The wrestling world will forever mourn the loss of Shad Gaspard, but Da Pope Elijah Burke has put something very special together to commemorate his late colleague.

The inaugural Shad Gaspard Memorial Cup will take place on April 20 in Jacksonville, FL with eight men competiting in the tournament which includes Gaspard’s Cryme Tyme tag partner JTG. Also competiting in the tournament are the following names:

• KC Navarro
• Kenny King
• Jay Rios
• T.I.M.
• Thom Latimer
• General Obazo
• 3Prince Agballah

AEW star and WWE Hall of Fame Mark Henry will be in attendance to honor Gaspard.

“We Loved Shad. I loved Shad. I’m there.” 

“We Loved Shad. I loved Shad. I’m there.” -Mark Henry

On 4-20-24 we honor a Dad, Son, Brother, Friend, Mentor & Hero. This night 8 men will enter beast mode as we honor WWE Hall of Famer Shad “Beast” Gaspard.

1 Night

1 Cup

8 Men

Who will be The One?https://t.co/Zmg0wJayny pic.twitter.com/1POKIK8oso

— Love-Alive Charity (@lovealiveinc) March 20, 2024

All proceeds from the event will go towards Burke’s Love-Alive charity, whose mission is to “improve the quality of life to less-advantaged individuals, families and communities through humanitarian effort and charitable donations in Jacksonville, Florida and surrounding areas.” You can donate or purchase tickets at the Love-Alive Charity website.

Shad Gaspard Died A Hero

Gaspard will forever be known to put his son Areyah ahead of himself. On Sunday May 17, 2020, Gaspard and Areyah went to Venice Beach and both were caught in a rip current. When a rescue team came to pull them to safety, Gaspard made certain that Areyah went first telling, rescuers to “take my son.” However, Gaspard got pulled by the current and tragically drowned, with his body being found days later. Gaspard would still wrestle from time to time, but really took a focus on a career in Hollywood, even writing a wrestling television pilot “PinFall” that was getting a lot of eyes on it. He called it a series a tribute that all his fellow wrestlers had gone through.

#PINFALL
Series Synopsis
Professional wrestlers battle their personal demons while the new female CEO of their organization struggles to rebuild the business. It's high stakes in a world where nothing is real, everything hurts, and you can't trust anyone. #WWE #AEW #ROH #NJPW pic.twitter.com/c3ciQ8Kwum

— Shad Gaspard (@Shadbeast) June 11, 2019

Shad Gaspard was inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame in 2022 being the recepient of the Warrior Award.

Last weekend’s Elimination Chamber Premium Live Event proved to be a hit with fans, and one member of the crowd knew all about being in a WWE ring.

The February 18, event saw WWE return to Montreal, the host of the infamous Montreal Screwjob, in WWE’s first PLE in the city since Breaking Point in September 2009.

The main event saw Montreal’s own Sami Zayn face Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, but the Canadian became the latest victim of the Tribal Chief.

JTG

An estimated 17,271 fans filled Montreal’s Bell Centre in the hopes of Sami winning the big one, including former WWE Superstar JTG.

On Twitter, the Cryme Tyme alum shared a selfie during Zayn’s entrance, adding that watching WWE live made him feel like a kid again.

Debuting on WWE’s main roster in 2006 alongside the late Shad Gaspard, Cryme Tyme proved to be a hit with fans, though never won Tag Team Gold.

After a surprise release in September 2007, the pair were rehired in March 2008 and feuded with each other briefly upon Shad’s heel turn in 2010.

JTG After WWE

For years, an ongoing joke among wrestling fans was that JTG avoided being released, but the rarely-seen Superstar’s luck ran out on June 12, 2014.

After his release, JTG would reunite with Shad (who had been released years earlier) as Crime Time, changing the name slightly to be legally distinct from WWE.

Following Shad’s tragic passing in 2020, JTG would make appearances for Game Changer Wrestling and VxS Wrestling, before making his NWA debut in June 2021.

In April 2022, JTG made a one-night return to WWE as part of Shad’s posthumous induction into the WWE Hall of Fame as a Warrior Award recipient.

JTG debuted with the NWA at the “When Our Shadows Fall” PPV earlier this month. He defeated Fred Rosser on the show and has since been taking part in episodes of Powerrr exclusively on FITE. The former member of Cryme Tyme spoke to Metro UK recently about how he is hoping to keep Shad Gaspard’s memory alive through his run with the NWA.

JTG was asked what is driving him to get back in the ring at this point in his career.

 “Besides my passion, it would definitely be representing both Shad and myself,” JTG said during the interview.

JTG continued to say he wants to represent Cryme Tyme in the best light possible with everything he does in his career moving forward.

“I’m not just representing myself anymore. When people see JTG, Jay Tha Gawd, they automatically think of Shad”

“I wanna make sure I represent the team and myself and him in the best light possible, and keep Cryme Tyme alive with whatever I do forwards.”

JTG On Fan Response To Shad Gaspard’s Passing

Also during the interview, JTG said that the outpouring of respect and care following Gaspard’s passing really helped him in the grieving process.

“To see it on social media, everybody sharing – it helped me a lot during my grieving, seeing all these things that people were writing about him, the videos, charity, all that good stuff,” JTG said. “It definitely helped me through the grieving process.”

The full interview from Metro UK can be read here.

JTG and Shad Gaspard first started teaming together in 2006 on Ohio Valley Wrestling shows. Between 2 runs on the main roster of WWE and wrestling on the independents beginning in 2014, Cryme Tyme never stopped being a team. Following Shad Gaspard’s tragic death, JTG posted a message to his longtime partner and friend.

“I want to say thank you to all the friends, fans and family who reached out to me and Shads family during this difficult time. The outpour of love and support has definitely helped me get through this. I have my moments where I’m in disbelief and feeling a tremendous amount of hurt but as soon as I start to reminisce about Shad and our relationship I begin to smile,” JTG says in the above post.

JTG also posted a link to a GoFundMe account to support Shad’s family.

JTG would also post the last video the two Cryme Tyme members filmed together.

“Shad, Thank you for always being there for me. You were more than my tag team partner, more than a friend you were the big brother I always wanted growing up. The world will remember you for what you are. A HERO.”

• Triple H Remembers His Last Meeting With Shad Gaspard

JTG and Shad Gaspard, formerly known in WWE as Cryme Tyme, have challenged The Young Bucks to a matchup. 

In an upload to his Instagram account, JTG shared a picture of himself and his partner with the AEW Championship. His post is most likely in response to a tweet by Shane “Hurricane” Helms, who inferred that Cryme Tyme could have been behind Chris Jericho’s missing, and now recovered, AEW Championship.

“I don’t want to point fingers or anything, buuuuuut, has anyone seen @Jtg1284 or @Shadbeast lately? Just asking. No reason.”

JTG accompanied his image, which features a speech bubble reading ‘Do we have your attention now’ with the following caption:  

“First off…. Cryme Tyme are not thiefs. We’re actually outstanding citizens, @shadbeast13 and I actually Re-Rack the weights and wipe down the equipment when were done at the Gym ! ! ! We are GOOD People. We have NEVER stolen anything in our entire career. That was a rumor that got out of hand. We borrowed this title to make a message. This was not a hit on @chrisjerichofozzy But a message to AEW. If you want your precious title back…. Its simple.We want The Young Bucks ? #crymetyme #aew #maketagteamwrestlinggreatagain #TAGTEAMGOATS #WRESTLING #tagteam #tagteamwrestling“

Cody has previously stated that AEW has only revealed approximately 40% of its roster. With All Elite Wrestling debuting on TNT on October 2nd, could Cryme Tyme be a team the promotion might be interested in?

JTG is all about that money. So much so that the former WWE Superstar has opened up a new business venture.

Pro Wrestling Sheet has announced that JTG has released his own line of beard care products. The line is named “Sexy As Hell Beard Care.” JTG noted that he has been experimenting with proper beard care since growing his out in summer of 2016.

As his beard continued to grow, many began to ask the Cryme Tyme member for advice. This inspired JTG (real name Jayson Paul) to start his own beard care line. Paul wrote the following on his Facebook page to introduce the product:

“With the knowledge I picked up along my beard journey, I’m ready to share it with the world and make beards across America healthy,” Paul said.

You can check out JTG’s new beard care line, Sexy As Hell Beard Care, by clicking this link here.

The Rock Surprises Longtime Stunt Double With Gift

A new video the former World Champion The Rock posted on his Facebook page recently proved once again why he is not only the favorite movie star of millions of people but an idol for them as well.

The Rock called his longtime stunt double Tanoai Reed for what Reed thought was an interview about his career as a stunt double for the highest paid Hollywood actor.

However, the former WWE Star instead surprised him with a truck as a gift for the hard work he has done over the years and the injuries he has suffered while working as a stunt double:

JTG On Which Star He Could See Nikki Bella Dating

Former WWE Star JTG recently had an interview with TMZ Sports where he talked about the recent breakup of John Cena and Nikki Bella.

The former Cryme Tyme member also talked about the future of Nikki and claimed that other locker room stars are not likely to date her at this point out of respect for Cena.

Continuing on the topic, he also said that Nikki’s former boyfriend Dolph Ziggler is the only person he thinks could start a relationship with Bella at this point but it’s not very likely to happen. You can check out his full interview in the video below:

Former WWE Superstar JTG was recently interviewed on the Kings Of Kayfabe podcast to talk about a variety of professional wrestling topics. Here are some of the highlights from the interview:

Has Impact Wrestling contacted you to do work for them? And are you interested in doing work for them?

“I heard some rumors that they were interested in Shad and I. If they contact me and the money is right, I wouldn’t mind going over to TNA and – before I became a professional wrestler I told myself I just didn’t want to be a professional wrestler, I wanted to be a WWE Superstar. There’s a big difference. But if they’re talking that right money, of course I can’t turn down good money. Remember, my gimmick is ‘Money, Money, Yeah, Yeah.’”

What were your thoughts on seeing The Undertaker retire at WrestleMania 33?

“I don’t know if that’s his last match. I enjoyed the match between he and Roman Reigns. I didn’t know which direction it was gonna go, but being a talent and a performer and not knowing what direction the match is going to go, and you get emotionally invested in it, it’s a good match. I personally enjoyed it. I don’t think it’s his last match. I think he has just one more in him. But I personally don’t think Roman Reigns should be his final opponent.”

How do you feel about Jinder Mahal winning the WWE Title at Backlash?

“That was actually inspiring because me and him got released at the same time, and to see him come back and repackaged – that definitely gave me some type of hope. I don’t know if – I mean it’s wishful thinking, but I don’t know if I could go back and become WWE Champion but they gave him an opportunity and I’m just happy to see that the got the ball and I’m ready to see him run with it.”

Do you have any good stories or memories with him backstage?

“You got me on the spot, I got a few but I’m trying to think right now. Nah not right now but he was always the locker room leader – oh there is one. SummerSlam in Los Angeles. You might have watched this if you watch Dave Chappelle, like Prince. He has like an aura right? Same thing with Undertaker. I was at SummerSlam and me and Beth Phoenix were sitting next to each other, and we kind of just looked at each other – it was weird there was no communication. We just kind of looked at each other and we felt something, and then we looked around and we saw The Undertaker. Then we were like ‘Oh sh*t did you feel that?’ We were like ‘Yeah, he has some type of aura around him.’ I was like ‘Yeah sort of like Prince.’ She was like ‘Yeah exactly, like the Prince episode!’ I thought it was bullsh*t. I don’t know if he meditated before he does his match but you definitely felt his presence without knowing that he’s there. But that’s real.”

You can check out the full interview by clicking here.

– A writer for Forbes claimed in a recent article that WWE is interested in bringing back Goldberg, Rey Mysterio, Kurt Angle, Jeff Hardy (who is under contract to TNA), John Morrison, Cryme Tyme (JTG and Shad Gaspard) and Shelton Benjamin, among other former Superstars. JTG is denying that he has been contacted by WWE.

Chris Featherstone of Pancakes & Powerslam, a podcast JTG appears on, issued the following statement.

I actually communicate with JTG relatively frequently, and had to reach out to see if these rumors are true as far as contacting him.

He responded, “Nobody called me lol.”

So, it looks like at least one half of Cryme Tyme can be extinguished from this rumored list.

– Following a three month absence from the ring, Billie Kay returned to action at Saturday’s NXT live event in Cocoa, Florida. She lost to Daria Berenato via submission.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BHGTv7BBsmv/

• WWE tag team possibly getting a makeover

Former WWE tag team wrestler JTG recently shared some insight into what it’s like working with Vince McMahon. On episode 120 of The Ross Report podcast, JTG discussed his relationship with the infamous WWE Chairman, saying he was always approachable.

“If I had an issue, I would just knock on his door. Or if I saw him on his phone, I would ask ‘hey, how are you doing, boss? Can we chat for a sec?’ It was that type of relationship,” JTG explained, “but it was always business.”

The Cryme Tyme member also revealed one thing that Vince likes in an employee: What Mr. McMahon would call “grapefruits.”

“One thing I do realize with Vince, is that he respects balls and he respects confidence,” said the former WWE Superstar.

JTG says he always felt “very comfortable” around The McMahon family when he worked for WWE. You can listen to the entire podcast here.

Former WWE Superstar Shad Gaspard is teasing that he could be making a comeback in the near future. The former Cryme Time member has been keeping busy making movies since his departure from the company back in 2010. With the upcoming brand extension, we could see Cryme Time back on WWE TV this summer.

Don't Call it a #WWE come back https://t.co/m1k1U5MCoz

— Shad Gaspard (@Shadbeast) May 31, 2016

Coincidentally, Joey Styles tweeted the following video on Wednesday looking at top tag teams who never captured the WWE tag team titles. Wouldn’t you know, Cryme Time is featured prominently.

https://twitter.com/joeystyles/status/738031106558136321

When asked by a fan on Twitter about WWE recognizing Cryme Time as one of the best teams to never capture tag team gold, Shad Gaspard’s former partner JTG replied:

Being Super Over is wAaaAaaAY! more cooler than ever being a champion. Champions are selected ,being over is earned. https://t.co/dRqHBpWzeN

— JTG ( JAY THA GAWD ) (@Jtg1284) June 2, 2016

Former WWE Superstar JTG recently appeared on Chris Jericho’s “Talk Is Jericho” podcast and discussed a number of topics related to his career. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

On Paul Heyman’s name for him in OVW:

“I was known as Neighborhoodie. Paul Heyman gave me that name. And then when I heard it, he was like, ‘we’re going to call you Neighborhoodie’ and I was like, ‘okay, I love it’. Paul Heyman, if you’re listening to [this], I didn’t like it, but at the time, I didn’t want heat.”

On the story behind the JTG name:

“I’m still JTG. I own the rights to JTG. I don’t know how I pulled that off,” JTG said. “When I was in OVW, I was at the top of my class. And when we’d cut promos, I’d call myself ‘Just Too Good’. Just Too Good. At the end of every promo, it would be, ‘because I’m Just Too Good’. And then when I got to WWE, I had to humble myself. A lot of people would ask me, ‘so what does JTG stand for?’, and I started stuttering, I said, ‘uh, Just Too Gangster’ because I didn’t want to say Just Too Good because I didn’t want heat.”

On the original name for the Cryme Tyme tag-team:

“We heard about Cryme Tyme, I think it was our second or third time up on the road. We were just sitting in an office coming up with names, and you wouldn’t believe some of the names they had. I’ll give you an idea of [just how terrible the suggested names were]. I forget what the writer’s name was, but he said, ‘we’re going to call you Hoodie Nation and here’s what we got. You’re going to come out with your own flag and we’re going to sell flags and everybody in the audience is going to have the Hoodie Nation flag and you guys are going to be so over.’ And we’re like, ‘oh, gosh, no.’ And then they checked to see if the name was available because you have to go through trademark and this whole process and somebody already had it. I’m like, ‘yes! Thank you!’. And then Cryme Tyme came up and we just spelled it different and it worked.”

On teaming with John Cena and advice Cena gave him:

“One day, I just found out that we would be partnering up with Cena and I’m like, ‘hell yeah! That’s like the perfect fit.” JTG continued, “[CTC] was a good learning experience. A lot of the things I was doing that I had no idea was wrong, John Cena pulled me to the side [and said], ‘don’t do that no more. We’re taking it to another level.’ For example, before every match, I’d like to get the crowd warmed up. I’d say, ‘are you ready to get it popping?’. I’d look at the crowd [and] he’s like, ‘don’t do that. You don’t need their approval. Just start the match.’ He was like, ‘you don’t do that anymore.'”

On meeting his wife and the angle where he and Cena destroyed JBL’s limo on the 7/7/2008 edition of RAW:

“I’ll never forget that day. That was the day I met my wife, so I’ll never forget that day. John Cena came out. He was having a [feud] with JBL, and, if I can remember it right, he had some violations and he needed some help.” JTG continued, “and then when I invited my soon-to-be wife to the show, I was like, ‘that would be perfect. She sees her future husband being a bad ass. Oh, he’s with John Cena and beating up limos?'”

• *NEW* Photo Gallery: Awesome Bikini Pics Of RONDA ROUSEY At The Beach!

Race is a barrier to being successful in the wrestling industry, according to former WWE superstar JTG. In an interview with new project The World According To Wrestling, one half of popular WWE tag team Cryme Tyme, who’s real name is Jayson Paul, said that for certain superstars there is definitely a glass ceiling.

In a candid interview, JTG also discussed how race is presented to wrestling audiences, his views on Hulk Hogan’s comments and his best moments in the industry.

Here’s some highlights:

Is there a glass ceiling in the wrestling industry?

JTG: “For certain superstars there is definitely a glass ceiling. Using Zack Ryder as an example, it doesn’t matter if the crowd is on your side. If they don’t approve of you, if they don’t put the machine behind you, then they are not going to follow through with it. They handpick their stars.”

Is race is a barrier in this glass ceiling?

JTG: “I definitely believe so just due to history, the results you know? All the superstars that have been identified as African Americans, have been identified as Black – I’ve never seen them been the face of the company or be the Heavyweight champion. I’ve seen it in other companies like TNA and WCW, but in WWF still there hasn’t been a Black face or a champion.”

Hulk Hogan’s racist comments:

JTG: “What Hulk Hogan did was very disappointing. He was one of my biggest childhood heroes in the 80s and to hear him say that “We’re all a little racist” you’ve pretty much sealed your own fate. And I’m still trying to wrap my head around that. It’s still disappointing. I know that he is a loving guy and he’s very positive. I’ve met Hogan probably like two or three times and he’s already had good spirits about him but racism has nothing to do with loving or hating somebody; it’s a mindset that you are superior to the other race.”

Representations of race in wrestling:

JTG: “That’s how wrestling has always been. Hopefully it changes real soon. And usually they bring them in as a heel; as a monster for the white champion to overcome. You know Umaga, he was fed to John Cena. Same thing with Kamala in the 80s, he was fed to Hulk Hogan. Nine times out of ten they make the angry black man – the savage – just be fed to the champion. It’s an obstacle that he’s going to win.”

Former WWE Superstar and Crime Time member JTG recently spoke with our friends at WrestlingInc.com about the hot-button issue of racism in pro wrestling, among other topics.

JTG, who is promoting his new book, “Damn, Why Did I Write This Book?,” spoke about how he initially got the Crime Time gimmick.

“Well, there’s two aspects to the Cryme Tyme gimmick,” JTG said. “There’s the look of the characters. At first, I didn’t want to do it. My original partner was Abraham Washington. He called me up when we were in amateur class in OVW. He said we had an amateur show coming up, and he said if we were trying to get signed we needed to come out with bulletproof vests, fitted hats, a whole bunch of chains. We should wrestle in jeans and Timberlands. I said absolutely not, it’s too stereotypical, and I already bought tights and wrestling boots. He talked me in to it, and we did the amateur show. We blew the roof off at the amateur show.

“The characters, me and Shad came up with that. We did some vignettes down in OVW after we won the titles. Our trainer Al Snow said ‘you don’t have to wrestle every week to get over, do something to get your characters over, show some personality.’ Shad and I went out on your own and put those vignettes together that you saw on WWE. It was two different vignettes, but with WWE there was better production.”

JTG also stated that he feels African-Americans are portrayed in a way that is behind-the-times.

“I think the reason is that on the creative team there aren’t enough people of different backgrounds and age groups,” JTG said. “If they bring in someone who can bring in someone who can bridge that generation gap, I think the African-American wrestlers will have more up-to-date stuff.”

You can order JTG’s new book at PayHip.com.

• Brock Lesnar/UFC News, CM Punk Update, Rousey/WWE & More!

Jayson Paul, who was known as JTG in WWE, appeared on the PodNasty Wrestling Podcast to talk about his tell-all book, DAMN! WHY DID I WRITE THIS BOOK? (available for purchase here for $1.33).

During the interview, JTG talked about being an Alex Riley fan and shared some insight on Wrestler’s Court. JTG also talked about a dropped Muppets-inspired character that was approved by Vince McMahon until an unfortunate faux pas led to the gimmick being dropped entirely—the reason is revealed in his book.

JTG also talked about getting heat, his experience working with Bill DeMott and transitioning into acting since he appears in the upcoming movie Bad Night. Highlights from the interview are as follows:

JTG On Alex Riley

“When Alex Riley was active on the roster on Raw, I was a big Alex Riley fan and I thought he was going to be a big star. He probably still can be a big star but I thought the rug was pulled from underneath it,” JTG said.

“Not only does he have a great look, he’s also great on the mic. That guy could rock a mic and if given the opportunity on Raw I think in one night, if you give Alex Riley the mic, he’ll get the WWE Universe right under his belt rooting for him.”

JTG On Wrestler’s Court

“There was definitely some comedy [to Wrestler’s Court] it was entertaining to the locker room, you know, when you’re backstage for like 12 hours, the boys, they’ll find anything to get some type of entertainment. Stories, or would it be Wrestler’s Court. It was a joke and comedy to them, but to be on the stand it pretty very serious to me because the punishment would be very serious too, that would have been no laughing matter.”

JTG On Nixed Muppets-inspired Gimmick

“I thought I was a rich man. I’ll tell you how rich I thought I was. When Vince [McMahon] approved the gimmick, when he told me that he loved it, I took my wife out to Mr. Chow when I got home because I just saw money,” JTG said.

“It was my idea, the idea stemmed from this character I used to do in promo class. WWE Superstars, before Raw, some Superstars were called in early to the show—like maybe an hour early—and we would have hands-on classes with Vince McMahon and we did promo classes where it was kind of like improv and working on promos.”

“He would give us an exercise where he would say ‘say anything and you have to cut a promo on it.’”

“I can’t remember what word he gave me, but there was a few times where I started talking to myself and it was highly entertaining, and I created a new character with a double personality. His name was Self.”

“The idea was for the muppet to look exactly like me,” JTG said. “The premise behind the whole Self-Muppet idea was for it to be seen and heard by the WWE Universe, but not seen by anybody backstage. For example, if me and you were talking backstage, Self would be insulting you but you couldn’t hear him. Only me and the WWE Universe, he was kind of like my conscience.”

• JTG says WWE would be better if HHH put aside his ego

Former WWE Superstar JTG of the Cryme Tyme tag-team recently spoke with Greg Beck about his run with the company, his future and more. Below are some highlights from the interview.

On having heat in WWE: “We had heat from the day we stepped foot into the WWE doors.” I asked if the heat was more on Shad’s end. “Man, there’s no such thing as Shad. That’s how it is in the wrestling business when you’re in a tag team. Even if you look up stories about The Rockers. Sometimes Marty Jannetty would get into trouble but The Rockers felt the brunt of it and it was the same thing with Shad. When Shad did something then Cryme Time felt it and vice versa. If I did something then Cryme Tyme felt it.”

On if he had to deal with racism in WWE or is that something that doesn’t exist backstage anymore? “I’m not gonna say it doesn’t exist anymore. I don’t believe WWE is racist. Right now they have the tag team champions Kofi Kingston and Big E and Xavier Woods. I wouldn’t say that they’re [WWE] racist but there’s definitely a system in place, that I believe…this is my opinion, that African American, black Superstars, can go so far. That’s from what I’ve see and that’s my perception because as of right now to this day i’ve never seen a black WWE Champion. Not the title from WCW, I’m talking about the WWE Championship. I haven’t seen a black face of the company.”

On his thoughts on Triple H and whether he would be a good fit to take over the company: “In my opinion, if Triple H could put aside his ego and his dislike for a person and focus on business then I think it could probably be a lot better. For example, I don’t think he was a big fan of Zack Ryder. Zack Ryder did everything he could to get over and he got over and when he was in MSG [at Survivor Series 2011] and The Rock was there and they were chanting Zack Ryder’s name. I wasn’t in New York [at the time] but my buddy told me that he went to Survivor Series and he was on the train and they were chanting for Zack Ryder. That was the perfect time to take advantage and make some money off of Zack Ryder. That was the perfect underdog story and it was all thrown to the side because he wasn’t favored by Hunter.”

“When you see someone try so hard to get noticed..you know Zack Ryder busted his ass and he got a lot of respect backstage and from the boys in the locker room. He got so much respect for getting over on his own and not needing the machine to push him. He got a little push but they buried him. That put a black eye on the morale in the locker room. It was like damn, if he did all that it kind of make everybody not even wanna try.”

Check out the complete interview at WrestlingNews.co.

• Mayweather-Pacquiao PPV Buys Revealed + How Much Did They Get Paid?

Former WWE Superstar JTG is scheduled to release his first autobiography on Wednesday.

The former Cryme Tyme member will be releasing the tell-all book, which is titled, “Damn! Why Did I Write This Book?” and it will apparently include a number of backstage stories from his time in WWE and OVW.

Below is the official synopsis for JTG’s new autobiography:

“DAMN! WHY DID I WRITE THIS BOOK? Is a compilation of short stories all focused around the four letter word that has ended more wrestling careers than steroids, pills and alcohol combined. HEAT!

HEAT – A “black cloud” that follows a superstar after a personal conflict or misunderstanding between two individuals or more backstage.

In Damn! WHY DID I WRITE THIS BOOK, I take the reader, on a journey, from the beginning of my career, to the final curtain call; sharing stories on how I battled Heat from day one, while managing to piss off more people for writing this book!!!

• Update w/ SPECIFIC Details On CM PUNK’s UFC Debut Fight!

– WWE Superstar Rey Mysterio was backstage at the AAA “Lucha Underground” television taping in Los Angeles, California on September 27th. Apparently someone tweeted a photo of Mysterio backstage at the event, however the tweet was quickly removed. Also backstage at the event was recently released WWE Superstar JTG.

– WWE is reportedly in the process of getting the lawsuits that were brought against them, based on the idea that they violated SEC regulations with their new television deal, dismissed.

– Former WWE Superstar Alberto Del Rio will be appearing at The Wrestling Guy Store in Huntington Park, California at 1pm on September 20th.

– Former WWE Tag-Team Crime Time (JTG and Shad Gaspard) played in a celebrity football game hosted by hip-hop artist Snoop Dogg this past weekend. The event was a charity event to raise money for cancer awareness.

Apparently one of the reasons behind Zack Ryder’s loss to Rusev on Monday night was because of some of the negative tweets that he has been posting on Twitter as of late.

Some are going as far as to say Ryder had a “JTG moment” on RAW last night, referring to when JTG spoke out against WWE in public, which WWE followed up on by having him come to RAW the next week to get squashed by Ryback.

After his loss to Rusev on Monday night, Ryder tweeted the following:

Ok I get it. @RusevBUL crushed me…again.

— Zack Ryder (@ZackRyder) September 2, 2014

– After working several matches against each other at NXT live events, Solomon Crowe and Kalisto have formed a tag-team. The two defeated Wesley Blake and Buddy Murphy at the most recent NXT live event. There is no word yet on what this means for the tag-team of Kalisto and Sin Cara.

– Former WWE Superstars JTG and Shad Gaspard wrestled the first match on what they are calling the “Crime Time World Tour” this weekend for the Warriors of Wrestling promotion. The two teamed up with The Blue Meanie to defeat Chachi, Verna and J-George at the Staten Island-based event.

– WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart is scheduled to appear at next week’s WWE RAW from Montreal and Tuesday’s Smackdown tapings from Ottawa, Ontario.

– The Rock noted on Twitter that he finished his work on “Fast & Furious 7” yesterday.

Variety.com is also reporting that Paramount has Jonathan Lemkin (“The Longest Night”) to write the script for G.I. Joe 3, which hits theaters in 2016. The Rock will be reprising his role of Roadblock in the third installment of the series.

– Connecticut’s WWLP local news ran a report earlier this week covering WWE Diva Emma’s arrest for shoplifting. You can watch the report at WWLP.com.

Speaking of Emma’s arrest, former WWE Superstar JTG tweeted:

Diva Emma: ARRESTED for stealing. http://t.co/fdKTqLAVEG pic.twitter.com/x2eSmzXTPB" I would ask her to join Crime Time but we don't get caught

— JTG (@Jtg1284) July 2, 2014

WWE has added Brodus Clay, Drew McIntyre, Evan Bourne, Aksana, Curt Hawkins, Jinder Mahal, Yoshi Tatsu, Theodore Long, JTG and Camacho to their “Alumni” section of WWE.com today following their release from the company.

Speaking of today’s releases, Yoshi Tatsu commented on his official Twitter account about his release from WWE today. Tatsu tweeted the following:

"I want to say thank you to @WWE & #WWEUniverse & #YoshiArmy for these 6 years. It's been an amazing experience.

— Yoshi (@YoshiTatsuWWE) June 12, 2014

In my last days, your huge "Yoshi Tatsu" chants at @fullsail were awesome! Please keep being cool! I love you guys(^_^) #YoshiArmyForever

— Yoshi (@YoshiTatsuWWE) June 12, 2014

Some details have come to light on today’s WWE releases, which included Brodus Clay, Drew McIntyre, Evan Bourne, Aksana, Curt Hawkins, Jinder Mahal, Yoshi Tatsu, Theodore Long, JTG, Camacho and referee Marc Harris.

Word is that Mark Carrano, who has been featured on Total Divas and works in Talent Relations under Triple H, is the person who made not, if not all, of the WWE releases today by phone. There is a lot of talk among people in WWE that the cuts are not done and that there will be more releases on the administrative side of the company as well, possibly as soon as tomorrow. It’s said that the success, or lack thereof, of the WWE Network is what is causing the talent cuts and the potential office cuts.

Regarding Tatsu’s release, it’s being said that there’s been a feeling for some time within the company that he had really regressed in the ring.

As far as Clay is concerned, there are reports that claim he “fell out of favor” with WWE creative.

Brodus Clay Headed To Japan To Protest Dolphin Hunting

In terms of the Teddy Long release, his contract actually expired, and it was well known within WWE that he would be leaving the company as an active performer soon.

Yoshi Tatsu Comments On His WWE Release

Out of all of the releases, the general consensus within those actually in WWE is that Camacho and Hawkins were the two most surprising releases, as Camacho was very popular within NXT circles and Hawkins still had several years remaining on his existing deal.

Curt Hawkins Calls Mark Henry An Idiot For Tweeting That He’s “Still Here”

We reported earlier today that WWE released ten different talents from the active roster. Those names included Drew McIntyre, Jinder Mahal, Aksana, Curt Hawkins, Theodore Long, Camacho, Brodus Clay, Evan Bourne, Yoshi Tatsu and referee Marc Harris.

The official WWE website has updated their list, with JTG being the latest to get the “best wishes in his future endeavors.”

In response to being released, JTG tweeted:

Damn ! Why I pick up my phone !

— JTG ( JAY THA GAWD ) (@Jtg1284) June 12, 2014

• MORE WWE Superstars & Divas To Get FIRED Today — DETAILS HERE!