Cody Rhodes set to face Kurt Angle on August 27
Northeast Wrestling has announced that former WWE star Cody Rhodes will be facing Kurt Angle on August 27 in Wappingers Falls, New York at Dutchess Stadium. This is scheduled to be Rhodes’ first official post-WWE appearance.
Dutchess Stadium in Wappingers Falls, NY On Sat., 8/27 first time ever @CodyRhodes and @RealKurtAngle pic.twitter.com/bC4MnLQ4E8
— Northeast Wrestling (@newwrestling1) May 31, 2016
Velvet Sky on aspirations to sign with WWE
Sports Illustrated is featuring an interview with former TNA Knockout Velvet Sky where she discusses leaving the company this year, dating WWE star Bubba Ray Dudley and her aspirations to sign with WWE to be part of the growing women’s division.
“That is why I sacrificed right from the beginning. That is why I left college, and the reason why I wrestled every weekend. The indie scene is not glitz and glamour, but a chance with the WWE is the reason I did this from the very beginning. I would totally embrace any opportunity with the WWE.”
Teddy Long on current WWE stars
Neal Jones passed along this recap.
Recap of Teddy Long on In Your Head Wrestling Radio, 05/10/2016
by Vic Schiavone
Hosts Jack E. Jones and One Inch Biceps welcomed former referee, manager, and Smackdown General Manager Teddy Long to IYH Wrestling Radio.
Highlights included the following:
How he ended up going from referee to manager to Smackdown General Manager:
“Well, the first job I had was putting up the ring and taking the ring down. Then I got a job as a referee. One night we did a show in Marietta, Georgia; the referee didn’t show up…I was there because I had put the ring up and the promoter came and asked me could I referee and I told her no, I had never refereed. She said well don’t worry about it; get in there, the guys will help you. They brought a referee’s shirt for me and I got in and the first match I refereed was Black Bart and Ron Bass. The way that I got into managing is I used to ride with “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert, God rest his soul, and Kevin Sullivan. What I did when I was a kid I was a disk jockey on a radio station and that’s where the gift of gab came from. So I started telling Kevin and Eddie about that, and what we would do as we would ride down the road I would turn the radio down and I would start deejaying for them. So they kind of liked that, and what they had in their mind is well, we got a guy that can talk and we always need talkers; we always need managers because there are a lot of guys that are great wrestlers but just don’t have any mic skills. So, they were looking at that picture of it; I just was telling them what I had done…They took the idea to Jim Ross, Jim Ross was booking at the time, and they ran it by him. So it was Kevin Sullivan, Eddie Gilbert, and Jim Ross that were responsible for me becoming a manager. Then when I left WCW and went to New York to the WWF in 1998 I started out as a referee, and the way I got it is that they had a meeting one day and they were talking about managers. They wanted to bring somebody in that could talk, and Sgt. Slaughter I believe, maybe Michael Hayes and somebody else, brought up my name in the meeting and told Vince (McMahon) that I was right there, I could talk. And they brought me back in to come in and manage D-Lo Brown. I came in that night and I managed him, and when I walked back in with D-Lo Brown Vince looked at me and said to me I can’t believe I had you right here under my nose all this time…I managed a lot of guys there, so Vince saw the brighter picture and that’s when he switched me from being a manager to being General Manager of Smackdown. I had no idea; nobody told me ahead of time that I was going to be the General Manager. I just came into TV one day and there it was; they told me this is what’s going to happen. So that’s kind of how everything started.”
Which is harder, being a babyface manager or a heel manager?
“The transition may be hard for some people. I wouldn’t say it was hard for me because I know what my position is; I know what I’m supposed to do. When I’m a bad guy, I know that’s what I’m supposed to do so I adapt right into that role. Like I said, I’m an actor, so whatever you want to put me in that’s what I do. It may be hard for some guys, because you’ve got some guys that believe this stuff. That’s the worst thing you can do, is starting to believe in your own gimmick. And some guys right now, I swear to you they believe it, and they can’t stand to be booed once they’ve been cheered for so long; I think they take that serious. If I’m booed just as loud as you cheered for me, that lets me know one thing – I’m doing my job.”
Who are some of your favorite guys currently wrestling?
“Well, right now I see a lot of potential in Seth Rollins; I’ll certainly be glad when he comes back to work, I think he’ll be real good for them. I like Roman (Reigns). Roman is trying real hard. I think what’s taking him so long is that sometimes a lot of guys they just don’t get it; it takes a while and I think Roman is one of those guys. But he’s a great worker, got a great look, and I think it’s just going to be a matter of time and Roman’s going to be all right. But I like him, I like Dean Ambrose, I’m a big fan of The New Day; I like them. If ever they wanted to break them up I think Big E would be the guy that they would need to single out and put him on his own, because I think with Mark Henry probably thinking about retiring right now I think Big E would be certainly the guy to put right in that spot.”
Other topics discussed included:
* Whose idea was it to a have a picture of Martin Luther King and Vince McMahon next to each other on the wall of your office?
* What was his favorite role and what era?
* What type of in-ring style does he enjoy personally as a fan?
For information on Teddy’s autobiography, “Life After Wrestling” go to www.teddylong.com.
This interview is available for listening at
http://www.inyourheadonline.com/viewnews.php?autoid=28830
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