MUKONO, Uganda — In a forested area outside Uganda’s capital, a few dozen youth gather around a makeshift ring to watch two amateur wrestlers tangle in the mud. The training sessions, complete with an announcer and referee, imitate the pro wrestling contests the teens regularly see on television. Ugandan enthusiast Daniel Bumba, known in the … Read more
PHILADELPHIA — He surveyed the Arizona crowd that had paid to catch a wrestling glimpse of the planet’s mightiest heavyweight, as measured in both box-office heft and ink-stained muscles. Then The Rock let the abuse fly. And as with so many public outbursts these days, attacking his opponents wasn’t enough. He had to insult the … Read more
LAS VEGAS — In the 1971 film “Diamonds are Forever,” James Bond stays in a swanky suite at the Tropicana Las Vegas. “I hear that the Hotel Tropicana is quite comfortable,” Agent 007 says. It was the Tropicana’s heyday. The lavish casino was a frequent haunt of the legendary Rat Pack, while its past under … Read more
This year’s WrestleMania is just days away, but the WWE’s marketing campaign for its biggest premium live event of the year was kicked into overdrive months ago. In February, three days before the Super Bowl, with all eyes on Las Vegas, WWE tried to snatch some of the NFL’s spotlight for itself. The sports entertainment … Read more
WWE has struck a deal with Prime, the beverage brand of YouTube stars Logan Paul and KSI, that will see its logo featured on the center of a WWE wrestling ring mat, a first for the sports entertainment company. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. As part of the deal, Prime Hydration will … Read more
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The 3-0-5 took over the Daytona 5-0-0. Dwayne âThe Rockâ Johnson, Pitbull and DJ Khaled represented South Florida at the Daytona 500, as the trio of Sunshine State celebrities brought a dose of star power to Sunday’s scheduled race day that was washed out by rain. Johnson, the wrestler/actor, said he … Read more
PHILADELPHIA — Cody Rhodes needs only to look at the wedding band tattoo on his finger for a reminder of the days when he was a big gamer: It’s the Triforce symbol from “Legend of Zelda.” “I have good love for the lore,” Rhodes said. The WWE star needs only to look at the gaming … Read more
