Post by joe on Mar 3, 2022 19:33:54 GMT
PRO WRESTLING WARRIORS
"PWW 2: PUNK VS. ROLLINS" PRESS CONFERENCE
Location: The Courtyard by Marriot South Philadelphia at the Navy Yard
Date: 02/02/2022
We are in the large conference room of the The Courtyard by Marriot here in South Philly. The wrestling press have gathered in and are ready to present their questions to Paul Heyman and the stars of Pro Wrestling Warriors. The voice of PWW, Jimmy Smith, has made his way up to the podium first to welcome everyone.
Jimmy Smith:
“Welcome to all the press and fans to the official press conference to promote “PWW 2: Punk vs. Rollins”! We are very excited to get this thing underway, so without further ado, I would like to welcome out to the stage now the Executive Producer of Pro Wrestling Warriors, Paul Heyman!”
Paul makes his way out as the flashing of cameras accompany the loud murmurs from the crowd. Heyman stands beside the podium as Smith introduces the wrestlers who have come to promote this show: CM Punk, Seth Rollins, Samoa Joe, Walter, Bobby Lashley, and Jake Hager.
Paul takes the first question from Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp: “Paul, this is for you. Pro Wrestling Warriors has obviously made a big splash in the industry so far, and I think we are all eager to see what is coming. Are you seeing anything that is exciting you in the NWA as a whole? Is there anything that you are not liking that you are seeing out there from other promotions?”
Paul Heyman:
“Is there anything that excites me? Excites me. That’s an interesting choice of words. I mean, anything? Anything like, say, wrestling being performed in an arcade setting and being treated as a joke? I guess that could be construed as exciting to some people, but I don’t think I’m the target audience for that. Or maybe I’m supposed to be excited about Dan Lambert going up to Canada to be attacked by a man wearing sock puppet over his hand? Once again, not my cup of tea. Or, how about I change the channel and go watch Ric Flair, a legend of this sport and arguably the greatest wrestler of all time, being made a mockery of by being beaten up by women on his birthday. Now maybe Ric might pay to have that sort of thing done to him in the privacy of his hotel room, but for me? I don’t need it. They can have it. And lastly, there’s nothing to get excited about over there in California, because Snoop Doggy Dog and his pals the Paul Brothers can’t seem to get their heads out of their asses long enough to actually put a show together. Maybe once they get up and running, I could find something to enjoy about it. Time will tell, but something tells me the Pauls are going to try to ruin the wrestling business just like they’ve been ruining boxing the last couple of years. I guess if there’s one positive out of the bunch, it’s that we can thank Stable Wars for allowing Walter to be here tonight to compete for a serious wrestling promotion.
“All in all, I’ll be honest, I see a lot of potential out there, and we are very proud to be a part of this alliance. I guess variety is the spice of life. Not everything is for me, and that’s okay, I guess. Who am I to say what is good? What do they care what I think? What I know is that we are going to put on a superior wrestling product on Saturday night for all of the fans in the Wells Fargo Center and everyone tuning in around the world on Paramount Plus.”
Paul gets another question from Marc Middleton of Wrestling Inc.: “I’m sure you heard Roman Reigns’ comments on the Sam Roberts podcast-“
Paul retorts, “I did not, what did he say?”
“He had strong words for Don Callis and Bill Collier of PvP, and pretty much put the entire NWA on notice.”
Paul Heyman:
“I’ve known Roman Reigns for awhile now. I’ve known Don Callis for a very long time. I’ve never had what I’m sure is the pleasure of meeting Bill Culver, but what I do know is that I would not want to be on the bad side of Roman Reigns. That’s a terrible place to be. I’ve witnessed many brave, strong souls meet a miserable end at the hands of ‘The Tribal Chief’. It’s not good.”
From Marc, “Will he be showing up on Saturday night?”
Paul Heyman:
“Roman Reigns will do whatever Roman Reigns wants to do. I have no control over this. We have not discussed anything. If he shows up, then he shows up. He goes wherever he wants, does whatever he wants, he’s ‘The Head of the Table’, we acknowledge him, blah, blah, blah, I think I’ve made myself clear. Any questions for the athletes up here?”
CM Punk is asked about making his PWW debut against Seth Rollins, and how he is feeling about it.
CM Punk:
“You know, I’m really excited to be returning to Philadelphia. I’ve made a lot of great memories here over the years… others I’d like to forget. This is going to be a good one, as it isn’t often you get to step into the ring and beat up a man you truly dislike. I mean, what’s there to like about this guy? Look at him, sitting down there with that smug smile, wearing a jacket that looks like my grandma’s wallpaper. I’m going to relish every moment of getting to slap that smile off of his face and beat the living shit out of him. I mean, nobody can deny you, Seth, you put on a hell of a show with Kenny Omega, even though the biggest pop you get is for your wife.”
Punk pauses for that one as Seth laughs.
“But, you see, I’m not Kenny Omega. I’m not an ‘artist’ or a ‘performer’. I’m a wrestler. I’m a fighter. And I’m coming to take your head off.”
Seth cackles at this.
Seth Rollins:
“Are you a ‘comedian’ too, Punk, because that was hilarious!”
Punk smiles back.
CM Punk:
“You’re not going to be laughing Saturday night.”
Seth Rollins:
“Oh, I think I will! I think I will, because you know something, Punk, you’re right. You’re not an ‘artist’, and you’re definitely not a ‘performer’… but you’re also not a ‘fighter’. We all saw that for ourselves when you stepped into the octagon.”
Loud murmurs from the crowd as Punk kind of smiles and scratches his beard, trying to take the barb in stride.
Seth Rollins:
“People have tried to compare us my entire career, and I’ve always told them: there is no comparison. I’m way better. That’s the truth. And at one point, you may have called yourself ‘The Best in the World’, but who cares? Chicago says it has the best pizza, and we all know that’s trash. Give me a break! Punk, you’re right, you’re not Kenny Omega. Kenny Omega showed a lot of guts and heart in our match, and you don’t have any of that. You’re a big name with a big mouth, and in 2022, that’s about it. You may have been something, and you might still be better than some of these guys around here, but you’re not better than the wrestling God that is Seth Freakin’ Rollins, and on Saturday night, I’ll prove it.”
Punk shakes his head smiling.
CM Punk:
“Listen, kid, I don’t believe in any Gods, and I sure as hell don’t believe a word coming out of your mouth. You’re about to find out what CM Punk is in 2022, pal.”
Seth Rollins:
“Yeah, a loser!”
Paul Heyman:
“All right, that’s enough. Any more questions?”
We get a question for Samoa Joe about stepping into the ring with Walter and how he has been preparing for this match.
Samoa Joe:
“I’ve been having my training partners hit me in the chest with baseball bats to get ready for this.”
The crowd lets out a chuckle.
Samoa Joe:
“Walter is a great competitor. His body of work speaks for itself. I wish that was the only thing speaking for him, because his mouth is going to get him into trouble. There’s old saying, you never wake a sleeping giant. I’m up for this, and I’m ready to go to war with this guy to prove I’ve still got it.”
Walter retorts.
Walter:
“That sounds like a nice fairytale. But this isn’t going to be that kind of story. Joe, I looked up to you for a long time. But now, I am beyond you. You wanted this fight, and it will probably be your last. It’ll be an honor putting you down and sending you off.”
We then get to hear from Bobby Lashley about his match with Jake Hager, and his training with Scott Steiner.
Bobby Lashley:
“Scott is a… very unique individual, I can say that much.”
The crowd gets a laugh out of that.
Bobby Lashley:
“I feel like he has really helped kind of, I don’t know, grow that killer instinct in me. He’s given me some good insight, and at this point in my career, I can’t afford to go soft. I have to be hard and out for the kill every night. Who knows how much longer I’ve got doing this, so I need to make my mark and destroy everything in my path. Jake Hager is a big guy with a great amateur and professional background. We both have MMA experience. I’ve got to be really careful in there with him, as I know he has stopping power, but I’m ready to end this man and get what’s mine, and that’s championship gold.”
Jake Hager was asked what he is thinking going into the match with Lashley.
Jake Hager:
“I’ve known Bobby for a long time. He’s a great guy outside of the ring, but he’s not a guy to be taken lightly inside of the ropes. I’m going to have to bring my ‘A-game’ to have a shot here. I’m glad to be getting a shot here in Pro Wrestling Warriors, and I’m going to make the most of it by getting the win on Saturday.”
And with that, Jimmy Smith relieves Paul Heyman and tells the crowd goodnight, and we will see you on Saturday night, live from Philly!
