SEScoops

Category: WWE

  • Update On The Undertaker’s Career Winding Down

    After 20+ years as one of the top acts in pro wrestling, the end is near for the career of the legendary Undertaker.

    The general feeling behind the scenes in WWE is that The Undertaker is effectively retired. After years of working a reduced schedule and working through lingering injuries, the Dead Man’s days as a regular in-ring competitor are over.

    WWE officials are hopeful that The Undertaker has one more match in him, but he is said to be in much worse physical shape than previously thought. The idea has been pitched for The Undertaker to wrestle one more match at next year’s WrestleMania 28 and for him to retire after that match with his streak in tact at 20-0.

    The recent retirement of the Undertaker’s wife Michelle McCool is a strong indication that the two of them are moving on from their roles as active competitors to start a family and begin the next chapters of their lives. Both The Undertaker and Michelle McCool have office jobs waiting for them if they are interested.

    (Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

  • Chris Jericho Talks About Returning To WWE

    In an interview with IGN.com, wrestling superstar / heavy metal rocker / reality TV dancer / all-around sexy beast Chris Jericho spoke about when he’ll be stepping back into the ring. Jericho, who said he would return to WWE once he was done with DWTS, had this to say about returning:

    “I don’t want to go back and do the same thing. And do the same character I was doing last time. You constantly have to reinvent yourself. It’s kind of a strange analogy but I think you’ll pick it up when I say it – I always consider myself to be the Madonna of wrestling. And what I mean by that is ‘constantly re-inventing yourself.”

    “Every album Madonna does, she morphs into new styles of music and new looks. And when you work for the WWE, you work 52 weeks out of the year and on TV every week. You can’t look the same or act the same every week. It gets boring.”

    “And I think that’s why I’ve had such longevity as a performer and was always the guy to watch because people wanted to see what I did next. I even did that on Dancing with the Stars. And you have to do that or else you become predictable. And that’s the worst thing you can become when you’re in show business.”

    What do you think about Chris Jericho returning to WWE? COMMENT BELOW and tell us what you think..

  • Shane Helms & Girlfriend Involved In Serious Motorcycle Accident

    Former WWE star Shane Helms and his girlfriend were in a motorcycle accident near their home in North Carolina on Thursday night. Matt Hardy, a close friend of Shane Helms, tweeted the following on Friday:

    “Last night, Shane and his girlfriend Karen were in a very serious motorcycle accident. They were both seriously injured, but they’re both warriors”

    Big Daddy Donnie of Tha O Show reports that Helms and his girlfriend had to be airlifted to a hospital and in addition to Helms suffering a broken leg and broken ankle, his nose is also broken, and his jaw may have been dislocated. Helms has received over 200 stitches. Donnie also reports that his girlfriend Karen broke her neck.

    Our thoughts, prayers and hopes for a quick recovery go out to Helms and his girlfriend.

  • WWE Working On New TV Projects, HOF’ers Hosting Live Events

    — Vince McMahon noted during yesterday’s quarterly conference call that WWE will be introducing “new live event programs” in the “not too distant future” with their current television partners. He added it “won’t be too difficult” to find a home for their expanded programming line-up.

    Regarding WWE Superstars and WWE NXT, management noted in two separate instances during the conference call they’re evaluating the future of where to air those shows.

    — WWE Hall of Famer “Bullet” Bob Armstrong is advertised to host tomorrow night’s SmackDown live event at the Pensacola Civic Center in Pensacola, Florida. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat will host Sunday’s Raw live event at the BI-LO Center in Greenville, South Carolina.

    — The pre-sale password for the July 26 SmackDown taping in Philadelphia is SDPHIL. It is ongoing at Evenue.net.

    source: PWInsider.com

  • Miz & Maryse Appear On TMZ, Vows To Shave Reporter’s Head

    The Miz and Maryse, his girlfriend, were featured on Thursday’s episode of TMZ on TV. The former WWE Champion played up his heel character as he responded to a segment on a show last week where a reporter took a swipe at him.

    The couple was spotted in Los Angeles, where Miz responded to TMZ’s reporter, Charles, saying one WWE star — The Miz — had to die in a scripted movie hunting down Osama bin Laden—this was days before bin Laden was actually killed.

    “Really? Am I the Spencer Pratt of WWE, Charles? I’m going to shave Charles’s head next time I see him,” Miz said while Maryse tried not to laught. “His dreadlocks are going away. If I’m the Spencer Pratt of WWE — the one person that has to die if I go overseas — let me tell you, I’m shaving Charles’s head.”

    Charles replied from TMZ headquarters that he was writing a script for a movie. “He should be lucky he even got a role in the movie,” Charles said.

    The segment can be seen here at the 3:00 minute mark.

  • WWE SmackDown Preview For Tonight (No Spoilers)

    Tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown on Syfy will feature fallout from Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view, including the first title defense by new World Heavyweight champion Christian. Here’s a preview of what’s confirmed for tonight’s show:

    * Christian celebrates his World Heavyweight title victory and defends the title against an opponent to be chosen by the live audience

    * Sin Cara takes on Tyson Kidd

    * Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan.

    * WWE Tag Champion Big Show vs. Ezekiel Jackson

    * Layla b. Alicia Fox.

    If you haven’t heard by now, there’s some crazy stuff that goes down on tonight’s show. You can check out complete *SPOILER* results for tonight’s SmackDown by clicking here.

  • Kelly Comments On Making Maxim’s Hot 100 List & Kharma

    It was announced earlier this week that Kelly Kelly made Maxim‘s Hot 100 list, which is known as “the definitive list of the world’s most beautiful women.” Kelly is ecstatic over making the prestigious list as it is a dream come true.

    “This has always been a dream of mine,” Kelly Kelly told WWE.com. “It’s something I wanted to strive to be on. When I got the announcement that I was going to be on it, I thought that this is such an honor and such a dream come true.”

    The first person Kelly Kelly shared the big news with is with her mother.

    “She was so happy. She knew it was something I always strived to be on, that it was a list I always wanted to be a part of. So she was always behind me 100 percent,” she said.

    In her Maxim Hot 100 debut, Kelly Kelly ranked at No. 82. She’s hoping to continue her reign on the list for years to come, just as former WWE Diva Stacy Keibler has. Keibler is the only other WWE talent to ever make the list, and has been on it every year since 2006.

    “Just to be on the Hot 100 with Stacy is exciting. She’s somebody I’ve always admired and I’ve always looked up to,” she said.

    Kelly Kelly indicated she isn’t too worried about jealousy or backlash from the other Divas, except maybe for Kharma, who’s been attacking Divas since her debut on Sunday at Extreme Rules.

    “It’ll probably give her even more ammo to come after me,” Kelly Kelly said.

  • *SPOILERS* WWE SmackDown Tapings Results For Tonight

    WWE SmackDown on Syfy

    WWE taped Friday’s episode of SmackDown on Tuesday night from the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. Credit to WrestlingNewsWorld.com for these results:

    * World Heavyweight Champion Christian comes out to open the show. He cuts a promo about winning the World Heavyweight Championship at Extreme Rules. This leads to Mark Henry, The Great Khali and Randy Orton coming out. Teddy Long comes out and says he’s going to leave it up to the fans to decide who Christian faces tonight. The crowd goes with Christian vs. Orton.

    * Backstage, The Great Khali is shown talking to Jinder Mahal.

    * Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan. Winner via Brogue Kick, Sheamus.

    * Backstage, Layla is shown talking to other Divas.

    * Cody Rhodes comes out with two guys wearing suits. The two guys pass out the paper bags to fans in the front row. Rhodes cuts a promo but doesn’t work a match.

    * Big Show vs. Ezekiel Jackson. Kane comes out during the match. Jackson wins with a clothesline after outside interference from The Corre. Kane was taken out prior to the finish.

    * Layla b. Alicia Fox. Kharma makes her way down to the ring. Fox is destroyed with an Implant Buster.

    * Backstage, dissension with Ezekiel Jackson and The Corre continues. A brawl erupts.

    * Sin Cara vs. Tyson Kidd with Chavo Guerrero on commentary. Cara goes over with the Spanish Fly he’s been using.

    * Backstage, Teddy Long discusses Christian vs. Randy Orton for the World Heavyweight Championship later tonight.

    * Randy Orton b. Christian to become the new World Heavyweight Champion. I’m told the match was outstanding and the crowd went nuts when Orton won the belt.

    Check out this video footage of Randy Orton winning the World Heavyweight title from Christian:

  • Brett DiBiase Not Released By WWE, Moxley Makes FCW Debut

    Online reports of Brett DiBiase being released from his developmental contract with WWE are erroneous as he worked two matches as a referee at this evening’s Florida Championship Wrestling live event in Tampa, Florida, reports LordsofPain.net.

    It was reported earlier this week that DiBiase’s profile was removed from the Florida Championship Wrestling website, which is often an indication that a talent has been released. Furthermore, Wrestling Observer Newsletter editor Dave Meltzer reported that the third generation wrestler was let go.

    Meanwhile, new signee Jon Moxley made his FCW debut tonight under his real name, Jonathan Good. He participated in a battle royal and lasted through most of it before being eliminated by Erick Rowan.

    The battle royal also featured the debut of Matthew Hannan, who previously competed in Pro Wrestling Ohio and International Wrestling Cartel under the name Matthew Justice. He also appeared on a May 2010 episode of WWE Superstars under the name Matt Busch, which saw him compete in a tag team match against Curt Hawkins and Vance Archer.

  • Lilian Garcia Comments On Appearance, Whether She Will Return

    Following Osama bin Laden’s reported death on Sunday, WWE announced that it would celebrate patriotism on the May 2, 2011 episode of Monday Night Raw. The program kicked off with former WWE ring announcer Lilian Garcia singing “The Star-Spangled Banner,” who ten years earlier sang the U.S. National Anthem at the first public assembly following the September 11 attacks—the September 13, 2001 SmackDown taping in Houston, Texas. Just as ten years earlier, a thunderous “U-S-A” chant followed her rendition of the Anthem.

    Garcia revealed during a post-Raw interview for AfterBuzz TV that her surprise appearance on Raw was due to numerous fans requesting to WWE on Twitter that she sing the Anthem—following a message she posted Sunday night concerning bin Laden’s death.

    She explained, “When I tweeted about ‘my gosh, Osama bin Laden has been killed, this is justice finally for the families’, everybody started tweeting me, and they also started including @WWE in their tweets. And they kept saying, ‘Wow! We definitely wanna have Lilian singing and you gotta be there tomorrow night and everything’. I saw it, WWE saw it, and that’s how I got here tonight, because the idea got sparked by the fans on Twitter.”

    Her appearance was on such short notice that she received a phone call from WWE about singing the Anthem on Raw the previous night at 9:30 p.m. PST—two hours following news of Laden’s death breaking. She hastily picked up a dress from Candice Michelle and with two hours of sleep, went on a cross-country flight from Los Angeles, California at 6:00 a.m. She arrived in Miami, Florida at 2:30 p.m. and managed to squeeze in a vocal lesson via Skype before arriving to the American Airlines Arena for the show.

    Tough Enough Aftershow hosts Torrie Wilson and Candice Michelle asked Garcia, who parted ways with WWE in September 2009, whether she will be leaving them to return to the organization. She replied, “Do not worry about it!”

    “I love the WWE, but the road, I’m just not ready for the road! She continued, “It was great coming back tonight, and it was great seeing everyone and being a part of it again, but I’m definitely a TLC’er.”

    Garcia thanked fans in a message on her offical website for making her appearance possible.

    “And thank you WWE Universe for all your tweets requesting me to sing!!! It is because of you that WWE & I heard you and made it possible!! It was a true honor for me and a night I will NEVER forget!”

  • *Spoilers* Orton & Jericho Respond To Angry WWE Fans

    * Warning: The following contains a MAJOR *SPOILER* for Friday’s episode of SmackDown:

    Former WWE star Chris Jericho addressed fans’ criticism in regards to Christian dropping his newly World Heavyweight Championship to Randy Orton at Tuesday’s SmackDown taping in Orlando, Florida. Jericho tweeted on Thursday:

    “Hey everyone bitching about (Christian) losing the title, have you ever thought that maybe it’s just the beginning of a bigger storyline?”

    Meanwhile, new World Heavyweight champion Orton wrote the following on Twitter in response to fans angry with the title change:

    “Biggest change from Raw to Smackdown…Ignorance x Jealousy + Spoilers = entertaining tweets!! Keep em coming!!”

    * VIDEO of RANDY ORTON Winning The World Heavyweight Title from CHRISTIAN

  • Wellness Policy News: Animal Says WWE Stars Are On Drugs

    WWE Hall of Famer Road Warrior Animal is speaking out about WWE’s Wellness Policy – saying there’s no chance in hell that 100% of the roster is clean.

    In an interview conducted by Power Slam magazine prior to his WWE Hall of Fame induction, Animal was asked about how important the larger-than-life, steroid-enhanced physiques were to the image of The Road Warriors. He was also asked if the team would have been the same force had they debuted in the modern WWE era where performers are drug tested.

    “Let’s be totally honest with people right now. Look at the guys that are in [WWE] now. If anybody thinks that everybody there is 100-percent clean, they’ve got be smoking something,” he replied.

    “I know they get drug tested and they do catch people, and people do get suspended, but I really don’t believe that everybody gets drug tested on the same level. I know the look of a person who looks like they’ve been on or off [steroids].”

    “When we took them, it was totally legal to carry them on you.”

    Diana Hart, mother of WWE Superstar David Hart Smith, made a similar claim during an interview three years ago. She questioned wondered whether the same rules were being applied to all of WWE’s performers. This was based on WWE waiting close to two months in 2007 to publicize the results of a drug test her son had failed, and taking action only after promoting him to the main roster.

    The last WWE superstar to be suspended as a result of using performance-enhancing drugs was Dolph Ziggler – two and a half years ago (October 10, 2008).

  • Vince Surprises The Rock, New WWE Shows, Cena’s Next Feud

    – Vince McMahon’s appearance on Monday’s RAW and the special video tribute that aired during The Rock’s birthday celebration were kept secret from The Rock.

    – During today’s investor conference call to discuss first -quarter WWE earnings for 2011, Vince McMahon revealed that WWE will soon be unveiling two brand new “live event” TV programs “in the not too distant future”. McMahon also stated that finding a network for those shows “would not be a problem.”

    – WWE is currently discussing a summer program between new WWE Champion John Cena and RAW newcomer Alberto Del Rio, with a match between the two stars planned for SummerSlam in Los Angeles.

    – Matches booked for upcoming WWE RAW live events include John Cena vs. The Miz, Rey Mysterio vs. Alberto Del Rio, R-Truth vs. John Morrison and CM Punk vs. Kofi Kingston.

    – John Cena and The Rock will be using Twitter over the next 11 months to keep their feud heading into WrestleMania 28 next April.

    – According to a WWE source, Sin Cara’s new merchandise is selling better than expected.

    (Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

  • Details On Triple H Deciding To Move Sin Cara To SmackDown

    As we’ve reported here on the site, Triple H was recently named the head of WWE’s new talent development program.

    Check Out: Details On Triple H’s Booking Philosophy & Backstage Power

    The first superstar signed by Triple H is Sin Cara. While WWE has high hopes for Sin Cara and see him as having the potential to be this generation’s Rey Mysterio, there were some botched moves in his first few WWE television appearances.

    As a result, the decision was made by Triple H to draft Sin Cara to SmackDown, which is a taped show – where any botched spots can be edited off television.

    WWE sources indicate that Triple H is taking his new role in WWE very seriously, but is nervous about his first “project” – Sin Cara.

  • John Cena Talks Life After Wrestling, Being A Role Model, Edge

    While in Florida for Monday’s episode of RAW from Miami, WWE champion John Cena was interviewed this week by Bright House Network’s Rock Riley. To see video of John Cena’s interview, head over to BayNews9.com. Here are some highlights of what Cena said about:

    Preparing For Life After Wrestling: “I have an extreme realist concept about me living this dream. I know that it’s entertainment and everything has an end point,” Cena said.

    “Cena said he believes developments in this area have to do with the wrestling industry coming out of the dark ages decades behind advancements made by the NFL, MLB, and NBA in the area of protecting their players.

    “Nowadays, we have talent given financial advisement, we have advisement on health care, they have to pass health exams, they’re drug tested. “You’re pointing talent in more of a direction to say, ‘Listen, this is the entertainment business. You have what you have while you’re in it and there will be an end point, so we’re preparing you for after that end point.’”

    Edge’s Retirement: “This is the decision – I know Adam very well and he lives wrestling and is one of the best – but, if this were 1980, he would still be wrestling,” Cena said.

    “Now, he got the advice, he said this is not the way for me to go, and on the spot, said, ‘I’m retiring.’ It was a decision that came out of nowhere, but there were some health risks involved and it was, ‘Listen, do you want to keep doing this and never walk again or do you want to live a normal life?’

    “The obvious decision with the help of the doctors and WWE is, ‘I’m going to retire.’ That’s an example of how far the talent has evolved.”

    Being A Role Model For Kids: “It’s a PG program, so I know a lot of kids watch our programming and in a world where role models are fleeting… I know where I’m at. I know WWE looks at me to be that guy. I was a team leader in college. I know what responsibilities you assume when you become a leader.”

  • VIDEO: Z! True Long Island Story – Episode 12

    WOO WOO WOO – YOU KNOW IT!

    Mr. “Long Island Iced Z” Zack Ryder is back with another episode of the Z! True Long Island Story.

    In Episode 12, Zack Ryder names the Broski of the Week, talks about the The Rock’s birthday celebration, searches for the “brass ring” Vince McMahon talked about on RAW and helps his Mattel action figure work on its tan. Check out, BRO:

  • Kim’s Engagement & Developmental Talent’s Release Confirmed

    — Robert Irvine, 45, a personality on The Food Network announced on Tuesday on the Preston and Steve morning show in Philadelphia that he is engaged to Gail Kim, 34.

    This was first reported by Tammy “Sunny” Sytch, who was on hand for WrestleMania XXVII. Kim never denied the story, but was angry about getting it out, indicating she wanted to keep her personal life private. Since then, they were noted as a couple in an article in the Orlando Sentinel in an article about him being in town. Irvine attended the WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony as Kim’s date.

    — It was reported Monday that WWE developmental wrestler Brett DiBiase, 23, was removed from the roster page of the Florida Championship Wrestling. It has since been confirmed that the third generation wrestler was released from his contract with WWE.

    — Sunday’s WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view event at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida drew approximately 10,000 fans.

    — WWE referee Chad Patton turns 35 years old today while Hall of Famer Bill Watts turns 72.

    source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

  • More Details On WWE’s First Quarter 2011 Financial Results

    WWE issued its First Quarter 2011 Financial Results on Thursday morning .. You can check out WWE’s official press release by clicking here.

    The two main factors that make an apples-to-apples comparison between Q1 2011 and Q1 2010 are that WrestleMania was not included in the Q1 earnings report this year (as it took place in April) and there was a $2.8 million “film impairment charge” which reduced the overall net income of the quarter.

    WWE Chariman Vince McMahon had this to say about the state of WWE:

    “Looking ahead, we are optimistic about our longer-term opportunities to leverage our strength as the ‘New WWE’. We are pleased with the strong performance of WrestleMania, which is expected to deliver a 30% increase in domestic pay-per-view buys and reach more than one million buys globally. Further, the successful launch of our new program, Tough Enough showcases the power of our branded programming. We believe the recent adjustment in our dividend will enhance our flexibility to create and monetize new content, to distribute that content on a variety of existing and emerging media platforms and to execute our ‘New WWE’ initiative.”

    Here are some additional notes that provide more insight as to “the story behind the numbers” –

    – WrestleMania 27 is not included in these first quarter results as it happened on April 3rd, during the second quarter. WWE had WrestleMania 26 included in their first quarter results from last year.

    – That said, pay-per-view revenues for Q1 2011 were $13.5 million, down from the $32.4 million from Q1 2010. With WrestleMania 27 not included in the first quarter’s numbers, there were only two WWE pay-per-views in the quarter. This year’s Royal Rumble did 446,000 buys and this year’s Elimination Chamber did 199,000 buys.

    – Total net revenues from WWE Studios, live/TV events, consumer products and digital media for the first quarter in 2011 were $119.9 million, down from $138.7 million in the first quarter of 2010.

    – Revenue from WWE Classics On Demand for the first quarter were $1.1 million, down from $1.3 million in 2010’s first quarter.

    – Home video net revenues were $8.1 million, up from $7.6 million in 2010. Licensing revenues were $23.9 million, up from $19.9 million for the same period in 2010. The relationship with Mattel is paying off as revenue from toys increased by $3 million. Video game revenue is up around $2.2 million.

    – WWE.com revenues were $2.7 million for the first quarter of this year, down from $3.4 million in the previous year’s first quarter. WWE blames this on a decline in pay-per-view webcast and wireless revenues. WWE’s shop website were $3.4 million for this first quarter, up from $3 million for 2010’s first quarter. Numbers of orders for the first quarter have increased to 83,000 with an average revenue of $40.59 per order.

    – WWE Studios brought in $8.6 million for this year’s first quarter – up from $3.4 million in 2010. WWE attributes the growth in revenue to The Chaperone with Triple H. It was also noted that their financial statements reflect a loss of $1.5 million related to The Chaperone’s advertising costs, among other things.

  • Kong Almost Not Named Kharma, DVD Titles Pulled From Europe

    — The Heyman Hustle website reports that Kia Stevens (a/k/a Awesome Kong) was almost not named Kharma because it was registered by Jennifer Thomas, a fitness model who was using the name at California based independent wrestling shows. WWE purchased the name from Thomas.

    Thomas was under a developmental contract to WWE from 2005 to 2007. She is scheduled for a tryout soon.

    — WWE asked their European video distributor SilverVision to pull a number of DVD titles from their website including Hart and Soul: The Hart Family Anthology, The True Story of WrestleMania, Greatest Stars of the ’90s, The Best of RAW 15th Anniversary and Raw The Beginning: The Best of Seasons 1 & 2.

    Regarding this, Silvervision stated on their Facebook account, “It has been removed at the request of WWE – we’ll have more news on this next week.”

    — The theme for the month of June on WWE Classics On Demand is “Bad to the Bell.” The synopsis reads: “Relive classics matches and moments with the Superstars that you hate to love, but love to hate.”

    source: PWInsider.com

  • Luger Working With WWE Again, Discusses Elizabeth’s Death

    Busted Open satellite radio show with Lex Luger
    Hosts: Dave LaGreca and Doug Mortman
    Airs Mondays and Wednesdays on Sirius 92 and XM 207 from 2-4 ET

    Luger on whether he’s pleased with WWE’s PG direction: “I’m very happy with the direction WWE is taking. I actually work behind the scenes with them now again and with their wellness club, I council a lot of their athletes on nutrition, wellness, exercise and taking care of their bodies. Their organization is really moving forward with that. I commend them on that. But also, they changed their ratings to PG content and more family orientated.

    “The athletes now are better than ever and I was at Wrestlemania in Atlanta a few weeks back. The production quality and the athletes are incredible but they just want to make sure it’s family viewer friendly like the old Saturday night TBS days……those were the late 80’s and early 90’s when people would tune in on Saturday nights with the whole family and people say they miss that so I’m very excited with the direction that WWE is taking now and they’re definitely heading in the right direction in my opinion.”

    Luger on Sting still wrestling at his age: “I think him and Undertaker…..their particular personas in wrestling are timeless. The fans continue to love their characters. I joke with Sting, he’s able to cover up with the jackets and paraphernalia like Undertaker. Their characters make them incredibly timeless. He’s still, and Undertaker’s still moving around the ring well and they have a lot of credibility with the fans…..they’re a couple of the greatest guys.

    “It is incredible. I know what my body went through for 15 years and those guys are still doing it. You go beyond that with Ric Flair, Hogan and it’s just incredible some of these guys are still out there performing. My hat goes off to them. I give a lot of credit…..wow. It blows my mind.”

    On Sting (a born again Christian) choosing TNA over WWE despite TNA’s adult content: “(laughing) I’ve heard people tell me that, and I tuned in to a couple of their shows recently and there is definitely some questionable content……I’m gonna have to bring that up to him. I’m gonna have to ask him about it.”

    Was Elizabeth’s passing a turning point in his life? “There’s a lot of dark times and moments in my life back then, but that was definitely the lowest day…..one of the lowest, without a doubt. It’s a real tragedy. We all admired and loved her career and Elizabeth herself as a person. It’s a great loss to wrestling and a real tragedy. It’s a real tragedy of when my generation and I know that my relationship with her at the time, I was a contributory factor, the lifestyle of drugs and alcohol and things we were all doing at the time. It was a real lesson I’m able to hopefully that she…..it wasn’t in vain. I share that experience with youngsters out there to avoid the same paths.

    “I’d like to say it was a turning point, but we all hear about the word rock bottom…..guys, I went further and deeper than that before the good Lord saved me from myself. I’d like to say it was a turning but even THAT wasn’t a turning point in my life.

    “That’s another thing that WWE is being very proactive now with the Wellness Department and really train these guys with health and nutrition and drug prevention. We’re trying to prevent the young guys, this young generation of guys from going down the same path as we did back in the 80s and 90s. It was kind of cool to be partying and doing our thing on the road….we had no accountability. There’s a lot more accountability now on the road with these guys, a lot more supervision that we didn’t have that were trying to provide them with a real infrastructure. WWE is being very proactive in that regard and I commend them on that.”

    Luger on reaching out to Scott Hall to give him the help he needs: “We’re still reaching out to those guys. I’m actually trying to get a hold of Scott right now. We don’t want any more of this to go on. Us and WWE and everybody involved really wants to turn the tide in that regard. It’s a life and death situation, so we definitely want to be available and do whatever we can in that regard.”

  • WWE Reports 2011 First Quarter Financial Results

    WWE issued the following on Thursday morning..

    We’ll have a more detailed analysis up on the site later today:

    WWE® Reports 2011 First Quarter Results

    STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–WWE (NYSE:WWE) today announced financial results for its first quarter ended March 31, 2011. Revenues totaled $119.9 million as compared to $138.7 million in the prior year quarter. Operating income was $13.2 million as compared to $37.3 million in the prior year quarter. Net income was $8.6 million, or $0.11 per share, as compared to $24.7 million, or $0.33 per share in the prior year quarter. There were several items that impacted comparability, primarily the timing of our annual WrestleMania® event and a $2.8 million film impairment charge. Excluding these items, revenues in the current quarter totaled $119.9 million, adjusted operating income was $17.4 million and adjusted net income was $11.2 million, or $0.15 per share. In the prior year quarter, revenues totaled $109.9 million, adjusted operating income was $22.6 million and adjusted net income was $14.7 million, or $0.20 per share.

    “Our first quarter adjusted EBITDA declined 20% reflecting mixed performance from our business lines, including the impact of the ongoing transition in our talent base, and an increase in SG&A expenses. While we understand the lead time required to develop new characters with broad appeal, we were disappointed with our financial performance and our management team is working on addressing these challenges,” stated Vince McMahon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Looking ahead, we are optimistic about our longer-term opportunities to leverage our strength as the ‘New WWE’. We are pleased with the strong performance of WrestleMania, which is expected to deliver a 30% increase in domestic pay-per-view buys and reach more than one million buys globally. Further, the successful launch of our new program, Tough Enough showcases the power of our branded programming. We believe the recent adjustment in our dividend will enhance our flexibility to create and monetize new content, to distribute that content on a variety of existing and emerging media platforms and to execute our ‘New WWE’ initiative.”

    The current quarter results reflected $1.4 million in marketing expense to promote WrestleMania XXVII, which occurred within our second quarter on April 3, 2011. In addition, the current quarter included a $2.8 million impairment charge related to our film, 12 Rounds. WrestleMania XXVI occurred on March 28, 2010 and was included as part of our first quarter results in 2010. WrestleMania XXVI contributed approximately $28.8 million of revenues, $13.1 million of profit contribution ($8.8 million, net of tax) and $0.12 of EPS from across our various business lines in the prior year quarter. The Q1 2010 results also reflected an infrastructure tax incentive which reduced depreciation and amortization expense by $1.6 million.

  • Another VIDEO Of The Shocking Spoiler For SmackDown

    If you haven’t heard by now, Randy Orton defeated Christian at Tuesday’s SmackDown tapings from Orlando to capture the World Heavyweight championship.

    Earlier, we posted video of Randy Orton celebrating with the World Heavyweight title after the match. New footage has leaked online of the actual match finish – which you can check out below:

  • *Spoiler* Randy Orton & Joey Styles Respond To Angry WWE Fans

    Warning: The Following contains a MAJOR spoiler for Friday’s SmackDown:

    If you haven’t heard by now – Randy Orton defeated Christian at Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown tapings from Orlando to capture the World Heavyweight championship.

    When news leaked online of the title change, fans bombarded the WWE twitter account with negative feedback. Styles responded to those angry fans with the following:

    “When sending hate tweets to myself or @WWE because of @Christian4Peeps, @RandyOrton and the World Heavyweight Championship, please be PG ;)”

    In related news, Randy Orton has been re-tweeting messages from angry fans writing on his own Twitter page. Orton retweeted this one:

    “You won the title.Vince has no idea how much people are hating YOU on the Internet. I hope you continue to lose all your fans.”

    VIDEO of RANDY ORTON Celebrating With The World Heavyweight Title

  • Edge Joining The Cast Of New Syfy TV Show “Haven”

    Syfy issued the following press release on Wednesday announcing that former WWE superstar Edge will be joining the cast of the new SyFy series Haven:

    WWE SUPERSTAR EDGE(R) JOINS SYFY’S “HAVEN” AS GUEST STAR

    Series Premieres Friday, July 15 @ 10pm

    New York, NY/Los Angeles, CA/London, UK – May 4, 2011 – Syfy and Entertainment One (eOne) announced that WWE Superstar Edge will join the cast of Haven in the guest-starring role of “Dwight Hendrickson.” A shrewd, longtime Haven resident, Dwight served as a confidant to Nathan’s (Lucas Bryant) late father and assisted the former sheriff in keeping particularly suspicious supernatural activity under wraps. Now as acting Sheriff of Haven, Nathan finds himself reaching out to Dwight just as his father did before him.

    As previously announced, Vinessa Antoine (Being Erica, Soul Food) joined the cast as Evi Ryan, and Jason Priestley (who stars in, directs and produces the eOne Television international hit dark comedy Call Me Fitz) will also come to Haven this season to direct one episode and guest star in a four-episode story arc. Antoine and Priestley will join Emily Rose, who plays “Audrey Parker,” a former FBI agent with a knack for investigating the supernatural; Lucas Bryant, who plays “Nathan Wuornos,” a handsome local cop with his own supernatural affliction; and Eric Balfour, who plays “Duke Crocker,” a local smuggler and reluctant aide in solving Haven’s troubles.

    Haven is based on The Colorado Kid from renowned author Stephen King and is currently production on season two in Nova Scotia. Haven will premiere on Friday, July 15 on Syfy in the U.S. and Monday, July 18 on Showcase in Canada.

    The Syfy original series from leading independent producer Entertainment One is co-commissioned by Shaw Media in Canada and globally via Universal Networks International (UNI).

    The creative team behind the second season of Haven includes Executive Producers John Morayniss (Hung, Goodnight for Justice) and Noreen Halpern (Call Me Fitz, Rookie Blue) from eOne Television and David MacLeod (Legends of the Fall, The Ray Bradbury Theater) of Big Motion Pictures, who are joined by Lloyd Segan, Shawn Piller, Scott Shepherd (Stephen King’s The Dead Zone) and Matt McGuiness (Journeyman) as well as and Sam Ernst & Jim Dunn (Stephen King’s The Dead Zone) who also developed the series.

    Haven is produced by Entertainment One and Big Motion Pictures in association with Piller/Segan/Shepherd and airs on Syfy in the U.S., Showcase in Canada and internationally on UNI’s multiple Syfy Universal channels. Entertainment One controls the worldwide distribution rights to the one-hour series and concluded a deal with Germany’s Tele Menchen Group (TMG) for the television rights in Continental Europe.

    (Source: TheFutonCritic.com)

  • Details On Michelle McCool’s Retirement & Laycool’s Breakup

    We’ve got some new details on the surprise retirement of former WWE diva Michelle McCool.

    According to sources, McCool had been planning to retire for quite some time. WWE had reportedly planned to break up LayCool going back several months, well before WrestleMania 27. When WWE signed Snooki to wrestle at WrestleMania, the LayCool breakup plans were temporarily put on hold. The angle was resumed about a month ago and the decision was made to have Extreme Rules be her last WWE match.

    The general feeling regarding why McCool is retiring as a WWE performer is that she and her husband The Undertaker are looking to settle down and start a family in the near future.

    Check Out: Picture from The Undertaker & Michelle McCool’s Wedding

    She is leaving WWE on good terms and has a job waiting for her in the WWE offices if she wants it. She is also being considered as a coach for the second season of Tough Enough, should that be made official.

    Michelle McCool tweeted the following on Wednesday afternoon:

    “your love is overwhelming! In next couple days I’ll gather thoughts & give y’all a blog &/or vlog! Til then….still processing:)”

    (Partial Source: f4wonline.com)