All week, there’s been a noticeable pattern in Donald Trump coverage from mainstream and semi-mainstream media: Linking his theatrics and showmanship on the presidential campaign trail to the theatrics of pro wrestling. As you may remember, Trump has been involved with WWE on and off for over a quarter century, first by paying a site fee to host WrestleMania IV and V and his Atlantic City casino. In 2007, putting his hair against Vince McMahon’s at WrestleMania 23 led to the most bought WrestleMania worldwide in traditional pay-per-view history. Later, he did a brief angle where he bought the Raw brand and finally went into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013.
The latest link comes from TMZ, who talked to Virgil of all people about Trump. They wrote that he said “he met Donald at WWE events in the ’80s and ’90s, and claims the business mogul picked his brain for tips on being a great showman.” TMZ also quoted him directly as saying that “People like the spectacle. People want to see confidence. He is confident just like a wrestler. […] All people want to know is that they can pay the bills and live a good life. They want confidence they can eat.”
Trump got in on it himself after CNN’s Republican debate Thursday, saying that “Vince McMahon would’ve loved it, because that was a WWE kind of a thing, Actually a couple of them came up and they said, ‘you know what Donald—can I hit you so that I can get a little bit more time?’’ Because some of these guys, I felt badly—a lot of them are friends of mine and they got, they got no air time last night.”
Back on Monday, Judd Legum of ThinkProgress tried to figure out Trump’s theatrics by putting them in the context of French philosopher Roland Barthes’ famous essay about pro wrestling. He cited quotes like this one:
It is obvious that at such a pitch, it no longer matters whether the passion is genuine or not. What the public wants is the image of passion, not passion itself. There is no more a problem of truth in wrestling than in the theater.
Given the type of statements and bombast that are getting Trump attention, this probably won’t end any time soon.
Former WWE performer “Sir Mo” of the Men On A Mission tag-team recently appeared as a guest on the Two Man Power Trip Of Wrestling podcast. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On former wrestlers and the wife of the late Nelson Frazier Jr. (Viscera, Big Daddy V, Mabel) holding Vince McMahon liable for medical issues and forcing performers to work hurt: “I’ve really thought about that myself, even with some medical issues that I’ve had myself and basically I worked there for three years and I’ve never seen Vince McMahon force anybody to do anything they didn’t want to do. I’ve never seen Vince McMahon ask anyone to work hurt, though I’ve done it before myself. As far as taking care of talent after they leave the company, I think it’s a great and noble thing, the whole drug rehab thing. The medical stuff, I don’t think he should be held responsible for that simply because and here’s the deal, Nelson and I wrestled in this business for more than three years before the WWE, then there is all the years after it so if we wrestled three years together in WWE and the whole three years that we wrestled there we worked every day, every month and we didn’t sustain any major injuries the whole three years we were there.”
On holding the business responsible rather than one single promoter: “There’s a million and one of us guys that worked for Vince and worked for Turner and worked for Crocket and worked for Bill Watts and worked for Joe sh*t- the-rag-bag Promoter or Jeff to-the Left and Eddie damn- Spaghetti and in some way taken a chance and got hurt or whatever. Ten years removed from working for Vince McMahon we are sick, we are broke down, we may even die but should Vince McMahon be held liable for that? Or should we have a list of every single promoter that each one of us worked for and include every single one of those into that lawsuit?”
On a backstage incident with Shawn Michaels: “We were overseas in Israel, it was during Passover and one night we were at an event and Nelson fainted in the hallway. So since we were overseas they wouldn’t take him to a hospital so they just took Nelson back to the hotel and we were working a program at the time against The Headshrinkers. The agent comes to me and the agent said Mo you are going to work a singles match against Samu from the Headshrinkers and Fatu is not going to work at all. Fatu didn’t like that idea, he was pissed off, he was ranting and raving about it and I’m standing there going over the match with Samu and Shawn Michaels comes out of the shower and he hit me in the back harder then I’ve ever been hit on the football field, he just knocked the hell out of me. The operative word from me was excuse me, and his response was f— excuse me, you guys have no work ethic. He said you young guys come up here with no f—ing work ethic and your f—ing partner fell down in the hall way, all he had to do was get his fat ass up and walk to the ring and you do all the work and there would be a tag match tonight instead of the bullshit singles match. He thought Nelson should have sucked it up, went to the ring and stood on the side and work because the kind of tag match we worked, I take the heat anyway. So that’s what he was pissed off about and he took it out on me. My response was being the man that I am is if you put your hands on me again, I’m gonna beat your f—ing-ass. Did I pay for it? Yeah, dearly. What did it get me? It got me pulled off TV for nine months and I had to travel on the road for nine months and not work. In that nine months I got highly depressed and I attempted suicide.”
On WWE not recognizing Men On A Mission’s Tag Team Championship win: “There were a couple of matches on TV where for example me against Owen Hart that it was mentioned about the tag team championship on TV. I think Ted Dibiase and Stan Lane were doing the commentary and Stan Lane always pushed that and always put that over. It was mentioned a couple of times on TV but it just kind of faded away.”
On the back-story as to why the title win is not addressed: “During the “New Generation” era at the same time Vince McMahon was having the steroid trial. So of course, we were getting drug tested two or three times a week and back then in that era if you failed a drug test and if it was like a steroid or cocaine thing or a narcotic failure of a drug test you immediately got suspended. But, if you failed a drug test, first offense and you had marijuana in your system (THC) you would get fined. Up to a certain point maybe your fifth or sixth violation you were suspended. A member of our team, which will remain nameless loved smoking the wacky-weed, loved it and because they loved it JJ Dillon came to me one day and said “Let’s just say, we put the tag team gold on a particular tag team and we put the titles on you Sunday and then you go to a house show on Monday and fail a drug test and one member of the tag team has to be suspended, why are we going to take a chance or risk of putting the tag team titles on somebody if there is a possibility of one member of the team getting suspended” and that was the hold back right there.”
On taking the hit when your team is under fire: “At some point you’ve got to take responsibility for yourself and you’ve got to tell the truth and the truth is whether it’s Men On A Mission or the Hardy Boyz or the Dudley Boyz or Edge and Christian as a tag team if there is one member that screws up it’s going to effect the whole tag team. That’s why it was on one day and off a couple of days later. It was given because it was deserved but it was taken away at the same time because there was an issue that needed to be resolved. But by the time the issue got resolved all this other stuff had happened with Shawn Michaels. In 94 is when we got the tag belts. It was another tour overseas in 94 when the issue with Shawn Michaels happened and so I’m out for nine months.”
On what kept M.O.M from leaving to go to WCW: “When those nine months are up in 1995 we are at the Royal Rumble and Nelson and I had decided because it was driving me crazy we decide we’re going to leave in January of ’95. I had been on the shelf for nine months and it wasn’t going the way we wanted. The deal to keep us there and not leave was The King of The Ring.”
Check out the complete interview at Podomatic.com.
NXT Women’s Champion Bayley recently spoke with the official WWE website about winning the NXT title at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn and more. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On defeating Sasha Banks for the title and Vince McMahon’s reaction: “It was one of the most overwhelming moments in my life. It may be the most magical moment I’ll ever have in wrestling or life. Hearing the crowd react like that was something I’ve never heard before. After the match, Vince McMahon shook both our hands. Everyone was giving us hugs. Triple H, Stephanie and even my favorite Diva, Lita, were there to say how proud they were of us. It was just amazing.”
On getting emotional after the win: “All I could do was cry. I was crying because of everything I’ve been through to get there, how I got there, who I was in there with, how many people were there with us, how important it was and because I was literally living the dream.”
On accomplishing her mission: “I want every single person out there with a dream, no matter what it is, to know that it is possible. And it’s possible to do it your way, the way you believe in. Nobody can deny your heart. It sounds so cheesy, but Sasha Banks and I had the same dream since we were 10 years old, and wrestling brought us together to prove that anything you want to do is within reach! And it can be special. You just have to believe in yourself.”
Former WWE, WCW and TNA writerVince Russo has posted a new blog entry explaining why WWE has put themselves in a really bad position with the Hall of Fame, in light of the various issues surrounding the likes of Chyna, Sunny, Hulk Hogan and Jimmy Snuka. Here’s an excerpt of what he wrote:
It was some time ago when I swooped in to protect the good name of my friend, Chyna, after Triple H made some unnecessary comments defaming her character on the WWE Network. Knowing that Joanie was living in Japan at the time, I wanted to give her the forum to be heard, because I felt she deserved that much. To my surprise, it was during that interview, that Chyna made the comment that Triple H hit her on one occasion during their relationship. That news blew up the internet as her valiantly protecting her name–turned to a horse of a whole different color.
That interview literally burned my bridge with the WWE. It was “suggested” by an employee of theirs that in the words of Bob Ryder, I received “nuclear” heat just by extending the forum to Joanie in order to get her voice heard. Hindsight being 20/20—I wouldn’t change my decision for the world and everything in it. I just felt it wasn’t right for Hunter—who I also thought was a friend on mind—to bully Chyna, knowing that she didn’t have a voice.
Which brings me to how all that drama started—the fictitious WWE Hall of Fame that only exists in the mind of Vince McMahon. Whether you are in, or out, solely depends on whether, or not, you have heat with him—and, him only. I can go through the laundry list of those that aren’t in the Hall, but what difference does it make any way? For the inductees, the celebration really is, “Vince likes me . . . he really likes me!” Oh, brother.
When Hunter made that statement about a kid typing Chyna in Google and finding out about her past, I knew then that those same words that he spoke out his backside, where going to come back and do much more damage than good? Why? Because there are a far amount of inductees in the Hall, that let’s just say, aren’t your model citizens. No, I’m not going to name names, because that’s not the point, the point is that by using the WWE Network to bury Chyna, Triple H has now buried the company that he so loves—to an even greater degree.
What I’m talking about are the three most current instances involving WWE Hall of Famers; Tammy Sytch, Hulk Hogan and Jimmy Snuka. Depending on how you want to rate their “Dirty Deeds”, I wonder in Hunter’s view, if the actions of his ex—because she needed to make a living—were more severe than the actions of, more notably, Hulk and Super Fly. I take Sunny out of that equation, because like Chyna, Sunny is currently making a living by using her “assets” in a way that is profitable. And, I LOUDLY applaud Sunny for standing up to the WWE juggernaut–when word on the street was that they weren’t happy with the Hall of Famers choice of work–and stating that since the WWE was in no way, shape, or form, currently financially assisting her—she was doing what she had to do to earn an income, and really didn’t care what they thought. Good for her.
Heading into SummerSlam this past weekend, there were a lot of questions surrounding how WWE would handle the finish to the Brock Lesnar vs. Undertaker main event. With Brock Lesnar’s historic win over The Undertaker at WrestleMania 30 and the Dead Man getting some heel heat prior to the showdown, fans were wondering who would walk out victorious and whether the match would be the end of their storied rivalry.
What we got at SummerSlam was a controversial finish that initially came off as sloppy and disjointed but did provide a solution that allows the feud to continue without damaging the viability of either man.
According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Vince McMahon felt like The Undertaker had to win this match but he didn’t want Lesnar to suffer a clean loss. There will almost certainly be a final chapter of Undertaker vs. Lesnar, but it remains to be seen whether WWE can wait 9 months until WrestleMania 32 before pulling the trigger. Undertaker tapping out without the referee seeing it and Lesnar passing out without giving up accomplished this objective.
– Although the Dudley Boyz have signed multi-year deals to return to WWE on a full-time basis, the two will still keep their Team 3-D Training Academy running in Florida.
– Vince McMahon, who turned 70 this past Monday, wasn’t the only August 24th birthday celebrated in WWE. As it turns out, one of Triple H and Stephanie McMahon’s daughters shares a birthday with Vince.
– As noted, Taz has signed a deal to have his own CBS Radio Show. The former WWE and TNA announcer noted via Twitter that Jim Ross will be featured on his CBS Radio Show in a weekly segment. Taz tweeted the following.
WWE Hall Of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler recently appeared as a guest on The Kevin Gill Show to talk about, among other things, his feelings that Vince McMahon is jealous of him.
Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On Vince McMahon being jealous of him: “Years later I was on the plane with Vince, sitting in his private jet. He leaned over and he said “I’ve never told you or anybody this, but I was so freaking jealous when you were on the David Letterman show with Andy Kaufman in New York, knowing that we could have had Andy do all that stuff in our company.” He did give me credit. He said, “not that we have done it anywhere near as good as you guys did, because it was fantastic.. But just knowing Andy came to my dad first and we turned him down.”
On Andy Kaufman’s influence: “If you remember, right after that, they did this thing with Cyndi Lauper and Captain Lou Albano, Mr T… So Andy Kaufman was really the forerunner of all the Hollywood involvement in the WWE, that’s lead to… I mean look at what they are doing today!”
On becoming a wrestler: “It’s funny because, when I was going to the matches as fan, never once did I think about actually trying to do it. I just thought that’s out of the question. But once I was around Jackie Fargo, and that sort of thing I thought, if I just could try this one time. So I started hounding him. Come one, let me just try it once. He said No Kid, you are too good of an artist. He said stick with art you will make a fortune doing that. I said, If i could just have one match, and try it one time I promise I will go back to being an artist, and I will ever ask you again. Of course, that was like 43 years ago and I am still doing the wrestling.”
On his art: “I’ve been doing art a lot longer than I’ve been wrestling. I started drawing Superman and Batman as far back as I can remember, like 5 years old, and did it all through school…drawing when I should have probably been doing schoolwork, instead I was always drawing!”
As reported on Monday evening, the Sting vs. Seth Rollins match at WWE Night Of Champions will be for Rollins’ WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
On the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, it was noted that Vince McMahon has not signed off on Rollins defending his WWE United States Championship at Night Of Champions yet. It was also noted that it’s believed that Rollins will pull double-duty that night, defending his U.S. title in one match, and his WWE World Heavyweight title in the main event against Sting.
It’s worth pointing out that the current angle involving Rollins as a double-champion and the rumors that he will be pulling double-duty is similar to what was just done recently in Ring Of Honor with ROH World Champion and ROH TV Champion Jay Lethal.
WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley posted the following blog on Facebook recounting the conversation he had with Vince McMahon prior to going out for his opening segment with Jon Stewart at Sunday’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view.
GOOD TO BE BACK
Yes, it was great to be back in WWE -even for a night.
Basically, if you get a text saying that Jon Stewart would like you to be his guest at Summerslam, you go – especially if you live 90 minutes away.
Let me share with you the touching words Vince McMahon and I shared before I made my entrance.
Mick: Thank you for this opportunity, Vince.
Vince: Always good to have you back, Mick. Now take off that fanny-pack!
What did you like best about SummerSlam? About SummerSlam weekend? What did you like least? I know not everyone cared for the ending of the main event.
Let me just leave you with the same words I used following the ending of The Undertaker’s streak at WrestleMania in 2013: “think of the Heyman promos!”
– As noted, Brock Lesnar’s return to Madison Square Garden will take place on October 3rd. The 10/3 date will actually be a live WWE Network special, which Lesnar will be a part of.
– In addition to IWGP Champion Kazuchika Okada, other New Japan Pro Wrestling stars at SummerSlam on Sunday night included Jushin Thunder Liger, Shinsuke Nakamura and KUSHIDA.
WWE legend Honky Tonk Man released a new clip where he talks about Brock Lesnar. He says he’s never met Lesnar, but credits him for being one “hell of a negotiator” if he has able to get the type of deal he has from WWE.
In the video, which you can watch above, HTM said he hopes Lesnar’s deal sets the standard for other talents, but he doesn’t believe the rest of the guys will approach Vince McMahon in the same fashion because “they don’t have the balls.”
Honky Tonk Man also spoke about who Lesnar will feud with after The Undertaker.
“Who would be the next person in line that Brock can continue on with, and make that investment that they’ve invested in him really pay off? At this point in time I don’t see someone getting really ready for Lesnar because they mad him such a monster and a killer out here, so to speak, that after The Undertaker, where do you go?”
– WWE Hall Of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin gave a speech at the WWE 2K16 media event in New York City on Thursday night about Vince McMahon calling him about being the WWE 2K16 cover star. Austin noted that he was surprised, but didn’t want to talk himself out of the opportunity, as he admitted he has made a lot of bad career decisions in the past and he didn’t want this to be another one of them.
– King Barrett will be holding a Twitter Q&A today at 5pm EST. to promote this Sunday’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view, where he will team up with Stardust to take on Neville and “Arrow” actor Stephen Amell. Fans can submit questions to Barrett using the hashtag #SummerSlam.
– Below are the “Top 10 WWE SmackDown Moments” for this week’s show, which was the SummerSlam “go-home” edition of the program.
Part-time WWE performer Chris Jericho recently spoke with Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard blog to promote this Sunday’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view. Below are some of the highlights from the interview..
On the reason he’s still around: “I’ve gone far beyond having to do anything for any financial reasons, but it’s a good time to go out there in the ring and it’s very second nature to me. Mentally, it’s still there, and you think about things a little differently after doing this for 25 years. Physically, I feel better than I felt ten years ago. I just started doing yoga five years ago, and it just changed everything around for me, as far as the soreness and the level I had of pain I’d feel during or after a match. But the most important reason I still do this is because I enjoy it. It’s a lot of fun, and I like working with the younger guys–it reinvigorates my desire to continue. Those guys work a lot like the gang of guys from my generation, and that gives me a kick, as well.”
On his current WWE status: “I do as many shows as I can to keep my foot in the WWE door, so I’m not gone for a year at a time. I’ve been off TV for a year, but I’ve worked 50 shows in the interim just doing live events, which, to me, is a lot more fun. I’m also working with all of the younger guys–I worked with Kevin Owens two weeks ago when Cena broke his nose–and that’s fun, too. Anyway I can be involved, I enjoy it. When it comes time for me to be full time, we’ll figure out what I’m going to do and I’ll come back.”
“The invitation is there 365 days a year. It’s not like I’m auditioning for a job with the WWE. It’s the other way around, ‘Give us as many dates as you can. You want to just work weekends? Do it. You want to just work TV? That’s fine, too.’ They leave it up to me, and I like working the schedule I’m on now. I like working the weekends. I don’t have time to commit to doing TV. For example, I don’t work weekends when we have Fozzy shows. I’m working the ones that I’m choosing, but I have the invitation to work 300 days a year with WWE if I wanted.”
On Tough Enough: “We’ve never seen anything like this version of Tough Enough, where it’s half-reality and half-live. When you start something new, there is a little bit of process to see how you’re going to make something work. So, as the weeks have gone by, I’ve increased my presence in the show. I was in the ring helping the competitors work out and book their match [last week], so being involved a little more in the reality portion of it balances out what I’m doing on the live part, as well. It’s been a lot of work, but the show has come into its own. People are always going to complain, ‘I wish it was that way,’ or ‘I wish that guy stayed,’ but it’s a whole new world for us that we’ve created. It kind of reminds me of when the Elimination Chamber happened. We’d never seen one before and there wasn’t anything to look back on, so you had to figure it out as you went along. And that’s what we’ve been doing, and it’s been working out–and it’s a great series so far.”
On the recent Hulk Hogan scandal: “I’m nobody to judge anybody. I’ve had just as many issues as anybody else. But you stand by your friends in good times and bad times, and Hulk’s my friend. That’s all I’m going to say about that.”
On Vince McMahon still being the boss: ?“Until the day he leaves this earth, Vince McMahon is in charge of every aspect of the company. It’s his company and it always will be. He’s giving out more responsibilities but, at the end of the day, anyone who was any responsibilities delegated by Vince still has to get final approval by Vince. He’s still the boss. I work with him very closely on Tough Enough every Tuesday in the direction meetings, and he still has a lot of great ideas. He still has his finger on the pulse of what’s going on. And it doesn’t matter what you hear other people say–everybody who works in the WWE knows who the boss is.”
On Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker at SummerSlam: “Undertaker has to win. There is no way he loses twice. Brock is at his best when he’s there to just fight. “That’s why his match with Reigns at WrestleMania was so good, and that’s something Lesnar and Undertaker didn’t do as much as they could have in their match at WrestleMania [30]. That pull-apart we saw a couple weeks ago on Raw between Lesnar and Undertaker will be the type of match we’ll see. It will be a rough fight. I’m sure they’ll exchange many false finishers, and each one will do the other’s finishing move, but it will be more violent and more hard-hitting. Any time Undertaker is on the show, you know it’s going to be a great show.”
On Wednesday morning, WWE COO Triple H a media conference call to promote Saturday’s NXT Takeover: Brooklyn live special on the WWE Network. Below are highlights, courtesy of Tom M.:
– Triple H said it’s a historic week for NXT as far as being its own brand and filling its own niche. SummerSlam weekend is a huge opportunity for the brand and at first he wasn’t a big fan of the idea of running Barclays Center. They wanted to curtain it off at 6,000 seats at first but those sold out before tickets officially went on sale, so they went to 13,000 seats. They are very excited about Takeover in New York City. He said if you can make it in NYC, you can make it anywhere.
– He talked about the card and pushed Jushin “Thunder” Liger, Samoa Joe vs. Corbin and the “dual main events” of Bayley vs. Sasha Banks and Kevin Owens vs. Finn Balor. He clarified his Twitter announcement and said all the matches revealed are not for the live WWE Network special. They will first film 90 minutes of NXT TV and then air the live two hour Takeover show.
– He announced the WWE Performance Center All-Access pass for September 28th. Tickets are on sale and the full details were posted earlier.
– They are looking at ideas in regards to doing NXT Takeover events before all major pay-per-views but he prefers when they piggyback NXT specials onto week-long WWE events to make the brand part of the entire experience.
– They’re proud of selling out the Barclays Center three nights in a row, noting he doesn’t know too many entertainment brands that can sell out NYC three straight nights. He says 2015 was to be the year they tried new things and NXT is unique. He doesn’t want it to be like RAW or SmackDown, it needs to have its own identity.
– He talked about Vince McMahon taking to which talents he wants to and that being a battle that will always have to be fought in NXT, in regards to talents coming to the main roster. He says he does not cherry-pick the indies, despite online rumors, and says he just wants talented new people, no matter where they come from – sports or the indies.
– He feels like a proud dad watching the “kids” going to the main roster and getting recognized. He talks about the Divas Revolution and is looking forward to them main eventing. He talks about Sasha Banks and Charlotte wanting to main event WrestleMania and doesn’t doubt it will happen.
– Regarding going up against ROH and a potential deal with EVOLVE to go after ROH, Triple H said it’s funny how people see things differently. He’s not trying to cause harm to ROH. He said other companies piggy-back off major WWE events and it makes sense for WWE to do the same thing. He says it’s part of the discovery process for the NXT brand. He says he was unaware of ROH running in Texas when they booked the Night of Champions weekend events. Regarding EVOLVE and Gabe Sapolsky, they are looking for quality events that can help support the business overall. He acknowledged that indies are important to the health of the business and doesn’t want to see anyone fail but he’s always going to do what’s right for WWE business. He says if that affects someone’s business plan, he can’t help that because WWE is priority for him.
– He talked about William Regal and others scouting and recruiting new talents all over the world, including Canada as the reporter asking the question was in Toronto. He mentioned talents get trained by right by people like Lance Storm and others in Canada, which leads to opportunities but not any additional opportunities.
– He talked about how there’s excitement all through NXT, talents are selling tickets and merchandise. They’re thinking about taking NXT international, to the UK. He’s always bragging on NXT to Vince McMahon and telling him to check stuff out. He says it’s more than just making sure WWE has future talents, that’s an important part of NXT but there’s a lot more.
– Regarding talents who get called up continuing to work NXT events, he says everyone wants to go to the main roster but NXT isn’t a bad spot to be in. He said they might move some talents who aren’t being used back down to NXT to revitalize them. He says there’s no rulebook for NXT, they can do anything with the brand.
– He had a lot of praise for Apollo Crews, the former Uhaa Nation. He’s looking forward to his debut at Takeover this weekend. He said Crews has the young, hungry fire and he’s looking forward to him being a huge star. He also said there will be other big debuts and fresh blood soon as others get called to the main roster.
Brock Lesnar appeared on ESPN’s SportsCenter on Tuesday morning to discuss his match against The Undertaker this Sunday at SummerSlam, breaking The Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak, Dana White’s recent tweet about pro wrestling being “fake” and much more. Here’s a recap:
– Lesnar says he feels good and is excited to take The Undertaker to Suplex City at SummerSlam. He talks about ending The Streak and says it was a weird experience. Lesnar says he will take the win and at the end of the day, it was a business decision made by Vince McMahon.
– When asked about Dana White’s recent controversial tweet about pro wrestling being “fake,” Lesnar said of course it’s fake, everybody knows that, but Dana is still promoting the same thing WWE is promoting. Lesnar says it just happens WWE gets more longevity out of their fighters. He says if you can’t turn WWE on Monday nights and can’t get entertainment out of the show, something’s wrong with you. Lesnar called it the same racket. He believes Vince McMahon may be better than Dana and that may rub Dana the wrong way. Lesnar says Vince is a pioneer and is damn good at what he does.
"I think Vince McMahon is better at it than Dana [White] and that might rub Dana the wrong way." – @BrockLesnar on WWE vs UFC
Former WWE Superstar The Great Khali was recently profiled by the Indian Express newspaper in a piece looking at this wrestling school, Continental Wrestling Entertainment (CWE) academy. Khali spoke about his WWE run, operating his school at a financial loss and more.
One of the more interesting items from the interview was that Khali discussed Randy Orton providing him strong pain pills early in his WWE career to help with his knee pain. Khali noted that the pills were so strong, he couldn’t feel his legs and fell down as a result. #Wellness
Here are the highlights of what he said about:
Working with John Cena and Vince McMahon’s reaction: “A good match is about the chemistry between opponents. I loved working with Cena. He was always receptive to my ideas, even if they weren’t good. Because he was ready to try things, we delivered a great match. When we got backstage, McMahon hugged me and said I had put on a great show.”
His Wrestling School: “I still want to keep some connection with this industry. This was something I was born to do. I was always meant to be Khali. I dream of wrestling all the time. And then I get up and I realise that I am not wrestling anymore. But I still keep my pants with me — both in India and in Houston. You never know.”
Randy Orton giving him strong pain pills early in his WWE career: “The pills were so strong that I couldn’t feel my legs. My foot kept slipping and I fell.”
Khali started with WWE back in 2006, so the incident he’s referencing likely took place around 2006-2007. Orton has been suspended from WWE 4 times over the years for violating WWE’s Wellness policy (2005, 2006, 2007, 2012)
The New Day — Big E., Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods — recently appeared together as guests on Chris Jericho’s “Talk Is Jericho” podcast. During their appearance on the show, a lot of behind-the-scenes information about Vince McMahon’s plans for the group and his reaction when those plans didn’t go as he expected them to are covered.
The following are some highlights and notes from their appearance on the show.
On how the idea for The New Day began: “So I’m working on that character, trying to get something going and then I’m kind of realizing that, ‘oh, [Big] E’s not doing anything, he’s kind of coming off his I.C. title run and starting to float, so, you know what? I like E, he’s one of my good friends, lets see if we can merge him into this,’ said Xavier Woods. “So we kind of start working on something, literally weeks at a time, and we’re going into pre-tapes, filming things, pitching ideas and then we’re thinking, ‘something is missing from this, like, we need one more thing.’
“That’s when we kind of thought, ‘maybe Kofi’, but it was kind of a heel thing. We’re thinking, ‘Kofi has never been a heel – I don’t know if [WWE] would let him turn heel’. After talking about it for a while, we kind of approached them with what we wanted to do and rather than being this group that everyone thought it was going to be, like three angry black guys, it’s like, ‘no, it’s three guys who come up from kind of the same background, that just want more from life, more from their jobs, more from their friends, more from everything around them’. So we tried to take that mentality and get it across TV as best we could and we did.”
On WWE taking The New Day off of TV immediately after forming the group: “We got taken off [TV] and then we basically had to reevaluate and come up with something different,” Kofi Kingston said. “We were told we needed to go in a kind of positive, uplifting type of direction and we would be going into Vince [McMahon’s] office, pretty much every week for probably months.”
On Vince McMahon changing the idea to a preacher gimmick, and their reaction: “We kind of got frustrated too and then we didn’t go back to his office for a little while and then he called us back in, like, a few weeks later, and he’s like, ‘you know, guys, it [has] taken me a long time to come up with this, but I think I got it: I want you guys to be preachers’ and all three of us are like, ‘oh my god,'” said Kingston.
Kofi would go on to explain that the preacher gimmick was the exact opposite of what they wanted to do, however Big E. saw it as an opportunity. The trio then decided collectively that if they were super over-the-top with the gimmick, it would become a heel stable, which is basically what happened.
From there, Kingston claimed McMahon told him he felt The New Day preacher characters would be “the greatest babyface thing ever.” Woods noted that McMahon looked visibly emotional when talking about the group failing to get over as a babyface faction.
You can listen to the complete interview at PodcastOne.com.
– In the past, Paul Heyman and Jim Ross have told stories about Vince McMahon having a pet peeve about sneezing. Heyman recently sent the following tweet to a fan, referencing the story again.
. @KaliNemeth You weren't allowed to SNEEZE? Is your dad Vince McMahon?
– As previously reported, the recent episode of the WWE Network show “Unfiltered with Renee Young,” which featured WWE Divas Champion Nikki Bella, lasted 30 minutes. The show is now back to being a 15-minute program, starting with this week’s episode, which featured SummerSlam star and “Arrow” actor Stephen Amell.
– Longtime WWE executive producer Kevin Dunn was trending worldwide on Twitter earlier this week after online rumors spread claiming he was the one who ordered Randy Orton to make comments about Kevin Owens’ weight during RAW. The rumors turned out to not be true, as Dunn nor Vince McMahon had anything to do with it.
– Vince McMahon tweeted the following on Friday, congratulating John Cena and Roman Reigns for being included on DoSomething.org’s “Athletes Gone Good” list, which recognizes and appreciates their charitable efforts.
John Cena is continuing to explore his options in the entertainment industry, which could mean a reduced schedule for WWE’s most decorated champion in the coming months.
Cena got rave reviews for his role in the Amy Schumer/Judd Apatow comedy “Trainwreck” and will be appearing in “Sisters” with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler later this year. Cena has been auditioning for more movie roles and is said to be shopping around a reality show independent from WWE.
While Cena makes it known that WWE will always his top priority, Vince McMahon has seen guys like The Rock and Batista be lured away by Hollywood success and is aware that Cena won’t be able to perform at the highest level forever. With Cena branching out into acting, we could very well see him working a reduced schedule that allows him to continue wrestling (and promoting his outside projects) while remaining a top name for WWE.
– It was reported back in May that WWE Chairman Vince McMahon did not make this year’s Forbes list of billionaires, however it’s worth noting that Forbes’ profile on McMahon currently has his net worth listed at $1.21 billion, as of Wednesday, August 5, 2015. The profile does, however, note that McMahon “dropped off” this year’s billionaire list. You can check out McMahon’s Forbes profile at Forbes.com.
– The following matches were taped for tonight’s edition of NXT TV on the WWE Network.
* Charlotte vs. Bayley
* Baron Corbin vs. Steve Cutler
* Tyler Breeze vs. Aaron Solow
* The Mechanics vs. The Hype Bros
* Samoa Joe vs. Rhyno
– During last night’s episode of RAW live from San Jose, the entire WWE roster opened the show with a ten-bell salute to the late “Rowdy” Roddy Piper before a video tribute aired.
Both the ten bell-salute and the video tribute can be seen in the video above. Most of the superstars remained in their “Hot Rod” t-shirts throughout the show, wearing them to the ring in their matches.
– Dan Ryckert was in attendance during RAW last night and posted the following photo showing Vince McMahon and Triple H remaining on the stage while the tribute video for Piper aired:
– As shown in the tweet about sent out by Vince McMahon, one lucky fan who was introduced to the world by Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in a video recently will become an honorary WWE Superstar.
Elijah was invited to RAW in San Jose tonight after he submitted a video to Tough Enough a few months ago and will get to sign his own WWE contract with his favourite WWE Superstar Stardust by his side.
Update: The WWE have since sent out this tweet showing the young fan backstage at RAW:
– WrestlingDVDNetwork.com are reporting that WWE Network show “Swerved” has been cancelled following complaints from talent.
However, a new trailer for the next episode entitled “The Boogeyman Is Real” which can be viewed by visiting WrestlingDVDNetwork.com.
They note that a new episode is due to air following RAW next Monday so it could be a case of the WWE will continue to air the rest of the season but won’t renew for a second.
– While we’re on the topic of the WWE Network, it’s been reported that even more content from the Attitude Era has been added, you can get the full lowdown at this link.
Rey Mysterio recently spoke with Sports Illustrated’s “Extra Mustard” blog to promote the Northeast Wrestling events this weekend. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On the death of Perro Aguayo Jr. in March: “That something like that would even occur. You always think of the worst injury, but never that situation. In this case, it was absolutely that. We lost the biggest superstar that Mexico has ever seen. There were so many plans moving forward that would have been incredible. When I meet great people in this industry, I like to let them know they are great human beings. Perro was definitely one of them. He was so warm-hearted, kind, and respectful. Just like there will never be another Eddie, there will never be another Perro.”
On meeting Vince McMahon in 2002: “Meeting Vince was eye-opening. It was exciting for me to meet the man. Here I was, part of a company I thought I’d never be a part of because of my size, but Vince McMahon decided to bring me on board.”
“My only option was to succeed. I needed to prove that I could make it in the big leagues with my size and weight. But Vince was really cool right off the bat. He said they had big plans for me, and I was looking very forward to every single plan they had. My first night with WWE was coming in after a match with Chavo [Guererro]. He had me run down to the cage, climb up, and do a plancha off the top of the cage. No one knew how to market me like Vince McMahon.”
On taking time away from WWE and his departure: “My contract was coming to an end. I had been on the grind for so long, and even I was out for a long period of time due to surgery, I was constantly rehabbing. I never had the time to participate in my kids’ lives or be around my wife. So I really thought about it – I could be working until I’m 43, 44, or 45 years old, and keep on making money, but where is that going to leave me? I’ve already done good for myself, so I really needed a break. I wanted to detach myself from having a certain obligation. I wanted to do things on my terms. I wanted to rest, I wanted to enjoy my kids. I wasn’t getting any younger, and my kids weren’t getting any younger. I weighed my options, and leaving WWE was a decision my wife and I made together.
“I’m truly blessed to have a partner, a soulmate that’s been loyal and equal to me for all this time. She’s been a mother and a father throughout all the years me being on the grind, on the road. Now, I have control of my life and my career. Family has always been the number one importance in my life, and they’re the reason I decided I stepped away for a little while.”
On a possible WWE return: “I didn’t leave on bad terms. I left on good terms with WWE, so I don’t want to say never. They treated me very well, and I’m nothing but thankful with that company for letting Rey Mysterio be Rey Mysterio and be recognized worldwide. If the opportunity comes about in the future, and there is interest from both parties, then why not?”
As previously reported, F4Wonline.com noted that WWE officials want ZZ eliminated from the Tough Enough competition on the next episode.
WWE released a clip on YouTube showing coach Billy Gunn addressing all the competitors and in particular ZZ due to their in-ring performance not being up to the standard it should be at.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletternotes that Tough Enough producers are “over” ZZ because of the way he backed down to Mada on the last episode.
At the end of the day however, it’s not up to the Tough Enough producers as the weekly vote is left in the hands of the viewing public – and ZZ continues to be increasingly popular among fans each week.
It’s also been noted that Vince McMahon’s favourite competitor since day one is Josh and he reportedly wants him to win the competition.
Check out the video below of Tough Enough coach Billy Gunn addressing the competitors: