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While the WWE Championship is considered the most important World Title in professional wrestling, there was once a time when the WCW World Heavyweight Championship felt even bigger. WCW as a brand may not have existed as long as WWE and, thus, its main title did not carry the same level of history. However, the best wrestlers on the planet competed for the WCW World Championship.

In times when WCW was putting on better matches than WWE, and even in times when WCW was hotter than WWE was, that meant something. Even when WCW folded into WWE, the latter still showed respect for its prestigious championship, to the point that it's still used as a main event title today.

Related 10 Best WCW Promos That Made Wrestling History

WWE superstars are often praised for their promos, but what about the interviews and mic work cut by the wrestlers of WCW during their heyday?...

Wrestling fans have had a lot of discourse over the years when it comes to Black WWE Champions. That's because the number throughout history is quite small, despite the company being around for decades. To date, only six Black men and six Black women have held world singles championships in WWE. Plenty of others have held tag team and midcard titles, which makes the lack of World Champions even more shocking. It's a controversial topic for many longtime fans.

WWE wasn't even the first wrestling company to have a Black World Champion as their old rival WCW did it first when Ron Simmons captured the top prize in 1992. Thankfully, there were eventually several Black WWE Champions, and the number has grown significantly in recent years. Some of their top stars today, like WWE 2K24 cover girl Bianca Belair, are Black. That should mean the list of Black WWE Champions will...

The Bloodline stands out as the ultimate faction in WWE history, headlining every WrestleMania and dominating the modern era. The Shield exemplified faction success by springboarding future stars with their perfect combination of personalities and military precision. The New Day overcame initial setbacks to become one of the most well-loved teams, propelling careers and creating joyous moments.

Throughout the history of the WWE, factions have been upsetting the odds and manipulating the landscape to their advantage. Usually populated by heel wrestlers, the likes of The Bloodline, The Shield, and The Judgment Day are part of a lineage that goes all the way back to The Heenan Family in the 80s and D-Generation X in the 90s.

Significance, creativity, iconic moments, accolades, and in-ring work are all factors that should be considered when assessing the success and greatness of a faction. Even if the WWE will populate the vast majority of 'Best Ever' wrestling discussions,...

To condense the career of Jim Ross into a single article isn’t easy. The man has been the voice of pro-wrestling for so many of us for such a long time, it’s hard to truly highlight how much he means on an emotional level, but also… he’s done so much in the business too, as an announcer at ringside, but also behind the scenes, working with talent and even assembling one of the most stacked and incredible pro-wrestling rosters in history. Still, I’m a glutton for punishment, so I’ll at least try to talk about his career, highlighting some of the, well… highlights, whilst also urging you to check out Jim Ross’s books, Slobberknocker and Under the Black Hat, for an in-depth and entertaining glimpse into the life and career of the man himself.

Jim Ross started his life in Fort Bragg, California, but...

Harley Race, Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame inductee and 8-time Nwa World Heavyweight Champion, died of lung cancer on Thursday at the age of 76, according to WWE and a statement from his Twitter page.

“Today at 12:50, we lost the man that fought up until the very last of his existence. More information will be released soon, but just know that he loved pro-wrestling and the fans that loved him,” read a statement from Race’s reps.

Born in Missouri in 1943, Race overcame polio as a child and began training as a wrestler under the tutelage of famed champion brothers Stanislaus and Wladek Zbysko. His early career was filled with many obstacles, including his expulsion from the Zbyskos’ school after a fight with a student and a car accident that nearly led to his leg being amputated and required months of physical therapy to recover.

Also Read: Russi Taylor, Voice of 'Minnie Mouse' for 3 Decades,...

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The annual WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony never fails to entertain. With kayfabe being thrown out the window, you never know what you’re going to see.

The event offers an opportunity for professional wrestlers of both yesteryear and present to get together and celebrate the business we all know and love. Just seeing so many legends in one place is worth the price of admission on its own.

While the red carpet offers the glitz and glamour, it’s the speeches that most fans tune in to hear and see. Whether it’s touching tributes, hilarious stories or can’t-miss moments, the ceremony has become a WrestleMania weekend viewing staple.

This year’s Hall of Fame ceremony was no different. Comprised of diverse inductees, the Class of 2016’s speeches touched our hearts and made us cry with laughter.

These are just 13 of the incredible moments from...

WWE.com

WWE have revealed that former wrestling manager Slick will be the man to induct The Big Boss Man into the WWE Hall Of Fame.

A memorable character from the 80s, Slick managed the Boss Man for his first couple of years in WWF. Nicknamed “The Doctor Of Style”, the storyline went that Slick brought the former corrections officer from Cobb County, Georgia to deliver hard times to the World Wrestling Federation.

After a successful run as a singles competitor, Slick would then pair Boss Man with Akeem to form the gigantic tag team, The Twin Towers. Their partnership would come to an end in 1990, when Slick attempted to sell the Boss Man’s services to The Million Dollar Man.

Also set to be inducted to the WWE Hall Of Fame Class Of 2016 this weekend are;

Sting – to be inducted By Ric Flair

The Godfather – to be inducted by...

WWE.com

WWE have revealed that former WCW World Heavyweight Champion Vader will be the man to induct Stan Hansen into the WWE Hall Of Fame in Dallas next month.

The connection between the two grapplers is clear. Way back in February 1990, Vader fought Hansen at an Ajpw versus Njpw supercard show where Hansen inadvertently poked Vader’s eye out of its socket with his right thumb, after getting carried away during an exchange of stiff exchanges.

Incredibly, Vader would continue the contest after removing his own mask to push the eyeball back into its socket and holding it in place with his eyelid. The match would continue and eventually end in a no-contest, with Vader eating needing a metal place to be surgically placed under his eye.

Those old enough to remember it can remind themselves of the brutal match below…

For his achievements in wrestling all over the world,...

WWE.com

The WWE Hall of Fame news continues with a report that former All Japan Triple Crown and Awa Heavyweight Champion Stan Hansen and former WWE Women’s Champion Jacqueline will be inducted into this year’s class.

Though WWE has not acknowledged the inductions on television or online, the company released a special commemorative WrestleMania 32 magazine last week that named Hansen and Jacqueline as 2016 inductees.

WhatCulture.com actually broke the news of Jacqueline’s induction several weeks ago…

Though Stan Hansen primarily made his reputation in Japan, he also competed for WWE in the 1970s, quickly becoming one of the company’s top heels. When Bruno Sammartino suffered a broken neck in a match with Hansen, credit for the injury was given to “The Lariat’s” devastating finishing maneuver. He headlined shows with Sammartino and Bob Backlund before heading to All Japan Pro Wrestling, where he would spend...

WWE.com

Professional football and wrestling have a long, intertwined history that goes back generations. In the early days of the National Football League, many players moonlighted as professional wrestlers during the off-season to supplement their salary. Others whose football careers wound down (or never really took off) found their way into the squared circle as a new vocation.

The landscape of modern wrestling is littered with wrestlers who tried their hand at professional football, such as Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Ron Simmons, Lex Luger, Brian Pillman, Goldberg, Ernie Ladd and many others. Even today, there are several WWE and Nxt stars who gave it a go on the gridiron before switching to wrestling: Mojo Rawley, Baron Corbin and even Roman Reigns.

But there is a very select group of men who have reached the pinnacle of both sports. Only a handful of athletes have played in the NFL’s Super Bowl and competed at WrestleMania.

WWE.com

It seemed that this week’s Raw was going to be centred around Brock Lesnar appearing on Chris Jericho’s highlight reel. Both men have already confirmed their entry into Sunday’s Royal Rumble with the intention of winning the damn thing. There’s little doubting that a hard-hitting Y2J question would infuriate The Beast and result in a one-way ticket to Suplex City.

On top of that, we would undoubtedly have countless segments of Roman Reigns – who missed a house show this past Sunday – playing the role of Stone Cold Steve Austin-lite and annoying The Authority. This would, in turn, undoubtedly result in The Big Dog being handed the number one slot in the Rumble. Yawn.

We also had the prospect of the Divas Revolution moving up a couple of gears as Charlotte would answer the challenge made by Becky Lynch, undoubtedly coupled with some...

WWE.com

So let me get this straight, Brad Maddox gets fired for telling a crowd that they’re “Cocky pricks” but the Dudley Boyz receive no punishment for saying that The Wyatt Family are going to “get a taste of Dudley wood” on SmackDown? There were children in that arena!

Raw was all kinds of awful this week. WCW 2000 awful. Tna Vince Russo awful. Nothing made sense, nothing was entertaining, and it’s absolutely insane how no one has learned their lesson with the rapidly falling ratings. The company ran a pay-per-view called Survivor Series and couldn’t even announce before the show started who was in the match…and then decided to give us another one for the hell of it!

WWE announcers got a lot of things wrong this week. First of all, Doink did Not have red hair Jerry Lawler! It was green. Jbl experienced temporary...

WWE.com

Throughout its 27-year history, there has been an impressive range of Survivor Series teams. We have had teams made up of the biggest stars in the history of the business, teams made up of relative nobodies, teams made up of midget kings and teams made up of tag teams dressed as clowns. There have been teams that made sense and teams that still don’t make sense to this day.

On paper, certain teams from the history of the event stand out as being some of the best. In 1993 Lex Luger, The Undertaker and The Steiner Brothers combined to make a fearsome unit against Yokozuna, Ludvig Borga, Crush and Quebecer Jacques. Wrestling legends Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Sgt. Slaughter and Ron Simmons vanquished the dastardly Spirit Squad in 2006. The ‘Winner Controls Raw’ main event from 2004 was also stacked, with Randy Orton, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho and Maven taking on Triple H,...

WWE.com

The full content listing for the upcoming WWE DVD and Blu-ray set on the life and death of Owen Hart has been revealed, courtesy of the Wrestling DVD Network. The list includes all chapter titles for the documentary feature on disc one, as well as all extras, including the full list of matches selected for the package.

Bret Hart recently commented on the documentary portion of the set, sounding very pessimistic about the chances that the documentary will do a good job telling the full story of his brother’s life. Bret believes that WWE is having to walk on egg shells to cater to Owen’s widow, Martha, who is not supporting the DVD release.

Bret told the Fight Network:

“I’m looking forward to it but I’m not really optimistic that it’s going to be a great job. Martha handcuffed them so much. I...

WWE

As previously reported this summer, WWE will be releasing a brand new DVD about the life of the late great Owen Hart titled, “Owen: Hart Of Gold.” There will be a comprehensive documentary that will serve as the main feature of the DVD/Blu-Ray that is scheduled for release in the United States on December 8 and the United Kingdom on December 7.

In addition to the documentary, there will be several of Owen’s best matches include as well. The DVD is available as a pre-order on Amazon.com right now.

A preview of the documentary was released by WrestlingDVDNetwork.com.

Some of the names associated with WWE that comment in the documentary are his brother Bret Hart, brother-in-law Jim Neidhart, Jerry Lawler, Ted Dibiase, Chris Jericho, Triple H, Ron Simmons, Kevin Owens and Daniel Bryan. There were also interviews done with his niece Natalya and her husband Tyson Kidd.

So here we are, only a week away from the official launch of the Road to WrestleMania, the 2015 Royal Rumble. The Rumble is one of my personal favourite wrestling shows annually, and has been since I started watching professional wrestling 22 years ago. Let’s see if this episode of Raw, being promoted as a “Reunion Edition”, will be able to get some extra interest on that show.

Brock Lesnar, along with Paul Heyman, comes out first and Brock calls out Rollins due to what Seth did to him (curb stomp anyone?) at the close of last week’s show. Instead of Rollins, Triple H comes out and tries to calm Brock down. Lesnar asks Trips if he wants to fight. Heyman amusingly screams “he pays the bills” to Brock during all of this. Stephanie, along with Kane and Big Show comes down, and tries to appeal to Lesnar to calm down too.

WWE.com

The 2000 Royal Rumble was a big event because the biggest draw in the company, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, was on the shelf with neck surgery. Austin was out from November 1999 to October 2000, so other people had to step up. Thankfully for WWE, they had guys like The Rock and Triple H waiting in the wings. In many ways, the 2000 Rumble was their coming out party.

This is the first Royal Rumble that took place in the “World’s Most Famous Arena” Madison Square Garden in New York City. That’s actually surprising just because WWE held so many events in Msg including some of their other PPVs, so it took them 13 Rumble events before they went to their favorite arena.

It was a time in WWE history where things were going well. They were making a lot of new money, they had a lot of new stars that...

WWE.com

It was a newsworthy week for the WWE Universe thanks to a return of a favorite wrestler and the announcement of a new Hall of Famer. Daniel Bryan returned to in-ring action after eight months off and Smackdown moved to its new night on Thursday in the United States.

Bryan’s return on Smackdown was pretty good. His first match with Kane ended in a disqualification thanks to the predictable interference by J&J Security and The Authority. That was done to set up a six man tag that he won along with Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose. It was a feel good ending.

There was also a huge news item on Monday when Randy Savage was announced for this year’s WWE Hall of Fame. It’s great news because there was nobody more deserving than him. Even if it is about ten years too late, it’s better late than never.

WWE.com

The 1997 Royal Rumble was the tenth time that WWE held the annual January event. By this point, it had really gained a lot of momentum as one of the most important matches in the year. We had seen so many scenario for the end of the match and we knew how important it was to win because the winner was guaranteed a shot at the WWE Champion at WrestleMania. If only it was that simple. The 1997 Rumble changed things a lot.

It was a time when WWE had started to gain some momentum. Thanks to the huge roster turnover that they went through in the previous two years, you could tell that things were headed in the right direction.

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin became a huge star in 1996 as a heel that didn’t back down from anybody and built up a huge rivalry with Bret Hart. Others...

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The most recent wrestling personality to appear on Chris Jericho’s Podcast One show was former WWE Champion and current announcer John Layfield, better known to fans as Jbl. The man formerly known as Bradshaw has had a lengthy career with WWE, dating back to late 1995 when he signed his contract, debuting the following January as Justin “Hawk” Bradshaw, a Texan roughneck heavily inspired by Stan Hansen.

He had a respectable career as a tag team wrestler, most notably as one half of the Apa (Acolyte Protection Agency) with Ron Simmons before a sudden dearth of name talent forced WWE to repackage him as John Bradshaw Layfiend–Jbl, for short–and shove him into the main event scene.

While his matches may not have been lighting the world on fire, he was doing his job in the ring and getting tremendous heat through his promos. The character was great at infuriating the audience,...

The 2001 WWE Invasion PPV was held on July 22, 2001 in Cleveland, Ohio. It was the only time that WWE used the Invasion title for a PPV because it was the only occasion where it would have fit. That’s because the main story at the time was about the WCW brand led by Shane McMahon and the Ecw brand led by Stephanie McMahon & Paul Heyman were trying to take over Vince McMahon’s WWE. It was a dream storyline that fans had wanted to see for years.

While it wasn’t perfect for a lot of reasons, they did a fantastic job of building up the event, which did great business for WWE with a reported 775,000 PPV buys. From a financial standpoint it was one of the most successful WWE PPVs ever.

This show was unique because there wasn’t a WWE Title match in the main event slot. That’s...

Batista's agent told him that it was "a real long shot" when he went to read for the part of Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy.

In a clip taken from new DVD Batista: The Animal Unleashed, the WWE Superstar - real name Dave Bautista - choked up when he talks about going for the role.

Guardians of the Galaxy trailer: New look at Marvel's cosmic superteam

Batista: The Animal Unleashed is available now on DVD and Blu-ray and - in addition to a feature-length programme - the full details of the release are below.

Disc One:

Ovw - 28 July 2001: Leviathan vs. Brock LesnarSmackdown! - 27 June 2002: Reverend D-Von & Batista vs. Faarooq & Randy OrtonRaw - 22 March 2004: World Tag Team Title Match - Evolution (Batista & Ric Flair) vs. Rob Van Dam & Booker TSmackdown! - 9 September 2005: Bull Rope Match for the World Heavyweight Championship - Batista vs.

It's a very special episode of "WWE Raw," as WWE turns back the clock to take things old school. That means a retro arena design, an old ring and several returning legends to delight the fans.

Scheduled to appear on the show are "The Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase, Bob Backlund, Roddy Piper, Ric Flair, The New Age Outlaws, IRS, Ron Simmons, Scotty 2 Hotty and Diamond Dallas Page. Of course, WWE always trots out quite a few surprises on these special episodes as well, so there's no telling what they have in store.

There's also the ongoing story lines, leading up to the "Royal Rumble." Daniel Bryan will debut as part of the Wyatt Family, Brock Lesnar is back, Cm Punk continues to make The Shield look like fools, and John Cena and Randy Orton return after missing last week's show.

Related: WWE's Road Dogg talks old school 'Raw', '...

I know you read that headline and you’re like Paul, Wrestlemania 29 is just a few days away and you are already looking towards next year? I guess you can call me a forward thinker. I thought it would be fun since we’ve spoke about the current card to death, what if I look ahead to New Orleans and see who I would want in the hallowed halls of the WWE Hall of Fame next year?

Now that WWE has the Midsouth library tapes my induction class consists of most stars from that era as they were big for their Superdome shows which Wrestlemania will take place in next year. The Bill Watts promotion was in a lot of ways, the precursor to promotions like Ecw with a hard-core gritty style that was based on toughness and not finesse where men were men and future Hall of Famer’s...

Let’s go back to a simpler time, a time when Hockey Players and Garbage men, gathered together to do battle inside the squared circle. That’s right, I’m talking about the professional wrestling in the 1990s. A time where talented wrestlers were given over the top, ridiculous gimmicks that did nothing other than destroy their careers. Many men fell victim to the 90′s desire for goofy wrestlers with stupid back stories, but none more so than Doink the Clown.

Doink is a veritable legend in the world of professional wrestling, he also isn’t real. Doink is a character, one that has been played by no less than three people since his debut in 1992. So to be a little more accurate I should say that Doink’s career was not squashed by the absurd gimmick, Doink was the absurd gimmick that squashed the career of a talented wrestler.

One of the most interesting facets of the Royal Rumble is that the performance of each superstar in the match typically indicates where they stand within the brand. A solid performance at the Rumble often heralds the start of a broader push for a particular superstar, as they have found a way to assert themselves in a match that pits them against a literal who’s-who of the WWE locker room.

While many of the superstars who are thrown over the top rope fail to distinguish themselves in the match, there are occasions when men seem to dominate the Rumble’s proceedings, making the match their own until a greater hero (or villain as the case may be) finds a way to bring their night to an end.

In particular, these ten superstars reached above and beyond in the Rumble, making a name for themselves even though they ultimately failed...

Last night’s WWE Raw results from Philadelphia. It’s the Slammy Awards show and Michael Cole welcomes us to the show, alongside Jerry “The King” Lawler and John Bradshaw Layfield.

1) Rey Mysterio defeated Damien Sandow with the 619 and the splash from the top for the victory. Cody Rhodes and Sin Cara were at ringside.

Booker T comes out to award the first Slammy Award – “Tell Me I Just Did Not See That”. The nominees are Brad Maddox screwing Ryback, Daniel Bryan losing the World Title in 18 seconds to Sheamus at WrestleMania, Kofi Kingston walking on his hands at the Royal Rumble and Cm Punk hitting the Gts on The Rock at Raw 1000. Booker goes to name the winner but instead out comes The Boogeyman! making his WWE return. He smashes an alarm clock over his head, dances around and pulls out the worms.

After the commercial, Booker still can...

FM's EDitor heeds Forry's lesson: Make sure you always properly dress-up for special occasions. Preparing for Mil Mascaras' induction into the WWE Hall of Fame.

This past weekend you humble EDitor braved the masses in Miami to see a phenomenon which horror fans already know: That which is dead cannot die.

Yes, on April 1 The Undertaker defeated Triple H for the second straight year. The win moves ‘Taker’s undefeated streak at Wrestlemania to 20-0. While there was much debate amongst the crowd as to the potential outcome, it always felt that The Dead Man was the odds-on favorite to get the ‘W’. The match wasn’t just any match, but the always electric Hell in a Cell steel cage extravaganza. The match was easily one of the two most intense matches of the evening (right up next to Rock v Cena) with much of the crowd not even using their seats for the duration.

The Super Bowl of Sports Entertainment, WrestleMania 28, is here with a four-hour extravaganza from Miami, Florida. The night's main event pits wrestling legend-turned-Hollywood star, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson against WWE's biggest attraction, John Cena. Cena thinks Rock is a sell-out who can't go anymore. Rock thinks Cena is overrated, one-note and protected by corporate PR. Who's right? The only way to settle it is to get in the ring.

Quick Results

Sheamus defeated Daniel Bryan

Kane defeated Randy Orton

The Big Show defeated Cody Rhodes

Maria Menounos and Kelly Kelly defeated Beth Phoenix and Eve

The Undertaker defeated Triple H

Team Johnny defeated Team Long

C.M. Punk defeated Chris Jericho

The Rock defeated John Cena

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly: WrestleMania 28

The event kicks off with a lovely rendition of "America the Beautiful" sung by announcer Lilian Garcia, that is punctuated by an airshow rivaling Springfield's best. An opening...

The Big News: Triple H finally accepted Undertaker’s WrestleMania offer and even suggested that they compete in a Hell in a Cell match. Meanwhile John Cena cut one of the best promos of his career on The Rock, Chris Jericho won a ten man battle royal to face Cm Punk at Wrestlemania and Sheamus vs Daniel Bryan was also confirmed for the April 1st megashow.

In a Nutshell: Triple H and John Cena showcase their sublime skill for angry promos.

Show opened with Eve Torres turning heel backstage. The Bella Twins asked her about the welfare of Zack Ryder and she replied by laughing off their association and claiming that she was just using him to get herself noticed. She then said she would use John Cena in a similar fashion but unfortunately for her Cena was stood there listening.

Eve Torres then changed tact and followed John Cena to the ring whilst crying.

Tonight’s WWE Raw SuperShow results from Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Eve Torres turns heel in the opening segment telling The Bella Twins she only used Zack Ryder to get attention and that everybody is talking about her now. She and Zack were never friends and poor Zack never even made it to first base. She said her next plan was to do the same to John Cena.

She turns around and Cena heard it all and is pissed.

John Cena comes out to the ring to cut a promo when Eve comes down the ramp. She just wants to explain that what she said was taken out of context. Cena trash talks on Eve and calls her a scandalous bitch, just like The Rock. Eve is crying and tries to kiss Cena but he pulls away and says he would like to remain disease free. Eve is left...

Former WCW World Heavyweight Champion Ron Simmons (aka Faarooq in the WWE) is the latest name revealed for this year’s WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2012.

Simmons’s most notable achievement was becoming the first officially recognised African-American singles World Heavyweight Champion when he defeated Big Van Vader for the WCW World Title on August 2nd, 1992. During his time with the company he also won the WCW World Tag Team Title (with Butch Reed) as Doom, and the WCW United States Tag Team Titles with Big Josh.

He joined the WWE in 1996 and was the first leader of the African American Group the Nation of Domination. A botched feud with The Rock over the leadership of the Nation (where Simmons wasn’t made to look particularly strong) led Faarooq to the tag team division where he would remain for the rest of his career. He held the WWE World...

Actress Ryan Michelle Bathe, who you’d recognize from TV shows like Trauma, Boston Legal, and Girlfriends, attended the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, which ended just last weekend, and she agreed to provide us with a summary of her experiences there.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention that she’ll be starring in an upcoming intriguing web series created by Sonya Steele, titled Celeste Bright, which we’ve already profiled on this blog (read about it Here & Here).

I received Ms Bathe’s festival write-up earlier today, and included it all below for you to read. So, here you go. Thanks Ryan for the report! And if you’ll be going to the Venice Film Festival, or the Toronto Film Festival, both later this year, do let us know :

So Cannes, or the South of France, or the Cote de Azur or the French Riviera. Word!

Night Catches Us has been previously profiled on this blog, so I won’t bother with an intro. Click Here to catch up if you need to.

The film will make its debut at the Sundance Film Festival, which begins next week, so I’m sure we’ll soon start reading reviews online from those who will be present when it eventually screens.

I haven’t seen a trailer, or any real footage from the film yet; however, I found the below still images on the film’s website, and Facebook page, which should give us some idea of what this baby will look like. Some of the images are in color, and others in black & white; however, I think the film is in color – although, I wouldn’t be surprised to see some flashback sequences in b&w.

I’ve been granted an interview with the writer/director of the film,...