– As noted, Jim Ross did a 30-minute opening act for Mick Foley’s “Cheap Pops” special, which was taped on Friday. The former WWE announcer confirmed on social media that his portion of the show will not air on the WWE Network this Wednesday night.

– WWE Hall Of Famer Jerry Lawler posted the following photo on Twitter of a sketch he did of “Macho Man” Randy Savage.

Macho Man sketch I did. pic.twitter.com/AcDj6VNIpc

— Jerry Lawler (@JerryLawler) April 25, 2015

– Saturday marked the one-year anniversary of the passing of Connor “The Crusher” Michalek. The official Connor’s Cure Twitter feed posted the following:

.@WWE @WWEUniverse One year ago we lost one of the most inspirational,passionate,dedicated WWE fans ever. #RIPConnor pic.twitter.com/XNsqALW8wk

— ConnorsCure (@ConnorsCure) April 25, 2015

• Ric Flair Talks About His Daughter Charlotte FIGHTING Ronda Rousey!

Former WWE Superstar Lanny Poffo recently appeared on Under The Mat Radio to discuss his brother, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, being inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame. Below are some highlights of the interview.

On how he got the call for Randy Savage to go into the WWE Hall of Fame: “I kind of knew about for over a year that Randy was going to go in… then when they (WWE) actually officially released that they were going to induct him (Savage) I wasn’t sure if I was going to be the one to induct him. Everybody was saying that Hogan was going to be the one to induct him but I just thought I’d be common sense for it to be me.”

On how his family feels that Randy finally got inducted: “Well I can tell you how I felt, I felt relived because we are not going to punish the fans anymore now the fans are going to have to find something else to be punished about. I feel relived like a big burden has been lifted and I’m glad that the speech was well received.”

On who he loved to work with the most during his time with WWE (WWF then): “I’d have to say as Leaping Lanny I loved to work against Terry Funk and Bob Orton Jr. I would look better losing to those two guys then if I would beat Barry Harowitz. Now I’d say when I was a villain my best match ever was against Hulk Hogan.”

On Damien Sandow: “Talking to the younger talent, they were very receptive to me. I really enjoyed everybody particularly Damien Sandow what a nice person he is. People think he stole my gimmick he did not. I stole my gimmick from many of people, and besides Bobby Heenan never got mad because he was The Brain and then I came and I was the Genius he never raised an issue..!”

Check out the complete interview at BlogTalkRadio.com.

• UPDATE: Latest On SCOTT STEINER Reportedly Trying To KILL Hulk Hogan!

WWE Hall Of Famer Hulk Hogan recently spoke with Brian Fritz of SportingNews.com to promote his upcoming MegaCon 2015 appearance in Orlando, Florida. Below are some highlights from the interview.

On why he thinks his fans have stuck with him for so long and continue to be so loyal and passionate: “I think they, first off, fell in love with the character Hulk Hogan, the all-American guy going against the Iron Sheik when it was a perfect storm when the U.S. was at odds with Iran I think. The character served well for what the storyline was pointing towards. So I think it was kind of the perfect storm of being in shape with the tan, saying I was from California and being plugged in to the right thing by Vince McMahon. I think that put me at a higher level than I could have achieved by myself by building my house one brick at a time. I think I got a launching pad right out of the shoot and that’s not counting the six or seven years I wrestled before. But from that point on I think people just fell in love with the character and then I was really consistent. When they came to see Hulk Hogan wrestle, I delivered a performance that was consistent with a main event performance. I got to be tangible and the people kind of knew me and felt like they could reach out and touch me. I wasn’t a distant star like an Angelina Jolie or Brad Pitt or somebody like that. They just became loyal to the character and the man behind the character because they figured out I was a human being and survived all the ups and downs and were loyal to a fault. I think it was a combination of all that stuff.”

On working with the nWo and Sting at WrestleMania 31: “It was cool. I keep saying what Vince says, never say never. Vince had his last match when he was, I think, 67. I’m a lot younger than him. I’m 61. I’m still training like I’m going to have a shot at the world title. But to actually be put out there and not be just a talking head and actually get involved in the action, it made me feel alive again. It made me feel part of the team. So it was really cool that the nWo walked out and got such a huge response. It was just unbelievable.”

On how his back is doing: “It’s good. It’s really good. I had nine back surgeries so it’s probably stronger than it’s even been because it’s all metal. (laughs) There was a point for a couple years where they said you’ll never walk again, you’re going to be in constant pain but all that stuff went away. So it’s better now than it’s ever been.”

On what it was like inducting Randy Savage into the WWE Hall of Fame: “I was nervous. Legitimately nervous because Randy and I were such, such good friends for some many years. I was with him more than his wife, probably for 15 years. When he went through that divorce he self-imploded and took everybody with him and I was on the outs for many years and there were all kinds of crazy things going on. Then a few months before he passed away we accidentally bumped into each other, mended the fence and it was the same old Randy with a gleam in his eye. He had just gotten remarried and was happy. It was the same Randy I used to know. So it was bittersweet to be there. I basically thought that Lanny (Poffo, Randy’s brother) should have inducted him into the Hall of Fame and Lanny lobbied hard for me to do it because he said I knew him better than anybody. It was tough. It was really hard. I was nervous. I wanted to do him justice. All the haters were going “oh, Hulk Hogan is going to make it all about him”. It was just amazing to see when you’re honoring somebody just how many people come out of the woodwork with different opinions. It kind of caught me off guard. I didn’t think in a moment like that when we’re there to honor someone and tell someone how much you love someone and what a great professional they were that there were all these left-sided comments coming out. It kind of caught me off guard but we got through it.”

On what he would like to do with WWE and what’s next: “Well, they’re on the Road to WrestleMania already. You know how that goes. I’m going to be lobbying real hard for Hulk Hogan in Dallas next year. Other than that, I’m just entertaining a few movie scripts here. When I get off the phone with you I’m going to go over my schedule with the WWE guys. I know I’m going to Australia then heading over to the UK. They got me on a crazy treadmill right now but it’s a lot of fun.”

Check out the complete interview at SportingNews.com.

• Former WWE Star Says He Has Beef With CM Punk Over Eve Torres!

WWE Hall Of Famer Hulk Hogan recently spoke with TheNational.ae to promote this Sunday’s WrestleMania 31 event at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Below are highlights from the interview.

On the possibility of having one more match: “I don’t know. Today, maybe it’s the weather, it is a little rough for me today, but I think it’s got to do with being 61 years old and inheriting all this arthritis from my mum and dad. I am still in really good shape. If you put me in the ring right now with someone’s that over, and when I mean over I mean we just look at each other like the Rock and the crowd starts rumbling. If you put me in the ring right now with Roman Reigns, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock or John Cena’ I could tear it down right now. The thing is getting everybody else talked into letting me do that! Vince McMahon [the WWE chairman] had his last match when he was 66 or 67 and I am only 61 years old. I am a lot younger than him’ and Vince is the guy who says never say never. So I am going to hang on to that for a while.”

On dealing with getting older: “It hit me about 15 years ago when I realised they could take out a whole knee joint, throw it away and put a piece of metal in there, so I thought wow, this stuff really does wind down. Then they took the other knee and threw that away, then they took both hips and threw them away and I had nine back surgeries and I was like ‘wow, this mortality thing is for real,’ But because of the WWE Network I get to live forever. But it is tough. The hardest thing being here and not wrestling. It is hard to explain, but it just hard to be around all these guys, watching all these matches … sitting back and going ‘if you only did that, only did this instead, or when the guy slammed you, why did you get up before he got up. I mean come on.’ It is hard to watch without getting into it so it is tough, so the mortality thing can get to you a little bit.”

On what he’s looking forward to at WrestleMania 31 the most: “There is a couple of things. The whole thing with Roman Reigns and Brock [Lesnar] has got me really interested. Roman has a lot of potential, he reminds me a lot of his father [former wrestler Sika Anoa’i] His dad saved me when I was lost and got me going in the right direction a long time ago. And then there is the whole thing with the Undertaker. I ran into the Undertaker last night, my God is he in good shape. Compared to last year, and nothing personal ‘Taker, wherever he is at, but the guy is in crazy shape all of a sudden. I hear he has been training really hard. I know how good Bray Wyatt is in the ring, so I know they are going to tear it down.”

On inducting Randy Savage into the WWE Hall of Fame tonight: “The guy was the consummate professional and he lived hard, he worked hard in the ring, he was really intense. When Randy and I first hooked up, our wives started to worry about us as we were together 24 hours a day and were the best of friends. He was right down the beach from me. We were really good friends and then we had this crazy blow-up. There was a lot of things going down with his split with Liz [Miss Elizabeth, Savage’s first wife] and the whole thing went bad. But then we got back together. Lanny, his brother, helped a lot, and we got back together then. To have Randy have a heart attack and pass on was a tough one, so inducting him into the Hall of Fame is a special deal for me.”

Check out the complete interview at TheNational.ae.

• Real Reason WWE Hasn’t Been Pushing Daniel Bryan As A Main Eventer

WWE Diva and Total Divas star Natalya is scheduled to induct former WWE Women’s Champion Alundra Blayze (Madusa) into the WWE Hall Of Fame on Saturday night.

With that now known, below is the complete list of inductees and inductors for tonight’s 2015 WWE Hall Of Fame induction ceremony, which airs live on the WWE Network at 7pm EST.

– Warrior Award: Connor Michalek, inducted by Daniel Bryan and Dana Warrior

– Larry Zbyszko, inducted by Bruno Sammartino

– Tatsumi Fujinami, inducted by Ric Flair

– The Bushwhackers, inducted by John Laurinaitis

– Alundra Blayze, inducted by Natalya

– Rikishi, inducted by The Usos

– Arnold Schwarzenegger, inducted by Triple H

– Randy Savage, inducted by Hulk Hogan

– Kevin Nash, inducted by Shawn Michaels

– Alundra Blayze, inducted by Natalya

• PHOTOS: UFC Star RONDA ROUSEY Interviews ROMAN REIGNS For WRESTLEMANIA 31!!

Sports Illustrated Extra’s “Mustard Blog” recently put together a lengthy piece on 2015 WWE Hall Of Famer “Macho Man” Randy Savage, talking to a number of WWE legends about the iconic performer. Below are some of the highlights.

Jerry Lawler on working with Savage:

“The first time we worked together, when it was ‘promotion against promotion,’ we sold out at the arena with 23,000 people. That was unheard of in wrestling. But Randy was so cool. He was a great athlete, and he was a little bit out there. He had a bit of a temper, and he was moody at times, but he was his own guy. I really grew to respect him.”

Steve Austin on Savage:

“Macho Man, that guy’s stuff back when he was in Tennessee, was incredible. His intensity, his promo style—he was the Macho Man 24/7, 365—and he was that before he got to the WWF. Vince [McMahon] didn’t make him, he made himself. Vince then made him a superstar all over the world.”

Gene Okerlund, Hulk Hogan and Ted DiBiase on Savage’s relationship with Miss Elizabeth:

Okerlund: “Randy was a loose cannon. In the early days, Randy was very protective of Elizabeth to the point where it bothered a lot of the boys. But what could you do, take it to Vince McMahon and make yourself look like a powder puff? You just ignored it and worked with it.”

Hogan: “If you even looked at Elizabeth the wrong way, then, Holy s—. Randy would freak out. If you ever wanted to get him lit up, you’d just have to look at Liz.”

DiBiase: “I would never consider having my wife around a bunch of wrestlers. Randy tried to protect Elizabeth, but that created some tension between the two of them.”

Daniel Bryan on Savage:

“I’d love to be this era’s Macho Man. There are a lot of similarities between the two of us. He was so good and just had that connection with the crowd. You can watch him to this day, he’s so entertaining.”

Ric Flair on his WrestleMania VIII match against Savage:

“We brought the best out in each other. When you have that kind of chemistry and respect for each other, it doesn’t take a lot of thought-process to go out there and make music in the ring. Randy was still playing minor league baseball when I first met him. I was there in his corner during his infancy in the business, saw him blossom and become so much better. I was proud of him, and wrestling him at WrestleMania was awesome.”

Sting on his friendship with Savage:

“Randy Savage, ironically, is one of the guys I looked up to. I loved him. He was so out far out there with his character. There was something about it I could identify with. I used to tease him a little bit in the dressing room in front of all the guys, and say, ‘Come on, just talk in your normal voice.’ ‘This is my normal voice, what are you talking about?,’ he’d say. It was funny. We’d always try to get him, but I never heard him talk any other way than just like this, brother! Living the character helped him, absolutely it did.”

Lanny Poffo on a Triple H interview that led to a the infamous Stephanie McMahon rumor, which Lanny says is not true:

“A reporter asked [WWE heavyweight champion] Triple H what he thought of Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage. Triple H responded with, ‘They were great, but they’re dinosaurs.’ Randy saw this as a deliberate attempt to hurt his brand. Randy insinuated he [wanted] to take Triple H, slap him in the face, take his girl, Stephanie McMahon [the daughter of Vince McMahon and the wife of Triple H], and drive her around the block, then give her back to him,” Lanny says. “It wasn’t right, but Randy was provoked.”

Check out the complete feature at SI.com.

PHOTOS: UFC Star RONDA ROUSEY Interviews ROMAN REIGNS For WRESTLEMANIA 31!!

WWE Hall Of Famer Hulk Hogan spoke about his fondest WrestleMania memories and his relationship with “Macho Man” Randy Savage in the new WWE “Legends of WrestleMania” magazine. Below are some highlights.

On his favorite memories of WrestleMania: “You know, you can’t take anything away from that Andre match, brother. That’s a WrestleMania moment—93,000 people and Andre passing the torch to me. That match with The Rock, where I had been working for a different company, actually competing against this company, and came back here. The crowd showed their loyalty, that was huge. But if I really, really had to go with consistency, friendship and always being there for me, Randy [Savage] is the favorite guy.”

On his relationship with “Macho Man” Randy Savage: “Well, first off, when you work with Randy, it’s intense. The only other person that I could call at three or four o’clock in the morning to talk about wrestling and would even answer their phone is Vince McMahon. And that’s how Randy was. Except Randy called me! ‘Hey brother. Got an idea.’ So when you got in bed with Randy, you were in it for the long haul. Good or bad, brother. He’s going to drag you through the mud, whether you like it or not. And it was intense, because Randy was such a passionate person.”

• VIDEO: Steve Austin Talks CM Punk’s UFC Debut, Undertaker Doing MMA & MORE!

WWE Hall Of Famer Bret Hart appeared on Live Audio Wrestling this past weekend to promote WrestleMania 31 and his appearance at the WrestleCon event at the San Jose Garden Airport Hotel. Below are highlights from the interview.

On the positioning of Daniel Bryan at this year’s WrestleMania: “All I can say is when I wrestled Lex Luger in the Royal Rumble back in 1994 and I ended up getting the title a few months later, it was very similar to what is going on with Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan now but they went against what the fans wanted and I think that it may bite them on the ass because my logical thinking is you give the fans what they want or you should anyway. I don’t know why they went against the grain, I think Daniel Bryan was a great champion and had his run was cut short and I think fans wanted to see him get that moment that he deserves. Even though he won the title and WrestleMania last year was such a big thing for him, the fans want to see him get his proper chance and I think the WWE put a line through that and I think that’s probably a mistake.”

On comparisons of Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns to Bret Hart and Kevin Nash in 1994 and 1995: “I always tried to bring the best out of all of my opponents and especially in a pay-per-view scenario, I wanted them to have their best match they ever had with me. When Kevin Nash was champion I really tried to support him, he was a good friend of mine back in those days and still a good friend of mine now. I tried to boost his position and help him stay in place and I always had respect for him even as champion, I thought he was a great champion. I think they made a big mistake in giving him a push too early, they should have waited and let him build himself up for another year and I think if they had given Kevin just a little more time to get more experience and get prepared for that role, if that next year he had gotten that big push that they gave him, he may have stayed champion but they sometimes push things they want now and it wasn’t going to happen then, he was still learning a lot.”

On Roman Reigns in the top spot in WWE right now: “I think Roman Reigns is ready and he is really good, I think he is a really great talent and has a lot of potential. I can see why they want to push him but I really think the hearts and minds of the wrestling fans are with Daniel Bryan. His work rate in the ring and what he gives through the match just means so much more to the wrestling fans than anything else.”

On Randy Savage going into the WWE Hall Of Fame: “Well I know we were a lot closer than Hogan was. I’m not quite sure why Hulk Hogan of all people is inducting him because my last conversations I had with Randy, he didn’t have much good to say about Hogan. Regardless, it is a night to remember Randy for all the great contributions he made. He was undoubtedly one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, he was a great champion in the dressing room, he was a Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, a real team guy and always had a lot of respect and love with all of the wrestlers. We will always miss the Macho Man.”

Check out the complete interview at FightNetwork.com.

• WWE Planning Very Special Ring Entrances For Sting & Rusev At WrestleMania 31

As reported recently, wrestling legend “The Crippler” Ray Stevens was scheduled to be one of the inductees into the 2015 class of the WWE Hall Of Fame due to his legendary status in the Bay Area, however plans ended up being changed at the last minute and Stevens will not be inducted this year after all.

A source close to the situation called the change in plans a “card subject to change” type of situation and said it likely happened because this year’s top inductee — “Macho Man” Randy Savage — has passed away, and WWE didn’t want another deceased legend going in the same year.

Stevens going into the WWE Hall Of Fame this year was considered a “done deal” up until about a week ago when the decision was made not to induct him this particular year.

• Trainer: “CM Punk Would Have Lost Monday’s MMA Scrimmage Bout If It Were Scored!” (Photos Of The Bout Included)!

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

WWE is promoting another WWE Hall Of Fame announcement to take place on Monday’s edition of WWE RAW, which takes place from New Jersey.

The official WWE website has an article up today hinting that the next Hall Of Fame announcement will be for a WWE Diva.

“Who will be joining “Macho Man” Randy Savage, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rikishi and The Bushwhackers in the Hall’s Class of 2015 the night before WrestleMania 31?,” stated the WWE website.

The article continues, “Could it be a pioneering woman grappler who competed alongside the likes of Mae Young and The Fabulous Moolah? Could it be one of the Japanese women who brought their hard-hitting style to America in the early 1990s? Is it one of the sultry Divas from the infamous Attitude Era? Is it even a competitor, or could it be a woman who often accompanied legendary Superstars into battle?”

The belief is that the Diva that WWE is alluding to will be Madusa (aka Alundra Blayze).

• VIDEO: Jon Jones, Anthony Johnson Prank Dana White With Major Fake Brawl (LOL!!)

It is expected that WWE will announce Madusa as one of this year’s WWE Hall Of Fame inductees. Madusa worked in WWE as Alundra Blaze and during the Monday Night Wars, infamously threw the WWE Women’s Championship in the trash can on a live edition of WCW Monday Nitro.

With Madusa, Kevin Nash, Tatsumi Fujinami and Ray Stevens expected to be the final four inductees, below is a potential look at the final list of inductees for this year’s class.

– Randy Savage
– Rikishi
– Arnold Schwarzenegger
– The Bushwhackers
– Ray Stevens
– Kevin Nash
– Madusa
– Tatsumi Fujinami

• UPDATE: Brock Lesnar’s Return To UFC Looking Unlikely Because ….

(Credit: F4WOnline.com)

WWE.com has a new article up titled, “WWE Hall Of Fame Class of 2015 inductees to be announced Monday.”

As the headline of the article states, a new inductee will be announced on RAW, however this time it will be a tag-team that gets their moment in the spotlight.

The article continues with the following teaser as to who the tag-team is:

“The mystery pair of legends will join “Macho Man” Randy Savage, celebrity inductee Arnold Schwarzenegger and Rikishi in the elite class. Who will enter the WWE Hall of Fame the night before WrestleMania 31? Could it be a team famous for their camouflage gear? Could it be an ultra-popular pair of brothers or family members? How many tag team championships have they held? Is it possible that we will see a current Hall of Famer earn a second nod and join Ric Flair as a two-time inductee?”

• UPDATE: Brock Lesnar’s Return To UFC Looking Unlikely Because ….

WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels spoke to Alfonso Castillo of Newsday.com to promote his new book, Wrestling for My Life: The Legend, the Reality, and the Faith of a WWE Superstar, which was released today. Here are some excerpts from the book about:

On Randy Savage: “I’ve only just recently from my Twitter feed learned about that. I knew absolutely nothing about that. Obviously, that would have been a blast. Gosh, I think that would have helped me immensely at that time. I think there’s so much I could have learned and would have learned. But I have to say that’s one of those things that’s been news to me. I guess all these years later you think, ‘Oh, that’s nice to know.’ I’m flattered. Randy was a very keep-to-yourself kind of guy. And I guess I’m making assumptions, but for him to think I was even ready to do something like that with him, I think is a wonderful compliment, and I’m thankful to have it. I always tell people how he’d give me these short little pieces of advice every now and again. It’s nice to know that he thought of me in that respect.”

On the Chris Jericho feud: “It was fun. And that’s what makes doing the job more enjoyable. You do it with someone you like. You do it with someone you get along with. Chris and I are a lot alike. We view the business, the ring work and things of that nature, a lot of it the same. And we enjoyed that process. So it wasn’t difficult. Chris and I always had a really good relationship. We can disagree. We can jump on each others’ cases. We can apologize. And neither one of us is immediately offended if the other one doesn’t like an idea. We’re quick to get past it and move on. And that’s really what that entire process is. And that’s what made it so fun. We came in every Monday and would get thrown a lot of curveballs. And it was fun seeing if you could hit them. And I think that’s what made it work out so good, because it was pretty darn challenging every step of the way. There was really no direction or no real ideas going into it. It was like having a big old plate of Play-Doh for two guys to mold into what they want.”

On organizing a “prayer circle” during his last WWE run: “I honestly can’t remember anybody having any problem with it. It was obviously something that just came about organically, which was very fortunate. I think if it became something that was almost a scheduled event, that’s when it might make people uncomfortable. It was always just something that individuals did if they wanted to. I don’t recall a time of someone objecting or being uncomfortable that I could see. Certainly, nobody ever said anything. I remember having conversations with guys who were really at a place where, ‘I sort of get the way you feel and there are times that I think about that. But there are some real practical things that don’t allow me to go down the same road you’re going down.’ And I always thought just having that conversation was awesome. I don’t think there’s anybody that doesn’t sometimes struggle with those things. I can’t describe to you verbatim those first seven days [of creation]. There are Christians who think there were seven actual days, or that creation was over time. They have answers for dinosaurs and things of that nature. And I don’t claim to have any of those answers. And I understand people wanting to have discussions about it. I don’t pass myself off as a bible scholar or a pastor or someone who knows all the biblical facts cover-to-cover. I’m just a guy whose life was changed by it. And that’s about the extent of it. So I’m not easily offended when people struggle about where they’re at with their faith at all”

Check out the complete interview at Newsday.com.

• PHOTOS: Several HOT Pics Of RONDA ROUSEY In Sports Illustrated’s SWIMSUIT ISSUE!!

WWE NXT Diva Bayley recently spoke with Jim Varsallone of The Miami Herald. Here are some highlights of what she said about:

Her Character In NXT

“It comes kind of natural being Bayley. Watching wrestling already made me excited. When I was younger, going to live events, I was so into it and just felt something inside me that made me feel driven to do it; so when I go out to the ring, it’s a natural fire for me. I can’t help but smile. Bayley is a dream chaser. She’s grown up watching the product, wrestling, WWE, everything. She knows everyone, from top to bottom, all the history. She’s been motivated since she was 10-years-old and is finally here, trying to pursue the dream, live the dream to the fullest.”

Randy Savage Joining The WWE Hall of Fame:

“I’m a huge Macho Man fan. Him being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year is so cool, and it’s in my hometown [San Jose]. His ring gear is actually what stood out to me when I first saw him. He was the first guy I saw ever in wrestling; so that’s what hooked me to him and what got me into wrestling. I kind of base my gear to being very colorful, different shapes and a little bit of randomness, basing it off him.”

NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte:

“She’s amazing. Sometimes we’ll do stuff training, little warm-ups, and of course, she ups the ante on everything, and it turns out amazing. What she’s done in her past matches…You guys have no idea…She’s going to keep bringing it, and you’ll continue to be surprised and in awe of her. She’s great.”
Read more at

– Randy Savage’s brother, Lanny Poffo, is the guest on the latest edition of Chris Jericho’s “Talk Is Jericho” podcast. The official description for the show reads as follows.

TIJ – EP111 – Randy Savage Remembered by his brother Lanny Poffo

“Macho Man Randy Savage’s brother, Lanny Poffo, has agreed that it’s time for Macho Man to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, so that’s what’s happening this year! Why did Lanny change his mind? And what would his brother and father think about it? Lanny explains his decision… and shares some amazing stories about his brother’s as well as his own wrestling career as The Genius who only spoke in poetry and rhyme! He recites a few of his more famous & memorable poems & tells stories from his own in-ring career working with Hulk Hogan and Mr. Perfect Curt Hennig. “

You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.

– Eric Bischoff was the guest on the latest edition of Bill Apter’s video chat, which you can see below. Bischoff talks to Apter about the Monday Night Wars, Randy Savage being inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame this year, his debate with Bruce Prichard and more.

• MULTIPLE Stars PULLED From Royal Rumble Match At The LAST MINUTE + THE ROCK At Tonight’s WWE PPV?!

– WWE is looking to get celebrity television personality Maria Menounos to host the red carpet arrivals for the 2015 WWE Hall Of Fame ceremony this year in San Jose, California. Menounos has worked with WWE several times in the past.

– Chris Jericho noted on Twitter that his guest for this Friday’s edition of “Talk Is Jericho” will be former WWE Superstar “Leapin'” Lanny Poffo, a.k.a. “The Genius.” Poffo, real-life brother of the late “Macho Man” Randy Savage, will talk to Jericho about his brother being inducted into this year’s WWE Hall Of Fame class.

• PHOTOS: Triple H BREAKS CHARACTER During RAW Reunion To Console A Crying Young Fan!

(Partial Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

The following are highlights of a new Seth Rollins interview with The Rack:

What it was like to be standing over both Cena and Lesnar at the end of RAW: “You know, it felt good; those big nights you were referring to are starting to pile up here and I’m starting to have them more and more and more. Last night on RAW, surely, standing over both John Cena and the WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar, was a feat that, honestly, I don’t think there are any other men that can say they’ve done that; I might be the only one in the history of the WWE, so that’s quite monumental.”

On his championship Triple Threat match at the Royal Rumble: “My strategy for this match is to go in full boar, 100 percent, 110 percent, whatever you want to call it and try to win the match. If things don’t work out and I don’t end up winning, the odds are against me for sure, I have back-up plans. I always got a Plan B and that is my Money in the Bank briefcase. It’s an unprecedented situation; I don’t think it the history of the Money in the Bank briefcase contract scenario that you’ve had a challenger with two opportunities essentially to win the title, so it should be a very interesting Royal Rumble. I think the fans are going to be at the edge of their seats the whole time.”

What it’s like working with both Triple H and Stephanie McMahon on TV weekly: “Oh, they’re phenomenal; two of the greatest mind in the history of our industry. You’ve got one, born and bred a McMahon so she knows all there is to know about what we do and she knows all the little tricks of the trade. She sees things from a completely different perspective, so you have that. On the other hand, you have ‘The Cerebral Assassin’, a man who’s been WWE Champion multiple times, who is clearly the heir-apparent to the company itself and already running the ship for the most part. There are really no better mentors; if you’re not learning something every single day, every single time you go out there, then you’re really just making a mistake trying to progress yourself. If people have kept track over the past 6-8 months, they’ll have noticed a lot of improvements in my game, at least I have, and a lot of that is due to having Triple H and Stephanie on my side, nurturing me all the way through.”

On Triple H following his progress through NXT, The Shield and now: “Yeah, clearly, the man has an eye for talent, you know? It’s been good; NXT was a good experience for me. We were really the first group of guys who were involved in that project and if you look at what it’s become now, it’s pretty impressive to think about where it started and how it began, very humbly, in a warehouse in Tampa and now, basically, it’s its own brand. To have Triple H’s support, through and through the entire way, has meant more to me than people will ever understand. It’s really helped position me to where I want to be and helped me grow as a person and as a performer.”

Is there anyone in the new crop of NXT talent that he’s looking forward to facing in the future: “I have a lot of friends down there; a lot of people who I traveled the road with in my previous life and I think those guys, the Adrian Nevilles and Sami Zayns, Finn Balor, Hideo Itami, Kevin Overs; these are the guys obviously making a name for themselves now in NXT. There’s also a lot of young guys too, who are pushing the envelope as well, really trying to make a name for themselves in the shadow, a little bit, of some of those bigger names.

You’ve got someone like CJ Parker, who’s been down in NXT for a while making waves. You’ve got Tyler Breeze, who is on the cusp of something big and stuff like that. So, there’s a lot of talent down there; I’m looking forward to seeing how the landscape up here in the WWE looks like in 2-5 years, with all of those names I mentioned, up here working with us. It’s going to be a very interesting period for the future of WWE.”

If the shift of Smackdown to Thursdays gives people like yourself a chance to be the one the show is built around, like Edge and Undertaker in the past: “I would like to assume that both RAW and Smackdown will be built around me from this day forward, or maybe from the Royal Rumble forward. I talk a lot about how the future is now, well I’m not the future anymore; the present is upon us and I am a major part of that. Smackdown moving back to Thursday nights, where it originally began, is really exciting for me just because that’s the night I used to watch it when I was younger; all the stuff with The Rock, Edge and Christian, Eddie Guerrero and my *ahem* security guard Joey Mercury also played a huge role on Smackdown during that time as well. It’s an awesome move; I’m looking forward to reaching into another night in the week and just seeing what that brings and what that holds for us as a company moving forward. It’s going to be good for everybody involved.”

On his favorite Smackdown Moment: “Man, there’s a lot of really good ones; I would be hard pressed not to say that one of my own personal favorite moments is me powerbombing the Undertaker through a table, that’s pretty iconic as far as a Smackdown Moment gets. If I’m going to reach back in the vault, I’m going probably to the very first Smackdown with the Shawn Michaels superkick on the Rock, that was pretty awesome and I’m a big Shawn Michaels fan, so when Rock is going for the People’s Elbow and Shawn just clocked him in the tooth, I thought that was pretty sweet.”

What was it like finding out he’d get to work with the Undertaker on Smackdown: “It’s one of those things where you don’t even really think that’s ever going to happen to you in your career and not because.. I expected the level of success I have but I expected Undertaker to be long gone by the time I came around and the fact that he’s still here is a testament to him and the fact that we were able to, we in The Shield, were able to ascend to that level so quickly and get a chance to be in the ring with him before he stepped away is pretty awesome. Obviously, you know, he could still be around and maybe there’s a WrestleMania match for me and him in the future, but for now, I’ll definitely I’ll cherish those moments I got to spend in the ring with him.”

His thoughts on the announcement of Randy ‘Macho Man’ Savage for the 2015 WWE Hall of Fame Class: “Yeah, my only real thought is it’s about damn time; I know there were a lot of issue with getting him into the hall and stuff like that but I’m really glad, after all these years, people made the decision that it was the right thing to do and II think everybody knew that, it was dotting the I’s and crossing the t’s a little bit and I think they put their personal pride aside and made it well known that one of the greatest of all time, the Macho Man, deserves to be in the Hall of Fame and it’s about time. I’m glad to be involved in it in some way, shape or form; just to be part of the company while that happens is pretty cool.”

Check out the complete interview at WildTalkRadio.com.

• WWE Planning On Major JOHN CENA vs. RUSEV Feud & Match At WRESTLEMANIA 31

In a business so famous for twisting the truth and exaggerating reality, it can difficult for fans to determine the true size of a wrestler. That is the case with Daniel Bryan, who despite being billed at 5’10” by WWE, is often towered by Stephanie McMahon in their face-to-face confrontations.

The former WWE World Heavyweight Champion revealed in an August 2013 interview with DirecTV that he is actually 5’8″.

“I always wanted to be a wrestler, but I didn’t think I could be because I’m relatively small,” Bryan said in regards to his start in the professional wrestling industry. I’m 5’8 and weigh 195 pounds. When I started I was a lot smaller. But when I was probably 15 or 16 years old, WCW started bringing in these cruiserweights like Rey Mysterio who was 5’3 and 150 pounds. That gave me no reason not to at least try and follow my dream.”

According to the official WWE website, the Divas Champion is billed at 5 foot six inches. Based on photos of her standing next to fellow wrestlers, this appears to be her legitimate height.

It was officially announced Monday on Raw, “Macho Man” Randy Savage will be inducted as the first member of the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2015 the night before WrestleMania 31 at the SAP Center in San Jose, California. Speaking to The Sun, Chris Jericho feels that Savage not being in the Hall of Fame was “a huge omission.”

“I think that him not being in the Hall of Fame was a huge omission and almost made the Hall of Fame not legitimate for me, much in the same way of Deep Purple not being in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was not legitimate for me, so I’m super-excited about it,” Jericho said. “It is much deserved and now, finally, I feel the WWE Hall of Fame is legit.

“Everybody that needs to be in there — and wasn’t because of politics or petty bullsh-t — is now in there, including [Bruno] Sammartino, Bret Hart, the Ultimate Warrior and now Randy Savage being the last on that list.”

Jericho also talked about crossing paths with Savage in World Championship Wrestling, growing up as a fan of the “Macho Man,” the first wrestling shirt he ever bought and more. The full interview is available here.

• Rusev slips and falls during match (VIDEO)

The following are highlights of a new U.K. Mirror interview with Chris Jericho:

On WWE inducting Randy Savage into the Hall Of Fame: “Well, absolutely it’s one of the guys that needed to go in there to make it a legitimate Hall of Fame. They’ve done a great job over the last few years, putting in those last few guys like Bob Backlund, Bruno Sammartino, Bret Hart, and now Savage, those were the holdouts that needed to be in there to give that Hall some semblance of credibility. Now that Savage is going in, it’s kind of closing the book on the outstanding that needed to be in there – like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame needs to put Deep Purple in there before I can ever take it seriously. Until they do, it’s kind of a joke to me. The fact Savage is finally going in is great.”

On returning to WWE for the next two months, but not working TV or PPVs: “Just for January and February, working the live events – no TV matches, no pay-per-view matches. I happen to have January and February off because in March I’m going back to the UK with Fozzy, so it was a good time to go back to WWE for a few matches. It’s based around Fozzy’s schedule, and it’s been that way since 2010. You see me come and go for a month here, a month there, that’s why I didn’t want to do any TV this year in January or February because it’s too short of a timeframe. Considering it’s WrestleMania time, there’s really no reason to come back [on TV] because I’m not available for WrestleMania, nor do I want to be around just for a couple of months. It’d be too quick.”

On Vince McMahon’s “brass ring” speech: “I grabbed it so I don’t really have … he’s right, it’s all up to him, and whatever mood he’s in and whoever he decides has it at the moment will get a chance. It’s Vince, he says things and whatever is in his head. When I’m not in WWE, I don’t watch a lot of WWE. There’s guys there grabbing the brass ring and others will over time, and there’s people you never expected to make it huge that will make it huge – that’s the nature of the business. Look at Daniel Bryan, the company never expected him to get as big as he got and probably didn’t even want him to get as big as he got, but some guys just do.”

Check out the complete interview at Mirror.co.uk.

• PHOTOS: CM Punk & AJ Lee In Their Private Time, Hanging w/ Celebrities, Partying & MORE! [View Here >>]

The following are highlights of a new Permission Granted podcast interview with Triple H:

On the various hats he wears and the title at the top of his list: “Dad,” he said. He eventually tied it into the fitness DVD and said all the hats that he and his wife wear made them realize how difficult it is to find workout time. He said he and Stephanie rush home to see the kids before they go to bed, and it’s ten at night before the head downstairs to their home gym.

On what he looks for in a wrestler: Triple H said charisma because it’s the one X Factor that you can’t teach. “All the other things can be brought out of somebody,” he said. “That’s a tough one.” He mentioned Mick Foley as being a guy who didn’t fit the typical WWE wrestler mold, but “he is charismatic, when you watch him you can’t help but be drawn into him. He’s intelligent, he speaks well, he’s humorous.”

On WWE Network: “We took the gamble and we’re ahead of the curve on a lot of this,” he said. He noted that others are following in their footsteps. He said Netflix has their model, but they don’t have the live stream like WWE Network does. He said it takes a while to condition fans to break from their patterns. “We’re thrilled with the progress, we’re thrilled with where it’s at, and we’re just starting to scratch the surface of where it can go.”

On wrestlers who have died young: “To me, everybody makes personal choices in their life,” he said. “Even some of my closest friends, my best friends, made personal choices of how they wanted to live their life that I never chose, that I never went down those roads. And I will put the physicality of my career up against anybody. The majority of those guys made personal choices to live a certain way and you can’t live that way forever. It’s a short run, it’s fast and furious, and it’s a short run. Did it affect me? Absolutely. I’ve watched a lot of guys that I was close to and that I was friends with… There’s a certain point and time when even as your friends, you try to stop them, you try to talk them into it, and there’s no… And that’s not just in our business, that’s in any business. People are responsible for their own lives, their own personal decisions, how they live their life outside of a sport or a job or anything else. We try to protect our talent now in a way like never before with our wellness programs and our ability to try to stay ahead of them to see if there are problems or they are headed down a path or anything, but the reality of it is people have to be responsible for their own lives. I’ve seen this company tell guys listen, we can’t work together unless you get some help or whatever and they say, okay, great, I’m just going to leave then and I’m just going to go because this is more important to me. You can’t live somebody’s life for them and it’s tragic, and I’ve had to come to terms in my with that with some guys that were close friends of mine, but that’s just the way it is, unfortunately.”

On Randy Savage entering the WWE Hall of Fame: “One of the biggest stars ever in the industry,” he said. “It’s so well deserved and a long time coming. I think for a lot of fans it feels like a long time coming and they are just so overwhelmed that it’s happening and I know we are and his family is. It’s just a great thing to celebrate a career like that.”

Check out the complete interview at Soundcloud.com.

• PHOTOS: CM Punk & AJ Lee In Their Private Time, Hanging w/ Celebrities, Partying & MORE! [View Here >>]

In his latest website blog, legendary announcer Jim Ross shares his memories of “Macho Man” Randy Savage after learning of his upcoming induction into the WWE Hall Of Fame.

Below is an excerpt from the blog:

“I did not know Savage extremely well even though I worked with him in the broadcast booth many times in my early years in WWE. Honestly, I’m not sure who REALLY knew Randy Savage as he was a complex man in many ways who seemed to remain in ‘guarded’ mode more often than not. At WM9 Savage, the brilliant Bobby Heenan and I comprised the three man team that broadcast the event outdoors at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. (No, I did not mind wearing a toga nor do I still have the rented costume.)

Heenan was always a piece of cake to work with as he had impeccable timing and a ‘feel for the game.’ Savage, on the other hand, was generally unpredictable, irreverent, but always distinctive with his unique pipes and unique sound bytes.

Randy never really trusted me, or so I think, and much of it was because I was the voice of the enemy, WCW, for many years therefore he and I never really connected. We actually did some nice work together including the King of the Ring Tournament in 1993 and a memorable RAW in 1994, I think, when Bret Hart wrestled X-Pac Sean Waltman.

Like myself, Macho Man was seemingly never totally pleased with his on air work and was a perfectionist to say the least. There’s nothing wrong with being ones own worst critic such as I’ve been for 40 years. Nonetheless, because of the self imposed pressure that Savage put on himself he often times was testy and wound tight.

When I first arrived in WWE, many could not wait to tell me a litany of Savage stories of his days with Miss Elizabeth, one of the great combinations in wrestling history, and how paranoid and untrusting Randy was at it related to his then wife. I wasn’t there to see it so t’s all folklore to me but those that did live it said it was challenging. I looked at that matter as ‘none of my business material’ and never really spoke to Randy about it but knew it was a touchy subject with him and I had no desire to raise the ire of the Macho Man. We even lived in the same building in Stamford, Ct for a while and I never even realized it. We’d work together much of many days and nights and I did not even know that we lived in the same apartment building.

The point that I’m making is that Randy Savage and I were never close pals but I had immense respect for his in ring work and his mic work as well. He was one of the best all around performers ever in the biz….bar none….case closed. With that said, today is a day for celebration for all those who, like me, enjoyed Randy’s game especially his bell to bell exploits in WWE and before. The match Savage had with Ricky Steamboat at WM3 is a classic but putting the match together was extremely taxing according to the Dragon himself. Again, Savage was a perfectionist and his arch rival Hulk Hogan was set to defeat the incomparable Andre the Giant on that same show so Randy wanted he and Steamboat to “steal the show.” Many say that they did even though WM3 will always be know primarily for the Hulk-Andre match.

We were set at one time to bring Macho Man into the Mid South territory and even had the introductory vignettes done and ready to air until Savage decided to forgo the opportunity to work with Cowboy Bill Watts and instead go to WWE which was the better decision as it made Randy rich and famous on a global basis. I’ve often wondered how Savage and Watts would have coexisted and how long their relationship would have lasted until it imploded. Perhaps, I’m now being too negative as maybe the Cowboy and the Macho Man would have gotten along famously until one of the two C’s (Cash & Creative) intervened.

My congratulations go out to the family, friends, and fans of the late Randy ‘Macho Man Savage’ Poffo for this well deserved honor. Better late than never and WWE got it right.”

Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.

• PHOTOS: CM Punk & AJ Lee In Their Private Time, Hanging w/ Celebrities, Partying & MORE! [View Here >>]

– WWE recently applied for a trademark for the term “Bragging Rights.” Fans of WWE may remember that the company held a pay-per-view event called “WWE Bragging Rights” in 2009 and 2010, which some consider a possible sign that they are bringing back the pay-per-view name.

– WWE legend Hulk Hogan posted the following on his official Twitter account regarding being selected as the person to induct “Macho Man” Randy Savage into the WWE Hall Of Fame during WrestleMania 31 weekend this year.

I can't tell you what an honor it is to induct MACHO MAN Randy Savage into the #WWEHOF. Long time coming, well deserved brother. HH @WWE

— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) January 14, 2015

• Former WWE Divas SUNNY & ASHLEY MASSARO Engage In *EPIC* Twitter War — BOTH Excuse The Other Of Being A PROSTITUTE! (No B.S.!)

The Monday, January 12th edition of WWE RAW scored a final cable rating of 2.71, according to Nielsen Media Research. The 2.71 final draw marks a decrease compared to last week’s show, which delivered a 2.8 final number.

With the stiff competition this week from college football (which drew 33.25 million viewers on ESPN), the number is considered a positive, and one that many are attributing to the return of Daniel Bryan and the heavily promoted announcement of “Macho Man” Randy Savage being inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame.

The hourly breakdown in terms of viewership for this past Monday’s RAW is as follows:

Hour One: 4.10 million viewers
Hour Two: 3.90 million viewers
Hour Three: 3.72 million viewers

• Former WWE Divas SUNNY & ASHLEY MASSARO Engage In *EPIC* Twitter War — BOTH Excuse The Other Of Being A PROSTITUTE! (No B.S.!)

Former WWE Superstar Lanny “The Genius” Poffo spoke to Bill Apter of 1wrestling.com on Monday about WWE inducting his brother “Macho Man” Randy Savage into WWE Hall of Fame this year.

Poffo spoke about previously being against his brother being inducted since Randy only wanted to be inducted if Lanny and their father Angelo were inducted as well. Poffo said it’s time for Randy to be honored and he doesn’t want the fans to be deprived of Macho Man entering the Hall of Fame.

Hulk Hogan also tweeted on Tuesday morning:

Just talked to Lanny,things are exactly the way he wants them for the Poffo family and Randy,only love HH

— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) January 13, 2015

RANDY “MACHO MAN” SAVAGE™ TO BE INDUCTED INTO THE WWE® HALL OF FAME

STAMFORD, Conn., January 12, 2015 – WWE (NYSE:WWE) announced today that Randy “Macho Man” Savage will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by Hulk Hogan™. The posthumous ceremony will take place Saturday, March 28 at SAP Center, as a part of the WrestleMania® 31 Week activities.

“Randy Savage was one of the most iconic Superstars in WWE history,” said WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon. “While millions of fans around the world mourned his passing, they will now be able to celebrate his rightful induction into the WWE Hall of Fame.”

One of the greatest stars in WWE history and a pop-culture icon known for his incredible athleticism, trademark “Ooh, Yeah” catchphrase and elaborate ring attire, Randy “Macho Man” Savage made his WWE debut in 1985. In 1986, he became Intercontinental Champion, holding the title for more than a year until losing it to Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat™ at WrestleMania III in one of the greatest matches in WWE history. At WrestleMania IV, Savage once again made history by becoming WWE Champion in a tournament where he competed in an unprecedented four matches.

At WrestleMania V, Savage lost the WWE Championship to Hulk Hogan, but soon went on to memorable feuds with WWE Hall of Famers Dusty Rhodes™, Ultimate Warrior™ and Jake “The Snake” Roberts™. Savage again made history in 1992 by defeating WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair at WrestleMania VIII to become WWE Champion for a second time. After losing the Championship back to Flair, Savage continued to perform in WWE both in the ring and the broadcast booth until his departure from WWE in 1994. While competing in WCW®, Savage continued to add to his legacy, becoming a multi-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion.

Additional WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2015 inductees will be announced over the coming weeks.

Tickets for the 2015 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at SAP Center go on sale this Saturday, January 17 at 1 PM ET/10 AM PT through www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000. All tickets are subject to service charges and facility fees.

WrestleMania 31 takes place at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA Sunday, March 29 live on WWE Network and pay-per-view.