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Brian Cage Did NOT See MAJOR Backlash Coming For Supporting Donald Trump:

Thoughts on performing in Lucha Underground thus far:

The product is completely different, the matches are completely different as far as there the most open and fun I’ve had anywhere. They are the best major company that I’ve ever worked for. They just treat us like stars, it’s nothing but fun. It’s what I thought being a pro-wrestler would be like when I was ten years old.

His match vs. Alberto El Patron and losing his hair at TripleMania:

Seeing the highlights of the replay the night of the show when I tried attacking him after the match with my head shaved, it weirded me out, like holy crap that’s me? I’ve gotten used to it now and funny enough, many people have already said that it doesn’t look that bad, I look meaner or tougher now probably because I look like a racist or a thug. After supporting Donald Trump and curb-stomping Willie Mack through a cinder-block I guess that doesn’t do me any favors.

The match living up to the long build:

The match was awesome. It was a pretty substantial feud. We’ve been doing this thing since February of this year and just like WrestleMania all the bigger matches that have bigger story-lines lasting all year long. It would be a big match for myself and Del Rio (El Patron) at TripleMania but hair vs hair or hair vs. title and when you factor in the feud or the promos and matches leading up to that point it brings a lot more to the table and means a lot more. I was stoked to be there. It was one of the biggest matches of my career and to return to North-American Pay Per View and English commentary. I’ll say even though I came up short I was very happy with everything.

How the Trump 2016 shirt idea came together:

A buddy of mine that I work out with asked me if I had heard Donald Trump’s little speech and he gave me the rundown on it and I said “dude that’s crazy” and I thought I’m going to get a Donald Trump shirt. It was kind of a joke, but the more I thought about it and the more I thought about it, I thought this is going to be an awesome reaction. I really just thought I would do it for the cheap “pop” and to get “heat” and it was definitely an afterthought and had zero inclination that I would get any sort of more of a response out of it and that it would matter that much. Later, I kind of got a little worried and asked Konan, “Am I going to get shot?”

Losing Twitter followers and Social Media reaction following TripleMania:

Right away a lot of people were popping for it and I lost a lot of Twitter followers right away too because people took offense to it which I thought was great, if I was pissing people off who aren’t even hearing this stuff. Obviously I’ve been hit up about it and asked about it by a lot of different people, I’ve done different promos and it definitely got a lot more attention than I expected it to and obviously I did not plan this out but as you said the time wise it worked out perfectly and into my favor. I’ve had offers from people to sign the shirt and sell it to them to have the authentic ring-worn TripleMania entrance shirt from Brian Cage but I might just keep that shirt and keep doing it.

The perception he is supporting Donald Trump:

Obviously the first thing whether I support him or not personally I don’t think really matters. I find it kind of funny like oh come on you guys can be such babies but at the same token, I didn’t get real offended or mad, it was more like oh man I guess people are that offended or took that much offense that I’m doing something right. Same thing is if I’m getting that much heat and people are talking about it and are pissed off well then you are doing something right and this is still wrestling at the end of the day and when you can have a real emotion whether it be positive or negative then that’s always an amazing accomplishment. I was stoked that I was able to partake in it and create that kind of a stir.

His TripleMania promos mimicking a Donald Trump speech:

I didn’t even think about that. I know they cut some promos leading up to TripleMania where I ended all my promos saying the same tag line of “Making America Great Again” or “Just like Donald Trump, Brian Cage is Making America Great Again” whatever he’s definitely a character himself. Regardless of his opinions or thoughts or beliefs the one thing that I do find great about him and I think people should give him credit for, no matter how bad something he says is or dumb or whatever; he says it, fully believes it and he doesn’t give a crap what you think. It’s maybe not as fan-favorite-ish but maybe more Austin-ish where he’ll say whatever he wants. I pop for that and I think that’s rad and I know people have said that “you should start watching his promos or go to one of his little gatherings and cut a promo. It’s all possible solutions and it’s kind of in the moment, I was just going to do this one time but I think anytime I go out doing any kind of wrestling in Mexico or any Lucha based promotion then I am definitely going heel and that shits coming with me.

Is the Brian Cage character voting for Donald Trump:

Oh for sure. I think he already has. He has already put in a ballot and I think he is going to vote multiple times: Brian Cage, Colin Cage, Mr. GMSI, The F’n Machine just trying to get multiple votes in there.

Brian Cage also discusses his relationship with Chris Kanyon and how Kanyon helped him break into the business, working WWE Developmental, growing up as a wrestling fan, Working outside the United States, Lucha Underground and much more.

Podcast: The TMPToW Interview Chavo Guerrero Jr.

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September 12, 2015

Today’s guest is a member of a legendary wrestling family. His last name is associated with great in ring work, solid match quality and stellar performances and this man specifically is known as “The Mexican Warrior” and we proudly welcome Chavo Guerrero Jr. to The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling. Chavo is launching a new web-show on Geek Nation, The Chavo Show offering a new kind of pro wrestler hosted sit-down interview brining a mix of fun, stories, beer, girls and hi-jinx. But Chavo also gives us the low down on his wrestling career since leaving WWE and gives us insight into his future as part of Lucha Underground and what is next for the legendary Guerrero Family.

Full Episode Download Link:
http://tmptow.podoma…T21_00_00-07_00

Chavo Guerrero on Eddie Guerrero

What is The Chavo Show and what makes it different:

What I didn’t want to do is another wrestlers podcast. This is a different kind of interview show on the net and you know how the interest of fans go, so it’s a quick little twelve to nineteen minute video thing but it’s actually more then just a podcast with talking it will be something where you can see us interacting.

Rowdy Roddy Piper taping the pilot episode of The Chavo Show:

The way it came about and it’s sad that we are even talking about it like that now but it was going to be my pilot episode. That actually was the fourth episode that I filmed but it was Piper, so he gave us some They Live stories and how that all came about, I’ve known the guy since I was five years old so just the camaraderie of us hanging out together really came through on camera and since things weren’t really ready we were wondering, do we scrap this episode but it was just so good and I want people to see Roddy the way I knew Roddy. It’s getting a great buzz and again Roddy Piper is getting ratings and stealing the show and thank GOD he was able to help me out so it’s kind of bitter-sweet. I am happy and proud it’s out there but I am missing my friend.

How do you handle working different characters and gimmicks when they are pitched:

A lot of times it was how things were done at TV and thinking about how you get on TV, so when they pitch stuff to you sometimes you say that’s something I probably wouldn’t pick for myself but if it was all up to us we would all be the Heavyweight Champion, the John Cena or the Batista. When they give you something it’s like, Ok let’s not knock it out of the park and let’s run with it. One thing that I’ve been told also is that I kind have shown on TV that I was able to do everything. I’ve been able to be a tag team wrestlers, a singles wrestler, a heel, a face, a different character making people laugh and cry and people hate me. So I’ve kind of been able to do a little bit in a sense, kind of do everything. Which is cool because that translates into Hollywood because they kind of start seeing different ones I play on TV and they start thinking wow this guy can do some stuff.

Has being an accomplished performer helped at Lucha Underground:

Being on Lucha Underground now it’s like a movie so you’ve got to be able to act a little bit. We go back there and the Director Skip Chasyn likes working with me because I can do things in a few takes so it’s kind of worked to my advantage.

Eddie Guerrero not being recognized by management while alive:

If you remember he (Eddie) went a long time with getting overlooked and passed over and told by WWF/WWE he was just a Cruiserweight and would never be THE guy. We all knew that Eddie was great. The fans knew that Eddie was great. But it’s like he wasn’t 6’10’ and he wasn’t 300 pounds, he was always the guy that could work and get those people over who couldn’t get themselves over. Eddie was in that spot for a long time and even after he was the World Champion in WWE he went back and he ended up working with Luther Reigns they wanted him to get this big (Kurt Angle’s) henchman over and Eddie was pissed. He was just coming off a World Champion run and now they wanted him to get a guy over when he should have been working with Triple H, with Shawn Michaels but they put him back with putting guys over. It took him a long time to get that recognition.

Wrestlers similar to Eddie that don’t get the respect they should by management:

It makes me kind of angry a little bit. People always say he’s so good, well YES. Like CM Punk it was the same thing. He was really good, threatened leaving the company so they put the rocket on him for a little bit. Sometimes, the guys that are always held down are the guys that are the best ones at making everyone look good. They are so good at their craft that nobody else can make them look good so they are stuck in a rut just alway putting people over.

What made Eddie and Chavo, Los Guerreros so special as a team:

I think at that time and there were a lot of good tag teams that were at their best. The Hardyz, The Dudleyz, Edge and Christian were still around here and there but there was a lot of really, really good tag teams. But at that time as far as overall and as far as wrestling and performance and entertaining and kind of doing everything I feel that we were just in the zone. Teaming with Eddie was the best because we didn’t even have to talk matches. We knew each other so well, we’ve been doing this with the ring in the back yard since we were born it just came so natural to us.

Chavo Guerrero also tells John and Chad about the Possible Season 2 of Lucha Underground, Working Rey Mysterio Jr. and Their Chemistry, Favorite Moments While Teaming with “Uncle” Eddie Guerrero, The Legacy of His Family, What Else We Can See Out of Chavo, More on The Chavo Show

The WWE Raw Report 8/17/15 – The Go-Home Show to Summer Slam

By

Crazymax Jack

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August 17, 2015

WWE Raw 8/17/15 Preshow notes

– Show kicks off with Stanford, Graves and Otunga. Otunga shows off a pic he took with Chrisley, Steve Harvey, Geraldo and Rancic. Graves says he doesn’t even know who those guys area. Jesus. Pointless.

– We move on to talk Brock vs. Taker. They’re both in the building tonight don’t ya know. We relive the brawl from Raw a few weeks ago and the panel hypes the fact that these two could collide again tonight without proper security measures.

– Back to last week, Ryback returns and drops Big Show and kills Miz. They’ve got a Triple Threat IC Title match at Slam. I’m sure Miz is loving being stuck in this instead of working with Amell in the tag match. The Miz joins the show via phone. Miz puts himself over and then we learn it’s Miz vs. Ryback, non-title, tonight.

– Did you know Stephen Amell was agile and had hops? Well, if you saw Raw last week you found out. Amell defended himself when he exploded on Stardust last week and now we have a tag match of Amell/Neville vs. Stardust/Barrett for Summer Slam. Amell calls in via phone. He is still all about his match at Slam though he admits he knows very little about being in the ring. Cody and Barrett have a special message for Amell tonight. Goody.

– Seth Rollins broke this guy called John Cena’s nose a few weeks back. Maybe you heard about it. Cena returns tonight for the contract signing for the match with Rollins’ at Summer Slam. Is it me or have they been doing these contract signings to death lately?

– Sheamus vs. Orton is set for Slam now. Because we can never get enough of this match. #sarcasm . It’s Orton & Cesaro vs. Sheamus & Owens tonight.

– Plus Sasha Banks vs. Nikki Bella tonight.

The WWE Raw Report 7/17/15 from the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota

– Please no Seth Rollins…. Aaaannnd we open with HHH and Stephanie… Sigh. I blame myself for not being more specific.

The Authority Talks Summer Slam

Stephanie shamelessly shills the WWE Network and Summer Slam, which is 4 hours. They start to run down the Slam card. HHH hypes Taker vs. Brock. Steph tries to hype it but the video screen shows Cena vs. Seth and it throws her off, lol… Anyway, Cena vs. Rollins contract signing tonight per the insistence of Seth Rollins. Reigns & Ambrose vs. Wyatt & Harper. HHH announces it’s Harper vs. Reigns tonight… Stephanie mentions the Divas 3 team Elimination match at Slam. HHH says there are NINE matches but apparently those are the only matches that matter.

So after stealing the show last week TWICE I guess it’s F-U Randy Orton as far as importance goes. lol

Stephanie then announces that Jon Stewart will be hosting Summer Slam!

Apparently Randy feels as pissed off as I mentioned as he cuts them off for his tag team match to kick off the show. The Authority leave the ring as we prepare for what could be a really good match.

— Commercial Break —

1. Randy Orton & Cesaro vs. Sheamus & Kevin Owens

Owens immediately avoids Cesaro and tags in Sheamus. So Cesaro tags in Orton. Fans chant “You look stupid” as Sheamus tells them to “respect the hawk”. Sheamus runs from Randy early and often in between feeling each other out. Owens tags in. Orton goes to tag in Cesaro but KO cuts Randy off. Orton still drop Kevin and tags in Cesaro. Owens fights it, but Cesaro lands an impressive delayed suplex. “Cesaro” chants as he nails KO with a springboard spinning European uppercut… So smooth… Owens bails as we take a commercial break…

Back from break, Sheamus hits Orton with a rolling senton. Then Owens follows up with a senton splash for 2 on Randy… KO then knocks Cesaro off the apron while the heels work over Orton. Orton drops Owens on the floor outside and crawls for a HOT TAG TO CESARO… It’s Sheamus & Cesaro now with Cesaro landing all sorts of flying uppercuts-o-doom… HIGH CROSS BODY, Steamboat style, by Cesaro on Sheamus for 2… Sheamus gets to the ropes to prevent the Giant Swing. Sheamus comes back with a tilt-a-whirl powerslam on Cesaro. Sheamus goes to the top rope but dives right into a MASSIVE UPPERCUT… DAMN, that’ll break yer jaw like you’re shitty Geno Smith… Cesaro with a near fall… Cesaro blows a spot landing on the apron, lol, but still lays Owens out with a big boot on the apron. Sheamus doesn’t realize Orton has made the blind tag. Suspension DDT from Orton on Sheamus, and the RKO ends it in 13:02.

Some good solid stuff from Cesaro here, but in general everyone saved their big stuff for Summer Slam. Nothing too “spectacular” and actually most of their signature moves weren’t even used. What could have been an excellent match turned out to be just average… But that’s not a complaint. It’s smart booking. Summer Slam is in 6 days, they saved their stuff for Slam. Makes sense to me. Hated to see Sheamus lose here though, makes me fear for Randy at the PPV. This was the definition of a TV match.

– Undertaker speaks next.

— Commercial Break —

– In a backstage promo. We hear the druids chanting as the Undertaker’s shadow walks out of a purple light and into the screen. He says when the Reaper calls your name, it’s just over. The Gates of Hell are opening and welcoming Brock to his eternal damnation. Brock’s name has been called, and at Summer Slam Lesnar will never Rest in Peace. Just a quick 60 second promo to hype later.

– Backstage with Seth Rollins and the Authority. Steph is holding the contract, Seth can’t thank them enough for making this happen. Seth has one more favor. After he beats Cena at Slam, he wants a statue erected of him at WWE Headquarters like Andre, Bruno, and Warrior. Steph agrees if he beats Cena he deserves a statue.

– Dean Ambrose to the ring to play cornerman for his Summer Slam partner Roman Reigns. Roman then follows. See, these guys are such great friends they require completely different entrances… Ambrose joins commentary!

— Commercial Break —

2. Roman Reigns (w/Ambrose) vs. Luke Harper (w/Bray Wyatt)

As mentioned, Ambrose is on commentary. Ambrose jerks a chair out from under Saxton and rolls it over to Wyatt. The slobber knocker begins. Harper controls early, Reigns winds up clotheslining Luke to the floor and nailing him with an apron dropkick on the outside as we head to commercial…

Back from break, Harper has control after laying Reigns out with a running dropkick during the break. Harper with a Michinoku Driver gets 2… Reigns breaks a chinlock with a back suplex, but Harper comes back with a BIG BOT FROM HELL takes Roman’s jaw off like he’s shitty Geno Smith. Reigns escapes another chinlock and makes the comeback with clotheslines-o-plenty. Harper comes back with a knee to the face but Roman lands a waistlock suplex. Nice. Harper gets knocked to the floor again and Reigns lands a running clothesline off the apron. Back in the ring the two men struggle for control and Harper is becoming REALLY lethargic, not sure if he’s hurt or what. Harper tries to block Roman but still eats a Samoan Drop. Reigns gets 2. Roman calls for the Superman punch, but Harper bails to the floor. Roman follows him out and walks right into a SUPERKICK from Luke. Harper goes for a Suicide Dive, but dives right into a SUPERMAN PUNCH from the floor… Nice… Reigns rushes back in after Luke but runs into the spinning side slam from Luke for a near fall. Harper tries a Powerbomb, Reigns escapes, but Harper with a second SUPERKICK AND A SIT OUT POWERBOMB BY HARPER!!!! 1……………2……………………………Reigns kicks out. Luke sets up for the discus clothesline but runs into a SUPERMAN PUNCH and an IMMEDIATE SPEAR finishes Luke in 15:00 even.

After the match, Bray Wyatt enters the ring and drops to his knees. He speaks with a down Harper and laughs. He tells everyone to follow the buzzards. Apparently he doesn’t care when his unit loses. lol

Good TV match. Again, they held back some but still delivered most of their usual stuff and it was a decent match. Harper got really slow at one point and both guys looked plodding briefly early on after the break but they got back into the groove and finished strong. Perfectly fine for a TV match. No complaints. Would have liked to seen Ambrose and/or Wyatt get involved post match, but I get not wanting to beat a dead horse with post match shenanigans. Especially since I have no idea what all they have planned for the rest of the show for the other matches.

— Commercial Break —

3. Tamina (w/Team BAD) vs. Becky Lynch (w/Paige & Charlotte)

Wow, Tamina’s going to work a singles match. Tamina dominates early with her power. Good swinging side slam by Tamina. Becky finally takes over briefly and lands a missile dropkick for a near fall. Tamina back in control heel style, but Lynch is able to to counters into the Dis-Armer and the big monster Tamina is forced to tap out in 4:00 even. Crowd was blah for this match, and there was never a reason for them to care.

I’m all about this Divas revolution, but WWE needs to understand that the good matches were in NXT and thus sticking these girls in the ring with the likes of a Bella, or Naomi, or Tamina is not going to work. These NXT girls are levels better than these established WWE girls, save for Paige.

— Commercial Break —

– Last Monday Rusev made Mark Henry look like a bitch, and then Summer Rae killed Lana with the Accolade.

4. Rusev (w/Summer Rae) vs. Mark Henry

Lana is on commentary. She says she has a plan. Hmmm. Henry is out next with the American flag again. How can you even take this seriously after last week? It should be noted that Rusev has the BULGARIAN flag. I guess Russia just disappeared off the map. Henry takes control early, Rusev powders but Henry follows and continues to beat him down outside. Henry with a nice pair of layout bodyslams in the ring gets 2. Back to the floor Rusev sends Henry face first into the ring post, twice. Rusev then yells at Lana before dropping Henry with the jumping side kick. Henry tries to block the Accolade to no success, and Henry taps LIKE A BITCH in 2:48. Sad.

– Rusev and Summer begin to leave ringside, but Lana enters the ring and screams for Summer to come back. Lana calls Summer out and the crowd eats it up. Now remember, Lana has a plan. Lana slaps the shit out of Summer and knocks her down.. Then LANA CHALLENGES RUSEV… Now remember, Lana has a plan. And apparently the entire crowd knows what it is as there’s a LOUD Ziggler chant…

AND HERE COMES DOLPH ZIGGLER…. WITH DARKER HAIR… YUCK

ZIGGLER WITH A TORNADO DDT ON RUSEV!!! Ziggler goes for the Superkick, but RUSEV PULLS SUMMER IN FRONT. ZIggler pulls the kick back before connecting… THEN LANA SUPERKICKS SUMMER INSTEAD!!! RUSEV THEN EATS A SUPERKICK FROM DOLPH….

The heels are all pissy in the aisle while Ziggler and Lana make out. So does this make 10 matches for Slam?

— Commercial Break —

– Jonathan Coachman will be hosting ESPN Sportscenter outside the Barclay’s Center this weekend to hype SummerSlam. I like Coach much better on ESPN. Happy for the crossover, so many ESPN fans complaining. Apparently they didn’t watch ESPN from like 1986 through 1993 when wrestling was on 5 days a week… Bitches.

– Backstage Jojo interviews Lana and Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler wants a match added to Summer Slam, Dolph vs. Rusev.

– A very long video hyping Taker vs. Brock is shown with several wrestlers commenting throughout. We learn that Brock Lesnar’s Homecoming will take place in the ring later tonight.

– IC Champ Ryback to the ring for action with the Miz.

— Commercial Break —

5. IC Champion Ryback vs. The Miz

Ryback’s return match. Non-title of course. Big Show on commentary, Show has a new movie releasing tomorrow called Vendetta. Miz on the mic before the match, mocking Big Show for being a wanna-be actor. That’s one way to shit on WWE Studios. Ryback chops the shit out of Miz to get going, but Miz goes to Ryback’s bad leg to work it over. Ryback catches a big boot from Miz and takes over. Gorilla press into a powerslam. Meathook Clothesline! Miz tries to come back with a body block off the middle rope, but Ryback catches him and turns it into a vertical suplex before turning it into SHELL SHOCK and that ends this squash in 2:22.

Ryback then calls out Big Show. Show just walks off. Wait til Slam.

– Up next, the contract signing.

— Commercial Break —

Seth Rollins / John Cena Contract Signing

– The Authority in the ring for the Contract Signing. Seth Rollins is out next with a shirt that reads “Never Shuts Up” on the front and “You Can’t See Knee” on the back. Well if that’s his gimmick, he does it well… Seth sticks to his shirt, never shutting up, cutting a promo about all the greatness that will come out of Slam when he leaves with both titles. Seth talks about the fans witnessing something special this Sunday and how he looks forward to his statue being erected. Seth rips the Minnesota Twins for cheap heat before he tells Cena the times are changing and his time has passed him by. Rollins calls Cena the “villain” because he’s holding the fans hostage by controlling the main event for so long. The crowd is fairly anti-Cena so they’re into it. NOW we get to the broken nose part of the promo. He says the broken nose was the beginning of the process to free the WWE Universe of the disease known as John Cena. Cena is the disease, Rollins is the cure. lol… Seth calls Cena a coward for running to Tough Enough to answer the challenge with the “crippled” Daniel Bryan.

Cue John Cena… sporting a brand new orange shirt. He calls Seth a cheap imitation of John Cena with the mock shirt. All Cena has been thinking about is payback. Cena talks abou revenge, but breaking something of Seth’s is just an injury. But then it hit Cena, he is a 15 time Heavyweight Champion. And at Slam he will become 16 time champion. Poor Ric Flair. Cena says when Seth loses, HHH loses, because Cena will take the title and HHH’s mentor’s (Ric Flair) record. Cena says Seth isn’t the future, he’s a footnote, a trivia question. “Who did John Cena beat to win the WWE title for the 16th time”.

Cena says Seth is following in HHH’s footsteps. Ric Flair was HHH’s mentor, and now HHH is Seth’s mentor. The only difference is that HHH was never Flair’s bitch… oooohhh no he didn’t. lol… Cena then says he will also make Seth his bitch this Sunday…. Cena signs the contract and leaves…

HHH stares down Rollins with a concerned look. Rollins stares back.

Not one of Cena’s better go-home big match type promos, but it was decent near the end. To me this is one of those “feuds” that doesn’t hold a lot of storyline anticipation. This is more just show me what you got type anticipation. I’ll admit, I’m both worried and curious as to how this thing plays out. I think taking the belt off either guy right now is a bad move…

– Brock Lesnar on Sportscenter tomorrow morning at 9am and also on Mike & Mike.

— Commercial Break —

– Okay, so let’s see where we are right now… We’ve got about 50 minutes left in the show counting the run over. Twenty of that will likely go to the Brock/Taker stuff. So we’re looking at 30 minutes left in the program tonight and half of that will likely go to the Divas match. Assuming Dolph vs. Rusev is being added to the PPV there’s 10 matches now slated for Summer Slam. They’ve done the final sell for 6 of 10 matches. That leaves 4 matches to sell. We know the Divas and Taker/Brock have segments… That only leaves the Tag Title and the Amell match.

Speaking of the Tag Titles…

6. The Prime Time Players & Lucha Dragons vs. Los Matadores & New Day (w/Xavier)

New Day with a rhyming promo before the match. Matadores play heel, even knocking the faces off the apron. Cara lands a Angle Slam on one of the Matadores and hot tags to Titus who beats the crap of of the Matadores and throws them around. Woods distracts and the Matador lands a Back Stabber on O’Neil. Torito lands a flying butt press off the apron onto Woods on the floor. In the midst of this distraction, Kalisto comes in with a springboard huracan rana on the legal Matador for the pin in 2:10.

I know they don’t consider this match important, but this was just terrible for a final sell. New Day and Young never even tagged in.

– It’s confirmed, Rusev vs. Ziggler for Slam.

— Commercial Break —

– The next segment is dedicated to hyping Stardust & King Barrett vs. Stephen Amell & Neville. A video package airs hyping the match followed by a backstage promo from Stardust & Barrett. Barrett has to stand there and pretend like Cody is making sense. Barrett is handed a floating cape with chains and is now “The Cosmic King” Jesus Christ.

– Divas headed to the ring for action.

— Commercial Break —

7. NXT Women’s Champ Sasha Banks (w/Team BAD) vs. Divas Champ Nikki Bella (w/Brie & Fox)

Nikki controls early, Sasha finally comes back with the double stomp on the middle buckle, then mocks Nikki with pushups before break.

Back from break, Sasha still in control… Nikki MISSES A DISASTER KICK BY TWO FEET… THAT WAS TERRIBLE!!!!! Nikki comes back. Crowd doesn’t care. Alabama slam by Bella for 2. Sasha comes back with a variation of a neckbreaker for 2. “We Want Lesnar” chants begin as this drags on with a shitty Bella in the match. Nikki rolls through a reverse roll up and lands an Ocean Cyclone type suplex on Banks. Nikki goes for Rack Attack but Naomi distracts… Sasha with the Back Stabber and the Bank Statement. Nikki wants to fight it, but taps in 10:36.

– Backstage Renee Young with Paige, Charlotte and Becky. They’re going to win at Slam, with a little bit of Flair…. Wooo

– Brock is next.

— Commercial Break —

– We’re back with Paul Heyman who hyped of Brock lesnar’s credentials in the WWE, UFC, and NCAA… Brock is announced to the ring and the hometown crowd explodes…. Brock eats up the ovation. Paul gets down on his knees and worship Brock, and then sings Glory Glory Hallelujah with words changed to suit Brock Lesnar… Then a bell gongs and the lights flicker… Heyman gets scared for a moment but then he and Lesnar laugh it off… Heyman asks Taker if that’s the best he got, calls it Jedi mind tricks and calls Taker Obi Wan. lol…

Back to the promo, Heyman runs down Taker and what Brock has done to him. He points out Taker using the low blow at Battleground to drop Brock. Heyman continues to trash Taker until the lights go out with a GONG again… When they turn on it’s just Taker and Lesnar in the ring. aker immediately goes with a low blow again and connects. The crowd boos Taker as Lesnar is the hometown man. Taker plays it up heel style here, landing the low blow, then a chokeslam, and a Tombstone lays out Lesnar. Grandpa Eyeliner celebrates to a sea of boos to end the show. A bit of an odd and simple ending.

Nothing mind blowing for the go-home show. But with ten decent matches on one single card you don’t really need much to sell a 4 hour PPV for $9.99. They made a point to touch on all ten matches, so that was a plus.

Podcast: Blood Runs Cold, As The TMPToW Interview Glacier (Ray Lloyd)

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August 17, 2015

Today’s guest is perhaps the subject of one of the most memorable and anticipated debuts in pro wrestling history. In 1996 Ray Lloyd was the focus of seemingly an endless amount of vignettes that led to WCW’s most original television pitch for a debuting superstar and today we welcome that star as Glacier joins The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling. With blood that runs cold and the first undefeated streak of the Monday Night War, Glacier proved that the creative machine inside WCW knew that capitalizing on a popular video game style could be the way to launch a brand new competitor. Glacier’s run may be looked back upon with jeers and second guessing but it is truly the man behind Glacier, Ray Lloyd that is the real story.

Full Episode Download Link:
http://tmptow.podoma…T21_00_00-07_00

Glacier on Creative Plans & WCW Politics Getting In The Way of His Push:

Who made the initial introduction to Eric Bischoff:

Dallas (Page) and I had become good friends. We would work out together at Main Event which was a gym that everybody was working out at then. I had mentioned that I was going to start using martial arts in ring and he mentioned that (Eric) was into all of that stuff. So we scheduled a meeting and in January I had literally a three hour meeting with him and he grilled me up and down. At the end of that conversation he said I want to sign you to a contract and he asked if I was wrestling on the Independent scene and I had been wrestling there a lot. I remember him saying to cancel all my bookings on the Independent scene and totally disappear and I remember saying I can do that and just totally disappear.

The work that went into creating the gimmick and the characters:

I got to know (Chris) Kanyon, Bryan Clarke and I were already friends and I got to know Ernest (Miller) and we quickly all kind of gelled together as a unit. Chris and I became very good friends all the way up until he passed away. For Chris and I this was it, we may only get this one shot so we didn’t take it lightly at all and Page was assigned to oversee it all. We were at the Power Plant everyday, all day and then we would all meet up and watch the videos of the day and then be back at the Power Plant the next day and did that for months before we ever went on TV. We put a lot of hard work into that, just figuring out who the gimmicks were. Eric’s whole thing was it’s like a video game come to life but said I want you guys to play it very serious. At the end of the day did it become exactly what I thought it could be, no. But it was an unbelievable opportunity to break new ground in wrestling, the Glacier entrance broke new ground in wrestling, I was the first guy to wrestle with a colored contact and I was definitely the first guy to have arena snow when I came out.

The money spent by WCW to bring Glacier to life:

I tell people all the time, that armor all together weighs over twenty pounds. For an entrance it’s no big deal but for a three hour appearence it’s a big deal to wear it. I actually became friends with the head of AFX Studios, he was a young and upcoming artist and really creative, I introduced him to Eric and they decided to go with him for the persona’s of all four of the gimmicks and they spent a lot of money. I can confirm that I saw all the invoices he submitted to WCW and it was around $35,000 for the creation of the Glacier “look”. Keith Mitchell has looked me right in the eye and said that my entrance was close to $400,000 and almost $10,000 every time I came on TV. I’m glad I didn’t know all of that back then.

The impact made by Glacier and how has the WWE Network helped his legacy:

The costume, when I do appearances was built to be durable. Almost twenty years later I still have the full costume and when WCW folded they never asked for it back. I have one of the original masks that I got back then, one of the three I had originally got. Thank GOD I still look somewhat like I did on TV back in the day and am not the three-hundred pound Glacier. With the WWE Network and them replaying some of our stuff it’s a huge thrill for me now to be able to go out and make appearances and still be Glacier because a lot of wrestlers never get that opportunity, there gimmick comes and goes and is forgotten. I am so fortunate that people remembered it and still appreciate it.

Glacier also discusses his feuds with Mortis and Wrath, facing Bill Goldberg, WCW being very political, mass chaos backstage, turning heel, Vince Russo, training wrestlers today and embracing the gimmick

Podcast: Austin Idol Returns To The TMPToW

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August 17, 2015

So nice we did it twice, The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling Podcast welcomes back one of the most requested guests we have featured to date, The Universal Heartthrob Austin Idol. Known for being one of the most flashy wrestlers of all time and quite often the most imitated, Austin Idol looks to conquer a new platform in the world of fitness and nutrition as part of LEANDOWN FITNESS. A full scale virtual gym, LEANDOWN FITNESS is designed for the individual who is looking to lose weight, the athlete aspiring to be a world champion and everyone in between. With the help of even more stories about his career. Austin Idol gives us a deeper look into his success outside of wrestling and how his training can help any fan looking to get themselves back on track.

Full Episode Download Link:

Austin Idol on Teaming with Stan Hansen and Touring Japan:

Other wrestlers seeking out his training advice and working “clean”

Absolutely. I’ve always been willing to do that. My thing is always being clean. When I say clean I mean nothing supplemental. I’ve just done it the old-fashioned way; training, living clean and no “juice”, no “gas”, no illegal drugs. That’s all temporary anyway, you blow up and pump up and once you get off that stuff you deflate like putting air in a tire. It’s just so unhealthy so many guys and people get into a lot of trouble by doing that stuff. I’ve always been willing to give tips out to help people, sure why not? It doesn’t hurt to help people.

Working with an up and coming Rick Rude in CWA:

Rick came in and was very very lean but all cut and everything, he was a former power lifter and I was a former power lifter and I think he came in from Louisiana when Bill Watts was in that area at the time. He was green, he was pretty green as grass but he had something and it was a body. He had a girl with him, Angel who was a good looking girl. They were not going to use him at all and he was not going to be successful. They were not going to use him in Memphis. But I liked what I saw and I believed we could create some magic, so again I went to (Jerry) Jarrett and asked to do something with this guy and he let me. It turned out very good.

Working with Jerry Jarrett and their relationship:

Personally, I like Jerry. From the personal side, he was smart. Sometimes he could come up with something that was really really genius but of course nobody bats 1000 and something was lukewarm. I’ve got to give it to him, smart guy and for the most part we had a pretty good relationship. There were times where I felt my compensation was not what it should have been and I didn’t mind asking for it. I know with the internet there is so much out there about so many people and there’s not much out there that you can believe. I’ve seen stories out there that I held up Jerry Jarrett for more money on the cage match (vs. Jerry Lawler), crazy and totally untrue. Somebody claims that’s the case. I don’t know if it’s Jerry that said it but I’ve always been one to say something if my compensation wasn’t fair.

Helping set up his feud with “Exotic” Adrian Street:

I’ve heard that he has said some derogatory things about me through the grape-vine and I don’t care. I had been out of the area and I came back and he was wrestling around the middle of the card, so he wasn’t the first match but by any stretch he was not in the main event. Of course he had the character and persona with the dress and the attire and the whole thing. I looked at him and said this guy has something going but they weren’t using him. I finished up there and ended up going to Alabama. When I got down there I said to the promoter Ron Fuller there is a guy up in Memphis who has a great look and extremely flamboyant, not a big guy but he’s got something. I told Adrain if you want to go down to pan-handle of Florida I’ve got you all setup and boom there’s another one.

Teaming with Dirty Dutch Mantel:

With me he (Dutch) was very easy. Really, I was a top guy so it was Jerry Jarrett’s idea to put Dutch with me. Dutch came in and he worked very hard. I never had any problems with Dutch and I am sure he was happy to be in that position.

Podcast: The TMPToW Interview Jumpin’ Jim Brunzell

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August 17, 2015

As the legendary Gorilla Monsoon would often say, today’s guest had one of the best drop kicks in the history of the wrestling business and now the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling welcomes, Jumpin’ Jim Brunzell and his amazing dropkick to the podcast. Jumping’ Jim is also one of the most accomplished tag team specialists to ever grace the squared circle and with that skill became a 2 time AWA tag team champion alongside Greg Gagne as part of the High Flyers and of course he was also a part of the iconic Killer Bees tag team with longtime partner and former TMPToW guest B. Brian Blair but now as the author of his new book: MatLands: True Stories from the Wrestling Road by (Blurb books) Jumpin’ Jim Brunzell chronicles his journey through the uncertain and sometimes dangerous road of professional wrestling as well as cover all aspects of his legendary career.

Full Episode Download Link:

Jumpin Jim Brunzell on The WWF Tag Team Scene of The 80s:

His book MatLands: True Stories from the Wrestling Road:

It was 5 ½ years in the making. I like to tell stories about the road and the wrestling and entertain my friends at different parties and somebody you should write a book. My wife got me a little Dictaphone and after a while I had like 50 stories and from there I just would make notes and then would write a story down and over the course of the 5 ½ years we finally put it together. First it was going to be a photo book and when you try to self-publish this photo book would have cost $72 so I didn’t think that would sell many on the market so we made it into a trade book. I couldn’t have asked for a better response. It’s an easy read at 162 pages and I’m very happy with it. I didn’t have an axe to grind so I just sort of told stories from the very beginning on how I got involved and through the years, my various partners and some of the crazy things that happened on the road and it turned out to be “MatLands”.

The recent passing of Rowdy Roddy Piper:

Roddy Piper was a tough, city kid who came from Winnipeg and was tough as nails. Roddy realized what he had to do to be on top in this business and he did it. His wit and savvy were second to none, he knew what the promoter wanted, he was incredible on the microphone and he had probably the quickest hands I’ve ever seen on anybody. He would have been a great prize-fighter and he would have been a great boxer. He beat the crap out of Mr. T in that one WrestleMania and he was head and shoulders above everybody. He had an agenda and that’s what he stuck to. But he was totally different outside the ring. When he left the ring, I know he was a hard partying guy but I know his family meant everything to him so once he was off camera that was it, I never saw Roddy.

Memories of Piper:

I may have partied with him once or twice in the six or seven years I was with the WWF. When I had gone down to North Carolina, he had just left and he and Flair just did unbelievable business down in North Carolina. He was a hard living guy and partied like a son-of-a-gun. I remember one time we were in the LA Sports Auditorium and he got done wrestling and we had separate rooms, not like a locker room but just different rooms that you would go shower and when he reached around for a towel he stuck his finger in a socket and it was live and he went down like a ton of bricks shaking on the floor. He was lucky he didn’t get killed being electrocuted but he overcame that and when you think of someone dying in their sleep of a heart attack but look back on his life, he partied hardy and he was doing whatever he could to further himself and further his career. GOD bless him, he will be missed dearly.

Preference of working as a singles or a tag team wrestler:

To be honest, I wanted to do whatever would make me the most money. That’s why I was in pro-wrestling. I never let any ego get involved, I thought whatever I can do and you can’t fight City Hall. I was down in the Mid-Atlantic in (19) 79 and 80 by myself and I enjoyed it, came back worked with Greg as a tag team and enjoyed it. Went out to New York saying hopefully they will use me as a singles but they had so many guys that they had to throw guys into tag teams. That was fine, I just have no regrets, I worked hard in every town I went into the ring and tried to have a good match no matter what. I was a little disappointed in the way things went in the WWF but that’s the way it went.

Wrestlers from the Old-School still working to this day:

When you look at the guys that wrestled during my time-slot or my “era” everybody has to work. Hulk, he was the golden-goose but everybody else still had to find a job. You get anomalies like Greg Valentine who is six months older than me and is still wrestling and Ric Flair, he’s eight months older than me and he owes so much money he can’t quit. It’s a shame but that’s the way it is and I think we all knew that getting into the business and that’s the life that we chose.

Does pro-wrestling experience translates to post retirement work outside the business:

I have no regrets. But the only regret I may have is I would have left wrestling sooner. But when you are making good money, wrestling does nothing for you in the real world. It doesn’t prepare you for anything. You live in a sheltered world where you are told where you are going to be, who your opponent is, what general things to say and then given a book of tickets and on you go. When you get out in the real world people ask you what’s your background? You say, well I’ve been to a lot of airports, a lot of motels, a lot arenas and gyms.

Jumpin Jim Brunzell also discusses his picture perfect drop-kick, training with Verne Gagne, becoming a team with Greg Gagne, traveling to Japan, Getting to the WWF, Being Teamed With Brian Blair, Hulk Hogans Influence, The Tag Team Scene, How Competitive The Company Was, His Exit from the Business and more about his book, MatLands: True Stories from the Wrestling Road.

Podcast: The TMPToW Interview Brian Kendrick

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August 17, 2015

Brian Kendrick is one of the more eccentric superstars in wrestling today and now he joins The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling. Although he is back in the WWE as part of NXT and hoping to re-establish himself under the WWE umbrella Kendrick has proven to be one of the top trainers in the industry. We also delve deep into his tag team run alongside Paul London and his run as Spanky in Ring of Honor. We are also joined by Dr. David Reiss and discuss the psychological side of the wrestling business as well as the Hulk Hogan controversy.

Full Episode Download Link:

Brian Kendrick On Vince McMahon Taking Away London & Kendrick’s Masks:

How he felt about his recent matches in NXT:

Those experiences were great. I got to wrestle a couple of buddies in the two matches I had down there, one with Sami Callihan (Solomon Crowe) the other with Fergal Devitt (Finn Balor) and both guys I knew before they were signed and both are guys that I am also a fan of just as people and as performers. To get asked to get to do these things was a lot of fun. It was a treat to get to wrestle such talented wrestlers.

How did the NXT cameo come about:

It was just a lot of luck. They brought me down just to go to the developmental system because I have a wrestling school out here in Los Angeles, it was a chance for me to get to go down to see how the Performance Center runs things for a week and observe some things. So they decided to throw me a dark match and of course I brought my gear because that’s what any good wrestler does and it just so happened that it fell into my lap.

Was his time at the Performance Center a tryout for future use as a trainer:

I guess it’s true in a sense but it wasn’t an official tryout. It was more of a come down and see how the system works. For me the whole point was to go down there and gain some knowledge as far as how they run things and the drills they do so I could prepare my wrestlers in a way that they won’t be completely caught off guard if they are lucky enough and work hard enough to somehow get an opportunity to perform at the Performance Center or get a tryout. It’s top notch. Theyve got something like 5,6,7 rings. One of them is completely soft. So guys can try riskier stuff. They’ve got video rooms, they’ve got trainers on staff to both help you learn how to lift, trainers in a sense of medical care, they’ve got ice baths and all kinds of stuff. It’s as if you were going to any major NFL team or a baseball team it’s on that level.

Will NXT end up killing the Independent Scene:

I don’t think it’s going to kill it. To me it’s genius that they took a style, the “indy” style which is very high paced, high risk, high intensity style of match and are seeing how it works in front of a WWE audience. As far as I could tell, anyone who watches NXT is a repeat viewer, they can come back and watch more because they enjoy it. I don’t know if it is going to hurt Ring of Honor when people learn that Kevin Owens was a Ring of Honor superstar so if people have this knowledge I’m sure it can help Ring of Honor in a bizarre way. I think if Ring of Honor markets itself as a “stars of tomorrow” I think it could be unbelievable because all those stars that came out of Ring of Honor that move on to NXT are hot stuff.

Training Eva Marie and her progress as a performer:

She’s not the only one, they’ve sent a few women and they’ve sent the hopefuls to me but she’s the only one contracted. Having somebody that like her knows the system, where also she’ll be able to go on and wrestle, what you saw in NXT that was her first match since going to wrestling school. As proud as I was of it, hopefully people in the next few months will become a big fan of Eva Marie’s work and so the fact that they can come out of my school and go directly to TV for me on a selfish level I get more instant gratification that I get to see them come up quicker. At the same time, if I get to see one of my students, like a kid who came off the street who never knew anything about wrestling go onto to success I guess I would feel a different kind of pride since I saw them when they were wide eyed.

Who from WWE made the call to ask him to help out:

The call wasn’t made from him but the call was made to me from Mr. Regal because we have a relationship from years past. He is one of the guys who helped train me and so the office knows our connection and he is the one who dealt with me. But as far as I know, Eva told me that she went to the higher-ups and asked to learn and train and they said that there is a school in Los Angeles so that way she can still do all of her appearances and so they can keep her in LA. Also it’s a way to see if I know how to train or not.

Brian Kendrick also discusses his entire run as WWE Tag Team Champions alongside Paul London, how the team came about, what makes them work so well together, his singles run in WWE, his brief victory in the WWE Title Scramble Match, his run in ROH as Spanky and the great matches he had with the greats of ROH such as Brian Danielson, his brief stints in TNA, his wrestling school and what is next for him as a trainer.

Podcast: The TMPToW Interview Roderick Strong

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August 17, 2015