TheWrap.com is reporting that Creative Artists Agency – CAA – are now representing WWE as well in their TV rights sale negotiations joining the William Morris Endeavor.
WME, the parent company of the UFC, is also shopping for a better deal for UFC television which might present a conflict of interest, hence CAA stepping in. The Wrap adds that it was WME who brought in CAA to deal with the WWE-side of things.
When reached out for comment, both CAA and WME reps declined while WWE said it would continue a “longstanding partnership with WME as well as working relationships with other agencies and strategic advisors around the world.”
WWE is seeking to complete a new TV deal by May which would then go live in Fall of 2019. FOX are rumored to be in negotiations with WWE to take over all their programming although NBCUniversal have the right to match any offer and keep WWE on their property.
This article should start with a caveat: it is being written just a few days before WrestlemMania 34 kicks off in New Orleans. However, the fact that it is being written without knowing the results of the ‘Showcase of the Immortals’, makes an even more worthy exercise. If you are reading in post-Mania, then you can judge for yourself.
Traditionally, bookmakers have always shied away from offering odds on wrestling matches – the sport is ‘scripted’ after all. However, a handful have decided to cover the matches, especially events like Mania and Royal Rumble. Of course, some cover more than others and some offer better odds than others. You can check this guide to New bookmakers for 2018 to get an idea of who are the best for all sports.
Going against Reigns at this point seems foolish
But, for the most part, wrestling fans will have a fair idea of how the big matches will turn out, so it is understandable that you could use it to your advantage. The problem is, if we know a wrestler is going to win so will the bookmakers, so the odds are going to be shorter than a traditional sports match. However, at times, you are betting on a sure-thing, so it’s a no brainer.
Let’s consider Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship this Sunday. We know Reigns is going over, with the likelihood that Lesnar is leaving for UFC. Is there any way that Reigns doesn’t win this? He is given odds of 1/4 by Betway, meaning you will increase your outlay by 25% for the ‘Big Dog’ to win. Lesnar, by the way, is given odds of 51/20. Remember, there is no Seth Rollins with a briefcase to swerve the fans for this one.
WWE will not let Rousey be defeated at her first WrestleMania
So, if you are sure about Reigns, why not double it up with another lock? Can anyone really see WWE giving Ronda Rousey anything other than a win in the mixed tag team match? She and Kurt Angle are 1/5 to beat Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. It would be a big swerve – and incredibly stupid – to see anything else but a win for the former. Doubling that up with Reigns would increase your outlay by 50%.
Now, one to swerve from a betting perspective: Asuka vs Charlotte, Smackdown Women’s Championship. In this one, Asuka is given short odds of 1/3 (1/7 with some betting companies), with Flair 9/4. Bu the problem from a betting perspective is Carmella and that Money in the Bank Briefcase. No odds are provided for the ‘cash-in’. Definitely one to avoid.
Some matches are tougher to call from a betting perspective
There are also some matches that are more open from a betting perspective, meaning neither we or the bookmakers are sure of the result. The Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal is no sure thing this year. Big Cass is the current favourite at 3/1. The Triple Threat Intercontinental Title match also sees Finn Balor (5/4), Seth Rollins (13/8) and The Miz (9/4) all priced at odds against. In that respect, it resembles a traditional sports match.
What should we takeaway from all this? It is simply that there are times when we know who is going to win, yet there are still bookmakers odds offered for the event. Both Randy Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura were the betting favourites before the last two Royal Rumbles, which they promptly won. Put simply, you can cash in to put your own money in the bank, if you know what you are doing.
The WrestleMania stage is almost complete inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome with two days to go.
New photos show that the fleur-de-lis will actually not be part of the stage and unlike previous years, there will be a different spin to the Mania logo on the stage. The font used for the WrestleMania sign is slightly different, giving it more the “New Orleans look.”
Sticking out from the top of the logo looks like it’s a joker hat, all LED screens that can display any image or video.
In the low-resolution switched-on photo you can see a lot of purple and green will be the main colors on the stage.
WWE will welcome another group of WWE Hall of Famers tonight at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. Here’s a look at the class of 2018.
BILL GOLDBERG
The 51-year-old recently returned to the WWE after an absence of 12 years, feuded with Brock Lesnar, won the Universal title, and then lost it to Lesnar in one of the main events of WrestleMania 33 in Orlando.
The Oklahoma native began training for wrestling in 1996 after he was persuaded by Sting and Lex Luger to try out for wrestling after his professional football career did not take off. After undergoing training at the WCW Power Plant, he started appearing on WCW Nitro, quickly eliminating his opponents and staying undefeated for a very long time.
One of his greatest moments in WCW came in July 1998 when he defeated Hulk Hogan for the WCW World title at the Georgia Dome during Nitro in front of 40,000 fans. Goldberg’s undefeated streak came to an end at Starrcade that same year when he lost the title to Kevin Nash. WCW considered his streak of being 173-0 at that time.
After WWE bought WCW, Goldberg held back and got paid for the remainder of his contract until it ran out. In March 2003, Goldberg arrived in WWE and interrupted a Rock concert the day after WrestleMania XIX. No words were spoken but Goldberg delivered his trademark spear to The Rock to announce his arrival in the company.
At WrestleMania XX, Goldberg fought Brock Lesnar, a match which was the last one for both considering they were quitting the business. The match, officiated by Steve Austin, turned into a big mess as the fans turned on both Superstars. In the end, it was Goldberg who had his hand raised after defeating Lesnar at WrestleMania.
In May 2017, Goldberg was announced as the WWE 2K17 cover Superstar. This was his first affiliation with WWE ever since that disastrous night in Madison Square Garden in 2004. In mid-October, Goldberg appeared on Raw for the very first time in 12 years to accept Paul Heyman’s challenge to meet Lesnar at the Survivor Series. That match headlined the Survivor Series and lasted only one minute and twenty six seconds when Goldberg hit the spear and the Jackhammer for the quick win.
Goldberg was part of the Royal Rumble, entering at number 28. He quickly eliminated Brock Lesnar, Rusev, and Luke Harper, but The Undertaker eliminated him. At Fastlane, Goldberg challenged Kevin Owens for the Universal title, winning it quickly as well, before dropping the title to Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 33.
The night after WrestleMania 33 on Raw, Goldberg appeared after the show to thank the fans for the amazing journey and said that you never know who’s going to be next!
Throughout his career, Goldberg won the WCW title once, the WCW United States title twice, the WCW Tag Team title once, the World Heavyweight title once, and the WWE Universal title once.
THE DUDLEY BOYZ
Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley made their debut together in ECW in 1996 and positioned themselves as the dominant tag team in the promotion, a run that lasted till 1999 when the duo went to the WWE.
The Dudleys achieved a ton of success in WWE as well and wrestled in several firsts, such as the TLC match with Edge and Christian and Matt and Jeff Hardy. The feud between the three teams was one of the highlights of the Attitude Era, a feud which created several “Holy sh!t” moments.
In 2005, the two left WWE and started wrestling in TNA Wrestling where once again, success came along in the form of titles and even a Hall of Fame induction in 2014.
After a short stint in WWE in 2015, D-Von eventually got a backstage job while Bubba Ray moved to Ring of Honor.
During their illustrious career, The Dudley Boyz won the ECW Tag Team titles six times, the WWE World Tag Team titles 8 times, the WWE Tag Team titles once, the WCW Tag Team titles once, the NWA Tag Team titles once, and TNA Tag Team titles twice.
IVORY
Former WWE Women’s champion Ivory will be this year’s women inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2018.
“I liken it to almost getting married, it’s my wedding day, which I’ve never had one, so, this is probably as close to a wedding production as I’ll ever get,” Ivory told ESPN. “Hair and makeup, I will be speaking my vows – with regards to my wrestling career – to all these people I adore and love and we want it to all happen without a hitch.”
The 56-year-old Ivory, real name Lisa Moretti, made her professional wrestling debut back in 1986 and was part of the original cast of GLOW: Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling.
In 1999 she signed a WWE deal and made her television debut in February of that year and was part of the first-ever women’s hardcore match against Tori. In that year, Ivory won the WWE Women’s title twice before transitioning to a conservative gimmick and eventually joining the Right to Censor faction.
In 2002, Ivory joined the Tough Enough coaching team, coming on board for the second and third season while also doing commentary and other coaching gigs at Ohio Valley Wrestling. She left WWE in 2005 and then made her first WWE appearance in a decade at the WrestleMania Axxess convention at WrestleMania 31.
During her WWE career, she won the Women’s title a total of three times.
JEFF JARRETT
Jeff Jarrett started his WWE career in August 1992 where he had a run of four years, including winning the Intercontinental title. In 1996 he left WWE to go to WCW but his first run there only lasted a year and returned to WWE in October 1997.
His second WWE run was more successful than his first, winning different titles including the Tag Team ones with the late Owen Hart. He left in 1999 to join WCW again but his departure from the company turned ugly. Jarrett was supposed to drop his IC title to Chyna at No Mercy that year but his contract expired a day before the pay-per-view and extorted Vince McMahon for $300,000 in order to wrestle and drop the title.
Jarrett returned to WCW in October 1999 and stayed there until the company was bought by WWE in 2001. His contract was not picked up by WWE and on the simulcast episode of Raw and Nitro, Vince McMahon mocked Jarrett on live television, saying that Jarrett would be gone.
In June 2002, Jeff Jarrett launched Total Nonstop Action Wrestling with his father to compete with WWE. He eventually sold the company to Dixie Carter and in December 2013, he resigned from his position within the company but remained a minority shareholder.
Jarrett created Global Force Wrestling in 2014 but the company failed to gain traction and he returned to TNA in 2015, selling his minority stake in return for some promotion for his GFW company.
After Anthem bought Impact Wrestling in 2017, Jarrett returned to the fold to run the day-to-day operations in the company but his stint lasted less than a year and was fired in October due to several personal issues.
Jarrett was admitted to a rehab clinic shortly thereafter and WWE picked up the tab for his stay after his wife Karen, the ex-wife of Kurt Angle, reached out to the WWE for help.
During his long career, Jarrett won the WWE Intercontinental title six times, the WWE European title once, the WWE Tag Team titles once, the WCW World title four times, the WCW United States title three times, the TNA World title six times, and the TNA King of the Mountain title once, apart from several other titles in AAA, CWA, and USWA.
HILLBILLY JIM
The 65-year-old made his professional wrestling debut in 1975 and wrestled for the Continental Wrestling Association before joining the WWE in 1984. While in WWE, he was aligned with Hulk Hogan however his career never took off as a singles wrestler and was mostly used as a feel-good character. Perhaps his biggest moment came at WrestleMania III where he teamed up with midget wrestlers to take on King Kong Bundy.
Hillbilly Jim then transitioned to a television host and presented Prime Time Wrestling until the show was canceled in favor of Monday Night Raw in early 1993.
He returned to WWE in 1995 managing Henry and Phineas Godwinn but that only lasted a couple of years until the duo turned heel. While his on-screen career came to an end, Hillbilly Jim worked for WWE and did a lot of the promotion tours, especially WrestleManias and home video events.
Hillbilly Jim was one of those chosen to appear in WWE Legends House which was shopped for network television but ultimately ended up on the WWE Network.
MARK HENRY
The 46-year-old Olympian weightlifter is one of the longest-serving WWE employees, having joined the company in 1996. He signed a 10-year deal upon arrival at the age of just 24 and made his debut at SummerSlam that year, starting a feud with Jerry “The King” Lawler.
In 1998, Henry joined the Nation of Domination along with Farooq, The Rock, D’Lo Brown, and Kama and went on to have a memorable feud with D-Generation X. Unfortunately for him, after the Nation disbanded, Henry was given a sex addict gimmick and was referred to as the Sexual Chocolate. Henry had a hilarious program with the late Mae Young where Young gave birth to a hand.
Henry disappeared from WWE television as he returned to OVW for training and to participate in more strongman competitions. In 2002, he returned to the main roster but an injury quickly forced him out again, returning in 2003, before yet another injury kept him for a long time.
Mark Henry returned in January 2006 and engaged in a feud with The Undertaker and had a casket match with him at WrestleMania 22. After going through most of the Superstars on the roster, Henry was injured again, tearing off his patella tendon off his bone, putting him on the sidelines again for a whole year.
In 2008, Henry was drafted to ECW and he was joined by Tony Atlas as his manager. He won the ECW title in a triple threat match against Kane and Big Show at Night of Champions but he lost the title to Matt Hardy at the Unforgiven pay-per-view.
In 2011, Henry started his path to the World Heavyweight title, winning a 20-man battle royal to become the number one contender. He defeated Randy Orton at Night of Champions, marking his first world championship in WWE after 15 years. He lost it at TLC to the Big Show in a chairs match. The Olympian then had to leave WWE again for nearly a year to undergo another surgery.
Perhaps one of his greatest moments came in June 2013 when he teased his retirement on Raw while wearing the infamous peach-looking jacket. Henry cried in front of the fans and John Cena joined in…only for the whole thing to be a swerve as Henry viciously attacked Cena and challenged him for the only title that he never won: the WWE title. Henry never won the title and after that he engaged in different feuds and took more hiatuses due to injuries.
His final match in a WWE ring came at the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 33. He appeared at the Raw 25th anniversary special in a backstage segment as well.
The weightlifter won the ECW title, World Heavyweight title, and European title during his WWE career but his weightlifting accomplishments trump pretty much anything he did in WWE, winning several championships and strongman competitions.
KID ROCK
“Every time I go to a WWE event I always have a good time; there is nothing like it and no better fans in the world,” Kid Rock told Billboard. “The Hall of Fame ceremony will be a fun night and it will be great to see everyone again. I have so much respect for what those guys and girls do. I’m grateful to WWE for letting me be a part of WrestleMania weekend.”
Kid Rock has been part of the WWE family for a very long time and performed at WrestleMania 25 and at several Tribute to the Troops shows. For WrestleMania XXX, his song “Celebrate” was used as the official theme song for the show. Kid Rock also recorded ZZ Top’s “Legs” for Stacy Keibler’s theme and the song “American Badass” for The Undertaker. Another song of his, “Lonely Road of Faith,” was used as the background song for montage clips as well.
The Michigan native will join other celebrities such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Pete Rose, Snoop Dogg, Mike Tyson, and President Donald Trump in the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame.
JARRIUS “JJ” ROBERTSON – WARRIOR AWARD
JJ, a New Orleans native, has had anything but a simple life, undergoing 36 surgeries as he battled biliary atresia and liver disease.
“Jarrius has shown immeasurable amounts of courage, strength and positivity during the hardest of times. His infectious smile and personality light up any room, with no one the wiser of the pain he could have been enduring at any given moment,” WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon said. “His determination to help others fight their toughest battles and his work to bring awareness to organ donation make him a true Warrior and the perfect recipient of this year’s award in his hometown of New Orleans.”
McMahon met Jarrius five years ago when she was in town to announce WrestleMania XXX in New Orleans. Their friendship continued to grow over the years and JJ was present at the press conference last year when WWE announced that Mania would be coming back to the city.
JJ said that he feels very blessed to being honored by WWE and this award means the world to him. He will be accompanied by his brother and parents at the ceremony to accept the award.
WWE announced that three special guest commentators will be taking on the WrestleMania Kickoff matches this coming Sunday.
WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix, who has been doing commentary for the Mixed Match Challenge series, will be joining the commentary team for the WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal.
Meanwhile, fellow Hall of Famers Jim Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler will be the special guest commentators for the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
JR called the main event of WrestleMania last year on the request of The Undertaker just days after his wife Jan passed away in a tragic accident.
The WWE Now show hosted by Cathy Kelley will be airing live over the next few days from New Orleans.
The first show was held earlier today at Noon EST as Kelley toured WrestleMania Axxess with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. Another session is set for today at 6PM EST with Braun Strowman.
Two live shows are also scheduled for tomorrow, one at Noon EST with The New Day and one at 6PM EST with The Dudley Boyz and Mark Henry.
Saturday will see Carmella at Noon EST and Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae previewing NXT TakeOver: New Orleans at 6PM EST. The final show will be held Sunday at Noon EST with Seth Rollins.
WWE Now will stream live on WWE’s official Facebook and Twitter pages and YouTube account.
WWE.COM published the high-resolution photos of the new NXT North American title which admittedly looks much better than when it was revealed by Triple H.
The leather strap looks more brownish than maroon and the big gold center and side plates really pop out on the strap. The title has NXT and North American at the top and Champion written on the bottom.
The inaugural champion will be decided on Saturday at NXT Takeover: New Orleans with a six-man ladder match featuring EC3, Lars Sullivan, Adam Cole, Killian Dain, Velveteen Dream, and Ricochet.
Speaking WWE.COM in a video as part of his WrestleMania Diary from his home in Nashville, Jeff Jarrett got choked up when discussing his upcoming meeting with Vince McMahon.
Reminiscing about the people who he might get to see again, Jarrett said, “And then it goes without saying…the last time I saw Vince was in Cleveland, that I physically was in the same space with him. So…the reconnect with him…”
Jarrett then got off camera as emotions got the better of him. His wife Karen took over for a little bit in the meantime before Jarrett returned. “At the end of the day they didn’t have to do this for me. It’s that simple,” a crying Jarrett added.
WWE will be holding multiple tournaments during Axxess, including the WWE United Kingdom Championship Invitational, the NXT North American Invitational, the NXT Tag Team Invitational and the NXT Women’s Invitational.
The four tournaments will take place beginning Thursday night during Axxess Day 1 and culminate during Axxess Day 4 with the tournament winners facing their respective champions in title matches.
In addition, Axxess will feature competitors in action from WWE NXT, WWE 205 Live, the United Kingdom Championship Tournament, the Mae Young Classic, as well as PROGRESS and EVOLVE Wrestling.
Day 1 matches include: Lio Rush vs Buddy Murphy and Dan Matha vs Drew Gulak in the U.K. Championship Invitational first round; Fabian Aichner vs Jason Kincaid and Akira Tozawa vs Kona Reeves in the NXT North American Invitational first round; Moustache Mountain vs Tino Sabbatelli & Riddick Moss and Street Profits vs Cezar Bononi & Adrian Jaoude in the NXT Tag Team Invitational first round; and Nikki Cross vs Aliyah and Kairi Sane vs Bianca Belair in the NXT Women’s Invitational first round.
Day 1 will also feature a WWN championship match between titleholder Keith Lee and NXT’s Kassius Ohno as well as action featuring 205 Live Superstars TJP, Kalisto, Gentleman Jack Gallagher and Buddy Murphy, Superstars from the Mae Young Classic, and much more!
Day 2 sees Lince Dorado vs Raul Mendoza and Mark Andrews vs Zack Gibson in the U.K. Championship Invitational first round; Chris Dijak vs Ariya Daivari and Hideo Itami vs Wolfgang in the in the NXT North American Invitational first round; SAnitY vs Forgotten Sons and TM61 vs Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch in the NXT Tag Team Invitational first round; and Dakota Kai vs Lacey Evans and Candice LeRae vs Peyton Royce in the NXT Women’s Invitational first round.
Day 2 will also have matches featuring Superstars from NXT, the Mae Young Classic, and PROGRESS.
Session one of Day 3 will include semi final matches from the WWE U.K. Championship Invitational, the NXT North American Invitational, the NXT Tag Team Invitational and the NXT Women’s invitational.
Session two of Day 3 will also have semi finals from the NXT North American and UK Championship Invitationals as well as an EVOLVE Tag Team championship match, and matches featuring Superstars from 205 Live, NXT, and the Mae Young Classic.
Session three of Day 3 will have the U.K. Championship Invitational Finals, the NXT Tag Team Invitational Finals and the NXT Women’s Invitational Finals, as well as NXT’s Kassius Ohno vs. PROGRESS’ Walter. In addition, the session will include matches featuring 205 Live’s TJP, Kalisto and Gran Metalik, Superstars from NXT and the Mae Young Classic.
The final day of Axxess, Day 4, will include WWE U.K. Champion Pete Dunne vs. U.K. Championship Invitational winner, NXT North American Champion vs NXT North American Invitational winner, and NXT Tag Team Champions vs NXT Tag Team Invitational winners. In addition, the session will feature a WWN Championship Match, a PROGRESS Women’s Championship Match, a PROGRESS Championship Match, and a PROGRESS Tag Team Championship match.
If there is a time to kick start your WWE Network subscription it would be this weekend!
Subscribing today to the service will get you the Hall of Fame ceremony, the NXT Takeover: New Orleans, and WrestleMania 34 all for free if you’re a first time subscriber.
While a credit card is required to sign up, you will not be charged $9.99 unless you cancel before the 30-day trial is over.
Obviously, with your subscription you also get the full library of the WWE Network, which contains thousands of hours of WWE, WCW, ECW, and other footage as well as special shows such as WWE 24, Breaking Ground, Table For 3, Photo Shoot, and much more.
A bunch of WWE Superstars will be appearing at Axxess over the next four days, some of who will only be available to those who purchased a VIP or Premium VIP ticket. Other Superstars will also be available for general admission ticket holders.
Those who purchased a Premium VIP ticket will get to see Goldberg on Thursday at 8PM, Shinsuke Nakamura on Friday at 5PM, AJ Styles and Asuka at 8AM on Saturday, Seth Rollins at 10AM on Saturday, Braun Strowman at 10AM on Saturday and Roman Reigns at 1PM on Saturday. The Sunday Premium VIP Superstars are Ric Flair and Sting at 10AM.
Those with a VIP session ticket will get Sasha Banks on Thursday at 6PM, Andrade “Cien” Almas with Zelina Vega and Ember Moon on Friday at 7PM, Alexa Bliss at 1PM on Saturday, Finn Balor at 3PM on Saturday, Randy Orton at 3PM on Saturday, The Hardy Boyz at 6PM on Saturday, and Charlotte Flair at 8PM on Saturday. The Sunday VIP Superstar is Daniel Bryan who will be there at 8AM.
For general admission tickets, the Thursday session will have Carmella, Jinder Mahal, Naomi, Samoa Joe, Aiden English, The Dudley Boyz, Liv Morgan & Sarah Logan, Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville, The Revival, Big Cass, and WWE Legends.
Friday will include The Bludgeon Brothers, Paige, Bray Wyatt, Ruby Riott, The New Day, Authors of Pain w/ Paul Ellering, Johnny Gargano, Breezango, Tye Dillinger, Billie Kay & Peyton Royce, Pete Dunne, and WWE Legends.
The first session on Saturday morning has Mark Henry, Cesaro, Dolph Ziggler, Becky Lynch, Baron Corbin, Mojo Rawley, Big Cass, Naomi, Kevin Nash, Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson, Dana Brooke, and WWE Legends. The 1PM session will include Rusev & Aiden English, The Bella Twins, Sami Zayn, Cedric Alexander, The Revival, Paige, Jeff Jarrett, Lana, WWE Legends, and Superstars from NXT. The evening session will have The Miz, Kane, Kevin Owens, Mickie James, Sheamus, Jinder Mahal, Alicia Fox, Beth Phoenix, Bray Wyatt, The Bludgeon Brothers, Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson, and WWE Legends.
The Sunday session starting at 8AM will have Trish Stratus, Apollo & Titus O’Neil, Lita, Bayley, Elias, Jason Jordan, Sin Cara, Kalisto, Aleister Black, Kevin Nash, DDP, Zack Ryder, WWE Legends, and Superstars from NXT.
The massive WrestleMania Superstore at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center opens today starting from Noon.
The Superstore is located within WrestleMania Axxess at 900 Convention Center Blvd but no ticket is required to enter the store.
The store will remain open late everyday except for WrestleMania Sunday. The opening hours are today from Noon to 11PM, tomorrow from 10AM to 10PM, Saturday from 8AM to 11PM, and Sunday from 8AM to 1PM.
Every merchandise you can think of will be available at the store including exclusive Superstore-only merchandise.
Meanwhile, if you prefer to order online, WWEShop will have special discounts that are not applicable at the Superstore. For more information and to order online, go to http://w-o.it/wweshopcom.
WWE Hall of Famer Johnny Valiant was killed yesterday after he was struck by a pickup truck while crossing a street in the morning around 5:30. The accident happened in Ross Township, a northern suburb of Pittsburgh.
Despite the paramedics’ best effort to keep him alive, Valiant, 71, succumbed to the injuries and died shortly afterward.
While he wrestled earlier on in his career, he was eventually best known to be a better manager, managing Hulk Hogan in the AWA and Brutus Beefcake in WWE. He was also the man behind The Dream Team in WWE, managing the tag team of Brutus Beefcake and Greg Valentine, and later adding Dino Bravo as well.
Valiant was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 1996.
WrestleMania Axxess returns today at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and will run till Sunday, April 8.
The first session kicks off tonight at 6PM for four hours with doors closing at 10PM. There will also be one session tomorrow starting at 5PM and ending at 9PM. This Friday session will conflict with the Hall of Fame ceremony.
Three different sessions will be held on Saturday. The first one starts at 8AM until Noon, the second one starts at 1PM and runs till 5PM, and the third one starts at 6PM and goes on till 10PM. The third session will conflict with NXT Takeover: New Orleans.
The final day of Axxess is on WrestleMania Sunday, with one session held in the morning starting at 8AM and running till Noon.
General admission tickets are available through Ticketmaster.com for $55 each.
When Paul Heyman suggested on Monday that if Brock Lesnar loses the Universal title it would be the last time we’d see Brock and Heyman on Raw, he was not joking.
All signs are pointing to Brock Lesnar wrapping up his WWE duties at WrestleMania as he continues his road to another UFC run. For Lesnar, who is getting paid millions for limited appearances in WWE, the idea is not more money. He simply wants to fight.
Speaking to the New York Post, when quizzed if Lesnar’s last appearance will be at WrestleMania, Heyman responded, “It’s most likely the answer to that is yes.”
Meanwhile, UFC President Dana White said on UFC Tonight today that Lesnar is coming back to the UFC. When asked point-blank by Daniel Cormier if Lesnar is returning, White chuckled and said, “Yeah Brock Lesnar is coming back, I don’t know when, but he is.”
Brock returned to WWE in April 2012 on the night after WrestleMania 28 and has been part of the company – albeit in limited appearances – ever since. He even managed to get a fight in the UFC at UFC 200 while under a WWE deal and then returned a few weeks later to main event SummerSlam with Randy Orton.
The last time that Brock made it clear he was quitting the company was in 2004 and his last match at the time – against Goldberg at WrestleMania XX – had the crowd turn on both men who were leaving and basically destroyed the match.
Remember when Triple H cut off his pony tail several years ago and everyone freaked out? Well, his former DX tag team partner Shawn Michaels decided to do the same!
Michaels, who nearly always had long hair during his wrestling career, cut off his pony tail at a barber shop in Lakeland, Florida. The barber, Evan Dell, posted on Facebook a photo of the new-looking HBK but the post was taken down later.
“Today i had the honor of meeting a childhood hero of mine Shawn Michaels, and getting him ready for Wrestlemania this weekend. Shawn has had the pony tail for over 20 years, and today he had me cut it off and give him a new look,” Dell wrote in the now-deleted post. “Such a genuine and down to earth guy it was such a privilege being trusted with the famous locks.”
But don’t worry…once it’s on the Internet…it’s there forever, right? Yep! Here’s a look at the new pony tail-less Shawn Michaels.
The final Smackdown before WrestleMania did 2,467,000 viewers, down 108,000 viewers from last week’s broadcast. Despite the drop, the show retained its #1 spot on the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographic and was #4 in overall viewership. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
While next year’s WrestleMania could be a bit cold and snowy in New Jersey, this year, the weather in New Orleans is going to be just fine.
Tomorrow, forecast is sunny with a temperature of 74°f. Friday, it’s 78°f but 50% chance of thunderstorms in the evening. On Saturday, there’s 90% chance of thunderstorms with a temperature of 74°f and WrestleMania Sunday looks like it will be in the 67°f range and partly cloudy with only 20% chance of rain. Monday it’s scattered thunderstorms with 77°f temperature and 50% chance of rain and finally Tuesday it’s listed as sunny with 76°f temperature.
Weather can obviously change so for appropriate attire check out an online weather service.
WWE production workers along with hundreds of local contractors are currently busy assembling the WrestleMania stage inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
With access inside the stadium closed for the public, photos of the construction stage are few and far in between. But someone did take a photo already showing the massive steel rig that will be above the ring and a partial assembly of the stage. Although there are some LED screens up already it’s hard to visualize how it will look since the assembly is still in its early stages.
The process of designing and constructing a WrestleMania stage takes many, many months and work on the stage starts as soon as there’s a location set.
Believe it or not, the last time that a one-on-one match involving the women which took place at a WrestleMania was 11 years ago at WrestleMania 23 when Melia defeated Ashley Massaro in a lumberjill match to retain the Divas title. That match lasted a total of 3 minutes and 40 seconds.
At WrestleMania 24, it was Beth Phoenix and Melina taking on Ashley Massaro and Maria in a Playboy BunnyMania Lumberjill match, lasting 5 minutes. A Miss WrestleMania Battle Royal took place at WrestleMania 25, with Santina Marella winning in 7 minutes and 25 seconds. A 10-Diva tag team match took place at WrestleMania 26, involving Alicia Fox, Layla, Maryse, Michelle McCool and Vickie Guerrero taking on Beth Phoenix, Eve Torres, Gail Kim, Kelly Kelly and Mickie James. That lasted 3 minutes and 26 seconds.
WrestleMania 27 saw no WWE women taking part while at WrestleMania 28, Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos took on Beth Phoenix and Eve Torres in a match that went on for 6 minutes and 49 seconds. The women missed out on WrestleMania 29 again, but returned at WrestleMania 30 for the Vickie Guerrero Invitational match which lasted 6 minutes and 49 seconds. WrestleMania 31 saw AJ Lee and Paige taking on The Bella Twins in a 6 minute and 42 second match.
And then, the women’s revolution started for WrestleMania 32 which completely changed the game for the women. The Divas title was binned and in came the WWE Women’s title. For WrestleMania 32, a 10-Diva tag team match was part of the Kickoff show which lasted 11 minutes and 25 seconds and was Brie Bella’s farewell match. And then, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, and Sasha Banks wrestled for the Women’s title in one of the best matches of the night which went on for 16 minutes and 3 seconds.
Last year at WrestleMania 33, the women had two matches on the main WrestleMania card for the first time ever. A fatal 4-way match for the Raw Women’s title which went on for 12 minutes and 45 seconds, and a six-pack challenge for the Smackdown Women’s title which lasted 5 minutes and 35 seconds.
Which brings us to WrestleMania 34 where the women will have a total of three matches, including two one-on-one. The Raw Women’s title match will have Alexa Bliss versus Nia Jax, while the Smackdown Women’s title match will have Charlotte Flair versus Asuka, a match which is expected to tear the house down. Besides those two, the remaining women will participate in the WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal. Another Superstar, Ronda Rousey, will be part of a mixed tag team match.
As you can see from the timeline, it was a long road for the WWE women to get where they are today but who knows, maybe the next target is to main event WrestleMania!
