Originally published at https://www.postwrestling.com/2022/07/31/post-news-update-stardom-executive-producer-rossy-ogawa-comments-on-iwgp-womens-title/
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.
** STARDOM and New Japan Pro-Wrestling are introducing an IWGP Women’s Championship. STARDOM Executive Producer Rossy Ogawa gave the following comment to Tokyo Sports about the belt:
This belt will be operated and managed by STARDOM, but it has a different meaning from the STARDOM belt. I think it is a belt created to send out a message to the world and in a world of gender equality. The existing STARDOM belts also have a history, so we will continue to manage them as well, and let the audience decide which belt is the best. When Bushiroad came into power, I thought it would be good to have the IWGP belt. I think it is also because we are now in the third year of the new system and our recent achievements have been recognized.
** Mr. Money in the Bank Theory guest appeared on The Ringer’s MackMania podcast. He reacted to those who feel like he’s been handed everything so far in his WWE run and detailed the journey he’s had to get to where he’s at.
Well I think a lot of those people, the people that do know the story and the people that don’t, so if you think about it, any time somebody’s actually really young, it seems like, oh, they’ve been given this. But it’s like think about I started working out at 12 because at eight years old, I seen WWE and obviously my mom was sneaking me in the gym. I had to be 13 to go to the gym and I was sneaking in at 12 because I seen a video of John Morrison training abs and Triple H. It was like a little WWE workout video. But, yeah, just wanted to start preparing myself for that because that’s all I wanted to do and then even sports, I played sports before I figured out what WWE was and then after that so if you think about it, I stopped playing sports around eight and I never played sports, I just worked out and I was like, I don’t wanna get injured, I don’t wanna rely on a team and that’s just my own mindset. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with playing sports, you know? Sports are great but for me, it was like, this is my mentality. I’m gonna do whatever it takes to get here as fast as I can and I realized at 18, a lot of things weren’t gonna work out like trying to win a bodybuilding show and get noticed by WWE scouts. Maybe now that kind of helps a little better, but then, it just didn’t work for me so at 18, joined a wrestling school, traveled, didn’t make any money, spent a lot of money, was broke half the time, sleeping on floors. You do the whole suitcase full of your t-shirts, trying to sell ‘em all, making enough to make it to the next show, next weekend that you said you could make and just that whole grind of that and then getting signed to WWE and then being at NXT and then not really doing anything and eventually, ‘The Way’ thing kind of clicks and then that’s taken away and then I’m doing a bunch of dark matches on the main roster and it’s like, we don’t know what’s going on and then once they gave me that debut, I was like, this is mine… But it’s a long story and I think that’s why people say that because the age is young but most of the time if you think about it, even rappers, I love music and think about somebody that’s young in rap but that’s been rapping since they were a kid, you know? It’s just a process so, everything is.
** During William Regal’s appearance on the Wrestling Perspective Podcast, he stated that he does not think he would have been able to survive in this current climate of pro wrestling as a young talent. He said today’s crop of young wrestlers are thrown onto TV and expected to be good immediately.
For a lot of the youngsters, I feel very sorry for ‘em because there’s just not enough work. There’s not enough — and nowadays, it doesn’t matter what company you’re working for, you’re just thrown onto TV and expected to be good straightaway, right? It’s like I know I couldn’t survive. That’s another reason why I am who I am because I’ve always understood and never got believed anymore and I still truly don’t believe this that I could survive in today’s world. That you are expected to be as good pretty much straight away or to be able to perform on TV and whatever else.
** As Happy Corbin was making the media rounds to promote SummerSlam, he spoke to TV Insider. He told the outlet that the next evolution of his character could be something like the suited JBL character.
I think about my evolution. We can look back at the ‘Lone Wolf’ and that attitude mixed with Happy Corbin where I’m successful and enjoying life. One of my idols is JBL , so I can see my character morphing into what he did when he put on the suit and still bringing physical dominance to what he did. We are making Happy Corbin a threat. It’s not just that I’m an entertainment act. It’s not just something to laugh at. There is a genuine threat to the character. But he also annoys you to no end. I think we’re going to get a hybrid Lone Wolf-Happy Corbin that pays tribute to one of my favorites of all time in JBL.
Further speaking about his on-screen character, Corbin thinks things have been flowing steadily and it has kept him relevant in WWE. He added that there are a lot of doubters about his in-ring ability and he views it as a pat on the back because he’s continuing to find success despite those doubts.
I think this natural evolution of my entire career has been a lot of fun. Everything has systematically gone together and had a nice, steady flow. I think it has kept me relevant the entire time I’ve been with WWE. I’ve always had a place. There are a lot of doubters in my world about my ability or whatever they want to complain about. That’s a pat on the back for me because I’m continuing to find success within WWE thanks to the doubters and haters because I’m the bad guy. I’m not their favorite. I’m not doing 800 moves they want to see. I don’t let social media influence anything I do on television. It all helps play to my success. I’m going to do me no matter what.
** BT Sport pushed out part two of Ariel Helwani’s chat with Rey Mysterio. As the conversation went on, Rey spoke about Dominik and admitted that he puts a great deal of pressure on him and must remind himself to fall back at times.
Rey: I do and I catch myself telling me constantly like, you have to lay off. I feel like I put a lot of pressure on him and I know that’s a bad thing but at the same time, I feel like it might be a good thing because it’ll push him to succeed even more. But, it’s gotten better within time because at the beginning, I was on him constantly. But, as much as I am calling out the bad stuff that he does, I also celebrate the good stuff that he does and I tell him right away, ‘That looked dope. You should keep that. You should keep doing that’ and not only me, the camaraderie in the locker room. The guys that talk to him like the Roman Reigns, you know, that pull him to the side and tell him or even Dom asking Edge, any advice that you can give me after watching a match, they’ll sit down and talk with him. Randy Orton’s the same way. That is special. That is special within itself and that’s what makes our industry so tight and close. We help each other succeed and grow.
Dominik joined the conversation about that pressure. He said it’s never ‘too much’ because he likes to take in what his father is saying and absorb the knowledge that is being passed onto him.
Rey: I’ve been a pressure dad huh?
Dominik: Yeah, but in a good way. I always tell him that I understand he’s one of the best if not the best to ever do it, so whatever he says, I take it as best as I can… No .
Rey: Come on!
Dominik: No. Like I said, I — he’s been on top for 20 years for a reason so whatever he says, I try to soak it all in.
** On the most recent edition of ‘Muscle Memory with MuscleManMalcolm’, he sat down with Mandy Leon. The former Ring of Honor talent shared that back when ROH was presenting the first Women of Honor World Championship tournament, WWE contacted her and asked her to come in and do enhancement matches for Sasha Banks and Nia Jax. Leon declined to focus on ROH.
I look back at so many opportunities and a lot of people don’t know, I had a lot of opportunities presented to me. I was just talking to someone the other day how WWE asked me to wrestle, I think it was Sasha tournament in Ring of Honor and I turned that down to put all of my focus into the women’s tournament because I just really loved and cared about Ring of Honor that much.
Leon had been working with Ring of Honor since 2014. She reflected on the development and growth of the women’s division. She stated that there were times when things would pick up and head in the right direction, but they could never ‘fully win’.
It was amazing for a few months helped out with the women’s division and had our other tournament for the title, they did a great job. But then the company sold so it’s like, it was this constant, for like four years, we’re on this high, high, high, yeah, yeah, freakin’ awesome. We had some great matches and then it just went to a halt and then it went up a little bit more then down and it’s just like we could never fully win I guess you could say. It was really hard to just succeed unfortunately. But I hope it does now with the new ownership.
** Knockouts World Tag Team Champion Taya Valkyrie was interviewed by SOUNDSPHERE. She spoke about her return to IMPACT Wrestling and agreed with the sentiment that it felt like a ‘homecoming’ of sorts.
Absolutely and just everyone there has just been phenomenal since I’ve returned, they always have been. Even when I was doing what I was doing before, those people are my family, my friends and everyone’s always checking up on me and seeing how I was doing so it’s great to be back in that very positive, creative environment again.
** A press conference is going to take place in August to provide more details about the IWGP Women’s Championship.
** The Crystal Collector welcomed Mercedes Varnado (Sasha Banks) onto their platform.
** WWE’s Big E interviewed Hip-Hop duo Blu and Exile.
** Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling Results (7/31/22) Tokyo, Japan
– Arisu Endo & Maki Ito def. Juria Nagano & Moka Miyamoto
– Three Way: Yuki Kamifuku def. Haruna Neko and Mizuki
– Pom Harajuku, Raku & Yuki Arai def. Hyper Misao, Kaya Toribami & Mahiro Kiryu
– Tokyo Princess Cup Quarter Final: Suzume def. Rika Tatsumi
– Tokyo Princess Cup Quarter Final: Miyu Yamashita def. Nao Kakuta
– Tokyo Princess Cup Quarter Final: Yuka Sakazaki def. Hikari Noa
– Tokyo Princess Cup Quarter Final: Miu Watanabe def. Shoko Nakajima
** Villages-News.com has a feature story about Dory Funk Jr. and The Funking Conservatory wrestling school.
** Satnam Singh appeared on Thunder Rosa’s vlog.
** There is an interview on Daily Star’s website with Taya Valkyrie.
** Ice Ribbon ‘Summer Jumbo Ribbon’ Results (7/31/22) Korakuen Hall
– Nao Ishikawa & Saran def. Kiku & Yuko Sakurai
– Tae Honma def. Kyuri
– Dalys & Stephanie Vaquer def. Hikari Shimizu & Kaho Matsushita
– Amin & Misa Kagura (w/ Nao Ishikawa) def. Ram Kaicho & Sumika Yanagawa
– ICExInfinity Title #1 Contendership: Maika Ozaki def. Asahi
– Hikaru Shida def. Ibuki Hoshi
– International Ribbon Tag Team Championships: Hamuko Hoshi & Makoto def. Totoro Satsuki & Yuna Manase (c)
** Chris Jericho sat down with TV Insider at San Diego Comic Con.
** Maryland Championship Wrestling pushed out a match from December 2021 featuring NXT’s Kelly Kincaid f.k.a Quinn McKay.
** Dave LaGreca and Bully Ray welcomed Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler onto Busted Open Radio.
** While promoting SummerSlam, Becky Lynch spoke to Rachel DeMita on her Courtside Club show.
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.