Former WWE on screen personality and NWA commentator Jim Cornette recently commented on Gerald Brisco being fired from WWE.

Brisco recently took to Twitter and announced that he was informed of the departure by Vince McMahon himself. Gerald Brisco, who has worked as a talent scout in recent years; said he will still be ‘around’ to work with talent if they need help.

Jim Cornette would mention the release on the Jim Cornette Experience podcast, and he was not happy with how WWE have dealt with the situation.

Jim Cornette on Gerald Brisco

“They have released Gerald Brisco, what the f*ck seriously?” Jim Cornette began on the show. “Gerald Brisco is in his 70s at this point. He has worked for that company for almost 40 years. If it wasn’t for Gerald Brisco and his brother Jack selling the stock in Georgia Championship Wrestling? Vince McMahon wouldn’t have got the Georgia TV.”

Cornette would elaborate on this point further, saying “he [McMahon] wouldn’t have got the million dollars from Jim Crockett for the Georgia TV. Which means he wouldn’t have been able to finance the first WrestleMania, etc etc.”

Jim Cornette would then list some of Brisco’s impressive accomplishments with WWE. “Gerald was one of the Stooges, they’ve made fun of him. He’s been a scout and he signed a bunch of talent. He was the one that was chasing Brock Lesnar and Shelton Benjamin. He’s scouted all the amateur wrestling meets and he’s tracked down talent. His record as an employee? It has been pretty much impeccable.”

“On Retainer”

Cornette would finish by saying that WWE should’ve ‘retired’ Brisco and kept him on a retainer, just in case he was needed. With the company recently posting their highest quarter on record? It’s not been a good look for WWE with so many talent, backstage crew and agents/producers being let go.

• AJ Styles Says Match With CM Punk Will Never Happen

“They couldn’t just say ‘okay Gerald, here’s a flat amount you’re on retainer. You’re retired now. Except when we need you to travel somewhere and scout out a piece of talent. Have a wonderful retirement. No they f*cking release him and publicise it. Would it have hurt the WWE bottom line to send Gerald Brisco $1,000 a week in his retirement as a retainer to keep his services?”

Do you agree with Cornette, should Gerald Brisco have been looked after more by WWE? Let us know in the comments

On Thursday, WWE made a series of cuts that was across the board in the company. The number was in the range of 60 through 70 people who lost their jobs. None of the firings included wrestlers. 

Wrestling Inc reports that more WWE cutbacks took place on Friday. It was noted that WWE’s live events department is “in shambles.”

Per the report, there were between 12 – 15 people from WWE’s live events division that were let go. This includes a high ranking Vice President, which should be made public soon.

It was noted that news was heartbreaking and would seem to signal WWE will not be getting back to doing live events anytime soon. Although the cuts were said to be extensive, some of the “higher ups” could be retained.

Mike Rotunda’s release was an indicator that WWE’s plans for more upcoming live events have been scrapped. Many of WWE’s furloughed employees will be let go and the cuts were “spreading like wildfire” in every part of the company.

Although WWE live events have been declining for decades, in recent years, attendance has fallen hard. 

Earlier this year, McMahon told investors that he wasn’t sure whether WWE would remain operating the live event business the way they had been.

• Rumored Matches For WWE Clash Of Champions PPV

Stephanie McMahon recently explained how her father, WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon, “listens to the fans” during an interview with Gary Vaynerchuk.

Additionally, Stephanie shared how Vince McMahon actively “listens to the live audience” and even pays attention to social media. According to her, he is always open to ideas.

“Vince listens to the fans. He listens to the live audience. He listens to social media. He also listens to our employees. He always said you never know where a great idea is going to come from. He solicits that opinion. He talks to people.”

When asked if she believes Vince McMahon and her husband, Triple H, were good at admitting when they are wrong, Stephanie admitted how she tries to be “very transparent” in owning her personal mistakes.

“I think there is a difference between being wrong and making mistakes, I know that’s a subtlety in semantics but human psychology plays into that,” Stephanie McMahon said. “Going back to Vince, he believes in some cost. So if you made a mistake, if something isn’t’ working, stop throwing good money after bad, just move on.”

She explained how Vince McMahon’s approach is to “learn the lesson that you are supposed to learn and then apply it.” As far as he’s concerned, you can make mistakes, but he wants to ensure he doesn’t make the same mistake twice.

Vince McMahon wasn’t featured as part of The Forbes 400 list of the richest Americans this year.

It should be noted that a record 233 billionaires from the United States did not make the list this year, which is 12 more than in 2019. The way the list works this year, which is the third straight year that the media company has put it together, is that a person needs a net worth of $2.1 billion or higher to claim a spot.

Part of the article was a profile of 10 of the most notable and noteworthy billionaires who did not make the list. It turns out that the WWE Chairman & CEO joins Kayne West in this spot. 

The deadline for the list came back on July 24, 2020. Per the report, the net worth of McMahon was $1.8 billion 

Here is what was written about the WWE boss: 

“The chairman and CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) fell off the list this year as shares of his media and live events company slid 30% in the first seven months of 2020. In April, WWE announced it had furloughed “a portion” of its workforce and reduced executive and board member salaries, resulting in an estimated monthly savings of $4 million. McMahon spent some $200 million to relaunch an NFL competitor called XFL this year. In March, the coronavirus forced XFL to cancel its 2020 season and, weeks later, the company filed for bankruptcy.”

Currently, Forbes has the net worth listed for McMahon at $1.7 billion. He ranked #1,196 on the Billionaires 2020 list and #296 on the Forbes 400 list in 2019.

WWE Clarifies Rules For Wrestlers Using YouTube & Twitch Accounts

WWE held a talent meeting on Monday to address reports of the company wanting talent to cease third party deals by October 2.

Following the news of the memo sent out by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon last week, there has been backlash from fans.

Dave Meltzer reported on F4Wonline.com that the company has relaxed some of the vague rules regarding social media marketing put forth in the letter. 

It was clarified that talent will be able to maintain both YouTube and Twitch accounts. However, they would have to do so using their real names as opposed to their WWE ring names. It was stated that they would have to inform the company of YouTube and Twitch accounts using their real names.

There was some confusion among talent as they were told by people in the company that they could not market themselves with the usage of their real names.

Meltzer reports that WWE didn’t clear up exactly what won’t be allowed although the belief was that Cameo wouldn’t be allowed he was told that was still super vague.

WWE issued the following statement on the reports over the weekend: 

“Much like Disney and Warner Bros., WWE creates, promotes and invests in its intellectual property, i.e. the stage names of performers like The Fiend Bray Wyatt, Roman Reigns, Big E and Braun Strowman. It is the control and exploitation of these characters that allows WWE to drive revenue, which in turn enables the company to compensate performers at the highest levels in the sports entertainment industry.”

• Lana Reacts To Report About Her Instagram Posts Leading To New WWE Edict

Following the news of WWE wanting talent to cease third party deals by October 2, there has been backlash from fans and even a politician as a result. 

WWE issued the following statement on the reports: 

“Much like Disney and Warner Bros., WWE creates, promotes and invests in its intellectual property, i.e. the stage names of performers like The Fiend Bray Wyatt, Roman Reigns, Big E and Braun Strowman. It is the control and exploitation of these characters that allows WWE to drive revenue, which in turn enables the company to compensate performers at the highest levels in the sports entertainment industry.

Notwithstanding the contractual language, it is imperative for the success of our company to protect our greatest assets and establish partnerships with third parties on a companywide basis, rather than at the individual level, which as a result will provide more value for all involved.”

It all dates back to last Sunday where a meeting was held with talent by WWE management to discuss the reinvention of the brand. Fast forward to last Thursday, WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon sent out a letter about how talent can no longer use third-party services (Cameo, Twitch, etc) by October 2.

According to the boss, anyone who violates these orders could result in fines, suspension, or termination of talent. McMahon stated that the actions are necessary as they go into the “next phase of growth” for the company.

• Backstage News On WWE Banning Talent From 3rd Party Deals

News broke yesterday that WWE sent a letter to talent giving them 30 days to end relationships with 3rd parties such as Twitch and Cameo. According to a recent report from Wrestling Observer Radio, talent is not clear on many of the details of the new policy, including which 3rd parties they are no longer permitted to work with.

Backstage News on WWE’s 3rd Party Ban

“I can tell you the talent doesn’t really know exactly but I think that they know they have to get off Twitch and Cameo. I don’t think YouTube, I know people who don’t think YouTube but it has not been completely explained what this means to them,” said Dave Meltzer.

He would continue to speculate a possible reason why WWE is doing this is so that they could cut their own deal with such a 3rd party. WWE talent having their own relationship with these parties undercuts WWE’s ability to cut such a deal. It’s not known if this is what WWE has planned, however.

“Talent is waiting to hear probably more specifics as well. For them, they got the letter yesterday, they may have heard about it a couple of days earlier but they got the letter yesterday.”

Meltzer also spent some time speaking about some of the other possible reasons WWE decided to implement the ban. One idea was that talent are giving away inside news on Twitch and other streams.

“Maybe Vince is mad that they are saying things, that they are too open on some of these things too. You see some of the quotes on certain things, they make news. They don’t go that inside but some of them go inside,” Meltzer continued.

“Certainly the AJ Styles Paul Heyman stuff, for sure,” Meltzer said when asked if there were any specific incidents that may have caused problems.

• Vince McMahon Gives Deadline To WWE Stars To End Third Party Deals

Word broke on Friday that WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon issued an edict this past week to make it clear that WWE stars can no longer “engage with outside third parties.” The belief is that this goes for platforms like Cameo and Twitch.

Pwinsider.com reports there are a lot of people worried about the vague wording of the letter and what exactly is allowed and won’t be allowed. There are some wrestlers who have already reacted negatively to the request because there is a feeling that it was an order to shut down their personal streaming channels. There’s no confirmation that this is actually the case.

Wrestlers told the media outlet that they have been using these platforms as a way to make additional revenue during the COVID-19 pandemic to make up for lost revenue that they usually get from live events and merchandise royalties. Bonuses have also been cut. 

AJ Styles regularly streams his own content, but some of the wrestlers who aren’t on the same level as Styles have used third party platforms to build their own brands and make extra money. 

There are grumblings among wrestlers about how they feel WWE is hurting their ability to make money outside of the company. In fact, some wrestlers have pushed back on this because they feel like they’re losing the freedom to promote themselves. Thus, it makes some wrestlers consider working somewhere else where they would be allowed more freedom. 

There has been some talk over the last 24 hours who are thinking about pushing back against the latest edict from WWE officials.

• Vince McMahon Gives Deadline To WWE Stars To End Third Party Deals

Vince McMahon is apparently done with his talent working with third parties and is trying to put a stop to it. 

Wrestling Inc reported on Friday that the WWE Chairman and CEO sent out an edict this past week that talent can no longer “engage with outside third parties.” This would be the likes of Cameo and Twitch.

The company held a call with wrestlers last Sunday about the reinvention of the product and it was stated that WWE owns the real names of talent, not just their character names.

Then on Thursday, McMahon issued a letter stating that it was imperative that they promote and protect the brand in every conceivable way. Thus, wrestlers have 30 days to stop engaging with third parties.

“Some of you are engaged with outside third parties using your name and likeness in ways that are detrimental to our company,” McMahon wrote. “It is imperative that these activities be terminated within the next 30 days (by Friday, October 2). Continued violations will result in fines, suspension, or termination at WWE’s discretion.”

McMahon added that these actions are necessary as part of WWE’s rebuilding process because they are set to “enter the next phase of growth at WWE.”

Shortly after the news broke, Renee Young, who recently departed from the company, sent out this funny message: 

It will be interesting to see whether everyone in WWE stops using Cameo or Twitch. AJ Styles has gained a big following on his Twitch account as of late. 

Akam and Rezar Released By WWE

The USA Network has reportedly floated the idea to WWE about NXT switching from Wednesday nights to Tuesday nights permanently.

According to comments made on Wrestling Observer Radio, however, the idea had been floating around for months but Vince McMahon quickly shot it down.

“From day one, every single person knew that if they put NXT on television on Thursday or on Tuesday it would draw significantly more than it would on Wednesday,” Dave Meltzer said.

“They were put on television to make sure that AEW went out of business. Obviously, in January things changed because once AEW got that contract the goal of NXT on television failed. That was a failure, it did not work.”

Meltzer continued to talk about a meeting that was held a couple of months ago about possibly switching NXT to another night.

“A couple of months ago there was a meeting discussing this very issue with WWE with Vince and at the meeting it was like ‘if we move to another day we’ll do bigger numbers, we’ll have a wider audience.’ And at that meeting it was shut down for all the obvious reasons. What was it put on TV in the first place for?”

“I don’t think Vince wants the perception that they ran from the fight,” he continued.

• NXT Draws Strong Viewership Tuesday, Could Be Changing Nights

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before – chaos behind the scenes at a WWE TV taping and another script completely overhauled just before showtime.

Sunday’s SummerSlam pay-per-view was very well-received. Fans on social media and wrestling pundits alike gave the show high marks. The next WWE PPV, Payback takes place this Sunday. WWE had a lot of pieces to put in place with less than one week before two special events. Whatever WWE had written for Monday’s Raw, those plans were discarded with very little time before the show went on the air.

According to veteran wrestling journalist Mike Johnson, WWE boss Vince McMahon arrived at the ThunderDome around an hour before Raw as was set to go live. Vince reviewed the script and ‘ripped it up’ around 7:20 PM.

“WWE pretty much ripped up the entire show around 7:20 PM, PWInsider.com has been told. Vince McMahon arrived at the taping around that time and at that point, began changing “just about everything” that was planned.”

The company is said to have changed most of the things that were planned for the episode and plans for the second and third hour were still not locked until very late.

This is not the first time we are hearing such news. Reports of things being changed late on the day of the shows have become somewhat common for WWE.

While many times these last-minute changes end up working in the favor of the company, more often than not they result in inconsistencies in the storylines and create confusion among fans.

This week’s episode of the Red Branded Show featured the build-up for the upcoming Payback PPV with the company booking almost half the card for the event in one night.

What did you think about this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw after the late changes? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

Despite some recent reports about his position in WWE, Triple H is still perceived as the successor of Vince McMahon and fans believe that he will take over as the head of the company when the Boss retires.

There is an interesting dynamic between the two as well because Mr McMahon is the father in law of The Game and the grandfather of his kids.

Triple H talked about his relationship with the Boss during his appearance on The Bill Simmons podcast and explaining how they handle arguments with each other, the former World Champion claimed that they get over it pretty quickly:

“In terms of arguments, we both kind of get over it quickly, you have moments and things happen and come up and we just get past it and get over it.

If it came down to it and it meant the difference of my kids having their grandfather in their life or not, I’d have no problem just walking away.” said Triple H “I’d walk because it’s not worth it at the end of the day. Family business is awesome, though. I love it and wouldn’t change a thing.”

• Also Read: AJ Styles Says Former NXT Champion Will Be A Big Name In Future

The King Of Kings also praised the work ethic of the chairman saying that he is a machine. He explained that Mr. McMahon has never missed a day at the office and even when nobody else was there, he was still working.

Explaining the reason behind this dedication, Triple H said that Vince McMahon still has passion for his work even after all these years, and everyday he gets up looking forward to work instead of dreading it.

News broke earlier this month that WWE is planning a draft for this year, but the date has changed several times.

Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the current plan is to hold the Draft in October, which had been previously reported about.

There would be two dates with one Draft show for RAW and another for SmackDown.

As noted, there was a plan to do it in August because WWE officials felt a change was needed because of declining ratings. However, if they did it then it would mess up plans for SummerSlam. 

As of last week, WWE wanted to do the draft in late August after SummerSlam, but that got nixed once WWE planned to do a second pay-per-view a week after SummerSlam so then it was moved to September.

That of course was changed and the plan is for the Draft to happen in October. As seen above, things in WWE change all of the time due to Vince McMahon. 

Draft shows typically do better in the ratings for that week, but if the RAW Underground idea works and helps build viewership then WWE is less likely to move up the date for the Draft. 

• WWE Reportedly Gives Sareee Permission To Wrestle For Other Promotions

Vince McMahon reportedly praised Bayley, Peyton Royce and Bianca Belair during a recent WWE creative meeting, according to the Wrestling Observer.

Vince held a creative meeting on Wednesday, July 29th that was described as brutal. Vince reportedly approved none of the ideas presented in that meeting, which was held the day before the 2020 Second Quarter earnings report & call with investors.

A second meeting was held on Friday, July 31st, the day after the Q2 report and investors call. That meeting lasted four hours, and it was said that Vince talked forever about how much he loves Bayley and her new persona. Vince also reportedly praised Belair and Royce, noting that he sees them as singles stars.

Bayley has been a top star on both RAW and SmackDown for a while now, with main event appearances on the WWE NXT brand as well. She is the current WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion with Sasha Banks, and has held the SmackDown Women’s Championship for more than 300 days now. She’s rumored to defend against Naomi, Lacey Evans or Alexa Bliss at SummerSlam later this month.

Royce is currently working on the RAW brand with Billie Kay as The IIconics. The tag team has had some success since returning to RAW earlier this summer, and Royce has worked a few singles matches. She defeated Ruby Riott on the June 29th RAW show, but lost to Belair on the July 3rd RAW, and then lost to Riott on the July 20th show.

Belair’s WWE status has been a hot topic of discussion on social media as of late. She was brought up from NXT the night after WrestleMania 36, and made just a few appearances with her husband, Montez Ford of RAW Tag Team Champions The Street Profits. She disappeared from RAW after defeating Santana Garrett on the April 20th sow, and then worked nothing but WWE Main Event matches for the next six weeks, picking up 6 straight wins over Catalina, Riott, and Kay. Belair returned to RAW on July 3rd, teaming with Riott to defeat The IIconics. She hasn’t appeared on RAW since then, but has picked up two Main Event wins over Royce and Jessi Kamea in July.

Vince McMahon has reportedly lost interest in RAW Superstar Mustafa Ali despite plans to push the Superstar only months ago.

Ali was rumored to be revealed as the abandoned hacker storyline prior to appearing on Monday Night RAW. He returned to in-ring competition with a six-man tag team victory giving him some momentum upon his comeback.

Following that win, however, Ali would lose to Hurt Business member Bobby Lashley. Although Ali was not featured on RAW this week, he did participate in a losing effort against Riddick Moss on WWE Main Event.

Mustafa Ali’s WWE Frustrations

Mustafa Ali recently appeared on WWE show The Bump. He stressed how he tried to stay in a state of readiness for any opportunity to come his way. 

Ali openly addressed some of his current frustrations within WWE, noting how he is in his prime and “ready to go.” He joked how he wanted someone in WWE to take his chains off. 

“As far as adaptation, it’s hard because you can’t adapt without opportunity, right? If you don’t have the opportunity, if you’re not given a platform, if you’re not included in the discussion, it’s hard. You could be the best in the world, but if you’re sitting in a dark room and no one sees you, no one sees you.”

Ali explained during the interview that his words come from a place of frustrated passion for pro wrestling.

WWE has announced that Shane McMahon will return on tonight’s RAW episode.

McMahon has been off WWE TV since losing the Career vs. Career Ladder Match to Kevin Owens on the October 4th SmackDown FOX premiere last year. There is no word yet on what he will be doing during tonight’s RAW.

Shane-O-Mac is back!@shanemcmahon RETURNS to #WWERaw TONIGHT. What will he have in store? pic.twitter.com/el0kAtiUpg

— WWE (@WWE) August 3, 2020

In other news for tonight’s RAW, it’s been reported by multiple sources that there is “chaos” at the RAW tapings. The news was first reported by Gary Cassidy of Sportskeeda.

WWE is taping two RAW episodes at the Performance Center today and it was reported that there is “chaos from the top” and that the shows are being ran with crews who are “totally unprepared.”

The first episode being taped, to air tonight, is reportedly changing on the fly, while the second episode, airing next week, is still incomplete. It was also said that there is a lack of leadership and a lot of stress that’s being blamed on indecisiveness.

Vince McMahon is at the tapings today and his mood was said to be “volatile” due to the indecisiveness and the chaos.

It will be interesting to see how tonight’s show comes off on TV as it was said by a source that, “what’s going on today seems even wilder than usual.”

Stay tuned for RAW updates and remember to join us for live coverage at 8PM EST tonight. Here is the announced line-up for tonight:

* Apollo Crews defends the United States Championship against MVP in the opener

* Drew McIntyre addresses Randy Orton’s recent attack

* Asuka looks for revenge on Sasha Banks and Bayley

* Shane McMahon returns

Vince McMahon will not be resurrecting the XFL, but rather, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and partners are the new owners. 

The former WWE Champion has teamed up with Gerry Cardinale’s RedBird Capital to purchase the league for $15 million, according to a press release sent out Monday morning.

The entity that purchased the XFL is Alpha Acquico, LLC, a joint venture of The Garcia Companies and Redbird Capital Partners Management LLC. In addition to acquiring all XFL assets, Alpha Acquico will take on “certain specified liabilities” and finance $8.5 million towards any financial defaults from the previous owner.

The XFL was slated to be auctioned today. Johnson’s business partner and ex-wife, Dany Garcia, will also be a stakeholder. RedBird has made various sports-related investments with some of them having ties to the NFL and its players.

The Rock & Dany Garcia Comment on XFL Purchase

The Rock said about the purchase, “The acquisition of the XFL with my talented partners, Danny Garcia and Gerry Cardinale, is an investment for me that’s rooted deeply in two things – my passion for the game and my desire to always take care of the fans. With pride and gratitude for all that I’ve built with my own two hands, I plan to apply these callouses to the XFL and look forward to creating something special for the players, fans, and everyone involved for the love of football.”

He and business partner Dany Garcia posted the following on Twitter about the big news:

Vince McMahon shut down the league earlier this year just weeks into its first season due to COVID-19. Although the league had TV deals with ABC/ESPN and FOX, the league under the ownership of the WWE Chairman and CEO didn’t survive. 

McMahon decided to fold the second attempt at the XFL a few months ago as the pro football league filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the state of Delaware.

As of May, it was reported that XFL creditors seemed to believe McMahon was positioning to buy the league out of bankruptcy, but that’s not the case clearly. 

Former XFL Commissioner Oliver Luck filed a lawsuit against McMahon for wrongful termination. Luck was supposed to get between $20-25 million over five years, which he was promised and it was not contingent on the league surviving. However, McMahon fired Luck the day before he closed the league.

• Jim Ross ‘Shocked’ The XFL Went Bankrupt

Vince McMahon first stated during a recent shareholder’s meeting held earlier this month that the company has a backup plan if WWE is unable to film in Florida anymore.

Of course, the state has been a hot spot for the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the outbreak of it, WWE has been taping television and holding pay-per-view events from Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center. 

Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that WWE has several back-up plans in place if they are no longer allowed to film TV content in the state because of the virus. 

However, per the report, there’s a belief that WWE can’t be shut down in Florida. The reason for the belief is due to Linda McMahon’s Super PAC (Political Action Committee) pledging to spend $18.5 million in the Sunshine State for Donald Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is also loyal to Trump.

There was a source who told Meltzer that McMahon has DeSantis “by the balls.” DeSantis has stated that he wants WWE to bring WrestleMania back to his state. 

That won’t be allowed to happen until the virus is handled and sports leagues are able to resume somewhat regular operations with fans. McMahon has had a study prepared and now has several different locations as a back-up plan. 

It was noted that one of the potential back-up locations is the WWE TV studios, which is near WWE headquarters in Stamford, CT. This is where WWE filmed the Firefly Fun House Match between John Cena and “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt for WrestleMania 36. 

Meltzer stated that if they had to do film there then they can make that setting look similar to the setup they’ve used at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando. 

The only problem with this plan is that WWE wouldn’t have easy access to contracted wrestlers in order to use them as fans. 

• Update On SummerSlam Location, WWE Reviving PPV Theme For Next Month

It’s been reported that Vince McMahon is eager to hold WWE shows with fans again, but spikes in cases of positive COVID-19 tests have delayed that.

Obviously, WWE was forced to stop holding live events and TV tapings with fans in attendance because of the virus. Since March, WWE has been holding shows in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center.

During the annual WWE stockholders meeting earlier this month, the WWE Chairman and CEO commented on when investors can expect the company to resume holding shows with fans again. 

“Sure, we obviously have to follow what’s going on and sometimes you think you have the answer and then “uh oh”, COVID-19 makes a more severe impact than you had imagined to begin with. We’re working with arenas. We have any number of tentative dates. Those tentative dates keep moving back sometimes. But again with our form of entertainment, it’s imperative that we have fans to interact with. And we continue to look forward. Pinpointing exactly when we’re going to return, it’s a whole different atmosphere than has been in the past and we’ll capitalize on it.”

Over the past few months, there’s been talk of WWE having plans to hold shows outside of the training facility, but due to increases in positive tests, those plans have pushed back. 

The latest report about when this could happen is projected to be in August or September. 

• Stephanie McMahon Talks WWE’s COVID-19 Precautionary Measures, Fans Attending Shows Again

AEW commentator and WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross recently commented on WWE owner Vince McMahon ‘looking after him’ when it came to monetary matters.

This week’s episode of Grilling JR saw Jim Ross and co-host Conrad Thompson discuss the Fully Loaded 2000 PPV. As usual, Conrad would talk about the wider scope of WWE’s (then WWF) business around the time, which included the move from USA Network to TNN for the Monday Night RAW show.

The money involved in the change of Network was huge for the company, and JR would talk about how much of a difference it made for him from a monetary standpoint.

Jim Ross on The Big Bucks

“It was major, major money, big time” JR began on the show. “And we all shared in those profits. You know the executive guys like myself and Kevin Dunn for example, among others. You know, Vince took good care of us with stock. We got great stock, options and grants.”

Jim Ross elaborated further, saying “quite frankly Conrad? During that time I really kind of set my portfolio up to take care of me for the rest of my life. Cause the stock kept increasing. Vince [McMahon] took care of us.”

JR would then discuss Vince McMahon as a businessmen, saying that he ignores negative stories aimed at the WWE CEO. “So, when all the negative stories about him during that period of time? I ignored them. He [Vince] solidified my financial future over those last few years there, with the stock issues and things of that nature. So, the better we did? The more we got paid, which is a great way to look at it.”

Also Check Out:

• Luke Gallows on Vince McMahon Pitching Him The Festus Character
• AJ Styles: Dixie Carter Is 100% To Blame For Ruining TNA
• Cesaro On Improving His Mic Skills, His Championship Ambitions
• Jim Cornette Rips into WWE and Wyatt Swamp Fight
• Mark Henry On Adam Cole & Pat McAfee Incident: “This Is…

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson had a lot to say about their WWE departure. They did an interview with Ryan Satin on YouTube where they addressed a wide variety of topics. 

One of the more interesting topics was about them being let go by the company due to budget cuts just months after they had signed new big-money deals with the promotion. 

Gallows and Anderson joined AJ Styles in the belief that Paul Heyman was responsible for the tag team being let go as he put their name on a list of talent to be released. 

They do acknowledge that Vince McMahon made the final call to fire them, but they were still upset that Heyman allegedly lied to them.

Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the backstage reaction to their comments was mostly about how naive they could be to think that it was Heyman, not McMahon, that made the call to fire them.

There are two stories that have gone around about the internal reactions. The first story is that while McMahon made the call, Heyman didn’t fight to keep them. The second story is how Gallows and Anderson were not on the list of wrestlers to be fired but once McMahon had a talk with Heyman about future storyline plans and they were planned to be used, McMahon added them to it. 

It should be noted that all wrestlers who were released in April were under a 90-day non-compete. Thus, if McMahon wanted to bring them back, he had three months to make a decision and didn’t. 

Luke Gallows On Why He And Karl Anderson Signed With Impact Wrestling, AEW Discussions

Eric Young gave some interesting insight into the system that WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon has created now that he’s no longer under contract with the company. 

He did so while making an appearance on SiriusXM’s Busted Open. Although he felt like he had a part in the creative direction of his character in NXT while working with Triple H, that quickly changed once he moved to the main roster. 

He talked about how his transition to the main roster didn’t go very well and part of that is due to him not wanting to be a political person in pro wrestling. He admitted that might be a bit of a hindrance to his career. 

“We don’t need to go on and on about it, but the system is broken. It’s hard to get a word in.”

He stated that even when a wrestler isn’t doing anything, it feels like your trying to fix the mistakes made by other people. 

“There is no creativity. They want everyone to do things the same and be the same and bump the same and sell the same. There’s millions of rules, which I’m sure you guys have all heard and talked about on the show at length, and people talk about on the internet. The secret rules. Those change daily and it’s just really hard to understand what’s going on and why it’s going on. The system is flawed. And I would say that to anyone there. I would say it to Vince himself.”

He stated that he’s not the first person that McMahon has made a mistake on and he won’t be the last person.

“I don’t think it’s anything personal. Anytime me and him were in a room together, or we spoke, he was always respectful. We had two pretty decently long conversations and I thought they went well and he understood where I was coming from.”

Young stated that as a man, he refuses to stand around and wait on McMahon to talk to him. While he thinks that could be wrong or stubborn on his part, but he just won’t do it. 

“I’m a forty-year-old man and I’m not gonna wait in the hallway like a child to maybe get five minutes to talk to him. I said my peace to him. He seemed to be responsive to it. And nothing ever came from it. I don’t take it personally. He made a mistake and, as a leader of the company and the person that decides everything, it’s a massive mistake to pass on somebody with me.”

He added, “You have a three-hour television show and you can’t find five minutes for Eric Young? Your show is broken. It’s as simple as that. I’ve proven that I can do whatever. Any role. I’m not saying I can do it. I’ve already done it and I’ve proven that I can do it and do it very well.”

He considers that a huge miss and mistake. He now sees it as a gain for somebody else. Young stated that his soul hadn’t felt good in a long time and that he didn’t exist for two years while on the main roster. 

He stated that everyone in wrestling is creative and to have your hard work be discarded is hard to deal with and a huge blow to the psyche. 

“I never thought, ‘Oh, this is my fault.’ The system is just broken. It’s flawed. All the flaws are created by one person and that’s not gonna change, unfortunately.”

Young stated that a lot of people who are creative and talented are never going to be able to fully do what they can do because of the way the system is organized. 

He called it super frustrating when you’re in it. He added that he can smile now because he doesn’t have to deal with that anymore.

Eric Young Is Excited To “Right Others Wrongs” Following WWE Release

Over the last year, WWE’s stock price has taken a significant hit from the all-time high of $99.25 per share back in April 2019. 

WWE’s stock has been trading around $46 per share this week. Since hitting that all-time high price tag, the company’s value has taken a big hit, down several billion dollars.

Next Thursday (July 30), WWE is expected to report earnings after the market closes. The report will be for the fiscal quarter ending Jun 2020. This quarter will not include how business did around WrestleMania 36 and the beginning of the coronavirus.  

Even though WWE stock is down, that didn’t stop several executives from recently cashing out in WWE stock. 

This includes WWE CEO Vince McMahon, Paul Levesque, Stephanie McMahon, EVP of Television Production Kevin Dunn, EVP of Operations Bradley Blum, Corporate Controller Mark Kowal and General Counsel Brian Nurse.

According to recent SEC filings, the following trades were made earlier this week (July 20):

• Vince McMahon sold 12,762 shares worth $590,370.12. He still owns 69,421 of the Company’s Class A common stock.
• Levesque sold 10,628 shares worth $491,651.28
• Stephanie sold 11,167 shares totaling $516,585.42.
• Dunn sold 21,809 shares (worth $1,008,884.34)
• Blum sold 6,735 shares ($311,561.11)
• Kowal sold 2,613 shares ($120,877.38)
• Nurse sold 146 shares worth $6753.96.

Curt Hawkins Sends Virtual Superkick To Vince McMahon After Impact Return Announcement

The former Curt Hawkins is set to make his Impact Wrestling return soon.

A new vignette aired for Brian Myers during Tuesday’s Impact episode, which you can see below. The teaser included Hawkins in and around a wrestling ring while several phrases were called out, including “Close your mouth, open your ears,” and, “Trust the process, just missing something…”

Did you think we were done at #Slammiversary? #IMPACTonAXSTV @Myers_Wrestling pic.twitter.com/aMrCC64mNK

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) July 22, 2020

Myers tweeted WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon after the show and officially moved on from his former employer.

“Well, @VinceMcMahon,” Myers wrote. “I’m sorry, I love you. *superkick @IMPACTWRESTLING Let’s. Go.”

The virtual superkick is a reference to WWE Hall of Famers Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels, from their Career Threatening Match at WrestleMania 24. You may recall how Michaels hit Sweet Chin Music twice on Flair, then told him, “I’m sorry, I love you.” The finish to that match then saw Shawn deliver another superkick to Flair, to get the pin and put an emotional end his in-ring career.

Well, @VinceMcMahon

I’m sorry, I love you.
*superkick@IMPACTWRESTLING
Let’s.
Go. pic.twitter.com/jPLybEVCtG

— Brian Myers (@Myers_Wrestling) July 22, 2020

I love this.#IMPACTonAXSTV

Keep talking people. ??

— Brian Myers (@Myers_Wrestling) July 22, 2020

Myers became a free agent last week after his 90-day non-compete with WWE expired. He had been released in mid-April, along with dozens of talent and employees, due to COVID-19 and the negative impact it had on WWE business.

Myers originally worked for WWE from February 24th, 2006 through June 12th, 2014. He held the RAW Tag Team Titles once during that run, with Zack Ryder. He then had a run on the indies and in Impact Wrestling, when it was still known as TNA, and had one run as TNA Tag Team Champion with Trevor Lee (NXT’s Cameron Grimes). WWE brought Myers back on July 21, 2016, and he would go on to become a two-time RAW Tag Team Champion with Ryder.

Impact has not announced when Myers will return to the ring, but we will keep you updated on when that is.

WWE Hall of Famer and AEW Commentator Jim ‘JR’ Ross recently discussed WWE Superstar Bobby Lashley on the Grilling JR podcast. One of the topics of discussion regarding the RAW Superstar was the early comparisons made to former WWE Champion Brock Lesnar.

Jim Ross on Vince McMahon Meeting Lashley

“Vince [McMahon] did not meet Bobby like in the grandiose way that he met Brock Lesnar” Jim Ross began on the podcast. JR has previously told the story of how McMahon saw Lesnar backstage and was instantly fascinated by the charisma and physical prowess of The Next Big Thing.

“It was a different deal, apples and oranges here” JR continued. “The comparison [between Lesnar and Lashley] was physical, you know? Lashley with this great strength, and of course the amateur background. He looked great, all the same things said about Brock. So I think that was why the comparison was made.”

Amateur Star

Jim Ross elaborated further, saying “It was simply the fact that we’ve got another heavyweight amateur star that we have great expectations for. I could describe when we first signed Brock the same exact way: Amateur Wrestling Champion who we think can be a star. Let’s see how hard you’re [Lashley] willing to work.”

JR would finish by saying how hard working Lashley was when he first joined WWE and the developmental system. “The great thing about Bobby in those day? We never had any issues with Bobby working hard. Bobby was a warrior. And again, you get that when your dad’s a drill sergeant in the army. And when you’re a three time national champion? You’re used to structure and you’re used to hard work.”

Do you think that Bobby Lashey could still be a major star in WWE? Let us know in the comments

This podcast episode as well as a ton of other content is available now on AdFreeShows.com – featuring exclusive content from Grilling Jr, What Happened When (w/ Tony Schiavone), 83 Weeks (w/ Eric Bischoff), ARN and Something To Wrestle with Bruce Prichard.

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