WWE Diva and Total Divas star Natalya once again trained with several members of the MMA female faction “The Four Horsewomen” last week.
According to various sources, footage of Natalya training with Jessamyn Duke, Shayna Baszler and Colleen Schneider will be shown on the next season of WWE Total Divas.
As noted, Rousey and the Four Horsewomen were in attendance at the WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view on Sunday night in Los Angeles, California.
– With WWE SummerSlam taking place in Los Angeles, California, several Hollywood celebrities were in attendance. Among them were Maria Menounos, Michelle Beadle, Bill Simmons, and Ronda Rousey, who was accompanied by members of her “Four Horsewomen” stable. I noticed Shayna Baszler sitting next to Rousey, but the shot of Rousey at ringside was so brief, I couldn’t tell who else was sitting with her.
– During the Stephanie McMahon vs. Brie Bella match at WWE SummerSlam on Sunday night in Los Angeles, Nikki Bella made the heel turn that we reported about in the past few weeks. With the help of Nikki, who hit Brie and turned on her sister, Stephanie McMahon ended up winning the match. Afterwards, the announcers spoke about Nikki Bella turning on her sister and “joining The Authority.”
The following are highlights of a new Chad Dukes Wrestling Show interview with Paul Heyman:
On others using ideas built in ECW: “I’m a realist and I’ve always been of the opinion that Steve Jobs wasn’t the head of Apple and every single solitary idea that Apple implemented was a Steve Jobs’ idea. People came to Steve Jobs and said, ‘What if we did this?’ And he said, ‘Yes, let’s do that.’ The guy with the bigger platform, more money, a different way to market it, and distribution channels got to make more money than the guy who actually came up with the idea. And that’s just the real world. So, I don’t sit here and bitch and moan and complain, ‘Oh well the Attitude Era kinda my idea in ECW.’ It’s just the reality of it. They had bigger money, they had more distribution, and therefore when they put their spin on it they can claim it to be their own. That’s just the real world. I look forward to the young people who come to me with new ideas today that I can steal from them and become a billionaire with.”
On which MMA star could make the transition to WWE: “Ronda Rousey. I would love for Ronda Rousey to be a Paul Heyman Girl.”
On Cesaro: “I remain very good friends with Cesaro and I appreciate his hard work, I think he is a magnificent talent, but when it became obvious that Option C had to be implemented, Brock Lesnar is a full-time job. Advocating for Brock Lesnar requires my attention 24/7, 365, when that is in play. So when it came time for Option C to be presented to the Authority, I very respectfully noted to Cesaro, ‘This is going to require my full undivided attention.’ Which Cesaro knew from day one, and that’s why we have no hard feelings with each other. I still have great admiration and respect for Cesaro as a man and for his future.”
On Sunday’s match: “Brock Lesnar is going to slap John Cena silly. Brock Lesnar is going to beat him up unmercifully and sadistically twist John Cena up in a manner he’s never experienced, being manhandled, in his entire career.”
On whether we’ll see Brock Lesnar more often as Champion: “You will see Brock Lesnar when your conqueror deems it appropriate to be seen by you.”
“So Brock will appear when he damn well feels like appearing, unless you’ve got someone tough enough to drag him out there on nights he doesn’t feel like appearing before you.”
WWE (NYSE: WWE) today announced that television executive Laureen Ong has been elected to its Board of Directors. Ong is a 30-year veteran of the cable industry with extensive experience in sales, marketing, programming and management.
Most recently, Ong spent three years as President of the Travel Channel, where she was responsible for building brand strategy, developing programming and creating new business opportunities for the network. Prior to the Travel Channel, Ong was Chief Operating Officer of Hong Kong-based STAR Group Limited, where she oversaw STAR’s media and entertainment operations spanning 55 countries.
Ong was also responsible for launching the National Geographic Channel. As the network’s Founding President, Ong oversaw National Geographic’s distribution, which reached 60 million households in just six years and included several shows that became ratings successes. Ong also oversaw National Geographic’s expansion into online, video-on-demand, and other new media platforms, and spearheaded the launch of the high-definition simulcast of the linear network.
“We are pleased to elect Laureen to WWE’s Board of Directors,” said Vince McMahon, WWE Chairman & Chief Executive Officer. “Laureen brings more than 30 years of global media experience that will be very beneficial to the future growth of our company.”
Earlier in her career, Ong was Vice President and General Manager of WTTG-TV in Washington, D.C., a top 10 market affiliate and one of FOX’s most successful television stations. She also spent time with the Chicago White Sox as Vice President, Programming, where she helped launch SportsVision in Chicago, one of the first regional sports networks in the country.
Ong’s honors include Woman of the Year from Women in Cable Television (WICT), the Vision Award from the Washington Chapter of Women in Film and Video and Multichannel News’ Wonder Woman award in recognition of her significant accomplishments in the cable television industry.
She graduated from Montclair State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater before receiving a Master’s degree in Communications from Columbia University.
MMANEWS.COM: Top UFC Fighter Talks CM Punk/WWE Situation, Ronda Rousey At SSlam?!
The following are highlights of the latest Jim Ross blog:
On his upcoming autobiography: “We will officially start on my autobiography this month even though we have no book deal in place. I wanted to write a book that I felt was honest and a true representation of my career and not what some non, wrestling fan book agent stereotyped me into writing or how another entity wanted to edit it. The desire for salacious “dirt” from these people is uncanny. I expect the book to be finished by 2015 and then we will shop it around. There are plenty of suitors out there I can assure you. Bottom line is that I’m going to have the final say on the edit…for better or for worse ”
On Ronda Rousey appearing in WWE: “Yes, I’d love to see Ronda Rousey make an appearance at WM31 even though I know it’s a long shot at very best. Ronda could be in someone’s corner, a ref, or even compete with a female talent like Natalya or AJ Lee, for example, but please no intergender matches which anyone with a modicum of common sense can’t and won’t take seriously. Rousey is the hottest star today in UFC and is going to make a big splash in the film business sooner than later with multiple films in the can.”
On WWE postponing the return of Tough Enough: “WWE has postponed the taping of Tough Enough, according to Internet reports, until October from July. This had an impact on some projects that Steve Austin and I were going to do together which is unfortunate. Nonetheless we will circle our wagons and release more info when it’s timely.”
Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
TNA Wrestling To Make Major Announcement at London Film & Comic Con (LFCC)
TNA IMPACT WRESTLING will make a major announcement for British and Irish fans at the London Film & Comic Con (LFCC).
The announcement will be made as part of a special TNA panel Q&A for fans and media at the event at 5pm on Saturday July 12 in Earls Court 2.
Taking place from July 11-13 at Earls Court, LFCC is Europe’s largest signing event with 100,000 people expected through the doors.
Fans will be able to meet TNA Superstars James Storm, Magnus, Brooke, Robbie E, Al Snow and Jeremy Borash throughout the weekend.
As well as the best that TNA has to offer, London Film & Comic Con will also star Carrie Fisher, Stan Lee, John Hurt, Michael Madsen, Jenna Coleman and guests from Star Wars, Game of Thrones, Doctor Who, The Walking Dead, Battlestar Galactica, Lord Of The Rings, Heroes and more – giving fans the chance to meet more than 100 idols of the big and small screen.
Could UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey be the next member of The Shield? The wrestling world is still reeling from Seth Rollins’ shocking betrayal of The Shield last week on RAW. The heel turn took almost everybody by surprise, including Ronda Rousey, who is a huge WWE fan.
Earlier this week, a fan told Roman Reigns on Twitter that The Shield needs a female – THE female, Ronda Rousey. Reigns apparently thought it was a great idea:
"@MidgeBringsIt: The @TheShieldWWE needs a new member. A female. THE female. @RondaRousey , believe in the Shield! She seems like a good fit
UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey posted a video on Instagram of her reaction to Seth Rollins turning on The Shield and joining Evolution on Monday’s RAW. Rousey, a huge WWE fan, leads a fight team dubbed the Four Horsewomen that are rumored to be appearing at SummerSlam.
There is at least preliminary discussions within WWE of involving The Four Horsewomen (Ronda Rousey’s MMA “faction”) at the SummerSlam pay-per-view on August 17th in Los Angeles, California.
The feeling is that since it’s in L.A., and considering Rousey’s popularity, it would be a decent publicity stunt for the show.
Rousey has claimed to have interest in doing something at WrestleMania, but the timing didn’t work out for this year. She hasn’t ruled out possibly working at a WrestleMania in the future, such as next year’s, which takes place in California.
– The documentary portion of Batista’s new WWE-produced DVD and Blu-ray will be centered around “The Animal’s” 2014 return to WWE, as opposed to re-telling his life story, which was the focus of a past WWE documentary release. The new DVD will feature footage of WWE cameras following Batista around this year as well as interviews from Batista and other WWE Superstars.
– The following is a photo of WWE Diva and Total Divas star Natalya training with UFC Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey and her “Four Horsewomen” stable.
UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey recently spoke to celebrity-gossip website TMZ.com and expressed interest in working a match at WrestleMania 31.
The article notes that Rousey would only entertain the idea if WWE would include her friends, who goes by the name of “The Four Horsewomen.”
You can check out the complete article at TMZ.com.
Bloomberg.com has published an article analyzing which media companies would be in the running to purchase WWE, in the event that Vince McMahon decided to sell his controlling stake in the company.
Robert Routh, an analyst at National Alliance Capital Markets, questions,
“What is [Vince] McMahon’s succession plan and who will he pass the keys of the kingdom to? WWE would be very attractive to many different types of buyers. What they’ve built can’t be recreated. But without McMahon’s blessing, it doesn’t matter how much somebody is willing to pay for the company.”
Among the comp companies that would be able to purchase WWE (currently valued at $2.3 billion):
Madison Square Garden Co. (New York Knicks, New York Rangers, MSG Arena)
Anschutz Entertainment Group (owners of the Staples Center)
AMC Networks
Bloomberg states that any deal involving a potential sale of WWE would have to be structured similar to Disney’s purchase of Pixar, where the computer-animation studio operates independently even though it’s owned by Disney.
“That type of situation would probably be the most likely one as far as the McMahons being able to be comfortable” with sellingWWE, according to Kim Opiatowski, a New York-based analyst at Vertical Group. “It’s a question of a loss of control of the company. It’d be tough to take it out of the family’s hands unless they felt there was something so compelling or such a good strategic partnership opportunity.”
UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey spoke about CM Punk and pro wrestling during the UFC 171 press conference over the weekend. Here are some highlights of what she said about:
If she would ever consider a career in pro wrestling:
“It’s fun. We’re all big fans, in the house. The ‘Rowdy’ in my name comes from ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper … Professionally? Who knows. Me and all the girls are huge fans. If they were all down to do something, I’d probably jump in, but I have the most hectic schedule in the universe right now.”
Hanging out with CM Punk:
“I was totally a dark and star-struck too. At first I didn’t recognize him. Then I didn’t have anything to say. I think the first thing I had to say was ‘I love you’, which is terrible and not smooth at all. He was super cool. He came and hung out for a bit, which I thought was all kinds of awesome.”
– UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey posted a video on her official Instagram account showcasing herself and fellow UFC female fighter Shayna Baszler practicing pro wrestling. You can check that out at Instagram.com.
In addition to UFC Hall Of Famer Stephan Bonnar, UFC women fighters Shayna Baszler and Jessamyn Duke, both veterans of the recent season of The Ultimate Fighter, were also in attendance at the WWE RAW show in Los Angeles on Monday.
Baszler, who trains with UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey, is apparently a huge WWE fan. In fact, Rousey appeared on After Buzz TV recently and spoke about how her home has become a pro wrestling house because of how big a fan Baszler is. She also spoke about how she’s the new Ric Flair.
Pro wrestling legend “Rowdy” Roddy Piper continues to tease something coming up this Monday on his official Twitter account. While there isn’t any concrete details as to what the “Hot Rod” is referring to, you can draw your own conclusions from his latest tweet, which reads as follows:
THERE WILL NOT BE A MONDAY NEXT WEEK!!! #rodsadumbass
ps. but I got a good one for you!
Speaking of the WWE Hall Of Famer, he sent this tweet out today talking about training with the legendary “Judo” Gene Lebell, and mentioning the possibility of having UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey in his corner at WrestleMania XXX:
To the Dojo to spar with Judo Gene Lebell in my corner! Lets see what I've got! May get @RondaRousey in my corner for WMXXX! #nowthatscool
The following is an excerpt from a recent Las Vegas Review-Journal interview with WWE Divas and co-stars of the Total Divas reality show, The Bella Twins:
On if they ever plan to fight in the UFC like other WWE Superstars have done:
Nikki: “That would be so cool. But in the end: No. I’ve broken bones, and the healing process on broken bones is horrible. I just came back from a stress fracture, and stress fractures are so fragile. It made me think about the rest of my life. If I have kids someday, I want to play with them without pain.”
Brie: “The Ronda Rousey arm bar doesn’t look too pleasant. I wouldn’t want to get stuck in a (UFC) cage with that.”
Nikki: “But I could break her arm.”
Brie:“You think you could break Ronda Rousey’s arm?”
WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T recently spoke with Singapore Media about a number of topics, one of which being the difference between pro wrestling and mixed-martial-arts (MMA).
Booker said, “It’s as real as it possibly can be,” he said regarding mixed-martial-arts. “But I wouldn’t want my kids to do it. I don’t think the lifespan [of MMA fighters] is very long, and you could get hurt really, really bad doing it.”
Booker continued, “Plus, when it’s over with, where do you go from there? MMA is not going to overtake wrestling. But it’s going to be around for many, many years to come.”
Booker T also spoke about UFC Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey, noting “she couldn’t find her way in life and found it through going out and beating other girls up.”
You can check out the complete interview online at Yahoo! Sports.
