Showing posts with label Smackdown. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Smackdown. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Update: Further Information on Jack Swagger’s Arrest




Jack Swagger, whose real name is Donald Jacob Hager was indeed arrested following the taping of Smackdown Tuesday night, Hager was pulled over at about midnight for speeding.

Hager who is 30-years-old was arrested on charges of driving under the influence, possession of marijuana and speeding, all charges are misdemeanors, he will be due back in court on March, 12.

Now according to the official Wellness Policy of the WWE, the punishment for any WWE employee who is arrested in possession of drugs could be as severe as an immediate release from the company.

“Any WWE Talent, who is arrested, convicted or who admits to a violation of law relating to use, possession, purchase, sale or distribution of drugs will be in material breach of his/her contract with WWE and subject to immediate dismissal.”

This could mean the end for Jack Swagger and the WWE or at the very least the WWE could use the drug charge in lieu of a positive drug screening and fine Hager $2,500. Normally when a talent fails a drug test for marijuana, which is not held to the same degree as other illegal drugs or PED’s, they receive that fine and the company is not under any legal obligation to suspend or fire said employee.

The media hype that has started to pick-up on Swagger’s current gimmick could be his down-fall, as they will be relentless with their attacks on WWE as a company for presenting a man who faces drug charges as a featured act on their weekly television programs. The hype could work both ways, so it will be interesting to see what direction they chose to move forward with. What is known is that Hager’s career as Jack Swagger will never be the same.

Monday, February 4, 2013

Bruno Sammartino to be Inducted to WWE Hall of Fame



Its official, WWE has announced via their website that Bruno Sammartino will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year.

The ceremony which takes place on April 6, the night before WrestleMania 29 already features former WWE Champions Mick Foley and Bob Backlund and former Women’s Champion Trish Straus. You can now put the longest-reigning WWE Champion of all-time to that list.

When asked why this year was the year, after turning them down year after year Sammartino had this to say, “Triple H contacted me and started telling me all the things that had changed and everything that was going on with the WWE. I started watching it after talking to him and when I saw it, I was very, very impressed.”

Triple H added “I love the history of this business, without history, there is no tomorrow. To look back on the history of the WWE, one of the most important figures in the long story of where this all came from wasn't recognized, and that was Bruno.”

Triple H would go on to say a very bold statement, “Arguably the biggest name ever in the history of the business is Bruno Sammartino.”

I’ll have a more in-depth look at the life and career of Sammartino, along with the rest of the Hall of Fame inductees as the road to WrestleMania moves forward.

Terry Funk Pulled From Indy Show by WWE



It’s now being reported by PWInsider.com that WWE has pulled Terry Funk from the Pro Wrestling Syndicated show that’s happening during WrestleMania 29 weekend.

Funk was set to appear for the company, but it looks like WWE wants him working with them that weekend. It’s believed that Funk will be a part of the WWE Fan Axxess that weekend along with inducting Mick Foley into the WWE Hall of Fame.

Many have speculated that it would be The Rock who inducted Foley in, but with this news it looks like Funk is favored for the job. Both men teamed with Foley at some point during his WWE career, but Foley and Funk have been long-time friends. Other rumored names to induct Foley were Al Snow, The Undertaker, and Edge. 

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Former NFL Player Turned WWE Wrestler




Former Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman Dean Muhtadi has been impressing WWE officials recently. After only a few seasons in the NFL Muhtadi works for WWE’s developmental brand NXT under the alias of Mojo Rawley.

Rawley has been touted for his incredible strength and explosiveness both on the field and in the ring. He might just be someone to keep an eye out for in the coming months.

Friday, February 1, 2013

Current WWE Divas Comment on Trish Stratus Hall of Fame Nod


With the current announcement of Trish Stratus’ Hall of Fame induction WWE’s official website put together several comments from current Divas on the impact that Stratus had on them.

Lilian Garcia “She totally deserves this. She worked incredibly hard and made such an impact.”

Natalya “Trish was a pioneer for the Divas. There were women that came before, but she broke all the barriers and all the stereotypes. Certainly, I’ve been extremely inspired by my family, but when I decided I wanted to be a lady wrestler, it wasn’t because of my family. It was because Trish….She is one of the reasons I’m doing what I’m doing today and I couldn’t be happier for her.”

Kaitlyn “It’s so cool to see. She made such a huge impact and she is so iconic. Everyone aspires to have just a little bit of what Trish had.”

Aksana “I’m really excited for her. I want to say congratulations to her. She’s my idol.”

AJ Lee “To anyone in WWE, she’s an inspiration. She has helped us break a lot of glass ceilings. It’s really cool to have someone from our generation- that’s actually classified as a ‘Diva’- to be in the Hall of Fame.”

WWE Crowns First Ever NXT Tag Team Champions







Last night during WWE’s NXT taping at Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL Adrian Neville (formerly known as PAC) and Oliver Grey won the tag team tournament to become the first ever NXT Tag Team Champions after defeating the Wyatt Family (Erick Rowan & Luke Harper).

Neville and Grey picked up the win when Neville pinned Harper with the British Airways.

El Generico Officially Signs with WWE




It’s being reported that WWE has officially signed El Generico to a deal. It has been reported for several weeks now that he was going to WWE, only thing stopping him was some paperwork and medical test that needed to be finish.

It’s said that El Generico passed all of his medical evaluations and should be reporting to NXT shortly.

I’m curious if WWE will continue the El Generico gimmick or take the mask and gimmick away from him and start fresh.