Mae Young Classic competitor and current reigning Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW) Women’s Champion Viper/Piper Niven recently faced fellow Mae Young Classic star and Stardom SWA Champion Toni Storm in a bout for their aforementioned titles.

https://twitter.com/InsaneChampWres/status/978980382778458115

Triple H recently spoke with Muscle & Fitness about the process of putting together the Mae Young Classic and more. The first four episodes of the tournament have been released via the on-demand section on the WWE Network. Here are the highlights:

WWE naming the tournament after WWE Hall of Famer Mae Young:

“So there [were] a lot of decisions and a lot of names thrown around, and there was a team that went through all that stuff. At the end of the day, we were looking for something that kinda symbolized the transition. And while I think a lot of people would say, like, you know, ‘Why didn’t you name it The [Fabulous] Moolah Classic?’, or ‘Why didn’t you name it after some other female?’ To me, Mae was the one person that, when you look at it, Mae Young started at the very beginning of her life. Got into a men’s-only business and against all conceivable odds stayed in that business and competed much like Moolah did or all these other people. But Mae was one of the only ones that was able to really transition into the modern day.

Mae was able to transition into the entertainment component of the Attitude Era in a way that if you look at the Attitude Era and you look at Mae Young, you can look at Moolah standing next to her. But Moolah was just kinda there in the straight man or straight woman in the equation. Mae was the one that was like, ‘I don’t care. I’ll do it.’ You know, she was half the time suggesting stuff that we’re like, ‘Oh God. Mae, we can’t do that.’ You know?”

If the tournament will lead to a reoccurring event:

‘I do. Not 100% sure what that is. In some ways, I think the Cruiserweights is a different platform that can have its own distinct individual show. I don’t know if the women need that right now. The Cruiserweights, they have a match here or there on RAW, and then they have their own division and their own show on 205. With the women, you have opportunities on RAW, you have opportunities on SmackDown, you have opportunities at NXT. Hopefully, over time you’ll have opportunities in the U.K. You’ll have opportunities in different localized markets. Those are the things, for me, that it begins to spread around.

I would love for the Mae Young to be this recurring yearly, or whatever it is, this recurring thing that is the opportunity for the girls that are out there grinding, for the girls that are out there working at the little armories and the little places and dreaming about that pot of gold to be able to jump on the rainbow and start to take the ride. And for us to scan around the world every year and say, ‘Who do we want to look at this year, and give them that opportunity? Who’s really improved since last year to take this opportunity? Who’s that next level? Who’s that next generation of stars?’ To me, that’s where something like the Mae Young Classic becomes a huge opportunity. And if it’s my decision, yeah it will be exactly that. An opportunity that keeps coming back over and over.”

You can read the entire interview here.

SESCOOPS.COM reader Neal Jones sent along the following:

Recap of Ron Simmons on In Your Head Wrestling Radio
by Vic Schiavone

Host Jack E. Jones welcomed WWE Hall-of-Famer Ron Simmons to IYH Wrestling Radio

Highlights included the following:

How do wrestling fans in Atlanta stand out from fans in other parts of the country?: “Well, I think that they’ve got a little bit of background and history, because you had Georgia Championship Wrestling, you had NWA, WCW…there are a lot of roots in professional wrestling here. It goes way back, and believe me, you are talking about excited fans; I mean hardcore, wrestling fans, who know their history of it, know the origins of it, know the guys and the different generations of the wrestlers. The South is really a wrestling haven for people that have grown up in the business and in particular Atlanta.”

Mae Young passed away recently; do you have any memories of her you would like to share?: “The only thing I can say about Mae Young is that it was just an honor to have been around her for the many years that I had the privilege of seeing her even in action and being around her. She was just a great woman; always cheerful, always had something uplifting to tell you. Along with (The Fabulous) Moolah, her partner, when you saw one of them you might as well had seen them both because they were very much alike, and they were fantastic women as well as great wrestlers period. I don’t want to say just for being a woman, I mean period; as tough as they come, and she will surely be missed. God bless her.”

Other topics discussed included:
·What were his thoughts on Ole Anderson and what was it like being in the ring with him?
·What was it like wrestling with Butch Reed in the tag team Doom?
·What is his favorite horror movie?

Ron will be appearing in Atlanta on February 7-9 at Days of the Dead for Sinners and Saints Tattoo. For further information, go to http://www.daysofthedead.net/ and http://www.sinnersandsaintstattoo.com/

You can check out the complete Ron Simmons interview below.

Gail Kim sits down with Peter Rosenberg for almost an hour and talks about Mae Young, AJ Styles, Triple H, her WWE departure and more.

– The local ABC affiliate in Maryland has a featured piece up on their website about former WWE Diva Mickie James returning to the area for Maryland Championship Wrestling (MCW), which was one of the first promotions she regularly worked for on the independent scene early in her career. You can check that article out at ABC2News.com.

– The National Public Radio website has added their coverage of the passing of WWE Hall Of Famer Mae Young. You can check that out at NPR.org.

– Former WWE Diva Stacy Keibler is featured in a commercial for VH-1’s Super Bowl Blitz which has been in heavy rotation on that network.

This week on Because Wrestling, we talk about Mae Young’s passing, this past week’s Raw events, give our predictions for WWE Royal Rumble, and update you on the WWE Network countdown! (more…)

– WWE.com has published a list of the “30 Best Royal Rumblers Ever.”

– WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross tweeted the following about the lack of news coverage in Oklahoma for the passing of Mae Young, who was born in Sand Springs, OK:

Very embarrassed that Oklahoma media have ignored Mae Young's passing. It's appalling. Someone do their homework. #prowrestlingbias?

— Jim Ross (@JRsBBQ) January 17, 2014

– Vince McMahon tweeted the following about the “Devil Baby” video (view here) that’s been circulating online this week and already has 30 million YouTube views:

#WWEHOF inductee @UltimateWarrior did it better than Devil Baby. http://t.co/ygQQ8FLPH0 http://t.co/NbSkP1iyz8

— Vince McMahon (@VinceMcMahon) January 17, 2014

* Backstage News On BATISTA & The ULTIMATE WARRIOR’s WWE Negotiations

The following is an excerpt from a new Jim Ross blog where he posts his thoughts and memories of the late Mae Young:

“Thanks for stopping by on such a melancholy day. Please proceed as I remember the late, Mae Young.

Johnnie Mae Young was born in born in Sand Springs, Oklahoma on March 12, 1923 and she passed away at the age of 90 on January 14, 2014.

To say that Mae was a pioneer might be an understatement. She always defied the odds and the societal stereotyping that many women could not escape.

To think that a 15 year old high school student would be so bold as to travel to downtown Tulsa from the Sand Springs suburb that she lived to challenge the best women’s wrestler in the world to a legit, wrestling match is incredible.

It was, at worst, ‘great.’

That’s the day that the “The Great” Mae Young found her true calling in life.

Check out the complete blog online at JRsBarBQ.com.

Rest In Peace

We are saddened to report that WWE Hall of Famer Mae Young has passed away, according to WWE.com.

Young was the oldest living professional wrestler in the world and is the only person in history to have documented matches in nine different decades. Her first match was in 1939 and her latest match was in 2010.

Vince McMahon has issued the following statement regarding her passing:

“There will never be another Mae Young. Her longevity in sports entertainment may never be matched, and I will forever be grateful for all of her contributions to the industry. On behalf of WWE, I extend our sincerest condolences to her family and friends. “

Here are some tweets from the wrestling world regarding Mae Young’s passing:

#RIPTheOneandOnlyGreatMaeYoung A true pioneer and legend has passed tonight. Long live the memory of my friend and @WWE Hall of Famer.

— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) January 15, 2014

She’s a wrestling pioneer. I truly had deep affection & respect for “Aunty Mae” Young. RIP. #IMissUMae pic.twitter.com/r9oG9rLw9Z

#RIPTheOneandOnlyGreatMaeYoung Thank you for your example to my girls on how to get all you want out of life! #pioneer #legend #whatarun

— Triple H (@TripleH) January 15, 2014

The legendary Johnnie Mae Young has passed. The Oklahoman lead an amazing life. Her mental/physical toughness is an inspiration to all. RIP

— Jim Ross (@JRsBBQ) January 15, 2014

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) January 15, 2014

Johnnie Mae as I knew her was part of my wrestling family. She will be missed as much a anyone I’ve ever known! pic.twitter.com/4o8riZYkBk

— TheMarkHenry (@TheMarkHenry) January 15, 2014

RIP Mae Young. She was an absolute pleasure to have known, and truly was one of a kind. My sincere condolences go out to her family/friends.

— Howard Finkel (@howardfinkel) January 15, 2014

RIP Mae Young! What a tough incredible woman. Enjoyed being her friend and knowing one of original divas. She’s now reunited with Moolah.

— John Layfield (@JCLayfield) January 15, 2014

Very sorry to hear of the passing of Mae Young.A truly tough and lovely lady.

— William Regal (@RealKingRegal) January 15, 2014

This week on Because Wrestling, we talk about Kaitlyn’s WWE departure, an update on Mae Young, Ryback on Twitter, and everything you need to know about the WWE Network! (more…)

– The latest on the Mae Young story, which continues to feature conflicting reports depending on who you talk to, is that contrary to recent reports, she was not on life support this past week.

– The Verse website has added their coverage of the WWE Network announcement during the International CES Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada from this past Wednesday evening. The tech website added a video that features a recap of the WWE Network announcement, as well as an interview with WWE executive Perkins Miller. You can check out their coverage online at TheVerge.com.

Regarding Mae Young’s condition, as noted earlier today, she is still alive. She is no longer on life support, however, and is said to be in weak physical condition.

Earlier today, when one of her friends growing up in Oklahoma called her, while she wasn’t strong enough to speak, she did listen. When the friend told her, “you know thousands of people are pulling for you,” Young weakly replied, “I know.”

As of noon on Thursday, Young’s condition had yet to change from that of which was reported late Wednesday night.

(Credit: F4WOnline.com)

We incorrectly reported, via newspaper reporter Mike Mooneyham, that WWE Hall Of Famer Mae Young passed away on Wednesday night after being removed from life support. Apparently this is not the case, and Young is still alive, however, remains “gravely ill.”

Mike Mooneyham posted the following tweet regarding the matter, “Mae Young has not passed away. The source who reported her passing received incorrect information. Mae is gravely ill, but still alive.”

We deeply apologize for any inconvenience the incorrect report may have caused.

– WWE Hall Of Famer Mae Young remains under hospice care in Columbia, South Carolina. One of Young’s kidneys is reportedly shutting down and she is breathing with the assistance of an oxygen machine. For more information, check out Mike Mooneyham’s article at PostAndCourier.com.

– Mexican wrestling legend Konnan (aka Carlos Santiago Espada Moises, Charles Ashenoff) celebrates his 50th birthday today. Konnan was born on January 6, 1964.

– A lot of people in WWE apparently feel the company is being hypocrites by inviting Ric Flair to the Old School RAW show next week, and not Jim Ross. You may recall, JR was basically forced out of WWE due to his inability to “handle” Flair during the infamous WWE 2K14 symposium, yet the company invited Flair to Old School RAW, and as of Wednesday, had not extended an invitation to “Good Ole’ JR” to appear.

– Speaking of Old School RAW, as previously reported, WWE Hall Of Famer Mae Young was invited by the company to appear being being hospitalized recently. We noted earlier that Young is out of the hospital and back home. Her condition is described as “stable” and she is able to speak again, although her voice apparently sounds weak and tired.

– Former WWE Divas Trish Stratus and Lita will be doing a Q&A with fans through Trish’s official website in the near future. Fans interested in submitting questions for the Q&A can do so at TrishStratus.com.

– As we noted recently, WWE Hall Of Famer Mae Young was hospitalized. Young has since been sent home and is able to speak again. She is, however, still under hospice care.

WWE Hall of Famer Mae Young was hospitalized in the past week and there are reports that she has entered hospice care.

The 90 year old legend had previously been scheduled to appear at Monday’s Old School RAW. Our thoughts & prayers are with Mae Young and her family.

Here are some interesting facts about the incredible life of Mae Young, courtesy of Reddit user The_Pale_Blue_Dot:

– Mae Young is the only person in history to have documented matches in nine different decades. Her first match was in 1939 and her latest match was in 2010.

– She is the oldest living professional wrestler

– She also holds the record of being the oldest person to ever have a wrestling match, at age 87.

– She is the oldest member of the WWE Hall of Fame

– She trained on an all-boys team in 1935

– She would later train the Fabulous Moolah

– She lived with Fabulous Moolah and Katie Glass from 1991 up until Moolah’s death in 2007. Glass and Moolah had already been living together for 40 years, since Glass was 17.

-WWE Diva Summer Rae is apparently patterning herself after legendary women’s wrestler Missy Hyatt. Rae reportedly studied several mid-1980s tapes of Hyatt’s work in the UWF promotion, and while their characters are different, she has used a very similar style with her own work in WWE and NXT. WWE Hall Of Famer “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes is apparently aware of this, which is why she was given the name “First Lady Of NXT” after Hyatt’s old “First Lady Of Wrestling” moniker.

-WWE Hall Of Famer Mae Young was recently in attendance at the WWE live event in Columbia, South Carolina.

News On WWE’s Big Plans For Roman Reigns & Eva Marie’s Major Heat In WWE

[Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter]

– WWE Hall of Famer Mae Young turns 90 years old today. She was born on March 12, 1923.

– The WWE event in Moscow, Russia on April 26 has been moved to the Luzhniki Small Sports Arena at the Olympic Complex. It’s original venue was the Megasport Arena. Tickets must be exchanged at the point of purchase between March 14 and April 25. (Thanks to Devin Cutting)

– Following the surprise return of the Bella Twins to WWE on Monday’s RAW, we can confirm that WWE has reached out to several other women who have departed the company in recent years. No word yet on who has been contacted, but it’s been said that WWE has offered the former Divas more money than they were previously making. WWE is well aware that the Divas division is in bad shape, and there was talk of bringing up several NXT Divas before they decided to reach out to Divas who have departed the company.

• News On THE ROCK Staying With WWE TV Much Longer Than Originally Expected

(Partial Source: f4wonline.com)

The content listing for WWE’s “The Attitude Era” three-disc DVD and two-disc Blu-Ray scheduled for release on Nov. 20 has been released.

The synopsis for the title reads: “In the late-90s, WWE was struggling for ratings survival while a cultural shift in the viewing audience’s taste was occurring. “Saying your prayers and taking your vitamins” had lost its luster amongst the rebellious masses who preferred “flipping the bird” and “laying the smackdown”… Enter Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H and Mankind and the notorious crop of edge and fearless Superstars who ushered in The Attitude Era. Now in this 3DVD set fans can own all the infamous moments from this controversial and revolutionary era that redefined sports entertainment for an entire generation. Over 8-hours of envelope-pushing content includes all the agression, antics and innuendos that proved to be the perfect cocktail for an explosion of popularity.”

Here is the listing, courtesy of WWEDVDNews.com.

DISC 1

Documentary:

The Birth of Attitude

Entrance Music

D-Generation X

Austin vs. McMahon

Long-Arching Stories

Innovations

New Demographic

Critics

Expansion

Comedy

Wealth of Talent

The World Was Watching

Watershed Period
Jim Ross interviews Goldust & Marlena
Raw – Nov 3, 1997

Steve Austin Throws the InterContinental Championship Off A Bridge
Raw – Dec 15, 1997

Soldier of Love
Raw – May 4, 1998

Mr McMahon Presents Mankind with the WWE Hardcore Championship
Raw – Nov 2, 1998

Jim Ross Interviews Triple H
Sunday Night Heat – July 25, 1999

An Evening At The Friendly Tap
SmackDown! – Jan 20, 2000

Mae Young and the Acolyte Protection Agency
SmackDown! – Jan 27, 2000

“The Jug Band”
Judgment Day 2000

Triple H Trains Trish Stratus
SmackDown! – July 27, 2000

Edges Totally Awesome Birthday
Raw – Oct 30, 2000

The Rocks Message to His Hell in a Cell Opponents
Raw – Dec 4, 2000

GTV

DISC 2

Mike Tyson Joins DX
Raw – Mar 2, 1998

A New Beginning For D-Generation X
Raw – March 30, 1998

Sable vs. “Marvelous” Marc Mero
Raw – May 11, 1998

Nation of Degeneration
Raw – July 6, 1998

Brawl for All Match
Bart Gunn vs. “Dr Death” Steve Williams
Raw – July 27, 1998

Four Corners Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship
The Undertaker & Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Kane & Mankind vs. The New Age Outlaws vs. The Rock & Owen Hart
Raw – Aug 10, 1998

Lions Den Match
Ken Shamrock vs. Owen Hart
SummerSlam 1998

Finals of WWE Championship Tournament
The Rock vs. Mankind
Survivor Series 1998

The Rock & The Undertaker vs. Mankind & Stone Cold Steve Austin
Raw – Dec 7, 1998

Austin Gives The Corporation A Beer Bath
Raw – March 22, 1999

The Undertaker vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
Raw – June 28, 1999

The Debut of Y2J
Raw – Aug 9, 1999

DISC 3

Content still to be confirmed.

Special Features

(Expected Best Buy Exclusive)

GTV – Al Snow & Head

Mae Young Gives Birth
Raw – Feb 28, 2000

WWE Womens Championship Match
Lita vs. Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley
Raw – June 12, 2000

The Dudley Boyz vs. The Hardy Boyz
Raw – July 17, 2000

BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVES

King of Kings Match
Ken Shamrock vs. Triple H vs. Owen Hart
Raw – June 29, 1998

The Oddities w/ Insane Clown Posse vs. The Headbangers
Raw – Sept 28, 1998

The Truth About Sammy
Raw – Jan 18, 1999

The Unholy Union of Stephanie McMahon & The Undertaker
Raw – April 26, 1999

The Rock vs. Val Venis
SmackDown – Oct 7, 1999

Survivor Series Elimination Match
Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Kane & Shane McMahon vs. Triple H, X-Pac & The New Age Outlaws
SmackDown – Nov 4, 1999

WWE Hardcore Championship Match
Al Snow vs. Crash Holly
SmackDown – June 29, 2000

The Hardy Boyz & Lita vs. Perry Saturn, Eddie Guerrero & Dean Malenko
SmackDown – Nov 30, 2000

Chris Jericho & The Dudley Boyz vs. Kurt Angle, Edge & Christian
Raw – Dec 25, 2000

WWE officials have reached out to numerous former talents in recent months for tonight’s Raw celebrating 1000th episodes. The following former WWE Superstars have been confirmed as being in St. Louis, Missouri, site of tonight’s epic show:

* Billy Gunn

* Bob Backlund

* Bret Hart

* Diamond Dallas Page

* “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan

* Jim Ross,

* John “Bradshaw” Layfield

* Mae Young

* “Mean” Gene Okerlund

* Mick Foley

* Psycho Sid

* Road Warrior Animal

* Ron Simmons

* “Rowdy” Roddy Piper

* Ryan Shamrock

* X-Pac

– It was reported earlier that WWEShop.com pulled a newly released Sin Cara T-Shirt which featured the shape of a penis embedded in a gold design. No one within WWE knows how the product made its way through several stages before being put on the website. According to people who ordered the T-Shirt during the few hours it was available, they were notified that their order would not be processed and would have the option of receiving credit or a full refund.

• View Here: The Banned Sin Cara T-Shirt

– WWE Hall of Famer Mae Young is tentatively scheduled for tonight’s Raw SuperShow in Columbia, South Carolina. She resides in the area and was asked to appear at the show this morning.

– WWE’s video release on Rey Mysterio, Rey Mysterio – The Life of a Masked Man, airs on iN DEMAND pay-per-view next month.

(source: F4WOnline.com)

Former WWE Diva Lilian Garcia and WWE Hall of Famer Mae Young are both scheduled to appear during Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s birthday celebration tonight on Raw.

During a backstage segment at WrestleMania XXVII, Young told Johnson that she wants “The People’s Strudel.” Rock responded by saying she should be craving other peoples’ studels, such as Moses. The segment concluded with the WWE Hall of Famer slapping The Great One on the rear.

Young’s urges towards Johnson infuriated Garcia, who was watching the pay-per-view broadcast at home.

She wrote on Twitter, “Whoa whoa wait!!!! Mae Young is trying to move in on MY people’s Strudel??? NO WAY @TheRock!!!!!”

Garcia was playing off an infamous backstage interview segment years ago in which she admitted to lusting over “The People’s Strudel.”

source: PWInsider.com

— Following Rey Mysterio’s victory over Drew McIntyre on SmackDown, Cody Rhodes emerged, wanting an answer to his challenge for a match at WrestleManie. Mysterio accepted.

— The March 10 episode of WWE Superstars on WGN America garnered a 0.5 cable rating, with 500,000 viewers. The midnight replay did a 0.17 cable rating, with 149,000 viewers.

— The SmackDown taping on May 24, 2011 will be held at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena in Spokane, Washington. Tickets go on sale March 19, 2011. (Thanks to Devin Cutting)

— WWE Hall of Famer Mae Young celebrates her 88th birthday today. Also celebrating birthdays today are former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Nunzio (39) and inaugural Tough Enough winner Nidia (31).

source: PWInsider.com

— Shawn Michaels was asked to fly out to Atlanta, Georgia to promote the first day of WrestleMania XXVII ticket sales because most of the company’s major names are currently touring in Europe. Two names not on the ongoing tour are Triple H and The Undertaker, however the latter is recovering from rotator cuff surgery. (source: f4wonline.com)

— Mae Young has been confirmed to appear at Monday’s “Old School” episode of Raw.

— WWE returns to the Salzburg Arena in Salzburg, Austria on Apr. 20, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets go on sale Nov. 13, 2010 at 10:00 a.m.