Longest Running Triple H Fansite
Since 2006
Showing posts with label Apollo Crews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Apollo Crews. Show all posts

April 26, 2023

Vince McMahon, WWE Sued by Ex-Writer Over ‘Racist’ Scene Scripts

World Wrestling Entertainment Inc., Vince McMahon, and other executives allegedly discriminated and retaliated against a Black female writer for objecting to “offensively racist and stereotypical jargon” used in the scripts of Black wrestlers including Bianca Belair and Apollo Crews, according to a new lawsuit.

Britney Abrahams’ multiple complaints were ignored, and she was pretextually terminated for taking home a WrestleMania-branded chair, according to the complaint filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York on Monday.

The lawsuit includes Stephanie McMahon, Chris Lubrando (SVP, Creative Writing Operations at WWE), WWE creative team members Chris Dunn, Ryan Callahan, Jen Pepperman, and former team member Mike Heller.

Abrahams began writing for WWE SmackDown! and WWE Monday Night RAW in 2020, according to the complaint. She complained of racial and gender stereotypes in scripts, including ones instructing Belair to say “Uh-Uh! Don’t make me take off my earrings and beat your ass! " and Crews to speak with a “stereotypical and exaggerated Nigerian accent,” but was rebuffed, she said.

WWE didn’t immediately respond to Bloomberg Law’s request for comment.

‘Harmful Stereotypes’

She was allegedly subject to a number of racist pitches after complaining. On a Slack thread that McMahon and his daughter Stephanie McMahon were included on, other writers suggested a Black male wrestler should dress in drag. Only when a White writer noted that doing so could “perpetuate harmful stereotypes that would offend viewers” was the pitch scrapped, she said.

On another occasion, a writer allegedly proposed that a Muslim’s wrestler’s secret in a script be that he was “behind the 9/11 attacks.”

Abrahams and other writers complained about the comments, to which Vice President Christine Lubrano allegedly responded, “Wacky things are said in the writer’s room all the time!” and “I know but look at the waves we’re making in the company. 4 years ago, no woman worked on the writer’s team!”

Abrahams continued to opposed racist, sexist pitches, she said, and was fired in retaliation in April 2022. WWE fired her for taking with her a WrestleMania 38 branded chair, but the practice was allegedly a common practice that White male writers weren’t punished for.

She is seeking reinstatement, damages, declaratory judgment, and an injunction restraining defendants from engaging in such unlawful conduct.

Cochran Firm represents Abrahams.

The case is Abrahams v. World Wrestling Ent., Inc., E.D.N.Y., No. 23-cv-03109, complaint filed 4/24/23.

source: Bloomberg Law

April 4, 2016

Apollo Crews and Baron Corbin Debut on Raw


WWE NXT Superstar Apollo Crews, who reported to the WWE Performance Center in April 2015, made his RAW debut on tonight's show from Dallas. The former Uhaa Nation defeated Tyler Breeze.

Third Annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner Baron Corbin made his WWE RAW debut tonight in Dallas. He went to a double count out with Dolph Ziggler and left Ziggler laying on the floor with End of Days after the match

March 7, 2016

WWE And NXT ASF 2016 Coverage Day Two: Samoa Joe, Balor, Bayley Steals Gimmick, Q&As, Tryouts, More


Matches

* Apollo Crews defeated Tino Sabbotelli.

* Chad Gable defeated Riddick Moss.

* Dan Matha vs. Aiden English kept seeing interference from Simon Gotch, so Dylan Miley ran in. William Regal showed up and made it a tag team match, which Miley and Matha won, to the shock of the crowd. Matha and Miley are really plain, but they're brand new to live events, too.

* Tye Dillinger defeated Kishan Raftar. Dillinger chopped the living hell out of Raftar, who messed up an armdrag. It was surprising to see Raftar, Matha and Miley, because last year most of the talents we saw were almost TV ready.

* Bayley defended the Women's title and beat Nia Jax in an NXT TakeOver London re-match. Eva Marie got beaten up by Bayley after the match. Again, Bayley was over. The barricades were rushed as soon as her music hit. During the match, Bayley grabbed the T-shirt and "10" sign that Dillinger left and totally stole his gimmick.

* Jason Jordan defeated Johnny Gargano with a half nelson suplex. Johnny Gargano was really over, as he's an Ohio guy. These two had a good match.

* Apollo Crews defeated Riddick Moss. This was the kind of match both guys had been having all weekend, which was good for the live crowd.

* Billie Kay defeated Alexa Bliss. Poor Alexa Bliss can't get a win in her own hometown. The crowd always popped for her when she came out, but she'd end up heeling them. I have no idea what the Billie Kay gimmick is, but her entrance theme is pretty cool.

* Chad Gable defeated Scott Dawson with a deadlift German suplex. Their partners were fanning them off with the signature towels before they locked up. A really good match, great chemistry.

* Asuka & Peyton Royce defeated Mandy Rose & Emma via the Asuka Lock. I don't think I saw Mandy Rose really mess up all weekend, which says a lot considering she was on a reality show a few months ago. She's learning quickly by the looks of it.

* Finn Balor and Sami Zayn defeated Samoa Joe and Baron Corbin. All of these guys felt like stars in this. This was an outstanding tag team match, which saw Balor get the pin after a Bloody Sunday on Corbin, following a Helluva kick from Sami Zayn. Much like yesterday, it was really impressive to see.

Q&As

* Mark Henry said he didn't know what he's doing at WrestleMania, and might jump someone to get involved. He said he wouldn't mind being in the Andre the Giant memorial battle royal, and tells a story about Andre picking him up after being pushed down at an event. He singles out Apollo Crews as an NXT talent he'd like to face and says he pushed for him. He called the Mae Young era the most fun in his career and said she was a good kisser, before singling out the Undertaker at WrestleMania 22 as his favorite opponent.

* Sara Del Rey, Matt Bloom and William Regal did a great Q&A. They said that nobody from last year's ASF tryouts was still with WWE, and the ones we see are abbreviated to give us an idea. Sara says that she and Matt are like a brother/sister team, while Regal says he coaches a lot of footwork and evaluates talent. Regal says there's no cutoff for age if someone has a supreme skill set, but for someone new, 30ish is the general range. Sara tells us that in her opinion, Bayley should be the next to go up to the WWE roster, and fans thank and clap for Sara's part in the Diva's revolution. They're asked about ZZ, and they say that he's working hard and getting better. William Regal says that he's hopeful that there will be a new season of Breaking Ground, and that he's very excited for Shinsuke Nakamura. Bloom says he's excited to see him and not get kicked this time. Sara closes by saying she'd love women's tag titles in NXT or the main roster.

Familiar Faces

- We mentioned yesterday that several wrestling personalities were around for the Arnold Classic, and today was no different. Former WCW talent Bill Kazmaier met with fans at the event.

Also, Hardcore legend Sabu was there signing and taking photos.

Other notes

- As was the case yesterday, several talents were signing autographs. While the lines didn't reach anywhere near the length of yesterday's they were still pretty long. Eva Marie was a big hit, and was very personable and friendly, taking pictures with people and adding them to her snapchat. Gable and Jordan are also incredibly friendly with individuals in the crowd.

- During yesterday's match with American Alpha, The Revival and made fun of them, calling them the "American Males."

- Tom Phillips is a pro and seems like he loves his job. Dasha Fuentes is a pretty good ring announcer, and they did a great job hosting today.

- Sunday's crowd was much smaller, much easier to navigate and the like. The place was buzzing about Saturday night's UFC.

- Regarding the tryouts, we saw the same names as yesterday there. If they do well, they're invited to a full tryout at the Performance Center.

- Tommaso Ciampa didn't wrestle, but did sign autographs. He wasn't using crutches, slings, or anything to indicate he was severely injured.

March 5, 2016

WWE And NXT ASF 2016 Coverage Day One: Triple H & Arnold, Exclusive Interviews, TNA Stars, More


Wrestling Inc was live on the scene today in Columbus, Ohio as the WWE and NXT held the second WWE Experience at the Arnold Sports Festival. The show was full of matches, surprises, Q&As and autograph signings. Wrestling Inc even spoke to a few of the NXT stars. We'll have full day two coverage tomorrow as well!

- Corey Graves, Tom Phillips and Dasha Fuentes welcome us to the event, and Corey Graves makes the crowd boo Phillips because his mic won't work.

Matches

* Apollo Crews defeated Dylan Miley with a standing moonsault. This was a really slow paced match which Miley controlled with a lot of grounded holds.

* Billie Kay defeated Mandy Rose with a kick to the face. Mandy Rose worked as a babyface during the match.

* Johnny Gargano submitted Riddick Moss with Garano Escape. Dasha accidentally called Gargano Tommaso Ciampa.

* Bayley retained the NXT Women's Championship over Emma with a Bayley-to-Belly. Bayley is over beyond comprehension in Columbus. She gave her shirt to a girl in the crowd, who broke down in tears.

* American Alpha defeated the Vaudevillains with Grand Amplitude. Gable and Gotch put on a mat wrestling clinic in the opening moments. American Alpha are also over big time.

* Finn Balor retained the NXT Championship over Baron Corbin with Bloody Sunday. Seeing Balor pull off Bloody Sunday on Corbin was really impressive.

* Eva Marie defeated Peyton Royce. This was not a good match. Eva Marie still doesn't look live crowd ready.

* Tye Dillinger defeated Tino Sabbotelli. Tino looks a lot like Jessie Godderz in person.

* Asuka submitted Alexa Bliss via the Asuka Lock. Bliss got a big pop from her hometown crowd, then heeled them. This was an excellent match.

* The Revival retained their NXT Tag Titles over the Protein Brothers (King Constantine & Thomas Kingdon) when they cheated. Protein Bros did not look ready to be in the ring, but Dash and Dawson are really good, so it wasn't easy to tell.

* Kishan Raftar defeated someone whose name I'm still trying to find out.

* Nia Jax defeated Billie Kay via leg drop.

* Apollo Crews defeated Riddick Moss and said he expects gold around his waist in 2016. This match was really long.

* Tye Dillinger defeated Johnny Gargano with his finish. Dillinger heeled it up and turned on the crowd after working as a babyface earlier.

* American Alpha defeated The Revival via DQ in a title match. This was a fantastic match.

* Peyton Royce submitted Alexa Bliss, making the hometown girl 0-2.

* Sami Zayn defeated Samoa Joe via pinfall after the Helluva Kick in an awesome match. Easily the best singles match of the show.

Wrestling Inc Interviews

- Wrestling Inc was able to talk to Chad Gable & Jason Jordan, who told us about their Steiner Brothers inspired gear.

- We also spoke to Alexa Bliss, who is a hometown girl in Columbus. She talks about competing at the Arnold Sports Festival in the past, her relationship with Blake & Murphy, as well as possibly moving to the main roster.

Surprises

- Triple H showed up, which was a big surprise, and had Arnold Schwarzaneggar with him. Arnold loved the crowd and spouted off his one liners, including "IT'S NOT A TUMOR."

Arnold says he watches WWE all the time. He also snapchatted in the ring. They talked a little bit about Arnold hosting Celebrity Apprentice soon. They also held a Q&A, where Triple H is asked about several things. He says Arnold was his hero, and he loves his one liners. He mentions that his favorite match is the Hell in a Cell match with Undertaker. A "pinch me" moment was 2,000 kids chanting his name in India. When asked about the Diva's revolution, he says he never saw a difference between men and women, and is open to the idea of a Divas tag division.

Q&As

- Braun Strowman was the first Q&A and says that he'd like to see Matt Bloom inducted into the Hall of Fame for all of the contributions he's made in NXT. He says that traveling is the worst part of wrestling, and eats 7-8 times a day, taking in about 5-6 pounds of meat. When asked about Brock Lesnar, he says he hopes to lock horns with him in the near future. He also says that his size gained him a unique opportunity to bypass NXT, and he seized it. He also said the Wyatt Family has taught him friendship.

- Gable & Jordan did an impromptu Q&A, and Graves told the crowd they'd rather be American Alpha 1.0 than Team Angle 2.0. Jordan says his favorite superstar was Mr. Perfect, and Gable's was Sting. Gable tells the crowd if he could face any team, it'd be the Rock N' Roll Express.

* Cesaro did a Q&A and said that he'd be back in a couple of months. He's most proud of his feat of strength of swinging Great Khali. He hopes Tyson Kidd will be back in action, but he needs another check up. He remembers Sami Zayn and Daniel Bryan arguing for two hours, only for Zayn to agree with him when they get to the venue. He hopes he can get to the main event, but says that fan support is crucial.

- Eva Marie and Mandy Rose's Total Divas Q&A went a couple of minutes, and Eva Marie showed up late for it. They both say Charlotte is the Diva they'd want to face because she has the title.

Familiar Faces

Several familiar faces were at the Arnold Sports Festival. Even though he didn't appear for WWE, David Otunga was there, and stopped by to see former WWE Divas Champion Kaitlyn.

Also, TNA stars Bobby Lashley and Jessie Godderz were in the house.

Kurt Angle was also there, as he was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame.

Tryouts

- Much like last year, WWE held live tryouts in front of the crowd. They were conducted by Matt Bloom and mainly consisted of drilling. There weren't any big indy names or anything of the like that I heard of.

Autographs

Most of the NXT stars participated in autograph signings, which for the second year in a row, had the longest lines of the entire expo. The line went all the way around the stands, then people had to line up going up the stairs as well.

January 5, 2016

WWE Breaking Ground Season One Finale Recap

October 29, 2015

WWE NXT Matches and More Announced for WrestleMania 32 Ticket Party at AT&T Stadium


WWE has announced a WrestleMania 32 ticket on-sale party for November 5th at AT&T Stadium in Dallas with WWE NXT matches and more. Below are details:

One night before WrestleMania 32 tickets go on sale to the general public, WWE Universe members in the Dallas area will have an opportunity to score tickets at the official On-Sale Party at AT&T Stadium! This one of a kind event is FREE and open to the public.

Join WWE Hall of Famers, Superstars and Divas on the Dallas Cowboys field Thursday, Nov. 5, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. CT, as The Road to WrestleMania heats up.

The party will feature live NXT matches and include special appearances by “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Lita, Booker T, Lana and Mark Henry, as well as Dallas Cowboys Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer Charlotte Jones Anderson and Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams. Corey Graves, Fan Axxess emcee Christian Litke and Greg Hudson will co-host the big event.

The following NXT matches will take place during the evening:

* Samoa Joe vs. Baron Corbin
* Apollo Crews vs. Tye Dillinger
* Asuka vs. Peyton Royce
* The Hype Bros. vs. Blake & Murphy
* Carmella vs. Alexa Bliss

In addition to WrestleMania 32 tickets, select WrestleMania gear will also be available for purchase at AT&T Stadium on Nov. 5. Fans can bring one item to the stadium to be autographed, but must adhere to the AT&T Stadium bag policy.

WrestleMania 32 tickets will be available at the AT&T Stadium box office beginning at 4 p.m. CT. Doors to the stadium open at 5 p.m. CT for the Party. Fans can enter through Entries A, C, K, & H. Complimentary parking will be available at the stadium. Don't miss the biggest WrestleMania On-Sale Party in history!

October 9, 2015

Complete List of NXT Battle Royal Participants


NXT held a battle royal during last night’s TV tapings to name a new #1 contender to the NXT Title. The following talents will compete in the battle royal, which will air on next week’s edition of NXT:

Samoa Joe
Johnny Gargano
Tommaso Ciampa
Apollo Crews
Scott Dawson
Dash Wilder
Blake
Murphy
Rhyno
Baron Corbin
Enzo Amore
Colin Cassady
Bull Dempsey
Zack Ryder
Mojo Rawley
Tyler Breeze
Tye Dillinger

September 17, 2015

Apollo Crews On Aiming To Be WWE NXT's Most Complete Superstar, Using Support As Motivation


WWE NXT Superstar Apollo Crews, the former Uhaa Nation, recently spoke with WWE's website. Crews commented on trying to be NXT's most complete Superstar:

"I often get told by many they've never seen a guy who can do what I do in the ring. I want to be to the complete package by having all angles and aspects covered. I don't want to do all things well — I want everything I do to be great. Some people like to settle for less, I always have to strive and keep pushing for more."

Crews also commented on using the high expectations people have for him as continued motivation:

"All I can do is go out there and give everything I have. My mom watched me at Takeover: Brooklyn and said she was amazed, and it was only the second time she's seen me wrestle. My dad very frequently lets me know how proud he is, and extended family in Nigeria, that I don't even know or have met, have also reached out and expressed how proud they are. My kid sister, who isn't even a fan of wrestling, watched me. The NXT fans have shown me nothing but love, too. I appreciate all the support, and it makes me push that much harder."

 photo i_zps0ebed5ab.jpg
Oderint Dum Metuant: Let Them Hate As Long As They Fear