Today's News

ESPN star sacked after WWE comment:

Bill Simmons, who co-hosted Raw recently, has been sacked by ESPN after using a popular WWE term on the Network. He said ''Testicular fortitude.'' His departure ends a fourteen year career, but he may have a job with WWE waiting for him, the promotion tweeted an offer to the one time Raw announcer after the news of his sacking broke.

WWE Network:

WWE are set to pull hours of old footage from their Network because ''No-one watches it.''

Seth Rollins talks staying grounded:

Seth Rollins says he has invited his childhood girlfriend to a live this weekend (I think last night), and the reason why...

"She's coming to the show tonight, it's a girl I dated like 7 or 8 years ago. She can't grasp it... Like she only knows me as the dork that she played Guitar Hero with in the basement. She doesn't understand the fascination with this guy that broke her heart, you know what I mean (laughs)? She doesn't get that. It's very interesting, but I need that. I need her to see me as that person so that I can see myself that way. So it's just nice to have relationships that existed before I was this guy, and that is what kind of what keeps you grounded or humbled."

TNA going to 3 hours:

TNA will air a three hour Impact on May 22.

Raw:

Daniel Bryan is backstage at Raw tonight, speculation is he will be vacating the IC Championship. Jimmy Wang Yang has also tweeted he is coming back tonight.

Official tease...

• Will chaos erupt between John Cena and Rusev?
• Are Erick Rowan and Luke Harper reuniting?
• Is Naomi unstoppable with Tamina at her side?
• Will King Barrett and Sheamus retaliate against WWE's underdogs?
• Who will gain key momentum before WWE Payback's Fatal 4-Way Match?

Mika misses out:

Bray Wyatt and Bo Dallas' sister has seemingly missed out on scoring a spot on a reality show, despite her brothers drumming up fan support for her. 15 people will enter a competition to join the presenting team on the Travel Channel.

WWE survey fans:

WWE are asking their fans which of the following titles they would like to be released on DVD...

• Iron Man Matches
• Shane McMahon
• Best of Superstars
• Randy Orton
• Hardcore
• Divas Biography
• The History of the U.S. Championship
• The Usos
• The Best of RAW & SmackDown '15
• Best PPV Matches '15
• The Miz & Mizdow
• Stardust
• The Best of NXT
• Unreleased Matches
• Total Divas Season 1

ROH score network show:

Ring Of Honor will air on the New England Sports Network. They have not officially announced this deal, so their first episode, which will air tonight, may be a trial run.

GFW:

GFW have added more names to their roster today...

• Tyrus / Brodus Clay
• Cliff Compton / Domino
• The Young Bucks

Backlund bites back:

The ghost writer of Bob Backlund's biography has talked to Bob, and has shared his side of the story of his outburst at fellow Hall Of Famer Verne Gagne's funeral last week...

''Okay folks, just got off the phone with Bob, and here's the story straight from the horse's mouth. Bob DID NOT cut a heel promo, or anything resembling that, at Verne's funeral. I'm not sure who came up with that story, but it is not accurate.

According to Bob, here's what actually happened.

Bob and everyone else in attendance sat quietly through the solemn, ceremonial part of the service. When that was over, the ministers announced that the "church service" was over, but that Gene Okurlund and Greg Gagne were going to speak - and that others might speak also. Mean Gene went first, and apparently gave some pretty awesome remarks that had people in the crowd laughing and cheering. Apparently it ended with Gene making a ring announcement and the people rising in a standing ovation. So this was not the ordinary somber church experience that you and I know. Anyway, then Greg got up and gave a "eulogy" that was more of the same. At one point, Greg was talking about the WWF/E and his father's experiences with Vince Sr. and Vince Jr, and some of the stuff that he had read about that on the internet. At that point, Bob stood up, and said "Hey Greg - just wanted you to know that I'm here representing Vince McMahon and the WWE, and we all just wanted to pay our respects and express our condolences to you and to your family from everyone in the WWE." That was it.

Greg thanked Bob, Bob sat down, and then Greg continued. According to Bob, the whole thing lasted about 15 seconds, and was done because Greg's remarks opened the door, and Bob wanted everyone in the building to understand that the WWE was paying its respects to Verne and the Gagne family.

When the service was over, Bob went up front, and he and Greg exchanged a hug and some pleasantries. There was no outrage, and no one was upset about what happened. While standing up and saying something in the middle of a church service might seem a little foreign to most of us, this was apparently not an ordinary church service, but a more loose and fun exchange, which, according to Bob, who had known Verne very well since all the way back to Bob's high school days, was "just how Verne would have liked it."

So anyway - it seems like someone has run a little fast and loose with things without understanding the full story. I wasn't there, but the accounting above is Bob's version of what happened - which he just shared with me on the phone. He was very concerned about anyone thinking that he had actually "disrupted" the funeral service of a man that he respected so much, and whose funeral he had traveled all the way back to Minnesota to attend.

You mileage may vary about whether or not Backlund was behaving appropriately even in his own version of the story. Regardless, he's pretty insistent that he did not cut the type of ranting and raving "Mr. Backlund" promo that most people were imagining.''

Jim Ross names Hall Of Fame class:

Jim Ross has given his prediction for the 2016 WWE Hall Of Fame class...

• The Undertaker
• Sting
• The Freebirds
• Stan Hansen
• Jackie Moore
• And one deceased wrestler, but said they were too many to choose from.

Goldust:

Goldust will have shoulder surgery this week.

New book:

WWE have announced a new book on the career of The Undertaker. No release date is available as yet.

Eve Torres:

Eve has been working with the developmental ladies at the PC this week.

Hall Of Famer coming back:

74 year old Dory Funk Jr. will be travelling to Japan for a match later this summer.