WWE NXT

WWE Circle of Champions: The Rock grants 

Thomas' wish

 

MIAMI – Less than 24 hours earlier, The Rock was celebrating having beaten John Cena in front of 80,000 members of the WWE Universe at  WrestleMania XXVIII. Today, as Raw was ramping up at the American Airlines Arena, he was enjoying a far more intimate, but no less impactful moment with a family of four, granting a very special wish for Make-A-Wish Foundation's Thomas.)

The Great One spent close to an hour with the family, sharing jokes and stories and even revealing some amazing personal insights into his Once in a Lifetime match against the Champ at SunLife Stadium. For The Rock, it was a great way to close out WrestleMania week, and a reminder of how much gives back to its fans.
“We’re very fortunate to get to do something that we love,” he said. “And the fans are very fortunate that they get to enjoy something that they love to enjoy. So when you meet a fan like Thomas, and his brother, who are such great fans and, more importantly, just very special people, not only does it make it worthwhile, but it reminds me just how incredibly blessed we all are.”
The People’s Champ also remarked that giving back and granting wishes through Make-A-Wish is his favorite part about WWE, and even managed to offer some kind words about his WrestleMania XXVIII opponent.
“I told John this the other day,” he said. “My favorite thing about John Cena is his wish granting. Because the impact he has on these families’ lives is incredible.”
Although the lights of WrestleMania XXVIII have gone dark, granting a wish for this 13-year-old WWE Circle of Champions honoree and his family lit a spark in The Rock that will never be extinguished.
“I get asked all the time, who are your role models?” he said. “And say I really don’t have any role models, but I have people in my life who I draw inspiration from and draw love from, and this family is now an inspiration for me that I’m able to draw from.”

 

MIAMI- oon, visiting Holtz Children’s Hospital in Miami to brighten the day of the kids.
The WWE contingent, which included Rey Mysterio, R-Truth, Kofi Kingston, The Great Khali, Christian, The Bella Twins, Maxine and AJ, spent a few hours with the children. “There’s a lot of our fans that can’t make it out to WrestleMania, so we bring it to them,” R-Truth said.
The Superstars may not have been prepared for intense interviews, but some of the kids came armed with microphones and their best questions. “They had a whole list made, they knew everybody and had questions for everybody,” Christian explained. “They were well-prepared.”
Mysterio, donning a dazzling white and red mask, was touched at the hospital’s treatment of Spanish speaking-familes. “I met families from Guatemala and Costa Rica. There are a lot of Hispanic speaking people here being taken care of. It’s good to see that the hospital opens their heart for anyone,” he said.
One child in particular touched Mysterio’s heart. “He was very quiet, but very alert. You could tell right away that he was very happy to see me, despite not much expression on his face,” he explained. “I remembered that I had a mask in my back pack. I signed and gave it to him with a toy Rumbler. As I was signing the mask, you could see that he was very happy, despite not being able to say much. It was really cool.”
Many of the girl patients at the hospital took to the Divas. One in particular made an impression on AJ. “I fell in love with Angela, who was the cutest little girl who had gorgeous eyelashes,” she said. Another patient named Tatiana, was enamored by The Bellas, asking where they got their clothes.
The kids at Holtz also got a huge surprise, as Edge, who will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on Saturday, joined his former colleagues during the visit. “I came straight from the airport and hopefully put some smiles on faces,” he said.
For Edge, who grew up idolizing  visits like this are one of the ways he can give back to the WWE Universe. “WWE Superstars are like superheroes, comic book characters come to life,” he said. “If [Superstars] visited me, my head would have exploded.”
In addition to the visit putting smiles on the faces of the children, WWE has designated the hospital as the recipient of all proceeds from Thursday’s WrestleMania Premiere Party, as well as the WrestleMania Art Auction, taking place .
Thursday’s visit was one of WWE’s many charitable efforts in the Miami area during WrestleMania Week. Superstars and Divas will be visiting hospitals and meeting with children through the Make A Wish Foundation, among other events.
The Holtz Children’s Hospital, located at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center is one of the largest in the southeastern United States and is among the top in the country, according toU.S News and World Report. For more information, follow the hospital on  .

WWE.com spoke with Titus O’Neil after Wednesday’s new WWE NXT. He explained the significance behind the hoodie he was wearing.
“The hoodie symbolizes my support of justice being served in the Trayvon Martin case. As a father of two – whether I’m a good guy or a bad buy in WWE – I’m a father. I can definitely understand the value of our children. I wore the hoodie in support of Martin’s family, as families around the world have done.
"The lettering on the hoodie is my fraternity, Omega Psi Phi, Inc., the largest black fraternity in the world and, in my opinion, the greatest. We have members as notable as Shaquille O’Neal, Michael Jordan, Bill Cosby, Rev. Jesse Jackson amongst many others in the sports and entertainment field, as well as in business and  every other field. I’m a proud member of Omega Psi Phi, and I’ve been a proud member since 1999. It’s part of who I am, so I’m just being Titus O’Neil.”