WWE: The Rock speaks on WWE to Hollywood transition

Finally...The Rock has done another interview


THE PEOPLE'S CHAMPION SPEAKS OUT

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson recently spoke to TheSun.co.uk about the transition from WWE to Hollywood. Here are some highlights:

ON GETTING INTO ACTING:

“Ten years ago I knew that I wanted to be a good actor as I wound down my wrestling career. There is a great amount of acting in wrestling and wrestling is a great form of entertainment. For me that training ground was really invaluable because I did not go to school for acting. I went to school for football and studied criminology. I knew it was going to take time and 10 years went by pretty quickly.”

ON HIS FATHER’S REACTION TO "THE WRESTLER":

“He didn’t take it very well. We lived the life that you saw in the movie, The Wrestler. That essentially was my dad. The character that Mickey Rourke played so wonderfully was my dad. So when I graduated from college and had an opportunity to play pro football, naturally it was easy for my father to say he did not want me to wrestle. He had nothing to show from a wrestling career. We lived in a one-bedroom apartment and he did not want that life for me. But instinctively I thought I had something to offer that world of entertainment. It took a little of convincing him but eventually we worked together. But being a parent I now understand where my dad was coming from.”

LIFE BEFORE THE ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS:

“I had a very checkered past. I got into trouble a lot and had multiple arrests. For a lot of years I struggled to stay on the right path. I had multiple arrests by the time that I was 17. The last time I was arrested, my parents came down to the police station to get me. My parents were struggling at that time, even to put food on the table. That was a lot of stress at that time and I was adding to it. When they came to the police station I remember their disappointment. For years the disappointment had never bothered me but for some reason this time the disappointment in their eyes moved me. And that was when I realized that I was causing a lot of pain for my parents and I did not want to continue to do that.“

FINAL THOUGHT

The only thing that is stopping The Rock from returning, is The Rock.

Here's hoping that Dwayne agrees to a rumoured guest host job on Raw

Flair Bashes Hart

During an appearance on the Live Audio Wrestling radio show in Canada, Ric Flair sounded off on fellow WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart.

THE NATURE BOY V THE HITMAN

Flair stated:

“He is a pissant in the history of wrestling. He has the nerve to compare himself to me. Let’s get realistic. If you put Bret Hart in your left hand and me in your right hand, compare the career…who is he? I wrestled everybody in the business, for an hour each night. Harley Race, Dory Funk, Jack and Jerry Brisco, who is Bret Hart? He is a legend in his own mind. He lives in his own little world…he screws his own family around. Who is Bret Hart? In my world he is a nobody!”

The bad blood between the two apparently began in 2005 when Bret referred to Flair as “the most overrated guy in the history of the business.”

Lita speaks out on WrestleMania 25

ChangeTheRecord.net recently conducted an interview with Amy "Lita" Dumas to promote The Luchagors' upcoming tour of the UK, the pros and cons of the band's front woman being a former WWE Diva, her band's next album, and more.


WHY LITA DIDN'T PARTAKE IN THE DIVA BATTLE ROYAL

During the course of the interview, Dumas is asked if she was invited to take part in the 25-Diva Battle Royal at WrestleMania 25 and/or why she turned it down.


Here is what was said:

"...I did watch it, though. I was dying laughing, I was in stitches, rolling on the couch, thinking, “Thank God, I’m not there, because that is nothing I need to be a part of.” No, first of all, let me tell you this, because Kid Rock was playing for like forever, right? I was like, “Get out of the way, what is this guy doing?! Come on! I didn’t know this guy still sang!” and then, these girls started coming out and I’m thinking they’re like his hoes, his hired dancers, about to break out into some choreographed Beyoncé-shit, but then I realised and was like, “Oh my God!” I can only imagine them being like, “So, what we’re wanting you to do is: grab Kid Rock’s leg, start grinding up on it, then go into the ring and do a drop toehold.” I’d be like, “Absolutely not, under no circumstances.” So, yeah, that is why I did not do that match."

John Cena talks SvR 2010, 12 Rounds, Heel Turn

John Cena was recently interviewed by ESPN.com to promote the Smackdown vs. RAW 2010 videogame and 12 Rounds on DVD.

Here are some highlights:

HEEL TURN?

"That’s the thing, I’m one of those guys who on any given day can be booed out
of any building. I’m the only guy who is neither a good guy or a bad guy. That’s
because I’m genuinely myself. Certainly, guys in our industry try to sway the audience one way or the other, but like I said, I go out there and I’m me. I
have certain things that I stand for, certain things that I believe in, and if you don’t like it and you tell me to go to hell, I think that’s your God-given right as a fan. It’s one of those deals where I’m that one guy who is outside of that realm of good guy, bad guy. I’m just me, and it elicits a response both positive and negative."

WHO HE SEES AS THE STARS OF THE FUTURE

"Now is a really good time because since the inception of WWE, there has always been that one, this is the guy. But now, you have a lot of possibilities, guys like Ted DiBiase Jr., The Miz, Cody Rhodes, Kofi Kingston and even a guy like MVP. These are guys who are all on the cusp. For the first time, we have all these guys who are ready to charge the gates and make a run to try and be the No. 1 guy on Raw."

Edge speaks on a rumoured Face turn

Last Thursday, Edge was interviewed by Danny Salas of central California’s B95 radio station. You can listen to the entire segment at B95forlife.com.

Here’s what the Rated R Superstar said about:

TURNING FACE

“There’s a little bit of a groundswell. I’m starting to fell it a little bit… I think a lot of it too is just tenure. When you’re around for a long time the people go, ‘God, he’s been around here a long time and been in some pretty hellacious matches. And when you start to get that on your resume it gets harder and harder for people to boo you. I think that’s what Shawn Michaels ran into and that’s what Undertaker ran into. When you get to a certain point – not that I’m in their league or anything – but once you get to a certain point after a lot of time and a lot of matches that have entertained people it becomes harder and harder for them to boo you. That’s kind of been my challenge for the last little while is to keep them booing me. I think (Chris) Jericho is going through the same thing right now.”

EDGE AND CHRISTIAN REUNION

“I don’t know. I’d like for it to and at some point I think it has to happen whether it’s against each other or whether it’s teaming. I still think it’s fresh in our audience’s minds that it would still mean something. We do have a lot more kids now that might not remember it, but I think enough guys like you and me are still in the crowd that can buzz the kids on it and explain what Edge and Christian is all about it.”

Stratus on saying No to WrestleMania

Trish Status has done an interview with Slam Wrestling, where she talks about why she didn't work the Miss WrestleMania earlier this month.

NOT-STRATUSFIED

When asked why she chose not to do the match she said:

"Simply, there were no finishes, no 'What's going to happen? Will I win?' discussed. It was just, 'Would you like to be in this 25-woman battle royal at WrestleMania,' and I said, 'Thank you but I’m going to decline.'"

She added:

"Actually, I wanted to stay home and watch WrestleMania for one time with my family. That was part of it. I had just made a return recently and I never want to wear out my welcome."

Finally, she said:

"I’ve always said to come out of retirement is a big deal to me – so if I was to come out it is for something special. To be honest, I feel Wrestlemania is a place to create memorable moments in one’s career and frankly, with 25 women in the ring, I was just not sure how anyone could come out having their 'WrestleMania moment,' maybe if it was a little clearer that could be accomplished for someone, I would have been a part of it. If I were to go back, I would like to do something that is new and fresh, there are so many girls right now that can work, I’d want to be able to mix it up with someone I hadn’t gotten the chance to before I left."

You can read the whole story, and see a picture of her new look, by clicking here.

FINAL THOUGHT

I'm glad Trish didn't appear at WrestleMania - The battle royal was a sham. No one was introduced, and to actually find out who was in the rumble you had to log on to WWE.com and browse the "Diva WrestleMania Photo shoot" album.

Stone Cold Intverview about Career / HOF

RATTLESNAKE SPEAKS OUT

Stone Cold Steve Austin knows that he wasn’t the best technical wrestler in the business. At 6-2 and only 250 pounds, he wasn’t even close to the biggest. He wasn’t the handsomest or most muscular, either.

Most exciting? Now there -- Stone Cold would give any wrestler who ever stepped into the ring a run for his money.

All he did, better than anybody, was put fannies in seats.

“I did sell a ton of tickets to the matches, and I did sell a ton of merchandise. In the wrestling business, it doesn’t really matter how many times you were champion. It’s how many tickets you sold. For whatever reason, I sold more tickets than anybody else. I broke pay-per-view TV records. That’s my legacy. That’s the thing I’ll hang my hat on,” says Austin.

He’s the main reason that 15,000 people will pack Toyota Center for the World Wrestling Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Saturday. They will watch Austin, maybe for the last time in his role as a wrestler, take his place among the legends of the business he loves.

“I grew up 100 miles south of Houston on down Highway 59. I grew up watching Paul Boesch’s Houston Wrestling. I fell in love with the business when I was 7 or 8 years old. All I ever wanted to be was a professional wrestler. Wrestling was the biggest thing in my life. It made my heart beat and my blood flow,” he says.

He loved wrestling even when things were rough, when he was making no money (paying dues and starving), when he was fired from promotions and his career seemed stalled.

He broke into wrestling in 1989, after seeing an ad for a wrestling school in Dallas. He had long, flowing blond hair and not a clue where wrestling might take him, but a lot of desire and a fierce competitive streak.

“I was by no means an overnight success. What success I eventually did attain was the result of hard work. I always had a competitive nature. I learned the mechanics of wrestling really well and really fast. I learned how to have a good match, but I didn’t have the right gimmick.,” he says.

He foundered in smaller wrestling promotions, calling himself Superstar Steve Austin, Stunning Steve Austin and even one of the Hollywood Blonds and a member of the Stud Stable. Nothing caught the fans’ attention. He was a worker, a jobber, a mechanic — someone that bigger stars beat on their way to championship matches and bigger paychecks. .

In 1995, when Vince McMahon offered him a job with the World Wrestling Federation (now World Wrestling Entertainment), Austin still didn’t have a clear idea who he was.

“They brought me up there strictly as a mechanic. There were no plans to make me a star,” he says.

A year later, it, the gimmick he was searching for, happened. He shaved his head and became Stone Cold Steve Austin, the ultimate renegade and anti-hero. His character didn’t give a flip for authority in general, and Vince McMahon in particular. Together, they began a run that shattered every box office and TV ratings record in wrestling history. Every night, in the biggest arenas around the world, the show ended with Stone Cold giving the Chairman of World Wrestling Entertainment a Stone Cold Stunner, followed by Austin toasting the crowd by slamming two cans of beer together and pouring them over his face.

Although he continued to appear on TV wrestling, injuries caught up with Austin and his last year as a full-time wrestler was 2004.

“I was in the wrestling business for 14, maybe 15 years, I really stopped counting. But the first seven years, as far as paying my dues and learning the game, really don’t count toward the Stone Cold part. I was really hot for only a few years. I draw a comparison with myself and Gale Sayers, the football player. He was a great running back for only a short time. But he was so incredible that he didn’t need a 14-year career. He is remembered for the few spectacular years that he did have.

“What drove me was the emotion. When I was hot, we were sold out seven days a week. I fed off the energy of having those people cheer for me. Vince McMahon loved to be hated, and the people loved me. … I didn’t want to quit wrestling. I didn’t walk away on my own. Injuries ended it for me.”

When his name is announced as the newest member of the WWE Hall of Fame, for the first time as a wrestler, he will step to the microphone — and have no idea what he’ll say.

“I’ve been trying to come up with a speech. I’m so thrilled and excited about this. But going up there and talking about myself the real person, not Stone Cold Steve Austin the wrestler, is a whole different ball game. You wouldn’t think that Stone Cold, the character, would ever get emotional, but I am a pretty emotional person. … Wrestling was a large part of my life, and it’s hard to draw one straight line, or one train of thought, through it. So I’m going to make the best of it and just wing it.”

Mr Kennedy Interview

The UK Sun has posted a "WrestleCast" audio interview with Mr. Kennedy, addressing a number of topics, including his comments on failing WWE's Wellness Policy test after making very bold statements regarding drug use in a previous interview with The Sun.

Here's a few highlights from the interview:

On who else tried out for the part in Behind Enemy Lines: Columbia:

"Spanky (Brian Kendrick) was in there, Cody Rhodes, I think Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy a bunch of guys read for the part."

On Chris Jericho:

"I think he's one of the greatest guys in the business right now. I told him when he came back, when guys are heel, they basically put on a mean face and come out and tell the crowd "boo for me", whereas Jericho, he just gives off this aura of cockiness about him, where you really feel he thinks his s*** doesn't stink. It's like a really good movie with a bad guy where you want to jump through the screen and throttle him and strangle him."

On whether he would want to see Steve Austin vs. Hulk Hogan:

"(Laughs) Yeah, everyone would want to see it. Personally, I always wanted to see Austin-Goldberg, just because it was WCW's version of Austin."

On his promos on TV:

"Well, apparently I have this thing where I'm too funny. To me, it's just me, but Vince (McMahon) hates it when I do stuff, he says 'Goddamn it, stop being so funny' and I say 'I'm not, I don't mean to be funny.' It's just me, it's just the way that I am, so it's a real tug-of-war where I'm trying to be me, but he doesn't think it's me."

On the finishes to Wrestlemania not being set in stone:

"It's always like that, it could change right down to the last couple of minutes. I've been standing at the Gorilla Position and had the finish to a match switched on me."

On the controversy following his last interview:

"I just felt so passionately about... we're trying to get past all those negative stereotypes, and I just felt so passionately about it, maybe I didn't go about saying things the right way, but, whatever. I speak my mind sometimes and like I said unfortunately, sometimes people spin what you say. I don't have time to sit down here, we don't have two hours, for me to go through my whole life history tell you every little incident that ever happened and why I chose to do what I did at this particular moment in my life and that particular moment in my life. And when you leave or omit certain things because you have a minute and a half to tell a story that needs three or four hours... and also to be perfectly honest with you, it's nobodies business what my medical history is and it's not. I'm a celebrity, I put myself out there, but, you know."

On being named in the Sports Illustrated story on wrestlers buying items from an online pharmacy:

"Honestly, I thought it was bulls*** in the first place. The whole suspension and everything. Again, I'm just going to say this again. You go through your life, and at the point I was trying to get into WWE, you do everything you can and I made some decisions that, whatever. I'm not unhappy about it, I'm not happy about it, I just made those decisions and I've got to live with them. But, what happens is when you stop taking that stuff, your natural levels of testosterone ... you feel like s***. You can't get out of bed in the morning, when your natural levels of testosterone just stops. I believe it was a legitimate medical issue I had. But then somebody will say, "The WWE Policy says you're not supposed to go online....", I never went online once, ever. It was an actual guy, who said he was a doctor, that I got my stuff from."

On WWE's drug testing:

"The testing is ridiculous, I swear it is more rigorous than the NFL. I hear stories that when they get tested, they get told in advance. They get called up a month or two months ahead of time and are told 'You'll have a test on such-and-such a date'. So, if they are taking anything, they can stop taking it, get it out of their system, then take the test. I don't know how many times I've been tested this year. It seems like every time I go to TV, I get tested. There's a note up on the wall, and I have to go in front of a guy, pull my pants around my ankles, pull my shirt up to my armpits, and stand there and pee into a little cup. They watch the pee come out of the end of your willy. When you're doing it on a weekly basis, it tends to be a little much. But I do understand the health reasons. I'm probably going to get myself in trouble here, but we live in a free country, if I'm not hurting anybody, what's the big deal? I'm not hurting you. If I have health issues down the road, then I have health issues."

On people using illegal substances in WWE's current environment with the frequent testing:

"I don't see how anybody can get away with it."

On Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker at Wrestlemania:

"This should be the last match of the night."

You can listen to the interview at this link.

Vince McMahon Interview

Vince McMahon was interviewed by The Hollywood Reporter today to promote Wrestlemania XXV.

Some interesting highlights of the interview:

WHETHER WWE IS CONCERNED WITH TNA AS COMPETITION

"My concern with TNA is not in terms of competition. My concern with TNA is that they are TV-14, and we are PG. They have to change with the times. I think some of the things they do on television are reprehensible, but it is a TV-14 rating. That's the only bone I have to pick with them. Their TV ratings are a fraction of ours."

MMA AND UFC'S IMPACT ON WWE

"Most people thought at one point that we would be competitors. But it turns out they are not competition to us at all, or hardly at all. They are sport, we are entertainment; it's a huge difference. The revenue they have cut into is that of boxing."

TRIPLE H SLEDGEHAMMER DURING HOME INVASION OF RANDY ORTON

"Right. What we try to do in situations like that is use things that you can't find around the house. You will never see us use a baseball bat. You don't find folding metal chairs around the house. We are very selective. You can go up to the line. It's storytelling; that's how our business thrives. If you have well-defined characters and put them in the right story line against other characters, people care about their welfare."

Vince McMahon also discusses the use of celebrities at Wrestlemania, the idea of building regional stars for specific markets, the best international markets for the company, Wrestlemania XXV and more.

You can read the complete interview by clicking here.

Huge Kurt Angle Update

Here's a huge update on WWE turned TNA star Kurt Angle.


HOWARD STERN

Kurt was interviewed on the Howard Stern radio show - here are some highlights:

-Howard asked Kurt about Vince McMahon. Kurt said they had a falling out, and claimed Kurt wanted to go to rehab, but Vince wouldn't let him because ECW just started. Kurt says Vince wanted him to get clean, but do it without rehab.

-Howard asked Kurt if he divorced his wife because of this stuff or because of Spice Boy. As background, there is a belief among the "Stern Crew" that one of the reasons the Angle's got divorced is because Karen was participating in phone sex with Spice Boy, a member of the crew of Bubba The Love Sponge's show. Kurt basically said that he made Karen a millionaire, and she cheated on him with someone in the locker room - he is positive. Kurt throws a low blow saying Karen wasn't the best sex he's ever had.

-Conversation then turns to Kurt's interest in Robin. Kurt said he wrote her a poem. He says he's dated black women since he got divorced, and he thinks he has some black heritage in him on his mother's side. Kurt said he isn't very "large", but he'd do whatever to make her happy. Kurt read his poem to Robin, and it mentioned many Stern inside jokes insinuating that either Kurt is a huge fan of Howard Stern Show, or this was written for him. Everyone thought the poem was great. Robin said that she was impressed. She said that he hasn't asked her out yet so she's not sure if she would or not. Howard asked if she was ready to be a step-mom to his kids. Robin said she loves kids so she would do that. Then Kurt asked her if she would go out. She said yes to that. Kurt figured that she'd say no to him so he wasn't prepared for that. There was a lot of talk about what a sexual experience between Kurt and Robin would be like, and they discussed setting up a date when Kurt returned from his current tour abroad.

-They brought up Kurt dating Rhaka Khan - he said she was a great person, but they met at the wrong time.

-They brought up Kurt's web reality show and, specifically, a girl that Kurt was dating threatening his wife. Kurt said Robin wasn't in danger.

-Howard read that Kurt once made out with a woman who turned out to be a transsexual. He didn't know it at the time but found out weeks later when he went on the Rikki Lake show. The woman claimed to be Kathy Ireland's sister. Kurt said that this woman had contacted him and flew him out to meet her. This was years ago when he was in the Olympics. Kurt said that the chick fooled him and he had no idea. He said that he made out with that chick for 7 hours! They got into further details and Kurt said he'd kill her if they ran into each other again.

-Iron Shiek called in and got in a shouting match with Kurt Angle. Angle said Shiek never made the Olympics and Shiek said he'd kill Angle.


Angle stayed in the offices after he came off the air, and was working the phones, and hanging with the crew, so its possible more story/bits will come out tomorrow.

OPIE AND ANTHONY

Kurt Angle also appeared on Opie & Anthony.

Highlights:

They talk about the wrestling organization that he is in now, TNA, and his falling out with the WWE He mentions that he went to Vince for help with his drug addiction and Vince pretty much told him to fix it while he was on the road. He claimed it took about 5-6 months to fully get off the pain pills.

Opie asks Kurt more about what went down with his problem he had with pain pills after one of the five times that Kurt broke his neck. I believe he said that he took upwards to 20+ pills a day. Kurt talks about the addiction that he had to them and says that he won't take them anymore even if he needs them for something else.

Kurt talks briefly about the drug policy that TNA and WWE have. Says that Vince has made it possible for former stars to go to rehab at no cost. Also stresses that BOTH companies need to be around for everyone to succeed, and touches on the number of guys that have gone back and forth between the two companies, mentioning Christian by name.

Opie then asks Kurt about steroids which they talk about for a little while. They talk about MMA and Kurt's opportunity to get into it - he says that he will get into it but wrestling will remain his top priority. He says that he already has had some MMA training. Kurt talks about the few people from WWE whom he still keeps in touch with. The Rock and Stone Cold are two guys he wishes still stayed in touch, but understand they are busy with other projects and movies.

Opie asks "Primetime" Sam Roberts of NYSWF fame if they covered everything they should with Kurt and Sam asks Kurt about Internet rumors of someone Kurt dated. Kurt tells them about his divorce and kids, and how this is the third time he has split with Karen. They goof around about Mick Foley a little, Jim Norton asks Kurt what he thought about The Wrestler movie he loved it and felt that they took a lot of Jake the Snake and put it into the movie, and they end by goofing about Vince McMahon a little.

They promoted TNA on Thursday nights and the upcoming PPV.

FINAL THOUGHT

Probably one of the best interviews I've read regarding Kurt Angle.

Evan Bourne Shooting Star Comments

Evan Bourne has been interviewed in the new issue of the WWE Magazine.


BOURNE TO INTERVIEW

In the new issue of WWE Magazine, Evan Bourne is asked how he was able to bring back the once-banned Shooting Star Press (pictured, above) and commented,

"Honestly, when I signed my contract with WWE, there was no mention the move was banned. I did the maneuver all over Japan, so when I got to WWE, I wanted to use it. It's my specialty. Once I showed them how I perform it, I was encouraged to use it."

FINAL THOUGHT

Guess WWE just had a grudge against Kidman for injuring Chavo Guerrero.

And to think, Chavo has come such a long way since then...

Trish Stratus New Look

Trish Stratus makes a surprise return to the screen, by doing the weather and sporting a brand new brunette look!

This honestly took me by complete surprise.

Trish then speaks on her current lifestyle and her successful Yoga business.

The news anchors also ask Trish if she misses being in the ring, to which she replied

"I did make a little return in December...I get my fix every now and then"

FINAL THOUGHT

Bring back Trish! *clap clap clap clap clap*

Kane Interview - Fight with UFC Star?

WWE Superstar Kane has recently conducted an interview with popular newspaper, The Sun


HELL, FIRE AND INTERVIEWS

Earlier this week, blogs and internet forums were reporting that Affliction fighter Sylvia had suffered a broken nose and black eye at the hands of the Big Red Machine.

They had supposedly traded blows at a venue in Detroit with the 7ft, 320lbs wrestling star, real name Glen Jacobs, said to have come out on top.

However a WWE spokesman immediately dismissed the story, saying:

"This is a total fabrication."

Pals of the pair added that neither man had been in Detroit at the time of the alleged incident.

And now, for the first time, Kane has spoken out about the rumours.

KANE:

"I was sitting at home at the time and someone told me – that was the first I’d heard about it.

"I hear I handled it pretty well though. I’m happy with myself!

"I’m pretty sure Tim won’t hold a grudge"

FINAL THOUGHT

Funny little interview with Kane. Glad to see that a monster inside the ring, still has a killer sense of comedy, outside of the ring

Click here to read the full article

John Cena tells why he hates The Rock

The Doctor of Thuganomics has finally revealed as to why he hates Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.


WORD LIFE

In his appearance on Jimmy Kimmel's show, promoting his new movie 12 Rounds, John Cena was asked about what the issues he has with Dwayne Johnson were.

The beef, explained Cena, stems from Johnson's past insistence he would stay loyal to his pro wrestling roots (his father and grandfather were both pro wrestlers) even as his star in tinsel town rose.

CENA:

"He's obviously .... got his start in the WWE, gone onto movies, but in the process, the whole time while he was in the WWE, he just preached to our fans -- who are very loyal -- how much he loved the business," Cena said of Johnson. "He says he loves the business so much, but then just up and leaves. So here I am, I've done The Marine, I'm still working full-time for the WWE, I've got 12 Rounds coming out ... and everybody's asking, 'When are you leaving?'"

Cena, in a moment of unintentional comedy at its best, said he would continue wrestling even if he wins an Oscar.

To watch the video, click here

Triple H Interview

Dave McCoy at MSN Entertainment interviewed WWE Champion Triple H to promote the 500th episode of Friday Night Smackdown.

THE KING OF INTERVIEWS

Here are some of the highlights:

The Road:

"It's funny because I'll watch those VH1 "Behind the Music" shows and I'll hear these bands say, "After four months on the road, we're ready to crack. We're at each other's throats." I'm thinking, "Four months?" We don't have time when we don't tour. That's the thing that's a bit daunting about what we do. You know, we have WrestleMania 25 coming up and it's our Super Bowl. Once that Super Bowl is over, there is a party, but if you are a top guy you really don't want to go to the party too long because you have to get up the next morning. You have a live TV show the next night, a live "RAW," and it starts all over again. It's a never-ending cycle."

Working for Vince McMahon:

"Well, the good thing is I had a really good relationship with him before I even met Steph. We had a great relationship not only from a talent standpoint, but I used to work a lot with Vince hand-in-hand to create story lines behind the scenes, not just for myself but other guys. But if you have ever met Vince, he's a complex man and it can be trying. There are times he wants to choke me and there are times when I want to choke him.....But we are very careful to separate the two out. I can be in the office and we can have a big drag-out over something to the point where he wants to strangle me, but then two hours later we all go to dinner and it's like nothing ever happened. There is business and personal. If it was going to destroy my personal life, I would walk away from the business. My kids are going to grow up knowing their grandparents. No business or job is that important."

Backstage Work vs. Performing:

"When I come up with a good idea in the back, there's not 70,000 people standing up and cheering. [Laughter.] Usually when I have an idea in the back, it is dismissed and Vince will bring it up later and pretend it is his idea. There's nothing like it. And that is why you see guys like Ric Flair and the older guys and they are still doing it. I get it. Even if they don't need the money, I get it. There is something about going out there and entertaining people and having them go crazy. I don't think that's just our business. I think that is why the Stones still play or AC/DC puts out albums. You see these guys performing, very late in their lives and acting like kids. It's an addictive thing to be able to go out there and do what you do and have that many people express their appreciation for it. It's a trip. If you go to an event, or a WrestleMania, and you sit there and feel that energy and then imagine being on that stage and that energy being directed at you ... it's an amazing, addictive thing."

Heel vs. Babyface:

"If I had my way, I'd have been a heel my whole career. I compare it to Darth Vader by the second or third movie, when he came on, you started saying, "Yeah!" Even though he was trying to kill Luke Skywalker... he was just cool. There was a point in time with my character where I had been here a long time, I had a certain amount of respect [from the fans] and ... you know, I beat up a lot of people and caused mayhem, and to teenagers and kids, that is cool. It just became a cool character and we were struggling ... the worse things we thought I was doing, the louder the audience would cheer me for it. I was coming out and drilling a guy with a sledgehammer and people would go nuts. So I had no choice as people basically turned me. If I thought it would work, I'd turn back in a minute."

You can read the entire piece by clicking here.

Ex-WWE Star Bobby Lashley comments on steroid usage

Blast from the recent past, Bobby Lashley has done an interview expressing various issues within the wrestling and MMA community


LASHLEY LASHES OUT

The interview, conducted by Fanhouse.com, had Bobby Lashley talking about his upcoming MMA fight with Jason Guida, Ken Shamrock getting suspended, and leaving WWE for MMA.

He spoke onperformance-enhancing drugs in wrestling:

FUNHOUSE: How prevalent are performance-enhancing drugs in pro wrestling?

LASHLEY: I don't think there's any now.

FUNHOUSE: Really?

LASHLEY: They have a really, really, really strict testing policy in the WWE. I know that for a fact. So I know that there is no one who is really on anything now. I think in the past there were some, but -- and also, in professional wrestling it's not "performance-enhancing." You're not enhancing your performance. You're getting bigger and stronger, but it's not like that makes you win in wrestling. I think there used to be more wrestlers on something than there are now, but it's not like everyone was on something in professional wrestling. Not at all.

FINAL THOUGHT

Impressive interview from Mr Lashley. I find the "I know that for a fact" bit amusing

I mean, he obviously hasn't taken any performance enchancing drugs....



To read the full interview, Click here.

Kevin Nash Interview

Kevin Nash done and interview with The Orlando Sentinel where he talks a lot about basketball, to which he called it his first love.


JACK-KNIFE INTERVIEW

Nash spent most of the interview speaking on his first love, for the game of Basketball.

Nash stated that currently in TNA, he was confined to mic work as he is still recovering from a staph infection that has "left a hole in his elbow the size of a golf ball"

Surprisingly, Nash talked about being in the army:

"What Nash did was a couple of years in the Army, then European basketball until his knee went out. He turned to wrestling at age 29, a late start, but he's had 20 years mostly as a mainliner in the major organizations.

"Not the easiest life on earth," he said, "but I pinch myself each day for having a good life — a jock's life. When you've been on the pirate ship for 20 years, it's hard to live with the normal people.""

You can read it by clicking here.


FINAL THOUGHT

Surprised that Nash didn't speak on TNA - but what can you do when you've got one good elbow -- not to mention 1/3 of a good hip left.

Bret Hart Interview

Bret "The Hitman" Hart (pictured above) has finally done an interview - and its revealing as ever!


THE BEST THERE IS...

Bret Hart has recently conducted an audio interview with Blog Talk Radio.

Bret discusses various things in his life, including his time in the WWE.


THE BEST THERE WAS...

Noted that in the interview, Bret stated that he has no desire to work with WWE again, though he is on cordial terms with Vince McMahon.


THE BEST THERE EVER WILL BE...

You can listen to it by clicking here


FINAL THOUGHT

Bret "The Hitman" Hart was one of my favourite's growing up - and I'm probably not alone when I say that.

I wish we could see the Hitman stride down that aisle one more time, and give a lucky fan those ultra cool purple shades.

CM Punk Speaks Out

Alfonso Castillo of NY Newsday has posted an interview with CM Punk.

INTERVIEW WITH A PUNK

Here are some highlights from the interview:

The advantage of house shows versus televised events:

"I think as a fan of wrestling, you can’t beat going to TV for the grand spectacle of the whole thing with the pyro, the music, and just the entire event atmosphere. It’s larger than life. But when you go to a house show, if you’re a wrestling fan, I think you have a better time because we have the freedom to pay more attention to the audience. We have the freedom to kind of go a little bit off in different directions. It’s more relaxed if that makes any sense. I know personally, I always have a better time on house shows. Sometimes at television you have to think about it. You’re doing a specific timed, television show. On a house show, we don’t have those restraints."

Punk's successful 2008:

"The fact that I’m 30 years old, and in just this last year, in one entire year, I was ECW champion, I won the Money in the Bank at WrestleMania, I became world champion, I was tag team champion and I was the Intercontinental champion, you know? And I won a Slammy."


On WWE directing the product more towards kids:

"I think it’s great. I think the more kids the better, because that used to be me. I think the kids bring a different dynamic to it because they look at guys like Rey Mysterio and John Cena as super heroes. And when they come to the shows they can reach out and they can touch them. If anything it makes our job easier. The only thing we have to sell to these little kids is that it’s good vs. evil. And you cheer and you boo who you like and how you don’t like."

Thoughts on Ring Of Honor:

"I’m proud to be able to say that I’m one of the guys that built that place – to just be able to say that that place is around because of me and handful of other guys. When times were tough, we were the guys who carried that place on our back – me, Samoa Joe, Homicide, Gabe Sapolsky. And of course there are countless others who are probably going to be mad that I didn’t mention them in this interview. But when you boil it down, we were the core guys. And I just love the fact that we built a place for guys to work and to learn. I’m very proud of that."

On working with William Regal:

"There’s really nothing like it. I think he’s a guy who has always wrestled my kind of style. I mean, it’s rough. I’m hurting right now from wrestling William regal for so long, but it’s worth it. Literally, it doesn’t get any more real than that. My head’s full of lumps and my body is extremely sore. I’ve been dumped on my head. And it may sound bizarre, but I love it."

You can read the full interview by clicking here

Foley discusses TNA

Mick Foley was interviewed by Canada's Slam! Wrestling discussing his role in TNA, the Frontline vs. Main Event Mafia feud and more.

FOLEY TALKS TNA

When discussing his place in TNA, Foley commented,

"(My TV role) is multi-facted. It kind of becomes what we decide it is. At times, I'll be the authority figure; at times I'll be giving the 'State of TNA Addresses.' Maybe my big role will be being coerced back into the ring from time to time. If I can get into good enough shape to give people some semblance of the matches that I had before, I think I can be really valuable to the company in that way as well."

He teased he might return to the ring when it's time and well, we already know where that time will be.

To read the entire article, click here


FINAL THOUGHT

Foley always does a no ego, down-to-earth interview. I like them.