Category: WWE

Pat McAfee pulled off some spectacular moves in his WWE debut

Pat McAfee put on a show at TakeOver: XXX.

Former Colts punter Pat McAfee made his WWE in-ring debut on Saturday night at WWE’s NXT TakeOver: XXX show against Adam Cole, and despite only having two weeks to prepare, McAfee put on a show against one of the WWE’s best.

Cole and McAfee kicked off a feud a few weeks ago during McAfee’s radio show, where Cole exploded in a profane rant when McAfee made a remark about Cole’s size. The incident eventually led to McAfee making an appearance on NXT, leading to a match with Cole at TakeOver.

When untrained celebrities and athletes step inside a wrestling ring, it rarely goes well – but McAfee looked like a natural in the squared circle, and delivered a few crazy high-flying spots. In one sequence, McAfee did a backflip off the turnbuckle, then jumped back up to the top rope and hit Cole with a superplex.

McAfee also executed a perfect frontflip from the top turnbuckle to the outside of the ring.

Cole ended up getting the pinfall victory, but WWE stars were impressed by McAfee’s performance.

[vertical-gallery id=942933]

[jwplayer M6Cu7jc2-q2aasYxh]

WWE NXT TakeOver: XXX start time and match card

Former NFL punter Pat McAfee takes on Adam Cole on Saturday night.

WWE’s NXT brand will celebrate a major milestone on Saturday night, as the 30th TakeOver event will be staged on the eve of SummerSlam. Keith Lee and Io Shirai will defend their titles in the main event matches, and former Colts punter Pat McAfee will make his in-ring debut as he takes on Adam Cole.

TakeOver won’t take place in WWE’s new ThunderDome in Orlando, and instead will return to Full Sail.

NXT TakeOver: XXX will begin at 7:00 p.m. ET on WWE Network. A 30-minute pre-show will begin at 6:30 p.m. ET. 

Here is the card for Saturday’s show:

  • Kickoff show: Fandango and Tyler Breeze vs. Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch vs. Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza in the triple-threat tag match. The winner will become the No. 1 contender for the NXT Tag Team Championship.
  • Finn Balor vs. Timothy Thatcher
  • Adam Cole vs. Pat McAfee
  • Bronson Reed vs. Damian Priest vs. Cameron Grimes vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Velveteen Dream in a ladder match for the North American Championship
  • Io Shirai (c) vs. Dakota Kai for the NXT Women’s Championship
  • Keith Lee (c) vs. Karrion Kross for the NXT Championship

[vertical-gallery id=942933]

Watch 74-year-old Vince McMahon jump off a platform to show Gronk how it’s done

This is crazy.

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon is famous for being a very hands-on boss, and even at the age of 74, he’s willing to take a crazy pro wrestling bump to demonstrate to his talent exactly how it should be done.

During his short-lived retirement from the NFL, Rob Gronkowski served as the host of WrestleMania 36 earlier this year, which was staged inside the WWE Performance Center without fans. During the show, Gronkowski was involved in a battle for the 24/7 Championship, and jumped off his perch onto a crowd of wrestlers, and eventually pinned R-Truth to win the title.

In a clip from WWE’s upcoming WWE 24 documentary on WrestleMania 36, McMahon walked Gronkowski through his platform jump, and demonstrated the move himself like a pro.

This isn’t the first time McMahon has gone the extra mile for a WrestleMania moment. Back in 1996 at WrestleMania XII, Shawn Michaels made an iconic zip line entrance to the ring from the top of the arena for his match with Bret Hart. Before the show, though, McMahon tested the setup and rode the zip line himself.

[vertical-gallery id=942676]

WWE to debut new ‘ThunderDome’ set at Amway Arena, which includes virtual fans

See the new WWE ThunderDome set.

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic forced WWE to shift its weekly programming, and even tentpole events like WrestleMania, into the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, where episodes of Raw and SmackDown have been filmed since March.

Starting on Friday with SmackDown, WWE is relocating to the Amway Center for an ongoing residency at the venue – and shows will have a very different look. The new WWE ThunderDome set will debut this week, complete with “pyrotechnics, lasers, cutting-edge graphics and drone cameras,” according to the announcement.

Fans will still not be able to attend WWE events in person, but a small number of fans can sign up for virtual seats. If you land a ticket, you’ll appear during the show – similar to the way the NBA is handling virtual fans during its broadcasts.

Footage of the new set started to circulate on social media on Wednesday.

 

[vertical-gallery id=942187]

Man arrested in Florida, charged with trying to kidnap WWE star Sonya Deville

A South Carolina man finds himself facing numerous charges after breaking into the Florida home of WWE Superstar Sonya Deville in an alleged kidnapping attempt. Per Tampabay.com: Investigators did not identify the victim, but the home where the …

A South Carolina man finds himself facing numerous charges after breaking into the Florida home of WWE Superstar Sonya Deville in an alleged kidnapping attempt.

Per Tampabay.com:

Investigators did not identify the victim, but the home where the suspect was arrested is owned by Daria Berenato, 26, who performs for WWE under the name Sonya Deville and stars in the E! cable channel reality TV series Total Divas.

Phillip A. Thomas II, 24, began planning the abduction eight months ago, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, Thomas parked his car around midnight at Idlewild Church off Dale Mabry Highway and Van Dyke Road in Lutz and walked to a home on Pine Hammock Boulevard in the Promenade at Lake Park subdivision, the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Thomas cut a hole in the patio screen and remained on the patio three to four hours while watching and listening through the windows. At 2:43 a.m., after the homeowner had gone to bed, Thomas entered the home through a sliding glass door, activating the alarm.

The homeowner looked out a window, spotted Thomas on the property, and fled with a guest in a car. The homeowner called 911.

Thomas was still in the house when deputies arrived. He was carrying a knife, plastic zip ties, duct tape, mace and other items and told deputies he was planning to take the homeowner hostage.

Thomas, who is listed as being an Applebee’s crew member, has been charged with aggravated stalking, armed burglary of a dwelling, attempted armed kidnapping, and criminal mischief. He was being held without bail.

“Our deputies are unveiling the suspect’s disturbing obsession with this homeowner who he had never met, but stalked on social media for years,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said in the news release. “It’s frightening to think of all the ways this incident could have played out had the home alarm not gone off and alerted the homeowner of an intruder.”

A Twitter account in Thomas’s name, @Phillip80400010, is focused almost exclusively with messages about Sonya Deville’s latest activities, including retweets from her account Saturday about upcoming WWE events.

 

WWE legend James ‘Kamala’ Harris dies at 70

WWE legend James “Kamala” Harris has died at the age of 70.

One of the most incredible characters in WWF/WWE history, James “Kamala” Harris has died at the age of 70.

WWE wrote about the giant:

Under the frightening face paint of Kamala, the 6-foot-7, 380-pound Harris battled the greatest Superstars in sports-entertainment history, including Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker and Andre the Giant.

He terrorized opponents and thrilled audiences in Mid-South, World Class Championship Wrestling, WCW and WWE until 2006.

WWE extends its condolences to Harris’ family, friends and fans.

James Harris had battled numerous health issues in recent years.

Bleacher Report did a remarkable long-form in 2014 on the health battles Harris fought.

One of the most “creative” skits in “Tuesday Night Titans” history saw Kamala learning how to bowl.

WWE’s Bella Twins give birth one day apart

WWE’s Bella twins gave birth to boys, one day apart.

The WWE Bella Twins are a brand, unlike many others. Nikki and Brie have parlayed success in the ring into the “Total Bellas” television show, as well as hitting on many platforms.

The twins were pregnant at the same time and darn if they didn’t come close to giving birth on the same date.  Nikki on July 31 and Brie on Aug. 1.

Both Bellas gave birth to boys. Brie and husband Bryan Danielson — aka Daniel Bryan in WWE — also have a daughter, Birdie, 3.

“It’s a BOY!!!” the 36-year-old wrote on Instagram “We are overwhelmed with joy and everyone is healthy!!!”

This is the first child for Nikki fiance and her fiancé, pro dancer Artem Chigvintsev.

“Our baby boy is here and we couldn’t be HAPPIER and more in LOVE!” she captioned her own entwined-hands photo. “Everyone is safe and healthy.”

WWE was offered congratulations to both families.

Wrestling legend Ric Flair ripped for not wearing a mask during Starbucks run

The “Nature Boy” Ric Flair got the NYC tabloid treatment from the New York Post for not wearing a mask during the pandemic.

Pro wrestling legend Ric Flair was left in tatters by a New York Post article after he was seen not wearing a mask despite the COVID-19 pandemic raging in Georgia.

In fact, Flair’s wife, Wendy Barlow,  is currently sick with the virus, Flair told The Post — just days after photographers spotted him at a Georgia Starbucks drive-through Friday without a mask.

Per The Post:

My wife does [have the virus]… we live in a 5,000 square foot home. I live in the basement. She lives upstairs on the third floor and she got sick.”

The Hall of Famer hung up before The Post could ask questions about the Starbucks run, and when probed further via text message, he insisted his “health is excellent,” denying a report he tested positive for it Wednesday.

Flair has battled numerous health issues in recent years. At times, the wrestling and sports entertainment universe has feared for the “Nature Boy’s” life.

Not wearing the mask, was surprising given how strongly Flair has come out in favor of being safe during the pandemic.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=3170328999667548

This also won’t help business on Ricflaiship.com, where an assortment of gaiter masks are offered for purchase.

Now, that’s quite the heel turn — swerve — from the self-proclaimed “Dirtiest Player in the Game.”

 

The Ron Perlman – Ted Cruz Twitter beef (and what it has to do with soccer and wrestling) explained

This week we got a big new Twitter beef between Texas Senator Ted Cruz and actor Ron Perlman. You’d expect the two to beef, I suppose – the staunchly conservative Texas politician will always beef with the progressive Hollywood star, given the …

This week we got a big new Twitter beef between Texas Senator Ted Cruz and actor Ron Perlman. You’d expect the two to beef, I suppose — the staunchly conservative Texas politician will always beef with the progressive Hollywood star, given the opportunity.

What’s interesting about this beef is how we got there. This wasn’t your standard Culture Skirmish — we’ve got wrestling, and soccer, and anthems, and representatives from multiple states, all involved in creating this beef, which is certainly a Beef of Our Times.

Anyway, we’re here to break it all down for you. How we got here, and where we’re going next.

Who are these people now?

Ted Cruz is the Republican Senator who has represented Texas since 2013.

Ron Perlman is the actor who played Hellboy, as well as Clarence ‘Clay’ Morrow on the FX series Sons of Anarchy. The big fella.

They’re beefing?

You better believe they’re beefing.

From whence did this beef come?

Soccer. And a Florida Republican. And a former college wrestling coach.

Lol. What?

So it all started from a tweet from Matt Gaetz, a Republican congressman who serves Florida’s First District. He was calling out U.S. Soccer of all things, for the federation’s decision to retract a rule that forced its players to stand for the national anthem.

This was Gaetz’s tweet:

Perlman then responded, calling out Gaetz, as well as Donald Trump, in a NSFW-tweet that argued that the athletes didn’t care about what politicians think.

They got into it then with a healthy back-and-forth.

It ended with Perlman insulting Gaetz’s looks, saying he’d be the “ugliest politician walking” if not for “this guy,” and then shared a photo of Jim Jordan, the Republican who represents Ohio’s 4th.

This thing has layers, huh.

You’re telling me.

So how on Earth did Ted Cruz get involved?

Cruz jumped into the fray to defend the honor of fellow Republicans Gaetz and Jordan, and he did so by … challenging Perlman to fight Jordan, a former collegiate wrestler.

He challenged Perlman to fight someone else?

Correct.

Huh. How did Perlman respond?

Perlman said that wrestling with Jordan would be “problematic,” which appeared to be a way of calling out the fact that Jordan was the assistant wrestling coach at Ohio State when there was a sexual assault scandal involving a team doctor at the school. Jordan has denied having any knowledge of the actions by the team doctor at the time.

Perlman then said to Cruz “just make it you & me. I’ll give 50k to Black Lives Matter and you can keep all the tax payer money you were thinking of spending.”

And that’s it?

There’s been a few more barbs back and forth, but that should get you caught up.

Wild.

Amen.

[jwplayer iT2wSDAo-q2aasYxh]

See a preview of Undertaker: The Last Ride Chapter 4

Get an early look at Chapter 4 of “The Last Ride.”

After Edge faces Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre defends his WWE Championship against Bobby Lashley on Sunday night at Backlash, WWE’s gripping documentary series on the career of The Undertaker will continue with Chapter 4, which focuses on the WWE legend’s ugly Super ShowDown main event match with Goldberg and the aftermath of his disappointing performance.

In 2019, Goldberg came out of retirement to face The Undertaker in a singles match for the first time in their careers, but the bout between WWE’s two oldest performers was a disaster. Goldberg “knocked himself out” and struggled to finish the match, and both stars botched signature moves, putting their opponent at risk of a serious injury. It was one of the hardest matches Undertaker fans have ever had to watch, and it caused Mark Calaway to make a “major decision” about his future as The Undertaker, which will be revealed in Chapter 4.

Chapter 4 of The Last Ride will air Sunday, June 14th on WWE Network, immediately following WWE Backlash.

[jwplayer 0dwGuZP2-EUNY1AaW]

Here’s an early look at Chapter 4, which will also explore Calaway’s unparalleled dedication to his character. As Mick Foley explains, Calaway’s persistent presence as The Undertaker is so strong that he doesn’t even call his longtime colleague by his real name.

“We all treat that character with such reverence. I don’t even call him Mark anymore. I haven’t called him Mark in 20 years. I’d say it’s safe to say I know less about him as a human being now than I did 28 years ago, and I like it that way.”

[vertical-gallery id=923935]