WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day reportedly want to fly around the AT&T Stadium on unicorns for their big entrance at WrestleMania 32next month.
At last word WWE officials had not approved the idea but it noted said by The Wrestling Observer Newsletter that they have a less than 50% chance of getting it approved.
Big E recently spoke with GuideLive and confirmed they had been working on a big entrance:
“We’ve already kind of started getting people excited about our entrance – which I’ve kind of wanted to temper expectations, but we had some media hits this morning, and Woods and Kofi were already telling people to look out for our entrance. So, I suppose our WrestleMania entrance is the big plan. There’s a good chance that it all gets nixed, and people are very disappointed, but we have something cooking.”
Dave Meltzer reported in the latest issue of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter that WrestleMania 32 has already broken the WWE all-time attendance record. As of last Tuesday, 84,000 tickets have been sold and the event is almost sold out. Meltzer noted that the final number will be slightly over the 84,000 tickets already sold, unless the company opens up standing room tickets.
The current WWE attendance record was set by SummerSlam in 1992 at Wembley Stadium, which had 79,127 tickets sold for the show. The U.S. attendance record is approximately 78,000 for WrestleMania III, although the worked figure for that show is 93,173. With WWE usually exaggerating attendance figures by 10,000 – 13,000, Meltzer noted that it’s very possible that WWE will announce the WrestleMania 32 attendance to be over 100,000.
Brian Fritz interviewed Vince McMahonfor The Orlando Sentinel earlier this week and Fritz that the company was expecting 100,000 fans for this year’s show. Fritz asked McMahon how much pressure he felt to keep making the event bigger each year.
“I can say, unequivocally, that it’s a lot of pressure,” McMahon admitted. “Every year you have to outdo yourself. This year was difficult because John Cena was not a part of it. We have to reach way down and try and come up with things you haven’t done before and also hold back surprises that the audience does not know. They expect that from us.”
WWE SmackDown announcer Mauro Ranallo has signed on to be host of a MMA show on AXS TV:
AXS TV released the following:
RENOWNED COMBAT SPORTS PERSONALITY MAURO RANALLO JOINS AXS TV AS NEW HOST OF ‘INSIDE MMA’ BEGINNING MARCH 25
LOS ANGELES – March 9, 2016 – AXS TV FIGHTS today announced renowned combat sports personality and broadcaster Mauro Ranallo will be the new host of INSIDE MMA, the longest running and only independent MMA news series on television, beginning Friday, March 25. A veteran broadcaster with over 30 years’ experience, Ranallo will bring his energetic broadcasting style and opinionated views on the world of combat sports to INSIDE MMA alongside UFC Hall of Famer Bas Rutten and correspondent Ron Kruck Friday nights at 9:30 p.m. PT/12:30 a.m. ET following AXS TV FIGHTS’ weekly live MMA and Muay Thai broadcasts.
Ranallo is best known for his play-by-play commentary for prestigious organizations such as Pride Fighting Championships, which he called alongside his new co-host Rutten for several years; Showtime Boxing, where he recently called the international feed of the historic Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fight; and Strikeforce, which was home to MMA superstars like Ronda Rousey, Daniel Cormier and Luke Rockhold. In 2015, Ranallo helped AXS TV launch its hit pro wrestling series NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING calling matches alongside former UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh Barnett, before signing with WWE as the new voice of Smackdown.
“Mauro Ranallo’s contributions to the success of New Japan Pro Wrestling on AXS TV were undeniable and we are confident he will take INSIDE MMA to new heights,” said AXS TV FIGHTS CEO Andrew Simon. “The opportunity to pair the ‘dream team’ together of Mauro and Bas Rutten is exciting and I can’t wait to see what happens when these two super-charged personalities are reunited on March 25.”
“AXS TV would like to thank longtime host Kenny Rice for his dedication to growing INSIDE MMA since our launch in 2007,” Simon continued, “and we plan to continue a relationship with him as a special correspondent.”
Said Ranallo, “In a year in which I landed a dream job with WWE, my dream to once again cover MMA and work with my broadcasting brother Bas Rutten has also come true. Filling the shoes of consummate pro Kenny Rice won’t be easy but I can’t wait to return to AXS TV for some strong style MMA coverage!”
“I am super stoked to work with Mauro again,” said Rutten. “We had such a great time in Japan for Pride Fighting Championships, so get ready for the craziness! Kenny Rice and I have become great friends over the years, so I am happy that, despite his busy schedule, he will still be involved with INSIDE MMA.”
Said Rice, “I am excited to step into the new role as a special correspondent, continuing to bring the exclusive access to our viewers that has been synonymous with Inside MMA over the past ten seasons. It’s a true team at Inside MMA and I welcome longtime friend Mauro Ranallo to it.”
Tom Anstey of Attractions Management Magazine reports that “a WWE-museum-cum-restaurant” is on its way to Universal Studios in Orlando, FL, and will be open by March 2017, in time for WrestleMania 33.
According to the report, the restaurant would include some sort of physical Hall of Fame, and would replace NBA City at Universal CityWalk. The facility will feature screens showing WWE programming, and would include a retail area.
WWE opened a restaurant in Times Square in 1999 called WWF New York, which was later renamed The World. The restaurant closed in 2003 and was taken over by The Hard Rock Cage in 2005.
WrestleMania 33 comes to Florida in 2017WWE’s pop-culture extravaganza takes over the Orlando Citrus Bowl on April 2, 2017.
WrestleMania 33 is coming to Orlando, Fla.
Next year’s Showcase of the Immortals will emanate from the Orlando Citrus Bowl on Sunday, April 2, 2017, the “Orlando Sentinel” reported late Monday night.
The event marks the second time that the Citrus Bowl has hosted WrestleMania, and the third time that The Grandest Stage of Them All has touched down in Florida. The Citrus Bowl was also the site of WrestleMania XXIV in 2008, where Big Show famously fought boxer Floyd Mayweather. WrestleMania then returned to Florida four years later, when The Rock defeated John Cena in the main event of WrestleMania XXVIII, held at Miami’s Sun Life Stadium.
WWE held a press conference Today:
Those in attendance for the WrestleMania 33 press conference in Orlando today were Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon, Roman Reigns, John Cena, WWE World Heavyweight Champion Triple H, WWE Divas Champion Charlotte, WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day, NXT Champion Finn Balor, NXT Women’s Champion Bayley, Ric Flair, Apollo Crews, Baron Corbin, Governor Rick Scott, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs.
WWE also announced these WrestleMania 33 Week details today, in addition to various WWE Community events in the area:
Axxess will take place at the Orange County Convention Center
The 2017 WWE Hall of Fame will take place on April 1st, 2017 at the Amway Center
A new WrestleMania 32 magazine that comes out this week features a “Tribute” section with Jacqueline Moore and Stan Hansen confirmed for the 2016 WWE Hall of Fame. They will join Sting, The Fabulous Freebirds, The Godfather and The Big Bossman. No word yet if Regis Philbin will still be going in the Celebrity Wing.
WWE announced Monday that the Big Boss Man will be the next inductee into the company’s Hall of Fame. CBS Sports’ Adam Silverstein first reported the news of his induction.
Boss Man joins Sting, The Godfather and the Fabulous Freebirds in this year’s class.
WWE issued the following:
Big Boss Man to be inducted into WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2016
The WWE Hall of Fame now finally has its law and order. As first reported by CBSsports.com , the newest inductee to the WWE Hall of Fame is The Big Boss Man.
Boss Man, a former Cobb County, Ga., corrections officer turned sports-entertainer decked out in full police uniform, first debuted in WWE in the late ’80s. Managed by the legendary Slick, the ruthless Boss Man gained notoriety for not only defeating his opponents with ease, but also handcuffing them to the ropes and then bashing them with his patented nightstick. Though he had no trouble muscling opponents around, Boss Man was also deceptively quick and agile for a performer who weighed over 300 pounds, often being heralded as one of WWE’s best, and most unique, athletes. He had memorable encounters with the likes WWE Hall of Famers Randy Savage, Koko B. Ware and Shawn Michaels, and he also joined forces with another monstrous Superstar, Akeem, to form the titanic tag team known as The Twin Towers.
Though he initially displayed a warped view on justice, the former cop eventually showed that he did have morals. When “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase attempted to procure his services, The Big Boss Man declared that he couldn’t be bought. The bold move led to Boss Man becoming one of the WWE Universe’s most beloved Superstars, an enforcer of law and order who made evildoers pay for their transgressions. This new demeanor from the Boss Man led to his participation in some of the more unique matches of the 1990s, such as a Jailhouse Match against The Mountie at SummerSlam 1991, where the loser spent the night in a New York City jail, and a Nightstick Match with ex-con Nailz at Survivor Series 1992.
Boss Man went on to compete around the world for several years in the mid-’90s, including a stint in WCW, before returning to WWE in 1998. Adorned fully in black riot squad gear, Boss Man became Mr. McMahon’s personal security detail in the villainous Corporation. He faced off with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Mick Foley and The Undertaker, as well as captured the World Tag Team Championship and, on four occasions, the WWE Hardcore Championship. The Big Boss Man also engaged in infamous rivalries with Big Show and Al Snow, the latter of which resulted in one of the more notorious matches in history, the Kennel from Hell Match, at Unforgiven 1999.
Although the Boss Man passed away in 2004, the memories he created for the WWE Universe will surely live on forever. Because of that, he will be rightfully celebrated as the newest member of the hallowed WWE Hall of Fame on April 2, the night before WrestleMania 32!
ECW Press, which often works with WWE on new books, has announced “NXT: The Future Is Now” for an April 2017 release. The book will be written by Jon Robinson and will focus on the creation and rise of the WWE NXT brand.
The following was issued today:
NXT: The Future is Now by Jon Robinson (April 1, 2017, ECW Press) follows the rise of NXT from its conception to becoming WWE’s newest global brand. Learn how NXT came to be, from the opening of the WWE Performance Center to WWE’s new, forward-thinking approach to talent development. See how Seth Rollins, Bray Wyatt, Paige, Charlotte and other new stars have broken into WWE more prepared than any generation before. Get an inside look into WWE’s future as new and exciting performers hone their skills, personalities, and so much more under the watchful eye of Paul “Triple H” Levesque. With new, insightful interviews from Triple H, NXT trainers, Superstars and Divas, fans will learn how the future is indeed now!
NXT: The Future is Now is scheduled for a Spring 2017 release by ECW Press, in partnership with WWE. Over the past fifteen years, ECW has been a leading publisher of wrestling books, including autobiographies of Jimmy “The Mouth of the South” Hart, Larry Zybyszko, and The Missing Link, as well as The Death of WCW and The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame series.
Former WWE Superstar Rob Van Dam is joining the list of athletes who will donate their brains to research for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) after their deaths.
Van Dam made the announcement during an appearance onThe Taz Show podcast (h/t Greg Beck of WrestlingNews.co). “I’ve donated my brain and spine to the [CTE] study,” he said. “I used to tell Chris Nowinski that I thought there was a correlation between THC and brains being protected from concussion damage.”
Van Dam addressed the concussions he suffered throughout his career, though he doesn’t believe he suffered any permanent damage:
I’ve had hundreds and hundreds of concussions but I don’t think that I have any permanent damage. A lot of my peers do. A lot of my friends say ‘oh yeah, I space out’ or ‘see lights’ or this and that. … Chris [Nowinski] said ‘you know what, you’re probably on to something, but it would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars before even start the study.’ … So anyway, now NFL is all over it.
Van Dam seemed to credit marijuana use for his ability to avoid any long-term effects from his concussions. On Feb. 27, retired Harvard professor Dr. Lester Grinspoon wrote an open letter to the NFL on Vice.com, urging the league to help fund a study to determine whether marijuana can help treat or prevent CTE.
“Given the severity of the problem, however, I think you, and the NFL, must go beyond simply following the medicine, and help lead the way by directly funding research to determine if cannabis…can indeed provide significant protection against the damage of repetitive concussions,” he wrote.
Van Dam became the second major wrestling star this week to announce he would donate his brain to CTE research. On Wednesday, WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash told ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein he would be joining the cause after his death.
Nowinski, another former WWE wrestler, has done extensive work to find causes and solutions for head-related injuries in sports. He even set up the Concussion Legacy Foundation to research the problem.
The 45-year-old Van Dam became a wrestling superstar during his time in ECW, routinely taking direct shots to his head with chairs and other weapons. He has been in the sport for 26 years and is now wrestling on various independent circuits.
As noted last week, WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash also announced that he will donate his brain to CTE research.
