Category: Industry News

BREAKING NEWS! The Ultimate Warrior Passes Away (Continuous Updates Posted Here)

EDITOR: We have updated this post originally by our contributor Vanessa with more detailed information below

 CONTRIBUTORS PLEASE USE THIS FEED FOR POSTING UPDATES

 

4/9/14 4:23pm ET

Jim Ross has a new blog on jrsbarbq.com with his thoughts on The Ultimate Warrior. Here’s part of what he wrote:

“The most memorable moment for me this past weekend in New Orleans was the interaction at the WWE Hall of Fame between Warrior and his two daughters who accompanied their Dad on stage just before he gave his induction speech. The love and bond between a father and his daughters was obvious and heart warming.

In an arena full of Warrior fans, many of who were reliving their youth with their hero, Warrior made it clear that his greatest accomplishment was not being the Ultimate Warrior but instead being the father of his two daughters.

In a career and life often marked by controversy, the beauty of the weekend was seeing Warrior come home to WWE accompanied by his family and that they were able to enjoy the celebration together.

I live with this mantra daily, “Tomorrow’s aren’t guaranteed for any of us.” Today, that philosophy is more meaningful than ever.

RIP Warrior

1959-2014″

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TMZ / WrestlingInc.com

Vince McMahon tweeted the following about The Ultimate Warrior’s death:

“We are all so sad that the Ultimate Warrior has passed away. Our heart is with his wife Dana and his two daughters.”

Triple H: “Saddened to announce the passing of the Ultimate Warrior. Icon and friend. My sympathy to his wife Dana and his daughters”

Stephanie McMahon: “#RIPUltimateWarrior Your strength of character is to be admired. There will never be anyone like you. Your spirit lives on in your family.”

Bad News Barrett: “Truly awful news about The Ultimate Warrior’s passing. Thoughts go out to his family. RIP.”

—————-

Here are more reactions from around the wrestling world on The Ultimate Warrior‘s passing:

Chris Jericho: “Devastated to hear of the passing of @UltimateWarrior. He was a childhood hero of mine & he vs @HulkHogan WM6 is still one of the best ever”

Hornswoggle: “Saw him at the airport this morning and was going to say hello but didn’t want to bother him. Still so unreal and such mind blowing news.”

Trish Stratus: “Sad to hear news of Warrior passing. Just seeing him happy last 3 days – it puts life in perspective that it can’t be taken for granted. RIP”

Daniel Bryan: “Heartbroken. My sincerest condolences go out to The Warrior’s family. Seeing how much he loved his daughters and his wife this weekend makes it all the more heartbreaking. The Ultimate Warrior was my favorite as a kid, and getting to speak to him this weekend was one of my favorite moments. He was so nice to me. #RIPWarrior”

Randy Orton: “My thoughts and prayers go out to the Warrior family. It breaks my heart after seeing how proud his girls are of their father. Stay strong”

Batista: “After all these years I finally got 2 tell him that me shaking the ropes was an homage 2 him. Blessed to have had that moment. #onelife”

The Rock: “Loss always has a way of reminding us to live and love as greatly as we can. My prayers and strength to his family. RIP Ultimate Warrior.”

Diamond Dallas Page: “Deeply saddened to find out about the passing of #WWE LEGEND, @UltimateWarrior. You & your legacy will FOREVER be remembered in our hearts!”

Fans at the airport in New Orleans around 6am on Tuesday morning. He was said to be in great spirits and offered to take photos with any fan who approached him.

Fellow 2014 Hall of Famer Jake Roberts commented on Twitter:

“Deeply saddened. We just had a great talk & buried a senseless hatchet. Talked working together. RIP Warrior. Taking solace we made peace.”

TNA posted on their website:

“TNA joins the entire wrestling world in mourning the passing of Warrior. He was one of the most popular superstars in the history of professional wrestling and will certainly be missed by millions of fans worldwide. We hope everyone will keep his family in their thoughts and prayers.”

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9:52 PM PT — Officials tell TMZ … Warrior collapsed outside an Arizona hotel at 5:50 PM on April 8th … while walking to his car with his wife.  

Warrior was transported to a nearby hospital … where he was pronounced dead.

—–

The Ultimate Warrior has died … this according to the WWE. 

Warrior — real name James Hellwig — was a true WWE legend … and was one of the most iconic wrestlers of all time.  He was 54-years-old.

Warrior was just inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame the night before Wrestlemania XXX this weekend … and last night (Monday), he made his first appearance on “Monday Night Raw” in years. ( last time in 1996)

Details on exactly how The Ultimate Warrior passed away have not been released. Scottsdale police spokesman Sergeant Mark Clark gave this statement – “At this point in the investigation, it appears as though a catastrophic medical condition caused his death.”

TMZ reports that The Ultimate Warrior The Ultimate Warrior was seen clutching his chest moments before he collapsed at a Arizona hotel on Tuesday, according to their law enforcement sources who spoke to eye witnesses.

 

 

Jeff Jarrett Announces His New Promotion Global Force Wrestling

global-force-wrestling

Jeff Jarrett has announced his new wrestling promotion – Global Force Wrestling.

Jarrett issued a mission statement:

“WWE have built a brand over the last 50,60 years. And truly, WrestleMania weekend is the perfect example of just how global their brand is. Professional wrestling has been around since the advent of television, there is definitely room, space for a brand new promotion to come on to the scene. And we’re going to put out the very best product that we can. Our mission statement is going to be, right at the very top, that we are going to put out a professional wrestling product that listens to the fans, engages the fans. We are going to immerse out selves with the wrestling fan and that is going to be first and foremost.”

Jarrett also said – “What we’re going to deliver is a multi-platform, innovative brand that will engage fans in ways they’ve never experienced. It will provide a fresh perspective inside the business that fans have been clamoring for.”

Jeff Jarrett Says His New Promotion Is A Go

jeff-jarrett

 

Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter via WrestlingInc.com:

Jeff Jarrett has been working on building a new wrestling promotion & he commented about it’s status. Jarrett said at a sports convention appearance that his new promotion is a go & talked about the idea of doing a Tuesday night TV show.

It was also made clear that his new promotion will be financed by Nashville music investors & most people believe that his main investor is Toby Keith.

Big Daddy V Passes away

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It is being reported on various wrestling sites that Nelson Fraizer better known for his ring names Visera and Big Daddy V has passed away today. Read more here http://bit.ly/MbxRmv

It is with a heavy heart that I say his memory will live on forever

-Vanessa (@GreatLove91)

Could Sting Be Coming To WWE?

Sting

Wrestling Observer Newsletter is saying that WWE officials reportedly have believed for months that Sting was coming to WWE this year & that it’s been talked about even more like it’s going to happen recently.

 

Is MVP Headed To TNA?

There are reports that former WWE Superstar MVP is headed to TNA in few weeks. MVP denies any truth to the reports, says he is still very much a free agent.

Ed’s Perspective: The Upcoming AJ Styles Interview

Once again, I’m writing about something that I’m really excited about. I’ve done many interviews in my online career (both inside and outside of the wrestling industry) but none any bigger than this coming Wednesday when I talk with “The Phenomenal One” AJ Styles. 

I’ve interviewed movie stars, musicians, contestants of reality shows, politicians, war heroes, and professional wrestlers, so why am I excited at the AJ Styles interview?

Well the answer is two fold.

First,  AJ Styles is a huge star in the wrestling business. Notice I said IS and not WAS. It’s very tough to get close to those who are still active in the business, especially those with major promotions. The Phenomenal One was just in a TNA Impact main event.

Now I know people might say, yeah but he is gone from TNA now, and my reply would be “so what”. He was just rubbing shoulders with Sting – in the month of January! If you know anything about the wrestling business, you know that AJ Styles would be a superstar in any major promotion in the world!

Secondly, AJ Styles is not afraid to share his Christian faith with others, and we will certainly not shy away from that.

Sure we will cover many topics, TNA, contract issues, Dixie Carter, WWE, and Ring of Honor among others, but I would like to hear, how being on the road as much as he has been, how can he keep true to his Christian faith, doing the right thing, and family values that are so important to him.

Join us live, Wednesday January 22 @ 1pm Eastern on DTRT Wrestling New radio on  Blog Talk Radio.  If you know an AJ Styles fan, do them a favor and share this with them – you (and they) will not be disappointed.

New Lucha Libra Wrestling Series Coming To US TV

The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Mark Burnett (producer of “The Bible”, “The Voice” & “Survivor”) is teaming with Robert Rodriguez’s new Latino-themed El Rey Network to create a weekly hour-long series featuring a new lucha libra league. The Mexican wrestling series will debut in the second half of 2014.

Burnett’s One Three Media will partner with Lucha Libra AAA (Mexico’s leading league) & FactoryMade Ventures. Antonio Cue Sanchez-Navarro & LatinoAmerica’s largest production group, Alex Garcia’s AG Studios, are also on board for the new venture.

The El Rey Network, which launched in December, is a new 24-hour English-language network targeting the Latino 18-49 audience. The network has a national distribution agreement with Comcast.

Jeff Jarrett To Anounce New Promotion?

jeff-jarrett

Source: WrestlingInc.com:

Konnan on his podcast, said he spoke with Jeff Jarrett & that Jarrett will be making an announcement this week about a new project. Konnan said Jarrett told him that TNA is in really bad shape & he doesn’t know or doesn’t care if they see through the year. Konnan then pretty much stated that Jarrett would be starting a new promotion with Toby Keith.

Country singer Toby Keith was the main person who was looking to purchase TNA but negotiations apparently fell through. Jarrett was expected to have a key role in the promotion if the sale happened. Shortly after talks between Keith & TNA fell through, Jarrett announced that he was parting ways with TNA.

Update on Billy Corgan Buying TNA

Billy Corgan

TNA Rep Janice Carter in a memo denied the rumors of Billy Corgan being in talks to buy TNA.

Billy Corgan said there is no reason to comment on rumors. Corgan is focused on Resistance Pro Wrestling’s upcoming 2nd Anniversary show on November 23.