Author: John Bass

SmackDown Live In-Ring Promo – Randy Orton Disses Indies, AJ Styles Defends Them

During a segment last night on SmackDown Live, Randy Orton wonders how this could be The House that AJ Styles Built. Orton says in 2002, he was making his WWE debut while AJ was wrestling for $10 per night in a local gym with 12 people in the crowd. In 2004, AJ was working bingo halls while Orton was becoming the youngest WWE Champion. In 2005, AJ was in Florida getting a tan with Dixie Carter while Orton was going up against The Undertaker. He did not name TNA or Impact Wrestling, just the Dixie name-drop. And every year after that, Orton was here in WWE at the top, winning titles. Orton says this is not the house that AJ built, it was built long before AJ stepped foot in it. Orton goes on until the music interrupts and out comes AJ to a pop.

AJ says for someone who looks down on the indies, Orton sure did follow his career closely. AJ says he’s proud he came from the indies. AJ says he’s heard guys like Orton look down on AJ’s world but that’s fine because Orton would not have made it in his world. AJ points to Orton’s signature pose and says he has a knock-off Diamond Cutter. Orton points to how AJ and The Bullet Club, his pals, ripped off the “Too Sweet” gesture. AJ goes on about how Orton had help his whole career, especially on as Triple H, Batista and WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair made sure he wouldn’t fail. Orton defends his accomplishments and goes over some highlights from his career. Orton says no one has ever had to help him get… AJ interrupts and reminds Orton of Evolution, Legacy, Rated RKO, The Wyatt Family. AJ says it sounds like Orton had a lot of babysitters over the years.

AJ says don’t get him wrong, Orton is who he says he is – he’s a viper who uses everyone around him and then tosses them to the curb when he’s done. AJ says that’s why he got the jump on Orton with the attack at Fastlane, because he won’t be Orton’s next victim. Orton says AJ has no choice as long as he wants to rent a room where Orton is the landlord. Orton says rent is due, b—h, and AJ can make the check out to three letters… RKO. Orton drops the mic and goes to leave but AJ says if Orton wants his rent, he can come and take it. AJ points up at the WrestleMania 35 sign as he says this. They stare each other down and Orton looks up at the WrestleMania sign. Graves wonders if Orton will accept the challenge. Orton exits the ring and stares AJ down as AJ’s music hits.

Transcript from Wrestling Inc.

WWE Signs Robbie E, Stokely Hathaway And Cal Bloom

WWE has signed three new recruits to the WWE Performance Center – former Impact Wrestling star Robbie E, former ROH star Stokely Hathaway and second generation wrestler Cal Bloom, son of former WWE Superstar Wayne Bloom (Beau Beverly).

All three talents have reported too the WWE Performance Center in Orlando and should be making their WWE NXT debuts soon.

Below is WWE’s full announcement on the signings along with a photo of them at the Performance Center:

Stokely Hathaway, Cal Bloom and Robert Strauss join the WWE Performance CenterWorld-traveled ring veteran Robert Strauss, renowned manager Stokely Hathaway and second-generation wrestler Cal Bloom are the newest recruits to join the WWE Performance Center this week in Orlando, Fla.

Strauss has been a fixture of the independent scene since making his debut in 2001, while still a teenager. Competing under aliases like “Robbie E” and “Rob Eckos,” he has won more than two dozen championships throughout his career, as well as wrestled in 46 states and more than 20 countries. In addition to his exploits in sports-entertainment, the New Jersey native has appeared on reality shows, making it to the finals on the 25th season of CBS’ “Amazing Race” and participating in the trials on “The Titan Games,” the competition series created by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Strauss also starred in Muscle & Fitness’ “Dad Bod Destroyer” video series.

Hathaway comes to the Performance Center after a successful tenure as a manager and a wrestler on the indies. Although trained for the ring, Hathaway gained a reputation in recent years for wheeling and dealing on behalf of other wrestlers. The notoriously outspoken Hathaway has represented clients in several promotions throughout the U.S., from EVOLVE Wrestling to the New England-based Beyond Wrestling. He hails from New York City.

Bloom, meanwhile, brings a sports-entertainment pedigree to the Performance Center. The 6-foot-5, 255-pounder is the son of former WWE Superstar Wayne Bloom, who wrestled as “Beau Beverly” in the early 1990s. The younger Bloom played tight end at the University of Central Florida, making four Bowl Game appearances (including UCF’s Fiesta Bowl win against Baylor University). He also received the team’s Iron Knight Award for strongest player after bench-pressing 500 pounds, a record for UCF tight ends. Although he hasn’t yet had a match, the 25-year-old Bloom has received training from his father Wayne, WWE alumnus Ken Kennedy and famed wrestling coach Brad Rheingans.

https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1105216625110933506

John Cena Teases Big WrestleMania 35 Match?

John Cena took to Instagram today and posted a rare throwback photo of WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle, fueling speculation on a Cena vs. Angle match at WrestleMania 35.

Cena has used his Instagram account to tease feuds in the past. He posted several photos of The Undertaker, also with no captions, leading up to their match at WrestleMania 34.

Cena would be a good fit for Angle’s last opponent because of the history that they have. Cena debuted on WWE SmackDown back on June 27, 2002 by answering an open challenge from Angle. Cena lost that match but it began his historic WWE run.

As noted, Angle announced on last night’s RAW that he will have his farewell match at WrestleMania 35 next month. For those who missed it, Angle mentioned in a post-RAW interview that names discussed for his last match included Cena, AJ Styles, WWE United States Champion Samoa Joe, Drew McIntyre, Baron Corbin and WWE Intercontinental Champion Bobby Lashley.

There has been speculation on a Cena vs. Joe title match for WrestleMania 35, but Dave Meltzer recently noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that Cena vs. Joe was not the plan for WrestleMania 35, at least as of a week ago.

You can see Cena’s Instagram post below:

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE SmackDown Live Preview 3/12/19

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown Live will take place from the Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio with fallout from WWE Fastlane.

* Shane McMahon to address his brutal attack of The Miz at WWE Fastlane

* R-Truth to challenge Samoa Joe for the United States Championship

* Hardys, Black & Ricochet join forces to face The Bar, Rusev & Nakamura

* Mr. McMahon addresses Kofi Kingston

WWE 205 Live Preview 3/12/19

Tonight’s WWE 205 Live will take place from the Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio.

* WWE Cruiserweight Championship Tournament – Semi-Final: Tony Nese vs. Drew Gulak

* WWE Cruiserweight Championship Tournament – Semi-Final: Cedric Alexander vs. Oney Lorcan

Karl Anderson Responds To Report On His WWE Future

Karl Anderson took to Twitter this week and posted a message from his 7 year old son Cylus to respond to reports on his WWE status.

“My dad said don’t believe everything you read..,” Cylus said in the video below.

As noted a few days ago, via PWInsider, Anderson and Luke Gallows have reportedly turned down multi-million dollar contracts from WWE as they plan on leaving WWE when their current deals expire in late September. It was noted that The Good Brothers are not satisfied with how they have been used in recent years, so they’re determined to continue their pro wrestling careers outside of WWE.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Photo: WWE Intercontinental Title Change Spoiled For Fans Watching RAW In Chicago

WWE ran a commercial in the Chicago last night promoting next week’s show in the city at the Allstate Arena.

As seen below, one of the matches advertised is WWE Intercontinental Champion Bobby Lashley defending his title against Finn Balor and Drew McIntyre in a triple threat match. The only problem is that it aired before the title change actually happened.

Lashley defeated Balor on Monday’s episode of RAW to win the Intercontinental title for a second time. Balor had held the belt for just 22 days when he defeated Lashley and Lio Rush in a handicap match at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view last month after pinning Rush. He had just one title defense on television when he defeated Rush on the February 25th episode of RAW.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Wrestling News Blog Podcast Episode Two – King Kong Bundy, AEW, Memphis Wrestling & More

In this week’s Wrestling News Blog Podcast Episode Two, Ed remembers King Kong Bundy, discusses All Elite Wrestling, Memphis Wrestling, Jim Ross and more.

Segment One – King Kong Bundy

Segment Two – This past week in wrestling news

Segment Three -All Elite Wrestling (AEW)

Segment Four -RAW Women’s Championship Triple Threat Match at WrestleMania 35: (C) Ronda Rousey vs. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair

Segment five – Blast from the Past: Jerry Lawler foes in Memphis Wrestling Territory

Wrestling News Blog Podcast is available on all major podcast apps such as Apple Podcast, Google Podcasts and Stitcher.

Kurt Angle Announces He’ll Wrestle “Farewell Match” At WrestleMania 35

Last night on WWE RAW, WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle in his hometown of Pittsburgh announced that he will wrestle his farewell match at WrestleMania 35 on April 7th.

Angle then wrestled one final match in his hometown, defeating Apollo Crews.

There is no word yet on who Angle will wrestle in his farewell match at WrestleMania.

Harlem Heat To Be Inducted Into The WWE Hall Of Fame Class Of 2019

WWE has confirmed Harlem Heat’s Booker T and Stevie Ray for the 2019 WWE Hall of Fame Class. This makes Booker a two-time Hall of Famer.

Harlem Heat join headliners DX (Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Chyna, Billy Gunn, “Road Dogg” BG James, Sean “X-Pac” Waltman), Torrie Wilson and The Honky Tonk Man as confirmed inductees for the 2019 class. Taz, Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake and The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart, Jim Neidhart, Jimmy Hart) are still rumored.

The 2019 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on Saturday, April 6 from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn during WrestleMania 35 weekend.

Below is WWE’s announcement on Harlem Heat:

Harlem Heat to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2019

Booker T & Stevie Ray were one of the most dominant tag teams of the 1990s, steamrolling over the competition in WCW to become tag team champions on 10 occasions. Now, the brothers will be immortalized in sports-entertainment history.

Harlem Heat are the latest inductees in the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2019. They’ll enter the fabled hall on the eve of WrestleMania 35, Saturday, April 6, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. With this induction, Booker T will become a two-time WWE Hall of Fame inductee, joining Ric Flair and fellow 2019 inductee Shawn Michaels of D-Generation X. The news was first reported by USA Today.

Bursting on the scene straight off 110th Street in Harlem, N.Y., Booker T & Stevie Ray arrived in WCW in summer 1993, bringing a streetwise, in-your-face attitude to the squared circle. They stared directly into the camera on their way to the ring, warning fans at home that they were about to bust some heads when they stepped between the ropes. And bust heads they did. Harlem Heat wasted no time in mixing it up with the top stars of WCW at the time, like Sting, Ric Flair and British Bulldog. They even joined forces with Sid and Vader to enter the unforgiving battleground known as WarGames.

It was when the brothers took on the managerial services of 2006 WWE Hall of Fame Inductee Sensational Sherri that their stars began to shine. With “Sister” Sherri in their corner, it wasn’t long before Harlem Heat captured their first WCW Tag Team Championship, defeating Stars & Stripes on WCW Saturday Night. Booker T & Stevie Ray brawled with the likes of The Steiner Brothers, Sting & Lex Luger and The Nasty Boys on their way to seven reigns as WCW Tag Team Champions.

By 1997, the two brothers went their separate ways, Stevie going on to become a trusted member of the infamous nWo, while Booker became a breakout singles star, capturing the WCW Television Title on several occasions.

After nearly two years apart, Booker T & Stevie Ray reunited and returned to a vastly different tag team landscape in WCW. However, Harlem Heat hadn’t lost a step, as they defeated The Jersey Triad to win their eighth WCW Tag Team Titles at Road Wild 1999. Before the turn of the millennium, they added two more reigns as champions to their incredible résumé, setting a WCW record that would not be broken before the company was purchased by WWE in 2001.

Though the brothers never competed as a team inside a WWE ring, there’s no denying their pure dominance of tag-team wrestling during The Monday Night War. That’s why Harlem Heat is being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

Don’t miss Booker T & Stevie Ray take their place in sports-entertainment history during the 2019 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on the eve of WrestleMania 35, Saturday, April 6 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Tickets are available now, be sure to take part in this historic night!

USA Today spoke with Booker T & Stevie Ray about the induction. They both said they were surprised to get the call from WWE.

Stevie Ray said he was surprised to get the call from WWE.

“I was speechless for a couple of seconds. The last thing I was thinking about was the Hall of Fame,” Stevie said. “I’m going to be honest with you, I hadn’t really thought about it. You know, I get the fans hitting me all the time with different things about Harlem Heat needs to be in the Hall of Fame, so on and so forth. But you never know, so I never gave it very much thought.”

Booker added, “It was surprising, actually, I guess because one reason, my brother and I, we never actually wrestled in the WWE. My brother took a step aside at that point in time because he had a daughter, and he wanted to see her grow up and see her go to college. He got a chance to do that. But our career in WCW was awesome. My brother and I were together for eight and a half years in WCW and together another two years prior in the Global Wrestling Federation. So we had a career as a tag team, and to be recognized as one of the great tag teams of all time…. [there were] a lot of great tag teams that we competed against back in the day, like the Steiners, the Nasty Boys and the Road Warriors, Sting and Lex Luger, Public Enemy – so many guys we got a chance to grapple with back then, and to be recognized, it’s pretty awesome.”

Booker was asked what he wants WWE fans to remember Harlem Heat for in 20 years. He responded, “It would just be keep passing it on more than anything. Young guys right now, the Usos, those two guys came out of my school. Authors of Pain, right now, two guys wrecking shop. You’ve got Street Profits out there representing Harlem Heat. That’s what it’s about. If they look back and say ‘Harlem Heat was badass,’ that’s the only thing that really matters, as well as we were good people.”

Content with their careers, Booker and Stevie both said they would have nothing to say if they could go back and give themselves some advice as the beginning of their careers. Booker did have some advice for the up & coming wrestlers.

“What would I tell myself? Nothing. Learn things as you go,” Stevie said.

“I wouldn’t tell us anything, man. We had a dream. We had a blueprint, though, a gameplan. We didn’t slip on a banana peel and find ourselves in this position. Trust me, it didn’t happen that way,” Booker said. “But I would tell the young guys these days, look at the state of the business. The party, it’s real, it only lasts for so long. Make sure you prepare for what’s next, because it’s going to come very, very quick. Relish that, then move on to what comes next, because life moves in seasons.”

Sources: WWE.com and USA Today