TNA's Gunner Says Randy Savage Was One Of His Main Influences, Talks TNA Debut & More

Birthdate: 06/06/1982 (age 32) Height: 6'2" Weight: 258 Ib He is a former TNA World Tag Team Champion with...

Gunner spoke with Main Event Madness for a new interview. Check out the highlights:

On his start into pro wrestling and being in the military: “I did 4 years in the Marine Corp from 2002-2006, I was a Machine Gunner, I was on top of the truck with the ring mount, with the .50 cal or whatever weapon I had and I did my time. I actually started wrestling in 2001 after I got out of high school and went into the Marine Corps in 2002 and I wrestled the whole time I was in the military unless I was deployed. I was stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina and would travel 13-15 hours round trip, sometimes more every weekend, to do local independent shows in South Carolina, Georgia, and North Carolina, kinda all over, something I did while I was in the military.”

On his TNA debut: “You know, I started with them we did the security thing, me and Murphy with Immortal and backstage it was really cool, and I know that certain individuals, we all had the belief that when TNA started it was all about the younger talent, I know I’ve talked to fans and you get people’s input here and there, but they really wanted to see TNA flourish and thrive on that young talent. You had AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian, James Storm, Bobby Roode, all these guys who started in Impact Wrestling were all the younger talent and they helped build the company into what it is now and I think it was one of those things where the younger talent was put on the backburner a little bit so to say, but now it’s picking back up a lot more. I do think there was a little animosity there, for me I looked at it as an opportunity, I was getting to work alongside Hogan and Flair and for me, it was a learning experience.”

On his biggest influences on his character: “A lot of the times and a lot of the things I do and wrestling’s about, I don’t wanna say stealing, but rehashing certain things and I’m a huge Macho Man fan, he’s always one of those guys I still watch, still study and to me, he was way ahead of his time, his aggression his promos and even as a babyface, he never changed his intensity. A lot of his stuff and growing up I watched Triple H, which was one of my favorites and I loved to watch him sell, whether it be in a match or in a promo and his reaction because he always got people really invested and I could sit here and name names all day of guys I really loved, but Macho Man was one I still really enjoy and love to watch and learn from.”

Jey Uso Reacts To Being Removed From Total Divas, Talks WWE's Tag-Team Division, & More

Birthdate: 08/22/1985 (age 29) Height: 6'2" Weight: 228 Ib The Usos are a tag team consisting of real-life...

Jey Uso spoke with Norfolk Navy Flagship about Total Divas, the WWE tag team division and more. Check out the highlights:

On whether he’s relieved to not be on Total Divas now: “The work is a lot less now. I almost get to have my privacy back. We come off of these tours and you want to get home and relax, but you’re still working because you’re front of these cameras. They’re in your home and you really just want to sleep all day. I’m OK with it, but my wife really isn’t. We didn’t agree with the terms, but things happen and they work out how they do. We’re enjoying the free time that we have now.”

On if the show exposed him to a new demographic: “Definitely. I get recognized more from Total Divas than I do for WWE. With my wife, you get people that look at her and want a picture, but they’re not really sure if it’s her or not, but when we’re together, they automatically know. I get a lot of older women, actually, that come up to me. They’re like “Hey! You’re Jonathan from Total Divas!” out of nowhere. You’ll know that it’s a Total Divas fan because a WWE fan would have said “Uso!”. It was weird at first being called by my first name and my wife by her first name. It’s cool, and funny in a way.”

On the WWE tag team division: “I feel like my brother and I amped it up because we are a real tag team. There aren’t any real tag teams like back in the day with the Legion of Doom, Hart Foundation, Demolition. Today, we’re trying to get that tag team wrestling back to WWE. I think we’re doing a good job, but it could get better. There are teams coming up from NXT, like The Ascension, coming in with each other and hopefully they will stay with each other. Maybe we can get a nice little run out of these guys with The Usos, or maybe the Wyatts can get back together again, or The Shield. I feel like we had great matches with The Wyatts; great chemistry with those guys, but they broke them up. I hope when more tag teams come in the future that they stay together and we can have a real tag team division like back in the day.”

Jay Briscoe Thinks CM Punk Is Going To Surprise People In The UFC, Talks Injury & ROH

Birthdate: 10/26/1978 (age 36) Height: 6'2" Weight: 218 Ib He was titled in the WWE as "the longest-reigni...

Jay Briscoe spoke with the Chad Dukes Wrestling show promoting ROH’s Winter Warrior Tour featuring Alberto El Patron, as well as their 13th Anniversary PPV on March 1st from Las Vegas. Check out the highlights:

On his shoulder injury in 2013: “It was pretty nasty, man. They said they could have did surgery for it and drove a screw down screwed the shoulder bone back into my arm but they said I would have been out for a while. So I just kinda let it heal on its own and now I guess it’s gonna be popped up like this until I get it taken care of. It’s not too bad I’ve learned to live with it.”

On the success of ROH and Independent stars in NXT: “I think it’s awesome. You see people like Claudio (Cesaro) on TV, I mean that’s my friend, I’m watching my friend succeed on TV, it’s cool being able to watch that. All the guys now in NXT seems like they’re just blowing up. It just shows that what we’re doing here in Ring of Honor, it’s almost like a proving ground. If you can do your thing and you can succeed here, it pretty much proves that you can handle it, you’ve got what it takes.”

On CM Punk: “Punk’s my boy and he’s a determined dude if he puts his mind to something. I wish him all the luck in the world and I think he’s gonna surprise some people, man.”

Watch CM Punk’s Appearance On Fox Sports Live Where He Talks About Dana White & Vince McMahon

Birthdate: 10/26/1978 (age 36) Height: 6'2" Weight: 218 Ib He was titled in the WWE as "the longest-reigni...

He's made the jump from the WWE to the UFC. CM Punk joins Jay Onrait on FOX Sports Live to talk about his approach to the Octagon, his training strategy and earning respect.

CM Punk compares his old boss Vince McMahon and new boss Dana White. He also comments on his favorite UFC fighters, the rumors on who he'll fight first and more.

For all your latest MMA news, rumors and results, check out Efightnews.com.

Backstage News - TNA In Talks With Alberto Del Rio - How Much Money Have They Offered Him?

Source: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter

TNA reportedly made another attempt at signing Alberto Del Rio. According to one source, TNA made a very serious money offer, rumored to be in the $400,000 per year range.

One of the issues in the negotiations is said to be TNA's attempt to get exclusivity of Del Rio, as it is widely known that he plans to work for AAA's Lucha Underground show in 2015, as well as Ring Of Honor, the latter of which is already being officially advertised.

It's believed that if TNA wants a shot at Del Rio, they'll have to either drop the request for exclusivity or up the money offer. Apparently, TNA is trying to sell Del Rio on the fact that he'll get more exposure in the United States by working with them.

Because of the fact that current TNA executive John Gaburick worked closely with Del Rio during their time in WWE, it's said that he is pushing hard to get him.

Bellator MMA is also very interested in Del Rio and the two sides are currently negotiating.

Royal Ramblings Talks GFW with Jeff Jarrett

Global Force Wrestling is not just set to take the world by storm, it is already doing so. Fundamentally changing the approach to how wrestling works, this inspiring new brand is the brainchild of wrestling hero Jeff Jarrett who talked us through their plans. For fans that want to see GFW's debut outing, it will a joint Pay-Per-View venture with New Japan Pro Wrestling and is to be called by the legendary announcer Jim Ross. UK Fans will be able to see the show on 4 January 2015 through the FLIPPS app, so download it now to your smart phones and TVs and get this on your Christmas list to ensure you are a part of the action and see what is likely to be the most widely distributed PPV in history!

How did GFW come about and what the timeline is for rolling it out? You seem to be taking it slowly and cautiously.
Well, the wrestling business is in my blood. My family has been in the business since the 1940s. My Grandmother did everything but wrestle, she promoted the business and then my dad - he promoted as well as wrestled - so it's in my blood. In June 2002 I launched TNA wrestling and then last December it was time for me to try something new and we parted ways. So I took a couple of months and I had different ideas and different concepts and I started to piece them together and then April 7 2014 is when I officially launched the brand. Patience is not in my DNA! But I'm piecing things together and 2015 is when the rollout will really start to take shape. Obviously we've partnered with New Japan Pro Wrestling and we're executive producing the Pay-Per-View that's going to be seen on a global basis via the Flipps app and through all the traditional Pay-Per-View carriers in North America. That's the short answer of how Global Force Wrestling came about.

So as you mention, you're partnering with New Japan Pro Wrestling for "Wrestle Kingdom 9" on 4 January for GFW's first presentation. Is it a sign of how you're going to do business, working as an umbrella group for others?
The answer is we'll do both things. We'll also be a fully functioning promotion with rosters and distribution and sponsorships and international deals but like I said, I've seen others and been a part of things. If you rush a product to market when it's not ready, I'm a big believer in the first impression being a lasting impression so New Japan is the first presentation but it's the first of many to come. We're going to be making an announcement with a South African promotion very soon but we're taking our time, doing it step by step, getting the brand awareness in place. That's the big thing, when we finally step on the main stage, I want to make sure that the brand is widely exposed and it's clearly defined what we're about. These are the steps that we're taking right now.

On that point, it seems that social media is key to you. GFW has had some 4 million impressions on social media in 30 days. How is that working and have the other companies missed a trick in having fans do their marketing for them?
All of entertainment - not just professional wrestling - is going online and we live in a magnificent world where the speed of technology is instantaneous. So when we partnered with New Japan, sat down and discussed our marketing and how we were going to expose NJPW not just to North America but throughout the globe, we knew that the digital age was exactly our target market for professional wrestling fans. We're very happy with the rollout and promotion thus far and we're really looking forward to the next 2-3 weeks to bring the marketing campaign home for the January 4 show.

You're working with Doug Williams, NGW and Revolution Pro Wrestling in the UK. How did you pick them and are you open to working with other promotions?  
We're definitely open to working with other promotions and it's going to be a talent exchange. Doug is very instrumental - I've got a lot of respect for him and obviously I'm not the only one. He has an immense amount of talent himself but he can also spot talent. He is a guy that's very trustworthy and that's first and foremost and so Doug highlighted the promotions and the stars of tomorrow are in these independent promotions around the globe. We've partnered with several in Australia, one in Germany and we're going to...

Borash Talks Boot Camp with Royal Ramblings

Creator, producer, brains behind and voice of British Boot camp 2, we were lucky enough to speak exclusively to Jeremy Borash about his thoughts on the show. What's next for Grado? Will there be a season 3 of Boot Camp? Read on to find out!

What do you think Bootcamp season 2 winner Mark Andrews will bring to TNA? Well, I think he's a great winner. He has a very magnetic personality - he's the kind of guy that attracts your attention when you walk into a room. You meet him for the first time and know he's a great guy. He's a very smart young man and his wrestling abilities speak for themselves - there's high flying stuff you'll see him pull out that you won't expect. You've got to factor in everything when you consider these guys and I think he'll get along really well with our locker room. At the end of the day you've got an investment to make and Dixie Carter made the decision to invest in Mark Andrews. I think it's going to be a good pay off. You've seen what Rockstar Spud has done as a success story coming out of the first season - Mark Andrews could be the guy to do it this time. Two bona fide stars coming out of two seasons of a show in a row would be great - you don't get that too often in reality TV anymore but I think Mark has a good chance.

Any of the final three could have won it. Was there a particular weakness that denied them? I think you can make a strong argument for any of the top six!  Ultimately, you've just got to work to people's strengths. If a guy isn't strong on the mic say, that's for the creative department to handle and you've got to look for something else and accentuate those positives. To me, everybody is a work in progress. Rockstar Spud was in OVW [TNA's training system] for almost 11 months before he ever saw the light of day on TV, even after he had won Boot Camp and he says those months were the biggest education he's ever had.  Mark Andrews is the winner of Boot Camp 2 but until you're a part of that locker room on a functional basis for a year or two, you're really not ready for anything. For an old cagey veteran like myself, not much is going to surprise me after 14 or 15 years of doing this full time. You just get a different perspective and that takes time. Coming out of the gate any one of those three or six, given the time, the education, the experience could all be stars, no question.

UK fans were intrigued to hear about the TNA UK tour documentary you're making - tell us more.   It was something we did off the back of the success of British Boot Camp - the ratings were there. The decision to put all six finalists on the tour was a result of the ratings of the show and the connection that fans felt with them. So they're going to be on all three dates of the UK tour and we're going to document it all and do a very special show for Challenge TV about it. It's going to give a lot of insight into the tour. We always discuss how to make these the tour of the year and we're going to show you how we do that, especially through the eyes of these six. It's like the exclamation point on the end of Boot Camp.

We have a podcast on which Richard Parliament answers questions each week - just like Prime Minister's Question Time! What did you think of Richard, does he have a bright future? I loved him! Of the final six, not many had heard of him. They were respectful of the promotions he worked for but not a lot of people had seen him. He had stuck to his home promotion but like Priscilla up in Glasgow, he came out of the woodwork. Now, if you look at their Twitter following just from those one or two appearances on the show, you can see how they've maximised and used that to springboard into something else. They get it 100%. I tried to tell every talent that was on this show that it was up to them to grab it and make it something special. Richard Parliament did that as did others and I don't think we saw enough of it. Richard Parliament got it, is getting booked everywhere and is seeing the benefits of the exposure and that to me is what the show was all about - shining the...

Hulk Hogan Says He Would Have Liked To Tag-Team With Steve Austin, Talks Kamala & More

Birthdate: 12/18/1964 (age 49) Height: 6'2" Weight: 252 Ib Steve Austin gained significant mainstream popu...

In an interview with My San Antonio, Hulk Hogan spoke about his desire to tag with and wrestle Steve Austin. Here are highlights:

Also read: Hulk Hogan Says He's A Bigger Legend Than Steve Austin - Disagrees With His Recent Comments

On Steve Austin: “I’ve been chasing that guy for 25 years. Stone Cold Steve Austin. I would have liked to have tagged with him. And then turn on him right in the middle of it, and then he would have had to wrestle me.”

On his most memorable moment: “My favorite one of all time has to be Andre; the one who changed the game for all of us.”

On Kamala: “He was a little scary, you know, until I got to know him. Once the paint was off and I got to know the Big Jim that owned a barbeque pit in Missouri, I wasn’t worried anymore.”

Check Out A Video Of Triple H's Weekly Sit-Down Interview With Michael Cole - Talks Cena, Authority, More

Birthdate: 04/23/1977 (age 37) Height: 6'1" Weight: 251 Ib Cena is known as "the face of the WWE for a lon...

Here is Triple H’s latest sitdown interview with Michael Cole. During the interview, Triple H discusses John Cena’s refusal to join the Authority and why Cena’s time is running out…

Triple H ponders a future without John Cena

VIDEO: Buff Bagwell Talks Car Wreck, Being Fired From WWE & WCW

Six time WCW World Tag Team Champion Buff Bagwell recently spoke with Chris Van Vliet about WCW going under, his car accident and much more.

Lita Talks: Diva's Division, Hall of Fame & Stephanie McMahon

Soon to be WWE Hall of Famer, Lita spoke with Scott Fishman of The Miami Herald. Here are some of the highlights:

How She Was Asked To Be Inducted Into The Hall of Fame?

"Stephanie McMahon was texting with me. She was feeling me out telling me the office has been trying to get in touch with me. She asked if I could call the office. She was doing the whole talking to me as a friend, but being a little vague. She said, 'The office just has something they would like to talk to you about. I believe that it's regarding WrestleMania. So maybe it's the weekend surrounding it? I'm not really sure, so just give them a call.' I was like, 'All right weirdo. Sure.' Then I called, and they asked me if I would accept the honor of being in their Hall of Fame."

Is Their A Chance Of Her Possibly Having One More Match?

"The only thing when I get asked about giving one more match is more just to prove it to myself. I do feel really great and really strong. I had some nagging injuries for a really long time after I retired that I guess I will have to live with for getting beaten up for so long. I do feel really great and feel really strong, so that would be more the reason why I would want to get back out there one more time to prove to myself I can still do all the stuff. As far as getting an itch or anything active, I'm super happy where I am and proud of my accomplishments. It's not really something I feel like I need to do, but if my arm was twisted at the right time, I could probably be talked into it."

Her Thoughts On The Divas Division Today: "Let's say a generation is seven years. It has been about seven years since Trish and I left. We left within a few months of each other. The diva's division took quite a hit. I don't feel like it has fully recovered. I would love to see it get that spark again, that involving a deep roster that you could have a bunch of compelling characters -- ones you want to go out there and see. At the same time, the women just like the tag division, was super-hot. I don't know that it has seen that type of attention since, either. It was a special time that I am glad to have been a part of when it was up."

Her Thoughts On Total Divas: "Sure, you get wrestling fans, but they're already watching the programming anyways. Then you get the people who watch the Kardashians. I feel like that is the type of person that would watch 'Total Divas' as opposed to a wrestling fan who is already watching anyways….I have several friends now at this point that have zero concept of my life when I was doing that. Their questions and perception are just completely different than a fan or somebody in the know. I think it's a different market that people are watching 'Total Divas,' but I don't know if it translates to more viewership or interest in women's wrestling. It's more about being curious about these people who do this thing that they maybe weren't interested in before."

Jake Roberts Talks DDP Saving His Life, Hall of...

Soon to be WWE Hall of Famer, Jake “The Snake” Roberts spoke with ABC News affiliate in Baltimore and here are the highlights: On Going into the WWE Hall of Fame this year: “Had I not gotten clean with Dallas’ help, I wouldn’t be going into the Hall of Fame. The WWE doesn’t want to put someone out there and not be able to trust what they will say in front of a worldwide audience. Being clean has given me another chance in life.” On Diamond Dallas Page saving his life: “No...

Dolph Ziggler Talks About What Motivates Him, M...

In an interview with The Democrat Tribune, Dolph Ziggler spoke about what motivates him to perform in the ring. He also commented on a "feud" with Kofi Kingston, suggesting the interview is a little older than it was labeled as. Here are highlights:On Kofi Kingston: "Kofi Kingston and I have a good ongoing feud right now. We have been battling for the Inter-Continental and the United State titles the last couple months. We have totally different styles but we somehow compliment each other in...

VIDEO: Daniel Bryan Talks WrestleMania Match & ...

In an interview with Matt Dery of Detroit Sports 105.1 (before the SmackDown tapings), Daniel Bryan spoke about CM Punk, his match at WrestleMania and more. Here are highlights:On the CM Punk situation: "Honestly I don't know that much. I haven't heard from him since he left. The company hasn't really released anything other than he's no longer with the company right now. It'll be interesting to see what happens."On wrestling Triple H or being in triple threat main event at 'Mania: "As o...

VIDEO: Daniel Bryan Talks YES! Movement, Triple...