Originally published at Shawn Michaels on Kazuchika Okada: "He'd adjust fantastically in WWE"
If any of the quotes from the following podcasts or video interviews are used, please credit those sources and provide an H/T and link back to POST Wrestling for the transcriptions.
** Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated has an extensive feature up with a number of wrestlers sharing their favorite matches. Kazuchika Okada said one of his favorites is Shawn Michaels versus Chris Jericho from WrestleMania 19. Michaels responded to Okadaās praise of the match and touched on the idea of Okada being in WWE and Michaels said heād adjust fantastically.
Iām so incredibly appreciative of that. Iāve always admired the style in Japan, and hereās a guy that admires my style. Someone once asked me how Okada would adjust if he were ever in the WWE, and I know the answer to thatāheād adjust fantastically, because heās a fantastic talent. Itās like me. People would say, āWell, you only wrestled in the WWE,ā but I could have wrestled anywhere. When a guy is talented, heās talented. So Iām thankful that Okada, this unbelievably talented young man, gained one or two things from my match.
** Longtime pro wrestling referee Mike Chioda was a guest on āInsight with Chris Van Vlietā. As the conversation rolled on, Chioda talked about the pay scale for referees throughout the years. He said during the Attitude Era, he made $350,000 a year.
I made that years ago. During the Attitude Era, with the ring crew and the refereeing, I was making $350, a year, and I was getting things paid for because I was doing crew stuff too so, but when I became sub-contracted, when JR turned me into a full-time ref, I became a subcontractor totally, and that was roughly about 15 years ago.
Several years before being let go by WWE, Chioda had a conversation with Paul āTriple Hā Levesque and Levesque told him that he doesnāt want to see him like Earl Hebner, as far as still refereeing at the later stages of life.
Actually, Cody got in touch with me a few weeks ago so Iām waiting to hear something. So, thereās still hope and I got a good two, three more years left in me, you know?
Yeah I do in Orlando, and train the referees which I was doing when I got hurt.
Edge and Randy Orton competed at Backlash in what WWE dubbed as the āGreatest Wrestling Match Everā. Mike Chioda shared that WWE called him to referee that match, which was two months after he was released from the company.
They called me a month later Haas in Houston. So she did, she got an appointment, so we drove up there and as Iām driving, I get a text from Mark Carrano. So I get a text, it said, āHey, thereās an extra payday here for youā and Iām like, āPayday? For what? Youāre paying me until July 17th ā August. So whatās going on?ā Randyās texting me, āHey, can you do āā Iām in Texas right now. Iām in Louisiana at this time, traveling, driving.
Back on the topic of pay scale for referees, Chioda said the average official is making $125,000 a year and expenses and taxes have to be factored into that.
You gotta remember, the average referee probably makes $125,000. Now Iām not saying ā that is great money, thatās great money. But if you consider $30,000 a year as far as hotel, car, fuel, food, so forth and then taxes, youāre coming to about 60 grand.
** IMPACT Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo guest appeared on the Womenās Wrestling Talk podcast. In early February, Deonna noted on social media that she and Steve Cutler, former WWE talent and her significant other contracted Coronavirus in January. During her podcast appearance, she talked about what it was like for her to deal with COVID.
I was one of the lucky people that had no symptoms, and I had been tested three or four times before my test came back positive so, as big a shock to me as it was to everyone when I said it of like, I didnāt feel any different, I didnāt feel sick and I was completely fine until I was positive and then I was like, āOh crap, we have to start this quarantine processā and my boyfriend what a quarantine is without symptoms. Is it seven days? Is it ten days? Is it the 14 days? And what do we do to make sure that when we go back to the real world and weāre healthy and weāre not spreading anymore, you know?
Deonna was asked for her dream match and she would like to team with Britt Baker, Chelsea Green and Karen Q to take on Sasha Banks, Bayley, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch.
I feel itās a clichĆ© answer but I also feel like each of us individually have a dream match with these people so I feel like us four versus The Four Horsewomen, Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Bayley and Becky versus The Four Horsewomen.
** The Independent conducted an interview with Lana. Her first match for WWE took place in a tag match on the WrestleMania 32 Kickoff show in Arlington, Texas. Lana said prior to that, WWE wouldnāt allow her to wrestle.
I have been trying to get this opportunity way before really had to change my mindset to go on this journey and I just hope to encourage others to chase their dreams ā and to know that when you fail, youāre not alone.
** Nick Aldis was a guest on a recent edition of the Keepin It 100 with Konnan podcast. At one point during the discussion, the topic of AEWās relationship with IMPACT was the focus point and Nick mentioned that he has talked with some talents in IMPACT Wrestling who feel some AEW talents have attitudes.
I will say this: I wonāt say who, but I have friends in virtually every major company in the business, and obviously we . This sort of, perhaps, a little bit too big for their britches.
** Scorpio Sky, who is competing in the Face Of The Revolution Ladder match at the AEW Revolution pay-per-view, shared on his Wrestling with the Week podcast that he is coming back from a torn meniscus. Sky last wrestled on a January edition of AEW Dark.
Face Of The Revolution Ladder match, March 7th, Revolution pay-per-view. For me, first match back coming off a torn meniscus. You know me, I like to dive into deep water and see if I could swim without getting wet. Listen, Iām really excited for this. I realize that today a lot of people kind of think of it as a TV business and the TV matches are the most important ones and that sort of thing but as an old school guy, pay-per-view is still where itās at for me and Iām extremely excited to be back on pay-per-view in a marquee match and itās a huge opportunity.
** WWE Elimination Chamber 2011 was the focus of Arn Andersonās latest podcast. He detailed his experiences working with the original Sin Cara character, CarĆstico. Arn expressed that he was not a fan of CarĆsticoās attitude.
This guy didnāt show me anything. Not a damn thing. He had a bad attitude. If he spoke English, he acted like he didnāt. Now weāre not talking about Hunico, that guy. Weāre talking about the original, and he just, he was one of those guys that flat just brought the Mexican style. Thatās what he brought to our product. Our product was not ready for that lack of contact, lack of selling, all those things, just the Whirlybird stuff that had no psychology behind it. I donāt know. I like Rey Mysterio because of several reasons. He is small but he figured out a way to work his matches where he used every bit of his body to knock you down or chip away at you and get you in a position that he could do a springboard or whatever it was and knock you down so at the end of the day, he spent most of the match selling. He had one flurry that made sense that was able to get him almost to winning or winning, but in a way that made sense. None of that reasoning was in this guyās toolbelt. He thought he would just bounce guys around twice his size, very little selling, just pop up out of nowhere. Everything I had been taught about this business and everything the audience loves, the storytelling, the selling, the underdog, all that stuff was lost on him. But it came from the top, we had to have a star so those of us that had these feelings and relayed these feelings just got heat. Just like everything else, when you point out the obvious to the brain trust some places, they donāt like the fact that once they hear it, they go, āYou know, heās right. Itās right. Heās slapping me in the face with it and I donāt like it. I donāt like the fact that heās slapping me in the face with itā when all youāre doing is pointing out the obvious.
** Bleacher Report Live uploaded their interview with AEW President Tony Khan. He was asked if there are any nerves about Sting competing at the Revolution pay-per-view and here was Tonyās response:
No, I feel great about it and if I had any nerves about it, I wouldnāt have let him go out there and be in a position to take a powerbomb, and he was ready to do that. Heās been working out, heās been competing, heās been training with Darby before Darby had gotten hurt so, heās been regularly competing in a ring for a while. He hasnāt had a live match, he hasnāt had a professional match in a while but he was ready to get in the ring and wrestle and he is ready to get in the ring and wrestle on pay-per-view so Iām very excited for it and heās been ready to go for a while now.
** The newest episode of Mauro Ranalloās MAUROLOGUE.
** Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson welcomed Don Callis onto their Talkān Shop podcast. Callis touched on the IMPACT Wrestling Hard To Kill pay-per-view and Mooseās performance in the match. Callis feels that Moose is the best athlete in wrestling.
Moose, I said to Moose, I go ā Moose is the best athlete in pro wrestling to me, because he does stuff that guys Ricochetās size do but Moose is 6ā6 and 260.
He was doing it and it was like, āWoah!ā I got him right after. I said, āDude, thatās why you donāt do it every match. So then it means something, you know what Iām saying?ā
After ECW went out of business, Callis said that he and Joey Styles were going to be the commentators for WCW if Eric Bischoff acquired the company in 2001.
In 2001, when ECW was about to go out of business, I had a gig lined up with Nitro, because I was gonna make more money than I had ever made.
Elsewhere during the podcast, Karl Anderson told the story of when he and Gallows recently wrestled two IMPACT talents. Anderson told the two individuals to not hurt him.
What did I say right before we went out to wrestle somebody on IMPACT recently? We wonāt say their names. Before we went to wrestle, I looked at Gallows and I go, āAlright guys, high five, thank you very much. You guys good? Letās be safe. Anyways, most importantly, donāt hurt me motherf*ckers.ā Everyone kind of popped, but it was kind of uncomfortable. Donāt hurt me.
After Callisā first go-around in wrestling, he began working as President and CEO of Manitoba Trade & Investment. Prior to that, he was told by the WWF that heād have a job for life.
I had an eye-opening experience in 1999 when ā or ā98 when I was fired from my dream job two weeks before Christmas by Bruce Prichard, and it was an eye-opener in a good way because frankly, it told me ā Iād been told I was gonna have a job there for life. They had said to me three times, āMove to Connecticut, write TVā and this was before there was quote unquote ā this was before they hired a bunch of marks and called them writers. This was when it was like Pat Patterson, it was Pat, Vince Russo and Jim Cornette and Vince know that. They call tell you whatever, right?
** During his appearance on Wrestling Observer Radio, Jon Moxley gave his take on the āforbidden doorā in wrestling and doesnāt believe such thing exists.
Yeah and hopefully it kinda shows people that thereās no ā I think the pandemic too because people have had to get more creative in the way they run shows and bring in talent and all this stuff with all the challenges. But thatās created ā maybe make people think outside the box more, which maybe might lead to more stuff like weāre doing a thing with IMPACT . Thatās great. I mean itās easier to facilitate stuff with New Japan now. Thatās great too. Like everybodyās talking about this door. I donāt know nothing about no door. Iāve been walking back and forth whenever. Thereās never been a door for me. Iāve been working both the whole time. I wouldāve worked the whole year had it not been for the pandemic, you know? So thereās no ā the doorās not really there. Youāre imagining it, so itās like what if KENTA came to AEW? Cool, easy, like that. Itās like, āSo, oh, imagine āā now that weāve shown how easy it is for two sides to work together, imagine what else could happen, you know? And I donāt think itās gotta like ā I donāt think any of these companies, be it IMPACT or AEW, New Japan or whatever, no one needs to be married to each other, because they are all different products and having their own separate identity makes them cool. Thatās what makes inter-promotional stuff cool because all of them are different, separate entities.
** Bleacher Report caught up with The Miz coming off of his WWE Championship win. Miz was asked if there could be another āHate Me Nowā video package ahead of his title defense against Bobby Lashley and he said heās already on it.
Iāve already texted Adam DeNucci, who did my āHate Me Nowā vignette for WrestleMania and said, āReady for Part 2 whenever you are!ā He did an absolutely incredible job. To this day, I donāt think thereās a vignette that showcased a period of someoneās career in such a short amount of time. Literally, I think the thing was three minutes long, and you can see the ascent of my career, and he just showcased it perfectly and did an amazing job.
Iām very thankful that he made that because honestly, when I was going out there, I donāt think the audience was fully invested in me, but when that āHate Me Nowā vignette aired, I think people were like, āWoah, OK.ā I think it got people behind me 100 percent and that was the icing on the cake that I needed. I was very thankful for that, and Iām hoping we can do another one.
Continuing on the topic of Mizās WWE Title win, his father George Mizanin immediately asked Miz when is he going to lose it.
My dad was like, āWait, you won? Itās the world championship, right, Mike? The big one?ā I said, āYes.ā He goes, āOh, thatās great. When are you going to lose it?ā I said, āI donāt know, Dad. Can you pat me on the back for a little bit while I have it?ā But yeah, itās really cool and my mom is always immensely proud of me with everything that I do.
Elsewhere during the interview, Miz spoke about the fresh faces that have joined the WWE and how that motivates him. Miz feels heās in his prime.
You canāt just put it out there. You have to work towards it. You have to do everything in your power to get where you need to be. For me, itās getting all the right tools. The new up-and-coming Superstars who are here in WWE right now are more athletic. Some of the things they do are absolutely incredible, and I have to make sure I can keep up. Not only keep up, but also excel and be better than any of them. The youth coming into WWE always keep me young and itās funny saying that because I remember when I was 25 just coming into WWE and I sit here at 40 as the WWE champion. I feel like Iām in my prime. Iāve never been better. Iām able to talk, do so many different things in the ring, and able to captivate an audience unlike any Superstar WWE has.
** āMetroā ran their interview with WWE United States Champion Riddle. As the conversation between the two parties rolled on, Riddle compared wrestling to a high school in terms of the gossip that takes place with lack of direct face-to-face conversation.
Pro wrestling is the most outlandish high school youāll ever go to. Monday Night Raw is just like, āWhatās gonna happen this week?ā If anybody has a problem with anybody, nobody says it. Itās always like, āPst pst.ā Iām like, why are we hearing stuff like this? Say something, do something! Iām not saying you have to go The Undertaker route and fight each other and be men about it! Iām saying letās talk about it. But hey, it is what it is!
** David LaGreca spoke to Jimmy Rave.
** talkSPORT caught up with The Miz and he shared that there have been multiple occasions over the past several years when he was told he was close to winning the WWE Championship again.
I have been told many times ā 2016, 2017, 2018 ā there was a bunch of times where itās like, āOh, weāre almost thereā and then I get drafted or something else would happen.
Certain things happen and the juggling is always happening. Sometimes youāre there and itās like, āAh, it actually happened!ā And other times itās like work harder. I have to be better, do better, keep elevating myself to get to that moment. And here we sit; that moment took a little while but itās kind of incredible.
** Daily DDT chatted with Karrion Kross for an exclusive interview. He reflected on his shoulder injury at NXT TakeOver: XXX that led to him relinquishing the NXT Championship after winning it. Kross detailed how the injury occurred and what went through his mind after it happened.
I was really I was so mad. I was like, āThis is happening right now? Are you kidding me?ā I tried shoving it back in and of course, it didnāt shove back in. Thereās no way Iām quitting, thereās no way Iām stopping. This is the top of the pay-per-view. We had a Ladder Match and people flying through the air. Weāre finishing this. This is what I do for a living.
On the topic of a potential move to Raw or SmackDown, Kross feels that the decision should be made at the demand of the fans.
The end goal for me was just to come back and be just as good as I was before the injury happened. Iām very, very happy in NXT. I love the environment. The crew there is awesome, from producers to writers to the boys in the locker room. Everything is awesome there. I have zero complaints about it. However, when itās time to go up, Iāll be ready to do that. In my opinion, it should be done at the demand of the people. Admittedly, I am a people-pleaser, so I guess weāll have to see how that all plays out. Iām interested in being a part of all of it. I want to do everything while Iām here.
** Jordan Oliver is challenging Jacob Fatu for the MLW World Heavyweight Championship on the 3/3 edition of FUSION.
** Sonny Kiss joined Sippinā The Tea TV with Ariane Andrew and Matt Dillon.
** Ric Flair turned 72-years old today.
** AAAās Psycho Clown was interviewed by Sports Illustrated and he said heās hoping to wrestle more in North America.
The United States is a territory I want to conquer. Psychology is different there than it is in Mexico, but I love to fight and I love to wrestle. There is the same rhythm in the ring, the same desire to capture your attention, and I want to conquer the hearts of all the fans in the USA.
** Ring of Honor celebrated Black History Month with the following video:
** ABC 6 covered Drew Kasper signing to WWE and reporting to the Performance Center in Orlando.
** In 2018, Willie Mack captured the NWA National Heavyweight Championship. He was surprised by the crowd reaction from the fans in attendance and explained why during his appearance on the Wrestling Perspective podcast.
Yeah, because it was the NWA and you thinking like, āHell nah, my Black ass aināt gonna get over there, and Nashville Fairgrounds, went up in there, all of them folks, once they heard that three count, they were like, āF*ck yeah. Willie Mack done did it. I told you he was gonna do it.ā They were shaking each other and sh*t, and Iām like, āDamn, all these country ass white folks like my Black ass?ā F*ck yeah. Iām like, āDamn, I aināt think they were gonna give a f*cking two shakes of ratās ass about me.ā But, here we go, nice.
** A story about Big E and Charlotte Flair talking to patients at the Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital.
** Chris Jericho joined the KTLA Morning Show.
** SPORTbible chatted with NXT UK Champion WALTER.
** āMetroā ran their interview with The Miz. He spoke about two of his biggest supporters in Maryse and Vince McMahon.
I honestly think my biggest supporter is my wife. Thereās no one that supports me more. Whenever she is outside ā when she was outside the ring and being my manager, she motivated me, she made me better. Honestly, whenever you have a beautiful wife and sheās staring at you and your in a Speedo, you kinda stand a little taller, to be honest!
If Iām really talking about it as well, Iād say my wife and you know who else? Vince McMahon. Vince McMahon has always been a big supporter of me. I think he enjoys my work ethic as well as my talents. I think he sees the ability that I have, and is able to showcase me in Raw, SmackDown, pay-per-views, commercials. Whatever WWE needs, I am a guy that can do it and do it to an elite level talent, and be a main event caliber superstar who represents this company like it should be represented.
** Paul āTriple Hā Levesque chatted with SPORTSNET to promote NXT airing live on Sportsnet360 in Canada.
** Miro took to his Twitch channel and reacted to the news of Paul Wight (The Big Show) joining AEW.
** GameSpot ran their interview with Danhausen.
** Shayna Baszler put a video up on her YouTube channel, displaying how to lock in the double wrist lock.
** Fightfulās Sean Ross Sapp chatted with Sean Maluta.
** Vicente Beltran caught up with Angel Garza.
** Sami Zayn spoke with Comicbook.com.
** On his āHall Of Fameā podcast, Booker T spoke about Cesaroās performance in the SmackDown Elimination Chamber match this past weekend.
** The newest episode of Battle of the Brands with Xavier Woods and Tyler Breeze:
** Rikishi joined Mickie James, Lisa Marie Varon and SoCal Val on GAW TV.
** Arab News has a story about WWE talents that have played college and/or pro football.
** Miro was interviewed by Bleacher Report Live.
** Maria Kanellis-Bennett turned 39-years old on 2/25.
** TV Insider ran their interview with Shane Taylor. Shane also appeared on Bakersfield Now, which is FOXās California affiliate.
If any of the quotes from the following podcasts or video interviews are used, please credit those sources and provide an H/T and link back to POST Wrestling for the transcriptions.
