it was at even though I had bettered it.”
The following are highlights of a new WGD Weekly interview with WWE Hall Of Famer Harley Race:
The incident at Starrcade ’83, where it was in question as to whether he would show up for his match with Ric Flair: “The thing on me not being there, it was all just a big rib to start with. I just wanted everyone there to think that I wasn’t going to be there, because at that point in time, there was a board of directors, and the board had thought it was time to make a rotation with the title, and I just wanted everyone there to believe that maybe I wasn’t going to be there…truthfully, I don’t know if I told Ric or not, you can ask him. I’m sure have at some point in time, I couldn’t let that little lie rest still after all these years.”
Confronting Hulk Hogan backstage at an event as the WWF made the move “across territory lines” in the mid 1980’s: “In confronting the Hulkster, he was the type of guy, that he was being paid to do what he did, and that is how he looked at it. He didn’t look at it as though he was running roughshod over everyone else out there. I confronted him about all that garbage. There was no push come to shove or anything. We never got into anything that far into it. Talent wise, he was as good as there was out there in that era…I was a wrestling style champion, and the Hulkster was a talking style. That was the two sides of it.”
Going to work for Vince McMahon and the WWF and how the “King” gimmick came about: “When it first came up, I thought the easiest way out of this was just for me to come up with an idea that was so far out in one direction or the other that Vince and his group wouldn’t go along with it. So, I said, I want to be the King, I want to come in and win a big tournament, and I want the crown, and then that’s how it turned, with that, how could you not go on with it.”
Owen Hart’s passing, and a conversation he had with him while he was working backstage at that event: “Who the god knew it would be my last conversation with Owen. With him it was always about talking about his father and what they did up there in the Winnipeg area and me coming in and out of there. The Hart Family is as good of a family as there ever was on the face of the earth and they’ve got a lot of kids that were involved in the wrestling part of it. It is just a horrible, horrible thing when stuff like that happens… He didn’t mention (being uncomfortable), that was the amazing part of it. It could’ve been me, it could’ve been anyone else. No one knows when the man up above wants to call your name.”
Becoming a manager in WCW: “I had been as high or higher than almost anyone I think, even still today. It sounds like I’m blowing smoke, you know where, but I had done everything feasibly possible to do in wrestling and to be able to take another guy like Vader or Luger or whoever and be able to help move them up to that top position, it just continued the Harley race version of wrestling. It kept it alive, it kept me alive.”
– High Spots is currently working on a documentary-style DVD project focused on the life and career of WWE Hall Of Famer and former multiple-time NWA Heavyweight Champion Harley Race.
– TNA star Kurt Angle is filming a television pilot called “Emergency: L.A.,” which is a dramatic emergency unit of the fire department in Los Angeles, California. Angle is expected to be one of the leads of the show. Former TNA wrestler Katarina Waters (Winter) also has a role in the show.
It was announced on the WWE Extreme Rules “go-home” edition of WWE RAW on Monday night that “The Exotic Express” will make its’ next stop at RAW next Monday night. So there you have it, Adam Rose makes his debut next week on RAW.
WWE Hall Of Famer Harley Race was in attendance at Monday’s WWE RAW in St. Louis, Missouri.
The following are highlights of a new Between The Ropes interview with WWE Hall Of Famer Harley Race:
On the reason he would be surprised if Daniel Bryan wins the title at WrestleMania XXX: “Well if he (Bryan) does, it’ll surprise me. Just being able to talk a great match and performing great matches six/seven nights a week is a different ballgame because it is a different time.”
On why he considers Triple H the best wrestler in the world today: “Right now, I’d have to say Hunter because I watched his style, he’s a lot of mind and he took it and put it to a frame that became his. He’s just good at what he does.”
– As of this week, WWE is still planning to hold a 30-minute online Youtube pre-show for the upcoming SummerSlam pay-per-view. While a Divas match was discussed for the show, WWE is now considering Rob Van Dam vs. Antonio Cesaro.
– WWE Hall of Famer Harley Race fell down and dislocated his hip this week. He is said to be in a lot of pain and has cancelled several appearances.
– WrestlingDVDNews.com has released the trailer to WWE’s upcoming Madison Square Garden DVD and Blu-ray set, which hits stores August 27th:
