Dolph Zigger Signs Multi-Year Deal with WWE

WWE and Dolph Ziggler have reportedly come to terms on a new multi-year contract according to a report by PWInsider.com. There had been some speculation that Zigger would leave the company if he was not pushed as a bigger name within the company.

NXT Stars at the San Diego Comic-Con

The annual WWE and Mattel panel at the San Diego Comic-Con on Thursday, July 9th will feature Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn, William Regal, Kevin Owens, Charlotte and others. Below is the official promotional blurb released:

"Once again, Mattel and WWE have teamed up to bring you an action-packed SDCC panel. WWE & NXT Superstars and Mattel personnel will discuss the tremendous growth in popularity of NXT, weigh in on the next generation of WWE Superstars, and give exclusive sneak peeks of Mattel's upcoming WWE figure releases. Incredible guest appearances by William Regal, Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Charlotte, and additional special guests."

NWA Announces Details Of New Streaming Service

The National Wrestling Alliance has announced its latest and most ambitious project to date:

"NWA Classics 24/7!" And it is scheduled to be launched on July 4!

"What's more American than hot dogs – apple pie – and the National Wrestling Alliance?" asked NWA President R. Bruce Tharpe. "This is a project that we are extremely excited about. It's something we have been investing in and working on for over five years. We believe that once it is launched, 'NWA Classics 24/7? will be very well received."

The vintage collection of wrestling videos is from the personal library of legendary Houston Wrestling Promoter Paul Boesch, and comprises matches from the late 60's to 1986 featuring some of the most legendary wrestlers of all-time. Paul Boesch brought in the very top wrestling talent from around the World, and this collection features them in some of the greatest NWA matches ever seen. Some of the matches being released the first month on "NWA Classics 24/7?

* Harley Race vs. Andre the Giant for the NWA World Title!
* Butch Reed vs. Magnum TA!
* NWA World Title Match – Flair vs. Wahoo!
* Kevin Von Erich vs. Chris Adams!
* Dory and Terry Funk vs. Mil Mascaras and Jose Lothario!
* Gino Hernandez vs. Putski!
* Butch Reed vs. Buddy Landell in a "Shoeshine Match!"
* Ivan Putski vs. Abdullah!
* Brad Armstrong vs. One Man Gang!
* NWA World Title Match – Flair vs. Terry Taylor!
* NWA World Title Match – Flair vs. Butch Reed!
* Nick Bockwinkle vs. Bruiser Brody!
* $20,000 Two-Ring Battle Royal!
* Plus – Early Shawn Michaels footage! JYD! Jake "the Snake" Roberts! Hacksaw Duggan! The Rock n' Roll Express! And more!"

Chris Benoit Murder-Suicide Anniversary

Today marks the eight-year anniversary of the Chris Benoit double murder-suicide that occurred over a three-day period ending on June 24, 2007 [full story]. He allegedly murdered his wife and son before hanging himself.

Tuesday's WWE Tough Enough Premiere Draws Over One Million Viewers

The first episode of the new season of Tough Enough drew 1,209,000 viewers which was down on last Tough Enough season in 2011 on USA Network did an average of 2.4 million. Overall the episode drew a 0.40 adults 18-49 rating.

Hulk Hogan Comments on the Success of the WWE Performance Center

WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan recently spoke with Rolling Stone about the WWE Performance Center:

It's pretty hardcore, brother. There's several rings in the building, these kids are well protected and safety is the top priority – there's doctors and therapists and trainers on staff; it's not like when I had my first day and they broke my leg on purpose. And then there's the art form; before Dusty Rhodes passed away, he was teaching a drama class, because you need to know how to tell a story, paint a picture with your face and your body. There's interview rooms, where you learn how to talk on the mic, sell tickets and get your character over. It's total one-stop shopping over there.

Triple H In Charge At Last Night's WWE RAW

F4Wonline.com notes that both Vince McMahon and Kevin Dunn were not at last night's WWE RAW in Indianapolis as they were working on Tough Enough in the Orlando area. While Triple H did not write last night's show, he was in charge and ran things.

Unseen footage of Triple H’s WrestleMania 31 entrance

Meet the man guiding WWE's 'NXT' generation

Wearing a power suit and a villainous grin, Paul Levesque is often seen on WWE programming espousing the virtues of "what's best for business."

But off screen and out of the pro-wrestling ring, the man also known as "Triple H" is building the foundation for the future of that very same business.

Levesque, 45, has been the guiding force behind the WWE's developmental brand NXT, finding wrestlers from all over the world to come to Orlando, train at the WWE Performance Center and entertain audiences live and on WWE NXT, which airs Wednesdays on the WWE Network subscription streaming service. (Previous episodes are archived for new fans wanting to catch up.)

Yet what many consider a minor league offers some pretty major players. Most of the up-and-coming NXT performers "have plied their craft in other places at a smaller level, and now they've finally made it to the big time. We're giving them the opportunity to learn more and now do it in front of the largest fan base in the world," says Levesque, the WWE's executive vice president for talent, live events and creative.

Many of the NXT alumni are part of the main roster on WWE's main TV shows, USA's Monday Night Raw and Syfy's Smackdown. The WWE champion and top villain Seth Rollins got his start in NXT, as did powerhouse Roman Reigns, fan favorite Dean Ambrose, British female grappler Paige and other top contenders.

The current NXT champion, the cocky and talented Kevin Owens, has been a regular on WWE programming lately in a feud with all-around good guy John Cena. NXT also recently signed popular indie wrestler Samoa Joe, and a women's division — including champ Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch and Charlotte, the daughter of legendary wrestler Ric Flair — often puts together matches that are just as good if not better than their male counterparts.

Hulk Hogan, a WWE legend and judge on the new season of Tough Enough (premiering live on USA Tuesday), often will visit Monday Night Raw and hear the entire crowd chanting "NXT! NXT!"

"There's a rumble there. Paul is doing a lot of stuff right," Hogan says, adding that there was "a glitch in the system" and no NXT-like program in place during his heyday in the 1980s. "That next generation wasn't there, so Hulk Hogan, 'Macho Man' Randy Savage and Ultimate Warror continued being stars into the '90s where they should have been the next Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior or Macho Man.

"Kudos to Paul," Hogan adds, "because he's the guy who's grabbed the bull by the horns and made this possible for the legacy to keep on going."

Levesque and his wife Stephanie McMahon, daughter of WWE chief Vince McMahon, run the ruthless Authority and still put the heroes through hell on Raw, but Levesque started setting the stage for his post-ring career when he first started in the WWE in the mid-1990s.

The wrestler hadn't been in the business that long before he started to develop a relationship with Vince McMahon, long before he met his wife. "Sad to say, she was in college, which makes me sound old," Levesque says, laughing.

He became fascinated by the way WWE created and fostered intriguing in-ring characters such as "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and the more he talked with McMahon, the more the boss encouraged Levesque to get in involved.

"I'd get up extra early and I'd go to the production meeting three hours before I actually needed to be in the building as a performer — not because I was being paid to, but I liked the process," Levesque says.

"It was a natural transition for me when I started to get out of in ring to continue down the path that I was on."

Levesque saw that WWE was doing well as a business, but didn't see an investment in the future. "It was the thing that was lacking to me," he says, "and I said to Vince, 'Twenty years from now, where are we going to get all these guys from?' And he said 'What do we do about it?'

"I started putting together this plan in my head and he and I worked on it, and he said, 'I think this is a great thing. Go do it.' And that's what we've done there."

Levesque concedes that watching NXT wrestlers such as Bray Wyatt, Sami Zayn or Adrian Neville make their first appearance on Raw is a different kind of thrill than performing in front of 80,000 screaming fans. His wife laughs at him, but he's often as nervous as a proud dad behind the curtain as the crowd is introduced to one of his charges.

"To see them go out there and knock it out of the park and see how happy they are, it's awesome, man," Levesque says. "In some ways it's like watching my kids."

source: usatoday.com

Chyna Wants To Meet With Triple H And Vince McMahon

After a media tour which seems to have backfired, former WWE Intercontinental Champion Chyna posted the video above in which she pleads with Triple H and Vince McMahon to meet with her to make amends.

"I have gone to WWE offices to try to get a meeting to discuss these issues personally with Hunter and Vince, and I would really like to open the dialogue, and have an audience with them to make that happen. Hunter and Vince, may I please have a meeting so we can make amends and bury the hatchet?," she said.

It's worth noting that Chyna has accused Triple H of assaulting her during numerous appearances, something that Triple H has vehemently denied. Chyna's ex-boyfriend Sean "X-Pac" Waltman also said that she admitted to him the accusations were false. In the video, she called her time with WWE the "best in her life."

"Regarding my relationship with WWE and Hunter - those were the best days of my life. Wonderful opportunities, and I'm very grateful (for) those days, which is why I'm so passionate about being inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame," she said.

Chyna also noted that she wanted to clear the air regarding the issues that have been brought up. Chyna has been pushing a Kickstarter to produce a documentary about her "reconstruction." Thus far the Kickstarter has earned over $4,000.

Rumor On Dolph Ziggler Leaving WWE Soon

There have been rumors on Dolph Ziggler being unhappy in WWE for some time but now the rumors are that he's looking to leave the company when his contract is up in a few months.

During a recent episode of MLW Radio, available at this link, former WWE creative writer Court Bauer commented on the rumor, referring to Ziggler leaving like John Morrison did. Morrison now works for Lucha Underground as Johnny Mundo. Bauer said:

"Dolph's deal is up in a few months and he has indicated informally that unless he gets a big push, he may leave like Mundo."

Update on Injury Status of NXT’s Hideo Itami & Sami Zayn

Both Hideo Itami and Sami Zayn appeared at Thursday’s WWE NXT television taping at Full Sail University.

Hideo Itami opened the night with an in-ring promo, announcing that he would still be at the upcoming July 4th live event in Japan despite his injury. He also challenged the winner of Kevin Owens vs. Finn Balor, but noted he is still 3-4 months away from returning.

Former NXT Champion Sami Zayn also addressed the Full Sail crowd about his own injury. Zayn vowed to eventually get his revenge on career-long rival Kevin Owens, but announced that he would be out of action for the remainder of 2015.