The rise of the celebrity couple, a powerful, influential and highly profitable brand

How candid Instagrams and magazine appearances drive the appetite for power couples, and how couples, advertisers and managers can benefit – and also lose out...More?

source: independent.co.uk

Christopher Daniels Talks AJ Styles And Samoa Joe Joining WWE, WWE's Global Cruiserweight Series

"The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels has seen it all and been a little bit of everywhere after two decades in wrestling. From appearances in WWF and WCW to stints in TNA, ROH and NJPW, Daniels is a true veteran of sports entertainment.

Daniels was crucial in the prime of TNA's X-Division, and once actually got a shot at the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship. When I spoke to him recently about WWE's upcoming Global Cruiserweight series, he seemed optimistic about the idea.

"I guess I'll have to wait and see," Daniels explained. "I feel like the last couple of months for NXT have shown they're willing to think outside the box and get rid of the constraints they put on their programming back in the day in terms of their attitude towards cruiserweights. You look at some of the hirings over the past couple of months, picking up Austin Aries, giving guys Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, Rich Swann an opportunity to excel. I look forward to the matches, knowing that a guy I hold in high regard like Zack Sabre Jr. is going to be a part of it. I'll see what they do with it. I feel like they're giving it an honest chance to get over. I think NXT is the right platform to do that."

While Daniels is under an exclusive contract with Ring of Honor and won't be participating the tournament, or in the WWE any time soon, a few of his friends that he's made history with will be. Daniels was a part of one of the greatest matches in the last 20 years when he took on AJ Styles and Samoa Joe in the main event of TNA Unbreakable 2005. Fast forward 11 years, the WWE has signed both Styles and Joe to contracts.

"I try to keep in touch with them as much as possible," Daniels told me. "I'm thrilled to see them doing well and knew they would if they were given the opportunity. I kept in contact with Joe as he was going through the process of signing with them and finding out the opportunities he was being given, it's exciting. It shows you there's a change of perception in the office there. If there's anyone that deserves it that opportunity, it was Joe. He did so much at TNA and ROH, he deserved to be seen on a grand scale. Now he's showing his worth in NXT, and he's the first guy to hold the TNA, NXT and ROH title. History is his."

WWE Performance Center Assistant Coach Will Be At The Next WWN Seminar/Tryout

WWN is very pleased to announce a rare opportunity and learning experience on June 10th in Ybor City, FL at The Orpheum before the EVOLVE event that night.

We will host an all day Seminar/Tryout with a very special guest. WWE Performance Center Assistant Coach Norman Smiley will attend and observe this Seminar/Tryout. Mr. Smiley will represent WWE in scouting at this Seminar/Tryout. He will give a lecture on what WWE/NXT is looking for and how they do things. He will also offer critiques and guidance when warranted. This is the first time Mr. Smiley has attended a Seminar/Tryout for independent wrestlers.

There will be limited spots for this WWN Seminar/Tryout. The format is designed to educate, be a networking opportunity, give quality video footage for you to use to promote yourself, as well as provide you with a chance to be booked in the WWN Family!

The WWN Seminar & Tryout will be led by head trainer Drew Gulak, assistant trainer Tracy Williams and WWN VP of Talent Relations Gabe Sapolsky.

More?

Hulk Hogan Suing Gawker For Ending His Career

The New York Post reports that Hulk Hogan is suing Gawker for ending his career with WWE.

After being awarded $140 million by a jury earlier this year, Hogan has now filed a lawsuit in Florida that Gawker releasing the sex tape with Heather Clem led to his income being cut off, his "legacy in entertainment was severely damaged (if not completely destroyed), and his global brand was forever tarnished."

Hogan also names several Florida residents in the suit, including DJ Mike "Cowhead" Calta, for sending at least one of the secretly recorded tapes to Gawker. Police previously declined to pursue charges against Calta and others involved in the leak.

Hogan is asking for unspecified money damages in the new suit.

WWE Payback match stopped as Enzo Amore suffers concussion

Just minutes into the start of WWE Payback, the opening match of the company's May pay-per-view was stopped in its tracks as one of the its newest but most popular performers was injured in the ring.

In the middle of a No. 1 Contenders' Match for the Tag Team Championship, Enzo Amore was thrown out of the ring only to have his head strike the middle rope, snapping his neck backwards. Amore immediately went to the ground and stayed down under the ring apron. WWE quickly cut away from the injured performer to the announcers but showed multiple replays of the move that led to Amore's injury.

Shortly after the match was stopped, WWE lead play-by-play man Michael Cole told the viewing audience that Amore was on his way to the hospital to be treated for an undisclosed injury. The wrestler was able to move his extremities and speak to medical personnel on his way, which is some early good news.

Amore and tag team partner Colin Cassady were competing against The Vaudevillains in the match, which obviously ended without a result.

Before the main event of Payback began, Cole disclosed that Amore, while at the hospital, was diagnosed with a concussion. All other tests came back negative.

BAMN Comics Celebrates 2nd Anniversary with Rob The Viking 12-Week Event

Press Release From Bamn Studios:

Now approaching its second year as an ongoing online comic series, BAMNcomics.com turns a spectacular new corner just in time for its 2 year anniversary! In an unprecedented move, co-creator and regular artist Jay Payne will temporarily put down his pen and make room for the incoming Matt Rawson (Colonial Comics) as he joins writer Troy-Jeffrey Allen (District Comics) for ROB THE VIKING IN...A CAMPAIGN OF A COURAGE.

Beginning May 7th, 2016 at BAMNcomics.com, this 12-part weekly event will be a brief departure for the series as the story focuses on one character instead of its growing cast. For nearly 100 installments, the title character Bamn -- a washed up pro wrestler -- has been training a crew of downtrodden teenagers on how to defend themselves against the bullies of their high school. Things turn ugly as the kids launch into an all-out war for respect inside their school cafeteria. It's at this point that A CAMPAIGN OF COURAGE picks up to zero in on Rob, the only member of Bamn's trainees still left standing. Followers of the series will recognize Rob as the soft spoken Viking warrior who rounds off BAMN's cast of wannabe wrestlers. True to the series' "anti-bullying" roots, Rob's standalone adventure will delve into how "The Nubian of Newfoundland" overcomes his schoolyard tormentors. The catch: While his friends are preoccupied with their own high school drama in the real world, Rob goes on a fantasy-themed adventure of his very own. In the process, fans will discover what makes the shy seafarer tick and what ticks him off.

Readers will also get to see how his love of fantasy films, collectible card games, and roleplaying factor into his backstory.

"Ever since we started BAMN a few years back it's been my intention to focus on each of the teen characters individually and Rob specifically," says Troy-Jeffrey Allen, co-creator of Bamn. "When Jay and I were conceptualizing the characters he had this Viking with an afro in the mix. I instantly loved the absurdity of the character, which in turn made me want to totally own the idea of it. I started thinking a lot about black cosplayers and how their options for characters are limited. That got me thinking about how that makes it even more important that you commit to the cosplay -- how that in itself could be a point of ridicule from peers. Organically, that connected to the comic's theme of bullying. That's when I knew that that was the story I wanted to tell." "I'm excited to finally get to read the comic as a fan," says artist Jay Payne about Rawson joining the creative team. "I remember Matt doing a BAMN art piece for us at a convention. It was exciting to see someone else's interpretation of the character. That instantly got us thinking of how we can occasionally flip the genre of the comic and bring in new artist to just play with the world of BAMN -- to see another artist's point of view and let them express themselves with our cast."

Artist Matt Rawson, who typically has worked on historically-based comics utilizing a traditional pen and ink style, is eager to jump into the digital world of BAMN. "Coming into an established story that has had a very specific visual style from the beginning proved a challenge in figuring how I was going to approach these characters in my own way. Then, at a certain point, I just stopped worrying about it and started drawing some comics," Rawson laughs. " Jay and Troy are the main men on BAMN. Regardless, I'm definitely having a damn good time getting to play in the universe!" Once A CAMPAIGN OF COURAGE's 12 installments are completed in July, Rob will rejoin the larger cast with a completely new perspective. "You'll definitely see a major transformation in Rob when it is said and done," explains Allen. "Bamn really is about finding strength in the face adversity. Every character in the series has to sort that out, and Rob is the first one. Expect him to 'get gud' on Matt's watch." For updates and more, visit www.bamncomics.com, and look for the first part of ROB THE VIKING IN...A CAMPAIGN OF COURAGE when it debuts on Free Comic Book Day, May 7th, 2016 on the BAMN Comics website!


BamnComics.com
Troy-Jeffrey Allen
Writer|Producer
info@BamnComics.com

Which McMahon Is In Control Of WWE RAW Now?

Vince McMahon announced at tonight's WWE Payback pay-per-view in Chicago that both Shane McMahon and Stephanie McMahon will be running WWE RAW from here on out. It's interesting to note that Triple H has not been involved in the past few McMahon family angles. As seen in the video below, Vince announced that they both have equal say. The segment ended with Shane and Stephanie shaking hands.

"Figuratively speaking...I WANT BLOOD!" - @VinceMcMahon #WWEPayback #RAWDecision @ShaneMcMahon @StephMcMahonWWE https://t.co/VUOmP4jiHN

— WWE (@WWE) May 2, 2016

Triple H Talks WrestleMania Match With Roman Reigns Being 'Challenging,' Reigns As A 'Tweener'

Triple H was interviewed by The Mirror during the U.K tour last week. Below are some highlights:

If he enjoyed his match with Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 32:

"Yeah, you know, it was a challenging situation on a lot of fronts. Roman is a unique character in the business and a polarising character, much like a John Cena or somebody like that. He's a polarising character, you are in front of 100,000 people and you're also coming up at the end of a six-and-a-half hour plus show - it was long. I was happy with it but to be honest I've not watched it back yet. I'm real funny about watching myself back at this point in time in my career, it's hard for me to see the positives sometimes. But I was there, I kind of know how it went and how it felt out there and yeah, I was happy with it, I felt we did well and we did what we needed to do. For me it's about getting to where you need to be. If you get to the end of a chapter in WWE, and the chapter delivered to get you where you needed to go to start the next chapter, then you did all right."

Reigns being more of a "tweener" in his feud with AJ Styles:

"Yeah. I think the world is a different place now. I think you're going to find it very hard now, at the top level, to find anybody that is either a good guy or a bad guy. Someone who is universally loved or universally disliked. It's very difficult. I think part of that is the internet, in that I don't care what the topic is, whether it's politics, music, sports, anything, you can go on the internet and find somebody who loves it and somebody who hates it. You can jump on whatever conversation you want to have with people who are like-minded to what you think, or opposite-minded to what you think. And that emboldens your position right? So I think the time of 'hey, this is the guy and he's the good guy' and everybody goes 'yay he's the good guy' - I think that time has gone. And I think the time of saying 'this is the bad guy and he's the evil one and everybody is going to hate that person' is really gone too. Because there is just that level of, no matter if you're the bad guy doing the worst possible thing you can do, there is somebody that goes: 'I like that, that's cool, I like the fact he's that evil, that's cool'. There are people on the other side who want a hero saying 'hey, don't quit, never surrender and I'm the underdog...' all those things. I make that sound horrible - can you tell which way I slant? Ha ha.

"I just think that either one or the other time is gone and you're going to rub against that now. I think the real position in the business, and what we do now, is about just being true. Being real, being you and whatever that is, being true to the character that you create. And if you're true to it and believe it and feel it, then people will buy it, either positively or negatively, they will get behind you one way or the other. As long as you're true to that character and who that person is. If you sway from that character and wobble and vary, then there is no buy-in, because they see it's just a front."

Triple H also discussed working with Dean Ambrose, if he felt more pressure headlining WrestleMania 32 than before, NXT returning to the U.K. for the Download festival and more. You can check out the full interview by clicking here.

Chyna Mixed Pill Bottles...Throws Wrench In Death Investigation

Detectives in Chyna's death are dealing with a curve ball -- the ex WWE superstar had a knack for mixing up prescription pills, and it's making it hard to figure out what she took before she died.

Sources close to the investigation tell TMZ detectives discovered several full prescription pill bottles near Chyna's body ... many of which contained multiple meds. We're told there were at least 4 different types of pills, plus she also mixed vitamins in the bottles.

As TMZ reported, Chyna's manager worried she had a problem with Ambien and Valium, but it appears she was taking more than just that.

Our sources say the mixing means investigators will have to wait until the toxicology report is complete to figure out what she ingested.

source: tmz.com

Scott Steiner Rips WWE For Bad Gimmicks, Trashes The WWE For Offering Him A Legends Contract, More

Former WCW Champion Scott Steiner was recently interviewed by Whatculture. During the interview, Steiner was very outspoken about his feelings as it pertained to World Wrestling Entertainment, and those in control of the company.

Steiner was asked if there was a possibility of a Steiner Brothers reunion, and mentioned his brother is really busy in real estate, and he just opened a new restaurant himself. He also revealed that he's been offered a WWE legends contract.

"WWE offered me a legends deal. My lawyer looked at it, and it's basically illegal, Steiner said. "It's not worth the paper that it's written on. So f--k them. That's why a lot of guys are leaving like Rey Mysterio and CM Punk. It's a monopoly and the product suffers because of it. You have two dumbasses running it in Stephanie and her (expletive) husband Triple H."

Scott Steiner went on to call the WrestleMania card 'horses--t.' He said that the way that they treat people that make them money is a key factor in why major names have abandoned the company over the last two and a half years. Steiner also said that he doesn't like that the WWE saddles talent with bad gimmicks.

"How do you get rid of a guy like CM Punk? I'm a friend of Rey's, he's sold a hell of a lot of merchandise. It's a monopoly, the only game in town. They want to treat people like s--t and that's why they leave. It's tough to watch. You have a guy coming up and these jackasses at WWE stamp a bulls--t gimmick on them...It's a bunch of s--t," Steiner said.

When asked about a potential return to WWE, Steiner said it would be financially motivated if he did end up doing it.

"Depends on how big that Brinks truck is that they pull into my driveway," Steiner said.

Bret Hart: "I’ve Never Seen Any Real Genius Come From Triple H", Critical Of Current WWE Product, More

WWE Hall Of Famer Bret “The Hitman” Hart was recently interviewed by Notts TV News. Below are the key highlights:
On Triple H Rewarding Bodies Over Good Wrestling

“I’m always happy to be proven wrong, but I’ve never seen any real genius come from Triple H yet. I sound like I’m always knocking him, but it seems like he’s quick to push the great wrestling to the side and push the bodies, guys who have [good] physiques, all the time. They wonder why CM Punk quit and they wonder why Daniel Bryan got hurt. It’s because they squeeze so much out of those guys.” Hart said, “I’m just calling it the way it is. Triple H is a former bodybuilder. He’s all about bodies. He thought that Hulk Hogan was the greatest wrestler in the world. They think Ultimate Warrior was the greatest wrestler in the world because that’s what they’re attracted to, but he’s not really a wrestling fan like I grew up. I was a wrestling fan. I had wrestling in my blood. All the way through, I was a wrestling fan. I loved great wrestling. Like this year’s WrestleMania, there was no great wrestling on the card. All the great wrestling was two days before in the NXT [TakeOver: Dallas] show with [Shinsuke] Nakamura and Sami Zayn and [Asuka], whatever her name is, the Japanese girl, that wrestled Bayley. That’s what WrestleMania is all about. This year at WrestleMania, I thought it was absent on the bill. There was no wrestling on the card.”

On WWE Giving The Best Spots at Mania to Part-Timers

“This year, there’s something very wrong about all the part-timers like Undertaker [and] Brock Lesnar getting the main event spots and Shane McMahon’s working in a cage. He’s not even a wrestler wrestling The Undertaker and qualifying as a wrestler, I don’t know how the promoter’s kid gets that kind of qualification to main event with The Undertaker. As much as a great job Undertaker did to carry him, but to me, from a storyline standpoint, Vince McMahon’s son got the main event spot, Triple H got the 1,000th time world champion spot. He’s making the top money. Brock Lesnar is making top money. They’re working twice a year, three times a year, five times a year. You look at Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens and Natalya, people who are slogging it out day in, day out, week in, week out, in every part of the world, traveling every day, and they’re all in the opening matches, the pre-card. There’s something wrong with the logic of that. It bothers me. It offends me a lot. They forget who’s pulling the wagons. All these guys are doing the work all year round and they give the money spots to these guys who are part-timers. It’s just not right.”

This guy is so sad. He doesn't seem to realize that NXT is Triple H's baby or that his idol is Ric Flair not Hulk Hogan. Bret Hart has lost all credibility. Hopefully, after Payback, they will stop booking him.

WWE NXT Announces Eric Young's Arrival; Triple H Comments

Former TNA World Heavyweight Champion Eric Young interrupted a promo by WWE NXT Champion Samoa Joe at tonight's Full Sail NXT TV tapings. It should air on next week's episode.

Below is video from WWE:

BREAKING NEWS: @TheEricYoung has arrived to @WWENXT!!! pic.twitter.com/F0Y5bL3Icg

— WWE (@WWE) April 28, 2016

The new era of @WWENXT... @TheEricYoung @SamoaJoe #WeAreNXT pic.twitter.com/BA3KM7kvAA

— Triple H (@TripleH) April 28, 2016