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There are few professional wrestlers who have left the ring and crossed into the mainstream: Hulk Hogan, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, John Cena, and Dave Bautista are probably the most well-known today. But a new HBO documentary that looks at the career and life of André the Giant proves that his personality was even bigger than he was. Not only was he one of the greatest wrestlers the world has ever seen, he also had one of the biggest hearts. 

André Roussimoff is probably best known by some people for his part in The Princess Bride, but that role only highlighted a fragment of the massive man's talent.

One of his most famous wrestling matches, Wrestlemania III with Hulk Hogan, will certainly be a major point of the documentary. That even signified the moment when wrestling transitioned from being about the Giant to being about Hulkamania.

Take a look at...

Anybody want a trailer? HBO has released one for “André the Giant,” an upcoming documentary about, you guessed it, André The Giant. Jason Hehir is directing the film, which is being executive produced by noted pro-wrestling enthusiast Bill Simmons. Watch the teaser trailer below.

Read More:‘Gunpowder’ Trailer: Kit Harington Rides Into the 1600s in HBO Murder Plot Miniseries

“He was a god — literally the biggest celebrity in the world,” we hear via voiceover. “He is at once a real human but, at the same time, a mythological figure.” The wrestler-turned-actor, born André René Roussimoff, was bodyslammed by Hulk Hogan in front of 93,000 screaming Hulkamaniacs at the Silverdome in the main event of WrestleMania III; he also appeared in “The Princess Bride” and “Conan the Destroyer,” among other films.

Read More:Issa Rae Knew From The Start She Wanted To Be at HBO, And That’s Where She’s Growing...

The pro wrestling world is in mourning today after the loss of one of sports entertainment's most colorful and iconic managers and entertainers. Bobby Heenan, a.k.a. "The Brain," passed away at age 73. While no cause of death was announced, the famous loudmouth manager had been in poor health for years, after he was diagnosed with throat cancer back in 2002. He died at his home in Largo, Florida. Here's part of the WWE's statement on Bobby "The Brain" Heenan.

"WWE is saddened to learn that WWE Hall of Famer Bobby Heenan, regarded by many as the greatest manager in sports-entertainment history, has passed away at age 73. With a career spanning more than four decades, Heenan was the "The Brain" behind some of the most prolific Superstars in sports-entertainment history. Heenan plied his trade as their mischievous manager by running his mouth on their behalf with a sarcastic wit...

I loved watching Andre The Giant wrestle when I was growing up! His most famous feud was with Hulk Hogan, which came to a head at WrestleMania III. It was also so great to see him land a lead role in The Princess Bride as Fezzik, a character that he beautifully brought to life on the big screen. I’ve been wondering when or if this man would ever get his own biopic and now it looks like it’s actually coming.

Lion Forge Comics and producers Scott Steindorff and Dylan Russell have partnered to develop a feature film about the life of Andre “The Giant” Roussimoff. The film will be based on the authorized graphic novel biography that was published last year called, Andre the Giant: Closer to Heaven.

The news comes from Variety who reports that Andre’s daughter Robin Christensen-Roussimoff will be a consultant on the...

Professional wrestling has had several moments. Moments when it crossed over into the mainstream and became a temporary part of the greater pop culture consciousness. While many folks may recall The Attitude Era, that gave the world stars like Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, there was arguably no bigger zeitgeist moment for professional wrestling than the Rock n Wrestling Connection era. That period, which lasted from the mid 1980s to the early 1990s gave us Hulk Hogan, "The Macho Man" Randy Savage, Ultimate Warrior, and- of course- the legendary Andre The Giant.

Andre The Giant (real name Andre Roussimoff) was an integral part of that boom. He was a crossover star and an ambassador for the industry. If you knew nothing about wrestling, you still knew who Andre The Giant was. He even appeared in the beloved 80s cult classic, The Princess Bride, which helped cement...

In the days leading up to his trial against Gawker, Hulk Hogan promised to deliver a blow against the news site on par with his famous body slam of Andre the Giant during Wrestlemania III nearly three decades ago. On Monday, in a Florida courtroom, the 62-year-old celebrity took the opportunity to flex his legal might over Gawker's 2012 posting of an excerpt of a Hogan sex tape. Hogan (real name: Terry Bollea), sporting a black bandana and a cross necklace, took the witness stand after opening statements were made in a case that examines the responsibilities of a free press. He's

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WWE.com

A heel turn is never easy to pull off.

First, the turnee must be able to channel their inner baddie to effectively play the role or else run the risk of failing miserably. Then, it has to make sense within the context of the story. Finally, the fans have to be ready to accept a performer in that role. If they are not absolutely convinced that the character is somehow unlikable, they will either cheer them or react with crippling indifference.

Over the course of WWE history, the company have masterminded several highly successful heel turns, such as when The Rock emerged as the Corporate champion at Survivor Series 1998 or when Andre the Giant ripped Hulk Hogan’s shirt in the run-up to WrestleMania III.

For every great heel turn, though, there are a wealth of awful ones that have failed to capture the imaginations of the audience.

WWE.com

Bobby “The Brain” Heenan. Mention his name to a wrestling fan, particularly an old school one, and you can guarantee that person will smile. Over an illustrious career that spanned over five decades and saw Heenan work as a wrestler, manager, color commentator, TV host and more, Bobby was a part of literally hundreds of moments and memories in wrestling. Enough for him to fill two biographies which, incidentally, are both worth checking out if you haven’t already.

Heenan was an integral part of what is still considered to be the greatest wrestling attraction of all time – Hulk Hogan vs Andre The Giant at Wrestlemania III. When the babyface Andre first walked out onto Piper’s Pit with Heenan at his side, prompting a devastated Hogan to ask “What are you doing with him?”, the road to WrestleMania officially began. Andre’s association with ‘The Brain’ was...

WWE

It seems as though the WWE Hall of Fame is more and more regimented, in that the induction class has to follow a specific pattern: one headliner, one woman, one tag team, one celebrity, and three or four other inductees that include no more than one deceased performer (so as to not upset people, it seems).

Looking back at the 2004 and 2005 classes, you had quite the haul of 1980s greats going in, from Hulk Hogan to Rowdy Roddy Piper to Jesse Ventura to Sgt. Slaughter, and a host of others. Few WWE eras were as cool as the 1980’s Rock ‘n Wrestling era, and the first five or so years of Saturday Night’s Main Event. Goofy and over-the-top as the era could be, it still holds up today.

One issue with the rote formula for choosing the recent Hall classes has been the logjam created among the eighties stars that should be recognized.

WWE

For 32 years, WrestleMania has been home for historic high-profile matches and career-making moments that have created some of the most iconic imagery in wrestling. The sight of the legendary battle between Andre The Giant and Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania III, the Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan main event that never happened, and the year-long build of The Rock vs. John Cena are just some of the moments and stories that couldn’t possibly be forgotten.

But there are also WrestleMania memories that WWE doesn’t like to re-live.

Not every WrestleMania story has been front page news. In fact, some WrestleMania anecdotes were often kept quiet, or tried to be silenced altogether, since their details were not the type of stories that WWE likes to share. These more secretive tales, in some cases, had the potential to change the course of the entire company; others were less impactful but...

WWE.com

The shift from the Wwwf to the WWF, the sale of the company from Vincent James McMahon to Vincent Kennedy McMahon, and the birth of Hulkamania and the Rock ‘N’ Wrestling Connection were just some of the historical moments that took place during the 1980s that helped the WWF experience its first big boom and widespread public appeal.

Many WWF superstars became pop culture icons in the 80s including Hulk Hogan, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, Rowdy Roddy Piper and more. Throughout this decade, pro-wrestling’s finest would face off against each other in the main events of WrestleManias, SummerSlams and special events of the future, but numerous marquee match-ups never made it to the big stage.

With the thought of WrestleMania III, some of these matches had such potential to be technical masterpieces along the lines of Savage/Steamboat while others could’ve paralleled Hogan/Andre due to the high profile,...

WWE.com

With WrestleMania 32 right around the corner, speculation is rampant as ever about what the main event of the show will be. With WWE looking to break their kayfabe attendance record of 93,000 people (WrestleMania III) the pressure in on to find the perfect main event that fans will come out in droves to see.

Just one problem: the majority of WWE’s top stars are on the shelf with injuries (John Cena, Randy Orton, Seth Rollins, Sting), in exile (Hulk Hogan), unwilling to wrestle (Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin) or unavailable to wrestle due to movie insurance commitments (The Rock). Even the celebrities WWE wants are off the cards (Ronda Rousey), leaving fans with the horrifying prospect of a Roman Reigns vs. Triple H main event, and the chance for Hunter to laud himself as the man responsible from drawing the largest crowd in company history.

To me, and most others,...

WWE

If you’ve been following this series of articles, you’ll have read about my first trip to the Us for WrestleMania Xix, my New York trip in 2004 and then again for when WrestleMania went Hollywood in 2005.

I decided to take a break in 2006 in order to pay off some student debts and let my bank balance recover a little. Shortly after making that decision, WWE announced that Bret Hart would be inducted into the Hall of Fame during WrestleMania 22 weekend. I wish I’d seen the ceremony that year (featuring the inductions of Hart, Sensational Sherri, Gene Okerlund and Eddie Guerrero) but in terms of WrestleMania 22 itself, I was Ok to give the show a miss that year.

After my year off, I decided I’d go back the following year and set about booking up for WrestleMania 23 in Detroit, Michigan. With it being twenty...

WWE.com

When WWE announced that WrestleMania 32 was going to take place in Arlington, Texas’s At&T Stadium, it created a buzz – the venue was large enough to host the biggest crowd of all time, breaking the kayfabed record held by WrestleMania III as well as the legitimate record held by SummerSlam 1992. The stadium can hold well over 100,000 guests, and while that number is likely to decline given the intricate entranceway WWE will no doubt erect at the show, a crowd of about 85,000 (and an announced number of over 100,000) is expected.

Needless to say, WWE is committed to drawing as large a crowd as they can fit and claiming as high an attendance number as they realistically can, and to do that, they need to put on the best card possible.

Earlier in the year, rumors were swirling that the company was contacting just about every former star they could,...

Evan Agostini/AP

Hulk Hogan has become so synonymous within the wrestling industry for his tall tales that it’s become a running joke at this point. He’s told dozens of different versions of the same story, outlandish tales and outright lies so often that we don’t expect any less from him every time he’s in front of a microphone.

Who can forget the classic Andre The Giant story, where both the Frenchman himself and the WrestleMania III crowd in the Pontiac Silverdome grows in size with each retelling? It’s become a meme, with Hogan slamming the 1,200 pound giant in front of 260,000 screaming fans!

The potent combination of Hulk Hogan’s truth-stretching and Ric Flair’s aimless – and often inebriated – ramblings makes for quite the pairing, and we were treated as such when The Hulkster joined The Nature Boy on his Wooooo! Nation podcast to share stories and shoot the breeze.

WWE.com

The ongoing ‘female revolution’ storyline has lost traction over the past few weeks in WWE. Previously, the Diva division had 3 distinct groups, Team Bella, Team B.A.D and Team Pcb. The latter has splintered somewhat, due to Paige turning heel and delivering a shoot-style promo on her former team mates. It’s not uncommon to see the creative team lose faith in an angle quickly, which pushes it down the ladder of importance.

For Becky Lynch, the drive to main event a WWE Pay-Per-View is still strong. During a recent interview to promote the company in Ireland, the Diva noted that she’s motivated by the idea of one day seeing a women’s match in the headline slot of a major event. That’s not the only fact Becky brings to the table this week, she also discusses her formative years in the industry.

That’s...

@HeymanHustle

There has been a lot of debate over the years regarding who, exactly, was the best manager in the history of professional wrestling. One could argue for Bobby Heenan based on his pivotal role in promoting WrestleMania III, or Paul Heyman for his advocacy of Brock Lesnar alone, but in wrestling, success is measured in gold. If we frame success in terms of championships won — which is the idea of wrestling, after all — who was the statistically best manager of them all?

To answer that question, it was necessary to not only tally the number of championships, but also to weigh them appropriately in terms of prestige. Championships were therefore tiered in the following categories:

Tertiary titles (Television, Hardcore, European, and state-specific titles of national promotions), both single and tag, are worth one point.

Secondary titles (Intercontinental, U.S., King of the Ring, and regional titles of national promotions), both single and tag,...

Vince McMahon is on the cover of Muscle & Fitness magazine looking like the most fit 69-year-old man we have ever seen. Whether it was photoshopped in some way doesn’t really matter because we all know he stays in incredible shape all the time. He deserves a lot of credit for continuing to look the way he looks while maintaining a healthy lifestyle. We can question him for business decisions all we want, but we can’t deny that he takes care of himself.

In the magazine, there were a number of topics discussed with a few of the questions leading to some interesting answers from WWE’s Chairman.

His favourite wrestler: “That would be The Undertaker because of his loyalty, his longevity, and his extraordinary commitment to his character. We have lots of fun creating fun. [Superstars] try to crack each other up from time to time, and we all...

Ah yes, The Hulkster. When it comes to spinning tales, the Immortal One never fails to deliver. Often maligned by the community of wrestling fans, as well as many of his peers for his penchant for stretching the truth, there’s no denying that when Hulk Hogan talks, people listen.

A prime example of Hulk’s hyperbole can be found in his many variations of the WrestleMania III main event vs. Andre The Giant. With each retelling both Andre and the crowd inside Detroit’s Silverdome increase in size, to the point that it’s become a running joke. Other notorious Hogan yarns are his claims that he almost became the bass player for Metallica and was originally offered the George Foreman grill before the ex-boxer.

No one has ever been more politically adept within the confines of the wrestling business than Terry Bollea, forging a legacy inside and outside...

"The irresistible force meeting the immovable object!"

It's been a long time since I've watched wrestling, but when I was a kid I was really into it, and Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant were two of my favorites. I don't see a lot of wrestling fan art that features these wrestling stars, but I came across this one created by Rbst. It brought back some great memories, and I included the video of the two champions fighting each other at Wrestlemania III. I completely forgot how overdramatic these fights were! I love it! ...

WWE.com

Although it’s not the same as it once was, Survivor Series still exists as the 2nd longest running annual event in WWE History. It was created in 1987 to extend the rivalry between Hulk Hogan and Andre The Giant from Wrestlemania III. Due to Andre’s eroding skills, and health, teams of 5 were created around the two legends to do battle in an elimination style format. Over the years we’ve seen numerous teams stacked with Hall of Famers, as well as teams filled with 4 versions of Doink.

With a traditional Survivor Series Match between John Cena’s team and The Authority set to headline the November classic later this month, it’s the perfect time to ask who were the best teams to ever grace the event? And will either Cena’s team or The Authority’s team able to grab a spot on this in the future?...

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One of the great things about the WWE Network is getting the chance to go back and take a look at some of your most cherished childhood memories, whether it was Ricky Steamboat going all-out with Randy Savage at WrestleMania III, or even some great one-off PPV events. But perhaps even more exciting than that is actually getting to see the early days of the company that would challenge the all-powerful WWF in the 1990’s; World Championship Wrestling.

The house that Turner built included a bevy of wrestlers that eventually went on to do some great things with the WWE, some of them having even become world champions. It’s quite a thrill to pop on something like Starrcade 94 and realize that you’re watching a young Triple H have a match with Alex Wright. So many men who would go on to accomplish great things in the WWE,...

WWE.com

World Wrestling Entertainment is a company that prides itself on the moments it creates. It replays those moments ad nauseum in video packages, television specials and on its revolutionary streaming and on-demand network. Employees talk up those moments and their place in pro wrestling history. And rightfully so. From Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant’s face-to-face at WrestleMania III to Shawn Michaels’ boyhood dream coming true, the beginning of the Austin era at WrestleMania Xiv and the return of Brock Lesnar in 2012, they are moments in time that left fans excited, emotional and enthusiastic about the art form they love.

For every monumental moment, there are those that leave fans asking, “Wtf?!” From boogeymen to turkey suits, necrophiliacs to elderly pregnancies, WWE’s crack creative staff has been responsible for some of the most moronic, mind numbingly bad moments in professional wrestling’s centuries-long history. They are...

WrestleMania 30 gave diehard fans everything they could have hoped for—and more. WWE icon Hulk Hogan returned to host the event, which smashed ticket-sale records once again at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans—meaning, though the $10.9 million shelled out by the sold-out crowd of 75,167 probably couldn't dislodge the 2013 Super Bowl from its sports-event pedestal, WrestleMania 30 is now the top-grossing entertainment event ever held at the arena. But apparently the evening's host was in a nostalgic mood, because as he was riling the crowd up early on, he accidentally referred to the Superdome as the Silverdome, where he toppled Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III in...

WWE.com

It all started with an idea.

WrestleMania was an idea Vince McMahon had back in 1985 that would fuse the worlds of professional wrestling and mainstream celebrity to create a true entertaining extravaganza. Over the years that followed it, McMahon would build the legacy of the show based on other highly successful ideas, both his and others’. There was the epic main event at WrestleMania III between Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant that drew 93,173 fans to suburban Detroit’s Pontiac Silverdome. The Battle of the Billionaires in 2007 resulted in the highest pay-per-view buyrate until the titanic clash between The Rock and John Cena at WrestleMania 28 broke that record. The Money in the Bank ladder match worked out well, too.

As great as some of those ideas may have been, there were others that failed miserably. They missed the mark, some in spectacular fashion, and became blemishes on whatever show they appeared.

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When a new wrestler makes it into the big leagues of the WWE, there’s always a level of anticipation and a degree of expectation on them and what they’ll achieve during their career.

A lot of wrestlers have had a ton of expectation on their shoulders, being labelled the ’next big thing’, only to have crumbled under the weight or by not quite living up to the hype.

On the flip side, there’s WWE stars who begin their careers without the same fanfare and backing, but go on to have tremendous careers, comebacks, matches and more. Some wrestlers have achieved more than ever anticipated, reaching higher levels of popularity, success and achievement than first thought; blowing everyone’s expectations of what they’d become out of the water, going on to be the celebrated stars that they are today.

Here’s my list of ten wrestlers...

Since won by WWE Hall of Famer Pat Patterson in 1979, the WWF/E Intercontinental Championship has been held by the “workhorses” of the WWE. Talented workers and storytellers like Tito Santana, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, Mr. Perfect, and Shelton Benjamin- all great performers, but not the person the office would bank on carrying the company at house shows and PPVs- carried the Ic-title, entrusted in having great matches at- or near-the-top of the card with other mid-card superstars.

And with the WWE Network now comes the ability to access the all-time classics at anytime, anywhere, for a very affordable price. But after watching The Dragon and Macho Man at WrestleMania III, the Michaels/Ramon Ladder Match from WrestleMania X, Bret Hart vs. British Bulldog from Summerslam in England… after watching the best of the best, whose morbid curiosity hasn’t wanted to take a peek at the worst of the worst?...

Copyright: WWE Stone Cold Steve Austin Blu-ray

The term “final” is a pretty loosely-used one in the world of pro wrestling. I learned that the hard way as a kid, when I cried my eyes out during the video montage for Rowdy Roddy Piper’s retirement. It was set to Frank Sinatra’s “My Way”, and even then, in 1987, the video package brilliantly told the story of Roddy’s career. Even though he’d long been a heel, Hot Rod was overwhelmed by the fans’ reception, that record-setting 93,000 at WrestleMania III. As he walked the seemingly-endless aisle to face his final opponent, Adorable Adrian Adonis, I was astounded that this was the last time we’d get to see Roddy Piper.

Because I was only 9 years old, and twitter did not yet exist, I had no idea that Piper was merely on hiatus to film a movie. And while I...

WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has returned to WWE and will host "WrestleMania 30" on Sunday, April 6 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. Hogan will make his long-awaited return to WWE this Monday on "Raw," which airs live at 8 pm Et on USA Network. He will also appear on "WWE Raw Backstage Pass," airing live on WWE Network on Monday night at 11:05 pm Et. A larger-than-life icon, Hogan is one of the biggest names in WWE history. On January 23, 1984, "Hulkamania" was officially born when he defeated The Iron Sheik to become WWE Champion at Madison Square Garden. He headlined "WrestleMania III," where he successfully defended the WWE Championship against Andre The Giant in front of a record 93,173 fans at the Pontiac...

The History of WWE: 50 Years of Sports Entertainment begins with Vince McMahon getting out of his car at WWE headquarters in Connecticut and greeting employees as he makes his way to his office on the top floor of what was once known as TitanTowers.

The documentary portion of this release begins at the beginning, with information about Jess McMahon and Vince McMahon Sr, and how they began what we now know as WWE. Jess McMahon was a boxing promoter, his son Vince, turned it into a traditional regional professional wrestling promotion, and his son, the current head of WWE, Vince McMahon Jr, turned it into the multimedia conglomerate that we know today.

The talking heads are extremely relevant and well picked, it is nice to see the big names from wrestling’s history on here, talking about the history of WWE as a company and the wrestling business as a whole.

When many people think of the great WrestleManias, a select number of events tend to pop up in the mind of most fans. WrestleMania X7 is probably the best WrestleMania of all time and a candidate for the best American wrestling PPV of all time. WrestleMania III is up there thanks to the spectacle of the Silverdome and a rather great event overall. That’s fine and dandy, but I’m going to throw a different WrestleMania into the mix. WrestleMania VII may be the best WrestleMania that nobody talks about.

First, let’s address the elephant in the room and one of the main reasons that most fans tend to shy away from WrestleMania: Gulfsploitation. I don’t even know if that is a word, but that is probably the best name for it. Taking Sgt. Slaughter who at that point had been portrayed as an American hero...

Over the SummerSlam weekend I was in La for the pay per view event along with SummerSlam Axxess where 2K Games officially announced the roster for the 30 Years of WrestleMania mode. The storyline mode will take players through many of the greatest matches, rivalries and WrestleMania moments from history. As part of the weekend there was a special presentation from 2KGames which highlighted the game and allowed members of the press to give the game a test drive in anticipation of its release.

Undoubtedly the highlight of the game is the chance to relive some of the most iconic wrestling matches in history, and whilst a complete list of available matches available in the mode has yet to be revealed a good selection of classics has already been shown off to be in the game. At the presentation we were shown in depth footage of matches including Hulk Hogan against...

by Matt Hawkins

Last year's WWE video game was celebrated for its depiction of the Attitude era, which detailed the late 90s/early 2000 wrestling boom period that many are still quite fond of to this very day.

So, how will the upcoming "WWE 2K14" top last year's "WWE 2K13?" By celebrating the "Grandest Spectacle in all of (Sports) Entertainment", aka Wrestlemania. All 30 years of it.

Contained within the game will be the 30 Years of WrestleMania Mode, which seeks to recreate nearly three decades of WWE history with more than 45 matches. Only three have been revealed thus far: Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III, Hollywood Hogan vs. The Rock at WrestleMania X8, and John Cena vs. The Rock at WrestleMania Xxviii.

It is also claimed that "WWE 2K14" will have "the greatest roster in franchise history" and includes such luminaries as The Macho Man Randy Savage, Shawn Michaels,...

While the WWF was prospering in the north, Jim Crockett Promotions was growing in the south. Jcp boasted a talented roster – better than McMahon’s in my opinion – and it became the Nwa’s premier member, making it the WWF’s main rival. It was decided in 1983 that the company would create a new ‘super show’ at the Greensboro Coliseum – Jcp already had a tradition of holding shows there on Thanksgiving. Starrcade was a huge financial and critical success.

Things went wrong in 1987. The WWF chose to run their own Thanksgiving show, Survivor Series, at the same time. Starrcade 1987 also marked the first time Jcp entered the world of PPV, something the WWF had been doing since WrestleMania III. Vince McMahon threatened the cable companies, saying that if they showed Starrcade they would not be able to show Survivor Series and WrestleMania IV. The fact that Hulk Hogan was a mainstream celebrity,...

As we get even closer to April 7th the card for the WWE’s biggest PPV of the year is still only just beginning to take shape. The main event is a repeat of last year as The Rock goes one on one with John Cena. If last year’s match is anything to go by, coupled with Rock’s recent work with Cm Punk it is unlikely that the Wrestlemania 29 main event will make anyone’s all time great lists – but which Wrestlemania matches from previous years would? What Culture takes a look back at the last 28 years and brings you our 15 favourite matches.

With a PPV rich in history that has featured all the top names in the sport’s history – Hogan, Hart, Flair, Michaels, Savage – who will make the final cut?

Read on and find out. And don’t forget to have your say in the comments box below.

With the Elimination Chamber behind us, WWE fans are now in the final leg of the famous ‘Road to WrestleMania’. As is customary the night before WrestleMania, WWE will be commemorating the latest inductees to the WWE Hall of Fame. So far, Bob Backlund, Trish Stratus, Mick Foley and Bruno Sammartino have all been announced, with the possibility of others in the next couple of weeks. But will there be any new legends added to the controversial celebrity wing of the Hall of Fame?

In case you didn’t know, WWE have an exclusive section of the Hall of Fame reserved for celebrity guests who have been involved with the organization in some capacity. Current members include:

• Pete Rose (Major League Baseball player, appeared at three consecutive WrestleManias)

• William “The Refrigerator” Perry (NFL player, competed in a battle royal at Wrestlemania 2)

• Bob Uecker (Major League Baseball player, guest announcer...

It was announced this afternoon that WrestleMania XXX will be held at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon and Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque were joined by New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu in a press conference this afternoon to make the announcement. The press conference featured a plethora of WWE Superstars including reigning WWE Champion Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, World Champion Alberto Del Rio, John Cena, Big Show, Mark Henry, The Great Khali, Brodus Clay and Divas Layla, Cameron and Naomi. Joining the Superstars of WWE were Alan Freeman (Superdome General Manager), Rita Benson-LeBlanc (New Orleans Saints Vice Chairman), Stephen Perry (President of New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau), Jay Cicero (CEO of Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation).

In addition to the landmark WrestleMania event, New Orleans will host several events over the WrestleMania weekend. The annual four-day WrestleMania Axxess fan festival will be...

Big-time professional wrestling has long been a lucrative business, but for the men of Lincolnton, North Carolina’s Millenium Wrestling Federation, the social cohesion and outlet for their imagination the sport provides is their primary compensation. As chronicled in director Robert Greene’s fantastic new documentary Fake It So Real, wrestling has never seemed as intense and physically costly. Yet Greene is not interested in mining the sport for tales of snake-bitten men reaching for a glory that will never come; this isn’t a doc version of The Wrestler. Woebegone men are few and far between in this world, despite the fact that Lincolnton seemingly doesn’t provide much in terms of career prospects. A sense of community and mutually-appreciated craft pervades the scene.

Fake It So Real is Greene’s second festival hit in as many years. His debut film Kati with an I was nominated for the...

While it's true that Ozzy Osbourne may well be the Prince of Darkness, there is only one undisputed King, a man who has rocked and shocked audiences all over the world with his outrageous, and outrageously entertaining live shows for over four decades, and who shows no sign of letting up any time soon. I speak, of course, of the one and only Mr Alice Cooper, a man who has forgotten more about horror movies than most people know to start with (with the possible exception of the encyclopaedic Kim Newman), and in whose company I was privileged to spend an hour and a half on the Friday before Halloween at the British Film Institute in London as he discussed his favourite Nightmare Movies with an audience of just 400 or so people.

As Alice took to the stage, along with Fright Fest founder Alan Jones, who was hosting the talk,...

August 2012 will mark the 20 year anniversary of one of the best matches in the history of the WWE. Few who saw it will forget Bret Hart vs. The British Bulldog in the SummerSlam 1992 main event bout for the Intercontinental title in front of over 80,000 fans at Wembley Stadium, UK. It was a match of technical brilliance that masterfully told a story between those ropes in front of a crowd who weren’t quite sure whether to cheer for their home town union jack waving terrier or for the pink and black excellence of execution.

Despite WWE telling you Wrestlemania III at the Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan housed 93,173 fans in attendance (which is well known to be a falsely inflated figure), the likelihood is that those 80,355 fans at Wembley are the highest number that have ever watched a WWE event inside an arena. The company is believed to have made $3,650,000 in revenue from the event,...

(An article from our archives for your pleasure today)

Wrestling involves a great degree of acting, so it comes as no surprise that a number of wrestlers have attempted to make it in the movies over the years. With the formation of the WWE film division a few years ago WWE chairman Vince McMahon is determined to crack the big screen as well as dominating the small screen. Since the Hollywood success of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, a number of top wrestling stars have tried to follow in his footsteps and this shows no signs of letting up anytime soon with John Cena working with Die Hard 2 director Renny Harlin on the upcoming 12 Rounds, with no doubt countless other wrestler starring vehicles to follow.

No matter how talented in the ring a wrestler is if they don’t have the charisma to hold an audience’s attention in interviews...

When the ring bell tolls no longer,

And 3-counts fail to crown new champions,

Those legacies that endure far stronger

Are of personalities bright as distant suns.

The lasting fables of our squared circle

In spotlights, flares, fireworks, and beating drums

Belong not to boundless leapers or dreamers vernal

But weary warriors, they to time and injury succumb.

From that quantity of blood, bile, and broken bones

Left adorning small venue canvas mats,

Is a quality of effort, paid dues with named unknowns

In backwater towns and untelevised combats.

Molded and refined in the minor-league trots

Our crusader, crazed-eye hero,

Took his lumps, bumps, and violent spots

As "The Genius", "The Spider", nee Randall Poffo.

In the same year as my birth

The '85 Wrestling Classic

Came an elemental cosmic burst,

Of a savant, a beastly Savage with ferocity graphic.

His coming marked the synergy of the old and of...

Sad news, children of the '80s: wrestler Randy "Macho Man" Savage died this morning after suffering a heart attack behind the wheel of his car. He was 58. According to TMZ, Savage, who was wearing his seatbelt at the time, was driving "2009 Jeep Wrangler when he veered across a concrete median ... through oncoming traffic ... and collided head-on with a tree."

Without exaggeration, The Macho Man was one of my biggest childhood heroes. For a kid who read comic books, when he and Hulk Hogan teamed up to form the Mega Powers it was like tangible proof that super-heroes really did exist. When Macho and the Hulkster broke up (over a woman!), it was like learning Santa Claus didn't exist. I quickly got over my emotional devastation when I remembered what a great villain Macho Man made. Nobody could piss off a crowd, or cheat when the ref wasn't looking, like the Macho Man.

Rapper and rocker appeared on show Monday with Randy Orton and R-Truth, the rapping wrestler.

By Kyle Anderson

Flavor Flav

Photo: MTV News

Over its long history, professional wrestling has always had a deep connection to the world of music. Cyndi Lauper helped get the WWE on MTV, Alice Cooper appeared in the corner of Jake "The Snake" Roberts at WrestleMania III, and the likes of Snoop Dogg and Jewel have served as recent guest hosts on the organization's flagship Monday night program "Raw." And a very odd tag team came together Monday night to share hosting duties, as hip-hop star and reality TV icon Flavor Flav co-hosted the show, live from the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, with epic rocker Meat Loaf.

Following an opening promo from WWE star Randy Orton, Meat Loaf came out near the top of the show to remind the wrestler (and the viewing audience) that...

On Sunday night (March 28), over 72,000 people gathered at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona to witness WrestleMania Xxvi. That's a tremendous audience, but still short of the WrestleMania record. On this day in 1987, WrestleMania III came to the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan, where Andre the Giant challenged Hulk Hogan for the heavyweight championship. Total attendance on that day? A reported 93,173, a figure that has been disputed over time but still stands as the record for largest indoor attendance for a live sporting event in North America.

WrestleMania III represented the pinnacle of the wrestling boom in the 1980s. Hogan was one of the most recognizable stars in the world, but a number of members of the World Wrestling Federation roster had claims to mainstream fame, including "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, Randy "Macho Man" Savage and the Iron Sheik. Though the show in 1987 featured appearances by the likes of Aretha Franklin and Alice Cooper,...

The legendary wrestler – real name Terry Bollea – and his girlfriend of nearly two years, Jennifer McDaniel, will tie the knot after he popped the question. A source said: "He is engaged and very happy." The date for the wedding is not yet known. The news comes just fives months after Hulk finalised his divorce from ex-wife Linda Bollea, after 25 years together. Speaking afterwards, Linda admitted she would always love the former WWE grappler - with who she has two children, Nick, 19, and Brooke, 21 - and pledged to stay in contact with him. She said: "The war is over. I still love him. He's the father of my children. My husband took the big step of stopping this escalating war by making the decision to put this behind us. I am grateful to him for realising that our family can be happier and stronger by working together. He and I both...