Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard blog recently spoke with TNA Hall Of Famers Team 3D (aka The Dudley Boyz) — Bully Ray and Devon — to promote the upcoming House Of Hardcore event in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

On a possible WWE return:

Devon: “For us not to be back there, knowing that we’re in the best shape we’ve ever been in, I don’t understand it. We’re better now than we were ten or fifteen years ago. I understand that they want the future. But without the older generation that paved the way for these young guys to come, you’re not going to have it. Wrestling is a lost art, so you need the older guys like us to help show the younger guys how it’s done. I don’t understand it, though I know it needs to be on their terms.”

Bully: “Take the Dudley Boyz and put them back in WWE, and you’d add instant credibility to the tag division. The great thing about the Dudleys is we can work with any team and we can work any style. Not only will we help one team get over and learn and get better, but we can help all of them. It seems pretty simple to me – having the Dudleys back in the WWE is best for business, so I don’t have a really great answer for why we are not there. Only they know. You would think the most decorated tag team in the history of WWE would be able to go back into a company and breathe life into the tag division. It may never happen, but you never say never. It could be right around the corner.”

On Paul Heyman and ECW:

Devon: “The greatest thing Paul Heyman ever gave us was creative liberty. A lot of the boys liked to call Paul the ‘David Koresh’ of pro wrestling back then, but he believed in you. He’d fire you up to the point where you thought you were bigger than Hulk Hogan. He made you believe in yourself. Paul took the time to develop your character. When people didn’t know how to speak on the mic, he’d sit there with you until three, four, or even five in the morning until you got it right. Paul really let us be us. When WCW fired Steve Austin [in 1995] and WWE wasn’t knocking on his door, it was Paul E. who saw something in Austin. Eric Bischoff fired Austin when he was hurt in WCW, and Paul E. said, ‘I know you’re hurt, but can you talk?’ When Steve came to ECW and delivered those promos – oh my God, you couldn’t believe that was the same guy who was in WCW. That’s what started Austin as a superstar. Steve started to be born again, and it was the same thing when he was in WWE. He didn’t become a star until he was given the creative liberty to be himself.”

Bully: “We text and talk all the time. Me and Paul, our relationship is better than anyone else he had from the entire ECW roster. We respect and like each other as people. Even at the Rumble, it was great catching up with him. When the Rumble was over, I was on Brock Lesnar’s tour bus with Brock and Paul, and we were shooting the s— and reminiscing. When Brock first started and Paul was his manager, I was Brock’s first storyline. The WWE came to me and asked me to get Brock ready for what could be in store for him.”

Bully Ray on Brock Lesnar: “Brock is just so powerful. One night, we were performing at Penn State, and Brock gave me an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. He dropped me right on my head. It was a total mistake, and it could have been a very, very bad injury for me. As soon as it happened, I remember getting up and telling Brock, ‘Do it again, do it again.’ He did not want to suplex me again, so I made him suplex me three more times the same exact way. I didn’t want Brock to become gun-shy about throwing people or change the way he worked if he’d be worried about hurting other people.”

Bully Ray on traveling with Shane McMahon: “When Shane McMahon was on the road for the company, he was in the car with us. One night, we were driving, and Shane decided to wake up his father and made us all say hello to Vince at three in the morning. Vince loves all that horses—. Shane was driving and he said, ‘Come on, let’s wake up Pop.’ I said, ‘That’s probably not a good idea.’ So he called his father and said, ‘Bubba wants to talk.’ He handed me the phone and all I could hear was Vince say, ‘Bubba, why are you corrupting my son?’ I told him it was the other way around, and we both started laughing.”

Bully Ray on Vince McMahon: “Vince spent his whole life in the business, added his vision, and made it the best in the world. Vince has a great mind for the industry and thinks on a much larger scale. Paul [Heyman] was great at storytelling and really getting people’s characters to come out and how to hide your weaknesses and accentuate your strengths. Those are the two smartest guys I’ve ever learned from in the business, and Paul, Vince, and Pat Patterson are the three best minds ever in this business.”

On Erick Rowan and Luke Harper:

Bully: “Right now, the one WWE tag team that deserves to taste the Dudley Death Drop is Harper and Rowan. It was very interesting they started hitting the Dudley Death Drop on TV and calling it something else. We’ve been hitting this finish consecutively for eighteen years.”

Devon: “That is a touchy subject. A move like 3D – when you see it, you automatically think the Dudleys. So Harper and Rowan started the fight. Harper said on Twitter, they’d be happy to show us ‘The Way,’ which is what they’re calling the move. Well, we’d be more than happy to hit 3D the way it should be hit.”

Check out the complete interview at SI.com.

• SPOILER: TOP WWE Legend Set For SURPRISE RETURN At Monday’s RAW!

– During an interview with Channel Guide Magazine, former TNA World Heavyweight Champion Chris Sabin revealed that he has never had any contact with WWE since he began wrestling in 2001.

“I’ve never heard anything officially from WWE ever since I started wrestling,” Sabin said. “Honestly, I have never had a tryout with them or an official phone call.”

Sabin, who appears for Ring of Honor, also said that he does not have a contract with the organization.

“We have a handshake deal and both of us want to be there,” he said. “Not only did we agree to be there, but both of us want to be there. We think that the Ring of Honor tag team division is the deepest in wrestling. We have the best tag teams. So we want to be where the best are, so we can prove ourselves. It doesn’t matter how long we haven’t been a team. We have this uniqueness and synergy and this tag-team style we helped make popular that is still fresh and new.”

– Shane McMahon has been added to the intro for WWE Superstars. The latest show also featured an ‘In Memory’ graphic for Chyna.

– NXT Tag Team Champion Jason Jordan revealed Saturday on Instagram that he is engaged to be married.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BE19p1UqROM/

His girlfriend is a hair stylist.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BE1VUHwE31K/

• Who is Sasha Banks dating?

The following is a detailed recap of Vince McMahon on Steve Austin’s podcast from Monday night, courtesy of PWInsider.com:

Austin welcomed Vince to the podcast,which is on the Network. Austin asked him how the Network was doing and Vince said it was doing great both from a subscription and a content standpoint. Austin asked him about the UK and Vince said it’s been a stop/start thing and they hope to have it wrapped up by the first of the year, but noted that wasn’t a promise.’

Austin asked him how in tune Vince was with the wrestling fans right now. Vince said that they don’t do wrestling but sports-entertainment. Vince said that not every match is going to “hit” and no one else does the content weekly that they do and then broadcast it worldwide. Austin said he’d like to see more in-ring over the course of the show and asked Vince if he’s wrong in wanting too much wrestling. Austin said that sometimes the early segments take too long. Vince acknowledged that and said that you do have to give the audience a hook or they won’t care about the matches.

Austin said that there are no other big leagues for other talents to go to and there are talents who are walking on eggshells afraid to do anything. Vince said, “Well don’t piss anyone off.” Vince said that there isn’t as much camaraderie and silliness backstage as there was in Austin’s era. Vince said the last guy to really try and reach for the brass ring was John Cena. He sees potential in Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns but they aren’t there yet. He said the talents don’t do what Austin did. Austin challenged the roster to take chances and try to get over. Vince said the roster is thin and he wants to see guys do it as well.

Vince was asked what he was looking for in Superstars. Vince said he’s looking for someone who’s hungry and wants to learn and keep learning every day. Austin told a story about a wrestler getting a bigger than usual pop at MSG and Austin pointed it out to Vince and Vince said that he hoped that person got over. That told Austin it wasn’t just Vince with a magic wand but Vince hoping guys took the reigns.

Austin asked why Cesaro hasn’t clicked yet. Vince said that perhaps it’s because he’s Swiss but he hasn’t shown the charisma but Vince hopes he does/ Austin pointed out that the momentum was lost for him via the booking and Vince said he doesn’t have all the answers and Cesaro isn’t being given up on.

Austin talked about the Creative Team and how different it was from the days of Vince working from his pool. Austin asked why creative got so complicated. Vince said that the company grew in leaps and bounds and went public and it’s not going to be a one man show. Vince said he can’t do it all and joked that he used to work Pat Patterson to the bone. He talked about how when people would come by his house, they’d end up in the pool because Vince loves ribs and described it being one of the funniest things in the world. Vince said you have to have fun to make fun. Austin told a story about Shane tossing Vince in the pool.

Austin asked where Shane McMahon is. Vince said he’s a happy camper and has his hands in a lot of pots. He said Shane’s departure was something of a mutual thing. He said being a family in business is difficult. Vince said he tried to do what was right for business. Vince said his dad didn’t want him in the business and he wanted his kids to do what they wanted to do.

Vince told the story of an announcer holding his father up for money and his father refusing, then deciding Vince would be the announcer with no experience, “and you’re going to do a good job.” Vince gave him a partner and it was Arnold Skaaland.

Skaaland was a man of few words so Vince asked him father for someone else to help him. There were a number of individuals who helped him.

Austin asked him if he wanted to talk about CM Punk. Vince said he wanted to personally apologize for him getting his termination papers on his wedding day. He said that in a company their side, the different areas of the company didn’t know what was going on. He said that he didn’t want to go through dirty laundry. Vince said there have been others who were disgruntled and they said things they later regretted and he hoped they would one day work together again. Vince said he didn’t listen to the Colt Cabana interview but heard Punk used a lot of expletives and things were said that were his side of things. He said that he had issues with Austin and Hulk Hogan but they eventually came back. Vince said he was willing to work with Punk again and admits that he has a big ego, but is willing to put it aside and work with him down the line. Vince later said Punk worked really hard for the company.

Austin talked about working with Vince and being in a similar situation. Vince said Austin was difficult to work with at times. They talked about Austin walking out when he was asked to put over Brock Lesnar, Austin said he was hard-headed and never returned Vince’s calls. Finally, Jim Ross sent him a card in the mail and offered to talk with Steve anytime Ross put them back in touch. Austin asked if there was someone who could bridge the gap between Vince and Punk. Vince said that unfortunately there is not and Punk is pretty much a loner and has a lack of communication. Vince said that when attorneys get involved it’s going to “hell in a handbasket.”

Austin told a story about Vince fining him $650,000 when he returned. Vince then told him what he thought was fair. He settled on $250,000. Vince said when you walk out, not on the company but the fans you have to do something or else the next time you don’t like the creative, you walk out again.

Vince said that Austin had the communications, perhaps not with Vince but with others and Punk was a loner. Vince admitted he himself can be introverted and shy and he understands it and talked about feeling uncomfortable when he was at political events for his wife and would often find himself talking to the bartender, who was more his kind of people.

Austin talked about watching The Undertaker losing at Wrestlemania. He asked about the background of ending the streak. Vince said that no one wants to give back to the business more than Mark Calaway. He said that it was time and when you look down the line on who he could work with, who else was it going to be. There was no one else it could be. He said that Brock was the one person that Mark felt was the guy. Austin challenged him and Vince admitted he made the decision to end the Streak.

Austin asked Vince why Brock Lesnar isn’t around more. Vince said you don’t want him around more, because he’s a special attraction.

Vince said Randy Savage would absolutely be in the WWE Hall of Fame. He said it would be soon but not perhaps this year. Austin cornered him and made Vince say yes.

On Sting, Vince McMahon said he made a great impression but he’s the type of character you don’t need to see every week but “I think you’ll see him at Wrestlemania.” Austin said that when he was hot, he was on every show and Vince said the business has changed and some of it is contracts.

They talk about the Monday Night War. Vince said he always felt WWE was more passionate and WCW having talent in charge of their own creative created chaos. Austin said they don’t have any real competition and Vince said that they compete with everything on TV. He said they and WCW were burning so hot and it was a question of who was going to burn out first. Vince always kept ideas in huis pocket. He said all the WCW issues eventually wore them down.

Continue reading on Page 2 Below: Vince talks about expanding the WWF in the 80’s, Jim Ross, the Austin-McMahon feud & more –

As promised, here is the second half of the list…

5. Abundance Of Talent Led To Brand Extension

The WWE roster was absolutely stacked following the acquisition of WCW. This was especially true after the top WCW superstars such as Hulk Hogan, Goldberg, and Kevin Nash eventually signed with the company.

It quickly became apparent that there was too much talent to adequately feature everyone on a weekly basis. This led to the WWE splitting into two separate brands in the form of Raw and SmackDown. The brand extension seemed fresh at first, but it quickly lost traction after superstars were constantly shifted from one brand to the other as a way to increase ratings.

The brand extension era is characterized by pay-per-views that did not perform as well as those in the Attitude Era, largely because fans did not want to pay to see only half of the roster.

During the summer of 2001, the WWE was under attack and at risk of a hostile takeover. After finally winning the Monday Night Wars, the WWE had to find a way to integrate the influx of talent that was acquired with the purchase of WCW.

Their first attempt at doing so would come in the form of the Invasion storyline, which saw former WCW and ECW employees “invading” the WWE in an attempt to take over the company. If this sounds a bit like the nWo’s plot to conquer WCW, well that’s because it is essentially the same story.

Ultimately, the program forced the WWE to fend off the intruders by forming a coalition to battle Team Alliance, which was led by Shane and Stephanie McMahon, the respective on-screen owners of WCW and ECW at the time.

Many fans have cited the Invasion storyline as one of the most entertaining periods in recent WWE history, as it featured a number of matchups that had previously been unimaginable. However, there were many aspects of the storyline that could have been handled better, resulting in a program with great potential that was squandered by poor booking. Here are ten reasons why the Invasion storyline was not as memorable as some fans recall.

The following are highlights of a lengthy Buzz Feed interview-article on Shane McMahon:

On if a family feud led to his WWE departure: “No, there was no civil war. My sister is still involved in the company now with her husband Triple H. They’re there. My dad is there. Things are moving forward.”

On it being difficult to work for his father, Vince McMahon: “My dad held me to a different standard, without question, sometimes unfairly so and that’s OK. It’s tough to bat .1000 all the time. It’s that one wrong all the time. It teaches you. It definitely teaches you. It’s a way of teaching…”

Shane, who admitted he won’t be returning to TV at WrestleMania XXX, said the following regarding a possible WWE return: “Would I ever come back? I would never count it out because anything can happen in the WWE.”

Check out the complete article at BuzzFeed.com.

– According to one source, there is an apparent feeling that Shane McMahon will be in attendance backstage at WrestleMania XXX next Sunday night at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.

– Speaking of WrestleMania, there are reports going around that claim all of the “go-home” shows for WrestleMania XXX, including RAW and SmackDown, have already been written. WWE apparently has a clear idea how they want to wrap up the main stories on their final shows. Those could, however, change a million times between now and when those shows air.

Shane McMahon was mentioned in a recent New York Post story about a convicted stock swindler, Calvin Dardon Jr., attempting to put together a fraudulent deal to purchase Maxim magazine.

According to the article, Darden Jr. attempted to put together a deal to buy the magazine, but was arrested on Wednesday when the news surfaced that he had lied to investors to raise money for the purchase.

Darden Jr. had apparently given investors the impression that his wealthy father was going to buy the magazine, and was attempting to defraud McMahon out of a reported $20 million.

You can check out more on this story at NYPost.com.

– According to reports, Shane McMahon currently owns 1,541,224 shares of WWE stock, which is worth over $35 million. After selling a lot of stock over the past year, Stephanie McMahon reportedly owns 661,678 shares of WWE stock, which is worth more than $14 million.

– Both Layla and Richie Steamboat are still under WWE contracts. It had been reported that Steamboat was cut, but he’s apparently still out with a bad back injury, one that some feel could be career-ending.

It’s been speculated that Layla is out due to medical issues, however some are under the impression that she’s dealing with some personal issues.

The following are highlights from a recent Under The Mat interview with former WWE Superstar Ahmed Johnson:

On facing racial issues during his WWE run: “I go out to the parking lot and one of them boys scratched on my car ‘Congratulations N*****!’ Come on Dog what kind of s*** is that? I went straight to Vince and they acted all concerned but they didn’t even bring it up in the big meeting.”

On an idea Vince McMahon had for his character in WWE: “You know I dress how I dress, relax and cool. Shane McMachon comes to me one time and says his dad wants him to change how he dresses. Now this isn’t on TV, this is off TV. They wanted me to get a Gold Tooth, a bunch of chains, and wear my pants sagging. That’s what they wanted me to dress like right before I walked out of there. They want that image of an unintelligent dumbass n***** that what they were shooting for.”

On his reaction to being kissed on the lips by Goldust: “Oh, he got me! Let me tell you how it was supposed to go down. First of all, that was a live TV taping so whatever happened happened. So me and Goldust went over this shit over and over again during the pre-tape. I told him when we did mouth to mouth don’t touch my lips put your hand over my mouth and do it to your hand, nobody is going to know. The camera won’t be that close up to where anybody would see that and we worked out the angle with the camera man and everything. So I’m lying there and Goldust thought it would be (sic) if he did it. So I’m lying there and the part is coming up and I feel this mother f***** lips and, man, I lost it!”

Check out the complete interview online at PWKGW.com.

– Both WWE NXT Diva Charlotte and WWE NXT Superstar Sylvester LeFort will be out of action for a few more weeks. Charlotte will be out due to minor surgery, while LeFort is on the sidelines with a knee injury.

– WWE apparently wanted to interview Shane McMahon for their “History Of WWE” DVD documentary that was released this week. For whatever reason, the company was told that Shane wasn’t going to be available for the interview.

– Triple H and Stephanie McMahon are interested in having Shane McMahon make an appearance at WrestleMania XXX in New Orleans, Louisiana, according to F4WOnline.com on Friday. No word yet on whether the former wrestling executive is interested.

McMahon left WWE in 2010 to pursue other opportunities. In July, McMahon voluntarily stepped down as CEO of YOU On Demand, whilst remaining YOD’s principal executive officer and Chairman of the Board.

– In response to news of Mickie James appearing as a guest trainer for WWE’s female developmental talent at the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida this week, Ohio Valley Wrestling trainer Rip Rogers says the fourteen-year veteran, as well as WWE trainer Sara Del Rey, should be teaching them before live audiences.

“Mickie James can wrestle better than most of the guys- divas b in for a rude awakening,” Rogers remarked. “[James and Del Rey] should be on the road wrestling and make the girl wrestle every day in the ring on the road.”

Rogers explains that it’s not beneficial for inexperienced talent to be work with each other. “The only way to get good is have 1000 matches with vets leading u to get better – green leading green does not work,” he said.

The following are highlights from the latest online blog by WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:

On meeting up with Shane McMahon in New York City this week: “Great hooking up with Shane McMahon for a few minutes while I was between meetings Tuesday in NYC. Shane looks great and honestly has seemingly never been in better shape. He’s head of a company in China working in the cable/satellite TV world and affiliated projects so he is staying busy notwithstanding having a lovely wife and three healthy, strapping sons. Funny how one remembers things of significance in wrestling jargon but it was 17 years ago when Shane and his wife married which marked the week that JJ Dillon abruptly left WWE and Bruce Prichard and I were in South Africa producing a TV show for WWE’s TV affiliate there. I think that was the show that I worked on commentary with Honky Tonk Man. Damn….17 years…man, how things change and time flies.”

On what he feels Hulk Hogan should do with his future in wrestling: “I have no dog in the hunt and nor do I know any insider “dirt” but for my two cents Hulk Hogan would be better off re-signing with WWE in a limited role that would put him back in the global, WWE mix and add a jolt to his career which never hurts anyone than re-signing with TNA. Even though Hogan says he has ‘one more match left in him’ that fact, if true, is irrelevant to my way of thinking. Hogan’s opportunity to do PR work, appear occasionally at live events and on a timely basis on TV and to have his likeness on more, sellable products is logical to me. If it is the dollars holding this matter up as in a bigger guarantee now and not willing to wait on the WWE business model to generate more, new Hogan bucks, then the deal may be simply and only about the immediate cash which isn’t a sin either.”

On the lack of time limits in pro wrestling today: “One thing that hurts pro wrestling today is the elimination of all time limits and a logical set of rules that cause matches to end. The elimination of time limits, on TV and at live events, eliminates a long established conclusion to a match of which many things can spin off.”

On The Rhodes Brothers winning the WWE Tag-Team Championships: “The last two segments of RAW were specifically good as the Rhodes boys won the tag titles from the Shield thanks to the Big Show’s holiday ham sized right hand. Arguably not the greatest method for the Rhodes family to win but, the bottom line, the grandsons of a plumber became WWE Tag Champions in a division that until recently hasn’t had much cache.”

Check out the complete blog online at JRsBarBQ.com.

DIRECT LINK TO ARTICLE: What Was Jim Ross Doing In NYC Specifically? [READ HERE >>]

As noted previously, WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross was in New York City this week for a variety of business meetings. It is believed that JR was having meetings related to both his one man show, which he recently toured the United Kingdom with, as well as his planned autobiography. The belief is that Ross will definitely put out his highly-anticipated autobiography, it’s just a matter of which company it will be with, and in what form.

In addition to his business meetings, we noted that JR met with Shane McMahon, which he made sure to include a photo of on his official Twitter account. Also, Ross met with former WWE creative team member and Major League Wrestling (MLW) founder Court Bauer.

What Is Jim Ross’ Future In Wrestling? Will He Go To TNA? Find Out HERE!

[Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter]

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross was in New York City on Tuesday for a business meeting and bumped into an old colleague while in town. JR tweeted this photo of himself with the one and only Shane McMahon – along with details on an upcoming project he’s working on:

Look who I ran into in NYC. Shane-O-Mac! pic.twitter.com/09XfuLzR3n

— Jim Ross (@JRsBBQ) October 16, 2013

Good day in NYC. Talking my one man show in 2014. Lots of suitors. Work in progress. Won't be your average EX wrestling guy BS.

— Jim Ross (@JRsBBQ) October 16, 2013

Wrestling biz is unique. Once one is gone & one cannot help someone that's still in biz it's "so long." Sad. Helped many who remain silent.

— Jim Ross (@JRsBBQ) October 16, 2013

– Stephanie McMahon was asked on Twitter what she would do if her brother returned to WWE television. She replied:

“@SexyMattyD: I'm going to try this one last time. I've been a fan of WWE since 1987. What would you do if Shane resurfaced on TV.” Depends

— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) October 2, 2013

Shane McMahon stepped down as the CEO of China’s “YOU On Demand” TV service last month – leading some to believe that he could be returning to WWE to participate in the latest McMahon family saga.

• Comment Below and tell us if you want to see Shane O Mac back in WWE.

– LegalWeek.com has an article up looking at WWE recently hiring Laura Brevetti as Senior Vice President of General Counsel and Corporate Secretary to the Board of Directors. Brevetti starts with WWE on October 7th and will be replacing Monty Sarhan, who had been with WWE since January 2013.

– Rob Van Dam’s recent beatdown by Randy Orton and The Shield on the September 23rd edition of WWE RAW was done because he has not yet signed a new contract extension with the company. That beatdown was originally slated for Dolph Ziggler, but RVD’s contract situation led to him getting laid out instead.

* News On A BROCK LESNAR vs. RYBACK WrestleMania XXX Feud

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

The following press release was sent out on Tuesday – announcing that Shane McMahon has voluntarily stepped down as the CEO of China’s “YOU On Demand” company. McMahon will stay on board as a “principal executive officer” and the Chairman of the Board.

YOU On Demand Announces Appointment of Weicheng Liu as CEO; Shane McMahon Remains Chairman

NEW YORK, July 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — YOU On Demand Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: YOD) (“YOU On Demand” or the “Company”), the first national Video On Demand (VOD) platform in China, is pleased to announce that Mr. Weicheng Liu, in conjunction with the recently announced closing of the strategic investment from Chinese mobile video service provider C Media (“C Media”), was appointed as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Shane McMahon, who voluntarily stepped down as CEO of the Company, will continue to serve as YOD’s principal executive officer of and Chairman of the Board.

Commenting on the announcement, Mr. McMahon said, “Weicheng has been instrumental in YOU On Demand’s initial success and has done a wonderful job as the Company’s China-based CEO. As our operations and footprint continue to expand throughout China, it is essential that the role of the CEO be located within the PRC for both strategic and operational reasons. Weicheng is both a remarkable person and leader and I look forward to continuing to build the YOU On Demand brand with him. With Weicheng’s new role, along with C Media’s strategic investment in the company and their expertise in the market, I am very excited about the future for YOU On Demand.”

Mr. Liu stated, “I am very excited and appreciative to have been named as CEO of YOU On Demand. Along with many others in the Company, Shane and I have worked very hard over the past three years in creating YOU On Demand and I am very optimistic about our future success. We have tremendous potential to continue our creation of a unique, multi-tiered distribution platform that will deliver a wide array of entertainment content. The Chinese media market is changing quickly and we are focused on continuing to adapt in order to best serve its consumers.”

* Update On MARK HENRY’s Injury, How CODY RHODES Will Return To WWE & More

-The following is a new tweet from the official Twitter page of billionaire businessman Donald Trump:

“@phoneman98: @realDonaldTrump It’s time for your @WWE return!!! When will you make it happen?” Ask Vince, we have the all time record!

-The following press release was issued today:

YOU On Demand Announces Appointment of Weicheng Liu as CEO; Shane McMahon Remains Chairman

NEW YORK, July 12, 2013 — /PRNewswire/ — YOU On Demand Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: YOD) (“YOU On Demand” or the “Company”), the first national Video On Demand (VOD) platform in China, is pleased to announce that Mr. Weicheng Liu, in conjunction with the recently announced closing of the strategic investment from Chinese mobile video service provider C Media (“C Media”), was appointed as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Shane McMahon, who voluntarily stepped down as CEO of the Company, will continue to serve as YOD’s principal executive officer of and Chairman of the Board.

Commenting on the announcement, Mr. McMahon said, “Weicheng has been instrumental in YOU On Demand’s initial success and has done a wonderful job as the Company’s China-based CEO. As our operations and footprint continue to expand throughout China, it is essential that the role of the CEO be located within the PRC for both strategic and operational reasons. Weicheng is both a remarkable person and leader and I look forward to continuing to build the YOU On Demand brand with him. With Weicheng’s new role, along with C Media’s strategic investment in the company and their expertise in the market, I am very excited about the future for YOU On Demand.”

Mr. Liu stated, “I am very excited and appreciative to have been named as CEO of YOU On Demand. Along with many others in the Company, Shane and I have worked very hard over the past three years in creating YOU On Demand and I am very optimistic about our future success. We have tremendous potential to continue our creation of a unique, multi-tiered distribution platform that will deliver a wide array of entertainment content. The Chinese media market is changing quickly and we are focused on continuing to adapt in order to best serve its consumers.”

About YOU On Demand Holdings, Inc. (www.yod.com)

YOU On Demand (NASDAQ: YOD) is the first national Video On Demand platform in China. The Company offers premium content, including leading Hollywood and China-produced movie titles, to customers across China through its Transactional Video On Demand (TVOD), Subscription Video On Demand (SVOD) and Near Video On Demand (NVOD) services. YOU On Demand has secured alliances with leading global media operators and content developers. The Company has a comprehensive end-to-end secure delivery system, governmental partnerships and approvals and offers additional value-added services. YOU On Demand has strategic partnerships with the largest media entities in China, a highly experienced management team with international background and expertise in Cable, Television, Film, Digital Media, Internet and Telecom. YOU On Demand is headquartered in New York, NY with its China headquarters in Beijing.

About C Media Limited (www.cmmobi.com)

Founded in 2004, C Media is a mobile internet company offering a variety of mobile video solutions and related value-added services through the networks of the PRC telecommunications operators including China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom. The company produces online community applications for video, music, movie and targeted marketing, and is dedicated to building an open mobile internet video platform. In 2007, it established a joint venture with China National Radio (CNR) offering mobile video services. In the last few years, the company has developed into a market leader with rich media contents and established distribution channels. In 2012 and 2011, the company ranked 3rd and 23rd in the winner lists of Deloitte Technology Fast50TM China, respectively; it was also ranked 6th and 133rd in the winner lists of Deloitte Technology Fast500TM Asia Pacific in the past two years.

C Media is headquartered in Beijing with more than 400 employees. It has wholly owned subsidiaries and branches in Shanghai, Tianjin, Wuhan, Chengdu, Xi’An, Harbin, Jinan, and Shenzhen. The company has received certifications for High and New Technology Enterprises, Software Enterprises, and ISO9001. It also holds the licenses and permits of Audio/Video Programs Dissemination via Information Networks, Value-added Service Business, Radio and Television Program Production, Internet Culture Operation, together with more than 40 software copyrights and patents.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains certain statements that may include “forward looking statements.” All statements other than statements of historical fact included herein are “forward-looking statements.” These forward looking statements are often identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “believes,” “expects” or similar expressions, involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, they do involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties, and these expectations may prove to be incorrect. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company’s actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, including those discussed in the Company’s periodic reports that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on its website (http://www.sec.gov). All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these factors. Other than as required under the securities laws, the Company does not assume a duty to update these forward-looking statements.

Shane McMahon To Return At WMXXX?, Vince/HHH Storyline *SPOILERS* …

The content listing for WWE’s “The Attitude Era” three-disc DVD and two-disc Blu-Ray scheduled for release on Nov. 20 has been released.

The synopsis for the title reads: “In the late-90s, WWE was struggling for ratings survival while a cultural shift in the viewing audience’s taste was occurring. “Saying your prayers and taking your vitamins” had lost its luster amongst the rebellious masses who preferred “flipping the bird” and “laying the smackdown”… Enter Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H and Mankind and the notorious crop of edge and fearless Superstars who ushered in The Attitude Era. Now in this 3DVD set fans can own all the infamous moments from this controversial and revolutionary era that redefined sports entertainment for an entire generation. Over 8-hours of envelope-pushing content includes all the agression, antics and innuendos that proved to be the perfect cocktail for an explosion of popularity.”

Here is the listing, courtesy of WWEDVDNews.com.

DISC 1

Documentary:

The Birth of Attitude

Entrance Music

D-Generation X

Austin vs. McMahon

Long-Arching Stories

Innovations

New Demographic

Critics

Expansion

Comedy

Wealth of Talent

The World Was Watching

Watershed Period
Jim Ross interviews Goldust & Marlena
Raw – Nov 3, 1997

Steve Austin Throws the InterContinental Championship Off A Bridge
Raw – Dec 15, 1997

Soldier of Love
Raw – May 4, 1998

Mr McMahon Presents Mankind with the WWE Hardcore Championship
Raw – Nov 2, 1998

Jim Ross Interviews Triple H
Sunday Night Heat – July 25, 1999

An Evening At The Friendly Tap
SmackDown! – Jan 20, 2000

Mae Young and the Acolyte Protection Agency
SmackDown! – Jan 27, 2000

“The Jug Band”
Judgment Day 2000

Triple H Trains Trish Stratus
SmackDown! – July 27, 2000

Edges Totally Awesome Birthday
Raw – Oct 30, 2000

The Rocks Message to His Hell in a Cell Opponents
Raw – Dec 4, 2000

GTV

DISC 2

Mike Tyson Joins DX
Raw – Mar 2, 1998

A New Beginning For D-Generation X
Raw – March 30, 1998

Sable vs. “Marvelous” Marc Mero
Raw – May 11, 1998

Nation of Degeneration
Raw – July 6, 1998

Brawl for All Match
Bart Gunn vs. “Dr Death” Steve Williams
Raw – July 27, 1998

Four Corners Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship
The Undertaker & Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Kane & Mankind vs. The New Age Outlaws vs. The Rock & Owen Hart
Raw – Aug 10, 1998

Lions Den Match
Ken Shamrock vs. Owen Hart
SummerSlam 1998

Finals of WWE Championship Tournament
The Rock vs. Mankind
Survivor Series 1998

The Rock & The Undertaker vs. Mankind & Stone Cold Steve Austin
Raw – Dec 7, 1998

Austin Gives The Corporation A Beer Bath
Raw – March 22, 1999

The Undertaker vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
Raw – June 28, 1999

The Debut of Y2J
Raw – Aug 9, 1999

DISC 3

Content still to be confirmed.

Special Features

(Expected Best Buy Exclusive)

GTV – Al Snow & Head

Mae Young Gives Birth
Raw – Feb 28, 2000

WWE Womens Championship Match
Lita vs. Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley
Raw – June 12, 2000

The Dudley Boyz vs. The Hardy Boyz
Raw – July 17, 2000

BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVES

King of Kings Match
Ken Shamrock vs. Triple H vs. Owen Hart
Raw – June 29, 1998

The Oddities w/ Insane Clown Posse vs. The Headbangers
Raw – Sept 28, 1998

The Truth About Sammy
Raw – Jan 18, 1999

The Unholy Union of Stephanie McMahon & The Undertaker
Raw – April 26, 1999

The Rock vs. Val Venis
SmackDown – Oct 7, 1999

Survivor Series Elimination Match
Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Kane & Shane McMahon vs. Triple H, X-Pac & The New Age Outlaws
SmackDown – Nov 4, 1999

WWE Hardcore Championship Match
Al Snow vs. Crash Holly
SmackDown – June 29, 2000

The Hardy Boyz & Lita vs. Perry Saturn, Eddie Guerrero & Dean Malenko
SmackDown – Nov 30, 2000

Chris Jericho & The Dudley Boyz vs. Kurt Angle, Edge & Christian
Raw – Dec 25, 2000

– Hornswoggle revealed on Twitter that he has been off the road due to gallbladder surgery.

“Who needs a gall bladder anyway? As much as I miss home at times when on the road, these 4 weeks home have gotten me anxious! #brutal”

– On this week’s episode of Z! True Long Island Story, Zack Ryder “apologizes” to WWE for grabbing the brass ring when he was only supposed to reach for it. He also campaigns for a match against Dolph Ziggler at WrestleMania and a “USA Guy” vignette airs. (Watch)

– In today’s birthdays, former WWWF Champion Bruno Sammartino turns 77 years while Barry Darsow (a/k/a Demolition Smash, Repo Man) turns 53 and Afa Jr. (a/k/a Manu) turns 28.

– Shane McMahon is featured in today’s “Superstar Spotlight” on WWE.com.

Inside The Ropes Radio with Pete Gas
Show airs Thursday nights at 10:00 p.m.
Available at InsideTheRopes.podbean.com

On meeting Hulk Hogan for the first time, when he was a teen: Vince was renting a house near where the house he’s in now was being built. Vince was cool, he let us drink in the house. He let us drink beer but the one condition would be we gave him our keys and we weren’t allowed to leave. He knew kids would be kids and so he would go and get us some beer. So we’re swimming in the pool and we hear Vince’s car pull up and we hear a Harley Davidson coming up with it, so we go out and see Hulk Hogan get off the bike, coming towards the house and he’s carrying our beer. So at the 15th Anniversary of Raw, I had mentioned that to Hogan. I went over and introduced myself and fortunately he remembered me. I was honored. I told him, “The last time I saw you” and I’m telling him the story and he’s looking at me and he says, “so I was carrying your beer?” and I was like “Well, yeah I guess if you think about it you were.” And he said “So you owe me one? Go get me a f—ing beer!” I went up to the concession stand and got him a beer, I guess that was my payback.

How The Mean Street Posse was formed: It was the idea of a few people. Vince Russo, Ed Ferrara, and Chris Chambers who really ran with it. They wanted Shane to have some heat going into WrestleMania. One day Shane called us to come to his office, I’ll never forget it was a Friday. Rodney and I used to work out at the Titan building. He called us into his office. He says to us, “Sunday at 10 o clock can you go over to the studio, and dress really preppy. Here’s the script.” He then ripped it up and said “f— the script” and told us to tell stories about what we did as kids and he told us Chris Chambers would splice it and fix it and we’d be on Monday Night Raw. It was supposed to be a 2-3 week little stint. They brought us to Albany the week before WrestleMania for Raw. By the time we got to WrestleMania, I remember sitting in the front row, Isaac Hayes was in the row behind taking pictures of us. There were a bunch of signs with our name on it. We went and about ten days later, Shane handed us checks and he said, “Do you guys have any vacation time?” and he said, “We wanna take you on the road for a little while.”

On Bradshaw almost injuring him early in his career: We were facing Farooq and Bradshaw, The Acolytes. Bradshaw went to hit me with a steel chair and I took it, straight to the head. Now Shane had told us certain things about respect and that after the matches you shake hands and thank the other guy for the match. So I wasn’t going to let him know I was hurt, so I shook his hand afterwards and said thank you. He told me six months later that through doing that I earned his respect. The next day, two specific people approached me. Mick Foley checked if I was OK, and Chris Jericho, who told me that I’d proved I was tough and next time to put my hands up if I get hit with a chair shot.

Thoughts on Shane leaving the WWE and relationship with Vince: They’re very close. Vince was the best man at his wedding. There’s no animosity there. Shane keeps things very close to himself. Shane had something to prove to himself, he wanted to do something for himself and start his own business. As far as his relationship with his family, they’re so close. A couple of weeks ago, Shane’s company went public and he was in New York ringing the bell and I know his father was right by his side.

– WWE.com has compiled a list ranking 15 former Superstars that should make a one-night comeback. It reads: 15. Scott Steiner, 14. Honky Tonk Man, 13. Michelle McCool, 12. Steve Blackman, 11. JBL, 10. Mick Foley, 9. Edge, 8. Shane McMahon, 7. Goldberg, 6. Trish Stratus, 5. Shawn Michaels, 4. Bret Hart, 3. Batista, 2. Ultimate Warrior, 1. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.

– WWE has released a preview clip of a Saturday Morning Slam segment showcasing sports-entertainment’s history of dancers.

– Jim Ross complimented former WWE Women’s Champion Jacqueline via Twitter Wednesday, writing, “WWE never had a better pro, tougher Diva than Jackie Moore. She made all WWE Divas better.”

China’s largest pay-per-view and video-on-demand platform, YOU On Demand, has added Paramount Pictures to its roster of studio partners. The entity is the brainchild of former WWE executive and talent Shane McMahon.

YOU on Demand Signs Agreement to Offer Paramount Pictures Titles for Video on Demand In China

New York, NY, 08/01/12 – YOU On Demand Holdings, Inc.’s (NASDAQ: YOD) PRC subsidiary, a leading Pay-Per-View (PPV) and Video On Demand (VOD) platform in China, announced today that it has signed an agreement to offer Paramount Pictures titles through YOU On Demand’s Transactional Video On Demand (TVOD) and Subscription Video On Demand (SVOD) services in the People’s Republic of China.

The titles that will be available to YOU On Demand customers rank among the most renowned and successful films in Paramount’s 100-year history. These titles include worldwide box office hits such as the Mission: Impossible franchise starring Tom Cruise, including the latest in the series, “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol,” Michael Bay’s “Transformers,” the Coen Brothers’ Oscar® winning “No Country For Old Men,” and director/producer J.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek.”

“Paramount Pictures is one of Hollywood’s most iconic studios and we are delighted to offer films from its rich library to our customers,” said Shane McMahon, CEO and Chairman of YOU On Demand. “The addition of Paramount’s roster now gives YOU On Demand the most vibrant and compelling titles available in the People’s Republic of China,” he concluded.

Paramount now joins Warner Bros. Entertainment, Disney Media Distribution, Lionsgate, Miramax Pictures, Magnolia Pictures, Gravitas Ventures, Film Buff, K2 Communications, 3net and Big Mama Digital Entertainment (Karaoke) as content providers working with YOU On Demand in its efforts to bring the best in home entertainment to audiences in China.

Former WWE executive Shane McMahon was in New York City on Friday morning and rang the opening bell for the NASDAQ stock market in Times Square. Shane’s wife as well as his parents, Vince and Linda McMahon, were at the event.

Shane McMahon is now the CEO of YOU On Demand Holdings, Inc. – one of the top Video On Demand & pay-per-view providers in China. YOU On Demand went public and joined the NASDAQ exchange on May 30th.

Check out these pictures from the event:

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– Shane McMahon’s China-based YOU On Demand company will begin publicly trading today on the NASDAQ stock market. The company, which McMahon founded shortly after departing WWE several years ago, has secured a 20-year contract with the Chinese government to run Video-on-Demand services in the country, a strong indication that the company’s revenue will remain steady for a long time. For more on the company going public, visit PaidContent.org.

– WWE Legend Jake “The Snake” Roberts turns 57 years old today.

– Evan Bourne wrote the following injury update on Tuesday:

“Took another xray today. Things are progressing as planned. Another step in the right direction! Might even be off these crutches soon!”