Thursday, December 14, 2017
Since Meltzer can't post a link right, I'll do it for you. Morton to wrestle in LaFollette
Meltzer posted a link in his "daily update' today that was the wrong link. Maybe someone should email or 'tweet' him and tell him I have the correct link here. The irony is that Meltzer is quoted in this story. No you can't make this shit up, lol.
http://www.lafollettepress.com/content/morton-wrestle-lafollette
http://www.lafollettepress.com/content/morton-wrestle-lafollette
Tonite's Indy Wrestling feature will be, Rocky Mountain Pro Charged Season 3 Episode 5 - …Enemies Closer
Published on Dec 12, 2017
This week on CHARGED, we are just one week out from SHOCKTOBER! With many of the matches set, everyone is looking to get momentum. Tonight, Anaya and Mercury Yaden continue their issues. Tyler Stinson, Filter & Hunter Grey team up to take on Mario Vanjur, Humphrey Jacobs & a third partner in an elimination match. Two new Lockettes make their debut and much more this week on CHARGED! Visit http://therockymountainpro.com for more full episodes. Brought to you by http://RussosBrand.com This episode originally aired on Fite.tv on November 15, 2017.
WWE CANCELS RETURN TO EDMONTON AFTER BOXING DEATH LEADS TO BAN ON ALL COMBAT SPORTS
A scheduled World Wrestling Entertainment debut at the brand new Rogers Place
arena in Edmonton, Alberta Canada on 2/9/18 was canceled after new regulations
banning all forms of combat sports were enacted by the city's council following
the June death of a boxer following an Edmonton fight.
The Rogers Place website announced the cancellation with the following announcement "Following new guidelines established by Edmonton’s city council, WWE’s event on Friday, February 9 at Rogers Place has been postponed. The WWE is working closely with the local Commission, and hope to return with their sports entertainment events to Edmonton in the near future."
The Edmonton city council announced on 12/8 that they were placing a one year moratorium on new permits or licenses for anything that fell under the umbrella of combat sports, which for some reason, has included WWE, despite the fact that the company's product is anything but an actual, legitimate combat sports competition. The moratorium is scheduled to stand until December 2018.
The moratorium was enacted after the June death of boxer Tim Hauge following a fight card held in the city. There has been criticism of the city council for enacting the ban after UFC held an event in September, with critics believing they waited until after that event instead of just immediately issuing the ban.
The ban is up to 1 year. Council is awaiting a report into the death of boxer Tim Hague which is being released today Following its release and the recommendations in it, Edmonton council could lift the ban at any time in the new year.
The Rogers Place website announced the cancellation with the following announcement "Following new guidelines established by Edmonton’s city council, WWE’s event on Friday, February 9 at Rogers Place has been postponed. The WWE is working closely with the local Commission, and hope to return with their sports entertainment events to Edmonton in the near future."
The Edmonton city council announced on 12/8 that they were placing a one year moratorium on new permits or licenses for anything that fell under the umbrella of combat sports, which for some reason, has included WWE, despite the fact that the company's product is anything but an actual, legitimate combat sports competition. The moratorium is scheduled to stand until December 2018.
The moratorium was enacted after the June death of boxer Tim Hauge following a fight card held in the city. There has been criticism of the city council for enacting the ban after UFC held an event in September, with critics believing they waited until after that event instead of just immediately issuing the ban.
The ban is up to 1 year. Council is awaiting a report into the death of boxer Tim Hague which is being released today Following its release and the recommendations in it, Edmonton council could lift the ban at any time in the new year.
EVA MARIE DEFENDS PROFESIONAL WRESTLING
WATCH TODAY’S EPISODE OF COMPLEX’S ‘OUT OF
BOUNDS’
![]()
Credit: Complex News
WATCH NOW
On today's episode of Complex’s “Out of Bounds,” actress and former WWE star Natalie Eva Marie returns to discuss her love for Bay Area sports, her transition from WWE to Hollywood, how it feels to be the "bad guy" in wrestling and why she thinks the NBA will not reach NFL's popularity any time soon. She also changes perspectives after confronting Mia Khalifa about her comment about wrestling not being a real sport.
“Out of Bounds” features former NBA star Gilbert Arenas, Internet personality Mia Khalifa, Complex News host Pierce Simpson and Complex Sports editor Adam Caparell. New episodes air on Complex News’ YouTube channel Monday through Thursday at 2 p.m. ET. Tweet the show @OutofBounds.
NOTABLE QUOTES:
On Brock Lesnar rumored to join Creed II (8:38):
“He’s a bad guy, he’s a beast, he literally will kill you in the octagon or take you to Suplex City in the ring. I think he’d be a fantastic addition to Creed II because he plays a heel so naturally.” — Natalie Eva Marie
On the difference between training for acting and wrestling (11:31):
“You have to put your body through a lot of physicality with wrestling. You’re saying you think it’s fake, however when you get in the ring, you’re really taking those bumps…Then when it comes to acting, you’re trying to get out of yourself and be a whole other person, which also helps with WWE, too, because you’re playing a character at the end of the day.” — Natalie Eva Marie
On challenging Mia Khalifa’s claims that wrestling isn’t a real sport (12:13):
“Some moves are [choreographed], so like you’ll go over your finish, whoever’s gonna win or lose because that’s predetermined. However, when you’re in there, usually you’re just going toe-to-toe. So like, if I have you in a headlock, then I’m telling you right then and there what we’re doing next.” — Natalie Eva Marie
“You have your producers in the back, adjusting to the crowd. ‘Hey, uh, actually we’re gonna go this way. Change the finish, change whatever you have going on.’ So you can’t really choreograph the dance because everything gets mixed up.” — Natalie Eva Marie
On comparing sports (14:44):
“NFL, NBA, they all have off-seasons. Wrestling doesn’t have an off-season. We’re on the road 209 days out of the year, performing in different cities every single night. Where you have your NBA, and NFL and major league and they’re taking charter flights going to the next city. We’re driving in rent-a-cars to the next city.” — Natalie Eva Marie
Credit: Complex News
WATCH NOW
On today's episode of Complex’s “Out of Bounds,” actress and former WWE star Natalie Eva Marie returns to discuss her love for Bay Area sports, her transition from WWE to Hollywood, how it feels to be the "bad guy" in wrestling and why she thinks the NBA will not reach NFL's popularity any time soon. She also changes perspectives after confronting Mia Khalifa about her comment about wrestling not being a real sport.
“Out of Bounds” features former NBA star Gilbert Arenas, Internet personality Mia Khalifa, Complex News host Pierce Simpson and Complex Sports editor Adam Caparell. New episodes air on Complex News’ YouTube channel Monday through Thursday at 2 p.m. ET. Tweet the show @OutofBounds.
NOTABLE QUOTES:
On Brock Lesnar rumored to join Creed II (8:38):
“He’s a bad guy, he’s a beast, he literally will kill you in the octagon or take you to Suplex City in the ring. I think he’d be a fantastic addition to Creed II because he plays a heel so naturally.” — Natalie Eva Marie
On the difference between training for acting and wrestling (11:31):
“You have to put your body through a lot of physicality with wrestling. You’re saying you think it’s fake, however when you get in the ring, you’re really taking those bumps…Then when it comes to acting, you’re trying to get out of yourself and be a whole other person, which also helps with WWE, too, because you’re playing a character at the end of the day.” — Natalie Eva Marie
On challenging Mia Khalifa’s claims that wrestling isn’t a real sport (12:13):
“Some moves are [choreographed], so like you’ll go over your finish, whoever’s gonna win or lose because that’s predetermined. However, when you’re in there, usually you’re just going toe-to-toe. So like, if I have you in a headlock, then I’m telling you right then and there what we’re doing next.” — Natalie Eva Marie
“You have your producers in the back, adjusting to the crowd. ‘Hey, uh, actually we’re gonna go this way. Change the finish, change whatever you have going on.’ So you can’t really choreograph the dance because everything gets mixed up.” — Natalie Eva Marie
On comparing sports (14:44):
“NFL, NBA, they all have off-seasons. Wrestling doesn’t have an off-season. We’re on the road 209 days out of the year, performing in different cities every single night. Where you have your NBA, and NFL and major league and they’re taking charter flights going to the next city. We’re driving in rent-a-cars to the next city.” — Natalie Eva Marie
SEAN WALTMAN DISCUSSES OMEGA VS. JERICHO, KONNAN TALKS LUCHA ON
SEAN ‘X-PAC’ WALTMAN TALKS ABOUT THE OMEGA AND JERICHO MATCH COMING
UP
X-PAC 12360
Pro Wrestler and LAX manager, Konnan is the special guest on X-Pac12360 and talks about how diverse Lucha is now.
Get it on YouTube: https://youtu.be/IoiqsB1MWE4 or download the podcast version on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/x-pac-1-2-360-afterbuzz-tv/id1150124693?mt=2&i=374822005, with highlights below:
Konnan Talks About Locker Room Life and the Difference Between the Women and Men: This is a true story, I am not a misogynist or anything like that, but if you have 50 guys in a dressing room and 5 girls, those 5 girls are a way bigger headache than those 50 guys. You have no idea what we have to work with. It just very difficult, because there is a lot jealousy between women, you don't see between guys. Add to that, that now a lot of those guys are dating the girls and if there is a problem they take it to the dressing room, or maybe one guy was messing with your girl and now you got the two wrestlers and the girl. So many things pop-off in the locker room.
Konnan Talks About Lucha Underground’s Low Offer to the Young Bucks :The reason I went to PWG the first time was because I took Dorian Roldan from AAA and Chris Joseph , who was the writer for Lucha Underground, cause originally I was suppose to write the show with Chris. And so, I was like, ‘ Bro, you need to go to PWG and I am going to show you some guys you're going to love.’ So you know I recommended Kevin Steen, The Young Bucks, Ricochet, Brian Cage, Willie Mack. They were like ‘Oh, the Young Bucks, they should get new gear…’ I'm like ‘No, they're making fun of it, that's the gimmick.’ I convinced the Young Bucks to call Lucha Underground because I could get them a contract and I was going to put them in a trio with John Morrison cause they're all from LA. And bro, they offered them $200 each. They [Young Bucks] were pissed, he wrote back, ‘Yeah now for them, for us to go there, they're going to have to pay us $1,500 each, non negotiable.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, exactly.’
Sean “X-Pac” Waltman on the press helping build Omega and Jericho in NJPW: One of the things that I like about Japanese wrestling is the way they have their press conferences and the media involved. And how they treat it like a legitimate press conference because it is… And because of that you can go out there and shoot your own angles actually because you can’t really control somebody once they go out there and start talking to the press. If you’re smart you can really manipulate things during those press conferences. The press conference gives it such a legitimate feeling.
Konnan on how diverse Lucha Libre is:It’s a beautiful thing because what’s happened is when Lucha first started all the Luchadors were all Mexican right? Now they’re white, Filipino, black. It’s become a global thing just like Lucha Libre itself.
Konnan Talks About Shooting 3LiveKru Promo In The Hood: “We did this vignette that was hilarious, Ronny took us to the hood and it was funny because a kid rolled up on us on a bike and he had a gun in his waistband and he said: "What are you doing in my hood," and Rony said he used to do that. So, Bro, you haven't lived if you haven't seen Road Dogg in the middle of the hood dressed up like a PIMP, like an old-school PIMP Starsky-Hutch style like...with a rainbow wig dressed down in the hood and people were laughing.
Konnan on What’s The Mission for AroLoucha: We saw what happened at Lucha Underground. I was there for season 1 and I was there before the company started, but anyways, so, I kinda know what was going on over there. Something that was evident is they weren’t touring, and they weren’t making any money with no merchandise after such a hot product. This is how hot this product was, cause people are miss led by numbers sometimes. Usually they add hundred-thousands viewers right? From 80-125 or whatever, we go for that first number, “People aren’t watching the show.” I go that’s where you're wrong. This year I traveled mostly with Rey (Mysterio) but I went to Sudan, to Chile, like all over bro, everybody knew what Lucha Underground was and nobody had El Rey. - We saw Lucha Underground open the doors
Get it all on this week's brand new episode of AfterBuzz TV's X-Pac 12360. Two words for you...DOWNLOAD IT!
X-PAC 12360
Pro Wrestler and LAX manager, Konnan is the special guest on X-Pac12360 and talks about how diverse Lucha is now.
Get it on YouTube: https://youtu.be/IoiqsB1MWE4 or download the podcast version on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/x-pac-1-2-360-afterbuzz-tv/id1150124693?mt=2&i=374822005, with highlights below:
Konnan Talks About Locker Room Life and the Difference Between the Women and Men: This is a true story, I am not a misogynist or anything like that, but if you have 50 guys in a dressing room and 5 girls, those 5 girls are a way bigger headache than those 50 guys. You have no idea what we have to work with. It just very difficult, because there is a lot jealousy between women, you don't see between guys. Add to that, that now a lot of those guys are dating the girls and if there is a problem they take it to the dressing room, or maybe one guy was messing with your girl and now you got the two wrestlers and the girl. So many things pop-off in the locker room.
Konnan Talks About Lucha Underground’s Low Offer to the Young Bucks :The reason I went to PWG the first time was because I took Dorian Roldan from AAA and Chris Joseph , who was the writer for Lucha Underground, cause originally I was suppose to write the show with Chris. And so, I was like, ‘ Bro, you need to go to PWG and I am going to show you some guys you're going to love.’ So you know I recommended Kevin Steen, The Young Bucks, Ricochet, Brian Cage, Willie Mack. They were like ‘Oh, the Young Bucks, they should get new gear…’ I'm like ‘No, they're making fun of it, that's the gimmick.’ I convinced the Young Bucks to call Lucha Underground because I could get them a contract and I was going to put them in a trio with John Morrison cause they're all from LA. And bro, they offered them $200 each. They [Young Bucks] were pissed, he wrote back, ‘Yeah now for them, for us to go there, they're going to have to pay us $1,500 each, non negotiable.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, exactly.’
Sean “X-Pac” Waltman on the press helping build Omega and Jericho in NJPW: One of the things that I like about Japanese wrestling is the way they have their press conferences and the media involved. And how they treat it like a legitimate press conference because it is… And because of that you can go out there and shoot your own angles actually because you can’t really control somebody once they go out there and start talking to the press. If you’re smart you can really manipulate things during those press conferences. The press conference gives it such a legitimate feeling.
Konnan on how diverse Lucha Libre is:It’s a beautiful thing because what’s happened is when Lucha first started all the Luchadors were all Mexican right? Now they’re white, Filipino, black. It’s become a global thing just like Lucha Libre itself.
Konnan Talks About Shooting 3LiveKru Promo In The Hood: “We did this vignette that was hilarious, Ronny took us to the hood and it was funny because a kid rolled up on us on a bike and he had a gun in his waistband and he said: "What are you doing in my hood," and Rony said he used to do that. So, Bro, you haven't lived if you haven't seen Road Dogg in the middle of the hood dressed up like a PIMP, like an old-school PIMP Starsky-Hutch style like...with a rainbow wig dressed down in the hood and people were laughing.
Konnan on What’s The Mission for AroLoucha: We saw what happened at Lucha Underground. I was there for season 1 and I was there before the company started, but anyways, so, I kinda know what was going on over there. Something that was evident is they weren’t touring, and they weren’t making any money with no merchandise after such a hot product. This is how hot this product was, cause people are miss led by numbers sometimes. Usually they add hundred-thousands viewers right? From 80-125 or whatever, we go for that first number, “People aren’t watching the show.” I go that’s where you're wrong. This year I traveled mostly with Rey (Mysterio) but I went to Sudan, to Chile, like all over bro, everybody knew what Lucha Underground was and nobody had El Rey. - We saw Lucha Underground open the doors
Get it all on this week's brand new episode of AfterBuzz TV's X-Pac 12360. Two words for you...DOWNLOAD IT!
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE END OF CAGE OF DEATH: CZW NEWS
As reported by several people, shortly after the Cage of Death event took place last week,
CZW (with the exception of one person) was not aware that Nick Gage and Brett
Lauderdale were going to enter the ring and the Cage after the show. There's
been some heat between the two companies for some time. Lauderdale had worked
the CZW in the past and was no longer welcome at their events after a falling
out. Gage had been one of the top CZW talents at one point and the two were now
doing their own rival promotion in Gamechanger doing their own Ultraviolent
style product using some former CZW names, including founder John Zandig.
So, why did the scene at the end of Cage of Death happen? We are told that the idea of doing an angle was pitched to DJ Hyde and the decision was made to turn it down. Giancarlo Dittamo, who worked on the booking of CZW with Sami Callihan and Hyde, had originally pitched the idea. As noted, it was shot down, but the word making the rounds is that Dittamo, feeling the show needed a big moment to close it, decided to do it anyway and not tell anyone. Gage and Lauderdale just walked into the building and hopped the rail. which is equally insane. That sort of thing never would have happened if Atlas Security was there.
With no real plan and CZW (beyond Dittamo) not in on what was going on, the show had an awkward ending where the ring mic was shut off on Gage and the ring sort of filled up with everyone waiting for something to happen. Hyde and Matt Tremont were shoving back and forth with Gage but beyond that, there was no physicality, although the scene could have gotten real ugly, obviously. At that moment in time, most in the cage weren't sure if what was happening was a work or not. We are told Dittamo left the building as soon as everything went down and is gone from the company. The word was that he was fired and a lot of people were really upset about the situation because Dittamo had been great at producing videos and in general, was a great hand and a good mind that helped the CZW product.
CZW has removed that footage from their Cage of Death video and requested that their staff and wrestlers do not speak about it publicly. Gage and Lauderdale's company Gamechanger Wrestling released a video made up of content shot from what appeared to be fans' phones of the incident but CZW immediately filed a copyright claim (since it was their show) and had the material yanked. We are told that the police were called to the building but by the time they arrived, Gage and Lauderdale had left the venue, as had Dittamo. The entire scenario and the aftermath (speaking to police, etc.) led to CZW post-show cleanup being delayed and the building was furious about that, especially since they needed to set up for the next day. DJ Hyde was beyond furious about the situation, believing it had ruined the show. Whether anything comes of this remains to be seen, but as of today it's not building to any sort of CZW storyline.
The weird irony in all of this is that Matt Tremont, who in CZW storylines owns 50% of the company, is wrestling Gage for Gamechanger this weekend in New Jersey.
MJF suffered a broken hand in his match against Joey Janela at the Cage of Death. He had been hoping it was just sprained but it was broken.
Everyone involved in the Cage of Death main event ended up going to the ER after the show.
CZW is taking January off as they are looking for a new venue after Rastelli Complex, despite coming to an agreement with the company to regularly host both their school and live events there, pulled out. The word making the rounds was that the facility, which was a cheerleading rehersal space and kids-oriented facility didn't really jibe with the CZW product. Who could have guessed that one??? CZW apparently has two potential venues in the Sewell, NJ area they are looking at. The plan is to run again in February, kicking off with the company's 19th anniversary event.
So, why did the scene at the end of Cage of Death happen? We are told that the idea of doing an angle was pitched to DJ Hyde and the decision was made to turn it down. Giancarlo Dittamo, who worked on the booking of CZW with Sami Callihan and Hyde, had originally pitched the idea. As noted, it was shot down, but the word making the rounds is that Dittamo, feeling the show needed a big moment to close it, decided to do it anyway and not tell anyone. Gage and Lauderdale just walked into the building and hopped the rail. which is equally insane. That sort of thing never would have happened if Atlas Security was there.
With no real plan and CZW (beyond Dittamo) not in on what was going on, the show had an awkward ending where the ring mic was shut off on Gage and the ring sort of filled up with everyone waiting for something to happen. Hyde and Matt Tremont were shoving back and forth with Gage but beyond that, there was no physicality, although the scene could have gotten real ugly, obviously. At that moment in time, most in the cage weren't sure if what was happening was a work or not. We are told Dittamo left the building as soon as everything went down and is gone from the company. The word was that he was fired and a lot of people were really upset about the situation because Dittamo had been great at producing videos and in general, was a great hand and a good mind that helped the CZW product.
CZW has removed that footage from their Cage of Death video and requested that their staff and wrestlers do not speak about it publicly. Gage and Lauderdale's company Gamechanger Wrestling released a video made up of content shot from what appeared to be fans' phones of the incident but CZW immediately filed a copyright claim (since it was their show) and had the material yanked. We are told that the police were called to the building but by the time they arrived, Gage and Lauderdale had left the venue, as had Dittamo. The entire scenario and the aftermath (speaking to police, etc.) led to CZW post-show cleanup being delayed and the building was furious about that, especially since they needed to set up for the next day. DJ Hyde was beyond furious about the situation, believing it had ruined the show. Whether anything comes of this remains to be seen, but as of today it's not building to any sort of CZW storyline.
The weird irony in all of this is that Matt Tremont, who in CZW storylines owns 50% of the company, is wrestling Gage for Gamechanger this weekend in New Jersey.
MJF suffered a broken hand in his match against Joey Janela at the Cage of Death. He had been hoping it was just sprained but it was broken.
Everyone involved in the Cage of Death main event ended up going to the ER after the show.
CZW is taking January off as they are looking for a new venue after Rastelli Complex, despite coming to an agreement with the company to regularly host both their school and live events there, pulled out. The word making the rounds was that the facility, which was a cheerleading rehersal space and kids-oriented facility didn't really jibe with the CZW product. Who could have guessed that one??? CZW apparently has two potential venues in the Sewell, NJ area they are looking at. The plan is to run again in February, kicking off with the company's 19th anniversary event.
Wednesday, December 13, 2017
AWA Supreme Last Word Episode 11: DRESSing Up
When you click the link, you'll smile when you see a link to this blog right here.
Thank You AWA Supreme. Very much appreciated.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMacKyyV68M
Thank You AWA Supreme. Very much appreciated.
Published on Dec 13, 2017
On this edition of AWA Supreme Last Word, witness the AWA Mid America Heavyweight Championship match between "Tailor Made" Roger Malcolm and champion "Boston's Baddest" Angus Barnett. Also, Morty's Man Candy has a plan for the Two Dudes with Tudes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMacKyyV68M
Colorado Kid vs Cactus Jack North American Title Ozark Mountain Wrestling
I know the guy who runs Wrestletopia and he has a lot of great stuff.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8A_7Gr527w4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8A_7Gr527w4
A rare WWE story for you. :) Hideo Itami to debut on WWE 205 Live next week
Hideo Itami will be arriving on 205 Live next Tuesday.
After a few weeks of hype videos, one final video was shown last night and announced that Itami would be making his debut next week. On commentary, Nigel McGuinness called Itami one of the most intimidating opponents that he's ever faced.
Itami has been wrestling on NXT house shows while waiting to debut on 205 Live, but he hasn't appeared on television since losing to Kassius Ohno in a no disqualification match that aired in September.
Though Itami is getting called up to the cruiserweight division, it won't be the first time he's wrestled on the main roster. He was previously included as a participant in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 31 in 2015 after signing with WWE the year prior.
Before Itami arrives on 205 Live, there will be a number one contender's match between Cedric Alexander and Drew Gulak on Monday's episode of Raw to decide the next challenger for Enzo Amore's Cruiserweight Championship
After a few weeks of hype videos, one final video was shown last night and announced that Itami would be making his debut next week. On commentary, Nigel McGuinness called Itami one of the most intimidating opponents that he's ever faced.
Itami has been wrestling on NXT house shows while waiting to debut on 205 Live, but he hasn't appeared on television since losing to Kassius Ohno in a no disqualification match that aired in September.
Though Itami is getting called up to the cruiserweight division, it won't be the first time he's wrestled on the main roster. He was previously included as a participant in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 31 in 2015 after signing with WWE the year prior.
Before Itami arrives on 205 Live, there will be a number one contender's match between Cedric Alexander and Drew Gulak on Monday's episode of Raw to decide the next challenger for Enzo Amore's Cruiserweight Championship
MLW releases “Never Say Never” event for free online
Major League Wrestling issued the following press release to announce that the “Never Say Never” event is now available on Youtube.
Tis the season for giving! Major League Wrestling announced today that last week’s event, MLW: Never Say Never will be available in full for free on its YouTube channel effective immediately at: http://www.youtube.com/majorleaguewrestling.
See a wild no disqualification match featuring Jimmy Havoc and Darby Allin vs. Shane “Swerve” Strickland and John Hennigan. Plus, Matt Riddle vs. Tom Lawlor and so much more!
“It’s the time of the year for giving and we know fans have a lot of holiday shopping to do so we figured we’d hook them up with a gift ourselves,” said MLW CEO Court Bauer.
MLW returns in January with MLW: Zero Hour, emanating from Gilt Nightclub in Orlando, which hosted MLW: Never Say Never.
Ticket prices range from $15-$45 with a limited number of “Golden Ticket” VIP Packages also available.
Tis the season for giving! Major League Wrestling announced today that last week’s event, MLW: Never Say Never will be available in full for free on its YouTube channel effective immediately at: http://www.youtube.com/majorleaguewrestling.
See a wild no disqualification match featuring Jimmy Havoc and Darby Allin vs. Shane “Swerve” Strickland and John Hennigan. Plus, Matt Riddle vs. Tom Lawlor and so much more!
“It’s the time of the year for giving and we know fans have a lot of holiday shopping to do so we figured we’d hook them up with a gift ourselves,” said MLW CEO Court Bauer.
MLW returns in January with MLW: Zero Hour, emanating from Gilt Nightclub in Orlando, which hosted MLW: Never Say Never.
Ticket prices range from $15-$45 with a limited number of “Golden Ticket” VIP Packages also available.
Rosemary On The Impact Knockouts Division, Going From Heel To Face, Teaming With Allie
Rosemary spoke with the Irish Mirror on a number of wrestling topics. Here are some of the highlights:
The current Impact Knockouts division:
"It's time for the current women to step up and, not be given, but take the role left when Gail Kim retired. The Knockouts division is in, shall we say, a renaissance. There is no outstanding veteran in the division any longer. ... It's up to Rosemary, Sienna, Allie, Laurel Van Ness, it's up to somebody to take that role, which is something that we're set up to do."
Teaming up with Allie:
"It is funny, because we spent so many years as rivals on the independent scene, but once we became a functioning duo, it really took off with our fans. We know each other better than most people know us, which is why I think we work so well as allies instead of rivals.
Going from heel to face:
"For a lot of 2016 she was this heel who caused destruction with Decay. She would kidnap and blackmail, cartoon villain things, but their would be an air of reality and danger to them as well. Decay, were really the only villains worthy of Matt Hardy and his family during that time. ... We were the only ones who could possibly keep up with them, and match them at the level they were at. So she's now kind of, dare I say a babyface, but she hasn't changed really the way she operates. She still demands darkness, and chaos and loyalty from people. She hasn't changed the way that she does battle, but maybe she's changing the reason why she does battle
"It's time for the current women to step up and, not be given, but take the role left when Gail Kim retired. The Knockouts division is in, shall we say, a renaissance. There is no outstanding veteran in the division any longer. ... It's up to Rosemary, Sienna, Allie, Laurel Van Ness, it's up to somebody to take that role, which is something that we're set up to do."
Teaming up with Allie:
"It is funny, because we spent so many years as rivals on the independent scene, but once we became a functioning duo, it really took off with our fans. We know each other better than most people know us, which is why I think we work so well as allies instead of rivals.
Going from heel to face:
"For a lot of 2016 she was this heel who caused destruction with Decay. She would kidnap and blackmail, cartoon villain things, but their would be an air of reality and danger to them as well. Decay, were really the only villains worthy of Matt Hardy and his family during that time. ... We were the only ones who could possibly keep up with them, and match them at the level they were at. So she's now kind of, dare I say a babyface, but she hasn't changed really the way she operates. She still demands darkness, and chaos and loyalty from people. She hasn't changed the way that she does battle, but maybe she's changing the reason why she does battle
William Regal Tells EVOLVE Talents to "step up".
WWE NXT General Manager William Regal was set to scout talents at WWN Live's EVOLVE 96 event this past Saturday night in Queens. After the match that saw Darby Allin defeat Austin Theory (with Priscilla Kelly), Regal hit the ring and told all three talents that the indies need new stars in 2018, challenging them to step up. Regal said they have the potential but challenged them to prove it by winning a title
THE SANDMAN, CHRIS DICKINSON, CONOR CLAXTON & MORE SET FOR LEGACY WRESTLING IN PA THIS SATURDAY
Legacy Wrestling/Wrestlers Laboratory returns to Manheim, PA
featuring Sandman and Chris Dickinson
LegacyWrestling.com - This Saturday, December 16, Legacy
Wrestling and Wrestlers Laboratory "Future Vision" comes to
Spooky Nook Sports, 75 Champ Blvd in Manheim, PA at 7 pm.
"Hybrid" Sean Carr vs. Johnny Silver vs. Laszlo Arpad vs.
The Red Scorpion vs. Gory in a #1 contendership scramble for
the Legacy Heavyweight Title!
Legacy Women's champion Brittany Blake and her undefeated
streak vs. Roni Nicole.
Legacy Tag champions The Wildcardz (Eddie Page, Jason
Raditz) vs. The Ugly Ducklings (Lance Lude, Rob Killjoy w/
Coach Mikey).
Mr. Grim defends his Nucleas Title and #1 contendership to
the Heavyweight Title vs. Tyler Matrix!
Conor Claxton vs. Mance Warner.
Wheeler Yuta vs. Joseph A'gau vs. Adrian Armour for the #1
Contendership for the Nucleus Title!
Jaka vs. Buster Jackson.
Extreme Legend The Sandman, Anthony Henry, Andy Vineberg,
the debut of Chris Dickinson, and more.
Get tickets at LegacyWrestling.com starting at $15 or $20 at
the door. Also, 4 tickets for $40 online. Kids 5 and under
free.
Follow Legacy at: facebook.com/LegacyStartsHere -
Twitter.com/LegacyWrestlng - Instagram.com/Legacy_Wrestling
featuring Sandman and Chris Dickinson
LegacyWrestling.com - This Saturday, December 16, Legacy
Wrestling and Wrestlers Laboratory "Future Vision" comes to
Spooky Nook Sports, 75 Champ Blvd in Manheim, PA at 7 pm.
"Hybrid" Sean Carr vs. Johnny Silver vs. Laszlo Arpad vs.
The Red Scorpion vs. Gory in a #1 contendership scramble for
the Legacy Heavyweight Title!
Legacy Women's champion Brittany Blake and her undefeated
streak vs. Roni Nicole.
Legacy Tag champions The Wildcardz (Eddie Page, Jason
Raditz) vs. The Ugly Ducklings (Lance Lude, Rob Killjoy w/
Coach Mikey).
Mr. Grim defends his Nucleas Title and #1 contendership to
the Heavyweight Title vs. Tyler Matrix!
Conor Claxton vs. Mance Warner.
Wheeler Yuta vs. Joseph A'gau vs. Adrian Armour for the #1
Contendership for the Nucleus Title!
Jaka vs. Buster Jackson.
Extreme Legend The Sandman, Anthony Henry, Andy Vineberg,
the debut of Chris Dickinson, and more.
Get tickets at LegacyWrestling.com starting at $15 or $20 at
the door. Also, 4 tickets for $40 online. Kids 5 and under
free.
Follow Legacy at: facebook.com/LegacyStartsHere -
Twitter.com/LegacyWrestlng - Instagram.com/Legacy_Wrestling
BATTLEARTS PRO WRESTLING RETURNING TO ONTARIO THIS SATURDAY
Saturday, December 16 at 7 PM - 10 PM
Battle Arts Professional Wrestling
4880 Tomken Rd, Mississauga, Ontario
Tickets available at battleartspw.eventsmart.com
#HOHOHO! We return in the #Holiday #Spirit to Battle Arts
Academy's #DonKolovArena December 16th @ 7 pm for another
great #family #event at Battle Arts Academy featuring #SANTA
#CLAUS himself! We know the Holiday season is a busy time,
so mark the date on your advent calendars, and join us in
the arena to spread some Holiday #cheer...or boos.
Featuring #Heavyweight #Champion Ad Hutchinson,
#LightHeavyweight Champ Buck Gunderson and #Tag #Team
#Champions Tony Cage & Sam Osborne, The #Ripperoos, as well
as appearances by Randy Bynoe & Nathan"Gunns"Smoak of the Di
Papa Family, Freedom Wallace & his Cousin clansmen Bradford
Montague & Ollie Wallace of #Clan #Freedom, former
Heavyweight Champions Mike Dorosti, James Runyan & Karou,
former Light Heavyweight Champion Dustin QuickSilver, Battle
Arts Women's division action & much, much, much more! Which
#RisingStars will Santa deem to be #naughty or #nice? 'Tis
the season to find out!
As part of this event, we will be accepting monetary
donations in support of victims of the November 12th
earthquake in Kurdistan on behalf of The Toronto Kurdish
House!
Tickets are available now!
Battle Arts Professional Wrestling
4880 Tomken Rd, Mississauga, Ontario
Tickets available at battleartspw.eventsmart.com
#HOHOHO! We return in the #Holiday #Spirit to Battle Arts
Academy's #DonKolovArena December 16th @ 7 pm for another
great #family #event at Battle Arts Academy featuring #SANTA
#CLAUS himself! We know the Holiday season is a busy time,
so mark the date on your advent calendars, and join us in
the arena to spread some Holiday #cheer...or boos.
Featuring #Heavyweight #Champion Ad Hutchinson,
#LightHeavyweight Champ Buck Gunderson and #Tag #Team
#Champions Tony Cage & Sam Osborne, The #Ripperoos, as well
as appearances by Randy Bynoe & Nathan"Gunns"Smoak of the Di
Papa Family, Freedom Wallace & his Cousin clansmen Bradford
Montague & Ollie Wallace of #Clan #Freedom, former
Heavyweight Champions Mike Dorosti, James Runyan & Karou,
former Light Heavyweight Champion Dustin QuickSilver, Battle
Arts Women's division action & much, much, much more! Which
#RisingStars will Santa deem to be #naughty or #nice? 'Tis
the season to find out!
As part of this event, we will be accepting monetary
donations in support of victims of the November 12th
earthquake in Kurdistan on behalf of The Toronto Kurdish
House!
Tickets are available now!
FULL DETAILS ON FIRST EVER 'FIGHT OR FLIGHT' EVENT IN COOKESVILLE, TN
Fight or Flight 12/17 in Cookeville, TN: Plunkett, Farley, More
The premiere event of Fight or Flight takes place THIS SUNDAY, December 17 at the Cookeville VFW, 90 E Spring ST in Cookeville, TN at 5 pm.
- Jeremiah Plunkett vs. Kaden Sade
- The Deathdealers (Brett Isson, William Brewer) vs. Youngbloods (Octavious Black, Spoony Mac)
- Toby Farley (replacing an injured Caleb Courageous) vs. Kenji Brea
- Jeremy Travis vs. Mike Cobb
- Nate Wilde vs. Anthony Taylor
- Chris Carlton vs. James Cole
- Tyler Foshie vs. Troy Dallas
Tickets: $8 Adults, $5 Kids (5 and under free). All military get half off!
Show support on Facebook at facebook.com/events/127301057910793.
Follow Fight or Flight online:
facebook.com/fightorflightprowrestling - twitter.com/ffpwtn
The premiere event of Fight or Flight takes place THIS SUNDAY, December 17 at the Cookeville VFW, 90 E Spring ST in Cookeville, TN at 5 pm.
- Jeremiah Plunkett vs. Kaden Sade
- The Deathdealers (Brett Isson, William Brewer) vs. Youngbloods (Octavious Black, Spoony Mac)
- Toby Farley (replacing an injured Caleb Courageous) vs. Kenji Brea
- Jeremy Travis vs. Mike Cobb
- Nate Wilde vs. Anthony Taylor
- Chris Carlton vs. James Cole
- Tyler Foshie vs. Troy Dallas
Tickets: $8 Adults, $5 Kids (5 and under free). All military get half off!
Show support on Facebook at facebook.com/events/127301057910793.
Follow Fight or Flight online:
facebook.com/fightorflightprowrestling - twitter.com/ffpwtn
RVD'S CAREER IN JEOPARDY DUE TO CONCUSSION
Concussion knocks Van Dam’s WWE Career on the head
Veteran ECW and WWE fighter Rob Van Dam’s professional career could be behind him due to a concussion sustained last year – at least, that is the explanation he has provided to estranged wife Sonya for his inability to meet her financial expectations in the latest round of divorce proceedings.
Van Dam has filed papers in the divorce court that paint a picture of a man whose life is a far cry from that of the glamorous wrestling superstar who has been gracing our screens and entertaining crowds since his debut in 1990. He claims that an injury sustained in his PCW Heavyweight Championship bout against Pentagón Jr at the Pacific Coast Wrestling event in Torrance, California, last November left him with a concussion that resulted in visual impairment and precluded him from further participation in the WWE.
Gambling on an uncertain future
Cynics might argue that Van Dam’s financial difficulties have come at a convenient moment as he attempts to negotiate financial settlement and maintenance terms with his soon to be ex wife. However, it casts genuine doubt on whether the crowd favourite will be seen in the ring again. The online bookmakers and casino sites at uk-casinos.uk have certainly not ruled out the possibility after he put in a surprise appearance at Fear and Loathing X in Glasgow on 19 November, where he was defeated in a three-way elimination by Coventry-based wrestler Lionheart.
The mercy of the court
Van Dam backed up his claims with medical evidence, and the fact that he is now 46 and appears to be firmly restricted to the independent circuit certainly substantiates the contention that his best days are behind him.
He told the court that his income is “substantially reduced” due to both his medical condition and the fact that his WWE merchandising contract expired earlier this year and will not be renewed. He asked the judge to consider his precarious financial position and the fact that his estranged wife is capable of earning her own living before making a decision on his financial support obligations.
Away from the ring
Most pro sports stars spend longer in retirement than they do in the public eye, and the challenge for Van Dam now is to decide what to do with the rest of his life. The appearance at Fear and Loathing X showed a man who was wrestling as much against the sands of time as his opponent, and it was not an altogether comfortable sight for anyone.
He has made numerous television and film appearances over the years, including a memorable cameo in an episode of The X-Files, and has also performed voicework on several video games. However, when a sports star retires from the public eye, the phone soon stops ringing and the opportunities begin to dry up.
When all else fails, however, there is always reality TV, and according to his website, Van Dam’s latest project is to develop his own online show entitled RVD-TV. This is aimed at sharing his life outside wrestling with his fans and followers, and will be filmed at his California home.
Veteran ECW and WWE fighter Rob Van Dam’s professional career could be behind him due to a concussion sustained last year – at least, that is the explanation he has provided to estranged wife Sonya for his inability to meet her financial expectations in the latest round of divorce proceedings.
Van Dam has filed papers in the divorce court that paint a picture of a man whose life is a far cry from that of the glamorous wrestling superstar who has been gracing our screens and entertaining crowds since his debut in 1990. He claims that an injury sustained in his PCW Heavyweight Championship bout against Pentagón Jr at the Pacific Coast Wrestling event in Torrance, California, last November left him with a concussion that resulted in visual impairment and precluded him from further participation in the WWE.
Gambling on an uncertain future
Cynics might argue that Van Dam’s financial difficulties have come at a convenient moment as he attempts to negotiate financial settlement and maintenance terms with his soon to be ex wife. However, it casts genuine doubt on whether the crowd favourite will be seen in the ring again. The online bookmakers and casino sites at uk-casinos.uk have certainly not ruled out the possibility after he put in a surprise appearance at Fear and Loathing X in Glasgow on 19 November, where he was defeated in a three-way elimination by Coventry-based wrestler Lionheart.
The mercy of the court
Van Dam backed up his claims with medical evidence, and the fact that he is now 46 and appears to be firmly restricted to the independent circuit certainly substantiates the contention that his best days are behind him.
He told the court that his income is “substantially reduced” due to both his medical condition and the fact that his WWE merchandising contract expired earlier this year and will not be renewed. He asked the judge to consider his precarious financial position and the fact that his estranged wife is capable of earning her own living before making a decision on his financial support obligations.
Away from the ring
Most pro sports stars spend longer in retirement than they do in the public eye, and the challenge for Van Dam now is to decide what to do with the rest of his life. The appearance at Fear and Loathing X showed a man who was wrestling as much against the sands of time as his opponent, and it was not an altogether comfortable sight for anyone.
He has made numerous television and film appearances over the years, including a memorable cameo in an episode of The X-Files, and has also performed voicework on several video games. However, when a sports star retires from the public eye, the phone soon stops ringing and the opportunities begin to dry up.
When all else fails, however, there is always reality TV, and according to his website, Van Dam’s latest project is to develop his own online show entitled RVD-TV. This is aimed at sharing his life outside wrestling with his fans and followers, and will be filmed at his California home.
Tuesday, December 12, 2017
Giving this a look see. Best of the West Ignition Episode 49
Published on Dec 2, 2017
Best of the West Ignition Episode 49 live from the American Legion Post 83 in Merced CA! This episode features 2 matches, first the 20 year veteran Robby Phoenix takes on the unpredictable Owen Travers. Your Main Event Tag Team Action as Wiseguy & Niko take on the high flying Midnight Marvels!
Tonite's Indy Wrestling Feature is. House Of Glory Wrestling HOG Live 12/07/17 - The Amazing Red vs Anthony Gangone (High Intensity 6)
Streamed live on Dec 7, 2017
We will see the House of Glory World Championship defended in tonights main event. From High Intensity 6, it's the Amazing Red vs Anthony Gangone.
JJ Dillon on Bruce Prichard & Jerry Jarrett
Published on Dec 12, 2017
JJ Dillon on working with Bruce Prichard & Jerry Jarrett
In this clip legendary Professional wrestling manager, leader of the 4 horsemen, WWE Hall of Famer and former WWE office Executive and WCW office worker James J Dillon talks about working with Bruce Prichard and Jerry Jarrett behind the scenes in WWE during his executive tenure with the company.
In this clip legendary Professional wrestling manager, leader of the 4 horsemen, WWE Hall of Famer and former WWE office Executive and WCW office worker James J Dillon talks about working with Bruce Prichard and Jerry Jarrett behind the scenes in WWE during his executive tenure with the company.
Jim Cornette on Bruiser Brody Screwing Over Promoters
Published on Dec 12, 2017
Jim Cornette talks about Bruiser Brody's habit of screwing promoters over that didn't meet his demands. It could well have been Bill Watts' fault. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47MMlnbK2Yg
Jimmy Jacobs On How Vince McMahon Originally Felt About '205 Live', Creating The List, Dean Ambrose
Jimmy Jacobs was recently a guest on the Talk Is Jericho podcast and discussed 205 Live and some of his favorite storylines he wrote for WWE.
Jacobs said he thinks 205 Live is in a tough spot in that it comes on after SmackDown Live. He pointed out that the cruiserweight division lacks the star power of the past. Jacobs also mentioned how the high-flying style is prevalent among wrestlers who aren't cruiserweights, so 205 Live is not as much of an attraction as it should be.
"Vince was really excited about 205 Live when it first started, but I really think in a lot of ways, but they were in a really tough position, right off the bat. First off, being on at 10 p.m., after 2 hours of SmackDown without any stars, so it is really hard to create stars from non-stars. You need somebody that people know. I need to know that Noam Dar has at least met Chris Jericho, they are in completely different universes," Jacobs said. "Other thing is that there's really no demand for the show. Look, this isn't 20 years ago when WCW at the top of the card was Kevin Nash, Hulk Hogan, Big Show, or Lex Luger; you had Jericho, Rey Mysterio; I mean, the top of the WWE card those guys can go. Seth Rollins does the 205 Live style better than the 205 Live guys do, so where is the demand? Now you see smaller guys, lesser stars, doing stuff not really as good as those on the main roster. John Cena is even doing Springboard Diamond Cutters; that style has really permeated on the main roster. It's a really tough position they are in. I give those guys a lot of credit from the talents to the Writer's. It was and is a really tough job."
Prior to his firing in October, Jacobs had worked as a writer for the WWE for two-and-a-half years and wrote many high-profile storylines. During Dean Ambrose's feud with Chris Jericho, Jacobs came up with the idea for Mitch the Plant.
"I was the one that convinced Dean Ambrose to call it 'Mitch the Plant.' To me, I was like, look, once you break the plant, and hit him with him, you will get a 2 for 1 deal. Not only did you 'kill' Dean Ambrose, but you also 'killed' Mitch the Plant," Jacobs said. "I felt, when you picked up that potted plant and you were going to hit Dean with it, the crowd's reaction was like, no! Don't do it! I thought that it was perfect that you were telling us to never call it Mitch the Plant ever again."
Arguably his most notable storyline was his creation of "The List" for Jericho. Jacobs explained that his inspiration for the idea came from many different things. He noted what really made it work was Jericho's commitment to the storyline.
"Each week, we all write segments for the show. At this point I am writing your [Jericho] segments for the show. I get an outline of what the segment is supposed to be. This one said that---at the time you had a problem with Mick Foley, so it said that Chris Jericho comes out to the ring and airs his grievances about how Mick Foley is doing a bad job as a General Manager. I see, 'airing grievances' and thought, man, maybe he should have a list of his grievances," Jacons said. "Then I thought about Steve Corino. In real life, Steve Corino has the S**t List, so I'm like, okay, so he airs his grievances, and I thought, man, what if he has a list of his grievances like Steve Corino has in real life, just people that piss him off, but Chris Jericho is so petty, everybody pisses him off. You can do a lot with that; so I started thinking about how much you can do with that list. I was talking to my ex-girlfriend about it at the time, and was going back and forth about it. On Christmas, Jericho can go up to someone and say, you know what, just for Christmas I'm going to take you off the list. Then they question whether they were on the list, and there was just so much you can do social media wise, like taking a picture at the guy in the airport, he is on the list. I just thought how cool it could be. I started pitching it to a couple of the writers, but nobody was really as excited about it as I was.
"Thankfully, you got it, and thankfully you were happy about it," he continued. "I went up to you in Memphis, Tennessee and I remember pitching the whole thing to you, and you were curious if we were talking about more than just for tonight's show, and I said yeah, and I felt like it could be your new thing, and how i think we can do a lot with that. I am just so happy that you got it. One of the things that you brought to it was the look of it. In my mind, it was a crumpled up piece of paper, like a folded up piece of paper that you had left in your tights. The bit would be like you pulling it out of your tights and then unfolding it, and then scribbling on it, and you had an idea of the clipboard, which was much more visual."
"Vince was really excited about 205 Live when it first started, but I really think in a lot of ways, but they were in a really tough position, right off the bat. First off, being on at 10 p.m., after 2 hours of SmackDown without any stars, so it is really hard to create stars from non-stars. You need somebody that people know. I need to know that Noam Dar has at least met Chris Jericho, they are in completely different universes," Jacobs said. "Other thing is that there's really no demand for the show. Look, this isn't 20 years ago when WCW at the top of the card was Kevin Nash, Hulk Hogan, Big Show, or Lex Luger; you had Jericho, Rey Mysterio; I mean, the top of the WWE card those guys can go. Seth Rollins does the 205 Live style better than the 205 Live guys do, so where is the demand? Now you see smaller guys, lesser stars, doing stuff not really as good as those on the main roster. John Cena is even doing Springboard Diamond Cutters; that style has really permeated on the main roster. It's a really tough position they are in. I give those guys a lot of credit from the talents to the Writer's. It was and is a really tough job."
Prior to his firing in October, Jacobs had worked as a writer for the WWE for two-and-a-half years and wrote many high-profile storylines. During Dean Ambrose's feud with Chris Jericho, Jacobs came up with the idea for Mitch the Plant.
"I was the one that convinced Dean Ambrose to call it 'Mitch the Plant.' To me, I was like, look, once you break the plant, and hit him with him, you will get a 2 for 1 deal. Not only did you 'kill' Dean Ambrose, but you also 'killed' Mitch the Plant," Jacobs said. "I felt, when you picked up that potted plant and you were going to hit Dean with it, the crowd's reaction was like, no! Don't do it! I thought that it was perfect that you were telling us to never call it Mitch the Plant ever again."
Arguably his most notable storyline was his creation of "The List" for Jericho. Jacobs explained that his inspiration for the idea came from many different things. He noted what really made it work was Jericho's commitment to the storyline.
"Each week, we all write segments for the show. At this point I am writing your [Jericho] segments for the show. I get an outline of what the segment is supposed to be. This one said that---at the time you had a problem with Mick Foley, so it said that Chris Jericho comes out to the ring and airs his grievances about how Mick Foley is doing a bad job as a General Manager. I see, 'airing grievances' and thought, man, maybe he should have a list of his grievances," Jacons said. "Then I thought about Steve Corino. In real life, Steve Corino has the S**t List, so I'm like, okay, so he airs his grievances, and I thought, man, what if he has a list of his grievances like Steve Corino has in real life, just people that piss him off, but Chris Jericho is so petty, everybody pisses him off. You can do a lot with that; so I started thinking about how much you can do with that list. I was talking to my ex-girlfriend about it at the time, and was going back and forth about it. On Christmas, Jericho can go up to someone and say, you know what, just for Christmas I'm going to take you off the list. Then they question whether they were on the list, and there was just so much you can do social media wise, like taking a picture at the guy in the airport, he is on the list. I just thought how cool it could be. I started pitching it to a couple of the writers, but nobody was really as excited about it as I was.
"Thankfully, you got it, and thankfully you were happy about it," he continued. "I went up to you in Memphis, Tennessee and I remember pitching the whole thing to you, and you were curious if we were talking about more than just for tonight's show, and I said yeah, and I felt like it could be your new thing, and how i think we can do a lot with that. I am just so happy that you got it. One of the things that you brought to it was the look of it. In my mind, it was a crumpled up piece of paper, like a folded up piece of paper that you had left in your tights. The bit would be like you pulling it out of your tights and then unfolding it, and then scribbling on it, and you had an idea of the clipboard, which was much more visual."
SPOILER ON PLANNED WWE DEBUT FOR INTERNATIONAL STAR
James Michael Curtin, aka Rockstar Spud in Impact Wrestling, is slated to
start with World Wrestling Entertainment next week at the post-Clash of
Champions PPV TV tapings. As many sources reported back in October, the
plan is for Spud to be part of the 205 Live brand, which means he would be
appearing on Monday Night Raw as well.
Spud, 34, was the first-ever winner of Impact's British reality competition series British Bootcamp. After being signed, he was used as a wrestler, personality and even ring announcer over the course of his run with TNA/Impact Wrestling from 2012 through 2017, including memorable work with Dixie Carter and EC3, among others.
Spud requested a release from his Impact contract in September and was granted the release. He signed with WWE the following month and had returned to Great Britain, waiting for his work visa paperwork to be handled.
Spud is an excellent, versatile performer who will be a great addition to the 205 Live brand as WWE prepares to begin touring it with live events in January 2018
Spud, 34, was the first-ever winner of Impact's British reality competition series British Bootcamp. After being signed, he was used as a wrestler, personality and even ring announcer over the course of his run with TNA/Impact Wrestling from 2012 through 2017, including memorable work with Dixie Carter and EC3, among others.
Spud requested a release from his Impact contract in September and was granted the release. He signed with WWE the following month and had returned to Great Britain, waiting for his work visa paperwork to be handled.
Spud is an excellent, versatile performer who will be a great addition to the 205 Live brand as WWE prepares to begin touring it with live events in January 2018
Nice to see One of Meltzer's staff looks at this blog, then plays catch up. :)
Thanks for viewing Wrestling Observer. :)
https://www.f4wonline.com/japan/video-omega-attacks-jericho-angle-njpw-press-conference-247826
https://www.f4wonline.com/japan/video-omega-attacks-jericho-angle-njpw-press-conference-247826
New NWA Video. Special Message from Nick Aldis and Austin idol
Published on Dec 12, 2017
After shocking the world at Combat Zone Wrestling - CZW’S Cage of Death, the new NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis and his manager the legendary Austin Idol had cameras follow them home to record this special first message fro the new NWA Champion after defeating former NWA Champion Tim Storm.
In this message, Nick Aldis wanted to thank all the fans for the overwhelming warm support of his championship victory. Also Austin Idol delivers gifts sent to the new NWA Worlds Champion by wrestling fans, promoters, and even wrestlers hoping to gain an audience with the new champion. Even revealed is the bonus that the promoter gave directly to Austin Idol for Nick Aldis
In this message, Nick Aldis wanted to thank all the fans for the overwhelming warm support of his championship victory. Also Austin Idol delivers gifts sent to the new NWA Worlds Champion by wrestling fans, promoters, and even wrestlers hoping to gain an audience with the new champion. Even revealed is the bonus that the promoter gave directly to Austin Idol for Nick Aldis
Kenny Omega's Press Conference for NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnqAJmkBD2E
Kenny Omega discusses Chris Jericho's attack on him at the NJPW World Tag League Finals and their upcoming match at WK12.
Kenny Omega discusses Chris Jericho's attack on him at the NJPW World Tag League Finals and their upcoming match at WK12.
Wow, not even ten minutes after I do it first PWInsider plays catch up, LOL.
Nice to see that Mike Johnson is a fan of this blog. :)
https://www.pwinsider.com/article/114153/omega-attacks-jericho-at-press-conference-updated-wrestle-kingdom-lineup.html?p=1
https://www.pwinsider.com/article/114153/omega-attacks-jericho-at-press-conference-updated-wrestle-kingdom-lineup.html?p=1
Chris Jericho Attacks Kenny Omega
Chris Jericho attacks Kenny Omega leading up to the big WrestleKingdom 12 match! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQX174uKXGU
Henry Godwinn On The Undertaker's Backstage Faction, Triple H's Friendship, Hog-Pen Match
On the most recent episode of The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling, Chad and John Poz welcomed former WWE Superstar, Mark Canterbury FKA Henry Godwinn. In the following excerpt from the interview released last Friday, the former hog farmer discusses helping Triple H get ready for the first big push in his WWE career as well as shed some light on the somewhat overlooked backstage faction from the 1990s, The Undertaker's B.S.K. The full episode can be downloaded at this link.
PLEASE CREDIT The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling FOR THIS TRANSCRIPTION
Who was the B.S.K and was The Undertaker the leader of the group:
"Yes. Him and Yoko started it together just them two and they picked who they wanted and who would fit in to their mold the best. Right off the bat it was me and Yoko, Savio (Vega) and Taker and Fatu and then Godfather had come back and Paul Bearer was there all the time and a year later Tex (Phineus Godwin) had come up. It was the Bone Street Krew. Krew spelled with a "K" of course (laughing)."
What was it about that group (B.S.K) that bonded everyone:
"I don't know. WCW a lot of the older guys and was the old scene and when I got to the WWF it was like a breath of fresh air for me because I started learning more. I learned in WCW because I was around Dusty and Dustin and even Steve (Stone Cold) and (Brian) Pillman who were doing the Hollywood Blondes down there. But when I got to the WWF and I started one week, Jeff Jarrett had started the next week and I rode with him for a year and then me, him and Road Dog were together all the time. But it was when me and Taker had a match on TV and we came back after the match and he put me over and put me over to Vince and that was my breakout there and they started to use me. Taker said that we had to work again, which we never did except for one Survivor Series. (I think) The attitudes were different. It didn't seem like there was a lot of ego and it was like everybody was trying to work together."
Perceived backstage heat between rival factions The Kliq and B.S.K:
"We all got along and I think that everybody else just put us like that and thought we were at each other. But we would have fought for each other and we had in the bar scene if something happened and whether you disagree in the ring about how you work (or something) it never carried over to the relationships and those relationships I cherish all of them. Razor, X-Pac, Shawn (Michaels), especially Taker and Yoko (we'd stay at his house all the time) and Fatu all of these guys were great. Stone Cold, we'd go cook out with him and everybody so was close and it was a close knit between everybody. Brothers fight all the time but they always make up usually. It was very tight back then and nothing like it is now. When I went back in '06-07 up there for a few months it was pretty different then in just that eight or nine years."
His feud with Triple H setting up Hunter's ascension up the card:
"I think what helped me and him was we knew each other a little bit in WCW. When we both ended up at the same time up there up North everything just sort of fell together. We both thought it was a good idea to do the prissy English boy who has never been on a farm and me who is not washing my clothes all the time and carrying that damn slop-bucket around all the time. What more can you ask for? It is bound to happen that he is going to get muddied or he is going to get slop on him eventually and he did both quite often."
Their "Arkansas Hog-Pen" match at In Your House 5:
"We never went to anybody else and said what should we do and should we do this? Me and Hunter were the ones that had come up with that match and even Vince said that we could have easily gone the other way and made it a damn comedy ha-ha match but he added that there was some substance to it. We all really put a lot of effort into what we did and we weren't out there to dance around and throw slop on each other, we were there to kick each other's ass and that is what we did. I was sore for a few days and I had to do TV the next night and I could hardly move from hitting that concrete. We had great chemistry and we had been friends and as far as I'm concerned we will always be good friends. Hunter was a good guy that taught me a lot and I think we actually taught each other a lot."
Who was the B.S.K and was The Undertaker the leader of the group:
"Yes. Him and Yoko started it together just them two and they picked who they wanted and who would fit in to their mold the best. Right off the bat it was me and Yoko, Savio (Vega) and Taker and Fatu and then Godfather had come back and Paul Bearer was there all the time and a year later Tex (Phineus Godwin) had come up. It was the Bone Street Krew. Krew spelled with a "K" of course (laughing)."
What was it about that group (B.S.K) that bonded everyone:
"I don't know. WCW a lot of the older guys and was the old scene and when I got to the WWF it was like a breath of fresh air for me because I started learning more. I learned in WCW because I was around Dusty and Dustin and even Steve (Stone Cold) and (Brian) Pillman who were doing the Hollywood Blondes down there. But when I got to the WWF and I started one week, Jeff Jarrett had started the next week and I rode with him for a year and then me, him and Road Dog were together all the time. But it was when me and Taker had a match on TV and we came back after the match and he put me over and put me over to Vince and that was my breakout there and they started to use me. Taker said that we had to work again, which we never did except for one Survivor Series. (I think) The attitudes were different. It didn't seem like there was a lot of ego and it was like everybody was trying to work together."
Perceived backstage heat between rival factions The Kliq and B.S.K:
"We all got along and I think that everybody else just put us like that and thought we were at each other. But we would have fought for each other and we had in the bar scene if something happened and whether you disagree in the ring about how you work (or something) it never carried over to the relationships and those relationships I cherish all of them. Razor, X-Pac, Shawn (Michaels), especially Taker and Yoko (we'd stay at his house all the time) and Fatu all of these guys were great. Stone Cold, we'd go cook out with him and everybody so was close and it was a close knit between everybody. Brothers fight all the time but they always make up usually. It was very tight back then and nothing like it is now. When I went back in '06-07 up there for a few months it was pretty different then in just that eight or nine years."
His feud with Triple H setting up Hunter's ascension up the card:
"I think what helped me and him was we knew each other a little bit in WCW. When we both ended up at the same time up there up North everything just sort of fell together. We both thought it was a good idea to do the prissy English boy who has never been on a farm and me who is not washing my clothes all the time and carrying that damn slop-bucket around all the time. What more can you ask for? It is bound to happen that he is going to get muddied or he is going to get slop on him eventually and he did both quite often."
Their "Arkansas Hog-Pen" match at In Your House 5:
"We never went to anybody else and said what should we do and should we do this? Me and Hunter were the ones that had come up with that match and even Vince said that we could have easily gone the other way and made it a damn comedy ha-ha match but he added that there was some substance to it. We all really put a lot of effort into what we did and we weren't out there to dance around and throw slop on each other, we were there to kick each other's ass and that is what we did. I was sore for a few days and I had to do TV the next night and I could hardly move from hitting that concrete. We had great chemistry and we had been friends and as far as I'm concerned we will always be good friends. Hunter was a good guy that taught me a lot and I think we actually taught each other a lot."
HOUSE OF HARDCORE TO CROWN FIRST TV CHAMPION, TOURNAMENT KICKS OFF ROYAL RUMBLE WEEKEND IN PHILLY
Tommy Dreamer's House of Hardcore will be adding its first championship - the
HOH Television championship - in 2018. A tournament to crown the first champion
will commence at the Friday 1/26/18 House of Hardcore event at the 2300 Arena in
Philadelphia, which is the 2018 Royal Rumble weekend.
The main event for HOH that evening will be NWA champion Nick Aldis & Joey Mercury, with Shane Douglas, vs. Tommy Dreamer and a mystery partner, with another mystery man in their corner.
Also advertised for the event are Super Crazy, Brian Cage, Willie Mack, Matt Riddle, Kevin Kross, Swoggle, Lisa Marie Varon, Billy Gunn, Crazy Steve, Eddie Kingston and The Luchasaurus.
For additional details and tickets, visit www.HouseofHardcore.net.
The main event for HOH that evening will be NWA champion Nick Aldis & Joey Mercury, with Shane Douglas, vs. Tommy Dreamer and a mystery partner, with another mystery man in their corner.
Also advertised for the event are Super Crazy, Brian Cage, Willie Mack, Matt Riddle, Kevin Kross, Swoggle, Lisa Marie Varon, Billy Gunn, Crazy Steve, Eddie Kingston and The Luchasaurus.
For additional details and tickets, visit www.HouseofHardcore.net.
Cody Rhodes On 2017 Being His First Seven-Figure Year, Wanting To Be Part Of A New Attitude Era
Current ROH World Champion Cody [Rhodes] was a guest on Busted Open Radio recently. Among many other things, Cody talked about The Bullet Club's merchandising deal with Hot Topic, wanting to be a part of a new Attitude Era, and having the best year of his professional wrestling career.
According to Cody, "it's a wild time to be a pro wrestler and it's a wild time to be a pro wrestling fan" and the merchandise deal The Young Bucks secured with Hot Topic could be looked upon one day as an historic moment in the annals of pro wrestling.
"I think everything [has] been elevated and the platform that Ring Of Honor has given myself, Matt and Nick [Jackson] and New Japan, they've let us play our music in our own way and right now people like the song. And I'm very… I don't know. I tend to go back and forth. Sometimes, I'm a total dreamer and then other times I'm quite a realist, so I know in wrestling, one day, you're up, and the next day, you can be bottom of the barrel down and we've been up, up, up, and it continues to trend upward, so I just want to keep it going. Hot Topic, that thing that the Bucks set up with Hot Topic, so many people have benefitted from it and that's going to be something, I hope, when you look back in the history books of wrestling, there [are] going to be these moments where things happen, where watershed incidents, where breakaway moments went down, that's one of those. That [has] made… hell, that [has] made a lot of people rich already. So yeah, no, I'm just enjoying the ride, but I still want to make sure we're still going up here."
Moreover, Cody suggested that the wrestleverse is standing at the precipice of a new Attitude Era.
"Wrestling is absolutely hot and getting hotter. [Bully Ray was] involved, [but] me, Matt, and Nick weren't involved in wrestling when it was at it's hottest in the late 90s in The Attitude Era. We want our Attitude Era and I don't know what it's called or what it's going to be, but it's heading that direction, so we want to be on the right side of history. We want to be a part of it."
Also during the interview, Cody divulged that 2017 has been the best year of his pro wrestling odyssey in terms of both cash and creative.
"Not to sound tacky, but this has been the first seven-figure year I've ever had and it blows me away that it happened, so on that end, for my family and well-being, that part has been the best," Rhodes said. "But also, the part I enjoy the most, the fans and the creative element of what we do, I keep saying it, but to play music how you want to play it, it [has] never been like this before for me. This is superseded… I look at a time, my WWE Intercontinental Championship run as my favorite thing I ever did because I got to change the belt and I got to be involved in a couple of WrestleManias with that in the picture, but this time, now, has completely passed it by, blown it away. Being a world champion is all that it was cracked up to be from every world champion that there ever was that told me about it. It [has] certainly been everything that I dreamed and hoped for."
"I think everything [has] been elevated and the platform that Ring Of Honor has given myself, Matt and Nick [Jackson] and New Japan, they've let us play our music in our own way and right now people like the song. And I'm very… I don't know. I tend to go back and forth. Sometimes, I'm a total dreamer and then other times I'm quite a realist, so I know in wrestling, one day, you're up, and the next day, you can be bottom of the barrel down and we've been up, up, up, and it continues to trend upward, so I just want to keep it going. Hot Topic, that thing that the Bucks set up with Hot Topic, so many people have benefitted from it and that's going to be something, I hope, when you look back in the history books of wrestling, there [are] going to be these moments where things happen, where watershed incidents, where breakaway moments went down, that's one of those. That [has] made… hell, that [has] made a lot of people rich already. So yeah, no, I'm just enjoying the ride, but I still want to make sure we're still going up here."
Moreover, Cody suggested that the wrestleverse is standing at the precipice of a new Attitude Era.
"Wrestling is absolutely hot and getting hotter. [Bully Ray was] involved, [but] me, Matt, and Nick weren't involved in wrestling when it was at it's hottest in the late 90s in The Attitude Era. We want our Attitude Era and I don't know what it's called or what it's going to be, but it's heading that direction, so we want to be on the right side of history. We want to be a part of it."
Also during the interview, Cody divulged that 2017 has been the best year of his pro wrestling odyssey in terms of both cash and creative.
"Not to sound tacky, but this has been the first seven-figure year I've ever had and it blows me away that it happened, so on that end, for my family and well-being, that part has been the best," Rhodes said. "But also, the part I enjoy the most, the fans and the creative element of what we do, I keep saying it, but to play music how you want to play it, it [has] never been like this before for me. This is superseded… I look at a time, my WWE Intercontinental Championship run as my favorite thing I ever did because I got to change the belt and I got to be involved in a couple of WrestleManias with that in the picture, but this time, now, has completely passed it by, blown it away. Being a world champion is all that it was cracked up to be from every world champion that there ever was that told me about it. It [has] certainly been everything that I dreamed and hoped for."
Paige On Why She And Alberto El Patron Split, Her Health, WWE Studios Movie, Absolution Praise, More
Paige recently appeared on Lilian Garcia's "Chasing Glory" podcast and discussed a number of topics, including her WWE suspensions and the private photos & videos being leaked. We have more highlights from the interview at this link.
Earlier we noted how Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon and Triple H were all very supportive when she made her WWE return several weeks back. Paige said she wants to prove to the McMahons that wrestling is her life and that she wants to be in WWE. She added that the side of her from the past year is gone. She said she's a lot more conservative backstage these days and not as crazy as she's just a happier person in general. Paige said the return pop she received on RAW a few weeks back almost made her cry on stage.
Paige also commented on how this is her world and she did take a step out of it for a while but she's so happy to be back now that she's returned and been able to see everyone again. She mentioned how she had cut off contact with Alicia Fox for a year and a half but she texted her to apologize, to say she loves her, and now they're best friends again. Paige called Fox an amazing friend and said some people walked out of her life but Fox always had her back. She also commented on how the locker room has been great to her since her return but she can see that some of the talents aren't exactly happy that she's being pushed.
Regarding the Absolution stable with Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville, Paige commented on how she loves being able to help them. They come up to her a lot and she listens to their promos to offer feedback. Paige said she's really protective of Rose and Deville. She also praised Deville as the only open homosexual female on the roster right now. She said she loves Rose because of how humble she is. Paige said she's so happy for Rose because she may be a pretty face but she's also so humbled and works so hard. Paige also talked about Nia Jax and how she loves the diversity of the locker room these days. She said Nia gets a lot of hate but she's beautiful inside & out. She called Nia gorgeous and commented on how she always gives Nia a big hug and tells her how beautiful she is when she sees her. She also talked about being nervous for her recent return match against Sasha Banks. She said they aren't close but Sasha helped her through the match so much and that Sasha is just great. Paige also noted that Sasha protected her a lot during the match, something she will always be thankful for. Regarding Emma's recent WWE release, Paige called her fantastic and said she was sad & bummed out because they both helped put women's wrestling on the map while in WWE NXT.
Paige also revealed that she's suffering from scoliosis and blamed years of wrestling on her neck injury. She said she's not worried about her health because she has all the help she needs backstage. She recalled taking a bump on the outside one day but it didn't feel right. She woke up soon after and was in a lot of pain. She had a lot of sleepless nights and cried a lot but she never wanted to tell WWE she was hurt because she wanted to keep working. She finally told WWE of her problems after realizing that she didn't want to be a danger to others in the ring because she had botched some moves. She also revealed that she didn't wear a neck brace after having a hernia removed. She then went to the gym and worked out but got another hernia so she decided to just rest for a few months.
Paige recalled seeing The Rock at WrestleMania 30 and how he told her that she would be debuting on RAW the next night. He also told her that he wanted to do a movie about her family as her family reminds him of his own, and that he loves her family. Paige said she's seen a pre-screening of the upcoming "Fighting With My Family" film from Rock and WWE Studios, and she cried because it's amazing. She praised the cast for their work. Paige revealed that she will start doing media for the movie soon, calling it all surreal. Her real family will have parts as extras in the movie. She also talked about being worried that the movie would be nixed after her private photos & videos were leaked but said everyone believed in the movie so much that they decided to move forward.
Regarding her former partner Alberto El Patron, Paige said she does not hate him in any way. She said they broke up because she wanted to fix her life and he wanted to focus on his family. Paige said she asked Alberto not to say anything because she was tired of the media knowing everything about her and she didn't want anyone knowing her business. She commented on the recent video that surfaced of her saying she was single. She said she thought her friend's Snapchat account was private but she messed up saying she was single and it got out. Paige said she and Alberto don't talk but she wishes him the best. She recalled her father telling her she would end up like late singer Amy Winehouse, so she cut off contact with him and everyone else. Her dad told her he didn't want to wake up and hear that she was dead, and that broke her heart but now he's so proud of her. She also talked about getting off drugs after her second WWE suspension. As noted earlier, she said her first WWE suspension was not related to drug use but the second was. She said a lot of people wrote to her and her brothers would send photos of her nieces & nephews, which helped the process. She realized she needed her family and woke up one day asking herself, "What the hell are you doing? You have everything. She helps her family so much She helps her family so much with money so why is she risking this?" She said she was stupid for throwing everything away as she loves her job, her family and her fans.
Paige also said she stopped drinking alcohol for a while and started taking boxing classes. She's now gradually getting back into shape. She talked more about WWE supporting her through everything and she went off the deep end but they stuck by her every step of the way. She said she's happy she got into the business as young as she did because she learned a lot. She said she's not happy with how the past year has been but she's glad it happened to her instead of someone who couldn't handle it because she has a platform and is able to overcome it to help everyone else. She also revealed that she got pregnant at 17 or 18 but lost the baby. She said it was stupid getting pregnant at that age but she was devastated to lose the baby. She said there was an issue with her ovaries and she had to have surgery to remove the issue. The surgery was right before NXT "Takeover: Arrival" in late February 2014 and she was cleared on the day of the event, where she had a great match with Emma. Paige said she can't have kids now and it makes her sad but she would love to adopt in the future.
Paige later praised her fans and thanked them, saying they don't realize how much they have helped her get through everything. She said she loves her fans and commented on how she's tagged in something inspiring about her every single day. She praised her fans for welcoming her back and having her back. She also thanked Alberto for saying sweet things about her return in media interviews. Paige said she can't wait to show the world what she has to offer and commented on how her goals now are to maintain her new YouTube channel, become RAW Women's Champion and make it into the WWE Hall of Fame. She also said she misses the madness of Total Divas and would love to return to the show but if she were to come back, she wouldn't be the same crazy, outlandish chick that she was because she's grown up a lot. Lilian asked Paige what she would say to her 13 year old self and Paige said to always be aware of what you're doing, then she joked about not doing anything with cameras.
Paige also commented on how this is her world and she did take a step out of it for a while but she's so happy to be back now that she's returned and been able to see everyone again. She mentioned how she had cut off contact with Alicia Fox for a year and a half but she texted her to apologize, to say she loves her, and now they're best friends again. Paige called Fox an amazing friend and said some people walked out of her life but Fox always had her back. She also commented on how the locker room has been great to her since her return but she can see that some of the talents aren't exactly happy that she's being pushed.
Regarding the Absolution stable with Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville, Paige commented on how she loves being able to help them. They come up to her a lot and she listens to their promos to offer feedback. Paige said she's really protective of Rose and Deville. She also praised Deville as the only open homosexual female on the roster right now. She said she loves Rose because of how humble she is. Paige said she's so happy for Rose because she may be a pretty face but she's also so humbled and works so hard. Paige also talked about Nia Jax and how she loves the diversity of the locker room these days. She said Nia gets a lot of hate but she's beautiful inside & out. She called Nia gorgeous and commented on how she always gives Nia a big hug and tells her how beautiful she is when she sees her. She also talked about being nervous for her recent return match against Sasha Banks. She said they aren't close but Sasha helped her through the match so much and that Sasha is just great. Paige also noted that Sasha protected her a lot during the match, something she will always be thankful for. Regarding Emma's recent WWE release, Paige called her fantastic and said she was sad & bummed out because they both helped put women's wrestling on the map while in WWE NXT.
Paige also revealed that she's suffering from scoliosis and blamed years of wrestling on her neck injury. She said she's not worried about her health because she has all the help she needs backstage. She recalled taking a bump on the outside one day but it didn't feel right. She woke up soon after and was in a lot of pain. She had a lot of sleepless nights and cried a lot but she never wanted to tell WWE she was hurt because she wanted to keep working. She finally told WWE of her problems after realizing that she didn't want to be a danger to others in the ring because she had botched some moves. She also revealed that she didn't wear a neck brace after having a hernia removed. She then went to the gym and worked out but got another hernia so she decided to just rest for a few months.
Paige recalled seeing The Rock at WrestleMania 30 and how he told her that she would be debuting on RAW the next night. He also told her that he wanted to do a movie about her family as her family reminds him of his own, and that he loves her family. Paige said she's seen a pre-screening of the upcoming "Fighting With My Family" film from Rock and WWE Studios, and she cried because it's amazing. She praised the cast for their work. Paige revealed that she will start doing media for the movie soon, calling it all surreal. Her real family will have parts as extras in the movie. She also talked about being worried that the movie would be nixed after her private photos & videos were leaked but said everyone believed in the movie so much that they decided to move forward.
Regarding her former partner Alberto El Patron, Paige said she does not hate him in any way. She said they broke up because she wanted to fix her life and he wanted to focus on his family. Paige said she asked Alberto not to say anything because she was tired of the media knowing everything about her and she didn't want anyone knowing her business. She commented on the recent video that surfaced of her saying she was single. She said she thought her friend's Snapchat account was private but she messed up saying she was single and it got out. Paige said she and Alberto don't talk but she wishes him the best. She recalled her father telling her she would end up like late singer Amy Winehouse, so she cut off contact with him and everyone else. Her dad told her he didn't want to wake up and hear that she was dead, and that broke her heart but now he's so proud of her. She also talked about getting off drugs after her second WWE suspension. As noted earlier, she said her first WWE suspension was not related to drug use but the second was. She said a lot of people wrote to her and her brothers would send photos of her nieces & nephews, which helped the process. She realized she needed her family and woke up one day asking herself, "What the hell are you doing? You have everything. She helps her family so much She helps her family so much with money so why is she risking this?" She said she was stupid for throwing everything away as she loves her job, her family and her fans.
Paige also said she stopped drinking alcohol for a while and started taking boxing classes. She's now gradually getting back into shape. She talked more about WWE supporting her through everything and she went off the deep end but they stuck by her every step of the way. She said she's happy she got into the business as young as she did because she learned a lot. She said she's not happy with how the past year has been but she's glad it happened to her instead of someone who couldn't handle it because she has a platform and is able to overcome it to help everyone else. She also revealed that she got pregnant at 17 or 18 but lost the baby. She said it was stupid getting pregnant at that age but she was devastated to lose the baby. She said there was an issue with her ovaries and she had to have surgery to remove the issue. The surgery was right before NXT "Takeover: Arrival" in late February 2014 and she was cleared on the day of the event, where she had a great match with Emma. Paige said she can't have kids now and it makes her sad but she would love to adopt in the future.
Paige later praised her fans and thanked them, saying they don't realize how much they have helped her get through everything. She said she loves her fans and commented on how she's tagged in something inspiring about her every single day. She praised her fans for welcoming her back and having her back. She also thanked Alberto for saying sweet things about her return in media interviews. Paige said she can't wait to show the world what she has to offer and commented on how her goals now are to maintain her new YouTube channel, become RAW Women's Champion and make it into the WWE Hall of Fame. She also said she misses the madness of Total Divas and would love to return to the show but if she were to come back, she wouldn't be the same crazy, outlandish chick that she was because she's grown up a lot. Lilian asked Paige what she would say to her 13 year old self and Paige said to always be aware of what you're doing, then she joked about not doing anything with cameras.
DJZ INJURED, WILL BE OUT OF ACTION SEVERAL MONTHS
In following up the horrible weekend he had, working with injuries and having
his wallet stolen, DJ Z announced the following last night:
Just got my MRI results. So i wrestled my matches at @WWNEVOLVE this weekend with 3 ruptured discs in my neck apparently. Luckily no surgery needed, but will have to take a couple months off to heal. Im sorry guys.— D J Z (@IAmDJZ) December 12, 2017
Monday, December 11, 2017
Indy Wrestling mish mash.
XICW from last night in Warren, MI: Jackson Stone b Jamal Kyng, Travis Titan b Johnny Devine, Dre Jacobs & Jack Price & Alex Weir b El Ridiculoso & Cyrus Satin & Louie Perez, Malcolm Monroe III won four-way over Blake Acumen, George Mac and Juntai, Willy Watts b Mark Gjoka, Alex Beardslee b Justin Mane, DBA & Marcus Everette & Isiaih Broner b Jay Maynard & Aaron Orion & Matt Hagen, Caleb Stills b Zachary Main, Jaimy Coxxx NC Gavin Quinn. Truth Martnii was at the show, his first appearnce at a show in nearly two years.
Pro Wrestling Phoenix from Thursday night in Omaha: Purple won over Paul Daniels & Joey Daniels in a handicap match, Willy Sweet b Carson Rockwell, Con Artiest b Robert Storm, Pat Powers & Devin Carter b Moonshine Russell & Duke Cornell, Zac James b Dalton Lee Roth, Brooke Valentine b Valentina Loca, Preston Maxwell b Branden Juarez-DQ, Clay Cooper & Nathen Edwards b Lars Metzger & Johnny Ruckus in a last team standing match. Next show is 1/5 at the Waiting Room Lounge in Omaha.
NWL from yesterday in O'Fallon, MO: Christian Rose b Mike Outlaw, Everett Connors & Rasheed Ali b Buddy Shepherd & Javy Torres, Dak Draper b Lionel Howlett, Davey Vega & Mat Fithcett b Jet Royal & Anthony Gutierrez, Thor Theriot b Thomas Shire, Jack Foster b Maverick-DQ, Savanna Stone won three-way over Marti Belle and Carolina Rodriguez, Gary Jay b Jeremy Wyatt-DQ.
Former WWE wrestler Sawyer Fulton, who will use the name Madman Fulton, made his first indie appearance since his release over the weekend for the ASWA group in Ohio. He'[ll face Toby Cline for the ASWA title on 2/10 in Mansfield, OH. He also appears for Pro Wrestling Magic on 1/29.
Eli Drake will headline for Best of the World on 12/16 at Fresno City College at 6 p.m. Funnybone vs. Mike Rayne is the main event. The group will return to local television in Fresno on KAIL TV-53 on Sundays at 10 a.m. starting on 1/7.
Smash Wrestling on 1/28 in London, ONT at the Music Hall for a 4 p.m. show with Royal Rumble on closed-circuit after the show.
Pro Wrestling Phoenix from Thursday night in Omaha: Purple won over Paul Daniels & Joey Daniels in a handicap match, Willy Sweet b Carson Rockwell, Con Artiest b Robert Storm, Pat Powers & Devin Carter b Moonshine Russell & Duke Cornell, Zac James b Dalton Lee Roth, Brooke Valentine b Valentina Loca, Preston Maxwell b Branden Juarez-DQ, Clay Cooper & Nathen Edwards b Lars Metzger & Johnny Ruckus in a last team standing match. Next show is 1/5 at the Waiting Room Lounge in Omaha.
NWL from yesterday in O'Fallon, MO: Christian Rose b Mike Outlaw, Everett Connors & Rasheed Ali b Buddy Shepherd & Javy Torres, Dak Draper b Lionel Howlett, Davey Vega & Mat Fithcett b Jet Royal & Anthony Gutierrez, Thor Theriot b Thomas Shire, Jack Foster b Maverick-DQ, Savanna Stone won three-way over Marti Belle and Carolina Rodriguez, Gary Jay b Jeremy Wyatt-DQ.
Former WWE wrestler Sawyer Fulton, who will use the name Madman Fulton, made his first indie appearance since his release over the weekend for the ASWA group in Ohio. He'[ll face Toby Cline for the ASWA title on 2/10 in Mansfield, OH. He also appears for Pro Wrestling Magic on 1/29.
Eli Drake will headline for Best of the World on 12/16 at Fresno City College at 6 p.m. Funnybone vs. Mike Rayne is the main event. The group will return to local television in Fresno on KAIL TV-53 on Sundays at 10 a.m. starting on 1/7.
Smash Wrestling on 1/28 in London, ONT at the Music Hall for a 4 p.m. show with Royal Rumble on closed-circuit after the show.
Ok, who thought this was a great idea?, a moron maybe? RICH SWANN UPDATE
First the statement says Swann can't have any Direct or indirect hostile contact with his wife, but YET, he can live with her and still have contact. After he's been arrested you don't THINK there's going to be any arguments? DUH! Who made that agreement up? A fucking moron obviously.
WWE 205 Live star Rich Swann was released from Alachua County Jail in Gainesville, Florida yesterday on his own recognizance.
As a stipulation of his release, Swann had to sign a statement agreeing he would abide to an order that he would have "no direct or indirect hostile contact" with his wife, Vannarah Riggs, aka independent wrestler Su Yung. What that means is that Swann can be in contact with (and even live with) Riggs, but he cannot argue with, belittle, threaten, etc. her.
Swann was told he had to be in contact with court services within 24 hours of his release. A Judge has been assigned to Swann's case, but there has yet to be a court hearing officially set.
Swann was arrested early Sunday morning 12/10 for false imprisonment/kidnapping and a misdemeanor charge of battery- touching or striking against his wife. According to the arrest report, the two had been traveling from an event in Gainesville, Florida that Yung had performed at, discussing her match. Yung had wrestled last night for Fest Wrestling, which ran a venue titled Eight-Seconds. According to the report, Swann had been criticizing Yung's performance and "began getting angry with her." Yung, feeling the argument was "going to escalate," got out of their car at 1500 East University Avenue as Swann, who was driving, was in traffic. Swann yelled for her to return to the car, but she refused and walked away.
At this point, the arrest report claims that Swann, who had left the car as well, grabbed Yung by the arm, then around the neck, putting her in a headlock and bringing her back to the car as she screamed for help. A witness to the incident told police that Yung was beating on the window trying to get out of the car as it pulled away and that she "seemed very afraid of the Defendant and was trying to get away from him."
A second witness claimed that after Swann exited his car, he failed to put it in park, leaving the car to lurch forward, where it struck a telephone pole on the corner of East University Avenue and Northeast 15th Street.
Based on the location of the arrest (2400 SE Hawthorne Street in Gainesville, Florida), Swann and Yung traveled about a mile away from where the incident took place before Swann's car was stopped and he was placed under arrest.
In the arrest report, authorities stated that Yung told them she was afraid of Swann "because he has a temper sometimes" and that she was scared their argument would escalate into a physical confrontation. Yung stated that she asked Swann to pull the car over so she could leave the vehicle but he refused, so she waited until the car slowed to jump out of the car. She told authorities that she was grabbed by the arm and brought back to the car.
After being arrested and having been read his rights, Swann (according to the report) denied ever physically touching Yung and forcing her to return to the car, stating that she did so on her own. Swann claimed that he only wanted to return home and that they were using the GPS that was on Yung's phone and he "needed her to come with it." Swann also told authorities that the couple had been together five years and have been married nine months.
WWE immediately Swann indefinitely, citing their domestic abuse
WWE 205 Live star Rich Swann was released from Alachua County Jail in Gainesville, Florida yesterday on his own recognizance.
As a stipulation of his release, Swann had to sign a statement agreeing he would abide to an order that he would have "no direct or indirect hostile contact" with his wife, Vannarah Riggs, aka independent wrestler Su Yung. What that means is that Swann can be in contact with (and even live with) Riggs, but he cannot argue with, belittle, threaten, etc. her.
Swann was told he had to be in contact with court services within 24 hours of his release. A Judge has been assigned to Swann's case, but there has yet to be a court hearing officially set.
Swann was arrested early Sunday morning 12/10 for false imprisonment/kidnapping and a misdemeanor charge of battery- touching or striking against his wife. According to the arrest report, the two had been traveling from an event in Gainesville, Florida that Yung had performed at, discussing her match. Yung had wrestled last night for Fest Wrestling, which ran a venue titled Eight-Seconds. According to the report, Swann had been criticizing Yung's performance and "began getting angry with her." Yung, feeling the argument was "going to escalate," got out of their car at 1500 East University Avenue as Swann, who was driving, was in traffic. Swann yelled for her to return to the car, but she refused and walked away.
At this point, the arrest report claims that Swann, who had left the car as well, grabbed Yung by the arm, then around the neck, putting her in a headlock and bringing her back to the car as she screamed for help. A witness to the incident told police that Yung was beating on the window trying to get out of the car as it pulled away and that she "seemed very afraid of the Defendant and was trying to get away from him."
A second witness claimed that after Swann exited his car, he failed to put it in park, leaving the car to lurch forward, where it struck a telephone pole on the corner of East University Avenue and Northeast 15th Street.
Based on the location of the arrest (2400 SE Hawthorne Street in Gainesville, Florida), Swann and Yung traveled about a mile away from where the incident took place before Swann's car was stopped and he was placed under arrest.
In the arrest report, authorities stated that Yung told them she was afraid of Swann "because he has a temper sometimes" and that she was scared their argument would escalate into a physical confrontation. Yung stated that she asked Swann to pull the car over so she could leave the vehicle but he refused, so she waited until the car slowed to jump out of the car. She told authorities that she was grabbed by the arm and brought back to the car.
After being arrested and having been read his rights, Swann (according to the report) denied ever physically touching Yung and forcing her to return to the car, stating that she did so on her own. Swann claimed that he only wanted to return home and that they were using the GPS that was on Yung's phone and he "needed her to come with it." Swann also told authorities that the couple had been together five years and have been married nine months.
WWE immediately Swann indefinitely, citing their domestic abuse
Chris Jericho makes surprise appearance at NJPW Tag League finals
Ahead of their match at the Tokyo Dome, Chris Jericho made a surprise appearance and got into it with Kenny Omega in an angle at this morning's World Tag League finals.
Omega & The Young Bucks defeated Rocky Romero, Sho & Yoh at the show, with Omega pinning Romero with the One Winged Angel after the others had fought to the back. A video of Jericho aired following the match. He congratulated Omega, asked if he's ready for Wrestle Kingdom at the Tokyo Dome and said we'll find out who the best in the world is then, and told Omega he's going to beat the hell out of him.
When the video stopped playing, Jericho appeared inside the ring and gave Omega the Codebreaker. Jericho continued to beat Omega down and hit him with the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship. He laid out the referee and one of the young lions before continuing to attack Omega, who had been bloodied by this point. Omega briefly fought back until being hit with another Codebreaker.
Don Callis went into the ring to check on Omega as Jericho started to walk away, but Jericho came back and gave Callis a Codebreaker. Jericho continued to attack Omega before holding the US title up, then The Young Bucks ran out with a baseball bat to chase him off. As he went to leave, Jericho got on the mic to say he'll see everyone at the Tokyo Dome.
Callis was taken out on a stretcher to close the angle. Jericho later cut a brief promo on Instagram, saying the attack was his way of introducing himself to Omega ahead of their match.
This morning's show marked the biggest remaining stop on the road to the Tokyo Dome, which will host Wrestle Kingdom 12 on January 4th.
Omega & The Young Bucks defeated Rocky Romero, Sho & Yoh at the show, with Omega pinning Romero with the One Winged Angel after the others had fought to the back. A video of Jericho aired following the match. He congratulated Omega, asked if he's ready for Wrestle Kingdom at the Tokyo Dome and said we'll find out who the best in the world is then, and told Omega he's going to beat the hell out of him.
When the video stopped playing, Jericho appeared inside the ring and gave Omega the Codebreaker. Jericho continued to beat Omega down and hit him with the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship. He laid out the referee and one of the young lions before continuing to attack Omega, who had been bloodied by this point. Omega briefly fought back until being hit with another Codebreaker.
Don Callis went into the ring to check on Omega as Jericho started to walk away, but Jericho came back and gave Callis a Codebreaker. Jericho continued to attack Omega before holding the US title up, then The Young Bucks ran out with a baseball bat to chase him off. As he went to leave, Jericho got on the mic to say he'll see everyone at the Tokyo Dome.
Callis was taken out on a stretcher to close the angle. Jericho later cut a brief promo on Instagram, saying the attack was his way of introducing himself to Omega ahead of their match.
This morning's show marked the biggest remaining stop on the road to the Tokyo Dome, which will host Wrestle Kingdom 12 on January 4th.
Take that WWE, LOL. Ryback On Independent Wrestling Being More Fun Than WWE, Lucha Underground Coming Back
On a recent episode of his Conversation With The Big Guy podcast, Ryback discussed the differences between working in the WWE and working the independent circuit. Ryback said nothing really compares to the WWE because of it's large-scale production.
"WWE was far better as far as performing in front of more people, but independents are a lot of fun though," Ryback said. "I will never lie about that stuff. Independents are great on different ones, but nothing is WWE since it's the largest production."
Ryback admitted the lack of restrictions in the independent circuit make it more fun than the WWE. He said there are things wrestlers can do in independent promotions that would get them in trouble in the WWE.
"You can have more fun on the independents because you are not as restricted," he said. You can do whatever you want, so it's more rewarding in that regard, but it is always more fun--and I've done some independents where we would have 3 to 4,000 people on the shows where it is jam packed; those are f***ing incredible because it's the amount of people, which typically in WWE you have more people at WWE shows, but you also have more restrictions, but you can still do character stuff, but even then you have to be careful about how much fun you have. The agents have to report everything. You don't do your job like ripping up a kid's sign, and then the kid cries; you are a bad guy, that is what you are supposed to do, and if they don't report that, and then it comes back that Ryback tore the kid's sign and the kid cried so they had to take him backstage. If it is not in the report, then they might get in trouble so they won't want to risk it. It is s*it like that that you have to deal with on a daily basis, but on independents you can do whatever you want."
Ryback also commented on Lucha Underground coming back for a fourth season. The third season, which finished airing in October, was taped over a year ago from March - May of 2016. Ryback said Lucha Underground reached out to him previously when he left the WWE, but he didn't like the offer they presented to him.
"I think it's good. It is a different product, where they are more of a drama with wrestling on it. It is just a different product,. The more places there are for guys to get work then that is good. I am glad that they are doing a season 4, and allowing guys to work at other places. When I left WWE, they had reached out for doing a season and they wanted to do a contract where, essentially I couldn't do anything for a year. You are done filming in 2-3 months and it's bulls**t, I said no thanks," Ryback said. "People think it is cool to say that you signed a contract, but you are really being dumb as f**k if you don't look over the contract. Everything revolves around making money, but a lot of these businesses will do things that are not good for you, and you have to be smart enough. They prey on the price of how bad you want to be 'famous', but I've got news for you, doing it is not going to make you famous, on that level. It's great and a different product and option, but you have to have a business sense with this stuff. It is good that they are being more fair on that aspect also, which is a good thing."
Source: Conversation With The Big Guy
Ryback admitted the lack of restrictions in the independent circuit make it more fun than the WWE. He said there are things wrestlers can do in independent promotions that would get them in trouble in the WWE.
"You can have more fun on the independents because you are not as restricted," he said. You can do whatever you want, so it's more rewarding in that regard, but it is always more fun--and I've done some independents where we would have 3 to 4,000 people on the shows where it is jam packed; those are f***ing incredible because it's the amount of people, which typically in WWE you have more people at WWE shows, but you also have more restrictions, but you can still do character stuff, but even then you have to be careful about how much fun you have. The agents have to report everything. You don't do your job like ripping up a kid's sign, and then the kid cries; you are a bad guy, that is what you are supposed to do, and if they don't report that, and then it comes back that Ryback tore the kid's sign and the kid cried so they had to take him backstage. If it is not in the report, then they might get in trouble so they won't want to risk it. It is s*it like that that you have to deal with on a daily basis, but on independents you can do whatever you want."
Ryback also commented on Lucha Underground coming back for a fourth season. The third season, which finished airing in October, was taped over a year ago from March - May of 2016. Ryback said Lucha Underground reached out to him previously when he left the WWE, but he didn't like the offer they presented to him.
"I think it's good. It is a different product, where they are more of a drama with wrestling on it. It is just a different product,. The more places there are for guys to get work then that is good. I am glad that they are doing a season 4, and allowing guys to work at other places. When I left WWE, they had reached out for doing a season and they wanted to do a contract where, essentially I couldn't do anything for a year. You are done filming in 2-3 months and it's bulls**t, I said no thanks," Ryback said. "People think it is cool to say that you signed a contract, but you are really being dumb as f**k if you don't look over the contract. Everything revolves around making money, but a lot of these businesses will do things that are not good for you, and you have to be smart enough. They prey on the price of how bad you want to be 'famous', but I've got news for you, doing it is not going to make you famous, on that level. It's great and a different product and option, but you have to have a business sense with this stuff. It is good that they are being more fair on that aspect also, which is a good thing."
Source: Conversation With The Big Guy
Magnum TA On PED Use In Wrestling In The 1980's, If He Was Ever Going To WWE
Magnum TA was a popular wrestler in NWA in the 1980's, winning the United States Championship and engaging in high-profile feuds with the Four Horsemen and others. TA recently joined The Ross Report and discussed the use of performance-enhancing drugs in wrestling during his era.
"There was two schools of thoughts on the performance enhancing deal. There was guys, and this was the category that I was in, that I would use something twice a year, say for six weeks, twice a year, to keep from completely tearing my body up into nothing, because I was working seven days a week year round, and found a happy medium with a physique and a body that I can maintain throughout that off period year round," TA said. "If you saw me wrestling anytime twelve months out of the year, it wasn't like you saw me as a 280-pound monster and then the next time I was 240 and lost 40 pounds of muscle. I was heading down that path when I was in San Antonio, TX when Ray 'Hercules' Hernandez was there; he was a young and up and coming guy, and had a bag of performance enhancing drugs that were very accessible, and when he came in he was 218 pounds, and Ray became around 280 pounds, and I was 270 pounds, and we were in our minds thinking about being 300 pounds and being like the Road Warriors."
TA said it was advice from a veteran wrestler who made him reconsider his habits. He decided he was going to learn how to use other means to maintain his weight year-round.
"I can never forget when we went to Corpus Christie and walking into the dressing room, there is Bruiser Brody with his boots on, and he said to me, 'Kid, you are looking great. I want to tell you a little secret though; if you ever become a star based solely what you look like and you have to do this to maintain your look, then you are ruining your own epitaph,' and the light switch went off my head right that minute, and I decided that I was going to perfect my craft and find my happy medium that I can support year round," TA said. "And that I wasn't going to be Tony Atlas, or Ivan Putski, but to be the best that I can be. I found that place and can maintain that 240 pounds weight class and the thing was I trained real heavy with weights. I wasn't a bodybuilder or anything, but I was always lifting heavy weights so my body and joints can be accustomed to handle that, which made me durable, and that is why I can go into the ring with Doc (Doctor Death Steve Williams) when he was 320 pounds, and even though he was clumsy and smashing around, he didn't break me up because I was pretty sturdy."
TA also discussed why he never made it to the WWE. His lone appearance with the company came in 2007 when he was in the audience for the Vengeance pay-per-view. TA said he never had plans of joining the WWE. He said Andre the Giant was planning on putting in a good word for him with the company, but he was eventually signed by an NWA territory.
"No, that conversation never took place. I never met Vince McMahon in person until I worked that pay per view show for him like 10 years ago or so (WWE Vengeance 2007) and we spoke for a few minutes, and he made me feel really good," TA said. "He did say to me that we could have made a lot of money together. The ironic part about it is that that is where Andre [the Giant] wanted me to go. When Andre named me 'Magnum TA,' and before he would get in with Vince McMahon Sr, he was still living and getting the plate for me to go there, Ernie [Ladd] swept me up and pulled me into Mid-South Wrestling."
Source: The Ross Report
TA said it was advice from a veteran wrestler who made him reconsider his habits. He decided he was going to learn how to use other means to maintain his weight year-round.
"I can never forget when we went to Corpus Christie and walking into the dressing room, there is Bruiser Brody with his boots on, and he said to me, 'Kid, you are looking great. I want to tell you a little secret though; if you ever become a star based solely what you look like and you have to do this to maintain your look, then you are ruining your own epitaph,' and the light switch went off my head right that minute, and I decided that I was going to perfect my craft and find my happy medium that I can support year round," TA said. "And that I wasn't going to be Tony Atlas, or Ivan Putski, but to be the best that I can be. I found that place and can maintain that 240 pounds weight class and the thing was I trained real heavy with weights. I wasn't a bodybuilder or anything, but I was always lifting heavy weights so my body and joints can be accustomed to handle that, which made me durable, and that is why I can go into the ring with Doc (Doctor Death Steve Williams) when he was 320 pounds, and even though he was clumsy and smashing around, he didn't break me up because I was pretty sturdy."
TA also discussed why he never made it to the WWE. His lone appearance with the company came in 2007 when he was in the audience for the Vengeance pay-per-view. TA said he never had plans of joining the WWE. He said Andre the Giant was planning on putting in a good word for him with the company, but he was eventually signed by an NWA territory.
"No, that conversation never took place. I never met Vince McMahon in person until I worked that pay per view show for him like 10 years ago or so (WWE Vengeance 2007) and we spoke for a few minutes, and he made me feel really good," TA said. "He did say to me that we could have made a lot of money together. The ironic part about it is that that is where Andre [the Giant] wanted me to go. When Andre named me 'Magnum TA,' and before he would get in with Vince McMahon Sr, he was still living and getting the plate for me to go there, Ernie [Ladd] swept me up and pulled me into Mid-South Wrestling."
Source: The Ross Report
EVOLVE 97 FROM MELROSE, MA
EVOLVE 97
Melrose, MA
December 10, 2017
PRELIMINARY MATCH ONE: Craig Mitchell vs. Dominic Garrini
This one didn’t go long. Mitchell got to put on a nice little athletic flurry until Garrini finished him with a pop-up into an armbar for the win. After the match, both guys were destroyed by The End as they came in and ran wild. This served it’s purpose to get Garrini over as dangerous and The End as maniacs.
WINNER: Dominic Garrini
PRELIMINARY MATCH TWO: Brandon Watts & Stephen Wolf vs. Matt Knicks & Stevie Fierce
This was an okay tag match. Knicks and Fierce were doing athletic moves that they didn’t fully pull off so it ended up hurting the vibe of the match, including the finish which was an Unprittier/Moonsault double team that didn’t look great. The upside is that Watts got a huge reaction for his hot tag, so they at least built to that well.
WINNERS: Matt Knicks & Stevie Fierce
PRELIMINARY MATCH THREE: Jarek 1:20 vs. Jason “The Gift” Kincaid
The structure of what they were going for was right on as the match ended with Kincaid in control ready to get a tap out when the bell rang. Kincaid, who is pretty athletically talented, was pretty on point outside of a couple of slip ups. It was an okay match.
WINNER: Time Limit Draw
MAIN SHOW
MATCH ONE: Shane Mercer & KTB vs. James Drake & Anthony Henry
Drake ended up getting the win after a huge moonsault. There wasn’t much of a story to this one. It was more in line with both teams doing whatever they could to get a win and going back and forth. Impressive moonsault from Drake considering his size. Everyone involved did a good job and it was an effective opener.
WINNERS: James Drake & Anthony Henry
MATCH TWO: DJZ vs. AR Fox
They had a great bit where everytime DJZ yelled out “DJ!” a hip-hop remix horn would play.
This was a really terrific match that blended athleticism and storytelling. Fox had his posse at ringside and they got involved slightly once during the match to help him out, but otherwise, it was straight up with Fox playing an effective heel to DJZ’s fantastic babyface. Fox got the win with his top rope Spanish Fly and the Foxcatcher (Snow Plow).
WINNER: AR Fox
MATCH THREE: Keith Lee vs. Darby Allin vs. “Hot Sauce” Tracy Williams (with Stokely Hathaway)
This is a “High Stakes Triple Threat” with the winner getting to choose any match they want at a future date.
This was a fantastic triple threat. It told a great story of Keith Lee being an unstoppable force, with the only way he was able to be taken down was Darby and Williams teaming up on him. Everything made sense and every guy in the match did an excellent job. Williams looked to be in control with a crossface on Lee when Darby did a Coffin Drop on Williams, then got the Gibson Lock for the pin.
After the match, Stokely got in Lee’s face. Lee took out Williams and was about to drop Stokely when Jaka came in to try and save him. He got taken out. That lead to Dickinson running in and hitting a huge German suplex on Lee. It was followed by Dickinson and Jaka hitting the Doomsday Chokeslam to leave Lee laying.
Stokely cut a promo after calling Catch Point the greatest faction in EVOLVE history. He then said that Jaka has wanted to be World Champion since he met him, and tonight he would make it happen. Then he gave Lee a few cowardly stomps for good measure. Very good and effective promo.
WINNER: Darby Allin
MATCH FOUR: FIP Championship – Fred Yehi (c) vs. Austin Theory (with Priscilla Kelly)
There was nothing wrong with this match. Both guys worked very hard and the story they ended up having a fantastic finish. In addition, their work is really crisp and believable. It just seemed that they didn’t establish a heel/babyface dynamic and the crowd didn’t invest in it because they didn’t know who they were supposed to invest in. Yehi has a ton of personality and is a really good worker. Theory is super athletic and has tremendous upside and knows how to sell, but personality wise he’s not fully clicking yet. That’s why overall that this match, while hard worked and finished strongly, didn’t quite click.
The finish saw Yehi looking to have the win when Priscilla put his foot on the rope. Theory was able to rebound and hit a half package neckbreaker/powerbomb for the win and the title.
WINNER: Austin Theory
MATCH FIVE: WALTER vs. Matt Riddle
Riddle took the mic and said he had a no rope break match with Fred Yehi the night before in Queens and he thinks it’s the future of the business, therefore, he challenged WALTER to the same thing. WALTER accepted.
This was an absolute masterclass in storytelling and believability. WALTER spent most of the match on top with Riddle doing a world class job in selling and firing up for comebacks. WALTER had Riddle in a rear naked choke in when he was able to roll out of it and get him in a mount and win with a ref stoppage via strikes. The great part was that WALTER was in the ropes, but with the stipulation, he had no way out. After the match, the crowd chanted for WALTER and Riddle joined in. He went for a hand shake, but WALTER dropped him with a boot to the face and left.
WINNER: Matt Riddle
MAIN EVENT: EVOLVE Championship – Zack Sabre, Jr. (c) vs. Jaka (with Stokely Hathaway)
This was a tremendous main event. They took their time and went with the slow burn. Sabre, as usual, used his technical prowess to break down Jaka while Jaka came at him with strikes. Jaka was in dire straits and rolled to the floor when Chris Dickinson, who had been barred from the building, came out and played motivational speaker to fire him up. Sabre and Jaka went back and forth before Sabre got a modified stretch muffler/toe hold combo for the victory. Jaka did a great job in selling while Sabre was fantastic in picking the leg, foot and even toes down before getting the submission.
After the match, The End came out and destroyed Jaka, Dickinson and Tracy Williams (who came out to help). It was a vicious and believable beat down. Dickinson recovered enough to dive out on all three members of The End and they fought to the back.
WINNER: Zack Sabre, Jr.
Melrose, MA
December 10, 2017
PRELIMINARY MATCH ONE: Craig Mitchell vs. Dominic Garrini
This one didn’t go long. Mitchell got to put on a nice little athletic flurry until Garrini finished him with a pop-up into an armbar for the win. After the match, both guys were destroyed by The End as they came in and ran wild. This served it’s purpose to get Garrini over as dangerous and The End as maniacs.
WINNER: Dominic Garrini
PRELIMINARY MATCH TWO: Brandon Watts & Stephen Wolf vs. Matt Knicks & Stevie Fierce
This was an okay tag match. Knicks and Fierce were doing athletic moves that they didn’t fully pull off so it ended up hurting the vibe of the match, including the finish which was an Unprittier/Moonsault double team that didn’t look great. The upside is that Watts got a huge reaction for his hot tag, so they at least built to that well.
WINNERS: Matt Knicks & Stevie Fierce
PRELIMINARY MATCH THREE: Jarek 1:20 vs. Jason “The Gift” Kincaid
The structure of what they were going for was right on as the match ended with Kincaid in control ready to get a tap out when the bell rang. Kincaid, who is pretty athletically talented, was pretty on point outside of a couple of slip ups. It was an okay match.
WINNER: Time Limit Draw
MAIN SHOW
MATCH ONE: Shane Mercer & KTB vs. James Drake & Anthony Henry
Drake ended up getting the win after a huge moonsault. There wasn’t much of a story to this one. It was more in line with both teams doing whatever they could to get a win and going back and forth. Impressive moonsault from Drake considering his size. Everyone involved did a good job and it was an effective opener.
WINNERS: James Drake & Anthony Henry
MATCH TWO: DJZ vs. AR Fox
They had a great bit where everytime DJZ yelled out “DJ!” a hip-hop remix horn would play.
This was a really terrific match that blended athleticism and storytelling. Fox had his posse at ringside and they got involved slightly once during the match to help him out, but otherwise, it was straight up with Fox playing an effective heel to DJZ’s fantastic babyface. Fox got the win with his top rope Spanish Fly and the Foxcatcher (Snow Plow).
WINNER: AR Fox
MATCH THREE: Keith Lee vs. Darby Allin vs. “Hot Sauce” Tracy Williams (with Stokely Hathaway)
This is a “High Stakes Triple Threat” with the winner getting to choose any match they want at a future date.
This was a fantastic triple threat. It told a great story of Keith Lee being an unstoppable force, with the only way he was able to be taken down was Darby and Williams teaming up on him. Everything made sense and every guy in the match did an excellent job. Williams looked to be in control with a crossface on Lee when Darby did a Coffin Drop on Williams, then got the Gibson Lock for the pin.
After the match, Stokely got in Lee’s face. Lee took out Williams and was about to drop Stokely when Jaka came in to try and save him. He got taken out. That lead to Dickinson running in and hitting a huge German suplex on Lee. It was followed by Dickinson and Jaka hitting the Doomsday Chokeslam to leave Lee laying.
Stokely cut a promo after calling Catch Point the greatest faction in EVOLVE history. He then said that Jaka has wanted to be World Champion since he met him, and tonight he would make it happen. Then he gave Lee a few cowardly stomps for good measure. Very good and effective promo.
WINNER: Darby Allin
MATCH FOUR: FIP Championship – Fred Yehi (c) vs. Austin Theory (with Priscilla Kelly)
There was nothing wrong with this match. Both guys worked very hard and the story they ended up having a fantastic finish. In addition, their work is really crisp and believable. It just seemed that they didn’t establish a heel/babyface dynamic and the crowd didn’t invest in it because they didn’t know who they were supposed to invest in. Yehi has a ton of personality and is a really good worker. Theory is super athletic and has tremendous upside and knows how to sell, but personality wise he’s not fully clicking yet. That’s why overall that this match, while hard worked and finished strongly, didn’t quite click.
The finish saw Yehi looking to have the win when Priscilla put his foot on the rope. Theory was able to rebound and hit a half package neckbreaker/powerbomb for the win and the title.
WINNER: Austin Theory
MATCH FIVE: WALTER vs. Matt Riddle
Riddle took the mic and said he had a no rope break match with Fred Yehi the night before in Queens and he thinks it’s the future of the business, therefore, he challenged WALTER to the same thing. WALTER accepted.
This was an absolute masterclass in storytelling and believability. WALTER spent most of the match on top with Riddle doing a world class job in selling and firing up for comebacks. WALTER had Riddle in a rear naked choke in when he was able to roll out of it and get him in a mount and win with a ref stoppage via strikes. The great part was that WALTER was in the ropes, but with the stipulation, he had no way out. After the match, the crowd chanted for WALTER and Riddle joined in. He went for a hand shake, but WALTER dropped him with a boot to the face and left.
WINNER: Matt Riddle
MAIN EVENT: EVOLVE Championship – Zack Sabre, Jr. (c) vs. Jaka (with Stokely Hathaway)
This was a tremendous main event. They took their time and went with the slow burn. Sabre, as usual, used his technical prowess to break down Jaka while Jaka came at him with strikes. Jaka was in dire straits and rolled to the floor when Chris Dickinson, who had been barred from the building, came out and played motivational speaker to fire him up. Sabre and Jaka went back and forth before Sabre got a modified stretch muffler/toe hold combo for the victory. Jaka did a great job in selling while Sabre was fantastic in picking the leg, foot and even toes down before getting the submission.
After the match, The End came out and destroyed Jaka, Dickinson and Tracy Williams (who came out to help). It was a vicious and believable beat down. Dickinson recovered enough to dive out on all three members of The End and they fought to the back.
WINNER: Zack Sabre, Jr.
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