Bill Goldberg recently spoke with The Phoenix New Times to promote his appearance at the Clickjab Wrestling Fan Fest this weekend. Here are some highlights:

Getting advice from Jim Ross before launching his podcast:
"Well, yeah. Absolutely. I've been taking Jim's advice for the past 30 years. He and I go way back to my Oklahoma days. So why reinvent the wheel and why not talk to people who have tread before you? And he obviously knows what he's doing. And I'm not a radio personality by any stretch, but if you stop learning, you die, and I'm firmly a believer in that. So I'll take advice from everybody, doesn't mean that I'm actually going to act on it. But you gotta admit, when you're not an expert at something and are able to hear advice from different people and discern between the good advice and bad advice, you do that and go from there."

His podcast being different from others:
"Yeah. At the end of the day, man, the reason I did the podcast is because I went through my Rolodex and thought, "There has to be a way to take advantage of all the cool people that I know." So, in the beginning, by not [featuring] wrestlers, I wouldn't be able to gain that much traction as the other guys, but I'm not at all like the other guys. I'm different.

I'm not a wrestler. I am a football player who looked at wrestling as a business. I do not live it, I do not breathe it, I do not eat it and s--t it like everybody else does. And I truly believe that there's a lot more interesting content out there that I'm going to try turning these wrestling fans on to that's cool. I've been leading a pretty cool life and have some really cool friends."

Would he have Chris Jericho on as a guest?
"Absolutely. Why not? We'll do a co-promoted podcast where it should be aired on both simultaneously. Yeah. No big deal. I'm 47 years old, man, I don't hold grudges with people. If he's got a problem with me, say it to my face. Other than that, shut up, you know?"

Jericho tweeting Goldberg is his "bro" and that anyone "trying to stir the s--t can piss off":
"Yeah, that's how I feel too, man. And I very much appreciate him saying that. Until I talk to him face-to-face, which I haven't done since the B.S. went down years ago, which...it was ridiculous. It was the furthest thing from a fight that I think I've ever seen. But he knows the truth and I know the truth, and the reality is we're grown men, dude, we've got bigger and better things to do than [dwell] on a ridiculous little subject that people seem to bring up every couple minutes."

Is he a tough guy or a softie at public appearances and Scott Hall:
"Well, they know that I'm the antithesis outside of the ring of the character that I am inside, except for the fact that, you know, you piss me off or do something that's wrong then I'm going to show that other side of Goldberg. I mean, the reality is, I'm multi-dimensional in the person that I can become at the snap of a finger. But the most important aspect of my personality is the one that's caring and the one that tries to give back to people who have put me in a position that I'm already in.

The wrestling convention or the signings are not the place to show that I can punch somebody in the face. It's a place where the people can look at you as an idol, this big strong guy, but yet, at the same time, have a nice conversation with you, so you smile, put your arm around them and make them feel welcome. That's what you do at these autograph sessions. But, if Scott Hall mouths off to me, then they'll see the other side.

This would be a rematch that he'd never book, believe it. He'd never sign it, because this one would be done in the street or at my gym, which I'd rather take it there, you know?"

A possible WWE return:
" I've expressed my desire...well, not my desire, my willingness to maybe consider it again, but I've said it once, I've said it 50,000 times, once they learn how to do business, then I'd consider it.

I'd love to do it too, man. I mean, like I said, I've said it before, I think the WWE and I will never see eye to eye, so I don't think [it] will be very logical, and I think the chances of seeing me elsewhere are between zero and zero, unless it's Japan or unless somebody comes out to be a competitor to [WWE's owner Vince McMahon], because I'm not just gonna do it to do it."

What's next for him:
"I've got a movie [Minkow] coming up in September [and] just got off a conference call with a new TV show. I'm pretty damn busy man. I'm as busy as I want to be. And at this time in my life, at 47 years old, I just want to be able to make my own decisions and live by it. So as long I'm still able to do that, then I'm good, man.

I don't need to vindicate anything because of my last match against Brock Lesnar, by no stretch of the imagination. Because I haven't seen anybody press [slam] him over their head yet. When that's a normal occasion, then I won't feel as though I accomplished very much. But I haven't seen anyone jackhammer The Giant [a.k.a. WWE's The Big Show] yet. So, if I'm the "flash in the pan," as a couple people have said I was, so be it. But this "flash in the pan" put asses in seats, money in a lot of people's pockets, and I was able to jackhammer The Giant at will."

The full interview can be read at this link.

Chuck Carroll of CBS Baltimore recently spoke with Natalya to promote WWE's Battleground pay-per-view. She talked about Sting's arrival, working NXT & the main roster, her match with Charlotte and more. Below are some highlights:

Sting in WWE:
"I think it's cool. When we saw the debut of the new video game, that Sting is part of (WWE 2K15), it was awesome. It was like, 'oh my gosh.' Nobody ever thought you'd see Sting in WWE and now you see him. I can say this from experience, especially growing up around WWE my entire life, I'm one of those people that think Sting could possibly have another match in WWE."

Drunk dialing Stephanie McMahon:
"Nobody, including Steph, ever expected something like [that] to happen. It's something now that we laugh about. The lesson learned is don't ever go into 'Brie Mode!'"

Total Divas season 3:
"We have a new cast member, Rosa Mendes. And then we have, obviously, Summer Rae, who was a new cast member from last season. Summer and I never really repaired our relationship from the past. It's something of course I want to work on. We've got some issue there and we go back and revisit that."

Bray Wyatt Reacts to Flair Busting Him Open

During a recent interview with CBS Tampa Bay, to promote this Sunday’s WWE Battleground PPV in Tampa, Bray Wyatt had the following to say regarding being busted open by Ric Flair at WWE’s Madison Square Garden event:

“I look at it as an honor. Madison Square Garden. Ric Flair. John Cena. At the end of a long, long, long war, a little [bruise] is not so bad,” Wyatt said. “I’m used to having stitches and things all over my body, so I didn’t even know I was bleeding. I thought I was blind!”

Update on WrestleMania 31 Poster

The WrestleMania 31 poster, featuring The Rock, Brock Lesnar and Batista, which was posted on the official Levi’s Stadium website, has been taken down, and has been replaced by the WrestleMania 31 logo.

WWE Continues to Tease ‘Taker vs Sting

WWE continues to tease The Undertaker vs Sting, as WWE.com has published a new poll asking fans who would win the dream matchup. With over 20,000 votes cast, Undertaker is leading with 65% of the vote.

Sorry to All of you Guys that i had not been able to post here for now about 2 week due to some emergencies now i am back and we will be good to go . So who wants some action pack action and rumots :P

Word going around is that Vince McMahon has ordered major cutbacks across the board in WWE, far beyond the cuts that have taken place so far.

The dollar figure floating around that McMahon would like to slice off of the current budget is said to be into the eight figures, meaning tens-of-millions of dollars.

The motivation for the cuts is to offset the losses involved in starting up the WWE Network, as well as offsetting the amount involved in the new television deal, as the company had promised a significantly larger number prior to finalizing their current deal.

Recently released WWE Superstar Brodus Clay was a guest on The Roman Show and talked about what it was like working with John Cena:

“He is a pro. He comes to work everyday,” he said. "He is straight forward and tells you exactly what it is. One of my things was I didn’t get to work a match with him. I would have dropped the weight I did and keep the muscle I have."

"He is a great leader in terms of he talks it; he walks it. He is the face of the WWE and likely so. He (Cena) gave us all an opportunity to train and have the same training regiment. The training of the NBA and NFL with Olympic lifts for maintenance, for power, better cardiovascular. He was on the forefront. He gave guys an opportunity.”

Former "Jersey Shore" star Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi was interviewed by Chris Jericho on this week's Talk Is Jericho podcast and says she's dying to get back with WWE.

Snooki, who hosted WWE RAW back in 2011 and wrestled at WrestleMania 27, says she's literally "begging" WWE CEO Vince McMahon to let her get back in the ring:

"I’m actually begging [Vince McMahon] to go back because I want to wrestle more."

Snooki has slimmed down since her days on Jersey Shore and is currently pregnant:

"Just having more muscle and being more flexible, I feel like can do more moves in the ring. It was such a fun experience that I would definitely go back for more."

Sponsored Links WWE sent out another Fan Council survey on Thursday, asking fans which 
Superstars they want to see have week-long programming on the WWE Network and what type of WWE fan watches certain WWE Network shows:

You will see a list of Superstars that may be featured in special week-long programming on the WWE Network. The week would include programming that highlights the Superstar's favorite matches, promos, rivalries, catch-phrases and greatest WrestleMania moments. Please rate your interested in watching week-long special programming featuring each of the following Superstars.

• The Kaliq
• Sting
• Stone Cold Steve Austin
• The Rock
• John Cena 
• Christian
• Cm Punk
• Andre the Giant
• The Hardy Boys
• The Big Show
• Hulk Hogan
• Lex Luger
• The Authority 
• Randy "Macho man" Savage
• Alberto Del Rio

For each of the following WWE Network shows, please rate who watches the show in your household

• Old School Raw
• WWE , WCW , ECW , PPV'S and Classic Matches
• Legends House
• WWE Countdown
• Replays of Recent Raw and Smack Down
• Wrestle Mania Rewind
• Legends of Wrestling
• Replays of Total Divas
• Raw Pre-shows
• Current 2014 live pay-per-view
• Beyond the Ring

For each of the following WWE Network shows, please rate the type of fan who watches the show in your household (Hard-core, passionate fans, Moderate fans, casual fans, Occasional, less interested fans, No one watches this show in my household)

• WWE Countdown
• Legends' House
• Replays of Total Divas
• Legends of Wrestling
• Raw Pre shows
• Current 2014 live pay-per-views
• WWE, WCW, ECW pay-per-views and classic matches
• WrestleMania Rewind
• Beyond The Ring
• Old School Raw
• Replays of recent Raw and SmackDown shows

Roman Reigns has all but been declared the next poster boy of the WWE. He has the look, lineage, move set, and style that the WWE loves. Seems like a home run right? I’m not so sure. I agree Reigns has all the potential to be a top star, but can we honestly say he is even the best member of The Shield? I can’t say that he is. In many ways, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose have carried Reigns during their run as the top faction in wrestling. Will Reigns be able to stand alone once he is on his own? That is the big question I have regarding Roman Reigns.

A perfect example of what I am talking about is this past “Monday Night Raw.” Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Dean Ambrose all cut promos. Ambrose and Rollins delivered arguably their best promo’s since being called up to the WWE main roster, Reigns, however, cut a pretty predictable and standard promo for him. If you watch Reigns’ promo’s he often gets a big pop when he first speaks, then the crowd dies down, towards the end he says a curse word, gets a cheap pop, and finishes by saying he is going to kick someone’s ass. Over the past month or so, all of his promo’s have followed this format. The June 9 edition of “Raw” was built around The Shield and Seth Rollins heel turn. The entire wrestling world’s eyes were on these three men, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose delivered and looked like stars, and to me, Roman Reigns fell a little short.

It also appears the WWE believes Reigns has some limitations in the ring as well. Whenever a member of The Shield has had a one-on-one match up, they choose Rollins or Ambrose. The reason behind this is Reigns is limited in the ring. Now, I am not saying Reigns is terrible in the ring. I actually enjoy his work in the ring, but his work thus far has been limited. He’s been used to get that hot tag and hit a few signature moves, but not carry a match. He is obviously incredibly athletic and can connect with the crowd, but is he able to work a singles match for 20 minutes and keep the crowd captivated? At this point I can’t say that he can, and by WWE’s lack of showcasing his talents in a one-on-one setting, they are giving the impression that they agree.

What I want to see from Roman Reigns is growth and development. Take some risks with your character, don’t be afraid to try something different. To his credit Reigns has come a long way since he first debuted with The Shield at “Survivor Series” in Nov. 2012. His skills both in the ring and on the microphone have strengthened tremendously, but he is about to pushed in the main event picture. There is talk of him headlining “Wrestlemania 31.” If the WWE Network did not exist, would you pay to $70.00 to see him in the main event? Some might, but it would not be the draw they need. I need to see Reigns be able to stand on his own. I need him to wrestle great matches on his own, where he is not being used just to hit a few big moves. Now, possibly more than ever, fans crave great wrestling matches. Guys like Daniel Bryan, Sami Zayn, and Cesaro have gotten over based how great they are in the ring. Reigns needs to show that he is capable of having these quality matches, or over time he will fall from from the main event.

The WWE is in a unique point in the company. Top stars like John Cena, CM Punk, Triple H, Randy Orton, and Batista are either gone from the company or do not have many years left. The company is making an effort to build new stars. They have targeted Reigns as one of these people, but with the young talent WWE has right now, there is not much room for failure. If Reigns stumbles at all on his own a guy like Sami Zayn, Adrian Neville, Bo Dallas, Tyler Breeze, Cesaro, Rusev, Big E, Wade Barrett, or numerous others will be waiting for their chance at being the top guy in the company. Open competition is a great thing, hopefully Roman Reigns will feed off of this competition and rise to the top.

As I mentioned earlier, Roman Reigns appears to have all the tools to be a top star in the wrestling business. He has a great family lineage, appealing look, great build, charisma, and athleticism. Many have already dubbed him the next big star, or heir apparent to John Cena as carrying the company. I think he could get there, but he needs to continue to develop in the ring and on the microphone. If he can, we could have the next Rock or Stone Cold, however, if he is not able to show he can become a strong singles competitor, we could look be looking a guy who falls from the top quickly. Time will tell, but hopefully he will show the world why we should Believe in Roman Reigns.

Roman Reigns, you have been Burned!

Today, Thursday, June 12, there is a lot of buzz among professional wrestling fans about WWE’s decision to release 11 members of its talent. The news came as a shock to many, as recent reports suggested that WWE would let its talents’ contracts expire, instead of releasing them.

Former WWE Superstar Trent Barreta is one of many who has taken to Twitter to comment on the matter. Barreta is no stranger to being released by the company. His almost six year tenure with the company came to an end on January 11, 2013, when WWE released him.

Below are Barreta’s (@trentylocks) tweets on the releases. One of them sees Barreta take a shot at Kofi Kingston, who Barreta once clashed with following his release:



Though, afterwards, Barreta did tweet this in regards to his Kofi Kingston tweet:


As mentioned, this is not the first time Barreta has taken a shot at Kofi Kingston. Below are a series of tweets between the two following Barreta’s release in 2013:

Following WWE’s decision to release 11 members of its talent, WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross took to his blog on JRsBarBq.com to comment on the matter.

"Ross may very well be no stranger to being released by WWE. While he “retired” from the company on September 11, 2013, it is highly speculated that Ross was actually fired. In fact, in January of 2014, Ross confirmed that he was released by WWE due to his role in a “WWE 2K14″ panel ,which was out of control to say the least."

Below are Ross’ words on WWE releasing a slew of talent on Thursday, June 12:

Days like these are exactly the reason that I have stressed, and often times been criticized, for preaching that all wrestling personnel have a viable plan B. It’s not fair to one’s family to not have a plan B especially in the volatile world of pro wrestling, pro sports and entertainment, in general.

The demise of the territories rears it’s ugly and much missed head again on days such as this.

For the young talents that are now non WWE talents, your dreams can still come true if that’s the path with which you choose to commit. One thing is for sure….if one turns in their jersey then the game is over…your time has run out…and it’s time to explore other options that hopefully are more structured and less volatile. In other words, don’t quit if being in the business still resonates in your heart. By no means should any one cease attempting to live their dreams simply because they are no longer working in WWE or any other company for that matter.”

Be sure to read Ross’ entire post, here. Ross also talks about his recent podcast with “The Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase, in addition to a possible project with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin in the future.

The show was short segmented following is the detail of two matches on WWE superstars.

• Dolph Zigler Def Titus O Neil
• Adam Rose Def Heath Slater

Sponsored Links The following is a preview for tonight's episode of WWE SmackDown, taped Tuesday night from Green Bay, Wisconsin:

• Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt in a MITB qualifying match
• US hampion Sheamus vs. Cesaro (Non-title match)
• IC champion Wade Barrett vs. Roman Reigns
• Erick Rowan vs. Jey Uso
• Big E. vs. Jack Swagger
• Fandango vs. Adam Rose
• Bo Dallas vs. R-Truth
• Alicia Fox vs. Aksana

match

ORLANDO, Fla. — On an action-packed edition of WWE NXT, NXT Champion Adrian Neville successfully defended his title against a desperate Tyson Kidd in a Takeover rematch. Tension brewing among NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte, Sasha Banks & Summer Rae cost The BFFs a Six-Diva Tag Team Match, while Sami Zayn foiled the masked machinations of newcomer “Mr. NXT.”

Paige, Emma & Bayley def. Charlotte, Sasha Banks & Summer Rae After suffering a vicious assault at the hands of the BFFs, Bayley was joined by her new pals, WWE Divas Champion Paige and Emma, to battle the mean girls in a Six-Diva Tag Team Match. However, there was obvious tension brewing among Charlotte, Summer Rae and Sasha Banks. Though they looked dominant throughout the match, the BFFs’ unspoken uneasiness boiled over when Charlotte shoved Summer Rae to the arena floor with a boot. The distraction allowed Bayley to roll up the NXT Women’s Champion to claim the win for her trio!

Colin Cassady def. Sylvester Lefort With his fellow Legionnaire, Marcus Louis, waving the French flag in his corner, Sylvester Lefort set out to derail 7-footer Colin Cassady, who’s been on a roll as of late. Unfortunately for Lefort, he was outsized and outmuscled by his opponent. Big Cass pummeled the Frenchman into the canvas before clobbering him with a big boot and hitting the East River Crossing for the three-count.

Sami Zayn def. Mr. NXT Newcomer Mr. NXT set out to make an immediate impact upon his debut. From the moment he entered the arena, the NXT Universe and Sami Zayn felt like they recognized the familiar actions of the masked grappler. Mr. NXT looked quite impressive against Zayn, until the French-Canadian Superstar removed his mask, revealing Bo Dallas! The unmasking caught Bo off guard, leaving him open to the Helluva Kick, which allowed Zayn to pick up the win. Having violated the terms of his Win or Go Home Match, Dallas was chased around ringside by security. Though he clung to the ring with every fiber of his being, Bo was forcibly removed from the arena as the NXT Universe laughed in delight.

NXT Champion Adrian Neville def. Tyson Kidd (NXT Championship Match) A remorseful Tyson Kidd got the NXT Championship rematch he asked for against Adrian Neville. With his wife, Natalya, watching intently from ringside, Kidd took control of the bout early by wrestling the champion to the ground. However, the resilient Neville was able to escape from Kidd’s grasp and take flight.

The aggressive Hart Dungeon graduate battled back and nearly had the bout won after landing a somersault legdrop with Neville trapped in the ropes. At the very last second, though, the champion put his foot on the ropes. The referee had counted three and Kidd thought he had the championship won, but the referee saw Neville’s foot on the ropes, and reversed his call.

A frustrated Kidd, desperate for victory at any cost, left the ring and grabbed a steel chair after Neville fought out of a flurry of high-impact moves. Before he could batter the NXT Champion with it, Natalya ripped the chair from Kidd’s hands, admonishing her husband that he was “better than that.” The distraction allowed Neville to recover, clobber Kidd with a superkick and hit the Red Arrow to retain his title.

WWE Superstar Mark Henry has responded to a tweet by Curt Hawkins, who called Henry an "idiot" earlier today. Hawkins was among the 11 people released by WWE on Thursday.

As the news of the massive layoffs was making the rounds, Mark Henry, who was celebrating his birthday, tweeted:





Well, it turns out that Mark Henry was unaware that WWE had just gone on a firing spree and was simply making a statement that he's still with WWE after almost two decades.

After being released from WWE on Thursday as part of an 11-person layoff, Brodus Clay is headed to Japan this summer to protest dolphin hunting.

The Fankasaurus spoke to TMZ.com and said even though he's bummed about losing his job, he' excited to move on to new projects like acting and writing a book.

He's open to the possibility of wrestling in Japan, but his main focus is "bringing awareness to the cause" of saving dolphins.

Sponsored Links WWE has added Brodus Clay, Drew McIntyre, Evan Bourne, Aksana, Curt Hawkins, Jinder Mahal, Yoshi Tatsu, Theodore Long, JTG and Camacho to their "Alumni" section of WWE.com today following their release from the company.

Speaking of today's releases, Yoshi Tatsu commented on his official Twitter account about his release from WWE today. Tatsu tweeted the following:

Following their release from WWE today, both Brodus Clay and Curt Hawkins have already signed to work their first post-WWE appearances, as the two will make their Pro Wrestling Syndicate debut in Rahway, New Jersey on September 20th.

The official Twitter account of the independent promotion tweeted the following:

Former WWE Superstar Jinder Mahal, who was officially let go from the company earlier today, posted the following comments on his official Twitter account regarding his release:

- Former WWE Superstar Trent Baretta, who went on the record when he was released from the company as saying, "Now that I'm fired, I can finally sat it: Kofi Kingston is an asshole," is back on Twitter with another anti-Kingston comment. Baretta tweeted the following after today's WWE releases:



- Speaking of today's releases, Evan Bourne, who was one of the eleven talents released today, tweeted the following about his release: