Source: PWInsider
Regarding the recent TNA departures of Gunner and Samuel Shaw, they were decisions made by the company. Neither man did anything that caused their release, it was more of TNA not having anything for them to do right now.
There have been no plans for either wrestler but they could always be brought back down the line if TNA has something for them to do.
After a media tour which seems to have backfired, former WWE Intercontinental Champion Chyna posted the video above in which she pleads with Triple H and Vince McMahon to meet with her to make amends.
“I have gone to WWE offices to try to get a meeting to discuss these issues personally with Hunter and Vince, and I would really like to open the dialogue, and have an audience with them to make that happen. Hunter and Vince, may I please have a meeting so we can make amends and bury the hatchet?,” she said.
It’s worth noting that Chyna has accused Triple H of assaulting her during numerous appearances, something that Triple H has vehemently denied. Chyna’s ex-boyfriend Sean “X-Pac” Waltman also said that she admitted to him the accusations were false. In the video, she called her time with WWE the “best in her life.”
“Regarding my relationship with WWE and Hunter – those were the best days of my life. Wonderful opportunities, and I’m very grateful (for) those days, which is why I’m so passionate about being inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame,” she said.
Chyna also noted that she wanted to clear the air regarding the issues that have been brought up. Chyna has been pushing a Kickstarter to produce a documentary about her “reconstruction.” Thus far the Kickstarter has earned over $4,000.
– WWE is teasing a big in-ring showdown between Brock Lesnar and WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins on tonight’s RAW from Indiana.
Tonight’s WWE RAW will take place from the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana with more hype for next month’s Battleground pay-per-view. Superstars advertised for tonight include Brock Lesnar, John Cena, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, Kevin Owens, Sheamus and Big Show.
No matches have been announced for tonight but WWE is focusing on the following points:
* Will The Architect crumble before WWE Battleground?
* Is Paige fighting a battle she can’t win?
* Will John Cena address Kevin Owens’ U.S. Title challenge?
* Are Bray Wyatt’s mind games working on Roman Reigns?
* Has the sun set on The New Day?
Our own BJack returns this week with his live review of the ongoing show so check back tonight for WWE Raw thoughts.
He is the true Innovator of the Selfie and today The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling Podcast is joined by former WCW manager extraordinaire, Sonny Onoo. From his early friendship with Eric Bischoff through his key contributions in helping repair the relationship between New Japan Pro Wrestling and WCW, Sonny gives us a deep look into how much he contributed to the boom era of pro wrestling that changed the lives of so many workers involved in the business.
Full Episode Download Link:
http://tmptow.podoma…T21_00_00-07_00
Sonny Oono on being the Innovator of the Selfie in WCW
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How WCW repaired its relationship with New Japan Pro Wrestling:
I went to Japan with Eric not knowing or having any idea about wrestling whatsoever. The Japanese wrestlers like Masa Saito who was a ’64 Olympian for Japan, Sakaguchi who was an Olympian at Judo and a towering man who is like 6 foot 8 and then you have the meanest looking man you ever want to know a guy like (Riki) Choshu. When I sat down in a meeting with them for the first time, Eric told me that I didn’t have to say anything and just sit and translate for him. But there was a guy named Tiger Hattori who actually still works for New Japan and even though his english is very good, Hattori tells me to translate. My Japanese was ok but not up to par and as Eric is explaining his plans, Masa and those guys have no expression on their faces except that they just want to kill us.
Why the relationship soured prior to Bischoff’s arrival:
New Japan had paid prior WCW management upwards of $400,000 to do a talent exchange program so that WCW talent could go to New Japan and do some of their tours. It turns out that they took the money and never sent the talent. So the guy who used to have Eric’s position took the money and never sent the talent, no wonder they looked like they wanted to kill us.
The original invasion of WCW in 1995:
When you think about it and you use the word “invading” you think of what the nWo did. When Eric and I flew back from Japan I said that it was too bad that you couldn’t do some kind of unifications between wrestling championships like you could in Boxing. So that is what we decided to do with New Japan and we made it so Bobby Heenan sold me the Saturday Night show because the character I played of Sonny Onoo was a rich Japanese businessman and at that time the Japanese economy was at the height of the bubble and the Yen was strong. So to play up that angle we used reality as a base and I bought Saturday Night and started bringing in all the Japanese talent. I am so glad we got to do all that and show some of those talents. Show how stiff they work. There is no 3 minute match in Japan, the matches are 20 or 30 minutes. They don’t format things and all those guys are such amazing physical specimans. Working with those guys and being able to go on a tour with them and become friends with them was the opportunity of a lifetime. Eric was smart enough to take some of that talent that was under contract to New Japan and hired talents like Wild Pegasus (Chris Benoit), Black Tiger (Eddie Guerrero) and Dean Malenko and put those “Americans” on the WCW payroll.
The Great Muta and Masahiro Chono joining the nWo and nWo Japan:
The nWo Japan angle for New Japan made an amazing amount of money for that company. In the summer of 1998 we sold upwards of five million dollars worth of t-shirts. It was amazing. I’m sure the wrestlers didn’t see any of that money but the company definitely made money. The nWo Japan was Chono and Muta, they were like the Kevin Nash of nWo Japan. Chono double crosses me on Nitro and the next week I bring Muta to avenge me and Muta turns on me. In retrospect I am so glad I played part in the birth of nWo Japan and you look at history 15 or 16 years ago and how it all developed I am so grateful to just have been apart of the height of viewership in American pro wrestling and the height in popularity of Japanese pro wrestling.
Sonny Oono also discusses all of the talent he managed, his subsequent lawsuit against WCW, Opinion of Vince Russo, Friendship with Eric Bischoff and getting back into the wrestling business.
Episode 1
– Nigel McGuinness announces that Jay Lethal will defend his ROH Title against Roderick Strong at Death Before Dishonor. He also notes Kyle O’Reilly is also a top contender since he submitted Lethal last year. Addiction vs. Kingdom vs. War Machine vs. ReDRagon is announced for the tag titles for the iPPV.
* Dalton Castle defeated Watanabe via pinfall. Castle cuts a promo on Silas Young after the match.
– The House of Truth is out for a promo and Lethal announces he isn’t vacating the TV title, because he earned both titles. Nigel tells him he may have to defend both titles in one night, and next week Mark Briscoe gets a TV Title shot. Roderick Strong comes out and gets in Lethal’s face.
* ReDRagon & Michael Elgin defeated Kingdom (w/ Maria) via pinfall. Cole shook hands with his opponents, which made Kingdom mad.
Episode 2
* Matt Sydal defeated Adam Page (w/ Decade) via pinfall. Whitmer attacks Sydal and ACH makes the save, but gets hit with a chair. He challenges Whitmer for the iPPV.
– Veda Scott came out and said Moose failed to become a successful pro wrestler. She announces Cedric Alexander vs. Moose for Death before Dishonor.
* Will Ferrara defeated Silas Young via pinfall when one of Dalton Castle’s boys distracted Young.
* ROH TV Champion Jay Lethal defeats Mark Briscoe to retain the ROH TV Title. Lethal and Jay Briscoe brawl, but the Briscoes are jumped by House of Truth. Roderick Strong makes the save and proposes a six man tag. ODB instead wants to make it an 8-person tag with Truth Martini.
Episode 3
* Bullet Club (AJ Styles & Matt Jackson) defeated War Machine via pinfall.
* Cedric Alexander defeated Romantic Touch for the pin. Moose hits the ring after the match, but Cedric leaves.
* Kyle O’Reilly vs. Adam Cole goes to a no-contest when Addiction interferes.
* Futureshock (Cole & O’Reilly) defeated The Addiction via pinfall.
Episode 4
* Kingdom (w/Maria) defeats enhancement talents via pinfall.
* Moose defeated Dalton Castle, Silas Young, Cheeseburger, Caprice Coleman and Brutal Bob Evans in a 6-way match.
– Whitmer comes out and talks about Colby Corino’s progress and says he’s booked Corino in a gauntlet match. Steve Corino got in Whitmer’s face and Nigel McGuinness separated them.
* Bobby Fish defeated ACH via pinfall.
Episode 5
* Briscoes, ODB, & Roderick Strong defeated The House of Truth.
* Samoa Joe & AJ Styles defeated Addiction. All four embraced after the match. Joe cuts a passionate promo to end the show.
– WrestlingDVDNews.com reports that prices of WWE’s 2006 “The American Dream: The Dusty Rhodes Story” DVD have soared online since his passing. eBay listings for the DVD have reached as high as $41 and some Amazon sellers have it priced between $34.99 and $199.50.
– Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley’s tag team in WWE NXT is now called The Hype Bros. Ryder appears to be working NXT live events regularly now.
Regarding reports of Brad Maddox coming out as CM Punk at last night’s WWE live event in Las Vegas, reader Scott Fisher sent the following update:
“I believe what got people started on the CM Punk, Brad Maddox thing was when he first came out to cut a promo some people thought he was CM Punk just by how he looked, I think a big group of teenagers tried to get the Punk chant going but it was short lived if that. Maddox did cut a ‘pipebomb’ promo but it fell flat and everyone just wanted him out of the ring.”
Another reader sent the following:
“Maddox did not come out with CM Punk’s theme song, that was a rumor started on Twitter because people in my section near the stage thought it was Punk when he first came out for the pre-match speech about people forgetting who he was. Maddox seemed like he tweaked his in ring style some with more kicks and MMA style but he stalled some too, Swagger carried the match easily. No CM Punk theme song but the look had some people fooled, not all of us.”
Below are photos of Maddox at the event:
– The latest episode of “The WWE List” premiered on the WWE Network last week and is available on demand. The description reads like this:
“Not everything can be found on Google. Shocking Title Changes gives rank to some of the most OMG Title Matches of all time!”
– WWE Swerved will premiere on the WWE Network this Monday night after RAW goes off the air. The new synopsis reads like this:
“Zack Ryder and Alex Riley get shocked, Booker T gets Hornswoggled, and we take the Poo Mic to the WWE Hall of Fame Red Carpet.”
– Former WCW Champion Lex Luger recently caught up with Bill Apter, who he credited with putting him on the map while he was working in Florida. The two reminisced about Luger’s early years and when Apter got his first look at Luger.
Luger explained what he was up to now that he’s retired, and noted that he’s now involved with charity organizations with another NWA mainstay.
“I just moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. I’m working on a brand new non-profit with Nikita Koloff, the Russian Nightmare. We’re enjoying that. We’re very excited about it. It’s called the World Wrestling Outreach. We do fund-raising for communities through wrestling events, fan friendly events. We go to schools on Fridays and churches on Sundays,” Luger said.
In addition to the wrestling charity in which Luger devotes his time to, he said there was another branch in which promotes physical wellness. Starting in 2011, Luger also worked behind the scenes with WWE to help improve their Wellness program.
“We also do the World Wellness Outreach. That’s for people being physically, mentally, fit,” said Luger.
The two conclude
Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Sheamus winning the WWE Money In the Bank briefcase this year was something planned last year. Sheamus was originally going to turn heel and face Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania XXX but when CM Punk left, plans changed. Sheamus was then supposed to win the briefcase at Money In the Bank but when that match became for the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Title, plans changed again and they went with who would be the best person to drop the belt to Brock Lesnar, which was John Cena. When WWE announced the second Money In the Bank match last year, with a title shot at stake, Sheamus had already been announced for the first match and they didn’t want to change plans.
That brings us to this year and Sheamus winning the briefcase. With the win, Sheamus is likely to take the WWE World Heavyweight Title in the next year from whichever babyface takes the title from Seth Rollins. If they do go with a babyface taking the title from Rollins, it would mean he turns back to a heel after facing Triple H at SummerSlam as a babyface, or it means the face Rollins vs. heel Triple H feud doesn’t happen after all.
