Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Aug 13, 2013 10:26:33 GMT -6
PRO WRESTLING NEWS:
---As noted earlier, 2K Sports announced that WWE 2K14 will feature a "30 Years of WrestleMania" mode. With that announcement, more names were revealed on WWE 2K14's roster page. Here is the updated list:
* Andre The Giant
* Dolph Ziggler
* Hulk Hogan
* Hollywood Hulk Hogan
* JBL
* John Cena
* "Macho Man" Randy Savage
* The Rock
* The Rock (Retro)
* Ryback
* Shawn Michaels
* "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
* The Ultimate Warrior
* Undertaker
* Undertaker (American Badass)
---Former WWE/TNA/ROH wrestler Low-Ki and recent TNA release D-Lo Brown are returning to Japan to be part of All-Japan's "Royal Road" single-elimination tournament in September.
In First Round matches, Low-Ki is scheduled to face AAA wrestler Dark Cuervo and D-Lo Brown is scheduled to face veteran wrestler Yoshinobu Kanemaru.
Other notables in the tournament include former WWE wrestler KENSO (Kenzo Suzuki), Jun Akiyama, Go Shiozaki, former WWE Developmental wrestler Joe Doering, and Akebono.
Ki's match is scheduled for September 11 in Tokyo and Brown's match is scheduled for Sept. 14 in Yokohama. The tournament runs through September 23.
---NWA Smoky Mountain "Fire on the Mountain" Results
August 10, 2013
Kingsport, Tenn. at the Civic Auditorium
The NWA released the following results from Smoky Mountain's weekend card, which featured NWA World Hvt. champion Rob Conway's latest title defense and Jason Kincaid capturing the NWA Jr. Hvt. Title.
(1) Elliot Russell beat Cody Matthews.
(2) Jeff Connelly submitted NWA Southern TV champion Alyx Winter in a Submissions match to capture the title.
(3) NWA Southern Tag Team champions The Lords of Kaos (Lance Erikson & NWA National Champion Damien Wayne) beat Daniel Mulligan & Cody Blade.
(4) "The Spirit Dragon" Shynron beat Sigmon.
(5) Air America (Gavin Daring & Skylar Kruze) beat NWA Tennessee Tag Team champions Matt Conard & Nick Hammonds (subbing for Zac Vincent) in a Ladder match to win the titles.
(6) Vince Brent beat NWA Mountain Empire Champion Josh Crawford via DQ.
(7) NWA World's Hvt. champion Rob Conway beat Chris Richards via DQ.
(8) NWA Smoky Mountain champion Jason Kincaid beat NWA Jr. Hvt. champion Chase Owens to become the new NWA World Jr. Hvt. champion.
---TNA President Dixie Carter announced the following on her Facebook page: "After meeting with Hulk Hogan, due to circumstances beyond our control - Aces and 8s vs. Main Event Mafia 5 on 5 match is delayed until 8/22 Impact." Oddly enough, the 8/22 episode of Impact Wrestling will be taped after this Thursday's episode.Kurt Angle in rehab may have something to do with it.
---Maxim has a photo gallery of new WWE Diva Eva Marie in their September 2013 issue. You can check out some photos of Eva in a bikini from the issue at Maxim.com by clicking here, www.maxim.com/girls-of-maxim/the-newest-wwe-diva-eva-marie
--- Casting began today for WWE Studios upcoming film, See No Evil 2, which features Kane reprising his role of Jacob Goodnight.
---BJ Whitmer wrote on his Twitter that he met with his doctor to get his MRI results and didn't "like" what he was told and would be seeking a second opinion.Whitmer suffered a herniated disc taking a piledriver on the apron during a ROH event in Toronto earlier this month.
---WWE filed a document with the SEC on Monday announcing their financing plan to acquire a new corporate jet.
Dated August 7, the document notes that WWE has created a new subsidiary, "WWE Jet Services, Inc." to enter into a Loan & Aircraft Security Agreement with RBS Asset Finance for a loan in the amount of $31.56 million.
The schedule of payments calls for quarterly installments of $405,548 until the seven-year loan's expiration on August 7, 2020.
Included in the agreement are notes about WWE's use of the new corporate jet, including WWE cannot operate the jet as a taxi service or fly the jet in restricted airspace.
Also, the primary hangar location will be Westchester County Airport in White Plains, New York.
WWE CFO George Barrios is listed as the executor of the agreement on behalf of WWE Jet Services, Inc. and WWE is listed as the corporate guarantor of the loan.
---NWA Anarchy from Saturday night in Cornelia, GA: Dango Wynn b Anthony Henry, Jon & Trey Williams b Jeremy Foster & Jake Coal, Kevin Blue & Brandon Parker & Wildside b Bobby Moore & CB Suave & Tommy Penerelli, Mikael Judas b Shaun Tempers, Joey Rhymer b BJ Hancock-DQ, Jeremy Vain & Brodie Chase b Shadow Jackson & Nemesis, Wade Adams b Jean-Pierre, Mike Posey & Corey Hollis b Najassism & Vandal, Geter b Jeremy Vain
---APW from Saturday night in Hayward, CA: Drake Younger b Willie Mack, Michael Elgin b Jeckles the Jester, Rich Swann b Dylan Drake, Ray Rosas b Marcus Lewis and Chris Kadillak in a three-way, Pink Mink Inc. b Suburban Commandos, JR Kratos b Levi Shapiro, Sir Samurai & Crazy TlLo b Hells Henchmen, Jeff Cobb b Buddy Royal
---Conan O'Brien did a bit showing footage of the Wyatt Family in a comedy skit where it's shown with a fake graphic that is purported to be cable guide show info as "The members of ZZ Top do something with wrestling and ducks."
---An article on the Mid Atlantic Fan Fest and the Magnum T.A. vs. Tully Blanchard I Quit match at www.sportsonearth.com/article/56368006/
---Jim Ross's U.K. speaking tour has every event except the one in Manchester sold out.
---Anarchy Championship Wrestling on Sunday in Austin, TX at 6 p.m. at Mohawk
---CMLL yesterday from Guadalajara: Metalik & Capitan b Acertijo & Yaqui, Joker & Starman b Divino & Brillante Jr., Smaker & Leon Blanco & Sky Kid b Rey Trueno & Mr. Trueno & Demonio Maya, Delta & Guerrero Maya Jr. & Gallo b Malefico & Exterminador & Barbaro Cavernario, Mascara Dorada & Mistico b Dragon Rojo Jr & Rey Escorpion (thanks to Steve "Dr. Lucha" Sims and Kris Zellner)
---El Hijo del Santo had his first match back since hernia surgery on Saturday night in Veracruz, teaming with Rayman to lose via DQ to Heddi Karaoui & Zumbi for his own Todos x Todos promotion.
---NWA Fusion from Saturday night in Gloucester VA: Nick Westgate b Bobby Shields, Larry Horsley b Boris Dragoff-DQ, Aden Chambers b Gunner, Memphis Mofo b Rocco Abruzzi, Wildman Kongo b Ryan Zane, Preston Quinn b Sabbath to keep Continental title. Next show is 8/17 in King & Queen, VA at the Elementary School with a Texas death match and a TLC match.
---Aden Chambers, who worked the show, announced that due to neck problems, he will be retiring with his last match on the 8/17 show in King and Queen, VA. Chambers has been wrestling for more than 12 years on the East Coast and has worked for ROH and was in the Team Taz Dojo. He suffered a broken leg in 2011 and came back. Earlier this year, after suffering severe neck pain, he had an MRI done and found out he had a degenerative condition that would require career ending surgery. He wrestled Gunner, Saturday, who was in tag team partner for years as Phill Shatter and the two broke in together. He's teaming with Brandon Day to face A-1.
---Shayna Baszler, an MMA fighter, talks about Catch Wrestling, the origins of pro wrestling, current MMA, her tryout for Ultimate Fighter, the party atmosphere in Costa Rica when Bodog was filming there, tons of talk about Billy Robinson as well as the history of Roller Derby at bit.ly/14C88JR The interview starts at the 35:00 mark.
---Samoa Joe bouncer stories at www.facebook.com/FamousBouncers
---Shawn Michaels and his MRA team will be appearing on Friday from 3-5 p.m. at the Field and Stream Shop Grand Opening in Cranberry Township, PA. He'll be signing autographs, having photos done and doing a free Q&A session and you can also win a dinner with he and co-host Keith Mark. Michaels will also be at the Cabela's Retail Store in Hamburg, PA on Saturday from 10 a.m. to Noon in Hamburg, PA.
---Michaels will also be appearing at WWF SummerSlam AXXESS from 1-3 p.m. on Sunday before the show at L.A. Live at the Nokia Plaza in Los Angeles.
---The first Liberty Bell Classic East Coast King of Catch tournament will be 8/31 at Klein JCC in Philadelphia hosted by the North American Catch Wrestling Association. A lower priced registration is available for weight divisions and absolute division through 8/15 at NACW.weebly.com This will be a tournament under old pro wrestling rules where matches end via pinfall or submission, with no points or judging. No striking, groin attacks, fishhooks, spitting, biting and hair pulling allowed. The winner of the Open Division gets the Frank Gotch Memorial Award, and wins the title of East Coast King of Catch, and will automatically qualify for the national tournament.
---WSU on Friday night in Philadelphia: Addy Starr & Xandra Bale b Jody D'Milo & Kaitlin Diamonds, Sassy Stephie b Cherry Layne, Ezavel Suena b Jessie Kaye, Jewels Malone b Nyla Rose, Santana Garrett b Taelor Hendrix, Christina Von Eeerie b Santana Garrett, Veda Scott & Jenny Rose & Jessie Brooks b Athena & Barbi Hayden & Claudia Del Solis
---WSU on Saturday night in Voorhees Township, NJ: Jenny Rose b Christina Von Eerie, Kimber Lee & Annie Social b Veda Scott & Jessie Brooks, Jana b Niya-DQ, Barbi Hayden b Jewels Malone, Sassy Stephie b Santana Garrett, Addy Starr & Matt Tremont b Chris Dickinson & Sahnna, Lexxus b Neveah, Ezavel Suena won Battle Royal
---WWL announced the signing of El Sicodelico Jr. and that Carlito and Mesias will be on the future shows. They have shows on 9/6 in Nuevo Laredo, 9/8 in Monterrey, Mexico, 10/5 in Santo Domingo, and 10/26 in Bayamon, PR at the Ruben Rodriguez Coliseum. Mil Mascaras, John Morrison, Carlito, Savio Vega and Miguel Perez will be on the shows in Mexico. Jack Veneno, Monster Pain, Vega, Carlito and Perez will be on the shows in the Dominican Republic. Mesias will headline the show in Puerto Rico.
---A video with Dory Funk Jr. and Jerry Brisco arguing who was best between the Funks and Briscos is at youtu.be/vu6tHnhzKSA
---NWF on Saturday night in Niagara Falls at the Sportsplex.
---Charlotte-based filmmaker Michael Elliott has produced a couple of well-received wrestling documentaries in the past.
But nothing had come close to approaching his most recent venture.
“Jim Crockett Promotions: The Good Old Days,” chronicling the longtime Charlotte-based promotion and its rich legacy, provides a nostalgic glimpse at one of old school wrestling’s most revered territories.
Elliott spent the past year interviewing wrestlers, promoters, journalists, historians and photographers about the Crockett years.
“This documentary was by far the biggest thing I have ever worked on because it’s such a key piece in wrestling history,” says Elliott. “This is a promotion that draws the fans’ attention 25 years after it was sold and went out of business.”
But to do the project justice, Elliott knew that he somehow had to find a way to convince the key remaining figure, Jim Crockett Jr., to cooperate.
Crockett Jr., now 69, ran the company from 1973-88. He was the eldest son of promoter Jim Crockett Sr. who, at the age of 35, founded his own pro wrestling company in Charlotte where he would sustain a flourishing organization for five decades. Known at one time as “the premier promoter in the Southeast,” Crockett Sr. passed away in 1973.
“Getting the involvement of the Crockett family was my biggest concern going into this because they have stayed away from wrestling for so long,” says Elliott. “I knew they were a long shot to get, but if you watch the product, you can tell they came around — (brothers) Jimmy, David and even Jackie.”
Securing David and Jackie Crockett, who both still live in the area, wasn’t the difficult part.
Corralling Jim Crockett Jr., who lives in Dallas and has remained somewhat elusive since leaving the wrestling business two decades ago, would prove to be a masterful feat.
“Without them this documentary would have been just OK, but now it has gone to another level, and I can say that because of the feedback I have received from fans,” says Elliott, who scored the interview just a week before his project deadline.
“It all happened at the last second. It was an 11th-hour decision on their part. I spoke to him (Jim Crockett) the Tuesday before my deadline. I had seven days left. I had three days to edit all of them into the documentary.”
Exceeded expectations
Elliott, who had produced two previous films on mat legend Jimmy Valiant and the history of the NWA world title, got the ball rolling by first getting in touch with Jackie Crockett, who served as a camerman for his family’s wrestling company.
“I interviewed him seven or eight months earlier, and then I called David back and explained to him what was going on.”
Elliott says David avoided him at first, “but being myself, I never quit.”
“I wanted a yes or no and kept hounding him until he broke down and gave me Jimmy’s number.”
It didn’t take long, says Elliott, for David Crockett to sign on with the project.
“I showed him the first chapter about his daddy and got him interested. The first 10 minutes he was just grinning and smiling. I know that he called Jimmy. I don’t know if he was warning him or just giving him a heads-up,” laughs Elliott.
But Elliott’s initial call to Jim Crockett put him at ease.
“I called Jimmy, and after months of getting the run-around, I got to the big boss. He said he was expecting the call. He was just so nice. I had heard he was always in the background and not very personable with people. But he was just the opposite.”
The two hit it off over the phone, and Elliott immediately flew to Dallas to conduct the interview.
Elliott, 29, says he was surprised at just how accommodating Crockett was during the interview. His graciousness exceeded Elliott’s expectations.
“Jim opened up and just took it way above anybody’s expectations ... especially mine. I knew going in that it would be tough to get him, because he’s avoided everyone for so long. I’m just glad they chose me at the right time.”
Elliott says Crockett appeared comfortable and relaxed during the interview.
“I thought he might be a little standoffish, but he was just the friendliest guy. We didn’t talk wrestling the whole time. We talked about families, kids. We had lunch together and did the interview. He was very open and honest.”
Crockett, notes Elliott, even called him a few days later to make sure he got home OK.
Elliott says that he was amazed at the resemblance between the 69-year-old Crockett and photos he had seen of Jim Crockett Sr., who passed away 40 years ago at the age of 64.
“I think it was the glasses that made him look more like his dad. When I saw him walking through the hotel, he looked just like the picture of his father.”
With the Jim Crockett interview in the books, there was one more piece of business for Elliott to take care of.
David Crockett had told Elliott that if brother Jim agreed to the interview, he also would grant a sit-down session.
Immediately upon returning to his York, S.C., home following the trip to Dallas, Elliott made plans to talk to Jim’s younger brother.
“I went home, showered, saw my wife and came back to Charlotte and interviewed David. It was down to the wire.”
Elliott says he pulled 32 straight hours of work to make sure the documentary was completed and meeting the deadline.
Texas, he says, was just one of the many trips he made to conduct interviews with the various players in the documentary.
“We went all over North Carolina, we went to Virginia to get Jimmy Valiant, we drove all the way to Georgia to get Ole (Anderson) and Paul Jones. I got Jackie (Crockett) in South Carolina. We drove to Delaware to get J.J. (Dillon). We covered a lot of ground.”
Rich legacy
Jim Crockett had rather reluctantly taken over ownership of Crockett Promotions shortly after the death of his father in 1973.
“Big Jim” Crockett, a dominating but unpretentious personality who tipped the scales at well over 300 pounds, initially had turned over control of the company to his then-son-in-law, John Ringley, but a family situation resulted in Crockett Jr. being called in to take the reins.
Crockett immediately enlisted the services of veteran wrestling star George Scott to book the Carolina-based territory, and the promotion became one of the hottest in the country.
Nearly 15 years later, though, with Crockett near bankruptcy and the company unable to compete with Vince McMahon’s World Wrestling Federation, Crockett sold the promotion to media mogul Ted Turner.
The package included guaranteed jobs for the brothers and some cash. Jim Crockett would remain as NWA president until 1991.
While Crockett Promotions no longer exists, the legendary family-run company remains a sentimental favorite among wrestling fans, as evidenced by the thousands of followers who come from all parts of the globe each summer to attend Fanfest in Charlotte.
It’s that allure that prompted Elliott to tackle the documentary.
And securing Jim Crockett’s blessing proved to be a major coup.
“He had only done one interview in the past 25 years, and that was a small one for something WWE did. I just didn’t think he’d be so open with us. He was very, very cool.”
Taking responsibility
Elliott says only when he asked about booker Dusty Rhodes’ part in the fall of Crockett Promotions did his subject appear uneasy.
“I was pushing him (Crockett Jr.) on this, and maybe I shouldn’t have, because he quickly put me in my place,” says Elliott. “He said that Dusty, even with all his faults, was still the right choice. When I asked him about those faults, he said it’s been too long, that he was a lot older now, and politely said he wasn’t going to get into all of that. That’s really the only thing he wouldn’t go into.”
Elliott says Crockett pointed out that everybody, himself included, had faults.
Overall, says Elliott, he feels the interview was balanced.
“I think people recognized the fact that Dusty helped them get to where they were. But then when you finish the documentary, you’ll see that a lot of people did blame him. At the end I let everybody vent their frustration and put the blame on whoever they wanted. Some people say it was the airplane, some people say it was the accountant, some people say it was Dusty, some people say it was Jimmy. But at the very end, Jim Crockett took full responsibility for it.”
Elliott says Crockett’s relationship with his siblings — David, Jackie and sister Frances — is “good.”
“They all talk. I know he visits the Carolinas because one of his daughters lives here. I’m sure they all still get together. David said at one point they didn’t talk for a while, but they’re all on good terms now. I think they’re all comfortable with what happened.”
Pet project
The documentary is a three-disc set with more than six hours of material culled from many of the key players in the Mid-Atlantic territory during that era.
The third disc contains the entire unedited interview with Crockett.
“I wanted to include that not only because it would sell DVDs, but because fans should hear everything he had to get off his chest,” says Elliott, who debuted the documentary at Fanfest.
“You also get extra stories from all of the talent involved and bonus chapters that were cut from the documentary due to time constraints. I don’t think anyone who buys this will walk away from it not being satisfied. You even get a tour of J.J. Dillon’s personal collection ... what else can you ask for?
“We interviewed every wrestler that is still breathing for this documentary. This is the first time ever anyone has taken this in-depth a look at Jim Crockett Promotions/Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling. I am pleased to have done this as I feel this is my best work out of the three documentaries I have done.”
Elliott, a news photographer at WBTV in Charlotte, got the idea of making wrestling-themed documentaries while attending a fan convention several years ago in Charlotte.
“I got involved in making wrestling documentaries by chance at the 2009 NWA Legends Fanfest where I was working for the news, but met Jimmy Valiant and we became friends and we did our first documentary,” says Elliott.
Elliott and Highspots, a leading pro wrestling merchandiser, launched a KickStarter campaign to help raise funds for the latest project.
While he accomplished more than he says he could have realistically hoped for, Elliott says he would have loved to have been able to include “new” interviews with Dusty Rhodes, Arn Anderson and Ricky Steamboat, but their WWE affiliation prevented that from happening.
“But I think we hit pretty much every major star that they had.”
Jim Crockett, of course, was his favorite.
“Outside of him, my favorites were Ole Anderson and Paul Jones,” says Elliott.
For more information or to purchase the video, visit highspots.com.
---Recently released TNA Impact Wrestling star Jesse Sorensen posted a new tweet on his official Twitter account on Monday updating fans on the status of his neck. Sorensen wrote:
“Just received amazing news from the MRI my neck is 100% & is not at risk of being re injured! Time to make this dream really come true!”
---WWE announced that WWE Hall of Famers Shawn Michaels and Booker T, as well as Natalya, will be part of the panel discussing the Summerslam PPV during the pre-game show.
The pre-game will feature Dean Ambrose defending the United States championship as well.
--WrestlingDVDNews.com confirms that WWE will be releasing another "best pay-per-view matches" DVD and Blu-ray at the end of this year.
---Wyatt Family T-Shirt-
shop.wwe.com/Wyatt-Family/wyatt,default,sc.html
---Former WWE creative writer Dan Madigan joined the We Want Lucha podcast from the hosts of Inside The Ropes to discuss his tenure with the sports-entertainment organization in 2004. Highlights from the interview are as follows: Chris Benoit's title reign and if he saw his run as a mid-card champion: "I've never heard that term but it really sums up what happened, mid card champion. I don't think he ever really believed how good a wrestler he was, there was an insecurity there. But in terms of wrestling ability, he was hard to match. But then when it comes to cutting a promo and working on the mic, he's not as honed as some of the other guys. I think that may have weighed on his head a little. I think he was just a wrestler at heart. I used to work with him on cutting promos. Some guys, cutting promos, it's just a gift, it comes naturally to them. Sometimes it's even better to have even better mic skills than wrestling skills. He had trouble with it, but he worked at it. I would say to him "Chris maybe it's better to say too little than too much. Think about what you're gonna say and lets make it shorter" He didn't have the charisma that Shawn Michael did, but who does. Chris got the championship as a reward for years of hard work, but that term, you're right, mid card champion, he almost got lost in the shuffle. He was almost just like someone holding the belt till the next guy." His biggest disappointment during his time in WWE: "I really wanted to create a high octane Cruiserweight division and build it around Ultimo Dragon, and bring in guys he'd worked with in Mexico and Japan like Super Crazy, Juventud, Psychosis. I realised writing my book, that there's a huge latino community in the US and I wanted to bring a strong lucha libre style to the WWE to bridge the cultural gap. But it didn't happen. That's one of the first big fights I had with Vince. The concept of the masked wrestler is lost on the WWE, they don't really understand it, they don't appreciate it, unlike Mexico where that's the focal point. I think in America, it's a whole different ballgame, the psychology is different. I lost that fight a couple of times in the room. At one point, we lost Ultimo he went back to Japan, and we just had Rey, Vince goes "We have one masked wrestler in the ring, any more of them on the roster and it'll confuse the fans" I said to him"Vince there's 10,000 wrestlers in Mexico in masks, no-one's confused" I looked around the room and I wasn't gonna win that fight. That was the biggest disappointment, that they wouldn't let lucha libre be a featured style on the show." Alberto Del Rio's decision to remove his mask upon debuting in WWE: "He took the mask off which was a smart move, a very smart move. If you're gonna come up from Mexico with a famous gimmick, take the mask off, find a different gimmick don't lose the reputation, that's the awful thing. It's like Ultimo Dragon, he never got the push he deserved because they never knew what to do with him. At one point a few years ago, WWE wanted him to come back but wanted him to take his mask off. It seems like people don't get how important the mask is in Mexico, it's like the essence of the wrestler. Mistico, I think Sin Cara now, he made a big splash, now they don't know what to do with him. Think of merchandising with a masked wrestler, it could be huge. But they don't understand the lucha libre mentality."
---Hulk Hogan being featured in WWE's 2K14 video game already has fans speculating that The Hulkster may be returning once he's done with TNA. For those wondering, Hogan's deal for the video game is with Take-Two, not WWE. Hogan had a similar deal with THQ when he appeared in the All Stars and Legends of WrestleMania games. Hogan's deal with TNA allows him to have outside marketing and licensing deals. As noted, Hogan's red & yellow character plus his Hollywood Hogan character will be available in 2K14.
--- Bray Wyatt tweeted after last night's RAW segment with Kane: "Sunday, fire in the City of Angels. Burn, Burn, Burn #TheAshesOurNewHome #RAW"
--- WWE referee Marc Harris, the referee involved in the botched finish with AJ Lee vs. Natalya on last night's RAW, lashed out at his "haters" on Facebook after the show: "Funny how 'amateur', 'indie', and 'unemployed former refs' think they know it all but have NO IDEA. There's a reason your where your at and I'm where I'm at, a professional referee with the number one entertainment company in the world. I'm the now, your yester year. Keep your opinions to yourself cause I'm definitely not taking advice from someone with less experience and not at a level I am, so continue to hate and I'll continue to work tv's and pay per view. Enjoy your life cause I'm loving mine!"
---WWE released a John Cena game on iTunes. Here is the description:
WWE Presents: John Cena's Fast Lane
By World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.
View More By This Developer
Open iTunes to buy and download apps.
Description
You’re a young racer, crushing the quarter-mile, with your sights set on being the best in the world. As it happens, your driving impresses none other than John Cena, WWE Superstar and muscle car enthusiast, who takes you under his wing – passing on knowledge he learned during his years behind the wheel.
You’ll challenge opponents in cities from across the United States, including shadowy figures from Cena’s racing past who are bent on winning by any means necessary. Master the art of shifting and upgrade your whip with powerful add-ons as you drive yourself to victory.
In the end, only one person can truly say, “THE CHAMP IS HERE.” Will it be you?
UPGRADES AND CUSTOMIZATION
Upgrade engines, tires, transmissions and turbo chargers.
Customize your car with NOS, decals, paint, groundFX and rims, then share photos of your ride on Facebook.
Level up to unlock 6 different vehicles, each with its own power profiles, gearbox ratios and ride.
RACING
Face more than 80 different competitors, including 10 challenging “boss” racers.
Before each race, size-up the competition’s ride, then head to the garage to fine-tune your vehicle.
Shift, downshift or dodge to evade road hazards and obstacles in a totally unique racing simulation.
MULTIPLAYER
Coming soon: Connect with friends and crews from around the world to take the race to the virtual blacktop.
---SPARTANBURG, SC (FOX Carolina) - Spartanburg County deputies said a professional wrestler and his wife got into an argument about a woman he was "Facebooking," leading to a physical fight.
Deputies said they were called to the couple's Little Africa Road home in Chesnee on Saturday when the woman called 911 after she had been thrown and cut her husband in self-defense.
The woman said she discovered her husband, 27-year-old Travis Smith, had been "Facebooking" another woman, according to the deputy's report.
She told him if he did not talk to her about the issue, he would not have his gear to wrestle with, the report stated. She then got his new wrestling boots and cut holes in them with a box cutter, according to deputies.
Deputies said that's when he threw a picture off the mantle, smashing it on the ground then she went to knock some of his collectibles off a shelf, he ran at her, throwing her across the room.
Deputies said because of Smith's size, he sent his wife flying. The report said she landed on her back in the hallway, hitting her head on the floor. As he approached her, deputies said she went to get up and was afraid the attack was not over, so she stabbed him in the leg with the box cutter she was still holding. He ran to take care of his cut, his wife called 911 to ask for help, deputies said.
According to the deputy's report, they said Smith was the "primary aggressor" because his wife had, "Legitimate concern for her safety, given her husband's profession and immense size," and she acted in self-defense.
After Smith was treated at the hospital for his stab wound then arrested on a criminal domestic violence charge. He has since been released from jail on $3,000 bond.
---Wrestling legend Lex Luger recently took part in a Q&A session to promote his new book, "Wrestling with the Devil." Here are some highlights of what he said about:
If He Would Recommend PED Usage: Absolutely not. Advances in today's nutritional science when strictly adhered to offers young athletes tremendous results without resorting to PEDs.
Overcoming His Paralysis: I wasn't able to totally overcome it, but what I am able to do today is a supernatural miracle. It's a real testimony to what God can do when we allow him to live in and through us. He carries us through the storm.
His Relationship From Ric Flair: I always have had and still do have an excellent relationship with Ric Flair. He's a tremendous performer. He was instrumental in my development as a wrestler. I have a lot of gratitude to him for that. Ric Flair is one of the best of all time.
The One Big Positive From WCW: The unbelievable ratings we got, and being a part of the highly successful Monday night ratings war between WCW and WWE was one of the highlights of my career and a lot of fun.
PRO WRESTLING EVENTS FOR THURSDAY AUGUST 15,2013:
TNA @ Old Dominion University (Ted Constant Convocation Center) in Norfolk, Virginia
PPW @ Everett A. Cummings Center in Mount Morris, Michigan
SBW @ Santino Brothers Academy in Bell Gardens, California
UWA @ The Blackstock in Knoxville, Tennessee
IWRG @ Arena Naucalpan in Naucalpan, Mexico
Osaka Pro @ Umeda Nasci Hall in Osaka, Japan
PWW @ Shinkiba 1st Ring in Tokyo, Japan
ASW @ Winter Gardens Complex (Pavilion Theatre) in Blackpool, England
Slam @ Grand Pier in Weston-Super-Mare, England
---As noted earlier, 2K Sports announced that WWE 2K14 will feature a "30 Years of WrestleMania" mode. With that announcement, more names were revealed on WWE 2K14's roster page. Here is the updated list:
* Andre The Giant
* Dolph Ziggler
* Hulk Hogan
* Hollywood Hulk Hogan
* JBL
* John Cena
* "Macho Man" Randy Savage
* The Rock
* The Rock (Retro)
* Ryback
* Shawn Michaels
* "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
* The Ultimate Warrior
* Undertaker
* Undertaker (American Badass)
---Former WWE/TNA/ROH wrestler Low-Ki and recent TNA release D-Lo Brown are returning to Japan to be part of All-Japan's "Royal Road" single-elimination tournament in September.
In First Round matches, Low-Ki is scheduled to face AAA wrestler Dark Cuervo and D-Lo Brown is scheduled to face veteran wrestler Yoshinobu Kanemaru.
Other notables in the tournament include former WWE wrestler KENSO (Kenzo Suzuki), Jun Akiyama, Go Shiozaki, former WWE Developmental wrestler Joe Doering, and Akebono.
Ki's match is scheduled for September 11 in Tokyo and Brown's match is scheduled for Sept. 14 in Yokohama. The tournament runs through September 23.
---NWA Smoky Mountain "Fire on the Mountain" Results
August 10, 2013
Kingsport, Tenn. at the Civic Auditorium
The NWA released the following results from Smoky Mountain's weekend card, which featured NWA World Hvt. champion Rob Conway's latest title defense and Jason Kincaid capturing the NWA Jr. Hvt. Title.
(1) Elliot Russell beat Cody Matthews.
(2) Jeff Connelly submitted NWA Southern TV champion Alyx Winter in a Submissions match to capture the title.
(3) NWA Southern Tag Team champions The Lords of Kaos (Lance Erikson & NWA National Champion Damien Wayne) beat Daniel Mulligan & Cody Blade.
(4) "The Spirit Dragon" Shynron beat Sigmon.
(5) Air America (Gavin Daring & Skylar Kruze) beat NWA Tennessee Tag Team champions Matt Conard & Nick Hammonds (subbing for Zac Vincent) in a Ladder match to win the titles.
(6) Vince Brent beat NWA Mountain Empire Champion Josh Crawford via DQ.
(7) NWA World's Hvt. champion Rob Conway beat Chris Richards via DQ.
(8) NWA Smoky Mountain champion Jason Kincaid beat NWA Jr. Hvt. champion Chase Owens to become the new NWA World Jr. Hvt. champion.
---TNA President Dixie Carter announced the following on her Facebook page: "After meeting with Hulk Hogan, due to circumstances beyond our control - Aces and 8s vs. Main Event Mafia 5 on 5 match is delayed until 8/22 Impact." Oddly enough, the 8/22 episode of Impact Wrestling will be taped after this Thursday's episode.Kurt Angle in rehab may have something to do with it.
---Maxim has a photo gallery of new WWE Diva Eva Marie in their September 2013 issue. You can check out some photos of Eva in a bikini from the issue at Maxim.com by clicking here, www.maxim.com/girls-of-maxim/the-newest-wwe-diva-eva-marie
--- Casting began today for WWE Studios upcoming film, See No Evil 2, which features Kane reprising his role of Jacob Goodnight.
---BJ Whitmer wrote on his Twitter that he met with his doctor to get his MRI results and didn't "like" what he was told and would be seeking a second opinion.Whitmer suffered a herniated disc taking a piledriver on the apron during a ROH event in Toronto earlier this month.
---WWE filed a document with the SEC on Monday announcing their financing plan to acquire a new corporate jet.
Dated August 7, the document notes that WWE has created a new subsidiary, "WWE Jet Services, Inc." to enter into a Loan & Aircraft Security Agreement with RBS Asset Finance for a loan in the amount of $31.56 million.
The schedule of payments calls for quarterly installments of $405,548 until the seven-year loan's expiration on August 7, 2020.
Included in the agreement are notes about WWE's use of the new corporate jet, including WWE cannot operate the jet as a taxi service or fly the jet in restricted airspace.
Also, the primary hangar location will be Westchester County Airport in White Plains, New York.
WWE CFO George Barrios is listed as the executor of the agreement on behalf of WWE Jet Services, Inc. and WWE is listed as the corporate guarantor of the loan.
---NWA Anarchy from Saturday night in Cornelia, GA: Dango Wynn b Anthony Henry, Jon & Trey Williams b Jeremy Foster & Jake Coal, Kevin Blue & Brandon Parker & Wildside b Bobby Moore & CB Suave & Tommy Penerelli, Mikael Judas b Shaun Tempers, Joey Rhymer b BJ Hancock-DQ, Jeremy Vain & Brodie Chase b Shadow Jackson & Nemesis, Wade Adams b Jean-Pierre, Mike Posey & Corey Hollis b Najassism & Vandal, Geter b Jeremy Vain
---APW from Saturday night in Hayward, CA: Drake Younger b Willie Mack, Michael Elgin b Jeckles the Jester, Rich Swann b Dylan Drake, Ray Rosas b Marcus Lewis and Chris Kadillak in a three-way, Pink Mink Inc. b Suburban Commandos, JR Kratos b Levi Shapiro, Sir Samurai & Crazy TlLo b Hells Henchmen, Jeff Cobb b Buddy Royal
---Conan O'Brien did a bit showing footage of the Wyatt Family in a comedy skit where it's shown with a fake graphic that is purported to be cable guide show info as "The members of ZZ Top do something with wrestling and ducks."
---An article on the Mid Atlantic Fan Fest and the Magnum T.A. vs. Tully Blanchard I Quit match at www.sportsonearth.com/article/56368006/
---Jim Ross's U.K. speaking tour has every event except the one in Manchester sold out.
---Anarchy Championship Wrestling on Sunday in Austin, TX at 6 p.m. at Mohawk
---CMLL yesterday from Guadalajara: Metalik & Capitan b Acertijo & Yaqui, Joker & Starman b Divino & Brillante Jr., Smaker & Leon Blanco & Sky Kid b Rey Trueno & Mr. Trueno & Demonio Maya, Delta & Guerrero Maya Jr. & Gallo b Malefico & Exterminador & Barbaro Cavernario, Mascara Dorada & Mistico b Dragon Rojo Jr & Rey Escorpion (thanks to Steve "Dr. Lucha" Sims and Kris Zellner)
---El Hijo del Santo had his first match back since hernia surgery on Saturday night in Veracruz, teaming with Rayman to lose via DQ to Heddi Karaoui & Zumbi for his own Todos x Todos promotion.
---NWA Fusion from Saturday night in Gloucester VA: Nick Westgate b Bobby Shields, Larry Horsley b Boris Dragoff-DQ, Aden Chambers b Gunner, Memphis Mofo b Rocco Abruzzi, Wildman Kongo b Ryan Zane, Preston Quinn b Sabbath to keep Continental title. Next show is 8/17 in King & Queen, VA at the Elementary School with a Texas death match and a TLC match.
---Aden Chambers, who worked the show, announced that due to neck problems, he will be retiring with his last match on the 8/17 show in King and Queen, VA. Chambers has been wrestling for more than 12 years on the East Coast and has worked for ROH and was in the Team Taz Dojo. He suffered a broken leg in 2011 and came back. Earlier this year, after suffering severe neck pain, he had an MRI done and found out he had a degenerative condition that would require career ending surgery. He wrestled Gunner, Saturday, who was in tag team partner for years as Phill Shatter and the two broke in together. He's teaming with Brandon Day to face A-1.
---Shayna Baszler, an MMA fighter, talks about Catch Wrestling, the origins of pro wrestling, current MMA, her tryout for Ultimate Fighter, the party atmosphere in Costa Rica when Bodog was filming there, tons of talk about Billy Robinson as well as the history of Roller Derby at bit.ly/14C88JR The interview starts at the 35:00 mark.
---Samoa Joe bouncer stories at www.facebook.com/FamousBouncers
---Shawn Michaels and his MRA team will be appearing on Friday from 3-5 p.m. at the Field and Stream Shop Grand Opening in Cranberry Township, PA. He'll be signing autographs, having photos done and doing a free Q&A session and you can also win a dinner with he and co-host Keith Mark. Michaels will also be at the Cabela's Retail Store in Hamburg, PA on Saturday from 10 a.m. to Noon in Hamburg, PA.
---Michaels will also be appearing at WWF SummerSlam AXXESS from 1-3 p.m. on Sunday before the show at L.A. Live at the Nokia Plaza in Los Angeles.
---The first Liberty Bell Classic East Coast King of Catch tournament will be 8/31 at Klein JCC in Philadelphia hosted by the North American Catch Wrestling Association. A lower priced registration is available for weight divisions and absolute division through 8/15 at NACW.weebly.com This will be a tournament under old pro wrestling rules where matches end via pinfall or submission, with no points or judging. No striking, groin attacks, fishhooks, spitting, biting and hair pulling allowed. The winner of the Open Division gets the Frank Gotch Memorial Award, and wins the title of East Coast King of Catch, and will automatically qualify for the national tournament.
---WSU on Friday night in Philadelphia: Addy Starr & Xandra Bale b Jody D'Milo & Kaitlin Diamonds, Sassy Stephie b Cherry Layne, Ezavel Suena b Jessie Kaye, Jewels Malone b Nyla Rose, Santana Garrett b Taelor Hendrix, Christina Von Eeerie b Santana Garrett, Veda Scott & Jenny Rose & Jessie Brooks b Athena & Barbi Hayden & Claudia Del Solis
---WSU on Saturday night in Voorhees Township, NJ: Jenny Rose b Christina Von Eerie, Kimber Lee & Annie Social b Veda Scott & Jessie Brooks, Jana b Niya-DQ, Barbi Hayden b Jewels Malone, Sassy Stephie b Santana Garrett, Addy Starr & Matt Tremont b Chris Dickinson & Sahnna, Lexxus b Neveah, Ezavel Suena won Battle Royal
---WWL announced the signing of El Sicodelico Jr. and that Carlito and Mesias will be on the future shows. They have shows on 9/6 in Nuevo Laredo, 9/8 in Monterrey, Mexico, 10/5 in Santo Domingo, and 10/26 in Bayamon, PR at the Ruben Rodriguez Coliseum. Mil Mascaras, John Morrison, Carlito, Savio Vega and Miguel Perez will be on the shows in Mexico. Jack Veneno, Monster Pain, Vega, Carlito and Perez will be on the shows in the Dominican Republic. Mesias will headline the show in Puerto Rico.
---A video with Dory Funk Jr. and Jerry Brisco arguing who was best between the Funks and Briscos is at youtu.be/vu6tHnhzKSA
---NWF on Saturday night in Niagara Falls at the Sportsplex.
---Charlotte-based filmmaker Michael Elliott has produced a couple of well-received wrestling documentaries in the past.
But nothing had come close to approaching his most recent venture.
“Jim Crockett Promotions: The Good Old Days,” chronicling the longtime Charlotte-based promotion and its rich legacy, provides a nostalgic glimpse at one of old school wrestling’s most revered territories.
Elliott spent the past year interviewing wrestlers, promoters, journalists, historians and photographers about the Crockett years.
“This documentary was by far the biggest thing I have ever worked on because it’s such a key piece in wrestling history,” says Elliott. “This is a promotion that draws the fans’ attention 25 years after it was sold and went out of business.”
But to do the project justice, Elliott knew that he somehow had to find a way to convince the key remaining figure, Jim Crockett Jr., to cooperate.
Crockett Jr., now 69, ran the company from 1973-88. He was the eldest son of promoter Jim Crockett Sr. who, at the age of 35, founded his own pro wrestling company in Charlotte where he would sustain a flourishing organization for five decades. Known at one time as “the premier promoter in the Southeast,” Crockett Sr. passed away in 1973.
“Getting the involvement of the Crockett family was my biggest concern going into this because they have stayed away from wrestling for so long,” says Elliott. “I knew they were a long shot to get, but if you watch the product, you can tell they came around — (brothers) Jimmy, David and even Jackie.”
Securing David and Jackie Crockett, who both still live in the area, wasn’t the difficult part.
Corralling Jim Crockett Jr., who lives in Dallas and has remained somewhat elusive since leaving the wrestling business two decades ago, would prove to be a masterful feat.
“Without them this documentary would have been just OK, but now it has gone to another level, and I can say that because of the feedback I have received from fans,” says Elliott, who scored the interview just a week before his project deadline.
“It all happened at the last second. It was an 11th-hour decision on their part. I spoke to him (Jim Crockett) the Tuesday before my deadline. I had seven days left. I had three days to edit all of them into the documentary.”
Exceeded expectations
Elliott, who had produced two previous films on mat legend Jimmy Valiant and the history of the NWA world title, got the ball rolling by first getting in touch with Jackie Crockett, who served as a camerman for his family’s wrestling company.
“I interviewed him seven or eight months earlier, and then I called David back and explained to him what was going on.”
Elliott says David avoided him at first, “but being myself, I never quit.”
“I wanted a yes or no and kept hounding him until he broke down and gave me Jimmy’s number.”
It didn’t take long, says Elliott, for David Crockett to sign on with the project.
“I showed him the first chapter about his daddy and got him interested. The first 10 minutes he was just grinning and smiling. I know that he called Jimmy. I don’t know if he was warning him or just giving him a heads-up,” laughs Elliott.
But Elliott’s initial call to Jim Crockett put him at ease.
“I called Jimmy, and after months of getting the run-around, I got to the big boss. He said he was expecting the call. He was just so nice. I had heard he was always in the background and not very personable with people. But he was just the opposite.”
The two hit it off over the phone, and Elliott immediately flew to Dallas to conduct the interview.
Elliott, 29, says he was surprised at just how accommodating Crockett was during the interview. His graciousness exceeded Elliott’s expectations.
“Jim opened up and just took it way above anybody’s expectations ... especially mine. I knew going in that it would be tough to get him, because he’s avoided everyone for so long. I’m just glad they chose me at the right time.”
Elliott says Crockett appeared comfortable and relaxed during the interview.
“I thought he might be a little standoffish, but he was just the friendliest guy. We didn’t talk wrestling the whole time. We talked about families, kids. We had lunch together and did the interview. He was very open and honest.”
Crockett, notes Elliott, even called him a few days later to make sure he got home OK.
Elliott says that he was amazed at the resemblance between the 69-year-old Crockett and photos he had seen of Jim Crockett Sr., who passed away 40 years ago at the age of 64.
“I think it was the glasses that made him look more like his dad. When I saw him walking through the hotel, he looked just like the picture of his father.”
With the Jim Crockett interview in the books, there was one more piece of business for Elliott to take care of.
David Crockett had told Elliott that if brother Jim agreed to the interview, he also would grant a sit-down session.
Immediately upon returning to his York, S.C., home following the trip to Dallas, Elliott made plans to talk to Jim’s younger brother.
“I went home, showered, saw my wife and came back to Charlotte and interviewed David. It was down to the wire.”
Elliott says he pulled 32 straight hours of work to make sure the documentary was completed and meeting the deadline.
Texas, he says, was just one of the many trips he made to conduct interviews with the various players in the documentary.
“We went all over North Carolina, we went to Virginia to get Jimmy Valiant, we drove all the way to Georgia to get Ole (Anderson) and Paul Jones. I got Jackie (Crockett) in South Carolina. We drove to Delaware to get J.J. (Dillon). We covered a lot of ground.”
Rich legacy
Jim Crockett had rather reluctantly taken over ownership of Crockett Promotions shortly after the death of his father in 1973.
“Big Jim” Crockett, a dominating but unpretentious personality who tipped the scales at well over 300 pounds, initially had turned over control of the company to his then-son-in-law, John Ringley, but a family situation resulted in Crockett Jr. being called in to take the reins.
Crockett immediately enlisted the services of veteran wrestling star George Scott to book the Carolina-based territory, and the promotion became one of the hottest in the country.
Nearly 15 years later, though, with Crockett near bankruptcy and the company unable to compete with Vince McMahon’s World Wrestling Federation, Crockett sold the promotion to media mogul Ted Turner.
The package included guaranteed jobs for the brothers and some cash. Jim Crockett would remain as NWA president until 1991.
While Crockett Promotions no longer exists, the legendary family-run company remains a sentimental favorite among wrestling fans, as evidenced by the thousands of followers who come from all parts of the globe each summer to attend Fanfest in Charlotte.
It’s that allure that prompted Elliott to tackle the documentary.
And securing Jim Crockett’s blessing proved to be a major coup.
“He had only done one interview in the past 25 years, and that was a small one for something WWE did. I just didn’t think he’d be so open with us. He was very, very cool.”
Taking responsibility
Elliott says only when he asked about booker Dusty Rhodes’ part in the fall of Crockett Promotions did his subject appear uneasy.
“I was pushing him (Crockett Jr.) on this, and maybe I shouldn’t have, because he quickly put me in my place,” says Elliott. “He said that Dusty, even with all his faults, was still the right choice. When I asked him about those faults, he said it’s been too long, that he was a lot older now, and politely said he wasn’t going to get into all of that. That’s really the only thing he wouldn’t go into.”
Elliott says Crockett pointed out that everybody, himself included, had faults.
Overall, says Elliott, he feels the interview was balanced.
“I think people recognized the fact that Dusty helped them get to where they were. But then when you finish the documentary, you’ll see that a lot of people did blame him. At the end I let everybody vent their frustration and put the blame on whoever they wanted. Some people say it was the airplane, some people say it was the accountant, some people say it was Dusty, some people say it was Jimmy. But at the very end, Jim Crockett took full responsibility for it.”
Elliott says Crockett’s relationship with his siblings — David, Jackie and sister Frances — is “good.”
“They all talk. I know he visits the Carolinas because one of his daughters lives here. I’m sure they all still get together. David said at one point they didn’t talk for a while, but they’re all on good terms now. I think they’re all comfortable with what happened.”
Pet project
The documentary is a three-disc set with more than six hours of material culled from many of the key players in the Mid-Atlantic territory during that era.
The third disc contains the entire unedited interview with Crockett.
“I wanted to include that not only because it would sell DVDs, but because fans should hear everything he had to get off his chest,” says Elliott, who debuted the documentary at Fanfest.
“You also get extra stories from all of the talent involved and bonus chapters that were cut from the documentary due to time constraints. I don’t think anyone who buys this will walk away from it not being satisfied. You even get a tour of J.J. Dillon’s personal collection ... what else can you ask for?
“We interviewed every wrestler that is still breathing for this documentary. This is the first time ever anyone has taken this in-depth a look at Jim Crockett Promotions/Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling. I am pleased to have done this as I feel this is my best work out of the three documentaries I have done.”
Elliott, a news photographer at WBTV in Charlotte, got the idea of making wrestling-themed documentaries while attending a fan convention several years ago in Charlotte.
“I got involved in making wrestling documentaries by chance at the 2009 NWA Legends Fanfest where I was working for the news, but met Jimmy Valiant and we became friends and we did our first documentary,” says Elliott.
Elliott and Highspots, a leading pro wrestling merchandiser, launched a KickStarter campaign to help raise funds for the latest project.
While he accomplished more than he says he could have realistically hoped for, Elliott says he would have loved to have been able to include “new” interviews with Dusty Rhodes, Arn Anderson and Ricky Steamboat, but their WWE affiliation prevented that from happening.
“But I think we hit pretty much every major star that they had.”
Jim Crockett, of course, was his favorite.
“Outside of him, my favorites were Ole Anderson and Paul Jones,” says Elliott.
For more information or to purchase the video, visit highspots.com.
---Recently released TNA Impact Wrestling star Jesse Sorensen posted a new tweet on his official Twitter account on Monday updating fans on the status of his neck. Sorensen wrote:
“Just received amazing news from the MRI my neck is 100% & is not at risk of being re injured! Time to make this dream really come true!”
---WWE announced that WWE Hall of Famers Shawn Michaels and Booker T, as well as Natalya, will be part of the panel discussing the Summerslam PPV during the pre-game show.
The pre-game will feature Dean Ambrose defending the United States championship as well.
--WrestlingDVDNews.com confirms that WWE will be releasing another "best pay-per-view matches" DVD and Blu-ray at the end of this year.
---Wyatt Family T-Shirt-
shop.wwe.com/Wyatt-Family/wyatt,default,sc.html
---Former WWE creative writer Dan Madigan joined the We Want Lucha podcast from the hosts of Inside The Ropes to discuss his tenure with the sports-entertainment organization in 2004. Highlights from the interview are as follows: Chris Benoit's title reign and if he saw his run as a mid-card champion: "I've never heard that term but it really sums up what happened, mid card champion. I don't think he ever really believed how good a wrestler he was, there was an insecurity there. But in terms of wrestling ability, he was hard to match. But then when it comes to cutting a promo and working on the mic, he's not as honed as some of the other guys. I think that may have weighed on his head a little. I think he was just a wrestler at heart. I used to work with him on cutting promos. Some guys, cutting promos, it's just a gift, it comes naturally to them. Sometimes it's even better to have even better mic skills than wrestling skills. He had trouble with it, but he worked at it. I would say to him "Chris maybe it's better to say too little than too much. Think about what you're gonna say and lets make it shorter" He didn't have the charisma that Shawn Michael did, but who does. Chris got the championship as a reward for years of hard work, but that term, you're right, mid card champion, he almost got lost in the shuffle. He was almost just like someone holding the belt till the next guy." His biggest disappointment during his time in WWE: "I really wanted to create a high octane Cruiserweight division and build it around Ultimo Dragon, and bring in guys he'd worked with in Mexico and Japan like Super Crazy, Juventud, Psychosis. I realised writing my book, that there's a huge latino community in the US and I wanted to bring a strong lucha libre style to the WWE to bridge the cultural gap. But it didn't happen. That's one of the first big fights I had with Vince. The concept of the masked wrestler is lost on the WWE, they don't really understand it, they don't appreciate it, unlike Mexico where that's the focal point. I think in America, it's a whole different ballgame, the psychology is different. I lost that fight a couple of times in the room. At one point, we lost Ultimo he went back to Japan, and we just had Rey, Vince goes "We have one masked wrestler in the ring, any more of them on the roster and it'll confuse the fans" I said to him"Vince there's 10,000 wrestlers in Mexico in masks, no-one's confused" I looked around the room and I wasn't gonna win that fight. That was the biggest disappointment, that they wouldn't let lucha libre be a featured style on the show." Alberto Del Rio's decision to remove his mask upon debuting in WWE: "He took the mask off which was a smart move, a very smart move. If you're gonna come up from Mexico with a famous gimmick, take the mask off, find a different gimmick don't lose the reputation, that's the awful thing. It's like Ultimo Dragon, he never got the push he deserved because they never knew what to do with him. At one point a few years ago, WWE wanted him to come back but wanted him to take his mask off. It seems like people don't get how important the mask is in Mexico, it's like the essence of the wrestler. Mistico, I think Sin Cara now, he made a big splash, now they don't know what to do with him. Think of merchandising with a masked wrestler, it could be huge. But they don't understand the lucha libre mentality."
---Hulk Hogan being featured in WWE's 2K14 video game already has fans speculating that The Hulkster may be returning once he's done with TNA. For those wondering, Hogan's deal for the video game is with Take-Two, not WWE. Hogan had a similar deal with THQ when he appeared in the All Stars and Legends of WrestleMania games. Hogan's deal with TNA allows him to have outside marketing and licensing deals. As noted, Hogan's red & yellow character plus his Hollywood Hogan character will be available in 2K14.
--- Bray Wyatt tweeted after last night's RAW segment with Kane: "Sunday, fire in the City of Angels. Burn, Burn, Burn #TheAshesOurNewHome #RAW"
--- WWE referee Marc Harris, the referee involved in the botched finish with AJ Lee vs. Natalya on last night's RAW, lashed out at his "haters" on Facebook after the show: "Funny how 'amateur', 'indie', and 'unemployed former refs' think they know it all but have NO IDEA. There's a reason your where your at and I'm where I'm at, a professional referee with the number one entertainment company in the world. I'm the now, your yester year. Keep your opinions to yourself cause I'm definitely not taking advice from someone with less experience and not at a level I am, so continue to hate and I'll continue to work tv's and pay per view. Enjoy your life cause I'm loving mine!"
---WWE released a John Cena game on iTunes. Here is the description:
WWE Presents: John Cena's Fast Lane
By World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.
View More By This Developer
Open iTunes to buy and download apps.
Description
You’re a young racer, crushing the quarter-mile, with your sights set on being the best in the world. As it happens, your driving impresses none other than John Cena, WWE Superstar and muscle car enthusiast, who takes you under his wing – passing on knowledge he learned during his years behind the wheel.
You’ll challenge opponents in cities from across the United States, including shadowy figures from Cena’s racing past who are bent on winning by any means necessary. Master the art of shifting and upgrade your whip with powerful add-ons as you drive yourself to victory.
In the end, only one person can truly say, “THE CHAMP IS HERE.” Will it be you?
UPGRADES AND CUSTOMIZATION
Upgrade engines, tires, transmissions and turbo chargers.
Customize your car with NOS, decals, paint, groundFX and rims, then share photos of your ride on Facebook.
Level up to unlock 6 different vehicles, each with its own power profiles, gearbox ratios and ride.
RACING
Face more than 80 different competitors, including 10 challenging “boss” racers.
Before each race, size-up the competition’s ride, then head to the garage to fine-tune your vehicle.
Shift, downshift or dodge to evade road hazards and obstacles in a totally unique racing simulation.
MULTIPLAYER
Coming soon: Connect with friends and crews from around the world to take the race to the virtual blacktop.
---SPARTANBURG, SC (FOX Carolina) - Spartanburg County deputies said a professional wrestler and his wife got into an argument about a woman he was "Facebooking," leading to a physical fight.
Deputies said they were called to the couple's Little Africa Road home in Chesnee on Saturday when the woman called 911 after she had been thrown and cut her husband in self-defense.
The woman said she discovered her husband, 27-year-old Travis Smith, had been "Facebooking" another woman, according to the deputy's report.
She told him if he did not talk to her about the issue, he would not have his gear to wrestle with, the report stated. She then got his new wrestling boots and cut holes in them with a box cutter, according to deputies.
Deputies said that's when he threw a picture off the mantle, smashing it on the ground then she went to knock some of his collectibles off a shelf, he ran at her, throwing her across the room.
Deputies said because of Smith's size, he sent his wife flying. The report said she landed on her back in the hallway, hitting her head on the floor. As he approached her, deputies said she went to get up and was afraid the attack was not over, so she stabbed him in the leg with the box cutter she was still holding. He ran to take care of his cut, his wife called 911 to ask for help, deputies said.
According to the deputy's report, they said Smith was the "primary aggressor" because his wife had, "Legitimate concern for her safety, given her husband's profession and immense size," and she acted in self-defense.
After Smith was treated at the hospital for his stab wound then arrested on a criminal domestic violence charge. He has since been released from jail on $3,000 bond.
---Wrestling legend Lex Luger recently took part in a Q&A session to promote his new book, "Wrestling with the Devil." Here are some highlights of what he said about:
If He Would Recommend PED Usage: Absolutely not. Advances in today's nutritional science when strictly adhered to offers young athletes tremendous results without resorting to PEDs.
Overcoming His Paralysis: I wasn't able to totally overcome it, but what I am able to do today is a supernatural miracle. It's a real testimony to what God can do when we allow him to live in and through us. He carries us through the storm.
His Relationship From Ric Flair: I always have had and still do have an excellent relationship with Ric Flair. He's a tremendous performer. He was instrumental in my development as a wrestler. I have a lot of gratitude to him for that. Ric Flair is one of the best of all time.
The One Big Positive From WCW: The unbelievable ratings we got, and being a part of the highly successful Monday night ratings war between WCW and WWE was one of the highlights of my career and a lot of fun.
PRO WRESTLING EVENTS FOR THURSDAY AUGUST 15,2013:
TNA @ Old Dominion University (Ted Constant Convocation Center) in Norfolk, Virginia
PPW @ Everett A. Cummings Center in Mount Morris, Michigan
SBW @ Santino Brothers Academy in Bell Gardens, California
UWA @ The Blackstock in Knoxville, Tennessee
IWRG @ Arena Naucalpan in Naucalpan, Mexico
Osaka Pro @ Umeda Nasci Hall in Osaka, Japan
PWW @ Shinkiba 1st Ring in Tokyo, Japan
ASW @ Winter Gardens Complex (Pavilion Theatre) in Blackpool, England
Slam @ Grand Pier in Weston-Super-Mare, England