Category Archives: Wrestling
Maura Ranallo Will Be The New Voice Of #WWENXT
Although there were rumors that Mauro Ranallo and WWE were going to part ways in August when his contract expires, it looks like he’ll be the voice of NXT going forward. Ranallo’s personal battles along with the bullying culture of WWE were an immediate bad fit, and coupled with the release of former ring announcer Justin Roberts’ book that put WWE on blast, it looked like Mauro and WWE weren’t meant to be. I’m extremely happy to see that they came to terms, and the NXT atmosphere might be exactly what Mauro needs. He’ll start tonight where NXT is taping at Full Sail for the next four shows or so, and his enthusiastic style is going to mix perfectly with the NXT brand. Mauro was scheduled to call the Floyd Mayweather/Conor McGregor mega fight in August for Showtime Sports, and I have to imagine he’s still in line to do that. Another bonus of working for NXT is the much lighter schedule with it being taped, especially for announcers. Mauro’s debut will most likely be on next Wednesday’s show.
-Ryan
Big Cass Had His Barbershop Window Moment Last Night On #RAW
On January 12, 1992 Shawn Michaels pulled off one of the best executed heel turns in pro wrestling history. Michaels and Marty Jannetty, up to that point known as The Rockers, were one of the most athletic and exciting tag teams of the late 80s and early 90s. They wrestled in the NWA, AWA & eventually the WWF, where they would split up and go their separate ways. That split was solidified on air during Brutus ‘The Barber’ Beefcake’s “Barbershop” segment, where Michaels would throw his former friend and partner through the barbershop window:
Most people know how the story went from there: Shawn Michaels went on to have a hall of fame career, while Marty Jannetty became the symbol of the weakest link in any future tag team breakup storyline. That brings us to last night, where Big Cass officially turned on his friend and partner Enzo Amore:
While this segment wasn’t on par with the Michaels/Jannetty turn, it was still well done and unlike most storylines in WWE, it’s been building up for awhile. Enzo Amore has been mysteriously attacked for weeks, but the story has been playing out for much longer than that. All it takes is one look at Enzo & Cass to see who the star of the team is, especially since they’ve debuted on RAW. They were Full Sail darlings in NXT, but once they debuted on RAW, Enzo was portrayed as the weakest link that could only skate by when Cass was there to help him. Week after week Enzo would get pummeled, and Cass would either make the save, or they would lose their match.
I’ve read a few internet comments on the heel turn that thought it wasn’t the best timing, but once you do a little bit of research, their win/loss record is staggering, and not in a good way. Per profightdb.com, Enzo & Cass have won 4 televised matches this year. Four! I know wins and losses aren’t the only measuring stick in pro wrestling, but this isn’t exactly The Shield breaking up in their prime. Enzo is entertaining on the microphone and they have their catchphrases, but I don’t think that’s enough in WWE. Were they fun? Sometimes, but I need more than the same catchphrase and dance moves out of wrestlers I’m going to root for consistently.
As good as Cass’s promo was, the true test for him is going to be what comes next. Shawn Michaels turned that barbershop window segment into a hall of fame career. Can Cass do the same thing? I hope so.
-Ryan
Samoa Joe Is The #1 Contender To Brock Lesnar’s Universal Title & Their Feud Is Off To A Great Start #WWE
Samoa Joe won the Fatal Five Way at Extreme Rules, and it was the best possible outcome coming out of that match. I was hoping Joe would win because he vs. Lesnar was the most intriguing match up, and I got my wish. Monday night on RAW, Samoa Joe wasted no time in putting Brock Lesnar on notice. After a great promo by Joe, Paul Heyman came out as he always does to advocate for Brock Lesnar, hype up Lesnar’s opponent while also explaining why that opponent has no chance against his Beast. Joe took everything in stride until Heyman tried to leave the ring. That’s when Joe calmly and sadistically explained to Paul what was about to happen to him and that he wants Paul to explain to Brock how it feels to get choked out. I loved that Joe did this without the use of a microphone, as this was something intimate he only wanted Heyman to hear.
Later in the episode Heyman is getting checked on by trainers when Brock Lesnar calls, and we find out that Brock will be at RAW next week to meet Joe head on. Joe knew what he was doing when he choked out Heyman, but it takes a special type of man to willingly call out Brock Lesnar like that. We haven’t seen Brock since the RAW after Mania, and I hope he comes back next week and we get some fireworks before…Greats Balls of Fire. Still don’t understand how they landed on that name, but if it’s being headlined by a fresh, ready to murder Brock Lesnar versus Samoa Joe, I’m in.
-Ryan
#WWE Has Announced It’s First Ever Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match #SmackdownLive
The SmackDown LIVE Women’s division is once again about to prove just how ground-breaking it can be. At WWE Money in the Bank, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Natalya, Tamina and Carmella will compete in the first-ever Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match. – WWE
Photo: WWE
The Women’s Revolution has been an uneven ride so far. While there have certainly been highs (WrestleMania 32 triple threat) there have also been lows (Bayley’s ‘This is Your Life’ segment from RAW) and the storytelling has been inconsistent at best. There’s no doubt that these current crop of women are talented, but if the creative direction could catch up with their skill level they’d really have something special. While the Women’s division have main evented a pay per view and fought inside Hell in a Cell over the last year, the next logical step was a MITB ladder match.
I’m not overly excited to watch Tamina Snuka slowly climb a ladder, but there’s a ton of talent in this match that I’m hopeful are given some creative spots to steal the show. While Charlotte and Becky will be the favorites, this could be the best time to give Natalya her long overdue spotlight. She’s far and away the veteran of the Women’s division, and winning the first ever Women’s MITB match would be a great tip of the cap to her.
-Ryan
Randy Orton Won Instagram This Weekend #MemorialDay
Randy Orton had the long weekend off to spend some time at home by the pool with his family. But just because The Viper isn’t inside a WWE ring, doesn’t mean he won’t attack at any moment. That kid never saw the RKO coming. I’m also glad Randy loves the RKO Outta Nowhere just as much as the rest of us.
-Ryan
The Mae Young Classic Will Be A 32 Women Tournament On The WWE Network This Summer #WWE
WWE has announced that the first-ever Mae Young Classic women’s tournament will take place Thursday, July 13, and Friday, July 14, from Full Sail Live in Orlando, Fla.
Tickets will go on sale this Friday at 10 a.m. ET via www.nxttickets.com.
The tournament, named after WWE Hall of Famer and one of the greatest WWE Superstars in history, Mae Young, will feature 32 of the top female competitors from around the world participating in a single-elimination tournament. The unprecedented event will stream later this summer exclusively on WWE Network.
“The Mae Young Classic will mark a significant moment in the evolution of WWE,” said Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events and Creative. “We are proud to provide this unique opportunity for the best female talent from around the world.”
Additional information on the Mae Young Classic will be announced in the coming weeks. – WWE.COM
There’s been rumblings for some time now regarding a WWE sponsored women’s tournament, and now we have an official name and dates. The Mae Young Classic, named after women’s wrestling pioneer Mae Young, will take place July 13 and 14 at Full Sail University (the home of NXT). The Cruiserweight Classic and UK Tournament that WWE put on over the past year were both excellent, so I’m excited to see which women from around the world WWE can get for this event. Tournament’s like this really open your eyes to all the great wrestling that is happening on a daily basis, and I’m sure I’ll fall in love with a few new faces like I did with Kota Ibushi, Cedric Alexander, Tyler Bate & Pete Dunne.
Modern day fans might only know Mae Young as the crazy old lady who gave birth to a hand and got power bombed through a table by the Dudleyz (which happened a day after her 77th birthday!) but she was wrestling as far back as the late 30’s. Mae Young had a match in the 1930s and the 2000s, which might be one of the craziest things I’ve ever typed. She’s a WWE Hall of Famer, and someone who’s name deserves to be attached to what should be a fantastic showcase for women’s wrestling.
-Ryan
Brock Lesnar Will Defend His Universal Title At Great Balls Of Fire In July. Wait, What? #WWE
JUST ANNOUNCED: @BrockLesnar defends his title when @WWE returns to Dallas on July 9!
PRESALE: Thurs. May 4 10AM
ON SALE: Fri. May 5 at 10AM pic.twitter.com/bEhsjvNhNh— AAC (@AACenter) April 28, 2017
WWE officials after they see the reaction to the PPV name
Brock Lesnar won the Universal Title from Goldberg at WM 33 and unsurprisingly hasn’t defended the title since. The same thing happened between Summerslam and WrestleMania 31, so whenever Lesnar has a title the only thing to expect is that the title will not be on TV or pay per view’s very often. As great as it is to see that Lesnar will be back suplexing schmucks very soon, the big news here is the new name of WWE’s RAW branded July pay per view. If you’ve needed a reminder that a 70 year old billionaire runs the WWE, look no further than the Great Balls of Fire pay per view name. The name references a popular song recorded by Jerry Lee Lewis in 1964 and is also the same year Vince McMahon turned 19, which cannot be a coincidence. I’d bet you all the honey in the world that this is one of Vince’s favorite songs, and in that insane mind of his he thought July of 2017 was the perfect time to name a pay per view after it. It’s either that or he’s going to create a match where someone’s balls are actually lit on fire. It’s a toss up, really.
-Ryan
Can You Believe It? A Vince McMahon Biopic Is Officially In The Works #WWE
Lordy mercy, Vince McMahon is getting the story of his life told on the big screen. It was announced today that TriStar Pictures will be backing a biopic about the flamboyant WWE Chairman Of The Board and CEO. Pandemonium, which will be the title of the film written by Craig A. Williams, was first shopped around Hollywood last summer, but studios hesitated to pick the project up. Now, however, TriStar Pictures is giving the biopic the green light.
The studio is in negotiations for the film, with Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, who direct and executive produce the hit television drama This Is Us, on board to direct the project. The biopic will be produced by screenwriter Williams, Andrew Lazar of American Sniper, Michael Luisi who is the president of WWE Studios, and Adam Goldworm of Aperture Entertainment. Charlie Gogolak of Zaftig Films will executive produce. – Top Rope Press
Raise your hand if you expected a biopic on WWE Chairman Vince McMahon to be directed by the minds behind This Is Us. I’m just going to assume that no hands were raised. The word unexpected has become synonymous with Vince and the WWE for the last 30+ years, so I guess we shouldn’t be surprised this is happening. McMahon has lived quite the life, and it’ll be interesting to see how factual this movie ends up being. The world of sports entertainment has always blurred fantasy and reality, so I’d expect the movie to follow that same path. If I’m the casting director, I’m hiring the first actor that can mimic Vince’s famous walk and go from there.
-Ryan
