– WWE’s decision to hold a tournament to determine the #1 contender to Big E’s Intercontinental Championship was made the day of the show. The original plan was for Christian to be named the #1 contender, but he has not been medically cleared to wrestle.
– WWE held a press conference at the Smith and Wollensky steakhouse in New York City on Tuesday to promote Thursday’s premiere of Legends House on the WWE Network. They also screened the first episode. Newsday.com interviewed Rowdy Roddy Piper at the event, who said:
“First thing, I’m uncomfortable. There are some things I forgot – uncomfortable. I think it’s very authentic. Like nobody there is trying to pretend ‘I’m this,’ or ‘I gotta live up to this.’ Everybody in there has been around long enough, they’re just kind of being themselves, like we are here. Nobody’s putting up any airs.”
According to sources close to the show’s production, Legends House was barely scripted (in comparison to other reality tV shows) and the talent was not instructed how to act in each scene.
– Part one of Steve Austin’s awesome interview with Paul Heyman is now available on the latest edition of the “Steve Austin Show” podcast. The official description for the show reads as follows:
SASc – EP107 – WWE’s Paul Heyman
WWE’s Paul Heyman talks CM Punk, Brock Lesnar, the greatest managers of all time, and forming the ECW. Plus, hear the stories behind the giant cell phone gimmick, the creation of Paul E. Dangerously, why Paul LOVES the Raven character, and Mick Foley promos, and who he thinks epitomized the ECW brand!
– Also new at PodcastOne.com is the latest edition of Roddy Piper’s “Piper’s Pit” podcast, which again features “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan. The official description for that show reads as follows:
PP-Ep2 – Steve Simeone and Hacksaw Jim Duggan
Hot Rod welcomes comedian Steve Simeone and Hacksaw Jim Duggan to Piper’s Pit! They’re talking Wrestlemania 30 and saying R.I.P. to the Ultimate Warrior.
Rock and roll band Rev Theory, who performed the song “Voices” live for Randy Orton’s entrance at WrestleMania XXX, posted the following photos from backstage at the show on their official Twitter account.
– WWE Hall Of Famer “Rowdy” Roddy Piper debuted his new weekly podcast, “Piper’s Pit,” which will be available every Monday. The first edition of Piper’s podcast features “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, as well as actor Richard Tyson and comedian Tony Hinchcliffe.
The official description for the show reads as follows:
PP-Ep1 – Richard Tyson and Hacksaw Jim Duggan
It’s the debut of Piper’s Pit, and Rowdy Roddy Piper has actor Richard Tyson, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, and Hacksaw Jim Duggan in the Pit! They’re talking movies, wrestling, and the WWE’s Legend’s House.
– Also new at PodcastOne.com today is the latest edition of the “Steve Austin Show,” which features Austin talking about his experience at WrestleMania XXX on Sunday, the WWE Hall Of Fame ceremony on Saturday, and also features a new interview with Lita.
The official description for the show reads as follows:
SASc – EP105 – WWE’s Lita
Wrestlemania 30’s in the books, and Steve’s got plenty of thoughts about what happened! Plus, he witnessed first-hand Lita’s (aka Amy Dumas) induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in NOLA! And she joins him to talk about that, along with her ring philosophy & training, her neck injury, life in Nicaragua, and not being a Diva!
– WWE added a new preview to their official YouTube channel of the upcoming WWE Network reality show “Legends House,” which is scheduled for an April 17th premiere. You can check out the new preview video below.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Sgt. Slaughter posted the following photo from the official WrestleMania XXX after party on his Twitter account. The photo features (in order): Bret Hart, Sgt. Slaughter, Tim White, Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff.
– WWE Hall Of Famer “Rowdy” Roddy Piper will be debuting a new weekly podcast at PodcastOne.com. The news was revealed during a recent “Talk Is Jericho” podcast, where Chris Jericho’s weekly show featured a commercial from Piper himself promoting a show called “Piper’s Pit” that will be released every Monday.
– As previously reported, CM Punk was spotted at the “Against Me!” concert at the Durty Nellie in Palatine, Illinois on Friday night. Below is a photo of Punk on stage during the show.
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.
– Summer Rae’s new entrance theme “Rush of Power” is now available on iTunes.
– E! sent out a press release announcing that Sunday’s episode of Total Divas was the most-watched episode of the entire series, drawing 1.55 million viewers. Total Divas is second most successful series currently on E! behind Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
– This week’s RAW Fallout video features WWE Hall of Famer “Rowdy” Roddy Piper endorsing Big Show.
The following are highlights of a new Chad Dukes interview with “Rowdy” Roddy Piper:
On sending one of the “zombies” in his film to the hospital: “This poor kid he came in to the kitchen part of the jail, he had a bandage around his head like he was a zombie and I thought, “Okay,” and I saw a kitchen pot, and I threw him onto the table and I was hitting him in the head. But I mean it was going CLANG, but I thought I was hitting the steel of the sink part, but I wasn’t, I was hitting his head! Poor kid, and that gauze, white gauze, blood started coming out and I go, “that’s really good, these guys are good. Somehow they got that blood there.” “Cut! Can somebody call an ambulance!” I’ll just go back to my trailer now.”
“He was a really sweet kid, I wouldn’t of hurt nobody like that I thought I was hitting the sink.”
On wanting to be at WrestleMania XXX: “I wrote a quick note to the WWE saying if you don’t give the fans, what they deserve, the two guys that started it, just let them walk out, you know as more to thank them. I’m not there to have people cheer for me, I’ve had my share of that and I’m very grateful. But to have Hogan in the ring and not hit the bagpipes, the fans would never forget it. Not to give them that, to give them that to remember for the rest of their lives as would we, being Hogan and myself, who I’ve not talked to, I think would be a mistake. This is 30 years, we started with a thing called War to Settle The Score. The promoter put his house and everything up on a tag team match called WrestleMania, no number. I was definitely the dark horse in the race. 30 years later I think that we should say hello, but I don’t think the WWE’s with me, I don’t know what they wanna do. But it’ll tell me, if I don’t come out it’ll probably be the last time.”
On Drew McIntyre: “I think that the organization thinks that I will breed rebel into these kids, and that’s not true. It’s just what I had to do to survive for my family. That’s the only reason, I can’t figure out another one. The kid Drew himself went to them, I went to them, they ended up taking the kilt off of him and making him some kind of a, I’m not sure what he is. He’s a great kid though.”
On Mr. T and WrestleMania I: “I was raised by the last of the Gorgeous George era. You don’t let somebody come from some other business, walk in your business, make a fool of ya and go back into his business and laugh at ya. So if you watch Wrestlemania the very first one , I was the general and here was the rule: don’t let Mr. T throw a punch, keep it strictly amateur with him. You watch that match from beginning to end, I crossfaced him and held him till he ran out of breath and let him tag Hogan. He doesn’t throw one punch and we had complete control over him. That’s why it worked.”
The following are highlights of a new Baltimore Sun interview with Roddy Piper:
On if he’ll be involved with WrestleMania weekend: “I’m going to be there. You know, that’s a good question. I have a lot of thoughts about it. I don’t know any other entertainment sport where 30 years later you could give the fans the opportunity to see the two guys who started it at the War to Settle The Score. Personally, I think that if you don’t hit the bagpipes, there’s 30 years and I don’t know how many millions of fans that you’re cheating of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It’s not about money, it’s not about hearing your name get chanted either. It’s about saying thank you I think. You want to give the fans what they deserve and you want to do it with class. So am I going to be part of it? I don’t know. I don’t know. I wouldn’t mind inducting T into the Hall of Fame, I guarantee you would never forget that induction. I doubt they’ll do that one but they may. I don’t know what they’re going to do. Tell me when I get there.”
On Mr. T’s WWE Hall Of Fame induction: “I’m glad he’s being inducted into the Celebrity wing. At the time, at the first Wrestlemania, Mr. T was probably the most famous television celebrity in the world. So I think the guy deserves to be inducted into the Celebrity Hall of Fame. Personally, what I’ve got with him or against him I think it’s time to grow up. Just don’t mention my name. Leave me out of your speech, T.”
On the CM Punk situation: “I don’t know the reasons. I’m glad you asked that question because I have no bias. I don’t know why, and I don’t know what was going on, but I know this. CM Punk is a very talented man, and I’m a big fan of his. He’s got a lot of great talent to share with the fans all over the world for a number of years. When you have one regime and something is going wrong, you have no other choice but to fall back and catch your breath and see where am I standing and where are they standing and where are we going. Back in the day, when you’re going 330 days a year, it’s hard to have that much sense. I think that for one, CM Punk has a whole lot more great stuff to come out and I believe that the WWE will want that. They’ve put a lot of money into him, and they need to get over whatever their problem is. Sometimes going It seems like between WWE Network and Wrestlemania, you really want to get back out there with them, but is there some pushback from them? What’s going on there?”
The following are highlights of a new interview with Dean Ambrose:
On having big ambition when first coming to WWE: “On the real, from the day we started this and had this opportunity, it was ‘O.K., screw everybody else in the world. We’re going to take over this company and this business for the next 10 years, whatever it is. We’ll fight whatever battles we need to fight together and we’ll stick together and have each other’s backs in circumstances. It was an all-for-one, one-for-all mentality. And we’ve done that and it’s been successful. I think you see that and it comes off as very real, cause it is real.”
“Does that mean we have to be finishing each other’s sentences and smiling and happy, high fiving all the time? No. Did Guns N’ Roses like each other every night? No. Did the Kinks like each other? No. Ray Davies and his brother hated each other, but onstage, magic.”
“As long as the three of us can get to the ring together, that magic that happens when all three of us are together is going to happen, whether we were arguing about who gets to sit in the front seat earlier in the night. By the time we get out in front of the audience, that magic’s going to happen.”
On his love of the wrestling business: “My favorite part of the job now is – I think it’s the same for everybody – from the moment you walk through the curtain to the moment you walk back behind the curtain. It’s being in front of the audience and letting it all hang out, whether you’re on TV or not, or a live event or pay-per-view. Any time the red light of the camera’s on. It’s a great escape. That we have the opportunity to do something that’s so much fun for a living is a real blessing.”
“No matter how bad your day’s going, whether your flight’s delayed or whether you got stuck in traffic or whether you’re hurt, sore, tired, whatever it is – your puppy died – whatever’s going bad, once you’re out there in front of the crowd, feeling the energy and having fun letting it all hang out – that’s the payoff to me.”
“The work for me is traveling, getting in and out of the buildings and stuff like that. The pay is getting the chance to wrestle in front of the entire world on TV, in front of big crowds, just being in front of the audience getting to do what you love to do. Just performing. I love performing whether it’s a live event or a pay-per-view or whatever it is; any time that red light of the camera is on. That’s the fun part for me.”
On Old School RAW, Roddy Piper and Jake Roberts: “He [Piper] was from two eras before me, so he’s a guy you never think you’re never going to get a chance to work with. When I found out I was going to get the opportunity to do that, it was like ‘whoa.’ When you’re on the ride and you’re going so fast, it’s hard to stop and smell the roses. That was one of the things where you had to go ‘I’m on Piper’s Pit right now, that’s crazy. The real Piper’s Pit right here in front of me. That’s crazy.’ It’s hard to – I keep saying it – but it’s another one of those things that’s hard to wrap your brain around.”
“Seeing his thought process before he [Piper] does something – it’s much different today because back when he did it was all him and it was wild west and he just did and said whatever he wanted – so it’s a little bit different today; watching him work, watching him go through his process was really cool to me and really interesting. Working with him beforehand, just kind of sharing some back and forth in preparation for it was really cool.”
“Going out there on live TV with a mic against Rowdy Piper is like going out there and hitting against the best pitcher in baseball or going out there and fighting Mike Tyson on TV. It’s like having a loaded gun with Rowdy Piper with a mic in his hand. You’re out there against the absolute best with a mic in his hand. That’s a rush.”
“I didn’t know until very late about the Jake the Snake deal. That was cool too, another icing on the cake, bucket list thing. Everybody was giving me crap because I was laughing when the snake was on me. The reason I was smiling is because I could not stop laughing. It happened so quickly. The whole thing was like ‘O.K. Jake the Snake’s here. What? Of course he is.’ And, the whole thing was like some wacky; trippy I drank too much cough medicine reality.”
– The latest edition of WWE’s “30 Years Of WrestleMania” podcast, which features Renee Young interviewing “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, is now available. You can check that out at PodcastOne.com.
– The latest edition of the “Steve Austin Show” podcast, which features Austin fielding questions sent in by the fans, is also available. You can check that one out as well at PodcastOne.com.
– It’s being said that Triple H’s line about “not taking your ball and going home” directed at Daniel Bryan at RAW on Monday night was a shot at CM Punk. Obviously the fans in San Antonio picked up on that fact, as it sparked a “CM Punk” chant in the building.
WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart was the latest guest on WWE’s “30 Years of WrestleMania” podcast over at PodcastOne.com. Here are some highlights of what the Hitman said about:
Original plans for WrestleMania 2:“I was initially told quite excitedly, that I would be wrestling Ricky Steamboat, which was a dream for me, that would have been a big moment for me. Then they changed it about a month before WrestleMania, you are going to be in the battle royal with the football players, and I remember going, uch, that’s not going to be anywhere near the same thing. I would have a great match with Ricky Steamboat.”
His favorite WrestleMania Match: “I would probably say the Iron Man match, but it’s so long I don’t really have time to take an hour to watch it, it’s really a study that match. I would recommend that any young wrestler if they really want to watch a good match where they might learn something, it would probably be that Iron Man match. But just for time reasons, I always loved the match I had with Steve Austin, just because it delivers so much. It was a beautiful story.”
Almost Fighting Roddy Piper After Their WrestleMania 8 Match: “Well, the truth is, when we finished the match, we almost got into it in the back. Because Roddy had kicked me in the face and busted me open, and there was a little tension from that when I came back. I remember that Chief Jay Strongbow had to kinda get between us, and we had to cool our heels for an hour before we could at least thank each other for the match.”
Who He Wishes He Could Have Wrestled At WrestleMania: “I’d have like to put Hulk Hogan in the sharpshooter if he had shown up.”
Shawn Michaels & Razor Ramon’s ladder match at WrestleMania X: “I felt totally ripped off. I had told Vince the idea since the very first day that I got there that I’ve got this idea about a ladder match that we been doing up in Calgary. Everytime I sat down with Vince I would always say, I’ve got this idea for a match but you’ve got to promise me you won’t do it with anybody else. One day he did ask me to show him the watch so that he could have an idea, so I went and found Shawn, and it’s one of those matches that’s on a video but we kinda just went out there and did a dry run just to show Vince what the match was, it wasn’t the greatest ladder match, nor was it intended to be. But it was a match to show the bare bones of it to Vince. I remember when it was over I knocked on Vince’s door and said did you see it, and he said he missed it. Scott Hall, not Scott Hall but Razor Ramon saw the match, of course Shawn was in the match so he kinda got to think hey this is a great idea, and so they went to Vince without my permission and stole my idea took the match. They had a great match at WrestleMania X but it wasn’t the wrestlers that were great, it was the match that was great.”
Throughout the course of WWE history, many have had the chance to latch onto the most coveted prize in sports entertainment: the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Many former champions have been memorable. Others have been downright Miz-erable. Unfortunately, some of the most talented and entertaining superstars in the history of the company never had the chance to obtain the sport’s prized possession. Here are five of the most talented superstars to never hold the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
5. William Regal
Regal holds the dubious distinction of being the first inductee into the much-respected “Kiss My Ass Club.” If only that honor were as distinguished as holding the WWE Championship…
Despite never holding the top prize, Regal was no stranger to gold in the WWE, having been a champion on 15 different occasions although he is, in my opinion, criminally underrated.
With all of the skills necessary to have a run as the face of the company, Regal’s situation is likely similar to that of Jake “The Snake” Roberts or Scott Hall, where the wrestler’s personal problems prevented the company from being able to fully commit.
4. Owen Hart
Bret Hart called himself “The Best There Is, The Best There Was, and The Best There Ever Will Be.” One man who could always match him step-for-step in the ring, however, was his little brother Owen.
The so-called “Black Hart,” Owen was one of the best in-ring technicians of his generation, was great on the microphone, and was surprisingly hilarious when guesting as a color commentator (e.g., 1996 King of the Ring).
As we all know, his life was tragically cut short before ever reaching the pinnacle of sports entertainment, but I think most will agree he would have carried the strap well had he been granted the opportunity.
3. Roddy Piper
“The Hot Rod” revolutionized the role of the heel during the 1980s. I mean, who else had the balls to break a coconut over Jimmy Snuka’s head?
His uncouth tactics and lack of respect for those around him would be an inspiration for those who followed, including Steve Austin and CM Punk.
As one of the most recognizable superstars of his era, it seems hard to believe that Piper never got a run as champ, but he was at a disadvantage by wrestling in an era where faces almost always came out on top.
MEAN GENE OKERLUND IS THE ONLY THING STANDING BETWEEN PIPER AND HOGAN AT MAD MONSTER PARTY 2014!
MEAN GENE OKERLUND will be moderating the Q&A Panel with Hot Rod “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and Hulk Hogan. As we approach the 30th, hear from the two legends of the ring whose feud launched WRESTLEMANIA!
Mean Gene will only be moderating on Sunday, he is NOT scheduled to sign or do photo ops. We fought hard to get him to moderate this epic and historic event and he graciously worked with us to make it happen. This panel is part of our Sunday programming and DOES NOT require an additional ticket. There is LIMITED SEATING and his first come-first serve (unless you are an R.I.P. or Hulkamania Package ticket holder).
For the latest updates and announcements, please “Like” us on Facebook…
WWE Hall Of Famer “Rowdy” Roddy Piper has switched from campaigning for a match at WrestleMania XXX to now pitching ideas for a “Piper’s Pit” segment on the show. He tweeted the following recently, including an update on his podcast.
Just saw Hulks Interview on Raw last night! Hogan can host WMXXX, I'll just host the Piper's Pit with Hogan at WMXXX
– The latest edition of the “Steve Austin Show” podcast, which features Zeb Colter (aka Dutch Mantel) as a guest, is now available. You can check it out at SteveAustinShow.com.
– WWE Hall Of Famer “Rowdy” Roddy Piper continues to campaign for a match at WrestleMania XXX on his official Twitter account. Piper recently tweeted the following:
#WWE put Piper in WMXXX! He promises, the fans will love it! Or is "What's good for biz" just a line a writer made for you!
– As previously reported, the cast of the WWE Network original series “Legends House” were in Orlando, Florida filming additional footage for the show last week. While in the area, the “Legends House” crew also paid a visit to the WWE Performance Center.
– Speaking of “Legends House,” due to the extra filming the crew shot last week, WWE Hall Of Famer “Rowdy” Roddy Piper had to drop out of a feature film called “Baxter’s Dozen” that was set for filming at the same time. Piper reportedly suggested Tommy Dreamer to replace him.
– Speaking of “Baxter’s Dozen.” former WWE Superstars Diamond Dallas Page and Jake “The Snake” Roberts have roles in the film and have spent the last few days in Ventura, California working on the project.
Roddy Piper continues to push for a match against Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania XXX. Part 2 of his interview on the Steve Austin Show podcast was posted online this week and here’s what he had to say about wrestling Hogan one last time:
“This is Wrestlemania 30. I’ve pinned Hogan once and he’s never pinned me. From a fan’s perspective, and WWE Universe and Vince, it never had closure. The business that would be done.. the interviews and stuff would be coming from the heart. We could try to outraise the bar of the WWE entertainment machine in our sport, if they let us go toe to toe and don’t script us. The fans will see really how it got started and why, and then they’ll see the conclusion. They are asking can I get in shape. I am already in shape!. They are asking Hogan.. But there is a fear, I guess, of whether we can pull off the performance.”
– The New Jersey website has an interview up with WWE Hall Of Famer “Mean” Gene Okerlund where he discusses the Richard Sherman promo from Sunday, among other topics. You can check that out at NJ.com.
– The Temple News website has a new interview up with wrestling journalist Bill Apter. You can check that one out at Temple-News.com.
– Part two of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s interview with “Rowdy” Roddy Piper is available on his latest “Steve Austin Show” podcast. You can check that out at PodcastOne.com.
Hulk Hogan reached a verbal agreement with WWE this past week, according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
The latest is that Hogan will not be wrestling at WrestleMania XXX and most likely would not pass a WWE physical. That said, he will have some sort of role at the WWE Hall of Fame and WrestleMania XXX. WWE has been talking about inducting the WrestleMania 1 main event (Hogan & Mr. T vs. Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorf) into the Hall of Fame, with all 4 men being on hand for the ceremony.
As reported earlier this week, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper has been pushing for a match at WrestleMania that would pit himself & CM Punk vs. Hulk Hogan & John Cena. Piper put Punk over during Old School RAW and tried convincing Punk to get on board for the idea, but it wont be happening, for a variety of reasons.
At one point there was talk of Hulk Hogan appearing at the ‘groundbreaking’ WWE Network announcement, but the company did not want Hogan’s return to distract from the Network announcement. The decision was made to hold off on his return, which will help pop a big TV rating as WWE is negotiating their TV rights fees.
– WWE Hall Of Famer recently confirmed the report we published on Tuesday that noted WWE’s intentions on inducting the WrestleMania I main event into their Hall Of Fame this year. Piper also confirmed the rumors as to why he had issues with WWE officials recently.
You can check out more from “The Hot Rod” by checking out his official Twitter account @R_Roddy_Piper.
– The latest edition of Chris Jericho’s “Talk Is Jericho” has been added online. The seventh edition of the show features part two of Jericho’s interview with WWE Hall Of Famer Bret “The Hitman” Hart. Following a lengthy discussion in part one of their discussion about Hart’s time in the Stampede promotion in Canada, part two features Hart talking mostly about his legendary run in WWE.
You can check out the latest edition of “Talk Is Jericho” online at PodcastOne.com.
WWE is playing around with the idea of inducting a match into the 2014 class of the WWE Hall Of Fame in April.
According to a recent PWInsider.com report, the idea being pitched in WWE right now is for Hulk Hogan, Roddy Piper, Paul Orndorff and Mr. T to be inducted, making it the first time in history that an actual match itself is inducted into WWE’s Hall Of Fame, as all four were involved in the main event of the first ever WrestleMania.
It’s possible that Jimmy Snuka and Bob Orton Jr. will also be inducted, as they were part of the WrestleMania I main event as well. If the idea comes to fruition, it would leave the door open for future matches to be inducted into the Hall Of Fame as well.
Mr. T has reportedly turned down offers from WWE in the past, but company officials are reportedly negotiating with him to make the aforementioned idea possible.
Obviously if this idea pans out, it would make Hogan, Piper, Orndorff, as well as Orton and Snuka if they are involved, two-time Hall Of Famers. The only two-time Hall Of Famer at the moment is Ric Flair, who was both inducted as an individual and as part of the Four Horsemen.
– WWE Superstar Kofi Kingston and WWE Diva Natalya will be hosting a WrestleMania Reading Celebration event today at the Harry Kizirian Elementary School in Providence, Rhode Island.
– The Los Angeles Times ran an article on their website recently covering the rumors that WWE Hall Of Famers “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and Hulk Hogan may be working at the upcoming WrestleMania XXX event in April. You can check out the article online at LATimes.com.