Fans can expect to see Chelsea Green make her WWE return anytime now.
It has been reported that WWE has discussed bringing Green back to the company. She finished up with Impact Wrestling in late 2022. Other indications that she was going back to WWE were her shutting down her OnlyFans page and Major Pod having to limit new Green merchandise production due to her signing.
Other Stars
According to Fightful Select, Green has been under contract with WWE “for quite some time and is still awaiting creative.”
Once it was reported that WWE was interested in bringing back Green, there was speculation that her husband, Matt Cardona, could be on his way back to the company as well.
However, Fightful reports that WWE sources have indicated that “Cardona is not signed, but that we shouldn’t rule anything out for the future.”
There was speculation that Kylie Rae may be the next name to be signed with the company after she was brought in for a tryout and later used for a match on Main Event. Fightful notes that Rae is still a free agent.
Fans have wondered who is behind the mysterious Uncle Howdy since the character made his first appearance on WWE television.
Various names have been speculated, from Bo Dallas to Vincent to Cameron Grimes.
As previously reported, WWE has been playing its cards close to its chest with the character as the person behind the costume wears the mask backstage to hide their identity. It looks like fans are one step closer to finding out who is behind the Uncle Howdy mask.
Confirmation?
PWInsider and Fightful Select report that former WWE star Bo Dallas, the brother of Bray Wyatt, is backstage at tonight’s Raw show in Birmingham, Alabama.
On last week’s WWE Monday Night Raw, Alexa Bliss viciously attacked Bianca Belair during their Raw Women’s Championship match, which led to Belair needing stitches from the attack. WWE has confirmed that Bliss will explain her actions last week on tonight’s show.
With Dallas being present backstage, it would sure seem that Dallas is the man behind the Uncle Howdy mask.
Bray Wyatt is set for his first match since returning to WWE at the Royal Rumble by taking on LA Knight in a Pitch Black match.
Mandy Rose is set to address her WWE release for the first time.
Rose, real name Amanda Saccomanno, will appear as a guest on this Tuesday’s edition of “Tamron Hall.” This is a syndicated talk show that airs on ABC stations.
According to the promotional material, the episode description notes that the former NXT Women’s Champion will address her “controversial firing” from WWE in an exclusive interview with Hall.
Breaking Silence
“Tamron has an exclusive interview with former WWE’s MANDY SACCOMANNO addressing her controversial firing from the WWE. Five-time Grammy and Emmy nominee, actress and comedian MARGARET CHO stops by to chat about her new comedy tour ‘Live and LIVID.’ Plus, an All-New Shop Tam Fam!!”
Last month, Rose was released from WWE after learning of adult-themed photos and videos Rose posted on her FanTime subscription service.
Her release came less than 24 hours after dropping the NXT Women’s Championship to Roxanne Perez on NXT TV, which was pushed up from when it was originally supposed to happen in January. This was done because Rose was being released.
Rose’s reign as NXT Women’s Champion lasted 413 days before losing the title to Perez. Since her departure, Rose has made big money by earning $1 million on FanTime.
Following the news that Vince McMahon would be returning to the company as a member of the board of directors, WWE hired JPMorgan to advise on a potential sale of the company.
McMahon claimed that he was returning to WWE to help assist WWE in their media rights negotiations.
While speaking on What Happened When, Conrad Thompson said a WWE sale has been brewing for a while. He also noted that when Nick Khan first joined WWE as an agent to help negotiate the TV deals that they eventually landed with FOX and NBC Universal, he heard an interesting thing. That was when Khan made a deal with Vince that he would get paid big money should he help with a sale of the company.
The Claim
“My friend was represented by the same company that Nick Khan was sort of running, and when my friend sees that the guy who runs this big agency is now going to WWE, he thought, ‘What the f**k? This doesn’t make any sense.’ So he called his contact and said, ‘Dude, what’s up with Nick going, blah, blah, blah.’ He said, and this is years ago now, ‘Yea. He’s got a deal with Vince where in his contract, he gets a big payday when he helps facilitate the sale.’ He told me the number, and I won’t say the number because that’s talking about somebody’s money and that’s not cool, but let’s just say this, it’s more than AEW’s TV contract is for a year. It’s a lot. It’s a lot, a lot. So when you hear it’s a lot, a lot, you think, ‘Well why would this guy go here?’, Ah ha, and now, Ta Da. I’ve heard backchanneling before Mean Gene passed away, he said, ‘Well, I heard from’, and I won’t say who he heard it from, ‘When the stock gets to so and so,’ This has been brewing for a while. I know a lot of wrestling fans have been thinking, ‘Well this is just a brand new development.’ It’s years old.”
In 2020, Khan joined WWE as President & Chief Revenue Officer. He previously worked for CAA.
He also helped negotiate media rights deals for top companies such as Top Rank Boxing and the Southeastern Conference.
Becky Lynch is returning to Young Rock to portray the role of Cyndi Lauper.
The former Raw Women’s Champion previously appeared in the role of Lauper on Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s show which is currently airing every Friday night on NBC last November.
That episode included a young Rock meeting Lauper at a party she threw around WrestleMania I in 1985.
Reprise
Lynch posted a tweet on Monday revealing that she’s back filming on the “Young Rock” set. She wrote the following about the news:
“She’s baaaaaaaack! Delighted to be back on set with the incredible #YoungRock cast and crew playing the iconic Cyndi Lauper! Stay tuned.”
In a tweet after the season three premiere, Johnson thanked Lynch and gave her props for the job she did playing Lauper on the show.
The show is based on Johnson’s life and tells the story of how he was shaped into the person he is today as he went from being a football player to being one of the biggest wrestlers in the history of the business to a top movie star.
After being sidelined with a shoulder injury at SummerSlam last July, the top star returned to in-ring action in November at Survivor Series by working the Women’s WarGames Match.
WrestleMania is always a wildly lucrative event for WWE, but 2023’s installment is taking things to a whole new level.
Last week, we reported that WrestleMania 39 is on the verge of selling out with approximately 100,000 tickets sold for the 2-night event. On Monday, WWE sent in word that “WrestleMania Goes Hollywood” has now surpassed 2016’s WrestleMania 32 as the highest-grossing WrestleMania in company history.
WWE® BREAKS ALL-TIME WRESTLEMANIA® GATE RECORD
WrestleMania Goes Hollywood at SoFi Stadium Surpasses WrestleMania 32 as Best-Seller in Company History, Nearly Three Months Prior to Event
STAMFORD, Conn., January 9, 2023 – WWE® (NYSE: WWE) today announced that WrestleMania Goes Hollywood (WrestleMania 39), which will originate from SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles across two nights, broke the company’s all-time gate record for any WrestleMania, despite having yet to announce a single match. The previous record announced was $17.3 million in 2016 at WrestleMania 32 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The record gate comes on the heels of unprecedented ticket sales demand for WWE in 2022, in which it produced the highest-grossing gates of all-time for Royal Rumble, Survivor Series and Extreme Rules. Clash at the Castle in Cardiff, Wales, which marked WWE’s first major stadium show in the U.K. in 30 years, was the highest-grossing U.K. event in company history.
Additionally, WWE set in-market gate records for SmackDown and Raw events in more than 20 markets for the year, including the December 30 SmackDown, which took place in Tampa, Fla. and heralded the return of WWE Superstar John Cena.
Limited single and two-day combo tickets for WrestleMania Goes Hollywood can still be purchased through Ticketmaster.com. The event streams live on Saturday, April 1 and Sunday, April 2 exclusively on Peacock in the United States and WWE Network everywhere else.
This year’s Money in the Bank will be all about the pounds and not about dollar bills given the show’s location.
Last week, it was announced that WWE will host Money in the Bank 2023, the 14th annual event, at the O2 Arena in London, England.
This will mark the first time the event has ever taken place outside of the United States.
Why London?
Following the massive success of WWE Clash at the Castle in Cardiff, Wales, many assumed that another major UK event would be coming in the future.
Contrary to Clash at the Castle though, which took place in the giant Allegiant Stadium, WWE Money in the Bank 2023 will take place in the smaller O2 Arena.
WWE sources who spoke to Fightful Select said how the decision to host the show at the arena would practically guarantee a sell-out of one of WWE’s ‘big five’ events.
One WWE source said that they view O2 Arena as the “MSG of England” and it was a venue they wanted to travel to.
While WWE co-CEO Nick Khan was credited for many of the dates, locations and venues used by WWE in 2022, the company’s deal with the O2 Arena is being called a “collaborative effort.”
Money in the Bank
It wasn’t too long ago that reports circulated of WWE scrapping the Money in the Bank event and hosting the two titular ladder matches on the two nights of WrestleMania.
Another source who spoke to Fightful said that running an event in the O2 Arena helps establish the importance of MITB as one of their biggest events of the year.
When asked about the rumors of Money in the Bank being ended, that source said that this was not seriously considered.
This source added that no booking plans are set for WWE Money in the Bank 2023.
Charlotte Flair may have one of her wishes come true regarding a dream match that she recently talked about.
Flair made a recent return to WWE television as she won the SmackDown Women’s Championship on her first night back against Ronda Rousey on December 30.
Fans are looking forward to seeing “The Queen” work against some of the current talent on the roster such as Shotzi and Raquel Rodriguez. However, there are some names from the past that she’s interested in stepping into the ring with. Flair recently spoke to WWE’s The Bump about several legends she wants to face.
The Tweet
Mickie James, Lita, and Michelle McCool were all names that she mentioned. McCool made it clear on Twitter that she is open to the idea of them working a match against each other.
She let Stephanie McMahon and Triple H know as she said, “Real Talk….RESPECT! Oh…..& I stay ready for anytime @wwe @TripleH or @StephMcMahon call! #FlawlessQueen.”
McCool wrapped up her full-time career in 2011, but has since worked one-off matches for the company. The first being in 2018 at the Royal Rumble as the former two-time Women’s and Divas Champion. She followed that up by competing in the 20-woman battle royal at WWE’s Evolution premium live event and then was part of the 2022 women’s Royal Rumble match.
Bayley’s post received well-wishes by both fans and those in wrestling, including Lance Storm and reigning IWGP Women’s Champion KAIRI.
Bayley and Damage CTRL have been feuding with Becky Lynch in recent weeks, with the Role Model getting a win over the Man on the December 19, Raw.
This week, Damage CTRL’s IYO SKY and Dakota Kai defeated Lynch and Mia ‘Michin’ Yim.
Bayley So Far
Signing with WWE ten years ago, Bayley’s career in the company actually began under a mask, as her in-ring debut saw her compete as Luchadora at an NXT live event.
It was in June 2013 that Bayley would adopt her doe-eyed fan-girl character which would make her one of the most popular babyfaces in recent years.
After multiple attempts, Bayley won the NXT Women’s Championship at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn in August 2015, and would retain at NXT TakeOver: Respect that October.
After losing the title to Asuka, Bayley would be called up to Raw in 2016 and won the Raw Women’s Championship in early 2017.
After a run as one-half of the first WWE Women’s Tag Champions, Bayley would capture the SmackDown Women’s Championship in 2019, and would turn heel that September, marking her first run in WWE as a heel.
After a lengthy reign as SmackDown Women’s Champion, Bayley’s reign would end in October 2020, and an injury in July 2021 would keep her out of action until her return last year’s Summerslam.
Tama Tonga only recently captured the NJPW Never Openweight Championship, but his days with the promotion may be coming to an end if WWE can help it.
WWE has internally expressed interest in bringing Tonga into the fold, Fightful Select reports.
Word traveled through the locker room at New Japan’s Wrestle Kingdom event earlier this week, but there is no confirmation if Tonga is interested.
Ironically, Tonga faced WWE’s own Karl Anderson at Wrestle Kingdom, dethroning the Machine Gun to start his second reign as Never Openweight Champion.
Sources in New Japan told Fightful that Tonga’s contract with the promotion is set to expire within “a matter of weeks.”
Tama Tonga
Beginning his training in 2008, Tonga would join NJPW in 2010 and is a founding member of the Bullet Club.
The 40-year-old is a seven-time IWGP World Tag Team Champion with his brother Tanga Loa, which makes sense considering he was trained by the Dudley Boyz.
After winning the ROH World Tag Titles at G1 Supercard, Tonga became the third man to have won a title in ROH, NJPW, and CMLL, behind Rocky Romero and Matt Taven.
Family Affair
Tama Tonga is on WWE’s radar as their next potential signing, but his brother may soon be calling himself a WWE Superstar.
It was reported earlier this week that WWE is also interested in Tonga’s brother Hikuleo but there is no confirmation as to whether talks have taken place.
WWE is said to have been interested in Hikuleo for months, and intermediaries have been used to express interest.
This is the same strategy as the Dragon Lee situation, as Finn Balor was the first to initiate contact with Lee regarding joining WWE.
Dragon Lee announced last month that he had signed a deal with WWE and relinquished his newly-won AAA World Tag Team Championship.
WWE’s relationship with Saudi Arabia may be a highly-controversial one, but the checks are certainly worth it according to Kurt Angle.
The decade-long deal between WWE and the middle-eastern nation began in 2018 and sees WWE be paid a small fortune to host shows.
WWE’s relationship with the country has been a source of controversy given Saudi Arabia’s restrictive views on women and approach to LGBTQ+ people.
Angle in Saudi Arabia
After returning to WWE in 2017, Kurt Angle would compete at some of WWE’s earliest shows in Saudi Arabia prior to his WrestleMania 35 retirement.
Speaking on his podcast, Angle was asked for his reaction to learning that WWE were working with Saudi Arabia.
“I loved it! And the main reason is money, money, money. When you go to these places they spend a lot. These were bought shows. Saudi Arabia… You’re talking 200 million dollars for two shows a year. That’s incredible.”
When asked if he ever thought he’d compete at such a unique event, Angle reiterated how well he was paid.
“No, [I didn’t think I would be part of a show like this.] But I was glad I was. I mean, the paychecks are very generous.”
Kurt Angle.
Unhappy
Angle may have been well-paid for his work in Saudi Arabia, but WWE’s use of him did not sit right with the Olympian.
On his show, Angle said he wasn’t a fan of his booking, but understood why WWE didn’t give him more prominent spots.
“What I will say is this. They didn’t put me in great spots as you know. I think I did I did a Royal Rumble [2018’s Greatest Royal Rumble.] I also did a seven-minute match with Dolph Ziggler [WWE Crown Jewel 2018.]
“They didn’t put me in great spots.”
Kurt Angle on his Saudi Arabia booking.
“The match wasn’t [good.] Dolph was great, don’t get me wrong but me at this point in time I wasn’t so great. I had really started to lose a step at this particular time in my career. The match wasn’t where I wanted to be. I was hoping more for the main event status, but still, the money was still really good.”
Tangling with the Dragon
Angle may not have had the prominent spots he was hoping for in Saudi Arabia, but he did get to lock horns with Bryan Danielson.
Danielson (then Daniel Bryan) also competed in the Greatest Royal Rumble, and nearly won the 50-man match.
Speaking about a spot where he locked up with Bryan, Kurt said it was a delight to do something in the ring.
“We wanted to do something special. So Daniel actually came up with it and it was a great little spot. I enjoyed working with him. Man he’s so talented and he’s not just an incredible high flyer he’s a great technician too. Daniel Bryan could be one of the best overall workers in the business today.”
Speaking about the expected Iron Man match between Danielson and AEW World Champion MJF, Kurt had doubts that the holder of the Big Burberry Belt will be able to keep up.
Fans of Xavier Woods’ popular UpUpDownDown YouTube channel will soon get to hear the group’s single ‘Can’t Stop Da Party.’
Da Party consists of Woods, former WWE Superstar and current trainer Tyler Breeze, Ring of Honor World Champion Claudio Castagnoli, and AEW’s Adam Cole.
On Twitter, Cole shared an image of the four members and said it is just two more days before the track’s release.
Given that the tweet was released yesterday, that means that ‘Can’t Stop Da Party’ will drop at some point tomorrow.
Fans can find out more information on how to purchase the track by clicking here.
Harley Cameron
Harley Cameron, who has performed with Shotzi and Scarlett, will feature in the track set to be released on Monday.
All four members of Da Party have proven themselves in the ring, and while Woods can hold his own on the trombone, none are known for their singing.
In addition to the foursome, the track will feature Harley Cameron, who is a wrestler/singer.
Cameron worked with Shotzi and Scarlett last October for a cover of ‘I Put a Spell on You’ and produced the theme song for The IInspiration in Impact Wrestling.
Da Party
The quartet of Woods, Breeze, Castagnoli, and Cole were highlights of UpUpDownDown for years, but the group’s run was cut short by factors outside of their control.
Breeze was released from WWE in 2021, and Cole would choose not to re-sign with the company shortly after.
In October 2022, members of Da Party teased a reunion and in November, streamed on Twitch for their first time playing together since Cole’s departure.
Slaughter may have had a less-than-warm response to Evans using the Cobra Clutch, but the two may soon become a regular act on TV.
Last December, the former WWF Champion tweeted that he would love the opportunity to manage Evans, and is confident that she would become a Women’s Champion.
Responding, Evans shared her eagerness to make the pairing happen, asking where does she report in.
While Slaughter claimed for years to have served and trained with the Marines, even off of WWE TV, he never served his country, while Evans is a real former Marine.
Lacey Evans
Lacey Evans was once poised to walk into WrestleMania 37 as Raw Women’s Champion, but her career has been a whirlwind since then.
After Evans announced her pregnancy, plans for a title win were scrapped, and she would return to TV in a vignette on the April 8, 2022 edition of SmackDown.
Initially poised as a face, Evans was quietly moved to Raw and was listed as a heel, but never appeared on the red brand.
The former Marine would be moved back to SmackDown, turned face again, and then turned heel again in the summer of 2022.
Sources who spoke to CNBC reported that J.P. Morgan will advise WWE on a potential sale, which if one happens, will be the first in the company’s history.
Those same sources said that if a deal is struck, it will likely occur within the next six to three months.
During a company-wide message, WWE President Frank Riddick clarified that McMahon’s return does not guarantee a sale of the promotion nor a merger with another company.
Buyers – Comcast
An internationally-known brand that reported record profits during the pandemic, it is hardly surprising that WWE is making for quite an attractive purchase.
CNBC reports that Comcast would make a sensible buyer of WWE, given that the company already deals with the McMahon-led promotion.
Comcast owns NBC-Universal, which owns both the USA Network and Peacock, the home of WWE Monday Night Raw and the WWE Network respectively.
Comcast CEO Brian Roberts said in October 2022 that the company isn’t in a rush to pursue an acquisition.
FOX
FOX is also named by CNBC as a potential buyer, and they two have experience with WWE.
The home of WWE SmackDown, FOX has reportedly been very pleased with WWE since their deal was struck in 2018.
Higher-ups at FOX have been delighted that WWE has been eager to please them, including having top-drawing names like Roman Reigns, Charlotte Flair, and Ronda Rousey on the blue brand.
Fox sold most of its entertainment assets in a $71 billion sale to Disney in 2019, though WWE would likely fit into the company’s sports and live events focus.
Disney
The House of Mouse has been collecting IPs like Thanos collects Infinity Stones, the Marvel villain of course being under Disney’s ownership.
With former CEO Bob Iger returning (the irony!) CNBC suggested that he could make a splashy acquisition to cement his return.
If so, WWE would likely be placed on ESPN+ and the WWE IP would be applicable for merchandizing and theme park businesses.
Warner Bros. Discovery
Current WBD CEO David Zaslav slashed costs upon his appointment to the top of the merged company, and spending billions on WWE is within the budget.
While a huge purchase like this would run counter to his cost-cutting strategy, Zaslav has spoken in the past about his interest in owning IPs.
With WBD pleased with the success AEW has had so far, it is possible that higher-ups will now set their sights on the much more internationally-known wrestling promotion.
Netflix
It has only been recently that Netflix has opened up to the idea of sports on their programming, with the success of various documentaries.
Netflix also boasts around 223 million paid subscribers (as of 2022 Q3) though the platform has been losing subscribers with many unpopular changes.
Speaking last month, co-CEO Ted Sarandos spoke about how Netflix wouldn’t be renting sports, only buying.
“We’ve not seen a profit path to renting big sports. We’re not anti-sports; we’re just pro-profit.”
Amazon
Unlike Netflix, Amazon has never shied away from acquiring sports, and pays $1 billion per year on Thursday Night Football.
Amazon could bolster Prime Video with live matches and WWE’s library content while easily boosting merchandizing opportunities.
Owned by the richest man on the planet Jeff Bezos, the price of a WWE purchase would not be a problem for Amazon.
Endeavour Group Holdings
In 2021, Endeavor purchased 100% of the UFC, but this may have just been the start of their plans.
Endeavor superagent Ari Emanuel has said that he wants to get into the business of live-events, making WWE a very attractive option.
UFC generated over $1 billion in revenue in 2022, proving that live events can be profitable to Emanuel.
Vince McMahon may be back with WWE, but staff at the company’s offices shouldn’t have to worry about one of his famed outbursts.
McMahon returned to WWE yesterday as a member of the Board of Directors after announcing his retirement in July of last year.
McMahon and WWE have claimed that his return is to oversee a possible sale of the company.
Out of the Office
For decades, McMahon ruled WWE, and as a result the wrestling world, with an iron fist from his office at Titan Towers.
During Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reported that McMahon won’t be a regular at WWE HQ.
“I don’t think he’s coming back to TV, I mean, the word is he’s not. The word is he’s not even returning to his office. We’ll see how long that lasts.”
Dave Meltzer.
McMahon plans on creating a portfolio of WWE’s assets and advantages to pitch to potential buyers.
Names being thrown around as possible buyers include Comcast, FOX, Disney and Saudi Arabia.
New Home
McMahon won’t be returning to the famed Titan Towers, but soon no WWE employee will be calling the office home.
A report this week confirmed the news of a move, though WWE will stop be operating in the state of Connecticut.
A company spokesperson told CTinsider the move is planned to commence towards the end of the first quarter of 2023.
707 Washington Blvd in Stamford, CT, will be home to more than 800 people once the company’s new offices have been opened.
Drew McIntyre and Sheamus were unsuccessful in their bid to become Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions, and that was just the start of a bad night.
In the main event, McIntyre and Sheamus faced The Usos for the gold but came up short against the longest-reigning WWE Tag Team Champions.
This match had originally been scheduled for weeks in advance but didn’t take place when McIntyre was medically disqualified.
After SmackDown
Following this setback, McIntyre and Sheamus (now going by the unfortunate moniker the Banger Bros.) were trying to recover in the ring.
After SmackDown went off the air, the pair of former WWE Champions were attacked by the Viking Raiders.
Erik and Ivar laid out both men with Ragnaroks (their name for the double powerbomb) and after exiting the ring, had a moment with Valhalla (Sarah Logan.)
With this attack, it appears that the Banger Bros. will be sticking together for the time being.
What Else Happened?
This week’s SmackDown was the first of the new year, and WWE looked to kick off the blue brand’s 2023 with a bang.
SmackDown also saw Top Dolla and Hit Row turn heel, attacking Ricochet after the One and Only’s Royal Rumble qualifier victory over Dolla.
The Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match for the Rumble was confirmed as Roman Reigns will defend against Kevin Owens.
New WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair kicked off her latest reign with a successful title defense against Sonya Deville.
On last week’s episode of WWE SmackDown, Ricochet mocked Top Dolla for his botched dive during SmackDown a few weeks ago, which upset Top Dolla. The big man got fired up and shoved Ricochet.
This confrontation led to a match between the two, which was announced for the following week.
The Turn
Fast forward to Friday’s show, Ricochet defeated Top Dolla to qualify for the men’s Royal Rumble match. Post-match, Dolla offered Ricochet a handshake and raised his arm, but it was all a ruse as Ashante “Thee” Adonis blindsided the former WWE Intercontinental Champion.
Adonis hit Ricochet with a super kick before Top Dolla, and B-Fab also took part in beating Ricochet down until Braun Strowman ran down to the ring to make the save and send Hit Row retreating.
Ricochet now joins Kofi Kingston in the men’s Royal Rumble match. Kofi Kingston previously qualified for the match. 28 other stars will make up the match, with the winner earning a shot at the Undisputed WWE Universal Title that is currently held by Roman Reigns, who will also be in action on this show as he defends against Kevin Owens.
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is emerging as a potential bidder for WWE.
WWE has close ties to the Middle Eastern kingdom through its 10-year partnership with the Saudi General Sports Authority, which sees WWE present two events per year in the country.
Their first show was held in April 2018 with the Greatest Royal Rumble. It was originally supposed to feature one event before the partnership was expanded to two large-scale events per year in late 2019.
PIV’s Backing
This is according to sources of Front Office Sports. The fund controls $620 billion in assets with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman as Chairman.
LightShed Partners analyst Brandon Ross told Front Office Sports: “In the same way they did LIV, there’s an unlimited faucet of dollars there. The Saudis are already a decent part of the profitability of the company just on those two [Saudi-based WWE] events alone. They’re trying to be relevant in the entertainment world.”
The fund has looked into getting more involved in sports as they’re the majority shareholder in English Premier League football club Newcastle United, having acquired the club in October 2021.
Front Office Sports reported that PIF isn’t the only possible bidder, as other potential buyers would be Amazon, Comcast, Endeavor, Liberty Media, and CAA.
Talk of WWE being sold comes after Vince McMahon returned to the company where he elected himself, Michelle Wilson, and George Barrios to the Board of Directors. He has angled his return as wanting to oversee the sale of the company should there be bidders ahead of its television rights deals which expire next year.
It was emphasized that WWE might not be sold while taking the company private and was also touted as another “possible avenue” if it was “the best outcome for shareholders.”
Kevin Owens looks to right a wrong from 2021 at this year’s WWE Royal Rumble event when he steps into the ring once again and challenges Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Title.
In recent months, Owens has been a thorn in the side of Reigns and The Bloodline. Owens has that he hasn’t gotten over the fact that he would have been WWE Universal Champion if not for Paul Heyman and Jey Uso getting involved in his match two years ago.
At that event, Owens and Reigns battled in a Last Man Standing bout, but dealt with interference from The Bloodline, a pair of handcuffs, and a referee’s decision not to count all the way to 10 eventually led to his loss against “The Tribal Chief.”
How We Got Here
On Friday’s episode of SmackDown, Owens challenged Reigns to a match at the Royal Rumble. This was as Reigns was in the middle of talking down to Sami Zayn.
Owens made it clear that Roman’s problem wasn’t with Zayn, but rather it was with him. Owens said he would see Roman at the Royal Rumble and see Zayn if he ever made the decision to get his balls out of the pocket of Roman Reigns.
This will be Reigns’ first defense on pay-per-view since facing Logan Paul at WWE Crown Jewel.
After a major upset last week, @WWERomanReigns wants to know one thing:
It’s been a wild 24 hours for WWE as Vince McMahon maneuvered his way back into WWE and got himself a seat on the Board of Directors. He brought Michelle Wilson and George Barrios with him.
WWE held an all-hands-on-deck meeting with employees, as talent was not invited. The meeting lasted for 10 minutes.
Pwinsider.com put together highlights from the meeting that noted employees were told there would be no changes to management or their responsibilities at this time.
What Was Said?
Paul Levesque, Stephanie McMahon, Nick Khan, and Frank Riddick III will remain in place in their current positions and jobs.
They stated the move was a big positive and made to give the company everything they needed to make the most of their future rights revenue sales (TV rights deals for their weekly television shows) in addition to gauging the market for a potential sale of the company with the idea that with Vince McMahon back, the entire company would all be on the same page in maximizing WWE’s potential leading into the future.
The idea is they would be looking at potential sale offers ahead of any rights negotiations and would benefit more than another round of just selling TV rights. It was also greatly emphasized that a sale may not happen, and it should not be assumed it would. Vince McMahon has the final say as the controlling shareholder.
A “possible avenue” for the company could be for it to be taken private again if it was “the best outcome for shareholders.” This was among the potential strategic options. They did not take any employee questions.
It’s unclear whether Triple H will hold a talent meeting with wrestlers at Friday Night SmackDown.
WWE is keeping talent and those backstage at events in the dark regarding who is playing the role of Uncle Howdy.
There has been a lot of speculation among fans regarding who is behind the character. Apparently, WWE talent backstage is wondering the same thing, but the person portraying the gimmick isn’t talking.
Keeping Kayfabe
Fightful Select reports that WWE is playing everything close to the vest in regard to the identity of Uncle Howdy, and the person in the outfit is kayfabing people backstage by going as far as to keep his outfit on backstage so nobody knows who it is.
There have been various guesses among fans regarding who the person is, with Bo Dallas’ name being heavily rumored. It’s likely there won’t be a confirmation until whenever they decide to do a big reveal.
Wyatt is slated to compete against LA Knight in the Mountain Dew Pitch Black match at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view later this month. WWE confirmed the match on last Friday’s episode of SmackDown.
The segment to announce the upcoming match saw Knight and Wyatt exchange words. Before they could brawl, Uncle Howdy appeared, standing alongside Wyatt before hitting him with Sister Abigail. Knight quickly exited the ring.
Former WCW president Eric Bischoff has reacted to news of Vince McMahon’s WWE return.
As recently reported, Vince McMahon is back on WWE’s Board Of Directors, effective immediately. Last year, McMahon was forced to step down after allegations of sexual misconduct with female employees surfaced. Both Nick Khan and Stephanie McMahon stepped in as co-CEOs in his place.
McMahon also retired from WWE soon after, leaving Triple H to take over as head of creative for the company. However, months later, McMahon then released a statement announcing his intention to return to the company, believing it was in the company’s best interest.
Initial reports suggest that McMahon has returned to seek a sale of the company. Currently, his 37% share of WWE stock gives him an 80% majority voter share over the board’s actions.
Taking to his podcast, “83 Weeks,” Bischoff offered his take on the situation, and the potential sale of WWE.
“I understand your question, but I think — now I haven’t read everything that’s come out in the last couple of hours. I’ve seen some of the bigger headlines and a couple other emails and stories.
“But I think Vince is — his reasoning for coming back and making this move is to aggressively pursue a sale. So in that case, I don’t think that matters. Because if he sells the company, he’s not gonna be running it anymore. And whether things ran better with him or without him is an irrelevant, a moot point.
“Because whoever buys it isn’t going to have Vince McMahon running it anyway. They’re gonna run it. So no, I think this is Vince’s exit strategy. And whether it’ll run better with him or without him isn’t really a discussion in an exit strategy like that.”
Today, via an SEC filing, it was confirmed that McMahon was back with the WWE’s Board Of Directors, effective immediately. He’s also returning alongside WWE co-Presidents Michelle Wilson and George Barrios.
They will be replacing now-former board members JoEllen Lyons Dillon, Jeffrey R. Speed, and Alan M. Wexler. It remains to be seen if McMahon’s return will include a return to the creative side of the company as well.
WWE may be bringing back another wrestler that they had released a few years ago, and that’s EJ Nduka.
The former NXT star was let go in May 2021 after having been with the company since 2019. He made his MLW debut the following month when his non-compete clause expired.
In this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that WWE has expressed interest in bringing Nduka back to the company.
The Interest
Meltzer wrote: “EJ Nduka, who has gotten rave reviews from management [in MLW], has his contract coming due imminently, and there is interest in him from multiple promotions, including WWE having expressed some interest in bringing him back.”
Meltzer continued by noting that his name has come up in AEW as well as Japan.
Heis currently one-half of the promotion’s Tag Team Champions along with Calvin Tankman. The tag team will defend their titles against The Samoan Swat Team (Lance Anoa’i & Juicy Finau) on Saturday’s Blood & Thunder event from Philadelphia.
Nduka is also booked for a show with the KAOZ promotion on February 26, 2023, in Monterrey, Mexico.
Before breaking into the wrestling business, he played for both the Indoor Football League and Canadian Football League.
We have some more details to pass along regarding Charlotte Flair returning to win the SmackDown Women’s Title.
As we’ve noted, Flair made her surprise return on last week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown, confronting Ronda Rousey. Rousey just successfully defended the SmackDown Women’s Title against Raquel Rodriguez.
Flair then challenged Rousey to a title bout right there on the spot, which Flair was able to win after a Spear. Now, Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline.com reports that Rousey vs. Rodriguez was planned for the Royal Rumble in 2023 since mid-November.
Meltzer added Flair winning the title was a late change of plans, as Rousey was scheduled to go in a different direction, being penciled in as the champion through WrestleMania in preliminary plans.
He also previously mentioned that Rousey vs. Becky Lynch is no longer the plan for WrestleMania 39, and that match is “very unlikely” to happen.
(via WWE)
Previously, Charlotte Flair had not been seen since WrestleMania Backlash, where she dropped the SmackDown Women’s Title to Ronda Rousey in their I Quit match. She had suffered a fractured radius and the loss was used to write her off of television.
In her several months off, Flair actually got married to Andrade El Idolo, with names such as Apollo Crews, Finn Balor, Rey Mysterio, and Lina Fanene (Nia Jax) in attendance.
WWE has announced a significant shakeup to the company’s Board of Directors. In total, five board members are out, with three being removed by Vince McMahon and two resigning.
Vince McMahon, in his capacity as controlling shareholder of the Company, has removed JoEllen Lyons Dillon, Jeffrey R. Speed and Alan M. Wexler. Additionally, Ignace Lahoud and Man Jit Singh have resigned from the Board, effective immediately.
SEScoops has learned WWE will be holding an “all hands on deck” Zoom call this afternoon at 3:30pm (Eastern).
Trading of WWE stock has been temporarily halted amid this Board of Directors shakeup.
WWE released the following press release Friday morning, including quotes from Stephanie McMahon, Nick Khan and Paul “Triple H” Levesque:
STAMFORD, Conn., January 6, 2023 – WWE (NYSE: WWE) is providing the following update regarding the composition of its Board of Directors and the exploration of strategic alternatives.
“Today, we announce that the founder of WWE, Vince McMahon, will be returning to the Board,” said Chairwoman & Co-CEO Stephanie McMahon, Co-CEO Nick Khan and Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque. “We also welcome back Michelle Wilson and George Barrios to our Board of Directors. Together, we look forward to exploring all strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value.”
As Vince McMahon stated yesterday, “WWE has an exceptional management team in place, and I do not intend for my return to have any impact on their roles, duties, or responsibilities.”
In connection with the change in the composition of the Board of Directors and in cooperation with Vince McMahon as majority shareholder, the Company intends to undertake a review of its strategic alternatives with the goal being to maximize value for all WWE shareholders. There is no assurance that this process will result in a transaction.
Vince McMahon, in his capacity as controlling shareholder of the Company, has removed JoEllen Lyons Dillon, Jeffrey R. Speed and Alan M. Wexler from the Board. Vince McMahon, George Barrios and Michelle Wilson have been added to the Board to fill the resulting vacancies.
The Board currently consists of:
Vince McMahon
Stephanie McMahon
Nick Khan
Paul Levesque
Steve Koonin
Michelle McKenna
Steve Pamon
George Barrios
Michelle Wilson
Ignace Lahoud and Man Jit Singh have resigned from the Board, effective today.
About WWE WWE, a publicly traded company (NYSE: WWE), is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment. The Company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly entertainment on its television programming, premium live events, digital media, and publishing platforms. WWE’s TVPG programming can be seen in more than 1 billion homes worldwide in 30 languages through world class distribution partners including NBCUniversal, FOX, BT Sport, Sony India and Rogers. The award-winning WWE Network includes all premium live events, scheduled programming and a massive video on-demand library and is currently available in more than 180 countries. In the United States, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, is the exclusive home to WWE Network.
