Search Results: "college"

NEWS

Maybe? Pat McAfee Explains Uncertainty About WWE Future Following Company Sale

February 23, 2023

Yeah that might shake things up. There have been a lot of changes to WWE in recent months but the biggest change of all is still in the works. By the end of the year, the company is likely to have been sold to a buyer still to be determined. That is going to shake things up in a huge way and the future is not clear. That is certainly the situation for one of the company’s higher profile names. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: RUMOR KILLER On Vince McMahon Returning To WWE Creative During a post on Twitter, SmackDown commentator Pat McAfee questioned his future in WWE. McAfee cited his daughter being born soon, as well as the potential sale. Depending on the owner, McAfee was not sure if he “wanted to work/make money for those people.” McAfee took a hiatus from WWE to work on ESPN’s College GameDay but did return for one night to call the Royal Rumble. There is no word on when McAfee is scheduled to return to WWE commentary. https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1628516628991447040 McAfee has been..

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Homecoming: Surprise Return Kicks Off WWE Royal Rumble

January 29, 2023

Welcome back! Commentary is one of the most important parts of any wrestling show as they are there to guide you through the show. The team, or occasionally solo broadcaster, will explain what you are seeing and what you should be noticing. Having the right commentary team is a tricky ordeal to pull off but now WWE has one of its more popular commentators back behind the mic. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Not For Her: Update On Why Ronda Rousey Is Not Working The WWE Royal Rumble Pat McAfee made his surprise return to the WWE commentary team this weekend at the Royal Rumble. McAfee was brought out before the first match began and joined Michael Cole and Corey Graves on commentary. This ended a four month hiatus for McAfee, who took a leave of absence from the SmackDown commentary team to join ESPN’s College Gameday team. McAfee can do a lot. Check out some of his time in WWE: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video,..

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WWE Reveals 3rd Class of Athletes to their NIL Program

January 27, 2023

Here comes the next generation. Earlier today, WWE issued a press release, detailing the names of 15 new college athletes who will join the company’s NIL (Name, Image & Likeness) program, “Next In Line.” This program was created to give an opportunity to collegiate athletes that want to be a part of WWE. The names are as follows: Name College Sport Height/Weight Hometown Abby Jacobs South Alabama Soccer 5’7 Gulf Breeze, Fla. Alexandra Jaksec Mary Washington Tennis 5’4 Pittsburgh, Pa. Alia Armstrong LSU Track & Field 5’4 Baton Rouge, La. Cameron Jones Cincinnati Football 6’8, 320 lbs. Hindman, Ky. Dee Beckwith Kentucky Football 6’5, 235 lbs. Florence, Ala. Greg Kerkvliet Penn State Wrestling 6’3, 250 lbs. Inver Grove Heights, Minn. Isaiah Iton Rutgers Football 6’2, 290 lbs. Houston, Texas Jaiden Fields Georgia Softball 5’9 Kennesaw, Ga. Landon Jackson Arkansas Football 6’7, 275 lbs. Texarkana, Texas Mady Aulbach Youngstown State Basketball 5’3 Slippery Rock, Pa. Nick Dawkins Penn Stat..

NEWS

Glow On? Details On Naomi’s Current WWE Status, Possible Future

January 20, 2023

Working on it? Eight months ago, Naomi and Sasha Banks walked out on WWE, resulting in the Women’s Tag Team Titles being vacated. While Banks has moved on to New Japan Pro Wrestling under the name Mercedes Mone, Naomi has yet to make an appearance in wrestling. Now we know some more details about Naomi’s current WWE status and how things were going before she left. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: They’re In: WWE Signs Two More Former College Athletes Fightful Select has more details on Naomi’s WWE departure and current status. Naomi is reportedly still in contact with WWE and according to one “higher-up” in the company, it is expected that she will return to the company at some point. When Naomi originally left, her contract with WWE was set to expire, with both sides being interested in a new deal. Naomi is said to have been likely to sign the biggest money contract of her career. Naomi was a star while she was around. Check out some of her time in WWE: [This post contains video, click to ..

NEWS

They’re In: WWE Signs Two More Former College Athletes

January 20, 2023

The roster grows. WWE has a roster with enough talent to fill up three weekly television shows, but those wrestlers have to be kept moving. At some point the roster is going to get a bit stale and needs some fresh blood, which is why WWE also brings in fresh talent every so often. Now they are doing that again, this time from other sports outside of professional wrestling. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Vince McMahon Agrees To Multi-Million Dollar Settlement, Ends 30+ Year Rape Allegation Ordeal PWInsider.com is reporting that WWE has signed two new stars to NXT. First is Alexis Gray, who was a track and field star at Texas Southern University, where she earned a degree in biology. Second is Ezekiel Balogun, a 6’6 former basketball player from the University of North Florida. There is no word on when either of them will officially start training at the Performance Center. The two of them will have good training facilities. Check out the Performance Center: [This post contains video, click ..

NEWS

Ring Of Honor Final Battle 2022 Results

December 11, 2022

Final Battle 2022 Date: December 10, 2022 Location: College Park Center, Arlington, Texas Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman It’s the third or so Ring Of Honor event of the year, assuming you don’t count a good chunk of the Rampages from earlier this year. The main event of the show is (probably) Chris Jericho defending the Ring Of Honor World Title against Claudio Castagnoli, with a bonus feature of FTR vs. the Briscoes in a dog collar match for FTR’s Tag Team Titles. Let’s get to it. Zero Hour: Mascara Dorada vs. Jeff Cobb Dorada (better known as Gran Metalik) gets nowhere off a shoulder so a springboard flip is enough to put Cobb on the floor. The dive is pulled out of the air though and Cobb posts him hard to take over. Back in and Cobb stands on his back for a surfing pose, followed by a heck of a shot to the face for two. Cobb misses a charge into the corner though and Dorada sends him outside again, this time for the big flip dive. Back in again and a rope walk sent..

NEWS

WWE Announces New Partnership with EXOS For “Next In Line” Trainees

December 8, 2022

Preparing the next generation. WWE recently announced a partnership with EXOS (formerly known as Athlete’s Performance) for WWE’s Next In Line (NIL) trainees the opportunity to train at one of EXOS’ world-class training and development facilities across the United States. From the press release: Founded by world-class coach Mark Verstegen over two decades ago, Exos pioneered the field of human performance, operating in 26 countries across 400 locations, supporting over 12,000 elite athletes, including 1,000+ NFL draft picks, 99 of which came in the ’22 draft class alone, 215+ Olympians, military elite, and corporate employees from nearly 30% of Fortune 100 companies. “An industry leader in sports performance, Exos will help enhance our NIL athletes’ experience as they transition from college athletics to WWE,” said James Kimball, WWE Head of Talent Operations and Strategy. While working with Exos professionals, WWE NIL athletes will be introduced to the Exos Athlete Experience Prog..

NEWS

Good For Them! WWE Personality Announces His Wife Is Expecting First Child

November 10, 2022

That’s pretty awesome. There are all kinds of people in the wrestling world and all of them have lives going on outside of the ring that we rarely see. They have the same kind of lives that we do, including some things that can be rather positive to hear. Now another WWE personality has some more great news and is sharing his family’s announcement with the world. WWE broadcaster Pat McAfee and his wife Samantha have announced that they are expecting their first child in may. Samantha revealed that she has lost two pregnancies in the past and this one was conceived via IVF. Pat thanked everyone who has helped them through the rough times to get to this point, including friends and family. Pat is currently on hiatus from his job as SmackDown commentator and is expected back after college football season ends. After about 150 shots, a surgery, a transfer, countless blood tests, waiting on embryos, genetic testing, hoping for a big fat positive on a pee stick. So much support from family..

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WATCH: Bianca Belair Appears As Guest Picker On College GameDay

September 25, 2022

The EST is expanding her sports knowledge. Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair appeared on ESPN’s “College GameDay” yesterday, where she appeared as the celebrity guest picker for the slate of college football games for the day. You can watch a couple of clips of her appearance below: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] The show emulated from the University of Tennessee, where Belair ended her collegiate career. Originally from Knoxville, she attended Austin-East Magnet High School and was both All-SEC and All-American in track. Belair was also named to the SEC’s academic honor roll in 2011 and 2012. Belair is scheduled to face Bayley for the Raw Women’s Championship at the upcoming Extreme Rules premium live event. Editor’s Opinion: I love stuff like this! I’m a huge college football fan, so to see two of my favorite sports come together is always a lot of fun for me. Plus I love when wrestling superstars get to show their love a..

NEWS

WWE NIL Signee Accused Of Sexual Assault

July 14, 2022

That’s not good. WWE has been trying to bring in a variety of new stars to bolster its roster, both for the present and the future. A lot of this has been through the Next In Line (NIL) program, as WWE has been able to sign college athletes to name, image and likeness deals. Those names have not appeared on WWE programming to date, though one of them seems less likely to appear ever. Accord to the O’Colly (Oklahoma State University’s student newspaper), WWE NIL signee AJ Ferrari has been removed from the Oklahoma State wrestling team amid an investigation of sexual assault. Ferrari, who has currently not been charged with any crime, was part of the initial NIL class in 2021 and has not wrestled for WWE. The company has not responded to the investigation. Opinion: That is a very serious allegation and it would not surprise me at all to see Ferrari dropped by WWE as a result. Such a change might come immediately or after the investigation is over, but either way, Ferrari is going to be..

NEWS

WWE Announces Second NIL Deal Group

June 14, 2022

The acquisitions continue. Today, WWE announced its next “Next in Line” class of collegiate athletes who are allowed to profit off of their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL). This program allows students to begin training in WWE while still attending colleges and universities worldwide. The class is as follows: Ali Mattox of Ole Miss, a 5-foot-7 cheer & dance athlete from Little Rock, Ark. Case Hatch of Arizona State, a 6-foot-1, 230-pound football player from Gilbert, Ariz. Chandler Hayden of Tennessee, a 5-foot-11 track & field athlete from Pittsfield, Ill. Cohlton Schultz of Arizona State, a 6-foot-2, 285-pound wrestler from Parker, Colo. Derrian Gobourne of Auburn, a 5-foot-4 gymnast from Sarasota, Fla. Ericka Link of Elon, a 5-foot-6 volleyball player from Hedgesville, W.Va. Keshaun Moore of Hampton, a 6-foot-3, 270-pound football player from Suffolk, Va. Luke Ford of Illinois, a 6-foot-6, 260-pound football player from Carterville, Ill. Maliq Carr of Michigan State, a 6-foot-5, 2..

NEWS

One More Time: WWE’s Gable Steveson Reportedly Open To Return To College Wrestling

May 27, 2022

Maybe he isn’t done? There is a stigma when it comes to professional wrestlers that they are not real athletes. While this is easy to refute based on simply watching a match, the other way to solve it involves having more mainstream sports represented in wrestling. That often involves amateur wrestling stars moving to the professional ranks, but that might not be the case so soon. In an interview with the Pioneer Press, University of Minnesota wrestling coach Brandon Eggum said that Gable Steveson would like to return to the university for his senior season. Steveson retired from amateur wrestling following his junior season, when he won his second Danny Hodge Trophy and second NCAA Heavyweight Championship. Steveson is also signed to WWE and appeared at Summerslam and WrestleMania 38. He was expected to begin on the WWE roster full time following his junior season but he has not appeared on WWE TV since WrestleMania. There is no word on if Steveson will be returning to the university..

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WATCH: WWE Announces Signing Of High School Student (And You’ve Already Seen Her)

May 18, 2022

That’s a different talent pool. WWE has a lot of wrestlers on its roster but they have to be kept in rotation to keep things fresh. That can be more than a little tricky as the company has to find extra talent to take their places. Sometimes WWE can find them in places you might not expect and that is the case again, as they have signed someone you probably would not have guessed. This week’s edition of NXT featured a video on Thea Hail, a high school student who has been signed by WWE. Hail, 18 years old, was signed by WWE and will continue to train as she continues her education in college. Hail made her in-ring debut for AEW in September 2021 and has five matches to date for WWE, with all of them coming on NXT LVL Up. There is no word on when she will make her regular NXT debut. This is pretty impressive. Check out the first look at Hail: [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: It’s almost hard to fathom that something like this is taking place but Hail has looked po..

NEWS

Omos Reveals His One Of A Kind Medical Issues

April 27, 2022

That sounds worse. Wrestlers are larger than life characters with personalities that are often over the top and meant to be as big as possible. That can often come with bodies that are literally larger than most, as you see some wrestlers who dwarf most normal people. However, those wrestlers have their own issues, and now one of the biggest wrestlers ever has revealed some previous problems. During a recent appearance on the Out Of Character podcast, Monday Night Raw star Omos revealed that he had a brain tumor removed when he was 18 years old. Omos was playing college basketball at the time when an MRI revealed the tumor. As he was getting ready to have the tumor removed, he was diagnosed with partial Cushing’s Disease. Omos said that he was the first person ever recorded with a tumor on his pituitary gland, a brain tumor and Cushing’s Disease, which resulted in a medical journal article about his case. Opinion: What matters most is that Omos seems to have these issues cleaned up a..

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Scott Steiner Appears On Judge Steve Harvey, Cuts Promo On Plaintiff

March 30, 2022

It’s a different kind of promo. Talking is one of the most import important parts of a wrestler’s presentation, as the fans need a reason to care about who they are seeing. Working in the ring is important, but you need to make the fans care, which is why promos can be so memorable. A good talker can mean a lot in wrestling, and now one of the more famous ones got to talk in another way. Wrestling personality Johnny Fairplay and promoter Ron Gossett appeared on the Judge Steve Harvey Show, with Fairplay attempting to college $5,000 in unpaid appearance fees. New WWE Hall of Famer Scott Steiner appeared as a surprise witness for Gossett, saying he had been paid in full for working on one of Gossett’s shows. Steiner also threatened to beat up Fairplay and offered to wrestle him for the money. Fairplay wound up winning the case and was awarded the fee. This is the second time wrestlers have appeared on the show, after JJ Dillon and Kevin Sullivan were on the show earlier this week. Ok, ..

NEWS

Gable Steveson Reveals Details When He Will Make WWE Debut

March 24, 2022

Welcome to the team. There are a lot of wrestlers on the WWE roster today but only a handful are able to stand out above the rest so quickly. It takes a special something to make someone have that kind of an impact and oftentimes a sports background will do the trick. That is the case with a signed WWE star, and now we know a lot more about what to expect from him. Back in September 2021, NCAA Heavyweight Wrestling Champion and Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson signed with WWE, albeit under a unique contract. Steveson was able to continue his education and college wrestling career, though at least the latter has finished. Steveson appeared on the MMA Hour and revealed that his WWE start date is just after WrestleMania, though no date was given. He also said that he planned on getting in the ring soon after WrestleMania, which is taking place on April 2 an3 3. Opinion: It’s nice to see that Steveson is finally starting to get ready for his professional career, as his signing felt l..

NEWS

Sasha Banks Featured In 2022 College Football Playoff Introduction

January 12, 2022

The Boss and football make a perfect mix. WWE superstar Sasha Banks was recently the featured figure on the introduction video for the 2022 College Football National Championship game on ESPN. The game featured the Georgia Bulldogs and the Alabama Crimson Tide. You can see the video in its entirety below: [This post contains video, click to play] The video features Banks as an outer-wordly character, similar to the one that she played on The Mandalorian. She then uses futuristic technology to show past National Champions, and then promote the game between Georgia and Alabama. WWE has released a behind-the-scenes video of the shoot for this promotional video, which you can see below: [This post contains video, click to play] Banks has been out of action since the beginning of this month when she was injured at a live event. In a recent report, WWE announced that Banks has suffered a bruised calcaneus bone and will be out of action for 6-8 weeks. The No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs defea..

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WATCH: Goldberg Appears On College GameDay

December 31, 2021

They’re next. This morning on College GameDay, Goldberg appeared as the special guest picker for today’s slate of college football games. The featured pick was between Michigan and Georgia one of the games of the 2021 College Football Playoff. You can see the appearance in its entirety below: [This post contains video, click to play] Goldberg played as a defensive end for the Georgia Bulldogs, where he was a two-time All-SEC defensive lineman. He was taken by the Los Angeles Rams in the 11th round, with the 301st overall selection, in the 1990 NFL draft. It looks like @Goldberg could still play for @GeorgiaFootball ? pic.twitter.com/m1Skjqfrx5 — College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) December 31, 2021 It’s safe to say that he had a more successful career in professional wrestling: [This post contains video, click to play] Editor’s Opinion: I love stuff like this. Although Goldberg’s career in football was cut short, he is still one of the most recognizable figures in all of sport..

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WATCH: Future WWE Star Makes Monday Night Raw Appearance

December 14, 2021

He’s a special guest star. All wrestlers are athletes, but there is always a certain stigma about their athletic status. As a result, WWE often tries to tie themselves to more mainstream athletics whenever they can. It can be even better when a “real” athlete joins the promotion, and one such athlete was on hand this week in something of a special preview. Olympic Gold Medal winning wrestler and WWE signee Gable Steveson was in attendance for this week’s edition of Monday Night Raw. Steveson sat in the front row and was greeted by Bobby Lashley during the show. Steveson is signed to a name, image and likeness contract with WWE and is expected to join the company following the end of the college wrestling season as he tries to defend his NCAA wrestling title. Back in October, Steveson was drafted to Monday Night Raw. Steveson has been around a bit before. Check out his time in WWE: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post cont..

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WWE Signs College Athletes to NIL Deals

December 9, 2021

Making that money. WWE has announced that they have signed a number of collegiate athletes to NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals in order to create a potential pathway for them to be signed to developmental contracts in the future. This new venture, named “Next In Line”, is the company’s latest endeavor to find the next generation of superstars. The athletes signed are as follows: Carlos Aviles, of Ventura, Calif., a 6-foot-6, 305-pound track & field athlete from Ohio State University Haley Cavinder, of Gilbert, Ariz., a 5-foot-6 basketball player from Fresno State University Hanna Cavinder, of Gilbert, Ariz., a 5-foot-6 basketball player from Fresno State University A.J. Ferrari of Dallas, Texas, a 6-foot, 200-pound wrestler from Oklahoma State University Lexi Gordon of Fort Worth, Texas, a 6-foot basketball player from Duke University Aleeya Hutchins of Toronto, Canada, a 5-foot-5 track & field athlete from Wake Forest University John Krahn of Riverside, Calif., a 7-foot, 400-po..