A report published by the Boston Globe and compiled by Dr. Bennet Omalu, a forensic pathologist who first discovered CTE in a professional football player, says that former ECW wrestlers Balls Mahoney and Axl Rotten both were suffering from CTE – chronic traumatic encephalopathy – at the time of their deaths.
Mahoney, real name Jon Rechner, and Rotten, real name Brian Knighton, both died this year at age 44. Rotten passed away in February from an accidental heroin overdose while Mahoney passed away in April from a heart attack.
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is described as a progressive degenerative disease found in people who have had a severe blow or repeated blows to the head. Chris Benoit was diagnosed with CTE in 2007 while Andrew “Test” Martin was also diagnosed in 2008. Both cases were diagnosed by Dr. Bennet Omalu. CTE can only be discovered through postmortem brain autopsies.
A WWE spokesman refused to comment to the Boston Globe until the company can review the research on the diagnosis. Axl Rotten’s family is part of the brain injury lawsuit against WWE which is spearheaded by Konstantine Kyros. He is representing more than 60 former wrestlers against the WWE.
We have received the ticket prices for next year’s WrestleMania, tickets that will go on sale to the general public on November 18 on Ticketmaster.com.
The cheapest will be $35, then $50, $75, $150, $175, $200, $250, $350, $450, $1,000, and $2,000. All the prices quoted are without the additional taxes and fees, with the highest priced ticket carrying over $100 in extra fees while the lowest priced ticket carries $3 in extras.
The stage will be at the north side of the stadium and unlike last year and the year before, the seats behind the stage will all be blocked. What’s interesting is that only half the aisle has full seats on each side with the rest of the entrance way having only a few rows on each side and the rest is empty space. There is also lots of empty space facing the stage in the corners behind the announcing booths.
Wrestling-Online.com is having a bus service for the stadium for $40 per person round-trip. If you’re interested go to http://store.wrestling-online.com.
This episode opens with Brie and Nikki discussing how they are different from Daniel Bryan. “If we are firecrackers, then he’s a dud,” Nikki said. Wow, I guess we all know how Nikki really feels about her brother-in-law. No one really seemed to have positive things to say about Daniel in the beginning of this episode.
Kathy commented that whenever Cena and Bryan come out wearing the same shirt, “It’s like watching Arnold and Danny Devito in that movie about the twins!” Ouch, somebody show Daniel some love!
Thankfully, Nikki did just that.. eventually. However, first, Nikki insists that Daniel would make an excellent coach at NXT. She continues insisting on this even though Daniel says that it is not something he wants to do. Due to Nikki’s being so pushy, Daniel ended up accompanying Nikki and her brother to the WWE Performance Center.
The Performance Center is an amazing professional gym, that just happens to house NXT. There are state of art treadmills, weights, and bicycles in this fully carpeted gym. Also, pros have the added benefit of the ring where to practice their amazing moves.
I was impressed. Apparently, I was not the only one. J.J., Brie and Nikki’s brother, was amazed too.
I think that his amazement was partially due to his problems with his mom. J.J works at his mom’s company. He wasn’t hired as an executive assistant, but his mom seems to treat him as one in the beginning. She orders him to fetch her coffee, creamer, and fax documents all in a few minutes of the episode. This makes me feel sorry for John Laurinaitis. Will she start bossing him around as soon as they tie knot? I hope not.
I guess J.J. got tired of being bossed around, because after visiting the Performance Center, he asked John Cena to put in a good word for him at NXT. But, John doesn’t do that for anyone, or at least not in the way J.J. wants him too. Apparently, all John does is allow people too see inside the Performance Center which he points out to J.J. that he already did.
J.J. seemed upset about this for a little while. He shouldn’t have asked John for help though, because not only did it make him look as though he didn’t have any initiative, but his confiding in John made his personal thoughts fodder for family gossip. Of course, as soon John immediately told Nikki which lead to Brie being told, Brie decided to announce J.J.’s plans at family brunch.
Guess no secret is safe in the Bella clan.
While all this is going on, Nikki is trying to make sure that she gets to know her brother-in-law better. Unfortunately, she believes that the best bonding ritual is high tea. Nikki’s heart was in the right place…but really? High tea would seem be kind of emasculating.
I feel like Brie’s attempt to make Daniel feel better was more appropriate. The swim with the manatees seemed to be combination of nature and animals should have made Daniel feel peaceful, but at the end of the episode I have to agree with Brie when she says, “Bryan is not okay.”
I hope that we see Daniel’s rise to okay soon! Come back next week to find out.
Variety is reporting that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is developing a wrestling comedy series for FOX through his Seven Bucks Productions company. Joining Johnson in producing this show will be Will Ferrell’s Gary Sanchez Productions company while Andrew Gurland will write the pilot.
The single-cam, hourlong comedy series offers a behind-the-scenes look at a fictional professional wrestling outfit and chronicles the one-of-a-kind odd couple relationship that develops between a charismatic young character and a painfully awkward comedy writer new to the world of wrestling. “A fish-out-of-water among all of these alpha males, this beta former sitcom writer needs as much help as he can get navigating the extremely passionate, sometimes crazy and always unpredictable world of professional wrestling,” Variety wrote.
It’s based on The Rock’s character and Brian Gewirtz, the former WWE head writer who now works for The Rock and the man who was in charge of scripting The Rock’s promos during his WWE days.
“This November will mark the 20th anniversary of my professional wrestling debut,” said Johnson. “I was 24 years old, putting in the hard work, making $40 bucks per match and had no clue of the long journey that lay ahead of me with characters and backstage stories so colorful you’d think there’s no way that can be true. The entertaining show that goes on in front of the crowd pales in comparison to the insanely entertaining show that goes on backstage. Brian and myself can’t wait to tell our stories.”
Gewirtz added, “Coming from Hollywood to the wrestling industry, with its intense backstage atmosphere and larger than life personalities, was a major culture shock. After working in the business for over 15 years, Dwayne and I had encounters and experiences that were unbelievable as well as unforgettable. We can’t wait to bring this project to the fans.”
Smackdown General Manager Daniel Bryan and his wife Brie Bella revealed that they will be having a baby girl.
The duo announced that they will become parents for the first time earlier this month and Brie already has a pretty good visible baby bump.
“When I found out it was a girl, I actually got really emotional,” Brie told WWE.COM. “I have such an amazing relationship with my mom and I think, wow, I’m going to have that with my daughter. Also, as a woman, I now have my own blood to follow my legacy. It’s such a special feeling — my mini me!”
The former WWE champion added that he’s looking forward to welcoming his baby girl and said that he’s pretty sure that just like her mother, she’s going to steal his heart!
Paige underwent successful neck surgery yesterday at the Tampa General Hospital, a surgery performed by Dr. Juan Uribe who also performed the neck surgery on Nikki Bella earlier this year.
The former WWE Divas champion was quickly back on Twitter after she was out of the operating theater and said that she now has three screws in her neck. “The hernia was bigger than expected and my neck was straightened now this girl has 3 screws in her neck,” she wrote.
Paige also thanked Dr. Uribe, who she described as the “best surgeon out there,” and the hospital staff for their great hospitality. Fellow WWE Superstar Natalya was also by her bedside on her day off, something that Paige really appreciated, calling her a real friend. Her fiancé Alberto Del Rio is also present with her.
WWE did not acknowledge her surgery yet. There were rumors that the company did not want to pay for her surgery because they thought she didn’t need it. It’s unclear if Paige went ahead with the surgery anyway or if WWE eventually agreed to pay for it.
Total Bellas did its lowest rating so far as episode 3 titled Who’s The Boss? did a total of 625,000 viewers. That is down 131,000 viewers from last week’s episode. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
WWE is running WrestleMania 33 ticket sale adverts during live events, revealing the on-sale date of Friday, November 18.
So far WWE has been quiet on tickets and travel packages for WrestleMania so this is the first glimpse of anything related to the show in a few months. A pre-sale is expected to happen that week through Ticketmaster.com before they go on sale to the general public on November 18.
Every year WWE also hosts a launch party at the same location where WrestleMania will be held and several WWE Superstars attend the party.
WrestleMania 33 will take place on Sunday, April 2, 2017 at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. This is the second time that the stadium will host a WrestleMania, having previously hosted the event in 2008 when it was named the Citrus Bowl. WrestleMania 24 has the attendance record for the stadium with 74,635 fans.
The stadium has since undergone a name change and a renovation which cost $207 million.
Wrestling-Online.com is having a bus service for the stadium for $40 per person round-trip. If you’re interested go to http://store.wrestling-online.com.
The court hearing for the lawsuit filed by Billy Corgan against TNA and a few other individuals has been moved by a few days according to Live Audio Wrestling, which is owned by The Fight Network.
The temporary injunction hearing was set for today but is now set for Wednesday at the Davidson County Chancery Court in Nashville, Tennessee. Corgan asked for a six-person jury to hear the case. He also filed a restraining order, which was approved by the court, to possibly block Dixie Carter from continuing to sell parts of TNA or complete a sale behind his back.
His lawsuit is one of three that was filed against TNA over the past three months, with Audience Of One and American Express also filing lawsuits against the company for unpaid bills for different services rendered.
Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp., the parent company of Fight Network, issued a statement yesterday confirming the recent cash injection in TNA, funding the Bound For Glory pay-per-view and subsequent television tapings that took place for a week after the PPV.
“Fight Network has also offered to provide TNA Impact Wrestling with funding to repay the loans made by Mr. Billy Corgan and is positioned to provide additional transitional assistance to the company,” the statement said.
Their acknowledgment of repaying the money that TNA President Billy Corgan made over the last several months is a clear indication that Corgan is nowhere close of getting the company and with that wording it looks like Carter is not even considering selling the company to him.
“TNA is a strong property for Fight Network and as a licensee and global distribution partner we have a keen interest in seeing the company not only survive but continue to grow and thrive, alongside our own growth,” said Leonard Asper, CEO of Anthem. “We are hopeful that the company can soon get back to doing what it does best, which is to produce great wrestling content.”
TNA has wrapped up filming Impact for this year and has TV covered up until the end of 2016. The next set of tapings – if the company is still alive by then – will have to be done in the first week of January 2017.
Former WWE Divas champion Paige is undergoing neck surgery today and posted a photo on her Twitter holding hands with her fiancé Alberto Del Rio with tubes in her hand as she lays in a hospital bed.
Paige has hinted last month that Dr. Juan Uribe, the same doctor who operated on Nikki Bella at the beginning of this year, would be doing her surgery, calling him one of the best doctors she’s ever seen.
She is currently suspended from WWE, serving her 60-day suspension after failing her second Wellness Program test. After Paige’s family came out in her defense over the second suspension, WWE made a rare public comment and revealed that Paige was busted for an illegal substance this time around.
Paige proposed to Del Rio in the ring while in Puerto Rico over the weekend. Del Rio is still married although he is going through a divorce.
She is expected to be out for more than 6 months and will likely be released upon her return unless things miraculously change in the meantime.
Smackdown did 2,405,000 viewers this week, down 43,000 viewers from last week’s broadcast. The show was second in the cable chart in the 18-49 demographic. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
We have teamed up with a leading bus charter in Orlando to provide transportation to the Camping World Stadium for WrestleMania 33. The bus will leave at 4PM sharp and will drop you off inside the Camping World Stadium parking lot. It will stay parked there for the whole duration of WrestleMania and will then depart Camping World Stadium around 30 minutes following the end of the show.
The price is $40 per person round trip and there will only be one bus with a total of 57 passengers. No additional buses will be operated by Wrestling-Online.com.
The bus departs from 6677 Sea Harbor Dr, in front of The Renaissance Sea World hotel. Stops will be made at the Orange County Convention Center / Hyatt hotel, Embassy Suites Hilton / Avanti Resort and then moves straight to the Camping World Stadium. Drop off will be in the same locations, first at Embassy Suites Hilton / Avanti Resort, then at Orange County Convention Center / Hyatt hotel, and then The Renaissance Sea World hotel. The price quoted is for a round trip journey. Exact locations for pick up will be communicated via e-mail as the event gets closer.
The bus will have free WiFi for both journeys. No alcohol will be allowed on the bus.
Ticket must be presented before access is granted to the bus. You will receive your tickets via e-mail as soon as your order is processed. If you don’t get your tickets please send an e-mail to events@wrestling-online.com. Check spam/junk folders as well. When you print your tickets, a barcode should be visible. You might need to press “download images” for images embedded in the e-mail to appear depending on your e-mail client.
You can purchase your ticket at store.wrestling-online.com.
third lawsuit against TNA has been revealed and Dave Meltzer of the Observer is reporting that American Express, through their American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc, sued TNA’s parent company for unpaid travel expenses.
The lawsuit was filed on July 20 in the Supreme Court of New York and claims that TNA owes them a total of $269,049.50 in travel related expenses. TNA’s travel department used the company’s American Express Corporate account to charge various items and never paid those charges back.
According to the lawsuit, just like the one similar filed by Audience Of One, TNA agreed to repay the debt with monthly payments and even agreed to pay court costs if the two parties ever went to court, however no monthly payment was done. American Express is now seeking to reclaim the $269,049.50 as well all legal costs related to the lawsuit.
Total Bellas returns on E! tonight at 8PM EST with episode three of the season titled Who’s The Boss?
The synopsis for tonight’s episode reads, “Nikki is determined to help Bryan figure out his next steps in life after retirement, and an underappreciated JJ considers quitting his job at Kathy’s company to pursue a career in wrestling.”
Last week’s episode did well in terms of viewership, pulling in 756,000 viewers.
Introduction Segment: Video Promo, Locker Room Promo, and Arena Promo
Last week’s Smackdown! Live is recapped with WWE World Heavyweight Champion A.J. Styles offering a chance for anyone to wrestle him; out came James Ellsworth, and later that night, he defeated A.J. with the help of guest referee Dean Ambrose. On the WWE Network show Talking Smack!, General Manager Daniel Bryan gave James Ellsworth a WWE World Heavyweight Championship shot for tonight!
James is in his locker room and suddenly looks surprised; Dean Ambrose presents him with a t-shirt with his face on it. Ambrose gives him some confidence for his biggest bout yet.
Live in the arena, Randy Orton is welcomed. No Mercy is recalled with still-pictures of him and Bray Wyatt’s match, and the returning Luke Harper. “The Viper” warns Bray that he is “coming for you.” On the Titantron, people in black sheep masks appear. They are standing over a coffin that has Bray Wyatt in it. He wakes up and talks about the coffin relating to Orton. He then says, “he’s here.” Luke Harper makes his entrance, and he and Randy will square off!
Match #1: Single – Randy Orton VS. Luke Harper
They lockup and shove off. Orton ducks a slug and kicks. Harper hits back with a dropkick, measures, runs, but eats a forearm! Luke boots back out of the corner but is hit in the gut and sits atop the turnbuckle. randy sets up for a potential suplex, but Harper tries out of it. Orton punches again and lands the suplex. The lights go out and Bray is brought out in a casket.
Commercials.
Harper and Orton are still going at it, with Luke landing a Michinoku Driver for a quick count. He tries to throw Randy into the casket as Bray taunts Orton, but “The Viper” reverses and almost puts Harper in there! Bray gets in the ring and attacks, causing a DQ.
Winner via Disqualification: Randy Orton
Post-match, the assault continues by Bray and Luke until Kane appears in the casket! He helps out Orton until the lights go out again and The Wyatt Family disappear.
Segment #2: Backstage Promo
WWE World Heavyweight Champion A.J. Styles is interviewed about his Championship match tonight. He puts over himself for how he got to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, and dresses down James Ellsworth as not significant. He blames Dean Ambrose for this happening and vows to get revenge.
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Match #2: Single – Alexa Bliss VS. Naomi
They start out even with lockups and shoves, and neither gain an advantage right away. Naomi is able to Thesz Press, but Bliss turns it around for a bit. Naomi hits back with her rapid bicycle kicks and works over Alexa for a while.
Commercials.
Bliss now has the upperhand after slapping Naomi hard on the outside. She wears Naomi down in the ring with a side headlock, but Naomi reverses into a backbreaker. Naomi follows with a clothesline and jumping calf-kick. She stomps on Bliss and then lands a moonsault from the turnbuckle for two! She climbs the turnbuckle, but is crotched. Alexa turns it around and soars off with her Twisted Bliss splash! She covers and receives the victory!
Winner via Pinfall: Alexa Bliss
Post-match, Rene Young asks Alexa about her Women’s Championship Match against Champion Becky Lynch on the November 8th Smackdown! Live. She compares the match to a fairy tale, but says that there will be “no fairy tale ending.”
Up next, Curt Hawkins will be wrestling!
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Match #3: Single – Apollo Crews VS. Curt Hawkins
Apollo right-hands Hawkins, and Curt decides to leave.
Winner via Forfeit: Apollo Crews
Commercials.
Segment #3: Arena Promo
Carmela is furious that Nikki Bella ruined her moment at SummerSlam. She promises to tell the truth about Nikki, but Nikki herself interrupts before Carmela can go further. They get into a heated argument about their respective places in WWE. Carmela presents a video from a Total Bellas/Total Divas combination that is edited to show Nikki as “needy.”
Segment #4: Locker Room Promo
Rene Young approaches James Ellsworth, inquiring about his big opportunity tonight. James is overwhelmed with it all, and dreams about telling his grandchildren that he wrestled for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
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Match #4: Six-Man Tag-Team: The Miz and The Spirit Squad (with Maryse) VS. Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler and Tag-Team Champions Heath Slater and Rhyno
Mikey and Rhyno begin, trading locks. Rhyno hammers away out of a standing side headlock and Dolph is tagged in soon. Kenny is also in and takes Ziggler down, so Miz tags in. Dolph is kicked in the corner, but ducks and superkicks Miz!
Commercials.
Miz and The Squad are in control for a while until Ziggler ducks again and kicks Miz. This breaks down, with Rhyno goring Mikey. He is chucked out of the ring, but Heath rolls up Kenny for two! Slater is pushed into the ropes where Miz punches him, and Kenny rolls Heath up for the 1 – 2 – 3!
Winners via Pinfall: The Miz and The Spirit Squad (with Maryse)
Segment #5: Office Promo
GM Bryan is on the phone to Commissioner Shane McMahon about the Survivor Series Tag-Team Matches. He says they will start making the teams soon. Natalya walks in and makes her case to be a part of the Women’s Survivor Series Tag-Team match. Daniel listens and says they will think about it.
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Match #5: Single – Jack Swagger VS. Baron Corbin
Jack gives Baron a shoulder-block and punches, and then clotheslines him over the ropes. Back in the ring, Corbin pushes Swagger off of the apron into the barrier. Baron finishes Jack quickly with his End of Days swinging-flatliner!
Segment #6: Office Promo
Dean Ambrose, donned in a referee’s shirt, walks up to GM Daniel. He thinks he is going to be the referee for the WWE World Championship, but Bryan denies him that.
Commercials.
Match #6: Single for the WWE World Championship – James Ellsworth (Challenger) VS. A.J. Styles (Champion)
Dean Ambrose acts as both the ring announcer and timekeeper. A.J. controls this early, and then Ambrose calls for a break.
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Styles dominates despite Dean’s numerous distractions. Ellsworth actually almost takes this after a major superkick! Ambrose continues to get A.J.’s attention and infuriate him until the referee calls for the bell since Styles hit one-too-many forearms.
Winner via Disqualification: James Ellsworth (A.J. retains the WWE World Championship)
Post-match, “The Lunatic Fringe” drives A.J. to the canvas with his Dirty Deeds DDT, and then celebrates with James to close the show.
Mick Foley backtracked on his comments that Charlotte and Sasha Banks will headline the Hell In A Cell pay-per-view in another post on Facebook, saying that the card “will probably not be finalized until hours before the actual show, so each member of the WWE Universe can decide for themselves what their main event is.”
In an earlier post, Foley wrote that the biggest moment of the night for himself and Stephanie came off cameras when “realizing that for #WomensWrestling, history is upon us – as Sasha Banks and Charlotte will main event the #HIAC PPV.”
In the updated comment, Foley said that regardless of where the women’s match is placed on the card, both Sasha and Charlotte “should absolutely feel like they are the main event” just like Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins should do as well.
“It’s a competitive business, and that competitive spirit should bring out the best in everyone on October 30th,” Foley wrote.
Raw last night with the return of Goldberg did a total of 3,130,000 viewers, up 372,000 viewers from last week’s show. This was the first time in six weeks that Raw pulled in more than 3 million viewers on average and the first time since August 29 that each hour did more than 3 million viewers on their own.
Hour one kicked off with 3,167,000 viewers, then dropped slightly to 3,106,000 viewers, before going back up a little bit to 3,118,000 for the third and final hour which featured Goldberg.
The third hour of Raw, despite pulling a lower overall number than the first one, was the second highest rated on cable in the 18-49 demographic. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
A week after Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon issued a challenge to Mick Foley and Stephanie McMahon for a series of matches at the Survivor Series, the Raw team has accepted.
The Survivor Series is returning to multiple 5-on-5 traditional Survivor Series elimination matches featuring Raw vs Smackdown. These matches will have male Superstars, female Superstars, and even a tag team match with 5 tag teams on each side for a total of 20 Superstars in one match.
Over the years, WWE has moved away from the 5-on-5 matches at the Survivor Series, a match that was a staple of the event when it started and throughout the early to mid 90s. Last year there was only one 5-on-5 match on the PPV, and one on the Kickoff show and in 2014 there was only one such match and another 4-on-4 featuring the women.
Sasha Banks and Charlotte will already make history at Hell In A Cell by having the first female match inside the Cell structure but that is not all as Raw General Manager Mick Foley announced in a Facebook post that the two women will be the main event of this pay-per-view.
No women have managed to headline a WWE pay-per-view in the history of the company and while Sasha Banks and Bayley headlined NXT Takeover last year, it was never done on the main roster.
“The biggest moment of the night for us came when the #WWE cameras were off, and Stephanie and I just looked at the #HIAC poster, realizing that for #WomensWrestling, history is upon us – as Sasha Banks and Charlotte will main event the #HIAC PPV,” Foley wrote. “I am so happy for Sasha, for Charlotte, for all the women who paved the way, and all those who aspire to follow in their footsteps. It is no exaggeration to say that looking at that poster gave me chills…and they were multiplying.”
The two will have monster pressure on their shoulders by making history twice in one night but WWE has shown complete faith in the two Superstars. Ric Flair said recently that his daughter has some crazy moves planned for their Hell In A Cell match.
