YouTube is about to get rocked as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will be launching his official YouTube channel on July 18 at http://www.youtube.com/therock.
According Variety, the YouTube channel will feature Johnson’s own videos, a scripted action series, as well as highlight projects from his production company, Seven Bucks Productions, along with other creators who share his ethos “to inspire, motivate and entertain.” The channel will also promises monthly collaborations with top digital talent.
The channel is in collaboration with his production company Seven Bucks Productions and Studio71. Studio71 director of digital content, Scott Brown, will be overseeing the channel.
The first video is a mock “trailer” of a woman trekking through the bush to discover a secret…and when the camera keeps panning out it comes out of The Rock’s eyebrow. “I should start a YouTube channel,” Rocky says. “Hey Ray, go ahead and uhhh call the President of the Internet. Tell him Rock’s got a hell of an idea!” Then The Rock looks straight at the camera and says, “Yeah, it’s time to change the game” and gives the People’s Eyebrow.
Then the hilarious moment hits. “Yeah…but first Rock’s gotta clear his hmmm…his browsing history! Yeah….hold that call Ray. This could take a while!”
Raw is red, Smackdown is blue, NXT is yellow and now the Cruiserweight Classic is…purple! More like EVOLVE Wrestling purple.
With the tapings held, fans inside Full Sail University got their first look at the staging and color palette which was used to present WWE Network’s brand new series. As reported earlier, the whole setup of the arena is completely different than what we see every week for NXT even though the same location is used.
The first round of matches were all taped, revealing pairings. The spoiler-free preview of matches are Alejandro Saez vs Gran Metalik; Ho Ho Lun vs Daivari; Celemt Petiot vs Cedric Alexander; Brian Kendrick vs Raul Mendoza; Tajiri vs Damian Slater; Da Mack vs TJP; Mustafa Ali vs Lince Dorado; Akira Tozawa vs Kenneth Johnson; Zack Sabre Jr. vs Tyson Dux; Harv Sihra vs Drew Gulak; Tony Nese vs Anthony Bennett; Sean Manuda vs Kota Ibushi; Jason Lee vs Rich Swann; Noam Dar vs Gurv Sihra; Jack Gallagher vs Fabian Aichner; and Tommaso Ciampa vs Johnny Gargano.
It took some time but we’re finally able to start getting excited for Conor McGregor stepping back into the Octagon with Nate Diaz after the highly-anticipated rematch was announced for UFC 202 in Las Vegas on August 20. Having initially been dropped as the main event of July’s UFC 200 card after McGregor failed to appear for his promotional duties – before being replaced by WWE superstar and former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar – all parties have now finally put pen to paper on what could be set to go down as the biggest ever fight in UFC history. Having shocked the world at UFC 197 by submitting McGregor in the second round after taking the fight on two weeks’ notice, Diaz will now have the chance to prove his win was no fluke.
While much of the MMA world’s focus has been on a packed UFC 200, the rematch between McGregor and Diaz has been tipped to eclipse an incredible card containing a host of huge fights and topped by Daniel Cormier vs. Jon Jones, not to mention the return of Brock Lesnar in a fascinating bout against Mark Hunt. As well as the Irishman’s incredible selling power, the surprise outcome of the last meeting between the two – albeit not in the eyes of everyone – has left a huge amount of intrigue about how the second fight is going to go. With both priced at 9/10 in the UFC-MMA betting odds when this article was produced, the bookmakers certainly feel this one could go either way.
While Diaz had shown on countless occasions during his career as to just how good he is, beating a string of top five contenders at both 155-pounds and 170-pounds, the combination of McGregor’s 15-fight win streak and explosive start to life in the UFC to the fact Diaz only had two weeks to get ready for the fight made the result such a surprise for so many. Fighting at 170lbs, Diaz withstood the strikes that had taken out a series of top contenders in the featherweight division, seemingly breaking McGregor’s spirit in the second round and locking in an air-tight rear-naked choke that had the Irishman tapping right away.
Photo credit: andriuXphoto.events / Flickr
The silence surrounding the Irishman since that defeat has been almost deafening, aside from his earth-shattering retirement tweet and subsequent U-turn, but it’s clear McGregor is taking this fight as seriously as he has any other bout in his career. From the brief insights into the McGregor camp, the featherweight champion has placed particular emphasis on both his boxing and jiu-jitsu; working with some of the taller members of Ireland’s Olympic boxing squad as well as bringing in BJJ expert Dillon Danis.
The question is now whether or not these additions to McGregor’s training camp will be enough to beat a man who many feel has his number. One of the toughest guys in the UFC, McGregor knows it will take something special to stop Diaz, who has only one TKO loss on his record. Also an extremely accomplished grappler, it would be a massive surprise if the Irishman decided to try and match Diaz on the ground. What McGregor may attempt to do will be take his opponent into the later rounds, where he may be more likely force a stoppage.
That’s a lot easier said than done, though, and we may well see just why so many people around McGregor were keen on him avoiding this fight.
Daniel Bryan got a hero’s welcome last night at Full Sail University after he was introduced to the live crowd prior to the start of the Cruiserweight Classic tournament at Full Sail University.
Complete with his theme song and the always present “Yes! Yes! Yes” chants, Bryan came down doing his trademark entrance and then stood on the turnbuckles for more “Yes!” chants.
All first-round sixteen matches were taped yesterday at one go with Bryan and Mauro Ranallo providing commentary for the new WWE Network show.
Triple H seemed pleased with what he saw and after the show tweeted, “Today, I saw talent seize opportunity, knock down doors, and exceed expectations in and out of the ring. Today, we launched a brand.”
A few weeks ago news came out that WWE is trying to get UFC star Paige VanZant to appear at SummerSlam as part of the deal that saw Brock Lesnar being “loaned” to the UFC for UFC 200.
But yesterday, the Dancing With The Stars runner-up confirmed on ESPN SportsCenter that she will not be appearing at WWE’s biggest event of the Summer as she will be fighting that weekend, her first UFC fight since losing to Rose Namajunas on December 20, 2015.
VanZant said that she would love to participate in anything that WWE has to offer however only when the timing is right and when it does not conflict with her UFC schedule. “I love WWE and if they ever reached out to me again I would love to work with them,” VanZant added. She will be taking on Bec Rawlings on August 21 on the UFC on FOX 21 card in Vancouver.
The WWE Cruiserweight Classic will start its television tapings tonight at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida with Daniel Bryan and Mauro Ranallo calling the shots during this nearly three month tournament.
Tapings will also be held on July 14, August 26, and the series finale on September 14 and all events are sold out. The arena will be set up differently than for NXT television tapings so the show will have a completely different look and feel.
WWE.COM has uploaded a video of Daniel Bryan arriving at the WWE Performance Center and meeting some of the competitors as well as Finn Balor, Shinsuke Nakamura, Brian Kendrick, and Triple H. This is Bryan’s first gig with WWE since his retirement in early February.
Starting at 6:30PM EST today, fans can get their first look at the Cruiserweight Classic 32 participants as WWE presents a Facebook Live event titled The Cruiserweight Classic Parade. You will be able to watch it at Facebook.com/WWECruiserweightClassic.
WWE Shop is running a 20% off promotion for every order on the majority of items including newly released t-shirts, replica title belts, and other memorabilia.
John Cena’s brand new shirt which was originally pulled for being similar to the Pabst Blue Ribbon beer company is one of the many items eligible for the 20% off. WWE 2K17, Tapout gear, gift cards, and Connor’s Cure bracelets are the only items which are not part of the sale.
To receive 20% off from your order simply use SAVE20 before you check-out. The offer expires on June 24 at 2:59AM. You can start shopping at http://w-o.it/wweshopcom.
Around 500 fans, friends, and family members attended yesterday’s Joanie “Chyna” Laurer memorial held at Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center according to the Long Beach Press-Telegram.
Chyna’s ashes were present in a black urn, with her logo displayed and decorated with bright jewelry, and her former manager Anthony Anzaldo said they will be spread in the ocean off Redondo Beach this morning. Laurer, 46, was found dead on April 20 inside her apartment by Anzaldo. The official cause of death remains under investigation but Anzaldo previous said she died from an overdose of a cocktail of Ambien and Valium.
Rob Van Dam, Sean Waltman and other celebrities attended the memorial which also included performances by
hip-hop artist Coolio. Dennis Hoff, the owner of Nevada’s popular Bunny Ranch, was also present.
“Tonight we’re not going to use the F word — funeral,” Anzaldo said. “It’s friends, family and fans.”
TNA will be returning to Orlando, Florida for the next set of Impact Wrestling television tapings between July 12 and 14, including a “live” taping.
The “live” taping will be on July 12 with the event kicking off at 6PM while the broadcast will air on POP TV at 9PM EST. Tapings will continue on Wednesday, July 13 at 6PM and the next day on Thursday, July 14 at 6PM as well. All tapings will be held on Soundstage 20 on the backlot at Universal Studios Florida.
A limited number of VIP Experiences are available for $99 at ShopTNA.com. Tapings are free for those who are already inside the Universal Studios theme park.
After much hype and injury setbacks, CM Punk announced that he will be making his UFC debut at UFC 203 in Cleveland, Ohio on September 10. CM Punk announced the news himself on the UFC Unfiltered podcast.
Punk will be fighting Mickey Gall on the show, the youngster with an MMA record of 2-0 who won his first UFC fight to land the former WWE champion as his next opponent.
Punk shocked the wrestling and MMA world when he signed for the UFC in December 2014, nearly a year after quitting the WWE the day after the Royal Rumble. As faith would have it, the Quicken Loans Arena which will host UFC 203 is also the arena where Punk quit the WWE before Raw.
He has been training at Roufusport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and has not had a single official MMA fight yet. His debut was supposed to be earlier however a string of injuries, including back surgery, prevented him from stepping inside the Octagon.
Punk said that he got the all clear from doctors this week. It’s not known if he will be part of the actual pay-per-view yet but it would be a dumb decision not to feature a high-profile name like him which will spark a lot of curiosity on the actual PPV. UFC 203 is headlined by Stipe Miocic vs Alistair Overeem for the UFC Heavyweight title.
Several sources are reporting that WWE knew of Roman Reigns’ failed Wellness Program test before Money In The Bank which probably affected the outcome of the match and the events that occurred afterward with Dean Ambrose.
A user on the Reddit SquaredCircle forum posted that a guy who works for the Philadelphia Inquirer found out about Reigns’ positive test three days ago and said that he “got caught with steroids,” although WWE doesn’t specify what the violation is publicly.
At the Smackdown tapings the main event was still referred to as a triple threat match although no mention of Roman Reigns were made throughout the show. Both Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins participated in the Smackdown tapings. There are now rumors that Reigns will be allowed to be part of Raw next Monday and do an injury angle to write him off television for the next month although these are strictly rumors. His suspension would expire just in time for the pay-per-view although he would not be part of any lead-up for the match if he remains in the main event.
There has not been anyone who was suspended and on his return is immediately put in a main event match. While this is solely at WWE’s discretion, it does create a precedence that the company does not necessarily want to have for obvious reasons. There have been cases where suspended Superstars were allowed to remain on TV to tie up any storylines and then have their suspension start and announced afterward but WWE was not in a position to do this this time due to the news already being leaked and possibly reported by someone else before WWE.
Impact this week did 304,000 viewers, up from last week’s 210,000, an episode which started at 10:50PM but down from the 326,000 the show did the previous week. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
During the weekend there were photos published of WWE Superstar Paige in handcuffs and being led into an ambulance, sparking rumors that she was arrested right after Money In The Bank.
Her mother denied that Paige was arrested in Vegas and the former Divas champion wrestled on Monday Night Raw the following night with WWE not acknowledging what happened. Former WWE creative writer Court Bauer said on his MLW Radio show that he spoke with Alberto Del Rio to get the lowdown of what happened.
Del Rio told Bauer that after the show they went to see ABSINTHE at Caesars Palace and a drunk couple kept harassing the WWE duo. Del Rio got in touch with security and got them ejected but the drunk couple were waiting for Del Rio and Paige outside after the show was over. An argument followed and police were called, putting the former champ in handcuffs after she tried to get after somebody.
Del Rio added that she was detained for questioning but was released there and everyone went their own way. Both Del Rio and Paige told WWE officials what happened and none of them were punished for their actions.
A video yesterday surfaced of the cops putting the cuffs on Paige outside Caesars Palace which you can see below.
Speaking of ABSINTHE, it seemed that it was a popular show as Goldust and his wife also attended the show during the weekend.
Our friend Mark Stanley (via Reddit’s SquaredCircle) sent us the schedule of the remaining WWE pay-per-view calendar which shows brand-specific pay-per-views going forward after SummerSlam.
On September 11, WWE will present Backlash as a Smackdown event but this is listed as a Network-only exclusive from Richmond, Virginia. Raw will get a revived event, Clash of Champions, from the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana on September 25.
No Mercy will be a Smackdown show from the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California on October 9 while Hell In A Cell will be a RAW show from the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts on October 30.
Dallas, Texas will get another pay-per-view with TLC as a Smackdown show on December 4 with an arena still to be determined. Raw gets Roadblock from the Consol Energy Center from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on December 18.
The Survivor Series will be a combined Raw/Smackdown pay-per-view on November 20 from Toronto, Canada with an arena still to be determined.
Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 is reporting that David Angle, the 63-year old brother of Kurt Angle, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to killing his wife, Donna Angle, at their Dormont home last fall. David Angle was initially charged with homicide but his plea agreement is to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter.
His defense attorney blamed alcohol for what happened. He said that his wife started smacking him and to stop her, he put his knees on her chest and she suffocated. “He was intoxicated as well and it was almost accidental,” he said. The two were married for 27 years.
Kurt was not in the courtroom yesterday although other relatives were there. Kurt attended the preliminary hearing last fall.
David Angle will be sentenced on September 20. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison but his attorney said sentencing guidelines could put his sentence closer to two years. David Angle remains in the Allegheny County Jail.
An out-of-character Rusev and Lana appeared on ESPN’s Off The Top Rope with Jonathan Coachman last night during SportsCenter for the weekly WWE segment and just in case you haven’t seen it, Rusev absolutely killed it!
Known for his funny tweets, the Bulgarian Brute was equally funny talking with The Coach and answering the questions. Coach didn’t take long to ask…”How did it happen!?” referring to the two hooking up. Rusev asked him to clarify, obviously knowing Coach meant how a beautiful girl like Lana ended up with him. “Look to your left,” Coach replied!
The two talked about their international background and watching WWE when they were younger, WrestleMania and then Coachman transitioned to a quick Q&A. “What’s your favorite part of traveling together,” he asked. Rusev quickly chimed in. “Nighttime,” he said as Coach laughed. “What’s the worst part of traveling together?” Rusev once again jumped in. “Daytime,” he answered as everyone burst out laughing.
Daniel Bryan is back to working with WWE and will be teaming up with Smackdown announcer Mauro Ranallo to call the full Cruiserweight Classic tournament which debuts on the WWE Network on Wednesday, July 13 at 9PM EST.
Bryan’s last appearance for WWE came on February 8 of this year on a Raw from Seattle, Washington. On that night Bryan announced his retirement from professional wrestling due to several concussions. He was supposed to be part of the WWE European tour in April as well as the WrestleMania Axxess events however he pulled out from all appearances due to unknown reasons.
The WWE Network will also air an exclusive Cruiserweight Classic special entitled CWC: Bracketology on Wednesday, July 6 at 9PM EST. The 10-week tournament will then continue to air every Wednesday night and will culminate with a live 2 hour special on Wednesday, September 14, only on the WWE Network.
Monday Night Raw with the fallout from Money In The Bank pulled in a total of 3,467,000 viewers, up almost half a million viewers from last week’s show. The lack of big competition and usual post-PPV curiosity led to a good bump in the numbers.
Hour one did 3,420,000 viewers, hour two grew to 3,562,000 viewers, and then hour three went back to the same number as hour one, 3,420,000 viewers. The show had the best number since the May 2 episode. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Former WWE World Heavyweight champion Roman Reigns has been suspended by WWE for 30 days for failing his first violation of WWE’s Wellness Program. The announcement was made on WWE.COM, in line with previous Wellness suspensions.
Reigns was quick to apologize and admitting his fault. “I apologize to my family, friends and fans for my mistake in violating WWE’s wellness policy. No excuses. I own it,” he wrote on Twitter.
Reigns lost the title two days ago at Money In The Bank and yesterday was put in the main event of Battleground, a main event which is now probably going to be called off due to this news.
Reigns is not the first big-name Superstar to have failed the test. Others such as Randy Orton, Kurt Angle, and Rey Mysterio were also suspended in previous years for failing the test.
During an appearance on Mark Madden’s radio show, Kurt Angle confirmed that he was contacted by WWE about a possible return.
The Olympic gold medal winner said that he spoke with Triple H around six weeks ago to discuss opportunities and see if there’s interest for a return. “Will I return? Yes. I don’t know when,” Angle said.
Angle added he doesn’t know when WWE will call back and they did not agree to any kind of deal while on the phone. Angle has long said that he wants to return to the WWE but the company has avoided doing business with him due to his past personal problems.
Kurt left WWE in 2006 after he was released from his contract and wrestled for TNA for the following 10 years.
