The WWE's First-Ever Female Trainer Is Ushering in a New Golden Era for Women Wrestlers

Sara Del Rey joined WWE after a decade's worth of experience wrestling all over the world in independent promotions including Chikara, Ring of Honor, and Shimmer. Since being hired in 2012, WWE has produced some of their most promising female talent in a generation. NXT, essentially WWE's internal minor league, has morphed into the home of some of the networks' most riveting wrestling. Banks and Charlotte round out a once-in-a-lifetime crop alongside Bayley, Becky Lynch, Alexa Bliss, Paige, and Emma.

"Daniel Bryan, [currently one of WWE's biggest stars,] trained me a long time ago. That's how I got my foot in the door," Del Rey told VICE. "Training has always been my one true passion; it's what I really love about pro wrestling. I thought I had unique experiences and perspectives to share with the women in NXT. WWE agreed, and here I am."

"You can have all the knowledge in the world, but it's useless if you can't explain it," said Paul "Triple H" Levesque, WWE Executive Vice President and the man behind NXT, in an interview with VICE. "That's what makes Sara special: She can feel it, but she's also able to articulate that feeling."

It does help that Del Rey is a woman training other women. While plenty of female wrestlers, including Del Rey, have trained with men and succeeded, those I spoke with emphasized the impact that a like-minded trainer can have in the wrestling ring.

"I trained with guys' guys for years, but it was when I went to Japan and worked with a group of all females that my technique was really fine-tuned. There wasn't a safety net," said Del Rey. "I don't think [having a female trainer] is a necessity, but it's helpful."

"Working with a female trainer here is a big plus, because we are in a male-dominated business," explained Banks. "Having a female point of view when it comes to body movement has been so constructive. Sara is very understanding. Anything we need we're able to tell her. It's like having another mother here."

Levesque is happy to admit that there's always going to be a slight disconnect when a man is training a woman, but he also views Del Rey as an all-around talent.

"Whenever people say 'Oh, it's so great you brought in a woman to train the women,' I say 'I didn't hire a woman to train women, I hired a woman to train,'" Levesque emphasized. "She's great with the women, she can relate to the women wonderfully, but she's more than that. It's the same when I bring her up to the main roster; I'm not doing that so she can just work with the women, I'm doing that so she can be a road agent. It's irrelevant to me that's she's a woman. What matters is that she can do her job extremely well."...More?

source: vice.com

Steve Austin Speaks On His WWE Status After Recent Trademark Issue With T-Shirts

On a recent podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin addressed rumors about he and WWE after the company had some of his t-shirts pulled from his official ProWrestlingTees.com store recently. Austin said despite the shirts being pulled, the two sides are still on good terms and are still working together.

Austin said WWE had a few trademark concerns that they felt they needed to protect and they did. Austin said he spoke with a WWE lawyer about the concerns and there are no hard feelings.

Austin also said there are many "great things" to come from he and WWE but didn't go into detail, telling fans to "stay tuned."

WWE Releases Five Developmental Wrestlers

WWE released 5 developmental talents this week - Brian Reid (Tony Briggs), Coutney Denzel Freeman, Dustin Mueller, Laszlo Vandracsek and Leyvonna Zakari.

Freeman, an amateur wrestler from the University of the Cumberlands, began training at the WWE Performance Center late last year. He never competed in a match before a live crowd.

Briggs, a 6-foot-2, 275-pound wrestler from California, signed with WWE in late 2013. He infrequently wrestled at NXT live events, and was squashed in his lone matches on television.

Mueller is a bodybuilder from Chicago, Illinois who WWE signed last year. He had no wrestling experience prior to joining WWE. He made a few live event appearances as a security guard.

Zakari, a model and actress from California, joined WWE last April. Though she never wrestled, she handled ring announcing duties at a few non-televised NXT events.

Hungarian-born Vandracsek was a member of U.S. National Bobsled Team who WWE recruited late last year.

'Rap is the new wrestling': how hip-hop heavyweights compare with WWE stars

New York rap and fashion maven A$AP Rocky thinks hip-hop has become like the theatrical, body-slam heavy world of WWE. Speaking to Elliott Wilson at a live recording of the CRWN hip-hop podcast at the Tribeca film festival, the 26-year-old rapper said: “Rap is the new wrestling,” before adding that in the world of contemporary hip-hop, rappers pick a strange name, say some ridiculous things and then wait until people pay attention (isn’t that just a guide to becoming famous in 2015?). He has a point though, even if there is more than a hint of irony in that theory coming from a rapper whose name is A$AP Rocky and whose biggest hit was called Fuckin’ Problems complaining about outlandish and gauche hip-hop acts with daft names. We’ve taken his assertion as a starting point and tried to figure out which WWE superstars (past and present) line up with contemporary rap stars...More?

source: theguardian.com

Big Name Backstage At WWE NXT Tapings

Samoa Joe was indeed backstage at last night's WWE NXT tapings at Full Sail University in Orlando, FL. PWInsider notes that Joe was there to meet with Triple H about potentially signing with the company.

ESPN Beats Pro Wrestler in Dispute Over Rebroadcast of Old Matches

An appellate ruling could be a good sign for broadcasters as they fight in court with college athletes.

On Wednesday, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed ESPN's victory in a legal dispute with Steve "Wild Thing" Ray, who wrestled professionally in the Universal Wrestling Federation in the early 1990s.

ESPN obtained the footage of Ray's old matches and rebroadcast them on ESPN Classic. That brought a lawsuit by Ray alleging ESPN violated his publicity and privacy rights under Missouri law.

A three judge panel at the 8th Circuit echoes the conclusion from the district judge that Ray's state-based claims are preempted by federal copyright law. In doing so, the judges imply a test where plaintiffs can only avoid preemption by going beyond an attempt to stop the rebroadcast of copyrighted content to allege something more about the use of their name or image. Here, for instance, the opinion notes that "ESPN did not use Ray's likeness or name in an advertisement without his permission to promote its commercial products, and, as the district court correctly noted, Ray's ‘likenesses could not be detached from the copyrighted performances that were contained in the films.'"

The opinion comes just days after the WWE and ESPN were sued by the father of deceased wrestler Eddie Gilbert for publicity rights for using old footage on television and the Internet.

Maybe more importantly, the ruling comes as ESPN, CBS, Fox, ABC and NBC are involved in a legal battle over the publicity rights of college athletes. A judge's decision last year that shrugged off the release forms that athletes sign as a condition of their participation in college athletics paved the way for athletes to go after the broadcasters directly, but the defendants have various arguments on why the lawsuit should fail. Among them, that copyright preempts the publicity right claims.

An opinion at the 8th Circuit holds no precedential weight in Tennessee, where the legal battle over college athlete publicity rights is taking place, and there could be other factors that distinguish the alleged exploitation of college basketball and football players with the alleged exploitation of professional wrestlers, but nevertheless, it'll be a welcomed ruling for the broadcasters.

source: hollywoodreporter.com

Main Event Announced for the Next WWE NXT Live Takeover Special, Date of the Special Revealed

WWE is currently holding a set of NXT TV tapings at Full Sail University, and it was announced during the tapings that the next live NXT Takeover special will happen on May 20th at Full Sail University.

It was also announced at tonight’s NXT tapings that the main event of the special will be Kevin Owens (c) vs Sami Zayn for the NXT Title.

WWE Announces NXT “On the Road” Tour Dates; Complete City Listing and Ticket On-Sale Details

Earlier today, WWE NXT announced its official “on the road” tour dates, and below is a complete list of cities being visited:

Friday 4/30 in Lakeland, FL at The Armory. Tickets currently on sale.

Friday 5/1 in Tampa, FL at the UACDC Gymnasium. Tickets currently on sale.

Saturday 5/2 in Cocoa Beach, FL at the Cocoa Armory. Tickets on sale.

Saturday 5/8 in Largo, FL at Minnreg Hall. Tickets on sale now.

Thursday 5/14 in Philadelphia, PA at The Tower Theatre. Tickets TBA.

Saturday 5/16 in Albany, NY at the Washington Armory. Pre-Sale on 4/30 using pre-sale code CAPITAL.

Saturday 5/23 in Starke, FL at the Starke Armory. Tickets on sale now.

Friday 5/29 in Citrus Springs, FL. Tickets now on sale.

Saturday 5/30 in Venice, FL at the Community Center. Tickets now on sale.

Thursday 6/11 in Pittsburgh, PA at the AE Theatre. Tickets TBA.

Friday 6/12 in Cleveland, Ohio at the Agora Theatre. Tickets TBA.

Saturday 6/13 in Columbus, Ohio at the LC Pavilion in Columbus. Tickets TBA.

Triple H on Pre-Fight Rituals, Injury Avoidance, and the Toughness of Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

WWE Diva Eva Marie Discusses Improving Her In-Ring Work, HHH Helping Her, Going After the Divas Championship and More

The Miami Herald recently conducted an interview with WWE Diva Eva Marie and below are some highlights:

Going for the WWE Divas Title heading into SummerSlam:

“I got my developmental deal first, and I got ‘Total Divas.’ Everything from there it just went, boom! I was living my life on reality TV. I had to perform for WWE, as well as show that to the whole world. For season four of ‘Total Divas,’ you are going to see my in-ring work. I’m going for that title heading into SummerSlam. Go big or go home.”

Working to improve her in-ring training:

“If you follow me on social media you are going to see the clips of me training and progressing. Then you will see me back in the ring, hopefully in a few weeks. Triple H has definitely been helping me out, and I appreciate that. I bounce ideas off of him. Brian Kendrick is amazing. I’m asking him a bunch of different questions. Then when I get in the ring with him, I’ll improve my skills right there.”

Are You “Tough Enough?”

Beginning today, WWE® invites anyone from around the world who believes they have what it takes to be the next WWE Superstar or Diva, to submit a video at WWEToughEnough.com to be considered for the upcoming reality competition series, WWE Tough Enough. The series premieres on Tuesday, June 23 at 8/7c on USA Network in a reimagined format with live elements.

“WWE Tough Enough is an opportunity for anyone who has ever dreamed of becoming a WWE Superstar or Diva,” said Paul “Triple H®” Levesque, WWE Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events & Creative. “WWE Superstars and Divas are dynamic entertainers who possess a unique combination of athleticism and charisma. We can’t wait to see who will emerge from this competition to earn a place alongside our elite performers.”

This season of WWE Tough Enough will combine the can’t-miss excitement of live television with reality-show drama as 10 men and five women vie for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become a WWE Superstar or Diva. By the end of the season, one man and one woman will be crowned “Tough Enough” and will each earn a WWE contract.

Taz addresses his departure from TNA and confirms late pay

During his "Human Podcast Machine" podcast on Saturday, Taz addressed his departure from TNA and reports about receiving late pay from the company. It should noted that Taz did confirm he eventually received full payment from TNA after the initial issue.

On his departure from TNA this week:

"I asked for my release. I was granted my release. We parted ways mutually, professionally, the right way."

On reports that TNA was late in paying him:

"My check, for works that I had done previous, was late. I had to do what I had to do and the company was very understanding. They understood my position. They were very professional. They were very kind. They were very understanding. It was a bad situation. Business is business. I'm in this business. This is how I make my living. This is how I pay my bills and I feed my family for over 25 years. It's business."

On rumors that he left TNA because of a falling out with Josh Mathews:

"Me leaving TNA had absolutely nothing at all to do with my relationship with Josh Mathews. Absolutely nothing. I worked with Josh for a long time. Did we have a fall out? Yes we had a fall out. Why can't two guys have an argument or disagree or end a friendship and people have to speculate that is why they left?"

On reports about not going to Nashville for production work:

"The company was quite frankly apologetic. They had their reasons. And I'm not going to get into their reasons. I'm not looking to do that. And by the way...if you're looking for me to sit out here and bash take the low road TNA, that's not happening. I'm not doing that. That's not my style. That's not what I'm about. I'm not a hypocrite. I'm not going to work somewhere as long as I did - and I've waived their flag publicly in the past - while I worked for them and then I leave and bash and bury them. That's to me low brow hypocritical two-faced fake crap. That's not my style."