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Post by Positivity Peeps on Apr 6, 2015 17:59:32 GMT -6
According to PWInsider.com, several new NXT talents, including top indy star Uhaa Nation, began working at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando today.
The report notes most of the rookies are international talents with no previous pro wrestling experience.
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Post by Positivity Peeps on Apr 7, 2015 7:19:43 GMT -6
During the latest edition of “The Steve Austin Show”, Steve Austin took time to address recent rumors surrounding his relationship with WWE, and possible issues with Vince McMahon which caused him to miss WrestleMania.
-Austin said there is not heat on him in WWE for missing WrestleMania 31, as there were never any creative plans in place to use him on the show. Austin shot down a rumor he was supposed to be on a flight to ‘Mania with The Undertaker, and added he simply was not there, and was never scheduled to be there.
-With regards to Tough Enough, Austin also shot down rumors that he turned down the opportunity to host the show. Austin noted he was supposed to host the show when it was scheduled to be shot in February/March of this year, but it’s now April and filming has yet to begin. Austin said in the meantime CMT wanted to do more of the Broken Skull Challenge, and once WWE finally announced Tough Enough, he was unable to do it because of BSC commitments. Austin said the timing issue is nobody’s fault, as it takes a lot of work and planning to put a reality show together.
-Austin said he heard Vince McMahon did not like some of the questions he asked during his first two podcasts on the WWE Network, but that isn’t true, and there is no heat between him and Vince regarding the podcasts. Austin added there were talks of doing more podcasts on the Network, but for whatever reason, a deal was not made and they are not moving forward with the podcasts on the WWE Network.
-Austin said WWE is moving in one direction, and Austin is moving in his direction, and if they do hook up again one day it will be “gangbusters.” He said he will always have WWE in his blood, and that there is “no heat, nowhere. It’s cool, moving on…”
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Post by Positivity Peeps on Apr 7, 2015 10:57:19 GMT -6
Moments ago WWE sent out an official press release, confirming the move of Thursday night Smackdown to the USA Network in “the first quarter of 2016″.
Furthermore, they have also confirmed the season premiere date for the returning Tough Enough reality series – the show will air on Tuesday nights, beginning June 23 at 8/7c.
WWE® SMACKDOWN® MOVES TO USA NETWORK IN 1Q2016, JOINING MONDAY NIGHT RAW® AND REALITY SERIES WWE TOUGH ENOUGH®
NEW YORK, NY and STAMFORD, CONN – April 7, 2015 – USA is expanding its commitment to the live action entertainment company WWE, bringing SmackDown to the network in the first quarter of 2016. Now the exclusive cable home to WWE marquee properties, USA airs the powerhouse Monday Night Raw live 52 weeks a year and the reality competition series WWE Tough Enough, which returns this summer in a reimagined format with live elements.
“WWE consistently delivers one of the largest and most socially engaged live audiences in entertainment and we’re excited to expand our long-standing relationship and be the true cable home for the WWE fan,” said USA Network President Chris McCumber.
“WWE is proud to have SmackDown join Raw as part of our expanded partnership with USA Network,” said WWE Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Vince McMahon. “The combination of the #1 cable network and two ratings juggernauts provides a destination for our viewers and an extraordinary platform for our partners.”
Earlier this year, USA announced the renewal of WWE Tough Enough, premiering Tuesday, June 23 at 8/7c. The reimagined series will feature an all-new format with live elements and more fan participation than ever before. In addition, WWE recently unveiled a new brand campaign “For The Hero In All of Us,” that engages consumers through #MyHeroIs, inviting fans to name their favorite WWE Superstars and share personal and inspirational stories of heroism.
Monday Night Raw on USA is the most-watched, regularly scheduled, year-round program on cable, airing a live three-hour block every Monday night, 52 weeks a year. Raw has been a cable mainstay for more than 20 years and is consistently a top ten show on television. Year-to-date Raw averages 1.95MM P18-49, 2.02MM P25-54 and 4.43MM total viewers P2+ and SmackDown averages 1.1MM P18-49, 1.22MM P25-54, and 2.86MM total viewers P2+. In 2014, Raw and SmackDown reached 55.9MM total viewers P2+.
With more than 800 original episodes, SmackDown is the second longest-running weekly episodic program in U.S. television history, only behind Monday Night Raw. Over the past 15 years, SmackDown has been broadcast from 170 different venues, in 148 cities, in seven different countries including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Iraq, Japan, Italy and Mexico.
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Post by Positivity Peeps on Apr 7, 2015 11:38:12 GMT -6
Last week we reported that some sort of incident had taken place between Hulk Hogan and Scott Steiner, which led to Steiner being banned from the 2015 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony. TMZ has picked up the story, and it’s potentially a big one. Allegedly, Steiner arrived at the San Jose airport and confronted Hogan’s wife Jennifer, “grabbed her” and threatened to “kill Terry” when he arrived. According to the TMZ report, Jennifer did not recognize the former WCW star and called her husband, who then grabbed a flight to San Jose and filed a police report. The police have obtained airport security footage which confirms the SJC confrontation, and may be investigating Steiner (real name: Scott Rechsteiner) for “felony terrorist threats”. That may seem extreme, but it’s the California penal code terminology for “any criminal threat” where the accused “threatens to kill or physically harm someone” and a specific threat is serious and communicated verbally. The minimum state sentence if convicted is 85% of a four year incarceration.  |
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Post by November KS on Apr 7, 2015 11:42:03 GMT -6
Gonna bring a whole new meaning to Big Poppa Pump.
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Post by randomone on Apr 7, 2015 12:04:55 GMT -6
Did he mistake Hogan's wife for one of his "hoochies"? Haha, damn I miss Big Poppa Pump WCW terminology.
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Optimisn
Moderator
The Voice of Reason
Posts: 33,710 
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Post by Optimisn on Apr 9, 2015 8:33:07 GMT -6
- We noted earlier this week that John Cena revealed during the live WWE Network podcast with Chris Jericho that he was close enough to turning heel during his first feud with The Rock that he recoded new theme music and had new gear made.
Cena reportedly spent $5,000 on having new gear made but then canceled the order before it was made. Cena told the seamstress he ordered from, Sue Kotulski, to use the money for new outfits for WWE developmental talents instead of giving him a refund.
Cena came to developmental in Tampa at that time and told the same story and some in developmental unofficially created what they dubbed The Cena Scholarship. Each month, the campaign saw WWE developmental coaches vote on who the most outstanding talents of the month were. That talent would then get a $500 credit towards having new gear made by Kotulski.
(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
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sav
Rookie
Posts: 457
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Post by sav on Apr 9, 2015 8:46:14 GMT -6
Every time I hear Cena on a Podcast, it makes me respect him even more.
I still can't stand the "Super Cena" character, but he has a genuine love for the business and wasn't just handed everything on a silver platter. The dude did put the work in and has been rewarded.
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Optimisn
Moderator
The Voice of Reason
Posts: 33,710
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Post by Optimisn on Apr 9, 2015 12:31:08 GMT -6
Krazy Ivan is right.
- Besides the Twitter drama with former Too Cool partner Scotty 2 Hotty, there was another issue surrounding Rikishi’s WWE Hall of Fame induction as his former partner and cousin Samu wasn’t invited for whatever reason.
Afa wasn’t happy about this because that’s his son and Roman Reigns’ father Sika was also mad about Samu not being invited. WWE then invited Samu to try and keep everything cool but everyone was already in a testy mood and this was before they got upset over Reigns not winning the WWE World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania 31.
(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
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Post by November KS on Apr 9, 2015 13:29:41 GMT -6
Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- WWE recently applied to trademark the term "Superfriends Crew," which could be the name of a new stable. They also applied to trademark New Face of Fear for Bray Wyatt, Halloween Havoc, StarCade, Lone Wolf for Baron Corbin, The Vigilante for Sting, WWE Nation, Anti-Diva for Paige, Athletic Diva and The Beast Within, apparently for Brock Lesnar.
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Post by Positivity Peeps on Apr 9, 2015 13:41:11 GMT -6
Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter - WWE recently applied to trademark the term "Superfriends Crew," which could be the name of a new stable. They also applied to trademark New Face of Fear for Bray Wyatt, Halloween Havoc, StarCade, Lone Wolf for Baron Corbin, The Vigilante for Sting, WWE Nation, Anti-Diva for Paige, Athletic Diva and The Beast Within, apparently for Brock Lesnar. Chucky T and Joey Ryan coming in? |
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Post by November KS on Apr 9, 2015 13:45:39 GMT -6
I found Halloween Havoc and StarCade interesting.
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Post by Positivity Peeps on Apr 9, 2015 14:21:25 GMT -6
Halloween Havoc especially. I never understood why they don't use that rather than Hell in a Cell.
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Post by November KS on Apr 9, 2015 14:28:15 GMT -6
Halloween Havoc especially. I never understood why they don't use that rather than Hell in a Cell. Exactly. Hell in a Cell should be a match not a PPV. As far as StarCade goes, I did a quick Google search on Lance Cade thinking it was maybe.........um no. |
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Optimisn
Moderator
The Voice of Reason
Posts: 33,710
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Post by Optimisn on Apr 9, 2015 14:34:46 GMT -6
Halloween Havoc especially. I never understood why they don't use that rather than Hell in a Cell. Exactly. Hell in a Cell should be a match not a PPV. As far as StarCade goes, I did a quick Google search on Lance Cade thinking it was maybe.........um no. |
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Post by randomone on Apr 9, 2015 16:51:19 GMT -6
Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter - WWE recently applied to trademark the term "Superfriends Crew," which could be the name of a new stable. They also applied to trademark New Face of Fear for Bray Wyatt, Halloween Havoc, StarCade, Lone Wolf for Baron Corbin, The Vigilante for Sting, WWE Nation, Anti-Diva for Paige, Athletic Diva and The Beast Within, apparently for Brock Lesnar. Chucky T and Joey Ryan coming in? Candice & Joey come in & dish out Boob & Balls-plexes galore. Tits Bella is just built to take a Joey Ryan Boob-plex. Trent? vs Cena, make that shit happen Never Give Up vs Always Be Keep Going (that's a fucking brilliant shirt by Trent) |
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Post by Positivity Peeps on Apr 9, 2015 17:28:06 GMT -6
Barretta is busy in NJPW and ROH.
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Post by randomone on Apr 9, 2015 19:44:16 GMT -6
Yeah, I do prefer Chuck & Trent though. Best Friends are amazing.
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Post by November KS on Apr 10, 2015 10:44:22 GMT -6
TMZ reports that Big Russ McCullough and Luther Reigns are suing the WWE on behalf of current and former wrestlers who have had brain damage and other injuries due to “egregious mistreatment” by the company. They say that WWE has known for years that in-ring action results in dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and more.
They claim WWE, “under the guise of providing ‘entertainment’ …. has for decades subjected its wrestlers to extreme physical brutality.” They mention that wrestling is scripted but still hard on the performers. The suit said that “WWE is in the business of selling violence.”
They mentioned several matches in which wrestlers were beat up. This includes the 2014 Royal Rumble, in which one wrestler “demolished another with a series of brutal steel chair attacks” due to “the carnage created by the match’s victor.” It said that the goal of WWE is to create “heat” through violence with various props like chairs, ladders and tables. It also mentions moves like the Brain Buster, Bulldog, Cobra Clutch Slam, Facebreaker, Jawbreaker and Powerslam. The suit mentions chair shots to the head, which were banned in 2010.
The suit stated: “The WWE coerces its wrestlers to work while they are injured by, among other methods, threatening to strip them of their position within the organization if they refuse.” It says wrestlers are “universally encouraged to ‘wrestle through the pain.'”
The lawsuit Chris Benoit, who was “routinely hit in the head with a chair”. When Benoit was autopsied after his death, a doctor said his brain was so damaged from CTE that it “resembled the brain of an 85-year-old Alzheimer’s patient.”
The wrestlers want an injunction to stop WWE from forcing its wrestlers to hurt themselves. They are also seeking damages.
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Post by November KS on Apr 10, 2015 18:58:27 GMT -6
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Optimisn
Moderator
The Voice of Reason
Posts: 33,710
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Post by Optimisn on Apr 10, 2015 20:10:27 GMT -6
It's hard to disagree with anything. I'll admit I didn't see it. I've been a huge Rollins guy, but I didn't see him as THE guy. He's deceptively tall. I thought he'd be a main event guy, but more like Edge. That's still possible, and that's not a bad run. When he ultimately turns face, you'll get all of his moves. Great future. |
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Optimisn
Moderator
The Voice of Reason
Posts: 33,710
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Post by Optimisn on Apr 12, 2015 9:56:54 GMT -6
It's a shame the whores that stand up there without a thing to say are going to kill it for the interesting storytellers that make the HOF great.
- PWMania.com reported before that WWE officials were not happy about this year’s Hall of Fame ceremony going long. For next year’s ceremony, officials will be working on steps to keep the ceremony to three hours, as originally planned.
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Post by Positivity Peeps on Apr 12, 2015 10:08:18 GMT -6
I thought Madusa was okay....
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Post by November KS on Apr 12, 2015 10:31:34 GMT -6
It's a shame the whores that stand up there without a thing to say are going to kill it for the interesting storytellers that make the HOF great. - PWMania.com reported before that WWE officials were not happy about this year’s Hall of Fame ceremony going long. For next year’s ceremony, officials will be working on steps to keep the ceremony to three hours, as originally planned. Maybe they shouldn't try to induct 22 people in any given year. |
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Post by randomone on Apr 12, 2015 10:52:06 GMT -6
5 wrestlers, 1 dumb celebrity, 1 Warrior award (is that going to be a yearly thing? If not, I say 6 wrestlers then) is how they should do it.
Make it an hour earlier or something. These guys should be allowed to talk, even if some of them ramble on & on. It's more than likely their final time with that big of audience. Celebrities get 2-3 minutes tops. I don't need a life story on how they became a wrestling fan. You made 1 appearance for WWE, explain how that came about & hit the bricks.
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Post by November KS on Apr 12, 2015 22:10:29 GMT -6
Luther Reigns being part of this lawsuit is just too much. These Samoans will stop at nothing!
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Post by randomone on Apr 13, 2015 15:32:49 GMT -6
WWE announced the new set of "recruits" today that'll start at NXT. Only 2 I'm familiar with are Uhaa Nation & SHIMMER wrestler Jessie McKay, which is awesome for both, they're incredibly talented. Here's the entire list....
• Cassie McIntosh (Born in Sydney, resides in Melbourne, Australia) – Trained with Pro Wrestling Alliance in Sydney since 2011. In 2012, was trained by Lance Storm, a former WWE Superstar who now runs the Storm Wrestling Academy. Proficient in dance and acrobatics.
• Jessica McKay (Sydney, Australia) – Since 2008, has trained with Pro Wrestling Alliance in Sydney, as well as Ring of Honor.
Canada:
• Nhooph Al-Areebi (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) – Trained with Squared Circle since 2011 and was a member of the Toronto Circus School from 2008-2012. Also trained in rhythmic gymnastics. Speaks English and Arabic.
Germany:
• Axel Tischer (Dresdan, Germany) – Trained with GWF Wrestling in Berlin since 2006. Served in the German Army from 2005-2007, achieving the rank of Private First Class.
Mexico:
• Oscar Vasquez (Ciudad Juarez, Mexico) – Trained in Juarez in Lucha Libre style of wrestling. Worked with CWF Mid-Atlantic. Dual citizen of Mexico and the U.S.
Serbia:
• Radomir Petkovic (Belgrade, Serbia) – European Vice Champion at the 2010 European Wrestling Championships and was a two-time bronze medalist at 2009 Mediterranean Games in Greco-Roman and Freestyle. Speaks Russian and English.
United Kingdom:
• Peter Howard (Exeter, England) – Played collegiate Rugby in the UK and was a regional Discus Champion.
United States:
• Kenneth Crawford (Chicago, Illinois/Anson County, North Carolina) – Served in the US Marine Corps for four years and accumulated a perfect 300 score in the United States Marine Corps Physical Fitness Test. Holds the North Carolina South Piedmont and Anson High School records in the 200 meter, 400 meter and 4 X 4 relay. Anson High School Athlete of the Year in 2007.
• Thomas Kingdon (Traverse City, Michigan) – Competed in Amateur Bodybuilding and won the Super Heavy Weight Class at the 2013 NPC Central States Competition.
• Sesugh Uhaa (Atlanta, Georgia) – High School Soccer, Football and Track & Field star. Began training in 2009 and worked for Dragon Gate USA.
• Levis Valenzuela Jr. (Durham, North Carolina) – Trained with CWF Mid-Atlantic in 2013. Proficient in dance and won various awards for collegiate ballroom dancing. Holds a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from UNC Charlotte. Grew up in the United States, lived in South Korea from 2011-2013 and speaks Spanish.
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Post by Positivity Peeps on Apr 14, 2015 9:51:41 GMT -6
As noted, WWE did make an offer to Ring of Honor tag team The Briscoes, but the brothers ended up staying with Ring of Honor.
According to F4WOnline.com, the counter offer made to The Briscoes by ROH was much better than the offer made by WWE. When The Briscoes went back to WWE to get a better offer, WWE wouldn’t budge on the initial offer, so the brothers re-signed with ROH.
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Post by randomone on Apr 14, 2015 10:16:53 GMT -6
They must've really low balled them. You'd think guys would want to work down at NXT now, seeing the popularity & talent they have. Not saying ROH isn't a great promotion, but still.
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Post by Positivity Peeps on Apr 14, 2015 10:28:26 GMT -6
Smart by them. They should be in it to make the most money possible. It's similar to why the Bucks turned the E down.
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