Tonight’s WWE 205 Live will take place from the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado
* Cedric Alexander and Gentleman Jack Gallagher finally collide
* Will Kalisto challenge Enzo Amore for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship?
SmackDown Live Preview 10/3/17
Tonight’s WWE SmackDown Live will take place from the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado with the final hype for Sunday’s WWE Hell In a Cell pay-per-view.
* Shane McMahon and Kevin Owens to stand face-to-face
* The Usos plan to read The New Day their rights
* Shinsuke Nakamura interview to kick off SmackDown LIVE
* The Lone Wolf to go back to war with Tye Dillinger
* The Fashion Police return in search of justice
WWE On Lance Russell’s Passing
Legendary wrestling announcer Lance Russell passed away today at the age of 91. WWE posted the following on “The Voice of Memphis Wrestling” passing:
Legendary announcer Lance Russell passes awayWWE is saddened to learn that Lance Russell, the legendary voice of Memphis, Tenn., wrestling, has passed away at age 91.
A fixture of the Memphis circuit, Russell’s career as an announcer began in the late 1950s and spanned nearly 40 years until his semi-retirement in 1997. His avuncular charm and steady hand guided fans who tuned in to watch the region’s larger-than-life personalities and notoriously wild ring action.
As the unflappable host of the Continental Wrestling Association’s weekly Saturday morning show held at WMC’s TV studios, as well as the Mid-South Coliseum cards each Monday night, Russell provided commentary for all of Memphis’ most famous matches.
His relaxed drawl was the soundtrack for Jerry “The King” Lawler’s rivalry with absurdist comedian Andy Kaufman in the early 1980s, a groundbreaking event that made national headlines. When an impromptu tag team fight broke out in the concession stand of the Tupelo Sports Arena in Mississippi years earlier, after that night’s taping had ended, it was Russell who alerted the cameraman to begin filming and who literally shined a light on the brawl, which many consider a milestone moment in wrestling.
Over the years, Russell developed a level of credibility and trust with TV audiences that rivaled Walter Cronkite’s, and as Superstars like Lawler and Bill Dundee switched allegiances, Russell remained a consummate moral compass. His interaction with rule-breakers like Austin Idol and “Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart — which often featured Russell voicing his disappointment over their dirty deeds — became as much an attraction to fans as the matches themselves.
Russell also commentated in WCW from 1989 to 1992.
Following news of Russell’s passing, many of his friends, contemporaries and admirers expressed their love and affection for the “Voice of Memphis Wrestling.”
WWE extends its condolences to Russell’s family, friends and fans.
Shayna Baszler Officially Joins The WWE Performance Center
WWE announced the following:
Shayna Baszler officially joins the WWE Performance CenterShayna Baszler already made history as a finalist in the inaugural WWE Mae Young Classic. Now, The Queen of Spades is ready to embark on her new career in WWE as an official member of the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla.
Baszler, a former UFC fighter originally from Sioux City, S.D., began training full-time at the Performance Center last week.
“I’m looking forward to getting out there and twisting limbs off and breaking bodies,” she told WWE.com. “I can’t wait.”
The WWE Universe watched this past summer as Baszler used a rear-naked choke to submit four consecutive opponents and advance to the Mae Young Classic Final, where she lost to tournament winner Kairi Sane of Japan.
A member of the MMA Four Horsewomen and former training partner of Ronda Rousey, Baszler brings extensive catch wrestling expertise to the Performance Center. She learned the dangerous and hybrid form of grappling under former UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh Barnett and the late U.K. legend Billy Robinson, continuing a prestigious lineage that also includes Karl Gotch, whom Japanese audiences once dubbed “The God of Wrestling.”
Baszler described WWE as “the next step” in her progression as a combat athlete.
“It’s very serious to me and, in some ways, a lot more important [than MMA] based on where I come from,” Baszler said. “Waving the banner of my coaches is a heavy flag to wield, so it’s something I take very serious. Because of that, I wanted to start at the beginning and show that I’m willing to start at the bottom and prove myself and work my way up, so there’s no excuse when I get here and I’m breaking these girls in half. I didn’t get any ‘gimmes.'”
Legendary Wrestling Announcer Lance Russell Passes Away
It’s a sad day in wrestling. Legendary wrestling announcer Lance Russell has passed away at the age of 91.
Lance was best known as the voice of Memphis wrestling.
I grew up watching and listening to Lance Russell and in my opinion he was the best in the business. I believe he should be in the WWE Hall of Fame. I had the pleasure to meet him once and got the photo above.
All of us here at Wrestling News Blog send our thoughts and prayers out to Lance’s family and friends.
Below are reactions on his death from longtime announce partner Dave Brown, Jerry “The King” Lawler and others:
WWE Pays Tribute To Shooting Victims At RAW (Video) & SmackDown Live
Monday night’s RAW opened with a moment of silence for the victims of the shooting in Las Vegas on Sunday night. Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon along with the entire RAW roster was out on the stage to honor the victims.
WWE repeated what they did on RAW, opening SmackDown Live with a moment of silence for the Las Vegas shooting victims.
RAW Preview 10/2/17
Tonight’s WWE RAW will take place from the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado.
* Roman Reigns battles The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship
* The Kingslayer aims to conquer The Monster Among Men
* How will Alexa Bliss respond to Mickie James’ attack?
* When will Nevillle strike again?
Billy Corgan On The ‘Backstabbing And Lies’ In TNA, Attempting To Work With Anthem, NWA Purchase
Billy Corgan spoke with Sports Illustrated‘s “Extra Mustard” section on a number of wrestling topics surrounding his purchase of NWA and his time with TNA. Here are some of the highlights:
Purchasing NWA and taking the long approach with it:
“We want to be part of a new revolution of how wrestling can be consumed by fans and matches can be presented. This NWA brand dates back to 1948. The past few years have not been as kind as we would have liked, but we plan on building this into a powerhouse over time. Our focus is on the NWA plan, and we have a 20-year plan. We’re not going to just come in and throw money around for two years. We’ve learned from the past mistakes of TNA, which we have intimate knowledge of. We’re armed with this knowledge, and we’re setting out to rebuild the brand so a fan that currently doesn’t know anything about the NWA will respect the tradition and also respect what we’re trying to accomplish, like a Ring of Honor or a New Japan. That’s where we are starting, and we’re building from there.”
Trying to work out a deal that would benefit both Anthem and the NWA:
“We’ve made various overtures to Anthem along the way and they’ve made various overtures to me. We haven’t found anything that is ideal, and I’m a firm believer that if a deal doesn’t go both ways, then it’s not a good deal to make. If the NWA was going to be involved in some level with Anthem, we’d want it to be a good way all the way around. We made a very aggressive offer in the last month to go in and help reboot the company. We’d have helped Impact stay more in the lane of the traditional Impact brand, and then set up the NWA as a natural rival, a la Raw versus SmackDown. Unfortunately, we didn’t get where we wanted with that offer.”
Frustration during his time with TNA:
“I was very, very frustrated by the obstacles I faced internally, both culturally and fiscally, at TNA. I dealt with a lot of backstabbing and lies. I was able to push through some things that ended up being successful at TNA, and I was very frustrated because you would think the success would have led to more leverage and further opportunities. But it was exactly the opposite. People were out to get me because I had power. At least now, in this situation, I am my own boss. You have to build your own infrastructure from the bottom up and work with people you really trust. The traditional ‘carny’ aspect of the wrestling business that plagues a lot of companies, and has plagued a company like TNA, are problems that hold the business back. You can’t run an effective business if it’s like Game of Thrones every week.”
You can read the full interview by clicking here.
Source: WrestlingINC
Young Bucks ‘Cease & Desist’ T-Shirt Sales
The Young Bucks released a “cease and desist” shirt last week with “Too Sweet” censored on the front after WWE sent them a cease & desist letter for using the “Too Sweet” branding, which WWE trademarked in 2015. Dave Meltzer noted on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio that the shirt was the best selling shirt of September on Pro Wrestling Tees despite only being out for a few days.
Source: WrestlingINC
WCPW Will Be Relaunched As Defiant Wrestling
What Culture Pro Wrestling will present their final Loaded tapings on Tuesday before the company’s upcoming relaunch. What Culture Pro Wrestling (WCPW) will be relaunched as Defiant Wrestling on December 4th with an internet pay-per-view from the O2 Academy Newcastle. Former WWE star Stu Bennett, f.k.a. Wade Barrett, has been named the new General Manager for the promotion.
Source: WrestlingINC
