DDP Talks All In – Former Cleveland area reporter and now Miami area reporter Chris Van Vliet talked to DDP last week in L.A. and was told some pretty interesting facts about the All In event;
On DDP’s Relationship with Dusty and The Rhodes’ Family;
Dusty used to always tell me ‘I got five friends D and every time I count them, you are one of them’ and that meant a lot to me. So when he passed, Cody called me and said Dusty, because he always calls him Dusty and not pops, he said ‘Dusty told me right before he passed that he had five friends and you’re on that list’. I appreciated that because I had heard it, but hearing it from him took it to a different level. So fast forward a year a half later and he’s putting together ALL IN, he really loved that five friends thing. And three guys who couldn’t have been any closer besides me were Ray Lloyd who is Glacier and Tommy Dreamer. He of course threw in his brother-in-law Kevin who he loves dearly and his father-in-law Otis and of course his dog Pharaoh. It was like super special and it was super emotional. We were all looking at each other trying not to cry.
On How Much He Cost for All In;
When I first heard Cody was doing ALL IN, I told him you know I don’t do Diamond Cutters anymore. I mean, if WWE calls me I’ll f*cking do a Diamond Cutter, but not for an independent wrestling company. I’ve been offered $10,000. I’m not hitting that mat anymore. But for Cody, I told him if you need me for anything, I said I’m there and I wouldn’t charge him nothing. I’m sure plenty of people got paid a lot of money to be there, I took nothing and I won’t take nothing from him.
On Cody Telling People Not to Go Over on Time;
Cody told everybody: Be on time, hit your mark, don’t go over. And those guys had a hell of a match but they could have done half that and still had a hell of a match. Bottom line is Cody put on a memo: you’re not stealing the show, you’re stealing from others.
Joey Ryan on Going to NXT/WWE – Chris Van Vliet is at it again, having interviewed Joey Ryan before the War Game’s event from Major League Wrestling this past weekend and he opened up about why he has no desire to go to the WWE, saying;
I know the standard NXT rate that they give most newcomers and I make well beyond that. But I know people who have signed on from the indies who were doing well and they get a better rate because they are more valued. It’s weird because pretty much in every business, the goal and the dream is to be your own boss, set your own schedule, be successful on your own terms. In wrestling, a lot of wrestling fans want you to give all that up and sign your future to someone else’s hands and have a boss and have a schedule that you’re required to keep. So it’s kind of weird that in just about any other business, the dream is to do what I’m doing now but in wrestling everyone thinks you’re not successful until you have a boss which is kind of bizarre. But that’s the way it is and I’m pretty confident and really enjoy what I’m doing.
Ryan had one of the biggest, yet most controversial spots of the night at All In, and his stock has never been higher.
Renee Young Gets Promotion – Jonathan Coachman has been demoted to the Kickoff Pre-Shows, while Renee Young will now be the 3rd announcer at ringside permanently going forward. Young has received her fair share of criticism on the announce booth since joining it a few weeks ago; many pointing out that she doesn’t seem to fit with the others. I’d agree, as I think she should of been moved over to SmackDown to do play-by-play instead. A color commentator, which she now is, has a unique and different set of responsibilities on the booth; including but not limited to providing unique insight, explaining characters motivations, and of course being someone who has experience in the ring. She’s not that person, so why force her into a role she isn’t right for? Cus optics. She deserves a job announcing, but this would be like an NFL team signing their first ever female quarterback and having her play punter. Yeah, you signed the first female NFL player, so what? She’s playing out of position.
Quick Hits – Cody Rhodes will defend his NWA Worlds Heavyweight title at the September 16th Championship Wrestling from Hollywood event. David Arquette will be making his Northeast Wrestling debut on September 14th at 8 p.m., teaming with Hurricane Helms against King Brian Anthony and Lord Anthony Battle at the Hudson Valley Community Center in Poughkeepsie, New York. CM Punk is unsure if he’ll ever fight again, claiming he’s more focused on his current film project, a remake of the 1977 horror film Rabid.