What Donald Trump learned about politics from pro wrestling

In the 16 months between launching his campaign by calling Mexicans rapists and closing it with an ad that recalled the “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” President-elect Donald Trump broke practically every rule of politics and rejected the norms of conventional wisdom at every turn. He insulted women, Gold Star families and war heroes. He mocked the disabled and traded barbs with the pope. He lied consistently about his record and claimed that the whole election was rigged against him. In most years, any one of those actions would disqualify candidates from office and ensure their defeat.

Trump might not have been playing by the rules of politics, but he won the game. So how did he do it? Those looking to his career as a developer or reality TV host came up short in predicting Trump’s survival and eventual victory, because those are only part of the story. The most important lessons Donald Trump ever learned were in a pro wrestling ring.

Trump’s decades-long relationship with the world of pro wrestling — and its chief company, WWE, and chief mastermind, Vince McMahon — has been well-documented. He sponsored two early WrestleManias, endorsed Jesse Ventura for president at one and headlined another (he didn’t wrestle, but he did help “Stone Cold” Steve Austin shave McMahon’s head). In one storyline, he “bought” the WWE’s flagship program, “Monday Night Raw,” causing the company’s real-life stock to take a hit. He’s even in the company’s Hall of Fame.

Trump’s time in the squared circle wasn’t simply a business venture: It was a chance to commune with McMahon, with whom he shares a nearly parallel biography. Born to leaders of regional industries, both men took over their fathers’ businesses and turned them into national powerhouses. After ascending to the heights of American culture in the 1980s, they suffered setbacks — legal, financial, personal — in the ’90s before roaring back to prominence at the turn of the new millennium, with the same “You’re fired!” catchphrase, no less...More?

source: washingtonpost.com

Triple H Talks New 205 Live Show, Rebuilding the NXT Roster, HBK’s Performance Center Role, Which NXT Talents Are Rising Stars & More

Billy Corgan and TNA Settle Their Legal Dispute

Billy Corgan just announced on Twitter that he has settled his legal issues with TNA, so it appears as if the issue of Corgan being owed loan money has been resolved.

"Just signed my settlement with TNA/ANTHEM. And to fill in the blanks I'll do a few interviews next week to spell out what is/isn't in it."

Triple H Reveals Whether or Not Shawn Michaels is the New Performance Center Head Coach

Triple H revealed that despite claims made by WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash, Shawn Michaels is not the new WWE NXT head coach:

"Contrary to what you've read, Shawn Michaels is not the head coach of PC. Matt Bloom is & will continue."

Two Wrongful Death Cases Against WWE Dismissed

United States District Judge Vanessa Bryant dismissed two wrongful death cases against WWE yesterday, initially filed by Michelle James and Cassandra Frazier on behalf of Matt Osborne and Cassandra Frazier respectively.

Matt Osborne, known to millions of wrestling fans as Doink the Clown and "Maniac" Matt Osborne, passed away on June 28th 2013 from an accidental opiate overdose at 55-years old.

Nelson Frazier, who appeared as various wrestling personalities including Mabel, Viscera, and Big Daddy V, passed away at just 42-years old from a heart attack on February 18, 2014.

Both cases claimed the former WWE Superstars suffered brain damage while working for the entertainment conglomerate that subsequently lead to their untimely deaths. It's important to note that neither wrestler had their brain examined postmortem to scan for CTE symptoms. Frazier's body was immediately cremated following his passing, making any necessary testing impossible.

Judge Bryant ruled Michelle James, Matt Osborne's girlfriend, didn't provide enough evidence that Osborne suffered from CTE or that CTE would even lead to the overdose that killed him. She also ruled that James couldn't legally file a wrongful death action against anyone, as she's not an administrator nor executor of Osborne's estate. It was suggested James re-file the claim with a member of Osborne's family, but Judge Bryant warned that the case would be futile because attorney's haven't plead a plausible cause of action.

The wrongful death case filed by Cassandra Frazier was dismissed due to her failure to allege a plausible link between the early death of her husband and wrongful acts perpetrated by World Wrestling Entertainment. Bryant said Frazier failed to establish any link between her husband's heart failure and a potential case of CTE. As far as the claim Frazier could have survived a heart attack had he not suffered from CTE, Judge Bryant said it was "another bald and baseless allegation, which the court deems unworthy of the barest measure of credibility."

Judge Bryant noted that both claims stated the wrestlers' deaths could be a result of CTE, but as previously noted, no official testing had been done. She said with no official diagnoses, it's hard to allege that either man died of CTE-related injuries, much-less prove the case in a court of law.

WWE lobbied to take sanctions against opposing counsel Konstantine Kyros, for offering "false and misleading statements" that Judge Bryant herself deemed "highly unprofessional," however the motion was ultimately denied. Bryant didn't let Kyros off-the-hook completely however, writing: "The court admonishes Kyros and his co-counsel to adhere to the standards of professional conduct and to applicable rule and court orders lest they risk future sanctions or referral to the Disciplinary Committee of this court."

Corey Graves On Transition To Announcing Being Tough

"To see the guys I came up with in the ring bothered me a lot worse before, but now, I think the familiarity lends itself to doing my job better. I was in the ring in FCW and NXT with guys like Seth Rollins and Bray Wyatt and that helps me, but it took a lot of time to get to this point. I don't think the love for being in the ring will ever go away and be completely gone, but it's a lot less. I'm enjoying being surrounded by guys I know so well."

Renee Young Talks Dean Ambrose Being Hesitant To Be In Total Divas, How Their Relationship Started

Renee Young was interviewed by Scott Fishman for Channel Guide Magazine for promoting her appearance on Total Divas.She talked about her relationship with Dean Ambrose, being cast in Total Divas and more.

Dean Ambrose being hesitant to join Total Divas Cast:

"He was a little bit hesitant to do anything with it. Then he kind of warmed up to it, and being able to talk to Daniel Bryan definitely opened up his mind. I'm excited for fans to get to see our relationship and for them to see him in this other light as well. I think it will be really cool for people to kind of see him at home with me. We go on a couple of vacations and interact with my family. I think it will be a nice little token for fans to take away."

How her relationship with Dean Ambrose started:

"Maybe about six months in, he and I started dating. I don't even know if I can pinpoint exactly what it was. It was like instantly we were together. We were always talking to each other. We were always spending all of our time together. It just kind of happened. We just caught each other's eye and were always around each other. You hear stories from like the Twins or Nattie, girls that were around prior to me being there. They told me he wouldn't talk to anybody, ever. Then when I came around, they noticed he is chatting with me and coming to hang out with me. He is known to kind of keep to himself. That has always been his deal. I don't know. We just hit it off. I guess he has a thing for Canadian girls; hopefully, just me."

Bella Twins helping her:

"The Bella Twins, Nicole and Brie, have been so great incorporating me in there in so many ways from the get-go, which has always been really cool. When they asked me to do it for this upcoming season, I was super excited to join the cast and be a part of everything these awesome women get to do. It is a really cool opportunity for me. And it's so different from what I normally get to do in WWE."

Renee also talked about her role in WWE, Cathy Kelly and more. You can read the full interview here.

Matt Bloom On Communicating With Triple H, What It Takes To Go From NXT To WWE

You’ll remember Matt Bloom for his in-ring appearances with WWE as Prince Albert, Albert and A-Train. You might even remember him as Lord Tensai. Matt Bloom played in the National Football League for the San Diego Chargers, from there he became a schoolteacher at Revere High School and was trained professionally to wrestle by the late Killer Kowalski. Now, Matt Bloom is the head trainer at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida for NXT.

I got to talk with Matt about his relationship with Triple H, who off camera acts as the Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative for WWE. We discussed what goes into an NXT Superstar being called up the the main roster as a WWE Superstar and what it’s like having Shinsuke Nakamura as the NXT Champion.

“Keep him healthy, the main thing I do with Shinsuke Nakamura, is don’t get him hurt because when he gets the chance to be a WWE Superstar, he’s going to tear the world down,” Bloom said.

Matt also thinks the Patriots will be returning to the Super Bowl, something he says he expect every season. Being from Boston, Matt always expects the local teams to be playing for and winning championships.

Listen to the interview below:

ESPN Films’ 30 for 30 “This Was the XFL” to Premiere in February

Three days before Super Bowl LI, ESPN Films will premiere the 30 for 30 documentary “This Was the XFL,” directed by Charlie Ebersol, chronicling the short-lived, ill-fated pro football league. The documentary, airing on February 2 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN, tells the story in fascinating, candid, and often rollicking fashion featuring fellow television legends and close friends – Dick Ebersol and Vince McMahon.

A bold challenge, a fearless experiment and ultimately, a spectacular failure. In 2001, sports entertainment titans Ebersol and McMahon launched the XFL. It was hardly the first time a league had tried to compete with the NFL, but the brash audacity of the bid, combined with the personalities and charisma of Ebersol and McMahon and the marketing behemoths of their respective companies — NBC and WWE — captured headlines and a sense of undeniable anticipation about what was to come.

Bringing together a cast of characters ranging from the boardrooms of General Electric to the practice fields of Las Vegas, “This Was the XFL” is the tale of — yes — all that went wrong, but also, how the XFL ended up influencing the way professional team sports are broadcast today. And at the center of it all – a decades long friendship between one of the most significant television executives in media history and the one-of-a-kind WWE impresario. This film will explore how Ebersol and McMahon brought the XFL to life, and why they had to let it go.

“I grew up on the sidelines watching my father and Vince enjoy incredible success with just about everything they touched, and then, along came the XFL,” said director Charlie Ebersol. “I saw them take bold creative risks, face unparalleled success and failure with dignity, but most importantly they maintained and celebrated a friendship where most would have cut and run. I learned more about integrity and character in those 18 months than just about any other time in my life, so when ESPN Films asked if I wanted to tell the story of the XFL, I jumped at the opportunity because I knew that the real story was that of an unbreakable friendship.”

John Dahl, Vice President and Executive Producer, ESPN Films said: “We felt that the colorful personalities and storylines featured throughout the rise and fall of the XFL deserved a more detailed examination, and as Dick Ebersol’s son, Charlie provided a personal understanding of it all. The XFL was a gamble, and even though the league didn’t ultimately succeed, we think audiences will really enjoy this tale of risk and ambition.”

“This Was the XFL” will have its world premiere tomorrow at the DOC NYC film festival in Manhattan. Additional details and ticket information can be found here: http://www.docnyc.net/film/this-was-the-xfl/

source: espnmediazone.com

Kevin Nash, Scott Hall And Sean Waltman Discuss Shawn Michaels Working At The WWE Performance Center

The Kevin Gill Show debuted this Monday as part of Podcast Arena and featured all three original members of the NWO Wolfpac (Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Sean Waltman) as guests.

On Shawn Michaels joining the WWE Performance Center:

Nash: How many people, including the two guys to my left, know that the new Head of the WWE Performance Center is Shawn Michaels?

Hall: Oh yeah, I knew that.

Waltman: Is he actually moving to Florida? I can’t believe that.

Nash: Oh yeah, he’s moving to Florida with the family and everything. If you thought that NXT was something wait til that son of a bitch gets down there and gives them his magic. There is nobody better than him. Physically nobody better. Psychology nobody better. It’s going to be a game changer. I don’t know what the hell they are paying him but it’s got to be a lot because to get Shawn to do the 9-5…

Waltman: Whatever it is is a bargain.

Nash: His son wants to do graphic design. His daughter wants to be a veterinarian. Sea World is down there. There’s a lot of advantages to being in Orlando over Abilene, TX. Nothing against Abilene. I hear there’s a lot of good things going on there.

Gill: I don’t think Full Sail has opened a branch out there.

Nash: Graphic design is something you have at Full Sail. “Go with Dad to work.”

Dixie Carter Holds Call With TNA Roster, Talks Creative Changes, New Anthem Agreement, More

Dixie Carter held a conference call today with the TNA roster and other employees, according to PWInsider. The call was described as a "rah rah" call with Dixie saying lots of things within the company had changed since the locker room meeting in Orlando on October 3rd.

Dixie officially introduced Anthem Sports & Entertainment's Eric Nordholm as a member of the Board of Managers and said the Board will be guiding TNA going forward. Dixie praised TNA's new relationship with Anthem and said they have injected capital & resources into the company that will bring it to the next level.

Nordholm also addressed the roster and praised them for their hard work. He also said the new agreement will be a great opportunity for both The Fight Network and TNA.

It was noted that TNA is looking at getting back to running live events and strengthening their relationship with their Indian TV partner, Sony Six. The idea of an over-the-top streaming network featuring TNA content was also mentioned.

Regarding TNA creative changes, Dixie confirmed that Billy Corgan is no longer with the company and that David Lagana resigned last week. Dixie said going forward, they will be going back to a collaborative effort with John Gaburick, Matt Conway and Madison Rayne but they are looking to hire more writers to work creative.

Rumor Mill - Sin Cara Has Been Ordered To Go Through Anger Management Courses

There's not going to be a major fallout with this fight that had happened, but Sin Cara has been ordered to take anger management courses. Dave Meltzer has given some details and clarification on what actually happened on the WWE bus in Europe on Sunday.

Sin Cara was making some sort of noises on the bus and others were telling him to shut up. Afterward, Jericho told him to shut up and that’s when Sin Cara told him to “f*ck off.” Sin Cara took a swing and missed and that’s when everyone jumped in to break it up.

Despite reports spreading around, Sin Cara did not end up hitting Jericho’s face, and Jericho was not knocked out. Sin Cara’s fist got close to Jericho’s mouth during the pull apart so that’s when Jericho had bitten his hand.

This so far marks 3 different fights Sin Cara has went through.. He was in a fight with Sheamus a few years ago backstage at a show and he was also involved in a fight with Simon Gotch in July backstage near catering before a Smackdown show. There were people that thought that Sin Cara would end up being fired after the fight with Gotch. Dave Meltzer has noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that Sin Cara is being ordered to go to anger management.