During a conference call with reporters earlier today to promote NXT Takeover: Toronto, Triple H said that contrary to rumors, Shawn Michaels was not the new head coach at the WWE Performance Center and Matt Bloom remains in his post.
He was addressing a question that came up after rumors spread following an interview by Kevin Nash earlier this week where he said HBK is now the head coach at the WWE PC. While Michaels is training people at the Performance Center, his exact role is still being figured out according to Triple H. He thinks that probably the best way to utilize the WWE Hall of Famer is for him to “polish” those who are ready to graduate to the main roster. He put over Bloom for the work he’s doing and said he remains the top guy down in Orlando at their state-of-the-art facility.
Bloom took over the duties from Bill DeMott after DeMott tendered his resignation when several former stars alleged that he was abusing the talent.
Former TNA President Billy Corgan wrote on Twitter today that he signed his settlement with TNA and Anthem Sports & Entertainment.
“And to fill in the blanks, I’ll do a few interviews next week to spell out what is/isn’t in it,” Corgan added.
Corgan was unceremoniously booted out of TNA earlier this month after Anthem pretty much took over the company. Corgan lashed out at Anthem on Twitter after they issued a press release saying that he was no longer with the company. He claimed that TNA did not pay him back his three different loans and the loan agreement expired on November 1, then threatened to change his loan amount into a 36% equity in TNA.
It’s not clear if his lawsuit against TNA will be dropped following this settlement.
TNA issued a press release announcing Total Non-Stop Deletion for December 15m the first time that a whole episode of Impact will be taped from the Hardy compound in Cameron, North Carolina.
“This groundbreaking night will continue to advance the presentation of not just IMPACT on Pop, but professional wrestling as a whole, taking our sport and genre to new levels,” the press release states, adding that if you thought that the previous matches at the Hardy compound were “cataclysmic,” then you don’t want to miss Total Non-Stop Deletion.
The broadcast will also have a main event called Apocalypto, where TNA Tag Team champions Matt and Jeff Hardy will defend their titles “in a revolutionary match.”
The stuff at the Hardy compound was supposed to be taped last month but then canceled due to funding problems. With Anthem Sports & Entertainment now pumping money into the company, production has resumed.
WWE United States champion Roman Reigns has left the European tour and will not be appearing in the final two shows, set for Lyon and Strasbourg, France.
Although no information was given as to why Reigns had to leave, there are some ramblings that it’s a family issue and nothing to do with an injury or any potential WWE problem.
The Raw brand wraps up their tomorrow, November 12 while the Smackdown brand perform their last one on Sunday, November 13 in Bilbao, Spain.
Total Bellas began with a bite and ended with the fight! The bite, of course, refers to the bite that Brie and Daniel’s dog, Josie, gave John Cena in episode one. The fight refers to Nikki and Brie’s explosive battle during the season one finale.
It all began with Brie venting to Nikki about how much stress she was under with the combined pressure of dealing with Bryan’s physical and mental health at the end of her wrestling career. Nikki then complained that Brie was spending too much time and energy worrying about Bryan when she should be focused on her own needs and career.
Nikki continued to disrespect Bryan, calling him selfish and saying that she thought that Brie was denying herself happiness in order to focus on ensuring Bryan’s happiness. She also continued harping on the fact that she feels that Brie is not having as much fun as she used to before she met Bryan.
“Ask the girls,” Nikki said, “you have missed so many girls trips.” I think that Nikki just misses having Brie as her party and wine drinking buddy. Maybe Nikki is having difficulty accepting the fact that her twin has changed tastes and is developing into a different person than her sidekick. It is possible that she has never developed her own identity apart from Brie. If so, is this a case of arrested development?
The Bella Twins should have developed their own identities and personalities by now. Perhaps the decision to become tag team act, while a brilliant career move, was not the best thing for the mental development of these two women. Either way, Nikki’s constant insistence that Brie is unhappy is not only annoying to viewers of the show, but it seems to be driving a wedge between her and her sister. Nikki better be careful, or she will soon find herself alienated from the one person she loves most. It didn’t help matters that when Brie tried to end her argument with Nikki, Nikki followed her to pursue the discussion further.
Nikki’s actions caused the argument to escalate. Finally Brie appeared to have had enough of having accusations hurled in her face without hurling some back. She was tired of Nikki disrespecting her man, so she decided to give Nikki a taste of her own medicine by bringing up her true feelings about Nikki’s man, John Cena. “John won’t give you kids and I think it’s f*cking selfish,” said Brie.
I personally think that both Bella sisters should mind their business and stay out of each other’s. I think that their actions were particularly ill bred considering that they had their huge argument only hours before their mother’s wedding to her longtime boyfriend, John Laurinaitis.
Luckily though, the girls had enough class to make up just before their mother’s ceremony began aboard a boat in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
As for the newlyweds, they were blissfully happy sharing their special day with everyone who loved them, and dancing the night away. But, the Bella sisters still had big fish to fry preparing for the epic WrestleMania 32. The sisters went out in style having their seamstress prepare brand-new outfits. Nikki got one even though she wasn’t cleared to perform at WrestleMania.
So, we leave the Bella sisters and the rest of the Total Divas cast ready to perform on the biggest WrestleMania stage ever. So begins the next season of Total Divas, airing next week on E!
WE scored a major victory in court yesterday after U.S. District Judge Vanessa Bryant dismissed two wrongful death lawsuits against them which were filed by the families of former WWE Superstars Doink The Clown and Viscera.
Attorney Konstantine Kyros represented the cases and he’s the same individual who’s leading the brain injury lawsuit against WWE featuring nearly 50 former Superstars.
Doink, whose real name was Matt Osborne, died on June 28, 2013 from an accidental overdose while Viscera, real name Nelson Frazier, died on February 18, 2014 from a heart attack. They were 55 and 43 years old respectively.
Kyros argued that both men suffered from brain injuries from years working for the WWE but there’s no evidence that the two suffered from CTE since their brains were never examined after their death. CTE is only diagnosed post-mortem.
The judge threw away the Osborne’s lawsuit because there were no facts of CTE and nothing to support that the overdose came due to CTE. Besides, the lawsuit was not filed by an executor or administrator and she would not allow re-filing because the lawyers did not provide any facts. The Frazier lawsuit was dismissed because just like the Osborne one, attorneys failed to connect his death to anything that WWE was accused of. Frazier was cremated and no autopsy was done.
Judge Vanessa Bryant then decided to rip on attorney Konstantine Kyros for providing false and misleading statements, calling him unprofessional and warning him that if he fails to go by the rules, he faces a risk of future sanctions.
Despite the reprimand, the judge did not accept WWE’s request to take sanctions against him.
When you get injured in a car accident due to the fault of other drivers on road then contact Miami wrongful death lawyers immediately for legal advice to gather sufficient evidence against them for conviction.
WWE Universal champion Kevin Owens led the birthday celebrations for Chris Jericho at a non-televised live event in Berlin, Germany yesterday. Jericho turned 46.
With the two in the middle of the ring, Kevin Owens started singing happy birthday along with the crowd but then decided to add “you are my best friend and I loooooove you so much” somewhere in the lyrics.
Owens then asked Jericho what he has on his wish list for his birthday. Jericho replied saying he wants a new bicycle, a swimming pool above-ground, the full set of Transformers action figures from 1986, and the complete collection of albums by German metal band Helloween.
With the rest of the Raw crew around the ring out for the celebration, Seth Rollins sneaked in from behind with a birthday cake and threw it in Jericho’s face, then Pedigreed Kevin Owens before rushing out.
Just another birthday celebration at WWE! You can see the video below.
The final episode of season one of Total Bellas, titled Wedding Mania, did a total of 663,000 viewers, up 127,000 viewers from the previous week. It was the second highest rated episode of the series.
Total Divas returns on E! next week with the all-new season six, featuring the addition of Maryse, Lana, and Renee Young to the cast. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
The Royal Rumble is the latest WWE pay-per-view which has been extended by an hour, and will now run for a total of four hours.
Ticketmaster sent a note to all Royal Rumble ticket holders to advise them on the time change and to show up earlier for the event. The pay-per-view portion of the show will kick off at 7PM EST. The Survivor Series is also running for four hours, plus the usual pre-show.
The 2017 Royal Rumble will be held at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas and will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the show being held in the same place.
WWE will be holding a WrestleMania on-sale party on Thursday, November 18 between 6PM and 9PM EST in Downtown Orlando at the Seneff Plaza at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
There will be Superstar autograph signings, live matches and much more, and the party is free and open to the public. Registration is required to attend and you can do so by going to OrlandoWrestlemania.com.
WWE Superstars Cesaro, Big Cass, Titus O’Neil, Neville, Alexa Bliss and Carmella will all be signing autographs, plus there will be appearances by Raw Women’s Champion Charlotte, WWE Hall of Famer Booker T and Renee Young.
Not only that, but the evening’s live matches include a main event between the winner of the inaugural Cruiserweight Classic, TJ Perkins, and NXT Superstar Andrade “Cien” Almas.
In a press release, ESPN announced that the 30 for 30 documentary on the XFL, titled This Was The XFL, will debut on February 2 at 9PM EST with a world premiere taking place at DOC NYC tomorrow.
This 77-minute documentary is directed by Charlie Ebersol, chronicling the short-lived, ill-fated pro football league. The documentary tells the story in fascinating, candid, and often rollicking fashion featuring fellow television legends and close friends, Dick Ebersol and Vince McMahon.
McMahon and Ebersol launched the XFL in 2001 and the experiment bombed big time, costing WWE and NBC millions of dollars. This film will explore how Ebersol and McMahon brought the XFL to life, and why they had to let it go.
“I grew up on the sidelines watching my father and Vince enjoy incredible success with just about everything they touched, and then, along came the XFL,” said director Charlie Ebersol. “I saw them take bold creative risks, face unparalleled success and failure with dignity, but most importantly they maintained and celebrated a friendship where most would have cut and run. I learned more about integrity and character in those 18 months than just about any other time in my life, so when ESPN Films asked if I wanted to tell the story of the XFL, I jumped at the opportunity because I knew that the real story was that of an unbreakable friendship.”
John Dahl, Vice President and Executive Producer, ESPN Films said, “We felt that the colorful personalities and storylines featured throughout the rise and fall of the XFL deserved a more detailed examination, and as Dick Ebersol’s son, Charlie provided a personal understanding of it all. The XFL was a gamble, and even though the league didn’t ultimately succeed, we think audiences will really enjoy this tale of risk and ambition.”
This week’s Smackdown took quite the expected hit, with only 1,921,000 viewers tuning in, down 266,000 viewers from last week. The day was dominated by election broadcasts with CNN, FOX News, and MSNBC leading the ratings chart. In fact, Smackdown, usually in the top 3 list when it comes to the 18-49 demographic, was #29 on the chart. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
It looks like WWE Smackdown Tag Team title holder Rhyno will not be splitting his time between WWE and politics as he was not successful in getting elected in Michigan’s House Representative for the 15th House District.
Rhyno won the Republican primary in August to put his name on the ballot sheet but yesterday he only managed to secure 35.6% of the votes. His Democratic opponent Abdullah Hammoud won with 64.4% and got the nearly $72,000-a-year job.
PWInsider.com is reporting that Dixie Carter addressed the troops yesterday in a conference call which was also attended by Anthem Sports & Entertainment Vice President Ed Nordholm, who was chosen to head up the Impact Ventures Board of Managers.
PWInsider says that during the call, Dixie Carter said that Anthem have provided funds and resources that will keep the company alive and there was also some information about TNA resuming their non-televised tours, their only source of income from live events.
Carter also acknowledged that former head writer David Lagana resigned from his post last week and former TNA President Billy Corgan is no longer involved with the company after he was kicked out. Running the creative team will be John Gaburick, Matt Conway, and Madison Rayne.
The conference call ended abruptly PWInsider says after an automated message came on saying that the call was being recorded. Oops!
Against all odds, against all opinion polls, but he did it. Donald Trump, the WWE Hall of Famer and big WWE fan, became the 45th U.S. President-elect earlier this morning shortly after Midnight.
A complete outsider when the primaries started, Trump bulldozed his way through all his opponents and faced the equally-unpopular Hillary Clinton in the presidential election. Trump ended up passing the 270 electoral college vote threshold with a few states still to go although the popular vote may tilt the other way…not that it matters.
Trump’s relationship with WWE and the McMahon family has been documented multiple times and the McMahon family are major donors to his campaign. Linda McMahon was in New York yesterday to celebrate the shock Trump victory. “What a night! Thrilled to congratulate my friend, President-Elect Donald Trump on a hard-fought campaign and victory,” McMahon wrote.
Donald Trump hosted WrestleMania IV and V at his Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, New Jersey and then appeared at WrestleMania VII, X, XX and was then inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013.
Below is a history of Donald Trump and WWE in pictures.
The final episode of season one of Total Bellas airs tonight on E! with an episode titled Wedding Mania.
The synopsis reads, “In the season finale, emotions run high in the days leading up to Kathy and Johnny’s wedding, along with Brie’s retirement WrestleMania match fast approaching.”
The show has averaged around 635,000 viewers every week, lower than what Total Divas averaged last season. Total Divas returns on TV next week.
The Cruiserweight title will be on the line at the Survivor Series, but that’s not all. Brian Kendrick will be defending the title against Smackdown’s Kalisto and if Kalisto wins, not only will he become the new Cruiserweight champion, but the whole division will move to Smackdown.
With the new 205 Live show being taped on Tuesdays after Smackdown for the WWE Network, it would make sense to have the whole Cruiserweight division on the Smackdown tour instead of the Raw tour and this would be the perfect way to make the move.
The Intercontinental title is also on the line and has a chance to move to Raw if Dolph Ziggler loses it against Sami Zayn. Putting the title on Raw would compensate for losing the Cruiserweight title and division if that’s the route the company is taking.
A two-man commentary team is perfect. A three-man commentary team is a bit crowded. But four? Well, that’s what Smackdown is doing.
NXT announcer Tom Phillips has joined the Smackdown commentary booth and is now the fourth man along with lead commentator Mauro Ranallo, David Otunga and John “Bradshaw” Layfield.
Phillips has been working for WWE since 2012, calling the NXT action every week from Full Sail University. He will retain that job so he will be pulling double duty. This is not Phillips’ first time on the Smackdown commentary table as he did spend a few months calling Smackdown in August 2014.
Smackdown will be airing its 900th episode on November 15 and to celebrate this milestone, the Undertaker has already been announced to make his first appearance since WrestleMania 32.
Announced yesterday as well is the return of the Rated-R Superstar, Edge, who was a major part of the Smackdown brand throughout the years. The former WWE champion will be hosting a special edition of the Cutting Edge during this episode.
The November 15 Smackdown – live from the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania – will be the final stop before the Survivor Series.
The tape-delayed Monday Night Raw from Glasgow, Scotland did a total of 2,767,000 viewers, up 167,000 viewers from last week’s episode.
Hour one started strong with 3,066,000 viewers but then everything went downhill from there. Hour two dropped to 2,731,000 viewers and hour three went even further down to 2,505,000 viewers. From hour one to hour three, Raw lost 561,000 viewers. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
