Chris Jericho’s podcast is returning to the WWE Network for the second time this month as his next guest is none other than WWE’s Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon.
Jericho and McMahon share quite a history on television mostly as adversaries and Y2J made fun of McMahon during the Attitude Era. When McMahon underwent breast enlargement, Jericho was the first one to officially point it out on WWE television and then came up with the “Filthy, dirty, disgusting, bottom feeding, trash bag, ho” insult which the WWE crowd used to love.
The interview with the “billion dollar princess” will be on Thursday, April 30, at 10PM EST right after Smackdown ends.
Seth Rollins had to come up with a new finishing move after rumors broke out yesterday that WWE has banned his Curb Stomp in fears of head injuries.
On Raw last night, those rumors were confirmed as Rollins did not use the move but used a variation of the DDT as his finisher.
The Curb Stomp joins other moves such as the piledriver, chair shots to the head, and others on the banned list as WWE tries to protect its wrestlers from potential concussions and other injuries.
Rollins used the Curb Stomp to win the WWE title at WrestleMania.
Monday Night Raw TV Report for April 20th, 2015 – “Extreme Notifications”
Introduction Segment: Video Promo, Welcoming, and Arena Promo
Recap from last week’s events featuring Randy Orton and WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, and Kane are shown. We go straight to the arena this time, with the steel cage being lowered to the ring. Michael Cole greets us from Albany, and Randy’s music plays. “The Viper” saunters out and gazes around, particularly feeling the 4-walled structure.
“You know for someone who prides themselves on being the ‘smartest guy in the room,’ you Seth Rollins are ‘one dumb bastard.’” Orton threatens the WWE World Heavyweight Champion that he “deserves” to be punished and that he will “break your jaw.” He continues to go on about the desecration he will give “The Architect” this Sunday at Extreme Rules.
Rollins now walks out with J & J Security and mocks Randy’s rant. “I play this game of ‘human chess’ better than anybody. And that is why I’m on track to become the greatest WWE Champion of all time. Inside of that ring, I can outmaneuver anybody. Outside of that ring, I can out-think anybody.” Rollins does recognize that Orton is “one of the greatest WWE Superstars of all-time, a sure-fire Hall Of Famer,” but he is still greater.
“The Viper” warns that because the RKO is banned on Sunday, he will use it to full-extent tonight instead! They stare each other down to end the debate.
Later tonight, Triple H returns to make a “monumental” announcement regarding the comeback of Tough Enough! Dean Ambrose makes his entrance and will square off against Luke Harper next!
Commercials.
Match #1: Single – “The Lunatic Fringe” Dean Ambrose VS. Luke Harper
Prior to the bout, Harper warns Ambrose that he will be “afraid” of him after this. Both slug it out hard and quick with punches and kicks, then Luke takes control with a superkick! Ambrose sends Luke to the outside then follows up with a suicide dive into the announce table. They now brawl through the crowd and up to the stage. Harper rockets Dean into the screens, then attempts to powerbomb him. Dean drops out but is tossed off the stage. He rolls through and hops back up, but Luke has run to the back.
Winner: No Contest via No Finish?
Segment #2: Backstage Promo
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins and J & J Security are on the lookout for Orton. The Primetime Players sneak up from behind and scare the daylights out of them. Triple H now walks up and he and Seth discuss Kane and Orton. “The Game” they’ll talk with Kane when he gets to the building, then subtly says “no” to extra security for Rollins. “It’s just one guy.”
The Lucha Dragons run down the ramp and will face The New Day for the Tag-Team Championship #1 Contender’s Spot next!
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Match #2: Tag-Team for the #1 Contender’s Spot to the Tag-Team Championship – The Lucha Dragons (Kalisto and Sin Cara) VS. The New Day (Big E. and Kofi Kingston) (with New Day partner Xavier Woods)
Big E. and Kalisto begin, measuring each other out. Kalisto twirls around off the ropes, but Big E. uses his power to catch him. Kalisto reverses with a headscissors, then tags in Cara. He comes in and flies around with Kingston. He slides through, but Xavier distracts him, giving Kofi the chance to baseball-slide him. Big E. back in domination, switching with Kofi constantly to dominate Sin.
Commercials.
Kofi’s in again and dropkicks Cara, then mount-punches him repeatedly. Big E. is tagged and gears up to run in the corner, but Cara elbows Kofi and double-foots Big E. he makes the hot-high-five to Kalisto, who flies all over Big and Kofi. Both Cara and Kalisto flip off the turnbuckles with a double-moonsault! Cara goes to re-enter the ring, but Woods is clutching his legs from underneath, allowing Kofi to roll in and beat the 10-count!
Winners via Count-Out and #1 Contenders to the Tag-Team Championship: The New Day (Big E. and Kofi Kingston (with New Day partner Xavier Woods)
Post-match, Randy Orton suddenly comes in and RKO’s both Xavier and Kofi as they were celebrating. Big E. escapes then entices Orton, but backs away after.
Recap of U.S. Champ John Cena’s rivalry with Rusev and Lana is shown as well as Cena’s match with Bad News Barrett from last week’s Raw. John will continue his Open Challenges for the United States Title tonight!
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Segment #3: Video Promo
The Big Show and Roman Reigns’ confrontation from Raw in England is aired.
Match #3: Single – “Axelmania” Curtis Axel VS. Fandango
Despite some impressive dancing, Axel fails against Fandango, as the original swing-dancer polishes Curtis off with the top-rope legdrop.
Winner via Pinfall: Fandango
Up next, the WWE COO will be out Tough Enough.
Commercials.
Segment #4: Arena Promo
Triple H walks out and takes the microphone. He calls current WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins the man who will be the future of the WWE for 10 years down the road. However, he also wants to find “the next Seth Rollins.” He announces that Tough Enough returns on June 23rd on the U.S.A. Network. He puts over all the aspects that come with being on Tough Enough, which could end with the Tough Enough winner one day standing tall with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania. HHH tells everyone to send in their videos to www.wwetoughenough.com starting right now.
A man who can truly be “tough enough” interrupts. Kane has a chat with Triple H, being tired of all the antics and confrontations with Seth Rollins. He informs the C.O.O. that he is “giving my two weeks notice.” Triple H is hesitant, then the WWE World Heavyweight Champion marches out with Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury. He and Kane get in each others faces, particularly with Kane telling Rollins that he was given everything by The Authority, and it didn’t matter that it was him or Dean Ambrose, or even El Torito – it was all a plan by The Authority and they would’ve pulled it off anyway.
HHH stops this and tells Rollins that Kane actually did “what’s best for business” last week;” he then makes Kane “Guardian Of The Gate,” for the Steel Cage match at Extreme Rules. Rollins is skeptical, but HHH stands by his word.
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Segment #5: Backstage Promo
Kane and Rollins are still bickering when Triple H walks up and reminds Kane that he is “corporate” now. He walks away, but Triple H dresses down Rollins. He books him against Dolph Ziggler for tonight, to prove “he is the man.” Rollins says he will back up who he really is, “I am the man.”
Match #4: Single – Naomi VS. Brie Bella (with Divas Champion Nikki)
(Note: Nikki is on commentary.) They lockup and shove off. Naomi rams Brie’s head into the top turnbuckle a few times, then pie-faces her to the mat. Brie moves, but is caught and hit-off out of the corner. Naomi gives Brie a side-headlock takedown, but Brie battles out of it. Naomi slaps her hard, but Brie elbows back twice. Naomi knees Brie against the ropes, sending the twin tumbling to the floor.
Commercials.
Naomi is still in control, wearing Brie down with submissions. She pounds away on the back of Brie until the referee pulls her off. She kicks Brie in the corner then snapmares her to the canvas. Brie kicks up but both double-clothesline each other. Brie is up and dropkicks Naomi off the second turnbuckle, but is quickly run into that same one. Naomi dives off with a crossbody, but Brie ducks and covers for a near-fall. Naomi slaps her hard and nails the Rear-View to finish off Brie.
Winner via Pinfall: Naomi
Segment #6: Backstage Promo
In catering, Heath Slater is having a discussion with Erik Rowan about being the new United States Champion after answering John Cena’s challenge. Rowan gets up and walks away, to Slater’s dismay. Heath quickly finds out it was because Randy Orton is there, and is then driven through the table with an RKO!
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Segment #7: Arena Promo
Roman Reigns makes his way through the fans, to a decent pop. He doesn’t want to yak, he just wants to wrestle. He doesn’t get The Big Show though; instead Bo Dallas walks out. He compares Roman to NFL Quarterback Tim Tebow, where he was hailed as great but turned out to be a bust after many chances. However, Dallas still “Bo-Lieves” in Roman and tells Reigns that’s all he has to do. Reigns responds not-so-kindly, with a Superman Punch and Spear! He proclaims that he will be the Last Man Standing over Show at Extreme Rules. “You can ‘Bo-Lieve’ that!”
Dolph Ziggler is shown getting read to take on WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins.
Commercials.
Match #5: Single – “The Celtic Warrior” Sheamus VS. “Long Island Iced-Z” Zack Ryder
Sheamus orders the referee to ring the bell, then immediately Brogue Kicks Ryder. He mocks the easiness of this, so he continues to chastise Zack with hard hits, then chucks him to the outside. He Brogue Kicks him again while ripping on the fans. He lines up for another Kick in the ring, but Dolph Ziggler rushes in and drives him down with a Zig-Zag. Technically, as this match was still going on, Ryder was DQ’d because of Dolph’s interference.
Winner via Disqualification: “The Celtic Warrior” Sheamus
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Match #6: Single for the United States Championship – John Cena (Champion) VS. ??? (Challenger)
Prior to this contest, Cena talks about Extreme Rules, the Russian Chain Match, and what Rusev is all about. He also cautions his upcoming opponent that he is focused on getting to Extreme Rules; so basically, look out!
The person that answers that challenge – the Director Of Operations, Kane! He kicks Cena right as the bell run and slugs away in the corner. He catches a running Cena with a sidewalk slam for a two-count. On the outside, Kane hurls John into the corner barricade then gets back in the ring. Cena makes it in at seven, then gets kicked repeatedly.
Kane continues to deliver carnage to Cena until he misses a run in the corner. Cena backdrops Kane and signals for the 5-Knuckle Shuffle Fistdrop, but Kane clutches Cena and Choke slams him! He covers, but Cena gets his shoulder up right after 2! Kane now signals for the Tombstone, but Cena slides out and plants Kane with the Attitude Adjustment for the 1 – 2 – 3!
Winner via Pinfall and STILL United States Champion: John Cena
Commercials.
Segment #8: Backstage Promo
Rene Young is with The Miz, who berates Damien Mizdow for copying him. He puts over his movie, The Marine 4, but is cut-off because Byron Saxton has an interview with U.S. Champion Cena.
Segment #9: Backstage Promo
Byron congratulates Cena on the win, and Cena was truly impressed with Kane. Suddenly, Rusev hammers Cena with the Russian Chain, then wraps it around the United States Champion’s face while clamping on the accolade submission. A referee struggles, but finally pulls Rusev off of Cena.
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Match #7: Single – Damien Mizdow (with Summer Rae) VS. The Miz
(Note: The winner keeps the rights to “The Miz” name and persona)
Mizdow tries an immediate roll-up on Miz, but only gets two! Miz headlocks Damien now and tries the back/neckbreaker combo, but Mizdow reverses into a backslide. They chase around the ring and Miz almost gets this with an inside cradle, then stomps away and pushes his boot into Damien’s face. He runs and nails another boot-to-the-face, then sets up for a running clothesline. Damien counters with the back/neckbreaker combo, then kips up. He drives Miz face-first with a DDT and attempts a Skull-Krushing Finale. Miz reverses into a victory-roll but Damien kicks out!
Mizdow fends off a Skull-Krushing Finale, but is hung on the ropes, and Summer scratches his eyes, turning on him! This allows Miz to capitalize with the Skull-Krushing Finale! He covers and gets to keep himself to himself!
Winner via Pinfall: The Miz
Post-match, The Miz celebrates with Summer until Randy Orton shows up and RKO’s him!
Commercials.
Segment #10: Video Promo
“What is it that motivates men and the things they do? Is it money? Is it power? Is it respect? For most men, it would be a combination of all three of these things, but for you, you’re different, just like me. But unlike me, it is the fear that motivates you. You can lift all the weights in the world, but there’s nothing you can do to lift off the weights of your own personal failures. That weight will drag you down; that weight will suffocate you; that weight will blind you until the only thing you’re able to see is my face looking down on you. I can’t wait for that moment man, that moment when you realize that all your hard work is for nothing. It all fades away, and so will you, friend. Behold, ‘the new face of fear,” prophesizes Bray Wyatt.
Match #8: Single – Adam Rose VS. “The Big Guy” Ryback (with The Rosebuds)
Rose gets some decent offense in, but Ryback overcomes quickly and completes this contest with a Meathook Clothesline and Shellshock Marching Samoan Drop!
Winner via Pinfall: “The Big Guy” Ryback
Post-match, Ryback decimates The Hot Dog and Banana from Adam’s Rosebuds with a double-Shellshock!
Segment #11: Locker Room/Office Promo
Rene Young asks Kane about the jokes make to him by J & J and WWE World Heavyweight Champion Rollins. He doesn’t find them funny and barges into The Authority’s office. Rollins says it was a “private joke,” but Noble hides behind “The Game.” Rollins actually apologizes for his remarks and puts over Kane. He and J & J walk through the hallway, as Randy appears from behind, smiling.
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Match #9: Single – “The Show Off” Dolph Ziggler VS. WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins (with J & J Security) (Non-Title)
Both end up tumbling to the floor, then Dolph hits Seth around on the outside. Back in the ring, he hits a dropkick on Rollins for 1, then attempts another one a bit later, but is caught and launched into the turnbuckle.
Commercials.
Rollins has Ziggler in a grounding rear chinlock, then whips him hard into the corner. He drops a knee and covers for two! Rollins pounds and kicks away on Dolph, then clasps the chinlock back on. Ziggler breaks out of it with sit-down jawbreaker, and moves out of the way from a running Rollins. He drives him down with a jumping DDT after Rollins missed a swinging kick. Dolph covers, but Seth gets his shoulder up! Rollins tries the running powerbomb, but Dolph reverses into a sunset flip for a near-fall! He nails a Superkick and almost takes this one! Sheamus runs out and diverts Ziggler’s attention, allowing Rollins to take advantage with the turnbuckle powerbomb and Curb-Stomp for the victory!
Winner via Pinfall: WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins (with J & J Security)
Post-match, Seth Rollins starts a promo about beating Randy Orton, then Tripe H walks down and says the same thing. Rollins continues, saying that “I’m the man by dismantling Dolph Ziggler.” He vows to pin Orton in the ring, thereby not needing Kane after all to be the “Gatekeeper.”
Kane strolls down the ramp, but is blocked by Noble, Mercury, and Triple H. in the ring, Rollins motions for the Steel Cage to lower, which it starts to. Rollins and Kane are jawing, then Rollins turns around to find himself locked in with Orton!
Seth tries to escape, but Orton yanks him off the steel wall and into an RKO! Triple H looks aggravated while Kane is smiling, and Randy is holding up the WWE World Heavyweight Championship to close the show.
End Of Raw.
Reporter’s Rumblings – By Moe Tapp
This was a great Raw, especially for the “go-home” show prior to the Pay-Per-View/Network show on Sunday! It really flowed smoothly, both promo-wise and in-ring-wise. Onto the analysis, then my picks for Extreme Rules.
Excellence: Randy Orton’s words and actions. The brawl between Ambrose and Harper; there was no match for them at Extreme Rules that I know of, but there should be; perhaps a Tables or Falls-Count-Anywhere?
It was a nice match between Lucha Dragons and The New Day, and am also liking the turns for both New Day and Naomi. The finish for the tag bout was actually creative and the Divas bout was pretty good!
Once again, glad Reigns is finding his way back into the good-graces of the fans. Also, his promo was short, sweet, and what he is all about. Cena/Kane’s bout was also pretty good. Happy to see Fandango getting another push. He is quite entertaining and a decent wrestler, so he deserves it!
As always, Bray Wyatt’s promo was superb and eerie.
Liked the ending and how it setup Extreme Rules even more.
Bogus: The Tough Enough announcement – really wasn’t that “significant” and could’ve been done in a press release. They have really booked Aaron Neville badly; now he wasn’t even on Raw! From the get-go, he should’ve been working his way up the card and not facing top-guy, then bottom-guy, then top-guy again. Then, he could challenge for either the I.C. or U.S. a couple months down the road.
I was quite disappointed to see Summer betray Mizdow; I thought Damien was going to win this and then the two would be a good pair. I also thought that Sheamus/Ryder and Ryback/Rose were pointless/filler; would’ve preferred a full-on promo from “The Celtic Warrior” instead.
Rollins/Ziggler was a bit of a letdown and too short; also there were a couple of segments with The Authority that really didn’t need to be in the show either (backstage with Kane/Rollins and Kane walking off, then the jokes in the office.)
Overall, a wonderful Raw, with many more positives than negatives compared to last week. Onto my picks:
Cena over Rusev to end feud; Reigns is the Last Man Standing; if Bryan/Barrett happens, I will go with Bad News to regain the I.C. Title, as Bryan may need another break to heal up (unfortunately); if Harper/Ambrose is a match, I’ll go with Ambrose to also end the feud; The New Day wins the Tag-Team Titles and reinstate the “Freebird Rules;” Seth Rollins will retain his WWE World Heavyweight Championship, as it is way too soon to take the title off him.
Until next week, Be Excellent Wrestling-Online Readers and Wrestling Fans!
Hulk Hogan’s Rock ’n’ Wrestling cartoon series makes its debut on the WWE Network tonight immediately right after Monday Night Raw.
The series originally aired on CBS on Saturday mornings from September 1985 to December 1986 and had two seasons and twenty six episodes produced.
Those portrayed on the show are Hulk Hogan, Junkyard Dog, Lou Albano, Andre The Giant, Wendi Ricther, Jimmy Snuka, Hillbilly Jim, Tito Santana, Roddy Piper, Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkoff, Fabulous Moolah, Big John Stuff, Mr. Fuji, Bobby Heenan, and Gene Okerlund.
None of those mentioned did the voice overs for their character as voice actors were hired to do those. Perhaps the most famous from the voice actors is the late James Avery, who went on the become Uncle Phil in Fresh Prince of Bel Air. He voiced the Junkyard Dog.
Unlike the last couple of seasons, this year’s Tough Enough will crown two champions, one man and one woman.
When the show originally started, the competition always ended with two winners, however only season one crowned a male and a female. That season was won by Maven and Nidia and then for season two, two females got the contracts, Jackie Gayda and Linda Miles. Tough Enough III was won by two males, John Hennigan and Matt Cappotelli.
For the last two seasons, season 4 dubbed as the $1,000,000 Tough Enough and season 5 hosted by Steve Austin, only had one winner each.
Wrestling-Online.com is now taking bookings for our WrestleMania 32 hotel at The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas, for $299 per night including complimentary Internet connection.
This is the fourth time partnering with The Ritz-Carlton brand to bring an alternative accommodation to WrestleMania.
You can book your room by going to http://w-o.it/wm32hotel and use the group code WREWREA when instructed.
The following is a press release which Global Force Wrestling issued to announce the MiLB Grand Slam Tour.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – You might be able to buy peanuts and Cracker Jacks, and there’s sure to be a crowd. But this will be a whole new ball game.
The historic first Global Force Wrestling show will be held on Friday night, June 12 at The Ballpark at Jackson in Jackson, Tennessee. as part of GFW’s “MiLB Grand Slam Tour.” The tour will feature stops from Florida to California and several points in between.
It’s a grassroots approach building toward the first GFW broadcast event on Friday, July 24 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. Minor-league parks operated by both private ownership and municipalities have agreed to play host to Global Force Wrestling shows when their baseball-playing tenants are out of town. It’s an easy win for the parks, which gain another great source for revenue. For GFW it’s a chance to build momentum, show off its roster and deliver on its mission statement to be the most fan interactive brand in sports entertainment.
“These ballparks are the center of attention in the summer in most of these cities, and we’re eager to get out there and mix with our fans and show them what the GFW brand is all about,” said Jeff Jarrett, Global Force Wrestling founder and CEO.
The stars of GFW will be appearing in such cities as Knoxville, Tennessee, Richmond, Virginia, and Clinton, Iowa. Dates for the summer ballpark tour are available on globalforcewrestling.com, and more will be added in the coming weeks.
“Global Force Wrestling presented us with a great plan, one that will be beneficial to us and all ballparks, teams and cities as well as to their burgeoning brand,” said Todd “Parney” Parnell, vice president and chief operating officer of the Richmond (Va.) Flying Squirrels. “We know GFW will generate a lot of interest and excitement, not only the night of the show but for weeks in advance.”
Atlanta Braves catcher A.J. Pierzynski is excited about the alliance of his profession and his pastime.
“Wrestling and baseball make a great tag team,” said Pierzynski, a wrestling aficionado. “And I’m thrilled to see so many minor-league parks, some of which I’ve played in, jump on board.”
Global Force Wrestling will roll out its talent roster in the next couple of weeks. It’s a lineup filled with speed and power, righties and lefties, starters and closers, sure to provide thrills at every ballpark.
WWE has started accepting applications for the new season of Tough Enough which will return on USA Network on June 23.
Applicants are encouraged to submit their own video and then share it on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, using the #ToughEnough hashtag.
In the video, WWE is looking for your passion for WWE and it’s important to shoot the video horizontally, showcasing your personality and your physique.
No copyrighted music or trademarked logos can be on the video and the video can’t be more than 60 seconds long. You have to be alone in the video and keep it TVPG, so no nudity, profanity or vulgarity of any kind.
During the latest Jim Ross podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels revealed that WWE has tried to convince him to come out of retirement for next year’s WrestleMania in Dallas, Texas.
The Heartbreak Kid said that the idea of a farewell match was brought up but Michaels said that he’s happily retired and he declined the offer. He retired after losing to The Undertaker at WrestleMania 26 in Phoenix, Arizona, and has not wrestled a single match since then, honoring the 2010 deal. HBK showed up at WrestleMania this year and super kicked Sting in the face during the Sting/Triple H match.
WWE is planning some big things for next year’s WrestleMania at the AT&T Stadium as they hope to break the attendance record for a WrestleMania which has stood since 1987. The AT&T Stadium will be able to hold close or just over 100,000 fans depending on the set up used.
TMZ is reporting that the father of Eddie Gilbert, Tommy, is suing WWE for using his son’s image and likeness on the WWE Network without paying any sort of royalties.
The dad, who is in charge of Eddie Gilbert’s estate, is not suing to block the footage but to get compensated in return.
According to docs … Eddie’s dad, Tommy Gilbert, is in charge of the estate and says the WWE is plastering his son’s image and likeness all over TV and other media platforms without permission — and, more importantly, without paying them a dime.
Tommy says old wrestling footage of Eddie — a pro from ’79 until his death of a heart attack in ’95 — is being used to promote the WWE. Gilbert wrestled for the then WWF between 1982 and 1984 and also wrestled for the UWF, Crockett Promotions, WCW, and others. He passed away in February 1995 at age 33 from a heart attack.
“Through the years, WWE has acquired the legal rights to library footage of various former wrestling organizations including Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Mid-Southern Wrestling among many others,” a WWE spokesman told TMZ. “WWE has made substantial investments to acquire these copyrighted works and has the legal right to use them.” The same rep said that similar cases in the past were filed against WWE and all were unsuccessful with WWE winning each case.
Former TNA announcer Taz talked about his departure from the company in his latest edition of the Human Podcast Machine on Play.It.
Taz said that he was asked for his release and he got it and said that it was all professional and he left the proper way. He revealed that his deal was up in the Summer anyway and was already looking into alternatives and the way he said it was that he was not going to renew his deal anyway even though TNA wanted him to stay.
He confirmed the reports that payments were not coming in and his checks came late and had to do what he had to do. “I did a service, I wasn’t paid for that service,“ Taz said, adding that TNA understood his situation. Once the checks were not coming, he gave TNA his notice and that was it.
He said that he would have liked to make a little bit more money but then again everyone felt like that and despite not making the most he was happy from the financial side of things.
Addressing the rumor of him having a disagreement with Josh Mathews, Taz said that he did indeed have a fallout with Matthews but it had nothing to do with him leaving TNA. He said that over the years he wrestled guys who hated him and he hated back but when it came down to business they all took care of each other.
“While I was working with Josh I had zero problems with him,” Taz said, which means that the fallout had to do something on a personal level rather than a professional one.
Mick Foley’s comedy show at Full Sail University will have additional help as WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross and color commentator John “Bradshaw” Layfield will be joining him for the stories.
The show, titled Cheap Pops, will be held on April 24 and WWE cameras will be there to tape the special for the WWE Network. Jim Ross is also in negotiations to hold one of his RINGSIDE shows at Full Sail for a WWE Network taping.
WWE will tape several episodes of NXT the day before, on April 23, at the same location. Tickets for those tapings are sold out however tickets still remain for Foley’s show which are selling for $25 each.
The May/June edition of Muscle & Fitness Hers magazine feature a nine-page spread on the Bella Twins – the WWE Divas champion Nikki and her sister Brie. The two are also on the cover of the magazine.
Apart from the pictorial and training tips, the spread also features an interview with the Bellas where they discuss how they landed in the WWE, working as heel and faces, Total Divas, their respective loved ones, and more.
You can see the full spread including photos below.
The Furious 7 movie which features Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson reprising his role as DS agent Luke Hobbs has surpassed the $1 billion mark in worldwide box office receipts.
The movie – which also has Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges, Jason Statham, Djimon Hounsou, and Kurt Russell – has generated nearly $274 million domestically and over $735 million in foreign markets. It is the number one in the Fast & Furious franchise and currently sits in number 19 in the biggest all time worldwide chart.
UFC Women’s Bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey also has a small part in Furious 7. While one of the leading actors, Paul Walker, died while filming the movie, the franchise seems like it’s set to continue without him.
By the way, Furious 7 is the first film from Universal to surpass the $1 billion mark.
WWE wrapped up the long and exhausting European tour today with the final two shows in Zurich, Switzerland, and Nuremberg, Germany.
This year’s tour took WWE Superstars and Divas to 11 different countries for 21 different shows all in a total of 11 days. Television tapings were also held overseas, this time in London, England. It was a successful tour in terms of attendance as the company managed to sell out most of the shows, especially those headlined by John Cena.
Everyone will be flying to Albany, New York, for Monday’s Raw. After Smackdown tapings on Tuesday in Providence, Rhode Island, there will be no other shows until the Extreme Rules pay-per-view on April 26. WWE Superstars and Divas have been going on pretty much full speed ahead since WrestleMania week so the four days off will be welcomed!
The Wi-Fi hotspots around the Levi’s Stadium at WrestleMania 31 were going non stop all afternoon as Mobile Sports Report today revealed that WWE fans used a whopping 4.5 terabytes during the event, smashing the previous record of 3.3 terabytes used during the 49ers home opener in 2014.
The number was given out by a representative of the San Francisco 49ers, who own and operate the Levi’s Stadium.
To service the entire stadium, techs extended the Wi-Fi network to reach the field, which had a capacity of around 4,000 people. Extra Wi-Fi coverage was also added for the three temporary seating sections that were erected in the Levi’s Stadium southeast plaza.
“We considered the event a success from a Wi-Fi standpoint considering the temporary APs served almost 4,000 people and moved a large amount of data,” said Roger Hacker, senior manager, corporate communications for the San Francisco 49ers. “We moved a significant amount of traffic all the while seeing minimal negative comments on social media.”
76 extra access points were installed throughout the stadium with 69 on the field level itself and seven more on the field-level walls. The results from the WrestleMania event, Hacker said, will help the Niners and Levi’s Stadium staff prepare for future events with on-field seating. Access Points were placed underneath seats, extending the network “in a cost-effective, safe and repeatable manner.”
According to statistics released by the 49ers, the peak concurrent user mark was 14,800 on the Wi-Fi network at around 8:10PM. The Wi-Fi network carried 1.61 Gbps of average continuous bandwidth from 2:20PM to 8:00PM, also a new stadium record. The peak bandwidth usage was 2.474 Gbps at 7:10PM.
The reason WWE Diva Paige was taken out this past Monday on Raw in London was because she will be taking a few weeks off to film the WWE Studios movie Santa’s Little Helper.
Paige won the battle royal to become the number one contender for the Divas title but Naomi then turned heel and destroyed her in front of the British crowd. WWE.COM then put up a story saying that Paige suffered internal injuries and has been ordered not to wrestle for now.
Joining Paige for the movie is The Miz, now a veteran for WWE Studios movies. The former WWE champion is also expected to somehow be written out from television next week to go filming. He is scheduled to face Mizdow again on Raw in a few days.
The comedy movie is set to be released in time for the holidays.
WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley will be doing a stand up comedy show at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida, next Friday, April 24.
Titled Mick Foley: Cheap Pops!, the one night only special which will also feature other WWE Superstars and Legends will be taped for the WWE Network.
Tickets for the show went on sale this morning for $25 each. You must be at least 18 years old to attend the show. Tickets can be purchased at http://wwe.me/LHXGZ.
Brian Fritz from The Sporting News is reporting that it’s not just TNA talent that has not been paid, but their production staff, most of who are freelancers, have also not been paid lately.
Fritz says that according to one person from the production crew who wished to remain anonymous, they have not been paid yet for the One Night Only PPV tapings from mid February. The company just cleared checks for the UK tour which happened at the end of January but the freelancers received around $1,000 each less for their services.
The anonymous crew member said that the company told them that they issued checks for the February shows but no one received them.
“They are just blatantly lying to us all of the time,” he said. “They’re probably still on the floor in Dallas at the office of Panda Energy.” He added that the crew is tired of being treated like that with the company showing no respect for them.
TNA President Dixie Carter wished Taz well in a message on Twitter after he announced his departure from the company.
“You are such a talent, an amazing family man and a legend inside the ring @OfficialTaz. Wish you all the very best always,” Carter wrote. Other TNA talents also chimed in and wished Taz luck wherever he might end up.
The man known as the human suplex machine parted ways with TNA after five years working there following disputes over lack of payments. Tomorrow’s Impact will not feature Taz on commentary. No replacement has been announced yet.
