WWE's Director of Public Relations/Corporate Communications, Adam Hopkins, has sent the following updated statement regarding the death of Viloude Louis:
The death of Viloude Louis is a tragedy and we express our heartfelt condolences. Authorities have already charged the accused with second degree murder and determined that this was not an accidental death due to a wrestling move. The facts of this case clearly point to a lack of parental supervision and a teenager who had a history of violent behavior toward his 5-year-old stepsister. It is illogical to conclude that the repeated, brutal and ultimately fatal beating of a 5-year-old little girl by a teenager could be confused with imitation of WWE action seen on TV.
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June 19, 2013
WWE Issues An Updated Statement Regarding the Death of Viloude Louis
Interview with Shawn Michaels
WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels was recently interviewed about his WWE career and retirement on the Ministry of Slam podcast. The following are highlights.
Michaels reinforced that he will not be coming out of retirement to wrestle again, but he is flattered that fans still want to see him compete in the ring.
"I think it's important that in any job you do, you do it well and you leave when you think it's time to leave. And only you can make that determination," Michaels said. "I'm flattered that people would still like to see me perform. I very much enjoy when I go back, doing the small roles I do. I try not to detract from anything I do. And, I hope that people enjoyed the body of work that I did."
Michaels relayed a recent conversation with WWE head Vince McMahon about talent evaluation. Michaels set it up as feeling what current new stars feel because he struggled to gain acceptance as an undersized wrestler who was given the WWF Title when others in the company felt like he wasn't worthy.
"I had a conversation a couple of weeks ago with the man in charge," Michaels said, "and we were talking about a certain individual and he goes, 'I just don't see money in him.' And I said, 'You said the same thing about me.' He said, 'I did not.' I said, 'Yes you did!' (laughs) I said, 'And it's okay. It's just one of those things.'"
Michaels continued: "I wasn't your prototypical - heck, I wasn't anybody's protoypical main event guy. And I knew that. So, you just do your absolute best. Yes, I was very scared and very worried, which had a lot to do with how bad I handled stuff because I spent a great deal of my career waiting for the other shoe to drop. Because it was a very real view of me and my ability and my talent. I'm a firm believer that talent does rise to the top, but you have to be patient. So, I spent a great deal of time worried, intimidated, and concerned that with each passing storyline, it might be the last one."
Michaels, who benefited from working with Sherri Martel early in his singles career, discussed the lack of managers in today's wrestling. Michaels said often-times it comes down to the manager having the skills, experience, and mindset to handle the role effectively.
"Paul (Heyman) continued to apply himself each and every day at his job. Not at the job of being the main focus, but Paul loved his role as the manager and he wanted to do it the absolutely best way possible," Michaels said. "Then, have guys who start as a manager and want to be a wrestler. It's tough to find people who can do that job as well as a Paul Heyman."
Michaels said he was initially against the idea of having Sherri as his manager because he wanted to be singles on his own, but Pat Patterson helped him see the light that Sherri brought him instant credibility shortly after managing top stars like "Macho Man" Randy Savage. Michaels added that Sherri was not out there to steal the spotlight, but to help him.
Michaels said he does not think the "Michaels vs. Jannetty" label that has been applied to wrestlers in recent years is fair to Marty Jannetty.
"I think the whole 'Who's going to be Marty and who's going to be Shawn?' is unfortunate and, honestly, unfair," Michaels said. "Marty was unbelievably talented; there were a number of other circumstances that kept Marty from the success he could have had. I learned so much from him. He was an unbelievably good guy and good wrestler. So, from that standpoint, I think it's unfortunate and unfair."
Michaels said he was never really close to jumping to WCW during the Monday Night Wars, but the thought crossed his mind after he left WWF in 1998.
"Vince just wasn't a guy that was going to give up. I knew the man and I knew he would not stay down for long," Michaels said. "So, it was a brief thought. Was there ever an opportunity? Yes, but I wasn't even wrestling then. It was a brief thought, but quickly discarded and pledged my loyalty to WWE. Believe it or not, they were incredibly loyal to me and I always felt that I owed them that. We had common ground there, so it was never really a thought in my mind to leave the company."
Roman Reigns: "I Want to be the Absolute Top Guy in This Company"
4th and Pain recently had an opportunity to interview Roman Reigns of The Shield.
The show is hosted by Adam Carriker (@Adam Carriker94) of the Washington Redskins and Chuck Carroll (@TheChuckCarroll), a former wrestling announcer and weight loss champion. Reigns spoke about the formation of The Shield and his relationship with Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins. He also talked about his brief NFL career before transitioning to pro wrestling and the differences between the two. The biggest takeaway from the interview was Reigns opening up about his desire to break out as a singles wrestler and win the WWE Championship. "I want to be the absolute top guy in this company," he said.
Rumor Mill - Stephanie’s Raw Interruption Drawn From Real Life Incident?
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that Stephanie’s stern warning towards Kaitlyn for interrupting her was inspired by an incident that recently occurred backstage. According to the report, someone had interrupted Stephanie and caused a bit of a scene. The report does not state who the culprit was, nor if they were even a wrestler, but it’s interesting to see how messy real life situations can translate to great television segments.
Teen Killed Young Sister Allegedly Using 'WWE Style Moves,' WWE Issues Statement
The Advocate published a story about the death of five-year-old Viloude Louis, who was killed by her 13-year-old brother after he allegedly used wrestling moves that he learned from television.
"The 13-year-old reported he started to wrestle with the victim and practiced 'WWE' style wrestling moves on the 5-year-old," said Col. John Fortunato of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office.
Devalon Armstrong, 13, allegedly slammed his sister onto a bed and beat her. She suffered multiple injuries including broken ribs, internal bleeding and lacerations of the liver. The boy called police after his sister stopped breathing, and paramedics were teaching him over the phone how to use CPR to keep her alive. She died shortly after deputies arrived and paramedics were unable to revive her.
Devalon was booked into a juvenile jail and has been charged with second-degree murder. WWE sent us this statement on Viloude's tragic passing:
"The death of Viloude Louis is a tragedy, and our condolences go out to her family.
"WWE urges restraint in reporting this unfortunate incident as if it were the result of a WWE wrestling move. As in similar cases, criminal intent to harm and a lack of parental supervision have been the factors resulting in a tragic death.
"Authorities have already charged the accused with second degree murder and determined that this was not an accidental death due to a wrestling move."
June 18, 2013
Rumor Mill - Who Contacted Rob Van Dam About Returning To The WWE?
The Wrestling Observer is reporting that Triple H reached out to Rob Van Dam about three weeks ago for a return for the company at the WWE Money In The Bank pay-per-view. Van Dam had to cancel several independent dates. His contract will be limited to a part time schedule. Van Dam will likely work TV, PPV and select live events over a short time period before considering a renegotiation of contract.
More on the Triple H - Daniel Bryan Altercation
The finish to Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton was legitimate last night in that the company stopped the match after Bryan suffered a stinger diving to the outside.
The original planned finish was for Bryan to defeat Orton cleanly to help set up a planned main event run this summer. They are building to Bryan vs. John Cena for the WWE title on a PPV.
When Bryan returned to the back, he was "irate" according to a source and complained to Triple H that the match should not have been stopped. The two got into a loud argument over it. The argument went down in the gorilla position with a lot of eyeballs on it and people were shocked because Bryan is generally soft spoken and good natured and he was standing up to one of the most powerful men in the company.
Bryan complained that he's worked all over the world and has worked hurt and knows when he can still go and when he cannot. Triple H's argument was that they were protecting Bryan and they don't want anyone working hurt. Obviously, the company sees something major in Bryan and wants him ready for his push.
The two eventually apologized to each other.
WWE posted the video of Triple H online (we we mentioned earlier today), explaining what happened as a way to use the legitimate finish and tie it into their storylines going forward.
Dolph Ziggler Health Update
For those wondering Dolph Ziggler is medically cleared to wrestle and the angle on Raw last night was done to further the Del Rio story line coming out of Payback. While WWE did take Ziggler's concussion very seriously and would not clear him to return to the ring until all concussion symptoms disappeared, he is now healthy and able to compete.
Daniel Bryan Legitimately Injured At WWE Raw, Match Outcome Changed
Daniel Bryan was legitimately injured during his match against Randy Orton on this week’s episode of WWE Monday Night Raw, according to Bryan Alvarez and the crew over at Wrestling Observer. Apparently the physician coming to ringside and the match being thrown was not a work as originally thought.
According to their report, Bryan was originally scheduled to go over but the referee stopped the bout due to a legitimate injury. The injury was later revealed as a stinger.
This makes a lot more sense given the questionable outcome. It also explains Bryan’s status for Smackdown being questioned and later cleared while WWE was still on the air. The backstage bit where Bryan argued with Triple H over stopping the match was reportedly WWE booking on-the-fly.
Bryan will face WWE United States Champion Dean Ambrose in a match for SmackDown that will be taped on Tuesday night.
Oderint Dum Metuant: Let Them Hate As Long As They Fear
