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Post by Admin on Apr 24, 2022 2:02:59 GMT
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Post by Admin on Apr 24, 2022 2:04:58 GMT
www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2022/04/wwe-files-trademark-for-new-stars-name-and-nickname/WWE Files Trademark For New Star's Name And Nickname WWE filed trademarks for a new ring name and an associated nickname on April 19, 2022. USPTO (United States Patent & Trademark Office) records show that the company filed to trademark “Damaris Griffin” and “D-Griff” this past Tuesday. The following use description was included with the filings: “Mark For: DAMARIS GRIFFIN trademark registration is intended to cover the categories of entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibitions and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer rendered and through broadcast media including television and radio, and via the internet or commercial online service; providing wrestling news and information via a global computer network; providing information in the fields of sports and entertainment via an online community portal; providing a website in the field of sports entertainment information; fan club services, namely, organizing sporting events in the field of wrestling for wrestling fan club members; organizing social entertainment events for entertainment purposes for wrestling fan club members; providing online newsletters in the fields of sports entertainment; online journals, namely blogs, in the field of sports entertainment.” “Mark For: D-GRIFF trademark registration is intended to cover the categories of entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibitions and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer rendered and through broadcast media including television and radio, and via the internet or commercial online service; providing wrestling news and information via a global computer network; providing information in the fields of sports and entertainment via an online community portal; providing a website in the field of sports entertainment information; fan club services, namely, organizing sporting events in the field of wrestling for wrestling fan club members; organizing social entertainment events for entertainment purposes for wrestling fan club members; providing online newsletters in the fields of sports entertainment; online journals, namely blogs, in the field of sports entertainment.” The star going by Damaris Griffin debuted on NXT Level Up last night, teaming up with Quincy Elliot against Edris Enofe and Malik Blade. His real name is James Barron Jr. and he was recruited by WWE in August 2021 by Triple H and other talent scouts.
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Post by Admin on Apr 24, 2022 2:07:23 GMT
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Post by Admin on Apr 24, 2022 2:10:53 GMT
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Post by Admin on Apr 24, 2022 2:11:22 GMT
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Post by Admin on Apr 24, 2022 2:12:27 GMT
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Post by Admin on Apr 24, 2022 2:12:54 GMT
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Post by Admin on Apr 24, 2022 2:13:39 GMT
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Post by Admin on Apr 24, 2022 2:18:26 GMT
D'Lo Brown talks to Piledriver and WWE 2K22 reviewed
Hello and welcome to Piledriver Wrestling Newsletter.
During WWE's Attitude Era, one of my favourite wrestlers in WWE's midcard was D'Lo Brown. The former European and Intercontinental champion was a hard hitting high flyer, who oozed arrogance and had the moves to back it up. Personally, I loved his Sky High sitout spinebuster and that beautiful Lo Down frog splash, complete with a perfectly timed, mid-air crotch chop!
Even before the bell rang, the ex Nation of Domination man just had undeniable swagger - from the head jerking as he strutted down to the ring, to his killer theme song The Real Deal, with the cocksure lyrics: "You're looking at the real deal now - wooooh - gonna kick your sorry ass out on the street. You used to think you own the streets, well pack your bags, your ass is dead meat."
I spent hours upon hours of my life playing WWF No Mercy on the Nintendo 64. D'Lo's music and taunts were always go-to options for me when choosing my entrance in the 'create a wrestler' mode. Even now, if you're anything like me, you can't hear that theme song without shaking your head like you need urgent medical attention.
Years later, as a Liverpool FC supporter myself, I was surprised and delighted in equal measures to discover the New Jersey native had somehow become a fan of the Reds and developed a passionate hatred of Jose Mourinho! In recent weeks you might also have seen a great photo of him enjoying some fish and chips in Grimsby. Here is a man who clearly appreciates the good things in life.
D'Lo, real name Accie Connor, now works for Impact Wrestling as a producer. The 51-year-old sat down with our correspondent Paul Gorst to talk about everything from transitioning to a commentator and backstage figure, to his days working with The Rock and who was his favourite opponent during the Attitude Era. You can read that interview in full below. You better recognise!
Returning to the topic of No Mercy, I'll never miss an opportunity to talk about that classic - showing my age whenever I do. But all these years later, the smash hit from Japanese studio AKI remains the benchmark for wrestling games. So much so, when the recently released WWE 2K22 was still in the development stage, executive producer Patrick Gilmore said his team were looking at taking the "best ideas" from No Mercy to help "set a new standard".
Did they achieve that goal? Well, you can find out below, as John Isherwood gives his definitive verdict on WWE 2K22, having got to grips with the PS5 edition of the franchise for an in-depth review. Having read it, I'm very tempted to try and pick up a copy. But only if I can play as AKI Man with Burning Hammer as my finisher!
Take care
Neil
WWE 2K22 - the Piledriver review
Coming off the back of the disastrous release of WWE 2K20, 2K Games took the very bold decision to rethink, redesign and redevelop over the next 12 months plus, in order to atone for what turned out to be the worst received game in the series' history. Taking a year out turned out to be a good thing. Annually released sports games rarely see big changes. This time, however, 2K went all out to make 22's instalment a return to form.
The majority of the base game elements have been redesigned, and with good effect too. Starting with the controls, it's now so much easier to pick up and play the game - especially after going through the opening tutorial session with an absolutely hilarious Drew Gulak video helping make you a prime WWE superstar.
Combos are much more effective and simple to pull off, and the grapple system has been redesigned to be a lot more intuitive and fluid. Strikes into grapples flow into slick combos that end in a big move. The reversal system is still a touch frustrating, but more intuitive and simpler than in previous versions.
The different gameplay modes have either been redesigned or reintroduced, with MyCareer morphing into MyRise - which is by far one of the most enjoyable aspects of the game. It gives you the opportunity to create your own superstar and work your way up the ranks to championship status.
What makes this mode so much more fun to play is that you truly forge your own path and each playthrough can be different. The choices you make send you off on different branches and each decision determines what scenarios are presented. A fun, unique career each time is guaranteed.
The return of MyGM was in high demand from fans and the chance to take over Raw, SmackDown and both NXT brands is present here. Taking on the AI or another gamer, there's a chance to go behind the scenes and put yourself in the booker's chair.
Selecting your superstars via the draft, managing budgets, and booking shows, everything is available and all takes place within one season, instead of an infinite amount of time as in previous games. If Football Manager but with wrestling is what you're after, then you'll get it here. Keeping talent happy, fans onside and all the little things are included, making it an intricate mode to play.
Sadly though, what could have been a really fun part of the game turns out to be something of a damp squib. Not all of the superstars were available for draft at the start and when booking the shows, there are no Intercontinental or United States titles to play with, rendering some matches a bit meaningless when trying to build feuds, which is a lot harder than it seems.
The Rey Mysterio showcase is well worth playing through and is guaranteed to bring back memories of matches that will demand a rewatch on WWE Network. The transitions in this mode are seamless, as the game flips from in-game to video footage and back without missing a step and the stories from Rey throughout are compelling. Despite some fantastic moments in Rey's career being explored here, there are others that are missed out due to certain wrestlers not being in the game, which lets this down slightly.
MyFaction is basically 2K's version of FIFA Ultimate Team on the FIFA games, yet falls short of being on par in terms of quality. Collecting (and buying) cards, forming a faction and the following feuds did little to hold attention, and the lure of MyRise was too strong to even think about spending much time on this mode.
2K22 does suffer in another area and that is the roster. As the game was being developed, WWE released a large number of talents who were in the game, and to be fair to 2K and Crystal Dynamics, it was near impossible to keep up and replace those who had been let go! There are of course lots of retro talents to unlock and access that adds to the game and more to come with the benefits of season pass, however, not all your favourites may be there on first play.
Overall, WWE 2K22 is a vast improvement on 2K20. The redeveloped controls and the MyRise mode is worth a purchase on its own. There are still a few flaws, but 2K has kicked out at two, hulked up, and made a big comeback.
D-Lo Brown talks to Piledriver
How are you adjusting to your new role backstage at Impact Wrestling, after a spell on commentary? Have we seen the running powerbomb and the Low Down for the last time?
"I loved doing the commentary because I always say it is easy to talk about something you love and my personal affection for the world of professional wrestling means it's easy for me to go out there and yell and scream and get excited because, hell, it's my passion. I love it and I love being alongside such great professionals. I am not getting back in the ring! I am very happy wearing a suit and tie, you can trust me on that one!"
Looking at the industry, it seems to be a great time to be involved, with so many flourishing companies compared to maybe 10 years ago. Obviously WWE, but now AEW and Impact too...
"You don't even have to go back 10 years ago, it was five years ago and all of a sudden there is this renaissance of wrestling where, in America, on any given night, you can watch pro wrestling and there's a show on national TV. It's gone from one show on a national television platform to seven, eight or nine and there are various ways to watch them. So there's this sense of a renaissance of the business itself pushing itself back into pop culture and the limelight of the society."
One of the main people who helped bring wrestling into pop culture's focus is The Rock. I wanted to ask about your times with him in the 1990s. Did you ever see him being the major star he is today when he first started out?
"Anyone who says they envisioned it, other than him, is selling you a bill of goods. But what I did see with him was that passion to get it right. To fail and keep fixing and tweaking things until he finally got that signature interview style or signature promo style, that next level of pizzazz. He kept working at it and fine tuning and with his work ethic, he found that thing that saw him take off and he's not now the biggest star in wrestling but the biggest star in the world."
Is he the best ever on the mic?
"I would definitely say he is the best overall promo on the planet because he has everything. He's entertaining, he's intelligent, he's articulate and then he puts it all out there where it draws people in and it makes you want to come and see him. Whether that is in the movies or the middle of the ring. It draws you in and that is what you're supposed to do, so yes, he's by far the best in the world at it."
I'm not sure whether you've seen Young Rock, but there's a scene in the latest episode where a teenage Rock is put in a headlock by a young Roman Reigns and he says they can only fight at WrestleMania. Do you see that happening next year?
"I think the world of wrestling would pay to see it because it's old clashing with the new for that ultimate supremacy to see who is the real Head of the Table. So, yes, I would pay to see it and I think other people would too, so that is a match befitting of WrestleMania, I can say that from the bottom of my heart.
You say your in-ring days are done, but just going back to your time in the then-WWF, what were some of your favourite rivalries during that incredible period of the late 1990s?
"Anytime I was doing anything with X-Pac, I loved being in the ring with him. We had tremendous chemistry and we both enjoyed being in there and beating the hell out of each other. So it was fun. Think about it, you're asking another grown man to hit you as hard as they can at times. So it was fun. And any time you're in the ring with your friends, like Mark Henry. He and I would giggle all day long about what we were going to do, we'd go out there and do it and light up the house. Then get back in the car and just giggle about what we just did, so those were fun times!
It's often said that X-Pac was the yardstick in WWF/E...
"Absolutely! He was uber-talented. If you have a bad match with him, that's a you problem, not a him problem."
And your run as European champion was a memorable one. You used to come out as being billed from a different European city each night, how did that all come about as it was a clever idea?
"Coming out as being billed from a different place in Europe each time was my idea. It started out as a joke on house shows because I'd mess around with the announcer Tony Chimel and every night, he'd be like 'where are you from tonight?' So I'd say Luxembourg and then the next night I'd say Helsinki and it was just a joke we had at non-televised events and one day at Raw, you know, it was 'hailing from London...' and it just took up from there. So it was just this inside joke that everyone was in on and it made it to TV. It was fun and I loved representing Europe and the UK, so it was just fun."
Impact Wrestling's Rebellion pay-per-view is this Saturday, in Poughkeepsie, New York. It looks like a stacked card.
"So far it looks like one of those cards that's going to be a really nice presentation of what Impact has to offer to the world. I mean, when you talk about Josh Alexander finally getting his shot against Moose, I mean, that's months and months in the making. Personally it is something I am looking forward to."
Just looking at some of the talent who are going to be involved, you mention Moose and Josh Alexander, it's a really impressive roster Impact has at the minute.
"That's the cool thing about those that watch our product. From top to bottom, we have so much talent and really talented individuals going out there and putting on a show that I am very proud of week in and week out."
Fans in the UK can watch IMPACT Wrestling on IMPACT Plus and/or the IMPACT Insiders YouTube channel.
Impact's annual Rebellion PPV is set for Saturday, April 23 and live on FITE.tv. The main event features Impact World Champion Moose putting the gold on the line against Josh Alexander. Violent By Design (Eric Young, Joe Doering and/or Deaner) will also be defending their Impact World Tag Team Championships against seven teams yet to be announced in an elimination challenge.
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Post by Admin on Apr 24, 2022 2:20:16 GMT
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