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

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

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?

205 Live Preview 3/28/17

The final 205 Live before WrestleMania 33 will take place tonight from The Coliseum in Richmond, VA.

  • The Brian Kendrick to teach Akira Tozawa the final lesson when the face each other tonight.
  • What final message will Aries and Neville deliver before their epic confrontation at WrestleMania?

Eva Marie Reportedly Done With WWE

WrestlingINC is reporting that Eva Marie is apparently done with WWE. Below is the Exclusive report from Raj Giri of wrestlinginc.com.

With Wrestlemania just days away, there has been some speculation about Eva Marie being a part of the SmackDown Women’s title match this Sunday. Eva has not appeared on television since being suspended for 30 days on August 17, 2016 for her first violation of the company’s Wellness Policy.

After asking around, a source at WWE informed me that the company will not be renewing Eva’s contract. Eva had been with the company since 2013 and was a featured cast member of Total Divas for the show’s six seasons. No announcement has been made by either side, but Eva is apparently done with the company.

Since the suspension, Eva has changed her hair color back to black and filmed two movies. She has also stopped mentioning wrestling on her social media accounts, instead posting messages related to her movies and fashion line. She has also removed references to WWE on her Twitter profile, although ‘WWE Superstar’ still appears on her Instagram account.

Eva was drafted to SmackDown as part of last year’s draft on July 19th. She worked an angle where she would fake injuries and suffer wardrobe malfunctions to avoid wrestling. Her name was last used on WWE television in a negative light during an angle where then-RAW General Manager Mick Foley was supposedly going to trade Sami Zayn for her. Sami was furious, telling Foley that he was worth “1,000 Eva Marie’s.”

Al Roker To Be Guest Ring Announcer At WrestleMania 33

Image result for John Cena & Nikki Bella vs The Miz & Maryse at WrestleMania 33

John Cena appeared on NBC’s “Today” show this morning and announced that weather man Al Roker will be the guest ring announcer for Cena and Nikki Bella vs. The Miz and Maryse for Sunday’s WrestleMania 33 pay-per-view in Orlando.

WWE announcement:

John Cena reveals that Al Roker will be a guest ring announcer at WrestleManiaDuring a guest hosting appearance on NBC’s “TODAY,” John Cena surprised Al Roker with the opportunity to be the guest ring announcer for Cena & Nikki Bella’s match against The Miz & Maryse at WrestleMania 33.

WrestleMania’s forecast is looking up!

Will Roker bring the thunder on the microphone at The Ultimate Thrill Ride? Find out this Sunday when The Showcase of the Immortals airs live on WWE Network!

RAW Preview 3/27/17

The final WWE RAW before WrestleMania 33 will take place tonight from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

  • Goldberg and Brock Lesnar, under the same roof
  • Will Seth Rollins sign Triple H’s Hold Harmless Agreement?
  • Can Bayley rebound before WrestleMania’s Fatal 4-Way Match?
  • Raw left without a General Manager
  • Can Chris Jericho get even with Kevin Owens following last week’s attack?
  • Has The Undertaker gotten inside Roman Reigns’ head?

WrestleMania Available Live In China For The First Time

WWE and PPTV today announced that WrestleMania will be available live in China for the first time on PPTV Sports via pay-per-view at 7:00 AM Beijing time on Monday, April 3 with a choice of Mandarin or English commentary.

SHANGHAI & STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– WWE® (NYSE: WWE) and PPTV today announced that WrestleMania will be available live in China for the first time on PPTV Sports via pay-per-view at 7:00 AM Beijing time on Monday, April 3 with a choice of Mandarin or English commentary.

PPTV customers can go to WWE.PPTV.com starting at 3:33 PM Beijing time on Thursday, March 30 to subscribe to WrestleMania for a one-time payment of RMB 30 using Alipay, WeChat or Bank Card. Subscribers will be able to stream WrestleMania live on Web iOS, Android devices and digital media players. WrestleMania will also be available for purchase on demand for 30 days after the live broadcast.

WrestleMania 33 will be held at Florida’s Orlando Citrus Bowl and will feature WWE Universal Champion Goldberg™ vs. Brock Lesnar™; WWE Champion Bray Wyatt™ vs. Randy Orton™; Raw® Women’s Champion Bayley™ vs. Charlotte Flair™ vs. Sasha Banks™ vs. Nia Jax™; Roman Reigns™ vs. The Undertaker™; and John Cena® and Nikki Bella™ vs. The Miz™ and Maryse™.

“We are thrilled to expand our partnership with PPTV and distribute WWE’s biggest pay-per-view event, WrestleMania, live in China for the first time,” said Jay Li, Vice President & General Manager, WWE Greater China. “In addition to watching Raw® and SmackDown® on PPTV every week, fans in China can now watch their favorite WWE Superstars compete live on the grandest stage of all, WrestleMania.”

“I am extremely excited that PPTV Sports is able to launch a sports pay-per-view event for the first time in China,” said Yicheng Lou, Vice President of PPTV Sports. “Equally exciting is the fact that we can launch this feature with WrestleMania, one of the world’s most valuable sports and entertainment events. This is a solid step towards developing the largely untapped sports pay-per-view market in China.”

WrestleMania is one of the world’s top five most valuable sports events, according to Forbes, alongside the NFL’s Super Bowl, Summer Olympics, Winter Olympics and FIFA World Cup. Over the past 10 years, WrestleMania has had a cumulative economic impact of nearly $1 billion for the cities that have hosted the event.

Visit WWE.PPTV.com or WWE China Weibo for more information.