Tag Archives: Smackdown

Toy Crazy: Winter 2020 WWE Funko Releases

It’s been awhile since I posted about upcoming Funko releases. I think I may have skipped the last series, but the upcoming toys to be released in early-2020 are must-haves.

We have reviewed a lot of Mattel’s WWE Elite figures, but Funko has also released solid figures in the past. I’m a big collector and you can see some of my collection on my Instagram, @vintagetoybob.

This upcoming set has a couple chase figures and exclusives that can be found at Amazon and Wal-Mart. We will also see the first Hulk Hogan Funko figure since his racist remarks were made public years ago.

Here are some pictures of Funko’s Winter 2020 WWE POP! vinyl releases.

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Sports Crush: WWE’s Cathy Kelley

It’s been awhile since we added to our ‘Sports Crush’ list.

We’ve written over a dozen ‘Sports Crush’ posts since we launched AmericasWhiteBoy.com. We have spotlighted a ton of WWE Divas (Becky Lynch, Mandy Rose, Sasha Banks, Alexa Bliss, Liv Morgan and others). The readers still keep those among the some of the highest traffic on the site, so we will keep delivering.

Cathy Kelley got her start on AfterBuzz TV, which is owned by WWE mega-fan Maria Menounos and her husband. Kelley was part of many WWE recap shows and also contributed to radio shows on Sirius XM. She was signed to WWE in 2016 and has been the host for many WWE shows on their YouTube channel and has been a mainstay on NXT in recent years. You can now see her every Wednesday night on NXT on the USA Network.

Check out why we are crushing on Cathy Kelly with our picture gallery.

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WWE’s ‘Hell In A Cell’ Insulted Fans’ Intelligence

WWE chose the absolute worst time to book what may go down as one of the worst pay-per-views of all-time.

I’m sure WWE were walking with a little extra pep in their step after a strong debut on FOX on Friday. They scored their biggest rating in years and they are now rolling in dough with their new television deals kicking in this week.

This pay-per-view may have been doomed from the start since they spent the final Smackdown celebrating themselves, and they only officially announced three matches prior to ‘Hell In A Cell’. They also made it clear that they didn’t care about this pay-per-view as they used Smackdown to build towards the show in Saudi Arabia on October 31st.

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WWE’s Cruiserweight Classic – Where Are They Now?

It’s been three years since the WWE aired its Cruiserweight Classic tournament on the WWE Network. It was meant to give fans some nostalgia of the great Cruiserweight matches on WCW. All-time greats like Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero, Ultimo Dragon and others helped WCW feel different than WWF, which then almost exclusively featured large, hulking wrestlers.

The Cruiserweight Classic was critically-loved as the action was high-flying and some stuff was never seen on a WWE-branded product before this tournament. The actual streaming numbers aren’t known, but it helped launch the new cruiserweight division.

Many of the wrestlers in this tournament have went on to have careers in WWE and a few have gained stardom elsewhere.

Where are the Cruiserweight Classic wrestlers now?

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Sports Crush: Carmella

It’s been awhile since we added to our ‘Sports Crush’ list.

We’ve written over a dozen ‘Sports Crush’ posts since we launched AmericasWhiteBoy.com. We have spotlighted a ton of WWE Divas (Becky Lynch, Mandy Rose, Sasha Banks, Alexa Bliss, Liv Morgan and others). The readers keep viewing those posts, so we will keep delivering new female wrestlers like recent WWE’s Carmella.

Carmella (Leah Van Dale) was a Laker Girl in the NBA and cheerleader for the New England Patriots. She is a second-generation wrestler, as her father was an enhancement talent in the 80’s and 90’s. She made her debut in NXT as the valet for Big Cass and Enzo Amore. She has now outlasted both of those guys and has a prominent role on Smackdown Live.

Check out why we are crushing on Carmella with our picture gallery, and a very special .gif.

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Will WWE Performance Center Feed the Indies with Talent?

The WWE Performance Center is the most high-tech wrestling training center in the World. The New Japan Dojo and other wrestling schools may have a higher success rate, but WWE has a ton of talent down there, but only a few will reach stardom.

On top of the WWE’s attempt to sign inexperience athletes they can mold into ‘sports entertainers’, they have been signing nearly every available indie wrestling star. Their latest coup was signing indie darlings Matt Riddle and Keith Lee.

NXT television was once a place where young, inexperienced talents could get some exposure and learn on the job, since character development is a huge part of WWE today. Now, NXT television consists of talents who have hundreds of matches under their belt and experience wrestling in front of thousands of fans.

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25 Indie Wrestlers WWE Should Sign Right Now

The WWE keeps raiding the independent scene for talent to stock NXT with experienced workers. You would think the well would run dry of new guys, but they keep emerging. New talented wrestlers keep making a name for themselves by wrestling for independent promotions all over the world.

If you’re expecting this list to be full of New Japan talent like Kenny Omega, the Young Bucks or even Cody Rhodes, you’d be disappointed. New Japan isn’t an indie promotion in my eyes. If so, Kazuchika Okada, Hiromu Takahashi and Tetsuya Naito would top the list. NJPW have so much homegrown talent that I decided to not include those guys on this list. I did add a few gaijins (foreigners) who work for New Japan (as well as otehr promotions), but they’re not the tippy-top guys.

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Sports Crush: Maria Kanellis

We’ve written over a dozen ‘Sports Crush’ posts since we launched AmericasWhiteBoy.com. We have spotlighted a ton of WWE Divas (Becky Lynch, Lana, Sasha Banks, Alexa Bliss, Emma and others). The response has been fantastic, so we decided to profile another WWE women’s superstar, Maria Kanellis

Kanellis was first hired by the WWE in 2004 as a member of a ‘Diva Search’ contest. She was released in 2010. She went on to appear in Ring of Honor, New Japan and Impact Wrestling with her husband, Mike Bennett.

Well, she is back in the WWE again, but this time with her husband. I have a feeling she’ll end up on ‘Total Divas’ pretty soon.

Kanellis appeared in Playboy Magaine in 2008…but I chose to not post nude pictures on the site (sorry guys).

Check out our picture gallery, and a very special .gif, to see why we are crushing on Maria Kanellis.

Please click on the thumbnail images to see them full size.

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Sports Crush: Nikki Bella

We’ve written over a dozen ‘Sports Crush’ posts since we launched AmericasWhiteBoy.com. We have spotlighted a ton of WWE Divas (Becky Lynch, Lana, Sasha Banks, Alexa Bliss, Emma and Liv Morgan). The response has been fantastic, so we decided to profile a WWE women’s superstar, Nikki Bella.

Nikki, whose real name is Stephanie Nicole Garcia-Colace, signed with WWE in 2007 with her twin sister Brie. She was mostly a valet for the early part of her career. They both took a year off in 2012, but came back stronger in-ring competitors. She is a two-time WWE Divas Champion and stars in two reality shows, ‘Total Divas’ and ‘Total Bellas’.

She is dating WWE superstar John Cena and rumor is she will become a part-time performer soon due to a nagging neck injury.

Check out a picture gallery, and a very special .gif of her entrance, to see why we are crushing on Nikki Bella.

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Sports Crush: WWE’s Liv Morgan

We’ve written over a dozen ‘Sports Crush’ posts since we launched AmericasWhiteBoy.com. We have spotlighted a ton of WWE Divas (Becky Lynch, Lana, Sasha Banks, Alexa Bliss, Emmalina and others). The response has been fantastic, so we decided to profile a WWE women’s superstar, who is currently in NXT, Liv Mogan.

Morgan, whose real name is Gionna Daddio, signed with WWE in 2014 after years of being a competitive cheerleader and Hooters girl.

She made her NXT television debut in the Summer of 2015 after only a year at developmental, which is pretty fast these days for those without any previous wrestling experience.

The women talent down at NXT is a little thin, so I expect a lot more television time for Liv Morgan in the near future.

Check out a picture gallery, and a very special .gif, to see why we are crushing on Liv Morgan.

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Sports Crush: WWE’s Emma

We’ve written over a dozen ‘Sports Crush’ posts since we launched AmericasWhiteBoy.com. We have spotlighted a ton of WWE Divas (Becky Lynch, Lana, Sasha Banks, Alexa Bliss and others). The response has been great, so we decided to profile a WWE women’s superstar known as Emma.

Emma, whose real name is Tenille Dashwood, has been wrestling since 2007. She wrestled in her native Australia and North America before signing with WWE in 2011.

Emma was in NXT back when women’s wrestling was first gaining momentum there. She actually wrestled Paige in the first ever NXT Women’s Championship match. She was going to change gimmicks and be called Emmalina, but after months of vignettes, they changed their minds and went back to the Emma name.

Check out a picture gallery, and a very special .gif, to see why we are crushing on Emma.

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WWE: Paige Fails Another Drug Test – What’s Going On?

WWE superstar Paige has been making the news for all the wrong reasons.

She has been in the news since she failed a drug test in late-August the same day her boyfriend Alberto Del Rio also failed his test. It was reported that they failed for different reasons. Del Rio announced later that he was taking testosterone to help with his physique.

Her boyfriend worked out a mutual release with WWE, since an ‘out clause’ was coming up soon anyways. Paige has a couple years left on her contract, so there’s no way WWE would let her out of her contract, especially since she’s a high profile talent on their programming and E!’s “Total Divas.”

Well, Paige was apparently awaiting neck surgery when she failed her second drug test, which results in an unpaid 60-day suspension.

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