Triple H posted the following on his official Twitter account on Tuesday, confirming the WWE signing of Kevin Steen.
#WWE Universe in Canada: Proud to say the @WWENetwork is available today and the signing of Canada's own Kevin Steen. http://t.co/GMpjPOgi87
— Triple H (@TripleH) August 12, 2014
The employee that Alberto Del Rio allegedly slapped, leading to his WWE release, is rumored to be Cody Barbierri. On Linkedin and Twitter, Barbierri is listed as WWE’s manager of social media live events.
According to one source, Barbierri was reportedly asked to wipe his plate clean after having a meal in catering. He then allegedly joked that it was Del Rio’s job to clean the plates, which many would consider to be a racist remark.
As the story goes, Del Rio was informed of Barbierri’s comment and approached him. Upon refusal to apologize for making the remark, even grinning in Del Rio’s face, it was said that this is when Del Rio slapped Barbierri.
As noted on Friday, the official WWE Twitter account noted the following about Del Rio’s release, a tweet that Triple H re-tweeted as well:
“”@VivaDelRio is responsible for his own actions. If you’re angry at anyone, be angry at Alberto. There’s no excuse for a pro athlete not to conduct themselves in a professional manner.”
The dog days of summer are winding down and the biggest wrestling event of the season is just around the corner. With the card for SummerSlam essentially finalized, it’s time to look at the possibilities.
In recent years, the WWE has saved its biggest surprises for the most important pay-per-views of the year, and with SummerSlam being the last special event for the first cycle of WWE Network subscribers, the company will undoubtedly be pulling out all stops in an attempt to entice fans to renew. With that said, here are five potential SummerSlam shockers.
As reported on Wednesday, Triple H took part in a “Fireside Chat” with Senior Business Analyst Laura Martin this week and explained why he feels UFC isn’t competition for WWE. Below are additional highlights from the chat.
On a question about whether or not Vince McMahon is still active and engaged: “He’s the most active person I know. He works at two in the morning because he’s absolutely dedicated to driving himself and the executive team as hard as possible to create the best product as possible.”
On Husky Harris evolving into Bray Wyatt: “He wasn’t quite connecting with the crowd. Decent hand. Talented kid. Right person. They were going to let him go and I said, ‘Let me take him and do something with him.’ We moved that character to NXT. We put some other people around him that fit the package. Moved him back onto Raw and Smackdown, and he’s one of our most popular superstars Bray Wyatt. I’ll go out on a limb and say in 10 years Bray Wyatt will be one of the most memorable characters in WWE.”
On how they prevent “being held up” by talents: “There is no one performer who is bigger than the WWE. There are superstar performers and megastar performers like John Cena. But he’s still not bigger than the WWE. Why doesn’t anyone ‘hold us up’? Because it would only be a short-term gain. There’s no upside for them behind it
On the WWE creative team: “We have a whole creative writing team that fluxes over time. We produce eight hours of in-ring content each week. It’s a ton of content. There can be anywhere from 20 to 35 writers on with us. There’s a churn rate on that as well. At the end of the day, it’s all about churning out as many storylines as possible and looking at the business as a whole. You can write the greatest story in the world and have an actor with no charisma. The story will tank. They’re interdependent on each other.”
For more, visit BleacherReport.com.
There is talk that Triple H may be added as a special guest referee for the Stephanie McMahon vs. Brie Bella match at SummerSlam.
Additionally, there continues to be discussion about turning Nikki Bella heel at some point during the McMahon-Bella feud. The actual decision as to when she will turn hasn’t been decided yet, but it’s pretty much considered inevitable that it will happen at some point during this program.
(Credit: F4WOnline.com)
Last night’s Raw was held in the supposedly great state of Texas. Fans in attendance were treated to the return of Mark Henry, as well as an entertaining contest between Dean Ambrose and Alberto Del Rio.
Although John Cena and Brock Lesnar were both notably absent on Sunday, the WWE did their best to promote the SummerSlam main event. As always, a few questions were answered on Monday, but many still remain. Here are five questions that need to be answered following Monday’s Raw.
5. Did Fans Witness the Burial of Cesaro?
It is no secret that the WWE has no idea what to do with Cesaro right now. Once one of the most over superstars in the company, Cesaro has been relegated to minor roles since the return of Brock Lesnar. After failing to join the Authority a few weeks back, Cesaro has been in a slump, once again losing to Dolph Ziggler in a short match on Monday.
There are rumors that Cesaro’s push is being limited because the company wants to focus on pushing Roman Reigns. It makes sense to want to promote a young superstar, but others who got over on their own should not be punished as a result. Let us hope that the company soon finds something for Cesaro instead of wasting his talent.
4. Which Stipulation Will Dean Ambrose Choose?
Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins competed in a beat the clock challenge last night, with the winner having the ability to choose the stipulation for their match at SummerSlam. Ambrose won after a long battle with Alberto Del Rio, and also assured Seth Rollins would not win his match with Heath Slater.
The Lunatic Fringe now gets to choose the stipulation at tonight’s SmackDown taping (check in tonight for spoilers if you’re too eager to wait until Friday). He will probably choose something typical like a no-holds barred match, but here’s to hoping he chooses a ladder match for the contract. Which stipulation do you think Ambrose will choose?
Above is a video of Triple H announcing the third NXT live special on the WWE Network, “NXT Takeover 2,” at the NXT television tapings on Thursday evening in Winter Park, Florida.
NXT Takeover 2 is scheduled to air live on the WWE Network on September 11th, with the following matches official thus far for the show:
NXT Championship
– Adrian Neville (c) vs. Sami Zayn vs. Tyler Breeze vs. Tyson Kidd
NXT Women’s Championship
– Charlotte (c) vs. Bayley
NXT Tag Team Championship
– The Ascension (c) vs. Sin Cara and Kalisto
Hair vs. Hair Match
Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady vs. Sylvester Lefort & Marcus Louis
During the WWE NXT television tapings on Thursday in Winter Park, Florida, WWE COO Triple H announced that the next live NXT special on the WWE Network will take place on September 11th.
Much like the previous NXT specials, “Arrival” and “Takeover,” the upcoming NXT special on 9/11 will be a two-hour live show.
It was also noted that all of the NXT titles will be on the line at the next NXT special and the new NXT General Manager will be revealed.
– It was announced during Monday’s RAW that on this week’s edition of WWE Main Event, the featured match will be Dean Ambrose vs. Alberto Del Rio. WWE Main Event airs live on the WWE Network on Tuesday night at 8pm EST.
– Also announced during RAW this week was the confirmation that Chris Jericho and Bray Wyatt will meet again at the upcoming SummerSlam pay-per-view in August. The match was confirmed during a RAW segment that featured Chris Jericho making fun of Stephanie McMahon, all-the-while angering Triple H. As noted previously, Jericho and Wyatt are expected to work matches against each other in three consecutive pay-per-views — Battleground, SummerSlam and Night Of Champions.
Triple H (aka Paul Levesque) celebrates his 45th birthday today. “The Game” was born on July 27, 1969.
Speaking of birthdays in the McMahon-Helmsley family, Stephanie McMahon posted the following tweet of herself and Triple H with singer Katy Perry, who apparently performed for their daughter’s birthday.
Thank You @katyperry for making our daughter's bday truly unforgettable! @TripleH #PrismaticWorldTour pic.twitter.com/qExSQbc4bs
— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) July 25, 2014
Finally, Dolph Ziggler turns 34 today. Ziggler (aka Nick Nemeth) was born on July 27, 1980.
– WWE will return to the Amway Center in Orlando on February 16th, 2015 for a live RAW. A pre-sale is going on now with the password RAWTV.
– As previously reported, WWE will not be hosting a SummerSlam Axxess fan fest this year. Instead, the company will be hosting a series of Superstar panels in Los Angeles, including one that will feature the WWE 2K15 roster reveal. in Los Angeles due to the ongoing budget cuts. While it was originally speculated that Axxess was cancelled as a cost-cutting measure, PWInsider.com reports that it was actually an issue related to finding a location to host the event.
– Several NXT stars were backstage at Tuesday night’s SmackDown tapings from Orlando, including newly-signed Japanese star Kenta. WWE posted the following photo of Kenta meeting with Vince McMahon and Triple H:
“Backstage at #WWE: Vince McMahon, @tripleh, and Kenta talk backstage. #WWE”
WWE.com has published Michael Cole’s weekly sit down interview with WWE COO Triple H. Here are some highlights:
– When asked about Stephanie McMahon’s “arrest” on RAW, Triple H said he has been advised not to speak about the case because of “pending legal action.” Cole asked how she was and Triple H got upset, telling him to move on.
– Triple H said he picked “Plan C” Brock Lesnar to face John Cena at SummerSlam because he guaranteed the WWE Universe that Cena would not leave the event as WWE World Heavyweight Champion. He’s going to fulfill that guarantee and Lesnar is the man who will help him keep his word. He assured Cole that Lesnar will get the job done.
– Cole asked about putting WWE’s biggest franchise Superstar in the ring with the man who may have ended The Undertaker’s career. Triple H said Lesnar vs. Cena is best for business and the WWE Universe wants to see Cena have the best possible competition. His job isn’t to protect Cena “because he sells t-shirts.” He added that said WWE has relied on Cena for years, but the company will move on when the time comes. If Lesnar ends Cena’s career, so be it.
– Cole congratulated Triple H on the one year anniversary of the WWE Performance Center in Orlando. Triple H said it has been an amazing year and the Performance Center is a big step into the future for WWE. He said that WWE’s future is bright and the wrestlers using the Performance Center have advantages that previous generations never had.
It was announced on the post-Battleground edition of WWE RAW that Triple H would reveal his plan for John Cena’s opponent for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match at the upcoming SummerSlam pay-per-view.
After many teases, it was revealed that Triple H’s “plan A” was Randy Orton, his “plan B” was Seth Rollins, but by the end of the night, “The Game” was convinced by Paul Heyman to go with “plan C,” which is Brock Lesnar.
So there you have it, after weeks of rumors, it has been confirmed that SummerSlam this year will be headlined by John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
WWE held its annual Battleground pay-per-view last night. It was the second incarnation of the event and featured a total of six matches on the actual card and two additional matches on the pre-show.
On paper, the event looked more than solid and seemed like it would be one of the best shows of the year. Things quickly took a turn for the worse, however, and the WWE dropped a massive turd on its fans last night. The event was clearly slopped together and featured some of the laziest storytelling fans will ever encounter.
Lana and Rusev received some serious heat last night after referencing the recent Malaysia Airlines crash. It will be interesting to see if the WWE takes a step back after receiving criticism from multiple news outlets.
The company also pulled a total bait and switch on fans that paid to see the event. The most anticipated match of the night for many was Seth Rollins squaring off with former Shield partner Dean Ambrose. Prior to the event, the match had been heavily advertised and was clearly one of the main reasons fans were tuning in.
Instead of holding the match, however, Triple H cancelled the contest and threw Dean Ambrose out of the building, eventually awarding the victory to Seth Rollins due to forfeit. Fans were expecting an absolute classic of a matchup, but instead were treated to a few backstage brawl segments that were nothing special, and amounted to the same thing fans can see for free each week on Raw.
Last night, the WWE basically told the fans that this matchup was too good to take place at a crummy pay-per-view such as Battleground and will be saved for SummerSlam. Honestly, fans should feel cheated after what they saw with the Ambrose/Rollins program last night.
WWE Hall Of Famer Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat has reportedly been released from WWE as part of the company’s recent budget cuts.
Prior to his release, Steamboat had been working as a coach in NXT, as well as a Talent Relations assistant under Triple H at the WWE offices in Stamford, Connecticut.
This past May, Steamboat did some promotional work for the company in Malaysia, however he has been booked for several non-WWE wrestling conventions and interviews.
(Credit: PWInsider.com)
The following are highlights of a new interview with NXT star Sami Zayn:
On feedback from Triple H after his match with Cesaro at “Arrival”: “It was awesome. If I’m being honest again, actually the first time that I got that kind of feedback from HHH was actually the two out of three falls match (with Cesaro), which had been about a year, nine months prior to the Arrival match. So we had this match, now has gotten a lot of talk, buzz or whatever it is. As I was in the ring and the crowd was like just going nuts, giving us this standing ovation, which was so cool. And as I was on my back, out of the corner of my eye, I kinda saw the replaying some of the highlights of the match and the crowd with each replay started getting louder and louder to the point by the time they were replaying the finish, it was another standing ovation. So it was actually one of the most incredible moments of my career. Just to lay flat on my back and just hear them continually getting louder way after the match. And they (crowd) start chanting match of the year, match of the year and I haven’t told anybody this on camera or anything like this. I really didn’t know how that reaction was going to go over. At this point, I was fairly new to the WWE system. I didn’t know if I overextended myself, if we had done more than they wanted, I don’t know. I really didn’t know. And then we came back and I had no idea what to expect, I really didn’t. I thought I’d get chewed out over like what the hell are you doing out there? I really didn’t know. And I got back there and HHH was the first one to pull us aside. He said that was awesome. He gave us a very candid speech. That was the first time I got insight into his mind and the way his mind works. I was so happy because yes, its not gunna be this like, I have my vision. the office has their vision. It was this guy who likes good stuff and he appreciates good stuff. And it was an amazing experience and amazing thing validated by a guy who is not only your boss, but as one of the most accomplished and greatest professional wrestlers/WWE superstars of all time. It was really cool to have him on your good side for sure.”
On KENTA signing with the company and training soon at the Performance Center: “I’m very excited. There’s a lot of good talent coming in, a lot of my kind of guys, world traveled, workrate, nose to the grindstone, gritty sort of passionate guys, which is what I personally believe in. Its great to see these guys get an opportunity. KENTA’s just been busting his butt for so long and killing it for so long. Its great to see him get an opportunity like this. I am really looking forward to hopefully wrestling him because I actually never have. I was supposed to wrestle him once, but he went down with a knee injury. I teamed with him a couple of times, but I’ve never actually had a one on one match with him. I look forward to that opportunity.”
Check out the complete interview above.
Triple H, Daniel Bryan and Seth Rollins all recently took part in a new WWE.com article that looks at the company’s signing of Japanese star KENTA.
Triple H offered the following comments: “He just signed with us. I was there when he had his tryout at the Performance Center and I met with him there. We’ve been working on this for a while. His training will start when he gets here. The thing is, you can be a big star anyplace else in the world. That gets you in the door. What you do once you get here is a whole different ballgame. He’s no different than anybody else once he walks through the door of the Performance Center.”
Daniel Bryan said: “Kenta has wrestled in the United States, Europe and Mexico. He knows how to switch his styles up with what WWE is doing, so the sky is the limit for him. He has worked hard at speaking English. I don’t necessarily think he should be doing long interviews, but if you told him to, he would be able to do it within a year or two because he’s so smart. And the big thing is, he’s cool. It’s like when you meet The Rock, he’s cool. Kenta’s just cool, and somehow it translates in the United States. When people see him and meet him, they’re just like, ‘Man, this guy’s cool.'”
Seth Rollins said: “The sky’s the limit for him. He’s got unlimited potential based on his skill set. He’s not the prototypical WWE Superstar. He’s not Hulk Hogan and he’s not John Cena, but he has a certain charisma about him that’s completely different than what anybody else has in the company right now. He’s got an opportunity to bring a different style to the game in an era when MMA is very prominent. Guys his size who hit as hard as he does are very popular and can connect with an audience.”
Check out the complete article at WWE.com.
The latest edition of the Triple H and Michael Cole weekly sit-down interview series has been added to the official WWE YouTube channel.
Check out the above video to hear “The Game” talk about the possibility of Sting joining WWE, as well as what his “plan C” for this Sunday’s WWE Battleground pay-per-view is.
The following are highlights of a new interview with former WWE Superstar Camacho:
On NXT: “The growth is amazing and the brand has incredible fans. One of my close friends who loves wrestling used to watch ECW a lot and now he goes to the NXT shows.
“I love the environment of NXT because it’s more intimate and close-knit. At Raw or SmackDown, I feel like people enjoy the show but they don’t have much of a chance to be a part of the show. NXT allows them to have more of a say.”
On his WWE run: “It was an enjoyable experience even though it was short. I got to see parts of the world that I’ve never seen before. Hopefully one day, I get to do it again.”
On his relationship with Vince McMahon and Triple H: “Vince and I talked to each other maybe once or twice. Most of my conversations were with Triple H.”
On his WWE release: “I think creative did not have anything for me. We were running with Camacho in NXT and then I talked about changing my character. Camacho was going to be scrapped and a different character was going to be created altogether. I was going to start a tag team with Wesley Blake in NXT, but because of my release, it didn’t happen.”
Check out the complete interview at PWMania.com.
– The official Twitter account of TNA is now following recently released WWE announcer Josh Mathews. As noted in the past, Mathews was backstage at the recent TNA tapings in New York City immediately after his WWE release. Mathews has a long-standing relationship with former WWE executive John Gaburick, who is now in charge of TNA’s talent department.
– Triple H posted the following photo on his official Twitter account of Vince McMahon watching the action at last night’s WWE live event in Madison Square Garden:
Backstage @TheGarden
You never know who's watching…. pic.twitter.com/EBqzzVXuyn
— Triple H (@TripleH) July 13, 2014
Triple H and Adam Rose recently spoke to the Miami Herald to promote the July 21st episode of WWE RAW in Miami, Florida. Adam Rose spoke about his WWE television character and how similar he is to his on-screen persona:
“I don’t think there’s much of a difference between Adam Rose and myself. I think people around me know that. I think a lot of people who know me and saw Adam Rose for the first time are like, ‘Oh wow, you finally became yourself.’ Just be yourself, basically.”
Triple H also commented on Rose’s character:
“There’s all these pieces to the puzzle. Your entrance. Your music. Your presentation. What you’re wearing. All those things are components to making a star. If you’re writing the movie, ‘Rocky,’ a big part of that movie is Apollo Creed coming to the ring dressed as Uncle Sam and throwing the money. It’s part of the pageantry. You’re writing a TV show and a movie, and that’s how you create characters. In the past, we’d give a guy some music, and he goes to the ring. ‘What are you going to do when you come out? I don’t know. I’ll wave to the crowd and go up in the corner and put my hands up.’ That was just what you did. You just figure it out over time.”
“Now, with the beauty of the [WWE] Performance Center [the state-of-the-art all-purpose training ground for WWE hopefuls], we can step back prior to all that stuff and try to get these guys to a place where a lot of those kinks and things are worked out, so we’re not waiting six months to see that this guy now has a pretty cool entrance. It’s coming out the shoot when he first appears on Raw or SmackDown. He’s already got something really cool. Now, how can we make it even cooler. How can we make it more epic and more big main stage, and how can we make that more worthy of Raw or SmackDown. That’s all part of the process.”
The following are highlights of a recent Newsday interview with WWE Diva Natalya:
On her recent NXT match with Charlotte: “I’m actually getting goose bumps talking about it. It was about honoring and representing two legacies. And it was the first time my uncle Bret and Ric Flair kind of reunited in decades. They haven’t always had a great relationship . . . It connected Bret and Ric in a way they never connected before . . . It was one of the moments I’ll never forget.”
On gaining confidence recently: “Getting a chance to listen to him and hear his ideas and his philosophies, it’s such a great asset . . . You can make all the suggestions in the world but you cannot teach experience. I’ve actually learned how to be a ring general by working with people who have less experience that me, because I’m feeding off their hunger.”
Check out the complete interview at Newsday.com.
The following are highlights of a new Norfolk Navy Flagship interview with Seth Rollins:
Favorite memories from the indies: “The friends that I made there – now being able to see my friends here working with me. Guys like Daniel Bryan, Cesaro, and you’ve got Sami Zayn and Adrian Neville down in NXT – watching people grow and being a part of that. I enjoyed my time on the indies very much.”
Working with Triple H: “There is a wealth of knowledge in this company. Being side by side with the COO and (13-time) World Champion, the guy who has pretty much done it all in this business, having him as a mentor is something that you can’t buy. If you’re not learning something every single day, you’re messing up.”
Adapting to his new theme song: “It took me a little while, even just walking down the ramp instead of through the crowd is a little weird at first. With the music, you have to find out how it flows with your entrance. I think now, after about a month or so, it’s starting to catch on and I kind of like the way it feels.”
The blonde streak in his hair: “When I was down in NXT, there were a lot of guys with long dark hair – Roman Reigns, Adam Rose, Bo Dallas. I needed to do something to set myself apart a little bit. If you’re seeing the show for the first time and there are five guys with long dark hair, it’s going to be difficult to remember who is who.”
Check out the complete interview at NorfolkNavyFlagship.com.
– It was announced on Monday’s edition of WWE RAW that on this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown, one of the main events of the show will feature Roman Reigns vs. Rusev.
– Triple H posted the following interesting story line related tweet on his official Twitter account during RAW on Monday night:
Anyone still wondering why we put @WWERomanReigns in the fatal four way? #alwaysastepahead
— Triple H (@TripleH) July 8, 2014
The following are highlights of a new Big O and Dukes interview with Joey Mercury:
On Triple H: “First and foremost, he’s a wonderful person. He’s just a great human being. He cares deeply for those around him and he takes care of them really, really well. I’ve wrestled Hunter in the past when I was a talent, but I didn’t really know him. I knew how good he was in the ring, obviously, one of the greatest of all time, certainly one of the best I’ve ever been in the ring with, but I didn’t travel with him, I didn’t hang out with him or anything like that. Once he took over the developmental system for WWE, I was a coach at the time, when he came into power over the developmental system, I talked to him and he told me that he wanted me on his team, and that’s where I really got to know him. I got to work closely with him, and once I got a promotion to be a producer for WWE and being on the road full time, working with him side by side on a daily basis is tremendous. Beyond the fact that he’s a great person, he is just on a whole ‘nother level with the way his brain works. Certainly that’s a lot of experience that’s from him having great mentors and learning both what to do and what not to do, how to do it, why he’s doing it, and where to do it. He’s just one of the smartest guys I’ve had the pleasure of working with.”
On working with WWE Superstars: “When I made the transition to a backstage role, I was really concerned I wouldn’t be able to get the same fulfillment, to get that performer’s rush or performer’s high, from going out there and getting that you know, you have this aim and you have this idea of what you want to get the crowd to do, and what you want the audience to feel, and when you’re able to do that out there in the ring, it’s a real special feeling. It’s unlike anything else. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to replicate that or feel that again and the truth is what I’m doing now is so much more rewarding because I get to have that feeling several times a night, not just one. Not just because I’m Joey Mercury out there. I get to live vicariously through Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, Cesaro, the Wyatts, just all these incredible, incredible future Hall of Famers. It’s really cool to be there with Bo Dallas and say, “Hey, that’s really, really good man, but you might want to try this tomorrow night,” or you might want to keep this out, or put this in. To have them take your suggestion or take your instruction and direction and go do it, and see how fulfilled they are and how rewarded they are from it working. It’s amazing.”
On crowd chants: “One of the things I learned from [Vince McMahon] is the real indicator that you’re catching on or getting over is when the crowd chants your name and that’s where you can tell if a guy can draw money or not. The “HOLY S” chants or the “You Can’t Wrestle” or anything the crowd starts chanting, that’s more for the crowd to get themselves over. When they say “THIS IS AWESOME” that’s a little bit better, you know you’re doing good. But when Roman Reigns is down and he’s digging from underneath, he’s got a mountain to climb, when the people start chanting, “Roman! Roman! Roman!” that’s not to get themselves over, that’s because they want him, because that’s their guy. So it’s kind of a good barometer. I’m of the school of thought, that I share with John Cena and he’ll tell you himself he doesn’t care if they’re saying “Let’s Go Cena” or “Cena Sucks” as long as they’re loud. Indifference is the killer. If they’re watching the ring, looking at the ring and screaming their heads off, it’s awesome.”
Check out the complete interview at ChadDukesWrestlingShow.com.