Some of Todays Wrestling News and Rumours (Possible spoilers) ***NO CHAT***

Machismo Fan

Nice little interview with David Sahadi: http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/WrestleMania27/2011/03/21/17704381.html

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's Director of Production David Sahadi knows all about the planning that takes place in the months, weeks and days leading up to a WrestleMania event. Sahadi was employed with World Wrestling Entertainment from 1992 until 2003, when he left the company citing that he was burned out. "I had reached a point in my life where this world of pretense and superficiality lost its appeal. My soul needed to embark on a journey of discovery. My spirit longed for adventure. I was determined to find the true joy of life."

During his time in WWE, Sahadi created no less than 11 opening promotional videos for each WrestleMania event. In fact when he joined the company in October 1992, focus was already being put on WrestleMania IX, which would emanate from Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada.

With WrestleMania 27 quickly approaching from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on April 3rd, Sahadi shared some of his memories in an exclusive interview with SLAM! Wrestling.

"It was a big deal doing promotional videos for WrestleMania IX, because it was my first," Sahadi recalled. "I produced the promotional spots that featured the return of Hulk Hogan, as well as the opening 3D computer animation for that event.

"Since I was a post-production guy, I rarely attended a WrestleMania event. Except for the times I did promotional pieces with Pamela Anderson, Leslie Nielsen, Nicholas Turturro, Lawrence Taylor and Mike Tyson.

"I was there for those since I worked with them in the spots leading up to WrestleMania and it was my job to produce them the day of the event."

While he was with the company, Sahadi recognized how the WWE wanted WrestleMania to grow year by year, understanding how much emphasis was placed on the event.

"Each year I was with WWE, WrestleMania just grew in scope and scale. Vince [McMahon] completely makes WrestleMania his and the company's total focus, it's priority number one.

"They really kick into high gear around January time, with the build up to the Royal Rumble. Vince McMahon and his creative team begin thinking about the next WrestleMania the day after they do that year's WrestleMania event.

"They plan angles and mega-matches way in advance and slowly build to them throughout the year; it's a brilliant strategy."

Sahadi worked as WWE's Creative Director of On-air Promotions, overseeing many of the PPV opening videos which have become so iconic to many professional wrestling fans.

While working for WWE his responsibility was to write, direct and produce the promotional spots and commercials for events throughout the year, with WrestleMania the event he had to give most of his focus to.

"Promotional teasers were normally produced six months in advance, they were quite vague. Obviously, as we got closer, the pieces became longer, more detailed and took on a significantly greater emotion.

"Vince is a perfectionist, but he's also very visceral. As am I. Vince acts on intuition, his gut instinct. He feels things."

As the 1990s moved on, WWE started to become more creative in regards to producing their opening PPV videos. Sahadi's job was to introduce a more creative edge to the videos; he introduced some unconventional aspects that wrestling openings had not seen before.

Sahadi, whose father, Lou Sahadi, was the editor of Wrestling World magazine, wanted to develop his creativity and the opening promo videos gave him that chance, allowing him to use a lot of creative freedom in the videos he created.

"Vince taught me a very important lesson my first day on the job. He said, 'What we do here is all about one thing: emotion.' I'll never forget that.

"He was talking about the wrestling business in general. I applied that theory to whatever I produced. Whether a promo or an opening makes one laugh, or think, or feel, that's what I try to do. I strive to evoke emotion out of the viewer.

"Playing my videos for Vince, the very first time without him being aware of what the spots were and then getting a positive reaction from him was one of the greatest rewards while working there. It was very fulfilling to please the Ultimate Boss."

Looking back on the videos that he produced for WrestleMania down the years, Sahadi believes one of his favourites and the promo that is probably most remembered in his WWE career, is the opening for WrestleMania XV. The video featured legends such as "Classy" Freddie Blassie, Killer Kowalski and Gorilla Monsoon talking about their careers.

"The vision came to me late one night after a conversation with my dear friend, the late Freddie Blassie. I put the shoot together and gathered the talent without ever letting Vince know what I was doing. The day of the shoot, I got a call saying Vince was livid that I was shooting a spot with old-timers in this era of attitude and new, younger superstars.

"He didn't believe the concept fit the new image of attitude the WWF was promoting at the time. A week later, when Vince saw the finished spot for the first time, he broke down and cried. It touched him that deeply.

"His reaction also touched me. It didn't matter what anyone else might think of that spot. The simple fact that I touched Vince emotionally meant the world to me.

"I felt I did him proud."

Sahadi took McMahon's words about emotion to heart; with his inspirations for PPV openings come from all sorts of places and experiences.

"Sometimes I will be inspired by an image I see on TV, a line I hear in a song or some random thought that pops in my head while I'm hiking or driving.

"Most directors do storyboards. Mine are in my head. I'm a very visceral person; I need to feel it. When I write a spot, I have visuals in my head. I'm very good at visualization.

"I need to walk around the location. That's when I get inspiration for certain shots that I might not have initially boarded. Photos of a location aren't enough for me. I have to be standing there, walking the location, open to whatever is calling, whatever images are begging to come out.

"I always wanted my WrestleMania openings to feel epic, larger than life, as if no other event, not even the Super Bowl compared."

Jolt2007

Not sure if this is old new or what, but was flicking through the channels earlier and noticed World of Sport on some channel I never even noticed before called Men & Movies. Result

Lord TSC

Superstars Fined for Chair Shot

Pursuant to WWE's Concussion policy, the stunt of using a folded metal chair shot to the head is prohibited. Triple H and The Undertaker have both been fined for violating this policy at WrestleMania XXVII. WWE penalizes through fine and/or suspension for violation of this policy, which is unchanged and still in effect.

http://corporate.wwe.com/news/releases_2011.jsp

Don Stevo

Fined for giving the fans something that they enjoy. Good job WWE. It's hardly a regular occurance like!

jaykhunter

Don Stevo wrote: »

Fined for giving the fans something that they enjoy. Good job WWE. It's hardly a regular occurance like!

Don't worry, I'm sure that's just for appearances (keeping the sponsors and lower talent happy). If they even got fined, that is....That $1 must've hurt.

Yes, I'm deeply cynical. WWE has a separate rule for main-eventers and regular folk

Nody

Don Stevo wrote: »

Fined for giving the fans something that they enjoy. Good job WWE. It's hardly a regular occurance like!

Yes, because fans should really enjoy that wrestlers have a very high risk of causing serious and permanent brain damage on one another (there is a medical reason behind their banning of it)... Hey, why not have them use knives, flame throwers and guns while you're at it as well, I'm sure fans would enjoy the "hardcore" style of that as well...

Degag

Nody wrote: »

Yes, because fans should really enjoy that wrestlers have a very high risk of causing serious and permanent brain damage on one another (there is a medical reason behind their banning of it)... Hey, why not have them use knives, flame throwers and guns while you're at it as well, I'm sure fans would enjoy the "hardcore" style of that as well...

I agree totally, but veterans like Taker and HHH have probably taken hundreds of chair shots to the head (slight exaggeration perhaps) so one more probably wasn't going to make a difference.

Anyhow, their WM payoff will more than make up for their "fine"

geeky

Degag wrote: »

I agree totally, but veterans like Taker and HHH have probably taken hundreds of chair shots to the head (slight exaggeration perhaps) so one more probably wasn't going to make a difference.

Anyhow, their WM payoff will more than make up for their "fine"

That may be so, but having a blatant double standard on that kind of thing will make the rule look like a total joke. Veterans like Taker and HHH should know better - for one, enough of their peers are already six feet under.

Lord TSC

RE: The Morrison thing. As someone else pointed out on another board, there are people who get off on having their partner being with other people....

Businesswire.com has posted a new WWE press release, which reveals more details behind the company's renaming, and also reveals that Triple H will be heading up a new talent development department. The press release notes that one of Triple H's first moves in his new position was to sign Lucha Libre star Sin Cara. "The new department will put a greater emphasis on worldwide recruitment, training and character development to identify future WWE Superstars and Divas," notes the press release.

"The first recruit acquired under Levesque’s new department was the signing last month of future WWE Superstar, Sin Cara, formerly known worldwide as Mistico."

WZ was the first to exclusively report a couple months ago that Triple H had been pushing for a major developmental overhaul, and it seems as though this is the move WWE has made to kick start that process.

Smoshi

World wrestling entertainment to be known as simply "WWE".

Source:

http://www.headlineplanet.com/home/2011/04/07/wwe-announces-name-change-plans-to-further-tv-movies-businesses/

Lord TSC

Austin contemplates a return...

When asked about how active he got filming Tough Enough: "One of the kids was pretty mechanically inclined, so I got in there with him…and shoot, I guess that means I haven’t been in the ring in seven or eight years…but I took a few bumps from him, gave him a few bumps, it was a lot of fun. I think if we do it again, I think I’ll be even more active and get in the ring a lot more."

When asked why he thought WrestleMania was initially going to be a weak show: "They’re pretty thin on talent, they’ve had some injuries. They’ve brought the Rock in to host it. They brought me back. I didn’t know if the Undertaker was going to make it, he’s had some injuries. Triple H is getting back in the ring. Until they brought all those players out they had a lot of green guys."

When asked about a possible ring return: "I could still, you know if I was in a bad situation, I could still get two years out of my carcass on a full-time basis." He then added, " But I’m happy where I’m at. And in ten or twenty years I still want to be doing the things I’m doing with my hunting and fishing. I want to continue to do that in a pain-free fashion. And right now I’m living a pretty pain-free lifestyle."

When asked about CM Punk: "I really like C.M. Punk. I think he’s one of the top workers in the ring. I love his promos. I love his style. There’s no smoke and mirrors. I like the straight-edge lifestyle stuff he does. You want to start pairing that against the beer-guzzling “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, I think you’d have an interesting feud to say the least. He would push me to the limits, I would teach that kid a thing or two, and there would be some wonderful promos going back and forth. I like him a lot."

http://xfinitytv.comcast.net/blogs/2011/tv-news/wwes-stone-cold-steve-austin-on-tough-enough-wrestlemania/

parker kent

Beer swilling Stone Cold against Straight Edge CM Punk in a 3 month angle would make my head explode with excitement.

CMpunked

parker kent wrote: »

Beer swilling Stone Cold against Straight Edge CM Punk in a 3 month angle would make my head explode with excitement.

Me too. A hell of a lot more than Cena/Rock.

Lord TSC

http://www.wrestlezone.com/news/article/3-hour-raw-shows-set-for-consecutive-weeks-in-june-128101

WWE will be holding two, three-hour Raw shows in consecutive weeks this coming June.

On June 13th in Long Island, New York and the following week, June 20th, in Baltimore, Maryland, both Raw television shows will be three hours in length.

I'd imagine we can guess with some certainty one of those will be a draft show...

Mitch Connor

Teamshadowclan wrote: »

I'd imagine we can guess with some certainty one of those will be a draft show...

clearly the 3 hour one on the 13th is to let everyone know - Woo Woo Woo.

JP Liz V1

http://www.wrestlingnewsworld.com/wwe-news/curt-hawkins-starts-a-video-series.php

It seems as if both former Edgeheads will have their own YouTube shows, as Curt Hawkins has started his own video series, titled Callin' Spots With Curt Hawkins.

JP Liz V1

Source

In a new interview with SLAM! Wrestling, Superstar Billy Graham had the following to say concerning the WWE Hall of Fame:
"For the WWE to induct into their Hall of Fame, Abdullah The Butcher, who has never wrestled one match under a WWE contract, is bordering on blasphemy. I am demanding that this company remove my name from their index of Hall of Fame wrestlers. It is a shameless organization to induct a bloodthirsty animal such as Abdullah The Butcher into their worthless and embarrassing Hall of Fame and I want the name of Superstar Billy Graham to be no part of it. The WWE and their Hall of Fame is disgustingly embarrassing, I want out."

CMpunked

He is insulted that abdulah the butcher was inducted but has no problem with drew carey?
:rolleyes:

Diabhal Beag

For indy wrestling fans out there some sad news today. According to rumours (Confirmed by Chris Hero http://twitter.com/#!/theChrisHero/status/57504439635939328 ) Larry Sweeney died.

Confirmed sadly http://www.f4wonline.com/content/view/20213/

parker kent

Unofficial new WWE logo floating around on Money in the Bank PPV poster.

http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/WWE_News_3/article_49202.shtml



Wonder if they are thinking of changing it? Well change it back, should I say.

jaykhunter

Looks Like a cheap photoshop job. I guess we'll know for sure later. But i don't believe it.

CMpunked

There is no way in hell that is a proper poster.
It looks like something someone put together for te photoshop comp!

What is that, a wing of an aeroplane that rey is on? So what, he is about 30 foot in height now? Also there is no date on the poster which I don't think has happened on a poster in a while.

And the wwe logo in the top corner has been floating around for about a year now, can't see it being used tbh.

Angron

CMpunked wrote: »

There is no way in hell that is a proper poster.
It looks like something someone put together for te photoshop comp!

What is that, a wing of an aeroplane that rey is on? So what, he is about 30 foot in height now? Also there is no date on the poster which I don't think has happened on a poster in a while.

And the wwe logo in the top corner has been floating around for about a year now, can't see it being used tbh.

This. It's pretty ugly, and kinda close to the one used in the 80's. Not really a progression.

thebostoncrab

That logo did the rounds last year too and nothing came of it.

parker kent

CMpunked wrote: »

There is no way in hell that is a proper poster.
It looks like something someone put together for te photoshop comp!

What is that, a wing of an aeroplane that rey is on? So what, he is about 30 foot in height now? Also there is no date on the poster which I don't think has happened on a poster in a while.

And the wwe logo in the top corner has been floating around for about a year now, can't see it being used tbh.

It is a better poster than the official one for Extreme Rules. I wouldn't be surprised were it an actual early prototype for a PPV poster or an attempt to see what a new logo would look like on a mock poster. Similar to what Nike, Adidas etc do every year with new football kits.

JP Liz V1

Source Gail Kim Twitter

Gail Kim responded to speculation online that she may retire in the near future. "Retiring? haha why would I do that?" she wrote on Twitter. "I can still go with the best and still look good )))hehe can’t get rid of me that easily! Haters u wish!”

Kim also commented on former TNA rival Awesome Kong joining the promotion.

She wrote, "Looks like my old friend is coming I'm ready 4 round 2. Anytime. Anywhere. We have some unfinished business...."

Furious-Red

Over The Limit Poster

Furious-Red

The Rock posted the following on Twitter, confirming his return to RAW: "It's official: I'm celebrating my birthday on RAW! In my home town Miami on May 2nd. THE PEOPLE'S birthday! A historic ROCK RAW..."

http://nodq.com/wwe/305079955.shtml

the groutch

Furious-Red wrote: »

Over The Limit Poster

3 weeks between PPVs?

Lord TSC

Kong's name revealed...

WWE filed a trademark for the name "Kharma" on April 12th.

According to a report on PWInsider.com, "Kharma" will be the ring name for fomrer TNA Knockout Awesome Kong.