An incident at ROH’s show on Sunday night in Portland has drawn reactions from fans and wrestlers alike. A fan at State of the Art Portland noted on Twitter that he was taken to the back by security during the event and then confronted by Bully Ray.
Bully Ray and ROH released statements yesterday in response to the incident.
Angelina Love and Velvet Sky of the Allure have since commented as well. Love responded to a follow up Tweet by the fan in question:
Typical Narcissistic sociopath behaviour. Act like an absolute maniac & verbally/sexually harass talent on shows & then act like you’re a victim so you can cry for attention on Twitter. Fans don’t act the way you did. I looked directly in your eyes. You had evil intent in them.
— Lauren/Angelina Love (@ActualALove) June 4, 2019
Velvet Sky responded to Angelina in the same thread:
He blocked me after I called him out for verbally sexually harassing the 3 of us and disguising it as him “booing the heels.”
— Lauren/Angelina Love (@ActualALove) June 4, 2019
The Allure Respond To Incident With Fan At State of the Art Portland
You support verbal sexual harassment as well which is why you’re insinuating we are justifying the harassment that actually took place 3 times in 2 nights. Why do you even follow me?
Mandy Leon has only responded to the incident with one Tweet:
Stop with the lies & scratching for attention dude. Man up. Own your behavior & take responsibility. You were extremely inappropriate verbally attacking & sexually harassing talent on a level that is not acceptable in any environment PERIOD. 2 shows in a row. Be cool & drop it.
The Allure is a new stable in ROH which debuted at the G1 Supercard in Madison Square Garden. Mandy Leon and Angelina Love will both wrestle for the stable but Velvet Sky continues to state she is retired from in-ring competition. They are scheduled to face Jenny Rose and Kelly Klein on ROH TV in the coming weeks.
Ring Of Honor (ROH) saw the debut of a new faction during the G1 Supercard show on April 6th.
The Allure, comprised of Velvet Sky, Angelina Love, and Mandy Leon, made an impact, attacking Kelly Klein after her match against Mayu Iwatani.
Speaking with Kevin Kellam of WrestleZone, Velvet Sky has now clarified her role within the Allure and ROH. The former Impact Wrestling Knockout has previously stated that she is retired from in-ring competition. She intends to stick to her word, taking up the mantle of manager to Love and Leon.
“That’s Still My Stance”
“I still stand as being retired in the ring. Back when I announced that in 2016, I made it clear that I retired from in-ring action only,” she explained.
Sky would continue, detailing her frustration and unhappiness working for Impact during that time, in particular with management. So when her contract expired, she felt it was the right time to leave.
She had no interest in working the independent scene, saying she didn’t want to just “bump night after night for no reason” before adding “As a professional wrestler, you just have to know your limits and you only have so many bumps on your bump card. Any wrestler will tell you that.”
“[…] So mid-2016 I announced my in-ring retirement, but I made it clear that I would still be around for the fans to do meet-and-greets, autograph signings, just be involved in the wrestling industry in a non-wrestling role,” she said.
“That’s still my stance, and I’m in a non-wrestling role in The Allure. I’m more the managerial mouthpiece, directing traffic, and Mandy and Angelina are going to be the ass-kickers of the group. We’re The Allure as a group, but we also have our own individual identities as Angelina being the badass, me being the brains and Mandy being the bombshell.”
Velvet Sky has previously discussed the differences between The Allure and her former stable, The Beautiful People. Despite debuting in April, the stable has yet to really feature on ROH.
New Ring Of Honor (ROH) faction, The Allure, debuted during last month’s G1 Supercard event on April 6th. The ROH and New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) co-promoted show would see Mandy Leon turn heel, aligning herself with both Angelina Love and Velvet Sky.
In an interview with TV Insider, Sky addressed the concern fans had over the new stable, acknowledging that The Allure is not a rehashed version of The Beautiful People.
“Everyone keeps comparing The Allure to the Beautiful People,” she said. “It’s not the same concept. Adding Mandy to the group, she is a perfect fit. She looks great. She can definitely hold her own in the ring. We’re not doing the Beautiful People 2.0 without Madison [Rayne], which seems to be the consensus that is out there among certain people in the business and wrestling fans as well.”
Sky also addresses the criticism that the group has received since their debut, saying that there are a lot of “Lots of haters, subtweeters, group texting, shade thrown our way, jealousy we’ve seen” before sharing that this reaction doesn’t faze them at all. Instead, they reflect on “the powerful buzz the three of us have created just by joining forces together.”
Alluring Goals
Looking forward, Sky divulged that The Allure already has their eyes set on getting the Women Of Honor championship into their group, confessing that “We aren’t everybody’s cup of tea. That’s fine. We’re not there so everyone can like us. The Ring of Honor fan base is much different than the Impact fan base because the Impact fan base appreciates that extra entertainment. They are not all about strictly in-ring action. I’m not saying that’s bad. To each their own, everybody has their likes, dislikes, flavors.”
“Maybe it won’t take any time at all,” she continued. “Or maybe the Ring of Honor fan base won’t warm up to us. That’s totally fine because we are not there to make friends with the fan base. We’re there to make a statement on Women of Honor, at the top and eventually get that Women of Honor championship in The Allure.”
Only time will tell whether The Allure will be able to make the kind of impact they envision in ROH, but with their impactful debut they’re already on their way to shaking up the Women Of Honor status quo.
Velvet Sky recently spoke to Press Slamto talk about her professional wrestling career. Sky announced her retirement from professional wrestling last summer. She noted she wanted to focus more on her academic career and return to college.
Sky earned her claim to fame in the professional wrestling world as one-half of The Beautiful People with Angelina Love in TNA. She is a former TNA Knockouts Champion and two-time Women’s Knockout Champion.
As for her run with The Beautiful People, Sky discussed why they never made it to WWE. She explained that WWE wanted to make their own version of the team and go away from Sky and Love’s version of it:
“This is like the million dollar question: How come The Beautiful People were never in the WWE. Well, it’s because [WWE] wanted to create their own version of what is already out there that they see that works.
“And, The Beautiful People, Angelina and I, we would never want The Beautiful People to be tainted or twisted or anything that I feel WWE would try to do to us if we were ever there. We would never be allowed to be The Beautiful People.
“The entrance? Forget it. We’d never be able to let the pigeons loose there. It wouldn’t work there. And like I said, they’ve created their own version of The Beautiful People, so they even knew that we worked.”
Furthermore, Sky explained what she means by WWE already created their own version of the duo. She said WWE’s creation of LayCool (Michelle McCool and Layla) and now The IIconics is essentially a ripoff of The Beautiful People:
“Back when we were still in TNA, it was LayCool, and now it’s the IIconics. It’s the same kind of mean, ‘I’m better than you’, the whispering, the pointing, the laughing, the humiliating.
“I mean, especially in the middle of our Beautiful People peak is when they created LayCool. They were kinda doing the similar antics, the humiliating the girls, the heel role. I mean, it’s very flattering, I must say it’s flattering that what we have is such high demand that they tried to take the ball and gave it to the girls that are there now.”
Former TNA Knockout Velvet Sky has announced her retirement from pro wrestling. Sky (real name Jamie Szantyr) will be returning to college at Post University in Waterbury, CT in hopes of becoming a personal trainer.
In an interview with WNPR.org, Sky said, “Wrestling has a shelf life. College doesn’t. You can be 50 years old and go to college for your degree. You can’t be 50 years old and train to be a pro wrestler.”
She continued, “I’m in really, really good physical condition, still, and my health is great. And I want to keep it that way. I had a really satisfying 15-year wrestling career, so I went back to school because I got to live out my wrestling dream.”
Velvet Sky began wrestling back in 2003 and made her TNA debut back in 2007. During her 10-year run with the promotion, she won the Knockouts Championship twice. She is currently a trainer at the Danbury, CT location of Bully Ray and D-Von’s Team 3D Academy and plans to continue training the next generation of aspiring pro wrestlers.
Congrats to Velvet Sky on a great in-ring career and this next chapter of her life.
Former TNA Knockout Velvet Sky recently spoke with Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard blog, her first interview since leaving the company. Topics discussed include her TNA departure, dating Bubba Ray Dudley and what’s next for her.
Sky says leaving TNA was ultimately a “business decision” and is very proud of her run there. After nearly 10 years, she felt it was time to move on and explore new opportunities. She’s been keeping a close eye on WWE and NXT and is convinced she’d be a good fit for either.
“The women there are killing it, and empowering and building up the women would be a great role for me. Bayley is so much fun to watch wrestle. She has so much energy and passion, and the people feel her energy and feed off that. She’s so great at expressing herself, and she’s so genuine. Nattie Neidhart is also someone I’d love to work with. I’ve known her for a long time, and she is someone that I look up to and respect. She’s someone I’d love to learn even more from.”
While in TNA, she traveled the world alongside guys like Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Eric Young, Bobby Roode and Austin Aries. She’s proud they’ve all made it to the major leagues and promises she’d “give so much” if she ever got the same opportunity.
“I traveled all over the globe with them in TNA, so to see them excel on the level they’re at now, I’m so happy for them,” she said. “You’re never fully satisfied or fulfilled in wrestling until you get to the big leagues. Nobody gets in this business just to bump. I’ve never stopped learning, so I’m glad I have not worked there yet. All I ever wanted in the business was a chance, an opportunity. If I get that with WWE, I’ll give so much.”
– It was reported before that TNA offices were being moved to the same warehouse that TNA uses for merchandise. Now that TNA production is completely moved to Northstar Studios in Nashville, PWInsider says the company has been working on getting more space at Northstar, likely for most, if not all, of the TNA office staff to work out of.
– Here’s the preview for next week’s Impact with Ultimate X, Matt Hardy vs. EC3 and more:
– Velvet Sky talks about her TNA career in this post-Impact video from last night. Velvet’s last match with TNA was a loss to Sienna. Velvet says she considers TNA to be her home and is thankful to them for allowing her to live her dream.
– Davey Richards and wife Angelina Love are featured in these “How to Rehab An ACL Injury” videos. Richards has been out of action with an ACL injury since the TNA UK tour.
– TNA has entered “serious” talks with a potential investor, according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio. Once again, the main sticking point is that Dixie Carter wants to remain heavily involved in TNA’s operations and the investor is looking for a majority interest in the company. This is very similar to when Toby Keith was looking to buy into the company, but walked away because he wasn’t interested in sinking millions of dollars into a company that Dixie still had control of.
– PWInsider reports that formerVelvet Sky’s contract expires next month and there’s a lot of uncertainty regarding her future. The news comes just days after news broke that Angelina Love, Bobby Roode and Eric Young are all done with the company. Sky has been one of the top Knockouts in TNA since joining the company back in 2007.
WWE Superstar Bubba Ray Dudley recently spoke with Scott Fishman of Channel Guide Magazine to promote this Sunday’s WWE Hell In A Cell pay-per-view in Los Angeles, California. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On how his WWE return started: “The very first person I spoke to was Road Dogg. He was the one who reached out saying, ‘Hey Bubba, would you be interested in coming to the Royal Rumble? I told him yes. I always had a great working relationship with him in the ring and a good working relationship outside of the ring. Me and D-Von won our first WWE tag team championship from the New Age Outlaws. He got in touch with me. That’s how it all started. It was pretty funny because I think a lot of people within WWE were shocked by the reaction. I think they all thought, ‘Oh its Philly, so he’ll get a nice little reaction.’ I didn’t think they were expecting anything like that.”
On WWE now vs. then: “It has been great and the locker room has been great, but the locker room was great back in the day, too. The only difference now really is the guys are much younger than me and D-Von. They’ve come up different ways in the business. Back in the Attitude Era you had guys that came up more the old school way, who were able to go out there and do what they wanted to get themselves over. This is as opposed to now where creatively WWE has much more of a presence and wants their wrestlers to do their job a certain way. As far as the locker room operates and the chemistry within the locker room, it’s phenomenal. It has been nothing but positive.”
On his girlfriend Velvet Sky possibly joining WWE: “It’s no secret that me and Velvet [Sky] are together. If you go on Twitter I think the entire Twitter-verse would like to see that. She is probably the most over female wrestler out there that has never been in WWE. She looks phenomenal. I think the fans and the WWE Universe would love to see her in a WWE ring. Who knows? Maybe it will happen one day.”
During Saturday’s WWE live event in Orlando, Florida at the Amway Center, an image of TNA Knockouts Angelina Love and Velvet Sky was briefly displayed on the big screen.
WWE was plugging hashtags for attendees to tweet about the show. Here are shots of the image from two attendees.
– TNA President Dixie Carter had a camera crew following her around at Friday’s set of Impact Wrestling television tapings in Orlando, Florida. It has been said in the past that Dixie has been trying to get her own reality television show off of the ground.
– While this should come as no surprise, Dixie Carter has reportedly made it clear to TNA talents that she does not want her contracted performers working for Jeff Jarrett’s Global Force Wrestling (GFW) promotion, even on their “TNA off-days.”
– Regarding the returns of Bully Ray and Velvet Sky in TNA, it’s said that Sky is back for a regular run, while Bully Ray’s appearance was a one-time only deal for now.
– Havok’s appearance Friday night at SHINE Wrestling’s SHINE 24 internet pay-per-view led to speculation that she could be gone from TNA Wrestling since talent are typically prohibited from appearing on iPPV or televised pay-per-view events for other promotions. On Saturday, TNA Wrestling executive Bob Ryder squashed rumors of Havok being gone from the company.
In response to a fan question on Twitter asking to clarify her status, Ryder wrote, “Not sure why this continues to be an issue. She will be at our February tapings.”
– After helping Robbie E capture a Feast or Fired briefcase, Robbie offered ownership of the case to Velvet Sky. Friday night on Impact Wrestling, Velvet opened the case to learn that she had retrieved the fired briefcase. Effective immediately, Velvet Sky has been released from TNA Wrestling. Angelina Love, Velvet’s longtime tag team partner, reacted to her partner’s termination via Twitter with the following: “OMG. @VelVelHoller got fired?! ???? wait…..is this real life? #TBP.”
– Knux of The Menagerie is now on Twitter at bookmikeknox and seeking independent bookings.
TNA taped some fight scenes in the streets of New York City at the Impact Wrestling television taping in early January. A segment is scheduled to air on Friday’s edition of the show that was taped outside with the idea of presenting a street fight between Bobby Lashley and MVP.
Speaking of pre-taped segments, TNA flew Austin Aries, Magnus, Robbie E., Rockstar Spud and Velvet Sky to TNA Headquarters in Nashville to tape the “Feast or Fired” briefcase reveals on January 13th. This was done in an attempt to avoid having the reveals leaking onto the internet.
Kurt Angle has announced that Angelina Love, Taryn Terrell and Madison Rayne will square off in a triple-threat match on this Wednesday’s edition of TNA Impact Wrestling to determine a new number one contender to Havok’s TNA Knockouts Championship.
It’s also worth noting that Velvet Sky vs. Havok for the Knockouts Championship has been confirmed for this Sunday’s TNA Bound For Glory pay-per-view, which means there will only be two title matches on the company’s biggest show of the year, as Kaz Hayashi vs. Low Ki vs. Samoa Joe for the X-Division Championship is also confirmed.
– As of today, Bully Ray’s contract with TNA has officially expired. There has been no new details regarding his status with the company since our previous reports.
– Speaking of rumored TNA departures, despite previous reports to the contrary, TNA Knockout Velvet Sky is reportedly booked to appear on some upcoming TNA events. Whether or not that means she is going to remain with the company in a long-term fashion remains to be seen.
In a video filled with tips of the hat to WWE Hall Of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, as well as a few for Mick Foley, TNA talents Velvet Sky and Bully Ray took part in the ALS “Ice Bucket Challenge.”
Sky, answering the challenge from Rosita, extended the challenge to Austin, Foley and Bully Ray.
Seconds after getting a bucket of ice water dumped on herself, Sky did the same to Ray. The two then celebrated, in “Stone Cold” fashion, with some beers.
Check out the Velvet Sky and Bully Ray ALS “Ice Bucket Challenge” video above.
In addition to ODB, who parted ways with TNA earlier this week, another TNA Knockout may soon follow.
With TNA’s future uncertain, Velvet Sky has begun distancing herself from the promotion. Most recently, Sky changed her Twitter bio, removing all mentions of TNA and/or Impact Wrestling, which used to be part of her bio in the past.
– In addition to the Samoa Joe vs. Low Ki and Hardys vs. Team 3D vs. The Wolves, TNA has announced a match for the Knockouts Championship with Velvet Sky vs. Angelina Love vs. Taryn Terrell vs. Gail Kim at their Impact Wrestling tapings in New York City next week.
– It has been revealed that the person TNA is teasing joining the company soon is female wrestler Jessika Havok. Below is the teaser video that the company is running on television.
Today, TNA superstars Bully Ray, Eric Young, Velvet Sky, Gunner and new World Champ Bobby Lashley appeared on Fox & Friends and even brought a TNA ring with them!
Check out the clips from the show below – including the Fox & Friends team getting in the ring for some action! Which member do you think has the best shot at becoming a pro wrestler?
– Davey Richards noted in a recent interview that he and Eddie Edwards will be defending the TNA Tag-Team Championships at the Slammiversary pay-per-view this Sunday. While he wouldn’t announce who their opponents will be, he did say that fans would “dig it.” You can check out the interview at FightNetwork.com.
– TNA stars Velvet Sky, Taryn Terrell, Jessie Godderz and Bully Ray were in attendance on behalf of the company at the Spike TV “Guys Choice Awards,” which airs tonight at 9pm EST.
– The following is the ninth installment of Kurt Angle’s “#MyComeback” video series:
– TNA began running promotional ads on the New York City radio station WFAN this week. WFAN is among the most expensive sports radio stations in the country to advertise on. TNA is running ads for their upcoming television tapings in August, with the following talent listed in the advertisement: Eric Young, MVP, Bobby Lashley, Kenny King, Velvet Sky and “New York’s own Bully Ray.”
– Samoa Joe made his return to TNA on last night’s edition of Impact Wrestling. Prior to Joe returning at the TNA tapings in early May, he had been away since the company’s TV tapings in March.
TNA added the above video to their official YouTube channel previewing tonight’s TNA Sacrifice “go-home” edition of Impact Wrestling, which airs on Spike TV at 9pm EST.
Below is a list of confirmed matches for the show.
– Bobby Lashley vs. Kenny King
– Kurt Angle vs. Rockstar Spud
– Gail Kim & Madison Rayne vs. Angelina Love & Velvet Sky
– MVP vs. Austin Aries
– Bully Ray & Gunner vs. Bobby Roode & James Storm
– Abyss vs. Magnus
– The ‘TNA Talent Meeting’ advertised for the show was actually a setup for Bobby Roode ambushing Bully Ray at TNA headquarters.
– The Beautiful People re-formed featuring Angelina Love and Velvet Sky. Love invited Knockouts Champion Maidson Rayne to join, but she turned down the offer. Later in the show, the Beautiful People beat down Rayne backstage.
– James Storm attacked Gunner’s father on the show, setting up James Storm vs. Gunner for next week in a re-match from Lockdown.
– Magnus retained the TNA World Title over Samoa Joe in the main event.
– The BroMans retained the TNA Tag Titles against The Wolves and Sanada & Tigre Uno in a three-team tag match.