Former Raw commentator Tom Phillips appeared on the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch to talk about his recent release from WWE.
Phillips said that he pretty much learned about WWE on the job and since he was hired at just the age of 23, it took a lot of people and a lot of hours to get him trained as a broadcaster.
He credited Renee Paquette, the WWE 2K video game, and the WWE Network to get up to speed on WWE and become an expert in the field.
Speaking about his release, Phillips admitted it was a surprise to get the call but understood that he was going to be replaced by Adnan Virk. He said he was familiar with Virk as he followed him on ESPN and thought it was going to be a major shift in Raw broadcasting to go from a wrestling guy to a sports guy.
Eventually, Virk lost his job too. “I’ve seen so many people come and go at different levels on the announce team,” Phillips said. “But it was fast!” He added that Virk has a lot of things going for him so he will be just fine doing broadcasting somewhere else.
As for him, Phillips said that he is looking to get into sports broadcasting and steering away from professional wrestling for now.
Phillips, real name Tom Hannifan, goes in more details in the podcast, discussing the most challenging thing about being a WWE broadcaster, getting produced while on-air, his favorite matches called and more.
Episode six of WWE Most Wanted Treasures on A&E featuring Jake “The Snake” Roberts drew 455,000 viewers on Sunday, down 42,000 viewers from the previous episode. The show had a 0.18 rating in 18-49 demographics. (Ratings credit: SpoilerTV.com)
Parents looking to enroll their kids in a martial arts class often ask themselves if it’s the right time to do so. Will your child actually be happy learning martial arts at that age? While martial arts may have a slew of benefits for children, the decision to enroll them in a class should ultimately depend on their happiness.
At what age should a child start taking up martial arts so that they stay happy and take the discipline to adulthood? Read on to find out.
How Does a Child Benefit From Martial Arts?
Before we get into the various starting ages for martial arts, let’s look at how martial arts can benefit children first. Learning martial arts can impact children in many ways, most of which is in a positive manner.
Teaches kids self-discipline and helps them control their aggression
Gets rid of a child’s tendency to bully
Has been linked to stress prevention and relief
Signs That a Child Enjoys a Martial Arts School
Is a martial arts school the right one for children? The following are good signs that they are.
Children feel at home in the dojo
Instructors work with children individually and not as a class to address their specific needs
Instructors group children according to their skill level to create more challenging scenarios, which leads to better progress
When a sensei cares and knows his or her students by heart
Proper Age To Start Practicing Martial Arts
There are various age ranges for starting martial arts, depending on where your child is currently at developmentally.
Early Age (Four To Five Years Old)
Kids as young as four years old can start taking martial arts classes. Schools typically accepting these ages also put safety in mind above all else, so parents don’t need to worry about that. Any complicated or potentially dangerous move usually isn’t part of the youngster program.
If your child is happy to attend martial arts sessions at four or five years old, he or she could have a great foundation for their chosen martial art form. That’s because their program will center mostly on doing the basics in a fun and exciting way.
Nevertheless, not all schools will accept kids this young. A karate school might, but the rest usually won’t take chances on non-prodigies. At this age, karate classes also tend to focus on learning principles and not drills and techniques.
Six To 10 Years Old
Starting at this age range can easily help children achieve success in their chosen martial arts discipline. The proof lies in some of the most famous martial artists in the entertainment industry.
Both Jackie Chan and Jet Li started their journey in this age range, and look at how successful they’ve become. It shows that your children can achieve the same success when they put in the hard work and actually love what they’re doing. Starting between ages six and 10 shows there’s a good chance your child will learn to love their chosen art form immensely.
Eleven Years Old To Young Adulthood
Martial-artists-turned-action-stars Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee began their path to mastery at this age range. Others, like Michelle Yeoh, were able to forge a similar path even after starting beyond 20 years old.
Still, some martial arts schools will refuse to teach students below 16 years of age. That is, of course, unless they show signs of being a wunderkind and have the temperament suited for the discipline.
One thing to keep in mind regardless of the age your child starts is that any form of martial arts requires a certain level of skill and focus. Some children might reach that level early, but others might take a little bit more time to get there. Nevertheless, it’s important to consider how suitable your child is for a particular martial arts discipline, as that will factor into their happiness with the experience.
Can You Start as an Adult?
The answer is a resounding yes. As mentioned earlier, Michelle Yeoh got her start not earlier than 20 years old. Given her success in her art form, it stands to reason that you can still lay the foundation for success in martial arts even if you start as an adult.
What’s more, practicing martial arts holds countless benefits for adults. When you practice your chosen art form correctly, you can immensely improve your fitness, posture, self-esteem, and general health.
The fact is, martial arts is for people of all ages. The very core of martial arts disregards age, so as long as you can find happiness in the discipline, don’t hesitate to try it out. Some even start training at 60 and are still able to unravel much about themselves they have yet to learn. Stop regretting you didn’t learn a martial art form when you were younger; remedy the situation by enrolling in a class today.
Martial Arts Suits All Ages
These days, you won’t have trouble finding a martial arts class for yourself or your children. Plenty of martial arts schools have programs for children as young as four years old and adults as old as 60. If you’re interested in learning and know it can make you happy, you shouldn’t let your age stop you from taking up martial arts.
The A&E Biography episode of Mick Foley last Sunday drew a total of 518,000 viewers, down 249,000 viewers from the previous episode on The Ultimate Warrior. The show did 0.20 in the 18-49 demographic. Both numbers are a season low. (Ratings credit: SpoilerTV.com)
A half dozen WWE Superstars got the call yesterday which everyone is dreaded to receive. Braun Strowman, Aleister Black, Lana, Buddy Murphy, Ruby Riott, and Santana Garrett were all released from their contract in another round of cuts that are seemingly happening every week now.
Black talked extensively about his release during a live Twitch broadcast yesterday. Some others chose to address their fans with a post on social media.
“I will never forget the fans, and the love they showed me,” Lana wrote, adding a few photos from her WWE career. “Whether it was a tank, power-suits, flags, CRUSH, Rusev, 900 partners, weddings or tables: I tried to always entertain you, and you definitely elevated me. Thank you.”
Strowman was short and sweet, writing, “What a chapter in life. Thank you!!!!!”
Garrett was equally short in her goodbye message to the WWE Universe. “Thank you, @wwe. Peace.. Love & #HeadbandPower,” she wrote.
Murphy wrote that yesterday was the end of his WWE crazy ride after eight years. “Highest of Highs, Lowest of Lows, but weather I had 3 minutes or 20 minutes I put all my effort into my performances,” Murphy said.
“Nothing is harder when all you want to do is wrestle but you can’t! In my opinion I haven’t even hit my peak yet and I’m excited to see what the next adventure holds. I was lucky enough to work with some of the best talent in the world and learnt a tremendous amount. But trust me… the whole world will know what I meant by “Best Kept Secret,'” he concluded.
Ruby Riott did not publicly address her dismissal but fellow WWE Superstars thanked her on Twitter.
Monday Night Raw on Memorial Day drew 1,557,000 viewers, down 64,000 viewers from last week’s broadcast. This was the least-watched Raw of 2021 and the lowest number since December 14, 2020.
Hour one started with 1,536,000 viewers, then increased to 1,549,000 in the second hour, before ending the night with 1,586,000 viewers in the third and final hour.
The 18-49 demographic number was 0.44, another low for Raw. (Ratings credit: PostWrestling.com)
EDITOR’S NOTE: Story has been updated with correct numbers from earlier.
Mark Henry, who at Double or Nothing was revealed as the newest AEW signee, talked a little bit why he “jumped ship” from WWE after over 20 years with the promotion.
Speaking during the Busted Open Radio show on SiriusXM, the world’s strongest man said that his deal with WWE expired around six months ago and wanted an office position and everything that comes with it.
“I talked to Vince himself, he said, ‘Write it up, you’re somebody I’ll hear from, I’ll listen from,'” Henry said. But he was told that a lot of cuts were incoming so the chances were slim, even though he felt he was valuable enough not to be cut eventually.
Henry added that he always wants to do more and likes to stay busy. “If I think I can do it better than somebody else and I can’t get that opportunity then I have to start looking for that opportunity somewhere else…and I did.”
The Olympian’s new role with AEW will be of an analyst on the new show Rampage and will also serve as a coach.
Slots machines are considered an excellent form of recreation whether you play online or at a physical casino. However, recently we have experienced a significant increase in individuals opting to play slots online instead of land-based casinos. Many benefits come with playing slots online. Here are some of the top compelling reasons why gamblers now prefer playing online slots.
Convenience
Back in the day, people had to travel to physical gambling sites to participate in their favorite slot games. Currently, they can enjoy them from the comfort of their environment through casino sites. Besides, slot games are even more available recently, as online casinos have designed mobile apps where you can participate in mobile online casino games on the go. It is also significant to opt for online slot games since they have privacy. Playing games like Slot online enables the gamer to play in private without interruptions from casino staff and other gamers.
Accessibility of Slots
The accessibility of network-based gambling games is another benefit of playing slots over the internet. When you play in a conventional casino, you may be required to wait for one to finish using your selected slot machine. Contrastingly, nothing can hinder you and your favorite game like online slot since two or more individuals can play the same game at a time.
Bonuses and Rewards
There are several online gambling sites presently. They typically engage in a competition with each other to get new members. To allure real money gamers to join their site, these online gambling sites offer beginners a bonus when making the primary deposit or sign up. Moreover, rewards are provided to those who participate regularly.
Vast Range of Games
Gamers are attracted to gaming real money online slots since they provide a comprehensive variety of games than playing nearby. Internet casinos are offering numerous slots that it is nearly impossible to finish playing them entirely. The variety of pay lines, themes, and reels make network slot machines more attractive than conventional one-armed bandits in real gambling sites. Additionally to having many various game options, online casinos are also running slot tournaments for their gamers. These slot tournaments are making internet gambling more entertaining and fun. Besides, they also provide players more opportunities to win massive real money jackpots.
Flexibility in Stakes
Internet slot games offer you the chance to select the amount you intend to stake in a spin. This amount may differ from as low as a few hundred dollars to cents. It will depend on the amount you are ready to gamble. Land-based casinos also provide varying stakes but playing online slots provides more flexibility. Higher payouts are another advantage of slot games. The cost of maintaining an internet casino is far minimal compared to running an actual casino establishment. That is since there is a lack of overhead costs when you play slots online for real money. Because of that, these gambling sites can offer their players the utmost compared to physical casinos.
As you can judge from the earlier stated points, you can play the best games on the market like Slot online since they offer players many reasons to play.
Aleister Black jumped on his wife’s Twitch stream to talk about his release from WWE with fans.
Talking casually and opening up, Black said that the reason he was given for his release was because of budget cuts and explained how the past two years were a “slow death” to him.
He said that he created so many storylines and thrown so much stuff at creative but it was difficult to get the ball rolling. While people in the back found him very intriguing, everything he pitched didn’t go anywhere unfortunately. He jumped at the defense of the creative team, saying they try hard and are good at their job but it’s not just down to them.
“I have so many good memories,” Black said, adding that he cannot wait to see what he can do without the WWE shackles on him. He described the latest version of his gimmick as a devil with memory loss, and this was supposed to be his shot but it wasn’t meant to be. “It’s bittersweet, I owe everything to WWE,” he continued.
Black thanked Vince McMahon, Triple H, Bruce Prichard, and Paul Heyman, nothing that both Heyman and Prichard going to bat for him so many times in the past.
Black also described Roman Reigns as one of the “best f*cking locker room leaders I’ve ever had,” while putting over other Superstars such as Randy Orton, Bray Wyatt, The Usos, etc.
Three days ago on social media, Braun Strowman posted a photo high-fiving a fan with the comment, “Soon!!!!! #LetsGo.” Today, the former Universal champion was unceremoniously released from his big WWE contract.
The man who just two months ago was involved in a steel cage match at WrestleMania against Shane McMahon is now on the unemployed list and a now-deleted post from last year is coming back to haunt him.
“Here we go with more of the somebody pay for my bills stuff. If you can’t afford to pay your bills maybe you should change professions,” Strowman wrote on Instagram in March 2020 after the coronavirus pandemic hit and independent wrestlers struggled to make a living.
“That’s why I quit strongman. I loved it, but I couldn’t afford to live so instead of making a GoFundMe or a Patreon wanting someone else to take care of me I went out and worked harder than I ever have in my life to get to where I am,” he continued. “What happened to being accountable for your own actions????!!!”
And that he did. Strowman apparently signed a new WWE deal in 2019 worth upwards of $1 million according to Fightful Wrestling and his huge deal probably played a role in cost-cutting.
Strowman was last seen at the Backlash pay-per-view where he was part of a triple threat match for the WWE title against Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre. He apparently suffered an injury in that match and was not seen again.
Since 2013, Strowman won the Intercontinental title, the Raw Tag Team titles, the Money In The Bank, and the Universal title.
The NXT Takeover: In Your House card continued to take shape last night on USA Network with three more matches announced apart from the fatal five-way match for the NXT title.
The NXT Women’s title will be on the line with Raquel Gonzalez defending against Ember Moon. Xia Li will be taking on Mercedes Martinez, while LA Knight finally goes one-on-one against Cameron Grimes.
One more match is expected to be added to the show with the typical five-match card taking place on June 13 live from the Capitol Wrestling Center at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
WWE today announced that Braun Strowman, Aleister Black, Lana, Murphy, Ruby Riott, and Santana Garrett have all been released from their WWE deals.
“WWE wishes them the best in all of their future endeavors,” a short statement said.
The releases of Strowman, Black, and Lana come as a complete surprise, especially Aleister Black who has just recently returned to Smackdown after being away since October of last year.
“I’m gathering my thoughts as this was a complete left field for me as obviously we just started the dark father character but this was it,” Black wrote on Twitter. “Thank you so much WWE Universe for allowing me to create and give you small bits of myself.”
The releases come a week after WWE cleaned house at their corporate headquarters, firing several Executive Vice Presidents and senior managers, as well as other members of the staff.
The NXT title match at the upcoming Takeover: In Your House event has been changed to a fatal five-way match after Adam Cole returned on NXT last night and wrecked havoc.
Cole made his presence felt during the triple threat number one contender’s match between Pete Dunne, Kyle O’Reilly, and Johnny Gargano, with the former leader of The Undisputed Era attacking everyone.
Later in the show, Cole demanded an NXT title match and Karrion Kross told NXT General Manager William Regal that he wants to take on everyone at Takeover and Regal granted his wish.
The odds will certainly be against the champion as Kross has to defend the title against Cole, Gargano, O’Reilly, and Dunne in order to come out of In Your House still the champ.
Adam Cole has not been seen much on NXT television lately and last appeared over a month ago in a sit-down interview segment.
Wrestling competitions have lots of fans globally as many people find it relaxing and a way of expressing themselves. Wrestling is categorized as entertainment sports. Unlike other professional sports, betting is scripted, and the winners are predetermined. Having predetermined winners does not bar its fans from betting since only a group of people can access such information, which is kept private.
Nowadays, several online sportsbooks allow one to bet even from the comfort of the home. Still, it is recommended to check the local laws in your state first, as for example, sports betting is legal in New Jersey, but not in many other states.
Before you jump into betting on your favorite wrestlers, here are a few things you may need to know if you are a beginner.
Reasons to Bet on Wrestling Matches
Like betting on other sports, you get tons of benefits to accrue when you bet on wrestling matches. Below are a few of the benefits:
1. Entertainment
Would wrestling not be even more fun if you could have the chance of winning some cash at the end of the competition? Most people are compelled to watch the game to completion and enjoy it all through since they have financial gain at the end. Besides, it is even more intriguing when you watch to figure out whether or not you made the right prediction.
2. Has value
Most sportsbooks focus on popular professional sports such as soccer and spend less time and resources on setting lines for the wrestling matches. Therefore, when you are keen and have done extensive research, you may find loopholes to their bad lines and take advantage of these to make more cash.
3. Limited risk expected
Most online bookmakers limit how much punters can bet on the wrestling matches due to risk measures. Limiting how much you can bet on implies that you are also protected from placing exaggerated bets out of impulse and protects your bankroll.
Types of WWE Bets That You Can Make
Like any other sports betting, WWE betting also has different types of betting that you can choose from. For WWE betting, you notice that they are simple and easy to comprehend. However, to guarantee increased chances of winning, you may need to be sure of the type you choose, and this is possible when you have conducted extensive research.
1. First to appear
With this type of betting, you need not predict who will be the ultimate winner or loser of the wrestling match. Instead, you only need to predict the wrestler who will make the first appearance to the right.
2. First-time winner
First time winner type of betting requires you to check on the list of wrestlers who have never won before and choose one who will win for the first time in their wrestling career. Such kind of bet has minimal risks since you can research the form of the wrestlers, whether or not their counterparts have injuries, and the kind of skills they have.
3. Longest time in the ring
Such a bet expects you to predict the wrestler who is most likely to spend the longest ring time. However, with such a bet, your fun may be short-lived when your wrestler of choice is eliminated fast.
4. Elimination bet
The elimination bet is one where you wager your bet on the wrestler, most likely to make other wrestlers meet their fates fast. However, it does not necessarily imply that the wrestler has to be the ultimate winner.
5. Bout outcome bets
With this kind of bet, you are to predict the kind of outcome the match will have. Therefore, you are not confined to telling who the winner or loser will be but the kind of events that will lead to the end of the match.
Tips for Successful WWE Betting for Beginners
Betting is fun and entertaining. However, you can choose to make it a business and make something out of what you love. The difference between a successful punter and an ordinary punter may be the kind of betting strategies they incorporate.
1. Research
For other sports bets to be successful, you may have to analyze the different skills of the contestants and their past games to understand expected predictions. However, it would help if you kept in mind that random WWE outcomes are already predetermined, unlike other sports betting.
In this case, you will notice that the skills and past game results do not matter as much. Your focus should be on the history of the bookmakers’ decisions. Since the bookmakers are human beings, they are bound to lean more towards favoring a certain wrestler. Understanding their patterns improves your odds of winning your bet.
2. Check on the wrestler’s reputation.
You may need to check on what kind of reputation a certain wrestler has established in the wrestling scene. A wrestler with a reputation of winning is bound to win and have a certain type of treatment instead of other wrestlers. Banking your cash on such a wrestler gives you an upper edge in winning.
3. Check on what trends the writers have.
You may need to check on their patterns to determine whether they pick certain outcomes earlier in the season or wait for the end of the season to surprise their fans with the outcomes. Once you crack the code on what sort of trends the bookmakers tend to rely on, you are set to winning your bet.
4. Check on expert advice.
Just like other sports betting, wrestling bets also have expert analysis. Such experts never know the outcomes but have studied the trends and can improve your odds by giving you an insight into the wrestler with better winning chances. Expert advice can be found on the experts’ sites or WWE blogs.
Conclusion
Most people never know that wrestling betting is a thing. However, with the popularity of this entertainment sports surging globally, the need for fans to bet on their favorite wrestlers is also on the rise. These days there are several WWE betting sites that people can use when betting.
If one is not careful, one may come across fraudulent sites. Therefore, you may have to take your time and research these sites to ensure that you are investing your cash on the right site. WWE betting’s popularity is fast growing and is not about to die anytime soon!
Last week’s Dynamite, which aired on Friday at 10PM due to being pre-empted on Wednesday, pulled in 526,000 viewers on TNT, down 295,000 viewers from the previous episode. The show also did a low 0.20 rating in the 18-49 demographic. Both the viewership and the demo rating were the lowest ever for a Dynamite broadcast. (Ratings credit: SpoilerTV.com)
Tonight’s NXT on USA Network will determine who will be taking on Karrion Kross for the NXT title at NXT Takeover: In Your House 2021.
The next Takeover is just two weeks away and it will be a triple threat match between Johnny Gargano, Pete Dunne, and Kyle O’Reilly which will confirm the main event. The match will kick off today’s broadcast.
The only other match announced for the show so far is MSK defending their NXT Tag Team titles against Legado Del Fantasma.
Last night’s Monday Night Raw was a special one for Jimmy Smith as the former MMA fighter and broadcaster sat in the hot seat for the first of many broadcasts to come.
Smith, who replaced Adnan Virk as the lead commentator on Raw, said on Twitter that he had a blast on the show and tried to give the main event his best energy it deserved.
Smith noted earlier that the ThunderDome is truly impressive. “I have been a part of a LOT of big sports productions. I’ve never seen ANYTHING that compares to the setup at ThunderDome,” he wrote to his followers.
Fans seem to have welcomed Smith better than they welcomed Virk as the usual hard-to-please wrestling audience reacted positively to his commentary.
“Great upgrade,” said one tweet during the show. “He’s commentated 2 minutes worth of match and already I think Jimmy Smith > Adnan Virk,” added another one. “I know the bar is pretty low but thought Jimmy Smith was pretty good on the bits I have seen from RAW,” said another fan.
Virk was highly criticized in the five weeks he was on Raw and never managed to get the audience behind him. He was eventually released from his role after the two sides came to a mutual agreement.
PWInsider.com is reporting that WWE Hall of Famer Molly Holly was backstage at Monday Night Raw last night and is potentially returning to WWE in a backstage role.
The 43-year-old, whose real name is Nora Benshoof, had a tryout as a producer and could join before WWE returns on the road. When the pandemic hit, WWE laid off many producers since there were no live events being held, but with things returning to normal very soon, the company will now need producers to run shows again.
The former Women’s champion was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2021 during WrestleMania week.
WWE’s newest hire, Executive Vice President, Development & Digital Jamie Horowitz was fired from his role at FOX Sports in July 2017 after an internal investigation triggered by 21st Century Fox focusing on a sexual harassment allegation brought forward by a woman who worked in production.
The woman claimed that Horowitz tried to kiss her in 2016 at an offsite location. The investigation results by the company remained unknown. Horowitz’ lawyer said in a statement at the time that the way FOX Sports treated him was appalling.
“Everyone at FOX Sports, no matter what role we play, or what business, function or show we contribute to, should act with respect and adhere to professional conduct at all times,” Fox Sports president Eric Shanks said in a letter to employees at the time.
Horowitz served as President of National Networks for FOX Sports and the legal team at FOX defended the decision, claiming that his termination was “fully warranted,” calling Horowitz’ lawyer’s accusations “ill-informed and misguided.”
At WWE, Horowitz will oversee original content including scripted and unscripted programs for digital, social media, and will also head up the WWE Studios in Los Angeles. He will be based in Stamford, Connecticut.
The WWE title match at Hell In A Cell was confirmed yesterday on Raw after Drew McIntyre beat Kofi Kingston in a number one contender’s match in the main event of the show.
The Scotsman will now be facing Bobby Lashley in a WrestleMania rematch with the title on the line. Lashley was threatened with a suspension if he or MVP interfered in the match after last week both of them crashed the McIntyre/Kingston match, forcing the match to end in a DQ.
There’s no stipulation to the match yet although it could be later moved to the Hell In A Cell. The only other match announced for the show so far is Rhea Ripley vs Charlotte Flair for the Raw Women’s title.
