Cyndi Lauper Getting Her First WWE Action Figure
According to Mike Johnson from PWInsider.com, WWE alumnus and Grammy Award-winning artist Cyndi Lauper is set to receive her own action figure set from Mattel C...
WWE
Search Results: "mike johnson"
17 result(s) found
NEWS
WWE Might Be Freshening Up One Of Its Underused Wrestlers
Update the name tag. A wrestler needs to have the right name to really fit in around the wrestling world. Wrestlers not having a great name can be quite the problem, especially if it is tied to the wrong gimmick. However, there are several ways to fix things later on, especially if someone has not been around in a little while. That might be the case again for a WWE star. According to Mike Johnson during a Q&A on PWInsider.com, T-Bar has been brought up as someone who could be “recast” in WWE. T-Bar, formerly known as Dominik Dijakovic in NXT, has mainly been used in NXT since Retribution broke up. This comes as WWE has been using T-Bar’s name more often on television, but other than battle royal appearances, he has not wrestled on television since the February 28 Monday Night Raw, when he lost to Omos in 40 seconds. Opinion: I could certainly go for more of T-Bar in WWE, or even better, I could go for more of Dijakovic in WWE. While WWE was trying something with the Retribution angl..
NEWS
Double Trouble: Two AEW Stars Possibly Out With Injuries
It can happen to anyone. Injuries are one of the great equalizers in wrestling as anyone can get hurt at any time. You never can tell when someone is going to go down with an injury and that can stop anything they are doing at the drop of a hat. It is horrible to hear that someone is hurt and now we might be seeing it twice at once in the same company’s division. Two AEW women are reportedly injured. First up, according to Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com, there is a believe among the AEW locker room that Leylah Hirsch has torn her ACL or MCL. This is NOT confirmed at the moment but if it is true, Hirsch would require surgery and miss several months. Hirsch was injured during a Dark match in April. Second, Hikaru Shida has reportedly suffered an injury of some kind. Shida has been wrestling this month in Japan so any injury would have likely taken place there. Opinion: This is never something that you want to hear as it is the kind of thing that could keep either wrestler on the shelf f..
NEWS
BREAKING RUMOR: Cody Rhodes Has Signed With WWE
The nightmare returns. According to a report from Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com, Cody Rhodes has signed a new deal and will be returning to WWE. The report states that Rhodes signed his new contract about 10-14 days ago. The current plan is to have Rhodes debut during Wrestlemania 38 weekend, with the early word among those in the company saying that Rhodes will be on the Raw brand. It has been heavily rumored that The American Nightmare will be facing Seth Rollins at WrestleMania, but nothing is finalized yet. We will continue to monitor this situation and provide any updates as they become available. Editor’s Opinion: If I’m being honest, I’m surprised that this is happening. There has to be something in place where he has a little bit more creative control over his contract, because if they try to have him revert to his old gimmicks, the return may fall flat on its face. That being said, he is one of the most incredible talents globally and will be a fantastic addition to the r..
NEWS
Backstage Update On Vince McMahon’s Current View of WWE
An audience of one. Whether you are a fan of it or not, there is no wrestling promotion in the world on the level of WWE. It is the biggest wrestling company in the world and nothing is anywhere close to its level. That is at least the case from a business standpoint, as the wrestling side might not be seen as so great. WWE fans have not been so thrilled, but there is one person who is rather happy, and he is the one that matters. According to Mike Johnson in a PWInsider.com Q&A session, WWE does not make any changes to its product because Vince McMahon is happy with how everything is going. WWE made over a billion dollars in 2021 so McMahon sees no reason to change anything about the way the company is presented. McMahon presents the stories and ideas that he wants and that is not likely to change anytime soon. Opinion: I don’t think this is the biggest surprise but it is certainly disappointing. WWE certainly does make a ton of money and there is no way to argue against the results..
NEWS
Latest WWE Releases Leave People “Befuddled” Backstage
Can you blame them? Possibly the biggest wrestling story over the last year and a half has been WWE’s long string of releases. The company has not stopped lately either, letting go another dozen people this week. That kind of turnover is going to have some kind of impact on the people who are still around and now we have a better idea of just how they are reacting to what happened. According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com, the latest batch of releases made for a sad day in WWE, with several people who rarely show empathy being shaken up by the news. People were said to be upset or sad about the releases, with one joking that they were now in Nick Khan’s WWE. One of the statements was that WWE is not the company it once was. No one spoken to was happy with the situation, as the question is now who might be next to go. A lot of talented people were let go this week. Check out what some of them have done in their careers: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contain..
NEWS
WWE Accused Of Pushing AEW/Domino’s Pizza Story
I think I’d call that interfering. For the first time in a very good while, there is another wrestling promotion on the national stage which is doing rather well. It is the first time that WWE has had anything close to their level for a very long time now and that makes for some interesting changes. It also makes WWE do more than a few different things, including some possible sabotage. Earlier this week, Nick Gage vs. Chris Jericho headlined AEW Dynamite. During the match, Gage used a pizza cutter on Jericho’s forehead. At the same time, a Domino’s Pizza ad aired in the picture in picture. This has caused some issues from Domino’s, as they were not pleased with what was airing during their commercials. It seems that things might be a little more complicated than that. Since Wednesday, rumors have been circulating that WWE has been spreading the story of Domino’s issues to various media outlets. According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com, there were stories of WWE pushing the Domino’..
NEWS
What Were The Original Plans For Kevin Owens’ Return And What Is Next For Him? The Answers Might Surprise You.
You mean they didn’t think it through? Remember last month when Kevin Owens returned to WWE and had a pay per view title match? Remember that match being awesome? Now do you remember Owens doing anything other than hosting an episode of the Kevin Owens Show since then? It’s almost like Owens was brought back up too soon and it’s become a problem. So what has been going on? According to Mike Johnson on PW Insider Elite Audio, the original plans were to bring Owens back up on either the Monday Night Raw or SmackDown Live after WrestleMania 35. This obviously did not happen and Owens was brought back to television in a hurry with no plans for him. At the moment, Owens has nothing scheduled for WrestleMania and has only wrestled in a tag match since his title match at Fastlane. Owens certainly hasn’t lost a step. Check out him talking as only he can: [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: This is modern WWE as only they can make it happen. You have an outstanding talent li..
NEWS
Rumor: Is EC3 On His Way To The Main Roster?
He’ll get there. One of the most interesting things to see in the world of WWE is talents getting the call up from NXT to the main roster. Some of these can be almost instant successes while some of them might not be as interesting as others. It’s interesting to see how many people seem like they could make the jump instantaneously while others might take some time. In some cases though, there’s a delay for a specific reason. That’s the case here. According to Mike Johnson on PW Insider Elite Audio, EC3 might have been ready to be called up around Summerslam but suffered a concussion during his match at Takeover: Brooklyn IV. EC3 missed over a month of action after the show but has since returned to TV. There is no word on when he’ll be called up, though his name has been rumored for a move to the main roster for awhile now. Here’s what might be coming to the main roster: [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: EC3 going to the main roster makes a lot of sense as he’s t..
NEWS
Just Where Has Bray Wyatt Been?
Follow the….wait where is he? Bray Wyatt is one of the most interesting wrestlers in a long time. He comes from a major wrestling family and has had some success on the roster, including winning the WWE Championship. However, he’s been up and down in the last year and a half, to the point where his best results were a Tag Team Title reign with Matt Hardy. Now he hasn’t been on television in a long time, and now we might know why. According to Mike Johnson on PW Insider Elite, there are no reports of Wyatt being injured, but rather WWE is leaving him off television for the sake of letting the fans miss him for a little while. Wyatt has been absent from television since Hardy went down with an injury of his own. His last televised match took place on the August 13 episode of Monday Night Raw when he and Hardy lost to the B Team. In case you forgot how creepy he can be. [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: I’ve been a fan of Wyatt for a long time and this might be the b..
NEWS
Update Regarding AJ Lee Potentially Returning to WWE
After WrestleMania 31, AJ Lee quietly retired from wrestling and has not appeared on WWE programming since. She’s been busy writing her autobiography and becoming an advocate for bipolar disorder awareness. Every so often, she’ll be asked about a return to WWE. Even with everything happening with her husband, you can never say never. According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider, it seems very unlikely the former WWE Divas Champion will return to the company any time soon. AJ mentioned in her book that she made the choice to step away from the ring in 2015 due to some ongoing physical issues. Related: AJ Lee Comments on the Current WWE Women’s Division As a result, it’s unlikely she would return for an extended run. Others have returned for a one-off here and there, but it would take a unique situation to bring AJ back to WWE television. After more than three years away, a huge return could also expose her flaws. AJ Lee was an excellent storyteller and her mic skills were ahead of the cur..
NEWS
Here’s What Could Bring The Rock Back Full-Time to WWE
Aside from a very brief match with Erick Rowan in Dallas, The Rock has not wrestled a full match since WrestleMania 29. He hasn’t even appeared on WWE television in over two years, but the WWE Universe continues to hope he will wrestle again eventually. Unfortunately, The Great One’s commitments to Hollywood and insurance policies make it very difficult for him to make an appearance unless he clears time in his schedule. On paper, there’s no reason for him to wrestle again, but here’s what could bring him back. Related: Vince McMahon Has Reportedly Canceled a ‘WrestleMania’ Concert With the Rock and Elias According to PWInsider Radio, Mike Johnson was speculating about The Rock’s future in wrestling and it’s clear the only thing that would bring him back to the squared circle would be The People’s Champion himself. If he wanted to wrestle another match, WWE officials would be over the moon because the company can always use his star power. The truth is The Great One can’t and won’t..
NEWS
WWE Has Reportedly Lost Interest In Entire Tag Team Division
According to Ringside News, WWE may be completely losing interest in their entire tag team division. This applies to both Raw and SmackDown Live. Mike Johnson indicated on PWInsider Elite Radio that the company may not really care about the division anymore, given the lackluster angles as of late. Here is what he had to say: “I think they have decided that nobody involved in the tag division is worth their time and they’re not going to invest into it because they don’t think it makes them any money. And That’s that.” Whether this is true or not remains to be seen, but there are definitely signs to suggest it is how WWE feels right now. Tag teams have been thrown together on Raw, while on SmackDown Live there is barely any action involving the current tag teams beyond the storyline with The New Day and The Bar. Ringside News notes that this can also be explained by teams getting wins and taking a multitude of losses afterward. They also claim a number of storylines and angles have h..
Other
Vince Russo’s The Brand Recap – Charlotte Struggling on Smackdown, Wrestling Needs Gimmicks, Does Enzo Have Heat Backstage? More!
<p>Russo is joined on today’s show by his co-host Jeff Lane, and they will attempt to ‘castrate the marks and their dirt sheets’.</p><p>Russo points out that this is all in good fun for him, and he doesn’t hate any of these men. Unfortunately, there seems to be some real hatred on the other side of the fence from guys like Wade Keller, Ryan Satin and Mike Johnson. To show his respect to Dave Meltzer, whose father passed away this week, Russo will not be discussing Meltzer’s comments this week.</p><p></p><p>The first clip of the day presents Bryan Alvarez ranting about the fact that WWE broke up Enzo and <strong><a href="http://www.ringsidenews.com/wrestler/big-cass" title="Big Cass">Big Cass</a></strong>. Alvarez says that there’s no wonder WWE’s ratings are declining when they decided to <strong><a href="http://www.ringsidenews.com/tag/break/" title="break">break</a></strong> up one of the more popular acts on their roster due to their constant search for ‘heat’.</p><p>Russo says that there’s something political going on in the background. He’s heard rumblings of Amore’s backstage issues stemming back to his time in NXT and that probably carried over to the main roster. <strong><a href="http://www.ringsidenews.com/tag/quite/" title="Quite">Quite</a></strong> frankly, Alvarez is right in this case because Enzo and Cass were over, and the fans loved them. However, Russo’s smart enough to understand that heat draws money, and since Cass turned on Enzo the fans have been chanting Enzo’s name with more passion than ever before.</p>
Other
The Ross Report Recap w/ Steve Austin & Mike Johnson – Thoughts on Kenny Omega, Samoa Joe vs. Brock Lesnar, Was Paige Backstage at...
<p>Ross welcomes ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin to the show.</p><p>Austin informs that he’s about to <strong><a href="http://www.ringsidenews.com/tag/start/" title="start">start</a></strong> filming the fifth season of Broken <strong><a href="http://www.ringsidenews.com/tag/skull/" title="Skull">Skull</a></strong> Challenge, which will begin airing on CMT hopefully by September. Ross says that he really enjoys that show and he believes more television (including professional wrestling) should adapt the ‘simpler is better’ model.</p><p>Austin says that he really enjoyed this past weekend’s NJPW show which aired live from the United States. He was particularly impressed by the main event match between Okada and Cody Rhodes. He says that he’s so proud of Rhodes, who has gone out on his own and earned everything that has come to him recently. He says that Dusty would be so proud of Cody if he was still <strong><a href="http://www.ringsidenews.com/tag/alive/" title="alive">alive</a></strong> today.</p><p></p><p>Ross asks Austin what he thinks about Kenny Omega. Austin says that Omega is a lightning bolt that transfers energy wherever he goes. He has garnered praise for his two recent matches against Okada, but he has been delivering terrific matches for a long period of time now. Ross says that Omega’s match with Iishi which will air this upcoming weekend on AXSTV is an all-time classic as well, and he urges Austin and all of his listeners to check that out.</p>
Other
Vince Russo’s The Brand Recap – Mahal’s Inability to Have 5-Star Matches, Dreaming of Wrestlers, Lucha Underground Talents Want Out? More!
<p>A listener sends in a clip of Dave Meltzer, where Meltzer criticized The Drifter’s segment at Extreme Rules. Meltzer said that this was clearly just thrown into the show to kill time, and he wanted Samson off his television. Russo says that this proves that Meltzer has no experience in the wrestling business, because The Drifter’s presentation is a prime example of character development. WWE is being consistent with him and they have to be because he has a good look and they have a chance to do something cool with him.</p><p>Bryan Alvarez said this week that RAW has a great main event scene, where all five guys from the Fatal 5-way can be considered a legitimate threat to <strong><a href="http://www.ringsidenews.com/wrestler/brock-lesnar" title="Brock Lesnar">Brock Lesnar</a></strong>. Russo says he hates to break it to Alvarez, but wrestling is a work. In a real life environment, Russo thinks that <strong><a href="http://www.ringsidenews.com/wrestler/Roman-Reigns" title="Roman Reigns">Roman Reigns</a></strong> is the only guy in that group who could give Lesnar a run for his money, and he’d still get beat up.</p><p>Mike Johnson sent out a tweet this past week which you can read above. Russo says that this has to be the best line he has ever heard. He says that Johnson and these other ‘journalists’ are the biggest marks he has ever seen and comments like this just prove it. If you’re a grown man who’s dreaming about fake fights, you’re definitely a mark.</p>