WWE has been criticized by many for gathering people and running shows during the coronavirus pandemic but it appears that their troubles might just be getting started. Latest reports have confirmed that The Orange County, Florida Department of Health is investigating several of the WWE arenas as potential locations where the coronavirus might be spreading.
The health department has asked their Strike Team to look into a total of 17 business locations as potential coronavirus hotspots including a number of bars and fitness centers. The list of places also includes several sites associated with WWE and the locations include the NXT arena at Full Sail University campus, WWE Performance Center, and the WWE ThunderDome at the Amway Arena.
A WWE spokesperson issued the following response to the story explaining that their arenas are not open to the public and they are producing shows with only the essential personnel in attendance:
“WWE is not open to the public, but rather operating on a closed set with only essential personnel in attendance. As part of on-going weekly testing protocols, Aventus Labs have administered more than 10,000 PCR tests to WWE performers, employees, production staff and crew resulting in only 1.5 percent positive cases as compared to the current national average of more than 5%. Additionally, extensive contact tracing takes place and impacted individuals are placed in 14-day quarantine and then only cleared after they test negative.”
There is no word yet on what kind of action the health department could take against the company. We will keep you updated on any development in the story.
WWE is dealing with multiple positive COVID-19 tests among talent and staff at the WWE Performance Center. The positive cases include talent assigned to the NXT roster as well. WWE issued a statement to the media recently regarding the situation.
“As part of ongoing testing protocols, WWE completed its second round of weekly COVID-19 testing on Tuesday. Individuals that tested positive will quarantine for 14 days, receive medical care, and then will only be cleared when they are symptom-free and test negative. Additionally, extensive contact tracing has taken place and other individuals have been placed in 14-day quarantine, and will then only be cleared after they test negative.”
WWE has not mentioned how many positive tests they are dealing with at the moment. Of talent currently assigned to NXT, Chelsea Green has publicly mentioned that they have tested positive recently.
AEW has also been dealing with multiple COVID-19 cases. Lance Archer publicly confirmed that he has tested positive for the virus. Brian Cage was not on Dynamite this week and had posted a Tweet about not feeling well.
NXT has enough content filmed to take them through to October 4th. According to PW Insider, no training is currently taking place at the Performance Center as they deal with the outbreak.
WWE has cancelled Tuesday’s TV tapings after a development talent who was at Performance Center recently tested positive for coronavirus.
The company had confirmed the positive test in a statement and stated that they will be testing everyone who was on-site, for COVID-19.
Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer then noted that the officials have called off Tuesday’s TV tapings so they can test all their staff including wrestlers for coronavirus.
Though the company is not planning to halt their operation for long and the hope is that they can resume the TV tapings on Wednesday once the test results are in.
The news of a talent being tested positive for coronavirus came out a few hours ago. It has since been confirmed that the person is a Performance Center trainee and not someone who has been featured on NXT.
WWE had previously mentioned on their programming that they have tested people for coronavirus. However, reports revealed that the company has only put them through a temperature check and a survey about possible symptoms.
Now we will have to see how the company responds to this positive test and if they change their policies in any way to ensure better safety for the performers as well as the talent which are being used as audience.
WWE mentioned on their programming this week that all the talents have been tested for coronavirus but latest report on the matter disputes these claims.
On the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer discussed these claims and he reports that the company did not actually test any of the superstars for COVID-19.
Their testing policy included doing temperature checks on people and asking them if they did not feel well. Previous reports have suggested that they made the talents fill a form asking them about any coronavirus related symptoms.
Many people in the company were “shocked” at this, considering the fact that UFC fighters have tested positive for coronavirus in the past even after passing temperature checks.
It has previously been reported that many people within the promotion are not comfortable being part of these shows in the current environment but they have continued working due to fear of their jobs.
WWE has started using development talent for their programming from this week to add some noise and excitement to their empty arena shows.
Now this report on their coronavirus testing policy creates big concerns regarding the health of wrestlers, not only the ones performing in the ring, but the ones being used outside of the squared circle as well.
WWE has confirmed that this week’s episode of SmackDown Live from Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit, Michigan has been canceled due to coronavirus and the show will be aired from the Performance Center instead.
The company revealed the news via a short statement on Twitter, announcing that the show will air with no live audience and only the essential personnel will be in attendance:
“SmackDown on March 13 will air live as regularly
scheduled and emanate from WWE’s training facility in Orlando, FL, with only
essential personnel in attendance. The event was originally scheduled in
Detroit, MI.”
Friday Night SmackDown Proceeds With No Live Audience
Friday Night SmackDown on March 13 will air live as regularly scheduled and emanate from WWE’s training facility in Orlando, FL, with only essential personnel in attendance. The event was originally scheduled in Detroit, MI. pic.twitter.com/o9mR2SNhAj
The reports of WWE moving the show had first come out earlier yesterday but the company had released a statement on the matter, denying any such change at the time.
Though they had mentioned that they were putting contingency
plans in place and now the company has confirmed that the show is being moved
to WWE PC In Orlando, Florida.
This week’s episode of NXT also aired from Performance Center though the reason for it was different. Triple H had confirmed that The Full Sail University which is the regular venue for the show had a previous commitment, forcing the change.
The line up for this week’s SmackDown includes the return of
John Cena and Jeff Hardy as well as a segment with Paige confronting the
SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley.
We reported the news of WWE signing Japanese Star Kushida recently, and he made his in-ring debut for the company during the most recent TV tapings of NXT.
After his debut, the company published an article on their website in which they confirmed that Kushida and two other long-rumored international stars have joined the WWE performance center.
The names that have joined the WWE PC alongside the Japanese
star include indie star Stephon ‘Shane’ Strickland and third-generation
luchador Humberto Garza aka Garza Jr.
Shane Stickland started his wrestling career in 2011 and he
has since wrestled for a number of known wrestling promotions like Combat Zone Wrestling
and Major League Wrestling.
Shane also worked for Lucha Underground with a mask where he was dubbed as Killshot. Stickland has been rumored to join the promotion for a while but his contract with LU is believed to be a reason for the delay in his signing.
On the other hand, Garza Jr made his name while wrestling
for various Mexican promotions. He is the nephew of WCW’s Hector Garza and
cousin to the current 205 Live star Humberto Carrillo.
So far there is no news on when these two will make their in-ring
debut for the company but considering their experience, it shouldn’t take very
long.
The United Kingdom recently received the first WWE Performance Center outside of the United States. The announcement was made days prior to the NXT UK’s TakeOver debut, which took place in Blackpool.
WWE’s plans for global NXT expansion doesn’t end there, however. The end goal, it seems, is to curate a worldwide development system for WWE, with Performance Centers available across the planet. Each one would then create talent for that regions NXT brand, with potential crossover opportunities then available worldwide.
Speaking with The National in Abu Dhabi, WWE’s Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative, Triple H, divulged a few locations WWE are keen to expand into.
“I can tell you there will be a performance center in India,” he shared. “There will be a performance center in the Middle East. There will, more than likely, be a performance center in Latin America. We will be replicating this process around the globe, all over.”
“I see that, as you said, the product is very big there [in the Middle East], very successful there, there’s a lot of people that have a very strong interest in it,” Triple said. “If we go in the Middle East and we start to recruit there and we see that all of a sudden there’s this massive interest, there’s [a] massive depth of people that we feel have the ability to succeed, then we would go there first, or quicker.”
What do you make of this? Will this feeder system eventually provide new talent for RAW and SmackDown Live? Will these NXT variations instead exist within their own bubble?
WWE’s new state-of-the-art Performance Center in the United Kingdom is officially open for business. According to WWE.com WWE.com, the NXT UK Performance Center consists of “17,000 square feet, two training rings, and world-class strength and condition equipment,” as well as boasting “versatile content creation infrastructure.”
The UK Performance Center promises to train future WWE Superstars under a comprehensive program, in-ring training, and character development. More than 30 wrestlers signed to the NXT UK brand will soon begin training at the UK Performance Center.
A press event was held on Friday to celebrate the grand opening. Triple H, WWE’s EVP of Talent, Live Events & Creative, revealed this will be the first of many new Performance Centers outside the United States.
“It’s about going the world over and finding the greatest athletes and the greatest performers in any market we can,” he said. “It’s an incredible undertaking, looking for the greatest athletes from around the world, bringing them to places like this that will be set up around the world to train that next generation of Superstars.”
Among those in attendance for Friday’s UK PC unveiling were Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Charlotte Flair, Finn Balor, and Performance Center Head Coach, Matt Bloom.
With their ultimate intent being to create developmental systems worldwide that can then feed into their main roster programming, WWE have continued their global expansion efforts, launching new iterations of their NXT brand globally. The first of these was WWE NXT UK.
One thing these international versions lacked compared to Florida, however, was an equivalent to their beautiful state-of-the-art Performance Center.
This morning on British morning television, the WWE NXT UK team of British Strong Style (NXT UK Champion, Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate, Trent Seven) appeared on the show, Good Morning Britain, and officially announced that the UK now has one to call their own.
The trio was there in order to speak about this Saturday’s upcoming NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool event.
When speaking on the upcoming show, one of GMB’s hosts likened WWE’s UK effort as a set-up “training camp” for the UK. Seven then divulged that NXT UK now has their own PC, stating, “[…] we’re going to be able to go straight from here to our secret location, our new NXT UK Performance Center just after this.”
“The fact that we get to go back, the fact that we’ve had this investment, […] it’s pretty exciting,” Seven said.
You can watch the video in the tweet below, which has already been re-tweeted by Triple H.
British wrestling superstars from @NXTUK have exclusively announced the launch of a WWE performance centre right here in the UK! @TripleHpic.twitter.com/Fvr2ItBZZF
This week, WWE will be holding tryouts at their WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Thanks to a report from PWInsider, we now know four names that have been confirmed for the upcoming tryouts. The first is yet another former mixed martial artist. WWE has been very interested in signing former MMA competitors as of late. Stars like Shayna Baszler, Ronda Rousey, Matt Riddle, and Sonya Deville all have a history in MMA competition.
Now, WWE is bringing in recently released UFC fighter Eric Spicely. He was a competitor on The Ultimate Fighter Season 23 (TUF 23). Spicely was a semi-finalist in the tournament but had three-straight losses in the Octagon. He was released from the promotion in August as a result. Spicely has worked for the Beyond Wrestling promotion in New England in the past.
Also, Penelope Ford will be coming in for a tryout as well. Ford is best known on the independent circuit for her time spent alongside Joey Janela. They appeared together on the “All In” pay-per-view (PPV) in Chicago earlier this year. Former High School volleyball player, NPCC bodybuilding competitor, actor, and model Courtney Lemmings will also be trying out this week.
And finally, former University of Maryland Football player Tehuti Miles will also be a part of the tryout. Football players are also athletes that WWE likes to target, such as Baron Corbin, Roman Reigns, Mojo Rawley, and more.
What do you think about the names confirmed for WWE’s upcoming tryouts?
The future looks bright as ever as WWE welcomes the latest class of recruits to the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
Matt Riddle: The “Super King of Bros” is a former UFC fighter turned pro wrestler. He’s been a standout performer on the independent scene for the past several years. Riddle made his first appearance for WWE at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn during SummerSlam weekend and is now a full-time member of the NXT roster. Click hereto learn more about Matt Riddle.
Mia Yim: Mia Yim has competed in the Mae Young Classic tournament two years in a row. She’s a former Impact Wrestling Knockout and is set to make her NXT debut on next week’s broadcast.
Chelsea Green: Another former Impact Wrestling Knockout, Green was trained at Lance Storm’s Storm Wrestling Academy in Calgary. She was a participant on the 2015 season of Tough Enough and is dating Zack Ryder.
Humberto Carrillo: Third generation luchador from Monterrey, Mexico. Carrillo is the latest product of the famed Garza wrestling dynasty and is best known for his work as the masked superstar Ultimo Ninja.
Luis Martinez: Formerly known as Punishment Martinez in Ring of Honor, Martinez was trained at the Monster Factory wrestling school in in New Jersey. Raised in New York and Puerto Rico, he won last year’s ROH’s Survival of the Fittest tournament.
Daniel Vidot: Vidot is a former professional rugby player from Queensland, Australia. He’s been in talks with WWE since 2014 and has received several tryouts throughout the years.
Jordan Omogbehin: Big J.O. is a 7-foot-3, 370-pounder from Nigeria. He played played college basketball at the University of South Florida and Morgan State University in Baltimore before getting into wrestling.
Visit WWE.com for more information about each new recruit.
A new class of recruits began training at the WWE Performance Center today and you’ll probably recognize a few of the names. According to the Instagram story of WWE’s NXT brand, the following wrestlers comprise the latest group of NXT signees:
Former TNA Knockout Madison Rayne has been training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, FL this week. WWE has reportedly been interested in her since mid-July after she showed up to a WWE taping in Nashville, Tennessee.
Rayne is a 5-time Knockouts Champion and was with Impact Wrestling for nearly a decade. After a lengthy in-ring career, she joined the creative team to work on the Knockouts division. She’s also married to Impact announcer Josh Mathews.
As previously reported, other names recently spotted at the Performance Center include Serena Deeb and Austin Aries.
While Paige has been determined to return to WWE, many wondered if the company would allow her to come back considering everything that has happened with her boyfriend Alberto Del Rio. Though now it appears that it may not be a problem in her in-ring return.
As we noted before Paige visited WWE Performance Center this Monday and posted a photo of it from her Instagram account with the hashtag “Road back to my house”.
Now the company has also acknowledged the visit of the former Diva’s Champion by posting the following story regarding it on their official website:
“Paige returns to the WWE Performance Center
Paige is on a journey to reclaim her “house.”
The former Divas Champion — unseen in a WWE ring for more than a year — revealed she has returned to the WWE Performance Center, presumably beginning her return to active competition in WWE.
“Went to see an old friend today,” she wrote. “Good to be back there! @wwe #RoadBackToMyHouse”
Paige is a two-time Divas Champion and became the youngest Superstar to hold the title when she captured it during her Raw debut at the age of 21. If her return is imminent, as this post is leading many in the WWE Universe to believe, consider the women of Raw and SmackDown LIVE officially put on notice.”
Though it’s worth mentioning here that the story does not clearly state that Paige visited the PC to train for her in-ring return and the caption of her photo also states that she went there to meet ‘an old friend’.
Paige has been away from a WWE ring from well over a year now. She last appeared on WWE programming during the June 27, 2016, episode of Raw and underwent a neck surgery back in October last year.
It sounds like recent WWE developmental signee Nixon Newell will be out of action for several months. Squared Circle Sirens reported on Tuesday that Newell is suffering from a serious ACL injury and will be on the shelf for an extended period. She reportedly underwent knee surgery in late June.
Nixon started working out at the WWE Performance Center in May of this year after signing a developmental contract in November, 2016.
Matt Wichlinski, the former Head Coach of Strength and Conditioning at WWE’s Performance Center, was the latest guest on The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling. Here are some highlights from the interview:
WWE’s developmental program evolving from FCW to NXT to the Performance Center:
“It was really tough when I first started. I actually started while they were still in Tampa. So I was in Tampa for the first three or four months before they came to Orlando at the “PC”. The building was still getting built out and we did not have a gym to go to so I tried my best to find a facility and I would go around town trying to find something and would go to places like the local Powerhouse Gym or to try taking the groups into a place would have cost an arm and a leg so I found a space that was perfect for us in the area where we were located.”
“In the time that it took to do all that in that month I would take the groups to a local park and they hated me for it. They thought I was the biggest assh*ole that didn’t know anything because I had them doing pull-ups and pushups and basic calisthenics in a park. I had a little Kia at the time and I would load it up (riding dirty) from the apartment to the park and I’d have some of the guys help me unload and they thought that it was stupid sh*t but with me I think lifting the sandbags and doing the kettle bell work and the pull ups and the dips and that stuff is some of the most important stuff for them but they wanted to be “getting a pump” and they felt goofy and they didn’t buy into any of it. There was a few guys that loved it and who would say; “Are we really getting paid to work out in the park and get some sun?” But for me it was not having any other options at the time as I was waiting to get a gym and maybe build some repoure and a relationship with people that I didn’t know.”
Earning the trust of WWE’s developmental talent:
“It was a really hard sell to get people to buy in and of course with the majority of them, they are there for a reason. They don’t hire people that look like absolute sh*t for the most part and 99 out of 100 people that they hire already have amazing looking bodies. The ‘divas” are coming in and most of them are like models if you look at them. The girls are already hot, the guys are all good looking studs and they are not bringing in clowns that we just have to mold from nothing. They are already 8s, 9s and 10s across the board thinking what is this guy going to teach me.”
Breaking through and getting talent to respond:
“The ones that I was able to help the most were the ones that were open minded and wanted to learn and they didn’t want to just do their own thing, they knew that there was something else that they could learn. Every day was like a sponge and these are some of the best athletes. Look at Chad Gable and Jason Jordan, they want to learn and they want your input when they are training. If they are doing some Olympic lifting and they want another eye and they are asking you. That is how you know you really helped somebody. There were other people that if they had their preference would just put their earphones on and just go in their own little world. Where that might be fine in some cases, you don’t do that at the “PC”. You can’t learn while you are drowning everything out and you have headphones on doing your own thing.”
Talent being opposed to some of his exercises:
“An obvious one would be Enzo Amore. He trained with Joe DeFranco for several years before he came into the “PC”. Joe DeFranco is Triple H’s personal trainer. Joe is an amazing guy and a brilliant strength coach and Enzo trained with him for a couple of years but he is a guy that just doesn’t listen very well. He has some decent athletic ability (he played college football) but he is very hard to coach. Not just in the gym but in the ring as well. In talking with his other coaches and he worked with all of the coaches (since he was there) for three or four years and Norman Smiley, Bill Demott and all of them thought he could be a real pain in the ass. Sometimes he can be awesome and other times he could be a pain in the ass. He’s one of those guys that thought he trained at DeFranco’s so he knows everything. I do a lot of things very similar and somewhat the same as what DeFranco does but certain things may be different and just because you did it one way, I’m asking you to do it different right now and if am asking you for a certain reason it’s because I want to see you do it this way because I am building to something else. Everyone that knows Enzo knows he is a hell of a character and a good guy but he can be a pain in the ass to work with sometimes, not all the time.”
“I know this for a fact. If you try and coach somebody and you tell them what to do 10 or 12 times and they don’t listen and they don’t fix it or they only fix it while you are right in front of their face. Even it is absolutely terrible technique they just feel comfortable in what they are doing. Charlotte was another one. Charlotte wasn’t necessarily a pain in the ass but because she is such a good athlete, Charlotte was not just the best female athlete but one of the best athletes there. She can do her flips and all that stuff but sometimes you’d want something specific from her and she would just not be in the mood and just do her own thing. What was I going to do with Charlotte? She was already an athlete as good as she needs to be. She’s very lean, very talented and sometimes you just have to know what battles to pick. The biggest issue was if you let one person slide (no matter how good) than other people start to slide.”
The structure of how to internally handle an issue and Triple H’s involvement:
“I didn’t just go texting Triple H saying “so and so” isn’t doing his push-ups. I would have to deal with it with all the coaches who have a weekly meeting and if it was something that could wait until the weekly meeting than you might want to bring it up. All the coaches know and you are all on the same page as to what is going on in the ring and what is going on in the gym or in the physical therapy room and what is going on behind the scenes with Ryan Katz as they do their promos or when Dusty was there.”
“Anything that was to come up it goes into your weekly reports so if it’s an issue that I can’t handle myself than yes you do bring it up. I brought it up to my boss, either Bill Demott or to Matt Bloom and share it with their coaches so that they knew to address it and that was everyone is on the same page. But it was never a main thing (with Enzo) where I wanted to dropkick his face and you’ve got to realize anytime you are in a position like that just look at what these guys are doing. They are being told what to do constantly so I can’t really blame them. I started calling him Sinatra towards the end and once he went up, I was just calling him Sinatra because he did it his way. A lot of s*hit he did was f*cking wrong. Blatantly wrong. Whether it was his selling or this or that but look at him now. He did it his way and he’s up there and making his money and he has got a hell of a life. He’s just laughing it up and having a great time so kudos to him. He was one of these guys that would kind of get away with doing things his way and it paid off for him. Somebody else may have gotten fired, who knows and I’m not trying to pick on him.”
Subscribe to The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling on iTunes, Podomatic, Player FM, Earpeeler and Tune In Radio. You can also follow them on Twitter @TwoManPowerTrip.
Fight Club: Pro just held arguably the biggest weekend of the company’s existence with two nights in the illustrious Fixxion Warehouse in Wolverhampton, England. Dubbed ‘Rise Against’ and ‘The First Female of Fight Club’ the two nights showcased the best that Fight Club has to offer and made for a fitting farewell for one of the most beloved competitors ever to step foot in the Fixxion.
Here are the results from Friday Night’s Rise Against show:
‘Session Moth’ Martina b. Chief Deputy Dunne by Homicide.
Fatal Four Way Match: The Dunnedertaker (Damian Dunne) (w/Martina) b. Clint Margera, Dan Moloney and David Starr via Pinfall.
Candice LeRae b. Kay Lee Ray via Pinfall.
The Hunter Brothers (Jim Hunter & Lee Hunter) b. Joe Coffey & Omari via Pinfall
British Rounds Match: Jimmy Havoc b. Mikey Whiplash in Round 5.
Chris Brookes b. Nixon Newell via Pinfall.
British Strong Style (Pete Dunne, Trent Seven & Tyler Bate) b. Travis Banks, Will Ospreay & Wolfgang via Pinfall.
Before the British Strong Style match the three men (who have recently signed contracts with the WWE) re-enacted Triple H’s entrance in tribute:
— ‘The Bruiserweight’ Pete Dunne (@PeteDunneYxB) March 18, 2017
Here are the results from Saturday Night’s First Female of Fight Club show:
Fatal Four Way Match: David Starr b. Dan Maloney, Killian Jacobs and Omari
Triple Threat Match: ‘Session Moth’ Martina b. Kay Lee Ray and a Stuffed Giraffe (this is not a typo)
#CCK (Chris Brookes & Kid Lykos) b. Clint Margera & Jimmy Havoc
Mark Haskins & Will Ospreay b. Moustache Mountain (Trent Seven & Tyler Bate
Nixon Newell b. Candice LeRae
Fight Club: Pro Title Match: Travis Banks b. Pete Dunne (c)
This show was hugely notable for two reasons. 1) This was Nixon Newell’s final FCP appearance before she departs for the WWE Performance Center in April and 2) after an arduous journey to reclaim his title Travis Banks has regained the Fight Club: Pro gold.
The two shows will be available to view via the FCP Vimeo on demand service within the week and as soon as they are it is definitely worth taking a look: vimeo.com/fightclubpro.
WWE has announced that Kimber Lee and Heidi Lovelace are among the new women’s wrestlers reporting to the WWE Performance Center this week. Below is the full announcement:
Kimber Lee and Heidi Lovelace among WWE Performance Center’s new recruits
From a punk-rock pugilist to a powerhouse protégé of The Dudley Boyz, four new female recruits have joined the WWE Performance Center, bolstering the already robust pipeline of competitors into the NXT, Raw and SmackDown LIVE Women’s divisions.
Independent standouts Kimberly Frankele, Dori Prange and MaryKate Duignan Glidewell, along with former mixed martial artist Julia Ho, reported for training this week in Orlando, Fla.
Frankele has competed for more than six years under the ring alias Kimber Lee. Trained by WWE Cruiserweight Drew Gulak, she came to sports-entertainment from the world of classical dancing, where she earned a degree in dance education and was a ballerina for much of her life. In addition to capturing titles throughout the independent scene, including in both Shine Wrestling and SHIMMER Women Athletes, Frankele was the only female to ever hold the Chikara Grand Championship. Frankele has also fought in NXT, coming up short recently against the undefeated Ember Moon.
Joining Frankele will be one of her most noted peers and rivals from the indies, Dori Prange, aka Heidi Lovelace. Nicknamed the “Punk Rock Ragdoll,” the outspoken Prange has competed not only in the U.S. indie scene but also in Japan, where she wrestled under the banner of World Wonder Ring Stardom.
“Pro Wrestling Illustrated” ranked Frankele and Prange at 17 and 20, respectively, in its 2016 list of the world’s top female grapplers.
Five-foot-eleven Glidewell, who has competed under the name Andréa, brings a powerful arsenal to the WWE Performance Center. A product of Bubba Ray & D-Von Dudley’s wrestling academy, Glidewell is a 10-year veteran who has fought all over the globe, including matches teaming with and against the likes of Japanese legends Aja Kong and Kyoko Inoue.
Rounding out the newcomers is Julia Ho. A professional model and singer, Ho is looking to parlay her success in mixed martial arts — where she is undefeated — into the squared circle.
Which of these women will be the first to make her mark in WWE?
– In the video below, Tian Bing locks up with Kenneth Crawford in a recent training session at the WWE Performance Center:
– Titus O’Neil continues to do good deeds as he represented WWE at the Duke vs. Florida Jimmy V Classic from Madison Square Garden this week. Seen in the photo below, Titus presented The V Foundation with a $25,000 check on behalf of Connor’s Cure:
In an unprecedented move, WWE has announced the athletic results of a Performance Center Combine (training camp).
Newcomer Bianca Blair and NXT Superstar Riddick Moss were the female and male leaders at this week’s PC Combine .
“Known also as the PC Combine, the testing involved various NXT Superstars and Performance Center recruits competing in a battery of workouts. The events ranged from 60-yard sled shuttle sprints and overhead medicine ball tosses, to trap-bar deadlifts and bench-pressing for maximum repetitions. The overall standings take into consideration the athletes’ performance in all of the events.”
Riddick Moss is a former University of Minnesota linebacker. He was followed by 2015 WWE Tough Enough competitors Patrick Clark and Mada.
Bianca Blair was an an All-American and All-SEC track-and-field star at the University of Tennessee. Also at the top of the pack for the women were NXT newcomer Ember Moon finished second and former Tough Enough competitor Mandy Rose.
Watch WWE has posted several videos from the ongoing PC Combine to demonstrate what it takes to become an NXT Superstar.
A man shot and arrested by Orlando police outside of the WWE Performance Center in 2015 has been ordered to stand trial.
Armando Montalvo has been found competent to stand trial for an incident last August. Montalvo was reportedly showing up at the Performance Center repeatedly and was “fixated” on a female performer. WWE had called police to help them with the Montalvo on occasions prior to that incident.
On August 21st, a staffer at the performance center called police nad said Montalvo was acting “deranged” and was seen holding what looked like a knife. Two detectives responded to the scene, and Montalvo was seen charging at one of them after being instructed to stop. The suspect reportedly followed the deputy up to 75-100 feet in the parking lot before he was shot once.
Click Orlando reports that a doctor evaluated Montalvo and the judge ruled that he’s competent. The doctor diagnosed Montalvo’s behavior as being consistent with a personality disorder. Montalvo’s family members say he suffers from bipolar disorder and other mental illnesses.
The pre-trial hearing is scheduled for this coming August 31st.
WWE will be hosting an “all access” event at their Performance Center in Orlando, FL this summer. On July 25th, WWE will give attendees the chance to see how their talent trains and meet their favorite NXT stars.
The event will allow attendees to try out things like attending a production meeting, cutting your own promo, and making an entrance down the ramp with wrestlers cheering you on. Attendees will also receive breakfast and lunch, a gift bag, a signed chair, and more.
The price for the event is $1,499 per person, and attendees must be 18 or older unless accompanied by a legal guardian. Here’s WWE’s press release for the event:
See how Superstars are made with a WWE Performance Center: All Access pass this July
Do you want to know what it takes to become a WWE Superstar? Have you ever wondered what goes into putting together a WWE Live Event? Now you can have the incredible opportunity to experience all that and more, when you go behind the scenes at WWE Performance Center: All Access!
WWE is opening the doors to its state-of-the-art Performance Center in Orlando, Fla., on Monday, July 25, giving a limited number of WWE Universe members the chance to experience NXT like never before. The unique event will present the opportunity to gain knowledge from the best in the business, become part of a private NXT Live Event and rub elbows with some of your favorite NXT Superstars.
With this exclusive experience, you will:
•Share a light breakfast and lunch with NXT Superstars (meals included)
•Participate in a Q&A and Orientation Session with NXT coaching staff
•Attend a Q&A and autograph session with NXT Superstars
•Sign a one-day WWE booking contract, granting admission to a private NXT Live Event at the WWE Performance Center that you will help produce, manage and watch alongside your favorite NXT Superstars
•Take an all-access tour of the WWE Performance Center
•Get an inside look at a private NXT Training Session
•Learn the ropes during a promo class, then create your very own promo video
•Create your very own entrance as NXT Superstars cheer you on
Plus, you’ll be able to take the experience home, with exclusive keepsakes, including:
•Commemorative WWE Performance Center: All Access Credential
•WWE Performance Center Gift Bag
•Limited Edition Event Chair pre-signed by NXT Superstars
•WWE Performance Center: All Access Highlight Reel (available for download after the experience)
•Your Personal Promo Video; available for download after the experience
•Professional photos will be taken throughout the day (available for download after the experience)
The WWE Performance Center: All Access experience is $1,499 per person.* Tickets are available now at NXTTickets.com. Space is extremely limited and will be sold on a first-come, first-serve basis. Don’t miss out on the opportunity of a lifetime!
*Must be 18 or older, unless accompanied by a legal guardian. Transportation and lodging not included. Please note, WWE Performance Center: All Access is ADA accessible.
WWE issued the following announcement regarding this week’s Performance Center tryout camp:
Football pros, collegiate grapplers highlight WWE Performance Center tryout
ORLANDO, Fla. — Thirty-two athletes, with backgrounds spanning the NFL, NCAA wrestling, mixed martial arts and other sports, reported to the WWE Performance Center today for a tryout.
The tryout, which takes place over three days, will be overseen by Performance Center Head Coach Matt Bloom.
“Because our next rookie class is already full of experienced in-ring workers and international diversity, this tryout is focused on athletes and entertainers from all over North America,” Canyon Ceman, WWE’s vice president of talent development, said. “We have made a special effort to target both elite football and amateur wrestling backgrounds for this tryout. We hope to round out the next incoming class of talent with a diverse set of world-class sports-entertainers.”
Among the prospects invited to this camp are:
* Blaize Cabell, a University of Northern Iowa heavyweight grappler and three-time NCAA tournament qualifier;
* Junior Aumavae, a 311-pound nose tackle formerly signed with the New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys;
* Paul Cheng, a former first-round draft pick of the Canadian Football League-turned-MMA fighter;
* Demitrius Bronson, a running back formerly signed with the Miami Dolphins and Seattle Seahawks;
* Nathan Redwing, a 290-pound independent wrestler who played football at Peru State College;
* Arkady Unterleidner, an NPC bikini competitor who has trained under Brian Kendrick;
* Brian Waymire, a 6-foot-9 former Division I swimmer who attended the 2013 NFL combine;
* Yaseen Mudassar, a 300-pound, two-time All-American wrestler, who competes in the independent circuit as “Yaseen (The Persian) Machine”;
* Ashley Urbanski, an independent wrestler who was a 2015 Tough Enough finalist featured on last year’s WWE Network competition special.
– Renee Young talks filming Total Divas season six with boyfriend Dean Ambrose in this new video:
– The new WWE Performance Center Strength & Conditioning Coach is Sean Hayes, who previously worked for the NFL’s Houston Texans. He’s replacing Matt Wichlinski and was introduced by Triple H at last week’s NXT tapings.
– WWE recently applied for trademarks on names Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson and Colin Cassady.
– NXT newcomers Manny Andrade and Nicola Glencross (Nikki Storm) will be heading overseas for next month’s NXT UK tour:
– As reported earlier this week, episode 2 of Camp WWE is titled “Not Without My Eyebrow” and focus on The Rock. WWE has since released a video preview, which you can view above.
‘Panic ensues after someone shaves off The Rock’s eyebrow and Ric Flair is tasked with helping The Great One regain his mojo.’
– WWE Performance Center Strength & Conditioning Coach Matt Wichlinski was released last week, according to a report at PWInsider. WWE hired a former NFL strength coach to fill the position.
– Chris Masters is once again taking bookings after undergoing ACL surgery approximately 6 months ago. (Masterpiece83@gmail.com)
– Triple H posted this late night clip from his home gym:
