WWE Network Sammelthread

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We're live from backstage at WWE RAW in Phoenix, Arizona with the latest Steve Austin "Stone Cold" WWE Network podcast. His guest is AJ Styles. Austin opens by congratulating the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers on winning the NBA Championship this week. He thanks Kevin Love for the various Stone Cold tributes. Austin says Foley did a good job filling in for him last month but he's back. Austin introduces his guest, the Phenomenal One - AJ Styles. Austin welcomes him. Austin asks how he is and AJ says he's better than he deserves. He's just excited to be a part of everything. Austin says he just watched Styles cut a great promo with John Cena and then stomp a mudhole in him. Austin asks Styles how he's feeling and hitting in. Styles wasn't sure how everyone would respond to him before he came in but he's been treated like gold. Styles says he was made to feel at home very quickly, maybe too quickly so he dialed it back a but. Styles is happy where he's at right now and appreciates working hard for what he wants. He likes working hard to get to the main event. He knows he's not the biggest guy in the company so he knows he has something to prove when he gets in the ring, which is why he just goes at it. He wouldn't call it a chip on his shoulder, he's just always been told he's not the biggest guy.

Austin gives AJ some advice - next time he gets Cena on the mat and the chance to stomp him, do it because those opportunities are rare. Austin tells AJ to turn the volume up because he doesn't want to get lost in the shuffle. Austin talks about doing a lot of research on AJ and how he's been around the world. They talk about AJ being born at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina as his dad is a Marine. AJ talks about how his dad was a terrible father when he drank too much but he still knew his dad loved him and supported him in sports. AJ admits his dad went too far with some of the spankings he gave, saying they got beatings sometimes. AJ says the way he was raised absolutely affected how he raises his kids. He learned from his parent's mistakes. They talk about how AJ was into football, baseball and basketball when he was younger. They also talk about collegiate wrestling and Austin brings up how Kurt Angle puts over AJ as one of the most talented wrestlers he's been in the ring with. Austin brings up AJ being a religious guy. He talks about going to a Baptist college and didn't feel right about hurting his opponents and talking trash like in high school. He didn't finish college. He talks about his parents not being good with money and they were dirt poor, living in a trailer. He says that was their life for a long time. AJ dropped out of college and really didn't have a plan B but he knew he was going to marry the girl he was dating. He went home to get a regular job and two "jacked up" friends from school ended up getting him into the business.

AJ talks about how he was never afraid of doing flips, which is how his style was developed. He learned some from his now-wife, who was a cheerleader then. He briefly talks about debuting under a mask with the name Mr. Olympia. He talks about really learning a lot after sitting down with Terry Taylor, maybe 8 years after he had already been in the business. Styles can't say enough about how Taylor helped him. Regarding his style, Styles says he can wok any style that a match needs to happen and Austin says that's one of his strong points. Styles says at the beginning, he was more influenced by the athletes like Lance Storm but as he got into storytelling, he admired how everything Shawn Michaels did mattered. He felt the little things Shawn did made his matches great. Austin asks how AJ's wife adapted to the rough business. AJ says she's awesome and they have dated since high school. Having kids kind of settled them down and they just made it work. Styles mentions how he was a little depressed after WCW. He says John Laurinaitis was the one who gave him his job in WCW and then told him that WWE wasn't picking up his contract when they bought the company. AJ says at the time, he didn't need to be there. He says he wasn't ready and would have fizzled out. Styles says it's all part of God's plan to him. Styles gives Christopher Daniels a lot of credit for helping him make a living on the indies. WWE offered him a deal years ago and wanted him to move to Cincinnati for developmental but his wife was in college and he just didn't feel it was right to make her go live with her parents again. His wife wanted him to go but he still passed on it. They bring up TNA. Styles says he was wrestling on a World Wrestling All Stars tour when he met Jeff Jarrett. He struck a deal in Australia and believes he was the first guy TNA ever signed. AJ says he spent 11 strong years in TNA. AJ says for 6 months he didn't care, it was just another indie where he was able to earn some bucks. AJ says after a while he realized they had something going there. He talks about having amazing matches and the company getting bought out by Panda Energy, then moving to Orlando and big things happening. Austin asks what AJ thinks about Dixie Carter running the company, someone with no experience in the business. Styles says everything was going good as they still had the wrestling aspect there from the Jarretts. He talks about top talents like Samoa Joe, Christian, Kurt Angle, Frankie Kazarian and Daniels. Austin asks if they ever felt they were legit competition for WWE. Styles says at the time they thought they could be competition for WWE, that was the goal, but then they realized they needed to be competition for everyone, including UFC, and just needed to go at it. Austin asks if Styles ever felt second-fiddle to the big names. Styles says he felt Dixie was always a fan of who she saw on TV but he still had a part to play. Austin asks about the six-sided ring and says it looked like a pain in the ass. AJ thought it made them different and different is good, he still thinks that to this day. He mentions Hulk Hogan coming in and changing things to a traditional ring. He admits the six-sided ring is a lot more rough.

AJ talks about getting the Phenomenal nickname on the indies. Austin asks who the Phenomenal One is. AJ says he's someone who will give you something special in the ring any tine, any place. At the same time, he's enjoying himself in the ring. Austin gives Styles props for his confidence and how well he did in a town like Las Vegas against John Cena at Money In the Bank. He asks why AJ left TNA. AJ felt like when you work hard, you should get paid. They wanted him to take a pay cut and he didn't think that was right. AJ says he bet on himself and he believes in himself, and everything worked out. Austin gives him props for that. They talk about working ROH and New Japan next. AJ says he went straight to the top and talks about Finn Balor leaving, and AJ revealing himself to be in The Bullet Club. AJ talks about how he didn't realize how good some of the Japanese talents like Okada, Tanahashi and Shinsuke Nakamura would be. Austin asks how AJ came up with some of his moves because he's never seen them before. AJ wants all his moves to be unique so people think of only him when they see it. He talks about how all moves have been done but there are ways to put little twists on them. Styles goes on and talks about how he likes to get hit hard, to "make a sound" and protect the business. Some of his career highlights have been lately since coming to WWE, like being in the Royal Rumble for the first time. He talks again about being worried no one would know who he was and then he couldn't believe the reaction he got. Austin asks why AJ decided to come to WWE now, all these years later. AJ says there was just an opportunity. He got in touch with a friend who knew Triple H, who said he was going to call him but never did. AJ realized he was 37 and would be happy if they never called. Two weeks later, he got the call. He just wanted to get back home to his kids and talked to a few different groups, including TNA. He said he had a 30 minute talk with Triple H, their first ever, and after that he knew WWE was where he belonged. Austin asks how WWE is ran compared to other groups. He says WWE is the most professionally ran organization he's worked for. He's impressed by catering, saying he never really had that anywhere else. They agree WWE is the major leagues. Styles says he knows who is in charge and he can go to the source. He wasn't sure who was in charge of other places. Styles knows Vince McMahon is in charge but if he's busy, he can go to Triple H or someone else and talk about it. He does feel WWE is giving him every opportunity to make a name for himself. Vince told him he wanted the "pitbull" AJ and he knew he could pull it off. He also talks about his first WrestleMania experience and says it doesn't get better than being there. AJ admits his kids were upset he lost at WrestleMania.

Austin asks if AJ prefers to work heel or babyface. AJ says he prefers to work where he's needed but it's easier to work as a heel because of what you can get away with. He's having fun. Austin asks what the future holds for AJ in WWE. He hopes the work ethic he's showing will provide some kind of office job when he's done with the ring. He doesn't believe in the while glass ceiling talk. He says it's his job to get over and doesn't believe someone can hold you down if you give people what they want to see. AJ says he's just scratched the surface when it comes to his physicality and he may have some tricks to pull out in the future. Austin praises Styles and warns him that these are shark-infested waters. Austin says he will be back in a month or two but isn't sure who his guest will be. Austin signs off for AJ and ends the podcast.

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The WWE Network has added several episodes of WCW Monday Nitro from the years 1999 and 2000. Here is a list of the episodes that was added:

Nitro 208 – 09/13/1999 (Dean Dome – Chapel Hill, NC)

Nitro 209 – 09/20/1999 (Firstar Center – Cincinnati, OH)

Nitro 210 – 09/27/1999 (Philips Arena – Atlanta, GA)

Nitro 212 – 10/11/1999 (Ms. Coast Col. And Conv. Center – Biloxi, MS)

Nitro 214 – 10/25/1999 (America West Arena – Phoenix, AZ)

Nitro 215 – 11/01/1999 (Target Center – Minneapolis, MN)

Nitro 217 – 11/15/1999 (Alltel Arena – Little Rock, AR)

Nitro 219 – 11/29/1999 (Pepsi Center – Denver, CO)

Nitro 222 – 12/20/1999 (Baltimore Arena – Baltimore, MD)

Nitro 223 – 12/27/1999 (Astrodome – Houston, TX)

Nitro Millenium Special – 12/29/1999 (WCW Headquarters – Atlanta, GA)

Nitro 227 – 01/24/2000 (Staples Center – Los Angeles, CA)

Nitro 234 – 03/14/2000 (Providence Civic Center – Providence, RI)

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Beim aktuellen Pittsburgh-RAW (25. Juli 2016) wurde von der WWE offiziell bestätigt, dass WWE Champion Dean Ambrose am Montag, den 08. August 2016 beim „Stone Cold Podcast LIVE“ bei Steve Austin zu Gast sein wird. Der besagte „Stone Cold Podcast LIVE“ wird bekanntlich auf dem WWE Network ausgestrahlt, unmittelbar nachdem das Anaheim-RAW am 08. August 2016 auf dem USA Network „off-air“ gegangen ist.

WWE via Twitter:

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"Don't miss wwe World Champion @TheDeanAmbrose on the #StoneColdPodcast LIVE in TWO WEEKS on wwe Network!"

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(Quelle: WWE)

Wie die WWE offiziell verkündet hat, wird beginnend mit dem heutigen Dienstag, den 02. August 2016 immer Dienstagabends unmittelbar nach der TV-Ausstrahlung von SmackDown! LIVE eine Post-SmackDown! Show namens „Talking Smack“ auf dem WWE Network ausgestrahlt werden.

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Can’t get enough SmackDown Live? Tonight at 10 p.m. ET /7 p.m. PT, WWE Network presents the premiere of „WWE Talking Smack,“ the exciting new weekly post-SmackDown Live show filled with exclusive interviews and expert analysis.

Take a special look inside everything Team Blue and find out how each week’s episode will affect the spirited competition with Monday Night Raw.

[Blockierte Grafik: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Co3nyrdWIAAZG_9.jpg]

(Quelle: WWE)

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The WWE Network has started to upload "Saturday 6:05 PM" episodes of Jim Crockett Promotions and World Championship Wrestling TV episodes from 1987, 1988 and 1989.

All of those years feature a ton of tremendous talent and great wrestling, so if you are an old school NWA fan or want to see some really great content, the next few days should feature even more being added to the Network.

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-Steve Austin and Dean Ambrose shook hands. Austin said they were talking pickup trucks and country music before they went on the air. Austin said he didn’t expect that from Ambrose, who said there is good and bad country and rock music. He said he prefers old music.

- Ambrose spoke about his formative years. He said he’s from Cincinnati. He said the city has given everyone him, Brian Pillman, Jerry Springer, and Carmen Electra. He said you have to check on the Electra part.

- Ambrose said his mom worked overnights and his father lived out of state. He said he and his sister figured out how to do things for themselves. He said they just wandered the streets, learned things, and did things. “We became very independent,” Ambrose said. “I really love that kind of upcoming, turning me into the person that I am.”

- Austin asked about Ambrose’s relationship with his father. He said his parents divorced when he was young. Ambrose said his mom recently quit her factory job after 13 years. He said he finally convinced her to quit her job and he paid off her home. Austin asked if he had a happy childhood. Ambrose said yes.

-Austin asked Ambrose what type of student he was. Ambrose said he did well initially, but once he got to the point where he thought as an individual, then he didn’t care. He said he didn’t care by the time he got to high school. He said it wasn’t a work ethic thing. He said he has a very strong work ethic and he’s proud of it. He said he was young and stupid. He said he dropped out of school. He said he questioned why he needed to learn certain things. “I thought I was smarter than everybody here,” he said. Ambrose said he was exploring the world of wrestling by the time he was 16 or 17.

- Ambrose said he wrestled and played football in school. He said the problem was that you had to stay eligible. Ambrose said he was a nose tackle and played both ways. He said he doesn’t think his school ever won a game because they were a tiny school.

- Austin asked what Ambrose’s parents said about dropping out. Ambrose said nothing. He compared it to the movie “Office Space” where the main character just stopped going to work. Ambrose said he was into some things in school that he should not have been. Austin pushed, but Ambrose said he probably shouldn’t be talking about it. “I was a wreck in high school,” he said. Ambrose said school came easy to him and he could have gotten straight A’s, but he was doing his own thing.

- Austin asked if Ambrose’s childhood was discombobulated compared to the norm. Ambrose said it was in some ways, but he just developed a way to look at the world he does and he doesn’t know any different. Ambrose said he feels that people who grow up in a traditional family and go get a regular job end up miserable by the time they are 30.

- Ambrose said he doesn’t have a first memory of wrestling, but he also doesn’t remember a time that wrestling wasn’t his favorite thing. He said it was a fantasy world that you wanted to be in as a kid. Austin asked who Ambrose’s favorite wrestler was. Ambrose said he missed Hulkamania, but he liked Bret Hart. He said Bret was “a cagey son of a bitch.”

- Austin asked how Ambrose got into the business. Ambrose said he always had a feeling in the back of his mind. He said he always had an intuition that he could do it and be good at it. He also said he became obsessed with wrestling as he got older. He said he used to shoplift stacks of tapes. He said he would apologize to Blockbuster Video, but they are not around anymore and can’t come after him. He said he recorded wrestling, then purchased Japanese tapes, and learned from the magazines.

- Ambrose said he loves ECW and it hit him at just the right time when he was 12-13 years-old. Ambrose said he loved Terry Funk. He said Funk wasn’t his favorite guys, but he loves all the old NWA Champions such as Harley Race, Ric Flair, Jack Brisco, etc.

- Austin asked who mentored Ambrose. He said he doesn’t really have just one. He said he went to Les Thatcher’s school and was trained by Cody Hawk. He said he couldn’t be happier that he went to their school. He said he saw a flier on a telephone pole for the Heartland Wrestling Association, and he saw the ad for Thatcher’s camp on the back of the program. He said it was like a light went off and that’s where he wanted to go. He said he hung out and sold popcorn and swept the floor because he was 16 and needed to be 18 to train. He said Thatcher runs an old school camp.

- Ambrose said some things came easy to him in school, but he’s also clumsy and other things did not. He said it was two years of getting his ass kicked. He said he loved the school. Austin said there’s no amateur style wrestling in Ambrose. Dean said that’s not his style. He said he learned to call it in the ring and that’s how he prefers it.

- Austin asked when he realized that wrestling was what he wanted to do with his life. Ambrose said he always knew. Austin asked if there was a time when he left the business. Ambrose said no. He asked Austin if he was reading the internet. Austin said no, he was watching and questioned if he worked at a health club. Ambrose said he did, but he worked weekends. He said there were times when he came close to quitting. He said that after you put in enough time and don’t get rewarded, you start to wonder if it’s ever going to happen. He said those type of failures helped him get himself to the next level. Austin asked if he had a Plan B. Ambrose said no.

- Ambrose said he decided that he might not ever become a millionaire, but he wanted to put together a good body of work. He said things started improving for him once he decided to take that approach. Ambrose said he started to develop that attitude in 2008. He said he decided he didn’t care if WWE wanted him at that point. Austin asked if WWE was the ultimate goal. Ambrose said it was.

- Ambrose said he would get frustrated watching Raw and felt that he could be right there working against John Cena. He said he decided to do his thing and be just as good as WWE wrestlers even if he was wrestling elsewhere.

- Ambrose said WWE never rolled out the red carpet for him. He said he was living on his buddy’s floor in Philadelphia when he got a call from a 203 number. He said it was a guy named Ty Bailey, who worked for WWE at the time. Ambrose thought it was a friend of his ribbing him. Ambrose said he’s lucky he didn’t screw it up because he didn’t think the call was real. He said Joey Mercury called him an hour later. Ambrose said he knew Mercury well enough to know his voice. Mercury congratulated him. Ambrose said he had to process it and called Mercury back.

- Ambrose said he was freaking out about his call. He said if they would have knocked on the door and saw him or had watched the work he was doing on the independent scene, then they probably wouldn’t have wanted him. He said he got lucky. He said he decided to go and be himself.

- Austin asked what they taught him in FCW that he didn’t know after seven years. Ambrose said he had a great time there in part because Dusty Rhodes was the booker. He said it felt like they were the bastard stepchild of WWE because there would be so little contact from the company. He said he had a program with Seth Rollins and William Regal in FCW that he’s extremely proud of and he will put them up there with anything he has ever done.

- Austin asked what Ambrose learned from Dusty Rhodes and when the light turned on for him as far as promos are concerned. Austin said that’s when he seemed to form an identity. Ambrose said it’s when he said “this is who I am, I don’t give a damn.” Ambrose recalled promo classes and thought they were stupid at the time. He said it was very odd to him and he had a bad attitude about it. Ambrose said they just did their thing on promos and thought they didn’t have scripted promos in WWE. He made it seem like it was jarring the first time he was handed a script.

- Austin said Ambrose worked as Jon Moxley and was cutting some badass promos. Ambrose said he can talk forever if you give him a mic. He said he can’t memorize three lines if he’s given a script. Ambrose said it was tough for him to get into a groove when he was trying to memorize lines. He said it wasn’t fun anymore. He said he’s gotten to the point now where he can call his own shots a bit. He said there are times when Vince tells him he can do whatever he wants, and that excites him.

- Ambrose spoke about how he used to come up with promos in his head. He cut an improvised promo about how Austin had 12 surgeries on a bum knee, and what he was going to do to that knee in their match.

- Austin asked if Ambrose likes people creating words for him. “Absolutely not,” Ambrose said. He is open to suggestions, but not having words put in his mouth.

- Austin asked if Ambrose has a chip on his shoulder and feels like he has something to prove. Ambrose said he has at times. He said he and Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns did when they started in WWE. He said they felt they were just as good as everybody else and were wrestling for peanuts in Florida. Ambrose said he doesn’t consider himself a chip on the shoulder guy these days, but it comes and goes. Ambrose said he has a confidence. He said he thinks back on the journey when he walks to the ring with the championship and it’s serious that he’s the WWE Champion and no one is going to take it away.

- Austin said the business is real to him. Ambrose said there’s nothing fake about what he went through to be at this point talking to Austin.

- Austin brought up the formation of The Shield. Ambrose said it never came up in a meeting. He said they made it up as they went along and that’s what made it so special. Ambrose said they were friends and became super tight in bonding in that experience. Ambrose said they were originally going to be goons for CM Punk when he was champion, but it never came to pass. Ambrose said they were originally given giant shields that he liked at first, but he thinks they would have looked horrible if they had wore them when they debuted.

- Austin asked about the chemistry between the three and what the pecking order was. Ambrose said it was three alpha males, but they were different enough that they weren’t stepping on each other’s toes. Ambrose said the locker room is different today with more younger guys who know each other from NXT. He said there was a divide between WWE and developmental back then. He said people got in their heads that the people wouldn’t like things. Reigns said he had a baby girl at home and didn’t care. Ambrose said they decided to beat the crap out of everybody. He said they decided they would bust their asses and be the best thing on the show.

- Austin said The Shield became cool and they had to break them up. Austin asked if it happened too fast. Ambrose said it was perfect. “You want to hit that high note and walk off stage,” he said. He said they got as high as they possibly could. He said they were crushing everyone and there wasn’t anyone left for them to go after. He said it’s also because they were so hot that nobody expected it. He said the Seth Rollins heel turn was one of the best ever because no one expected it.

- Austin asked if Ambrose was jealous when Rollins and Reigns had runs with the belt before he did. Ambrose said yes and no. He said originally he was going to be the jerk of the bunch and he intentionally acted like the sleazy one because of that. He said he told someone that in one year they would have a babyface that they don’t want in him. Ambrose said he busted his ass in the babyface role and people got behind it.

- Austin asked if it felt like Ambrose wasn’t designed to get over. Ambrose said yes. He said he wasn’t sabotaged, but he was left to his own devices and it was great.

- Ambrose said he couldn’t tell you what his character is. He said one of the coolest parts of the job is that when you get to a certain position, you can help and inspire people. Ambrose confirmed that Bret Hart did the same for him as a kid. He said the line about putting smiles on people’s faces sounds corny at first, but then you’re put into a position and you get responsibility and then you understand that’s what it is about.

- Austin asked about Ambrose facing Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania. Ambrose said he went to the ring pretty pissed off. He said he went out there without much of a plan. He said he felt like he was pulling teeth to turn the match into something epic. Austin asked if it was a disconnect in talent artistically. “Yeah, artistically, Brock didn’t want to do anything,” Ambrose said. Ambrose said he had a lot of ideas to make it the craziest match ever, but he was met with laziness. Ambrose said he kept thinking everything would be okay once they got in the ring. Ambrose said it’s an invigorating feeling to enter the ring with a man who could kill you with his bare hands. “It was a helluva day,” Ambrose said.

- Austin asked what the WWE Championship means to him on a personal level. Ambrose said it symbolizes that if you believe in yourself, nobody can screw with you. He said don’t let people tell you no or to put negative vibes on you. Ambrose said do your own thing, do what you want to do. He said it also helps inspire others. Ambrose said it’s weird that he’s a role model to children. He said he never would have thought it would happen in a million years, but he takes it very seriously.

- Austin asked Ambrose about his relationship with Vince. “Oh, it’s great,” Ambrose said. “Me and Vince are boys. I’m his favorite wrestler.” Ambrose said a lot of people are intimidated by Vince or get the wrong idea about him, but he finds him easy to talk to. Ambrose said Vince doesn’t want to be glad-handed. He said he had a 45-minute conversation with Vince in the lobby of the hotel when Vince was about to go work out at 2:30 in the morning. He said Vince is a trailer park street fighter at heart. Austin asked if Vince understands who and what Ambrose is. Ambrose said he thinks he does. “I’m Vince McMahon’s favorite wrestler,” Ambrose said. “Quote me. He won’t admit it, but he knows.”

- Ambrose said he loves the brand split because it creates more opportunities for wrestlers and less overexposure. He said there can be too much build to a match and you have to fill time on a three-hour show. He said he can’t even tell you how many 20 or 30-minute matches he’s had with Bray Wyatt and Kevin Owens. He said the extra day at home will also help everyone recharge their batteries. He also said he likes to be in the captain’s position on Smackdown. Ambrose said he’s not a leader like John Cena is, but he prefers to do it by example.

- Austin asked if Ambrose is comfortable with where he is now. Ambrose said he likes being the captain of the blue brand and he feels like now he can get to work. He said it took him a long time to get to this point and now he can start to build a legacy and a championship run. “I’m excited to get to work as WWE Champion,” Ambrose said.

- Austin said it took Ambrose a long time to get to where he is and he paid his dues. Austin said he had a challenge for Ambrose. He said he’s proud of him and he earned everything he’s got. Austin challenged Ambrose to push the envelope, raise the bar, and be edgier. Austin said he thinks the WWE Universe deserves to see that. Austin said Ambrose is a little too comfortable and he’s been resting on his laurels, and he needs to find the edge again.

- Ambrose said he is a little offended by the line about resting on his laurels. Ambrose said he tries every day to push the envelope. He said sometimes you can yell and beg, but at the end of the day you’re playing in a brother’s sandbox. He said he likes that Austin is reminding him that getting to the top is one thing and staying there is another. Ambrose said it’s cool as long as they don’t end this with a Stunner. Ambrose joked that he knows the counter. Austin said he won’t get time to show it because they were giving him the wrap. They shook hands and Austin wished him nothing but the best.

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Höchst interessanter Stone Cold LIVE Podcast. Was Vince McMahon wohl beim Anschauen gedacht hat ...