Free Republic

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump plans to nominate professional wrestling magnate and former Senate candidate Linda McMahon as his choice to head the Small Business Administration, transition officials told Reuters on Wednesday. The announcement was expected later on Wednesday. McMahon, 68, is a co-founder and former CEO of the professional wrestling franchise WWE, which is based in Stamford, Connecticut. She ran unsuccessfully for a U.S. Senate seat in Connecticut in 2010. She was an early supporter of Trump's presidential campaign. The SBA, which has at least one office in every U.S. state, provides support to small businesses such as extending loans...

<p>It amused me to no end when the feud between John Cena and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson got real personal a few years ago. While much of it was obviously scripted, like everything else in the WWE, there was definite tension and real-life animosity there. One of the central sticking points of the feud, which seemed to come directly from Cena's true feelings, was that Johnson had betrayed the WWE and its fans by crossing over into Hollywood and leaving them behind. Cena would constantly say he'd never leave and that the WWE Universe was his life. And yet look at Cena now...The wrestler, and longtime focal point of Vince McMahon's promotion, has been slipping away an awful lot these last few years in order to film other non-wrestling projects.</p>

MIDDLEFIELD, Conn. -- It is nearly 11 p.m. on a late-August evening, and we're up in the sanctuary at Victory Christian Church. The congregation that once filled the church is gone, and just four of us remain: a publicist, the pastor, myself, and the subject of the interview. I prop my camera up with a few books and DVDs that went unsold. We do a check for audio levels, and then it happens. The quiet, humble man I had met only hours earlier unleashed it. He belted out that loud, diabolical laugh that only one man could deliver. It was...

Lord Littlebrook, easily one of the most famous midget wrestlers in history, has died after a long battle with a variety of health ailments. He was 87 years old. Born Eric Tovey on January 3, 1929 in England, he came of age as the Second World War was on, and ran away from home at age 14 to join the circus. While on a tour of the United States, the circus closed down. On a friend's suggestion, he took up wrestling. After a few months of training, he made his debut against Irish Jackie -- and lost. He was Lord...

Harry Fujiwara known to WWE fans as Mr. Fuji, died Sunday morning. The five-time WWE World Tag Team Champion was known for his black tuxedo and bowler hat and his trademark move of grabbing a handful of salt (hidden in a small bag in his tights) and throwing it in the eyes of his opponents to “blind” them.

A Ukrainian wrestler was caught on camera biting his American opponent's arm in the middle of an Olympics match. Andriy Kvyatkovskyy, 26, fought against the United States' Frank Molinaro, 27, during the men's freestyle 65 kg quarterfinals on Sunday in Rio. Molinaro held Kvyatkovskyy in a tight grip, pinning him against the ground and twisting Kvyatkovskyy's left leg. The Ukrainian wrestler resorted to unusual means to get away from this dire situation - and ended up planting his teeth into his rival's arm.

It took some time, but the United States now has a gold medalist in women's wrestling. And to earn it, Helen Maroulis had to beat a woman who knows a thing or two about gold medals: Japan's Saori Yoshida, a 13-time world champion and three-time reigning Olympic champion. It was a gold medal showdown that the wrestling world had been looking forward to for a long time. Maroulis, the reigning world champion at 55kg, versus Yoshida, the reigning world champion at 53kg. The first period ended with Yoshida leading 1-0 after Maroulis failed to convert when put on the 30-second...

Speaking at a Beyond Sport United event in New York this week, WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon said her organization -- best known for its wrestling showdowns -- is committed to LGBT inclusivity.

NORMAN, Okla. - Four Norman, Oklahoma, high school wrestlers have been charged with felony rape for allegedly assaulting a 16-year-old and a 12-year-old, according to court documents CNN obtained Tuesday. Tanner Shane Shipman, 18, and three minors — two who are 17 and one who is 16 — are charged with raping the two victims on a school bus on January 9 while their Norman North High School wrestling team was returning home from a tournament in Pauls Valley. The district attorney viewed audio and video from the bus before charging the students.

Beyond a shadow of the doubt, Archie "The Stomper" Gouldie was the biggest homegrown star ever in Stampede Wrestling and one of the greatest talents to survive the training in the Hart Family Dungeon. But his tale, which ended Saturday with his death at age 78 79, is much more than just that. It's the story of a small-town boy from tiny Carbon, Alberta (pop. 600) who made it big at home and abroad as the vicious Mongolian Stomper.

Hey, of course its real! Andre the Giant vs King Kong Bundy 1985

According to the Cauliflower Alley Club, legendary pro wrestler Nick Bockwinkel has died at the age of 80, Cauliflower Alley released the following statement: "It is with a heavy heart the Cauliflower Alley Club announces that The Greatest AWA World Champion of all time and former CAC President Nicholas "Nick" Bockwinkel passed away Saturday night at approx. 8:40 pm due to health issues. We will have more on this later Sunday afternoon. The Cauliflower Alley Club, it's members, and all of Nicks fans & friends send their condolences to Darlene & the Bockwinkel family at this time. The Bockwinkel family...

Wrestling is a tricky business. Trying to present an entertaining show often means taking a few risks with content. And with those risks come the possibility of doing something that comes off very badly for the audience. It's not just a bad gimmick or character. It's an angle or another move that is hard to watch. Sometimes, it's because it's so bad, others because it just affects you the wrong way but either way, it's a bit that crosses a line big time. WWE are naturally big offenders here, especially during the "Attitude Era" where they were throwing out so...

Former professional wrestling star Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka was charged Tuesday with third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter in the death of his mistress more than three decades ago. Prosecutors in Lehigh County announced the results of a grand jury investigation into the death of Nancy Argentino, 23, of New York. Snuka, who had been at a World Wrestling Federation taping at the Allentown Fairgrounds, told police shortly after Argentino's death that he had returned to the couple's Whitehall Township hotel room to find her unresponsive in bed. She was pronounced dead at a hospital several hours later. An autopsy determined she...

Jon Stewart is taking his talents to the squared circle. After retiring from The Daily Show, Stewart has been named as host of the WWE pay per view extravaganza SummerSlam this Sunday from Brooklyn. Stewart is one of the biggest celebrity WWE fans there is and was a guest on an episode of Monday Night Raw earlier this year. In other words, he actually knows a thing or two about the product....

Legendary wrestling champion Roddy Piper has reportedly died at the age of 61. The WWE Hall of Famer died in his Hollywood, Calif. home of natural causes, TMZ reported. Piper had been diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma in 2006 but last fall said that he was cancer free. Former professional wrestlers Ric Flair watches from outside the ring as WWE Superstar Chris Jericho gets pummeled on the ropes by Piper in 2009. Previous Next HOUSTON, TX - APRIL 5: (L-R) Former professional wrestlers Ric Flair (seen outside the ring) looks on as WWE Superstar Chris Jericho gets pummeled on the ropes...

Hulk Hogan appears to be gone from WWE after all references to him were sensationally removed from their website. As well as his profile in the alumni section, all his merchandise has been pulled from the online store - certainly making it look like his time with the company has come to an end. There are reports that the sudden end to their working relationship is the result of a video or audio of the star on a "racial tirade", although renowned professional wrestling writer Dave Meltzer described it as "a rumour going round". An audio clip has surfaced online...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Nittany Lion wrestling national champion Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah) has been named as the 2014-15 Capital One Division I Academic All-America® of the Year, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Brown is the second Penn State student-athlete to be selected as an Academic All-America® of the Year and joins former Nittany Lion wrestler, Dr. Jim Martin, who received the honor in 1988-89. Dr. Martin won a national title in 1988 and was a four-time All-American at Penn State A criminology and international politics major with a 3.97 G.P.A., Brown...

Kenosha homeowner, who happens to coach high school wrestling, reportedly thwarted a burglary attempt last week by hogtying the suspect with a garden hose. Jerril Grover was in his basement Friday morning when he heard a noise outside his window and found someone hanging halfway inside a bedroom window after he went upstairs, the Kenosha News reported. Grover told police that he smashed a vase over the man's head, pushed him back out of the window and then tied him up in the backyard with a garden hose. Police said it turns out the man, 22-year-old Philip Tabili of Kenosha,...

dicted former House Speaker Dennis Hastert was paying a former student from Yorkville, Ill., to conceal his alleged sexual abuse of the youth that took place while Hastert was a teacher and wrestling coach at a high school there, federal law enforcement officials said Friday. A top official, who would not be identified speaking about the federal charges in Chicago, said investigators also spoke with a second person who raised similar allegations that corroborated what the student said. The second person was not being paid by Hastert, the official said. Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert indicted Federal prosecutors have announced...