Movie website latino-review.com is reporting that former WWE champion Dave Batista has landed a major role in the upcoming Bond 24 movie and is set to take on the role of Hinx, a big villain in the movie.
A casting call for Hinx came out a few weeks ago where it specifically asked for a male between 30-45 years of age and ideally over 6’2” with an “imposing extremely physically fit actor.”
The description states that Hinx is the main assassin who will have several fights with James Bond and will have to attend stunt training, can drive, and looking “very unusual, possibly from a sports background.”
Bond 24 starts filming on December 6 at Pinewood Studios in England with actor Daniel Craig as the iconic 007 agent.
Batista is just coming off the very successful Guardians of the Galaxy movie where he was the breakout star.
Here are the results of last night’s Bound For Glory pay-per-view, which took place from the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan, in association with Wrestle-1.
Minoru Tanaka defeated Manik; Ethan Carther III defeated Ryota Hama; MVP defeated Kazma Sakamoto; Samoa Joe defeated Low Li and Kaz Hayashi to retain the X Division title; Jiro Kuroshio and Yusuke Kodama defeated Andy Wu and El Hijo del Pantera; Team 3D defeated Abyss and Tommy Dreamer; Havok defeated Velvet Sky to retain the Knockouts title; and The Great Muta and Tajiri defeated James Storm and The Great Sanada in the main event.
It has been almost 17 years since Bret Hart and Earl Hebner have been in the same ring together. That night, Hebner was one of the people who screwed Bret Hart in Montreal at the Survivor Series. Since that day, Bret has managed to make peace with Shawn Michaels and Vince McMahon, but has never had the chance to do it with the referee.
The WWE Hall of Famer had the opportunity on October 11, at an event promoted by Big Time Wrestling in Prince George, Virginia. Standing in the middle of the ring, Hart invited both Earl and Dave Hebner to come over. Dave was the first to greet Bret and hug him, followed by his twin brother Earl.
Matt Hardy has uploaded a video of all three making peace which you can see below.
E! will air two first-run episodes of Total Divas back-to-back tonight starting at 8PM EST.
Episode 6 will air first, titled Paint the Island Red, with the synopsis reading, “TJ ruins Nattie’s hopes of repairing their marriage. Nikki gets annoyed at Brie for not being as fun as she used to be. Ariane and Vinnie deal with relationship problems.”
Episode 7 will air afterward with The Double Cross, with the episode preview reading, “Nikki learns that John kept a secret from her. Nattie and TJ’s relationship worsen after she makes an unpleasant comments to a reporter.”
During the Smackdown 15 year anniversary tapings this past Tuesday, Booker T was talked into performing a spinaroonie by the announcers, a segment which did not make it on the air.
Booker T accepted and with Team Teddy still in the ring after their victory against Team Johnny, Booker T said that this will be a Team Teddy spinaroonie, with each member of the team – Mark Henry, Sheamus, Jack Swagger, Los Matadores, El Torito, and the Usos – performing a spinaroonie of their own.
Before Booker did his own version, he invited Michael Cole and JBL to do it as well. The almost 9 minute segment didn’t make it on air but WWE.COM has the full video here.
TNA will present Bound For Glory on pay-per-view tonight, on tape delay since the show was held in Tokyo, Japan, at the Korakuen Hall. The full card is as follows:
Samoa Joe vs Low Ki vs Kaz Hayashi in a three-way match for the TNA X Division title; Havok vs Velvet Sky for the Knockouts title; The Great Muta and Tajiri vs James Storm and The Great Sanada; Ethan Carter III vs Ryota Hama; Team 3D vs Abyss and Tommy Dreamer; MVP vs Kazma Sakamoto; Manik vs Minoru Tanaka; Andy Wu and El Hijo del Pantera vs Jiro Kuroshio and Yusuke Kodama.
The event is being held with the association of Wrestle-1.
During the UK broadcast of Smackdown last night on Sky Sports 3, an announcement was made that a date for the launch of the WWE Network in the United Kingdom would be made on November 1.
The WWE Network in the UK was supposed to launch on October 1 but just a few days before WWE announced that it would be delayed as the company is in negotiations with partners in the country for the launch of the Network.
iTunes last month revealed the prices of the Network through the WWE app, mentioning the in-app purchase price for a six month subscription which was the equivalent of $9.99 in the GBP.
It’s still not known now if the UK will get a traditional TV channel for the Network like Canada or else if it will get the over-the-top service like the rest of the world.
WWE announced that the 12th annual Tribute to the Troops special event will be held on Tuesday, December 9, at the Columbus Civic Center, in Columbus, Georgia.
“The commitment and bravery displayed by our service men and women are unparalleled and worthy of praise,” said Gov. Deal. “This annual Tribute to the Troops event provides us the opportunity to express our sincerest gratitude to those who put our safety above their own, and we’re excited WWE has chosen to host this event in the great state of Georgia.”
WWE Superstars and Divas will spend the next day, December 10, at Fort Benning, giving back to the servicemen and women and their families. Fort Benning, a U.S. Army post, supports over 120,000 active-duty military, families, retirees, and reserves.
Tapings of Smackdown will also be held on the same day in the same location for the first time.
SyFy announced the premiere date of their new 12 Monkeys series for January 16, 2015, starting at 9PM EST, a time slot which is occupied by the second hour of Smackdown.
Last month SyFy published their Fall schedule and started listing Smackdown on Thursdays, rather than Fridays, but then changed it back to Fridays. The show was originally set to move to Thursdays from October 2, with even WWE production trucks showing Thursday on their big decals.
PWInsider.com is now reporting that Smackdown is moving to a different day once 12 Monkeys starts airing on SyFy. While no day has been announced, sources suggest that the show will move back to its original time slot on Thursdays.
Bully Ray sent a tweet yesterday hinting that he and Devon might be moving to somewhere else after they are done with TNA.
“Despite not winning tonight, me and @TestifyDevon #Team3D have decided to go after 1 of our other favorite sets of Tag titles…stay tuned,” Ray wrote.
Bully Ray signed a really short deal with the company that enabled him to wrap up his tag team storyline with the Hardys and the Wolves and to appear at Bound For Glory this weekend, a pay-per-view which he was not originally booked for.
The duo will also be entering into the TNA Hall of Fame this weekend. Both Ray and Devon will wrap up their TNA contracts with Bound For Glory.
WWE will be celebrating 15 years of Smackdown tonight with a special episode airing on SyFy at 8PM EST.
Tonight’s Smackdown is the company’s 790th episode and the show is the second longest-running weekly episodic program in U.S. television, only behind Monday Night Raw.
The 15 year anniversary show will feature a backstage skit with The Rock and the returns of Teddy Long and John Laurinaitis.
The episode was taped this past Tuesday in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
There are eight matches scheduled for this weekend’s Bound For Glory pay-per-view however the TNA World title will not be defended and there are only two title matches on the card.
Bound For Glory is TNA’s biggest pay-per-view of the year and the company usually gives it importance just as much as WWE gives to WrestleMania, although obviously on a smaller scale.
Perhaps the biggest issue of the TNA World title not being defended is because the company has already taped television shows that will air past Bound For Glory and there have been interesting developments with the title on an episode that still has not aired.
The only title matches set for Bound For Glory are Low Ki vs Samoa Joe vs Kaz Hayashi in a three-way match for the X Division title and Havok vs Velvet Sky for the Knockouts title.
Our correspondent Joseph Palreiro was present at the LUCHA UNDERGROUND press day on Saturday, October 4, in downtown Los Angeles. He had a tour of the facilities where tapings are held and got to meet the players behind the show. The following is his story.
On the outskirts of downtown Los Angeles, tucked away in a bleak industrial area, sits a warehouse that appears to have housed any number victims from the “Saw” franchise. Following the train tracks that disappear at its entrance, however, reveals something quite different.
LUCHA UNDERGROUND, under the watchful eye of executive producer Mark Burnett of “Survivor” fame, has begun taping the first of what will be an initial commitment of 39 hour-long episodes for the Robert Rodriguez’ (“From Dusk ‘Til Dawn”, “Spy Kids”) fledgling El Rey network.
Executive Producer Eric Van Wagenen (WWE Network’s “Legends House” and the Steve Austin-hosted revival of “Tough Enough”) took me on a tour of the warehouse, which has been largely untouched, including the aforementioned train tracks, which run through the center of the 97-year old building. Aside from the VIP and crew dining areas, this place seems to be pretty much in its original state of cleanliness, or lack thereof.
There is, however, a nearly seamless transition from the dust of the warehouse as we pass beneath the raised stage (on which “some of the most popular Latin bands in the world” provide live music before the show and during production breaks) and into the bright yet purposely-worn arena. I am immediately reminded of the set of MTV’s “Wrestling Society X”, which, although separated by nearly a decade, shares some onscreen talent with this production.
I asked Van Wagenen about the similarities, and whether they were intentional:
[blockquote style=”2″]I’d never seen Wrestling Society X until I saw it on the blogs. I look at it on YouTube, and the production values…I’d see how you see similarities, but when you see the actual product on air, there’s really no comparison. I’ve done shows for MTV and I know they didn’t get much of a chance with that. We’ve been given pretty much free reign. [/blockquote]
One end of the arena features wooden bleachers and a concrete staircase, down which most of the wrestlers descend on their way to the ring. The occasional featured performer enters from the opposite side on the ground level, sometimes accompanied by a thick bank of fog. The other seated section are raised off the floor, which should lessen any liability concerns. The ring is flanked by the announce table, manned by Matt Striker and longtime WCW and AAA wrestler, Vampiro, and the owner’s office. I was told that Chavo Guerrero had described the office as “exactly like his grandfather’s”, which is impressive once you learn that the office was already part of the original building.
Backstage segments are shot in the “training area”, which features another ring and a weight/locker room. You’ll see that ring featured in parts of the show’s most recent sizzle reel (linked below). Van Wagenen explained the design and function of the backstage area:
[blockquote style=”2″](The practice ring) gives us a lot more flexibility with lighting and creating a cool, edgy vibe…Everything sort of serves two purposes. It’s functional and at the same time, it looks like a great set. There’s not a bad angle when you’re shooting here. We obviously shoot a lot in here (the locker room). We did most of the artwork on the edges. There was some art that existed already. We put a facing on it. We have a consultant that’s a PhD in ancient Mesoamerican history who gave us some of the (idolatry) and iconography from his research…the mandalas (Aztec calendars) were a starting point, then we brought in some local Boyle Heights graffiti artists to come in and add a couple extra layers on it. That’s kind of the vibe we’re going with for the show. [/blockquote]
Ah yes, the show. LUCHA UNDERGROUND is a character-driven program, with some familiar faces sporting new names and, in some cases, new faces, thanks to a mask.
The primary players include:
DARIO CUETO: The owner/promoter of LUCHA UNDERGROUND. As a child, Cueto was awed by lucha libre and “vowed if he ever had a chance, (he’d) open up a fight league to pit the world’s best fighters against each other” for his entertainment. He teases he’ll award a briefcase full of cash to the fighter who “impresses” him the most, further flaunting the prize with a key that hangs conspicuously around his next.
JOHNNY MUNDO: Formerly (and sometimes currently) known as “John Morrison”, Johnny “Don’t Call Me Tele-” Mundo brings his parkour stylings to the ring. The California-born sports entertainment superstar is taking a break from Hollywood in order to reclaim his past glory.
[blockquote style=”2″]Dario Cueto might own the arena and Lucha Underground, but nobody can own the moment when you’re in the ring with Johnny Mundo.[/blockquote]
PRINCE PUMA: Hailing from Boyle Heights, CA (the location of the Lucha Underground arena) is the masked man that independent wrestling fans will recognize immediately as the high-flying “Ricochet”. He’s a man of few words, but he doesn’t really need them, having been paired with:
KONNAN: Renown as one of the original architects of Mexico’s AAA (“Asistencia Asesoría y Administración”) promotion, Konnan is Puma’s mentor and trainer. He has also been the point person for bringing in talent from across the border. I asked if there was a backlog of AAA performers hoping to work with LUCHA UNDERGROUND:
[blockquote style=”2″]Everybody wants to come down here because they want to experience the El Rey experience. I think within the next few months, just about the whole roster of AAA will come through here in some form or another.[/blockquote]
and whether there’s a chance of taking Prince Puma to Mexico to integrate him into AAA:
[blockquote style=”2″]Yes…We’re looking at him. We’re looking at (John) Morrison, Brian Cage, Ivelisse…There will be a talent exchange. [/blockquote]
The original five AAA wrestlers booked for the show (Blue Demon, Jr., Drago, Fenix, Pentagon, Jr. and Sexy Star) have all seen action during the first month of tapings, as have Shawn Hernandez (most recently of TNA), Son of Havoc (Matt Cross), Big Ryk (WWE’s Ezekiel Jackson) Mil Muertes (Ricky Banderas), AAA “mini” Mascarita Sagrada and Chavo Guerrero, Jr., who is also working backstage as a trainer and as a producer of the program.
The show is also utilizing a number of Southern California wrestlers, both on TV and for dark matches, including Brian Cage, Ricky Mandel, Ricky Reyes and Lil’ Cholo.
The action for the opening weekend was slower than expected, perhaps even tentative. The most likely culprit being the fact that contracts and AAA talent paperwork were still being finalized, along with a crowd that may not have known quite how to interact with the performance. I’ve been to three sets of the initial tapings, and I’ve noticed that the comfort level is now much higher, the crowd interaction is more spontaneous, and the in-ring work is much more polished.
Since the live crowd only sees that week’s matches and usually one in-ring promo, it’s impossible to pass judgment without seeing the fully-assembled product. That said, given what I’ve seen so far, the show should find its audience with a decent programming lead-in from El Rey, as long as the story line can keep up with the talent in the ring.
LUCHA UNDERGROUND premieres Wednesday, October 29 at 8:00PM ET/PT.
Joseph Palreiro is a long-time wrestling fan, aspiring part-time filmmaker and occasional contributor to the online wrestling community. You can follow him on Twitter @wrestlingisreal and/or follow his soon-to-be revamped blog at wrestlingisreal.tumblr.com
Chris Jericho announced on his Twitter that he is returning to WWE in November.
Y2J last wrestled at the Night of Champions pay-per-view, losing to Randy Orton. He then disappeared from the picture to continue his work for his band Fozzy.
WWE is advertising the former Undisputed WWE champion for the European tour next month which will also have television tapings. It’s not known how long Jericho will stay around this time around.
His return was quicker than anticipated as previously it took around a year for him to come back.
You will be seeing The Rock one more time this week on WWE television as the former champion will be appearing on the 15 year anniversary of Smackdown which will air this Friday.
The show was taped yesterday in Philadelphia and while Rock was not there live in person, he taped a backstage segment on Monday along with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon that will air during the show. The piece was filmed after Rock surprised everyone by appearing on Raw.
The Rock was an integral part of Smackdown’s history and has always considered it to be “The Rock’s show.”
Forbes has compiled a list of the most valuable event brands in sports for 2014 and WWE’s WrestleMania made it to the list for the first time.
The Event brand value was calculated as the average revenue from media, sponsorships, tickets and licensed merchandise per-event-day of competition.
“A new member among Fab 40 events is WrestleMania, an annually staged event put on by WWE, the most successful professional wrestling promotion in the world,” Forbes wrote.
The WrestleMania brand was calculated to be worth around $105 million, placing it eighth among sporting events. In April, WrestleMania 30 broke the record for the Mercedes-Benz Superdome’s highest grossing entertainment event, marking the fifth-consecutive year WrestleMania broke the host venue’s single day revenue record.
The list was topped by the Super Bowl ($500 million), and then Summer Olympic Games ($348 million), Winter Olympic Games (285 million), FIFA World Cup ($170 million), NCAA Men’s Final Four ($143 million), UEFA Champions League ($139 million), MLB World Series ($113 million), WrestleMania ($105 million), Daytona 500 ($100 million), and Kentucky Derby ($99 million).
A surprise return from The Rock did not spark any jump in viewership for Raw, as the show did just 3,797,000 viewers over the three hour period, a decrease of nearly quarter of a million viewers from last week’s show.
Hour one pulled 3,577,000 viewers, followed by 3,891,000 in the second hour, and then 3,924,000 in the third and final hour. (Ratings credit: PWInsider.com)
At the conclusion of last night’s Smackdown 15 year anniversary episode, it was announced to the crowd that the 2015 Royal Rumble would be taking place at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which was also the location for the Smackdown tapings.
The show will fall on Sunday, January 25, and according to unconfirmed reports this time it will be a 40-man Royal Rumble rather than the usual 30. WWE already did a 40-man Rumble before a couple of years ago.
Tickets are expected to go on sale this coming Friday.
WWE Superstars and Divas hopped on a flight to Malaysia today for a quick, two day trip halfway across the world.
There will be two back-to-back live non-televised events at the same location in Kuala Lumpur, on October 10 and 11, with the Putra Indoor Stadium playing host.
This is the second time that the 10,000 seater stadium will host a WWE event, with the first one going back to 2002 when the Smackdown brand made the trip.
WWE will have two celebrities appear on Raw next week, reality TV stars NeNe Leakes and Todd Chrisley.
Leakes is best known for her role on Real Housewives of Atlanta as well as a contestant on Dancing With The Stars while Chrisley is the star of Chrisley Knows Best, a show which airs on USA Network and based in Suwanee, north of Atlanta. Raw on Monday will be from Atlanta, hence the Atlanta-based stars.
NeNe Leakes and Todd Chrisley will be there to promote the new season premier of their respective television shows.
