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April 1, 2014
Lanny Poffo Talks Bad Blood Between Vince McMahon and Randy Savage, Possible HOF Induction
The Tampa Tribune has a new article up looking at the much-speculated on relationship between WWE and Randy Savage before his death and why he hasn't been inducted into the Hall of Fame yet.
Savage's brother Lanny Poffo says it's because of bad blood between Savage and Vince McMahon. The Tribune sent a list of Poffo's claims to WWE but they declined comment. “I cannot prove a thing,” Poffo said. “You can take my word for it or not.”
Poffo says the feud between Savage and Vince began in 1987 when WWE held an "old timers" event and did not include Savage's father Angelo Poffo. Savage reportedly asked Vince if his father could participate but Poffo says he was told no. “Randy didn’t ever forgot that,” Poffo said. “My father deserved to be in that match.”
Poffo then says Savage was offended when Vince felt Savage's best years were behind him and pulled him from the ring to put him on commentary. “He thought he still had a lot of good years in the ring left in him,” Poffo said. Savage was also bothered by the skits that WWE did with The Nacho Man. Poffo says he wasn't too offended by the skits until he saw one that insinuated Miss Elizabeth fooled around with Hulk Hogan.
His brother says Savage never forgave WWE for the tasteless skit and went online to make a video with some negative comments about Stephanie McMahon in the early 2000's. “I’m sure the video angered McMahon,” Poffo said. Vince reportedly contacted Savage with an offer to induct him into the Hall of Fame in 2010 but Savage would only accept it if his father and brother were inducted alongside him but WWE declined. “He wanted the Poffo family to go in,” Poffo said. “He knew it would mean a lot to my dad.”
Shortly after WWE declined to induct the family, Savage's father passed away. Poffo said WWE never called to offer condolences. “It was about respect to our family. Randy was furious,” said Poffo. “He told me if anything ever happened to him, he should not be put into the Hall of Fame unless it was as the Poffo family.”
Savage died unexpectedly one year later. Poffo says WWE never offered personal condolences to his family. In 2012, WWE called Poffo to ask about posthumously inducting Savage. “They again did not say they were sorry for my father or brother’s passing, even though they had the chance” he said. “I told them that I would honor my brother’s wishes and only say yes if the entire Poffo family was inducted.”
Poffo says he has now softened his stance on the induction and is offering an olive branch. “This is for the fans,” Poffo said. “They want to honor Randy and see him get his respect. So if the WWE wants Randy in the Hall of Fame but not my father or me, they should do it. Unless they call my mother and offer their condolences, I will not be there.”
March 31, 2014
Divas Championship Match Stipulation Explained
Vickie Guerrero announced on WWE Raw that the "Vickie Guerrero Invitational" at WrestleMania XXX will be a one fall match. The diva who is able to get a pinfall will become WWE Divas Champion. AJ Lee will defend the championship against 12 other Divas.
Jim Ross Comments on his Relationship with WWE
Jim Ross has updated the Q&A section on jrsbarbq.com and responded to a comment where a fan hoped that JR being invited to the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony meant his issues with the company were being resolved and that he may do some work for the WWE Network. Ross replied:
"There's nothing unresolved. My relationship with WWE is exactly what we want it to be. I'm staying very busy and doing something for WWE Network on an ongoing basis would be challenging. They've moved on and so have I with no regrets."
WWE Network Is Loud Introduction to the Video Streaming Ring
When listing the visionary media moguls of the digital age, Vince McMahon, the professional wrestling impresario, might not immediately come to mind.
Yet Mr. McMahon and his company, World Wrestling Entertainment, have positioned themselves on the cutting edge of Internet television with the WWE Network, a new subscription-only streaming video service. Introduced in February, the network broadcasts the pro wrestling extravaganzas that were once available only on cable and satellite television.
Shares of the WWE, a publicly traded company based in Stamford, Conn., have more than tripled over the last year with the introduction of the subscription network and takeover rumors. Mr. McMahon, 68, controls the company, and his ambitious WWE Network could be his final act in charge, industry watchers say.
Photo
Hulk Hogan, left, and Muhammad Ali as a guest referee in 1985. Pro wrestling’s stars have long influenced broadcasting. Credit WWE
“If he changed how pro wrestling and sports entertainment were broadcast forever, I don’t think there’s a better way to go out,” said Brandon Stroud, a wrestling commentator and editor at the sports site With Leather...More?
source: nytimes.com
Professional Bodybuilder Describes Grueling Tryouts Experience at WWE Performance Center
WWE held tryouts at the Performance Center in Orlando earlier this month. The tryouts were led by Bill DeMott, Norman Smiley, Matt "Tensai" Bloom, Billy Gunn, Dean Malenko and William Regal. Bodybuilder Matt Dawson, who measured in at 6′ 2 3/4″ and 282lbs, wrote the following on JTStrong.com about the grueling experience:
"Incredible experience, but the most difficult thing I have EVER done, as far as athletics go.
I arrived in Orlando on Wednesday evening. Met my roommate and several others who were attending the camp at the car rental place inside the airport. We got our car and headed back to the hotel to unpack. Several of us then went out to eat, and turned in pretty early, as we knew we were about to go through hell.
Hell just might be an understatement. We arrived to the WWE Performance Center at 7:30am, as we did not want to be late for the 8am start time. We checked in and immediately had full physicals to ensure we were all healthy enough for the camp. I measured in at 6′ 2 3/4″ and 282lbs. I was the second largest athlete there. There was somebody they brought in from Russia who was at least 6’4″ and 320lbs.
There was 30 of us in total. 20 of the guys were experienced “professional” style wrestlers, who have been doing this type of wrestling for years and years (some as long as 10 years). They were professional wrestlers from Japan, and various countries around Europe, as well as the US. These are the people who have worked their entire lives and are 100% dedicated for the sole purpose of making it into the WWE. Almost all of them have impressive amateur athletic backgrounds, from All State and All American amateur wrestlers, football, track and field and other athletic endeavors. Several of them even majored in theater while in college for the sole purpose of trying to make it into the WWE.
The other 10 of us were referred to as “athletes.” We have no “professional” style wrestling experience at all, but all have extremely various athletic backgrounds ranging from former NFL football players, All American amateur wrestlers, bodybuilders, powerlifters, Olympic bobsledders, All American college football players and even All American gymnasts.
I was extremely impressed with the coaches, as they knew ALL of us right when we walked in. They definitely did their homework as they knew our entire athletic backgrounds and all of our previous experiences. For all you wrestling fans, the coaches were Bill Demott, William Regal, Billy Gunn, Dean Malenko, Normal Smiley, Matt Bloom (Prince Albert) and several others.
Anyways, day 1 and 2 were broken down into two, 3 hour training sessions, with a 90 minute lunch break or so. After all the physicals were complete they immediately began our training which consisted of 3 hours of pure, 100% conditioning. This certainly isn’t my forte, as all my training for the past 15 years has been geared towards lifting maximal weights, and no conditioning work longer than 30 second bursts. There were 3 wrestling rings set up and we went nonstop from one ring to the other to the other doing various wrestling style conditioning drills. Let me emphasize that this was 3 hours of practically non stop conditioning with various rolls, jumps, flips, slams, updowns etc… I thought I was going to die at least 5 times, but I never quit or gave up. I couldn’t believe the extent that they pushed us, as this was by far the hardest thing I have ever done athletically. I would rather go through 2 months of college football 2-a-days then experience another 3 days of this. Brutal is an extreme understatement.
After each and every training session I honestly didn’t know if i was going to survive. Every single muscle, joint, tendon, and ligament was screaming.
Day 3 was a bit easier as it was the final day, and we only had one session, half of it consisting of doing our “promos” and photoshoots. I did my promo as a crazy school teacher who was fed up with children who were spoiled, parents who don’t discipline their children, and kids running the show while the parents sit back, hopeless and afraid to set rules and guidelines for their kids. Apparently it went extremely well, as everybody was super impressed with the promo I gave….little did they know it wasn’t that far off of what I truly believe anyways!
At the end of the camp, the coaches gave us a great speech. Basically they all said that this was one of the best camps they have ever had (they hold 3 camps per year). Nobody quit, and we all powered through the training. They knew all of our backgrounds and knew many of us were not designed for that crazy level of conditioning. They simply wanted to weed us out, see who was tough enough, and who wouldn’t quit. The WWE is a great company, and they took very good care of us while we were down there. I was totally impressed with the professionalism and dedication of the WWE. They said they will let us know, one way or another, if they want to offer us a contract or not within 6-8 weeks.
All in all it was an amazing experience, but an experience I never want to repeat. I have an entire new respect for all the WWE superstars, and the brutal training they put their bodies through day in and day out."
March 30, 2014
March 28, 2014
WrestleMania XXX Press Conference Set for NYC
WrestleMania Week officially kicks off with the WrestleMania 30 Press Conference, broadcast live on WWE Network this Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. ET from the Hard Rock Café in New York City. Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon, Triple H, Hulk Hogan, Batista, Randy Orton, Daniel Bryan, John Cena, Alberto Del Rio, Mark Henry, Big Show, The Great Khali, Michael Cole and the cast of Total Divas will be appearing
