Kurt Angle speaks – WWE return?, Nash’s WWE treatment

“Sports Axxess” on PW 24/7 Radio with Kurt Angle
Hosts: Jerry Sorrentino, James Jefferson, and Joey Image
Full episode available at PW247radio.com

Kurt Angle on the hamstring injury he had to work through during his title defenses against Bobby Roode and James Storm: “I did have to be careful of the injury when I wrestled James Storm at the TV tapings. I gave it all I could, which was only one minute of wrestling. I’ve only missed nine days but now I’m back to Olympic form. It was just a slight tear in my hamstring but there was a lot of bleeding. The bleeding went all the way down my hamstring, down my calf, down my shin, all the way down to my foot. It was black and blue, but the injury wasn’t as bad as I thought it was. But now I’m back to training. I’ve done a lot of interviews and gotten a lot of attention for training for an Olympic comeback. My only obstacle is Jake Barter. He’s almost guaranteed to win a medal because he is that good. So if I beat him, USA wrestling wants to make sure I’m capable of winning a medal. So they want me to come out and train at Colorado Springs, and I’m going to do that. I think I have a great shot at making the team.”

On getting into MMA: “I’ve had a lot of talks with Dana White. While he’s denied the offers, Dana and I respect each other enough for us not to say exactly what was offered. The thing was, he wanted me to be ready in a short time and I couldn’t do that. I wanted months, he wanted weeks. We’re good friends and I hope he has great success. But you know what, he’s said some negative things about me in the press. I still love him to death. I did pass his physical, meaning I was ready for competition, but he wanted me to be ready in four to six weeks and I couldn’t do that. It’s impossible. There’s also the fact that I’m signed with TNA and Dana didn’t want anyone fighting for him and wrestling at the same time. So Dana White, God bless you. Whatever you say, I’ll respect that because I know you wanted me to fight for you and wanted me to be your guy.”

On Kevin Nash: “I love him to death. I know why he went to WWE. He wanted the carrot. He wanted that carrot they dangled in front of his face. But has the WWE used him the right way since he came back? No. Kevin should come back to TNA where they can use him the way he should be. WWE thinks he’s old and washed up but TNA doesn’t think that. TNA wants Kevin Nash. He is so gifted, talented, and popular. I want him back in TNA because he’s one of my best friends.”

On working in wrestling after retirement and potentially joining the WWE Hall of Fame: “If I end up in the Hall of Fame in the WWE, I don’t know if I’ll accept it. I love Vince McMahon. He made me a lot of money and was like a father figure to me. But Dixie Carter is my boss and I love her to death. So I don’t know what I’m going to do. I would like to say that I am not going back to the WWE. But Vince McMahon may offer me something when I retire and I’m done with TNA. But I’d also like to be part of creative or be an agent in TNA. Out of everyone in the world, I am the best at coming up with finishes. I would like to stay with TNA and do that. A lot of people ask if I’d go back if Vince wanted me for WrestleMania, and I don’t know the answer to that. But I know I am happy in TNA and I’d like to stay there.”

All this and much more can be heard in the full hour long interview with Kurt Angle. This interview, along with countless hours of other original pro-wrestling content, can be found exclusively and for free only on PW 24/7 Radio.

Sunny injured after escalator fall, John Cena's brother

– The Newbury Port News has an article up on a lawsuit filed by John Cena’s brother, Daniel, over a drunk driving accident that left him very injured. He had filed a $500,000 civil case against the driver that struck him and the club that had served him alcohol prior to the incident. You can check that out at http://www.newburyportnews.com/local/x960872287/Injured-officer-sues-club-driver

– Tammy ‘Sunny’ Sytch fell down an escalator last week, resulting in a trip to the hospital for stitches. She suffered cuts on her nose, forehead, wrist and foot. She may have also broken her nose. The WWE Hall of Famer stated Monday on Facebook that she is starting to heal slowly.

WWE Diva engaged to be married & final Superstars tonight

– Santino Marella vs. Ted DiBiase is advertised for tonight’s episode of WWE Superstars, which marks as the final broadcast on WGN America. The show is expected to continue as an internet property due to the company’s overseas television commitments. However, no official announcement has been made.
Other matches scheduled to take place include Tyson Kidd vs. Yoshi Tatsu and Drew McIntyre vs. JTG.

– Tammy “Sunny” Sytch, who was enshrined last Saturday in the WWE Hall of Fame, indicated on her Facebook account that a WWE Diva is engaged to be married.

“Can’t believe one of my favorite WWE Divas in marrying one of my favorite Food Network chefs!!” Sytch wrote. “Man, is she a lucky girl! All that amazing food, all the time!!!”

Sytch stated she would not reveal who it is until the Diva in question goes public.

VIDEOS: Jim Duggan on HOF induction

VIDEO: Drew Carey speaks on HOF induction + Lopez Recap

Partial Source: Pwinsider

– Here is a video of Drew Carey discussing his WWE Hall of Fame induction:


– A source sent this one in:

Drew Carey made an appearance on George Lopez on Tuesday night on TBS. They started talking about the WWE Hall of Fame very early on in the interview, as it was actually the second topic after how The Price is Right is doing. The exchange went like this:

Lopez: So I found this interesting. You’re being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Drew Carey in the Hall of Fame!

Carey: (grunts and poses as he walks towards one of the cameras)

Lopez: How does that happen?

Carey: The WWE Hall of Fame doesn’t actually exist anywhere. There’s no building if you want to go visit it. And all it is, is they, I don’t know, they started it not even that long ago, they started it in the 90s, and they started inducting, you know, wrestlers, famous wrestlers, but also for publicity purposes, to get people to watch the ceremony and stuff, they, or to help get people to watch that aren’t wrestling fans, they induct celebrities. Bob Uecker’s in it. Pete Rose is in it. William “Refrigerator” Perry’s in it.

Lopez: You!

Carey: And me! Yeah! I wrestled Kane in Royal Rumble.

Lopez: You guys know Kane?

Audience: (applause)

Carey: Yeah. This guy’s about 7ft tall and he’s like, we worked out the move ahead of time, but believe me that guy is strong as an ox. He put his hands on my shoulders, right, like he was choking me and then I put my hands on his forearms and then he was like this and he lifted me up. This is when I was fat!

Lopez: HAHA!

Carey: Like, you know, you do arm raises in the gym…

Lopez: He just curled you.

Carey: … and you got 10lb weights or something like that or 15lb weights and you’re like “ah my shoulders.” He did that, he picked me up when I was fat! That was like 230lbs of me he picked up!
Lopez: You remember when he was fat? That’s a lift right there!

Carey: Yeah man.

Lopez: With no belt! With no hernia belt!

Carey: No, nothing man! It was just him in his like wrestling clothes.

Lopez: Wow!

Carey: (sarcastically) So I did that. So I certainly deserve to be in the Hall of Fame for that!

Lopez: Yeah for that! For being snatched up!

Audience: (applause)

The Rock Backstage At HOF + WrestleMania 27 Attendance

– Neither Vince McMahon or The Rock were in the crowd at WWE’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Saturday night. We’re told both were backstage at the event along with The Undertaker.

– WWE announced at WrestleMania 27 that the ‘official’ attendance at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, GA was 71,617. Keep in mind that this is WWE’s ‘official’ number. We’ll let you know what we hear.

– A source sent this one in: The match did begin as a US Title match with Sheamus and Daniel Bryan with Lumberjacks at ringside. They wrestled for a few minutes with some nice moves until all the Lumberjacks started fighting at ringside and the bell rang. Teddy Long then came out and turned it into a battle royal. Khali eliminated Sheamus with a big chop.

NEW VIDEO – The Kliq Reunites After WWE HOF

Here is a video from last night’s WWE Hall of Fame. This happened immediately following HBK’s induction speech:

2 WWE Hall of Fame reports inside here

If you are by any chance attending any live events, PPVs, or house shows, you can always send any news and notes to me at this email; yousift19@gmail.com. Thank you!

A source sent this one in: Hey, just got back from the hall of fame. When I walked up to the arena the line was extremely long. Luckily one of the security guards said that inside the CNN center there was an entrance into the arena. He was right and no one was in line so I got in real quick. Once inside I got to my seat, the crowd was hot and ready.

First inductee was Hacksaw Jim Duggan who was inducted by The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase. His speech was short and talked about his early days and how many gimmicks he went through before he was finally hacksaw Jim Duggan.

2.) Sunny she was inducted by all the current Divas. She talked about how she got into pro wrestling. She mentioned Chris Candido and the crowd loved the name drop.

3.) Abdullah The Butcher was next and was inducted by Terry Funk. His speech was real short. He thanked his family and wished his mother, father and brother were there to see him get inducted.

4.) The Road Warriors were next. They were inducted by Dusty Rhodes. There speech was really long about 30-40 mins and the crowd kinda died down after 10 mins of them talking. They talked about their early days. Paul Ellering talked about Hawk a little and even brought out a small Hawk action figure.

5.) Next was Drew Carey. He got booed badly and he said he didn’t care cuz he’s skinny, and rich, which got a laugh out the crowd. Now I thought Bob barker was inducting him but Kane actually did the honors. Drew talked about being in the Royal Rumble. He gave a shout out to The Miz and also said that the WWE guys are the best sports athletes on the planet.

6.) Last but not least was HBK inducted by Triple H. HHH made fun of Shawn about his hair, eyes, and about posing for playgirl which was funny. Shawn didn’t say much just thanked the fans and how much he loved this business. After he finished, Kevin Nash, Sean Waltman, HHH all came out to congratulate Shawn and they did the kliq sign and hugged.

Overall great show I’m right across the street from all the venues so I got back to my hotel rather quickly.

Another source sent this one in: HOF was amazing. Arena was 95% full and was some what odd that the middle part of the arena was half full. Crowd was LOUD. Especially for Road Warriors, Hawk memories and of course HHH and HBK. Overall very fun show and the HBK induction visibly moved everyone. Something very special I got to see and no one better than HBK! Also HBK was visibly nervous and having trouble talking in the beginning. There was some very rude people who would absolutely not let him talk and started annoying a ton of the audience even prompting the audience to ask them to shut up. Security was also tracking these people down to throw them out. The dress code was not enforced at all. Most people did look very nice but a ton of people look like they came off the street. Over all very fun and very cool to see the superstars be just themselves and tell very good stories. Also the Kliq was a very special surprise and the crowd dug it. Can not wait for Mania tomorrow and neither can Atlanta. It’s absolutely buzzing.

2 WWE WrestleMania AXXESS Reports – 4.02.11

Source: PWinsider

I went to my third Axxess session this morning from 8-12. It was a slower start but the place got packed quickly.

Sheamus and Shawn Michaels did in- ring interviews.

There was a wrestler imitation contest in the ring.

Vladimir Kozlov defeated Tyler Reks and after the match was the angle where The Corre jumped Vladimir Kozlov. They hit his arm with the steps. Later on they said that he was “injured” and might not make it to WrestleMania.

Drew McIntyre also defeated Chris Masters.

The talent that I met were: Alberto Del Rio and Ricardo Rodriguez (both really cool), Yoshi Tatsu and Goldust (both very nice), Kane (nice guy), Jim Ross (very personable), Cody Rhodes (awesome guy), and Triple H (really cool dude).

I also got my picture taken with Paul Bearer in The Undertaker’s Graveyard attraction. Paul was very friendly.

It was a crazy day so I didn’t see everyone but the other talent that I saw signing were: Vickie Guerrero, Laycool, JTG, Great Khali, Ted DiBiase Jr and Sr, Sgt Slaughter, Mark Henry, William Regal, Zack Ryder, Jerry Lawler showed up late. The Diva photo booths had Melina, Alicia Fox, The Bella Twins, and Tamina. Most crazy day yet but still awesome! I have 2 more sessions left tomorrow!

A source sent this one in:

I just got back from the 1 p.m. session, and here are a few highlights.

John Morrison did an in-ring Q&A. One person asked him who his favorite person to wrestle was, and he said “Melina.” He laughed and went on to name The Miz, CM Punk, Sheamus, and a few others. He said Snooki had a cheer leading background, and she was going to surprise everyone with her athleticism.

Kevin Nash sat down at the legends table to sign, and everyone started chanting “Diesel.” He signed one autograph and they informed him he needed to move to the “Slim Jim” area table, and everyone started booing loudly as he left the area. Harley Race replaced him at the Legends table. I saw Daniel Bryan, Sheamus, Ezekiel Jackson, Justin Gabriel, Chavo Guerrero, Ron Simmons, and there may have been a few I missed. Gail Kim, Natalya, and Rosa were taking pictures with fans.

My buddy won the trivia the contest and afterward was interviewed by a Mexican television station, then spotted by the “Tonight Show” w/ Jay Leno, and they interviewed him as well. So apparently there should be segment on Leno next week dedicated to the fans at Axxess, maybe on Tuesday when Rock appears. They were interviewing some pretty scary people too, so who knows how they will portray it.

Great Khali beat Zack Ryder and Chavo Guerrero defeated Heath Slater.

More WWE Axxess Notes, WWE HOF Tonight, ‘Mania Note

– Craig Brown from Morning Madness sent the following report from Axxess regarding an autograph session with The Miz: “I got to the signing about 8.30am there was already a lot of people in line waiting to meet The Miz. He come out a bit early, about 8.50 then started the signing. He was ripping in to fans with Cena and Rock T-Shirts. He looked tired but greeted every fan politely and joked with a lot of fans. I said to him, ‘I hope you don’t end up in the Jericho situation (the other people in the feud being put over more important then him).’ He responded, ‘I don’t get overshadowed. I make the shadows.’ I would say overall there was about 180 – 200 people there.”

– The WWE will not be streaming the Hall of Fame ceremony tonight. Instead, they will air the one-hour condensed version on Monday prior to RAW, and then sell the rest on the DVD for WrestleMania XXVII.

– Ken Borsuk from The Greenwich Post is in Atlanta for WrestleMania weekend, and he has already done various stories with superstars. He has a piece on Vickie Guerrero, CM Punk and Michael Cole at http://www.acorn-online.com/

– Hulk Hogan has seen the trailer for the documentary Don’t Bleed on Me and commented on his Twitter, “Wonder if Vince is still gonna move forward with Abdulah? HH.”

Mark Henry Not Happy?, Exclusive Axxess News & Notes!

The following news and notes were sent by numerous sources:

– Attended the Axxess morning session, Mark Henry has to be the biggest jerk in WWE. Completely rude to fans all morning, and he stiffed a kid out of a picture by saying “respect my privacy”. Dude, you’re at Axxess for a reason, to meet the fans!

– Just got done with Morning Madness, Randy Orton was very humble and in good spirits. It took around 2 hours to get through but we joined the line when we woke up rather than rushing down early. On to the ROH next.

– Hi! Justin Roberts just tweeted the following film form Axxes: www.twitvid.com/QTWCQ The Corre attacked him right after his match. WWE has confirmed that this happened just now, and they are using the term:Breaking news. The whole WWE tweet was:Breaking news out of #Axxess: @TheCorreWWE just assaulted Vladimir Kozlov after his match with Reks. Updates to come… Twitter.com @WWE and @AnnouncerJustin Just in: Joey Styles tweeted this photo og kozlovs arm. http://yfrog.com/h3jk9grj It sure looks bad.

– The party at the hotel bar lasted til the wee hours of the morning…The WWE was represented nicely by Hall of Famers Stone Cold Steve Austin, Ric Flair, Ricky The Dragon Steamboat, Harley Race, and Hall of Fame inductee Joe (Road Warrior Animal) Laurinaitis, Sunny…Nexxus was represented by Husky Harris and Mike McGuillicutty, Divas in attendance were Brie Bella, Nattalya, Melina and Rosa Mendes…Jim Ross was also there, as well as John Morrison, Tyson Kidd, David Hart Smith, Kevin Nash, Sean (Xpac) Waldman and Joey Styles…Most were very happy to sign autographs and take pics with fans…Most of top talent were not seen at the bar but were freely walking through the lobby stopping to sign and chat with fans…Seen in the lobby throughout the day were Hall of famer Rowdy Roddy Piper, Hall of Fame Inductee Drew Carey, Gold Dust, Jerry The King Lawler, Mouth of the South Jimmy Hart, Lita, Randy Orton, Broadus Clay, Kelly Kelly, Dolph Ziggler and Edge. Quick note about Axxess…Way too many people are allowed in and lines were ridiculously long to meet mid card talent…You cannot meet any of the top talent without VIP ticket. I have attached photos of Ric Flair and Steve Austin as well. You can click here to view them.

Surprises at WWE Axxess, JR to call WrestleMania, Ric Flair

– The early evening session of WrestleMania AXXESS on Friday saw an angle and match where Roddy Piper and MTV star Rob Dyrdek beat Tyson Kidd and Zack Ryder. The footage will be used for Drydek’s show.

– WWE Hall of Famer Wendi Richter made a surprise appearance at Friday’s WrestleMania Axxess event. She may appear at Sunny’s HOF induction as well. We’ll see later tonight.

– Jim Ross told fans at Friday’s WrestleMania Axxess event that he would be calling some matches at WrestleMania XXVII. This is what we’ve been reporting despite Ross’ constant denial in recent weeks. The denial is likely because he was unaware of the WWE creative plans.

– TNA Wrestling Superstar Ric Flair is staying at WWE’s hotel in Atlanta, Georgia.
It is said that he will be attending tonight’s WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony, to witness Shawn Michaels’ enshrinement.

You Better Behave At WWE’s HOF + JR’s Big Surprise?

– Ticketmaster sent the following email to ticket holders for the WWE Hall of Fame event, telling them to basically behave: Welcome to Wrestlemania 27 weekend and the 2011 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony!!! The Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is an upscale event. Please follow a business casual dress code. In addition, please show the proper respect to the WWE Superstars and Hall of Fame Inductees when they are on stage speaking. There will be no inappropriate behavior, cat calls or chants of any kind tolerated at all. Violation of this policy will result in immediate ejection from The Philips Arena. Please consider this email your one and only warning. Thank you and enjoy the 2011 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Wrestlemania 27.

– Jim Ross tweeted the following today: Mtg w/ my ATL lawyers. Working on a big deal. What irony 2 talk about this deal here & now. Gonna be a shocker! Get sauce @ axxess.

VIDEOS: HBK & ‘Sunny’ speak out – HOF/WrestleMania

– Here is a video of Shawn Michaels discussing the WWE Hall of Fame and WrestleMania:




– Check out this video of Tammy ‘Sunny’ Sytch talking about her WWE Hall of Fame induction…

WWE could house Hall of Fame in Tampa, FL

According to HOF inductee Road Warrior Animal, WWE is looking to Tampa, Fl as a possible location for a physical hall of fame.

Tampa is currently the home of Florida Championship Wrestling, WWE’s developmental organization.

Animal told The Score in Canada: “WWE is looking at a big building in Tampa. I’m gonna donate some of my gear there – maybe some of my spiked-shoulder pads will go in the Hall. They’re getting stuff from everybody. And it’s gonna be an attraction – some place where fans can go. It’s gonna be like the Pro Football Hall of Fame.”

He also talked about going in himself. He said, “Well you know how it is. Jealousy is the greatest equalizer (in our business) sometimes. Guys who don’t get invited to it…it’s just jealousy. You look at the path people take in this business, and I knew it was going to be sooner-or-later.”

The Rock’s boot coming to ‘Mania + Tough Enough & HOF

– Michael Cole announced on RAW this week that Shawn Michaels, Sunny and The Road Warriors would be the ‘three’ WWE Hall of Famers to featured during the WWE 2011 Hall of Fame Induction broadcast on the USA Network. It airs next Monday at 8:00 p.m. before RAW. Also, WWE Tough Enough airs immediately following next week’s RAW.

– Head WWE SmackDown! writer Michael Hayes celebrated his 52nd birthday yesterday. Yesterday also marked the 24th anniversary of WrestleMania III.

– The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has published an article on WrestleMania XXVII featuring quotes from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, as well as SmackDown! Superstar Cody Rhodes. The Rock reveals his plans for the event. “What I can guarantee in Atlanta is that I will put my boot to candy [rear-ends] live in front of 75,000 strong members of Team Bring It,” Johnson told the newspaper. Also, you can expect to see a ton of WrestleMania media in the coming days from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. They are one of the biggest media outlets in Atlanta so expect to see lots of articles from them.

– Matches taped Monday night in Chicago, Illinois for this Thursday’s episode of WWE Superstars on WGN America are as follows:

* Divas Champion Eve, Gail Kim and Natalya vs. Brie Bella, Melina and Nikki Bella

* Curt Hawkins vs. Trent Barreta

Full spoilers for the show are posted here on the main newsboard.

Rumored WWE HOF inductors, Piper-Cena-Rock update, More

– Roddy Piper appeared on Live Audio Wrestling Sunday night, saying that he had pitched an idea to WWE about a Piper’s Pit with The Rock and John Cena. He said that plans had already been set and it had been too late to change it. You can check out the interview at http://lawradio.podbean.com/

– As noted earlier here on the website, The Road Warriors and their manager, Paul Ellering, are the latest inductees into the WWE Hall of Fame (presented by THQ’s WWE All Stars). They were billed as the most dominant tag team in history. Below is the final list of entrants and rumored inductors for this year’s WWE Hall of Fame class:

* Shawn Michaels (inducted by Triple H?)

* Hacksaw Jim Duggan (inducted by “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase)

* “Bullet” Bob Armstrong (inducted by the Armstrong Family)

* Sunny (inducted by current WWE Divas?)

* Drew Carey (inducted by Bob Barker)

* Abdullah the Butcher (inducted by ??)

* The Road Warriors and Paul Ellering (inducted by Dusty Rhodes?)

The updated WrestleMania 27 card & HOF names

~ Announced for the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2011 are: Hacksaw Jim Duggan (to be inducted by the Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase), Abdullah the Butcher, The Road Warriors & Paul Ellering, Drew Carey, Bullet Bob Armstrong, Sunny and Shawn Michaels

~ The Rock will host the show

~ The Corre (Barrett, Jackson, Gabriel & Slater) vs. Big Show, Kane, Santino & Vladimir Kozlov
~ Dolph Ziggler and LayCool vs. John Morrison, Trish Stratus and Snooki
~ Rey Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes
~ Jerry Lawler vs. Michael Cole w/Jack Swagger (Steve Austin as Referee)
~ CM Punk (Ryan, McGillicutty & Otunga are banned from ringside) vs. Randy Orton
~ US Title Match: Sheamus © vs. Daniel Bryan
~ No Holds Barred Match: Triple H vs. The Undertaker
~ World Title Match: Edge © vs. Alberto Del Rio
~ WWE Title Match: The Miz © vs. John Cena

Report: not-yet-announced WrestleMania match?, RAW *Spoilers!*

- It is expected that the WWE will announce tonight on RAW that The Road Warriors will be going into the WWE Hall of Fame. Paul Ellering may be inducted with them, but that is not confirmed just yet.
It is expected that Dusty Rhodes will induct them into the hall at Saturday night’s ceremony.

- The source code on the front page of WWE.com reveals an Eight-Man Tag Team Match taking place at WrestleMania XXVII with The Corre going up against The Big Show, Kane, Kofi Kingston and Christian.

The page, however, has not been published as it presently reads “Access Denied.” It should be noted that this match had been planned as of last week. There were also talks to add Christian to the Del Rio/Edge match but obviously that didn’t happen.

We’ll see what happens at tonight’s TV tapings. They also could announce this during the week via WWE.com. We’ll see soon enough!

Do not call WWE a wrestling company! – details

Credit: TV Week

WWE sent a demand to a website that called them a wrestling company to change their wording. TVWeek.com had a headline that ran “‘Drew Carey inducted into pro wrestling Hall of Fame.” According to the site, they received an email from WWE publicist Kellie Baldyga, ordering them to change the headline because “We are no longer a wrestling company but rather a global entertainment company with a movie studio, international licensing deals, publisher of three magazines, consumer good distributor and more.”

The publicist further said “No, we don’t do wrestling events. They’re entertainments. And we don’t call them wrestlers. They’re superstars and divas.”

TVWeek refused the request and removed the article rather than change the headline.