Here is your fight size update for Wednesday, July 28, 2021:
- Ahead of his match tonight with Chris Jericho, Nick Gage gave one last message to his MDK gang:
- Speaking of MDK, Marko Stunt, who is employed by AEW, is rooting for Nick Gage tonight. Stunt is also a GCW regular.
- See Batista as you've never seen him before with a white ponytail in the new advertisement for Disney+ bundles.
- Speaking with Sports Illustrated, Ric Flair recalled first meeting Hulk Hogan back when he was Sterling Golden.
“I first met Hulk when he was coming through Atlanta on his way to Memphis, back when he was ‘Sterling Golden,’ ” says Flair. “That’s probably close to 1979. He was in AWA, and I saw him a few times with Verne [Gagne], but we really didn’t get close until we wrestled in New York in the early ’90s.”
“I loved working with him,” adds Flair. “How can you not love working with a guy who’s over like that? I had moments like that working with Kerry Von Erich, Ricky Steamboat, Sting, Ricky Morton, and, of course, Dusty Rhodes. They all attained that level, but Hulk was unbelievable. Working with him was great. Those were the easiest nights of my life.”
- Ryo Mizunami has announced that she tested positive for COVID-19.
- Darby Allin, Cody Rhodes, Paul Wight, and more are booked for NEW WrestleFest. On that night, Jerry "The King" Lawler will wrestle the former Enzo Amore. Learn more here.
- Rich Swann and Brian Cage are scheduled to fight at the next VxS event:
- John Cena tells People magazine how his training regimen has changed with age.
"I used to want to be as strong as I could, and that meant being stronger than I've ever been in my life. Now, I just want to continue to train. So it's not that I'm not trying to push myself in terms of strength, but I'm also looking long-term. Is the stuff that I'm going to do damage to me right now, or is it going to evolve me forward? And a lot of the things that I would do as a younger person when I felt as if I was bulletproof and invincible, are not necessarily the most wellness-forward things."
He continues: "As far as putting 600 lbs. on your back, or really pushing the limits every day and continuing to train without proper recovery, not taking enough time to invest in mobility, not necessarily making the best nutritional decisions, all of those things now need to be at the forefront. I don't just want to train for today, I want to train for four years from now. So the perspective has to change. And that once again, that comes with some embarrassing and uncomfortable stuff [admitting] I'm not as strong as I used to be, but it is fun to say, 'I can still do this.' I've learned to embrace that, and enjoy it. And it hasn't ruined my love for strength training."
- Today, WWE stock closed at $49.19.
- Check out the top 10 moments from WWE NXT.
- Fred Rosser, fka Darren Young explains the shift from WWE style to NJPW style in a new interview with New Japan's website:
"Yeah, and that was a little intimidating to me initially. I had a lot of conversations with my family before I committed to this opportunity on NJPW STRONG as well, to decide whether it was the right time and the right place for me. But they gave me their blessing, and I just went after it with laser-like focus. I was hungry and I was committed, and now I’m contractually committed full time. You might see me in other places from time to time, but NJPW will always take priority. I want to be a part of everything that goes on with NJPW STRONG going forward, and to elevate the other talent as well."
- Rocky Mountain Collectibles issued the following:
On Saturday, July 31 and Sunday, August 1st, 2021, Denver’s Rocky Mountain Collectibles (rockymountaincollectibles.com) will host a two-day charity Gaming Expo in celebration of the release of the brand new game, MetaZoo and the return of in-person Yu-Gi-Oh! play. All money raised that weekend will be donated to the Aoki Foundation. The two-day event will feature some terrific signing opportunities including Jason Paige, the original Pokémon theme song singer, who will be signing for the first time ever in Colorado, and legendary Pokémon collector Gary Haase. In addition, Rocky Mountain Collectibles will be donating thousands of dollars’ worth of tournament prizes, as well as some great charity raffle prizes. There will be door prizes and random giveaways throughout both days. Rocky Mountain Collectible’s owner Ellis Maddalena expects this two-day charity Expo to surpass last month’s charity event which raised over $60,000 for the Aoki Foundation
The first day of the Expo, Saturday, July 31, will take place at Embassy Suites by Hilton Denver Central Park, 4444 Havana St. in Denver, CO. Gaming on Day One will include a huge Yu-Gi-Oh! Tournament with 24 boxes of the newest sets of cards and a Starlight rare Lightning Storm, worth $2500, donated to the prize pool by Rocky Mountain Collectibles and Digimon Two Box (prizing for top 4) tournaments. There will also be MetaZoo game demos, a 4-man Yu-Gi-Oh! Speed Duel, 8-man Pokemon standard and 8-man Magic the Gathering Pods firing all day, with 100% of the entry fees being donated to the Aoki Foundation. As an added bonus, in addition to signing opportunities with Jason Paige and Gary Haase, fans will have the unique opportunity to meet and have items signed by MetaZoo game creator Michael Waddell, who will be at the Expo from 12 p.m.–5 p.m. Mr. Waddell will be donating a portion of his signature proceeds to the charity. Pop figures, sealed TCG products, singles and gaming accessories will be available for purchase for your Expo and signing needs.
On Sunday, August 1, Gaming Day 2 will take place at the Rocky Mountain Collectibles store, 4895 Joliet St. in Denver, CO. It will consist of another chance to catch signatures from the special guests, a Pokémon Case tournament (prizing for Top 4) and another MetaZoo demo, which will lead into The MetaZoo game release and introduction tournament, followed by the drawing of all of the charity raffles which will conclude this amazing charity weekend. You do not have to be present to win but you don’t want to miss this incredible event!
Rocky Mountain Collectibles was started by then 25-year-old Ellis Maddalena in 2019, and in less than two years has become Denver’s foremost destination for fans of Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Digimon and Funko Pop collectibles & tournaments, A serious gamer and card player since he was a kid, Maddalena started playing Yu-Gi-Oh! casually when the game debuted in 2000 and has played competitively since 2013’s release of “Phantom Darkness.” He has topped and won major tournaments, including finishing in 7th place overall in the 2013 Nationals. “I've always wanted to share this passion in my life with the world. Collectibles also run in the family as my grandparents owned antique shops and my father, Joseph Maddalena, is world-renowned as the premier auction purveyor of television and movie memorabilia. When I decided to open my own gaming and collectibles store, I knew it had to be a store for the players and by the players, and you can tell that’s exactly what it is from the moment you walk into Rocky Mountain Collectibles.”
Maddalena continued, “The friendly environment and positive atmosphere fostered by the great collectible card community we’ve built, along with the unheard-of prizing, have combined to manifest something very special. We’ve been able to host over a dozen events per week between live, in-store events and our Discord server events. Our in-store gaming area can seat nearly 100 players. In our first year and a half, we’ve already become one of the top performing Official Tournament Stores for Yu-Gi-Oh!, and I’m proud to say that our Pokémon team finished top 128 in the world!”
Rocky Mountain Collectibles offers third-party card grading services through reputable PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator) and CGC (Certified Guaranty Company). They’ve processed over 10,000 cards and continue to take in weekly submissions. Their volume of business has allowed them to become a CGC authorized dealer, making grading cards as easy and affordable as possible. Rocky Mountain also buys whole trading card collections, paying highly competitive rates on most buys and top dollar on rare and high-end items. They stock an abundance of hard-to-find singles and sealed products for Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pokémon and Digimon, including over 5,000,000 carefully curated and organized Yu-Gi-Oh! cards, easily the largest number in the area. “One big reason our customers like the store so much is that we constantly bring in new and unique items they won’t find anywhere else! We are always searching out new stock to ensure every visit to the store is a fresh and fun experience for our customers,” said Maddalena.
Aside from trading cards, Rocky Mountain Collectibles has assembled one of the biggest Funko Pop figure collections in the country. Pre-pandemic, they hosted the largest “Pop swaps” Colorado has ever seen. “We are hoping to repeat that event again this summer. My team is always working to make the store and our premium events the best they can be for the loyal community and to always grow moving forward,” said Maddalena.
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