Eric Young Talks WWE NXT Contract Status, Meeting Triple H And Hitting It Off, His TNA Departure

Eric Young spoke with NiagaraThisWeek.com to promote this weekend's House of Hardcore event. The full interview can be found at this link. Below are highlights:

Making his WWE NXT debut and Triple H:

"It was in the works. I was supposed to go and talk with Hunter (WWE executive Paul Levesque). They reached out to me and there was an opportunity. Hunter and I hit it off right away, joking like we had known each other for 10 years. About half way through the day he called me aside to see if I'd be interested in doing a promo with the NXT champion Samoa Joe to start the show. I went and grabbed my stuff out of my rental and we got to business. The crowd reaction was insane. I figured it would be decent, but it was insane."

His WWE status:

"We are working on contract stuff now, but there isn't a final pen to paper yet."

Leaving TNA:

"Things don't end because they are good. You don't get divorced in your life because you are still in love. You get divorced because things aren't how they are supposed to be. It didn't end badly. We couldn't agree on some things and I went my separate way. I had their blessing to do that. I wish them all the luck in the world. A lot of my close friends work there, and not just wrestlers. They provided me with a very good life and I'll never forget that."

Eight Superstars Released Today

From WWE.com:


WWE has come to terms on the release of WWE Superstars King Barrett, Damien Sandow, Santino Marella, Cameron, Hornswoggle, Alex Riley, El Torito and Zeb Colter as of today, Friday, May 6, 2016. WWE wishes them the best in all of their future endeavors.

Stephanie McMahon: Chyna Will Be In HOF ... 'At Some Point'

Fear not, wrestling fans ... pro wrestling legend Chyna WILL be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, so says WWE honcho Stephanie McMahon who tells TMZ Sports it's only a matter of time.

After Chyna passed away last month, McMahon called her a "pioneer in our industry" -- and fans wanted to know when she'll be enshrined among the greatest in her sport.

Everyone knows the HOF was extremely important to Chyna -- and people close to her claim she was depressed about the snub before she passed away.

So when we saw Steph in NYC Thursday, we had to ask if plans were in motion.

"I'm SURE that we will see Chyna in the Hall of Fame at some point in the future. I'm not sure exactly what year that will be, but there's no denying her contributions to WWE."

source: tmz.com

Is NXT recruit Nicola Glencross the 'Best in the Galaxy'? The former Nikki Storm speaks out

"Best in the Galaxy” is not a distinction that is easily obtained — yet, Nicola Glencross has it. Competing around the globe as Nikki Storm, the newest WWE Performance Center recruit has received worldwide praise for her distinct and impressive in-ring abilities. With her NXT journey just beginning, Glencross sat down with WWE.com to discuss her hopes, dream matches and how she plans to prove her grandiose nickname is more than warranted.

WWE.COM: How does it feel to be a member of the WWE Performance Center roster?

NICOLA GLENCROSS: It feels amazing; it feels so good to be here. This is something I’ve been working towards for a really long time, so I’m just happy to be here and am excited for the future.

WWE.COM: Can you take us through the process of your signing with WWE?

GLENCROSS: Last year in London I did a tryout — that was last spring. During the summer they contacted me to start the hiring process, and then, here we are [laughs].

WWE.COM: What was the tryout like?

GLENCROSS: It was a lot of fun! We did a lot of conditioning drills, had a couple of practice matches and we did some promos. It was a three-day tryout and a fascinating experience. It was fun and it was challenging in a really good, positive way.

WWE.COM: You’ve competed internationally for much of your entire career. What advantages does that bring you as you begin your WWE career?

GLENCROSS: For me, the good thing about traveling and wrestling across all these different countries is it makes you really grow as a person.

More?

WWE Releases Strength & Conditioning Coach

WWE released Strength & Conditioning Coach Matt Wichlinski last week. He's been replaced by a former NFL Strength Coach.

WWE Announces Shane McMahon Podcast Interview

WWE has announced that Shane McMahon will be featured in a “tell all interview” hosted by Mick Foley. The interview will air on WWE Network after the May 23 edition of Raw.

It’s interesting that Foley is conducting the interview rather than Steve Austin, who shines as the host of the network podcast interviews. It’s worth noting that Chris Jericho previously interviewed Stephanie McMahon on the network.

Ryback Publishes Lengthy Blog On His WWE Status, Being Sent Home, Meeting With Vince McMahon, More

As seen below, Ryback has launched a new Tumblr blog to address his WWE status:

Feed Me More

Today I sit and fly home and for the first time in years feel absolutely free. I will start by saying I did request to be taken off of WWE television until myself and Vince could get a yes or no on a new deal. This has been going on since my IC Title run and had been nothing but a major strain on my life as all I ever wanted to do was work for WWE. I was told to head home until we agree or not agree to specific terms and contrary to reports it isn't over money or a bus that stuff was settled a while ago. It comes down to a major problem I have with not only WWE but wrestling in general.

Wrestling is pre determined, we as performers know before we go out to that ring or perform a backstage scene who is winning and losing etc or have a general idea of what we are going to say. It blows my mind how in a sport which is pre determined from a company standpoint winners are paid so much more than the losers. Every single person who works for WWE from top to bottom is absolutely just as valuable as the next. The winners cannot win unless the losers go out there and agree to lose to them.

It blows my mind that in this day and age though we still adhere to this formula.

More?

Bret Hart Talks Catching Up With Triple H, “We Had More Laughs Than Anything About Ric Flair”

We met and we talked but it was nothing special. If anything it was just more about our health. We had some more laughs than anything about Ric Flair and stuff like that. Triple H was very cordial to me and treated me like a million bucks. He treated me great and I have no complaints about anything. He treated me really good and so did Stephanie for that matter. With Stephanie I felt that she was honestly or genuinely worried about me when I had the cancer. I think she was just really glad to see me. Maybe it was the same with Triple H. That can never be a bad thing. I sensed a lot of sincerity there on everyone’s part. From Vince down to Triple H to Shane. Shane was very gracious and had some really nice things to say about me that I had forgot about. I was a very protective guy of Shane years ago when he was just a young guy in the business. I looked out for him a lot and I think it was nice for him to tell me that. That he never forgot how much I looked out for him and protected him from a lot of the vices and evils that were lurking about in pro wrestling.

Update on Ryback’s Current WWE Contract Dispute, His Original WWE Raw Plans, Reported Meeting with Vince McMahon & More

As noted last night, Ryback is currently amidst some type of contract dispute with WWE, and The Big Guy was subsequently sent home from Raw in St. Louis last night and is off WWE TV indefinitely. Ryback was scheduled to participate in the U.S. Title #1 contenders Battle Royal match on Raw last night, but that of course did not happen after he was sent home.

According to F4WOnline.com, multiple WWE sources are confirming Ryback, real name Ryan Reeves, is indeed involved in a contract dispute with WWE, and it could possibly stem from comments Ryback made while WWE was on tour in Dubai.

While WWE was in the UAE, Ryback was pretty outspoken in an interview with radio personality Myles, which you can watch in the video above. During the interview, Ryback vents his frustration with his spot on the past two WrestleMania cards, and according to Dave Meltzer, while wrestlers talk privately about their frustrations all the time, it’s not considered a good career move to speak out publicly unless you are an untouchable top level star in WWE.

Ryback reportedly met with Vince McMahon yesterday afternoon about renewing his contract, which expires this summer. Ryback apparently was not happy with the offer which was presented, with Meltzer adding the two sides were very far apart on money. The discussion ended with McMahon suggesting that Ryback go home, to which Ryback agreed.

Ryback also seemed to take somewhat of a shot at his current spot in WWE when he wore a “pre-show stopper” belt as part of his WWE Payback ring gear. Ryback also mocked Chicago native CM Punk during his PPV entrance, as Punk previously made negative comments about The Big Guy during an appearance on Colt Cabana’s podcast.

Adam Rose Provides A Doctor's Note To Prove He Is In Compliance With WWE's Wellness Policy

My doctors note as promised. I did nothing knowingly wrong and was following all the correct protocols. #WWE pic.twitter.com/FOk4DgFmFZ

— Adam Rose (@WWEAdamRose) May 3, 2016

Rumor Mill - Ryback Reportedly Pulled From Television and Sent Home From Raw Following Big Contract Dispute

According to PWInsider.com, WWE star Ryback was pulled from TV indefinitely and sent home from Raw tonight following what was said to be a contract dispute between The Big Guy and WWE. The report added one source claimed Ryback himself asked to be taken off WWE TV.

Ryback’s current WWE contract is said to be expiring sometime this summer, and the two sides have not been able to come to terms on a new deal. Ryback last competed at WWE Payback and lost a U.S. Title match to Kalisto.

Jim Ross: Don't Blame Chyna's Death On WWE

Helping one escape the horrors of drug an alcohol addition starts with the person that one sees in their mirror IMO so to blame society, the WWE or any other entity regarding Joanie Lauer's tragic passing isn't fair or accurate.

I communicated many times with Joanie over the past year or so and it was generally about Joanie talking about the fact that she knew that she had to make changes in her life even though she fully realized that the battle would not be easily won. Even Joanie realized that the solution to her issues started with her and no one else which is never eay to admit. Joanie never blamed anyone else for her troubles to me even though some people today are. These issues were far from being about her tenure in WWE, which was hugely successful by the way and, arguably, Joanie's happiest days, but more about the personal choices that she made after leaving WWE in 2001.

Perhaps the saddest aspect of this matter is the fact that WWE would have fully paid for Joanie Lauer to get the best treatment for her issues had she simply asked them for the help as so many of her peers have done over the years. Again, this process starts with the talent essentially 'raising their hand' and admitting that they need the help and then allowing WWE to put the wheels in motion to start the process. Former talents can't be forced to go into rehab but if the individuals in need ask for the help, WWE is there to assist them.

However, I still feel that some will continue to blame WWE in some misguided and ridiculous manner for Joanie Lauer's drug and alcohol issues which is massively inaccurate.

We seemingly live in a society that passing the buck, fading the heat, etc is prevalent instead of accepting responsibility for one's actions and doing something to rectify the matter.

source: jrsbarbq.com