Posts Tagged ‘Rhyno’

Next Week’s SmackDown, Praise For American Alpha, IC Title – SummerSlam, WWE History Video

– Next week’s live WWE SmackDown will feature Heath Slater vs. Rhyno. If Slater wins, he will receive a SmackDown contract from GM Daniel Bryan. Rhyno is one of the talents brought back for the blue brand.

– Cathy Kelley and Corey Graves look at Ron Simmons winning the WCW Title from Vader and making history in the latest This Week in WWE History video, seen here:

– Former NXT Tag Team Champions American Alpha have received a lot of praise after making their debuts and defeating The Vaudevillains on this week’s SmackDown. Below are comments from Triple H and Kevin Owens:

https://twitter.com/FightOwensFight/status/760657458142515200

– Another new WWE Network Collection that went live this week features IC Title matches from previous SummerSlam events, titled Summer’s Intercontinental Glory. The trailer is below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDZ6HeBUrd0

Rhyno Wins Political Primary, Sasha Banks Gets Her Side Plates, More

– SmackDown Superstar Rhyno was successful in his bid to win the primary to become Michigan State Representative of the 15th district. Rhyno won with 38% of the vote, beating out opponents Paul Sophia and Richard Johnson. For more information, visit WZYZ.com.

– The dark match after last night’s WWE SmackDown in Nashville saw Roman Reigns and John Cena defeat AJ Styles and Seth Rollins. Reigns speared fellow RAW star Rollins to win.

https://twitter.com/johncenaam/status/760662912910393344

– WWE Women’s Champion Sasha Banks’ custom side plates have been installed:

 

American Alpha Debuting Soon, Video Of ECW Original Returning To SmackDown, Slater

– Former NXT Tag Team Champions Chad Gable and Jason Jordan will make their main roster debuts on next Tuesday’s SmackDown.

– Rhyno returned on tonight’s SmackDown and it was revealed that he has signed to the blue brand. He attacked Heath Slater, who is still a free agent, with a Gore.

Below is video from their segment:

Two Former WWE Superstars Returning Soon

Rhyno and Curt Hawkins will be returning to the main WWE roster soon, according to a report at PWInsider.

The current plan is for the two to work for the SmackDown brand but there’s no word yet on when they will actually re-debut.

Rhyno has been somewhat of a NXT regular for the past year, most recently facing NXT Champion Samoa Joe on this week’s episode. Hawkins has also frequented the indies since being released in 2014.

Rhyno Speaks On Vince McMahon’s Reaction To Him Entering Politics, & More

Former WWE, ECW, and TNA wrestler Rhyno announced this week that he has filed to run as a State Representative for his district in Dearborn, Michigan. Rhyno recently spoke to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports about his campaign, and revealed Vince McMahon’s reaction to the news.

“I told Vince, ‘I hope I make you proud.’ He said, ‘You already have.’ He then followed up by saying if there was anything (WWE) can do to help to let them know,” Rhyno told FOX Sports. “He didn’t ask what party I was running for or this and that. The McMahons’ love for their country is just contagious.”

Rhyno indicated that he does not think his past as a pro wrestler will hurt his career in politics.

“I don’t think it will hurt me at all. I think candidates that run against me will try to make fun of it to discredit me so they can win the election, which is understandable. But I want to go out and discuss how we can make this state better, how we can make people’s lives easier and educate the kids.”

Rhyno last appeared on WWE TV at their TLC pay-per-view in December.

Rhyno Running For Public Office, NXT Star Returns To Action (Video)

– Tye Dillinger returned to action at Thursday night’s NXT live event from Columbus, Ohio. He lost to Apollo Crews. Dillinger had been on the sidelines since suffering a badly strained knee back in January.

– Rhyno is running for a spot in the Michigan House of Representatives. He told FOXSports.com on Friday,  “The cool thing about what wrestling has done for me is opening a lot of doors. It’s given me a loud voice. That’s very important when you represent people and want to try to get stuff done. You want someone representing you who knows how hard it is to get doors open.”

https://twitter.com/Rhyno313/status/705511163551948800

Video: Rhyno Returns On RAW Alongside The Dudley Boyz & Tommy Dreamer

As alluded to by Bubba Ray Dudley on Sunday night, a fourth “Extreme Brother” made his WWE television return on Monday’s TLC “go-home” edition of RAW in North Charleston, South Carolina.

Bubba Ray Dudley teased an addition to the trio of The Dudley Boyz and Tommy Dreamer for their ongoing battle against The Wyatt Family on Twitter on Sunday evening, informing fans that he had just spoken to the mystery “Extreme Brother” on the phone before telling everyone not to miss Monday’s RAW.

Monday’s RAW opened up with the League Of Nations in the ring and The Wyatt Family coming out, followed by The Dudley Boyz and Tommy Dreamer. The extreme trio wasted no time in introducing their mystery fourth “Extreme Brother” — Rhyno.

Rhyno made his way to the ring with the trio and the four went on to compete in a Fatal Four Way Elimination match against The Wyatt Family, The League Of Nations and the team of Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and The Usos. While The ECW Originals managed to eliminate The Wyatt Family during the match, they found themselves being the second team eliminated when WWE World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus pinned Bubba Ray Dudley after hitting him with a Brogue Kick.

For complete WWE RAW results, click here.

Rhyno Talks About His TNA Run, ECW’s Legacy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4UFOOW-vwk

Rhyno recently spoke with CultofWhatever.com about his time in TNA and more. Here are the highlights of what he said about:

TNA’s attempts to capitalize on ECW:

“I don’t necessarily think it was ECW, I think it was more the hardcore element and fans really enjoyed that moment. ECW was basically a group of men and women that were rejected and told they weren’t good enough and they were either let go from WCW/WWE or they couldn’t even get looked at by those two companies. ECW took in all the guys that were rejected and we all had something to prove and I think the fans could relate to it.”

His favorite things about working for TNA:

Again I had a fantastic time in TNA, I got to share a locker room with legends of the industry, Ric Flair and Kevin Nash. I got to pick their brains, Kevin and I became really good friends, it was quite surreal to be standing there with Ric Flair and just picking his brains. After several months I asked Ric if he knew what I was doing and he said yeah you’re picking my brain and that’s how you learn in this industry.

I talked to Ric about the matches with him and Harley Race and how they worked and he was just so generous with the information, I was soaking it all in and trying to figure out how I could fit it into my work.

Finn Balor & Samoa Joe Win First Ever Dusty Rhodes Tag-Team Classic Cup

At Wednesday’s NXT Takeover: Respect special on the WWE Network, the first-ever “Dusty Rhodes Tag-Team Classic” tournament winners were crowned.

The teams of Finn Balor & Samoe Joe, The Mechanics, Baron Corbin & Rhyno and Chad Gable & Jason Jordan advanced to tonight’s WWE Network special, with Balor and Joe eliminating The Mechanics in the opener, and the team of Corbin and Rhyno taking out the team of Gable and Jordan to advance to the finals.

In the finals, which were held in the co-main event spot of the NXT special, Balor and Joe ended up defeating Corbin and Rhyno, who put up a good effort.

Cody Rhodes came out to do the Dusty Rhodes Tag-Team Classic Cup presentation to Balor and Joe. He mentioned that tonight everyone is a “Rhodes” member as “The American Dream” theme music played and the fans echo’d chants of “Thank You Dusty! Thank You Dusty!” to close out the first ever Dusty Classic Tournament and move on to the 30-minute “Ironwoman Match” for the NXT Women’s Champion.

For complete NXT Takeover: Respect results, click here.

How Much Does Forbes Claim Vince McMahon Is Worth?, NXT Preview For Tonight

– It was reported back in May that WWE Chairman Vince McMahon did not make this year’s Forbes list of billionaires, however it’s worth noting that Forbes’ profile on McMahon currently has his net worth listed at $1.21 billion, as of Wednesday, August 5, 2015. The profile does, however, note that McMahon “dropped off” this year’s billionaire list. You can check out McMahon’s Forbes profile at Forbes.com.

– The following matches were taped for tonight’s edition of NXT TV on the WWE Network.

* Charlotte vs. Bayley
* Baron Corbin vs. Steve Cutler
* Tyler Breeze vs. Aaron Solow
* The Mechanics vs. The Hype Bros
* Samoa Joe vs. Rhyno

NXT TV Results – July 1, 2015

WWE NXT
Aired July 1, 2015
Taped June 18 at Full Sail University and aired on WWE Network
Report by Zack Zimmerman and ProWrestling.net

A hype video aired for the main event tag match of Finn Bálor and Samoa Joe vs. Kevin Owens and Rhyno… The opening video played… Inside the arena, the fans chanted “NXT” before The Vaudevillains made their entrance. The Mechanics were out next.

1. The Vaudevillains (Aiden English and Simon Gotch) vs. The Mechanics (Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson). Dawson took control early with a cheap shot to the mid-section, but Gotch went up-and-over him out of the corner and The Vaudevillians took control briefly. Moments later, Dawson regained the advantage on Gotch and The Mechanics began to isolate him.

There was a miscommunication leading to an English lukewarm tag. They hit the reverse uppercut into a swinging neckbreaker and scored the pinfall.

The Vaudevillains over The Mechanics in about 3:15.

The commentators, Rich Brennan, Byron Saxton, and Corey Graves checked in from the commentary table and hyped the Beast in the East special as well as tonight’s main event…

At the WWEPC, Devin Taylor was standing by with Becky Lynch who said she sprained her hip flexor at Takeover, so she has to take a few weeks off. She said she’s going to come back more motivated than ever and win the NXT Women’s Championship. She said this was just the start of N-Bex-T. Total babyface mode.

Back in the arena, Baron Corbin made his entrance. His opponent was already in the ring and was introduced.

2. Baron Corbin vs. Tucker Knight. Corbin hit a weird looking jumping face crusher and then End of Days for the win.

Baron Corbin squashed in about 0:45

The next installation of the Finn Bálor story was hyped next… A Beast in the East vignette aired…

In his office, William Regal looked ready to explode as bickering voices filled his office. He finally had it and yelled “enough!” to stop Enzo & Cass and The Vaudevillains from yelling at each other. He declared that next week the two teams would face off to determine No. 1 Contenders to the NXT Tag Team Championships. Enzo & Cass left to help Carmella get ready for her match later…

The Finn Bálor story picked back up. Bálor talked about how NXT had really sparked his creativity and some of the most rewarding things he’s experienced is the art he’s inspiring in kids. Basically, he loves fan art. He talked about how the body paint helps the wrestler side channel the artist side. Bálor said that prior to NXT, he had a limited reach and was an unknown commodity amongst the masses. So he spoke about how great of a feeling it was to hear the response when “Prince Devitt” appeared on the screen on the night of his debut.

He discussed combining Finn McCool and Bálor to come up with his name, and also noted that his dad’s nickname is Finn. They showed him in the empty Full Sail arena working with the production crew on his entrance. Matt Bloom spoke about how the guy didn’t have much wrestling to learn, but the production side of things was where he had to learn. Triple H was shown helping and giving him specific advice.

Finn said that NXT is his home. He discussed how much it meant to him to be able to work the WWE Live tour in Ireland in the same building he went to watch WWF as a kid. He said that he’s naturally an introvert, but when he puts on the paint it helps him release his inner demon. He said it’s not just paint, it’s being able to channel all of his intensity into his work. He talked about the evolution of his paint while wanting it to remain recognizable.

Bálor said that he left Japan last April expecting to never see his friends over there again. William Regal’s announcement of the title match was replayed and Bálor discussed how excited he was. He was shown with Karl Anderson in a couple of clips. They aired soundbytes of Bloom, Lynch, and Bálor really building him up as the future of the business.

Kids were shown talking to a roving reporter talking about how cool Finn is. An older fan predicted he would revolutionize WWE. Lynch broke down in tears discussing how much he deserves this because of his much he helped her. A music video played with more soundbites and clips of him in NJPW and NXT. Bálor said that he truly believes that he’s left everywhere he’s gone better than when he got there, from the UK to Japan to NXT and eventually WWE. Corey Graves hyped that the WWE Network would be replaying the Finn Bálor story in its entirety… [C]

Eva Marie was shown working in an empty arena in front of William Regal and Sara Amato… Back in the arena, Emma made her entrance with Dana Brooke alongside. Her music is now her old music remixed into a new theme. Carmella was out next. She cut a promo on her way to the ring introducing herself and closed “Bada-bing, hottest chick in the ring.”

3. Emma vs. Carmella. The crowd went back-and-forth with ‘Evil Emma” and “Emma sucks” chants. After a back-and-forth opening minute, Carmella hit a hurricanrana out of the corner, but Emma took control of a referee separation settled into a lengthy bodyscissors.

Carmella threw a few back elbows, and finally began to mount a comeback. It was pretty weak until she hit a side kick and a running mafia kick. Carmella did her goofy taunt, which allowed Emma to apply the Emma Lock for the tap.

Emma forced Carmella to submit in about 4:10.

Backwtage, Bull Dempsey was banging on a vending machine for stealing his dollar. He was about to smash it with a stool, but Regal stopped him on the backswing. Bull said he was just trying to get the pistachios, but Regal didn’t want to hear it. Bull had something smeared around his lips so Regal took a swipe with his finger and tasted it, and then momentarily looked disgusted in himself for doing that. Regal told Bull to sort himself out or he’s going to find himself in a bad spot… The main event was hyped… Tyler Breeze was hyped in action next.

Backstage following his loss last week, Devin Taylor was standing by with the world’s worst tag team wrestler, Jason Jordan. Chad Gable approached and began to wipe the sweat off. Gable said he always watches Jordan’s matches, which Jordan thought was creepy. Gable said Jordan is making himself look like a loser, but he’ll be ready, willing and Gable when Jordan finally figures it out…

Tyler Breeze made his entrance. His opponent was already in the ring.

4. Tyler Breeze vs. Tye Dillinger. A segment of the crowd chanted “10” for Dillinger’s “perfect 10” schtick around the live events, while another portion chanted “Breeze is gorgeous.” Dillinger took control of Breeze out of the gate and shoved his boot all over Breeze’s face in the corner. Dillinger worked Breeze over methodically with stomps and a body slam, but the crowd was eating him up.

Dillinger looked for a back-body drop, but Breeze floated over and used a fallout reverse DDT. Breeze used his headscissor takeover into a mount before raining shots down on Dillinger. Moments later, Breeze hit the Beauty Shot and scored the pinfall.

Tyler Breeze beat Tye Dillinger in about 2:50.

The main event was hyped up next… [C]

In the ladies locker room, Emma and Dana Brooke had their eyes all over Sasha Banks’s NXT Women’s Championship. They warned her that they’re going to be coming for her. Sasha said that she’s the boss of NXT and she’ll take them both on. Brooke said that sounds like a challenge. Emma set up a tag match and the heels laughed that Sasha doesn’t have any friends because she’s turned on them all. Sasha said she’d find someone.

Back in the arena, the main event competitors made their entrances.

5. Finn Bálor and Samoa Joe vs. NXT Champion Kevin Owens and Rhyno. Joe and Rhyno opened up with Joe teeing off with jabs. Rhyno came right back after him but Joe hit his twisting enzugiri and made the tag to Bálor. Rhine managed to back Bálor into the corner where Owens tagged in. Bálor briefly got the better of Owens, but he was unable to lift Owens for a suplex and Owens took control with a hard whip into the corner.

Owens dumped Bálor to ringside going into the final commercial break. [C] Back from break, Owens was in firm control of Bálor before tagging out to Rhyno. Rhine used a stalling suplex with some squats for good measure. A short time later, Owens hit the 5 Moves of Doom, but Bálor fought out of the AA and hit a jumping double-stomp leading to a double tag.

Joe got the better of Rhyno with an atomic drop, boot, and senton, but walked right into a hard spinebuster Owens tagged in, but Joe planted him with the STJoe. My feed skipped and when it resumed, Rhyno accidentally hit Owens with a Gore. Bálor followed up with the shotgun dropkick on Rhyno which sent him crashing into Owens in the corner. Bálor hit a hesitation dropkick before he went up top and came down with the Coup de Grace on Owens for the win.

Bálor and Joe defeated Owens and Rhyno in about 8:00.

Post-match, the commentators debated whether or not this would be the outcome in Japan on Saturday for the NX Title. Replays aired before Joe raised Balor’s arm in the ring and the commentators gave one final plug to the Beast in the East special.

Kevin Owens Pinned For First Time In NXT, Owens/Balor Update & More

On Wednesday’s edition of NXT on the WWE Network, which was ultimately the “go-home” show for Saturday’s WWE “Beast In The East” live special with Kevin Owens vs. Finn Balor for the NXT Championship, Owens was pinned for the first time on NXT television.

The main event last night featured Owens and Rhyno teaming up to take on the duo of Finn Balor and Samoa Joe. The finish saw Balor, who challenges for the title this weekend, pin the champion.

WWE has released post-show videos featuring reactions from both Balor and Owens, which you can check out below.

WWE Changes Plans For Upcoming Shows, Team 3D vs. The Young Bucks, More

– WWE has made some changes to their advertised lineups for upcoming WWE live events. Originally scheduled to headline one wing of the tour was WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns, however now Dean Ambrose vs. Rollins in a “Street Fight” will serve as the main event of the shows. Subsequently, Reigns has been moved to different shows.

– Team 3D vs. The Young Bucks in a tag-team bout has been officially added to Tommy Dreamer’s next “House Of Hardcore” event in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Also announced recently is Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian vs. Matt Taven and Michael Bennett. Scheduled to appear at the show in her final appearance is former TNA Knockout Traci Brooks. Additionally, Johnny Mundo, Rhyno, Eddie Kingston, Chris Hero and Tony Nese are also advertised to appear.


NEW PHOTO GALLERY: CONTROVERSIAL Pics Of RONDA ROUSEY In SKIMPY Outfits


(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Unseen Footage Of HHH’s Special WM31 Entrance (Video), JR/Torrie Wilson, NXT

– Former WWE Diva Torrie Wilson is Jim Ross’ guest on this week’s edition of the “Ross Report” podcast, which is available now. You can download the show at PodcastOne.com.

– The following matches are confirmed for tonight’s edition of NXT on the WWE Network:

– Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady vs. Jason Jordan and Sylvester Lefort

– Dana Brooke vs. Cassie

– The Hype Bros (Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley) vs. Sawyer Fulton and Angelo Dawkins

– Finn Balor vs. Rhyno

– Plus, Hideo Itami will address his injury

– WWE posted the following “unseen footage” of Triple H’s special “Terminator: Genisys” ring entrance at WrestleMania 31 earlier this year.

https://youtu.be/uxCykS6JHBk

WWE About To Sign Several More “Samoa Joe Types” To NXT?

WWE is currently discussing the possibility of bringing in additional part-time talent, such as Samoa Joe and Rhyno, for their NXT brand.

Internally, WWE is looking at their plans for 2016 lately and the feeling is most of their current top stars in NXT, such as Finn Balor, Sami Zayn, Hideo Itami, Tyler Breeze, Sasha Banks, Charlotte and Becky Lynch, by all rights should be on the main roster by then, meaning they will need to replace those top spots on NXT shows.

WWE is looking to secure enough high-profile independent talent to fill what is expected to be several open top spots to carry a full NXT card, which will be tough to do if the aforementioned talent move up to the main roster and the current trainees aren’t ready to move up within the developmental system.

According to one source, this is the reason that WWE has been negotiating with Evolve about a “feeder system” or a “farm league” system that would include merchandise deals and other business agreements that would help them avoid the situation they recently found themselves in with Kevin Owens’ recent Ring Of Honor merchandise.

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Steve Austin Interviews Power-lifting Champion, NXT Fallout Videos, New WWE TV Deal

– WWE Hall Of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin interviewed the World Powerlifting Champion CT Fletcher for the latest edition of his “Steve Austin Show” podcast. You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.

– On this week’s edition of NXT Fallout, which you can watch below, Finn Balor is helped to the back after being attacked by Rhyno, and Rhyno explains why he attacked Balor.

– WWE issued the following press release to announce their new television deal in Italy.

WWE (NYSE:WWE) and Sky Italia have extended their partnership for five more years to exclusively broadcast WWE’s flagship programming, WWE Raw®, SmackDown®, NXT®, WWE Experience and WWE Main Event® on Sky Sports through 2020.

In addition, Cielo, Sky Italia’s free-to-air channel which is available in more than 24 million homes, will air one-hour versions of WWE Raw and SmackDown weekly on Sundays at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. CEST, respectively, and all 12 WWE live, pay-per-view specials, including WrestleMania and SummerSlam, will continue to be available on Sky Prima Fila.

“We are thrilled to renew our long-term relationship with WWE, which dates back to 2003, and we are glad that, once again, WWE has recognized the Sky platform as a key driver for maximizing exposure of its brand,” said Matteo Mammi, Rights, Programming and Production Director, Sky Italia. “We look forward to working together and continuing to serve WWE fans in Italy.”

“We are proud of our more than 10-year relationship in Italy with Sky, Europe’s leading media company and largest pay-TV broadcaster,” said Gerrit Meier, Executive Vice President, International, WWE. “This partnership is a testament to the passion Italian fans of all ages have for WWE’s action-packed, family-friendly programming and the global reach of the brand.”

Will Samoa Joe Still Be Allowed To Work ROH TV?, More On ROH’s Airings

– Ring Of Honor TV will not only air as the lead-in to TNA Impact Wrestling each Wednesday night on Destination America, but a replay will also air immediately following Impact.

The episodes will premiere on Saturdays on Sinclair affiliates prior to the Wednesday broadcast/replay on Destination America.

– With ROH now airing on cable television, there’s already speculation that WWE will nix his appearances in the promotion. The same rule would likely apply to Rhyno and other talents if they handle the Joe situation that way. Joe is currently booked to appear on the 6/20 edition of ROH TV, teaming with AJ Styles to take on Kazarian and Daniels, however that could change due to ROH’s new deal with Destination America.

(Credit: F4WOnline.com)

Triple H To Host NXT Conference Call, NXT Takeover: Unstoppable News & Notes, More

– Triple H will be hosting a conference call on Tuesday morning to promote Wednesday’s NXT Takeover: Unstoppable live special on the WWE Network.

– Speaking of Wednesday’s “Unstoppable” special, the pre-show is scheduled to begin on the WWE Network at 7:30pm EST. The hosts of the pre-show will be Renee Young, Corey Graves and Byron Saxton. There is no post-show scheduled at this point.

– Tommy Dreamer announced that The Young Bucks and Rhyno will be appearing on his next “House Of Hardcore” event, which is scheduled for Saturday, July 18th in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Solomon Crowe Gets New Theme, New NXT Talent Works Matches, SmackDown Fallout

– Solomon Crowe debuted new theme music at the NXT television tapings on Thursday night at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. Fans will get to hear the new theme when his match with Baron Corbin airs on the May 13th edition of NXT TV.

– Speaking of last night’s NXT tapings, WWE had the new Performance Center female recruits work matches against the NXT Divas during the show. If the matches make it to air, they will be included on shows that air in May. The new male recruits from the Performance Center worked as security guards in an angle during the taping involving Rhyno.

– Seth Rollins and Kane are featured in this week’s edition of SmackDown Fallout, which you can check out below.

NXT Preview For Tonight, Brie Bella Spoiler Tease?, Seth Rollins Heads To Europe

– Brie Bella has been hinting on social media that she will be winning the Divas Battle Royal on RAW next Monday and will be challenging her sister, Nikki Bella, for the WWE Divas Championship.

– Seth Rollins, who headed out for WWE’s tour of Europe on Tuesday, tweeted the following:

– The following matches were taped on February 18th in Winter Park, Florida for tonight’s edition of NXT on the WWE Network:

– Solomon Crowe vs. CJ Parker

– Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady vs. Shoot Nation (Sawyer Fulton and Angelo Dawkins)

– Blue Pants vs. Dana Brooke

– Sami Zayn vs. Rhyno

Rhyno Talks About Working In NXT, His WWE Departure In 2005 & More

NXT star Rhyno recently spoke with the Journey Of A Frontman website to promote his current run in the WWE developmental system. Below are highlights from the interview.

On his recent appearance at WWE NXT: “Yeah, it really came out of nowhere. I was just finishing up a loop one day and they’re like, “Hey, you wanna come down to NXT?” I’m like, “Yeah.” That’s all I’ve heard about, NXT this and NXT that from the fans. Really, if you’re gonna make a splash, you want to do it where everybody’s talking about.”

On who in NXT has his attention right now: “Gosh, who doesn’t? From top to bottom, you see it in their eyes and you see it when they go out there. They’re hungry. You see it everyday when they get up. I don’t just tune into the program, I see who’s working the hardest in that Performance Center. I see and I listen and I hear and I ask questions. I have been in wrestling for twenty years, I have a lot of friends and I have eyes and ears in all different places. Not that I’m spying, but I’m asking questions and I’m doing my research. There’s a lot going on.”

On being released from WWE in 2005, showing up on RAW and One Night Stand, then going to TNA: “Well I was released from WWE for a little incident, but it’s not a secret. It involved alcohol and I was going through a difficult time in my life. Alcohol wasn’t an issue, I just happened to be drinking. And I was very irresponsible. As a man, you have to take responsibility for your actions. Every action. There was no physicality, I just threw a flower pot. I laugh at it now and my ex-wife laughs at it now. But like I said, you have to be a man and stand up. No matter what was said or done, there is no excuse for the behavior. And when you behave, you have to be responsible. I understand what I had to do, I had to work hard and work towards the indies. We already had the One Night Stand booked and I fulfilled my commitment with that. They wanted me to honor that commitment and we did good business. We professionally parted ways. They were good on their part and did everything as far as they were contractually obligated to, they did not try to mess around or anything. It was just one of those things where it was a very good learning experience. But it was a good situation for me. I made it a good situation by learning from the mistake and that mistake becomes an error, then I move forward in my career. I put my nose to the grindstone and worked to keep my career going. I moved forward, there’s no dispute about it. I began to create some good memories like working with “The Monster” Abyss, he’s a great talent. I worked on the independents and developed a great relationship with the fans. I met and interacted with them, one on one, on a smaller intimate level. You have that time and you have that ability. When you’re doing the bigger venues, it’s harder because there’s so many more fans and it can get chaotic.”

On what NXT means to him now that he’s had the experience: “At this moment in my life, the fans of NXT and their passion, I see that same emotion and that same passion and that same drive from all the fans that I did fifteen years ago. I see that same passion and drive from the performers that I did fifteen years ago. They had something to prove fifteen years ago in the company that I worked for, we all know the company that I’m talking about, don’t even have to say it. They were rejected, look at each and every single talent, they had something to prove. Stone Cold Steve Austin was fired from WCW, they said he’d never make it and that he’d never be anything better than a midcarder. Where did he go for six months to prove his worth? He had something to prove because he was rejected and he proved it in under six months. Then he went to WWE and within six, seven months, he started taking off. The rest is history. Kevin Owens has something to prove. Sami Zayn has something to prove. The list goes on and on. Finn Balor. The list goes on and on. It’s the same stuff that happened then, people crave that same passion. There’s a lot of great wrestling out there and there’s a lot of great things happening in wrestling, just with a little different formula. And that brings a person alive. That brings me alive. I feel alive all the time and I feel great, but this makes me feel really young again. The fans and their passion makes me feel really young again. You’ve just gotta feel it. Whether you’re in the crowd or in that ring, it brings you alive.”

Check out the complete interview at JourneyOfAFrontman.com.

Reason Behind WWE Bringing Veterans Back In NXT, Update On Ticket Sales For WrestleMania 31

– Regarding WWE bringing in veterans like Rhyno and Brian Kendrick to NXT, the idea behind it is that new developmental talents will improve faster if they work with more experienced talent. This is a similar move to that made by Jim Ross, who had a similar philosophy when he was working with Ohio Valley Wrestling, WWE”s developmental territory at the time. WWE is rumored to be bringing in more past veterans to work with the young guys in NXT.

– Ticket sales for WrestleMania 31 have reportedly picked up since the WWE World Heavyweight Championship between Brock Lesnar and Rmoan Reigns was officially announced after the WWE Fastlane pay-per-view. Comped tickets are said to be down a considerable amount compared to 2014 and the overall pace of ticket sales for the show as a whole are said to be slightly ahead of where WrestleMania XXX was at this time.

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

SmackDown Viewership Rises, Wyatt/Undertaker, Brian Kendrick Added To NXT Roster

– The Thursday, February 26th edition of WWE SmackDown averaged 2.624 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. By comparison, last week’s show scored 2.403 million viewers. Thursday’s show marks the highest rated edition of SmackDown for this month.

– WWE has added Brian Kendrick to the official NXT roster page, the same way they did with Rhyno following his NXT debut last week. As things stand now, there has been no word of either Kendrick or Rhyno signing a new deal with WWE.

– The following is Bray Wyatt’s promo regarding The Undertaker from this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown.

The Miz Says He’s A Better Actor Than The Rock, Brad Maddox Offered A New GM Position

– Both Rhyno and Solomon Crowe have been added to the NXT roster section on WWE.com following their respective debuts last night.

– The Miz ran into TMZ while out in Hollywood Wednesday night, who said he’s the greatest actor in wrestling history, even better than The Rock.

“The Rock has done wonders with generating fans that say, “You know what? We can actually do what we do and better than everybody. He’s number one. But am I a better actor than The Rock? Ab… I believe I am.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpJhfkwE7eg

– The official Twitter account of Wendy’s sent this message to Brad Maddox, who has not appeared on WWE television since being relieved of Raw General Manager duties in May 2014.

Rhyno Makes NXT Debut, William Regal Discusses His Return To WWE

As seen on tonight’s edition of NXT on the WWE Network, former WWE Superstar Rhyno made his return to the company, squashing Elias Samson in a singles match. Rhyno also worked a backstage segment with Finn Balor and taped some work for future episodes of NXT.

It’s also worth pointing out that WWE’s official Twitter account linked to Rhyno’s Twitter account and while he hasn’t posted a new tweet since December of 2014, the most recent tweet on his page is a TNA Impact Wrestling logo.

In the above video, NXT General Manager William Regal discusses Rhyno’s NXT debut.