backstage

GFW Spoiler Notes: Former WWE Talent Appearing?, Hardy Boyz/Impact Update, More

The following are backstage notes from tonight’s GFW Impact tapings in Orlando, FL. courtesy of PWInsider:

There has been some pressure from America’s Top Team about Bobby Lashley concentrating full-time on MMA pursuit and pulling back on pro wrestling commitments.
The Hardy Boyz settlement has been a hot topic. While it was noted previously that they were close to an agreement with Anthem, that is not the case. It’s believed to be the complete opposite.
There are plans for the “Swole Brothers” to get in the ring tonight at the taping.
Naomichi Marufuji, Taiji Ishimora and Hijo del Fantasma are all scheduled for singles matches at tonight’s tapings.
Former WWE talent may be brought in.

Check back here later tonight for complete spoiler results.

Several Spoilers from Tonight’s GFW Impact Wrestling Tapings

Here are some spoilers from tonight’s GFW Impact tapings, courtesy of PWInsider:

GFW will announce the return of the Super X Cup
Former ROH wrestler ACH is backstage and will be part of the tournament
Texas talent Sammy Guevara, who recently worked for EVOLVE is also in the tournament as well, as are Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Taiji Ishimora and AAA’s Drago
Octagoncito is backstage at the taping.

We hope to have full spoilers shortly.

When Did Alberto Del Rio and Paige Get Back Together?

As reported earlier, WWE Superstar Paige was spotted backstage at GFW’s Slammiversery pay-per-view. The former 2-Time Diva’s Champion was there to support her fiance, Alberto El Patron who ended up defeating Bobby Lashley to unify the Impact Heavyweight Championship and GFW Championship.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer has reported that the duo had indeed broken up last weekend but got back together earlier this week. Theirs has been an on and off relationship as they went on a break at some point in the last year.

Slammiversary Spoilers: Paige & Others Backstage, New Title Belts, More

Here are a couple of spoilers for tonight’s GFW Slammiversary event, courtesy of PWInsider:

The company has ordered all new championship title belts for after they hold the unification matches tonight.
Gail Kim, who is expected to return to storylines, is backstage for the show.
Eddie Kingston and “Mr. 450” John Jesús Yurnet are backstage.
Paige is also backstage to support Alberto El Patron.

Check back here at 8PM ET for our live coverage of Slammiversary.

X-Pac 1, 2, 360 Recap – The Ball’s Appearance on RAW, Joe vs. Lesnar, X-Pac Almost Stars on GLOW? More!

X-Pac opens today’s show speaking about Cody Rhodes’ recent ROH World Title victory. He says that he’s very proud of Rhodes, who took a huge risk and left the safe surroundings of WWE in order to bet on himself. It’s safe to say that Rhodes’ bet is paying off right now. X-Pac says that he heard a lot of friends criticize Rhodes’ decision, some even calling him a mark for doing this, but X-Pac was happy to see Rhodes follow his heart.

X-Pac mentions that he was lucky enough to be backstage at RAW this week in Los Angeles, where a lot of interesting things were happening. He was able to sit and talk with guest star Josh Duhamel for a while, and he was able to experience the backstage reaction during the MizTV segment featuring LaVar Ball and his two sons.

He says that WWE should have known that this was going to be a disaster and they very well might have, but they obviously didn’t care. He says that LaVar Ball went off script nearly right from the start and was jumping all over everyone else’s lines. In spite of all that, and even after the youngest son used derogatory language, McMahon was still urging cameramen to follow them to the backstage area and through Gorilla, because he didn’t want the cameras to miss anything good.

Former WWE Diva Victoria Not Allowed Backstage at SmackDown Tapings

Former WWE Diva Victoria (Lisa Marie Varon) was in attendance for Tuesday’s SmackDown taping in San Diego but was not allowed backstage.

Victoria noted on Facebook that she wanted to go backstage and congratulate the female Superstars on their Money in the Bank Ladder match but the office would not allow her to due so. She wrote the following remarks on Facebook regarding the matter:

Talk is Jericho Recap w/ Big Show – Working Live Events vs. TV Tapings, Struggles After Arriving in WWE, Working with Hogan/Savage/Undertaker, More!

Jericho welcomes Big Show to the show.

Show informs that he has lost 90 lbs as of this date. For years he was the biggest guy everywhere he went, and he made big guys look small when he entered the ring with them. It was his gimmick, and he enjoyed it very much. Now that he’s at the end of the career, he doesn’t need that feeling anymore and he knew it was time for him to make a change.

He says his motivation to lose weight came as a result of a conversation with John Cena. He and Cena were jokingly taking jabs at one another one day and as he often did, Show was making fun of Cena’s body in the sense that he lives and eats right but he’s eventually going to die anyway. Show then made the comment, “Who’d want to see a giant with abs?” Cena looked at him and said, “Who wouldn’t want to see a giant with abs?” This angered Show, and he left that conversation very motivated.

He says that he dropped weight before in the past, but it was never really as a result of a positive change in his diet. He’s very proud of this weight loss because he has completely changed his diet and has stuck to his plan. It’s amazing to him how many of his co-workers and fans he has motivated through this weight loss, and that’s something that he’s very proud of.

Vince Russo’s The Brand Recap – Analyzing Bash at the Beach 2000, Getting ‘Screwed’ by Bischoff & Hogan, Shoot or Work? More!

Russo is joined on today’s show by his co-host Jeff Lane. On this episode, Russo will discuss the events leading up to and during WCW’s Bash at the Beach PPV on July 9th, 2000.

Lane says that he was 21 years old at the time and he watched this PPV live. He thought the entire thing was a shoot and even the dirt sheets reported that it was a shoot at that time. It wasn’t until years later when he was smartened up by a friend, who Russo had told that the whole thing was a work. Russo says that even to this day, people ask him if that angle was a work or not.

Russo says that he never watches his old shows because it really hurts him to do so. For so long people have criticized him for ‘killing WCW’ and while it never made any sense to him, he allowed it to get to him. After watching this show, he thinks that premise is hilarious. This PPV occurred three months before he left the company, and the audience is insanely hot and 100% into the product for the entire duration of the show.

He says that the more he thinks about it, he was completely set up by Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan. The things that he’s about to say regarding Bischoff on his show today are not new, and he’d say it to Bischoff’s face if Bischoff were to come on the show to discuss it.