Posts Tagged ‘chris jericho’

WWE’s Randy Orton on ’12 Rounds: Reloaded’ and WWE: ‘Payback’

June 5, 2013

Randy Orton (WWE)

Normally the voices Randy Orton hears are in his head. They talk to him, they understand. They tell him to punish his opponents with RKOs, punts to the head, and whatever he calls that awesome ropes-assisted DDT thing he does.

However, in his new movie “12 Rounds: Reloaded,” the voice Randy hears is over the phone. It tells him he has to complete a series of twelve dangerous tasks or something terrible will happen to the woman he loves.

I spoke with “The Viper” the afternoon of the release of his new movie and had a chance to ask about the learning curve that comes with your own starring vehicle, the match he’s looking forward to at Payback, and which WWE Superstar looks like Sloth from “The Goonies”…

Gordon Holmes: Randy Orton…third-generation star…the Viper…the youngest WWE champion ever…and now the baddest EMT of all time.
Randy Orton: (Laughs) It’s very exciting for me. It’s been a long couple of months here, the editing process takes forever. But, we’re finally here. It’s my first time doing anything like this. I’m anxious for what the WWE Universe and action fans in general are going to think.

Watch “12 Rounds: Reloaded” on XFINITY On Demand.

Holmes: As a sports entertainer, you’re used to telling stories. But, they always say the best characters are you with the volume turned up. This time, you’re stepping into someone else’s shoes. You’re Nick, an ordinary EMT who’s thrown into an extraordinary situation. How different was this process for you?
Orton: There are a lot of similarities, there are also a lot of ways you can contrast. I’m used to being on camera. I’ve been on camera for 13 years now with the WWE. Live television is stressful, it’s tricky, you’ve got to hit your cues. The biggest difference is that level of stress is non-existent on a movie set. For me, it was a little nerve-wracking at first because I was new to that world. But, I felt at home real quick. The actors, everyone from make-up to wardrobe to the director, they were all great. And they knew that this was my first time doing this, so they were there to help.
Holmes: A lot of guys have been making the transition from the ring to the big screen. The Rock, John Cena, Ted DiBiase, The Miz…any of them offer any advice?
Orton: Yeah, I had my script, this was a couple of months before we started shooting, and there were questions I had. I talked to Cena because he’s done more movies than anyone I know. Some of the questions I had were to do with the script, and the sides, wanting to know what to expect. I thought I had to memorize the entire script. I didn’t know. I thought you had to be ready to do any scene at time. So Cena was able to point me in the right direction. They can shoot in any order. He warned me that they can shoot any scene at any time, so you have to remember your state of mind. You could shoot one scene, but the scene that follows it you won’t shoot for another couple of weeks. You have to remember what your motivation is, what your tone is. That continuity really matters.

 

Holmes: The Randy Orton we get to see on TV, he’s a bit of cold-blooded killer. He doesn’t joke around like a Cena or a Sheamus. But, Nick gets to tell a few jokes, he gets to say a few four-letter words. Was it nice to get to explore that space a little?
Orton: Yeah, I’m one of the guys in the locker room that misses the times when we used to be a little more risqué. So, making a rated-R movie was (Laughs) definitely something that appealed to me. There’s nudity, there’s a little bit of everything. Not to mention violence and profanity. It’s rated R, so that’s what you get.

Holmes: I was going over your bio before this and it blew my mind that you’ve been a major part of the WWE roster for over ten years now.
Orton: Yeah.
Holmes: You can’t wrestle forever. Is acting something you could see yourself transitioning into or are you WWE for life?
Orton: I wouldn’t say I’m WWE for life, I’d say my near future will consist of me primarily being in the ring. Wrestling is my first love. The movie was fun, but the schedule was grueling because I had to fly off on my off days to film. Eight weeks went by and I had three days off. If I do the movie thing, I’ll be sure that I’m only doing the movie so I can concentrate on it. (Laughs) I think I’d be more sane that way.

Holmes: Do you know what you’ll be doing for the next Pay Per View, Payback?
Orton: Well, I don’t know what I’ll be doing, but I can guarantee that I’ll be a part of it.
Holmes: I’d hope so, your face is all over the literature.
Orton: (Laughs) One thing’s for sure, it’s in Chicago and that Allstate Arena is one of the best places to have a fight in. That crowd is awesome. CM Punk being a Chicago native, he’s going against (Chris) Jericho. That should be interesting. That’s a rematch from a few Wrestlemanias ago. They had a good one then. So, that should probably be the marque match. But Payback will definitely be a good production you won’t want to miss.

Holmes: How’re you feeling about Cena vs. Ryback in the Three Stages of Hell match?
Orton: I’m impressed with Ryback, that’s for sure. Skip Sheffield of the days of old, he’s come a long way. It’s a cool story, there was a point a couple of years ago, he’d had such a bad injury that doctors told him he wouldn’t be able to wrestle again. Now he’s jacked and looks like Sloth from the “Goonies.”
Holmes: Great, now I won’t be able to unsee that. Thanks.
Orton: (Laughs) No problem.

Any Questions? Drop me a line on Twitter: @gordonholmes

Watch “12 Rounds: Reloaded” on XFINITY On Demand.

Watch “WWE: Payback” on Sunday, June 16, 2013 at 8pm ET on Pay Per View.

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Chris Jericho: ‘Robot Combat League’ Is ‘Real Steel’ Without any CGI

February 26, 2013

Chris Jericho (Syfy)

The Bad News? Robots are eventually going to take over the world and destroy humanity in a scene similar to the James Cameron classic “Terminator.”

The Good News? WWE Superstar/rock god Chris Jericho will be our guide as we witness this sure to be awesome apocalypse on Syfy’s new “Robot Combat League.”

[xfinity-record-button id=”7996936254621109112″ program_type=”series”]

I spoke to the man who can add “Host of Armageddon” to his lengthy list of accomplishments in the days leading up to the premiere. I had a chance to ask him about coming face-to-fender with these mechanical monsters and how he personally changed the face of the “Star Wars” franchise…

Watch the Premiere of “Robot Combat League”

Gordon Holmes: So, basically any kid who’s ever banged his Transformers figures together is going to love this show, right?
Chris Jericho: Yes. When I heard about it, it seemed like a cool idea, but how cool could it really be? I was expecting the robots to be really slow. I remember I even asked the producer, “What are these fights going to be like? Are they going to be any good?” And then I saw the robots and the first time I was in that battle pit and one of the robots came out walking towards me, if it hadn’t stopped in front of me I would have turned around and ran away.
Holmes: That’s not good for your image as a tough guy.
Jericho: It isn’t. It’s very intimidating. Eight-foot-tall very thick-based, very sturdily built.  It reminded me of the “Terminator” where the robots are walking over the skulls of the humans. That’s what these look like to me. And then the fights started and I couldn’t believe how fast they moved, how hard they punched, and how smooth it all was. You didn’t need to doctor it up at all. This was like the movie “Real Steel” without any CGI.

Watch the Premiere of “Robot Combat League”:

[iframe http://xfinitytv.comcast.net/watch/Robot-Combat-League/7996936254621109112/18807875735/Rise-of-the-Machines/embed 580 476]

Holmes: As a kid I knew we’d have fighting robots someday. It’s nice that they’ve finally arrived.
Jericho: It was interesting to me that all of these things that were predicted in the ’60s, from cell phones to Skype, to talking computers. Now we have robots that punch so hard, and there’s 2000 PSIs per punch, these robots could actually kill you. So, now that we’ve invented robots that can kill humans, in fifteen years when they take over the world you’re going to know that you saw it on Syfy first.
Holmes: So, the upcoming robot apocalypse that we’ve all been dreading is going to be your fault?
Jericho: Yeah. I’m hoping when they do take over the planet that they’ll keep me in a cage as their little pet because I was nice to them from the start.
Holmes: It’s going to be the exact opposite. When the humans send someone to the past to take care of this, you’re going to be the person they target.
Jericho: Right? Even though I didn’t invent the robots, I’m the person…I’m like the pimp. I’m the robot pimp. So, if I didn’t exist, the show wouldn’t be as good as it was, people wouldn’t flock to it as much and the robots wouldn’t have a chance to take over.
Holmes: I hope you’re able to make peace with that responsibility. It’s going to be rough.
Jericho: It will be rough. But, you guys are on your own because I’m with the robots now.

Holmes: One of the cool parts about the show is they literally hook up an athlete with the controls, so when they’re punching, the robot is punching. I know you had to have hooked yourself up to a robot at some point, am I right?
Jericho: You are. And it was very interesting to me, it was a lot like if you were snowboarding or skating where at first it feels very alien of foreign, and then as you start to work with it it becomes one with you. It’s an extension of your body.

Holmes: Of the eight robots, do you have a favorite?
Jericho: I like Scorpio. That was my favorite because it has blades on its fists. Each robot has a different character, a different look, a different name. And this robot in particular got a reputation because it could cut you in two basically. And it did cut one of the robot commandos right in half with this sawblade punch to the midsection. It caused it to break in two. We never expected that. One of the robots got decapitated. You can’t plan for stuff like that. It was just a fight and whatever happened happened. And as the contestants learned the pros and cons of each fighters, the fights got more and more entertaining all the way to the final round.
Holmes: I liked that each robot had their own strengths and weaknesses. I found myself trying to figure out my own strategies on how to take them down instead of just being like, “Swing for the head.”
Jericho: They all had their own identities. I’m thinking you can make action figures, video games, I’ve got this whole thing planned out for the next ten years.  The first day I showed up George Lucas was on set because one of his daughters was one of the contestants. And I asked him, “Isn’t this cool for you? This idea that you came up with is now true? Moving robots that can fight and kill you?”
Holmes: Did Lucas give you any insight on the new “Star Wars” movies?
Jericho: I think he sold it three days later. So, he actually asked me if I thought he should sell it. I consulted with him on it.
Holmes: And you were all for it?
Jericho: Absolutely. I said, “George, it’s time to step back and enjoy your retirement. Take it easy. Hand the reigns over to somebody else.”
Holmes: You made that man a lot of money.
Jericho: I did. So not only did I start the robot rebellion that kills the human race, I also made George Lucas a lot of money. Put that on my epitaph.
Holmes: This show hasn’t even premiered yet and you’re already changing lives with it.
Jericho: Exactly.

Holmes: I do the “Survivor” coverage here for XFINITY TV, which is a personality-based reality show. I wasn’t expecting that from “Robot Combat League.” But here we are with the potential for relationships between these teams of people who are working together.
Jericho: On these teams we have very intelligent people who have experience in science and robotics, there’s literally a rocket scientist. They were the ones that controlled the movement of the robot, and when they got the crap kicked out of them, they were the ones who went down between rounds and would try to repair the issues with the robots. Then we have the robojocks, they were the athletes who would control the fighting movements. We had MMA fighters and Olympic athletes and personal trainers. We took these people and put them together. They’d never met before (with a few exceptions). And then they had to control these robots and get along personally. And you saw some personality clashes.  That’s the other side of the coin that’s very entertaining. It’s not just about the robots. It’s the perfect mix of machinery and humanity. To see how the teams would gel and bond was incredible.

Holmes: Here’s my pitch for the Robot Combat League commissioner.
Jericho: Alright.
Holmes: It’s the end of the tournament, we’ve crowned our Robot League champion. And who does the new champ have to square off against, but a robot piloted by Y2J himself, Chris Jericho.
Jericho: The funny thing is I’m actually a robot now. I’ve turned over to the dark side.
Holmes: I feel like I’ve learned a lot this morning.
Jericho: (Laughs)

Don’t miss “Robot Combat League,” Tuesday, February 26, 2013 at 10 p.m. ET.

Any Questions? Drop me a line on Twitter: @gordonholmes

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WWE Superstar Chris Jericho to Step Back into the Elimination Chamber

February 15, 2013

Chris Jericho (AP)

As the number one entrant into the 2013 Royal Rumble, Dolph Ziggler had to know the odds were against him. However, that didn’t stop the self-proclaimed show off from letting everyone know that he intended to go wire-to-wire and win a trip to Wrestlemania XXIX.

The unwritten rules of pro wrestling say that the man who drew number two had to be someone that Dolph had an issue with. You could see it before it happened; someone’s music would hit, Dolph’s face would go from a smug smile to a horrified frown, and then it would be on. But who would it be? Dolph had been feuding with John Cena. He’d had a ton of great matches with Randy Orton. And, he’d been giving Sheamus grief lately.

Much to the delight of the fans in attendance, it ended up being the man Dolph had gotten fired five months earlier, Chris Jericho. And the reaction he got was one of the biggest of his storied career.

I spoke with the “Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla” in the days leading up to the Elimination Chamber Pay Per View. We had a chance to talk about his ability to come and go from the WWE, his big match this Sunday, and what the guys on the undercard can do to get to the main event.

NOTE: This is the first part of a two-part interview. In the near future we’ll be talking to Jericho about his exciting new “Robot Combat League.” Follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for up-to-the-minute news and info.

Order WWE: Elimination Chamber

Gordon Holmes: You’re stepping back into the intimidating Elimination Chamber this weekend. But, this is nothing new to you, you were in the very first one in 2002. What was it like that first time at Madison Square Garden?
Chris Jericho: Well, it’s funny because when they first unveiled that, nobody had seen it before. We were trying to put on the best match we could in something that had never existed until that day. So, it’s very unforgiving. The floor is hard, the walls are hard, the pods are hard. If you’re in a ring there’s a little bit of give. The Elimination Chamber has no give. It’s almost like diving into a cold lake the first time you take a fall in there, it’s almost like “Oh my God, is it cold in there!” So, it’s a really strange contraption.  There’s a different kind of art to it.
Holmes: As the guy who’s been in more Elimination Chambers than anyone else in the history of the WWE do you have any advice for someone who’s stepping in for the first time?
Jericho: The only advice I have is that it hurts. (Laughs)

Holmes: What do you think we can expect from CM Punk vs. The Rock round two?
Jericho: It should be good. Punk’s at his peak. He’s the best performer in the company right now. It should be a fun match to watch.
Holmes: You’re someone who has taken some hiatuses from the business. Is ring rust a real issue someone like the Rock is going to have to deal with?
Jericho: Of course you have ring rust. Anyone that leaves and comes back for one match a year is going to have ring rust. That doesn’t mean you’re not going to perform at the highest level. But, that’s the same for anybody. You always have to get back into the groove again, but the Rock is more than capable of dealing with it. He’s one of the best ever.

Holmes: You kind of have a sweet deal going with the WWE. It used to be back when there was more competition, if you were burnt out with one audience, say with the WWE, you could move on to the NWA, the AWA, or World Class. That doesn’t really exist now. But, you’ve kind of created your own territory system where you can do your music with Fozzy or go do TV shows like “Robot Combat League.”
Jericho: I’ve been doing wrestling for 22 years. But, I’ve never considered myself to be a wrestler. I consider myself to be an entertainer. I’m in show business. I’ve always built my career this way. And in this day and age, you have to brand yourself. It’s not about being an actor, being a rapper, being a vodka salesman. It’s about doing a little of all of that. It’s about creating a brand and that’s what I wanted to do with Chris Jericho. I do love wrestling, and I do love Fozzy. I love the opportunities I’ve been getting with “Robot Combat League,” “Downfall,” “Dancing with the Stars”, and the movies I’ve done. I don’t want to do wrestling forever, but I do what to be entertaining forever.

Holmes: Your last biography “Undisputed” had a lot to do with your debut in the WWE and the problems you had climbing up to the main event level. Obviously, that story had a happy ending. We’re heading into Wrestlemania season and it looks like we’re going to see a show headlined by John Cena, The Rock, Brock Lesnar, hopefully yourself. My question here is; what do the midcard guys, the guys like Kofi Kingston who are popular and talented need to do to break through the glass ceiling?
Jericho: You’ve just got to take a chance, man. Do something different and change it up. I don’t know what a glass ceiling is. Some people get more chances than others, but you’ve got to make your opportunities. If I lived under the threat of the glass ceiling I wouldn’t be talking to you right now. When I felt like I was doing my best work I’d make a chance and do something different. Be a little radical. You can’t be the same person every week for 52 weeks a year and expect people to not get complacent.  So, I’d change it up. I’d completely reinvent myself.
Holmes: That’s a good point. You, Cena, the Undertaker, HHH, you’ve all gone through some pretty significant changes over your careers.
Jericho: I wanted to be the Madonna of wrestling. And what I mean by that is she always changed her image. She always looked different every record. Her sound always changed. It was still Madonna, but she’d put elements of flamenco guitars or dubstep or rap or whatever’s hot at the time. She’d weave that into her music. And I wanted to do that within my career. Always keep people never knowing what to expect. When they know that you’re always taking chances, that keeps them excited to continue following you. It’s like the Beatles, that’s why the Beatles are the best band of all time. They never did the same thing twice, but they always remained the Beatles. That’s what I want to be.
Holmes: Oh man, my girlfriend liked you. Then you said the Beatles are the best band of all time and now I’m pretty sure she loves you.
Jericho: (Laughs) She loves me yeah yeah yeah.

Don’t miss WWE: Elimination Chamber this Sunday, February 17, 2013 at 8 p.m. ET on Pay Per View.

Don’t miss the premiere of Chris Jericho’s “Robot Combat League,” Tuesday, February 26, 2013 at 10 p.m. ET on Syfy.

Any Questions? Drop me a line on Twitter: @gordonholmes

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How Do You Solve a Problem Like John Cena?

March 30, 2012

Hulk Hogan headlined his first Wrestlemania in 1985 when he was 32 years old. He went on to perform at the main event level until Wrestlemania 19 in 2003.

John Cena is 34.

Maybe the Hulkster is an extreme case, but it’s absolutely conceivable that the former Doctor of Thuganomics could be hustling, proving loyalty, and providing respect for another seventeen years. I’m sure Vince McMahon is cool with this as Cena has proven to be a reliable merchandise mover and squeaky clean front man for the company, but you have to wonder what’s next for him creatively.

(more…)

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