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.

Both Stephanie McMahon and Triple H weren’t present for last night’s episode of Monday Night RAW from Houston, Texas. While it’s not unusual for them to be missing on-screen, they’re both typically backstage working behind-the-scenes.

As for why the pair missed last night, PWInsider reports that Stephanie and The Game are in Los Angeles as WWE will be hosting a “For Your Consideration” panel discussion on Wednesday. This is apparently in attempt to get the WWE nominated for an Emmy Award.

The event is a private one and won’t be open to the public. Television Academy National Active members are the only personnel allowed to attend the event. It’ll all take place from the Wolf Theatre at Saban Media Center in North Hollywood. Other notable names scheduled to appear include Shawn Michaels, Ronda Rousey, Roman Reigns and the Bella Twins.

WWE COO Triple H recently did an interview with Mike Johnson of PWInsider to talk about several professional wrestling topics. One such topic was the future of NXT and whether or not fans could expect to see it air on a major network such as FOX or USA, in turn leaving the WWE Network.

After SmackDown Live landed a billion dollar TV deal with FOX, there has been speculation WWE could shop NXT’s broadcasting rights. The Game admitted that he doesn’t know if that’s in the future for the WWE’s developmental program, but wouldn’t rule the possibility out:

“As far as where NXT ends up, as that brand continues to grow, never say never, I guess.  For the value of the Network, NXT is a valuable part of the WWE Network.   Where it ends up, I don’t know.

“Obviously, that’s a decision that Vince [McMahon] will make and the team here will make strategically as to where everything sits, just as we do everything else in our ecosystem as far as where we put content.  It’s a constantly challenging question for us.  Good problem to have, right?”

You can read Triple H’s full interview with PWInsider by clicking this link here.

WWE Executive and former WWE Champion Triple H has opened up on his vision for the WWE Performance Center.

Triple H, real name Paul Levesque, recently spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated to promote the official website for the Performance Center, which launched this morning (June 4, 2018).

In this interview, he sounded off on how this website will help them further recruit athletes from around the world and transform them into a WWE Superstar.

“We’re looking for larger-than-life personalities, for quality human beings and emerging leaders, as well as the person who can handle the grind of long days on the road but still smiles when seeing children waiting at the airport,” said Levesque. “Our stars are superheroes to most of the world, so we want the right people.

“This is the path to WWE. There are some markets that are much more mature and ready to begin the process, where there are other markets that are going to need more time to create a pipeline. Over time, this path will become clear. The process is now in place.”

Before NXT, which Triple H created, WWE had OVW and other developmental brands to get talents that they saw as draws ready for the big stage.  Triple H believed that they needed to build within instead of reach out to other promotions and grab their talent. Thus, NXT was born, and later WWE created the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.

WWE’s Global Talent Search

“The Game” believes that the next step for the sports entertainment company is to get talent from not just the United States but from around the world.

“We’re recruiting globally, finding stars around the world,” said Levesque. “WWE is this global product that is seen everywhere and has massive appeal, almost on a level where there is nothing quite like that. American football does not translate a lot overseas, cricket doesn’t translate everywhere in the world. Soccer is probably the closest to it, but we have this amazing product that is globally massive. Seventy percent of our viewership across all our platforms comes from outside of the US. We want to keep the world engaged.

“Our goal is to find local talent to try out with the WWE, train them locally, then see the talent eventually move to the US, become part of a global brand in NXT, go to Raw, go to SmackDown, and then be a part of WrestleMania,” said Levesque. “What is that engagement then to those fans in that area? That’s transformative to a global audience.

“We’re one of the biggest, most watched products in India. But if we can take local, homegrown talent from India and create stars, there will be an even deeper involvement. We are a truly global brand. We tour globally and the product exists globally. It’s the global localization of the world, and engaging with local markets in a grassroots manner leads to an even greater local presence.”

What are your thoughts on Triple H’s comments? Sound off in the comments.

WWE COO Triple H recently did an interview with Sky Sports to talk about several professional wrestling topics. One such topic of discussion was the possibility of WWE hosting a WrestleMania in the United Kingdom. The U.K. has been clamoring for a WWE pay-per-view (PPV) for quite some time now, and a WrestleMania in their homeland would be absolutely massive.

The Game said “never say never” when it comes to the possibility of the WWE taking WrestleMania overseas:

“If you’re going to set an ambition, set it high. As we always say, never say never. WrestleMania is a week-long series of events and the logistics of executing that week along with the week leading into it and the week after it are extraordinarily difficult in our own back yard. Doing them internationally with international crews and international support systems and everything else is a factor of difficulty way beyond what we have in the US.

“Can we get there? Sure, maybe over time. We would take steps in that direction and those steps are probably other pay-per-views. From my point of view I’d like to bring other meaningful events through WWE, whether that’s NXT or the United Kingdom championships, taking international brands and putting them on in those markets.

“As the world becomes smaller and more technologically advanced, it becomes easier to do these things live from different places. From my end, that’s what I’m working towards.”

You can read Triple H’s full interview with Sky Sports by clicking this link here.

The vision that Triple H has for the WWE NXT brand continues to move forward.

Before NXT, which Triple H created, WWE had OVW and other developmental brands to get talents that they saw as draws ready for the big stage. At the time, the indie scene was a totally different place than it is right now.

Triple H believed that they needed to build within instead of reach out to other promotions and grab their talent. Thus, NXT was born, and later WWE created the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.

During a recent interview with Planeta Wrestling, the former WWE Champion opened up on wanting to grow the NXT into a global brand. Here is what he had to say (transcript courtesy of Wrestling Inc):

“Those are our goals over time. Whether that would be in the Middle East, or India, or South America or Latin America, it all comes down to timing, they all take time and partnerships. They take significant business dealings. It is all in the process. Would I love for NXT to be this global, international brand in all the markets that I mentioned? Absolutely! It is all going to take time.”

https://youtu.be/P6TaQFkZfns

What are your thoughts on Triple H’s vision for the brand? Sound off in the comment section below.

– The WWE Network could be bringing back the series about the life of WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley.

According to a report by PWinsider, there has been some internal talk within the sports entertainment company about doing a second season of “Holy Foley!” on the WWE Network, which features Foley, his daughter Noelle and the rest of the family. The first season aired in 2016 and lasted for ten episodes.

– The WWE NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4 event takes place on Saturday, August 18, 2018, in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center and will air on the WWE Network.

Tickets go on sale this Friday, May 11, 2018. Triple H sent out the following to hype the upcoming event as well as tickets going on sale:

“It’s time for @WWENXT to make history and TAKE OVER Brooklyn…again. #NXTTakeOver: Brooklyn is LIVE from the @barclayscenter the night before #SummerSlam, Saturday, August 18th. Tickets on sale THIS Friday, May 11th at 10 am ET on http://NXTTickets.com .#WeAreNXT.”

It’s time for @WWENXT to make history and TAKE OVER Brooklyn…again.#NXTTakeOver: Brooklyn is LIVE from the @barclayscenter the night before #SummerSlam, Saturday, August 18th.

Tickets on sale THIS Friday, May 11th at 10am ET on https://t.co/pcQU3cSnfR.#WeAreNXT pic.twitter.com/mD5Uq70wFj

— Triple H (@TripleH) May 7, 2018

What are your thoughts on this series returning for a second season? Sound off in the comment section below.

WWE COO Triple H recently did an interview with Sky Sports to talk about several professional wrestling topics. One such topic was future WWE Hall Of Famer The Undertaker and where he’s at at this point in his professional wrestling career.

The Undertaker comes off a squash win over John Cena at WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans, followed by a Casked match win over Rusev in Saudi Arabia at the Greatest Royal Rumble last weekend.

Triple H explained why he believes, at this point in his career, Undertaker has earned the right to call his own shots:

You can read Triple H’s full interview with Sky Sports by clicking this link here.

It’s safe to say that Ronda Rousey had one of the most impressive wrestling debuts ever. Her first wrestling match was at the grandest stage possible and it was praised by the majority of the fans.

Just recently Jim Ross had commented on Ronda’s first match, saying that her debut was the most impactful he has witnessed and now Triple H has also made similar comments.

The Game recently gave an interview to NewsHub and talking about the former UFC Star, he said that he can’t think of a more meaningful professional wrestling debut in the history:

“I can’t think of a more meaningful, more successful and more impactful professional wrestling debut of anybody in history. She woke a lot of people up and made them realize that Ronda Rousey wants to be a WWE superstar for a long time to come.”

Continuing on the topic, The former World Champion claimed that Rousey is a machine when it comes to training and said that he has no doubt that she will be great at this.

During the interview, Triple H also talked about his upcoming match with John Cena saying that this bout needs no buildup and more. You can check out his full interview here.

Triple H is set to face John Cena at the Greatest Royal Rumble event later today.

Triple H Says Saudi Arabia Is Misunderstood

WWE’s Triple H recently appeared on the “Tafaolkum” show in Saudi Arabia to promote tomorrow’s Greatest Royal Rumble event. The Game has some great words about the Saudi Arabian fanbase, and also said he believes Saudi Arabia is “misunderstood”:

“I’m always amazed when I come here, that the fanbase is so deep and their love for WWE is so intense. It’s such a welcoming place. To be honest, I think it’s misunderstood in a lot of the world when you come here to Saudi Arabia,” he said. “It’s just a wonderful place and the people are so friendly here, and they’re excited to see you.

“Especially when it comes to WWE. We are like superheroes come to life and they can see you walking down the street in front of them, they kind of look in awe. It’s a wonderful feeling. I know the WWE Superstars that are arriving today and tomorrow to come here for this event are really looking forward to being here and putting on a show for the fans.”

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

Former WWE Star Now Taking Bookings

It looks like recently released WWE Superstar and former Cruiserweight Champion Rich Swann is now accepting bookings again. This past March he had announced his retirement from wrestling, but he returned to the ring at a CZW event earlier this month. Swann can be booked via DM on Twitter @GottaGetSwann.

WWE wants to take over the world. As the largest and most profitable professional wrestling organization, WWE has already expanded their brand on a global level with live events and talent being recruited from all corners of the map.

Now WWE is expanding even further by using their model for NXT in new locations around the globe.

Paul “Triple H” Levesque, who championed and helped built NXT into a feeder system for the main WWE roster, revealed plans for even more expansion to help cultivate and foster talent from countries all over the world.

“With ‘RAW’ and ‘Smackdown Live’ calling up all of my NXT superstars, I quickly realized NXT needed a feeder system of its own,” Levesque explained when speaking at the WWE 2018 Business Partner Summit. “We had to re-imagine once again how and where we were recruiting. Not only in the United States but outside as well.”

The plan to expand falls under what Triple H calls ‘global localization’ — a term he’s actually trademarking — where WWE will establish performance centers and NXT style brands in local markets around the world.

The first example of this kind of expansion was with WWE launching the United Kingdom tournament that crowned a champion last year with another version of that same event taking place again in June.

“We’ve got to find a way to transform the current pathway into a super highway” ~ Triple H

Now WWE plans to expand that same kind of footprint in new markets around the globe including the possibility of setting up a performance center and an NXT type brand with their new partners in Saudi Arabia after inking a 10 year deal there just recently.

“We’ve got to find a way to transform the current pathway into a super highway,” Levesque explained. “We’re going to do it through what I call ‘global localization’. Where we’re going into individual markets around the world, we will create scaled versions of the template we’ve created.

“Organizing tryouts, recruiting talent, establishing performance centers and building on the ground NXT style brands.”

The global expansion will look to build home grown talent from markets in Europe, Asia, and numerous other places around the world.

As Triple H revealed during his chat with those in attendance, 80-percent of the current WWE roster came from NXT, which serves as all the proof he needs to show that this expansion is not only good for the organization, it’s absolutely necessary to continue building the brand on a global scale.

There’s no word yet when WWE plans to launch these new performances centers and NXT type brands, but obviously plans are already underway with the return of the U.K. tournament in June.

What are your thoughts on an NXT style expansion on a global scale for WWE? Sound off in the comments and let us know! 

Ever since Triple H came up with the idea for NXT, he has had a certain vision in mind. For years, WWE would sign top stars in other promotions during the territories era as well as create their own stars from the ground up.

When WWE and WCW got hot in the 1990’s and started the Monday Night Wars, they went after other promotions for their top stars. This led to the independent scene soaking up all of the talents that WWE and WCW didn’t want.

However, when Vince McMahon decided to buy his competition, there became a monopoly in the professional wrestling business. It seems pretty clear what Triple H’s vision for the developmental brand is. Sign athletes, who have no pro wrestling experience and train them to become WWE Superstars.

Also, he wants to sign the best of the best talents in the world and have them learn the WWE playbook then shine not only in NXT but on the main roster. Just look at the main roster in WWE right now.

ESPN has an article about the success of NXT and the level of growth that the brand has had over the past few years with some quotes with “The Game.”

“It’s just a classic story, you know, you don’t even have to say wrestling,” said Levesque. “Classics never get old, it’s authentic and it’s real. It was done with passion and emotion and feel. There’s a ring of truth to all of it, right? We put Gargano and Ciampa together and they weren’t best of friends, but they became it. He was in his wedding and all that is legit.

“And to go forward from there, the injuries and just the story… part of it was the plan, and then part of it was just working around the nuances of life to get there,” Levesque continued. “But it almost made it better in some way, right? To me this is one of those things that I love because it is the classic bad guy-good guy… to me, that’s the art of what we do — and I do consider this an art form, in every sense of it. Sometimes you hit magic.”

As seen at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans event earlier this month at the Smoothie King Center on the WWE Network, Johnny Gargano battled Tommaso Ciampa in the main event. Some believed that the NXT Title should always be in the main event but Triple H explained why Gargano vs. Ciampa was the perfect fit to be the headliner of that show.

“I feel like any of them could have [main evented], and this was a debate. A lot of points of view on it. There’s a part of me that goes, ‘Whoa, the title should close,’ and then there’s a part of me that goes, ‘You cannot pass that emotion.’ You just can’t. No level of moonsault, no level of flip off a ladder, no level of any of that is gonna pass that level of emotion and feeling — that level of emotion of the storytelling.

“I don’t know how you could have gone off the air better than Gargano gets his life back and his wife’s in there,” said Levesque. “Unless I have Ciampa run back in there and piledrive her, that’s the end. There’s always next time.”

What are your thoughts on Triple H’s comments in this piece? Sound off in the comment section below.

Triple H has a soft spot for performers who came through NXT and the WWE Developmental system. One of those performers is Carmella, who last week successfully cashed in her Money in the Bank briefcase and defeated Charlotte Flair.

In two months it will be exactly 5 years since WWE signed Carmella. She signed as a 27-year-old after having worked as a New England Patriots cheerleader for 3 seasons and a Laker Girl for one. She is the daughter of former WWE enhancement talent, Paul Van Dale.

Carmella won the first two women’s Money in the Bank matches last summer. The first match ended when her former valet, James Ellsworth, detached the briefcase and dropped it down to her. After a second match was scheduled, Carmella found a way to win that as well. Now, she’s a World Champion.

Disappointment is often the thing that propels you forward. @CarmellaWWE took every opportunity presented and cashed in on hard work. Ms. Money in the Bank is now Ms. #SDLive Women's Champion. #WeAreNXT pic.twitter.com/B0WrlgswsH

— Triple H (@TripleH) April 17, 2018

Disappointment is often the thing that propels you forward. @CarmellaWWE took every opportunity presented and cashed in on hard work. Ms. Money in the Bank is now Ms. #SDLive Women’s Champion. #WeAreNXT

the Iiconics: Peyton Royce and Billie Kay

The weeks after WrestleMania is always an important time for call-ups to the main roster. While Carmella may now be a World Champion, other NXT stars are just getting their starts on either Raw or Smackdown.

Two performers from NXT who debuted on the main roster recently are the Iiconics, Peyton Royce & Billie Kay. The duo are former high school friends from Sydney, Australia who both followed the same paths to the company. The team started in NXT in 2015 and made their main roster debuts on the Smackdown after Mania last week. Triple H also posted about their debuts on the main roster.

From their debut in @WWENXT, @WWEPeytonRoyce and @BillieKayWWE have always brought something #IICONIC to the @WWE Universe. Proud to see how far they've both come and excited to see how far they will go! pic.twitter.com/RtTsISQsFe

— Triple H (@TripleH) April 17, 2018

From their debut in @WWENXT, @WWEPeytonRoyce and @BillieKayWWE have always brought something #IICONIC to the @WWE Universe. Proud to see how far they’ve both come and excited to see how far they will go! – Triple H on the Iiconics

This past weekend in New Orleans former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey made her in-ring WWE debut at WrestleMania 34. The Rowdy One teamed up with Kurt Angle to pick up a win over Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in Mixed Tag Team action.

Despite fans’ initial expectations, Rousey actually did very well for herself inside the ring and wound up picking up the win for her team after locking in an armbar on McMahon. WWE Hall Of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin took to his podcast, The Steve Austin Show, to grade Rousey’s performance.

The Texas Rattlesnake said he “absolutely loved” the match and found it very entertaining:

“This was such an entertaining match and I was really wondering how Ronda would handle the moment. Some people have questioned some of her interview skills, and she’s not used to being on an RF mic in front of 20,000 people in these arenas. Mostly it’s trash-talk, and soundbites, and stuff like that and a shoot aspect, and not following storyline stuff, I was wondering, ‘would the moment be too great for her?’ And this match was so damn entertaining.

“There were so many twists and turns, and submission-type moves, and right when you thought, ‘well, here’s the finish,’ they extended it – that wasn’t the finish. And the crowd bought into this. It started off a tad slow. People were wondering, I think, just like I did, but boom! They set the hook there, mister. And, damn near from the bell, it was on. That crowd, everybody there was into that match.”

Austin then broke down Rousey’s body language during the performance, specifically noting how The Rowdy One was smiling from ear to ear when she made her way to the ring:

“When she came out smiling, she looked like a million bucks.” Austin recalled, “I liked the plaid skirt and she came out. She had her gear on and then it was time. She got her game face on at the point, but I know where that came from. I’ll guarantee you that was straight out of the old man. ‘Go out there and smile’ because we know she’s a badass. We know she [has] got that mean mug face when it’s time to go out there and do business.

“And there were plenty of opportunities, and that did happen during the course of the match, but it felt a little weird to me, too, but, I think that he wanted her to smile just to be accessible, maybe to calm the nerves or maybe she’s more free when she’s focused, that laser-focus that she has. But I didn’t expect her to smile.

“But it was her first big performance in front of 78,000 people. Some people were knocking her on it. I could go either way on it, but I do know that when the bell rang, I was watching her body language and hang onto that tag rope.”

With all that being said, taking into account Rousey’s overall performance on The Grandest Stage Of Them All, Austin gave Rousey an A+ – and offered the same grade to the match as well:

“Obviously, they put a lot of time into this, she’s obviously a very talented person, and you had three hands in there with Kurt, Steph, and Triple H being able to go out there and help along with the referee,” Austin explained. “So all of the pieces were set in place for this thing to be, and this thing was built to make all of them shine, but specifically Ronda and help get her over.

“And yeah, this one, I thought they knocked a grand slam, the bases were loaded, and they knocked it out of the park. And so, we’ll see what happens in the future when she starts moving into single’s endeavors, tag team endeavors. Yeah, this was great and they pulled it off. So she still has work to do, but as far as her performance goes, I give her an A+. And I give the match an A+ because that’s how entertained I was by it.”

You can listen to The Steve Austin Show by clicking this link here.

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions 

This week’s episode of Monday Night Raw saw not one but 3 debuts with 4 new NXT Stars being called up to the main roster according to the Raw after WrestleMania tradition.

The Stars who were called up include former NXT Women’s Champion Ember moon, Former NXT Tag Champs Authors of Pain and the former NXT Star No Way Jose.

They all made a pretty impressive debut on the Red Branded Show. After the event, Triple H commented on their arrival via the following tweet, saying that their spot is earned:

No @WWE debut is a given…how you take your spot is up to you. Tag team dominance, eclipsing the competition, or a conga line with the greatest fans in the world … the opportunity is all there. Congratulations @WWEEmberMoon @Akam_WWE @Rezar_WWE @WWENoWayJose#WeAreNXT pic.twitter.com/mP5zMN8DgJ

— Triple H (@TripleH) April 11, 2018

The Game also shared his thoughts on the return of the former World Champion Bobby Lashley, welcoming the former Impact Wrestling Star back to ‘home’:

This time of the year can mean the end, the beginning, or the return…
Better than ever, @fightbobby. Welcome back home. pic.twitter.com/ufHamuRFAY

— Triple H (@TripleH) April 11, 2018

For those who don’t know, Bobby Lashley made his WWE return during this week’s episode of Raw. He interrupted Elias in a segment and then defeated the Drifter in a quick match.

On the other hand, Ember Moon came out as a surprise partner for the new Raw Women’s Champion Nia Jax and the two then beat the team of Alexa Bliss and Mickie James.

No Way Jose defeated a local competitor upon his debut and the Authors of Pain answered the open challenge issued by Heath Slater and Rhyno.

Triple H inducted Kid Rock into the Celebrity Wing of the WWE Hall of Fame tonight. Triple H stated that the Celebrity Wing of the Hall of Fame was about people coming in from the outside and amplifying it for all of the fans. He said that Kid Rock had a huge impact at what we all love and that music makes you feel something. It can take you back to a special memory and to a special time in your life.

Triple H asked who in this room doesn’t picture Michael Hayes when they hear Free Bird. He added that the Attitude Era had a soundtrack to it and that Kid Rock was a huge part of that soundtrack. He said that Kid Rock loves the wrestling business and that he is a genre defining superstar. He can write a country ballad, hip hop track and a kickass rock song. He can do anything and his music, just like WWE, are hard-hitting and make everybody in the room stand up.

He noted that this year’s theme song is Kid Rock’s “Celebrate” and that hundreds of thousands of people will come to New Orleans to celebrate. Kid Rock is about creating memories and celebrating life and good times. Triple H said that is why everyone is here, to create memories that will last a lifetime. It is why 70,000 people will sit in that stadium as one and love every single minute of it. The soundtrack to this trip and the memories will be the American Bad Ass, the one and only Kid Rock.

"Music makes you feel something… it takes you back to a special time, known as the ATTITUDE ERA!" @TripleH is proud to induct the anthemic artist @KidRock into the 2018 #WWEHOF! pic.twitter.com/omXvj8bUZ6

— WWE (@WWE) April 7, 2018

Kid Rock shared a hug with Triple H and waved to the crowd. Kid Rock thanked the crowd and said that this was better than any Grammy any day of the week and that is saying a lot. There is no politics involved here, he didn’t have to kiss anyone’s behind and all that stuff. He said that WWE just called him up and asked him if he wanted to come into the Hall of Fame and he said “hell yeah”.

"This is better than any #GRAMMY any day of the week!" – 2018 #WWEHOF Inductee @KidRock pic.twitter.com/BMrHE8z9nQ

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) April 7, 2018

Kid Rock said that he wasn’t supposed to thank Vince, but did it anyway. He said that Vince McMahon changed the landscape of American entertainment. He was also warned to stay away from politics and then cracked a few jokes about democrats. He brought up The Undertaker and The Rock. He added that he loves Ric Flair like corn flakes and called Hulk Hogan a great friend. Kid Rock noted that he knows what it is like to be on the road and away from their family. He asked for a round of applause for what the wrestlers do to entertain everyone and what they put their bodies through.

Kid Rock thanked his family, friends, band, manager and the fans for spending their hard earned money to come see all of us entertain you for so many years. Kid Rock thanked Jesus and accepted the award of his late bandmate Joe C. Kid Rock thanked the fans one more time and tipped his hat to the crowd.

"A big round of applause goes out to what these guys do to entertain everybody around the world!" – @KidRock #WWEHOF pic.twitter.com/iS0ojTLbRV

— WWE (@WWE) April 7, 2018

What a night to celebrate…
Congratulations to @KidRock for being the newest inductee into the celebrity wing of the #WWEHOF! pic.twitter.com/XA1K9i5Ztu

— Triple H (@TripleH) April 7, 2018

– Below is another new WrestleMania 34 Diary video with 2018 WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett and his family traveling from Nashville to New Orleans for the big weekend. Jarrett greets various WWE Superstars before being asked to spell his name at check-in for a throwback moment.

– WWE Shop has released new t-shirts for Nia Jax, Triple H, WWE Champion AJ Styles, Carmella, Finn Balor and Matt Hardy, just in time for WrestleMania 34. Remember to visit WWE Shop via this link to save on your purchases.

– WWE veteran Goldust tweeted the following praise for the current locker room this week:

https://twitter.com/Goldust/status/981704194984955914

WWE COO Triple H recently did an interview with ESPN to talk about several professional wrestling topics. One such topic was NXT Superstar Adam Cole. The Game had some high praise for Cole and believes he has a very bright future with the company. Here’s what he had to say:

“I think he plays a very big role, probably, in what WWE will be over the [next few] years. He’s a very talented young man, lot of charisma. That’s the thing that I would say first. Talented in-ring performer, absolutely, but the charisma and the character, that’s there. Great human being, too. Those are the things that make me happy about his success, and I’m looking forward to seeing what he does with all the things that are coming his way, and how he takes advantage of them

“The truth is, we can put the opportunity out there, but what’s done with it and where it goes is on the talen, I say that all the time. We just set the table, and you can say whether it was set right or it was set wrong, but we set the table, and they get the opportunity. Everybody has the chance to knock that opportunity out of the park, and to run with it. He, so far, has. Hopefully he will continue to.”

You can ready Triple H’s full interview with ESPN by clicking this link here.

– WWE posted the following WrestleMania Diary video on their YouTube channel of 2018 Hall Of Fame inductee Jeff Jarrett. Jarrett did an interview with The Midday 180 on Nashville’s 104.5 The Zone:

– Below are videos of Triple H and Stephanie McMahon arriving in New Orleans for their Mixed Tag Team match against Kurt Angle and Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania 34 this weekend. Check it out:

Looking forward to getting a private tour of #WrestleMania #Axxess with @TripleH, led by @catherinekelley, tomorrow at 12pm EST! #TuneIn on @facebook to get a behind the scenes look at #Axxess before it opens to the public. https://t.co/vvk0OHNrb0

— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) April 4, 2018

Just landed in New Orleans with @StephMcMahon. 5 days… #TeamMcMahon #AreYouReady#WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/M4jIFS3GV9

— Triple H (@TripleH) April 5, 2018

– WWE posted a clip from WWE Network’s “Ride Along,” featuring Jinder Mahal and Sunil Singh. Mahal discussed the formation of Three Man Band (3MB) and said he believes the faction will return one day as a dominant one:

"I believe some day, the band will reform, and we will be a DOMINANT FACTION!" – @JinderMahal on #3MB#WWERideAlong @SinghBrosWWE @WWENetwork pic.twitter.com/hgmBjfWldz

— WWE (@WWE) April 3, 2018

The power couple of the WWE, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, continue to make the media rounds to promote the biggest event of the year for the sports entertainment company, WrestleMania 34.

At this year’s event, Triple H and McMahon will team up to take on former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey and Raw General Manager Kurt Angle in a Mixed Tag Team Match.

Triple H and Stephanie recently spoke with Fox News to promote WrestleMania 34.

During the interview, they were asked by signing Rousey if it open the doors to other athletes outside to pursue a career in the WWE. Here is what they had to say:

Triple H: “I do, you know the performance center and our recruiting efforts have sort of changed that perception outside of our world anyway. There’s been a lot of, whether it be NFL players or soccer globally or anything else that have had a desire maybe to try and want to do this but never had that pathway in front of them. The pathway is now there, I say it all the time: What I’m doing internationally with all these other markets is I’m trying to create pathways. I’m bringing a recruiting team there trying to create an environment where if somebody says “Man, I love that, and I’d like to try and do that,” there’s a way for them to do that. Ronda took that path that wasn’t there before. We created that path, she came to us; she approached us probably about the same time we approached her, but the pathway was there and I think now she will open a lot of eyeballs of athletes around the world to say “Well, why can’t I?”

Stephanie McMahon: “We recruit from the Olympics; we recruit from rugby, football overseas; we recruit from everywhere. I do think Rhonda has brought heightened awareness. She is arguably one of the world’s greatest athletes. She is also just a tremendous star. She just exudes this energy and charisma that you can really connect to because you have to have the total package. Athleticism alone is not enough. And I think Rhonda speaks to the caliber of athleticism that is in WWE but it also speaks to the women’s evolution, and I can’t wait to see how her presence will give the women’s evolution even more weight.”

Triple H and McMahon also talked about WrestleMania 34, the experience of the event and more. You can read the entire interview here.

With WrestleMania 34 quickly approaching, it comes with media for all WWE Superstars, and that includes Triple H.

It’s been well documented that WWE SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan has been officially cleared to return to in-ring competition by WWE doctors.

The former WWE Champion has been an underdog for his entire career. From his days on the independent scene to when he arrived in WWE. Although the company wasn’t fully behind him at first, he has overcome the challenges that were put in front of him and became a fan favorite.

Bryan, who was forced to retire in 2016 due to his history with concussions, is now back.

Triple H made the rounds at ESPN last week. During his appearances through the “ESPN car wash,” he spoke about Bryan’s WWE in-ring clearance.

Here is what the former WWE Champion had to say about the fan favorite being cleared (transcript courtesy of Wrestling Inc):

“There’s a certain point in time when Daniel is not still cleared by us, but he’s gotten clearance from his team and his people and all his things, and I’m sure he was already training and doing things,” Triple H said. “Maybe not taking bumps, but training and doing the things he wanted to do to get himself back in shape just in case this did happen. So while we were making him go to additional doctors … and running more tests and doing all these things to ensure that everything was all right, he was preparing.”

“Part of me was so afraid in the period of time when it [was] all going down that he was going to walk and say ‘forget it’ and go wrestle for someone else that doesn’t care, that doesn’t take their health into consideration — because that’s pretty much everywhere else — and risk his life and his health and his family and his baby and risk all of it,” Triple H responded. “And it’s not worth that. We take enough risk every day in what we do. Every day. Luckily we never got there, and luckily things worked out. It’s funny, because as Bryan was putting out things like, ‘I’m going to do this if they won’t let me do that,’ he was already working the information. He was already getting those tests done. He was already getting that stuff done. … Looking back on it, he was already prepping. He was prepping everything about it.”

“I put so much more pressure on myself to [lose] to somebody than I ever did to win a title because … I just want it to be [such a big moment] for this guy,” said Triple H. “Watching that story evolve over that long period of time — from a behind-the-scenes standpoint — being behind it with him and being like, ‘Man, I know this is not the plan right this moment, but this is where we need to go.’ Just seeing that feeling and getting to that moment, having that match with him and having that moment, and knowing what’s coming later and being out there in that moment for him … when you have the circumstances that all work out to make this fairy-tale moment — it’s just awesome.”

Bryan is slated to team up with Shane McMahon to take on Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn at WrestleMania 34. On the flip side, Triple H will team up with his wife, Stephanie McMahon, to take on Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle.

While Triple H got a bad wrap for marrying Vince McMahon’s daughter when he was still an active wrestler, not many people thought that he would be in the position that he is now.

While it was believed that Triple H would be an executive in WWE, it was pretty much ruled out that he would be the guy in control of everything. Triple H even went on record by saying that he didn’t want to wear a tie and suit.

However, that all changed when McMahon pushed for his son-in-law to slowly but surely become someone he could lean on not only with creative but business related things.

Triple H recently did an interview with Raute Musik to talk about various topics. During the interview, he was asked if he’ll be in the business as long as Vince Vince McMahon.

“I think for Vince McMahon, it’s his passion and his life. It’s just who he is as a human being and as a person. For Stephanie, this has been her family business and her life, and a passion as well. Same thing for me. I’ve had a long career and deeply into this. Vince McMahon will do this until he can no longer do it. I think we feel the same way. We have a strong passion for this, and for us to take his vision is very important for us.

Take that vision, which he has done really well, to take that vision from where it is and beyond where it will be to bring the brand, the company, the business and all of it, like he did. To have a vision beyond what it is today and where it can go. I think that the WWE, in the form of entertainment, as a media juggernaut, and a content creator, and all of that, I think is just scratching the surface of where we can be in the future, and I look forward to that future. When Vince McMahon will no longer be around, I hope Stephanie, and I can do it justice and in the future of where it needs to be and hopefully, futures beyond that will take it beyond anywhere we can imagine it to be.”

“The Game” was also asked about potential holding a pay-per-view event in the UK again, which hasn’t been done since 1992.

“Any pay per view, or promotional event of that caliber are all difficult to put on and are all challenging. When you are talking about WrestleMania and a week-long series of events, that is difficult to put on in the United States, the difficulty level multiplies exponentially outside of the United States. That being said, we are definitely looking at possibilities into a lot of things. One thing we have shown, over the years is never say never. I know fans are hungry and excited for it if it happens. It is something we think about, and are logistically trying to figure out how it can work. Whether it is one of our standard pay per views, or WrestleMania, we are certainly open to all of it, and as we always say, you never say never in WWE. We are open to all options, and without sounding cliches, but if it is best for business then we will certainly be open to doing it.”

H/T to Wrestling Inc for the transcript

WWE COO Triple H recently did an interview on CBS Sports’ In This Corner podcast and shared his thoughts about gaining creative control over 205 Live recently. “The Game” discussed his attempts to try and make the program more exciting:

“I think it’s a work in progress,” said Triple H. “I think we did the ‘Cruiserweight Classic’ and it was an excitement and an opportunity. We jumped on making it into its own show, but I don’t know if that was totally just kind of thought out in the right way or done in the right way. I think we made an attempt at it that.

“Vince will say a lot that the business is like flavors – chocolate and vanilla – and not everyone is going to agree on the flavors. So we went in the direction of a certain flavor. We gave them vanilla and people weren’t buying the flavor of vanilla, so we went back to chocolate and people are seeming to like that again.”

He also noted that the division is still a work in progress and he’s excited to see the future opportunities in store for its talent:

“The great thing about [WWE] is we can change them on a dime,” said Triple H. “We can put it in a different direction, and if people don’t like something, just keep watching [because] we are probably going to get you there. We are probably going to get you to a place that works for everyone. That is the intent.

“I think 205 continues to be a work in progress. I’m excited about that opportunity for all of the athletes there because, for a lot of them, there was no road in front of them. There was no big path, and it was doing what they were doing but this opened up doors for them. Hopefully it will continue to grow, much like NXT has, much like the [United Kingdom efforts] will and all of that. I think there is tremendous opportunity and in some way we are just kind of nicking the surface of where we will be.”

You can check out Triple H’s full interview on CBS Sports’ In This Corner podcast by clicking this link here.

WWE COO Triple H and Monday Night RAW Commissioner Stephanie McMahon recently appeared on ESPN First Take to promote their Mixed Tag Team match at WrestleMania 34 against Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle. Host Stephen A. Smith asked the pair who they think is the biggest star in WWE.

Stephanie named WWE Hall Of Famer Andre The Giant, while Triple H named off several stars like The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and The Undertaker. Here’s what they had to say:

Stephanie:

“For me personally it’s got to be Andre the Giant. I think a lot of people would say The Rock, a lot of people might say John Cena, especially recently, but I would say Andre,” Stephanie said. “He’s a pop culture icon that has transcended media around the world. Of course we have our HBO special that’s going to be premiering in a couple of weeks in April and it’s just going to be an incredible reflection on the life of an icon.”

Triple H:

“For me the answer is kind of mixed because there are different aspects to that,” Triple H answered. “You can talk about the impact of Hulk Hogan or The Rock and him now being the biggest box office attraction in Hollywood, you can talk about “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. But there’s one guy for me within our industry that resonates beyond all else.

“When I go to India or the Middle East or Europe or Japan or Australia, South America, it doesn’t matter – one of the names that’s always brought up first and foremost is The Undertaker. The character, iconic character of that… it just transcends everything and it is for so many people that kind of character that encapsulates what WWE is.”

Co-host Max Kellerman named Hulk Hogan and Stephen A. Smith agreed, before naming others like The Road Warriors, Ric Flair, Randy Savage and Paul Orndorff. Triple H responded with the following:

“That is the thing, when you talk about it, you can talk about the genius of Vince, you can talk about the brand, you can talk about all the things, WrestleMania and all that. Nobody, nobody in any form of entertainment or sports has put out the amount of characters that have transcended generations,” Triple H responded.

“That storytelling, that level of character development that transcends generations, that touches your childhood and makes you feel something, takes you back in time to that moment … those moments transcend time, connect with you on a level and a character level that few things in this world can. That’s really the genius of Vince McMahon, that storytelling and that character creation.”

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon is re-launching the XFL under Alpha Entertainment. The announcement was made earlier this year during a press conference. McMahon noted that the new XFL will begin in 2020. There will be eight teams with 40-man rosters, a ten game regular season, and a four-team postseason including a championship game. McMahon made it clear that there will be no crossover from WWE to the new XFL.

The original XFL only had one season, which took place in 2001 and was produced by WWE and NBC. It took place during the NFL off-season and promoted as having fewer rules and encouraging rougher play than other major leagues.

There were only eight teams in two divisions. Some of the teams took place in major markets such as Birmingham, Las Vegas, Memphis, and Orlando. The XFL operated as a single entity, with all teams centrally owned by the league.

Although NBC signed with WWE to air two seasons of the league, NBC pulled out of its broadcast contract for the XFL after the inaugural season, citing the poor viewership. The league ceased operations entirely in May 2001. The Los Angeles Xtreme was the XFL’s first and only champions. McMahon has gone on record in the past by stating that the league was a “colossal failure.”

Triple H and Stephanie McMahon did media with ESPN on Wednesday on First take to promote WrestleMania 34.

During the interview, Triple H was asked about McMahon bringing back the XFL football league in 2020. Here is what “The Game” had to say:

“I think if anything he has proven over time that you learn from failure, much more than you learn from success,” he said. “He’s gone at this once and it didn’t work out. I think he learned a ton from that and he’s been chomping at the bit from the time to be right to do it again. I feel like he believes the time is right, now. I think he’s learned more fro that success and certainly I wouldn’t bet against him.”

“I think the time is right in the world, I think the time is right on a global basis. Social media and the ability to get it out on a digital level. Instead of playing catch up to that, you’re starting it fresh with that. I think the time is right in a lot of ways.”

H/T to Wrestling Inc for the transcript