– The following are some excerpts of a new ABC 2 News feature on Maryland Championship Wrestling (MCW) with comments from WWE Hall Of Famer Amy “Lita” Dumas:
“It’s great to see MCW still going strong. They saw something special in me and I slept on their couches many nights when I was coming up on the independent scene. I’m glad I’m able to give back to them and my fans now in a way I was never able to in the WWE.”
“I’m really enjoying the chance to get up close and personal with fans and up-and-coming wrestlers. It’s given me the chance to see how many lives I’ve impacted and that’s pretty special. I was in the WWE during a special time when female wrestlers were given a chance to shine. I’m just now getting the chance to reflect on my career and what I accomplished. Now I have a chance to give back and help the next generation reach their goals too.”
– Sami Zayn vs. Titus O’Neil has been announced for this week’s edition of WWE NXT on the WWE Network.
– Chris Jericho noted via social media that he was recently in New York City filming footage for a new Jericho DVD project. According to various sources, it’s possible that the DVD could be a WWE project.
– Below is a video of a CWE event in Canada where WWE Hall Of Famer Amy “Lita” Dumas is working as a special guest referee.
– Below is the new “Are you ready for WWE Network” promo video:
– Chris Jericho wrote the following message on Twitter, talking about what an honor it is to be included on the new WWE production trucks:
“Then. Now. Forever. Glad to a part of the history of this great company!! Such an honor to be included on the side of this production truck with two of my all time favorite rivals (@TheRock & @ShawnMichaels) along with HOFs Lita, Sarge & Brock Lesnar! @wwe”
You can check out a photo of the trucks he is referencing below:
Then. Now. Forever. Glad to a part of the history of this great company!! Such an… http://t.co/LIIq5ymrE2
The following are highlights of a new Slam! Wrestling interview with WWE Hall Of Famer Trish Stratus:
Her relationship with Lita and making appearances together: “It’s great any time I get to spend time hanging out with Amy. We have to work at (scheduling things), but in some ways it can be easy. She can say, ‘Hey, I’ve got this project coming up, so I’m going to swing through Toronto for a couple of days on my way there.’ In fact, we just baptized (Stratus’ son) Max about a month ago, and (Amy) came in to Toronto for that.”
“We have so much that we can relate to each. It’s nice that we were able to stay friends beyond (wrestling). It’s funny, because we’re total opposites in a lot of ways. On paper, you’d never think that we would hang out together. But we lived so much of our lives together on the same path — we were in the trenches together, from the beginning all the way through the end when we both retired — that we just stayed in touch.”
The movie Gridlocked that comes out this month: “It was just an amazing opportunity. Acting wasn’t something that I was necessarily actively pursuing, but I always said that if a good project landed on my desk, I’d certainly consider it. I had taken a break (from acting) after my last movie (2012’s Bounty Hunters) to focus more on my business and my brand. Then after a few months, I was meeting with an agent, and thought, ‘Yeah, let’s see what’s out there.’ Then suddenly I got this opportunity. They were filming Toronto, it was an action movie, which is a natural fit for me. I believe it was the universe saying, ‘Yep, here’s something amazing for you.'”
“I’m very proud of what we did with Bounty Hunters, and it was a great vehicle for me as my first film, but I’d say that the things that were missing in that one, we got to have in this one. With a smaller independent film, you don’t necessarily have the time to shoot it, the budget for giant explosions and extravagant set pieces. If you saw Bounty Hunters, you may have noticed that even though I got beaten up a lot, I didn’t spill a single drop of blood. I remember we were doing a panel, it may even have been at Fan Expo, and someone asked why there was no blood. The producer joked that, ‘Well… blood’s expensive.’ So I got to bleed in this movie. You know you’re in the big leagues when you can bleed.”
The recent feud between Brie Bella and Stephanie McMahon: “I texted Stephanie and told her, ‘Girl, you’re looking good — great to see you out there again.’ She was freaking out over not having worked for so long. But she looked fantastic. I love watching Stephanie, and I love how she’s come out to help build Brie Bella by putting her in this program. And I think Brie did an excellent job — she’s a great character, and a great person, and great for the product as well. It’s tons of pressure to work with the boss, and (you have) to be your best every week. If you’re given the opportunity, and you come through, that’s great. That’s the kind of challenge I love.”
– WWE Hall Of Famer “Rowdy” Roddy Piper debuted his new weekly podcast, “Piper’s Pit,” which will be available every Monday. The first edition of Piper’s podcast features “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, as well as actor Richard Tyson and comedian Tony Hinchcliffe.
The official description for the show reads as follows:
PP-Ep1 – Richard Tyson and Hacksaw Jim Duggan
It’s the debut of Piper’s Pit, and Rowdy Roddy Piper has actor Richard Tyson, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, and Hacksaw Jim Duggan in the Pit! They’re talking movies, wrestling, and the WWE’s Legend’s House.
– Also new at PodcastOne.com today is the latest edition of the “Steve Austin Show,” which features Austin talking about his experience at WrestleMania XXX on Sunday, the WWE Hall Of Fame ceremony on Saturday, and also features a new interview with Lita.
The official description for the show reads as follows:
SASc – EP105 – WWE’s Lita
Wrestlemania 30’s in the books, and Steve’s got plenty of thoughts about what happened! Plus, he witnessed first-hand Lita’s (aka Amy Dumas) induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in NOLA! And she joins him to talk about that, along with her ring philosophy & training, her neck injury, life in Nicaragua, and not being a Diva!
– Internally, it has been made very clear within WWE that the WWE Network subscription numbers that the company will be releasing to the public on Monday are very good. Apparently the company exceeded their initial expectations, and are very pleased with the number that will be released to the public tomorrow.
– The following is a photo of Stephanie McMahon with Trish Stratus and Lita at the WWE Hall Of Fame on Saturday:
WWE added the following “sneak peek” videos from Saturday’s WWE Hall Of Fame ceremony in New Orleans to their official YouTube channel. You can check them out below.
– WWE Hall Of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin noted on his official Twitter account on Thursday that he recorded a future “Steve Austin Show” podcast live in New Orleans with soon-to-be WWE Hall Of Famer Lita. Austin tweeted the following:
– As previously reported, Triple H presented WWE Hall Of Famer “The Living Legend” Bruno Sammartino with a huge statue at WrestleMania Axxess in New Orleans on Thursday. You can watch video highlights of the presentation below:
The following are photos of a number of big-name WWE Superstars (past and present) and executives arriving in New Orleans for WrestleMania XXX weekend.
For those wondering who will be inducting this year’s inductees for the 2014 class of the WWE Hall Of Fame, here is a breakdown of what we know thus far.
– The Ultimate Warrior will be inducted by Linda McMahon.
– Jake “The Snake” Roberts will be inducted by Diamond Dallas Page (DDP).
– Paul Bearer will be inducted by his sons Michael and Daniel Moody.
– Mr. T will be inducted by Hulk Hogan.
– Lita will be inducted by Trish Stratus.
– Carlos Colon will be inducted by his sons Carlito and Eddie (Diego), and his nephew Orlando (Fernando).
– As far as Scott Hall (as Razor Ramon) is concerned, no one is confirmed as the guy who will be inducting him, however Kevin Nash and Shawn Michaels are the leading candidates at this point.
The following are highlights of a recent Miami Herald interview with Lita:
On Stephanie McMahon getting in touch with her: “Stephanie McMahon was texting with me. She was feeling me out telling me the office has been trying to get in touch with me. She asked if I could call the office. She was doing the whole talking to me as a friend, but being a little vague. She said, ‘The office just has something they would like to talk to you about. I believe that it’s regarding WrestleMania. So maybe it’s the weekend surrounding it? I’m not really sure, so just give them a call.’ I was like, ‘All right weirdo. Sure.’ Then I called, and they asked me if I would accept the honor of being in their Hall of Fame.”
On the current state of WWE’s Divas division: “Let’s say a generation is seven years. It has been about seven years since Trish and I left. We left within a few months of each other. The diva’s division took quite a hit. I don’t feel like it has fully recovered. I would love to see it get that spark again, that involving a deep roster that you could have a bunch of compelling characters — ones you want to go out there and see. At the same time, the women just like the tag division, was super hot. I don’t know that it has seen that type of attention since, either. It was a special time that I am glad to have been a part of when it was up.”
On Total Divas: “Sure, you get wrestling fans, but they’re already watching the programming anyways. Then you get the people who watch the Kardashians. I feel like that is the type of person that would watch ‘Total Divas’ as opposed to a wrestling fan who is already watching anyways….I have several friends now at this point that have zero concept of my life when I was doing that. Their questions and perception are just completely different than a fan or somebody in the know. I think it’s a different market that people are watching ‘Total Divas,’ but I don’t know if it translates to more viewership or interest in women’s wrestling. It’s more about being curious about these people who do this thing that they maybe weren’t interested in before.”
On the possibility of doing one more match: “The only thing when I get asked about giving one more match is more just to prove it to myself. I do feel really great and really strong. I had some nagging injuries for a really long time after I retired that I guess I will have to live with for getting beaten up for so long. I do feel really great and feel really strong, so that would be more the reason why I would want to get back out there one more time to prove to myself I can still do all the stuff. As far as getting an itch or anything active, I’m super happy where I am and proud of my accomplishments. It’s not really something I feel like I need to do, but if my arm was twisted at the right time, I could probably be talked into it.”
– Batista recently spoke to radio station DC 101 in Washington, D.C. for a WrestleMania XXX promotional interview. Regarding the locker room atmosphere in WWE these days, Batista said, “Being back in it and seeing that the guys are young and hungry, it gives me a great outlook on the business. And there’s a lot of talent in there, it’s stuff that I didn’t see before I actually came back. It’s good, it’s a good vibe.”
You can listen to the audio of the interview at this link.
– DC 101 also spoke to soon-to-be WWE Hall Of Famer Amy “Lita” Dumas about her upcoming induction. “It’s not about titles, it’s just more about impact and things that you’ve done to shape how we’re viewed going forward are things that women that are aspiring to wrestle or make an impact in the business,” said Lita. “Kind of just things to look at or keep in mind.”
You can listen to the audio of that interview at this link.
– The three featured names that are scheduled to air on the edited version of the WWE Hall Of Fame 2014 ceremony on the USA Network, which airs as a one hour special after RAW on April 8th, are The Ultimate Warrior, Jake “The Snake” Roberts and Lita.
– As previously reported, the big WrestleMania XXX press conference will take place in New York City this coming Tuesday. WWE recently confirmed that the presser will air live on the WWE Network. Michael Cole will serve as the host for the press conference.
– The latest edition of the “Ross Report” podcast, which features Jim Ross interviewing soon-to-be WWE Hall Of Famer Lita, is now available. The official description for the show reads as follows:
TRR – Ep06 – Lita aka Amy Dumas Lita is about to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, and tells JR exactly what that means to her! Plus, hear about the talent meeting that got her signed to WWE, what the locker room was like during the attitude era, her first cage match with Lisa, and what inspired her signature finishing move.
– Jorge Romero sent along the following photo of CM Punk and Colt Cabana at a recent Chicago Blackhawks NHL game:
– The latest edition of the “Steve Austin Show” podcast is now available. Austin’s latest show has a description that reads:
SASc – EP101 – U wanna know WHAT?! “Is Steve Austin running for President in 2020? What’s his message for Russian President Putin? How does he keep from getting lost when he’s out hunting? Why won’t he ever go on a safari? What’s his go-to movie? Has a fan ever jumped in the ring during a match? What’s the funniest thing that’s ever happened to him in the squared circle? Hit download NOW and find out!”
– Also new in the podcast world is a new “30 Years Of WrestleMania” podcast featuring Amy “Lita” Dumas. The show has a description that reads:
WWE: Ep. 7 – Lita “Ahead of her induction into this year’s WWE Hall of Fame class, Attitude Era original and WWE alumnus Lita joins Renee Young to talk all things WrestleMania. The four-time WWE Women’s Champion runs down her Show of Shows accomplishments, discusses the significance of being only the seventh woman enshrined into the Hall of Fame, and opens about what it was like getting in the ring with men. Plus, Lita drops a huge podcast bombshell when she calls her bestie, Trish Stratus, to ask a very important question about this year’s Hall of Fame ceremony!”
The following are highlights from a recent interview with Maria Kanellis:
On her favorite wrestler growing up: “My favorite female wrestler was Lita. I think it’s incredible to know she’s getting inducted this year. She gave me a strong female role model. My mom was a great woman, but my dad was always the king of the castle, so to speak. Lita was a strong female and did what she pleased and I admired that.”
On the WWE & NXT Divas: “I think they have great female talents nowadays. AJ and Natalya are great wrestlers. Paige in NXT can hang with any of the guys there. So I don’t think WWE is lacking when it comes to women talents. I hope the girls get more and more time to get into the spotlight because of how good they are becoming.”
On CM Punk & WWE situation: “I don’t know all of what’s going on in the wrestling world other than ROH because I’ve been so busy with school. What I do know is that Punk has worked incredibly hard to get where he’s at. He’s the example you use when you talk about independent wrestlers who come to WWE. He was the first in that transition. He came from the independents and made a name for himself in WWE. He’s already done the work and doesn’t need to do anything else in his career to solidify the statement he has made. He changed wrestling forever because he showed that some dirty, stinky wrestler from Chicago can become a famous superstar. So whatever he decides is the right decision for him.”
On her ROH future & WWE: “That’s really up in the air. You never know. There’s some guys whom you never thought would go back to WWE because of what they’ve said in the past or the drama that’s happened. But they end up going back. So, never say never.”
– Chris Jericho will be appearing on Howie Mandel’s “Deal With It” show on TBS tonight at 10:30pm EST. He will also appear on the IGN show “Up At Noon” on March 27th.
– Speaking of Jericho, his latest podcast, which features soon-to-be WWE Hall Of Famer Amy “Lita” Dumas is available at PodcastOne.com.
– Also new at Podcast One is the latest “Ross Report” show from WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross. His latest show features an interview with fellow WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley. You can check that out at PodcastOne.com.
– Soon-to-be WWE Hall Of Famer Amy “Lita” Dumas will be featured on tonight’s edition of the CMT show “Tattoo Titans” at 10:30pm EST. Lita will be serving as a guest judge to critique some country music-themed tattoos.
– WWE added the Carlos Colon Hall Of Fame induction video to their official YouTube channel. You can check that out below:
At one point, Carlos Colon’s induction into the 2014 class of the WWE Hall Of Fame was to be announced at this past Monday’s edition of WWE RAW. For whatever reason, likely a timing issue, they decided to hold off.
Colon had reportedly been on the short list of legends that WWE intended to induct this year, which at the time included Paul Bearer, Lita, Ultimate Warrior, Jake Roberts, Scott Hall and Mr. T.
According to one source, Colon likely received word about his WWE Hall Of Fame induction in the last week or two.
Colon’s induction announcement will air on this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown.
– Part two of Chris Jericho’s two-part interview with Rob Van Dam on his “Talk Is Jericho” podcast is now available. You can check that out at PodcastOne.com.
– As previously reported, New England Patriots star Rob Gronkowski attended the recent WWE NXT television taping. The official WWE website has video of Triple H meeting the NFL star, which you can check out at WWE.com.
– Former WWE Diva and soon-to-be WWE Hall Of Famer Amy “Lita” Dumas has launched an official Facebook page. You can follow Dumas on Facebook at Facebook.com.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Hulk Hogan will be appearing on Wednesday’s edition of “Toy Hunter” on The Travel Channel. The episode was filmed back in October of 2013 and features Hogan looking for items to display in his “Hogan’s Beach Shop” in Tampa, Florida.
– Current WWE NXT Champion Adrian Neville’s new theme song is called “Break Orbit” and is available right now on iTunes.
– WWE’s newest “30 Second Fury” video on YouTube features the best moonsaults of soon-to-be Hall Of Famer Amy “Lita” Dumas:
As previously reported, there has been talk within WWE recently regarding the possibility of inducting Scott Hall (aka Razor Ramon) into the 2014 class of the WWE Hall Of Fame during WrestleMania XXX weekend in April.
To support these rumors, Hall’s official Twitter account has recently been “verified,” much like Jake “The Snake” Roberts, The Ultimate Warrior and Amy “Lita” Dumas’ were, all of whom have been announced for the 2014 class of the WWE Hall Of Fame.
Additionally, Hall himself recently tweeted the following comments:
