Some details are available on who is and isn’t backstage at Thursday night’s Impact Wrestling taping in Las Vegas. PWInsider reports that Johnny Swinger, Joey Ryan and Jim Mitchell are all backstage at the taping and will be appearing on screen. Ryan is described as appearing “this week” and was filming pre-tapes earlier in the day. Kross, also, lives in Vegas. So, his not being there is awfully telling.
Killer Kross, on the other hand, is not backstage at the tapings. Nor is Sabu, though there is talk that he will be back soon. Sabu lives in Las Vegas and so couple appear at tomorrow’s tapings.
– Chris Sabin and Paul London are working as producers at the taping.
– There was no pre-show meeting with talents before the tapingClick Here:
Month: August 2022
Update on AEW Dynamite numbers this week
AEW had 1,140,000 viewers between the two live airings on TNT and TruTv.
AEW Dynamite that aired during the same time slot on TNT pulled in 1.018 million, which is down from the premiere episode that did 1.409.
Due to MLB airing on both TNT and TBS that could have impacted AEW, the call was made to simulcast Dynamite, which drew 122,000 additional viewers on True TV.Click Here:
Big Cass issued a public statement regarding the backstage incident
Big Cass issued a public statement via Enzo Amore’s Twitter account regarding the backstage incident at Saturday night’s WrestlePro event:
“To my fans & all concerned,
I have been very honest with my past struggles, and it has been an ongoing battle. On Saturday night, I obviously let my demons get the better of me and I ruined an important night for a really great guy in an unfortunate series of events. I have worked incredibly hard to get where I am, and even harder to overcome my ongoing battle with depression. But I will work my absolute hardest to right the wrongs of Saturday night and apologize to Kevin Mathews, Pat Buck, Joey Janela, the entire WrestlePro locker room and all parties involved from the bottom of my heart. I’m getting help from family and friends as we speak and will be getting professional help in the near future and ask all to please respect my privacy in the meantime. When & if I reemerge as a public figure it will be in good faith and I hope to inspire those who struggle with the same mental health issues I do to seek the help they need. If Tyson Fury can do it….so can I. Remember…I ain’t dead yet. And neither are you.
Peace and love, William Patrick Morrissey III —”Click Here:
Live crowd not happy with the Rollings-Wyatt finish
Davey Boy Smith Jr. on leaving NJPW: “they had complete control”
Show: Wrestling Epicenter
Guest: Davey Boy Smith Jr.
Date: 09/20/19
Your Host: James Walsh
Davey Boy Smith Jr. is helping to carry on the family history of not only his father, the legendary “British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith but also the legacy, dynasty if you will, of the Hart family as he, Teddy Hart, and Brian Pillman Jr. carry the colors of the Hart Foundation in Major League Wrestling into the 21st century. Now, for the first time ever, we have the opportunity to sit down with Davey Boy Smith Jr to discuss his rise in wrestling, signing with MLW, leaving NJPW, AEW, Impact Wrestling, MMA, and beyond. We also discuss the infamous WWE Hall of Fame ceremony for Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart where Bret Hart was attacked by a man from the crowd and how good it was to see that fan, a piece of human garbage I might add, get his from all the boys and now be held in jail for all this time.
This is a sensational interview with Davey Boy as we get ready for MLW Saturday Night Superfight on November 2nd – The company’s first ever pay per view in a history that extends nearly 18 years. You can catchy Davey Boy Smith Jr, Teddy Hart, Brian Pillman Jr, and the entire MLW roster on MLW Fusion every Saturday night on beIN Sports and every Monday on YouTube should you miss the Saturday broadcast or not get beIN Sports. There is no excuse not to watch MLW and, in my humble opinion, if you are missing it, you’re missing out!
To listen, visit www.WrestlingEpicenter.com. Follow us on Twitter @WEpicenter, like us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/wrestlingepicenter. And, subscribe to our channel on YouTube at www.YouTube.com/iwrinteractive.
For more information on MLW, visit www.MLW.com.
DAVEY BOY SMITH JR:
On his take on the MLW product:
“I think MLW is making some great strides. I see improvement every single week with their product. I think it provides something for everybody. If you like hardcore wrestling, if you like shoot style, if you like Lucha Libre style… They bring the best of guys from Mexico, Canada… All over the place. They’ve even brought over some guys from Japan. It is great that I’m able to be a part of MLW. I’ve known (owner) Court Bauer for quite a long time. Court has always been great with me. He’s really given Teddy Hart, Brian Pillman Jr, and myself the green light to go out and do our thing and it has really been an awesome experience.”
On carrying the Hart Foundation name into the 21st century:
“Absolutely! Myself, Teddy, and Brian have our ties to the Hart family either by blood or through relationships. It is great to have it live on and to sort of “carry the torch”, as they say. Brian Pillman Jr is doing a great job.”
On Teddy Hart finally making it to a national brand:
“Over the years, he has matured and learned from some of the past mistakes that he had made. Now that Court has given him the green light and the opportunity, he’s going full force with it. It was his idea to go with the New Hart Foundation and, since then, we’ve all grown off of it.”
On the progression of the youngest Hart Foundation member, Brian Pillman Jr:
“Brian has been doing a great job. He seems to be listening to the advice that myself and Teddy Hart have been giving him. He’s got good guys in his corner like Rip Rogers and Jim Cornette. He’s got other guys too. He’s got a lot of his father’s attributes athletically as well as charasmatically. I’m excited for the future for Brian.”
On the Hart Foundation’s rivals the Dynasty:
“You know what? Story line wise, we don’t get along. And, they’re not the ideal type of wrestlers that I would like. But, they are all very talented. I think Hammerstone… I really respect Hammerstone not only because he wants to learn but he has a great physique also. He does a lot of things that impress me like that dropkick that he does off the top rope. He does a lot of things that big guys don’t have to do but he makes that effort. I think MJF is just a genius on the microphone. And, everything he… He and Holliday both do in the ring has meaning and purpose.”
On why he left NJPW this year:
“I had my back up against the wall with everything. The thing was, they had complete control. Like, say I went out there, which I was doing, and busted my ass and worked as hard as I could have and put on great performances… But, at the same time, if I had cut my hair like Brian Knobbs, gone out there and wrestled like Nailz or Steve McMichael, it would not have changed anything. Whatever they had in mind, that is the way it was going to go. So, my inspiration and motivation was down towards the very end. There is nothing that I could do because that is just the way they were going to have it. When the new owners came in, Harold Meij, I could see how that things were changing. Like Michael Elgin said (in an interview with us earlier this year), “new toys” kind of quote. They were going in that direction. They were only giving me 4 tours a year and they told me they could not increase KES’ (Killer Elite Squad) workload. There were other things too. I’m actually doing an upcoming event for CMLL with Teddy hart and Brian Pillman Jr. If I were still there (NJPW), they would not have allowed that.”
On rumors of him being offered a spot in Impact Wrestling:
“They (NJPW) would not allow me to do stuff with Impact Wrestling. At the same time, I wanted to be exclusive to them (NJPW) but they were only giving me 4 tours a year. That isn’t full time work. So, I had to step away.”
On praise for Michael Elgin:
“I hope I have the chance to step in there with him one day soon. I think he’s one of the best guys out there. He’s a real hard worker too.”
On his former KES partner Lance Archer AKA Vance Archer AKA Lance Hoyt:
“What the wrestling business is missing right now is big guys. Lance is a big guy. He’s got great size. He’s got great athletic ability. For a guy like him to go up to the top ropes and do a moonsault is pretty damn impressive. Even though he and I have gone our separate ways as a tag team, it is great to see we’re both doing big things for our careers. I know Lance had a really great match with Will Ospreay a couple months ago and just this past weekend, I had a great match with Tom Lawlor at Bloodsport.”
On the Bret Hart Hall of Fame attacker:
“He got what he deserved and he should have got more. Bret and Nattie were like sitting ducks in the ring. I can’t believe the guy had the nerve to do that. He’s obviously got mental problems. Other than that, he’s just a complete idiot and looking for attention. Hopefully jail treats him right. That was a really special moment that he took away from my family. Bret was out there to induct my uncle, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart. It is a good thing I didn’t get to him sooner because I was really mad. When I went out there, I was almost seeing red. I thought it was almost a work at first. How could this happen? Unfortunately, WWE security should have been on top of things better. Hopefully they learn from this experience and do better next year for the Hall of Fame or whatever. There were no barricades or anything. Lucky the guy didn’t have any weapons on him. Guys like that, you never really know what they’re capable of.”
On his father, “The British Bulldog”, not being in the WWE Hall of Fame:
“You know, i think both he and Owen Hart are both conspicuous by their absense. I do believe he will be in the Hall of Fame eventually. Why he isn’t already, I’m not sure. I wish I had the answers. But, I don’t. I don’t know how the WWE decides who is going in the Hall of Fame this year or next year. I think Jim Neidhart should have been inducted earlier. I’m not sure how they rate things as far as that goes.”
On the birth of AEW:
I think it is a good thing because any competition is good competition, right? I think I’m going to be checking out NXT tonight (on USA) and AEW (when it starts on TNT). I think Cody Rhodes is a very smart guy. I think MLW would be a good fit for me. But, I am actually legally contracted to Major League Wrestling. So, I don’t know if I could sign with AEW and work exclusively for them or do appearances for them. I know that MJF is signed to AEW now but is able to do appearances with MLW as well. I would love to do appearances for AEW if Court Bauer and they could work together. But, they’ve been doing some great stuff and I’m really excited to see what AEW has in store for the future.”Click Here:
Carmella Wins the WWE 24/7 Championship on Raw
After a weekend of losing and regaining the 24/7 title against EC3 in the Philippines, China, and Hawaii, R-Truth lost the title again tonight, this time to Carmella, as seen in the video below:
.@CarmellaWWE just pinned @RonKillings to win the #247Title!!!
… and @RonKillings is celebrating??? #RAW pic.twitter.com/ZI7saZJ0IL
— WWE (@WWE) September 24, 2019
Velasquez reveals phone call conversation with UFC’s Dana White prior to signing with WWE
After the Crown Jewel press conference on Friday in Las Vegas, WWE’s newest Superstar Cain Velasquez talked to various members of the press regarding his new journey with WWE.
The former two-time UFC Heavyweight champion told MMAJunkie.com that before he signed the contract with WWE, he called UFC President Dana White again to talk to him about what he’s doing and what he’s about to do
“We ended up talking on the phone,” Velasquez said. “He just supported me 100%. It was just a good, respectful talk that we had. He thanked me for everything that I did. I thanked him and the company for everything that they did. He just gave me his full blessing. He said, ‘This is awesome, what you’re doing. Go ahead, you have my full consent to go ahead and do what you want to do.’”
Velasquez is now getting ready for his first WWE match against Brock Lesnar, a match for the WWE title at the upcoming Crown Jewel pay-per-view in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Cain also got himself out of the UFC USADA drug testing pool as his MMA career comes to a close, at least for the time being. “As of right now, the chapter is closed on my MMA career,” he continued. “I’m focusing on the task at hand with the WWE. I love this sport. I’ve rebirthed myself into reliving it and loving it again. I’m all in on doing this. I’m diving deep into doing this, and this is what I’m doing for right now.”Click Here:
Johnny Impact Becomes Johnny Retro for New Wrestling Video Game RetroMania
Johnny Retro, aka Wrestling Superstar John Hennigan coming to RetroMania Wrestling Collegeville, Pennsylvania — Retrosoft Studios, LLC is very pleased to announce that pro wrestling superstar John Hennigan, who has been known to fans around the globe as John Morrison, Johnny Impact and Johnny Nitro has become the tenth member of the roster for
RetroMania Wrestling. The game is set to release for the PC, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One early next year.
Since 2002, Hennigan has competed for several promotions, including World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), Impact Wrestling, and Lucha Underground. With a storied career spanning seventeen years, he has claimed several notable championships, including the Impact World Championship, the ECW World Championship, the WWE Intercontinental Championship,
and the WWE World Tag Team Championship. He also recently appeared on Season 37 of ‘Survivor’ on CBS.
Appearing in his first video game since WWE ‘12, Johnny
Retro joins a roster that presently includes Hawk and Animal of the Road Warriors, Tommy Dreamer, Colt Cabana, Zack Sabre Jr., Austin Idol, and all three members of the Blue World Order: Hollywood Nova, the Blue Meanie, and Stevie Richards. Johnny Retro will enter the RetroMania Wrestling arena, a game that will feature flashy 2D sprites, incredible backgrounds, and fast-paced arcade style action that fans of professional
wrestling and gamers all over the globe can enjoy. In addition to being added to the game’s roster, Johnny Retro will also be one of the featured superstars in the story mode for RetroMania Wrestling.
RetroMania Wrestling is the spiritual successor to the classic arcade game WrestleFest that was
released in 1991 by Technos of Japan. It will be a “pick up and play” arcade wrestling game with beautiful 2D sprites, incredible backgrounds and fast-paced arcade style game play. Visit RetrosoftStudios.com for more information on the game and to keep up-to-date with future roster additions and gameplay announcements. For updates, you can also follow @RetrosoftStudio on Twitter, as well as Facebook and InstagramClick Here:
“Librarian” Leva Bates Was Surprised by the AEW Contract Offer
In an interview with Comicbook.com, Leva Bates spoke about her hiring as The Librarian for AEW, how her original video to get the role was just for fun and how she was surprised she got the job. Here are highlights:
On her audition video: “I was just kind of doing it for the fun of it. So yeah that was really just one of those, ‘Oh my god it really worked [situations]!’ I mean obviously I did have an intentions on wanting to be with AEW. Out of all of the companies that was my number one spot I really wanted to be at. It fits me and my personality and I feel like this company is where I belong so I took a chance. But yeah, no, there was no talk of me being within the company at all. It was one of those like, ‘Okay, I’ll just try it.’ And then I literally thought it was going to be like, ‘Oh, cool yeah a little bit of PR. I’m moving forward,’ and then when it actually panned through I was beyond shocked and over-ecstatic. It was definitely a moment where I didn’t expect when I got that call.”
On the crowd response to the gimmick: “It actually went through a roller coaster. People were super excited, especially at Double or Nothing [in a backstage segment] they were super happy about it. But then in the flesh they weren’t sure what to think of it because if you look at it I’m a super good guy and Peter is not. So it’s a very interesting dichotomy and I don’t think people gave, at the second, a chance to really let it build and grow. Because I felt like Peter and I are a wonderful, odd couple team. We gel really well with each other but we both have different personality traits. So I don’t think people knew how to handle it since everyone, especially at Daytona, everyone knows me as the super gamer girl, super nerd cosplayer so I’m coming out not necessarily in that form.”
On adding Easter Eggs to the gimmick: “So I’m the queen of adding Easter eggs, so I’m already doing that. If you look at the books I’m adding, I’ll have books that are either relevant to the show, to the opponent…. which kind of satiates that creative that need I had when I was doing cosplay. I’m going to still have those hidden little gems in there for people to be like, ‘Wait, I get that! Oh, I see that!’ But it’s not going to be putting it in your face because I definitely am enjoying and loving this character that I really want to sink my teeth into and the relationship between me and Peter, and us in AEW and our spot in AEW and what we could bring.”Click Here:
Cody Rhodes still says AEW is interested in Cain Velasquez
“He’s definitely somebody that I am keeping an eye on. Cain was one of those athletes – it’s not even an athlete thing, it’s almost a strange, natural ability to pick up our industry. He picked it up so quick and he wasn’t doing mixed martial arts Cain Velasquez, he was trying to do true lucha. And he had worked with Psycho Clown who, Psycho Clown, if you haven’t caught him, is just amazing. What a stud. So, I was blown away by Cain Velasquez. I would love to bring that tandem and that tag back to All Elite Wrestling. I’m glad to hear he like what we’re doing; I like what he’s done with AAA. I continue to monitor it. And that might be something you see as a personal project for me if and when Cain would like to come play ball with us. I’d be down. There’s something special – I mean, the man is a former UFC Heavyweight Champ, a nice guy, represents a whole part of the world, just a special human being. I think he’d be a great fit to our family.”
source: Wrestling Inc.Click Here: