Update: Here's a second interview from there. At least he's acknowledging that a lot of people are skeptical about his Olympics quest. I particularly liked the opening to the piece. I wish someone would ask about Dana White basically calling BS on his MMA claims.
PWInsider.com has some new questions for Thursday. Here's my take:
1. It would seem pretty odd for them to run so close together for 2 Manias in a row, especially given the emphasis on NY in the WM29 build. No guarantees that it excludes the possibility, though.
2. Ditto. He wasn't as involved as he will be this time. I'm personally glad that they're doing something different from "someone tries to beat Undertaker even though everyone else has failed".
3. I'd often wondered this myself! Sometimes the players involved are big wrestling fans and jump at the opportunity, so it's a win for both sides even without pay. Ditto for some celebrity appearances in general promoting upcoming projects.
4. Tough to argue any of those choices, though I consider DiBiase to have held the title until he was stripped of it. Obviously, it wasn't a very long reign, and it didn't come through him winning a match, but to me he technically held the title.
Nothing to add to 5, though that's definitely one of the more unique questions I've seen asked.
After the break, I go into the rest of the day's news, starting with updates on TNA's backstage environment.
The backstage atmosphere in TNA is said to be mostly the same post-Russo. He was just one cog in the machine, so I wouldn't expect massive, sweeping changes due to his departure unless there will also be a change in overall creative direction from higher up. I do think there will be a noticeable difference, though. There'd have to be with one of the key writers no longer being involved in the production. Time will tell. I'm only speculating!
TNA is still in negotiations with the Speed network in regards to All Wheels Wrestling, which has been an off-and-on thing for a while now. As for Ring Ka King, there aren't any future tapings scheduled since the entire season has already been put together. The sides are waiting to see how the show does over the course of its run before making any future decisions. If it does well, it's possible they branch into other markets with similar local promotions. That's a really clever idea, since as they mentioned people are more likely to get into a show with characters they can connect to from their area.
WWE has put out an official press release for WM29's location, really emphasizing that both NY and NJ will be part of things.
Harley Race was at FCW recently. I hope the people there made the most of his expertise.
CBS News covered the WM29 announcement. As did NJ.com, NorthJersey.com, and ESPN.com.
WWE has marked down the price of all of Evan Bourne's merchandise, which doesn't seem to bode too well for his future. Nothing's officially been decided about his future yet.
Since there was speculation that he could be coming back to WWE, I figured I'd update Tajiri's status. Apparently the reason his promotion is closing is because he's going to split off and make his own promotion (over disagreements with others running things). There has been no sign of him returning to the WWE fold, for the proposed Cruiserweight show or otherwise. Other former Cruiserweights with the company have been contacted, but I don't know any specific names yet.
The Rock will appear at WrestleMania 29. If that doesn't say "we're going to hang on to the Attitude Era as long as we can", I don't know what does.
Update: Rock and Cena talked after the press conference. Hmmm... maybe we get another round then?
Former ROH Tag Team Champion Chris Hero has been given the name "Kassius Ohno" now that he's a part of FCW. The FCW "WTF?" naming scheme is in full effect here. It's a cool name at least. I look forward to seeing what he can do in a WWE setting.
Update: Ohno made his debut at the 2/16 FCW house show, losing to Xavier Woods but taking him out after the match. A former ROH talent vs. a former TNA talent. Goes to show that having more than one successful promotion in the country is a very good thing!
Tara gave an interview on WWE, TNA, MMA, and more. I've enjoyed her as the crazy character, and the spider motif really fits. The motorcycle was cool and unique as well. I don't know if I see the resemblance to the pool player.
Bully Ray also had an interview recently, partially recapped by The Sun. He deserves tons of credit for getting into such good shape. He definitely has the right idea about being a bad guy (and good guy for that matter). A LOT of heels should take note of his philosophy.
Robbie E is now writing a blog on Spike TV's website. Thankfully it's in character. He's a lot of fun in his role. I wish we saw him in segments instead of Eric Young. Going to clubs with his title, that kind of thing.
NWA Hollywood performer Nick Madrid has had a number of tryouts with and appearances for WWE lately, so he could end up getting signed at some point.
There hasn't been any discussion on the site for WrestleMania 30. WM29 was booked where it was because of a big push from the NJ government. So, presumably, they could return to the area in 2014.
For those wondering why C.M. Punk and Daniel Bryan weren't at the WM29 press conference (despite being the WWE and World Champion respectively), they had already been booked for other press events.
There have been some changes on WWE's FCW roster. Everyone who's featured on the main roster (including NXT) has been removed from the site (since they've "moved up" from there), with the exceptions of the Divas- Maxine, Naomi, and Cameron Lynn. I'd imagine that some of them at least will still be making appearances there for a while, and I'll post otherwise if the NXT performers start working as part of the regular roster.
There have also been some additions to FCW:
Adam Mercer (possibly former CZW student Evan Singleton)
Aiden English (Real name Matt Rehwoldt)
Garrett Dylan (Jody Kristofferson, using something which may or may not be more ridiculous than his actual name)
Sonny Elliott (no details at present)
Paige (formerly Britani Knight, previously known in FCW as Saraya).
I wish them all the best in their current endeavors.
Finally, apparently some NASCAR fans are ticked off that John Cena will be at Daytona 500. My reaction, in face form:
I live in North Carolina, so NASCAR's a big thing here (though I'm not personally a fan). His argument is pretty dead-on I think. Some people...
That's all for Thursday's news. More to come later tonight. Thanks for reading!
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