Shawn Michaels On Why He Started Working At The WWE PC, New NXT UK TV Episode, WOS Tour And TV Note
- As noted, WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels spoke to members of the international media recently to promote the opening of the WWE Performance Center in London last weekend. During the scum, Michaels was asked about working at the Performance Center and if he gets the same buzz from training young talents as he got from wrestling.
"Yes," Michaels answered, via Vulture Hound. "That's why I've joined NXT at the Performance Centre because as much as I loved being out there in front of the camera and having my WrestleMania moments, I have found that watching these young men and women have theirs is like ? and it's not quite the same ? but it's almost like watching your kids go out there and be successful because it's impossible to work with someone as much as we've been working with all of them and not get attached to them a little bit.
"One of the first things that I try to do, is get them to understand that it is okay to have fun, there isn't any question that's too dumb or too stupid, and letting them know that we are here to help them and to help them enjoy it because we know how cool it can be. We know how awesome it is. Hunter and I have got to live that dream and it is cool and it's a blast and you want other people to have it. If you'd have told he and I, 20 years ago, would be living the lives we're living, we wouldn't have believed you. You want that for all these other people that are putting their time and effort into this. He's [Triple H] beginning to build all these facilities that are going to help that happen. For me it's just something that's fun to be a part of."
- As we previously reported, WWE originally did not have a new episode of NXT UK on the WWE Network today. That has changed, and they now have a new episode scheduled for today at 3pm ET featuring exclusive matches from Blackpool this past weekend, including Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster taking on Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel. As noted, new episodes of NXT UK will be taped at Royal Rumble Axxess during the weekend of January 25.
- The full first series of WOS Wrestling will be available once again on the ITV Hub to watch at any time starting with Episode 1 this weekend, to coincide with the first ever WOS tour of venues across the country. A full repeat of Episode 1 will also air on ITV (this Sunday at 12.35am) and subsequent episodes will be shown every week until the full 10-part series has been screened.
- Speaking of the WOS Wrestling UK tour, it gets under way this Friday and the cards have been released for the first two dates. The stars of ITV wrestling will be kicking off their six-date nationwide journey this Friday night, January 18, at the O2 Guildhall in Southampton before moving on to the Newport Centre in Newport on Saturday. The tour comes just months after the WOS Wrestling series of last summer which marked British wrestling's return to ITV for the first time in 30 years.
The series ended with 'Superhuman' Justin Sysum capturing the WOS Championship from Rampage. Sysum and Rampage will be kept apart on the first date in Southampton this Friday where the champion will instead team with Robbie X to take on the former WOS Tag Team Champions Alpha Bad ? 'Alpha Male' Iestyn Rees and 'Superbad' Kip Sabian. Rampage will battle Will Ospreay in singles action, while WOS Women's Champion Kay Lee Ray will put her title on the line in a three-way battle against her rivals Viper and Bea Priestley. Also on the card, one half of the reigning WOS Tag Team Champions Grado, will face Martin Kirby.
Other matches announced for Southampton are:
* 'East End Butcher' Sha Samuels and CJ Banks vs 'The Prestigious One' Joe Hendry and BT Gunn
* 'The Monster' Crater vs Gabriel Kidd
The Newport show on Saturday night will see Justin Sysum and Rampage collide in a rematch with the WOS Championship on the line. Former tag team partners turned bitter enemies 'The Showstealer' Nathan Cruz and Adam 'Flex' Maxted will also square off.
Other matches announced for the Newport show include:
* Alpha Bad vs BT Gunn and Robbie X
* CJ Banks vs 'The Prestigious One' Joe Hendry
* 'The Aerial Assassin' Will Ospreay vs Martin Kirby
SoCal Val, who was part of the commentary team with Stu Bennett and Alex Shane, will also appear on all dates. Top UK sport Master of Ceremonies Phil Seymour will once again be presiding over the action as he did on the ITV series.
The WOS Wrestling UK tour will also visit the Victoria Hall in Stoke (Friday January 25), Blackpool Tower Ballroom (Saturday January 26), the Royal & Derngate Theatre in Northampton (Saturday February 2) and York Hall, Bethnal Green, London (Sunday February 3). Doors open for WOS Wrestling UK tour events at 6.30pm and the action gets under way at 7.30pm.
You can get more information and purchase tickets for all the shows at gigsandtours.com. Fans under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Mark Sharp contributed to this article.