Backstage Talk On Tension Between JBL And Mauro Ranallo Leading To Mauro’s Absence

Image result for Mauro Ranallo and JBL

As noted, Mauro Ranallo missed his third straight of WWE SmackDown commentary this week due to his battle with depression and the bipolar disorders he’s fought since he was a teenager, something he’s often spoke publicly about. Wrestling Observer Newsletter points to the timing of Mauro’s absence and the public verbal jabs with SmackDown partner JBL. The two had often traded shots and JBL even blocked Mauro on Twitter back in December.

The March 13th episode of “Bring It To The Table” on the WWE Network played a part in all of this as JBL ranted on Mauro during that show. JBL apparently got mad when Mauro tweeted the results of the Wrestling Observer Announcer of the Year Awards, which Mauro won, and commented on how he was honored to have won the award two years in a row. The results list featured the top 10 placements for that category, which JBL not making the top 10. People close to the situation said that things between JBL and Mauro had been building to that point. JBL was said to be legitimately very upset about the awards mention and may have said something. Mauro tweeted on March 13th, “Jealousy is one hell of a drug.” He did not indicate that this tweet was for JBL but that’s how it was taken by many. Mauro also re-tweeted several comments that were mocking JBL’s tirade on “Bring It To The Table.”

After Mauro missed his first SmackDown the following day on March 14th in Pittsburgh, JBL took to Twitter and knocked Mauro for missing the show. Then it was believed that Mauro missed SmackDown due to bad weather in the Northeast part of the country but other announcers, such as Taz and Josh Mathews, were skeptical. JBL tweeted, “I made the show, everyone made the show, everyone. Maybe he shouldn’t have bashed me if he wasn’t going to show up.” JBL later deleted the tweet and hasn’t commented on Mauro since. JBL’s rants were seen as mean spirited, even if he was being in-character.

Mauro thanked fans on Twitter today and noted that he was getting stronger but as noted, it appears he will miss WrestleMania 33. The Observer reports that Mauro has only been in touch with his closest friends like Bas Rutten and Frank Shamrock. Those close to Mauro have said that he’s getting stronger and recovering. Rutten, who also co-hosts a podcast with Mauro, has made hints at and outright told people his feelings towards JBL. Rutten mentioned JBL in tweets made after Mauro missed the first SmackDown episode:

 

 

 

Source: WrestlingINC

Adam Cole On When His ROH Contract Expires And If He Has Decided To Go To WWE

Adam Cole’s contract with Ring of Honor expires at the end of April and there have been rumors that he may sign with WWE when it’s up. Cole joined Busted Open with Dave LaGreca and Doug Mortman today and commented on his current contract situation with Ring of Honor and what the future might hold for him once his deal is up.

“I’ve discussed this before and I totally don’t mind talking about because it’s a very talked about thing,” Cole said. “I have about a month left on my Ring of Honor contract where at that point, I kind of have to make a decision. And the truth of the matter is, I haven’t made my decision of what I would like to do yet. Because, obviously, there are a lot of options I have to consider. There are a lot of situations I have to consider. So for me to make my best possible decision, I need to know all the avenues that I can take.

“So as of right now, again this kind of sounds like a cliché answer, I have big match after big match every single weekend. So I have to focus on this next month that I have: challenging for the Ring of Honor Television Championship this weekend, I’d like to get back over to New Japan. Right now, all of my focus is on making as much of an impact in Ring of Honor as I can. When it comes to May, that’s something that’s kind of up in the air at this point.”

Source: WrestlingINC

Mauro Ranallo Says He’s Stronger, Comments On WrestleMania

It appears Mauro Ranallo will not be working WrestleMania 33 this week as he tweeted well wishes to his WWE family as they head to Orlando today.

Mauro missed Tuesday night’s WrestleMania 33 go-home edition of WWE SmackDown Live – his third week in a row. Mauro’s absence is related to his battle with depression, which he’s fought since he was a teenager. Mauro noted last week that his doctors had advised him to stay off social media.

Mauro’s good friend and podcast co-host Bas Rutten recently appeared on The Luke Thomas Show and commented on the status of the SmackDown announcer:

“Yeah, he’s doing OK. As everybody knows, he’s very vocal about it but Mauro is bi-polar and sometimes, a few times a year, things are going too fast and he needs to just simply slow down. But he’s doing good and I talked to him… he’s sending me funny video clips, he just sent me something… It’s all in good spirits, I think he will be back to normal very soon.”

Source: WrestlingINC

Wrestling News Blog Podcast: WrestleMania 33, WWE HOF and NXT TakeOver: Orlando

 WRESTLEMANIA 33 PREVIEW WITH ED & VANESSA!

Ed Boston and Vanessa Vasquez take a look at this weekend’s events. Including the Hall of Fame, NXT Takeover and of course WrestleMania itself!

http://www.podcasts.com/wrestling-news-blog-podcast-9b84cc263/episode/WrestleMania-33-Preview-With-Ed-Vanessa-a892

 

NXT Preview 3/29/17

The following is scheduled for tonight’s 3/29 episode of NXT, the last episode before NXT TakeOver: Orlando.

* Loser Leaves NXT: Kassius Ohno vs. Elias Samson

* Dash Wilder vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Akam

* Heavy Machinery (Tucker Knight and Otis Dozovic) vs. Mike Marshall and Johnathan Ortagun

WWE To Limit Number Of HOF Inductees In The Future? – ‘Dinner With The King’ Podcast

WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler noted on his latest “Dinner with The King” podcast that WWE may limit the amount of Hall of Fame inductees each year in the future because the speeches have gotten longer and longer. Lawler gave insight on being backstage with Vince McMahon during the Hall of Fame and his willingness to let presenters & inductees talk longer than expected. You can listen to the latest episode at this link or below:

Source: WrestlingINC

WrestleMania 33 Tickets Made Available

WWE announced today that new seats for WrestleMania 33 at Camping World Stadium have just been released via Ticketmaster. Get them now before they’re gone.

Goldberg On Being Miserable During Current WWE Run, What He Told Vince McMahon After Door Headbutt

On the premier episode of E&C Pod Of Awesomeness, WWE Universal Champion Goldberg talked about his gruelling preparation for his current WWE run and being “miserable”.

According to Goldberg, he is a machine now that trains, eats, and goes to the bathroom several times a day.

“I am nothing but a machine now. I get up in the morning. I eat. I train. I eat. I go to the bathroom about 20 times intermittently throughout the day because I’m shoving 15 to 20,000 calories in my body and it doesn’t know what’s going on. At 50 years old, it has no idea.”

Moreover, Goldberg admitted that preparing for his comeback has been the hardest thing he has ever done.

“It’s the toughest thing I ever embarked upon, guys. I’m 13 years removed from the business.” Goldberg added, “I can’t name a power wrestler who has come back 13 freaking years afterwards. And then, within 20 pounds of what he was back then.”

In Goldberg’s estimation, people expect him to look how he did during his previous WWE run and to be able to do the things he did before. The man behind pro wrestling’s longest undefeated streak divulged that he had been away from pro wrestling so long that he even forgot how to perform his entrance. Also, Goldberg mentioned that he pulled a hamstring doing a kick during his entrance.

“People are expecting me to be able to do exactly what I did back then. Well, I mean, let’s be honest, man. I forgot how to go through my pyro! I honestly, I swear to God, I actively, when I came back to the WWE, each and every time I went through Gorilla [position], I would remember another thing that I had forgotten in my preparation.”

Goldberg said, “I throw my punches. I throw my kicks. I pull my hamstring throwing a kick! Throwing a kick! It’s ridiculous.”

Additionally, Goldberg admitted that he knocked himself out headbutting the door before his entrance and he forgot his lines as a result.

“How about when I knocked myself out on the door? Did you hear that one? You didn’t hear that one? I did that, I don’t know, a month ago. So, well, yeah, man. My way of getting ready, you know me, man. They knock on my door, I pour water on my head, so I don’t catch on fire from the sparks, and I headbutt the door. I’m a neanderthal. That’s what I do, right?”

Goldberg recalled, “and I’m walking to the ring, and I go through Gorilla, and then, I get in the ring, man, and I literally forgot every single thing that I was supposed to say and the cameraman throws me a towel. And I’m like, ‘what is this towel for?’ I mean, I know I sweat a lot, but I’ve got blood dripping down my forehead and I had no idea, man.”

Apparently, Goldberg told Vince McMahon afterward the incident, “fault me for trying too hard, not for not trying hard enough.”

Also during the interview, Goldberg claimed that he has been miserable during this current WWE run, but his family is happy and that is most important to the former Atlanta Falcon.

“I’ll be honest, I’m miserable. I’m absolutely miserable. But my family’s having fun, man. And so, every single thing, every training session, every ART massage that makes me cry, every muay thai session, it’s all worth it, man. It’s just worth it. And, hey, at the end of the day, if I want to smile, I’ll buy a car. That’s how I’m happy. I did, I bought one on the way back from [Survivor Series in] Toronto because I worked my ass off.”

Goldberg added, “nobody get me wrong when I say I’ve been miserable throughout this, but I am. I’m miserable. I’m bloated 24 hours a day. I’m stressed 24 hours a day. I don’t sleep, but it’s a small price to pay.”

Goldberg stated that he has sacrificed cardio to bulk up and achieve that classic Goldberg look.

“For me to be 237 [pounds] and have great cardio and then get the phone call that six weeks later, I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do. Do you think I continued to do cardio every day?” Goldberg continued, “I had to shut cardio completely down and just eat, and eat, and lift, and eat. And so it’s a sacrifice. Do I give people the visual whatever as close as possible of Goldberg or do I give them a new version in which I look like a cruiserweight and it’s just different, man.”

The former face of WCW admitted that he wore a coat when he first came back to WWE because he was not bulky enough.

“Why do you think I wore a coat every time at first when I got back? The answer is I still had to train, man. I was still training.” Goldberg added, “I believe it was much more important for me to be aesthetically what I was like in the past as opposed to a dude who could run around for 20 minutes. That ain’t me.”

Click here to listen to the show.

Source: E&C Pod Of Awesomeness  –  H/T to WrestlingINC

Naomi Returns From Injury, Inserts Herself Into SD Live Women’s Title Match (VIDEO)

injury naomi returns smackdown wrestlemania match

Last night on SmackDown Live, Naomi made a surprise appearance by running down the ramp and hitting Natalya with a running hurricanrana.

She then cut a promo confirming that she’s officially entering the SmackDown Women’s Title Match at Wrestlemania 33 in her hometown of Orlando, Florida.

The pre-show match also includes Natalya, Carmella, Alexa Bliss, Becky Lynch and Mickie James.

SmackDown Live Preview 3/28/17

The final SmackDown Live before WrestleMania 33 will take place tonight from The Coliseum in Richmond, VA.

  • WWE Champion Bray Wyatt will battle former follower Luke Harper tonight
  • WrestleMania Contract Signing for AJ Styles vs. Shane McMahon tonight
  • “Miz TV” to present the finale of the “lost” Total Bellas footage
  • Who will step-up en route to the SmackDown Women’s Title free-for-all at The Show of Shows?