WWE Hall Of Famer Scott Hall did not appear at the Big Time Wrestling convention this weekend in Newark, California as scheduled. Hall was supposed to attend the convention and then manage his son Cody Hall at the Big Time Wrestling event, which was also scheduled to feature Ric Flair, The Godfather, Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian and others.
Hall reportedly sent a text to promoter Kirk White and informed him that he was in a dark place and that he refused to get out of bed for Cody or Diamond Dallas Page, both of whom tried to get him to fulfill his bvooking committment.
Hall ended up taking to Twitter, tweeting out the following comments regarding the situation:
Medical problems will prevent me from appearing in Newark, CA tommorow . I apologize to all the fans. Thank you
The following are highlights of a Q&A update from the official website of Vince Russo:
The only reason you did anything good in WWE was because Vince McMahon was your filter. “A myth. While all the shows were bounced off Vince for final approval, Vince never changed what Ed and I wrote. He just “tweaked” some things within the segment. If Vince is “the filter”, than how do you explain where ratings are today, compared to when Ed and I were writing the show? And—the ratings have been in the 3-range since 2002.”
Could you respond to this Bret Hart quote from 2009 (courtesy of Ministry of Slam radio show): “I think they should take Vince Russo and hang him by the neck somewhere in the back of the parking lot.” “Had many conversations with Bret at WCW, never said anything like this to me. If Bret did indeed say it—than I don’t understand it. I think the world of Bret Hart. Keep in mind, many things have been said about me behind my back—never to my face—so it’s hard for me to really understand the reasoning behind it.”
Why book a legitimately injured Bret Hart in a hardcore match with Terry Funk (this is right after Bret was kicked in the head by Goldberg)? “I would never book anybody in a match that was hurt—if I was aware of it. Can’t remember back that far, but I’m sure Breat hadn’t spoke up about his injury yet.”
What were your original plans with Bret Hart coming into WCW? “Put him high on the pedastal that he deserved to be on.”
Why did you book yourself to win the WCW World Championship? “Just another week of TV. Was never a big deal to me, especially knowing I was going to relinquish it 3 days later.”
Ric Flair doesn’t have kind words for you either when talking about his time working with you in WCW. What was your experience working with The Nature Boy? “I loved every second of it. Again, while we worked together Ric never said ANYTHING negative about anything. It was HIS IDEA for me to shave his head. I gave his son, David, the most exposure he ever had in his career. We put his younger son Reed on TV. What more did Ric want? Again—nothing was ever said to me to my face by Ric—even when we worked together later at TNA.”
What on earth happened to the Samoe Joe kidnapping angle!? “Tell me and we’ll both know. Unfortunately for my critics–not my idea. I was just as perplexed as you. Still am.”
Mike Johnson and Dave Scherer of PWInsider.com do not like you, it appears? Why? “Maybe it’s because I had an interview set up with Mike after I left TNA. Then prior to the interview I had a conversation with Mike where he already seemed to know all the answers to the questions before even speaking to me. I told Mike that if he already had the answers—then there was no need in him interviewing me. So I canceled the interview. Dave? Dave is just another guy who writes whatever he wants to write about me without ever confronting me. That’s the power of the computer age . . . i guess.”
The “Attitude Era” was a blatant ripoff of ECW! “Yeah, I hear that alot. I knew of ECW, and had maybe seen a handful of shows. No offense, but what they were doing at the time had no impact on me whatsover during the birth of the “Attitude Era”. Here’s a great story of how the “attitude Era” actually started. It was Vince’s birthday—I had to get him something. What do you buy a millionaire? So, I bought him a T-Shirt that said, “Keep your ATTITUDE to yourself—I have enough of my own.” That was literally weeks before the “Attitude Era” was born.”
Do you RESPECT the dirt sheets as a whole? Why or why not? “Very few members. Why? It’s real simple. out of all the BS said about me over the past 20 years, I can count maybe 1, or 2 instances where I was actually “contacted” for a response. They wrote whatever they wanted to write because there was no accountability. Just like they said a few weeks ago that I was under contract with TNA. Even with all the rumors concerning my status of late—NOBODY—has picked up the phone to ask ME. How can you respect that?”
Do you read the dirt sheets? “Honestly? When I’m working on my computer, and I just need to step away from what I’m writing–I’ll pop on. You have to understand, since so many mistruths have been wriiten about me, it’s hard for me to really look at those sites with any legitimacy. You just never know what’s true, and what’s inaccurate.”
What was the “real” Vince McMahon like? “WOW—not too many people know. When you get past all the layers, and there’s a level of trust, you see a Vince that very few see. A guy that never grew up, and was still a kid at heart in many aspects. That wasn’t a good thing—it was a great thing. I loved those times I got to spend with the unguarded Vince. I actually miss them.”
Do you ever regret leaving WWE for WCW? “Tough question. I have to go back to WHY I left. I was literally on the verge of a nervous breakdown at that point. Vince had added “Smackdown” without even talking to Ed and I about it, and the pressure, stress and work load just became to much to handle. You have to remember there weren’t 20 people writing TV back then—there was TWO—Ed Ferrara and myself. It was just too much.”
Were you ever physically threatened by any wrestlers? “Yes. Shawn threatened me once by saying, “I know I can take you”, which was his “funny” way of threatening me, and Goldberg made me feel uneasy once. That’s about it, and that’s ridiculous on all our parts because at the end of the day it’s just business—nothing is personal.”
Check out more of Russo’s Q&A at PyroAndBallyhoo.com.
– UFC will be running their UFC 176 pay-per-view on August 2nd at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California with a show headlined by Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes for the UFC Featherweight Championship. While the event will take place in the same venue two weeks before WWE SummerSlam, it won’t hurt WWE business because SummerSlam is already sold out.
– WWE Diva Summer Rae cut her hair off for the movie she’s filming right now with The Miz. Her new haircut is described as looking similar to Charlotte, the NXT Diva who is the daughter of Ric Flair, only shorter.
– There will be no WWE SmackDown post-show on the WWE Network tonight. There will, however, be a SmackDown pre-show before this week’s episode begins.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair is scheduled to appear at a wrestling convention at the Newark Memorial High School in Newark, California on May 17th. Also scheduled to appear are Scott and Cody Hall, Chris Masters, Ezekiel Jackson, Molly Holly, Daniels and Kazarian.
– For statistic junkies out there, Daniel Bryan and Kane have had nine singles matches against each other on television over the past two years. Of those nine, Bryan has won seven, with two of those wins coming by way of disqualification. One of his losses was also by disqualification. Bryan has won their last six meetings, as Kane’s last victory over the current WWE World Heavyweight Champion came back in June of 2012.
– John Cena was kept off Monday’s episode of RAW, but instead appeared on Main Event the following night on the WWE Network. This was done because WWE’s top priority right now is to hit 1 million subscribers for the Network by the end of the year. Cena on Main Event raises the show’s profile and WWE is hoping that will encourage new subscribers.
– There continues to be a lot of talk about a second season of Legends House on the WWE Network. Season 2 would feature a new cast of stars. Around the time of WrestleMania, Hulk Hogan was discussed as the top star that would appear on he show. More recently, Ric Flair is also being considered – and there’s nothing preventing both legends from appearing.
WWE officials have been very satisfied with the viewership for Legends House, which has consistently ranked as one of the most-watched shows on the WWE Network since it premiered. There’s also talk of moving the show from Palm Springs, California to somewhere in Florida.
As previously reported, WWE has been discussing the possibility of giving Ric Flair a regular role on television. One of the reasons the talk has started up is because the quarter hour that Flair was part of popped the biggest rating on the show, as well as the fact that the show as a whole drew a big number on a week where nobody was expecting a big number.
As noted previously, there is talk that Flair needs to get some personal issues situated before he could potentially return on a regular basis.
According to one source, WWE has an offer on the table for Ric Flair to come back and appear on WWE television on a more frequent basis, but that Flair needs to “dot his I’s, cross his T’s and get his house in order.”
While it’s not exactly clear what that refers to, most assume it means Flair needs to tie up some loose ends in his personal life before becoming a regular on WWE programming again.
It’s being said that if Flair does end up coming back on a regular basis, it’s likely that he’ll be involved with guys like Triple H and Randy Orton going forward.
There has been some speculation that WWE Hall Of Famer “Nature Boy” Ric Flair may be appearing at Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view, likely to continue the angle from Monday’s RAW between The Shield and Evolution.
Flair is scheduled to appear at a Frank & Son Collectibles show in California on Saturday, and according to his itinerary, will then be flying straight back to his home in Atlanta, with no scheduled stop in New Jersey for Extreme Rules on Sunday.
WWE could always schedule Flair at the last minute but as of last word, he is not officially scheduled to appear at the event.
Former WWE NXT wrestler Kenneth Cameron (real name Thomas Latimer) made his debut on Thursday night’s edition of TNA Impact Wrestling. Cameron, who goes by the name Bram in TNA, debuted in a backstage segment on the show with Magnus.
Bram is the son-in-law of WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair, as he is married to Flair’s daughter, WWE NXT Diva Charlotte. His release from WWE came on November 30, 2012 after he was charged with battery of a law enforcement officer and disorderly intoxication.
You can check out a video of Bram’s TNA debut above.
– Ric Flair and Rob Van Dam have been added to the announced lineup for the upcoming NXT Takeover live special, which airs later this month on the WWE Network.
– The WrestleMania XXX DVD is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, May 13th.
– The New York Post website ran an article on the new Iron Sheik documentary, which features interviews with such names as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Mick Foley Jim Ross and actor Seth Green. You can check that out at NYPost.com.
The latest WWE sit-down interview has been released on YouTube and features Renee Young talking to Triple H.
Young asks HHH about Kane’s recent actions, Ric Flair endorsing The Shield on RAW on Monday and Evolution’s upcoming battle at Extreme Rules this Sunday.
– Episode four of Roddy Piper’s new “Piper’s Pit” podcast is now online. The official description for the show reads as follows:
PP-Ep4 – Joe V & The Grappler
“Rowdy Roddy Piper welcomes Joe V from Portland TV morning show “Good Day Oregon” and his buddy, The Grappler aka Len Denton. More wrestling stories and info on the book about The Grappler’s life and career as written by Joe V.”
– Triple H confirmed via his official Twitter account that WWE Hall Of Famer and former Evolution member Ric Flair will return on tonight’s edition of WWE RAW. HHH tweeted the following on Monday afternoon:
The WWE Extreme Rules “go-home” edition of WWE RAW takes place tonight in St. Louis, Missouri. Advertised for tonight’s show, among other things, is the return of Daniel Bryan.
Also scheduled for tonight’s show is the final round of the WWE Intercontinental Championship contender tournament between Rob Van Dam and Bad News Barrett. The winner will go on to face Big E. for the title at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view this Sunday night.
A WWE Tag-Team Championship match between The Usos and the team of Ryback and Curtis Axel will take place tonight on the show, as well as the return of WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair.
Finally, a segment has been advertised for tonight that features Stephanie McMahon apologizing to Daniel Bryan for the attack he suffered at the hands of Kane on last week’s show.
Make sure to join us here tonight at SESCOOPS.COM for live WWE RAW play-by-play results coverage.
Adapt or perish. That is the message Triple H has been sending to the Shield in recent weeks since reforming Evolution. The concept seems simple enough when applied to professional wrestling: either evolve your character over time or quickly become irrelevant.
However, Triple H should be heeding his own advice, because it appears Evolution is the stable that will need to adapt in the near future in order to survive. With Batista taking some time off after Extreme Rules and Triple H only working a part-time in-ring schedule, Randy Orton will be the only full-time competitor left in Evolution in a few weeks.
The ultimate goal of the entire Evolution/Shield feud is to set up a contest between Triple H and Roman Reigns sometime this fall, most likely at SummerSlam. If Batista takes a significant amount of time off and Triple H only appears to cut promos, it seems like it will be difficult to drag out the program until August.
Batista is taking some time off after Extreme Rules, leaving only one full-time competitor in Evolution.
Ric Flair is scheduled to appear on Raw this week, meaning he could also be inserted into the program for a brief period of time. I highly doubt that Flair will be around for long though, as he was not originally slated to rejoin Evolution, and considering the fact that he hasn’t shown up to a WWE event sober in months, it seems unlikely that too much importance will be placed on the Nature Boy.
Flair’s sobriety, or lack thereof, aside, he is also not someone who is going to compete in the ring, so his involvement seems rather pointless, especially when considering that Triple H is basically playing the same managerial role that Flair occupied during the stable’s original incarnation.
– John Cena and Nikki Bella will be attending the ninth annual Sunscreen Film Festival on May 1st at the Palladium Theater in St. Petersburg, Florida. The film, “Confessions of a Womanizer,” which features The Bella Twins, will be screened. Total Divas cameras are also expected at the event to film possible footage for a future episode.
– The official WWE website recently added a feature looking at the top 50 talkers in pro wrestling history. The top ten looks like this:
10. Chris Jericho
9. Hulk Hogan
8. Bobby Heenan
7. Mick Foley
6. Paul Heyman
5. Dusty Rhodes
4. Steve Austin
3. Roddy Piper
2. The Rock
1. Ric Flair
WWE Hall Of Famer “Nature Boy” Ric Flair is scheduled to make his television return to the company on next week’s edition of WWE RAW, which takes place on Monday night, April 28th from St. Louis, Missouri.
One would assume that Flair will be coming in to take part in the ongoing storyline between Evolution, which he used to be a member of, and The Shield. It should be noted, however, that the original plan called for Flair not to be involved in the angle.
The following are highlights from the latest online Q&A update from WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:
On whether or not Evolution is missing something with the absence of Ric Flair: “No and I don’t’ see Evolution being a unit long term either.”
On The Grappler and if Bill Watts would not pay guys and tell them “you’re lucky to have worked this show”: “Len was a very underrated talent. Really good actually. I wasn’t involved in Watts payoffs other than being taught the system. Bill handled all the cash. It’s a helluva story nonetheless.”
On the old territory days of pro wrestling: “Territories were great because their TV shows were only shown in their specific area and it made talents and story lines exclusive. In today’s social media age nothing on TV is really exclusive any longer. The territories won’t be returning in the era of cable TV. ”
On if he feels Sean Waltman will ever return to WWE: “Happy that you enjoy my podcast. I too am a Sean Waltman fan but I don’t see him returning to WWE as an active wrestler in the future. Great guy and tremendous, wrestling IQ.”
Check out more JR Q&A updates at his website, JRsBarBQ.com and order JR Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
STAMFORD, Conn., April 21, 2014 – WWE Network will premiere the Best of Hall of Fame, a series of four special presentations showcasing some of the most memorable inductions in WWE Hall of Fame history. The one-hour specials begin tomorrow night at 10 pm ET and will be hosted by WWE’s Josh Mathews.
Episodes (10 pm ET, Tuesday through Friday) include:
Tuesday, April 22 – Hulk Hogan inducted by Sylvester Stallone, Trish Stratus inducted by Stephanie McMahon and Bobby Heenan inducted by Jack Lanza
Wednesday, April 23 – Pete Rose inducted by Kane and Ric Flair inducted by Triple H
Thursday, April 24 – Gene Okerlund inducted by Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels inducted by Triple H
Friday, April 25 – Jerry Lawler inducted by William Shatner and Bruno Sammartino inducted by Arnold Schwarzenegger
There will be no new episode of WWE Countdown this Tuesday night on the WWE Network. Instead, WWE will premiere the “Best Of WWE Hall Of Fame” series that we reported about this past weekend.
Episode one of “Best Of WWE Hall Of Fame” will debut on Tuesday night at 10pm EST., and will look at the past WWE Hall Of Fame inductions of Hulk Hogan, Trish Stratus and Bobby Heenan.
On Wednesday night at 10pm EST., episode two of “Best Of WWE Hall Of Fame” will air, and will look back at the WWE Hall Of Fame inductions of Ric Flair and Pete Rose.
While nothing has been officially announced at this point, the plan for the main event angle heading into the upcoming WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view, which takes place on May 4th at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, is The Shield vs. Evolution. The angle was shot for this rumored match during the post-WrestleMania edition of WWE RAW this past Monday night in New Orleans.
The actual match itself is unknown at this point, although it is expected that Ric Flair will not be involved in the Evolution side of things.
The only question coming out of the angle shot at RAW, is whether or not Kane or Triple H will be the third person on the Evolution side, or if both are part of the equation and Daniel Bryan will be added to The Shield team to make it an eight-man tag-team match. Based on the RAW angle, one would assume it is the latter.
Also rumored for Extreme Rules is a rematch between John Cena and Bray Wyatt.
– At the Scott Hall and Jake Roberts WrestleMania XXX party at the House Of Blues in New Orleans on Friday night, a number of WWE Superstars and legends made appearances. Among them, as pictured below, are Big Show, Diamond Dallas Page and Ric Flair.
– The latest edition of The JBL & Cole Show, which features Hulk Hogan this week, has been added to the official YouTube channel of WWE. The official description for this week’s show reads as follows:
“In case you missed anything, this edition of The JBL & Cole Show recaps ALL of the past months events involving the controversy around the infamous Golden Boot. Kane drops by and adds a new hashtag to the mix – #DropJBL #FreeCody #DropCody. Which will you choose?”
Check out episode #71 of The JBL & Cole Show below:
The Boston Herald has a new WrestleMania XXX feature up that features comments from Ric Flair, Jim Ross and Daniel Bryan.
Ric Flair gave credit to Vince McMahon for making WrestleMania what it has become today. “WrestleMania is what it is because of Vince,” said Flair. “He’s made this the Mecca of Sports Entertainment.”
Jim Ross added, “Vince doesn’t go to ball games, golf, or any of that rich-guy stuff. He just works, and nobody works harder than him.” JR continued, “He’s always had that unrelenting work ethic, and I think a lot of it stems from his father. His father was such an iconic figure in the wrestling business. Vince idolized his father from afar, and he wanted to do anything he could to draw favor from his dad. When his dad reluctantly allowed Vince to get into the wrestling business, that overwhelming work ethic kicked in.”
Finally, Daniel Bryan noted that he would like to start a new era at WWE RAW on Monday night after WrestleMania XXX. “I’d like to go out on Monday Night Raw on the day after WrestleMania and start a new era with guys who can go out in the ring and perform,” said Bryan. “John Cena and Randy Orton are great performers, but so are Cesaro and The Shield. It’s time to give some new guys some new opportunities.”
WWE Hall Of Famer and WrestleMania XXX host Hulk Hogan appeared on The Sam Roberts Show recently to promote this Sunday’s big event in New Orleans. The official description for the appearance reads as follows:
“Sam Roberts talks to Hulk Hogan on SiriusXM’s The Sam Roberts Show, about returning to the WWE, the current generation, and his interactions with Ric Flair, Ultimate Warrior, and Bret Hart, and more.”
You can watch Hogan’s appearance on the show above.
As previously reported, several past WWE Superstars have been contacted to appear in cameo-type roles at Sunday’s WrestleMania XXX show in New Orleans. Some of the names contacted include The Rock, Steve Austin, Jim Ross, Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels and Roddy Piper.
According to one report, there’s a decent chance The Rock will appear on the show, however it’s unknown whether or not he’ll be there live or in a pre-taped interview type segment.
As far as Austin is concerned, he had noted in the past that he wouldn’t go to New Orleans unless WWE had something for him, and wouldn’t simply go to sit in the crowd at the WWE Hall Of Fame ceremony, noting that if that was the case, he’d just watch it at home on the WWE Network.
We do know, and have reported in the past, that WWE had pitched some ideas to Austin for WrestleMania XXX, and based on reports that he will be in New Orleans this weekend, many are under the impression that he accepted one of them.
Here we are the Raw before WrestleMania XXX. The go home show of all go home shows. Did Raw deliver? Check out our YES! and NO!
Brock Lesnar Finally F5’s after circling the ring 10 times. NO!
The Undertaker & Brock Lesnar The Undertaker comes out and cuts seeming the same promo he has each week he’s had a mic. Out pops Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman, eventually Brock circles the ring seemingly a dozen times, before the obligatory Paul Heyman distraction where he slips in with a chair, to distract The Undertaker enough so that Brock can “sneak” in and get his hands on The Dead Man.
I had such high hopes for this program, but I must tell you, I’ve been less than impressed. Paul Heyman cut an amazing promo a few weeks back simultaneously putting over The Streak, and why Brock Lesnar would break it (Undertakers age, wear and tear). Since then this has been a lackluster build for me. Am I really to believe that a huge man like Brock Lesnar is THAT afraid to get into the ring? I can buy into some trepidation, but this was ridiculous. NO!
Alberto Del Rio takes it to Big E. Good Match YES!
Big E. vs. Alberto Del Rio I thought Big E and Alberto Del Rio put on a great match, with several near falls and a clean Del Rio win. Of course why they constantly beat a champion, I’ll never understand. Does anyone remember when they actually had in-ring introductions for a Big E intercontinental championship match? That being said, YES!
Summer Rae vs. Natalya I liked how a clip was shown from this past weeks Total Diva’s and there was a match to tie things in. I suppose that’s the one thing we lack when it is seemingly all the Total Divas ganging up on AJ who didn’t want to be on the show. However, the conflict was clearly 100% manufactured, and if there was any ounce of reality to Total Divas before this, there isn’t now. YES!
The Authority implying that Daniel Bryan is a “Flavor Of The Day” like Fandango was last year.
The Authority’s Farewell To The “Yes!” Movement, Batista, Randy Orton Triple H and Stephanie come out and cut a brutally honest promo that blurts the lines between story line and reality. They made some interesting arguments about people wanting to be on a bandwagon, and support a cause. This brought out chants of CM Punk, Yes, and others including boring. After a Stephanie McMahon narrated promo about Triple H always beating the “Flavor of the Day” including Booker T, Chris Jericho, RVD, Kurt Angle and Jeff Hardy, Out comes BOOtista, and Orton. Pretty much the same song and dance. Objectively I think this was a good Heel Triple H Promo. But I’m exhausted from these Authority promos, and Batista and Orton coming out in succession. I’m tired from Daniel Bryan not getting anywhere in the stratosphere of equal mic time. By itself this was good, but after weeks of this, I’m over it. So I say NO!
The Usos & Los Matadores vs. The Real Americans & Ryback and Curtis Axel
This is basically the Pre-Show match with two teams combined. Less reason to get excited about the match itself. After an incredible year of tag-teams in the WWE in 2013, everything that I have enjoyed up to this point has vanished. Cody Rhodes and GoldDust were the hottest Tag Team attraction in WWE last year, they should have been in the tag-team titles mix, or facing each other, in a brother vs brother match that has been rumored for two years. The USO’s have been in line to win the Tag Titles since July of 13. What better way to elevate those titles then have them win it at WrestleMania XXX against the Outlaws? So another match, similar to what we will see on the small big stage, and I fear that The Uso’s who should retain this, may not possibly, so that a title change gets a reaction, or creates some sort of moment. NO!
Backstage Segment: The Shield & Roman Reigns vs. Kane I enjoyed this backstage segment from The Shield, they seemed like a cohesive unit here, and I hope to see more of this at WrestleMania. Could The Shield stay together for a while longer? Many thought the match would be all three members of The Shield in a triple thread at this years WrestleMania. I would dislike it to see someone like Dean Ambrose accidentally or deliberately cause a loss for the team. I’d like to see The Shield show their dominance over the last two years. YES!
View Page 2 to find out more YES and NO from WWE RAW