WWE’s second biggest night of the year Summerslam is now only a day away. Whilst ‘The Biggest Party of The Summer’ will likely live up to that moniker in more ways than one this year (5 hour show anyone?) there are three potential names that could make their presence known when the Network special airs on Sunday night. Here’s our look at the 3 Potential Returns for WWE Summerslam 2018:

James Ellsworth

The innovator of the ‘no chin music’ may well be back for one last hurrah on WWE’s main roster. Ellsworth has recently been trying to get a #RehireEllsworth hashtag trending and there is a very good chance that he returns to the company Sunday night. WWE Smackdown Women’s Champion Carmella has the odds stacked against her in a triple threat Championship match against Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair, could Ellsworth make a return to help the ‘Princess of Staten Island?’ It’s certainly possible for Ellsworth to return and even cost Carmella the match. WWE are heading into their first ever all women’s PPV Evolution and the possibility of a champ vs champ match between the likes of Flair/Lynch and Bliss/Rousey is certainly not out of the question.

Hey everyone it’s @RealPaigeWWE’s birthday!!

Make sure you RT her happy birthday, and O..

Throw in the hashtag #RehireEllsworth !! pic.twitter.com/MMgOzlbHTF

— James Ellsworth (@realellsworth) August 17, 2018

The Rock

It has been a long time since we have seen ‘The Great One’ featured regularly on WWE programming. The Rock’s participation at Summerslam (if he appears) would most likely be in a segment with Elias.

Elias’ recent comments on RAW calling Miami “the same city that worships a low-life like The Rock” were not accidental. If the main roster rookie could somehow position himself into a segment alongside the biggest movie star in the world then that can only be seen as a positive, it worked wonders for Bray Wyatt…sort of.

The prospect of The Rock returning for a mere in ring ‘concert’ segment and nothing more isn’t exactly exhilarating, but it is extremely likely. Hopefully this will be a boost for Elias and not as detrimental as the aforementioned Wyatt.

John Cena

John Cena

The return of John Cena has certainly been a long time coming. Cena has not been seen in a match since his bout with Triple H at the Greatest Royal Rumble. The question here is how does Cena return, if he does in fact return Sunday?

The most likely scenario for this return is that Cena walks out with a microphone and challenges The Undertaker to one more match at Wrestlemania. Last year’s match between the two WWE legends surely can’t be the final bout between the two with Cena losing in decisive fashion to the Deadman.

The build to a potential career vs career match at Wrestlemania could have the same feel as the second Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels match. John Cena could demand a rematch with ‘Taker and the Phenom could demand that Cena prove that he is worthy of the marquee moment…perhaps a WWE Championship match could tempt ‘Taker?

Who do you think will return at Summerslam? Will anyone make a return? Let us know in the comments 

Mark Henry, the Rock, and D-Lo Brown once found themselves in a potentially dangerous situation outside Madison Square Garden. Henry recalled the story recently on the latest edition of Chris Jericho’s podcast.

According to Henry, a mob of fans once smashed in their rental car’s window, hit D-Lo Brown in the face with pizza, and damaged their car so badly they almost couldn’t get away.

Jericho and Henry were talking about how at MSG, talent often has to park in the same lot as fans. This they said, can lead to some unpleasant interactions.

Check out the ALL NEW ?@TalkIsJericho? with ?@IAmJericho? & our very own ?@davidlagreca1? & ?@TheMarkHenry? discussing the history of WWE in ?@TheGarden? , Chris & Mark’s best & worst moments there, Lagreca’s first event & more! It’s LIVE NOW! pic.twitter.com/B156zxv7x7

— SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) August 1, 2018

Mark Henry Recalls Being Attacked By Fans Outside MSG

“There are 3 other people who can verify this story,” Henry said. “Because you’re going to think this is B***S***.”

The story happened while Henry, Brown, and the Rock were all still in the Nation of Domination and were leaving a show from MSG one night.

Henry said that the Rock asked them to pull up the car right next to the exit so he wouldn’t get mobbed by fans when they were leaving. They weren’t so lucky, however. D-Lo and Henry went to get the car from the public lot they had to park in. That’s when D-Lo got hit in the face with a slice of pizza and things started to go downhill.

“D-Lo gets hit in the face with a piece of pizza,” Henry said. “And that was light of the s*** they were throwing at us.”

Then Henry explains what happened when they picked up the Rock from outside the arena.

“Dwayne throws his bag in, gets in the car, the window goes out,” Henry said before making a sound to resemble a window being shattered. “Somebody bust the window out. They start beating the car, they totaled the car with their hands.”

“They totaled a Lincoln Towncar beating on it with their hands,” he continued. “We got back and they said ‘this car is totaled.'”

“They mashed the hood in so much that it broke the carburetor. I don’t know how we made it to the airport. By the grace of God, we made it to the airport and the car wouldn’t start after that.”

The Rock Surprises Longtime Stunt Double With Gift

A new video the former World Champion The Rock posted on his Facebook page recently proved once again why he is not only the favorite movie star of millions of people but an idol for them as well.

The Rock called his longtime stunt double Tanoai Reed for what Reed thought was an interview about his career as a stunt double for the highest paid Hollywood actor.

However, the former WWE Star instead surprised him with a truck as a gift for the hard work he has done over the years and the injuries he has suffered while working as a stunt double:

JTG On Which Star He Could See Nikki Bella Dating

Former WWE Star JTG recently had an interview with TMZ Sports where he talked about the recent breakup of John Cena and Nikki Bella.

The former Cryme Tyme member also talked about the future of Nikki and claimed that other locker room stars are not likely to date her at this point out of respect for Cena.

Continuing on the topic, he also said that Nikki’s former boyfriend Dolph Ziggler is the only person he thinks could start a relationship with Bella at this point but it’s not very likely to happen. You can check out his full interview in the video below:

Ronda Rousey and the Rock appeared together at WrestleMania 31, 3 years before Ronda would have her first WWE match at WrestleMania 34. The Rock and Rousey were promoting the upcoming Expendables movie at the time.

Rousey will also appear in the upcoming movie, Mile 22. While promoting the movie, Rousey was asked if the Rock gave her any advice about her movie career.

“No, not really. Just have fun, really,” she said. “The object is to have fun.”

She would also comment on Alexa Bliss, fan response to her matches thus far, and her WrestleMania experience.

Chris Van Vliet commented on how when Ronda was leaving the interview room, he let her know he would be interviewing Alexa Bliss shortly. Rousey was then quoted as saying “Tell Alexa I’m going to kick that stupid pink hair right off of her head.”

Rousey will challenge Alexa Bliss at SummerSlam for the Raw Women’s Championship.

Ronda Rousey On Fan Response To Her WrestleMania Match

She was also asked about fans who were surprised her match at WrestleMania went as well as it did.

“Going into any new career like wrestling or acting or anything like that, a lot of people assume you can only be really good at one thing,” Rousey said. “And that if you master one thing you will never be able to master anything else as well.”

Rousey would continue to say there were low expectations from fans about how well she would do at WrestleMania. She also stressed it is hard to learn something new while the world is watching.

“There was a lot of low expectations going into things,” she continued. “It’s harder to learn while with the world watching.”

Rousey’s first match was at WrestleMania but she’s now up to 9 total matches now, 7 of which were on house shows. Not surprisingly, she is a perfect 9-0 thus far. Her two matches on WWE pay-per-views came at WrestleMania when she teamed with Kurt Angle to defeat Triple H and Stephanie and then at Money in the Bank when she defeated Nia Jax via disqualification after being attacked by Alexa Bliss.

“It helps me improve even quicker that my first match was at WrestleMania,” Rousey continued.

Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson is believed to want to wrestle this year at WrestleMania. In previous years, however, his Hollywood schedule has prevented this from happening.

WWE is hopeful the Rock will be at the event this year, though. Should the Rock be available, it’s likely he’ll be involved in a program with Elias.

“Elias has been teasing a confrontation with The Rock,” wrote Dave Meltzer in the recent Wrestling Observer. “There has been talk of Rock being interested in wrestling at Mania this year. If there’s no schedule conflict, it would be expected he’d make an appearance in some form at the show, but he hasn’t wrestled in years.”

The Rock At WrestleMania 35

The Rock’s last official match was at WrestleMania 32. He defeated Eric Rowan in an impromptu match that night. His previous match before then had been against John Cena in the main event of WrestleMania 29.

Unfortunately, the Rock suffered multiple injuries at WrestleMania 29. He tore his abdominal and abductor muscles and also suffered a hernia. This meant he required emergency hernia surgery after the event. His injuries almost caused a delay in filming “Hercules” as a result.

The biggest obstacle in the way of Rock being at WrestleMania concerns insurance taken out on him. For instance, a movie studio might take out an insurance policy on Tom Cruise so if he breaks his leg and is unable to film Mission Impossible for a few months, the company receives compensation. If the Rock competes in a wrestling match, it will drive up the cost required to insure him. To make a long story short, Hollywood has a lot of money invested in the Rock. They would obviously prefer he doesn’t engage in risky activity, such as wrestling.

The Rock calls his own shots, however. If the 46-year-old wants one more WrestleMania match, it’s his decision to make.

The Rock was recently named to the fifth place on Forbes’ 2018 Celebrity 100 list.

“The Great One” shot up from his 22nd place ranking the previous year in which he made $65 million. He nearly doubled his earnings in 2018 by making $124 million between June 2017 to June 2018. On the list of highest-paid entertainers across the world, the former WWE Champion was named the highest-paid actor in the history of the list.

He took to Twitter to react to the news:

Wow unexpected news.
I don’t have a Harvard MBA, but my business philosophy has been sharpened over time and thru failure. I have one boss I serve and connect with – the world and the people in it. I’m the dude who started w/ $7bucks. I’m awestruck ($124M) grateful & hungry. https://t.co/0VWSn5YU6N

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) July 17, 2018

Rock’s former boss and WWE’s “Chairman Of The Board” Vince McMahon Tweeted out a congratulatory response to the accolade:

“Congratulations to @TheRock on becoming the highest-paid actor in @Forbes #Celeb100 history. The hardest working man in show business proving once again that anything is possible through hard work.”

Congratulations to @TheRock on becoming the highest-paid actor in @Forbes #Celeb100 history. The hardest working man in show business proving once again that anything is possible through hard work. https://t.co/xJScYQ0jxD

— Vince McMahon (@VinceMcMahon) July 19, 2018

The Rock just got called out by one of WWE’s most promising young stars.

Recently on an episode of Busted Open Radio, “The Great One” was called out by none other than RAW Superstar Elias. The man formerly known as “The Drifter” spoke about his guitar gimmick and how The Rock has played guitar on WWE TV to perform for crowds several time before in the past as well.

Elias said he’d be more than happy to show “The People’s Champ” how it’s done:

“I’m well aware all the things The Rock has done in the wrestling business and in life. The guy is just a next-level human being. I was getting comparisons here because he played guitar a few times or whatever on television and I wanna throw this out there. He’s done that maybe five times, maybe six times or something like that on WWE television on Monday Night Raw.

“Rock if you’re out there listening, I’m doing it every single week. I’m doing it out there in front of millions of people all around the world every single week. I’m doing in in front of 10,000 in-person live every show I go to. So why don’t you come walk with Elias so I can show you how it’s really done?

“WWE is my company, it’s my show. Come on back, Rock.”

"Why don't you come and Walk With Elias and I can show you how it's really done."@TheRock said he "Can't wait to get back in a #WWE ring," and @IAmEliasWWE told @davidlagreca1 & @TheMarkHenry he'll show him who the true axeman of #RAW is if he decides to return. pic.twitter.com/HqfyhCveKE

— SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) July 12, 2018

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

We recently noted that The Rock was a guest on Good Morning America and revealed that his oldest daughter has aspirations to one day wrestle for WWE.

Rock even said that his daughter was already working towards that dream. He recently spoke with WWE’s Cathy Kelly at the premiere of his new film, Skyscraper, in New York to talk more about the subject. “The Great One” talked about how proud he is of his 16-year-old daughter Simone, and advised her to do as much research as possible on the business if she’s serious about wrestling.

He then said Simone has been doing a lot of studying and has had several conversations with Rock about the possible career switch. “The People’s Champion” then said it’s amazing to see his daughter interested in following in his footsteps:

“I’m so proud of my daughter. She watched when I returned to WWE probably 5 years ago, when I became WWE Champion, had that great run with John Cena, back to back WrestleMania main events,” Rock said. “She instantly became hooked and became a fan. Not only that but the best part about that has been all the research and the studying that she does.

“I always tell her the ring will always be there, literally the 23 foot x 23 foot ring, the squared circle, will always be there. Your job is to make sure you understand the business of professional wrestling. Top to bottom, 360 degrees. Know everybody’s job from promo all the way down to wrestler, everything.

“Having that mindset has been great, all the studying she’s been doing, all the conversations we’ve been having. I never would have imagined that and it’s such a cool, cool thing. I have 3 daughters. I have her, who is 16, a 2.5 year old and a 3 month old, so who knows what might happen. It’s so cool though, when your child wants to follow in your footsteps. It’s just dope, I love it.”

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

Randy Orton Comments On Tommaso Ciampa Using His Move On NXT

On last night’s (Wed. July 11, 2018) episode of NXT, Tommaso Ciampa hit Aleister Black with an elevated DDT backstage. It looked very similar to the same elevated DDT Randy Orton frequently uses inside the ring. Longtime WWE veteran Goldust took to Twitter to bring this to “The Viper’s” attention:

OH MY GOD. @ProjectCiampa just STRUCK AGAIN, and this time it's #WWENXT Champion @WWEAleister on the receiving end! pic.twitter.com/ecCMga1BQD

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) July 12, 2018

https://twitter.com/Goldust/status/1017210038866280449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1017210038866280449&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mandatory.com%2Fwrestlezone%2Fnews%2F974381-tommaso-ciampa-channels-randy-orton-the-viper-responds

Mmmhmm https://t.co/pDC73YpIQy

— Randy Orton (@RandyOrton) July 12, 2018

The Rock & Stephen Colbert Have An Eyebrow Showdown (Video)

Former WWE Champion The Rock was recently a guest on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. During the interview, Rock and Colbert did shots of tequila and actually had an eyebrow showdown with each other. You can check out the video here:

They talked about several other topics, including his Samoan heritage and as well as if he actually plans to run for President Of The United States one day. “The People’s Champ” had this to say about the interview on Twitter:

We finally meet. Do a shot. And eyebrow off… @StephenAtHome ?? #LSSC https://t.co/zmWqjMGWQb

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) July 12, 2018

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson recently commented on potentially stepping back into the ring for the WWE.

The Rock spoke with Cathy Kelley of WWE.com earlier this week on the red carpet in New York City for the premiere of his latest movie, “Skyscraper.” In this interview, she asked if he plans on getting back in the ring for WWE.

The former WWE Champion stated that he can’t wait to get back into a WWE ring and that everybody always asks him what’s it like being in a WWE ring. This is when he noted that he would explain to them that there’s nothing like being inside of a WWE ring. You can watch the brief interview here:

It seems that everyone wants to see “The Great One” make an appearance at the biggest event of the year for the WWE, WrestleMania, to the point that every year there is speculation on whether he will appear at the show.

He hasn’t wrestled since WrestleMania 29 against John Cena for the WWE Title but did have technically a match with Erick Rowan at WrestleMania 32 but it was very brief. He returned to WWE part-time from 2011–13 and continues to make sporadic appearances for the company.

2019 won’t be any different as WrestleMania 35 is slated to be held on Sunday, April 7 in East Rutherford, NJ at MetLife Stadium. With this being the most successful and longest-running professional wrestling event in history, it’s a safe bet that WWE Chairman Vince McMahon will at the least contract Rock to see if he wants to make an appearance.

What are your thoughts on The Rock’s comments? Do you think that he’ll wrestle in a WWE ring in the near future?

Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson has toyed with the idea of possibly running for the Presidency of the United States. Unlike with either Bob Backlund or Hollywood Hogan’s announced Presidential runs, Rock is serious and has backers behind him.

It doesn’t look as though Rock will be throwing his hat into the political race just yet, however. While promoting his newest movie recently, the legendary actor/wrestler was asked about his often-mentioned potential Presidential run. The Rock indicated he won’t be running in 2020 but doesn’t rule out running further down the line.

“Unfortunately I don’t see it happening in 2020. It’s a position that requires years of hard work and experience to learn the skills. There’s a lot of ground to cover, and due to my schedule, it’s not possible in 2020,” Johnson said Tuesday. “I have so much respect for the position. It’s something that I seriously considered. What I need is time to go out and learn.”

Cool piece on why I should run for President. Maybe one day. Surely the White House has a spot for my pick up truck..https://t.co/JpkZ4w1eh3

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) March 25, 2016

The Rock on Possibly Running For President

The Rock has said his first interest regarding a Presidential run came from an article published in 2016. He told GQ Magazine that the article referenced in the above Tweet made him stop and seriously consider the idea.

“There was a real sense of earnestness, which made me go home and think, ‘Let me really rethink my answer and make sure I am giving an answer that is truthful and also respectful,’ ” Rock said.

Last summer, the Rock jokingly promoted a Presidential run on SNL with Tom Hanks as his running-mate.

“It’s just that when it comes to politics, we need more poise and less noise,” Rock said during his monologue on the show. “Americans deserve strong, capable leaders. Leaders who care about this country and care about its people.”

“Dwayne, that kind of sounds like you and me,” Hanks responded to Rock. “I guess we got to do it!”

It looks like former WWE Champion The Rock’s oldest daughter, Simone, has aspirations of one day being a WWE Superstar.

The Rock appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America to promote the release of his latest film, Skyscraper. Simone is currently 16-years-old. Here’s what “The People’s Champ” had to say about his oldest child:

“You know what the crazy thing about my oldest daughter, Simone, is she’s so smart, we’re all so proud of her. She’s going into her senior year. She signed with IMG as a model. She was Golden Globes Ambassador. Simone, is working so hard, and her work has already started, she wants to be a WWE wrestler.

“Yes! I love that idea and I think – we had this big conversation. She came with me to Hong Kong and Beijing and I said ‘Honey, whatever your passion is, I support that.’ It (wrestling) was good to me, I started my career in Madison Square Garden so, yeah. Bring it on. She’s gonna be a champ!”

Grandma Rock, who was also in attendance, gave her nod of approval as well, saying “Yes, she will lay the SmackDown!”

Check out the video here:

DEWEYYYYYY! Dwayne @TheRock Johnson's MOM talks the evolution of his childhood nicknames ❤️😂https://t.co/dCuujVag6a@skyscrapermovie #SkyscraperMovie pic.twitter.com/fAG2BOn52t

— Good Morning America (@GMA) July 10, 2018

NOOOOOO! Don’t ever hand my mom a LIVE microphone again. Yes, my nickname as a boy was “Dewey” but it was also cool ass nicknames like “Ax” and “Spike”.. https://t.co/A0rVxKew8W

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) July 10, 2018

The Rock and Gregory Helms have only met in single’s action once. It was a NO DQ match from March 10th, 2003. Despite the Rock being arguably the greatest sports entertainer of all time, it was Hurricane Helms who came out the victor that night.

The Rock and Helms were often involved in backstage skits together during this time. Recently, Helms posted video of one of the segments to his Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkhtjbNHJFs/?utm_source=ig_twitter_share&igshid=10o52vnkczmr8

The Rock took to Twitter to offer praise to Hurricane. He also explained why he lost to Helms in their only match back in 2003.

Dude always a pleasure working with you. Never an ego and always down to do whatever it took to entertain the fans. And to be honest, I only did “the job and put you over” because you paid me in hamburgers. https://t.co/8wsHGmYlxI

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) June 27, 2018

“Dude always a pleasure working with you. Never an ego and always down to do whatever it took to entertain the fans. And to be honest, I only did “the job and put you over” because you paid me in hamburgers.”

Hurricane Helms in 2018

Hurricane Helms began the year by being a surprise entrant in the men’s 2018 Royal Rumble. He has since continued competing for promotions such as Ring of Honor and Tommy Dreamer’s House of Hardcore.

Helms also played a key role in the most recent WWE documentary on Matt and Jeff Hardy. As a long time friend of the brothers, Helms is shown on camera often speaking on what the brothers have gone through over the years.

The 43-year-old is a former 3x cruiserweight champion (2x WWE, 1x WCW), European champion, Hardcore champion, and twice won the WWE tag team championships. Most recently Helms wrestled two matches on ROH’s State of the Art tour in Texas.

David Arquette Returns To The Ring At A Local Event

As we’ve reported, former WCW World Heavyweight Champion David Arquette has announced that he’d be returning to professional wrestling as David “Magic Man” Arquette. He was a part of a Championship Wrestling from Hollywood event last week when he hit the ring for a run-in.

He hit a double stunner on a heel tag team, helping the babyface team win. Check it out here:

The Rock Unveils New Headphones

The Rock is now venturing off into the headphone industry. The Great One is set to release Project Rock Wireless headphones as a part of his Chase Greatness Collection from Under Armour. He posted the following on the matter:

“They’re here
Like you, my gym time is critical.
It’s our time to shut the world out and anchor in.
I prefer training in “over the ear” headphones, but have been consistently disappointed (pissed is a better word) with every pair, from every brand that just couldn’t handle my workouts.
I thought if no one is going to design headphones BUILT FOR TRAINING, then I would.
And I’d make them the best.
Almost 2 years later, they’ve arrived.
Our next @underarmour collection DROPS NEXT WEEK 6/28.
#ProjectRockWireless
#Durability
#Functionality
#HighQuality
#BadAss”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkNQuDoFKTS/

The Rock is officially set to star in the Jumanji remake sequel.

Dwayne Johnson reported via his Instagram that due to the success of the first Jumanji remake a sequel is in the works.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkEc_cvF6qj/?taken-by=therock

With films and other projects in the works, it seems Dwayne will be busy with Hollywood and The Rock won’t return back to the square circle anytime soon. It was rumored that he was Ronda Rousey tag team partner for Wrestlemania 34 but turned down the offer and Kurt became Rousey partner. More on that story here.

The Rock’s last Wrestlemania appearance was at Wrestlemania 29 where he dropped the title to John Cena and left the event with a torn abdominal muscle. Since then The Rock has made appearances during the grand event but hasn’t wrestled since his last injury.

Reason Why The Rock Is Not Likely To Compete At WrestleMania 35

While not a big surprise, Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that The Rock is not very likely to compete at WrestleMania 35 due to his upcoming film Red Notice.

The action comedy film co-starring Gal Gadot will start filming in April next year and the risk of injury and the usual insurance concerns will prohibit the former World Champion from wrestling at the Show of Shows.

The Rock did not appear at this year’s WrestleMania and he last wrestled a full-length match for the company during WrestleMania 29 against John Cena.

He suffered an injury during his match with the Cenation Leader causing several of his projects to be delayed, and the Hollywood star has not wrestled any real match since then.

Booker T On Fan Criticism

Booker T recently had an interview with Pancakes and Powerslams podcast where he talked about James Harden’s Raw appearance, Ember Moon being part of Money In The Bank Ladder match and more.

Discussing the fan criticism on his commentary, the former WCW Star said that he could talk on Television how he is talking to the host of the show but that’s not the role he chooses to play:

“I can talk just like I’m talking to you right now on television if I wanted to, but that’s not the role I choose to play on television, because that’s not the real Booker T that the people know on television. The intelligent speaking, the guy who is trying to use the right pronunciations for every word that he says.

Former professional wrestling manager and WWE executive JJ Dillon was recently a guest on the Sitting Ringside podcast with David Penzer to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Dillon first discussed Sgt. Slaughter turning heel and why the WrestleMania 7 venue was changed:

“We try at times in this business to mirror the political environment. But for some reason when they tried to turn him [Sgt. Slaughter], I firmly believe people were not accepting it because of who he was. He was too identifiable with this county. It just didn’t work.

“No matter what he did, people never accepted it. The worst thing you want to have happen is having something you were so invested in not work out. To go to a big open arena / stadium it would have been promotional suicide.”

Dillon also talked about why the dream match between Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair didn’t take place at WrestleMania 8:

“These words will never come out of Vince McMahon’s mouth, but I heard it repeated a lot from others, that this match was made 5 years too late. We waited 5 years too long to make this happen.”

Finally, Dillon told the story of an early interaction he had with former WWE Champion-turned-Hollywood mega-star The Rock that could’ve changed the history of professional wrestling forever:

“I was a part of the decision process that ended up hiring [The Rock] and Mark Henry. I remember one night I think we were at The Garden, The Rock pulled me aside and said, ‘I know I can speak openly and honest with you, can you make some phone calls to get me out of here [WWE]. From all my time in college and in Florida and my time in the business, I always had money in my pocket. [Right now] I don’t have two dollars in my pocket, I feel vulnerable.’

“In this particular moment you can’t begin to imagine what is laying in front of you regarding your success and financial rewards, because you don’t have two dollars in your pocket. Because it hasn’t yet happened yet, you can’t let this moment change you. I told him, ‘this is the lowest of lows you’ll experience.’ I said, ‘give me five minutes. put this [thought process] on hold.’

“Five minutes later I come back, and I tell him to open up his hand. I put $200, $300, $500, whatever it was in his hand and told him to wrap his hand around it. ‘Now put that hand in your pocket, how does that feel to have money again?’ This moment right there changed his whole mental outlook and helped him.”

Glenn Jacobs (better known as Kane) has been declared the winner of the Knox County primary for mayor by a narrow margin. Later this year, citizens of the country will decide by voting who they want to win the mayoral race.

The former WWE champion recently sat down with William Steakin of IJR to talk about the country’s current political landscape as well as other topics including receiving support from WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.

“Vince is one of the first people that I talked to because we have a good personal relationship, and I needed his support just as a friend,” Jacobs said.

“Vince has got a vision. From the very beginning. And you just can’t discount that. And that’s why I think so many organizations fail, is their leader doesn’t have a vision of where he’s going to go. And Vince has always had that. He has that pigheaded determination,” Jacobs said. “And all that stuff has helped me with my business and, really, in my personal life.”

If you recall, in previous years, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has teased about potentially running for U.S President. In this interview, Kane was asked if he ever envisions running for office with The Rock:

“You ain’t never going to see a Kane part of that, I’ll tell you that right now.”

What are your thoughts on Kane’s comments? Sound off in the comment section below.

The Background

Kane started his pro wrestling career in 1992. He wrestled in promotions such as Smoky Mountain Wrestling and the United States Wrestling Association before joining the WWE in 1995. Following his debut as Kane in 1997, he remained a component of the company’s Attitude Era of the late 1990s and early 2000s.

WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin decided to take some time to reflect.

On a recent edition of his podcast, The Steve Austin Show, (transcript via wrestlinginc.com), the WWE Legend gave his take on his first thoughts about Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Triple H.

Starting out with The Rock, Austin noted that once he saw the former WWE Champion, he knew that he had potential.

Although Rock had to go through some hurdles at first with his gimmick in the sports entertainment company, he changed it all around and become the character that fans around the world came to love.

“I remember when The Rock came in, Rock, man, you knew this guy had potential when you saw him.” Austin continued, “he was a good looking guy. You just knew the gimmick wasn’t right at first. And then, he ended up changing his gimmick around. He joined the Nation and then turned into The Rock. And then, me and Rock started working together. I was always cool with The Rock. I knew he had potential. I think everybody did. He had the right frame, the right look, really smart, charismatic, so you saw a lot of potential in him as he came in, but the gimmick wasn’t right. But, boy, when he turned into The Rock and joined the Nation and started turning heel. I mean, the people rejected him first as a baby, but they took to him as a heel and he had some serious, serious heat. And then, of course, when he turned baby, he was mega over.”

Switching gears to “The Game,” Austin first met him in WCW and they hit it off right out of the gate due to their mutual interests.

“I met Triple H when he first came into WCW.” Austin remembered “and here he came in, good looking dude, good worker, even back then. He wasn’t too long out of Killer Kowalski’s school. I think he’d probably been working. He worked several matches because he was already very polished even when he came into WCW. We hit it off right off the bat. Same sense of humor. I was a little bit older than him, but I hadn’t been in the business too much longer, if any. So, man, we introduced ourselves, to each other and I knew he had a bright future in the business. And I don’t know what he thought about me.

Austin continued by stating, We always hit it off. Same sense of humor, same taste in music. He was a huge bodybuilding, powerlifting fan, always hit the gym. He wasn’t a drinker – I respected that. Good dude, great sense of humor, low-key, one of the boys. So that’s how I met Triple H and we hit it off from day one. And, to this day, whenever we see each other, it’s like old times. We didn’t run in the same crowds. We didn’t travel together. He had his crew and I had mine or I was traveling solo at the time. But nothing but good things.”

What are your thoughts on Austin’s comments? Sound off in the comment section below.

The Rock Reveals Title Of Fast And Furious Spinoff

It was rumored for a long time that the Rock will be starring in a spinoff of the hit franchise Fast And Furious but so far there was no confirmation of the same.

Now the Hollywood star has not only confirmed the upcoming film but he has also subsequently revealed the title for the Movie. He revealed these details in the caption of a recent Instagram post as seen below:

“Sunday shakas and scripts.  Reading our new Fast & Furious spin-off, titled HOBBS & SHAW w/ my dude @jasonstatham and a few surprise casting announcements coming soon.  Director, @davidmleitch (directed DEADPOOL2) has a sharp/cool vision and tone for our movie and our writer, Chris Morgan is turning in inspired work.  Good to see our franchise evolve and grow”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjmBTQzlZs4/?utm_source=ig_twitter_share&igshid=1grkzh2tatna

Rey Mysterio’s Opponent For Dominion Revealed

Rey Mysterio was expected to make his NJPW debut during their Strong Style Evolved event earlier this year but he was pulled from the scheduled appearance due to a biceps injury.

The company later announced that he will be making his debut for the promotion at the upcoming Dominion event and now his opponent for the show has also been revealed.

After an interaction at 2018 Best of Super Juniors final, it was announced that Mysterio will be teaming up with Jushin “Thunder” Liger and Hiroshi Tanahashi to compete in a 6 men tag match:

Full lineup announced for Dominion in Osaka Jo Hall! Okada vs Omega, Naito vs Jericho, Ospreay vs Hiromu and more??#njpw #njdominionhttps://t.co/Cp9y3zQkRa pic.twitter.com/G2G8coOv1i

— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) June 5, 2018

As far as his opponents are concerned, it was revealed that “The Villain” Marty Scurll will join forces with fellow Bullet Club members Hangman Page and “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes to face Rey and others on his debut.

In an interview with WWE.com, NXT Superstar Dakota Kai recently mentioned the Rock as one of her early influences.

“My brother was the one who actually got me into WWE,” Kai said when asked about first getting into wrestling. “He watched it all the time, and I started to watch with him. I was hooked on The Rock and his ability to captivate an audience. From there, one of my friends I used to do athletics with told me about a local company that needed more girls. That was in 2007, and I haven’t looked back since.”

The Rock responded to the article and Kai on Twitter.

Very cool and flattering @DakotaKai_WWE. Thank you! Look forward to following your career. Work extremely hard, have FUN in the ring performing for the fans and always stay above bullshit backstage politics ????? https://t.co/OI4PTiW20I

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) June 3, 2018

The Rock Offers Advice to Dakota Kai

“Very cool and flattering @DakotaKai_WWE,” Rock Tweeted. “Thank you! Look forward to following your career. Work extremely hard, have FUN in the ring performing for the fans and always stay above bullshit backstage politics”

Kai and the Rock are both half-Samoan. Kai was also asked if she feels any pressure because of the rich lineage of Samoan wrestlers.

“I never felt any pressure about that,” she explained. “I’ve simply always embraced being ‘afakasi. Mum would make sure us kids would grow up with a strong sense of who we are and where we came from. I’ve visited Samoa twice and visited my mum’s home village of Lepea. She would always make traditional Samoan dishes for us, and we would have family get togethers somewhat regularly. Family is priority within the Samoan community, which means the support system I get from them is amazing.”

Dakota Kai was recently defeated by NXT Women’s Champion, Shayna Baszler, on NXT. The 30-year-old has now been in WWE developmental since April 2017. Before signing with WWE, she wrestled as Evie for promotions such as Shimmer and Stardom. Kai defeated Rhea Ripley as the NXT house show from Fort Pierce, Florida last night.

Jim Ross’ Words of Encouragement to Fan with Cerebral Palsy

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross shared a photo on Twitter of himself with a fan at a meet and greet at the Legends of Wrestling Night event. Ross offered words of encouragement to a young fan who suffers from cerebral palsy and gave advice to the fan who also wants to become a broadcaster.

This young lad has cerebral palsy & he wants to be a broadcaster.
Told him what my Granny told me, “Somebody is gonna do it, Jimmy so why not you?

Exactly! @wv_power pic.twitter.com/sZIpGdqvv5

— Jim Ross (@JRsBBQ) May 26, 2018

The Rock Announces His Own Shoe Line

The Rock is getting his own line of UnderArmour shoes. The shoe, titled Project Rock 1, goes on sale this Monday. According to Sole Collector, the sneakers will feature “A synthetic upper, bootie-construction for a snug fit, Micro G cushioning and nubbed outsole traction. His logo, the famous Brahma Bull, adorns the heel.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjK_FS0lKIc/?taken-by=therock

This MONDAY we drop our new @UnderArmour #ProjectRock1s.
My first signature sneaker series from our CHASE GREATNESS COLLECTION.
Train hard. Stay strong. https://t.co/WoIvsFh07C

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) May 26, 2018

I’ve developed, trained in, broken down and refined this sneaker for over a year now. Highest of quality and durability. Drops THIS MONDAY. #HardestWorkerInTheRoom @UnderArmour #ProjectRock1s https://t.co/M9x8sJup2q

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) May 26, 2018

The Rock On Which Era Of Wrestling Is His Favorite

The Rock revealed which era of wrestling he likes the most while responding to a video on Twitter of The Iron Sheik throwing a fireball at the referee in a match against Jackie Fargo from the ’70s. The Rock said that the tension and energy was different across the country during that time when the fans believed pro-wrestling was real.

https://twitter.com/HistoryofWrest/status/998018418942103553

You can actual FEEL the tension and energy in the arenas across the country in the 70’s during matches like this when a large majority of fans believed the business was real. Very special and unique time in the biz. My favorite era in pro wrestling – 1970’s

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) May 20, 2018

Mickey James’ Theme Song

WWE Music has released the entrance theme song of Mickie James titled Obsession. It should be noted that this song is composed by Jim Johnston and is more than ten years old.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BIRJ_y0w2k

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson hasn’t wrestled a full-length match since his bout with John Cena at WrestleMania 29 and the injury he suffered during the fight is believed to be the reason behind it.

During a recent interview with Los Angeles Lakers, The Great One talked about many things including his matches with Stone Cold Steve Austin and more.

While talking about WrestleMania 29, the former World Champion recalled the moment in which he got injured, saying that he felt a pop:

“At the 15-minute mark, ‘bang!’ I feel something pop and I’m like ‘What the f—?’ I’m laying there and both of us are out, I said ‘Oh f—, something is going on.’ 85,000 people and I sort of roll over and stick my hand down in my trunks because I wanted to make sure no bone was sticking out.”

Later in the interview, the former Champion also explained why he continued the match despite the injury saying that the people backstage at the show were relying on a good main event.

For those who don’t know, the Rock defended the WWE Championship against John Cena at WrestleMania 29. During the bout, he suffered an injury which caused a number of his movie projects to be delayed.

Normally the insurance for any movie costs around $350,000 but it can increase up to a million if any of the actors involved are considered to be a problematic actor.

So given the incident mentioned above, the insurance costs for his movies can go up if Johnson decides to wrestle again, and this is believed to be the reason why he has mostly stayed away from the ring ever since.

You can check out his full interview in the video below:

Quotes via WrestlingInc

You may recall back in in October 2017, Nia took a hiatus from WWE. Aa report by Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated fueled rumors that she was unhappy with her role in the company, was considering leaving even said that her cousin Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson advised her to walk out. Jax was back again on RAW after some time and is now setting the record straight about what actually happened.

The RAW Women’s Champion spoke with PopCulture.com this week and called BS on the whole narrative. Jax adamantly denies she took time off due to creative and says it’s crazy to think The Rock got involved in her fictional spat with the company.

“That was the craziest thing I’ve ever heard,” she said. “The fact that people would think that Dwayne would ever tell me to not do something for the WWE, a place that’s actually given him his start and the reason he is on top of the world, it’s completely false and hilarious,” she laughed.

The actual reason why Jax took a leave of absence was because of an injury she sustained on a flight when a bag fell on her head. “I had actually had an injury that happened to me personally on a flight—an overhead bag fell directly on top of my head while I was on a plane. I was out of it, I was completely out of it. I’m not kidding you,” she explained.

“It was just something where I had to go and make sure I was okay and rest up. It was right before a tour. All it was, was just like, ‘Hey, you’re not the storyline right now. Go take a break. Make sure you’re okay, and then come back for tour.’ That was it. That was the bottom line. That was the story,” she emphasized.

Nia Jax defends the RAW Women’s Championship this Sunday against Alexa Bliss at Backlash.