August 21, 2016
Recap of Triple H's Facebook Q & A
The following are the highlights of Triple H’s appearance on Facebook Live following the NXT Takeover: Brooklyn II event.
-Cathy Kelley interviewed Triple H backstage at Barclays Center. They both raved about the live special. He said that changing the entire industry last year and to come back and do this tonight shows that NXT is on fire and is getting bigger and bigger. Kelley raved about how NXT sold out Barclays two years in a row.
-Hunter also spoke with pride about taking NXT to Australia and New Zealand. He said WWE Network is everywhere so they can go anywhere. He said they are at a point where they have to pick and choose.
-Kelley asked what Asuka defeating Bayley means for Bayley. “I guess we will see,” Hunter said with a smile. He said Brooklyn is Bayley’s city and she could be the honorary mayor. He said whether she wins or loses, she lights the place on fire. He said the crowd gave her a standing ovation and the people went crazy for her. Hunter said Asuka is on a different level right now and he doesn’t seen anyone touching her in the NXT women’s division anytime soon.
-Kelley mentioned Shinsuke Nakamura becoming the new NXT Champion and how he and Asuka are international talents who hold titles. Hunter said it speaks to the brand. He said everyone wants to be in NXT. “In my opinion, it’s the hottest brand going right now,” he said.
-Kelley asked about the various wrestlers who have been called up to Raw and Smackdown and how it affects NXT. Hunter said that if you look at last year’s show in Brooklyn, the wrestlers who were on it are the main roster of WWE today. He said you’ll see the first NXT Champion Seth Rollins face the longest reigning NXT Champion Finn Balor at SummerSlam. He also mentioned Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte. He said he watched those wrestlers come through NXT and put it on the map. He said he couldn’t be more proud of all of them. He said that when you look at what NXT did this year, it was a completely different group of people. “The talent pool here is as deep as it’s ever been and will continue to be that because we’re going to continue to create the future and the future always evolves,” he said. Hunter said the secret of NXT is that they will always deliver something “new, fresh, and exciting.”
-Hunter went out of his way to mention the Nakamura entrance. “Who would have predicted a violin player, at a WWE event, just lighting the place up?” he asked. Hunter said it was amazing and Nakamura is “just one of those once in a lifetime athletes who can come in and captivate the world.”
August 20, 2016
"Team Chyna" Claims They Are Not Pursuing WWE HOF; At Peace With The McMahons And Triple H
From Chyna's Facebook page:
Going back to Chyna's Memorial, Anthony said it best when he said fans need to know that Team Chyna is not pursuing the WWE Hall of Fame. Chyna never needed a ring to prove that she was the greatest of all time, her fans and her legacy proves that alone. So again guys give the WWE a break, if they decide to put her into their hall of fame that would be great but if they don't thats ok too. Team Chyna wants fans to know that although Chyna is no longer here with us her legacy and memories will be around for years to come and as we move forward and start to build the 9th wonder of the world foundation, open the chyna store, introduce the Documentary of the last year of her life which will prove to be special moments which Chyna fans will absolutely love. We do not choose to fight wwe anymore we are at peace with wwe and the mcmahon family and triple h. Its about putting the past behind us and moving in a positive direction so that we can continue to keep Chyna's memories alive.
Why Eva Marie Violated The WWE Wellness Policy, Eva Issues Statement, Plans To Appeal
TMZ reports that Eva Marie tested positive for Adderall, which caused her to violate the WWE Wellness Policy and receive a 30-day suspension.
Eva tells TMZ that she has a prescription for the drug, the same which caused Roman Reigns to violate the Policy earlier this summer. Eva says she's appealing the suspension.
TMZ says their WWE source claims the medication was not properly approved by the company but Eva insists she has a legit prescription from her doctor. She told TMZ:
"I am disappointed that this suspension has occurred, yet understand and respect that WWE upholds their Wellness Policy to the letter and won't compromise on its integrity. I violated policy by not turning in portions of required paperwork in the time frame WWE Medical deemed timely. I look forward to my return!"
I don’t think she has much of a case given that she admitted fault by stating that she failed to provide proper documentation.
August 18, 2016
Hulk Hogan's Revenge Is Complete: Gawker Set To Shut Down Next Week
Gawker announced today that it will be shutting down operations next week after nearly fourteen years in the aftermath of a $140 million court decision awarded to Hulk Hogan in his invasion-of-privacy case against them.
As noted, Gawker filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June and Gawker founder, Nick Denton, filed for personal bankruptcy protection and named Hogan as his biggest creditor. It was announced this week that Univision outbid Ziff Davis, publisher of PCMag, to purchase Gawker Media Group for $135 million, which also operates Gizmodo, Deadspin, Jezebel, Kotaku, Lifehacker and Jalopnik. Shortly after news of the sale broke this week, Hogan wrote on Twitter:
Like I said "I Slammed another Giant today Brother". HH
As noted, Peter Thiel, the billionaire co-founder of PayPal, secretly bankrolled Hogan's lawsuit against Gawker and paid approximately $10 million for the suit. Thiel, a pledged delegate for Donald Trump for the 2016 Republican National Convention, has held animosity towards Gawker ever since the website outed him as gay in 2007 in an article titled, Peter Thiel is totally gay, people.
Gawker posted the following on their website:
After nearly fourteen years of operation, Gawker.com will be shutting down next week. The decision to close Gawker comes days after Univision successfully bid $135 million for Gawker Media's six other websites, and four months after the Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel revealed his clandestine legal campaign against the company.
Nick Denton, the company's outgoing CEO, informed current staffers of the site's fate on Thursday afternoon, just hours before a bankruptcy court in Manhattan will decide whether to approve Univision's bid for Gawker Media's other assets. The near-term plans for Gawker.com's coverage, as well as the site's archives, have not yet been finalized.
WWE Suspends Eva Marie
From WWE.com:
WWE has suspended Natalie Coyle (Eva Marie) for 30 days effective immediately for her first violation of the company’s talent wellness policy.
Eva Marie's husband, Jonathan Coyle, took to Twitter to comment on the suspension, stating that it was "unjust" and that people will be "absolutely outraged" when the public finds out why she was suspended.
August 17, 2016
Triple H Gives Shawn Michaels – WWE PC Trainer Update
Listen, Shawn and I are in talks all the time about a lot of things. Shawn is in the process of deciding whether he wants to move, not move, I’m not 100% sure where Shawn is at in his personal life as far as his mood goes. I haven’t talked to him in a couple of days. I would rather you hear about his personal life from him if he wants to talk about it. He has recently spent some time in the Performance Center. I saw Shawn a few months ago. We constantly talk about NXT and the Performance Center. He loves the brand. He came down and he spent a few days with me around town and, I think, it kind of invigorated him. Which is hard not to do being down there with all that young, hungry talent. Everybody. He asked about coming back and spending some time and he went down there and he spent some time and worked with some talent. It’s mentally helpful. This all comes down to discussions, Shawn and what he wants to do. If Shawn said to me tomorrow, “I want to be at the Performance Center all the time and helping talent.” Oh my God! It’s the greatest thing ever. If he decides he wants to occasionally visit and help, wonderful. It’s all on him and the door is wide open. I would love to have his assistance because, quite honestly, I don’t know of anyone better to help these guys. Not only as in ring performers but the bigger component is how to be stars. There’s a big, big difference between somebody who is good in the ring, a good talent, a good hand and being a star. Shawn would probably be one of the best people out there to help out with that. I would love to have him involved. It’s sort of up in the air at the moment.
Chad Gable: From Olympic Wrestler to WWE Main Roster With American Alpha
Four years ago, Chas Betts was representing the United States in wrestling in the Olympics in London. Fast-forward to 2016, and he's still wearing the blue, but the blue is for Smackdown, as Chad Gable debuted on the main roster with his tag partner, Jason Jordan.
American Alpha only started teaming together just over a year ago, but Gable and Jordan have burst on the wrestling scene in a major way, experiencing the kind of early pop young wrestlers can only dream of. Within that year they have become considered one of the most exciting tag teams on the planet going from NXT to the main roster. But it was a long journey to get to this point for Gable. After 20 years of amateur wrestling, he reached the pinnacle of the sports by competing in the 2012 Olympics. While he didn't medal in Greco-Roman, he decided it was the perfect place to end his amateur career, and turned his attention towards a new goal: getting into professional wrestling. A year later, he was signed by NXT, and by 2015, he started to get on television. American Alpha was born, and quickly the dup rose to NXT tag champions, and then were drafted by Smackdown.
Rolling Stone had a chance to speak with Gable about his debut, his time competing in the Olympics, the transition to pro wrestling, and how he's "Ready, Willing, and Gable" to change the game.
Triple H reveals cruiserweight plans for Raw, NXT
During his usual pre-TakeOver conference call this afternoon (Aug. 17), Triple H gave us some insight into what to expect for cruiserweights as WWE Network’s Cruiserweight Classic (CWC) tournament nears its halfway point, and promotion ramps up for a new division featuring the sub-205 pound wrestlers on Raw.
The Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events, & Creative responded to recent remarks from SmackDown Live (kayfabe) General Manager Daniel Bryan that it didn’t make sense for the division to be on Mondays when the two voices of the CWC, Bryan and Mauro Ranallo, are on Tuesdays.
Raw’s extra hour, and the ability to present something which really stands out, outweighed any announcer synergy SmackDown offered:
Daniel's a bad negotiator, I guess. I think that, to me, the cruiserweights, the place for them... I agree with the Daniel Bryan and Mauro Ranallo analogy. Those pieces weren't necessarily in place when we were putting together the Cruiserweight Classic but Raw being the three hour show and needing more and more content and more talent, I believe that is the right place for them. It's something different and I think you're going to see that. ... You'll see the presentation being different. It's all about creating something different for Raw given the three hour format.
There’s a lot of questions about who will make up the scene on Raw. Rumors have abounded of Hunter signing a lot of talent for and from the CWC, and in just the last week, he made a very public overture to Cedric Alexander at the same time WWE legal filed for trademarks on Gran Metalik (the name CMLL’s Máscara Dorada is working the WWE Network tournament under), while Kota Ibushi has been telling people he’s not ready to commit to WWE full-time.
It doesn’t sound like Haitch is worried about being able to fill out the roster, though:
As far as who we're bringing in, yes, we're signing a lot of cruiserweights now and I'm basically creating a division. So I'm going around and signing guys and I'm also keeping an eye toward the future as well. I don't need to have every single cruiserweight right now, I just need to have a decent amount.
An intriguing answer he gave during the call points to the cruiserweights being very much under his purview - including being used on NXT:
They will be working NXT, they will be working NXT live events, and they'll also be working Raw as cruiserweights. The opportunity is there to do both. I want these guys to be able to work.
source: cagesideseats.com
Triple H Talks Takeover Brooklyn, HBK – WWE PC Job, Raw Cruiserweight Division, Ember Moon Being a Key Player, 50/50 Booking, Injuries, More
WWE Suspends Paige
From WWE.com:
WWE has suspended Saraya-Jade Bevis (Paige) for 30 days effective tomorrow, Thursday, Aug. 18, for her first violation of the company’s talent wellness policy.
Alberto Del Rio Suspended
From WWE.com:
WWE has suspended Jose Rodriguez (Alberto Del Rio) for 30 days effective tomorrow, Thursday, Aug. 18, for his first violation of the company’s talent wellness policy.
August 16, 2016
Booker T Talks New Era Talents He Thinks Will Be Big Stars in WWE, His New Role in WWE
WWE Hall of Famer Booker T recently did an interview with Cody Dalton of The Observer News Enterprise, and below are some highlights:
CD: In WWE, they are talking about this being “The New Era.” Who do you see out there wrestling now that you think will be the next big star in your business?
BT: “I think it’s going to be more than just one guy. WWE finally opened up the door to the independent world, letting those guys come in and show exactly what they have. I’ve always thought there was a lot of untapped talent out in the independent world. They weren’t the prototypical WWE Superstar, but maybe they are the ‘People’s Champion.’ I think now with guys that have been around like (Finn) Bálor, who has been around a long time. Kevin Owens, Neville — those guys have been around a really long time. You’ve got guys like Bobby Roode, Samoa Joe, (Austin) Aries and guys like that who are getting a chance to come in, as well. They get a chance to perform on the big stage. You see A.J. Styles doing very, very well since he finally got a shot at going out there and performing. You actually see a guy who has pretty much a Southern accent, can get on the microphone and deliver a good promo. There’s going to be a lot of guys actually that are going to be coming up. I feel like the business is in good hands for the years to come, the Wrestlemanias to come and the pay per views to come.”
CD: What’s harder — wrestling, teaching someone to wrestling or being a commentator in WWE?
BT: “Probably commentating. That’s why I’m an analyst now. That’s why I’m not commentating anymore. I’m just an analyst on the Kickoff Show on the pay per views. I like being an analyst. Being able to go out there and talk about Zack Ryder from a commentary perspective, there may be some rough patches, but to be able to analyze Zack Ryder — him being a guy that’s been in WWE for over 10 years, a guy that’s been a journeyman, a guy that’s been trying to crack through that glass ceiling and it just doesn’t seem like it’s ever going to happen for him. Maybe he should retire. Maybe he should just go away. I can do that.
August 15, 2016
Billy Corgan named new president of TNA Wrestling
IMPACT Ventures [IMPACT], the parent company of TNA Wrestling and IMPACT WRESTLING, today announced the appointment of Billy Corgan as its new President. Current President Dixie Carter becomes Chairman and Chief Strategy Officer of IMPACT.
As President, Billy Corgan will be responsible for leading day-to-day operations for IMPACT and its affiliated brands. As Chairman, Carter will focus on long-term planning, strategic partnerships and global growth.
"Billy is a visionary, an iconic artist and savvy businessman with an incredibly gifted creative mind. He has built a decades-long successful global brand, and also has a deep passion and understanding for professional wrestling," said Carter. "In working with Billy over the last 16 months, he has impressed me to the point that I've been in discussions with him to take an elevated strategic leadership role within the company. The more we discussed our vision for the organization, the clearer it became that position needed to match his commitment."
"We are entering an exciting new era for IMPACT and will be working to continue to define our brand, develop global strategies for success, and structure for future investment and growth," added Carter. "These moves, effective immediately, signify the team's determination to work together to effectively cover more ground and capitalize on TNA's current momentum that has seen ratings rise in recent months."
Corgan, 49, is an American musician, songwriter, producer, TV writer and poet, best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and sole permanent member of The Smashing Pumpkins, who have sold more than 30 million albums worldwide and won multiple Grammy Awards. Corgan joined IMPACT in May 2015 as a senior producer.
"I believe in this company, its passionate fans, the talented roster and the dedicated staff and crew," said Corgan. "I am committed to this great opportunity and will use all of my resources and connections to drive the success of this company. This year we have made significant strides in establishing a strong foundation for our future and will be aggressive in continuing to evolve and grow the IMPACT brands."
IMPACT's flagship broadcast IMPACT WRESTLING airs Thursdays at 8/7c on Pop, and in more than 120 countries around the world.
Rumor Mill - Details on Shawn Michaels Accepting a New WWE PC Job
Shawn Michaels has been offered a full-time role as a coach down at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, to lead talents in their “finishing classes”. HBK was reportedly offered the role to substitute for Terry Taylor, who has been absent from the WWE PC following neck surgery.
PWInsider.com has since updated its story noting a “highly placed source” has informed them the HBK – WWE deal is not yet done, and Michaels is not at the WWE PC today nor is he scheduled to be at the PC this week. Michaels has had two appearances as a guest coach at the PC as of late, and the “ball is in his court” if he wants to accept the full-time job. Apparently the hold up right now is the decision Michaels will have to make to relocate his family from Texas to Florida.
WWE Coaches Being Called Up
WWE Performance Center coaches Adam Pearce and Sara Amato (Sara Del Rey) will begin working as full-time producers for WWE's main roster soon, according to PWInsider. WWE has been planning on making changes with Performance Center coaches since before the WWE Draft and now some of those changes are being implemented.
