Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Sept 1, 2013 7:34:47 GMT -6
PRO WRESTLING NEWS:
---When WCW was sold to WWE, where did the physical assets go - the rings, the sets, etc.?
All the physical assets were purchased by WWE. I know some of the rings were given to developmental territories at the time and others were sold off. Some of the set dressings, banners, etc. are still owned by WWE and kept in their warehouse of props. Other material that the company didn't want they scrapped or sold off.
---With WWE Classics, we see a lot of old AWA, ECW, WCW, NWA, etc. material but one thing that has never shown up are the ECW DVDs from Pioneer Home Video. I am very curious as to why they are never used, since they are already edited, cleaned up for DVD, etc.?
The Pioneer Home Video material was licensed to Pioneer and they would be the owners of record. I looked into the ECW bankruptcy paperwork when you asked and there was actually a clause in the sale noting that the Pioneer Home Video DVD releases were not part of the HHG Corp. (ECW parent company) assets, so those titles remain under the ownership of Pioneer. I doubt they will ever do anything with them again since they were discontinued with the death of Pioneer's Sports division. They actually had a few more titles being prepared when they shut down and those will never be seen ever.
---8/30 TNA RESULTS FROM HAGERSTOWN, MD
The building was small but almost sold out. Here are the results.
James Storm and Gunner beat Bad Influence.
Mickie James beat ODB with a roll up. ODB got a great reaction.
Bobby Roode beat Joseph Park.
AJ Styles beat Ken Anderson. AJ was super over with the crowd.
The announced that Impact will be taped in Baltimore, MD on 11/21.
Austin Aries beat Magnus in a great match. Both guys worked as faces and were over with the fans.
Bully Ray beat Chris Sabin to retain the TNA Title. After the match, Anderson came into the ring. AJ made the save, to a big pop from the fans.
---Due to a fan tweet that appeared in the scroller on RAW, there was a brief discussion backstage about the idea of inducting Dr. James Andrews, WWE's most famous doctor who has performed surgery on all the top stars, into the WWE Hall of Fame at some point.
--- As noted, AJ Lee's pipebomb promo on RAW will lead to her defending the Divas Title against a cast member of Total Divas at Night of Champions. Speculation is that we may see a title change, which would be the "main event" of the final episode of the first season of Total Divas.
---Dwayne Johnson on Twitter said that his stomach was 100% healed from his recent hernia surgeries and described himself 75% healed from his adductor and abdominal tear (which happened more than four months ago at WrestleMania).
---TNA will be taping Impact on 11/21 at the First Mariner Arena in Baltimore.
---TNA has advertised Bully Ray vs. A.J. Styles tonight in Woodstock, VA for the title as the main event. If you remember, there was a TV match a year ago where Styles couldn't get another title shot at the big belt which was the catalyst for his new character that went nowhere. The year isn't up.
---Ted DiBiase Jr's new job is as Executive Vice President of CollegeGarageSale.com It's a web site for college students to sell things to raise money.
---Friday night's Arena Mexico show aired live and free on the Internet although I didn't find out until after it was over. It was evidently a late decision mad because the usual Sunday time slot in Mexico where the show would air was going to be pre-empted due to a teachers march. Hiroshi Tanahashi beat La Sombra in the Champion of Champions tournament block B.
---The Champion of Champions final on 9/6 will be Tanahashi vs. Rush, who won last week's tournament
---I didn't get details on this, but apparently there was a really scary moment at the PWG show last night where Tommaso Ciampa gave Brian Cage a power bomb outside the ring. Cage's body landed at a terrifying angle and he was laid out for a while. The place went dad silent.
---A nice story on the WWE recruiting NFL players at proplayerinsiders.com/nfl-players-wwe-superstars/ focusing on Dean Muhtadi (Mojo Rawley) and Tom Pestock (Baron Corbin)
---Dragon Con wrestling show from Friday night in Atlanta before a sellout 1,200 fans: David Cross b CB Suave, Jon & Trey Williams b Bobby Moore & Jacob Ashworth, Shaun Tempers b Mosley, Iceman & John Owens b STD & Lightning, Jacoby b Tank, Slim J & Azareal & Billy Buck & Brodie Chase b Andrew Pendleton & Nemesis & Stryknyn & Tommy Penirelli in a War Games match
---Bert Assiratti, Britain's biggest star of the 30s and 40s and part of the 50s, passed away at 82 on this day(08/31/13) in 1990. That caused a excrement storm when in his obits, they claimed that Lou Thesz, who was still alive, was afraid to wrestle him. Mr. Thesz was very unhappy about the accusation. Assiratti, was one of the toughest guys in wrestling history by most accounts, even that of Thesz. Dale Lewis, a former Olympian, passed away on this day in 1997 at 64. Karloff Lagarde, a Hall of Fame candidate from Mexico passed away on this day in 2007 at 79.
---An interview with Austin Aries is at www.herald-mail.com/sports/hm-aires-tna-wrestlers-invade-hagerstown-20130829,0,6406520.story
---MWF 12th anniversary show on 9/21 in Melrose, MA at Memorial Hall with Devon Dudley (the name he's using on indies), Bobby Lashley, Big Daddy V, Bob Holly, Bob Orton Jr., John Cena Sr., R.J. Brewer and Antonio Thomas. Previously advertised Jake Roberts and Carlito are no longer on the show. There will be VIP Q&A's that day as well.
---R.J. Brewer's latest publicity stunt is to ask for donations to build a fence on the border in Arizona to keep undocumented illegal aliens from coming into the country.
---An interview with Christopher Daniels is at bit.ly/1caINZN
---Some upcoming Mick Foley comedy dates are 9/5 in Nashville at Zanies Comedy Club, 9/11 in Hartford at Funny Bone, 9/12 in East Providence, RI at Comedy Connection and 9/13 in Boston at Nick's Comedy Club.
---Filming is scheduled to commence for "See No Evil 2" starring Kane in Vancouver, British Columbia on 9/23. The film is currently slated for a straight to DVD release, unlike the first film, which was the Studios' first-ever theatrical release. The first installment made $15,032,800 over 7 weeks. Kane is off TV to rest and prepare for the film.
---WWE officially announced the 2013 Survivor Series would take place on 11/24 in Boston, MA during tonight's house show in the market. We had reported a few months ago that was the plan. This will be the third time the market has hosted Survivor Series as the event was held there in 1993 and 2008.
---WWE will be releasing some new DVD and Blu-ray titles over the next two months. This includes:
1. "Legends of Mid-South Wrestling" on 9/10
2. "Triple H – Thy Kingdom Come" on 9/24
3. "Goldberg: The Ultimate Collection" on 10/8
4. "Straight to the Top: The Money in the Bank Ladder Match Anthology" on 10/29
5. "The History of WWE: 50 Years of Sports Entertainment" on 11/19.
---Rob Van Dam talks about wrestling for WWE at age 42
RVD added, "I haven’t aged. I’ve always taken care of myself and I’m a non-conformist, so I don’t accept the negativity that comes with birthdays. I’m 42 but I feel way better than I did at 18. I’m in a business where, until recently, the average standard for the wrestlers was probably in their young-40s. You didn’t get respect until you were at that point where your body was starting to break down and, until that point, you were still kind of paying your dues. It’s great for me to have so much experience yet my body is not breaking down."
---I was at the Shawn Michaels Q&A event hosted by Top Rope Pro Wrestling in Waynesboro, VA. This was just an autograph signing and Q&A (as opposed to being attached to an indy card), but it was much better organized than the Mick Foley experience they had promoted in the past.
For one, they had VIPs and assigned seating (I was the first seat). Secondly, Shawn had flown in the night before, so everything was on time (whereas Foley's flights were delayed over an hour).
Finally, they kept the line for the meet and greet well contained. Some people didn't get the word that they'd moved up the start time to 10:30 and were doing the meet and greet first, but they took care of everyone, to the point that if you weren't happy with your photo, they let you get another at the end of the line.
Shawn was very nice to everyone, very quiet and humble, and he tweeted his thanks to the fans after...and he tweeted a response to my posting of my photo, so yes, he's a good guy! And back to his "Shawn Michaels" face too, as the Duck Dynasty beard was gone.
The Q&A started about 12:10 and went an hour or so. There was a good mix of questions, not all wrestling-related. People had traveled from pretty far away from this...I drove in from Northern Virginia, but some fans had driven from Ohio, Missouri, Connecticut, and Florida for the event...helps that it's Labor Day weekend! I took some notes on the Q&A, hopefully my recollection is good enough.
The first question was asking Shawn what his favorite Bible verse is, which he replied was Philippians 4:13: " I can do all this through him who gives me strength." He spoke some about his spiritual journey, noting that his salvation inspired hope inside him. He also talked about when he got frustrated with the business back in 1992, and the advice he got from Randy Savage (while doing a good Savage impression) to not take himself out of the game.
The second question was from an older fan who had met Shawn over 20 years ago with Marty Jannetty, and she was supposed to get an autograph from both Rockers but Shawn snubbed her. So she asked when he had changed and what made him change. He noted that he was definitely more of a jerk back then, and that he doesn't make a good famous guy.
He said he's normally a quiet guy that goes back into daddy mode pretty quick. He said he actually likes to be unnoticed, and that his family was surprised when they saw him on TV being so brash. Regarding the question, he said he likes to think some of his attitude problems were related to his issues back then, and that changing took time, from getting married in 1999 to his salvation in 2002. He also noted that he doesn't worry or concern himself with the various rumors that he's fallen off the wagon, and says some people are still waiting for him to be like "I worked you all" after ten years.
At this point, Shawn said he was a little surprised, because the tone of the Q&A was very much like one of his ministerial talks. He'd said that this was maybe the second Q&A he'd done in a wrestling capacity.
The theme continued with a fan asking if there were any wrestlers he was able to touch with his faith, and a side question on how the Cowboys would do this season. He said he's not a fair-weather fan and that the Cowboys will do well. Regarding his faith, he said when he came back in 2002, he didn't realize he should be circumspect in talking about it, and was loudly proclaiming how his life had changed. He noted that people were still waiting for a fall after all these years, but that he's been clean ever since.
He also noted that no one would talk about their faith in the locker room before his return, but now it's a more openly-discussed topic and that some guys would come up to him to talk to him, especially after tragedies in the business. But he wouldn't name any names of anyone who's a Christian in WWE.
A fan asked Shawn what he was doing post-retirement. He plugged his MacMillan River Adventures show, saying they'd just finished filming for the 2014 season. He also discussed doing some image licensing of himself for projects, and his callbacks to WWE on occasion, but said mostly he spends his time with his family.
Shawn was asked what made him cut the beard off, as well as what he misses about wrestling. To the beard question, he noted that he loves Duck Dynasty and made if a summer project to grow the beard. He said his wife had actually trimmed it a half-inch prior to his Summerslam appearance. He said the beard is soft, whereas his scruff is rougher.
On what he misses, he said mostly the guys in the locker room, but said he doesn't get the itch to come back for matches. He's more interested at this point at being a good husband and father.
Shawn was asked what his favorite car was, to which he responded it was a truck (a 2004 F250 with 100,000+ miles on it). He said he's not a car guy, but he does like to watch NASCAR. His wife drives a Hummer.
A fan asked if Shawn would be back for the Royal Rumble (I think he was asking if Shawn would be in the Rumble). Shawn said contrary to popular belief, he's not in the loop with what's going on, and that he usually finds out if WWE needs him a few days before they do.
He said he's still pretty good about being able to come in and be told what he needs to do. He was also asked about his opinion on HHH's treatment of Daniel Bryan (I think the fan was trying to get a storyline insight, like would Shawn appear to defend his student from his best friend). Shawn said he gets questions like that a lot on Twitter, but that he treats Raw like he does NCIS...he watches to see what happens next.
A fan said Shawn was a big inspiration to them, and asked what his favorite match was. Shawn said he's pleased he can be an inspiration for others. He also said he couldn't pick a favorite match, though obviously the two with Undertaker were good. He made it clear that wrestling was a job to him, saying he doesn't have a wall with belts hanging on it, and that his wrestling gear is in a box in the attic. For him, the memories are in his head and heart, and he has nothing but joy when he thinks about them.
Shawn was asked about the funniest rib he'd done or seen, within reason for the kids in the audience. He talked about his AWA days, where he and Marty would find their bags chained to the air conditioner pipes by Curt Hennig and Scott Hall. He said one time, Curt put padlocks all over the door handles and mirrors of a Lincoln Continental rental, so when driving down the road it would rattle like crazy.
One fan asked if Shawn would teach him how to do Sweet Chin Music. Shawn talked instead about how he stole it from Chris Adams, and was using it when he went singles as a setup for the teardrop suplex. He noted it was Pat Patterson who told him to just do the kick as a finish instead, and that the name came from watching Roger Clemens pitching a fastball and be called "chin music" by the announcers.
Shawn was asked who he thought should wrestle Undertaker at Wrestlemania 30. He noted again he had no insight into the process, but said there were no "old school" guys left to do matches like he and Triple H. He said he could see Daniel Bryan, John Cena, or Curtis Axel getting the nod, if he could choose, but noted he's out of touch with what the WWE audience and demographic wants, being a 48-year-old guy.
He said following up the big "moments" is hard to do week after week and year after year, and that maybe this year, WWE should give Undertaker a break and put him in a six-man with two guys against The Shield. He also took time to say that despite what people might think, he doesn't talk wrestling with Triple H, and that in fact Hunter's time with Shawn is Hunter's break from the wrestling business.
Shawn was asked what he thought about going to church at John Hagee's church. He said Hagee is a hellfire and brimstone guy that's very strict and disciplined, but when Shawn was investigating his faith that's what he needed. Nowadays, he and his family tend to watch Joel Osteen, who he said has a message of hope that's more the direction their faith has evolved. He said they only leave their ranch for movies, groceries, and kids' events, noting that his children are home-schooled and home-churched. He made a joke that it's like a commune almost.
A fan who said he'd just started wrestling training asked Shawn for advice. Shawn said to get the fundamentals down first, and then to let guys become who they are. He said that's how he trained Daniel Bryan, letting Bryan try what he wanted after the fundamentals, and encouraging him to travel to Japan, Europe, and Mexico as he wanted to learn more.
Shawn said he himself would steal things from Chris Adams (the superkick), Curt Hennig (the bumping style), Marty Jannety, and Ted Dibiase. He noted that a person needs to find what works for them, saying that for example, a moonsault just required the cajones to throw yourself backward off the top rope.
He said Hunter's great, but won't do that, whereas Shawn would. Shawn also spoke about how people would be a "genius" about the business, telling him what sucked about his matches, and that sucked the fun out of it for him.
Shawn was asked what his thoughts where before and after his first Wrestlemania match (Wrestlemania 5 against the Twin Towers). He said he was nervous and that he and Marty weren't mature then, given they were in Atlantic City, and that they got wrapped up in the lifestyle there and he wasn't really rested for the match. Afterwards, he said they felt like they'd done a good job.
A fan who had recently been at the Mid-South Fanfest said a number of the old-timers there said Shawn was the guy that exemplified the business, which he thought was nice of them. He was asked about his memories of working for Bill Watts and Verne Gagne. He said Watts was phenomenal but strict. He told a story about being at TV and seeing he wasn't booked for the following week's TV, so he didn't show (where everyone was required to show, booked or not). The following week, he was fined $50 (which was big for him back then), and when he said he didn't know, he was told "now you do." Shawn said after six months, Watts told him there was an art to winning, such as cutting promos, and that he couldn't learn it there, so he went onto Kansas City to learn more.
As for Verne, Shawn said he wasn't embracing of the future. He said because they would tour in Las Vegas, even as a 20-year-old he was getting into bars and the Rockers would get into trouble, and he thinks some of the negatives in his life were developed in this timeframe.
A quick question asked Shawn his favorite color, which he said was green. Another fan then asked if Shawn was surprised that wrestling magazines called many of his matches the match of the year, especially the Wrestlemania 22 match against Vince McMahon. Shawn said he didn't know they had, but when it came to that particular match, he wanted one year where he didn't have the focus on him, so he pitched the idea of the match with Vince (who he said wasn't athletic). He said the title of "Mr. Wrestlemania" was just part of his job, and he used it to push himself to do better, but has no ego about it.
The final questioner asked Shawn if he had any idea when starting out that he'd have a hall of fame career. He said he really didn't, and that back then for him, success was having a one-bedroom apartment and a car, and maybe being the top guy in a territory.. He was also asked how he feels about fans considering him the "standard" for wrestlers, to which he replied he doesn't care personally about things like that. He's glad instead that the fans think that and that he can inspire others.
He noted that he doesn't talk wrestling on Twitter when asked because he can't fit something that's in his head and heart into 140 characters. He said he left the wrestling business in peace and that his peace now is with his family.
Shawn's parting words were to say that if what the fans watched of him was ever more than just wrestling to them, if it touched them in some way, that's how he felt about it too.
Overall, Shawn strikes me as a very humble guy that would be just as happy being home all the time with his family and never being called for wrestling things ever again. I think especially after his return, he looked at the business as the job he did, and he's not obsessed over it or reliving his glory days, instead being the getaway for his best friend who's surrounded by the business 24/7. He's a genuinely nice guy that looks happy with his life, which after an amazing career (especially the second half of it) he deserves to have. Here's hoping Shawn's the beginning of a trend of guys who can walk away from wrestling without needed to go back for money or to relive the glory days, and is able to take care of himself and his family.
---William Regal was at Saturday's Pro Wrestling Guerrilla Battle of Los Angeles Night Two in Reseda, CA . The word in the locker room is that he's there scouting potential talent that WWE can look into signing down the line. He picked a hell of a show to visit, since there are a slew of top-tier independent talents working PWG this weekend.
---WWE announced on Wednesday that they would be making their return to Mexico from October 16th-19th with shows in Queretaro, Guadalajara, Mexico City, & Monterrey in that order. These are all house shows and the Mexico City show will compete head-to-head against EMLL at Arena Mexico with WWE running Arena Ciudad which is where AAA has run for Triplemania the last two years. WWE World Heavyweight Champ Alberto del Rio did press for the shows on Thursday and said that he would be coming home along with Big Show, CM Punk, Rey Misterio, The Wyatt Family, and others. One name that wasn't mentioned was Sin Cara.
---PWG Battle of Los Angeles results 8-31 Reseda
William Regal was in attendance, "scouting potential talent that WWE can look into signing down the line" is the word in the locker room
Anthony Nese hurt his ankle so he's on commentary tonight
Excalibur declares no videos on Instagram and Vine! Excalibur really pissed about it
1.Drake Younger def Brian Cage via small package
2.Johnny Gargano def Kevin Steen via GargaNO escape
3.Michael Elgin def Roderick Strong via cross face
4.Kyle O'Reilly def ACH via triangle choke
5.Joey Ryan, Chuck Taylor and Trent? def Willie Mack, B Boy and Tomasso Ciampa when Taylor pinned Bboy. Cage interfered and power bombed Ciampa on a chair
- Nese took over as ref when Knox got knocked out after Chuck Taylor exploded a grenade in the ring
6.Michael Elgin def Johnny Gargano via Super Elgin Bomb from the second rope.
7.Kyle O'Reilly def Drake Younger via guillotine choke
8.Young Bucks and Adam Cole def AR Fox, Rich Swann and Candace LaRae when Cole pinned Candace via double super kick into Florida Keys
BOLA 2013 Finals:
9.Kyle O Reilly is the 2013 Battle of Los Angeles winner defeating Michael Elgin via triangle choke!
---TNA CHANGES MAIN EVENT TO AVOID STORYLINE ISSUE: 8/31 TNA RESULTS IN WOODSTOCK, VA
Going into the show, they were advertising AJ Styles challenging Bully Ray for the TNA title despite the storyline that AJ can't have a title shot until Bound for Glory. The night of the show, TNA changed up the card so it was Magnus challenging. I thought that was interesting. Here's the results of the card:
*TNA Tag Team champs Gunner & James Storm defeated Bad Influence.
*TNA Knockouts champ Mickie James defeated ODB.
*Mr. Anderson defeated Joseph Park.
*Austin Aries defeated Bobby Roode.
*AJ Styles defeated Chris Sabin.
*TNA champ Bully Ray defeated Magnus in what could turn out to be a preview of the Bound for Glory main event.
---8/31 WWE IN BOSTON, MA RESULTS
*Dolph Ziggler pinned Big E. Langston after a Zig Zag.
*WWE United States champ Dean Ambrose pinned Rob Van Dam after rolling through a bodyblock off the ropes. He may have hooked the tights as well.
*Kaitlyn & Natalya & Naomi defeated WWE Divas champ AJ Lee & Brie Bella & Layla. Brie walked out on Lee, allowing her to be distracted and giving Kaitlyn the chance to spear her.
*Kofi Kingston pinned Ryback.
*Big Show & Mark Henry defeated WWE Tag Team champions The Shield by DQ when Ambrose hit the ring with a chair. RVD made the save.
*The Wyatt Family defeated The Usos & R-Truth.
*CM Punk pinned WWE Intercontinental champ Curtis Axel after a GTS.
*Randy Orton pinned Daniel Bryan with a RKO. The Shield distracted Bryan, which set up several of the babyfaces hitting the ring.
PRO WRESTLING EVENTS FOR MONDAY SEPTEMBER 2,2013:
WWE RAW TV @ Iowa Events Center (Wells Fargo Arena) in Des Moines, Iowa
UCW @ Utah County Historic Courthouse in Provo, Utah
CMLL @ Arena Puebla in Puebla, Mexico
PC @ 4 Caminos Arena in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico
Osaka Pro @ Umeda Nasci Hall in Osaka, Japan
---When WCW was sold to WWE, where did the physical assets go - the rings, the sets, etc.?
All the physical assets were purchased by WWE. I know some of the rings were given to developmental territories at the time and others were sold off. Some of the set dressings, banners, etc. are still owned by WWE and kept in their warehouse of props. Other material that the company didn't want they scrapped or sold off.
---With WWE Classics, we see a lot of old AWA, ECW, WCW, NWA, etc. material but one thing that has never shown up are the ECW DVDs from Pioneer Home Video. I am very curious as to why they are never used, since they are already edited, cleaned up for DVD, etc.?
The Pioneer Home Video material was licensed to Pioneer and they would be the owners of record. I looked into the ECW bankruptcy paperwork when you asked and there was actually a clause in the sale noting that the Pioneer Home Video DVD releases were not part of the HHG Corp. (ECW parent company) assets, so those titles remain under the ownership of Pioneer. I doubt they will ever do anything with them again since they were discontinued with the death of Pioneer's Sports division. They actually had a few more titles being prepared when they shut down and those will never be seen ever.
---8/30 TNA RESULTS FROM HAGERSTOWN, MD
The building was small but almost sold out. Here are the results.
James Storm and Gunner beat Bad Influence.
Mickie James beat ODB with a roll up. ODB got a great reaction.
Bobby Roode beat Joseph Park.
AJ Styles beat Ken Anderson. AJ was super over with the crowd.
The announced that Impact will be taped in Baltimore, MD on 11/21.
Austin Aries beat Magnus in a great match. Both guys worked as faces and were over with the fans.
Bully Ray beat Chris Sabin to retain the TNA Title. After the match, Anderson came into the ring. AJ made the save, to a big pop from the fans.
---Due to a fan tweet that appeared in the scroller on RAW, there was a brief discussion backstage about the idea of inducting Dr. James Andrews, WWE's most famous doctor who has performed surgery on all the top stars, into the WWE Hall of Fame at some point.
--- As noted, AJ Lee's pipebomb promo on RAW will lead to her defending the Divas Title against a cast member of Total Divas at Night of Champions. Speculation is that we may see a title change, which would be the "main event" of the final episode of the first season of Total Divas.
---Dwayne Johnson on Twitter said that his stomach was 100% healed from his recent hernia surgeries and described himself 75% healed from his adductor and abdominal tear (which happened more than four months ago at WrestleMania).
---TNA will be taping Impact on 11/21 at the First Mariner Arena in Baltimore.
---TNA has advertised Bully Ray vs. A.J. Styles tonight in Woodstock, VA for the title as the main event. If you remember, there was a TV match a year ago where Styles couldn't get another title shot at the big belt which was the catalyst for his new character that went nowhere. The year isn't up.
---Ted DiBiase Jr's new job is as Executive Vice President of CollegeGarageSale.com It's a web site for college students to sell things to raise money.
---Friday night's Arena Mexico show aired live and free on the Internet although I didn't find out until after it was over. It was evidently a late decision mad because the usual Sunday time slot in Mexico where the show would air was going to be pre-empted due to a teachers march. Hiroshi Tanahashi beat La Sombra in the Champion of Champions tournament block B.
---The Champion of Champions final on 9/6 will be Tanahashi vs. Rush, who won last week's tournament
---I didn't get details on this, but apparently there was a really scary moment at the PWG show last night where Tommaso Ciampa gave Brian Cage a power bomb outside the ring. Cage's body landed at a terrifying angle and he was laid out for a while. The place went dad silent.
---A nice story on the WWE recruiting NFL players at proplayerinsiders.com/nfl-players-wwe-superstars/ focusing on Dean Muhtadi (Mojo Rawley) and Tom Pestock (Baron Corbin)
---Dragon Con wrestling show from Friday night in Atlanta before a sellout 1,200 fans: David Cross b CB Suave, Jon & Trey Williams b Bobby Moore & Jacob Ashworth, Shaun Tempers b Mosley, Iceman & John Owens b STD & Lightning, Jacoby b Tank, Slim J & Azareal & Billy Buck & Brodie Chase b Andrew Pendleton & Nemesis & Stryknyn & Tommy Penirelli in a War Games match
---Bert Assiratti, Britain's biggest star of the 30s and 40s and part of the 50s, passed away at 82 on this day(08/31/13) in 1990. That caused a excrement storm when in his obits, they claimed that Lou Thesz, who was still alive, was afraid to wrestle him. Mr. Thesz was very unhappy about the accusation. Assiratti, was one of the toughest guys in wrestling history by most accounts, even that of Thesz. Dale Lewis, a former Olympian, passed away on this day in 1997 at 64. Karloff Lagarde, a Hall of Fame candidate from Mexico passed away on this day in 2007 at 79.
---An interview with Austin Aries is at www.herald-mail.com/sports/hm-aires-tna-wrestlers-invade-hagerstown-20130829,0,6406520.story
---MWF 12th anniversary show on 9/21 in Melrose, MA at Memorial Hall with Devon Dudley (the name he's using on indies), Bobby Lashley, Big Daddy V, Bob Holly, Bob Orton Jr., John Cena Sr., R.J. Brewer and Antonio Thomas. Previously advertised Jake Roberts and Carlito are no longer on the show. There will be VIP Q&A's that day as well.
---R.J. Brewer's latest publicity stunt is to ask for donations to build a fence on the border in Arizona to keep undocumented illegal aliens from coming into the country.
---An interview with Christopher Daniels is at bit.ly/1caINZN
---Some upcoming Mick Foley comedy dates are 9/5 in Nashville at Zanies Comedy Club, 9/11 in Hartford at Funny Bone, 9/12 in East Providence, RI at Comedy Connection and 9/13 in Boston at Nick's Comedy Club.
---Filming is scheduled to commence for "See No Evil 2" starring Kane in Vancouver, British Columbia on 9/23. The film is currently slated for a straight to DVD release, unlike the first film, which was the Studios' first-ever theatrical release. The first installment made $15,032,800 over 7 weeks. Kane is off TV to rest and prepare for the film.
---WWE officially announced the 2013 Survivor Series would take place on 11/24 in Boston, MA during tonight's house show in the market. We had reported a few months ago that was the plan. This will be the third time the market has hosted Survivor Series as the event was held there in 1993 and 2008.
---WWE will be releasing some new DVD and Blu-ray titles over the next two months. This includes:
1. "Legends of Mid-South Wrestling" on 9/10
2. "Triple H – Thy Kingdom Come" on 9/24
3. "Goldberg: The Ultimate Collection" on 10/8
4. "Straight to the Top: The Money in the Bank Ladder Match Anthology" on 10/29
5. "The History of WWE: 50 Years of Sports Entertainment" on 11/19.
---Rob Van Dam talks about wrestling for WWE at age 42
RVD added, "I haven’t aged. I’ve always taken care of myself and I’m a non-conformist, so I don’t accept the negativity that comes with birthdays. I’m 42 but I feel way better than I did at 18. I’m in a business where, until recently, the average standard for the wrestlers was probably in their young-40s. You didn’t get respect until you were at that point where your body was starting to break down and, until that point, you were still kind of paying your dues. It’s great for me to have so much experience yet my body is not breaking down."
---I was at the Shawn Michaels Q&A event hosted by Top Rope Pro Wrestling in Waynesboro, VA. This was just an autograph signing and Q&A (as opposed to being attached to an indy card), but it was much better organized than the Mick Foley experience they had promoted in the past.
For one, they had VIPs and assigned seating (I was the first seat). Secondly, Shawn had flown in the night before, so everything was on time (whereas Foley's flights were delayed over an hour).
Finally, they kept the line for the meet and greet well contained. Some people didn't get the word that they'd moved up the start time to 10:30 and were doing the meet and greet first, but they took care of everyone, to the point that if you weren't happy with your photo, they let you get another at the end of the line.
Shawn was very nice to everyone, very quiet and humble, and he tweeted his thanks to the fans after...and he tweeted a response to my posting of my photo, so yes, he's a good guy! And back to his "Shawn Michaels" face too, as the Duck Dynasty beard was gone.
The Q&A started about 12:10 and went an hour or so. There was a good mix of questions, not all wrestling-related. People had traveled from pretty far away from this...I drove in from Northern Virginia, but some fans had driven from Ohio, Missouri, Connecticut, and Florida for the event...helps that it's Labor Day weekend! I took some notes on the Q&A, hopefully my recollection is good enough.
The first question was asking Shawn what his favorite Bible verse is, which he replied was Philippians 4:13: " I can do all this through him who gives me strength." He spoke some about his spiritual journey, noting that his salvation inspired hope inside him. He also talked about when he got frustrated with the business back in 1992, and the advice he got from Randy Savage (while doing a good Savage impression) to not take himself out of the game.
The second question was from an older fan who had met Shawn over 20 years ago with Marty Jannetty, and she was supposed to get an autograph from both Rockers but Shawn snubbed her. So she asked when he had changed and what made him change. He noted that he was definitely more of a jerk back then, and that he doesn't make a good famous guy.
He said he's normally a quiet guy that goes back into daddy mode pretty quick. He said he actually likes to be unnoticed, and that his family was surprised when they saw him on TV being so brash. Regarding the question, he said he likes to think some of his attitude problems were related to his issues back then, and that changing took time, from getting married in 1999 to his salvation in 2002. He also noted that he doesn't worry or concern himself with the various rumors that he's fallen off the wagon, and says some people are still waiting for him to be like "I worked you all" after ten years.
At this point, Shawn said he was a little surprised, because the tone of the Q&A was very much like one of his ministerial talks. He'd said that this was maybe the second Q&A he'd done in a wrestling capacity.
The theme continued with a fan asking if there were any wrestlers he was able to touch with his faith, and a side question on how the Cowboys would do this season. He said he's not a fair-weather fan and that the Cowboys will do well. Regarding his faith, he said when he came back in 2002, he didn't realize he should be circumspect in talking about it, and was loudly proclaiming how his life had changed. He noted that people were still waiting for a fall after all these years, but that he's been clean ever since.
He also noted that no one would talk about their faith in the locker room before his return, but now it's a more openly-discussed topic and that some guys would come up to him to talk to him, especially after tragedies in the business. But he wouldn't name any names of anyone who's a Christian in WWE.
A fan asked Shawn what he was doing post-retirement. He plugged his MacMillan River Adventures show, saying they'd just finished filming for the 2014 season. He also discussed doing some image licensing of himself for projects, and his callbacks to WWE on occasion, but said mostly he spends his time with his family.
Shawn was asked what made him cut the beard off, as well as what he misses about wrestling. To the beard question, he noted that he loves Duck Dynasty and made if a summer project to grow the beard. He said his wife had actually trimmed it a half-inch prior to his Summerslam appearance. He said the beard is soft, whereas his scruff is rougher.
On what he misses, he said mostly the guys in the locker room, but said he doesn't get the itch to come back for matches. He's more interested at this point at being a good husband and father.
Shawn was asked what his favorite car was, to which he responded it was a truck (a 2004 F250 with 100,000+ miles on it). He said he's not a car guy, but he does like to watch NASCAR. His wife drives a Hummer.
A fan asked if Shawn would be back for the Royal Rumble (I think he was asking if Shawn would be in the Rumble). Shawn said contrary to popular belief, he's not in the loop with what's going on, and that he usually finds out if WWE needs him a few days before they do.
He said he's still pretty good about being able to come in and be told what he needs to do. He was also asked about his opinion on HHH's treatment of Daniel Bryan (I think the fan was trying to get a storyline insight, like would Shawn appear to defend his student from his best friend). Shawn said he gets questions like that a lot on Twitter, but that he treats Raw like he does NCIS...he watches to see what happens next.
A fan said Shawn was a big inspiration to them, and asked what his favorite match was. Shawn said he's pleased he can be an inspiration for others. He also said he couldn't pick a favorite match, though obviously the two with Undertaker were good. He made it clear that wrestling was a job to him, saying he doesn't have a wall with belts hanging on it, and that his wrestling gear is in a box in the attic. For him, the memories are in his head and heart, and he has nothing but joy when he thinks about them.
Shawn was asked about the funniest rib he'd done or seen, within reason for the kids in the audience. He talked about his AWA days, where he and Marty would find their bags chained to the air conditioner pipes by Curt Hennig and Scott Hall. He said one time, Curt put padlocks all over the door handles and mirrors of a Lincoln Continental rental, so when driving down the road it would rattle like crazy.
One fan asked if Shawn would teach him how to do Sweet Chin Music. Shawn talked instead about how he stole it from Chris Adams, and was using it when he went singles as a setup for the teardrop suplex. He noted it was Pat Patterson who told him to just do the kick as a finish instead, and that the name came from watching Roger Clemens pitching a fastball and be called "chin music" by the announcers.
Shawn was asked who he thought should wrestle Undertaker at Wrestlemania 30. He noted again he had no insight into the process, but said there were no "old school" guys left to do matches like he and Triple H. He said he could see Daniel Bryan, John Cena, or Curtis Axel getting the nod, if he could choose, but noted he's out of touch with what the WWE audience and demographic wants, being a 48-year-old guy.
He said following up the big "moments" is hard to do week after week and year after year, and that maybe this year, WWE should give Undertaker a break and put him in a six-man with two guys against The Shield. He also took time to say that despite what people might think, he doesn't talk wrestling with Triple H, and that in fact Hunter's time with Shawn is Hunter's break from the wrestling business.
Shawn was asked what he thought about going to church at John Hagee's church. He said Hagee is a hellfire and brimstone guy that's very strict and disciplined, but when Shawn was investigating his faith that's what he needed. Nowadays, he and his family tend to watch Joel Osteen, who he said has a message of hope that's more the direction their faith has evolved. He said they only leave their ranch for movies, groceries, and kids' events, noting that his children are home-schooled and home-churched. He made a joke that it's like a commune almost.
A fan who said he'd just started wrestling training asked Shawn for advice. Shawn said to get the fundamentals down first, and then to let guys become who they are. He said that's how he trained Daniel Bryan, letting Bryan try what he wanted after the fundamentals, and encouraging him to travel to Japan, Europe, and Mexico as he wanted to learn more.
Shawn said he himself would steal things from Chris Adams (the superkick), Curt Hennig (the bumping style), Marty Jannety, and Ted Dibiase. He noted that a person needs to find what works for them, saying that for example, a moonsault just required the cajones to throw yourself backward off the top rope.
He said Hunter's great, but won't do that, whereas Shawn would. Shawn also spoke about how people would be a "genius" about the business, telling him what sucked about his matches, and that sucked the fun out of it for him.
Shawn was asked what his thoughts where before and after his first Wrestlemania match (Wrestlemania 5 against the Twin Towers). He said he was nervous and that he and Marty weren't mature then, given they were in Atlantic City, and that they got wrapped up in the lifestyle there and he wasn't really rested for the match. Afterwards, he said they felt like they'd done a good job.
A fan who had recently been at the Mid-South Fanfest said a number of the old-timers there said Shawn was the guy that exemplified the business, which he thought was nice of them. He was asked about his memories of working for Bill Watts and Verne Gagne. He said Watts was phenomenal but strict. He told a story about being at TV and seeing he wasn't booked for the following week's TV, so he didn't show (where everyone was required to show, booked or not). The following week, he was fined $50 (which was big for him back then), and when he said he didn't know, he was told "now you do." Shawn said after six months, Watts told him there was an art to winning, such as cutting promos, and that he couldn't learn it there, so he went onto Kansas City to learn more.
As for Verne, Shawn said he wasn't embracing of the future. He said because they would tour in Las Vegas, even as a 20-year-old he was getting into bars and the Rockers would get into trouble, and he thinks some of the negatives in his life were developed in this timeframe.
A quick question asked Shawn his favorite color, which he said was green. Another fan then asked if Shawn was surprised that wrestling magazines called many of his matches the match of the year, especially the Wrestlemania 22 match against Vince McMahon. Shawn said he didn't know they had, but when it came to that particular match, he wanted one year where he didn't have the focus on him, so he pitched the idea of the match with Vince (who he said wasn't athletic). He said the title of "Mr. Wrestlemania" was just part of his job, and he used it to push himself to do better, but has no ego about it.
The final questioner asked Shawn if he had any idea when starting out that he'd have a hall of fame career. He said he really didn't, and that back then for him, success was having a one-bedroom apartment and a car, and maybe being the top guy in a territory.. He was also asked how he feels about fans considering him the "standard" for wrestlers, to which he replied he doesn't care personally about things like that. He's glad instead that the fans think that and that he can inspire others.
He noted that he doesn't talk wrestling on Twitter when asked because he can't fit something that's in his head and heart into 140 characters. He said he left the wrestling business in peace and that his peace now is with his family.
Shawn's parting words were to say that if what the fans watched of him was ever more than just wrestling to them, if it touched them in some way, that's how he felt about it too.
Overall, Shawn strikes me as a very humble guy that would be just as happy being home all the time with his family and never being called for wrestling things ever again. I think especially after his return, he looked at the business as the job he did, and he's not obsessed over it or reliving his glory days, instead being the getaway for his best friend who's surrounded by the business 24/7. He's a genuinely nice guy that looks happy with his life, which after an amazing career (especially the second half of it) he deserves to have. Here's hoping Shawn's the beginning of a trend of guys who can walk away from wrestling without needed to go back for money or to relive the glory days, and is able to take care of himself and his family.
---William Regal was at Saturday's Pro Wrestling Guerrilla Battle of Los Angeles Night Two in Reseda, CA . The word in the locker room is that he's there scouting potential talent that WWE can look into signing down the line. He picked a hell of a show to visit, since there are a slew of top-tier independent talents working PWG this weekend.
---WWE announced on Wednesday that they would be making their return to Mexico from October 16th-19th with shows in Queretaro, Guadalajara, Mexico City, & Monterrey in that order. These are all house shows and the Mexico City show will compete head-to-head against EMLL at Arena Mexico with WWE running Arena Ciudad which is where AAA has run for Triplemania the last two years. WWE World Heavyweight Champ Alberto del Rio did press for the shows on Thursday and said that he would be coming home along with Big Show, CM Punk, Rey Misterio, The Wyatt Family, and others. One name that wasn't mentioned was Sin Cara.
---PWG Battle of Los Angeles results 8-31 Reseda
William Regal was in attendance, "scouting potential talent that WWE can look into signing down the line" is the word in the locker room
Anthony Nese hurt his ankle so he's on commentary tonight
Excalibur declares no videos on Instagram and Vine! Excalibur really pissed about it
1.Drake Younger def Brian Cage via small package
2.Johnny Gargano def Kevin Steen via GargaNO escape
3.Michael Elgin def Roderick Strong via cross face
4.Kyle O'Reilly def ACH via triangle choke
5.Joey Ryan, Chuck Taylor and Trent? def Willie Mack, B Boy and Tomasso Ciampa when Taylor pinned Bboy. Cage interfered and power bombed Ciampa on a chair
- Nese took over as ref when Knox got knocked out after Chuck Taylor exploded a grenade in the ring
6.Michael Elgin def Johnny Gargano via Super Elgin Bomb from the second rope.
7.Kyle O'Reilly def Drake Younger via guillotine choke
8.Young Bucks and Adam Cole def AR Fox, Rich Swann and Candace LaRae when Cole pinned Candace via double super kick into Florida Keys
BOLA 2013 Finals:
9.Kyle O Reilly is the 2013 Battle of Los Angeles winner defeating Michael Elgin via triangle choke!
---TNA CHANGES MAIN EVENT TO AVOID STORYLINE ISSUE: 8/31 TNA RESULTS IN WOODSTOCK, VA
Going into the show, they were advertising AJ Styles challenging Bully Ray for the TNA title despite the storyline that AJ can't have a title shot until Bound for Glory. The night of the show, TNA changed up the card so it was Magnus challenging. I thought that was interesting. Here's the results of the card:
*TNA Tag Team champs Gunner & James Storm defeated Bad Influence.
*TNA Knockouts champ Mickie James defeated ODB.
*Mr. Anderson defeated Joseph Park.
*Austin Aries defeated Bobby Roode.
*AJ Styles defeated Chris Sabin.
*TNA champ Bully Ray defeated Magnus in what could turn out to be a preview of the Bound for Glory main event.
---8/31 WWE IN BOSTON, MA RESULTS
*Dolph Ziggler pinned Big E. Langston after a Zig Zag.
*WWE United States champ Dean Ambrose pinned Rob Van Dam after rolling through a bodyblock off the ropes. He may have hooked the tights as well.
*Kaitlyn & Natalya & Naomi defeated WWE Divas champ AJ Lee & Brie Bella & Layla. Brie walked out on Lee, allowing her to be distracted and giving Kaitlyn the chance to spear her.
*Kofi Kingston pinned Ryback.
*Big Show & Mark Henry defeated WWE Tag Team champions The Shield by DQ when Ambrose hit the ring with a chair. RVD made the save.
*The Wyatt Family defeated The Usos & R-Truth.
*CM Punk pinned WWE Intercontinental champ Curtis Axel after a GTS.
*Randy Orton pinned Daniel Bryan with a RKO. The Shield distracted Bryan, which set up several of the babyfaces hitting the ring.
PRO WRESTLING EVENTS FOR MONDAY SEPTEMBER 2,2013:
WWE RAW TV @ Iowa Events Center (Wells Fargo Arena) in Des Moines, Iowa
UCW @ Utah County Historic Courthouse in Provo, Utah
CMLL @ Arena Puebla in Puebla, Mexico
PC @ 4 Caminos Arena in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico
Osaka Pro @ Umeda Nasci Hall in Osaka, Japan