Week in Wrestling #34
Wrestling News From the week of
April 9th- April 15th, 2016
April 9th- April 15th, 2016
The Death of Blackjack Mulligan
Robert Windham, better known as Blackjack Mulligan, the patriarch of the Windham wrestling family that includes three performers on the current WWE roster, passed away last week.
Windham had been in poor health for some time after suffering a heart attack and other assorted ailments.
Windham, 73, was a major star in pro wrestling during the 70s and 80s. He was only in the business for two years, working under his real name, before he got his big break in the WWWF in 1971, taking the Blackjack Mulligan name, copying the gimmick with the black cowboy hat and black glove of Blackjack Lanza (Jack Lanza), who had become one of the top heels in the business a few years earlier.
Mulligan was the first contender for Pedro Morales after he won the WWWF title from Ivan Koloff in 1971, and used the name until his full-time career ended in 1989. During that period he was a top of the card star, usually as a heel, although he was a very successful babyface in the Carolinas and Florida.
Mulligan's strength as a performer was his size and his interview ability. As 6-foot-5 and 300 pounds, he was often billed at 6-foot-9, and frequently opposed Andre the Giant. There was also a famous story of Mulligan sucker punching Andre at a beach front party, but Andre came back and dragged Mulligan into the Atlantic Ocean.
During the 70s, Mulligan & Lanza became a tag team, the Blackjacks, who had successful runs in Indiana, where they were managed by Bobby Heenan, as well as in Texas and the WWWF.
But his biggest success came after the team broke up, when working in the Carolinas, often teaming with Ric Flair, who he was best friends with and shared a van, and also feuded with him. During that period, he won the U.S. title, the main championship in the promotion, four times.
Mulligan also had unsuccessful runs as a promoter, after he and Dick Murdoch purchased the dying West Texas territory from the Funk Brothers, and later as a co-owner of a Knoxville based promotion.
Mulligan's career largely ended in 1989 when he served time in prison, with son Kendall, for counterfeiting.
Mulligan's son Barry and Kendall Windham, were both wrestlers and Barry was one of the best wrestlers in the world in the late 80s. His son-in-law, Mike Rotunda, was also a star wrestler and Mike's three children, Windham (Bray Wyatt), Taylor (Bo Dallas) and daughter Mika work for WWE.
Robert Windham, better known as Blackjack Mulligan, the patriarch of the Windham wrestling family that includes three performers on the current WWE roster, passed away last week.
Windham had been in poor health for some time after suffering a heart attack and other assorted ailments.
Windham, 73, was a major star in pro wrestling during the 70s and 80s. He was only in the business for two years, working under his real name, before he got his big break in the WWWF in 1971, taking the Blackjack Mulligan name, copying the gimmick with the black cowboy hat and black glove of Blackjack Lanza (Jack Lanza), who had become one of the top heels in the business a few years earlier.
Mulligan was the first contender for Pedro Morales after he won the WWWF title from Ivan Koloff in 1971, and used the name until his full-time career ended in 1989. During that period he was a top of the card star, usually as a heel, although he was a very successful babyface in the Carolinas and Florida.
Mulligan's strength as a performer was his size and his interview ability. As 6-foot-5 and 300 pounds, he was often billed at 6-foot-9, and frequently opposed Andre the Giant. There was also a famous story of Mulligan sucker punching Andre at a beach front party, but Andre came back and dragged Mulligan into the Atlantic Ocean.
During the 70s, Mulligan & Lanza became a tag team, the Blackjacks, who had successful runs in Indiana, where they were managed by Bobby Heenan, as well as in Texas and the WWWF.
But his biggest success came after the team broke up, when working in the Carolinas, often teaming with Ric Flair, who he was best friends with and shared a van, and also feuded with him. During that period, he won the U.S. title, the main championship in the promotion, four times.
Mulligan also had unsuccessful runs as a promoter, after he and Dick Murdoch purchased the dying West Texas territory from the Funk Brothers, and later as a co-owner of a Knoxville based promotion.
Mulligan's career largely ended in 1989 when he served time in prison, with son Kendall, for counterfeiting.
Mulligan's son Barry and Kendall Windham, were both wrestlers and Barry was one of the best wrestlers in the world in the late 80s. His son-in-law, Mike Rotunda, was also a star wrestler and Mike's three children, Windham (Bray Wyatt), Taylor (Bo Dallas) and daughter Mika work for WWE.
The Death of Balls Mahoney
Jonathan Rechner, known better to the wrestling world as Balls Mahoney, has passed away at the age of just 44 years old. Rechner had been in bad shape physically for years, notable for how much he had aged in the documentary “Barbed Wire City” that was released in 2013 that he was a major part of.
The year before, he had a match with Marty Jannetty, and after his trademark of taking a hard chair shot to the head, although not as hard as he did in his youth, he started throwing up all over ringside. He had lost most of his teeth. He walked with a limp. His body was ravaged from all the injuries he suffered, mostly in his ECW days, where he was work through them and brag about missing almost no time for broken bones, herniated discs or torn muscles. Those who had seen him said that for years he looked gaunt, had lost a lot of weight, and was looking more and more unhealthy every time they saw him.
Only sketchy details are available at press time regarding his death on 4/12. A few days before his death, he was injured in a fall. He was on a walker and started violently throwing up in front of his wife and his young son, seven-year-old Christopher, who was the world to him and who he took everywhere. Early reports were that he got so sick that he passed away.
Early in his career he signed by WWF in 1995 to play a heel Santa, using the name Xanta Claus, but the character was dropped after only a few appearances, because he fell asleep in the dressing room before a show.
But he was best known as “The Chair Swinging Freak,” Balls Mahoney from Nutley, NJ. The act was built around the AC/DC song “Big Balls,” which he used as his entrance music, and the fans would sing it as he came out. Later, he’d get into back-and-forth punching battles with opponents and the fans would chant “Balls” every time he threw a punch, and later “Nuts” every time his opponent would punch back.
He formed a tag team with Axl Rotten (Brian Knighton), who passed away from a drug overdose on 2/4. The two never held the ECW tag team titles, but Mahoney held the titles three times, once with Masato Tanaka and twice with Spike Dudley (Matthew Hyson).
Mahoney was known for both delivering and taking some of the most brutal chair shots in the business, often with Japanese star Masato Tanaka. It was scary in the late 90s when they were doing it, but with the knowledge we have today, it’s far worse. His most remembered singles bouts were with Rob Van Dam and Tanaka.
At more than 300 pounds, and while not in great condition, he would do everything he physically could, including taking hard weapons shots and bleeding profusely to where he face was covered in scar tissue, to be as good as he physically could be on that given night.ed on his ECW name, including appearing in TNA in 2010 when they tried to do an ECW reunion. Since WWE had purchased the ECW intellectual property, he had to use the name Kahoney’s in TNA. On that year’s Hardcore Justice PPV, an ECW revival show, he and Rotten lost to Team 3-D.
He continued to work on the independent scene, mostly in the Northeast, but had slowed down his schedule greatly over the past year as his health worsened.
Jonathan Rechner, known better to the wrestling world as Balls Mahoney, has passed away at the age of just 44 years old. Rechner had been in bad shape physically for years, notable for how much he had aged in the documentary “Barbed Wire City” that was released in 2013 that he was a major part of.
The year before, he had a match with Marty Jannetty, and after his trademark of taking a hard chair shot to the head, although not as hard as he did in his youth, he started throwing up all over ringside. He had lost most of his teeth. He walked with a limp. His body was ravaged from all the injuries he suffered, mostly in his ECW days, where he was work through them and brag about missing almost no time for broken bones, herniated discs or torn muscles. Those who had seen him said that for years he looked gaunt, had lost a lot of weight, and was looking more and more unhealthy every time they saw him.
Only sketchy details are available at press time regarding his death on 4/12. A few days before his death, he was injured in a fall. He was on a walker and started violently throwing up in front of his wife and his young son, seven-year-old Christopher, who was the world to him and who he took everywhere. Early reports were that he got so sick that he passed away.
Early in his career he signed by WWF in 1995 to play a heel Santa, using the name Xanta Claus, but the character was dropped after only a few appearances, because he fell asleep in the dressing room before a show.
But he was best known as “The Chair Swinging Freak,” Balls Mahoney from Nutley, NJ. The act was built around the AC/DC song “Big Balls,” which he used as his entrance music, and the fans would sing it as he came out. Later, he’d get into back-and-forth punching battles with opponents and the fans would chant “Balls” every time he threw a punch, and later “Nuts” every time his opponent would punch back.
He formed a tag team with Axl Rotten (Brian Knighton), who passed away from a drug overdose on 2/4. The two never held the ECW tag team titles, but Mahoney held the titles three times, once with Masato Tanaka and twice with Spike Dudley (Matthew Hyson).
Mahoney was known for both delivering and taking some of the most brutal chair shots in the business, often with Japanese star Masato Tanaka. It was scary in the late 90s when they were doing it, but with the knowledge we have today, it’s far worse. His most remembered singles bouts were with Rob Van Dam and Tanaka.
At more than 300 pounds, and while not in great condition, he would do everything he physically could, including taking hard weapons shots and bleeding profusely to where he face was covered in scar tissue, to be as good as he physically could be on that given night.ed on his ECW name, including appearing in TNA in 2010 when they tried to do an ECW reunion. Since WWE had purchased the ECW intellectual property, he had to use the name Kahoney’s in TNA. On that year’s Hardcore Justice PPV, an ECW revival show, he and Rotten lost to Team 3-D.
He continued to work on the independent scene, mostly in the Northeast, but had slowed down his schedule greatly over the past year as his health worsened.
WWE Payback
Matches that are already pretty clear are Reigns vs. Styles for the WWE title, Jericho vs. Ambrose, Miz vs. Cesaro for the IC title, Wyatt Family vs. League of Nations and Charlotte vs. Natalya for the women’s title. Zayn vs. Owens is a probable and possibly Dudleys vs. Enzo & Cass. There will also be a tag title match with the New Day defending against the winners of a tournament going on. The semifinals of the tournament are the Usos vs. Vaudevillains and Dudleys vs. Cass & Amore.
If the Dudleys vs. Cass & Amore end up on PPV, and the New Day should face heels, that would indicate Vaudevillains. And it would make sense to have the Vaudevillains win when Anderson & Gallows cost the Usos the match, since Anderson & Gallows vs. Usos has already been started as a direction. On paper, this is looking like a lot of fresh matchups going forward.
Matches that are already pretty clear are Reigns vs. Styles for the WWE title, Jericho vs. Ambrose, Miz vs. Cesaro for the IC title, Wyatt Family vs. League of Nations and Charlotte vs. Natalya for the women’s title. Zayn vs. Owens is a probable and possibly Dudleys vs. Enzo & Cass. There will also be a tag title match with the New Day defending against the winners of a tournament going on. The semifinals of the tournament are the Usos vs. Vaudevillains and Dudleys vs. Cass & Amore.
If the Dudleys vs. Cass & Amore end up on PPV, and the New Day should face heels, that would indicate Vaudevillains. And it would make sense to have the Vaudevillains win when Anderson & Gallows cost the Usos the match, since Anderson & Gallows vs. Usos has already been started as a direction. On paper, this is looking like a lot of fresh matchups going forward.
Bray Wyatt injured
WWE's injury woes continued Wednesday as Bray Wyatt injured his right calf during a match with Roman Reigns during a house show in Milan, Italy.
While we haven't got a report as of yet as to what caused the injury, there is video of the aftermath where the 28-year-old Wyatt is walking out of the corner and can't keep any weight on his right leg. He walked around the ring for a bit until finally slumping to the canvas before being helped to the back. At one point, he grabbed his right knee.
The match was stopped and eventually Braun Strowman and Erick Rowan came out to attack Reigns. This brought out the Usos which brought out the Dudleys who Reigns fended off. He grabbed the mic and apologized, saying that things happen.
No update as of publishing this, as of the severity of the injury.
WWE's injury woes continued Wednesday as Bray Wyatt injured his right calf during a match with Roman Reigns during a house show in Milan, Italy.
While we haven't got a report as of yet as to what caused the injury, there is video of the aftermath where the 28-year-old Wyatt is walking out of the corner and can't keep any weight on his right leg. He walked around the ring for a bit until finally slumping to the canvas before being helped to the back. At one point, he grabbed his right knee.
The match was stopped and eventually Braun Strowman and Erick Rowan came out to attack Reigns. This brought out the Usos which brought out the Dudleys who Reigns fended off. He grabbed the mic and apologized, saying that things happen.
No update as of publishing this, as of the severity of the injury.
NJPW Invasion Attack
We a full review of the show here.
At Invasion Attack, New Japan’s biggest event since the Tokyo Dome, Naito, who was heavily cheered in his match where he beat Hirooki Goto to win the New Japan Cup, captured the IWGP heavyweight championship by defeating Kazuchika Okada.
The crowd was solidly behind Naito, 33, in his quest to win the title for the first time. In a business where timing is of such importance, it was the right time to pull the trigger for a number of reasons. The key is that New Japan had to elevate a couple of new wrestlers to the level of Okada and Tanahashi due to losses of Nakamura, Styles and Ibushi (who wasn’t there yet but would have needed to be had he stayed). The company booked to do that with Kenny Omega, as he beat Tanahashi for the IC title.
The match had its controversy with the Americanized ref bump finish when Okada laid out ref Red Shoes with a spinning elbow when Naito moved. Evil and Bushi tried to get involved. Okada laid out Evil with a flapjack. Bushi blew mist, but Okada ducked and the mist went in the air. Okada then hit his dropkick. A new guy under a mask came out. He gave Okada a neckbreaker and hit the moonsault on Okada. Naito came back and went for the Destino, but Okada escaped and hit a German suplex. Okada went for the rainmaker, but Naito ducked it and hit the Destino for the pin in 28:50.
The masked man revealed himself as Seiya Sanada, who was best known from Wrestle-1 and TNA. Naito, Bushi, Evil and Sanada beat down Okada and Gedo after the match until Goto and Tomohiro Ishii made the save. This led to Ishii challenging Naito for his first title defense on 5/3 in Fukuoka. Before leaving, Naito threw the IWGP belt in the air, let it land on the ground and walked out without it, with the idea he was showing no respect for the title. Naito even said after that the crowd cheering for him after the way they reacted to his push a few years ago was more important than the title.
Naito’s win was one of four title changes on the show.
We a full review of the show here.
At Invasion Attack, New Japan’s biggest event since the Tokyo Dome, Naito, who was heavily cheered in his match where he beat Hirooki Goto to win the New Japan Cup, captured the IWGP heavyweight championship by defeating Kazuchika Okada.
The crowd was solidly behind Naito, 33, in his quest to win the title for the first time. In a business where timing is of such importance, it was the right time to pull the trigger for a number of reasons. The key is that New Japan had to elevate a couple of new wrestlers to the level of Okada and Tanahashi due to losses of Nakamura, Styles and Ibushi (who wasn’t there yet but would have needed to be had he stayed). The company booked to do that with Kenny Omega, as he beat Tanahashi for the IC title.
The match had its controversy with the Americanized ref bump finish when Okada laid out ref Red Shoes with a spinning elbow when Naito moved. Evil and Bushi tried to get involved. Okada laid out Evil with a flapjack. Bushi blew mist, but Okada ducked and the mist went in the air. Okada then hit his dropkick. A new guy under a mask came out. He gave Okada a neckbreaker and hit the moonsault on Okada. Naito came back and went for the Destino, but Okada escaped and hit a German suplex. Okada went for the rainmaker, but Naito ducked it and hit the Destino for the pin in 28:50.
The masked man revealed himself as Seiya Sanada, who was best known from Wrestle-1 and TNA. Naito, Bushi, Evil and Sanada beat down Okada and Gedo after the match until Goto and Tomohiro Ishii made the save. This led to Ishii challenging Naito for his first title defense on 5/3 in Fukuoka. Before leaving, Naito threw the IWGP belt in the air, let it land on the ground and walked out without it, with the idea he was showing no respect for the title. Naito even said after that the crowd cheering for him after the way they reacted to his push a few years ago was more important than the title.
Naito’s win was one of four title changes on the show.
Raw Ratings
Raw on 4/11 was back to usual levels with a 2.50 rating and 3,523,000 viewers (1.47 viewers per home). The viewership was down 13.6 percent from last week, but that was to be expected given that was the Raw after Mania.
Raw was the most-watched show on cable for the night. The viewership was right around usual levels for this year post-football, as it was the eighth best number of the 13 shows this year that didn’t have football competition. The pattern was a little different with a low first hour, but a strong second hour and not much of a third hour drop.
Raw on 4/11 was back to usual levels with a 2.50 rating and 3,523,000 viewers (1.47 viewers per home). The viewership was down 13.6 percent from last week, but that was to be expected given that was the Raw after Mania.
Raw was the most-watched show on cable for the night. The viewership was right around usual levels for this year post-football, as it was the eighth best number of the 13 shows this year that didn’t have football competition. The pattern was a little different with a low first hour, but a strong second hour and not much of a third hour drop.
More WrestleMania Stats
The show had the most social discussion with 2.5 million mentions of WrestleMania on Twitter during the day and 1.3 million during the show. It said a new record for data usage at AT&T Stadium, even beating out the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl played the stadium five years ago and things have changed greatly culturally since then when it comes to data usage. The company said that the average subscriber to the network watched 12 hours of programming during WrestleMania week. Last year the average subscriber watched 11 ½ hours.
That’s amazing when you think about it because last year’s show was shorter, last year there were more network subscribers who ordered it on PPV, and last year there was no NXT special that aired on the network over the weekend. The company did $4,550,000 in merchandise revenue, destroying the old record for a show of $3.3 million set for last year’s WrestleMania. Last year’s number was $49.25 per head. This year’s number was $48.54 per head.
The show had the most social discussion with 2.5 million mentions of WrestleMania on Twitter during the day and 1.3 million during the show. It said a new record for data usage at AT&T Stadium, even beating out the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl played the stadium five years ago and things have changed greatly culturally since then when it comes to data usage. The company said that the average subscriber to the network watched 12 hours of programming during WrestleMania week. Last year the average subscriber watched 11 ½ hours.
That’s amazing when you think about it because last year’s show was shorter, last year there were more network subscribers who ordered it on PPV, and last year there was no NXT special that aired on the network over the weekend. The company did $4,550,000 in merchandise revenue, destroying the old record for a show of $3.3 million set for last year’s WrestleMania. Last year’s number was $49.25 per head. This year’s number was $48.54 per head.
WWE Network Subscriber Research
The subscribers are 76 percent male, which means far less women by percentage than television viewers or Raw and Smackdown, let alone Total Divas, subscribe. The audience skews younger, with the average subscriber being 34. What that says is the heavy 50+ audience that watches TV is less likely to subscribe to the network. Ironically that audience would probably be the one most interested in the archives, and WWE never advertises around them. 45% of the adults are single.
19% are single without children. 37% are married with children. As compared with the public as a whole, WWE is lowest among in getting networks compared to the national average among those who are single, those living with a partner, and those with no kids. Education doesn’t very that much from the average, although sightly less have four-year degrees than the public at large, but the percentage with post graduate degrees is the same as the general public.
They are far more likely to subscribe to Netflix Amazon Prime and Hulu Plus, although that’s to be expected. They are also more likely to subscribe to Showtime, and 46 percent say they view videos on Youtube as opposed to 16 percent of the population.
The subscribers are 76 percent male, which means far less women by percentage than television viewers or Raw and Smackdown, let alone Total Divas, subscribe. The audience skews younger, with the average subscriber being 34. What that says is the heavy 50+ audience that watches TV is less likely to subscribe to the network. Ironically that audience would probably be the one most interested in the archives, and WWE never advertises around them. 45% of the adults are single.
19% are single without children. 37% are married with children. As compared with the public as a whole, WWE is lowest among in getting networks compared to the national average among those who are single, those living with a partner, and those with no kids. Education doesn’t very that much from the average, although sightly less have four-year degrees than the public at large, but the percentage with post graduate degrees is the same as the general public.
They are far more likely to subscribe to Netflix Amazon Prime and Hulu Plus, although that’s to be expected. They are also more likely to subscribe to Showtime, and 46 percent say they view videos on Youtube as opposed to 16 percent of the population.
Roster Call Ups
The call-ups to the main roster from NXT, at least Corbin, Crews, The Vaudevillains and Enzo & Cass were all decided on in February if not earlier. Nevertheless, the date was never finalized and a couple of them were booked to fly back to Orlando on Monday after WrestleMania and before Raw before plans changed.
The call-ups to the main roster from NXT, at least Corbin, Crews, The Vaudevillains and Enzo & Cass were all decided on in February if not earlier. Nevertheless, the date was never finalized and a couple of them were booked to fly back to Orlando on Monday after WrestleMania and before Raw before plans changed.
League of Nations Ending
Right now the plan is to break up the League of Nations, or at least that is what people who need to know have been told. Not sure how quick, but the thing last week wasn’t just Barrett being kicked out but the beginning of the end of the group.
Right now the plan is to break up the League of Nations, or at least that is what people who need to know have been told. Not sure how quick, but the thing last week wasn’t just Barrett being kicked out but the beginning of the end of the group.
Women's Title program
Charlotte and Natalya right now are scheduled for a two month program with singles matches for the title on the next two PPV shows. The original plan was Charlotte vs. Banks on these shows but the decision was made to hold off on Banks, who they don’t want to beat, until SummerSlam, when she’s scheduled to get her singles shot at the title. Originally that was scheduled for Mania, but the decision was changed when the match was changed to involve Lynch.
Charlotte and Natalya right now are scheduled for a two month program with singles matches for the title on the next two PPV shows. The original plan was Charlotte vs. Banks on these shows but the decision was made to hold off on Banks, who they don’t want to beat, until SummerSlam, when she’s scheduled to get her singles shot at the title. Originally that was scheduled for Mania, but the decision was changed when the match was changed to involve Lynch.
Summerslam Weekend
The Raw after SummerSlam on 8/22 at the Barclays Center sold out immediately. My presumption is that the NXT show on 8/20 will also sell out. Last year the NXT show didn’t sell out immediately, but ended up selling out. But with ticket brokers and secondary marketing of tickets, if an event sells out the year before in the same market, the brokers are going to buy tons of tickets immediately with the idea they can sell them at a higher price on the secondary market
The Raw after SummerSlam on 8/22 at the Barclays Center sold out immediately. My presumption is that the NXT show on 8/20 will also sell out. Last year the NXT show didn’t sell out immediately, but ended up selling out. But with ticket brokers and secondary marketing of tickets, if an event sells out the year before in the same market, the brokers are going to buy tons of tickets immediately with the idea they can sell them at a higher price on the secondary market
New Signings
WWE announced this past week ten signings for its developmental program, which include three wrestlers who come in with significant reputations, Nicola Glencross (Nikki Storm), Michael Nicholls (Mikey Nicholls) and Shane Veryzer (Shane Haste).
It had been known that all three were WWE bound for months. Nicholls and Veryzer have been training in Orlando since doing their farewell tour with Pro Wrestling NOAH in March. Both were given contract offers last summer, but their debut was delayed due to Haste suffering a torn ACL and needing surgery. Glencross, 26. from Scotland, who had been expected to come in for months, starts this week after finishing up her indie bookings last week and losing a loser leaves town match in Insane Championship Wrestling. She’s been wrestling for eight years and was part of the cast of TNA’s British Boot Camp 2 in 2014, the season that Mark Andrews won and also featured Kris Travis.
The other new signings:
*Babatunde Aiyegbusi - Aiyegbusi, 27, who is 6-foot-9 and 350 pounds, gained some media attention last year as a giant from Olesnica, Poland who was trying out, somewhat as a gimmick, to be an offensive lineman with the Minnesota Vikings. He was cut before the start of the 2015 season and in October was invited to a WWE tryout camp.
*Bianca Blair - Blair, 25 placed in the SEC track and field championships in the hurdles in 2013 while attending the University of Tennessee. After college, she competed in both CrossFit and powerlifting competitions.
*Nikola Bogojevic - Bogojevic, 24, is a 5-foot-8, 285 pound Greco-Roman wrestler who had trained to make the Olympic team in 2016 but fell short after placing third in 2014 at the Pan American games.
*Carolyn Dunning - Dunning is a model and bodybuilding bikini contest competitor from Las Vegas who placed 15th in the 2014 NPC USA championships.
*Macey Estrella - Estrella trained with American Premier Wrestling and has a background as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps SWAT Team.
*Terrance Jean-Jacques - Jean-Jacques was a Division III All-American wrestler at the University of Rhode Island in 2015 after previously wrestling at Rutgers and Iowa. He’s 6-foot-2 and 265 pounds, and had a 22-6 record as a heavyweight at Iowa in 2014 before leaving the school.
*Daniella Kamela - Kamela tried out for the last season of Tough Enough and appeared in the tryout special, but ended up being cut. She then started training for pro wrestling at the Knoxx Pro Wrestling School run by Rikishi and Gangrel. She was used as on-air talent by Fox Sports Arizona, and has previously been on the dance team for the Phoenix Suns and a cheerleader for the Arizona Cardinals. She was also a model and a halftime reporter for the Suns during the 2010-11 season.
WWE announced this past week ten signings for its developmental program, which include three wrestlers who come in with significant reputations, Nicola Glencross (Nikki Storm), Michael Nicholls (Mikey Nicholls) and Shane Veryzer (Shane Haste).
It had been known that all three were WWE bound for months. Nicholls and Veryzer have been training in Orlando since doing their farewell tour with Pro Wrestling NOAH in March. Both were given contract offers last summer, but their debut was delayed due to Haste suffering a torn ACL and needing surgery. Glencross, 26. from Scotland, who had been expected to come in for months, starts this week after finishing up her indie bookings last week and losing a loser leaves town match in Insane Championship Wrestling. She’s been wrestling for eight years and was part of the cast of TNA’s British Boot Camp 2 in 2014, the season that Mark Andrews won and also featured Kris Travis.
The other new signings:
*Babatunde Aiyegbusi - Aiyegbusi, 27, who is 6-foot-9 and 350 pounds, gained some media attention last year as a giant from Olesnica, Poland who was trying out, somewhat as a gimmick, to be an offensive lineman with the Minnesota Vikings. He was cut before the start of the 2015 season and in October was invited to a WWE tryout camp.
*Bianca Blair - Blair, 25 placed in the SEC track and field championships in the hurdles in 2013 while attending the University of Tennessee. After college, she competed in both CrossFit and powerlifting competitions.
*Nikola Bogojevic - Bogojevic, 24, is a 5-foot-8, 285 pound Greco-Roman wrestler who had trained to make the Olympic team in 2016 but fell short after placing third in 2014 at the Pan American games.
*Carolyn Dunning - Dunning is a model and bodybuilding bikini contest competitor from Las Vegas who placed 15th in the 2014 NPC USA championships.
*Macey Estrella - Estrella trained with American Premier Wrestling and has a background as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps SWAT Team.
*Terrance Jean-Jacques - Jean-Jacques was a Division III All-American wrestler at the University of Rhode Island in 2015 after previously wrestling at Rutgers and Iowa. He’s 6-foot-2 and 265 pounds, and had a 22-6 record as a heavyweight at Iowa in 2014 before leaving the school.
*Daniella Kamela - Kamela tried out for the last season of Tough Enough and appeared in the tryout special, but ended up being cut. She then started training for pro wrestling at the Knoxx Pro Wrestling School run by Rikishi and Gangrel. She was used as on-air talent by Fox Sports Arizona, and has previously been on the dance team for the Phoenix Suns and a cheerleader for the Arizona Cardinals. She was also a model and a halftime reporter for the Suns during the 2010-11 season.
TNA Updates
In a really bad sign, the television and office people will be moving at the end of the month from their headquarters at Cummins Station in Nashville, where the corporate offices have been located since Dixie Carter took over the company in 2002. The company had fallen behind in rent and were no longer able to afford to stay there. They had already moved the offices to the basement where the TV production was done to cut back on expenses and Cummins Station essentially evicted them effective the end of the month. They are now moving the corporate offices to the warehouse they had been using for their merchandise.
The new prospective investors, who do exist and are still in play, haven’t purchased an interest in the company yet as far as we can find out. They have put money in to keep the TV going. The deal revolves around who ends up with controlling interest in the company but the feeling is TNA needs the deal to go through to survive, giving the investors the leverage to get the controlling interest.
Another bad sign is that with no notice, on 4/11, Pop TV canceled the second Tuesday night airing of Impact. I should point out it was no notice to the fan base, but TNA was aware but also didn’t let its fans know until the day before. It’s not good news, but in reality, the people who are fans of TNA will just set their DVR’s if it’s a bad time slot, and if they don’t, they were losing interest anyway. But it sucks as far as making new fans on the West Coast because the two airings are 6 p.m. on a Tuesday and 8:30 a.m. on a Saturday. The change isn’t that bad, in the sense they weren’t moved out of prime time, but just the fact they’d make the change a day before airing is never a good sign.
In a really bad sign, the television and office people will be moving at the end of the month from their headquarters at Cummins Station in Nashville, where the corporate offices have been located since Dixie Carter took over the company in 2002. The company had fallen behind in rent and were no longer able to afford to stay there. They had already moved the offices to the basement where the TV production was done to cut back on expenses and Cummins Station essentially evicted them effective the end of the month. They are now moving the corporate offices to the warehouse they had been using for their merchandise.
The new prospective investors, who do exist and are still in play, haven’t purchased an interest in the company yet as far as we can find out. They have put money in to keep the TV going. The deal revolves around who ends up with controlling interest in the company but the feeling is TNA needs the deal to go through to survive, giving the investors the leverage to get the controlling interest.
Another bad sign is that with no notice, on 4/11, Pop TV canceled the second Tuesday night airing of Impact. I should point out it was no notice to the fan base, but TNA was aware but also didn’t let its fans know until the day before. It’s not good news, but in reality, the people who are fans of TNA will just set their DVR’s if it’s a bad time slot, and if they don’t, they were losing interest anyway. But it sucks as far as making new fans on the West Coast because the two airings are 6 p.m. on a Tuesday and 8:30 a.m. on a Saturday. The change isn’t that bad, in the sense they weren’t moved out of prime time, but just the fact they’d make the change a day before airing is never a good sign.
New Japan Updates
New Japan announced the schedule for the G-1 Climax tournament at the show. There will be 19 shows, starting 7/18 and ending 8/14, with a format similar to last year where they will alternate nine shows for each block with the guys in the other block working underneath tag team matches.
Coming up on New Japan World are four shows. They will be airing 4/23 and 4/24 from Korakuen Hall at 2:30 a.m. The lineups have not been announced.
At Invasion Attack, they shot angles to build two big shows, both PPV events, a 4/29 show in Kumamoto at the Grand Messe which is a late Thursday/early Friday show that starts at 4 a.m. Eastern, and the traditional Wrestling Dontaku show on 5/3 at the Fukuoka International Center Arena, also starting at 4 a.m. on a Tuesday morning.
The key matches, but not complete cards, have been announced for both shows.
Kumamoto has Omega vs. Elgin for the IC title as the main event, which is rare going with two foreigners on top in a singles match, plus Tanahashi vs. Bad Luck Fale, Katsuyori Shibata vs. Yuji Nagata for the Never Open weight title, Romero & Baretta vs. Ricochet & Sydal for the IWGP jr. tag title plus Naito & Evil & Bushi & Sanada vs. Okada & Ishii & Goto & Ospreay.
Fukuoka is headlined by Naito vs. Ishii for the IWGP title, plus Okada vs. Sanada, Goto vs. Evil, Kushida vs. Jushin Liger for the IWGP jr. title and Tonga & Loa vs. Makabe & Honma for the tag title.
New Japan announced the schedule for the G-1 Climax tournament at the show. There will be 19 shows, starting 7/18 and ending 8/14, with a format similar to last year where they will alternate nine shows for each block with the guys in the other block working underneath tag team matches.
Coming up on New Japan World are four shows. They will be airing 4/23 and 4/24 from Korakuen Hall at 2:30 a.m. The lineups have not been announced.
At Invasion Attack, they shot angles to build two big shows, both PPV events, a 4/29 show in Kumamoto at the Grand Messe which is a late Thursday/early Friday show that starts at 4 a.m. Eastern, and the traditional Wrestling Dontaku show on 5/3 at the Fukuoka International Center Arena, also starting at 4 a.m. on a Tuesday morning.
The key matches, but not complete cards, have been announced for both shows.
Kumamoto has Omega vs. Elgin for the IC title as the main event, which is rare going with two foreigners on top in a singles match, plus Tanahashi vs. Bad Luck Fale, Katsuyori Shibata vs. Yuji Nagata for the Never Open weight title, Romero & Baretta vs. Ricochet & Sydal for the IWGP jr. tag title plus Naito & Evil & Bushi & Sanada vs. Okada & Ishii & Goto & Ospreay.
Fukuoka is headlined by Naito vs. Ishii for the IWGP title, plus Okada vs. Sanada, Goto vs. Evil, Kushida vs. Jushin Liger for the IWGP jr. title and Tonga & Loa vs. Makabe & Honma for the tag title.
MVP fired from Lucha Underground
Just days after MVP announced that he had signed a deal with Lucha Underground as an agent and performer, he was fired by the company for breaching his contract.
He did a podcast with several Lucha Underground performers including Jeff Cobb and Catrina. Lucha Underground was mad about it because apparently there was some talk of what they are doing and the promotion thought they were giving out spoilers. Cobb was never said to be Matanza Cueto on the show. When he found out the company was upset, he had the podcast taken down, but that apparently wasn’t enough.
The company said that he violated the contract by talking about spoilers and that the parent company lawyers were upset. Apparently during the show Catrina said her character on the show is 138 years old (or whatever the number is they are going to use), which hasn’t been revealed yet.
Others close to the situation including one with the promotion were in shock at why it went down, feeling it was ridiculously petty and the feeling is it has to be a cover reason for something else. Christopher DeJoseph is the name that keeps coming up regarding the person on staff who was upset, although all decisions would be DeJoseph as head writer and Eric Van Wagenen. MVP wouldn’t say anything about it on his VIP Lounge podcast, but co-host Alex Greenfield said that the firing was a personal betrayal, but didn’t say by who.
Just days after MVP announced that he had signed a deal with Lucha Underground as an agent and performer, he was fired by the company for breaching his contract.
He did a podcast with several Lucha Underground performers including Jeff Cobb and Catrina. Lucha Underground was mad about it because apparently there was some talk of what they are doing and the promotion thought they were giving out spoilers. Cobb was never said to be Matanza Cueto on the show. When he found out the company was upset, he had the podcast taken down, but that apparently wasn’t enough.
The company said that he violated the contract by talking about spoilers and that the parent company lawyers were upset. Apparently during the show Catrina said her character on the show is 138 years old (or whatever the number is they are going to use), which hasn’t been revealed yet.
Others close to the situation including one with the promotion were in shock at why it went down, feeling it was ridiculously petty and the feeling is it has to be a cover reason for something else. Christopher DeJoseph is the name that keeps coming up regarding the person on staff who was upset, although all decisions would be DeJoseph as head writer and Eric Van Wagenen. MVP wouldn’t say anything about it on his VIP Lounge podcast, but co-host Alex Greenfield said that the firing was a personal betrayal, but didn’t say by who.
Lucha Underground Story line Updates
They changed the Lucha Underground title twice over the weekend in shows that won’t be airing until well into 2017.
First, they had Aztec Warfare III where Dario Cueto for some reason ordered Matanza to start and he eventually was pinned for the first time by Rey Mysterio Jr., who used a Canadian Destroyer. This was halfway into the match, so this was his first loss. The match came down to Sexy Star and Mil Muertes, and Sexy Star won the title after Muertes kept missing table spots and he went for a flatliner off the top rope, but she shoved him off and he went backwards through a table and was pinned. The reaction was mixed.
It may only be a one week deal. You don’t know, because they don’t tape in order necessarily, but Johnny Mundo won the title from her the next day. Most of the fans were behind Sexy but the same fan base that hated her winning was cheering Mundo.
They changed the Lucha Underground title twice over the weekend in shows that won’t be airing until well into 2017.
First, they had Aztec Warfare III where Dario Cueto for some reason ordered Matanza to start and he eventually was pinned for the first time by Rey Mysterio Jr., who used a Canadian Destroyer. This was halfway into the match, so this was his first loss. The match came down to Sexy Star and Mil Muertes, and Sexy Star won the title after Muertes kept missing table spots and he went for a flatliner off the top rope, but she shoved him off and he went backwards through a table and was pinned. The reaction was mixed.
It may only be a one week deal. You don’t know, because they don’t tape in order necessarily, but Johnny Mundo won the title from her the next day. Most of the fans were behind Sexy but the same fan base that hated her winning was cheering Mundo.
Lucha Underground Behind the scenes Updates
There have been complaints among talent that the creative team and management don’t understand the physical punishment involved in the style. While most are thrilled to be working there, because the Mexicans can’t make that money anywhere else and the Americans love being featured as most wouldn’t elsewhere and the ones who could go to WWE in most cases wouldn’t get the breaks there they get here, there is the feeling they are asked to do too much for one day or weekend. There are times when wrestlers have had to do two ridiculously physically hard matches on the same show, often stip matches that involve weapons or long high flying matches less than two hours apart. The feeling is those in creative don’t understand in-ring wrestling or respect the physical demands of matches of this type.
The situation regarding Trevor Mann (Ricochet) and the Prince Puma character is said to be not dead. Reports are that the promotion has made Mann a major offer for a new deal to stay. If the numbers going around are accurate, between Lucha Underground, New Japan and indies, he’d earn more than just about anyone in NXT (I’d think Nakamura and perhaps Balor or Joe would be the exceptions) although it would still be significantly less than a major star on the WWE main roster would earn. He’s said nothing past that he’s working the New Japan Super Juniors tournament which is in May and June, and then talking time off and not taking bookings.
The contract situation is such that the belief is Mann (Ricochet) is done with the promotion, but they believe it won’t be until 2017 that he can go to WWE because of the stips in his deal regarding the non-compete. I don’t know how serious this is, but we were told by someone internally that there is talk of resurrecting the character for season four, if there is a season four, and if Mann isn’t available, putting someone else in the character because it’s one of the key characters on the show.
El Hijo del Fantasma (King Cuerno) wanted out but he looks to be back soon. He returned to AAA this past week. He wanted to take an offer with WWE but his Lucha Underground contract wouldn’t allow it. He had a seven season contract and they wouldn’t release him. Evidently he didn’t have whatever leverage Alberto had to force a release. So he may be back. His only option, and I’m not sure if it’s even an option, would be to sign with a Japanese group because his Lucha Underground contract covers exclusivity in the U.S., but not in Japan.
There have been complaints among talent that the creative team and management don’t understand the physical punishment involved in the style. While most are thrilled to be working there, because the Mexicans can’t make that money anywhere else and the Americans love being featured as most wouldn’t elsewhere and the ones who could go to WWE in most cases wouldn’t get the breaks there they get here, there is the feeling they are asked to do too much for one day or weekend. There are times when wrestlers have had to do two ridiculously physically hard matches on the same show, often stip matches that involve weapons or long high flying matches less than two hours apart. The feeling is those in creative don’t understand in-ring wrestling or respect the physical demands of matches of this type.
The situation regarding Trevor Mann (Ricochet) and the Prince Puma character is said to be not dead. Reports are that the promotion has made Mann a major offer for a new deal to stay. If the numbers going around are accurate, between Lucha Underground, New Japan and indies, he’d earn more than just about anyone in NXT (I’d think Nakamura and perhaps Balor or Joe would be the exceptions) although it would still be significantly less than a major star on the WWE main roster would earn. He’s said nothing past that he’s working the New Japan Super Juniors tournament which is in May and June, and then talking time off and not taking bookings.
The contract situation is such that the belief is Mann (Ricochet) is done with the promotion, but they believe it won’t be until 2017 that he can go to WWE because of the stips in his deal regarding the non-compete. I don’t know how serious this is, but we were told by someone internally that there is talk of resurrecting the character for season four, if there is a season four, and if Mann isn’t available, putting someone else in the character because it’s one of the key characters on the show.
El Hijo del Fantasma (King Cuerno) wanted out but he looks to be back soon. He returned to AAA this past week. He wanted to take an offer with WWE but his Lucha Underground contract wouldn’t allow it. He had a seven season contract and they wouldn’t release him. Evidently he didn’t have whatever leverage Alberto had to force a release. So he may be back. His only option, and I’m not sure if it’s even an option, would be to sign with a Japanese group because his Lucha Underground contract covers exclusivity in the U.S., but not in Japan.