We noted last week that Triple H mentioned in his NXT Takeover conference call that WWE had been talking to former NFL star Shawne Merriman and that they would love to have him on their team. The Miami Herald has an article up with Triple H's comments on Merriman. Here's what Triple H said:
"Shawne has done some analyst work for us, done some stuff for the [WWE] Network. We are having conversations with Shawne, and it’s really going to come down to time and what he wants to do. Shawne expressed to me he had two dreams growing up. One was to be an NFL superstar, and he did that, and the other was to be a WWE superstar. He’s done one, and now he’s heavily contemplating the other. We’re in discussions. So we’ll see what happens, see where it goes. He’s a great guy, an amazing athlete, very smart, and we’d love to have him."
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June 3, 2014
Triple H Talks About Shawn Merriman Possibly Joining WWE
Indy Talent Wins Major Lawsuit Against WWE Hall of Famer
Larry "Abdullah The Butcher" Shreve was found guilty today in the negligence, assault and battery care related to the transmission of the Hepatitis C virus to Devon Nicholson who wrestles as "Hannibal." Nicholson was cured of the disease in late 2013 after undergoing 2 intensive and expensive chemotherapy like treatments and lost a WWE contract due to testing positive for the virus in 2009.
According to a CBC report, Nicholson has been awarded $2.3 million in damages which must be paid by Shreve. Shreve has 30 days to appeal the judge's decision, and you can read more at this link.
Seth Rollins Turns On The Shield And Joins Evolution
During Monday's WWE Raw broadcast Seth Rollins turned his back on fellow members of The Shield, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns by turning heel in a shocking twist.
The scheduled Randy Orton vs. Roman Reigns main event didn't go ahead after Triple H revealed that he had a “plan B.”
Seth Rollins attacked both Reigns and Dean Ambrose with a steel chair, following this Triple H and Randy Orton took to the ring to join Rollins in the beatdown.
June 2, 2014
Full Sail President talks about partnership with WWE NXT
Brian Fritz of The Orlando Sentinel is featuring an article with quotes from Full Sail University President Garry Jones talking about the two year anniversary of Full Sail's partnership with WWE to produce NXT programming.
"The relationship between Full Sail and the WWE is one of those rare situations when you first meet someone and are impressed and as time goes on you’re even more impressed with the people. The WWE has people of their word: they do what they say and when they say it. It’s extraordinary."
Orlando Sentinel: NXT Wrestling has found a home at Full Sail
Batista "Quits" WWE During Tonight's Raw Broadcast
During tonight's WWE Raw broadcast, Batista "quit" the company after Triple H wouldn't give him WWE World Heavyweight Title shot. Batista is finishing up with WWE to begin promotional work for his new film Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy and is expected to return in time for SummerSlam.
Brie Bella "Quits" WWE
At Sunday night's WWE Payback event, Brie Bella announced that she was "quitting" WWE during the segment involving her, Daniel Bryan, and Stephanie McMahon.
Brie told Stephanie that she refused to be a powerless victim and stated that Stephanie couldn't fire her before announcing that she "quit." Brie then slapped Stephanie across the face, causing a humiliated Stephanie to walk away from the ring.
Stephanie had threatened to fire Brie if Daniel Bryan refused to surrender the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Payback. Interestingly during the promo, Stephanie responding to fan chants told Bryan and Bella "There people want you to quit...just like CM Punk did."
June 1, 2014
The 100 Most Obsessed-Over People on the Web
George W. Bush is more popular than Obama, Beyonce beats the Pope--and the mysterious clout of professional wrestlers. The ultimate online power list. Plus see how 20,000 of the world's best known people stack up. Click here.
1. George W. Bush
17. Hulk Hogan
24. Big Show
34. John Cena
35. The Undertaker
38. Kane
47. Kurt Angle
50. The Rock
56. CM Punk
57. Bret Hart
71. Chris Jericho
73. Edge
81. Rey Mysterio
83. Rob Van Dam
86. Triple H
94. Ric Flair
100. Lance Armstrong
source: time.com
Triple H Talks Rivalry With The Rock, Working Behind The Scenes, Favorite WrestleMania Moments
As noted earlier, Triple H is on the cover of the latest edition of Muscle & Fitness magazine, which is on newsstands now. Here are a few highlights from the interview:
How he transitioned to into a creative position:
"In some ways, I've been doing it behind the scenes for years. Vince McMahon used to say to me, 'When are you going to stop playing around and come do some real work?' Once I had kids and was looking to be home more and getting a little older, I saw it was time to make that transition. Vince sort of baited me in, saying, 'Why don't you come in to the office once or twice a week on your off days?' And the next thing I know it's, 'I need you to take over this department and come off the road full time.' Vince likes to call me [to wrestle] in case of emergency. I'm a character they can pull in here and there. But honestly, the less I do it at this point, the better. Even wrestling once or twice a year is hard, and I have to prepare for it as if I'm Floyd Mayweather preparing for a boxing match. It's a commitment, and trying to do that with a full-time job and a wife and kids is very time-consuming."
How the Performance came come to be:
"WWE has had a development system for a long time, but I felt we needed to do more. So, from concept to development, the Performance Center was mine. And it was something that Vince, when I pitched him on it, said was phenomenal. I helped design it, and worked with the architects. I went to NFL and NHL training centers and saw what the best teams in the world had. I thought, 'If I were a 20-year-old today, what would I need to succeed?' And I put it all in that building. That includes everything from strength and conditioning, rings for [future Superstars] to work in, to promo rooms where they can work on their verbal skills. We train everyone from referees to announce teams there. That's the platform for the next generation of Superstars."
Advice for other business people to stay in shape despite hectic schedules and travel:
"I make sure I always have a body-weight routine on hand, or bands, so I can do something in my hotel room. Even if you do only 15-20 minutes of intense exercise every day, your life changes dramatically. The Rock and I have always had a rivalry. And even though he's one of the biggest movie stars in the world now, to this day, I'll still look at his Twitter account, and it says something like '4:30 a.m. in Bolivia filming a movie, about to hit cardio.' So when I have to motivate myself, I'll think about that and say, 'f--kin' Rock. If he can do it, I can do it.' He motivates me. He's not afraid of a hard day's work. If being successful means I have to miss sleep, that's what I'll do. And that's most people's problem. Most don't want it more than they want to hang out or go and see the new Iron Man movie. When I was in high school, I didn't hang out with my friends, I hung out with the guys from my gym. My friends wanted to go to parties and I didn't, because I was going to get up at seven the next morning and do a heavy leg day. That's just how I've always been. I hope that drive never goes away."
His favorite WrestleMania moment:
"Of all time, I guess it's that iconic moment at WrestleMania III, with Hogan slamming Andre. It represents that time and the explosion of the business. For me, personally, it would be WrestleMania 28, with me and Undertaker and Shawn Michaels as the referee. There was a moment I'll never forget, with the three of us standing at the top of the ramp - we were like the three guys of the Attitude Era left standing, after the Monday Night Wars and everything. Three guys who couldn't be closer or have more respect for one another. I have a photo of that moment framed at my house."
Rumor Mill - Triple H calls meeting at RAW for better direction for story lines
There was a meeting called by Triple H before this past Monday’s RAW in Knoxville, TN. Triple H reportedly expressed his desire for RAW and SmackDown to have “more of a flow from top to bottom.”
There are concerns within WWE that people aren’t subscribing to the WWE Network because the product on TV isn’t good enough, which can be largely attributed to lack of flow, storylines being forgotten or outright dropped.
One source pointed to Triple H and Vince McMahon having “different visions” and the ideas of the two clashing.
It’s said that going into the summer, Triple H really wants more focus placed on under-card programs as a way to help build up the mid-card.
Rumor Mill - Three Big Names Expected To Begin Training With WWE Soon
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that independent stars KENTA, Kevin Steen and Prince Devitt will begin training at the WWE Performance Center from August.
WWE has to clear all their visas, medical tests and many other factors before allowing them to join the developmental roster.
