Rumor Mill - Triple H & Stephanie Want Shane At WrestleMania 30

Triple H and Stephanie McMahon are interested in having Shane McMahon make an appearance at WrestleMania XXX in New Orleans, Louisiana, according to F4WOnline.com on Friday. No word yet on whether the former wrestling executive is interested.

McMahon left WWE in 2010 to pursue other opportunities. In July, McMahon voluntarily stepped down as CEO of YOU On Demand, whilst remaining YOD's principal executive officer and Chairman of the Board.

WWE Divas Champion AJ Lee Reportedly Collapses At Live Event In England

WWE Divas Champion AJ Lee collapsed during her match against Brie Bella at tonight's WWE live event in London, England, according to PWInsider.com and various users on Twitter.

According to some attendees at the show, Lee fell off the ring apron and hit the floor. The match was called off and she was tended to at ringside by medical personnel and subsequently assisted to the backstage area.

ProWrestling.net reached out to a WWE source at the show to ask whether Lee is going to be okay. The source gave a simple "yes" response, and added that there has been no determination yet as to what caused her to collapse.

This is a developing story, stay tuned for updates.

Today's show in London marks as the tenth day of WWE's grueling two-week tour across Europe, which has been described as exhausting.

WWE.com Interview With Mickie James

Former Divas Champion Mickie James made waves across the sports-entertainment world when she dropped by the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla., sparking rumors of a possible return to WWE. WWE.com caught up with the five-time Women’s Champion to get the story behind her trip to the Sunshine State, what she’s been up to lately and whether the WWE Universe can really expect to see her again anytime soon. Click here.

Eminem inspires R-Truth's WWE album

WWE Superstar R-Truth is releasing an album of his own material and has revealed his influences are rappers like Eminem, Tupac Shakur and Lil Wayne...More?

source: timeslive

George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame Class of 2014

The WWE Hall of Fame is not the only major professional wrestling hall of fame, and the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame just announced their 2014 class. According to PWS on Nov. 12, the 16th annual induction ceremony will take place in July 2014.

Outside of inducting members, the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame gives out a number of awards to its inductees including the Frank Gotch Award for work outside the ring, James C. Melby Award for wrestling journalism, Lou Thesz Award for public service and the George Tragos Award for wrestlers in MMA.

The first year’s nominees included three of those men – Gotch, Thesz and Tragos - as well as Verne Gagne and Ed “Strangler” Lewis. Since then, names like Danny Hodge, Jack Brisco, Dan Severn, Jesse Ventura, Harley Race, Bret Hart, Nikita Koloff, Steve Williams, Curt Hennig, Ted DiBiase, Roddy Piper, Stu Hart, Ricky Steamboat, Terry Funk, Mick Foley, Jim Duggan and Jim Ross.

The three men chosen by the selection committee to enter the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame this year are Scott Steiner, Rick Steiner and Wilbur Snyder.

Winning the four special awards are Larry “The Axe” Hennig (Lou Thesz Award), Diamond Dallas Page (Frank Gotch Award), Randy Couture (George Tragos Award), and Larry Matyski (Jim Melby Award).

The Strange History of WWE Comics

Since the early 90's, the top wrestling organizations have tried to spin off their heroes and villains into comic book form. Let's take a look back at everything from Undertaker's sister to the giant demon growing out of Chris Jericho's person. Oh, and get a load of WWF Krozor while you're at it! Click here.

source: denofgeek.us

Should the NWA and ROH consider a partnership?

During the last year, NWA President Bruce Tharpe and Vice President Chris Ronquillo have made some huge strides bringing the National Wrestling Alliance back to greater prominence. They have re-signed approximately 35 promoters in the U.S. and elsewhere, developed a strong relationship with New Japan Wrestling, are in negotiations to sign up a new promotion in Australia, and one in Brazil, put on a couple of wrestling supercards in Houston, and revamped the website to promote the brand and merchandise.

However, at this time the NWA is lacking two important things: a television deal and pay-per-views. Both are critical revenue streams for a wrestling organization, particularly if it aspires someday to compete with World Wrestling Entertainment. While, Tharpe has indicated that they are looking into the possibility of a television deal in North America, it is very clear that this is in its infancy stages. Thus, without a North American-wide television deal in the immediate future, the question becomes should the NWA consider partnering with another company that does have one, and if so which company? Click here.

source: slam wrestling

MLB Joins NFL In Creating WWE-Style Replica Belts; Vince McMahon Responds

As noted earlier this week, NFL team The Washington Redskins are selling a WWE-style replica belt, called "The Redskins Official Replica Outstanding Player Award Trophy Belt," at their online store for $450. MLB appears to have followed suit, as they posted photos on their Twitter of replica title belts with Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer icons on them:

.@Max_Scherzer wins the Cy Young Award. @Max_Scherzer gets a belt: pic.twitter.com/X6d4DzqqaW

— MLB (@MLB) November 14, 2013

.@ClaytonKersh22 wins the Cy Young Award. @ClaytonKersh22 gets a belt: pic.twitter.com/zQMZEQvdC1

— MLB (@MLB) November 14, 2013

Vince McMahon responded to the news, which was re-tweeted by MLB, stating that he would send both players a real replica. He tweeted:

.@WWE will send the real thing to @MLB Cy Young Awards winners @Max_Scherzer and @ClaytonKersh22 pic.twitter.com/TAoa50rk0v

— Vince McMahon (@VinceMcMahon) November 14, 2013

WWE Posts Their Own NXT Power Rankings

While NXT has been releasing their own Power Rankings via Facebook for a little over a month now, WWE's website posted their first-ever NXT Power Rankings for the month of November. Here's how the first list looks:

1. Bo Dallas
2. The Ascension
3. Summer Rae
4. Sami Zayn
5. Paige
6. Alexander Rusev
7. Corey Graves
8. Adrian Neville
9. Emma
10. Tyler Breeze

WWE Makes Several Changes to Their Wellness Policy Including a New Redemption Program

WWE made some changes to their Wellness Policy back in July that went under the radar until now. The most notable changes appear to be fines for testing positive for alcohol and a new way talents can get violations erased from their record with the Redemption Program. Here are some of the changes:

-- A WWE Talent may request a Therapeutic Use Exception (“TUE”) for a prohibited drug under the Policy if (i) such use is for a legitimate medical purpose given pursuant to a valid prescription from a licensed and treating physician of the WWE Talent; (ii) the use of such prohibited drug is required for more than sixty (60) consecutive days; (iii) the medical need for the prescription and for the prescribed dosage is documented in accordance with standards and practices commonly accepted within the United States medical community; and (iv) the medical need is confirmed by the Medical Director. A WWE Talent in need of a TUE must immediately notify, or cause his/her issuing physician to notify, the Medical Director of the existence of a prescription for a prohibited drug and the medical need for the TUE. Whenever requested to do so by the Medical Director, the WWE Talent shall provide, or cause his/her issuing physician to provide any and all documentation supporting the issuance of the prescription. If requested by the Medical Director, a WWE talent will be examined by physicians/consultants designated by the Medical Director with an expertise in the specific area covered by the prescription. Following the review of all documentation provided by WWE Talent and his/her medical team and, if necessary, the results of any medical exams/tests performed by physicians/consultants designated by the Medical Director, the Medical Director shall make a determination as to whether or not a TUE should be granted to a WWE Talent. The Medical Director shall report his determination to the WWE Talent, the PA and WWE.

A TUE shall be effective for no more than one (1) calendar year (or the remainder of the calendar year then in effect) from the date the WWE Talent first notified, or caused his/her issuing physician to first notify, the Medical Director of the need for a TUE and the existence of a prescription for a prohibited drug. The TUE shall not be effective for any use or possession of a prohibited drug prior to that date. After initial issuance, a TUE may be renewed annually, upon request of the WWE Talent, if (i) the WWE Talent is in full compliance with the terms of the previously issued TUE; (ii) the WWE Talent provides updated medical documentation necessary to support the continued need for a TUE, and (iii) the WWE Talent submits to any additional medical tests or exams required by the Medical Director to confirm the continuing need for the TUE.

A urine sample which is found to contain a prohibited drug will not be deemed a positive test result if such sample was provided by a WWE Talent with a valid and effective TUE for that prohibited drug. A WWE Talent with a TUE for a prohibited drug does not violate the Policy by possessing or using that prohibited drug.
A WWE Talent who is determined not to qualify for a TUE may not challenge a determination that he/she violated the Policy by contending, in connection with a “no fault or negligence” defense or otherwise, that he/she believed he/she would qualify or had qualified for a TUE.

-- Any WWE Talent, who is arrested, convicted or who admits to a violation of law relating to use, possession, purchase, sale or distribution of drugs will be in material breach of his/her contract with WWE and subject to immediate dismissal.

-- In the event of a positive test for alcohol, the WWE Talent shall be fined Two Thousand Five Hundred US Dollars ($2,500.00) per positive test, which shall be deducted from the WWE Talent's downside guarantee.

-- A WWE talent who has “two” violations under the Policy may, subject to Medical Director approval, enter the Redemption Program. The Redemption Program is an eighteen (18) month process that requires the following:

* An initial assessment conducted by the Medical Director (or, as the case may be, an addiction specialist recommended by the Medical Director) who will analyze the addiction related issues and health related concerns then being experienced by the WWE Talent, develop proposed treatments, therapies and/or support programs that may assist the WWE Talent in managing these issues/concerns and determine initial entry date for the WWE Talent into the Redemption Program;

* Compliance with the assessment recommendations made by the Medical Director (or, as the case may be, an addiction specialist recommended by the Medical Director) for the duration of the eighteen (18) month program;

* Mandatory unannounced follow-up testing as set forth in Section 8(C) (1) of the Policy; and

* No violations under the Policy for eighteen (18) consecutive months after initial entry into the Redemption Program.

* Upon successful completion of the Redemption Program, the WWE Talent shall request the PA, with the approval of the Medical Director, to delete one (1) of the two (2) violations of record for such WWE Talent. In the event the PA determines in favor of the request, the violation record for such WWE Talent will then be amended to reflect the reduction of a violation leaving the WWE Talent with only one (1) violation under the Policy.

-- Pain medications, and other substances prohibited by this Policy, may be abused at times and can become addictive. A WWE Talent who believes he/she may have a problem with substance abuse is encouraged to self-report and request assistance. No penalties are imposed on WWE Talent for voluntarily acknowledging a problem to the Medical Director prior to a drug test being performed herein and WWE will assist in securing rehabilitation services in such situations. The rehabilitation process can be engaged by a WWE Talent notifying the Medical Director, the PA, WWE Ringside Physicians or the WWE Wellness Coordinator that he/she has a problem and needs assistance.

More Details on the Recent Changes at WWE Headquarters, Info on Who's Replacing Geddes

As noted, there was a major internal shake-up at WWE headquarters recently. Both of Triple H's top assistants, Peter Leone and Randy Helms, were let go. Nobody seems to know why they were released yet but Leone was Triple H's number one confidante in the company, to the point where he was either always on the phone with him or traveling with him. Leone was responsible for making all of Triple H's travel arrangements, scheduling his meetings and events plus handling security. Helms' main role was to coordinate the schedules for Triple H and Vince McMahon.

As noted, Jane Geddes, who formerly worked as the Senior Vice President and Head of Talent Relations, is now Triple H's key assistant. Replacing Geddes as Senior VP and Head of Talent Relations is Sean Clearly, who was promoted from Senior Vice President of Human Resources.

WWE Reveal More Wrestling Tape Libraries They Own

During a segment of the upcoming History of WWE DVD and Blu-ray the company confirm they own the Georgia Championship Wrestling video library, which is reportedly the very first time WWE have acknowledged this.

WWE also owns the Global Wrestling Federation library which was a Dallas, Texas promotion that ran in the early 1990's and aired on ESPN.

WWE Issues Statement on Reddit Predictor

In response to Reddit user Dolphins1925 correctly predicting many WWE PPV match outcomes, The Motley Fool obtained the following statement from WWE:

"WWE believes in First Amendment rights, so anyone has the right to predict outcomes."

The statement was issued by WWE Director of Communications Mathew Altman, and the Motley Fool article notes that WWE has made no attempt to discover the identity of Reddit user Dolphins1925.

Details On How Much TNA Wrestling Is Paying Midcard Talent

Given all the recent budget cuts in TNA Wrestling and the company trying to get expenditures under control, how much is TNA is paying their current workers?

The standard offer in TNA right now is a monthly downside guarantee of $1300 with a $500 per appearance bonus. However, there’s no guaranteed dates on the deal so the downside is essentially $15,600 a year.

This is the deal they offered DOC and why a lot of the micard guys are opting to leave rather than be a “TV star” on a decently rated wrestling show.

Triple H, Daniel Bryan and Several Other WWE Superstars Praise William Regal

WWE’s website has a new article up with Triple H, Daniel Bryan, Robbie Brookside, Antonio Cesaro, Wade Barrett and Fit Finlay talking about how they respect William Regal. Here are quotes from Bryan and Triple H:

Triple H: “I think William Regal’s passion for this business has allowed him to not only succeed but to change with the times. If you look at the things he’s done during his career, from contesting serious matches to making people laugh, that passion has allowed him to fill whatever role needed to be filled. Not a lot of people can do that. That’s a rare quality, to be able to do both.

“For me, WWE NXT is my environment and what I deal with on a daily basis — William Regal is a huge component of that. He’s got a remarkable eye for talent. The rare thing with him is that most guys see new talent in the mold that they are, and that’s what they are interested in. He has a unique ability to look at everything. It can be someone who works in the complete opposite style that he does, but he can still see value. To me, that’s where he plays a huge role — spotting and understanding talent, who can make it.

“As for his jokes, I never hear him, because he’s such a soft talker. We were on the road together for years, and I spent the majority of my time saying, ‘What?’ He has that English sense of humor; you know, in which the joke is so rotten it’s actually funny. It’s not that I’m laughing at the joke, but more at how bad the joke is.”

Daniel Bryan: “One of the things that’s cool to me about William Regal is that he’s a gentleman. He is professional in every aspect of the word. He shows up to the building, and he’s wearing a suit and looks presentable. Also, he’s got that quiet toughness. Some guys are very brash and want to wear their Affliction shirts, but he’s not that guy. You know he’s tough, but he never has to say anything about it. He’s somebody who came up in a different era.

“I was with WWE when I was 18 and then got let go in 2001, but he was responsible for getting me booked in the UK. And I spent six months there in 2003 and another four months in 2005 and another three months in 2008, and that’s all because of him.

“It’s hard to get feedback from good people when you’re on the independent circuit. A lot of those shows I was on, I was main-eventing and people were asking me for advice, but then who do I go to for advice? Regal was always there. Anytime I asked him to watch a match, he’d watch it. And then he’d give me feedback and constructive criticism. When I first got to WWE, he really helped me navigate the waters, as far as, what you should do and don’t need to do here and what’s important.”

WWE to Produce 2014 Special Olympics Broadcast for FOX SPORTS 1

Remembering Eddie Guerrero

Eduardo Gory Guerrero Llanes October 9, 1967-November 13, 2005

On November 13, 2005, Guerrero was found unconscious in his hotel room in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by his nephew, Chavo Guerrero. Chavo attempted CPR, but Eddie was pronounced dead when paramedics arrived on the scene. An autopsy revealed that Guerrero died as a result of acute heart failure, caused by undiagnosed arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Although Guerrero had not taken alcohol or illicit drugs for nearly four years, his past excesses contributed to his heart failure.

Video: Kane Reveals His New Evolution

Redskins selling WWE-style belt for $450

The NFL licenses a lot of silly things (this creepy doll baby comes to mind), but this one might be the silliest.

The Redskins are offering this “Official Replica Outstanding Player Award Trophy Belt” for sale on the online team store. According to the listing, it’s a replica of a WWE-style belt that was first presented to an unnamed “outstanding player of the game” after the Oakland win in September.

Replicated from the original trophy belt, from Pro-Belts each plate is cast in zinc alloy, plated in 18K gold and silver and mounted with studs and screws to the synthetic leather. The belt is 52″ long, weighs 6.5 lbs. and has 16 solid brass snaps on the hand embossed synthetic leather.

Oh, and it’s $450.

Who would buy this? The answer is somebody. Somebody will buy this.

source: washingtonpost.com

Special Theme Announced For Next Week's RAW From Nashville

WWE announced on tonight's RAW that next Monday's show will have a country music theme to it. "RAW Country" will take place from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

Backstage News On The Release Of One Of WWE’s Most Talented Developmental Prospects & Why It Wasn’t A Surprise

Kassius Ohno was quietly released from his WWE developmental contract last Friday. While some might consider his release a surprise, that really isn’t the case.

In July Ohno was very frustrated with his spot in WWE about not getting called up. He was on the short list to get called up to the main roster several times but every time he was tested with his “attitude and commitment,” he failed the test. Weight training has never been Ohno’s strong suit but his frustration was believed to be part of the reason why he wasn’t receptive to increasing his workouts.

It's unsure what eventually led to Ohno’s release but Triple H was at the WWE Performance Center a couple weeks ago. Hunter was never a supporter and it was Vince McMahon that wanted to call Ohno up in the first place.

"Hunter was never a supporter and it was Vince McMahon that wanted to call him up."

Now watch how the Triple H haters take this comment and say how he buried Hero while ignoring the fact that Hero's attitude & commitment weren't that great.

Raw Results 11/11/13

Mickie James Training Divas At WWE Performance Center

Former WWE Diva and 3x TNA Knockout Champion Mickie James is at the WWE Performance Center training future Divas. WWE Developmental Diva Devin Taylor tweeted that Mickie will be there for the rest of the week training the girls.

There has been no news on whether or not Mickie has re-signed with the WWE, but as far as negotiations with TNA, they have stopped. Just to note, former WWE Diva Eve Torres had a training seminar with the developmental Divas but did not return to the company full time.

Abdullah The Butcher Loses in Court

Thunder Bay Ontario's Net News Ledger is reporting that Abdullah The Butcher lost a court motion to have his statement of defense struck from the record on November 5th and was ordered to pay costs of the motion. The trial related damages will move forward, and you can read more details at this link.

E! Scores Strong Ratings With Return of 'Total Divas'

On November 10, E! continued to deliver in its Sunday night reality block with the return of “Total Divas” from 10-11pm scored for the network with 1.3 million total viewers and 746,000 Adults 18-49. The fall premiere of “Total Divas” also surged past its mid-season finale on September 15 across all key demos including Adults 18-49 (+10%), Women 18-49 (+16%), Adults 18-34 (+26%), Women 18-34 (+27%), Total Viewers (+21%) and Households (+20%).

Triple H Calls For Major Change In Philosophy With How WWE Handles Releases

There has been an interesting shift in philosophy ongoing in WWE thanks to the ascension of Triple H. Hunter feels it makes the company look bad when they have “mass releases” at a time, which is why WWE hasn’t had tremendous post-Wrestlemania roster cuts like we’ve seen in years past. Triple H’s rationale is that if WWE is a successful company, why would they fire talent in droves every year? Therefore the edict is essentially this – Don’t fire anybody!

Some may ask, well they just cut Kassius Ohno on Friday? The philosophy doesn’t extend to developmental talent as they are not yet “WWE Superstars.” However, once a worker makes it to the main roster, that worker must do something that is “so terrible that it’s unavoidable” to actually lose their job. Hunter would rather allow for contracts to run out and not re-sign them, as opposed to making a publicized cut.

Evan Bourne and Ezekiel Jackson are both ready to return but WWE has struggled to find plans for either one. They’re being kept on payroll until their deals run out rather than cut them loose early if it’s decided to not bring them back.

Total Divas Recap 11/10/13

Les Thatcher talks Dean Ambrose, no interest in TNA product

Legendary wrestling trainer Les Thatcher joined Inside The Ropes this past week to talk about his ilustrious career. Here are some highlights of his chat:

Importance of guys being a role player in wrestling:

"The thing a lot of the younger guys don’t learn now is to be a role player. Now when I say a role player, it’s to be versatile enough to do whatever a promotion needs of you. Probably the best example of that, at a high level right now, would be Chris Jericho. You know, he can work with a new guy, get him over without killing himself, because he’s just that talented and of course, he can be a top guy. He can be a babyface or he can be a heel, he can work tags. Theres nothing that he can’t do. He cuts good promos either heel or babyface, so there’s really nothing he can’t do which makes him that much more valuable to a promotion."

Memories of working with Dean Ambrose during his training:

"Jon is a good hand. I’m happy to see him get the break. I’ve been watching him from the beginning. He was in a tag team and the gimmick was he and his partner would come out in football gear, they were like two college football players, and that’s when I first saw him. I saw the potential in Jon, started working with him, more to refine him. I got him his first dark match (with WWE). I’m glad to see him doing well, he’s a natural talent and the other thing was, when I sold the HWA that’s when Jon was there and I got him his tryout. I’d go over to help out some of their guys and some of them would come once or twice but Jon was always there and always eager to learn."

Does he keep up to date with TNA:

"Not as much as I did, I sort of lost interest. There’s some good guys there, some guys I know but I just, truthfully, my honest feeling on TNA...and I wish them well and wish there were ten more like them, but I think TNA exactly where they are today is where they’ll be in ten years if they’re still around by then. They’ve cried wolf so many times, they are what they are. I don’t seem them getting any better or maybe even any worse. The trouble is they’re just WWE-Lite."

On angles in TNA being copied from WWE:

"Well the Dixie Carter thing, she doesn’t do a bad heel promo. But strike one is Stephanie McMahon is doing the exact same thing. Now I don’t care if Dixie came up with this three years ago, now would still have been a bad time to implement it, it just looks like a bad copy regardless. The AJ Styles angle, it’s the same thing. The network is obviously not that strong. There are people that don’t know TNA exists. I did some personal training at a gym here a few years ago and people would talk to me about WWE and I’d mention TNA and they’d say “What’s that?” I know Mick Foley makes a joke about when he was there people would ask him why he wasn’t wrestling anymore even though he was but they just didn’t know about TNA."

Big Week for Luke Harper

Luke Harper became the first man ever to wrestle on RAW, SmackDown, Main Event and NXT in the same week. Harper lost to CM Punk on RAW this past Monday, lost to Daniel Bryan by DQ on SmackDown this past Friday, teamed with Erick Rowan and defeated The Prime Time Players on Main Event on Wednesday and defeated Kassius Ohno(in his last match) on this week's edition of NXT.

WWE Reaction To TNA Sale Rumors

In response to online reports that the Carter family is looking to sell TNA Wrestling, Janice Carter, mother of president Dixie Carter, issued a memo to employees on Nov. 1 squashing rumors of sale talks and that her family was fully committed to the organization. However, according to F4WOnline.com, she is lying as multiple sources within the organization have stated that negotiations are currently being held for potential buyers. Furthermore, nearly everyone who has been speculated online, including musician and Resistance Pro Wrestling owner Billy Corgan, is not involved in the negotiations.

It is said that some WWE officials are following the story very closely, with one source quoted as saying "more so than people would ever imagine." It is not because the sports-entertainment organization is interested in purchasing TNA, but rather because they are curious to know who desires to and what the status will be of some talents (specifically Hulk Hogan and Sting).

HBK On Clashes With McMahon, Offers Advice To Undersized Wrestlers, Says He Originated The 'Pipe Bomb'

The December 2013 issue of WWE Magazine features an in-depth interview with Shawn Michaels, who weighed in on his most memorable matches and how he became one of the greatest wrestlers of all-time. Without mentioning Daniel Bryan by name, he addresses the topic of undersized WWE Superstars being overlooked for main event positions and how he personally responded to Vince McMahon's perceptions at a time when larger-than-life individuals ruled the promotion.

On fighting an uphill battle to stand out in WWE, Michaels states, "I'm always slightly amused by how people talk about how so-and-so 'isn't big enough.' And hoe someone is fighting an uphill battle because of his size. You don't know the first thing about an uphill battle. Try doing it in 1994 and 1995, even earlier than that. Try doing it back when there hadn't been—with all due respect—me complaining about how size shouldn't matter. Now there's a list of guys as long as my arm who complain about getting looked over.

"When I got here, I didn't have a name. I didn't have a legacy. I didn't have a famous family. And there was only one guy who was gonna kick down the door and piss and moan until—quite frankly, and thankfully—the old man finally relented. Ha ha."

Michael lays claim to being the originator of the 'pipe bomb,' which he used to push the Chairman's buttons in the mid-1990s.

"I also chuckle at the notion of a 'pipe bomb' being something new. Back in 1994, 1995, and 1996, those were the original 'pipe bombs,' said Michaels. "That's one of the things we were pushing for back then—bringing more of the reality of the situation to the forefront. I used to say stuff and The Chairman had no idea what was coming out. It's just different now. We were also privately owned then. That's why we just got yelled at, not fired. (Laughs)"

Ironically, Michaels doing away with his rebellious personality upon his return to the promotion in 2002 and becoming a 'model employee' incensed McMahon.

"Now, my faith and my family are what's important. I'm not sure Mr. McMahon's aware there is a life outside WWE. Over the years, he and I butted heads many times behind the scenes. And, honestly, I think there was a part of him that liked those confrontations. So when I came back (in 2002), and had re-prioritized my life, I was actually sort of a 'model employee.' That's what sent him over the edge with me," said Michaels.

WWE Releases Top NXT Wrestler from Developmental Deal

WWE has released Chris Spradlin from his developmental deal this past week. He was known as Kassius Ohno on NXT and Chris Hero before joining WWE.

Ohno was released by WWE officials while waiting to begin training on Friday morning at the Performance Center in Orlando. Ohno recently returned to NXT after being held off TV for some time. His final match, a loss to Luke Harper, just aired a few nights ago on this week's episode of NXT TV. Ohno was trending worldwide on Twitter last night.

He's already been announced to face Hurricane Helms on November 16th for Pro Wrestling Syndicate in Rahway, NJ. Besides the PWS show on November 16th against Hurricane Helms, Hero has been announced for Pro Wrestling Guerilla's All Star Weekend in December. A number of other independent promotions are scrambling to book Hero.