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Some of Todays Wrestling News and Rumours (Possible spoilers) ***NO CHAT***
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By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor
WWE quietly added a clause to their "Impact" concussion testing policy to ban chair shots to the head in January, according to WWE spokesman Robert Zimmerman in an email to Hartford Courant reporter Daniela Altimari.
WWE has published an updated .pdf of their "Impact Concussion Management Program" on their Corporate website that includes the following items:
WWE has eliminated using folding metal chairs to "strike" an opponent in the head. The WWE penalizes through fine and/or suspension the following:
- The intentional use of a folding metal chair to "strike" an opponent in the head.
- Any blow to the head that is deemed an INTENTIONAL act
- The Fine and/or Suspension will be directed by the EVP of Talent Relations (John Laurinaitis).
Caldwell's Analysis: Good move on WWE's part. It's just not clear why WWE would not publicize this amendment to the policy and just quietly post a new .pdf when it helps their talent and is a good corporate move. Also, the policy continues to lack transparency when they do not disclose the application of the policy with specifics on how wrestlers were treated. (WWE doesn't necessarily need to name names for privacy reasons, but detailing how the policy is applied needs to be part of the standard disclosure.)
Also, as I pointed out to Daniela Altimari in the report, WWE proceeded to present an equally-dangerous PPV, Elimination Chamber, after the TLC PPV in December that seems to be linked to the amendment. Instead of wrestlers striking others in the head, wrestlers's heads bounced off chain-link wiring in the Elimination Chamber PPV and "bulletproof glass" pods to create a different visual, but potentially with the same effect as a chair shot to the head. It's beyond just chair shots to the head, but the trauma of a head being struck in an unnatural way.
http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/WWE_News_3/article_39901.shtml0 -
Source: F4W Newsletter/Online
- WWE is looking to get The Rock to host the June 7th RAW from Miami but it’s not confirmed that he will appear then.
- WWE drug tested talents this past week, including people on the WrestleMania 26 card.
- There are currently around 8,000 tickets sold for the combined RAW and Smackdown tapings on March 22nd in San Jose, California. WWE is expecting a sell out of around 11,000 for the show.
- There was some disappointment from the Poffo family as Randy Savage contacted both WWE and TNA about sending some kind of message to be read at his father Angelo Poffo’s funeral. TNA worked with him while WWE ignored the message.
- Right now the WWE talents from both RAW and Smackdown are being told to be prepared to work both RAW and Smackdown after Wrestlemania in Phoenix and Las Vegas.
- According to Dave Meltzer, the WWE talents have been told to keep busy with WWE affairs during Wrestlemania weekend and not to attend any Ring of Honor or Dragon Gate shows. They have also been told to expect TMZ cameras and not to do anything that would get them in trouble or on TMZ.0 -
Charlie Haas interview
http://www.prowrestling.net/artman/publish/InterviewHighlights/article10010766.shtml
How much of his second stint with World Wrestling Entertainment was a "life experience" after the first time being there: "It was definitely a life experience. It was just an ongoing nightmare for me. They promise they're gonna do this with you, and they don't do it. They tell me they are gonna bring me in to feud with Shelton (Benjamin), and they don't do it. As out lives went on we had our first child and then our second child, you wanna quit, but you have to support your family. Then you'll like 'Alright if I gonna eat crap to help support my family and give my wife and kids a better life, better than I ever had, then that's what I'll do.' But eventually, you could only handle so much before you gotta walk away because you bring that misery home, and it's unhealthy. It's a unhealthy work environment, but then when you bring it home, you make it a unhealthy home environment for your family, and you can't do that. It just really feels good to be away from that. No one understands unless you've been there."
Becoming a great fit within the confines of Ring Of Honor: "I agree with you 100%. I've been watching the product, I know Jim Cornette personally, and I just love what they're doing down there. I've worked with Cornette; I like the formulation of what he's done in the past in OVW and what he's doing now. I think I'll be a great fit. Those kids could go, and they wrestle. These men wrestle, and that's what it's about. I have so much left in my tank. My body's healthy. I'm determined. I'm not gonna sit back and be upset and retire, I wanna go out and prove myself. I wanna prove myself to all the skeptics and all the creative that they didn't know what they had."
What is more appealing to Charlie when he makes his return to the ring on television: TNA or Ring Of Honor: "I will end up at one or the other I promise you that. I just wanna go out and wrestle. I wanna be given the opportunity I never had, and that's it. I wanna have fun: that passion is back, and I feel like a weight has been lifted off my chest. The odds are good I will end up somewhere, and the whole new destiny for Charlie Haas will definitely take a turn, and it'll be a turn for the best. Not just for the fans, but for me and my family as well."
Some of the superstars/performers that Charlie would want to face in TNA that he never had the opportunity to face in his career: "There's another Elijah Burke ('The Pope' D'Angelo Dinero), never did anything with him. Look what's happened. It's the same thing; the WWE didn't see anything in him or he's not entertaining enough. It's their loss, and that's just one of them. Shannon Moore was another one who was never given the opportunity. Jeff Hardy is the most popular wrestler there is in the world today. Kurt (Angle) is one of my best friends, we talk all the time, and I would love to run with him or Jeff or any of those wrestlers: AJ (Styles), Samoa Joe."
Charlie's thoughts on the passing of his close friend and business partner Eddie "Umaga" Fatu several few months ago: "He was my best friend and was my best friend since we started in the developmental territories together. He was with me when we found my brother dead. He was my best friend and my business partner, and his family is my family. It's just heartbreaking just to watch him and watch what happened, and to have to bury another one of your friends just really sucks."
Why Shelton Benjamin, like himself, has not been used to the best of his ability during his time in the WWE: "It's either someone doesn't like him in creative or he's just too good of a wrestler, or he just makes things look too good and too easy, or it's just very political. Someone at the time doesn't want him to succeed. They have who they want to push, and he's just not one of them. And it's unfortunate, because he is probably the most God-gifted athlete in sports (pro wrestling and the WWE), but they don't want to utilize that, so it's their loss. That's why I'm begging him not to sign back. He'll probably stay for the money, but he could utilized a lot better elsewhere I'll tell you that."
Lashley on TNA
http://www.prowrestling.net/artman/publish/mmaufcnews/article10010857.shtml
Lashley on his status with TNA: "As far as I know, I'm not working with them. At the time things started getting really built up with fighting and signing with Strikeforce and everything, it was just kind of hard doing both at the same time. We tried to work something, but I guess it didn't work. So as far as I know, I'm on the future endeavored lists (laughs)."
Davey Richards
http://www.prowrestling.net/artman/publish/InterviewHighlights/article10010871.shtml
What it is like for him to be part of Ring Of Honor with so much going on in the company:
"It's home, and that's the best way I could put it. Ring Of Honor is the perfect fit for me and my style, and I'm part of the best tag team, and I get to work with what I think is the best locker room full of guys. Going to Charlotte (for "The Big Bang" Pay-Per-View)...I actually lived in Charlotte for a little while, so that'll be great to return there. WrestleMania weekend is always a big weekend for us. I had a match being part of last WrestleMania weekend, so I'm hoping to continue that streak. I'm just looking forward to everything, and it's going to be an honor to be there."
His goals in the company going forward into the spring/summer:
"As far as my immediate goals, just putting on the best matches I can and staying healthy. One of my biggest goals of The American Wolves was really not for me at all. It was to help someone who I thought was underrated (Eddie Edwards) and give him some spotlight. I think people are just realizing now how good he is, so that was one of the top goals of forming The American Wolves, and I feel like we've done that. At this point I'm part of a machine, and the machine is Ring of Honor, and I just wanna have the best matches I can and show people that hard work pays off."
His thoughts on the company's flagship television program, Ring Of Honor On HDNet, and what advice would he give to a new fan of the promotion:
"The best I can answer this is I've always considered Ring Of Honor as a place that doesn't have to hype itself and explain itself, because it really is what you see is what you get. No one can touch our in-ring wrestling, and if people just give us the opportunity to sit back and watch, we're not gonna try to throw 500 characters and 500 punch lines at them. We are the best wrestling company, and we just want people to sit and enjoy what they came to see which is just professional wrestling. So the best way I can answer that is at Ring Of Honor, the wrestling speaks for itself."
The rumors of Charlie Haas potentially signing with Ring Of Honor:
"I'm always down to work new talent and test myself. I think Charlie would be accepted. Ring Of Honor is a place where there isn't a negative connotation coming in. If you can hang and you could go, then that's the bottom line. Charlie was an amateur wrestler, Charlie's an athlete; he's not a bodybuilder, Charlie's a wrestler, so I think Ring Of Honor would be a great place for him. I would love to see him in there, and I think he could swim, but the final decision is up to him: whether he's gonna put in the time to shift into fifth gear and go the extra mile -- that's what it takes to be in Ring Of Honor, but I definitely thinks he has it in him."
The transformation of former ROH World Champion, "The American Dragon" Bryan Danielson into Daniel Bryan and his work so far on WWE NXT:
"I actually have never seen the program. I haven't watched wrestling on television is quite sometime, so I haven't really seen it. But I don't have to see the program; we're talking about Bryan Danielson. He was the one who wanted me to start calling myself 'the best in the world,' but I know my place, and I know I'm nowhere as good Bryan. And if anyone in the world can get themselves over and get to that next level, it's Bryan. That's really a no-brainer. He could be king of the wrestling world tomorrow and it would not surprise me one bit, so I think he will be fine."
Tyler Black
http://www.prowrestling.net/artman/publish/InterviewHighlights/article10010864.shtml
Black on WWE Raw vs. TNA Impact and what show he watches more: "Usually WWE, I honestly, its very difficult to sit through a TNA broadcast. Its hard, I've always been a big WWE fan and it sucks because I have a lot of friends in TNA where I'd like to see them get more time to shine, but they're getting kind of stuck in the back."
-Black on why Samoa Joe is not being utilized in TNA: "I have no idea, I dont know what they're doing. Hes stuck in the middle, theres just so much talent coming in there with Hogan and Bischoff and it seems like, I dont know, it seems like theres no direction. It seems like theres a big mess there."
-Black on his relationship with Austin Aries: "He sees the blues, I see the reds and thats the way its always been. I'm not one to start trouble with anybody but maybe he has rubbed me the wrong way just like he has everybody else. I'm kind of a loner, and hes more of an outgoing.....prick so, we've never been buds and we're probably never gonna be."
Kevin Kelly
http://www.pwinsider.com/article/46028/kevin-kelly-discusses-the-roh-big-bang-internet-ppv-wwe-memories-michael-coles-announcing-work-the-roh-product-and-more.html?p=1
KEVIN KELLY DISCUSSES THE ROH BIG BANG INTERNET PPV, WWE MEMORIES, MICHAEL COLE'S ANNOUNCING WORK, THE ROH PRODUCT AND MORE
By Neal Jones on 2010-03-18 10:45:57 Kevin Kelly was this week's guest on In Your Head Wrestling Radio hosted by Jack E. Jones, Oneincbiceps and Barbie Richards. For full audio visit www.inyourheadonline.com
Jack, OIB and Barbie welcome Kevin Kelly to this weeks show. Kevin wishes everyone a happy St. Patrick’s day and is glad to be back on IYH.
Jack plugs the Big Bang live on pay per view and on the internet. www.gofightlive.tv is where the show will be shown and is for only for $14.95. Kelly says this is a rebirth of the ROH product. Kelly puts down the recent WWE television, but says that WWE product has had some good build for the Wrestle Mania pay per view.
Kelly says that he has only done announcing a few times over the past several years. Kelly needs to prove his critics wrong that he can do a great job.
Jack asks if he was friends with Jim Cornette in WWF. Kelly says they were because they both didn’t care for the sports entertainment side of the product. Kelly has remained close to Jim Cornette and when he heard of Cornette’s job at ROH he sent him a letter to help out.
Kelly mentions the training camp that happened a few weeks ago for ROH. About forty men attempted to get into ROH and he is in the process to look over the video footage. Kelly says that you have to be believable and creditable. Kelly asks wrestlers to ask themselves if people would want to pay to see them without their shirt on. Kelly mentions that he realized no one would want to see him without his shirt on, though he always wanted to be a announcer.
Kelly says that Dave Prazak will be his partner calling the show. Kelly talks about giving the fans as much of a live feel to the show as they will have a half time show to give everyone a breath. Kelly says that bringing in guys from a generation ago helps out the product and wants to hear what Dutch Mantell has to say about some ROH talent.
Barbie asks Kevin if the WWE roster is hurting because their only voice is Michael Cole. Kelly says 100% it does. Kelly says that Cole does a fine job, but says their isn’t any passion coming from Cole. Kelly believes that Cole tries, but he doesn’t believe in it. Kelly says that the real personality of Michael Cole showed up on the first show on NXT. Kelly says that Cole truly believes that The Miz is better and bigger than Daniel Bryan. Kelly says that Cole has lasted long enough because he knows how the group thinks. Kelly mentions that he understood it but he couldn’t embrace it. Kelly says that WWE is a great place for a television person to be.
Kelly discusses the Tough Enough concept and how people in WWE thought they could create a superstar by “adding water to a seed”. However, they need to have passion and desire to be a wrestler. Kelly believes that fans do not pay to see sports entertainment, but rather to see the wrestling. Kelly was always frustrated from the mindset people in WWE had.
Shane from Ireland asks if Kelly has ever been to Ireland but Kelly has not been to his native land. Kelly has not been but would love to. Kelly questions if the caller is sober! Shane says he isn’t the stereotypical Ireland man and doesn’t drink all the time. Shane says he will tune into the show on April 3rd and says he will but does he have to pay! Kelly says that he has to, of course but only in American dollars!
A caller named Joel asks Kevin his opinion on Michael Cole as a person and says that Kelly got along with him. Kelly mentions that Cole was supposed to replace him but he stayed until 2003. Kelly puts Cole over as a family man and a good guy who likes to drink and play golf. Kelly believes it will always be hard for someone to captivate the crowd if they don’t have the passion to call wrestling. Kelly uses Kurt Angle as a example as a guy who he didn’t think he was a pro wrestling fan, but is assuming he is. Kelly puts Angle over as taking to the business very well. Kelly says that a lot of guys don’t love the business and don’t like certain parts of it. Kelly doesn’t believe that Goldberg or even Batista to like it in the beginning of his career. Kelly says that WWE would get wrestlers out of college and says that Brock Lesnar succeeded but the travel just wasn’t for him.
Joel asks Kelly if he enjoys Jim Cornette’s rants. Kelly says he enjoys the rants very much and even talked to Cornette at the last television taping as being too nice with his statements. Kelly talks about a story where he was driving with Jim Cornette to Syracuse, New York and how much he learned from Cornette during some of his rants.
A caller names Andrew asks who would Kelly like to see in ROH from the WWE. Kelly jokingly asks if he can have Shawn Michaels and Undertaker. Kelly seriously says that he would like to see Charlie Haas in ROH as he is a wrestler and is what ROH is all about. Kelly says that ROH doesn’t have any politics or BS. You show up and have the best possible match.
Jack asks how did Cornette change the product. Kelly says that Cornette has shown a focus to bring out the personalities of the wrestlers. Kelly got some great information to tell the fans what makes a wrestler unique. Kelly puts over Austin Aries as one of the best workers going in the business today.
OIB asks Kelly what he thinks about being PG orientated. Kelly says it is a great business decision as you have to change the product time to time. Kelly learned this from his days in ECWA. Kelly also says they are retooling for a edgier product ten years from now. Kelly talks about getting in some fights in school when people preferred Hogan over Flair back in the NWA days.
Kelly isn’t surprised that Flair is still competing but doesn’t want to see it. But, if Flair loves it then why stop it.
A caller asks what Kelly thinks about Jim Cornette changing his opinion on various companies after he leaves a company. Kelly assumes that the caller was talking about when Vince Russo joined TNA. Kelly talks about Cornette not liking Vince Russo but says that Cornette stayed because he is loyal to the Jarrett family. Kelly talks about a commentary on DOI where the arguments that Cornette had back in 1998 are the same ones that are in 2010. Kelly talks about Hogan not knowing what he is doing and he has admitted that.
Kelly believes that Spike TV wanted to compete with USA as compared to TNA wanting to compete. Kelly doesn’t believe TNA is ready to compete but says that they need to “stay the course” at this point. Kelly talks about the fact that it has only been two weeks and nothing should be changed until six months or a year to see where they are. Kelly discusses how TNA has been hotshotting their product a lot recently. Kelly tells a funny story of believing when the Big Show as the Giant in WCW was getting fatter people in the WWE thought that he perhaps ate a Villano!
Kelly talks about his respect for the Lucha style. Kelly says that they are bringing in some Lucha guys into the ROH show. Blue Demon Jr. is scheduled to be on the show. Kelly says that he has covered some Lucha, but not much.
Kelly says that the internet pay per view idea is going to need to work for ROH. Kelly says that ROH is going to have to go to the more traditional way to get a revenue as not as many people are getting the DVDs anymore.
Kelly always has kept up with the ROH product and mentions several top names that have gone through the company. Kelly has been very close to Eddie Edwards since Edwards was 18 or 19. Kelly has been able to follow the ROH product now that is has gotten a television deal.
OIB asks Kelly about his favorite memory in WWE. Kelly’s favorite person to work with in WWE was the Rock as it was so much fun despite the hard time Rock gave him. Kelly discusses how they are both from Florida. Kelly also had a lot of fun working with Russo on the magazines. Jack asks if Rock would ask Kelly if he had a problem with something. Kelly says that discussed things all the time to make sure it was taken in a humorous manner. Kelly would make facial expressions to crack up the camera guys.
Jack asks if Kelly isn’t impressed with any backstage guys. Kelly says that he likes Todd Grisham, doesn’t mind Josh Matthews and likes Matt Striker as well. Kelly talks about how TNA is the same promo over and over again. Kelly likes to watch wrestling promos on you tube and the great promos that Tony Schiavone had with Ric Flair in WCW. Kelly believes that announcers do not have any creditability in the business today. Kelly believes that you need to ask a tough question and stick to it.
Taso the greek from the message board wonders what Kelly thinks of Christy Hemme. Kelly doesn’t know Hemme personality says he is a pretty girl and heard she is nice.
A caller named Lonnie doesn’t realize that Kevin Kelly is on the line and begins to discuss general wrestling news. Kelly chimes in and asks Lonnie what he liked about TNA Impact. Lonnie liked the X-Division segment but didn’t like anything else. Kelly says that TNA is a “ten pound of crap in a five pound bag”. Kelly agrees that it doesn’t make sense that the Nasty Boys and older guys are back in the company.
Taso calls in and asks if Kevin Kelly has ever been “sandbagged”. Kelly has never had a situation where their was a beef or anything of that nature. Kelly tells a story about Sid Vicious pulling Kelly aside and thanking him for the way he called his match against Faarooq on a episode of RAW. Kelly had been apart of the company for a short time. Kelly puts Sid over as a smart man. Kelly wanted Sid to be on Confidential but he declined only if their was a comeback involved. Kelly says that Sid looks like a million bucks but isn’t on television.
A caller asks Kelly what he thinks about TNA openly talking about competition. Kelly says that whenever they do that they look “second rate”. Kelly believes they should follow the rule of not mentioning the WWE. Kelly also thinks that TNA needs to develop new talent. He enjoys the work of D’Angelo Dinero (Elijah Burke from WWE). Kelly says that in ROH they focus on the wrestler and their history and goals in the company. Kelly is really bugged when Mike Tenay continues to repeat the obvious as to what happened. Kelly believes that Tenay needs to slow down and needs to tell a story. Kelly says that Tenay has been around for a long time and should know better. Jack admits that Don West was a guilty pleasure of his and Kelly says that he was dreadful. Kelly mentions that he watched TNA Epics and he was horrible.
Jack talks about the card for ROH which will see the Briscoe Brothers taking on the Kings of Wrestling for the ROH World Tag Team Championships. Kelly puts over Hero and Claudio as being great workers. Kelly has a great deal of respect for Chris Hero and says he has improved greatly. Davey Richards taking on Kenny King for a pick 6 spot. The main event will see Tyler Black defending the ROH World Championship against Roderick Strong and Austin Aries in a elimination match. Kelly mentions a Colt Cabana/El Generico taking on Steve Corino and Kevin Steen. Kelly likes Colt Cabana’s style as it is a style that will not be seen in other places.
A caller named Jai asks Kevin Kelly if he Vince McMahon would scream in his ear. Kelly said that he Vince McMahon would scream in his headset, but he would simply tone him down and not listen to what he was saying. Jack mentions that he won a Hulkamania shirt from Byte This and never got the shirt and he blames The Fink. The same caller asks Kelly if he knows why Randy Savage has never returned to the idea. Kelly says that creative would sometimes come up with ideas for Savage and sometimes McMahon would listen to the idea and sometimes he would say “absolutely not”. Kelly discuss the rumors of Savage taking the Slim Jim deal himself or leaving the company for WCW are the reasons.
Jack asks Kevin Kelly if he would ever have another debate with Bob Ryder. Kelly would discuss something regarding Chris Harris and apparently some activities taking place. Kelly says that he loves the Braden Walker tribute video on you tube.
The debate on the big blue cage or the current cage continues this week. Kelly at first hated the big blue cage but it grew on him. They talk about the Terror dome match on TNA Impact on January 4th where Homicide couldn’t get out of the cage. Kelly found it ridiculous that their was a DQ for the match, and doesn’t even like the escape rule. Kelly brings up the fact that chair shots are no longer allowed in WWE. Kelly agrees that he sees the chair shots coming back.
Kelly doesn’t believe the WWE knows how to protect the wrestlers from concussions. Kelly says that chair shots to the head will not be seen in ROH. Kelly says that anything is possible to bring back from the day as long as the modern fan would believe in it.
Kelly believes that North Carolina is a good audience for ROH because of the history of the area. Kelly puts North Carolina over as a great wrestling town.
A caller named Carroll calls in and thanks Kevin Kelly for all his work he has put in the wrestling business. Kelly truly appreciates the kind words and says that he was a fan before his announcing days and will continue to be a fan of wrestling.
A caller asks if Kevin Kelly sees ROH competing with TNA if TNA were not to improve. Kelly says that he doesn’t see that happening as ROH is looking to be the largest WRESTLING promotion going while TNA and WWE are going for the sports entertainment crowd. Kelly says that ROH is looking to get people who stopped watching wrestling and even MMA fan. Kelly believes that ROH would measure up with TNA very well over the next twelve months. Kelly believes that they compete against themselves instead of competing with a different company. The same caller asks if there are going to be more internet pay per views. Kelly says that they are planning on doing four a year and the next one scheduled to take place in June.
Kelly has been doing a lot of research to get caught up on the ROH product and feels that he needs to do this for the ROH crowd. Kelly has missed working fulltime in the wrestling business.
Barbie asks Kelly if ROH has talked about international distribution. Kelly says that they are in talks to expand internationally and says that they recently signed a deal with Italy.
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The "Over the Limit" PPV poster has been released:0
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According to a source within WWE, the feeling within the company right now is that Shawn Michaels will be retiring from pro wrestling after WrestleMania 26.
I was told that Shawn Michaels is very interested in developing a reality TV show that will be centered around his "life after wrestling." He wants the show to focus on his home life, his family, and the deep relationship he has with God and religion. The feeling is that HBK will be focusing most of his post-WrestleMania attention on developing the show, which is why he will likely be either retiring or taking an extended hiatus from the business after the big PPV.
I was also told that Michaels wants the reality show to be very positive in its nature, and that, by comparison, he does not intend for his family to be subjected to the seediness of the entertainment business much like The Hogan family was when they were on TV. It is very important for Shawn that the show be uplifting, and grounded in a firm religious nature.
If he does retire he will be hugely missed0 -
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Cena talks about his fans, been a heel, Mania etc..
Jericho sings Total Eclipse Of The Heart with David Arquette!:pac:
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http://sports.espn.go.com/videogames/news/story?id=5021566Edge and Chris Jericho were traveling together between shows back around 2000 when they stumbled upon a video game arcade. Looking for something to do, they wandered inside looking for an old-school "Pac-Man" or "Street Fighter" distraction when they saw a couple of kids knocking the virtual slobber off one another in the classic "WWF Royal Rumble" arcade machine. As Jericho approached, he noticed that one of the gamers was actually playing as the virtual Y2J, so he calmly walked up behind the young boy and asked, "Who's winning?" Of course, the kid nearly stroked out when he turned around and saw who just asked him the question, and before he could even realize what was happening, Jericho pulled out some quarters to challenge the winner.
"I like to do that sometimes, like if I'm driving around an arena and fans are walking in and if someone has a Chris Jericho sign, I'll roll down the window and shout, "Nice sign!" Then I'll drive away and see their reactions in the rearview mirror," Jericho says with a laugh as I get him on the phone to talk wrestling and video games.
What's funny, though, is back when Edge first told me that arcade story a few years ago, it sounded more like a stunt from some hidden camera show or commercial, but when I look back on it now, it's crazy to think about just how far Jericho and Edge have come. Think about it. Edge wasn't even in the game back then, and now he is facing his old friend Jericho for the world heavyweight championship at Sunday's biggest wrestling event of the year, Wrestlemania XXVI.
And while neither Edge nor Jericho have to worry anymore about whether or not THQ will feature them in the upcoming "WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011," what's interesting is just how popular Jericho is with the video game community (maybe it has something to do with him challenging random kids at arcades).
According to THQ, the total number of content created in "WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010" featuring Jericho, Edge, and the rest of the WWE roster (we're talking everything from created storylines to created finishers to even ditching THQ's version of Jericho in favor of their own created version of the superstar) is more than 307,000, with Jericho being one of the most popular when it comes to adding new finishers. Talk about a community hard at work.
In fact, "WWE Smackdown vs. Raw" has one of the most dedicated and passionate online communities of any game franchise around as fans have downloaded the various user-created content nearly 7 million times since "SvR 10's" debut back in October, with 5.8 million of these downloads being created characters alone.
"Being in video games is one of the benefits you don't think about when you're starting out, but it's definitely cool," says Jericho. "When you first start in the business, you just want to have one match. Then you just want to do one match in Japan, then just one match in the States. The fact that there's a video game where millions of people are using you as a way to enjoy themselves is cool. It just shows how far things have gotten for me as a performer."
Jon Robinson: Whenever I talk to Edge, he always mentions how his goal is to steal the show. Whether it's Wrestlemania or just an episode of "Smackdown" or "Raw," his goal is to go out and do something that leaves people talking. What will it take for you guys to steal the show at Wrestlemania this year?
Chris Jericho: If you don't have that attitude, then you shouldn't even show up, and that goes for whether you're in the main event or the opening match. What does it take? You just have to be smart about how you work the match, but a lot of it hinges on the crowd reaction. That's the X factor. Obviously, any match you have at Wrestlemania is magnified instantly just for the fact that you're at Wrestlemania, but sometimes the crowd goes nuts and other times they're a bit more subdued. So it really depends on what type of crowd we have and how they respond to our match. I think that's the biggest X factor on whether or not you have a classic, the reactions from the people that are there.
Jon Robinson: My favorite thing that you do in the ring is when you grab someone in a hold and immediately look at the referee and yell at the top of your lungs, "Ask him!" It always cracks me up when you're looking for someone to submit off of a headlock. How important are moments like that to help get the crowd into the match while at the same time helping shape your character?
Chris Jericho: That's something that I never sat down and said, "I'm going to say, 'Ask him!' and people will react." That's just something I started doing in Japan. Somebody there was always saying it, so I just started saying it and 15 years later, everyone is always coming up to me and saying, "Ask him! I love it when you say that." At first, I was like, "What are you talking about?" I never even thought about it. I didn't start saying it so it would end up on a T-shirt or anything like that.
But to play the part of the bad guy is quite an art form. It's a lot easier to make people hate you than it is to make them like you, but having said that, once they hate you, it's very hard to make them continue to hate you because most bad guys, even somebody like Darth Vader in the movies, they end up becoming good guys because they're so entertaining and so interesting in their character. That's one thing that in the WWE is so hard, to stay hated while at the same time delivering an interesting character. It's a fine line. So I take a lot of effort and a lot of steps in order to stay hated. Maybe I'll need to stop saying, "Ask him," just because people are starting to like that a little too much.
Jon Robinson: When the average sports fan turns on a WWE program, what do you think is the one thing that is most overlooked in terms of what you guys do inside the ring?
Chris Jericho: The debate on whether wrestling is real or not has long subsided and it's definitely show business, but it's still very much a contact sport. It's as much of a sport as figure skating or gymnastics in that you're doing athletic demonstration that is being judged. Any judge in the world can make the best person lose or the worst person win, and wrestling is like that as well. It's very much a contact sport, there's a lot of athleticism, but it's also decided by what's going on in the show. It's as physical a sport as football or hockey, and I think people underestimate just how physical it is. Even if you say, "Well, it's all predetermined," we're still doing things in the ring that other athletes couldn't do or wouldn't do.
Jon Robinson: Your dad played in the NHL. When you used to watch, were you a fan of the skilled players, or the goons who went in and mixed it up?
Chris Jericho: As a hockey fan, the goons fire things up and you have some fun with that, but there's no doubt the skilled hockey players, those are the guys who really capture your attention. Watching [Wayne] Gretzky play in the '80s was the most amazing thing ever because he was so much better than everyone else. He was just this naturally talented, gifted guy. It was the same as watching Jordan play or Shaun White in snowboarding. The goons are the dessert, but the skilled players are the meat and potatoes that really wow you.
Jon Robinson: Do you see a parallel with wrestling? There are skilled guys like yourself, then there are guys who just try to wow you with their size and brutality?
Chris Jericho: It's show business, so you have all different levels of performers. You have guys who have more finesse, guys who are more brawlers, you have guys who have that great connection to the crowd and great charisma, and others who have none of that who come in and out. Being in WWE is very much like being on a sports team. You have your roster with your franchise players, you have your supporting role players, then you have your minor league guys who drift in and out of the system.
Jon Robinson: Every time you go out to the ring with a microphone, it's almost like you were looking up words in your thesaurus backstage just to find new ways to insult the crowd. Where do you come up with these words and phrases?
Chris Jericho: It's just a thought process. You always see people who are holier than thou and who talk above your head. It's like when the plumber comes over and he tells you, "The problem is that the ventricular pipe is not feeding into the forceps." You're like, "Just fix the pipe, man, I don't care which comes which." It's the same thing when I go to the ring and use words like sycophants and mucilaginous. I just stumbled onto this about a year and a half ago, that if you use words to talk over their heads, it really makes them mad. A lot of people don't even know what these words mean, so they're like, "Who is this guy using these big, fancy words? He thinks he's better than everyone else." But once again, using these big words has become something that people look forward to and they're starting to cheer for, so I almost need to scale that back. Anything people start liking, I need to stop doing.
Jon Robinson: Do you have a favorite phrase to insult the crowd?
Chris Jericho: I like the way "gelatinous tape worm" sounds. It's not just that it's a tape worm, but it's made of jello. That's a double whammy right there. Mucilaginous is a good one too, but I'm not even quite sure exactly what that means.
Jon Robinson: Growing up watching wrestling, did you have a favorite Wrestlemania moment or match?
Chris Jericho: There were a couple of defining moments for me. Steamboat/Savage from Wrestlemania III was one that captured my attention as well as everyone else's. After that, Owen Hart versus Bret Hart at Wrestlemania X and Shawn Michaels versus Razor Ramon at Wrestlemania X were the ones I liked best.
Jon Robinson: Speaking of Bret Hart, did you ever think that you'd see him back inside a WWE ring? Not only did he come back, but he's wrestling Vince McMahon at Mania this year.
Chris Jericho: I never knew if we'd see him again, but I always hoped he'd come back. I think he deserves it, I think the fans deserve it, and it's great to have him back. It has been such a long time coming. Bret is like the "Chinese Democracy" of wrestling. You heard about it for so long, but you always wondered if it would ever come out. Now Bret is back and it's pretty exciting.
WWE
After years perfecting his craft, Jericho is still at the top of his game.
Jon Robinson: Besides being the champ on "Smackdown," you're also featured heavily on WWE's new development show "NXT." What made you want to participate in that show and help out some of these younger wresters? Who do you see as the breakout performers?
Chris Jericho: I wasn't really given a choice in performing. I was basically just told I was going to be on the show and that was it. But I think it's a good concept. There are still some bugs that need to be worked out in the system, but I like my protégé, Wade Barrett. I think he's got great presence and a great character. I also think Daniel Bryan, obviously, is an extraordinary performer as well. Those two guys stand out to me right off the bat.
Jon Robinson: I think your match with Daniel Bryan went a long way in helping make him a star with the WWE crowd. There was a spot in that match, though, where he flew toward you, but you threw him into the announcers' table and you could see his rib area instantly bruise. What was supposed to happen on that move?
Chris Jericho: Things happen, man. [laughs] You can't really say what was supposed to happen, but things happen and that's just the way it is. Going back to your previous question about what sports fans don't realize about the business, but you never know what is going to happen, you just have a certain plan that you try to go for. It's like if I'm playing hockey and I take a slap shot, but it ends up bouncing off of somebody's head and then goes into the net. You never know what could happen. In that situation with Bryan, that's not exactly what we had planned, but it ended up better than what we planned because it became such a memorable moment.
Jon Robinson: The "WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010" video game lets you create your own storylines. Is there an ultimate storyline that you have in mind that you'd like to create?
Chris Jericho: I think it already happened. The storyline I had with Shawn Michaels a couple of years ago was an amazing example of storytelling. I think the Rey Mysterio one we did this summer was a great story, and the one we're doing right now with Edge at Wrestlemania is a great story. So I can't say that there's an ultimate storyline because some of the stuff I've already done, I've already been there in terms of telling great stories. And that's the most important thing about this business, telling a great story and getting a good personal issue to get people involved in what you're doing. If not, you're just two half-naked guys rolling around in your underwear, and there's nothing cool about that.
Jon Robinson: Since you're not just a wrestler but a musician [Jericho's band Fozzy just released a new CD], how would you rate the different entrance music of your fellow WWE competitors?
Chris Jericho: I think that "Stone Cold" Steve Austin still has a great one, and I've always loved Shawn Michaels' entrance music. I think Hunter's is cool, mine is cool, Edge's is great, and Undertaker also has a cool one. The worst one by far is Drew McIntyre's. Terrible, terrible. In Drew McIntyre's case, the idea is to not lull people into complete and utter boredom when your music gets played.
Jon Robinson: A few years ago you took a long hiatus from wrestling. How much longer do you see yourself keeping up your current pace and continuing to wrestle?
Chris Jericho: At this stage of the game, I'm doing the best work of my career and I feel physically great and mentally great, so there's no reason to think about stopping now. We'll see what happens, but for right now, I see no end in sight. But who knows, tomorrow I can wake up and give you a whole different story. But when I left, I said I wasn't going to come back until I felt like I could be better than ever, and I think the work I'm doing is the best of my career and I want to continue to do just that for as long as I can.0 -
According to THQ, the total number of content created in "WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010" featuring Jericho, Edge, and the rest of the WWE roster (we're talking everything from created storylines to created finishers to even ditching THQ's version of Jericho in favor of their own created version of the superstar) is more than 307,000, with Jericho being one of the most popular when it comes to adding new finishers. Talk about a community hard at work.
They're not even going to come close to the ones with JR in them or even the ones where JR gets hit by a car0 -
Goldberg may return, get the piped chants ready!
http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/WWE_News_3/article_40115.shtml
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor
Former WWE and WCW World Hvt. champion Bill Goldberg says he's negotiating with WWE on a potential return to the company that he last worked for in 2004.
"YES.. I am in negotiations with the WWE. Looks like 'ole Hogan and TNA missed the boat. Shame for the fans they didn't even try," Goldberg said on his Twitter page tonight.
Goldberg left WWE after his infamous WrestleMania 20 match against Brock Lesnar and has ripped WWE in interviews since then.
Goldberg has been critical of politics in WWE and repeatedly said he had no interest in returning to WWE. He acknowledged that on Twitter tonight, while saying his mentality changed.
"Truth is I never thought I'd even consider it...then came my son," Goldberg said. "No one said I'd wrestle but the door is open again."0 -
Bret Harts Wrestlemania photo diary day 1 is up on WWE.com
http://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/diary/day1/0 -
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One of the biggest days on the sports entertainment calendar arrives Sunday, March 28, when Wrestlemania XXVI takes place before a packed University of Phoenix Stadium. It will be watched by millions more on pay-per-view.
And when the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) invades Glendale, Ariz., the biggest feuds of the year will culminate on the grandest stage of them all. Not only is John Cena challenging Batista for the WWE Championship and Chris Jericho is putting his World Championship on the line against Edge, but the Undertaker is betting his legendary Wrestlemania undefeated streak against Shawn Michaels’ career in a rematch of last year’s classic match, and those are just some of the highlights of a star-studded card.
The excitement around this special event doesn’t end with the fan, it extends all the way up to the company’s owner, Greenwich resident Vince McMahon.
“There’s an extra amount of excitement,” Mr. McMahon said. “It’s the culmination to a year of buildup for us. ...Wrestlemania was the first pay-per-view we did on a national basis and to be able to do it, we literally risked everything we owned. So every Wrestlemania is special. To us it’s like the Oscars or the Grammys or the World Series or the Super Bowl.”
The story surrounding the first Wrestlemania, March 31, 1985 at Madison Square Garden, is nearly as legendary as the event itself. At a time when wrestling companies still held fast to the idea of regional territories, the McMahons were pushing their company toward a national presence. It was a risky venture and Mr. McMahon and his wife Linda literally staked ownership of the company on its success.
Ultimately, the marriage of pop culture to professional wrestling changed the industry’s landscape, allowing Wrestlemania to become a globally recognized event. Today you don’t even have to be a sports entertainment fan to know what Wrestlemania is.
“It has grown into everything I ever wanted it to be, but we’re still not there yet,” Mr. McMahon said. “There’s more that can be done, but it’s grown every year into something that people can’t miss.”
WWE has changed in the last few years and embraced a more family-friendly style for its weekly television shows. According to Mr. McMahon, the shift has allowed the company to grow and appeal to a more diverse audience, including women, who he says now make up 40% of the company’s audience, as well as the children who will make up the next generation of fans.
“At heart I think we’ve always been a bit of a family affair,” Mr. McMahon said. “If you look at the audience for our live events you will see fathers and sons and mothers and sons and brothers and sisters. This is something an entire family can go out and enjoy together. It’s a lot like baseball in that respect.”
The wrestling landscape itself has also changed in the last six months. For years WWE battled rival World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in what fans remember as the “Monday Night Wars” because both companies had programs going head to head Monday night. WWE decisively won the war in 2001 with the end of WCW, but this month Total Nonstop Action (TNA) moved its wrestling program to Monday nights directly against WWE’s flagship program RAW.
WWE isn’t sweating it though and the ratings have so far backed that confidence up, with millions more preferring WWE programming. Mr. McMahon even goes as far at to say TNA is “not competition.”
“We’re in different businesses,” Mr. McMahon said. “We’re in the entertainment business and they’re in the ‘pro wrasslin’ business. It’s different markets. When they moved to Monday nights they threw the kitchen sink at us and only did a fraction of our audience. It doesn’t speak well for the type of product they’re trying to present with the tawdry, blood-soaked action. I don’t think that’s what the culture wants these days.”
With the company producing movies, books, DVDs, monthly pay-per-views and hours of weekly television without any reruns, Mr. McMahon said WWE is more comparable to a company like Disney than to TNA.
“We’re woven into the fabric of Americana,” Mr. McMahon said.
But Mr. McMahon’s focus isn’t just on his company’s performance, since at this year’s Wrestlemania, he will be facing off against the legendary Bret “The Hitman” Hart in a match that has been building for nearly 13 years around real personal animosity Hart felt for his former boss. It’s not the first time Mr. McMahon has competed at Wrestlemania, but he is hoping it will be the last.
“It makes things more difficult,” Mr. McMahon admitted. “I really much more prefer working behind the scenes as a director and a producer than being part of the action. I do hope this will be my last time in the ring, but I say that after every match I’m in. I’m 64 years old and while I’m in great physical condition and I never want to say never, I really don’t want to do this again.”
However, he knows how long fans have been waiting to see The Hitman get his hands on the diabolical Mr. McMahon and he said his goal is to give the audience what it wants. Plus as one of his company’s biggest villains, Mr. McMahon loves the reaction he gets from the crowd.
“It’s an exciting feeling,” Mr. McMahon said. “When you get an audience to react to you the way the audience always does to the Mr. McMahon character, it’s one of the greatest feelings you can get as a performer and it’s a real shot of adrenaline. Whether it’s good or bad, you want that reaction. The only thing you don’t want is for the audience to just sit there and do nothing. That’s the death knell.”
Next year’s Wrestlemania is already set for Atlanta and Mr. McMahon admits that as soon as this year’s is over, people will begin looking ahead on the calendar.
“After a Wrestlemania someone always says, ‘Gee, that was great. How can you top it?’” Mr. McMahon said. “And the answer always is, ‘I don’t know how we can. But I do know that we will.’”
http://www.acorn-online.com/joomla15/arts/features/53533-after-26-years-wrestlemania-is-still-special-to-wwe-owner.html0 -
Goldberg may return, get the piped chants ready!
http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/WWE_News_3/article_40115.shtml
By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor
Former WWE and WCW World Hvt. champion Bill Goldberg says he's negotiating with WWE on a potential return to the company that he last worked for in 2004.
"YES.. I am in negotiations with the WWE. Looks like 'ole Hogan and TNA missed the boat. Shame for the fans they didn't even try," Goldberg said on his Twitter page tonight.
Goldberg left WWE after his infamous WrestleMania 20 match against Brock Lesnar and has ripped WWE in interviews since then.
Goldberg has been critical of politics in WWE and repeatedly said he had no interest in returning to WWE. He acknowledged that on Twitter tonight, while saying his mentality changed.
"Truth is I never thought I'd even consider it...then came my son," Goldberg said. "No one said I'd wrestle but the door is open again."
Also on the Observer Website today, could actually be true.0 -
Consequences Creed was released from TNA today.
Pwinsider.0 -
It was considered a telling sign that WWE hall of famer Jim Ross wasn't used to at least announce the Wrestlemania 26 main event on Sunday, even though Ross was in Glendale, AZ for the PPV. WWE is still negotiating with Ross to retain his services, and apparently wants him to stay in a "Gene Okerlund" like role, according to Dave Meltzer. It is becoming apparent that WWE wants Ross to longer announce on weekly television.0
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Below are some highlights from Jim Ross' new blog at jrsbarbq.com, talking about WrestleMania and Shawn Michaels' retirement:
- The highlight of the evening was Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels which was obviously the match of the night. I've answered a few emails regarding this matter and it is obvious that I would have loved to have broadcast this bout but that wasn't in the cards. At least I was in Phoenix and saw the event live and was then able to spend significant time with both HBK and with Taker after the event in private settings. Those experiences became my Wrestlemania Moments.
- As for me, life is good and I am healthy and happy. For those that have erroneously written or assumed that the reason that I did not announce at WM26 was because of health concerns, that assumption is incorrect, I'm happy to say. Broadcasting wrestling in WWE is likely history for me but there are many other areas to which I can contribute in WWE and those options, among others, will be weighed over the next month.
- I do think that Shawn will call it a day after losing his retirement match Sunday. Shawn has been blessed to have earned a great deal of money over the years and especially since he returned from an approximate 4 year hiatus due to lingering back issues. Unlike many wrestlers who retire, HBK doesn't have to worry about financial or legal issues and will be able to be essentially a full time dad to his two, young children which is an amazing blessing.
Shawn's farewell message Monday night on Raw was from his heart and not something that he read on a TelePrompter. What fans saw Monday night was legitimate, organic TV from arguably the greatest all around, in ring performer, certainly of his generation, and perhaps of all time. I sincerely appreciated Shawn's shout out to me on Raw which was, symbolically, a fitting end to my own Wrestlemania tenure.0 -
It was revealed during tonight's WWE NXT show that NXT rookie David Otunga will be the special guest host of next week's WWE RAW. Otunga won the rights as guest host of the show by winning a NXT Rookies battle royal match on the NXT show.0
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Nasty Boys released by TNA.
Thank ****.0 -
Consequences Creed has been canned as well.0
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It looks like TNA stars Jeff Hardy and Shannon Moore are trying to get WWE superstar Matt Hardy to "cross the ilne" and jump ship from WWE to TNA after the two wrote "cryptic" messages on Twitter last night.
Shannon More wrote: "@MATTHARDBRAND time to jump ship brudda. Ship has set sail. Tell Ace you quit and be a Heavens Demon!!!"
Jeff Hardy then wrote the following: "Maybe my brother can join tha demons next time if he gets his sh** together."
Presumably the "Ace" that Shannon was referring to is WWE's John "Johnny Ace" Laurinaitis.
In a related note, Jeff Hardy, Shannon Moore and Gregory Helms attended last night's UFC Fight Night 21 live show from North Carolina.
Credit: F4WOnline.com
According to Dave Meltzer, Vince McMahon was telling people this week that the match with Bret Hart at Wrestlemania would mark the end for the Mr. McMahon character. The idea is that the Montreal incident spawned the creation of the character, and it would only be fitting things would come around full circle with McMahon's character being destroyed by Hart.
Vince has wanted to drop the character for years, feeling that he was too old to be a television performer. The Wrestlemania match was designed to blow off all the heel heat from the character, and allow Vince to be a babyface from this point forward.
Batista has been telling a number of people in the company that he was looking to take a long break after Wrestlemania. There are some that expect that will happen after this month’s Extreme Rules PPV. He is scheduled to film a WWE Studios film “Killing Karma” this Spring, so it may be he’s not going to wrestle at the same time he’s filming.0 -
According to early estimates on the WWE corporate site, the Elimination Chamber PPV on 2/21 did close to 300,000 pay-per-views buys, slightly higher than last year's number. Obviously, the number will be adjusted as more data becomes available0
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WWE released Lance Cade on Friday, reports PWInsider.com.
He was brought back to the company this past October, but was never called up to the main roster. He worked a Florida Championship Wrestling event late last year and was never used again.
The former World Tag Team Champion was previously released from WWE on October 14, 2008. Jim Ross later stated that "he made a major league mistake while utilizing bad judgment" and that it was instrumental to his departure. J.R. also made reference to Cade having a seizure on a plane and needing emergency medical care.
His representatives said he can be reached for independent bookings via lancecade@gmail.com.0 -
- Following what happened this week on SmackDown, Jack Swagger's profile on wwe.com has been moved to the SD section, making him an official SD wrestler. At the moment his profile is still on Raw but the link is dead.
- Christopher Daniels returned to Ring of Honor at tonight's Big Bang internet PPV. Daniels returned and set up a match with Davey Richards. Daniels is set to return to action in a ROH ring during the first weekend in May. Daniels used his Fallen Angle character for his interview, and has given the appearance that he has left TNA. The deal to return to Ring of Honor was just put together over the last couple of days.
credit: wrestlingobserver.com0 -
Two more deaths this weekend to unfortunately report:
Eric Tunney, the nephew of former WWF figurehead President Jack Tunney, was found dead last Sunday at the age of 45. Tunney was a well known stand up comic and writer in L.A. in the late '80s and '90s. He was featured in the Kids in The Hall movie "Brain Candy" and was Terry Bradshaw's sidekick on the short lived talk show Home Team in 1997. After his marrage broke up in 2000, he returned to Canada and had been battling depression for the last couple of years.
Wisconsin indie pro wrestler Bob Ziolkowski, known by the names Baby Haystacks and Big Daddy, has died this morning. Bob, who has held the Powerhouse Pro Wrestling championship several times, was 34 years old. He is survived by his wife, Lori.
R.I.P to both, thoughts and prayers are with their loved ones at this time0 -
Sometimes the most intriguing wrestling news stories are broken or teased on the Wrestling Observer / Figure Four Online message boards. This is one such case, as German sportscaster and keeper of savage WWE secrets Oliver Copp, let the news leak that Vince McMahon is attempting to sabotage UFC's expansion into key European markets in a thread about Dana White's recent ambition to hold an event at the newly opened largest domed stadium in the world, Cowboy Stadium in Dallas.
http://www.cagesideseats.com/2010/4/6/1408330/vince-mcmahon-seeking-to-get-ufc0 -
- Jeff Jarrett and Karen Angle (the ex-wife of Kurt Angle) have announced their engagement. Karen recently posted the news on her Facebook page.
- One of the creative ideas that has been discussed is to form a new heel faction on Raw consisting of Ted DiBiase Jr., his brother Brett DiBiase and Joe Hennig, the son of the late WWE hall of famer "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig, dubbed the Fortunate Sons, according to Dave Meltzer. Brett DiBiase and Joe Hennig are currently training with Flordia Championship Wrestling in Tampa, FL.0 -
n an interview with ESPN.com to promote his new show "Garage Mahal" on the DIY cable network, former WWE & WCW Champion Bill Goldberg says he's open to wrestling one final match at next year's WrestleMania from Atlanta, Georgia.
"It's not something that I'm seeking out to do at 43 years old. But you know, WrestleMania is next year in Atlanta. Hulk Hogan and I put 43,000 people in the Georgia Dome with three days notice. I've got a fairly big following in Atlanta," Goldberg said. "Is it out of the realm of possibility? I'd say no."
Goldberg recently began working with WWE again on a new deal for WWE to use his likeness for merchandise (toys, appearing in WWE video games, etc.) and says he'd put himself back in the spotlight so his young son can see him in action.
"The doors are kind of open to negotiation as far as a merchandising deal. If it leads to something else? It's a wonderful day," Goldberg said."If not, I'm totally content with the way I went out. To be able to get merchandise out there not only satiates the fans but hopefully there have been a lot of people wondering where my merchandise is. The reason why I want to do this is my boy; just trying0 -
It looks as if Ezekiel Jackson was injured at WWE's live event in Scotland. According to a fan report that was sent to us, he took an odd spill to the floor and was covered as soon as he got back in the ring. He was then helped to the back after the match by Billy Kidman (WWE agent) and others. It looked to be a knee injury. We hope to have more on this soon.
It should also be noted that Triple H is currently suffering from a neck injury. This is also why he has missed some shows on the current European tour. We'll keep you posted as we get more.0 -
According to a report in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE is putting consideration into starting a new heel stable called "The Fortunate Sons" with Ted DiBiase Jr. as the leader.
Members rumored for the potential stable include Mr. Perfect's son Joe Hennig and The Million Dollar Man's son/DiBiase's brother Brett DiBiase (who has appeared in WWE briefly with the former Legacy faction in the past).0 -
Ted DiBiase was busted up pretty bad, hard way, during a match on the overseas WWE house show last night.
According to F4WOnline.com, DiBiase required several staples in his head after the show.0 -
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Smackdown is moving networks in America again.. Moving to SyFy
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2010/04/wwes-smackdown-moving-to-syfy-.html0
This discussion has been closed.
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