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WWE
FAST LANE COVERAGE
You can read Mike’s report from the show by clicking here.
You can read Dave’s blog from the show by clicking here.
WHY BROCK LESNAR DIDN'T APPEAR ON RAW
As reported Monday night in the PWInsider Elite section, WWE World Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar was backstage at Raw but was not used. Lesnar flew on his private plane to Nashville for the taping earlier in the day on Monday.
According to those who saw him backstage yesterday, Lesnar was obviously angry about something and one source claimed he walked out of the taping before it ended.
There are different stories making the rounds, but PWInsider.com has been told it was not something on the creative end that set Lesnar off, but something regarding his business relationship with WWE. No one we spoke with was willing to elaborate beyond that, but several made it clear it had nothing to do with any planned booking.
Vince McMahon acknowledged the issue during a Smackdown production meeting today, a source claimed, but did not elaborate on the issue. Lesnar has returned home to Minnesota and is not backstage at Smackdown.
Lesnar is not advertised to appear again for WWE until the 3/9 Raw taping in Pittsburgh, PA, which gives WWE several weeks to work out whatever the issue is.
If and when we confirm additional details, we will update.
BUT BROCK DID APPEAR….
WWE World Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar is at last night's UFC PPV.
During a post UFC-PPV interview for UFC on Fox Sport 1, Dana White was asked about WWE World Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar being at the PPV. White initially joked that he didn't see him, then said Lesnar was in town to see some people and was "apparently" a fan of UFC and wanted to see some fights. White was asked by interviewer Ariel Helwani whether Brock was coming back to UFC. White said, "I don't know. He's under contract to WWE. When his WWE contract is up, I am sure he will call me." When asked what they spoke about, White said it was about last night's fights but teased that Brock did ask whether fighter Frank Mir, who Lesnar had fought in UFC, did say he wanted to fight Brock again. Obviously, the timing of Lesnar showing up just six days after he walked out of a WWE Raw taping in Nashville, TN following a dispute believed to be over something related to either his current deal (which runs through the end of March) or a new, potential deal was not by chance. Lesnar knows how to play the game. Whether that game leads him back to UFC, only time will tell.
TOP MATCHES FOR WRESTLEMANIA 31 ARE...
The top matches for Wrestlemania 31 are:
*WWE World Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns.
*Sting vs. Triple H.
*Undertaker vs. Bray Wyatt.
*WWE United States champion Rusev vs. John Cena.
*Seth Rollins vs. Randy Orton.
WWE Intercontinental champion Bad News Barrett will defend his championship in a ladder match against multiple challengers. In recent weeks, WWE has run angles involving Barrett, Dean Ambrose, R-Truth, Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler, so they are all heading for that bout.
*WWE announced tonight that they will hold the second annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at Wrestlemania 31 with The Miz announcing he would be the first competitor.
UNDERTAKER-WWE UPDATE
As we reported last night in the Elite section of PWInsider.com, the current plan is for Undertaker not to make a live appearance until Wrestlemania 31.
Undertaker will respond to Bray Wyatt's challenge but not appear live before the audience as a way to build anticipation for his first appearance since losing to Brock Lesnar the year before.
WWE FANS TAKING UP FOR THE DIVAS
After last night's Raw featured a 30 second tag match with WWE Divas champion Nikki Bella & Brie Bella vs. Emma & Paige, fans online began complaining about the lack of TV time given to the women's roster on the main WWE roster.
That morphed into #GivaDivasAChance, which at one point, was trending worldwide on Twitter, leading to Mick Foley writing that he has happy to see it trending.
Whether this leads to WWE giving the female side of the roster more time to wrestle on Raw and Smackdown remains to be seen, but WWE can now look at hard data to see how many fans are pushing to see it online.
After the #GiveDivasAChance continuously trended on Twitter for the 24 hours following the 30 second Divas tag match on Raw, Vince McMahon responded to the fan outcry this evening on his own Twitter account, writing:
We hear you. Keep watching. #GiveDivasAChance
— Vince McMahon (@VinceMcMahon) February 25, 2015AJ LEE DROPS A PIPE BOMB ON STEPHANIE MCMAHON
Don’t expect AJ Lee to come back to WWE any time soon. After Stephanie McMahon tweeted:
Thank You @PattyArquette for having the courage to fight for #WomensRights on such a grand platform. #UseYourVoice pic.twitter.com/q71acxMExU
— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) February 23, 2015AJ did a retweet and responded with:
@StephMcMahon Your female wrestlers have record selling merchandise & have starred in the highest rated segment of the show several times,
— A.J. (@WWEAJLee) February 25, 2015And:
@StephMcMahon And yet they receive a fraction of the wages & screen time of the majority of the male roster. #UseYourVoice
— A.J. (@WWEAJLee) February 25, 2015Wow, it’s on, like Donkey Kong.
WHICH LED TO….
It's quite the night for Twitter. Stephanie McMahon responded to AJ Lee's scathing comments about how WWE pays and uses it's female performers, writing:
Thank you @WWEAJLee, I appreciate your opinion. #UseYourVoice
— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) February 25, 2015OFFICIAL WWE STATEMENT ON REY MYSTERIO
PWInsider.com contacted WWE regarding Rey Mysterio's status with the company as he was moved quietly to their Alumni section today.
WWE responded with the following statement:
"Rey Mysterio is no longer under contract with WWE."
So, Mysterio's long run with the company is officially over.
BEHIND THE SCENES OF MYSTERIO WWE DEPARTURE
I was going to wait until I did an audio tomorrow to discuss the Rey Mysterio situation, but wanted to give it to Elite subscribers ASAP.
As we noted, Rey Mysterio was moved to WWE's Alumni section earlier today and WWE confirmed to us, via an official statement, that he is no longer under contract to the company. We are told that while there are stories making the rounds that Mysterio negotiated a release, his WWE contract actually ran out and was not renewed.
Mysterio and WWE had been at odds for some time over the company extending his deal due injuries that kept him out of action for extended periods of time. Mysterio had been upset that the company has rolled over his most recent deal when he expected to leave. At one point, Rey was said to be refusing to cash the checks on his downside guarantee.
As far as Mysterio's future, we are told that Konnan is working to set him up dates and that there should be some announcements tomorrow as far as his initial appearances. There were plans for some sort of big reveal but WWE confirming to us that Rey is done sort of killed those plans.
We have heard Rey will be doing a number of signing appearances but likely won't be wrestling right away. The caveat on that statement regarding wrestling is for independent appearances only as it's expected he will debut for Lucha Underground as the person who introduced Konnan to Lucha Underground champion Prince Puma. As of this writing, he and Underground have not come to terms.
On the indy scene, Mysterio is expected to command big money for appearances.
AAA's huge Rey de Reyes event on 3/15 is also likely to feature a surprise return of Mysterio to Mexico. AAA is promoting a press conference for later this week, so it could be the announcement of Mysterio's return to the promotion where he first became a star.
WHAT WENT DOWN WITH WWE AND REY MYSTERIO
As we noted, Rey Mysterio was moved to WWE's Alumni section yesterday and WWE confirmed to us, via an official statement, that he is no longer under contract to the company.
We are told that while there are stories making the rounds that Mysterio negotiated a release, his WWE contract actually ran out and was not renewed.
Mysterio and WWE had been at odds for some time over the company extending his deal due injuries that kept him out of action for extended periods of time. Mysterio had been upset that the company has rolled over his most recent deal when he expected to leave.
As far as Mysterio's future, we are told that Konnan is working to set him up dates and that there should be some announcements over the next week as far as his initial appearances.
There were plans for some sort of big reveal but WWE confirming to us yesterday that Rey is done sort of killed those plans.
We have heard Rey will be doing a number of signing appearances but likely won't be wrestling right away. The caveat on that statement regarding wrestling is for independent appearances only as it's expected he will debut for Lucha Underground as the person who introduced Konnan to Lucha Underground champion Prince Puma. As of this writing, he and Underground have not come to terms.
On the indy scene, Mysterio is expected to command big money for appearances.
AAA's huge Rey de Reyes event on 3/15 is also likely to feature a surprise return of Mysterio to Mexico. AAA is promoting a press conference for later this week, so it could be the announcement of Mysterio's return to the promotion where he first became a star.
Mysterio has been added to Wrestlecon on the Friday of Wrestlemania 31 weekend, his first signing appearance since departing WWE upon the expiration of his WWE contract.
For complete details, click here.
COMPLETE SCHEDULE OF WRESTLEMANIA 31 WEEK EVENTS
Here is a complete breakdown of everything announced for Wrestlemania 31 week in the San Francisco/San Jose Bay Area of California.
THURSDAY MARCH 26th:
6 PM - WWE Wrestlemania AXXESS at the San Jose Convention Center.
8 PM - Mick Foley one man show at Cobb's Comedy Club in San Francisco, CA. For details on all Foley shows, visit www.RealMickFoley.com.
8 PM WWNLive.com presents EVOLVE at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds in San Jose, CA. This will be an iPPV event. For details on all WWNLive events listed, visit http://www.wwnlive.com/SJCA.
FRIDAY MARCH 27th:
9 AM - 5 PM - Wrestlecon Session One at the San Jose Garden Hotel in San Jose, CA. For details on all Wrestlecon events and guests, visit www.Wrestlecon.com.
3 PM - WWNLive.com presents EVOLVE at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds in San Jose, CA. This will be an iPPV event.
6 PM - WWE Wrestlemania AXXESS at San Jose Convention Center.
7:30 PM - Ring of Honor in Redwood City, CA at the Sports House. This show will be filmed for DVD and VOD. For ROH details, visit www.ROHWrestling.com.
7:30 PM - ComedyMania with Colt Cabana and Rob Van Dam at Quarternote in Sunnvale, CA. Tickets at brownpapertickets.com.
8 PM - Mick Foley One Man Show at The Improv in San Jose, CA.
8 PM - WWNLive.com presents King of the Indies Tournament at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds in San Jose, CA. This will be an iPPV event in tribute to the late Roland Alexander of APW with 16 competitors competing in the tournament's opening rounds.
9 PM - ComedyMania with Colt Cabana and Rob Van Dam at Quarternote in Sunnvale, CA. Tickets at brownpapertickets.com.
11:55 PM - WWNLive.com presents Kaiju Big Battel at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds in San Jose, CA. This will be an iPPV event.
11:59 PM - Macho Man Comedy Show with Marty DeRosa, Lanny Poffo and more at Quarter Note in Sunnyvale, CA. Tickets at brownpapertickets.com.
SATURDAY MARCH 28th:
8 AM - 12 PM - WWE Wrestlemania AXXESS Session 1 San Jose Convention Center.
9 AM - 4 PM - Wrestlecon Session Two at the San Jose Garden Hotel in San Jose, CA.
12 PM - WWNLive.com presents SHIMMER at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds in San Jose, CA. This will be an iPPV.
1 PM - 5 PM - Wrestlemania AXXESS Session 2 at the San Jose Convention Center.
4 PM - WWNLive.com presents Mercury Rising 2015 Supershow at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds in San Jose, CA. This will be an iPPV.
4:45 PM - WWE 2015 Hall of Fame Ceremony at the SAP Center. This will air live on the WWE Network. Randy Savage and Arnold Schwarzenegger will be inducted.
6 PM - 10 PM - Wrestlemania AXXESS Session Three at the San Jose Convention Center.
7:30 PM - Wrestlecon Session 3 at the San Jose Garden Hotel in San Jose, CA. Featuring live card headlined by Hardy Boys vs. Sabu & Rob Van Dam.
8 PM - WWNLive.com presents King of the Indies Night 2 at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds in San Jose, CA. This will be an iPPV featuring tournament finals plus Juventud Guerrera vs. Ultimo Dragon vs. Ricochet.
SUNDAY MARCH 29th:
8 AM - WWE Wrestlemania AXXESS at the San Jose Convention Center. This will air live on PPV and the WWE Network.
10 AM - Wrestlecon 'Mania Moments' Brunch with Legends at the San Jose Garden Hotel in San Jose, CA.
3 PM - (Doors Open 1:30 PM) WWE Wrestlemania 31 at Levi's Stadium.
MONDAY MARCH 30th:
4 PM - Monday Night Raw at the SAP Center
TUESDAY March 31st:
WWE Smackdown at the SaveMart Center in Fresno, CA.
KILLING A RIDICULOUS ROMAN REIGNS STORY MAKING THE ROUNDS
One of the crazier rumors making the way around the Internet over the last 12 hours has been one that originated on Reddit.com where an anonymous user claimed that Brock Lesnar had walked out of the WWE Raw taping on Monday due to Roman Reigns failing a WWE Wellness test and the company deciding not to suspended Reigns.
Despite the lack of any sort of credible sourcing, the story picked up steam online via message boards and social media, to the point I woke up to over 150 emails all sending links to the story asking about it.
I reached out to WWE today regarding the rumor. I already suspected there was nothing to this (and we usually ignore such rumors), but given the huge play it has gotten via social media, I wanted to give the company a chance to respond to this sea of ridiculousness.
WWE's official statement:
"That story is absolutely, 100% untrue."
So, there you have it folks. Paul McCartney isn't dead...and Roman Reigns didn't fail a Wellness test.
WWE ADDS SOME VERY FAMILIAR NAMES TO ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS
WWE sent us the following:
WWE® ELECTS STEPHANIE MCMAHON, PAUL LEVESQUE AND ROBYN PETERSON TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS
STAMFORD, Conn., February 26, 2015 – WWE (NYSE: WWE) today announced that WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon, WWE Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events & Creative Paul Levesque and Chief Technology Officer and Head of Product for Mashable Robyn Peterson have been elected to its Board of Directors.
“The appointments of Stephanie, Paul and Robyn to WWE’s Board of Directors will be invaluable to the company as we continue to transform our business and look toward a new era of unprecedented growth,” said WWE Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Vince McMahon. “I am confident that our Board of Directors and senior management team is stronger than ever and well-positioned for future success.”
Stephanie McMahon, WWE’s Chief Brand Officer, is responsible for leading the company’s efforts to further enhance its global brand reputation among key constituencies including business partners, advertisers, media, investors and the public sector. She serves as the company’s brand ambassador and works with WWE’s business units to support key growth initiatives. McMahon is the primary spokesperson for WWE's corporate social responsibility initiatives and is participating in the prestigious Eisenhower Fellowship, an international leadership exchange program for outstanding professionals. She began her career with WWE in 1998 as an Account Executive for WWE’s sales office in New York City, in addition to being a TV personality, and she has overseen multiple business areas including WWE's Creative, Talent Relations, Talent Brand Management, Live Events, Digital, Social and Mobile businesses.
Paul Levesque has more than 20 years of experience at WWE as an executive and performer. Well known as WWE Superstar Triple H®, Levesque is also WWE’s Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events & Creative, leading the talent development and talent relations departments responsible for recruiting and training the company’s Superstars and Divas. He recently oversaw the development and launch of the state-of-the-art WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, which serves as the home to WWE’s talent developmental system, NXT. Levesque also oversees all business operations for the more than 320 annual live events, including scheduling, ticket pricing strategy and promotion, and continues to play an integral role behind-the-scenes as a director and producer shaping the storylines in WWE’s programming.
Robyn Peterson, Chief Technology Officer and Head of Product for Mashable, is a seasoned technology executive with more than 15 years of experience in web, mobile and video product development. Peterson is a member of Mashable's Operating Committee, where he directs product strategy and development and manages the product, design and engineering teams. Peterson led the redesign of Mashable.com in 2012 which ushered in a 100 percent increase in mobile page views, pages-per-visit and ad engagement, and oversees the development of Mashable’s Velocity platform, a technology that predicts and tracks the viral life cycle of digital media content. Prior to Mashable, Peterson was the head of product at Next Issue Media, the magazine and newspaper consortium funded by News Corp., Conde Nast, Time Inc., Meredith and Hearst. Earlier in his career, Peterson served as Vice President for Technology and Product for NBCUniversal.
MADISON SQUARE GARDEN HONORS HULK HOGAN
BREAKING: #WWE AND @TheGarden raise banner celebrating 30 years of @HulkHogan. Photo by @realbobhasley #PWInsider pic.twitter.com/sl1zvPo7oS
— PWInsider.com (@PWInsidercom) February 28, 2015
Mike Johnson was at tonight's WWE House Show at Madison Square Garden and will have a full report of tonight's show.
You can read Mike’s report from the Hulk Hogan appreciation night at the 2/27 MSG house show in by clicking here.
You can read our report from the 2/28 house show in Bridgeport, CT by clicking here.
You can read our report from the 2/28 house show in Toronto, ONT by clicking here.
WHAT THE POST WRESTLEMANIA LINEUPS LOOK LIKE FOR EUROPE, NXT STARS HEADING OVERSEAS
The current advertised matches and talent for the WWE European tour in April are:
For the John Cena-headlined shows:
John Cena vs Rusev w/Lana for the US Championship
Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins
Dean Ambrose vs. Luke Harper
Scheduled to appear:
Ryback
Kane
Goldust
Stardust
New Day
The Ascension
Jack Swagger
Bo Dallas
Sami Zayn
Kevin Owens
Paige
Nikki Bella
Brie Bella
For the Roman Reigns-headlined shows:
Roman Reigns vs. Big Show in a Street Fight
Dolph Ziggler vs. Bad News Barrett for the IC Championship
The Usos vs. Miz and Mizdow vs. Tyson Kidd and Cesaro for the Tag Team Championships
Scheduled to appear:
Sheamus
Daniel Bryan
Bray Wyatt
Erick Rowan
R-Truth
Fandango w/ Rosa Mendes
Adrian Nevile
Finn Balor
Naomi
Natalya
Emma
Eva Marie
Alicia Fox
Sumer Rae
WWE HALL OF FAME ON WWE NETWORK UPDATE
The WWE Network added almost every WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony to the VOD section of the Network this morning. All of the ceremonies from 2004 to present are currently available, as are short-form content related to the WWE Hall of Fame.
The material not available as of this writing is the announcement of Andre the Giant as the first Hall of Famer as well as the ceremonies that were held in 1994, 1995 and 1996, which were never broadcast or seen in their complete form. Whether the company adds those or not remains to be seen, but hopefully they do pop up.
WWE COMIC BOOK CANCELED, BUT....
The WWE Comic Book series "WWE Superstars" is officially canceled and completed it's run with issue #12, which hit comic book stores this week.
In a letter to readers, publisher Jim Salicrup announced the end of the series but stated "it's not as bad as it sounds!"
Salicrup then announced a series of graphic novels featuring WWE characters were in the works, with Mick Foley working on the writing.
So, while the monthly book is done, Papercutz will instead create and publish complete stories instead of breaking them down chapter by chapter with new issues.
PWInsider.com first reported last month that it appeared the series was being canceled.
SETH ROLLINS SHOWS UP ON THE DAILY SHOW TO CONTINUE FEUD WITH JON STEWART (UPDATED WITH VIDEO)
Seth Rollins appeared in the final segment of "The Daily Show" with Jon Stewart on Comedy Central Thursday night, interrupting the final segment as Stewart was signing off for his "Moment of Zen."
Static filled the screen, followed by a shot of Rollins, who challenged Stewart via a split-screen. When the comedian began firing back with a pro wrestling style promo, Rollins appeared behind him.
Rollins challenged Stewart to "bring it" and Stewart joked that he would, but he had to go "find it first" and would bring it on a later date.
This led to Rollins challenging Stewart to appear on Raw this Monday in Newark, NJ, which Stewart agreed to. The show went off the air with some good natured scuffling as Stewart attempted to "overpower" Rollins.
PWInsider.com reported exclusively in the Elite section this afternoon that Rollins was in NYC, likely for an appearance on the series. To subscribe to the Elite section and receive an ad-free version of PWInsider.com, plus exclusive news, audio shows and interviews, click here.
Updated with Video:
PAIGE ON AJ, NXT AND MORE
Chuck Carroll reporting. … I recently spoke with Paige on The Turnbuckle Weekly with Chuck Carroll.
You can listen to the interview on the new Play.It podcast network or on CBS Radio and TV websites around the country. Here is a link.
She and I talked about the recent #GiveDivasAChance movement.
“If we get given the time (on the main roster)… a lot of us could be better than the guys, I feel like, if we get given the time," she said. "The guys get all the time to showcase what they can do. So, of course people say 'the guys are better than the girls.' We do a couple minutes and that's it. We don't really get to showcase what we do...
â€In NXT you do. I feel like a lot of people tune into NXT just to watch the women because they literally kick ass. They have all this time and they're just incredible."
I asked her why she thought there was a gender imbalance of time on the main rosters and she said she didn't really know.
She also mentioned that she's been in touch with AJ Lee who has been absent from TV since mid-December.
“She’s great,†Paige told me. “You know, some people just need a break to rest up. It happens to all of us. You get tired or rundown or you just need your body to rest up. “
Paige also told me that the fourth season of Total Divas is starting this week and is believed to run through SummerSlam.
When we talked she wasn't 100 percent certain about the cast, but confirmed she would be back along with the Bella Twins and Nattie.
WRESTLEMANIA 33 TO MINNEAPOLIS?
Minnesota may have birthed the AWA and it may have elected a pro wrestling Governor, but it's never had a Wrestlemania.
That may change soon.
The Minnesota St. Paul Business Journal is reporting that officials intend to make a major bid to bring Wrestlemania 33 to the Gopher State's new Minnesota Vikings Stadium.
All bids for Mania 33 aren't in yet. so what market WWE chooses remains to be seen. There's been a lot of talk about potentially returning to the Orlando market for Wrestlemania down the line as well.
For more, click here.
FIRST LOOK AT WWE'S NEXT MARINE MOVIE
Summer Rae Tweeted out the following artwork for the fourth film in their "Marine" film franchise:
Soon pic.twitter.com/fbqtuNDK37
— Summer Rae (@RealSummerWWE) February 23, 2015The film will be released this April on DVD, Blu-Ray and VOD.
ADRIAN NEVILLE TALKS ABOUT WHETHER THE MAIN ROSTER TALENTS HAVE ANY HEAT WITH NXT, WHO HE WOULD LIKE TO WORK WITH AND MORE
NXT Superstar Adrian Neville recently was a guest on the This is Awesome Wrestling Show, which is hosted by Glenn Moore and Steve Guy and based in Cleveland, Ohio.
Neville talks about making the transition from independent wrestling to NXT, the impact of William Regal, some of his classic matches in NXT, if NXT should have a match at Wrestlemania 31, who he would want to feud with on the main roster, and meeting Vince McMahon. He was on to promote NXT's show in Cleveland on March 6th.
The This is Awesome Wrestling Show will be giving away tickets to the event.
Link to the full show and interview:
http://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/show/clesound/id/3389791
Interview starts at 8:18.
Below is a transcript of some of the highlights:
Any jealousy between main roster and NXT roster:
I don't think so. I certainly don't get that when I'm working the main roster shows. I think, if anything, the main roster guys are supportive and they are excited to see us thrive and make the transition from NXT to the main roster. And looking forward to standing across the ring from us and competing against us. I know, if I was on the main roster, and I saw the young guys coming in who were hungry and killing it down in NXT, I'd look forward to facing them. I don't think that's the case at all. I don't think that's true at all.
Meeting Vince McMahon for the first time:
I haven't sat down and spoke with Vince in any depth. It's just been hellos and goodbyes. The first time he caught me off guard backstage at Monday Night Raw. He was just walking down one of the corridors backstage. It was a bit surreal. But it was just a quick, 'hello, sir, I'm Adrian Neville, one of your developmental talents. Pleasure to miss you.' It lasted about 20 seconds. It wasn't very notable or noteworthy.
His choice to hit Red Arrow on and feud with on main roster:
Red Arrow - Daniel Bryan. We've been across the ring from each other before and it would be great to do an one-on-one with Bryan on a big stage.
Feud - I'd love to wrestle (feud) with Dolph [Ziggler]. I've never wrestled Dolph and I think he's a phenomenal talent. I think it would be a trip. Also, Seth [Rollins]. He's on fire at the minute. I'd love to go up against Seth. One of those two would be unbelievable.
NXT match at Wrestlemania 31:
Absolutely. Like I said, I don't think NXT is considered a developmental brand or territory anymore. I feel like, we put out a product that's just as good as the main roster. So, I'd say yes.
Will we see him on main roster within six months:
I very much hope so. I can't tell you for definite, because the truth is, I don't know. If I was a betting man, I'd bet on yes. But we will have to wait and see.
VIDEOS
Here is the official WWE Hall of Fame video for The Bushwhackers:
Follow Goldust As He Prepares To Battle Stardust at Fastlane
2/22/15-Tyson Kidd & Cesaro Drop Some Facts
Canvas 2 Canvas-WrestleMania XIX Hits The Canvas
2/22/2015 WWE Fury-29 Spears That Will Slice You In Half
2/23/15 WWE RAW Fallout: Get The Attitude Out
2/23/15 WWE RAW Fallout: Ziggler Wants To Be The Best
2/23/15 WWE RAW Fallout: Dean Ambrose Makes It Simple
A Look At The Rivalry Between Seth Rollins And Jon Stewart
Here is this week's WWE Smackdown Fallout:
NEWS AND NOTES
Scheduled for this Wednesday's edition of WWE NXT:
*The returning Bryan Kendrick vs. Finn Balor
*Hideo Itami vs. Bull Dempsey.
*Lucha Dragons vs. Jason Jordan and Tye Dillinger
*Baron Corbin vs. Tye Dillinger
*Bayley vs. Becky Lynch
WWE will return to Boston on 6/27 for a live event.
As reported this morning in the PWInsider Elite section, there are plans to induct Madusa and Tatsumi Fujinami into the WWE Hall of Fame this year. Madusa is extremely surprising given her tossing the WWF Women's championship in a trash can on WCW Monday Nitro during the Monday Night Wars, but WWE has made a concerted effort in recent years to squash any existing fires with estranged talents. Fujinami headlined several WCW PPVs against Ric Flair in 1991 and held the WWF Light Heavyweight championship. Flair makes sense as an inductor.
Jon Stewart made a reference to Ryback retaining the United States title at WWE Fast Lane on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" last night but there was no reference or hint of anything regarding Seth Rollins.
The WWE-Flintstones "Stone Age Smackdown" animated film is officially released on DVD and Blu-Ray today. Among the WWE characters appearing in the film, in pre-historic versions are Vince McMahon, Mark Henry, The Bellas, Rey Mysterio and CM Punk. So, the last official Punk appearance in WWE is a cartoon. The Undertaker is also in the film, although he's the exact same Undertaker since the character is "immortal", which I think is pretty damn funny.
In the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal thus far at Wrestlemania 31 are The Miz, Ryback and Curtis Axel.
After Raw, it appears Dolph Ziggler vs. Bad News Barrett vs. R-Truth vs. Dean Ambrose was the direction for the WWE Intercontinental title at Wrestlemania, possibly in a Ladder Match.
Dusty Hill of ZZ Top was at last night's Raw taping in Nashville, TN.
Speaking of The Music City, the next live event there will be a house show on 7/11. There is already an online pre-sale at Ticketmaster.com using pre-sale code Tickets.
Wrestling artist Rob Schamberger showcases his painting of Wrestlemania XIX at this link. Rob will be painting at the AXXESS entrance all Wrestlemania weekend and it's pretty obvious all these Mania paintings will be displayed by the company in some form over that weekend.
A lot of the publicity material being used for the "Legends of Wrestling" event this June at The New York Mets' Citi Field Stadium was yanked overnight, which probably means someone from WWE sent a cease and desist. A lot of the names and publicity photos being used were WWE-owned materials. The event, due to the size and scope of the stadium, really seemed to shock those we spoke to within WWE and there was unhappiness about some of the names being used since WWE will be in the same market with Summerslam, AXXESS, etc. within the same time span.
The frontrunner for Summerslam's new location we have heard is The Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY but nothing has been officially set in stone.
Filming for the fourth season of Total Divas should begin anytime.
WWE NXT star Solomon Crowe noted online that he just happened to be in the right place at the right time in Florida as an SUV overturned and he and another onlooker were able to rip the door off and help the driver out.
Mark Henry was at the Reality of Wrestling event promoted by Booker T over the weekend and was said to have dropped a good amount of weight and looked awesome.
Online in the PWInsider Elite section today is an exclusive interview with former WWE and current Lucha Underground star John Hennigan aka Morrison/Mundo as part of his media jaunt today discussing the new family wrestling comedy "Russell Madness" which will be released on 3/10 on DVD and Blu-Ray, his lead heel role, the irony of having to do a pro wrestling entrance and promo for his audition, his own writing and film projects that he's working on, thoughts on Lucha Underground as it continues to evolve, advice to those seeking to go through the WWE Tough Enough process, reflections on making "Russell Madness", the potential of taking the concept to a new "Air Bud"-like children's film franchise, whether the old Hollywood adage of never working with children or animals is true and more. You can check out everything we have to offer in the Elite section, ad-free, including hours upon hours of exclusive audio interviews, news and discussion at this link.
WWE Hall of Fame Ted DiBiase Sr. will be joining us tomorrow for an interview.
Music website Noisey.com featured an interview with WWE Hall of Famer Sgt. Slaughter looking at his musical foray at this link.
Mick Foley has his one man show tonight 2/24 in Harrisburg, PA.
Jake Roberts will be doing his own One Man Show on 3/5 and 3/8 at the EastVille Comedy Club in New York City.
WWE’s George Barrios was on CNBC this afternoon, in part to talk about the one year of The WWE Network. He said that he felt within 3-5 years the Network could reach 3-4 million subscribers. He talked about the Network and why it is such a good deal. You can check it out by clicking here.
To follow up what Mike posted earlier, here is a link to a video of Mark Henry’s in-ring appearance at Booker T’s Reality Of Wrestling show from over the weekend. Mark said he was there to see Harlem Heat reunite. Mark looked to be leaner and in good shape. Thanks to Title Match Wrestling for sending that along.
Speaking of Harlem Heat, Title Match Wrestling also sent along video from their match from this past weekend. You can watch it by clicking here.
Steven Fernandes reporting. … The WWE talent along with Triple H and Stephanie held a celebration, after RAW ended last night, for WWE Network's one year birthday, complete with The Miz getting a cake-faced. You can check it out by clicking here.
Also, Variety has an article on the 4 Key lessons WWE has learned from their one year launch of the network. You can read it by clicking here.
Backstage at last night's WWE Smackdown taping in Atlanta were Ric Flair, former WCW star Fifi the Maid and Scott Hall.
Brad Maddox was also backstage, the first time he's been seen at a WWE event in some time.
2K Sports reps were at the Raw taping on Monday in Nashville, TN scanning talents for the forthcoming WWE 2K16 videogame.
There is talk of WWE NXT touring on the road as early as this May. We've heard of the company reaching out to several venues lately.
Dean Ambrose was interviewed by The Asbury Park Press to promote WWE's return there at this link.
WWE will be running a Smackdown taping on 4/21 in Providence, RI and will return to Green Bay, Wisconsin for a Raw taping on 4/27.
Empire Online has a first look at Dave Bautista's "Mr. Hinx" character in the nextJames Bond movie "Spectre". You can check it out by clicking here.
Dwayne Johnson tweeted the following: "We're all a project and work in progress. It's officially under way: #ProjectRock Comin' soon.."
Kevin Dunn disposed of $40,000 shares of WWE stock at an average of $16.71 yesterday. He netted $668,400 on the sale.
By the way, his new job title as mentioned in the filing is "Executive Producer and Chief Glo" That's how it’s written.
WWE will return to Japan on 7/3 and 7/4 it was announced yesterday locally. Tickets will go on sale on 4/11. Both shows will take place at Sumo Hall. One would assume Hideo Itami will be on the tour.
WWE added Brian Kendrick to the NXT roster page, as they did with Rhyno last week. I have not heard either has been signed to a long-term deal with the company.
Announced for next week's WWE NXT is Sami Zayn's first comments since losing the NXT title.
Officially competing in the Andre the Giant Battle Royal at Wrestlemania 31 are Adam Rose, Fandango, The Miz, Curtis Axel and Ryback.
Bret Hart: The Dungeon Collection, which was a hell of a DVD, will be airiing tonight on the WWE Network.
Sasha Banks noted online that she's been scanned for the new WWE 2K16 videogame. 2K Sports has been doing motion capture work for the game over the last week in California.
David Otunga was interviewed by The Chicago Tribune about his new role as one of the analysts on the Monday Night Raw Pre-Show on the WWE Network at this link. Otunga noted he had been away as he needed to spend more time with his wife and his son and the current role isn't much different from his appearances on Headline News where he offers legal commentary. Otunga noted he's wanting to get back into the ring down the line.
As broken over the weekend here on PWInsider.com, WWE will announce The Bushwhackers are joining the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2015 during tonight's episode of Monday Night Raw. "I'm proud to be a Kiwi going into the Hall of Fame. We're the first people from Australia or New Zealand to go in," said Luke Williams to Stuff in New Zealand. "I'm like an ambassador for the country." To read the entire Stuff.co.nz article, click here.
You can read Richard Trionfo's Raw report by clicking here.
You can read Richard Trionfo's Main Event report by clicking here.
You can read Mike’s review of the Shield DVD by clicking here.
You can read the off air report from Monday by clicking here.
J Bryan Franklin sent this after Raw report. … Unfortunately, we did not see Brock Lesnar, even though he had been advertised locally for the show. After the Raw taping ended, there was a chance in the giant 10 man tag match, as it only ended up being an 8 man tag since Orton, who was supposed to be on the face team, did not perform and went to the back after the taping. We did get Cena, Bryan, Reigns, and Ambrose vs. Rollins, Big Show, Kane, and. Bray Wyatt. The face team won as Big Show ate a spear and an Attitude Adjustment to send the fans home happy. WWE returns to Nashville Saturday, July 11th for a WWE Live show.
You can read Richard Trionfo's Superstars report by clicking here.
You can read Richard Trionfo's NXT report by clicking here.
You can read Richard Trionfo's Smackdown report by clicking here.
WWE.com has a article with John Cena, Daniel Bryan, The Rhodes Brothers, JBL, Big Show and Mark Henry talk about their first time meeting Vince McMahon. You can read it by clicking here.
Michael Cole interviewed Arn Anderson and Michael Hayes in his weekly WWE.com interview talking about Sting vs. Triple H and more. You can watch it by clicking here.
Chris Jericho has a role in the next Sharknado movie premiering on Syfy in July. He tweeted pictures of his appearance.
Adam Rose and Zack Ryder have been having a twitter feud over the last few days.
WWE is looking for a Vice President, International Live Events - "The Vice President, Live Events International position will be based in Stamford, CT and will report directly to the SVP, Live Events. This role will oversee all International touring initiatives, research and devise new International touring markets while securing and maintaining venue and promoter relationships, negotiate all International event engagements, work cohesively with International General Managers, develop entry strategies for Live Events into new markets, establish key business partnerships internally & externally as well as implement best practices for the unit."
WWE has registered to trademark "WWE The hero in all of usâ€.
John Cena, Hulk Hogan and Stephanie McMahon did a twitter Q&A from Google Headquarters on 2/26. Some highlights:
From John Cena's Q&A
Most underutilized talent on the WWE roster: "It's between @WWECesaro and @LukeHarperWWE"
How does it feel to know he almost reached Ric Flair's record for most world titles: "It feels like the IWC is sharpening their swords."
Will he ever propose to Nikki Bella?: "Keep watching @TotalDivas and you might get your answer."
His biggest accomplishment: "I feel like it hasn't happened yet."
Favorite moment on Total Divas: "The competition between Nicole and I."
From Hulk Hogan's Q&A
Who would he tag with from the current WWE roster: "That would be @WWEDanielBryan! I could teach him how to really Hulk up brother!"
Best Tag Team partner he ever had: "@EdgeRatedR"
When do we get to see Brooke Hogan wrestle in WWE: "The would be a dream come true to see @MizzHogan win the #DivasChampionship with a LEG DROP brother!"
Who he wishes could be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame: "I would say Ravishing Rick Rude"
Chances of Hogan vs Sting in a WWE ring: "never say never brother."
Favorite wrestler of all time: "Probably has to be Macho Man Randy Savage"
Thoughts on Dean Ambrose: "He is @R_Roddy_Piper on rocket fuel."
Favorite Rivalry: "Macho Man"
From Stephanie McMahon's Q&A
Which celeb would make a great diva: "@RondaRousey"
Why are there no writer credits for WWE programming "an effort 2 give as much content as we can 4 our audience!"
Thoughts on #givedivasachance: "I'm excited to see what's going to happen!"
The 2/15 episode of Total Divas brought in 1,068,000 million viewers, up from 914,000 viewers the previous week. The episode drew a 0.5 in the 18-49 demo, same as last week.
Previous Weeks' Ratings:
1/4/15 - 1,411,000 viewers. 1/11/15 - 1,295,000 viewers.
1/28/15 - 1,253,000 viewers.
2/8/15 - 1,080,000 viewers.
2/15/15 - 914,000
The 2/23 edition of Raw was back over the four million mark, doing 4,122,000 viewers. That is up from last week’s 3,997,000 viewers. In more good news, each hour saw an increase in viewership. That is the first time that has happened in a long time.
The 2/26 edition of Smackdown did 2,624,000 viewers, up from last week’s 2,403,000 viewers.
As we mentioned earlier this week in the PWInsider.com Elite section, plans to induct the late Ray Stevens this year in the WWE Hall of Fame have been canceled. That one is really a shame as San Francisco was a huge town for Stevens and his family still lives there.
The Booker T "WWE 24" episode is now scheduled for 3/2 on the WWE Network.
The WWE Network's VOD section will add every Hall of Fame ceremony on 3/1. If they add the 1994, 1995 and 1996 ceremonies, that will be the first time they have ever been seen in their entirety.
Some early details on WWE plans for Wrestlemania weekend:
*WWE will be airing "Wrestlemania Today" specials on Thursday 3/26 and Friday 3/27.
The company will also air the 2015 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony live on Saturday 3/28.
We've heard from Day One WWE Network subscribers that they have received $25 gift certificates to the WWE Shop website as a thank you for their support of the Network.
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment released the following:
Tag Team Back To The Stone Age With WWE & The Flintstones
The Flintstones join forces with WWE and go back to the Stone Age in the all-new animated film, The Flintstones & WWE: Stone Age Smackdown, co-produced by WWE® Studios and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. Timed to debut leading into WrestleMania 31, this all-new original movie is available on DVD, Blu-ray Combo, and Digital HD for the first time on March 10, 2015. Rated the #2 greatest cartoon of all time by TV Guide, the Flintstones’ return to the center ring will be sure to deliver high-octane action for fans of all ages. The Flintstones & WWE: Stone Age Smackdown will be available on Blu-ray Combo, DVD and Digital HD for $24.98 / $19.98 / $19.99 SRP. Order due date is February 10, 2015.
Additionally, The Flintstones & WWE: Stone Age Smackdown will be available early through EST for download on February 24, 2015.
Get ready for some raw-kin’ action in this all-new, original movie that brings some of WWE’s toughest, wildest superstars to Bedrock! When Fred loses his family’s vacation money, he hatches one of his hair brained plans to get it back. It’s a sports entertainment spectacle that involves throwing his best bud, Barney into the wrestling ring with the likes of John Cenastone (John Cena), Marble Henry (Mark Henry) and even The Undertaker, with Fred himself as event promoter! The crowds roar, the “clams” are pouring in from ticket sales and even Mr. McMagma (Vince McMahon) is taking notice of all the hoopla. Can Fred keep serving up bigger and badder matches or is he in for the rocky ride of his life? Including all-star appearances from The Boulder Twins (Brie and Nikki Bella) and Daniel Bry-Rock (Daniel Bryan), it’s time to get the whole family together for a collection of hard-hitting, side-splitting laughs from the most epic event in all of prehistory!
DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION ELEMENTS
“The Flintstones & WWE: StoneAge Smackdown” will be available for streaming and download to watch anywhere in high definition and standard definition on their favorite devices from select digital retailers including Amazon, CinemaNow, Flixster, iTunes, PlayStation, Target Ticket, Vudu, Xbox and others. Starting March 10, “The Flintstones & WWE: StoneAge Smackdown” will also be available digitally on Video On Demand services from cable and satellite providers, and on select gaming consoles.
The news that Minneapolis is trying to score Wrestlemania 33 received a lot of local media attention in Minnesota over the last several days, as you could imagine. Beyond Minneapolis, Philadelphia and Orlando have also expressed interest. After this winter, can we place Wrestlemania as far South as possible EVERY year please?
Paul Jordan sent the following....Variety spoke with WWE CFO George Barrios and Chief Marketing Officer Michelle L Wilson about the trials and tribulations of the network this last year. Nothing we really haven't heard before but there is talk of a balancing content between their television partners and the network as well as having to convince the boss by doing the free month promotion. You can find it by going here
If you love interviews, now is the time for you to subscribe to PWInsider's Elite section as we are in the middle of a nine day run (and counting) that will see, original interviews every day. Right now in the Elite section is a tremendous interview with Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase discussing next week's Tribute to Jim Cornette event, memories of Cornette, the importance of being a talker in that era, how his career might have fared if he started today, Randy Savage going into the WWE Hall of Fame, regrets that he didn't kill his issues with Ultimate Warrior last year, getting heat in Mid-South, pissing off little old ladies, the pressure of helping make Randy Savage's WWF championship reign, the night a fan climbed a steel cage to save Randy in MSG, traveling with Virgil, touring for All Japan, Bill Watts, how important Harley Race is to him personally, The St. Louis territory, being pushed for the NWA and WWF titles but never getting them, the one weekend he carried the WWF championship, whether he got the champions' share of the purse and much, much more that has gotten a ton of great response. You can sign up for Elite at this link.
DiBiase and a slew of others will be taking part in the Tribute to Jim Cornette event on 3/7 in Wilmington, NC presented by Masters of Ring Entertainment, which will feature live wrestling, a tribute to Cornette, Q&As and more. For details, visit www.MastersofRingEntertainment.com.
For those of you in Canada, Franck sent word that as a Videotron subscriber, he's now getting the WWE Network's linear channel in both standard and HD.
The 2015 Royal Rumble is now available on DVD and Blu-Ray.
Rimah Fakih, the former Miss USA who competed in the last season of WWE Tough Enough on the USA Network, was announced for the new season of Dancing with the Stars.
Lemelson Capital, LLC, a private investment management firm sold nearly their entire WWE stake in the last several weeks. The organization had called for WWE to sell the company or replace Vince McMahon at the helm in recent months.
Triple H was interviewed about his induction into the International Sports Hall of Fame with USA Today at this link.
Stephanie McMahon, Hulk Hogan and John Cena were at Google headquarters today as part of their 31to31 Wrestlemania campaign. They posted many pictures on Twitter and are currently doing a Twitter chat.
#AskCena is currently the number one trend on Twitter right now.
WWE.com has put up a photo gallery of pictures of Vince McMahon through the years. You can check them out by clicking here.
Our friends at ProWrestlingTees.com have launched a store for Gene Okerlund at this link.
WWE sent us the following today.
WWE® LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO BENEFIT SPECIAL OLYMPICS INTERNATIONAL AND LUCILE PACKARD CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL STANFORD
STAMFORD, Conn., February 26, 2015 – WWE (NYSE: WWE) today announced the launch of Superstars for Hope, a fundraising campaign on Indiegogo, the world’s largest crowdfunding platform, to benefit Special Olympics and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford in honor of Connor’s Cure. The announcement was made exclusively on Twitter by WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon, WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan and WWE Superstar John Cena. To kick off Superstars for Hope, WWE and the San Francisco 49ers Foundation have each donated $25,000, the first in a series of community outreach initiatives in celebration of WrestleMania 31 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on Sunday, March 29.
Beginning today, supporters can donate at SuperstarsforHope.com and receive unique WWE merchandise, autographs, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences from WWE Superstars, Divas and Legends. Each week, WWE will add new exclusive experiences to the campaign, including:
· A tour of WWE’s state-of-the-art Performance Center in Orlando, Florida
· Backstage access to Monday Night Raw or SmackDown
· VIP package to WWE pay-per-view events
· Lunch with WWE Superstar Triple H® at the WWE Performance Center
· WWE World Heavyweight Championship title signed by WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon and Triple H
· An ultimate WrestleMania 32 package
· Lunch with the cast of the hit E! reality show Total Divas
“WWE’s support of Special Olympics gives us a unique platform from which to reach, educate and welcome countless new fans and athletes to our movement,” said Janet Froetscher, CEO, Special Olympics. “The important work we do around the world to create communities of acceptance and respect for all will only be successful when the world heeds our call to Play Unified in order to Live Unified."
“Every day at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, our doctors, staff, and researchers strive to ensure the best possible care for children with cancer,” said Christopher G. Dawes, president and CEO of Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford. “WWE has been a strong advocate of pediatric cancer research and we're pleased to support the important mission of Connor’s Cure.”
"WWE is dedicated to using the power of our brand to give back to the community in as many ways as we can," said Stephanie McMahon, WWE Chief Brand Officer. "I am proud that this year’s Superstars for Hope campaign will support two worthwhile causes, Special Olympics celebrating acceptance and inclusion, and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford in honor of Connor’s Cure in an effort to find a cure for pediatric cancer.”
“The 49ers Foundation is proud to be partnering with WWE to further our commitment to making an impact on and off the field,” said John York, Chairman/Co-Owner of the San Francisco 49ers. “Special Olympics and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford provide much needed resources for superstars in our community – athletes with intellectual disabilities and children fighting life-threatening and life-limiting illness. It is an honor to join with WWE to support them through the Superstars for Hope campaign.”
In support of Superstars for Hope, celebrities and athletes are serving as official social media ambassadors to help raise funds and awareness. Ambassadors include San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, journalist Joan Lunden, journalist and Yahoo! global news anchor Katie Couric, multi-platinum recording artist and actress Jordin Sparks and actor Kellan Lutz.
Fans can click here now through Tuesday, March 31 to participate and use the hashtag #STARS4HOPE when donating.
WWE also sent us this:
PREPARE TO BE MARKETED TO
Companies, celebrities, athletes and foundations launch new fruit and vegetable brand aimed at taking over America’s taste buds
Jessica Alba, Kristen Bell, John Cena, Victor Cruz, Stephen Curry, Nick Jonas, Colin Kaepernick, Cam Newton and other celebrities and athletes support #TeamFNV
WASHINGTON, DC—Today at the Partnership for a Healthier America’s (PHA) 2015 Building a Healthier Future Summit, a collaboration of companies, celebrities, athletes and foundations launched FNV—a brand focused on increasing consumption and sales of fruits and vegetables among teens and moms.
Launched with a teaser video featuring a glimpse of the campaign’s expected creative, the video included celebrities and athletes who support FNV, including actors Kristen Bell and Jessica Alba, WWE Superstar John Cena, musician Nick Jonas, New York Giants Wide Receiver Victor Cruz, Golden State Warriors Point Guard Stephen Curry, Memphis Grizzlies Forward Jeff Green, San Francisco 49ers Quarterback Colin Kaepernick and Carolina Panthers Quarterback Cam Newton.
“FNV was inspired by big consumer brands, whose tactics are relentless, compelling, catchy and drive an emotional connection with their products,” said PHA CEO Lawrence A. Soler. “We want to do the same thing for fruits and veggies, which have never had an opportunity to act like a big brand. Until now.”
The look of the campaign is as fresh, colorful, light and crisp as the fruits and veggies it’s promoting, leaning on strong typographic design with fruit and vegetable accents to relay self-aware, tongue-in-cheek headlines. It was created by award-winning advertising agency Victors & Spoils.
“FNV seeks to create a cultural movement behind fruits and vegetables—one that parents will want to support, celebrities will seek to endorse and kids will find intriguing enough to get behind,” said Andrew Nathan, chief marketing officer for Victors & Spoils. “Using our freshly-minted list of celebrity endorsers, we’ll look to roll out in-your-face marketing tactics that go toe-to-toe with other big iconic brands. The days of hum-drum health messages and finger-wagging PSAs are over.”
Founding supporters of FNV are companies and other organizations that believe in the need to market fruits and vegetables in a whole new way. They include:
The campaign’s first year will launch nationally and in two lead markets later this spring—Fresno, California and Hampton Roads, Va. In-market activations will include digital, print and out-of-home advertising; sponsorships of youth sports leagues and teams; local business and retail activations; and activations at local events. Additionally, a robust research plan will accompany FNV, measuring sales of fresh, frozen, canned and dried in the lead markets, consumption in both markets as well as nationally, and awareness, recall and resonance testing.
Find FNV here:
Instagram: @teamFNV
Twitter: @teamFNV
Facebook: www.facebook.com/teamFNV
Web: www.teamFNV.com
TNA
TNA ANNOUNCES NEW, LONG-TERM TV DEAL IN INDIA
TNA announced the following:
TNA SIGNS PRESTIGIOUS LONG-TERM INDIAN TELEVISION DEAL WITH SONY SIX
Mumbai (Wednesday February 25, 2015): TNA Wrestling and India’s most popular sports TV station Sony SIX have signed a long-term deal that will make Sony SIX the exclusive home for all TNA content until 2022.
This innovative and prestigious agreement anchors TNA with a major media company in the world’s largest wrestling market outside of the United States for the next SEVEN years.
The partnership also includes a commitment to the discovery and development of talent from the Indian subcontinent to join the TNA roster, following in the footsteps of Mahabali Shera – who last year became TNA’s first ever Indian-born Superstar.
Fans across the Indian subcontinent can watch TNA’s flagship show IMPACT WRESTLING every Monday night at 9pm on Sony SIX, with TNA Wrestling’s Greatest Matches airing every Tuesday at 9pm and TNA Xplosion each Wednesday at 9pm. Sony SIX also airs TNA’s PPV and One Night Only events.
Since joining the Sony SIX line-up in the summer of 2013, TNA has helped Sony SIX become the most viewed sports channel across the Indian subcontinent. Other major sports/events on Sony SIX include Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket, FIFA World Cup soccer, NBA basketball and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
A major highlight for 2015 has been the IMPACT WRESTLING debut of Mahabali Shera. Introduced in a blaze of publicity by Olympic Gold Medallist Kurt Angle, Shera has made headlines and led news bulletins across India.
Sony Six Business Head Prasana Krishna said: “We are extremely thrilled to extend our partnership with TNA. India historically boasts of a rich heritage in wresting and we believe, that through this initiative, we will be taking another step forward in reaching out to our audiences across India.
“The introduction of Shera and more Indian talents will only bolster our special televised capsule of action sports, which will feature the best of action and combat sports. We at Sony SIX look forward to building on this fascinating sport.â€
TNA President Dixie Carter added: “India has an incredible cultural heritage with wrestling and we are thrilled to continue this amazing partnership with Sony SIX for years to come.
“As is evident through this long-term deal with Sony SIX, the powerful introduction of Mahabali Shera, and our continued pledge to find and develop Indian talent, together we are committed to growing legions of TNA fans across the Indian subcontinent.â€
VIDEOS
I'm With Spud Wednesdays (Episode 19)
IMPACT Superlatives (Episode 1)
My First Day: Matt Hardy Talks About His First Day Back To IMPACT Wrestling
NEWS AND NOTES
The 2/20 episode of Impact Wrestling on Destination America garnered 453,000 viewers, down slightly from last week's 454,000. The 11 PM replay brought in 124,000 viewers. Combined, 578,000 viewers watched the episode.
We've received some emails asking about whether TNA will be running house shows anytime soon. I am told there are no imminent plans at all.
The latest Taz podcast features a great "Taz Tales" section where Taz recounts the story of being sent by WWF to go wrestle Mike Awesome, who had just jumped to WCW, for the ECW World championship in Indianapolis, Indiana. For all the talk of WCW vs. WWE at Wrestlemania, that match will be the one and only time that there was ever a legitimate inter-promotional bout between the two companies. The Fancam footage of that bout was just awesome and truly captured the madness and intensity of the moment far better than ECW on TNN, which broadcast the bout, ever did.
For those who asked if the Samoa Joe departure is an angle, that is not the case. It is 100% legitimate.
This week's episode of TNA's Greatest Matches will feature Magnus. How they haven't done any X-Division episodes yet is beyond me.
The latest edition of Taz's Human Podcast Machine dropped this week with the former ECW World champion sitting down with his greatest rival and former partner, Sabu. This should be a really, really interesting discussion given their past and their importance in making the other national stars. To check it out, visit CBS Radio's Play.it.
The March TV Tapings will see the company film 7-8 weeks of TV in Orlando at Universal Studios. I can't even imagine how the staff keeps their continuity straight.
The TNA Greatest Matches episodes featuring Kurt Angle bouts will replay this Saturday at 3 and 4 AM.
The newest episode of that series features The Best of Magnus with:
*Bound for Glory 2013: Sting vs. Magnus
Turning Point 2013: Magnus vs. Samoa Joe
Impact Wrestling 2013: Jeff Hardy vs. Magnus
The locker room morale has taken a bit of a blow with Samoa Joe's exit as he was extremely well liked and was considered a locker room leader in terms of pulling people together. The fact that the reaction that Joe received for his return to ROH and the indies online wasn't lost on a number of wrestlers we spoke to either.
Several long-time TNA production employees are departing the company. Bryan Edwards, who was the head of production for TNA's Home Video side and handled a lot of production duties for different TNA television programming, officially finished up last week.
Stu Marchetti, another producer and editor, was also said to have given his notice this week that he would be departing the company. Marchetti had been with TNA for over seven years and worked on just about every TNA TV series that the company has put out there.
This month's One Night Only PPV will be based on British Bootcamp 2.
The next episode of TNA's Greatest Matches on Destination America will feature Table Matches.
Jeremy Borash was spotted at Madison Square Garden...no, not at the WWE show over the weekend but at the Florida Georgia Line concert on 2/25.
You can read Stu Carapola's 2/27 Impact report clicking here.
ROH, DGUSA AND OTHER NEWS
THE CHAMP IS BACK: SAMOA JOE RETURNING TO RING OF HONOR
Ring of Honor announced today that former ROH champion Samoa Joe, who put that title on the map with his legendary championship reign, would be coming back to the company for a series of appearances over the next month.
Joe, also a former TNA champion, announced several days ago that he would not be signing a new TNA deal and had departed that company, which he had worked for regularly since 2005.
Joe last appeared for ROH in 2008.
Here is the video announcing Joe's return to the company that he helped make and in turn, helped make him a star:
Joe is advertised for the 3/7 ROH TV Taping in Baltimore, The 3/13 Milwaukee event, the 3/14 Chicago event and the sold out 3/27 Redwood City, CA event.
ROH issued the following:
Ring of Honor is proud of announce the return of the most dominant Ring of Honor World Champion in company history, Samoa Joe!!!
When you speak of legendary names in Ring of Honor one of, if not the first name mentioned in Samoa Joe. He made his debut in Ring of Honor in October of 2002. Within 5 months he would blow through the competition and win the Ring of Honor World Championship. He would hold the ROH World Championship for a record setting 645 days. His title reign would see him engage in legendary matches with CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Homicide and AJ Styles just to name a few.
“The Samoan Submission Machine” will return home to Ring of Honor Saturday March 7, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. Who will Samoa Joe be gunning for? Is ROH World Champion Jay Briscoe safe? Is ROH World Television Champion Jay Lethal safe? Is anyone safe? Who do you want to see Samoa Joe face in Ring of Honor?
Do not miss the chance to see a true legend in the prime of his career as Samoa Joe to returns home to Ring of Honor.
Saturday March 7, 2015 Baltimore, Maryland - Click here
Friday March 13, 2015 Milwaukee, WI - Click here
Saturday March 14, 2015 Chicago Ridge, IL - Click here
Friday March 27, 2015 Redwood City, CA **Sold Out**
With his return announced, Samoa Joe and the world will without a doubt have their eyes set firmly on Ring of Honors 13th Anniversary Spectacular, live on Pay Per View this Sunday March 1, 2015. For a list of providers, click HERE. To purchase your tickets for March 1st in Las Vegas, click HERE!
ROH NEWS AND NOTES
Matt Taven needed six staples after the Tag team Armageddon bout in Atlanta. Expect Taven and Michael Bennett to get a big push going forward.
In honor of the ROH 13th Anniversary PPV, ROH COO Joe Koff, ROH champion Jay Briscoe, Michael Elgin, Hanson, Cedric Alexander and Tomasso Ciampa have been interviewed to discuss the PPV. All of those interviews will be up over the course of this week. You can subscribe to the Elite section at this link.
Of course, ROH PPV this Sunday 3/1 at 8 PM Eastern with their 13th Anniversary Show from The Orleans Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada featuring:
*ROH champion Jay Briscoe vs. Michael Elgin vs. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Hanson.
*ROH TV champion Jay Lethal vs. Alberto El Patrón
*ROH Tag Team champions reDRagon vs. The Young Bucks
*AJ Styles vs. ACH
*ODB with Mark Briscoe vs. Maria Kanellis with Michael Bennett
*The Addiction (Chris Daniels & Frankie Kazarian) vs. The Kingdom (Michael Bennett & Matt Taven) vs. The Bullet Club (Doc Gallows & "Machine Gun" Karl Anderson)
*Roderick Strong vs. BJ Whitmer
*Matt Sydal vs. Cedric Alexander.
The most recent Dayton, Ohio and Dearborn, Michigan events are now available via VOD on the ROH website.
We have heard nothing but raves for the Atlanta show that took place over the weekend. The final tally on that show was a little over 1,200 paid with about 1,300 in the venue.
For those asking about Samoa Joe returning here, it makes sense, but nothing is confirmed at this time. We haven't heard if the two sides have even spoken, but to call a spade a spade, ROH would be crazy not to bring him in if it's possible.
For those who have asked about the Redwood City, CA event, it is 100% sold out. It's pretty crazy that ROH added Jushin Liger AFTER the show was sold out. That's a pretty nice way to reward fans.
The next PPV after this weekend will be June from Terminal 5 in NYC.
Ring of Honor has added a date on Wednesday 5/13 at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA, listing it as "War of the Worlds." That was the name of one of the major shows featuring New Japan Pro Wrestling talent last year, so it doesn't take a genius to figure out they have added Philly to the already scheduled Toronto dates with the talent that week. When I contacted ROH, they said there would be an official announcement later today. If that is indeed the case, it might be time for me the revive the old bus trips out of NYC.
Speaking of ROH, it's pretty cool they added Samoa Joe to the Redwood City, CA event Wrestlemania weekend as that show is already sold out and they really didn't have to. It's a nice bonus for the fans that were already supporting the show and the company that night, just like the addition of Jushin Liger.
The 13th Anniversary Show will feature, for the first time in ROH history, a Spanish announce team of Alex Abrahantes and Leticia Castro. I'm not familiar with Castro but Abrahantes worked for Lucha Libre USA.
Tickets for the 8/29 Atlanta return are already on sale.
This past weekend's Atlanta event is already on www.ROHWrestling.com via VOD. I am partially through the card but AJ Styles vs. Bobby Fish and Roderick Strong vs. Kyle O'Reilly are both excellent matches well worth going out of your way to see. Will Ferrara looked great in a six man Mayhem bout on the undercard and you can see the Taz student really picking his game up. Lots of good wrestling on this one.
Tickets for the ROH-New Japan War of the World show on 5/13 in Philadelphia, PA officially went on sale this morning and even though it's a Wednesday, looking at what's available and what's left on the 2300 Arena's website, the building is already over half sold out.
I've had some people ask me if I am going to do a bus trip out of NYC to that event. I'd only do it if there is a huge interest, so if you want to go, email wrestlingbustrips@gmail.com.
Frankie Kazarian and Christopher Daniels will be appearing on this Sunday's episode of "Comic Book Man" on AMC.
Obviously, all roads lead to the Anniversary PPV this Sunday. For those of you in Las Vegas, a number of ROH stars will be signing tomorrow from 1-3 PM at the Las Vegas Fight Club, including Maria Kanellis, Michael Bennett and The Addiction.
We've had a TON of Ring of Honor personalities in the Elite section for interviews to talk about the PPV, including ROH champion Jay Briscoe, ROH COO Joe Koff, Michael Elgin and Tomasso Ciampa. Today, The Warbeard, Hanson joins PWInsider Elite to discuss this Sunday's ROH Anniversary PPV, main eventing in the Four Way for the ROH championship, training under the late WWE Hall of Famer Killer Kowalski, early memories of NECW and the New England Wrestling scene, his run as "Johnny Handsome", frustrations with not getting a WWE deal, overcoming injuries, rebranding himself as Hanson, working to get a ROH deal, the curveball life threw him earlier this year when his partner Raymond Rowe was injured, an update on Rowe's health, Jay Briscoe, Michael Elgin, Tomasso Ciampa, getting to main event his first ROH live PPV and much more - a really great discussion with someone who's kicked the door of opportunity off the hinges over the last year. Tomorrow, I'll be talking ROH memories and just about everyone who came through the company for over 90 minutes with Cary Silkin. Sunday afternoon, Cedric Alexander will join us from Vegas to discuss the PPV and his bout against Matt Sydal on the show. To subscribe to the Elite section and check out all these unedited, uncensored conversations plus everything else we have to offer on an ad-free website, click here.
This week's ROH TV will be a preview for the Anniversary show:
For more on ROH, visit www.ROHWrestling.com.
RING OF HONOR WRESTLING® AND NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING® TO PRESENT 3 SUPER SHOWS THIS MAY IN NORTH AMERICA, BOTH PHILADELPHIA AND TORONTO TO HOST THESE EVENTS
The following was sent to us today.
RING OF HONOR WRESTLING® AND NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING® TO PRESENT 3 SUPER SHOWS THIS MAY IN NORTH AMERICA, BOTH PHILADELPHIA AND TORONTO TO HOST THESE EVENTS
Ring of Honor Wrestling® (“ROH”) is happy to announce that we will once again partner with New Japan Pro-Wrestling® to present three must-see super shows for pro wrestling fans.
Details available at this time include the dates & locations of the three events. ROH & NJPW stars will be announced at a later date.
WAR OF THE WORLDS ’15 will be held Wednesday, May 13th, 2015 in Philadelphia at the 2300 Arena, formerly known worldwide as the ECW Arena. Tickets are on sale now for Ringside members now and go on sale to the general public Friday, February 27th @ 10am Est. Ringside members can get their pre sale code here (http://www.rohwrestling.com/content/pre-sale-info).
GLOBAL WARS ’15 will be held on Friday, May 15th and Saturday, May 16th, 2015 at the Ted Reeve Arena, located in Toronto, Ontario. Tickets are on sale now for both events, and are available here (http://www.rohwrestling.com/catalog/tickets) .
The COO of ROH Joe Koff when asked about the events said: "We're very excited to once again bring the stars of New Japan to our great fans. New Japan Pro-Wrestling is a fantastic partner with exceptional wrestlers and we always strive to give our fans an experience of a lifetime. With these three stacked events, showcasing the best wrestlers in the world, we will do just that.”
As always, becoming a Ringside Member gets you there first! In addition to first-chance ticket sales, Ringside Membership gives you the first look at ROH TV online, exclusive content, merchandise discounts, and a lot more. To become a Ringside Member today, click HERE!
Follow ROH on Twitter: @RingofHonor
Like ROH on Facebook: FB.com/RingofHonor
Watch and learn about ROH: www.ROHWrestling.com
Learn more about New Japan Pro-Wrestling: http://www.njpw.co.jp/english/
Ring of Honor is fully owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. is the largest and one of the most diversified television station operators in the country. The company regularly uses its website as a key source of Company information which can be accessed at www.sbgi.net. For more information related to Ring of Honor, please visit rohwrestling.com.
RING OF HONOR LAUNCHING PPV SERIES NEXT MONTH
Ring of Honor will be launching a series of one hour PPV specials titled "Creating Excellence" as of 3/1.
The first special will focus on the feud between The Young Bucks and ReDragon.
The specials will rotate over the course of March in different timeslots depending on your PPV provider and will also be available via VOD, again, depending on your provider.
Thanks to Paul Jordan for his help.
SAMOA JOE-ROH PPV UPDATE
Ring of Honor issued the following:
"We’re just received word that Samoa Joe will be in LIVE in Las Vegas at the Orleans Hotel & Casino this Sunday night.
He has something to say, and wants the world to hear it.
Ring of Honor's 13th ANNIVERSARY is without a doubt a must-see event! If you can't be there live, you can watch on Pay-per-View. For a list of provider click HERE.
To purchase your tickets for March 1st in Las Vegas, click HERE.
CM PUNK VS. SAMOA JOE: ONE MORE TIME?
Longtime friends and one-time rivals for the Ring of Honor championship Samoa Joe and CM Punk had a MOST interesting exchange on Twitter last night:
@SamoaJoe I owe you one, PAL.
— Coach (@CMPunk) February 24, 2015As noted, the pair had a tremendous feud for the Ring of Honor championship in 2004, including a 60 minute bout that pretty much saved the company from destruction when it took attention away from internal issues and back on the in-ring product. Had it not been for them and that feud, chances are ROH would have died off a long time ago.
For the first time since 2005, they are each free and clear of wrestling contracts that prevented them from wrestling each other again....although there is that UFC contract Punk currently is signed to.
However, that interaction certainly leads one of believe that at least on their own personal end, there's interest in one day reviving the old rivalry. Whether it ever actually happens, who knows, but the "What if?" of it is certainly interesting.
ANN CASEY HEALTH UPDATE
Ann Casey underwent a second heart surgery this morning to remove a 90% blockage. Casey is said to have gone through the operation with flying colors and is already resting. The belief is this will correct all of the heart issues that have been haunting her in recent weeks after suffering a heart attack.
Casey wrestled from the 1960s until the early 1980s under her own name as well as The Panther Girl.
On behalf of everyone associated with the site, I'd like to send Ann our hopes for a quick and painless recovery.
THE WRESTLING EVENT AT THE NEW YORK METS' CITI FIELD IS....
The wrestling event being presented at the New York Mets' Citi Field will be a "Legends of Wrestling" event on Sunday 6/7 featuring Ric Flair, Scott Steiner, Bill Goldberg, The Nasty Boys, Bret Hart, Hacksaw Duggan, and Mr. Anderson, among others, starting at 3 PM.
The plan is to have autograph signings with legends in the stadium followed by six matches presented on the field. It will be the first-ever live wrestling event in the stadium.
Tickets will range from $25 to $55.
Citi Field's predecessor Shea Stadium hosted several WWF events, including Bruno Sammartino defeating Larry Zbyszko in a steel cage match as well as the only in-ring meeting of Bruno Sammartino and Pedro Morales.
The Mets' minor league team affiliate, The Brooklyn Cyclones, have hosted shows from TNA and Ring of Honor in the past. ROH is expected to return to the Cyclones this summer.
STONECUTTER WRESTLING PPV UPDATES
Steve Karel's Stonecutter Wrestling continued to syndicate original PPV wrestling programming across several different PPV outlets.
For the remainder of February, the following titles are available via the following PPV outlets:
-Wrestling’s Bloodiest Wars – Body Count (Vubiquity) HD/SD
-Wrestling’s Bloodiest Wars: Death Wish (INDEMAND) HD/SD-PPV/VOD
-Women’s Wrestling Wars: Criminal Intent (TVN-PPV)
-Women’s Erotic Wrestling: Sexual Weapons (Shaw PPV-VOD, TVN-VOD)
In March, the following titles will debut:
-Wrestling’s Bloodiest Wars – Barb Wired (Vubiquity) HD/SD
-Wrestling’s Bloodiest Wars: Body Count (INDEMAND) HD/SD-PPV/VOD
-Women’s Wrestling Wars: Get My Lawyer (TVN-PPV)
-Women’s Erotic Wrestling: Sexual Felony (Shaw PPV-VOD, TVN-VOD)
For more on the titles, visit www.StoneCutterWrestling.com.
FIRST ROUND OF 2015 KING OF THE INDIES TOURNAMENT WRESTLEMANIA WEEKEND OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED
The King of the Indies tournament, being held as part of the WWNLive.com Experience in San Jose, CA over Wrestlemania 31 weekend on Friday 3/27 and Saturday 3/28 announced their first round bouts.
Set for the tournament's first round on 3/27:
*B-Boy vs. Brian Cage
*Jeff Cobb vs. Rik Luxury
*Rey Horus vs. Lil Cholo
*Jody Kristofferson vs. Willie Mack
*Jeckles vs. Luster
*Adam Thornstowe vs. Shaun Ricker
*Vinnie Masarro vs. El Mariachi
*Dylan Drake vs. Timothy Thatcher
The finals will be held on 3/28. That event will also Ultimo Dragon vs. Ricochet vs. Juventud Guerrera.
The tournament that will pay tribute to the late Roland Alexander being put together by Juggalo Wrestling’s Kevin Gill, Pro Wrestling Revolution’s Gabriel Ramirez and APW’s Markus Mack.
The original 2001 tournament was pretty much one of two entities that inspired the creation of Ring of Honor in 2002.
For more on the tournament, check out www.KingOfIndies.Net.
A MOST RIDICULOUSLY AWESOME WRESTLING MOVIE COMING OUT NEXT MONTH
As PWInsider.com Elite subscribers are aware from our interview with John Morrison earlier this week, the former WWE star is one of the lead actors in the forthcoming film "Russell Madness", a children's film from the creators of the "Air Bud" series.
Promotional material for the film reads: "RUSSELL MADNESS tells the story of Russell, an undersized but big-hearted terrier who dreams of having a family of his own. After running away from his pet store, Russell gets taken in by The Ferraros, a family desperate to revive their grandfather’s pro wrestling arena. That’s when they discover their new pet pooch has incredible wrestling skills. With help from his coach, Hunk, a savvy and hilarious monkey, Russell rockets to the top of the pro wrestling world and becomes a famous sports superstar. But when a dishonest promoter double-crosses the Ferraros, Russell will face his biggest challenge and discover that the strongest tag team is family."
The trailer for this, well, insanely awesome film, can be seen below:
The film will be released this March on DVD and Blu-Ray. Sadly, no theatrical screenings that I am aware of.
CM PUNK RETURNING TO CABLE TV SERIES
CM Punk re-tweeted late last night a picture of himself along with comedian Marc Maron on the set of his IFC show "Maron" along with actor/director Bobcat Goldthwaite.
From the looks of it, Punk may be making a cameo on the third season. The former WWE Champion appeared on the series last spring in which he played himself discussing wrestling names with the famous podcast host. Punk appeared on Marc Maron's WTF podcast in October 2013.
NEW SEASON OF AMAZING RACE FEATURING INDEPENDENT PRO WRESTLER
The new season of CBS' The Amazing Race 26 debuted this week on CBS with one of the teams being dating wrestler/promoter Mike Dombrowski (who works as Mikey Zeroe) and roller derby player Rochelle Nevedal (who competes as Rochella DeVille).
Dombrowski appeared at the ROH event in Dayton on 1/31 which was recently released on VOD at rohwrestling.com, interacting with Jay Lethal and Truth Martini.
For more, here is the couple's profile from CBS.com and a local news story on them.
http://www.cbs.com/shows/
CM PUNK'S FIRST COMIC BOOK RELEASED TODAY...AND THERE'S A TSHIRT FOR IT
The first comic book written by CM Punk, "Thor Annual #1" was released today by Marvel Comics and is available now.
Promotional material from Marvel about the book reads:
Three stories featuring three Thors! Wrestling superstar CM Punk and Rob Guillory (Chew) on Young Thor’s idea for how to prove himself worthy of Mjolnir: a drinking competition! Noelle Stevenson (Lumberjanes) and Marguerite Sauvage tell a tale of the new Thor! And Jason Aaron on the Girls of Thunder’s quest to find the perfect birthday present for their grandfather, King Thor! How about a new Garden of Eden?
In honor of the book, ProWrestlingTees.com has released the following CM Punk t-shirt inspired by the Thor comic character:
HOUSE OF HARDCORE RELEASES FREE MATCH FROM DEBUT EVENT
Tommy Dreamer's House of Hardcore released several early bouts from the promotion for free online over the last 24 hours:
From HOH 1, Sami Callihan (now WWE NXT's Solomon Crowe) vs. Rhino:
The promotion will return to the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA on Saturday 3/7 with a live iPPV:
FULL DETAILS ON JIM ROSS EVENT OVER WRESTLEMANIA WEEKEND
The following press release was issued yesterday:
RINGSIDE: An Afternoon with Jim Ross comes to San Jose’s Rockbar Theater on March 28th with a Saturday Matinee Performance
San Jose, CA – PinUp Productions is proud to present RINGSIDE: An Afternoon with Jim Ross Saturday March 28th at the Rockbar Theater at 360 Saratoga Avenue San Jose, CA 95129. Tickets are currently on sale on TicketWeb and at the Rockbar Theater Box Office.
There will be a pre-show meet and greet for VIP ticket holders. The meet & greet runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Doors open for General Admission ticket holders at 12 p.m. with the show beginning at 1 p.m.
From sports entertainment executive to New York Times Bestselling Author, to enduring the struggle of Bell’s palsy and even playing the role of entrepreneur with his own barbeque sauce brand, Jim Ross has certainly worn many hats. But, come March 28th, he will puts on his most famous hat: a 200X Resistol when he takes the stage for a matinee performance to share his life story.
As one of the most influential sports executives of the past 40 years, J.R. has been welcomed into the homes of millions of viewers each and every week. His cool yet dry Southern charm became the soundtrack for wrestling’s most memorable clashes in the sport’s rich history. J.R.'s tales of the road and personal anecdotes featuring some of wrestling’s most legendary stars will have you howling with laughter.
After a successful performances around the world including the United Kingdom, Manhattan and most recently in Philadelphia, J.R. will bring his one-man show to San Jose for a special matinee performance: sharing his stories with wrestling fans in the intimate setting of the Rockbar Theater on March 28th, 2015.
The event will also feature a no holds barred question and answer session with J.R. where the fans become the stars!
Listen to the Ross Report with Jim Ross on PodcastOne to learn more about this event.
CM PUNK UPDATE
Dave Hancock sent this report. Yesterday, CM Punk made a rare public appearance at Challengers Comics in Chicago. The signing was to promote the "Thor" Annual #1 comic book, of which Punk wrote. The signing itself began at noon, with fans lining up hours ahead of time in the freezing 15 degree weather. The event was limited to just 400 ticket holders. When I arrived at approximately 10:30 AM, the line stretched to nearly two entire city blocks. Challengers employees were actively walking the line of waiting fans, informing people that if they hadn't already purchased a ticket, they would not be permitted into the building.
The ticket to the CM Punk signing was incredibly hard to get. Challengers Comics limited the signing to just 400 tickets. With a face value of just over $6.00, a ticket entitled you to a copy of "Thor" Annual #1, meeting CM Punk and him signing up to 5 items (the comic did not have to be one of the five). I ran into someone who had stated they purchased a ticket, secondhand, for $150.00... however, that came with an unfortunate result for that person. Challengers was enacting a very strict policy for ticket holders; photo IDs had to be presented by each and every individual upon entry to the building. Your photo ID had to match the name on the ticket that was purchased. If the name didn't match up, you weren't allowed in. This process of cross checking IDs with tickets resulted in very long wait times. I finally made it into the building at around 2:30 PM. Once I did make it to the building's door, I snapped a quick photo of the line that remained. It still stretched an entire city block.
Once inside and your ticket was verified with your ID, staff provided you with your copy of "Thor" Annual #1. They also reiterate what other employees who had been walking the wait line has been stating all along; that under no circumstances were photos or video permitted in the signing area. In the entry area was a posted notice, stating that by taking part in the event, you were agreeing to be used in a documentary that was being filmed. We had noticed a professional camera crew a couple of hours earlier, complete with heavy equipment and a boom mix, interviewing several fans outside of the building. It would appear that I some aspect, CM Punk is documenting his life and experiences post-WWE.
After waiting in a secondary line inside the building, small groups of fans were ushered into a small room where Punk was signing. People were allowed to have essentially anything they wanted autographed. In addition to the "Thor" comic, people has brought action figures, magazines, posters, commemorative chairs from previous pay-per-views, replica championship belts and other items. So long as you didn't have more than 5 items, Punk signed anything and everything. He's seen that I had my phone with me and gave me a nod, allowing me to snap this photo.
CM Punk was in good spirits! He seemed to be happy and healthy, having obviously dropped some weight (one would assume to meet weight class requirements for UFC). He was personable and interacted with everyone. I told him that I contributed to PWInsider.com and thanked him for taking the time for his fans, given the circumstances of the last year. He gave me a smirk and said, "ah, a dirt sheet guy! Send them my love!". He then offered his fist and we bumped knuckles. It may seem silly to some, but it was a genuine moment where he came off as a really cool, normal guy. He was kind enough to sigh my ECW Championship replica, as well as a couple of photos, including one that he personalized for my wife and I. When I left Challengers, the line still stretched down the block, so I feel for the poor souls who waited 4+ hours to get inside. The brutal Chicago wind, coupled with the temperature outside, made for an interesting wait to say the least! All in all, it was a great experience and Punk came off extremely well!
ANOTHER CM PUNK DOCUMENTARY COMING?
As Dave Hancock noted in his report about CM Punk's comic book signing yesterday in Chicago, there were cameras filming and notices that by entering the event, you were giving permission to be filmed.
I believe the film crew was there filming material for an upcoming piece on CM Punk for UFC, likely his transition from professional wrestler to MMA fighter.
VINCE RUSSO QUITS HIMSELF
A number of readers sent word this morning that Vince Russo announced overnight that he was, depending on the announcement, shutting down his subscription website, going on hiatus or leaving his own website.
On his Facebook page, Russo wrote, "I will not be posting anything—blogs, videos, podcasts, from this point going forward. I am no way any longer associated with the site."
What this means for his paying subscribers is that after several months of building his "brand", Russo left without warning.
Regarding those subscribers, Russo wrote, "Please know, that if you renew your monthly membership, you will not be getting any content from Vince Russo from this day going forward. I also ask you to not buy any Vince Russo merchandise, as I no longer have access to the orders."
Oddly enough, the website itself features no announcement, as what was originally posted there has since been deleted.
If Russo no longer has access to his own website, that likely means he was never actually in charge of the site or even owned it, which is amazing to me on so many levels.
So, in a way, Vince Russo quit himself. That's a swerve I doubt anyone saw coming.
KEN SHAMROCK RETURNING TO MMA TO FACE KIMBO SLICE
This coming June will see a bout that should have happened seven years ago under the Elite XC banner as MMA legend and former WWE Intercontinental champion Ken Shamrock faces Kimbo Slice at Bellator: Unfinished Business.
Shamrock will be returning to action after a four-plus year layoff, last competing in a losing effort to Mike Bourke at King Of The Cage: Platinum.
Slice will also be returning to action after a four year absence, but he did compete multiple times as a boxer during his hiatus.
Bellator: Unfinished Business takes place on June 20th from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri with the aforementioned fighters headlining.
VIDEOS
"Wrestling The Curse", the short film on The Von Erich family, specifically Kevin Von Erich, aired on Friday 2/27 on ESPN Sportscenter as part of the sports cable network's 30 in 30 series.
If you missed the airing, the Amanda Spain-directed piece is currently online and can be watched via the embedded video below:
NEWS AND NOTES
An ESPN piece on The Von Erich family is scheduled to air on Sportscenter this Friday at 6 PM and will then be uploaded to the ESPN website. ESPN filmed material for the piece last year.
You can read Mike’s 2/28 NYWC Circus 13 report by clicking here.
You can read Richard Trionfo's ROH 2/28 TV report by clicking here.
You can read Jeff Sheridan’s 3/1 PWS report by clicking here.
You can read our 2/21 ROH in Atlanta, GA report by clicking here.
You can read Kris Zellner's 2/23 Lucha report by clicking here.
You can read Kris Zellner's 2/25 Lucha report by clicking here.
You can read Kris Zellner's 2/26 Lucha report by clicking here.
You can read Kris Zellner's 3/1 Lucha report by clicking here.
You can read Brian Cannon's 2/25 OVW TV taping event report by clicking here.
You can read Jose Perez 2/26 Puerto Rico report by clicking here.
You can read Matthew Macklin 2/27 New Japan report by clicking here.
Black Bart is healing on schedule from his recent bypass surgery. We wish him the best as he continues to heal.
Our pal Darren O'Toole sent the following....I was listening to the last Marc Maron podcast and he mentions CM Punk being in an episode of Maron for Season 3 like PWInsider.com reported. He also said that Colt Cabana will be involved..He said "I hope I don't get hurt" which possibly means there is an actual wrestling angle in it. His assistant is a big wrestling fan and the guy who plays him on the TV show wears a "support indie wrestling" t shirt from time to time."
There's a lot of really high profile independent wrestling cards set for this weekend.
Tonight in NYC in Jamaica, Queens opposite the WWE MSG show, House of Glory will be presenting "For All Mankind" with WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley as the outside the ring enforcer as Tommy Dreamer challenges HOG champion Brian XL plus HOG Tag Team champions Amazing Red and Crimson will appear. For more, visit HOG's Facebook Page.
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla has it's usually ridiculously loaded card tonight in Reseda, CA. It's so good that I am literally waiting for Highspots.com to announce the pre-order so I can get my hands on it. If you aren't familiar with a lot of the names breaking right now on the indy circuit, this show is your one stop shopping chance to really find out who's tearing the scene up. Look at this lineup for the show, titled "From Out of Nowhere" (and even if it's not a Faith No More reference, that's my story and I am sticking to it):
*PWG champion Roderick Strong vs. Trevor Lee
*Monster Mafia (Josh Alexander & Ethan Page) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson)
*Ricochet vs. Matt Sydal
*Chris Hero vs. Drew Gulak
*Beaver Boys (Alex Reynolds & John Silver) vs. Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent Baretta)
*Cedric Alexander vs. Tommaso Ciampa
*Mike Bailey vs. Biff Busick
*ACH vs. AR Fox
If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!
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