Tag Archives: WWE

Triple H discusses the end of one era and beginning of another for WWE

WrestleMania XXVIII is out today on DVD and Blu-ray, and there’s no doubt that one of the matches people will be re-watching repeatedly is the End of an Era match between Triple H and the Undertaker. As Matt Hankins points out in his review of that match, the outcome definitely gives WWE‘s next generation a chance to usher in a new era in wrestling. And Triple H couldn’t agree more, not only as one of the guys passing the proverbial torch, but also as WWE’s Executive Vice President, Talent. Here he talks to Wrestling with Pop Culture about eras past, present and future, all of which are represented on the WrestleMania three-disc DVD set.

Courtesy WWE

This year’s WrestleMania was anchored by veterans of the industry. The End of an Era match in particular encapsulated that idea more than any of the others. What do you think that means moving forward after WrestleMania, especially for some of the younger guys that are now getting some exposure?

I think it’s a good time for them. Right now the business in primed for young guys to make an impact. That’s kind of what I do in my day job is try to find new guys and help them get to that position where hopefully they’re the guys in the big key matches at WrestleMania. Sometimes things just end up the way they do and that’s kind of where it ended up this year. But if I was a young guy looking at the business right now, I would be saying, “End of an era? Well, that means beginning of an era.” So jump on and make a name for yourself, guys. Don’t wait for anybody to do it for you. Everybody sits around thinking, “Oh, I’m going to wait for the office to get me there.” We don’t get anybody there. They get themselves there and we just follow for the ride.

The champions going into WrestleMania this year – CM Punk and Daniel Bryan – are perfect examples of that. They both developed personas for themselves after years in the indies and have made it to the top of WWE.

Right. And you look at Daniel Bryan, who was in the warmup match last year for WrestleMania, and a year later he was going in as the World Heavyweight Champion. Anybody that says there’s a glass ceiling in the business or there’s a cog in the system is ridiculous. The opportunity is there for everybody that wants to take that opportunity and run with it. It takes time for everybody. I think time creates stars. The overnight sensation ends up being the one that’s done pretty fast, too. Time, earned respect and all the things that come with that make big stars and that’s what these guys have to look forward to. Just spending the time and making it happen.

Are there any guys currently in developmental that you think have the potential to be the next stars?

We have a lot of guys right now. I’m asked all the time how I feel about the future. When I look at our developmental system I’m very happy. We have a very bright future coming and I think, to my point earlier, the end of an era means the beginning of an era. I would tune in going forward because I think you’re going to see a lot of new faces with a lot of new impact.

There was recently a rumor that Florida Championship Wrestling was closing…

Courtesy WWE

Yeah, it was a rumor. I heard about it in the morning and by mid-afternoon there was full-blown panic escalating amongst our developmental talent. But we assured them that not only was that untrue, but the exact opposite is happening. In the next few months you’ll see some major changes to our developmental. The quality of the product and the quality of the training they’re receiving will be second to none. We’re getting bigger and better every day.

The Four Horsemen, who were a big influence on you and who were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame the night before WrestleMania XXVIII, came up during an entirely different era where people like Lex Luger and Sting became stars because of their association with the more experienced members of that stable. Speaking of an end of an era, how do you think that era of wrestling compares to how WWE is developing new talent now?

I have this theory that the wrestling business is kind of like music; what you grow up with and what hits you as a teenager will always be your favorite, no matter what music is good today. For a lot of people that grew up in that time frame – I grew up with Ric Flair and the Four Horsemen – there will never be another era like it. You step out of that and you go to the Attitude Era, there will never be another Attitude Era. But we’ll come up with something better. Without the Four Horsemen there would have never been a DX, there would have never been an Evolution, there would have never been an NWO, there would never have been all those things. So it was a very important time. But it’s nothing we want to recreate. We want to create something that’s brand new and no one’s seen before and for the people watching today, create something they’ll never forget.

For more information, go to www.wwe.com.

Triple H, the Undertaker and Shawn Michaels end an era on new WrestleMania XXVIII DVD

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We didn’t want to see Triple H vs. the Undertaker for a third time at WrestleMania. We didn’t think it was necessary to make Shawn Michaels the guest referee. We didn’t know where they would put the cage, and the Undertaker didn’t even know the date of the show. How could the End of an Era Hell in a Cell match be anything more than notch number 20 in The Deadman’s belt or a possible bridge between a stellar match at last year’s WrestleMania and some future feature bout? As it turned out, we were dead wrong.

The match was a brutal masterpiece in the often forgotten art of storytelling. While the cell itself was not used in the traditional way, it provided the only believable canvas on which these three masters could paint. There are no expectations of technical wrestling inside Satan’s Structure. It was perfectly acceptable for Triple H to dole out some 21 chair shots to the Undertaker and then demand that a cringing Heartbreak Kid end the match; a demand that ultimately went unfulfilled despite an emotional Showstopper considering it. This demand was not made out of collusion or cowardice, but out of fear; fear of what would have to be done in order to end the Undertaker’s undefeated WrestleMania streak (a feat Triple H had been unable to do in two previous attempts, including last year’s WrestleMania). That fear was nearly realized as The Game stood over a prone Undertaker, raised a sledgehammer over his head and was set to end much more than an undefeated streak before he was stopped by a diving Michaels. This series of lasting images personified the multiple narratives that unfolded over the course of the match. The diving HBK had preserved both the streak and the humanity of his best friend. Throughout the match Michaels turned in a visceral performance without over inserting himself physically.

No strike, no hold, not even a single step was wasted during this battle. Each man delivered his attacks as if they were the last that he would ever deliver. After each blow was delivered it appeared that it would only take one more and always take one more to finish them. With every glimpse of The Game’s anguished face and The Phenom’s purple and burgundy back, the story became clear. There is no tomorrow, only today and yesterday. They would usher themselves into history, on their terms, carrying their shields and being carried only by one another.

The Undertaker and Triple H end an era at WrestleMania XXVIII (photo courtesy WWE)

If this was the send-off to an era – more specifically the Attitude Era – it is peculiar that it came on the same night when one that era’s brightest stars (The Rock) was victorious over the current face of the company (John Cena). That is the duality of things. While the term “Superstar” has been appropriately applied to the unlikely triumvirate of Triple H, HBK and the Undertaker, they are wrestlers at heart; a fact of which I hope they are proud. This is why it was their match that represented an era. These three men have collectively been part of four of the greatest matches in WrestleMania’s nearly 30 year history and they all turned in their best performances as the sun set on their careers.

In the figure eight-shaped world that is professional wrestling, it is never exactly clear if you are witnessing the beginning or the end. As the three battered, bruised and emotionally-and-physically spent combatants embraced at the top of the ramp, the story found its ending. There may be other shows to stop, games to be played, and souls to put to rest, but there will never be a duplication of any of the three men who shared a cell a WrestleMania XXVIII. The era may have ended, but the memory remains, and long may it do so.

For more information, go to www.wweshop.com.

Alberto Del Rio talks about luchador tradition in WWE

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As a member of one of Mexico’s most recognized wrestling families, Alberto Del Rio was an accomplished amateur wrestler before joining the professional ranks. Adopting the name of his famous luchador father, Del Rio won many Mexican championships as Dos Caras, Jr. before removing his mask and touting his aristocratic heritage in WWE. Already a two-time WWE Champion, Del Rio is now the number one contender to Sheamus‘ World Heavyweight Championship. As we celebrate Mexico’s victory over a European powerhouse on Cinco de Mayo this Saturday, Del Rio looks to get under the pasty white skin of his European opponent on this Friday’s edition of SmackDown. What better time than now to share this recent conversation he had with Wrestling with Pop Culture about masked Mexican traditions and the recent Hall of Fame induction of his uncle Mil Máscaras?

Courtesy WWE

Last year at WrestleMania you faced Edge for the World Heavyweight Championship. Since that ended up being his last match, how did you feel about Edge being inducted into the Hall of Fame this year alongside your uncle, Mil Máscaras?

It’s great for Edge, who was one of my biggest opponents. I respect Edge as a person, as a wrestler and as a friend because he’s a really good guy and I’m really happy for him. The same for my uncle. This is something incredible for my entire family and for my entire country because we don’t have too many Mexicans doing great things in the world. The fact that two of them are members of my family is amazing.

Before you came to WWE, you were a masked luchador. How do you feel Mexican wrestling traditions are upheld in WWE?

We all know that in the United States they don’t have the same feeling about the masks. But they still respect the fact that the Mexican wrestlers like to use them. We have guys like Rey Mysterio representing the Mexican luchadores, and he’s doing a great job, of course. I think I became the face for all the Mexicans and all the Latins around the world thanks to WWE.

When you came to WWE, were you asked to remove your mask and reveal this new persona or was it your choice?

When this company hired me, they told me that I have a perfect look and it would be great if I not use a mask because that way I will be able to sell my face or my emotions to the audience and that way become a bigger star. I spoke with my family and we all together decided that that was the best thing for me and my career. We all created Alberto Del Rio – Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis, my father and myself.

For more information, go to www.wwe.com.

Chris Jericho discusses his future with WWE and Fozzy

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Though he’s accomplished pretty much all there is to accomplish in wrestling, Chris Jericho has come up short in his two recent attempts to take the WWE Championship from CM Punk. While the argument could still be made that Jericho is, as he likes to say, “the best in the world at what I do,” it’s hard to say what is next for him in WWE. But for someone who has transcended wrestling to find success with his rock band Fozzy, last year’s Dancing with the Stars and other realms of pop culture, it’s hard to imagine Jericho having a hard time bouncing back from these losses in some way. A showman in every sense of the word (have you seen the jackets he wears to the ring now?), Jericho is not lacking when it comes to entertainment value. With today’s announcement that Fozzy will be on this year’s Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar Tour alongside the likes of Shinedown, Adelitas Way and In This Moment, we know Jericho will be away from the ring during August and September. But in this Wrestling with Pop Culture interview, he talks about his jacket, his band and his future with WWE.

Courtesy WWE

Since your return to WWE, you’ve been coming to the ring in an eleborately lit jacket. How much did Dynamo from The Running Man inspire your new jacket?

It’s funny because people say Dynamo and I guess David Hasselhoff wore a jacket similar to that when the [Berlin] Wall got torn down in ’89. But I didn’t know about any of those. The only thing that inspired me was the guy who made it has also done a lighted jacket for Alicia Keys. It wasn’t as extensive as mine, but I had the idea of this wall-to-wall spikes and studs, so we combined the two and that’s how it all came to be.

The jacket was kind of the culmination of the buildup for your return, following a series of mysterious vignettes over the course of several weeks. There seemed to be a good bit of intentional misdirection with those vignettes, implying that maybe they were signalling the return of the Undertaker or Kharma. What was the reason for all the mystery?

A lot of times you just put together some mysterious vignettes. Then it’s like, “Well, what do people take out of that?”. It’s not like we sat down and said, “OK, I want this to be that. Put this right here and put that right here.” You just have to do something vague, but with a point and a purpose. People take what they want out of it and they found a lot of clues that didn’t exist. There’s a lot of things that they’re seeing that aren’t really there.. It’s like the “Paul is dead” theory – Paul McCartney‘s dead, here’s the album cover, here are the clues. But there are really no clues, it’s just people’s imagination. People still ask me to this day, “Who was the girl?” There was no girl. It was just something we put in there to make it creepier.

Why did you have these creepy vignettes, then have this kind of goofy return where you came out with the jacket and didn’t speak for a few weeks?

I don’t know if goofy’s the right word. What it was was, the thing people wanted to see me do the most when I came back was talk. So what if I just don’t talk? What if I just do the exact opposite of what people want? What if I just keep smiling and leading cheers and never saying anything? How will people react? And each week people got angrier and angrier to the point that they were just like, “Screw this guy. Enough of this guy already.”

Courtesy WWE

I wanted something dark because the concept of it was tying into 2012 being the end of the world as you know it, because we’ve been hearing that for so long. As you drive down the road, different turns and things come up that you morph and move with it. I never planned on coming back with black makeup or anything. It was just something different to get people thinking and wondering, “What is this all about? What is the end of the world as you know it?” Which was me coming back and taking back what is mine, which led to CM Punk and all the other people that copied me.

So it wasn’t all that different from your WWE debut with the Y2J thing.

Well, that was the Millennium Man. So it wasn’t really the end of the world, it was more about me coming to save WWE. This time I was coming to take back what was mine and end it. Just something to get people talking.

I interviewed you a few years ago after a Fozzy show just days before you defeated The Rock and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin to become the Undisputed WWE Champion. That’s one of many things you’ve accomplished in wrestling, but you’ve also accomplished quite a bit outside of wrestling. Is there anything in WWE or elsewhere you have yet to accomplish that you’d like to?

It’s not like I sit down and go, “There’s, like, 100 different things I want to do.” It’s all about what comes up and what interests me that I think I can accomplish. If you look at my track record, it’s all art. I’m an artist and I like being creative. When I was 12, I wanted to be in a band and I wanted to be a wrestler. Those were my two dreams and wrestling took off first, but I continue to play and write music. When Fozzy started in ’99, that was this other passion that I have. Now that Fozzy’s gotten to a higher level, you can kind of see lightning striking again. I’m very fortunate.

Dancing came from that, too. Dancing is creative, it’s show business. Writing is that, acting is that, radio is the same thing. If there’s something exciting and creative that I want to do, I’m going to do it. I’ve turned down a lot of stuff because I can’t do everything. So I just try and concentrate on doing the projects that I want to do. There’s also a certain standard of quality that Chris Jericho has established, so I have to make sure the people that enjoy what I do won’t be let down. I can’t halfass anything.

I ran into your Fozzy bandmate Rich Ward recently and he mentioned that you guys are working on a new album. When will that be out?

That will be out at the end of August and it’s the first record on our new label, Century Media, which is the first major label we’ve ever been with. We’ve kind of carved out this cool little niche where we play very heavy, but very melodic, music. It’s something a lot of bands don’t do now. It’s almost like Metallica combined with Journey or something like that. We’ve really gained a big fan base from that and we’re just continuing down that path and expanding upon that. I think people will be blown away by it. I know we are. We’re really excited about it.

Courtesy WWE

Fozzy originally had a back story about bands like Dio, Twisted Sister and Iron Maiden stealing your songs in the ’80s. Why did you decide to drop that gimmick and reveal who was really in the band?

It was just a fun thing we were doing at the time, almost like Pantera started out as a different band. After a couple of records, we realized we really enjoyed doing it and decided we should take it in a different direction. And that’s what we did. In the beginning the band was a cool, fun hobby. Then we did All That Remains, which was all our own stuff and our own personalities and characters and lives and that’s when it really started getting to the next level.

Having come up short on your two attempts to win the WWE title from CM Punk, what are you plans in WWE going forward?

I have a lot of ideas. That’s one of the reasons I came back was because I had this idea with Punk. I think people make a lot of judgments and read a lot of stuff on the Interweb that they choose to believe, but until you actually see what I have in my head you’ll just have to follow along and enjoy the ride. Don’t analyze it, just enjoy it.

For more information, go to www.chrisjericho.com.

World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus prepares to defend his title

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When I last spoke to Sheamus, he was preparing for the Halloween edition of Raw with the Muppets. But after his controversial 18-second victory over Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania XXVIII for the World Heavyweight Championship, Sheamus now has much more serious things to think about as he prepares to defend the title in a 2-out-of-3-falls match this Sunday at Extreme Rules. But even with that rematch just days away, he takes a moment to talk to Wrestling with Pop Culture about becoming World Champion, WWE‘s influx of indie talent and being related to a Muppet.

On Halloween we found out you and Beaker are actually related. How’s he been doing lately?

He’s done really well with that movie. He’s a big movie star now since The Muppets came out, so right now he’s riding high and has a bit of an ego. We’re kind of not talking at the moment. He’ll calm down in a couple of years and give me a call when he needs some money or something.

Speaking of movies, WWE Studios has been releasing a lot of movies starring WWE wrestlers. Do you think you’ll ever star in one of those movies?

Sheamus celebrates his Royal Rumble victory. Courtesy WWE

I’d like to think so, definitely. That’s something I’d love to do and I already had a hand in it before I came to WWE with a small role in The Escapist. As long as it doesn’t interfere with my schedule in WWE, I’d be very happy to do it.

You won the WWE Championship very early in your WWE career and now you are the World Heavyweight Champion. How do you think the two titles compare?

I think both titles have serious lineage and history behind them. Both are a great honor to hold. I held the WWE Championship twice and I’ve always wanted to be the World Heavyweight Champion. When I won the Royal Rumble in January, there was no doubt in my mind I was going to challenge whoever the World Heavyweight Champion was because it’s a title I’d never held.

You defeated Daniel Bryan for that title and the current WWE Champion is CM Punk. Both of them were celebrated indie stars who are now having success in WWE. There are several more guys like them coming up in WWE. How do you feel about this influx of indie talent?

I think it’s fantastic. These guys have a love for what we do and have watched it since their childhood, like myself. They’ve gone through the independents on their own and made a huge name for themselves. A lot of people don’t know that myself, Wade Barrett and Drew McIntyre were also on the indies, so I think it’s great. If you watch Daniel Bryan, he’s a tremendous superstar and talent, just like Punk. They’ve created niches for themselves and it just shows that the company is going in the right direction. There’s a lot of exciting and hungry new talent coming through and it’s a make-or-break competition.

When you were on the indies in Europe with Barrett and McIntyre, how did WWE discover the three of you?

They do TV there twice a year and we had tryouts every six months. We kept our skill up, we kept our level up and we kept getting experience in the independents and we got signed in April ’07. It’s been a phenomenal five years and I can’t believe how much I’ve accomplished.

For more information, go to www.wwe.com.

Cody Rhodes sets his sights on the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships

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In my last interview with Cody Rhodes, the son of the “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes was confident he would defeat “The World’s Largest Athlete” the Big Show to retain his Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania XXVIII. Not only did Cody lose the title to his much larger opponent, but he’s since gone on a losing streak thanks to Show‘s humiliating distractions. But having retained the Intercontinental title against challengers such as Ezekiel Jackson, Sheamus, John Morrison and Booker T, Rhodes cannot be underestimated as he looks to regain his title this Sunday at Extreme Rules. But in this quick interview with Wrestling with Pop Culture, Rhodes reveals his intentions to challenge for one of WWE‘s more prestigious titles in the near future.

Courtesy WWE

Having elevated the status of the Intercontinental Championship to its former glory, what are some of your post-WrestleMania goals in WWE?

It’d probably be best to look at them in the short term because I’ve been looking at things long term in WWE. I’ve been the Intercontinental Champion, I’ve done things that I wanted to do with that title and I feel like we’re still going somewhere with it. But I feel like this is the year that I step into a different picture, I step into the World title picture or the WWE Championship picture.

You recently referred to the Ultimate Warrior when talking about holding the Intercontinental Championship while challenging for a bigger title. Is that something you foresee yourself doing?

I would love to. I talked about being a dual champion a few months ago and that would mean a lot for the Intercontinental title. I’m not sure if I can handle all that stuff. That thing in your bag is a pain, it’s heavy, it never makes it through TSA. I couldn’t imagine having two of them.

Who do you think would be worthy of further elevating the status of the Intercontinental title?

Honestly, it could be anyone from a young group or an older group. If it’s somebody from the younger group, I’d probably say it’s Justin Gabriel. I think there’s a lot for him to showcase that we haven’t seen. If it was somebody from the older group, I’d say it’s my brother, Goldust.

For more information, go to www.wwe.com.

WWE’s Big Show talks about his current career goals

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With his win over Cody Rhodes last month at WrestleMania, the Big Show exacted revenge for the embarrassing video packages of Show‘s less-than-stellar WrestleMania history Rhodes had been airing. But with this victory, the man billed as “The World’s Largest Athlete” also became the Intercontinental Champion for the first time in his decorated career. As he prepares to defend that title in a rematch against Rhodes this Sunday at Extreme Rules, the Big Show talks to Wrestling with Pop Culture about his current goals in wrestling and helping younger Florida Championship Wrestling talent become the next generation of WWE superstars.

Prior to WrestleMania, the Intercontinental title was the only current title you hadn’t held. At this point in your career, is there anything else you have yet to accomplish that you’d like to do?

Courtesy WWE

There are a lot of things I still want to accomplish in my career. It’s funny, I don’t have a room full of trophies and titles and magazines and action figures and all that stuff. I think there’s a room in my house where my wife has all that stuff boxed up, but I’m still looking for next week’s show, next week’s event, next month’s event. I’m still having too much fun performing. I think I’m actually doing a better job now than I’ve done my entire career as far as in-ring performance, promo ability and all that stuff, so I’m still having fun. As long as I can stay on the active roster and stay competitive, I don’t see myself doing anything else.

As far as goals, I just want to help make the business better than it was when I came in. That’s all I can do. I don’t have any wisdom for you. Sorry, buddy. I’m a working man.

Is there anyone you haven’t faced or have yet to defeat that you’d like to face?

I’ve never been really big on the win-loss thing. I’ve probably had a couple thousand matches and I couldn’t tell you how many I’ve won or lost. I can’t tell you what I did four weeks ago. But there’s a lot of new up-and-coming talent from FCW and a lot of up-and-coming talent on our current roster I wouldn’t mind getting in the ring and rolling around with because someday they’re going to be pretty big stars themselves. It’d be nice to be able to say I’ve been in the ring with those guys. I’ve been fortunate enough to have been in the ring with a lot of the most fantastic stars this business has ever seen, and some of the new talent coming up looks pretty amazing, too. It’ll be fun to get in there and rock ‘n’ roll with them a little bit.

Is there anyone in particular you’d like to mention?

Ah, you’ll see.

For more information, go to www.wwe.com.