Photo Courtesy: Gilbert Carrasquillo
If any of the quotes from the next podcasts or video interviews are used, please credit those sources and supply an H/T and link back to POST Wrestling for the transcriptions.
** This past May, ‘Hacksaw’ Jim Duggan shared that his cancer treatment just isn’t over. At the tip of 2021, he received the news that he was cancer-free after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. Duggan sat down with K & S WrestleFest for a virtual signing and said he has accomplished 27 of his 39 radiation treatments. He’s hopeful that it’ll cure his cancer.
I just finished my twenty seventh radiation treatment out of 39. I got a complete of 39 treatments to do, and that ought to hopefully cure my cancer in any case the surgeries and every thing. Hopefully, all of the radiation will do it. If not, whatever it takes.
** It has been two months since Randy Orton last wrestled. Riddle was asked about Orton when he was survive Instagram with ProSieben MAXX. Riddle didn’t have a concrete update to offer about Orton, but said he hopes he’ll be back before later and that Randy is in high spirits.
Randy [Orton] continues to be recovering from his injuries and hopefully he’ll be back before later. I can’t give more of an update because I’m not a health care provider and I don’t have one so, but I do know Randy’s in high spirits needless to say and he’s doing well.
At SummerSlam on July thirtieth, Riddle goes one-on-one with Seth Rollins. He commented on the upcoming bout and said Rollins is certainly one of the best wrestlers of this era.
So Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins might be top-of-the-line, best wrestlers to be doing it without delay on this era and to be on the SummerSlam card against Seth Rollins, dude, there’s nothing — apart from fighting for a world title or something like that, there’s nothing greater than going against top-of-the-line on this planet at certainly one of the largest shows on this planet in the largest company on this planet so, pretty, pretty excited bro. Plus, we’re going to Nashville. It’s a fairly fun town.
Former Bellator MMA fighter Valerie Loureda signed with WWE and has began on the Performance Center in Orlando. Riddle was asked to present advice to those seeking to make that MMA to pro wrestling transition. He thinks Loureda checks majority of the boxes and it’s only a matter of getting her reps in.
Well there’s a pair things that help drastically [transitioning from MMA to pro wrestling]. One, were you good? Two, do you want or love skilled wrestling? Is it something you really wanna do or are you simply attempting to reap the benefits of the system, you already know? And generate profits off something you’re thinking that is perhaps easier than fighting, because people do it they usually fail. It happens on a regular basis and number three, most significantly, you gotta be charismatic. Now, she is amazingly beautiful, she’s extremely talented within the cage. I believe she sort of checks majority of the boxes, but until you get in front of a crowd and in front of a camera and on a mic, it’s different. It’s something you gotta get your reps in and do and it takes time. No one’s a natural right off the bat. But, I believe she’s got a promising future. She looks amazing, she will be able to work, she will be able to move. I don’t know the way she will be able to wrestle, but she will be able to definitely punch and kick and submit so, we’ll see, and only time will tell.
** Mickie James joined ‘Stories with Brisco & Bradshaw’ and recounted her ECW tryout in 2000. There was an idea for her to debut as Beulah McGillicutty’s younger sister. James wonders how her profession would have panned out if that concept got here to fruition. She’s glad it didn’t occur because she feels she was not ready for it.
It was my ECW tryout. I believe it was about 2000 and I went to — they were in Norfolk, the Norfolk Scope and I remember getting into there and I used to be still very green, you already know?… In ‘98, I had my first pro match — it wasn’t even pro. Like ‘practice match’ on the VFW Hall in Staunton, Virginia, you already know, March third, ‘99 so really on the indies, you’re doing one match a month possibly should you’re lucky, besides practice so it’s still very, very green and I just remember getting into and feeling so misplaced but additionally eager but at the identical time, I could feel how green I used to be and the way — I could just see, you already know? And I used to be like, I’m not ready for this but I need this so, what do I would like to do to be ready for this and that was like, I actually have to get — learn every thing. I actually should learn every thing that I can and I took like 200 — it wasn’t 200 DDTs from Mikey Whipwreck nevertheless it felt like 200. I did take like 20 DDTs in a row. Just up and fed, up and fed and the thought was to be Beulah McGillicutty’s little sister who was not quite 18 yet. When you ever have Tommy [Dreamer] on, you gotta ask him this story. But that was the thought for me to are available but then I’m going like, God, I ponder how different my profession would have been had I are available and that was my starting, relatively than what most individuals remember as the start of Alexis Laree was either Raven in The Gathering for Alexis Laree or the debut of Mickie James in the event that they didn’t see any of that TNA stuff back then so, it was unique, you already know? It’s just really crazy and I used to be really devastated that, oh, they weren’t interested but they were also going out of business on the time and I wasn’t ready, so I’m grateful that it didn’t occur.
Along with her wrestling profession, James is a musician. She shared that she now has a distribution deal which can allow her to get her music out on all platforms.
Now I work with my friend Sean Gasaway with my fire-water records which is similar to stuff I’ve been putting my personal stuff out on now and I just got a distribution deal for it so to give you the chance to get it out on all of the platforms and to get it up on Vevo for my music videos so it’s more of like a legit distribution platform and never only a CD Baby which lots of independent artists use.
** On 7/18, A.Q.A. put out an announcement to announce that she is stepping away from pro wrestling. Her trainer, Booker T, spoke about her decision on his ‘Hall of Fame’ podcast. Booker hopes she is in a position to regroup and return to the ring when she is able to accomplish that.
I wanna start with showing out somewhat love, showing somewhat love for my girl AQA. Angela, definitely certainly one of my pride and and joys. Got a shot at WWE, that didn’t work out. Got a shot at AEW. She looked as if it would now — said she’s gonna be stepping away from pro wrestling for a minute to work on herself and I get that. One thing I wanna say about… one thing I wanna say about a few of my stars like an A.Q.A., like a Kylie Rae, whenever you get into this business really, really young, similar to Rok-C is without delay, you already know? I used to be so nervous about Rok-C entering into this industry at 20-years-old simply because I know the way much of a whirlwind it really, really is and the way much it could — that whirlwind can take you by storm, I’m serious… attending to my point meaning, whenever you’re young and getting on this business, man, it could possibly be an entire lot to handle more so than anything. So I can understand A.Q.A. stepping back and saying, man, let me reanalyze this and let me refocus and greater than anything, attempt to figure this thing out… It’s nothing greater than being young and attempting to figure this thing out and hopefully that’s what she’ll do and regroup and we’ll see her back within the ring sometime.
** WWE Backlash 2002 was the main target of a Grilling JR podcast episode. That event emanated from Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri which is identical venue that the Owen Hart tragedy took place in. Jim Ross wishes WWE ran one other venue for Backlash ’02 and brought up that being in the world caused him and Jerry Lawler to relive ‘Over the Edge’ 1999.
Kemper [Arena] especially. I don’t know why we [WWE] went there. I’m not… due to what happened prior, the Owen [Hart] situation. I mean of all of the arenas in America that we could have run, we ran Kemper and I don’t — I never have quite figured that one out but in any event, the group [at Backlash 2002] was responsive, it was representative, you already know, got over 10,000 folks there, they were pumped up. I remember the group being involved. But I also know that behind those tearful eyes sometimes in the group, that they were eager about the last time they were there for a WWE event and it’s just difficult to get those thoughts out of your — and people images out of your mind… and for [Jerry] Lawler and I, no person gives a sh*t about us but bottom line is-is that we needed to relive it again too and considering I used to be the one which made the announcement that Owen had died, I carried those with me from all the way in which when it happened to going back. So, I don’t know. I just… selfishly, I wish we might have done it at one other constructing.
Paul Heyman became a subject of conversation and Ross feels that Heyman is the MVP of WWE as much as anybody on the roster. He commented on Heyman’s work with Roman Reigns and said apart from Reigns himself, Heyman is probably the most accountable for Reigns’ success over the past several years.
He’s been a key player in that company as — Paul Heyman is as much the MVP of WWE as anybody on the roster, because he makes stars and he’s done that with Roman Reigns obviously and done it thoroughly, but Paul was the proper guy to administer Brock [Lesnar] or to be his agent, same deal. So, I like Heyman’s promos. I’ve at all times liked ‘em. When the booking committee in Atlanta didn’t wanna do business with Paul because he was smug and argumentative and smarter than most of them on the booking committee, I said I’ll work with him, because I saw an excellent partner for me as a broadcast partner. So I desired to maintain me and my team… so, it was fun. Paul’s good, he’s really good and he’s going strong man. He’s still doing great work.
As you need to, as you need to [J.R. agreed with the statement that Heyman is a big part of Roman Reigns’ success over the past several years]. Paul’s very much accountable for much of the success of Roman Reigns greater than some other individual apart from Roman. Heyman’s the guy.
In 2021, Molly Holly accepted her place within the WWE Hall of Fame. She shared prior to now that her speech time was cut short and was told not to say the production team as she planned to. J.R. said Molly called him to get his thoughts about her speech.
Sweetheart of an individual [J.R. said about Molly Holly]. I met her through Dean Malenko. She introduced me to Nora, Nora Greenwald, and he or she’s… has never been anything but a pleasure to work with. I had not talked to her in an extended time. Before she went into the [WWE] Hall of Fame, she needed to get somewhat talk and he or she called me two or thrice to discuss her speech. Just, you already know, what I believed and a few ground rules. I said, ‘Vince is gonna lay the bottom rules. He’s not gonna provide you with the time that you almost certainly consider it is advisable to tell your story on this forum.’
** On the 2022 WWE Money within the Bank press junket, Big Gold Belt Media spoke to Titus O’Neil. He touched on the presentation of WWE’s African American and minority talents. He said that he and the likes of Rey Mysterio, Latest Day (Kofi Kingston, Big E & Xavier Woods) amongst many others played role in that change of presentation.
I’m also equally as pleased with the transformation of the portrayal and the presentation of African American and minority talents on our roster now versus once I first came and lots of that, I had something to do with a few of that, but lots of that needed to do with all of us. , whether it’s The Latest Day or Rey Mysterio who’s been doing it for years, representing his Latino culture and now to see all of us representing, winning titles. Bobby Lashley, you already know, leaving, coming back. Still killing it at the extent he’s killing it. It’s pretty amazing to see.
O’Neil went on to debate Bianca Belair’s rise in WWE. He recounted a conversation they’d when Belair was being featured on ‘Fundamental Event’ before she was on TV consistently. O’Neil gave her words of encouragement and added that that he didn’t like what happened with Belair at SummerSlam 2021.
I wanna see Bianca [Belair] proceed this run that she’s on. I remember almost a year-and-a-half ago, running into her within the hallway and he or she hadn’t been on TV for just a few weeks and you already know, she was on Fundamental Event. She skyrocketed up, went to Raw, dominant after which essentially disappeared. I remember pulling her to the side and I used to be like, ‘You’re a superstar in so some ways. You represent this company. You’ll represent this company in ways in which no person else can and also you don’t have to have your head down about not getting used without delay because when the time is true, things are gonna turn around and it’s gonna be a crazy whirlwind for you’ and I didn’t know any creative plans for her. I just know the way this business may be very cyclical. Three months later, she’s the primary African American woman to win the Royal Rumble after which goes on to WrestleMania and wins the WWE Women’s Championship and it has been on a really up and down ride since, but I’d say more so up than anything. I didn’t like what happened at SummerSlam last time I used to be here [Las Vegas] so I’m hoping that she remembers that and I’m sure she does…
** The Sporting News caught up with NXT 2.0’s Xyon Quinn. He dove into the character change for his on-screen character and feels it occurred naturally. He stated that now, the proverbial shackles are off and he’s finding a rhythm.
It was something that naturally occurred…it’s at all times very hard to point out plenty of personality whenever you start as a baby. You’re so much more restricted whenever you’re a baby, so when the shackles are off, you might have a bit more fun. I believe that’s what he’s beginning to experience for the time being. He’s finding a rhythm and things are getting into the suitable way for him. It was a fairly smooth transition. I believe coming into the ring, already being the larger person often within the match, people tend to have a look at you in that light already – you ought to be the bad person. I sort of took advantage of that and took the shackles off and I got to be a bit more free and a bit more me. I believe showing aggression is certainly one of my strong points, but additionally doing it with a little bit of cheek and making Xyon Quinn the one who is largely ‘The Terminator’. He got bored with people not trusting him and folks breaking his trust, and he decided to go south. He is clearly still a individual that runs it straight, just in a special direction. I’ve at all times liked the dark horse approach. The best way I envisioned him to be introduced, I didn’t want him to be a favourite.
He believes his physical presence helps set him aside from others on the NXT 2.0 roster. Quinn believes he’s already in the combination when it comes to talent from NXT 2.0 who could make the transition to Raw and SmackDown.
It’s definitely got to be a contributing factor [his physical presence]. I feel I’m already in the combination (to maneuver to Raw or SmackDown). You’ve gotten to ascertain who you might be and also you’ve got to be liked. All of it comes all the way down to Vince (McMahon). If he likes you and he sees what he sees, he gets what he gets and that’s how it really works. All of the coaches, all of the teachers and all of the producers all report back and it just gets taken under consideration. That’s all this whole place is about – it’s a journey and for the time being, I’m in an exciting time of my journey.
** A trios match has been added to AEW Dynamite: Fyter Fest week two that can see Kris Statlander, Athena and Willow Nightingale tackle The Baddies (Jade Cargill, Kiera Hogan & Leila Grey) who’ll be accompanied to the ring by Stokely Hathaway.
** On September fifteenth, Minoru Suzuki is returning to All Japan Pro Wrestling.
** Tetsuya Naito did guest commentary on July thirteenth for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp versus Yokohama DeNA BayStars baseball game.
** There’s an interview on the smackwrestling website with Montez Ford.
** Tokyo Joshi Pro’s Yuki Kamifuku was present at Fujisawa City Hall and met with the Mayor of her hometown, Tsuneo Suzuki. TJPW is hosting a show on August seventh from Fujisawa and a part of the proceeds from the show will likely be donated to the Fujisawa Education Support Fund. Over 100 tickets for the show got to children in town.
** TARU is filling in for Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion Suwama within the 2022 AJPW Royal Road tournament. Suwama opted to ‘boycott’ the tournament. TARU goes to face Kenta Miyahara in the primary round.
** The ‘Real Canadian Wrestling’ promotion was profiled by ‘Rebel News’.
** July nineteenth birthdays: Jinder Mahal.
If any of the quotes from the next podcasts or video interviews are used, please credit those sources and supply an H/T and link back to POST Wrestling for the transcriptions.
