It’s still not known who will be inducting Kurt Angle into the WWE Hall of Fame come WrestleMania weekend, however the Olympic gold medalist has four names that would be ideal.
“I would say Austin, Cena, Undertaker and Brock Lesnar are my four picks,” Angle told Forbes.com. The pick of who gets to do the honors for Angle is in reality down to WWE, with some input from Angle as well.
In the same article, Angle had heaps of praise for 16-time World champion John Cena. “John Cena is the man. I don’t know anybody else who has gone 13 years on top…I’m not going to say he’s the greatest athlete in WWE history, but he will go down as the greatest of all time in WWE history,” Angle said.
Angle was the first person that Cena confronted during the Ruthless Aggression era on Smackdown back in June 27, 2002 when Cena answered Angle’s open challenge. Kurt won the match, but a great showing from Cena was the beginning of many things to come.
“He has been the staple of sports entertainment for the last 11 years. The incredible thing about John, John has never been known, personally for all of us, as a fighter. He’s not a guy who’s going to to throw fists and mix it up. But what he has been able to endure for 12, 13 years. Nobody has ever done that,” Angle concluded.
At last night’s non-televised live event at the Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada there was a special guest backstage, a guest whose father’s name is probably banned from WWE forever.
That guest was David Benoit, the son of the late Chris Benoit from his first marriage to Martina. At one point, David was training to be a professional wrestler although we have no information if that is still ongoing. David, who really looks a lot like his father, posted a photo on his Twitter standing in a WWE ring with a backstage pass hanging from his jeans.
The show was headlined by a triple threat for the Intercontinental title featuring Dean Ambrose, The Miz, and AJ Styles, a match which Ambrose won.
You can see the photo of David Benoit from last night below.
The Raw brand rolled into Dallas, Texas on Friday night for a non-televised live event and former WWE champion Brock Lesnar showed up and trashed the place before his scheduled match.
Lesnar, who earlier this week announced his retirement from mixed martial arts, decided to have some extra fun and interrupted an earlier match, sending Sin Cara, Curtis Axel, Bo Dallas, and The Shining Stars to Suplex City while Titus O’Neil ate an F5.
His opponent, The Big Show, then came out for the match and 96 seconds later, Lesnar had his hands raised after another suplex and an F5 to the giant.
Deadline.com is reporting that premium cable network Starz is in active development for a wrestling-based hourlong drama titled Heels, set in the world of indie wrestling.
Written by Michael Waldron and to be directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez, Heels is the story of two brothers and rivals whose real conflicts play out in fake matches as they war over their late father’s wrestling promotion, vying for national attention in small-town Georgia.
Deadline adds that the series is close to being ordered with eight episodes in total.
Former WWWF champion Ivan Koloff, real name Oreall Perras, passed away earlier today at the age of 74 after a battle with liver cancer.
The man formerly known as The Russian Bear was diagnosed with the liver disease more than 10 years ago but recent tests showed that it was getting worse. Earlier this month, his wife Renae opened up about his medical problems with Mike Mooneyham of The Post and Courier and said that that he has difficulty walking due to weakness in both knees and is experiencing diminished liver function, along with jaundice and shortness of breath. “Doctors say this will only get worse as time goes on,” she said. “There’s really nothing they can do about it except to keep a watch on him.”
Koloff and his wife were planning to visit a specialist next month in Chapel Hill, N.C., for some more consultations.
Koloff, was the one who beat Bruno Sammartino in 1971 at Madison Square Garden, ending Sammartino’s seven-and-a-half-year reign as WWWF Heavyweight champion. A few years ago Koloff joined the growing list of former WWE Superstars who filed a class action lawsuit against WWE for brain injury. The lawsuit is spearheaded by attorney Konstantine Kyros.
TNA Impact this week drew a total of 325,000 viewers, up significantly from the 252,000 viewers of last week. That is the best number since the December 15 episode which was marketed as Total Nonstop Deletion. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Former WWE Universal champion Finn Balor is being advertised for a few non-televised live events in March, suggesting that he will be ready in time for WrestleMania.
Balor is currently booked for March 10 in Buffalo, March 11 in Toronto, and March 26 in White Plains. These are all house shows and currently he’s not listed on any WWE.COM event page for any live televised events. Finn has been out of action since the day after SummerSlam, just 24 hours after he winning the Universal title.
Meanwhile, WWE.COM started a new series called My Son is a WWE Superstar, and the first subject is Balor, with footage being credited to an upcoming WWE 24 episode, fueling more speculation that Balor is close to a return.
TNA were in trouble again with Lucha Underground and last night’s Impact episode had an edit to the referee during the tag team match featuring Matt and Jeff Hardy.
The referee used in the match with the Hardys against Super Crazy and Psicosis is actually under contract to Lucha Underground and he is not supposed to show up on any other television show. The company sent TNA a cease and desist letter to stop them from airing the episode but TNA simply blurred the referee out every time he appeared on camera.
The match was for the Crash Tag Team titles as it was under the Crash Wrestling promotion banner. Matt and Jeff won the match – and the titles – and then teleported out of Mexico!
This is the second time that TNA ended up in hot water with the Lucha Underground television show. Two years ago, Hernandez appeared on TNA Impact after he was still signed to Lucha, not realizing that his request to be let go from his deal was not approved by the time he was on television. TNA had to completely scrap segments that were taped for several weeks which included him.
Jim Myers, better known to fans as George “The Animal” Steele, passed away at age 79. He died while in hospice care after kidney failure.
Yesterday on his Facebook, Bob Backlund wrote that he called Steele and his wife answered the phone and told him that he may not come home again. “As tears slowly came to my eyes, I told her that everyone loved George The Animal Steele,” Backlund wrote.
Steele made his debut in 1967 and feuded with Bruno Sammartino, spending nearly two decades as a heel. Perhaps his most famous feud was with the late, great Macho Man Randy Savage in the mid 80s when Steele had a crush on Miss Elizabeth. He retired in 1988 after he was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease – a type of inflammatory bowel disease.
After his ring career was over, he transitioned to backstage and started working as a road agent however his stint only lasted a couple of years and he was let go from his contract.
In 1995, Steele was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by Doink The Clown, and the induction video featured a cameo appearance by actor Bill Murray, with whom Steele appeared in the 1994 film Ed Wood.
Since then he made sporadic appearances in WWE television and even appeared on WCW and TNA. He last appeared on WWE TV in November 2010 on Monday Night Raw.
Nicole Bass, the bodybuilder who in 1999 joined WWE for a short period of time, passed away yesterday at age 52.
A post on her Facebook page by her apparent partner Kristen Marrone said that Bass got very sick over the past few days and was admitted to a hospital. The 6’2” Bass suffered a stroke which ultimately led to her death.
“Nicole was an amazing woman. Strong not only on the outside but inside as well. Beautiful soul and kind heart. Many people knew Nicole but few ever got close enough to know the REAL woman that she was. I got to be one of the lucky few. Not only was she my soul mate and my girlfriend but she was my best friend, my teacher and my business partner,” Marrone wrote.
Tommy Dreamer, who worked with her in ECW, also confirmed the news of her passing on Twitter. “Her heart was as big as she was. A wonderful & loyal friend,” he wrote.
Bass had an extensive career as a bodybuilder starting in the mid 80s and went on till 1997 where she won the NPC Nationals on her 7th attempt.
In 1998, she joined ECW but her stint came to a halt when WWE came knocking. She made her debut as Sable’s bodyguard at WrestleMania XV and later aligned herself with Val Venis. She had one match at the Over The Edge pay-per-view that same year, teaming with Venis to take on Jeff Jarrett and Debra. Bass spent her few months in the company feuding with Debra.
She left the company after Bass filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against WWE. She claimed that Steve Lombardi, better known to fans as the Brooklyn Brawler, sexually assaulted her backstage in 1999. In 2003, the court dismissed the charges and the case.
Ryan Satin of ProWrestlingSheet.com is reporting that production for Fighting With My Family, the movie based on Paige and her family, will move to the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California next week.
Satin says that a “big moment” from Paige’s career will be filmed inside the arena in front of a live audience. This big moment was not revealed although it’s highly likely that it will be Paige’s debut on Raw the night after WrestleMania.
Florence Pugh has been cast to play the role of the former WWE Divas champion while Dave Taylor has been on-set acting as the wrestling coordinator. Independent wrestlers Tessa Blanchard and Thea Trinidad are also part of the movie.
Fighting With My Family is produced by Dwayne Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions, Misher Films, WWE Studios and Film4.
The White House has published the video of the swearing-in of Linda McMahon as the Administrator of the Small Business Administration which was done on Tuesday, February 14.
Vice President Mike Pence said that Linda and her husband founded Titan Sports in the late 70s and through hard work and sheer determination, they turned their business into a titan of entertainment that millions of Americans know and love and enjoy everyday.
Vice President Pence said that Linda and her family lived the American dream, and now, President Trump is asking her to help others realize their American dream.
He said that both he and the President have absolute confidence that small business America will be better and the best days for small businesses and the economy are ahead.
Vince, Shane and Marissa, Stephanie and Triple H were front row during the ceremony as you can see from the video all of them recording and taking photos with their cell phone on this memorable occasion.
Smackdown yesterday drew a total of 2,626,000 viewers, virtually identical to last week with only 1,000 less viewers. The show was #2 on the cable chart in the 18-49 demographic. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
WWE today released version 3.15 of the WWE app for iOS devices and added a popular feature that has been missing: Chromecast support.
With Chromecast support, WWE Network subscribers can now stream live and video on-demand content to their cast-enabled televisions via Wi-Fi. The feature was missing from previous versions much to the disappointment of many Google Chromecast users.
The free app update is available now through the Apple iTunes Store.
WWE Shop is running a big sale for today only on replica championship titles with up to 30% off on most of the available stock.
The current WWE title is on sale for $329.99, a $100 savings off its regular retail price. The popular winged eagle WWE title, considered to be the best-looking design, with the blue strap is now $279.99, a savings of $120 from the regular price. The Intercontinental title on a yellow strap is also $279.99, another $120 off. The NXT title is $229.99, $100 off from the regular price and the side plates are $69.99 and $70.99, $30 and $20 off the usual prices.
The offer ends tonight at 11:59PM PST and no code is required at check-out. Go to http://w-o.it/wweshopcom to purchase your replica title!
Royal Rumble winner Randy Orton said on last night’s Smackdown that as long a he is serving under Bray Wyatt, he will not face him in the main event of WrestleMania.
With no main event set, Smackdown Live General Manager Daniel Bryan announced on Talking Smack that there will be a number one contenders’ battle royal with the winner of the match taking on WWE champion Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania.
“What happens to Randy Orton?” asked Renee Young. “If he doesn’t want the match, I can’t force somebody,” Bryan replied.
It is unclear on how many Superstars will be part of this battle royal as no information was given but it seems highly unlikely that Orton will not be part of the WrestleMania main event in some way, shape or form.
MMAFighting.com is reporting that Brock Lesnar has notified the UFC that he has retired from the sport of mixed martial arts and the news was confirmed by a UFC spokesperson.
With his retirement, Lesnar was struck off the USADA drug-testing pool, so officials from the USADA cannot randomly show up at his house to drug test him. All UFC fighters are subject to random out-of-competition testing throughout the year.
When Lesnar returned for UFC 200 last July, there was an uproar because he was supposed to be entered into a drug-test pool at least five months prior, but since the announcement was a surprise, the UFC made use of their under extraordinary circumstances waiver that allowed Lesnar to fight anyway. Lesnar was tested six times leading up to the show in a span of a few weeks and ultimately failed two. Those failures landed him a $250,000 fine and a one-year suspension and his win was turned into a no contest. The former WWE and UFC champion has denied knowingly taking the substance although he did not comment much about it publicly.
Lesnar retires with a record of 5-3-1 and one reign as UFC Heavyweight champion. Just days before WrestleMania 31, Lesnar told ESPN that he had signed a new WWE deal and retired from MMA, only to return a year later for a massive payday.
The McMahon clan visited their family friend…and President of the United States Donald Trump last night following the ceremony of Linda McMahon taking the oath to be the Administrator of the Small Business Administration.
Linda was joined by her husband, WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon and Triple H, Shane McMahon and his wife Marissa and all the children in the family – six of them – in the Oval Office for a meeting with Trump and for a photo opportunity.
The funny thing about the photo is that two of Stephanie’s and Triple H’s daughters were holding a photo of Donald Trump shaving Vince McMahon’s head at WrestleMania 23 with President Trump sitting next to them giving the thumbs up!
It’s a photo that all the McMahon family will probably cherish forever. You can check it out below.
Linda McMahon was sworn is as the Administrator of the Small Business Administration last night by Vice President Mike Pence.
Earlier in the day, McMahon was confirmed by Senate in an 81-19 vote. Among those who voted against McMahon was Bernie Sanders, who lost his Democratic Presidential nomination to Hillary Clinton.
“Small business is at the heart of the American success story & @Linda_McMahon knows this better than most. No one more fitting to lead SBA,” Vice President Pence tweeted after the ceremony.
Joining Linda when taking the oath were all her six grandchildren, Shane’s three sons, and Stephanie’s three daughters. While Shane’s kids have been photographed in public before and even appeared at WrestleMania 32 with their father, Stephanie’s and Triple H’s daughters have so far been kept out of the public eye and the photos published from last night’s ceremony are the first glimpse of the three young ladies.
You can see the tweet and the photos below.
Small business is at the heart of the American success story, & @Linda_McMahon knows this better than most. No one more fitting to lead SBA. pic.twitter.com/KYxNwHtY2s
Tonight, the official “Road to WrestleMania” begins, as there are no more Pay-Per-View/Network shows between now and then for Smackdown! Live. From this past Sunday’s Elimination Chamber, we have some major changes and paths to look ahead; I’m not going to spoil for those who want to read this and be surprised, but it is (hopefully!) going to be very intriguing for the next month-and-a-half!
Tuesday Night Smackdown! Live Television Report for February 14th, 2017
Introduction: Video Promo
A recap of Elimination Chamber plays.
Arena Promo
The lights go out, the cell-phone lights are on, and out strolls NEW WWE champion Bray Wyatt! The fans call-out “you deserve it” very loudly. “She never said that ‘this would be easy.’ ‘They will lie to you,’ she said. ‘They will jot to denounce you,’ she said. ‘They will try to steal your gift,’ and she was right. Sister Abigail always spoke the truth, and so do I. So when I tell you that ‘I knew this day would come,’ I am not telling you a lie. And on this day, and in this moment in time right now, this very second, I can truly say that I have the WHOLE DAMN WORLD in my hands! (He holds the WWE championship up.)
Now, too much power, that can be a very, very scary thing. Not for me, of course, but for all of you. So I say unto you, ‘open your ears and I will sing you a beautiful melody. Open your eyes and I will show you the wonders of this world. Walk by my side, and I will lead you to paradise. Stand in my way, and you will burn in the fire.’ Ladies and gentleman, I would like to welcome you all to the ERA OF WYATT!”
John Cena – the former WWE champion – interrupts. He puts the crowd over and then Bray. However, he also accuses Bray of “brainwashing them,” because of their chants of “you deserve it.” Cena refers to his shirt, which reads “Respect. Earn it,” and says that is what everyone has to do. Bray laughs, but John wants to get to the point and wrestle Wyatt for the championship immediately!
The previous WWE champion before John, A.J. Styles, interjects. He makes a case for his shot at the WWE championship. General Manager Daniel Bryan joins on stage; he gives props to Bray for his win and then figures out the scenario. He rightfully says that both A.J. and John have a rematch, and that the crowd were told they would have a WWE championship, so they will; he books a Triple-Threat for the title.
Later tonight, Mickie James will wrestle Becky Lynch again and NEW Women’s champion Naomi will be here. Up next, Tag Team champions American Alpha will be in action!
Commercials.
Backstage Promo
Intercontinental champion Dean Ambrose is storming through the halls hunting for Baron Corbin.
Match #1: Tag Team – Tag Team champions American Alpha (Jason Jordan and Chad Gable) VS. The Ascension (Konnor and Viktor) (Non-Title)
Chad and Viktor start with a lockup. Chad takes him to the mat for a one-count, and they square-off again. Viktor turns a waistlock into a wristlock. Chad spins out of it and sweeps Viktor, and then ducks and slams him to the canvas by his waist. Viktor goes after Jason, and then all team members go at it. Ascension dump Alpha to the floor, but the champs fly back off of top turnbuckle with a double-clothesline!
Commercials.
Viktor is now controlling Chad with a grounding headlock, and then whips him hard chest-first into the turnbuckle. He tags in Konnor and then throws him into Gable in the corner. Chad eventually gets the hot-tag, and Jason cleans house until he misses a shoulder-tackle in the corner. Viktor switches with Konnor and Ascension almost take this with a double-slam!
Viktor is back in, but quickly gets dropped to the mat with Alpha’s Grand-Amplitude finisher! Chad covers to receive the victory!
Winners via Pinfall: Tag Team champions American Alpha
Post-match, The Usos – Jimmy and Jey – appear on the Titantron in a dimly-lit backstage area. They warn Jason and Chad that when they are attacked, “it was The Usos.”
Backstage Promo
James Ellsworth wants to take Carmella to dinner, but she wants to “keep it professional.” IC champ Ambrose is still looking for Baron when he sees Carmella and James; he tries to gives Ellsworth advice on what Carmella is really like. GM Bryan walks up and remembers they still haven’t solved their problems; he makes James VS. Dean, to which Ellsworth wonders what just happened.
Commercials.
Match #2: Single – James Ellsworth (with Carmella) VS. Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose (Non-Title)
Dean does not make his entrance; he is dragged out by Baron Corbin. “The Lone Wolf” destroys Ambrose, finally giving him his Deep Six spinning-backdrop-slam into a table by the stage.
Winner: No Contest due to no official start
Office Promo
Nikki Bella and Natalya are still arguing, this time with GM Daniel in the middle. They start to brawl again, and Bryan yells for security. They are able to separate the women, and then Daniel orders them to settle this next week on Smackdown! Live, in a falls count anywhere match.
Commercials.
Backstage Promo
Baron Corbin is interviewed on why he assaulted Dean Ambrose.
Backstage Promo
Renee Young is with Dolph Ziggler. He is not pleased with the younger talent and warns “nobody steals the show like me. Nobody steals my place. But somebody is about to get put in theirs.”
Becky Lynch makes her entrances for her rematch against Mickie James!
Commercials.
Match #3: Single – Becky Lynch VS. Mickie James
Mickie starts strong with a hammerlock and take-down. Becky turns it around on her and flips over into a bridging-hammerlock. They start trying to shove each other, and then Lynch rolls James for two! She backslides Mickie and then shoves her to the outside. James stalls for a bit then gets back in the ring; she is taken down by her arm and Lynch works her over. Becky counters a headscissors by tossing James to the apron and then kicking her to the floor with a springboard-kick. Lynch follows and clotheslines, but so does Mickie; they are both down!
Commercials.
James is now governing with a neck-wrench in the ring. She elbows and wears her down with a rear chinlock. Becky fires up with a couple of clotheslines. She slams with an Exploder-Suplex for a near-fall! James tries an armlock, but Lynch reverses into a roll-up for two! Mickie counters into a flapjack and then goes to the top turnbuckle. She dives off but misses and Becky gives her Becks-ploder! 1 – 2 – James kicks out! Lynch dumps Mickie to the floor, and James is appearing to have an injured shoulder. She is faking though, and after the referee backs Becky away, Mickie hits her with a spinning-back-kick and takes this!
Winner via Pinfall: Mickie James
Up next, NEW Women’s champion Naomi will be out!
Commercials.
Arena Promo
Renee Young is in the ring with Women’s champion Naomi, who defeated Alexa Bliss at Elimination Chamber. Rene congratulates her, but says that she is also injured. Naomi admits it, and then Alexa Bliss struts out. She takes over (saves), putting Naomi down verbally and demanding her rematch. She says, injury or no injury, next week on Smackdown! Live, she will “take back my Women’s championship.”
Commercials.
John Cena, A.J. Styles, and WWE champion Bray Wyatt make their entrances. Right after Bray blows out his lamp, Luke Harper appears in front of him and attacks! He superkicks his former mentor, and then referees manage to back him away. Cena looks on with wonder.
Commercials.
Match #4: Triple Threat for the WWE championship – John Cena (Challenger) VS. A.J. Styles (Challenger) VS. Bray Wyatt (Champion)
A.J. already has Cena on the mat but misses a kneedrop. John hits a couple of shoulder-tackles and the spin-out backdrop. He goes for a 5-Knuckle-Shuffle Fistdrop, but Bray yanks him out and hurls him into the steel steps. A.J. slingshots himself over with a forearm, and then takes control in the ring. he hits Bray with a bunch of kicks and a running-forearm for two!
He runs off of the ropes but Bray counters with a shoulder-block, and then throws Styles to the outside. Cena is back and hits a couple of those shoulder-tackles
Commercials.
A.J. rockets from the barricade onto Bray with a frogsplash as we come back live! He goes again and hits a legdrop, breaking the table too! Cena is in the ring and A.J. measures for his Phenomenal Forearm. John reverses into an Attitude Adjustment and goes for another, but Styles reverses into the Calf-Crusher! Cena turns that into the S.T.F.! Wyatt breaks it up with a senton-splash! The fans are chanting “this is awesome!” (And rightfully so!)
Bray chucks A.J. back to the outside, and then gears up for Sister Abigail. Cena counters with an Attitude Adjustment! 1 – 2 – Wyatt lifts his shoulder! Styles is back in and gives John the Styles Clash! 1 – 2 – Cena kicks out! Styles is on the apron and goes for his Phenomenal Forearm again; Cena pushes him, but then turns around into Sister Abigail! Bray covers and receives the hard-fought victory!
Winner and STILL WWE Champion: Bray Wyatt
Post-match, Bray poses in the ring and his current follower, Randy Orton strolls out. The Royal Rumble match winner stares down his WrestleMania opponent, and then gets in the ring with a microphone. “I won the Royal Rumble and all the privileges that come with it, but you are the WWE Champion. However, as long as you are the master and I am ‘the servant,’ I refuse to face you at WrestleMania. I pledge my undying allegiance to you, Bray Wyatt.” Randy gets on his knees and salutes; Bray tells him, “you now have the keys to the kingdom, my friend.” They both pose to close the show.
End of Smackdown! Live
Reporter’s Rumblings
This was a great edition, again officially starting the “Road To WrestleMania.” While it may not happen the way I wanted it, I am intrigued by a few storylines, particularly the WWE Championship. Onto the particulars:
Excellence: promos by Bray, Alexa, Dean, Baron, Dolph, and Randy. Matches between Alpha/Ascension, Becky/Mickie, and the Triple-Threat.
Absolutely LOVE Bray as WWE Champion. He started off hot with his promo, and then wrestled excellently in the main-event. There was a time when I thought he couldn’t ever be, as I just didn’t think his character could pull it off, but he has definitely proved me wrong after tonight! I hope his reign continues until at least WrestleMania. I am very intrigued by how the scenario will now play out; read below on what I wanted.
Mickie/Becky was much better than Elimination Chamber and glad Mickie one, so they can one more; perhaps a submission or I Quit? Alexa is the best woman on Smackdown!, both in-ring and on the mike (even more). Much like Charlotte, she is best as a heel.
Loving Baron/Dean’s feud, and their WrestleMania match (it’s gonna happen!) should be awesome, as long as it’s not strictly a one-on-one – has to have a stipulation; Last Man Standing?
Bogus: was disappointed that Naomi didn’t get the celebration treatment; she deserved that.
Here’s my WrestleMania booking for WWE championship MAIN-EVENT (better not be Goldberg/Lesnar): Cena/Wyatt/A.J. shouldn’t have happened tonight; Cena should’ve demanded it at WrestleMania so he can have the moment of becoming 17-Time Champion there, closing the show by having Ric Flair celebrate/ “pass the torch” with him, especially in Florida, where it is a hot-bed of wrestling. The match at Wrestlemania would be a Fatal-4-Way/4-Way Elimination, with Bray (Champ), Cena (rematch), Randy (because of Royal Rumble), and Luke (they’d get him in there somehow to close-out the feud.) That all makes sense, would be a HELLUVA match, and an awesome moment to (hopefully) send fans home happy.
All-in-all, Smackdown! continues strong. I am looking forward to the weeks ahead to see how we get to WrestleMania! Until next week, Be Excellent Wrestling-Online Fans!
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