Author: Chris Stephens

WWE is entering into a new age of profitability via new television contracts with both the USA Network and Fox Network. The company’s stock hit an all-time high earlier this week.

The new agreements will go into effect beginning in October 2019 and covers the period between October 1st, 2019 to September 30th, 2024.

A recent report from the Wrestling Observer has revealed new details about WWE’s new television contracts.

Fox Walks Away From UFC After Deal With WWE

Fox had been negotiating on a possible deal with the UFC at the same time they were negotiations with WWE. The Network had a $200 million budget to work with in order to go after live programming and had tabled offers to both the UFC and WWE. The deal they signed with WWE is estimated at $4 million per week or $205 million annually.

After the deal to bring Smackdown to Fox was completed, the Network walked away from negotiations with the UFC.

“UFC played chicken with FOX and lost,” stated an anonymous TV insider.

The Sports Business Journal reported that Fox wanted an exclusive deal with the UFC but was willing to negotiate a deal that would involve other networks only not at a $10 million per show asking price.

The UFC ended up signing a deal with ESPN (separate from the previously announced streaming deal) believed to be valued at $150 million per year or $50 million less than the offer Fox had tabled.

ESPN and UFC’s two deals combined are estimated at $300 million per year.

FOX and ESPN Release Statements

ESPN released the following statement about their new agreement with the UFC:

“ESPN’s unparalleled multimedia platform is the perfect home for the UFC and will deliver tremendous value to both parties,” the ESPN statement reads. “UFC fans are passionate and loyal and we plan to bring the full power of ESPN’s live coverage, powerful storytelling and unmatched distribution to serve them in an unprecedented fashion. We can’t wait to get started.”

Fox released the following statement following news the UFC would be leaving their network:

“FOX Sports has enjoyed an amazing partnership with the UFC over the last seven years. As FOX Sports was planning the launch of FS1, Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta were the first partners to believe in the idea and vision of the new network. We look forward to finishing out 2018 with more exciting live events and wish the UFC continued success in the years to come.”

205 Live last night presented a show from Worcester, MA. Next week will be a show from the brand, as Cedric Alexander will finally defend his Cruiserweight Championship against Buddy Murphy.

205 Live Results 5/22/18

1. Drew Gulak defeated Gran Metalik

• Before the match, a backstage promo from Gulak was shown. Gulak said he plans on showing all the high-flying cruiserweights that when they get in the ring with him, they will tap out.
• The submission expert got his knees up as Metalik went for springboard moonsault and this allowed Gulak to lock in the Gu-Lock and get the victory.
• Gulak has now defeated Kalisto and Gran Metalik from the Lucha House Party.

2. TJP defeated Christopher Guy

• Christopher Guy is actually Chikara’s Juan Francisco de Coronado.
• TJP won with a Detonation Kick.
• After the match, TJP was interviewed in the ring and stated he is the best technical wrestler in the world and has carried the division on his back. He seemed frustrated with 205 Live GM, Drake Maverick and said he wants bigger challenges. The commentators speculated he could sign somewhere else.

Several mentions were made of some well-reviewed matches between Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali on the recent European tour.

3. Hideo Itami defeated Akira Tozawa

• These two had been a team in recent weeks but lost two straight matches. They ended up in a shoving match last week following their loss.
• In a promo to start the show, Itami said he didn’t need a partner and didn’t want one either.
• Tozawa missed his diving Cannonball Senton and this allowed Itami to go on offense. He hit several basement dropkicks before hitting a neckbreaker into a knee-to-face (not a GTS).

Cody Runnells was granted his release from WWE on May 22nd, 2016. A lot has happened since that time. It was believed then that Cody was frustrated with WWE’s creative department. He had been pleading with writers to end the Stardust gimmick for months and felt his numerous storyline pitches were being ignored.

Shortly after Cody was released, several members of the media chimed in with their belief WWE never gave Cody a chance.

“I can’t say I blame him a bit. Not even a little bit. WWE never gave him a real chance, and that’s just sad to me,” Dave Scherer of Pro Wrestling Insider stated.

Dave Meltzer noted at the time that Cody was “used as more of a lower and mid-card wrestler in a number of changing roles”, and also added that “his career had gone nowhere and he hadn’t been used well.”

Cody 2016-Present

Cody’s frustration would continue shortly after leaving the company when it was revealed WWE would be preventing him from using the last name “Rhodes”. Although he had never used the name outside of WWE, Cody protested against the patenting of a name his father made famous and that was associated so strongly with his family.

Cody debuted in Ring of Honor at the Final Battle PPV that December. He promptly turned heel during his match with Jay Lethal at the event. Cody then signed a deal to make Ring of Honor is home promotion but a few months later the deal would be re-worked.

On December 10th, 2016, Cody was shown in a video package which aired during NJPW’s World Tag League. Cody was announced as the newest member of Bullet Club.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90Gag53jOCM

Cody Wins ROH World Title

Cody won the ROH World Title at Best in the World 2017. He defeated Christopher Daniels after being involved in a 3-way feud for the title which also involved Jay Lethal.

He defended the title 14x and held it for 175 days before dropping it to Dalton Castle at Final Battle 2017. Cody has only recently announced he plans to cash-in his rematch clause later this summer.

Cody Reacts to Starrcade

That September, Cody reacted negatively to news WWE would be running an event named Starrcade.

Dear @MichaelPSHayes1

If you're afraid an event won't sell cuz' the holiday and want one of my Dad's events…at least book Goldy..

-Cody

— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) September 18, 2017

Michael Hayes then offered Cody a spot on the show:

So Cody, UR right we should have Goldy on the show, by the way, what R U doing that night??? Wanna team with UR Brother?

— Michael PS Hayes (@MichaelPSHayes1) September 18, 2017

Just days after Hayes’ offer to appear on a WWE show, Cody and ROH announced he had signed a multi-year exclusive deal with the company.

Being the Elite and Bullet Club Civil War

Tension began to mount between Cody and Kenny Omega over the leadership of Bullet Club in 2017. This played out mainly on the YouTube series “Being the Elite” as well as on NJPW and ROH shows.

In 2018, the long-teased rivalry between Omega and Cody kicked off. Cody turned on Omega at the New Beginning in Sapporo after Omega lost his IWGP US title to Jay White. The split in Bullet Club would lead to a Young Bucks vs Golden Lovers match at Strong Style Evolved and a match between Cody and Omega at ROH’s biggest show of the year.

Cody would defeat Omega and recently defeated Kota Ibushi at Wrestling Dontaku 2018. There has been tension teased between Marty Scurll and Cody recently as well which could turn into a storyline soon. His feud with Omega appears to be on the backburner as Omega prepares to face Kazuchika Okada on June 9th, 2018.

All-In

Not long after leaving WWE, Cody tweeted a list of goals he was setting for himself. One goal he has mentioned repeatedly in the last 2 years is to main event a show in a 10,000 seat arena.

The All-In event organized by the Young Bucks and Cody sold out the Sears Center in Chicago just minutes after going on sale. Cody will challenge for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at the event.

It’s been an eventful 2 years for Cody, ROH, NJPW and Bullet Club and it’s possible we haven’t even seen the full extent of what Cody can do outside WWE.

The XFL is hiring!

The new league which is expected to kick off in 2020, is in need of qualified people for several positions including for football players.

In order to apply for the job of “football player” to the XFL, one need only fill out this form.

Players are asked to fill out a form indicating what position they play and asked to mention if they have ever played in the NFL, CFL, XFL, Arena, or European football leagues. Players are expected to send the XFL links to their social media accounts as part of their application.

XFL Job Openings

The league needs more than football players, however. 6 executive positions located in Stamford, CT have also been advertised on the XFL Careers page.

The XFL is looking for a VP of Finance and Accounting, a Director of Social media and Content, SVP of Marketing, VP of Communications and Media Relations, Director Project Management, and VP of Project Management.

As for big-name players who could end up in the league in 2020, it’s not clear who exactly could end up in the league. Charlie Ebersol’s other league begins next year and could scoop up several non-NFL players the XFL might be interested in.

Jonny Manzeil recently signed with the Canadian Football League, which likely will prevent him from ending up in the XFL later.

As for Tim Tebow, he had this to say about possibly ending up in the XFL:

“That’s very nice of him, but 2020 is a long way from now,” Tebow said. “I’m focused on today, I’m focused on spring training and a lot of things before that. I’m not even close to thinking about that right now.”

“What if it’s an “I have no idea?” Tebow answered. “That’s in 2020 and I’m super excited about baseball.”

Tebow is currently in the Mets’ organization pursuing a career in professional baseball.

Last night on Smackdown, Lana scored her first single’s victory on the WWE main roster. The victory also earned her a spot in next month’s Money in the Bank ladder match.

Aiden English unveiled a “Lana Day” sign shortly before the match and led the crowd to chant “Lana Day” throughout the match. Lana’s opponent, Billie Kay, was distracted by English’s actions on the outside which allowed Lana to hit a facebuster and get the win.

WWE cameras caught up with her backstage after the win. Lana spoke about the possibility of her and Rusev becoming Mr. and Mrs. Money in the Bank. Rusev qualified for the men’s Money in the Bank match by defeating Daniel Bryan in the main event of Smackdown on May 8th, 2018.

Lana’s WWE Wrestling Career

Lana has won a few matches on NXT house shows but her first win on the WWE main roster came in the 1st round of the Mixed Match Challenge. Rusev and Lana defeated Bayley and Elias before being eliminated by Charlotte Flair and Bobby Roode in the 2nd round.

Not including house shows, Lana has wrestled 13 matches on the WWE main roster. She’s now lost 11 of those matches and won 2. She’s wrestled for the Smackdown women’s championship 3x and lost all 3 to Naomi. Although originally hired to serve as a valet for Rusev, Lana has been wrestling consistently on house shows since being sent to NXT for additional training last year.

“Lana is the best, Lana #1” – Rusev (and others)

Rusev Day Not Lasting Much Longer?

Fans of Rusev will not be pleased to learn his character is believed to be in for a change soon. Current speculation is the funny side of Rusev is not expected to be shown on television much longer. Yesterday, it was reported Rusev may return to his more ruthless character shortly.

What do you think of WWE’s booking of Lana and Rusev? Tell us what you think below:

Smackdown and 205 Live will emanate from the DCU Center in Worcester, MA tonight. A few changes have been made to the card since matches were announced last week.

Big Cass was originally scheduled to face Samoa Joe in a Money in the Bank qualifying match but after selling an injury on the recent European tour, WWE has pulled Cass from the match. Instead of Cass vs Joe, Daniel Bryan will face Jeff Hardy with the winner facing Samoa Joe in a MITB qualification match next week.

Smackdown 5/22/18 Preview

Daniel Bryan vs Jeff Hardy

• Smackdown General Manager, Paige, announced this match on Twitter recently. She stated that due to big Cass’s injury, the winner of Daniel Bryan versus Jeff Hardy will meet Samoa Joe next week. The winner of that match will qualify for Money In The Bank.

MizTV w/the New Day

• New Day defeated the Bar in a match to determine which team would be able to select one member to compete in the Money In The Bank match.
• This week on Smackdown, the Miz has promised to find out which member they will pick.

Money in the Bank Qualifying Match
Billie Kay vs Lana

• Billy Kay will wrestle Lana in singles action with the winner qualifying for the Money In The Bank match.
• It’s a big match for both as Lana doesn’t have much success in the ring and Billie Kay is still relatively new to the main roster.

Money in the Bank Qualifying Match
Naomi vs Sonya Deville

• The former member of Absolution, Sonya Deville, will get a chance to qualify for the money in the bank match tonight. Naomi will be a tough opponent, however.

205 Live 5/22/18 Preview

Buddy Murphy and Cedric Alexander Segment

• Buddy Murphy will challenge for Cedric Alexander’s Cruiserweight Championship next week on 205 Live. We can expect some type of segment to preview this match tonight.

Akira Tozawa vs Hideo Itami

• These two had been a tag team in recent weeks, only two successive losses led to infighting amongst the pair.
• Tonight they will meet in one-on-one action to determine who was the stronger of their team.

WWE has informed their broadcast partners that all PPV events will now be extended to 4 hours in length. The promotion only recently reverted back to all co-branded PPVs following WrestleMania 34.

Big events, such as SummerSlam and the Royal Rumble, could even run longer than the new 4-hour standard. This is according to a recent report from PW Insider which is stating WWE has communicated this information to those who still air these shows in a traditional pay-per-view format.

Listings for the Money in the Bank PPV are stating the start time as 7PM. The Greatest Royal Rumble event in Saudi Arabia was 5 hours in length.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNH_50ibzLM

WWE PPV Length

The length of WWE pay-per-views has been steadily increasing over time. Originally, even the big 4 PPVs rarely lasted longer than three hours. When the company first switched to a monthly pay-per-view format, non-cornerstone shows were dubbed as “In Your House” events and had a run time of only two hours.

In recent years, however, PPV lengths for WWE and other promotions have increased. While New Japan Pro Wrestling has seemingly decreased their show length, it was not uncommon for some shows to run as long as five hours or more not too long ago.

The switch to longer PPVs is likely a way to book more talent on the shows. Following WrestleMania 34, WWE moved away from brand-specific PPVs and announced that all of these events will now be co-branded. As this creates more competition for spots on the events, WWE may have decided it was in their best interest to create more space on these shows.

What do you think of the new 4-hour standard length for all WWE PPVs? Tell us in the comments section below:

Arguably one of the most influential figures in the history of pro wrestling, former WCW President Eric Bischoff, recently took part in an Ask Me Anything session on Reddit. The always outspoken Bischoff commented on controversial decisions he made during his tenure with World Championship Wrestling as well as how he would book WWE’s current product today.

Eric Bischoff AMA Highlights

Bischoff’s response to being asked why he unmasked Rey Mysterio Jr. and Juventud Guerrera:

“The goal in unmasking Rey and Juventud was to further establish their real characters with the audience. And while the strength of the mask in Mexico is obviously very important and even moreso today in the United States than it was back in the late ’90s, but Rey and Guerrera were very good-looking athletes.

As anyone who’s worked with Vince McMahon or WWE will tell you, you sell emotions with your face and expressions during a match. To a certain degree, masked wrestlers are at a certain disadvantage at getting the audience to relate to them by seeing their facial emotions during a match. The goal was to attempt to broaden the appeal for those characters by allowing the audience to feel their emotions at a greater level during matches.”

On if he would stick with Roman as the top guy if he were in charge of WWE:

“I might stick with Roman or move onto someone else. It’s impossible to say unless someone is involved with the process on a very close basis. I don’t know enough about Roman’s strengths/weaknesses as a person to know what his potential really is.

I think that is often the case when fans judge talent and wonder why someone is not getting a bigger push, or why someone is getting such a big push, when as fans/viewers you don’t really see everything there is to see when it comes to a specific talent’s skills, abilities, or potential.”

On how he would make modern day wrestling feel less bland:

I would try to bring more spontaneity to the product, I would de-emphasize the scripted performances, and emphasize talent who have the ability to cut great unscripted promos. The scripted nature of both matches and promos creates an atmosphere of sameness. Clearly this works, as we’re reading now with the Smackdown on Fox news, but that sameness makes the product feel stale and predictable.”

On if he regrets not pushing more mid-card talent or cruiserweights in WCW:

“I don’t regret anything because I’ve said in my 83 weeks podcast, context is really king. In terms of context, the Cruiserweight division was a very important part of Nitro’s success. That, combined with the fact that we had a very dense main event roster (Savage, Hogan, Piper, Sting, Luger, Goldberg, DDP, to name a few) that there’s only so much room at the very top. With context of the time, I don’t regret pushing some of that well-established talent off to the side to try to make room for a lesser known, though incredibly talented roster, but any objective person would most likely agree that the only reason why Jericho/Eddie/Benoit were able to get over the way they did was because of the massive amount of prime time exposure that I gave them in WCW.

But I wouldn’t have been able to achieve that same thing during the late ’90s with the Cruiserweight division because I had too many bigger stars in main event positions.”

Big Cass has been seen limping and needing help to the back at several house shows recently. His selling of a leg injury was reported this weekend. At first, it was felt his injury was legit.

As Cass continued to show up to events on WWE’s recent European tour, however, it became clear his injury was all part of his angle with Daniel Bryan. The injury angle played out similarly at several shows.

.@BigCassWWE was assisted up the ramp by @WWE officials today after his match in Munich, Germany… will he be fully prepared for his #MITB Qualifying Match against @SamoaJoe this Tuesday on #SDLive?! pic.twitter.com/4bLKVajZFa

— WWE (@WWE) May 20, 2018

“It seems as though Big Cass may still be in rough shape following the beating he suffered at the hands of Daniel Bryan this past Tuesday night on SmackDown LIVE. ” – WWE.com

Big Cass vs Daniel Bryan

The injury angle may come into play on Tuesday night when Big Cass is scheduled to face Samoa Joe in a Money In The Bank qualifying match.

It was a busy last week and a half of touring for WWE. In total, Cass has wrestled eight matches since May 10. In 6 of those 8 matches, he teamed up with the Miz.and lost to the team of Daniel Bryan and Tye Dillinger. Cass also defeated Dillinger in single’s action two different times on this European tour.

On the tour, Cass has wrestled three times in Germany, once in the Czech Republic, once in Budapest, 2 more matches in England and then finally the last show on Saturday night in Amsterdam, Holland.

Former Tough Enough winner, Matt Cappotelli, has discontinued further cancer treatments. This according to his wife, Lindsay.

Cappotelli was first diagnosed with brain cancer in 2006. He had surgery which reportedly removed most of the tumor. Last July, however, he was diagnosed with a grade IV GlioBlastoma Multiforme tumor, the most aggressive type of brain cancer there is.

earlier this month, Lindsay updated her blog and stated doctors have now recommended discontinuing treatment.

“We went in last Tuesday for his infusion and talked with his neuro-oncologist about everything that we’ve been seeing with Matt, and he decided that we’re at the point now where we should discontinue treatments…I feel like it’s the right decision, even though it breaks my heart knowing that there is nothing else we can do. But I feel like we’ve done everything. All the supplements, the diet, the chemo, the radiation…”

She would continue to say that Matt is unable to speak in full sentences or communicate much.

“It’s hard to know how he feels about discontinuing treatment because he can’t communicate in full sentences most of the time.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bi47pZphBUW/?hl=en&taken-by=lindsaycappotelli

Matt Cappotelli

“Matt has fought hard. He never gave up hope. He kept the faith. He never complained through any of this. Not once did I hear him say, “Why me?” He still always thought of other people above himself, and anyone who knows him will tell you that. He is a true warrior.”

The 38-year-old began his wrestling career in 2003, winning season III of Tough Enough along with John Hennigan. After a short spell on the main roster, he was sent for additional training in Ohio Valley Wrestling.

In 2005, Cappotelli won the OVW Heavyweight Championship. He would later be forced to vacate the title, however, after being diagnosed with a brain tumor in early 2006. He had been working as a trainer in OVW as of 2013.

Goldust might not be the easiest person to go to the movies with. Former WWE writer, Jensen Karp, recently took to Twitter to detail his experience with Goldust in such a scenario. Both attended the 2006 premiere of WWE Studios’ “See No Evil” starring Kane.

https://twitter.com/JensenClan88/status/997832225717567489?s=19

Goldust at the See No Evil Premiere

“I was a writer at WWE in ‘06 & went to this premiere. Goldust came in full makeup & sat behind me, screaming at all the scary scenes and yelling “DON’T GO IN THERE” to characters for a straight hour and a half. When it ended he whispered in my ear, “Things will never be the same”

It should be noted that Goldust recently celebrated his 10th year of sobriety.

https://twitter.com/Goldust/status/997727490293592064

Unfortunately for everyone in the theater that day, Goldust was still 2 years away from getting sober.

See No Evil

WWE Studios’ “See No Evil” was released in theaters 12 years ago. It was universally panned by critics and holds an abysmal 8% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite this, the film is one of WWE Studios’ rare financial successes. The film cost $8 million to make and grossed over $18.6 million at the box office.

A sequel to the film was released straight to DVD in 2014.

7 years ago today, we lost one of the most influential performers in the history of wrestling.  Randall Mario Poffo, better known to wrestling fans as “Macho Man” Randy Savage, died 7 years ago today.

Savage died of a heart attack while driving with his wife in Seminole, Florida. He lost control of his Jeep Wrangler and they crashed into a tree. Early reports indicated Savage had been killed in the collision but it was later concluded he died from atherosclerotic heart disease. Doctors found his heart was enlarged and the arteries surrounding it had been narrowed by more than 90%. It is believed he never knew about his heart condition.

Savage was cremated and his remains placed under a tree on his home in Largo, Florida.

The Career of “Macho Man” Randy Savage

There are few accolades for professional wrestlers that Savage did not earn during his long career.

In wrestling storyline, Savage was a 2x WWF Champion, a 4x WCW Champion, and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2015. He was even more celebrated as a performer, however.

Savage was inducted into the inaugural class of the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame in 1996. His match with Ricky Steamboat from WrestleMania III also won Wrestling Observer Match of the Year in 1987.

Pro Wrestling Illustrated has also honored Savage frequently throughout the years. He was honored as Wrestler of the Year, and Most Popular Wrestler of the Year in 1988. The following year he would be voted Most Hated Wrestler of the Year by the same magazine.

A recent Ring of Honor show featured Savage’s brother, Lanny Poffo, interacting with Jay Lethal. The former Black Machismo brought Lanny Poffo out to deliver the same address he had given during the Macho King’s inauguration many years ago. Poffo then gave Lethal a pair of the Macho Man’s famous sunglasses.

Randall Mario Poffo was 58 years old.