– WWE has released its annual Happy Holidays video featuring the new WWE Emoji.
– Monday’s WWE RAW ranked #3 on the Series & Specials list for Nielsen’s social media TV ratings. The show had 109,000 interactions with 23,000 unique authors on Twitter and 218,000 interactions on Facebook with 151,000 unique authors.
SmackDown this week also ranked #3 for the night. The show drew 54,000 interactions on Twitter with 14,000 unique authors and 104,000 interactions with 72,000 unique authors on Facebook.
– Stephanie McMahon was present for Vice President Joe Biden’s Cancer Moonshot announcement on Wednesday in Washington, DC. The program announced earlier this year will use federal government resources to accelerate cancer research. Stephanie is seated next to Biden and WWE friend Jon Stewart in these photos she tweeted:
Stephanie McMahon is appearing in a new video with YouTube star Lilly Sing, which you can see above. Lilly, who has over 10 million subscribers, brought Stephanie her pitch to become a WWE Superstar, a villainous character named The Millennial. The video also features a cameo from Eva Marie.
WWE also posted behind the scenes video from filming, seen here:
Finally, here is video of Lilly doing impersonations of various WWE Superstars, including The Rock, John Cena and The Undertaker:
The New Day retained the RAW Tag Team Championships over The Club and Cesaro & Sheamus in a Triple Threat tonight in Philadelphia to officially tie Demolition’s record as longest reigning tag team champions. The record will be broken at midnight.
Below is a GIF of their post-match celebration and a locker room celebration that saw Stephanie McMahon get sprayed with champagne:
A few news items regarding Paige and Alberto Del Rio:
– Paige’s latest ‘wellness violation’ suspension ends today. She’s recovering from neck surgery and won’t be back in the ring any time soon, but there have been some reports that she’ll be back on the road with WWE in the near future.
– They were goofing off on Twitter last night, showing off their “lifestyle change” and joking about how their days now consist of private karaoke. They posted this late night video:
– Earlier this week, Paige tweeted and then deleted this cryptic message, “When you do nothing wrong but things still bite you in ass for no reason. Always fun haha.”
– Finally, its worth noting that WWE did not include any photos or videos of Paige and Alberto Del Rio in their weekly coverage of Total Divas after this week’s episode aired on E!. This episode was the first glimpse of Paige and Del Rio’s relationship on WWE programming but there’s not one single mention of the two on WWE’s website or YouTube. There was one video going around last week that teased the Paige – Del Rio storyline for this week’s episode but that clip was released by E!, not WWE. It appears WWE is trying to act like the relationship hasn’t happened. Photos on WWE.com from this week’s episode show the segment where other Total Divas were discussing their concern for Paige but even those photo captions were left blank.
– Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown ranked #3 on Nielsen’s social media TV ratings chart, behind This Is Us and The Voice. SmackDown had 58,000 interactions with 13,000 unique authors on Twitter and 79,000 interactions with 51,000 unique authors on Facebook.
– It’s been announced that NXT Women’s Champion Asuka will face RAW’s Nia Jax at Saturday’s house show in Osaka, Japan. This is the same show that will feature Shinsuke Nakamura vs. NXT Champion Samoa Joe. They took shots at each other via Twitter today, seen here:
I don't get your cryptic talk @WWEAsuka ! Get ready because this "humongous" woman is ready to beat your thong wearing butt! 👊🏼 https://t.co/8EQfKOaAn7
– RAW episodes from 2011 have started to upload to the WWE Network. 14 new episodes from 2010 were also added this week.
– TMZ Sports recently caught up with Brooke Hogan again and as you can see in the video below, she’s not exactly denying the recent WrestleMania claims she made about Hulk Hogan. As reported before, Brooke previously told TMZ that WWE had called her dad about a possible WrestleMania return but Hulk later denied those claims and said Brooke was just stirring the pot. Several sources have reported a different story as Hogan has definitely had recent talks with WWE about moving forward together. When asked if Hogan will use his Gawker money to fund Brooke’s new women’s wrestling promotion, Brooke says she’s trying to make him proud by doing everything on her own. She teases more news on that promotion in the near future.
– After missing Monday’s RAW to attend the LeSports Connects conference in China, Stephanie McMahon flew to California to speak at the Fortune 2016 Most Powerful Women Next-Gen Summit. Below are a few photos from the event:
– WWE is encouraging fans to donate to Connor’s Cure, Dosomething.org, First Book, GLAAD, Hire Heroes USA, Make-A-Wish, Special Olympics, Susan G. Komen and USO Metro today as a part of the worldwide “Giving Tuesday” campaign.
– Instagram Undertaker fan page @TheUndertakerFans got a hold of this recent photo of the dead man. Prior to Survivor Series, Undertaker declared WrestleMania will no longer define him, an indication we’ll be seeing him compete prior to April. He’s not yet medically cleared to wrestle after recent hip surgery.
– WWE has officially signed Cruiserweight Classic competitor Mustafi Ali for 205 Live and the RAW cruiserweight division, according to PWInsider. Ali has appeared on NXT events since working the CWC.
– As seen last night on RAW, Enzo Amore cut a promo on Lana and Rusev and joked that Lana spent her Thanksgiving dinner thinking about a “Certified G stuffing her turkey.” Summer Rae tweeted this non-PG response regarding Lana:
– TJ Perkins promotes tonight’s 205 Live premiere in this new video and says cruiserweights have always been like mercenaries but now they have a home and the address is 205 Live. Perkins says he’s evolved since the Cruiserweight Classic and will prove that starting tonight.
– Speaking of 205 Live, Ariya Daivari promotes tonight’s premiere in this new video and says the cruiserweights are the real workhorses of WWE, and that will be proved with this new show. He also says losing in the CWC was a fluke and he will prove why he’s the best in the division.
WWE has announced a State of the WWE Universe Address for next week on the WWE Network. It will air after the Survivor Series go-home edition of RAW goes off the air.
The special will include SmackDown GM Daniel Bryan and SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon along with RAW GM Mick Foley and RAW Commissioner Stephanie McMahon.
– Ryback continues to fight WWE over the trademark of his “Feed Me More” phrase. The Big Guy attempted to trademark the phrase back on August 1st, 2016, however WWE had already filed for the mark back in January.
– Stephanie McMahon recently signed a “wrestling contract extension” according to a recent 10-Q filing from WWE. Stephanie will remain with the company through October 7th, 2019, at which point her deal will be extended on an annual basis until either party gives a 90-day notice prior to the auto-renewal date.
– Former WCW President Eric Bischoff shared his thoughts on Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar’s segment from Monday’s RAW on the latest episode of his Bischoff On Wrestling podcast. “Unless you are there in the moment and are a part of the process you really don’t have a 360 degree view of anything,” Bischoff said. “With that acknowledged and said, I have to question whoever’s decision it was to set the story up in Minneapolis. I’m not going to suggest that I ever sat down and tried to create a structure for a story or a time line for a story and asked somebody to tell me where we were going to be playing this story out. In which city. I never did that. I wasn’t that smart and didn’t have that vision if you will. I was smart enough to know that there are occasions because every city has it’s own personality. It really does.”
He continued, There were occasions like if we knew we were going to Philadelphia in three or five months for TV or PPV we created our format because we knew we were going to be in front of an audience with a certain type of personality that was going to react a certain type of way. It was kind of predictable.”
– Jack Swagger defeated local wrestler Danny Duggan in the dark match prior to Tuesday night’s SmackDown Live from Green Bay. For Main Event, WWE taped Curt Hawkins vs. Apollo Crews and American Alpha vs. The Vaudevillains.
– WWE power couple Stephanie McMahon and Triple H are celebrating their 13th anniversary today. The RAW Commissioner wished The Game a Happy Anniversary with this tweet:
Tom Phillips got a quick word from Stephanie McMahon after last night’s Clash of Champions PPV went off the air. RAW’s commissioner said the show was incredible and congratulated Kevin Owens on retaining the WWE Universal Championship.
Stephanie was then greeted by Triple H, who was waiting for her in a limousine. The two kissed and left the are together all smiles.
Is there really any significance to a married couple sharing a kiss and leaving together? Apparently this is a not-so-subtle indication that Stephanie and Triple H actually are on the same page, despite what Stephanie has claimed on RAW over the past several weeks. Stephanie has vehemently denied having anything to do with Triple H attacking Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins last month and awarding the WWE Universal Championship to Kevin Owens. There’s been virtually no sight of Triple H since then, with the WWE Universe eagerly awaiting follow-up to the major storyline twist. This backstage segment is finally something to work with and “shockingly,” Stephanie may have been in on Triple H’s plan all along.
Expect to see this revelation be a focal point of tonight’s WWE RAW.
– Luke Harper will be returning to the ring soon after suffering a severe injury to his knee during a match last March. He has been training at the WWE Performance Center in preparation for his return and it was reported on Monday that he was backstage at Raw.
It is now known which show Harper will appear on after not being selected in the WWE Draft. According to F4WOnline.com, he is being advertised for upcoming Raw events.
Harper opened up on the injury in an interview in May, where he revealed that he dislocated his patella and tore his medial patellofemoral ligament.
– Stephanie McMahon is celebrating a milestone birthday today as she turns 40-years-old. The WWE Chief Brand Officer and Raw Commissioner acknowledged her 40th with this post on social media.
– As reported, this week’s WWE RAW, featuring the final hype for this Sunday’s Clash of Champions, drew just 2.68M viewers, slightly down from last week’s 2.69. This is a 20-year low for a non-holiday broadcast, and the second lowest including holidays. RAW’s final rating was 1.97, up from last week’s 1.88, although this is the first time WWE RAW has come in below 2 for back-to-back weeks since the 1990s.
– This week’s episode of WWE RAW came in behind the Voice at number two in terms of social media ratings for the night. RAW drew more than 25,000 unique authors posting over 131,000 tweets. This is up from last week’s show, which drew 22,000 unique authors posts 115,000 tweets.
This week’s broadcast also drew 129,000 unique authors on Facebook with more than 190,000 interactions. This number is actually down from last week’s 213,000 Facebook interactions with 143,000 unique authors.
– WWE posted the following look at Stephanie McMahon, Charlotte, Sasha Banks, and the New Day visiting St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital earlier this month:
RAW General Manager Mick Foley’s latest Facebook post looks at his road back to WWE and his longterm relationship with his boss, Commissioner Stephanie McMahon. Foley reveals that he actually met Stephanie McMahon backstage after his infamous Hell in a Cell 1998 match against The Undertaker. During the Attitude Era, he saw her evolve from “the girl with the shy smile” to the corporate executive we know today. Foley wrote:
“Stephanie will sometimes mention that she plays’ a bad guy on TV. I don’t think she’s playing. I think she has that rare ability to inhabit a character, to the point where she becomes it – so that when she’s good, she’s really good; but when she’s bad she’s even better.
The opening to #Raw on Monday felt important to both of us. For me, it was powerful, almost magical – the type of thing that made what had previously seemed like a random selection as GM in the minds of many fans suddenly make perfect sense. The type of thing that gets me excited about the future, might encourage WWE Superstars to take risks with their characters and spark new ideas among the creative team. It’s the type of thing that makes me glad I’m not sitting on my couch every Monday, watching someone else as GM, wondering “what if”.
– Stephanie McMahon’s memoir is no longer scheduled to be released next month. Amazon.com now lists the year 2020 as the release date for “UNREAL: Inside the Crazy, Fun Show Business World of WWE.” The book will undoubtedly be out before then, but all we know at this point is the book launch has been delayed.
– RAW and SmackDown viewership data will be delayed this week due to the Labor Day holiday.
– WWE announced on Tuesday that Chris Bellitti has been appointed as the company’s new Senior Vice President, Communications. Bellitti, who previously held senior positions at FOX Sports and ESPN, will report directly to Brian Flinn, WWE Executive Vice President, Marketing & Communications.
As head of WWE’s Communications division, Bellitti will be a key member of the company’s senior management team, responsible for providing strategic vision for WWE’s internal and external global communications initiatives across key business units.
– In the latest game of one upmanship between The New Day and The Young Bucks, Nick and Matt Jackson have released a new SuperKix Cereal t-shirt, which comes with a mini box of cereal.
– Stephanie McMahon and R-Truth teamed up backstage at RAW last night to work on a mystery project benefitting Connor’s Cure and Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month. We can only hope it involves Stephanie rapping.
– NXT’s Tommaso Ciampa suffered a sick injury while working Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s Battle of Los Angeles this past weekend. Ciampa tweeted the following photos and noted that he had a chunk removed from his lip and 5 stitches:
– We noted last week that Sheamus spent several days filming his role for the “ATONE” movie that is scheduled to be released in 2017. Filmmaker Wes Miller tweeted this behind-the-scenes photo of The Celtic Warrior’s character:
After Monday’s WWE RAW went off the air, Seth Rollins confronted commissioner Stephanie McMahon about what transpired during the Fatal 4 Way main event.
The conclusion of the match saw Triple H make a surprise return and help Rollins eliminate Roman Reigns, only to turn on Rollins and help Kevin Owens capture the WWE Universal Championship.
The Authority’s betrayed golden boy asked Stephanie, “What just happened? After everything we’ve been through.” Stephanie maintained her innocence, pointing in Rollins’ face and screaming that she was completely unaware of her husband’s plot.
One thing is clear: Finn Balor’s injury has led WWE to go in a completely different direction than what was originally planned for the next several months. The shocking conclusion of last night’s RAW presents a wide variety of new storyline opportunities. Kevin Owens was true to his heel character and cheated to win, but was clearly the fan favorite in the Fatal 4 Way and was met with “You deserve it” chants as he celebrated after the match. Seth Rollins could be on the verge of a babyface turn after being screwed out of the Universal Championship and Finn Balor getting taken out of action until early 2017.
Discussion: How would you book Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins in the coming months? Was Stephanie McMahon really in the dark about what Triple H had planned, or will Kevin Owens be the new face of a reformed Authority?
– Join us later tonight for our SmackDown Live coverage and discussion. WWE is advertising AJ Styles will react to his win over John Cena at SummerSlam and an appearance from Nikki Bella. We’ll also probably get an update on Randy Orton’s medical condition following SummerSlam, which saw him receive 10 staples in his head to close the gash opened by Brock Lesnar’s elbow.
It will be interesting to see how the Lesnar situation is addressed tonight. Stephanie McMahon noted on RAW that there will be repercussions for Lesnar delivering an F5 to Shane McMahon after the SummerSlam main event.
– Tyson Kidd has been out of action for more than one year with a neck injury and there’s been really no word on a possible return. Wife Natalya tweeted the following on his status when asked by a fan during RAW last night:
Stephanie McMahon recently spoke with ESPN to hype SummerSlam and spoke about how proud she is of women’s wrestling in WWE.
“I feel such a shift in the way our women are portrayed, the opportunity they are given, and when given that opportunity, these women are tearing the house down and stealing the show with every chance they get,” Stephanie said.
WWE Women’s Champion Sasha Banks is at the forefront of the women’s wrestling revolution. Sasha said she’s going to be so good that people can’t ignore her – and that’s just what she’s done.
Stephanie also commented on her daughters, Aurora (10), Murphy (8) and Vaughn (5), possibly getting into the family business. It’s still early, but it looks like there will be a 5th generation of McMahons involved in pro wrestling.
“Aurora absolutely wants to be the women’s champion,” she said proudly. “She has been trained by Natalya. She has got her heart set on it, but we’ll see what happens there. I just want them to see unlimited opportunity and potential in themselves.”
Like her children look up to her, Stephanie looked up to Linda growing up and was inspired by her mother’s role as the former CEO of WWE. “I never thought gender was a barrier but that wasn’t reality at that time. Now there are so many more opportunities for women and it’s absolutely imperative to me as a mother for my three daughters to know they can be anything in this world that they want to be as long as they believe in themselves and they’re willing to work hard for it.”
WWE will soon integrate LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) characters as part of the company’s reaffirmed committed to LGBT inclusivity and storytelling.
While speaking at the Beyond Sport conference in New York City on Wednesday evening, WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon said, “Throughout my life I have grown up knowing gay superstars and executives. It’s always been accepted, but now it’s about getting that message out there.”
The initiative is in conjunction with WWE strengthening its relationship with The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).
“We’ve had GLAAD come in and speak to our entire writing team and give a whole tutorial on sensitivities, the right words, the wrong word [and] why those words matters,” Stephanie explained. “I think that with their guidance and support, we will be able to portray that [LGBT storyline] appropriately.”
WWE recently uploaded some highlights from Stephanie McMahon’s Facebook Q&A over the weekend. During the Q&A, Stephanie spoke about playing a heel on RAW and how she feels her character helps get the wrestlers over.
“The better I make the babyface – the good guy or good girl – look, the more hated I am, and the more I can ultimately make that person look more like a hero,” Stephanie explained.
Stephanie added that playing the heel is the “most fun” for her, and that she likes getting booed. She says that her kids don’t yet understand why she chooses that role, they understand that she’s just playing a character.
Back in May, former World Heavyweight Champion Batista took issue with Stephanie’s heel “finishing move,” the slap to the face. In a post on his official Twitter account, Batista took issue with the move and seems to feel her hitting the wrestlers buries them. Here’s what he had to say:
WWE announced on Monday morning that the new RAW and SmackDown General Managers will be revealed at the start of tonight’s RAW.
WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon returned to television last week and appointed Stephanie McMahon and Shane McMahon as the new Commissioners of RAW and SmackDown, respectively. It was explained that Stephanie and Shane would be in charge of their brands’ business operations while their GM’s would act as surrogates, running the television shows on a week-to-week basis.
Triple H recently did an interview with ESPN where Brock Lesnar was a big topic of discussion. Despite Stephanie McMahon saying that WWE didn’t necessarily “support” Brock’s return to UFC, Triple H seemed to indicate that he thought the crossover was a good thing for WWE.
“It’s huge,” Triple H said of Lesnar’s UFC return. “I think any time that you can have a WWE performer that can cross over into something else and have that kind of a night or a performance, whether that’s making a movie or television show or competing in the UFC, that’s huge. To me, it speaks to the amazing athlete that Brock Lesnar is.”
The Game continued to put over Lesnar’s athletic abilities. He says that Lesnar, who is featured on the cover of WWE 2K17, amazed him with his ability to get back into MMA at “such an elite level” and be that dominant.
“We have said it a million times about Brock but I think it’s worth repeating. He’s a once-in-a-lifetime athlete that comes along and is just — you can see it when you look at him,” Triple H said. “Guys don’t come along that quick, that big, that fast, that aggressive and with that mentality. He is a once-in-a-lifetime combat athlete. Certainly he helps UFC, banking on Brock Lesnar’s name in the very beginning of him becoming a UFC star and showing his dominance in it. And now it’s the same thing, back and forth. They benefit from it, we benefit from it and it has been great. My hat’s off to Brock, he’s an amazing, amazing athlete.”
You can read The Game’s entire interview with ESPN here.