Madison Square Garden is no longer dominated by WWE. Earlier this year some big news broke for the professional wrestling community. New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) and Ring Of Honor (ROH) managed to sell out New York City’s Madison Square Garden. The two promotions will hold their G1 Supercard at MSG on April 6th.

The action goes down during WrestleMania 35 weekend. The Garden is a big deal to McMahon and the McMahon family, who have been promoting there for years. Recently, former WWE executive Bruce Prichard offered his thoughts on the matter during his podcast, Something To Wrestle.

Prichard said he thinks McMahon is probably “hurt pretty bad” about the ordeal. But also, he envisions McMahon perceiving this as an opportunity to grow as well:

“I think there is a big part of him that is probably hurt pretty bad, just thinking about the tradition of his grandfather and his father promoting in The Garden,” Prichard said.

“But at the same time, the Vince McMahon of today has grown a lot too, and sees it as, alright, it is a part of growing. It is a part of progression and we will have a new home and move on.”

How do you think McMahon feels about ROH selling out MSG?

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

– Cody Rhodes disagrees with those who feel that Vince McMahon squandered his talent during his nine-year tenure with WWE (2007-2016).

On Twitter, Rhodes responded to a fan who feels that McMahon used him “like crap” during his time in WWE. Rhodes takes completes responsibility for his career stalling while there.

I’d politely disagree. I was in a PPV main event by age 24. I was happy/challenged with the trajectory of my career there…even stardust. It stung but it was motivating to see guys pass my sparkly ass by, I saw what I was missing and went out and got it. Do the work. https://t.co/TPTMT3CQVC

— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) September 14, 2018

Rhodes also responded to a fan who believes that he never complains about WWE.

I bitch all the time bro ha and I’ve got my Arya Stark list, but there’s more angels working there than assholes. And the ones that thought they could snub me, look down at the floor timidly when I walk by. Daddy eats first. https://t.co/tZdVlWN0qC

— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) September 14, 2018

WWE granted Rhodes his release on May 21, 2016, after he requested it the day before. Rhodes cited frustration with WWE’s creative team and his standing in the company as reasons for requesting his release. He pleaded with writers to end the Stardust character for over six months and pitched numerous storyline ideas that weren’t used.

– In this video filmed backstage at Friday’s WWE live event in Edinburg, Texas, Alexa Bliss and Alicia Fox are shown discussing Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey. James then appears and asks Bliss who she’s facing. Bliss says “Ronda Rousey” and James replies, “Never heard of her.”

.@RondaRousey? @MickieJames has never heard of her. ?#HIAC #WWEEdinburg @AliciaFoxy @AlexaBliss_WWE pic.twitter.com/ekTEMqKudw

— WWE (@WWE) September 15, 2018

• Is Zelina Vega dating a WWE NXT star?

Current IWGP Intercontinental Champion and former WWE Champion Chris Jericho recently appeared on Busted Open Radio. During the appearance, “Y2J” talked about his professional wrestling career. Currently, Jericho is basically working wherever he wants while touring with his rock band, Fozzy.

In regards to wrestling, Jericho previously had an unspoke rule about not working for non-WWE events in the United States. That was recently broken at All In earlier this month, where Jericho surprised the crowd to attack Kenny Omega:

“There is a whole market now for hardcore wrestling fans,” Jericho said. “Maybe not even hardcore anymore. There’s a whole strain of fans of wrestling that are excited about all of these other options.

“I mean I didn’t think there was any chance of me doing All In, but at this point in time, sure there’s a chance. I mean if there’s a match that’s presented to me that’s interesting if I’m free, like like why not?

“Like I’m really kind of enjoying this free agency and realizing why do I have to just keep it in Japan? What if I do want to do more stuff in the States? I’m not really worrying about what anybody thinks.

“At this point in time, I think for the first time in my career in 28 years, I’m kind of completely in control and it’s fun, ya know?

“I really enjoy not having to run my ideas that I know are gonna work through a committee of two or three people, or having to wait three hours in front of a door to go pitch it to one guy and hope that he likes it.

“At this point in time, we’re all pros and we know what works and what doesn’t work, and if we’re not sure we can ask other guys and kind of work together.”

It’s Fun Not Working For Vince McMahon Right Now

Jericho then said something very interesting. He said he’s having fun not working for Vince McMahon in WWE right now:

“In WWE when you work there, once again, you gotta go with whatever it is that he wants to go with,” Jericho noted. “That’s fine. When you work for Vince that’s just the way it is, but it’s fun to not work for Vince right now, and have some of these other ideas you can kind of explore.”

What do you make of Jericho saying it’s fun not working for Vince McMahon right now?

"If there's a match that's presented to me that's interesting and if I'm free…why not? I'm really kind of enjoying this free agency." @IAmJericho talks to @davidlagreca1 & @bullyray5150 on if we could see him at the @ringofhonor & @njpwglobal #G1Supercard at @TheGarden pic.twitter.com/zII42X8p2W

— SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) September 12, 2018

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

Kevin Owens is an absolute savage. “KO” took to Twitter earlier today (Wed. September 12, 2018) and teased Vince McMahon. Today marks one-year since Owens attacked Vince McMahon on an episode of SmackDown Live.

Owens viciously attacked McMahon after being granted a Hell In A Cell (HIAC) match against Shane McMahon. Vince made the mistake of guaranteeing Owens that he wouldn’t get punished for harming a McMahon. Unknowingly, Vince gave Owens permission to attack him.

He proceeded to headbutt Vince and bust him open before hitting him with a Frog Splash from the top rope. Check out Owens’ Tweet here:

https://twitter.com/FightOwensFight/status/1039971265942052866

Owens ended up defeating Shane McMahon at HIAC thanks to some help from Sami Zayn. Eventually, the rivalry came to an end at WrestleMania 34 in April. Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon defeated Zayn and Owens in a Tag Team match in New Orleans.

What do you think of Owens’ tease towards McMahon on Twitter?

WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently took to his podcast, The Ross Report, to talk about several professional wrestling topics.

During the show Ross told the story of Vince McMahon first meeting Brock Lesnar. The meeting apparently took place at the 1999 SummerSlam pay-per-view (PPV) in Minnesota. This was just a few miles away from Lesnar’s old college, The University Of Minnesota.

Here’s how Ross said “The Chairman Of The Board” reacted when he first laid eyes on “The Beast” Brock Lesnar:

“It was the first time Vince McMahon physically laid eyes on Brock Lesnar. You’re not going to hear that in a lot of places. Brock came to the event. We were recruiting him. Jerry Brisco was recruiting him heavily. He was on him.

“He was our number one target and we got him. We got our guy. And he came to the show because, Brock, I don’t think he had been to a pro wrestling event in his life. He was not a fan.

“It didn’t mean he hated it. He just was occupied with working on the farm, playing football, and wrestling at a high, high level. So I remember that.

“I remember Vince walking out of his office and down [the hall] and I said, ‘Brock Lesnar is here’ and I had to refresh his memory about who that was. No face, no name – Vince didn’t know.

“And so, I said, ‘he’s standing out here’ and when Vince walked by, he gave him a little wave. He saw, ‘wait a minute, is that what I think it is? Is that 6’3?, 280 [lbs.]? Is that blonde hair?

“Looks like an angry Viking or a heifer bull.’ So Vince made a little detour, shook Brock’s hand, the rest, as they say, is history.”

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

On the latest episode of his Talk is Jericho podcast, Chris Jericho revealed how WWE Chairman Vince McMahon reacted when he learned about All In. The latest episode features an interview he conducted with Cody and the Young Bucks back in June. The interview took place in Osaka, Japan following NJPW’s “Destruction in Osaka” event.

Vince McMahon All In Reaction

Chris Jericho says he told Vince McMahon about All In earlier this year. Vince’s reaction was classic Vince. “I told Vince about All In about 4 or 5 months ago,” Jericho said. “We were just discussing and shooting the breeze and I said ‘Yeah the show’s in September in Chicago’ and Vince said ‘I wish they would have called me. September is the worst time of year to promote!'”

Jericho, Cody, and the Young Bucks got a good laugh at the notion of calling up Vince McMahon to get advice.  “Hey Vince, it’s Cody, I’ve got the Young Bucks on the phone,” Cody joked. “Couple of questions about promoting in the fall.”

“Don’t say ‘Rhodes’ haha,” Jericho joked in a Vince McMahon voice.

The story takes place just after the first commercial break in the episode. Subscribe to Talk is Jericho at iTunes.

For more on ALL IN, visit our All In news page.

NOW on @TalkIsJericho– @NickJacksonYB, @MattJackson13 & @CodyRhodes talk @ALL_IN_2018! Plus the debut of #TheYoungBucks new entrance music!

— Chris Jericho (@IAmJericho) August 22, 2018

Last night’s WWE NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4 event was truly amazing.

The card, from top to bottom, featured some extraordinary matches from the future stars of WWE. One such match was that between The Velveteen Dream and EC3. The pair put on an extremely physical performance that resulted in Dream leaving with the victory.

One hot topic of discussion in regards to the match was the message Dream had printed on his tights. During his entrance, fans could read the phrase “Call Me Up Vince” on Dream’s tights.

This is obviously a message to Vince McMahon to call the 23-year-old up to the WWE’s main roster. After the event, Triple H took part in a post-TakeOver media call to talk about the event’s success.

Triple H On The Meaning Of Velveteen Dream’s Tights

Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet asked Triple H about the message on Velveteen’s tights. “The Game” initially joked, after a long pause, that Dream was sending a message to a friend of his (also coincidentally named Vince) who lost his phone. He wanted his friend, Vince, to give him a call:

https://twitter.com/ryansatin/status/1031006255605678080

Triple H then said that if Dream was truly talking about Vince McMahon, there’s one of two calls he could get from “The Chairman Of The Board.” One he’ll like, and one that he won’t. You never know which one it will be:

https://twitter.com/ryansatin/status/1031006659353632770

It looks like Mick Foley told Vince McMahon to keep his eye on one current UFC Champion.

Recently the WWE has shown interest in scooping up stars from the mixed martial arts (MMA) world. WWE inked Ronda Rousey to a professional wrestling contract earlier this year.

They have worked with former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar for the past several years now. Lesnar is currently WWE’s Universal Champion and is set for a title defense this weekend at SummerSlam.

There are also reports that WWE has signed former UFC fighter-turned-professional wrestling Matt Riddle. It’s pretty clear WWE enjoys bringing in mixed martial artists. So what’s one more name to the list?

WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley recently spoke to TMZ Sports on the matter. During the interview, it was revealed that Mick Foley told Vince McMahon to keep his eye on current UFC champion Cris Cyborg.

Cyborg is currently the women’s featherweight champion for the MMA promotional juggernaut. She’s preparing for a possible superfight with UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes.

Foley revealed that he has actually been keeping in touch with Cyborg as of late:

“I’ve been trading messages with her the past few nights. I saw she was in New Jersey and so I’m going to be attending a viewing party with Cris Cyborg.”

Cyborg has a history with current WWE star Ronda Rousey. Although they never fought, Cyborg and Rousey traded barbs with one another thought the MMA media for several years.

Both women were at the top of the sport during their heyday. Cyborg is still in the midst of a lengthy undefeated streak. As for Rousey, it looks like her time in the Octagon has come to an end:

“You never know. I had a meeting with Mr. McMahon and I told him ‘Keep your eye on this Cyborg-Nunes fight. She’s gonna be larger than life.’

“I think she’d be great – I think she’d make a great WWE Superstar down the line, but she’s concentrating first and foremost on this superfight and I think it’s going to be one of the biggest fights in UFC history.”

Chris Jericho does not believe Vince McMahon is worried about another wrestling promotion selling out Madison Square Garden. In fact, Jericho believes Vince knows this will only improve the business overall.

The G1 Supercard sold-out almost instantly after tickets went on sale to the general public yesterday.

“I bet you, deep down inside even Vince would say, ‘Okay, this is good.’ This is good for business because it makes everybody work a little harder, it gives the fans more options, it gives the [performers] more options. It makes the business healthier overall.”

Tickets to the event were thought to be 60% sold after VIP Honor Club subscribers were given early access.

People change their minds… https://t.co/TXTOGICf0c

— Chris Jericho (@IAmJericho) July 20, 2018

Chris Jericho Vince McMahon Relationship

There is speculation that Chris Jericho may have gone back on his promise to never wrestle in the United States for a promotion other than WWE. Jericho is the current IWGP Intercontinental Champion and could potentially be booked on the G1 Supercard. To do so, however, he would have to go back on his long-held statement regarding his loyalty to WWE.

“It’s very cool to go back to Japan, where I started, and be part of this worldwide growth of New Japan,” Jericho said recently during an interview with Sports Illustrated. “There are no real restrictions on what I can do in New Japan.”

Jericho last competed for WWE this spring in the Greatest Royal Rumble.

The new mayor of Knox County has been humble in recent interview about his recent win.

“The entire thing is humbling. The reason I won is that I had a great team around me. Those folks invested their time and their energy into helping me because they believed in me, and that’s very humbling. Also, people were willing to vote for me and tie their future to me, which is humbling and also a huge responsibility.”

His win comes from the defeat of Democratic opponent Linda Haney. Reports are coming in and the numbers indicate that Jacobs (Kane) had 51,804 votes whereas Haney had 26,224 votes.

Vince McMahon On Jacob’s Win

“Vince has been very supportive throughout this entire endeavor. He reached out to extend his congratulations.” “Vince wants all of us to do well, no matter what we’re doing, because it reflects well on the company.” Before continuing his response, Jacobs was forced to compose himself. “On a personal level, between me and him, it’s important to me that he is proud of me. He’s done so much for me and for my family. He sent me a text that got me all choked up.”

Jacobs victory was brief as he finished off the interview by thanking his wife and kids and plans to get started as soon as possible.

Alicia Fox will welcome Ronda Rousey to the Monday Night RAW ring next week.

Fox will go one-on-one with “The Rowdy One” in her first match on the program. Fox is one of the more rambunctious female characters in WWE. While most would describe her character as “crazy,” Fox prefers using words such as “sassy” and “firecracker.”

She recently spoke to Void Magazine and described her TV character. Fox also revealed some pointers she received from Vince McMahon. “The Chairman Of The Board” told Fox to go crazy, tear things up and mess with the announcers:

“My character, well, she’s I guess kind of sassy. Her thing is like, “fancy as a fox.” [laughs]. I’ve developed into this like off the wall, firecracker. The word ‘crazy’ might not capture it. But I came back from injury and turned into a heel [bad guy].

“We’ve been reintroducing the character. I’ve been bullying people. It’s really fun to play the bad guy, the coward. I get the crowd riled up, throw drinks at them [laughs]. It started in one match, where they told me just to throw a fit. [WWE Executive] Vince [McMahon] told me to just go crazy, tear things up, knock the announcer’s hat off his head.

“Throw iPads in water. So after my match, I didn’t know how it was going to go, but I just did it. And the crowd really reacted. It was this whole mood swing. It really worked.”

Vince McMahon doesn’t appear on WWE TV as often as he used to.

“The Chairman Of The Board” was prominently featured on weekly WWE programming during the ’90s to mid/late ‘2000s. Today, McMahon primarily runs the show from backstage while Triple H and Stephanie McMahon appear regularly on TV instead.

Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez recently discussed this on Wrestling Observer Radio. Alvarez pointed out that McMahon is looking very old these days. Meltzer responded by revealing that’s the reason McMahon doesn’t wan’t to be on TV so much.

Instead, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon have been made the new faces of the company. In fact, Vince McMahon wasn’t heavily involved in the negotiations for WWE’s new TV deal. That was handled by “The Game” and Stephanie. Meltzer described the ordeal as a “transition.”

McMahon On WWE TV

In recent months McMahon has been featured a bit more on WWE TV, but not regularly. He was briefly involved in Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar’s WrestleMania 34 build. McMahon also was attacked by Kevin Owens last year on SmackDown Live.

McMahon was on TV for the WWE’s Greatest Royal Rumble trophy presentation and the announcement of WWE Evolution on last week’s Monday Night RAW – but said very little.

Discussion: How do you feel about Vince not being on TV as regularly as he used to be? Is it time to hand the reigns over to Triple H and Stephanie?

Earlier this week (Mon. July 23, 2018) on Monday Night RAW, the trio of Stephanie McMahon, Vince McMahon and Triple H opened up the show.

After some comments from Vince and “The Game,” Stephanie McMahon announced the first ever all female WWE pay-per-view (PPV) entitled “Evolution” which will take place in October. The entire RAW roster and the women from SmackDown Live were on the stage for the announcement.

When the segment wrapped up, the cameras cut back to the RAW commentary team of Jonathan Coachman, Michael Cole and Corey Graves. In the background, however, Stephanie McMahon, Triple H and Vince McMahon could all be seen making their way out of the ring.

Stephanie McMahon exited the ring first as Triple H held the bottom rope open for her. “The Game” continued to hold the rope open and jokingly signaled for Vince McMahon to go next. Vince McMahon grinned and pretended to kick Triple H. He then exited the ring soon after Triple H did. Check out the video here:

https://twitter.com/A_mac_25/status/1021549551851917312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1021549551851917312&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.iwnerd.com%2Fwatch-funny-moment-between-triple-h-and-vince-mcmahon-caught-during-raw%2F

Vince McMahon has created an empire of professional wrestling that will likely never be rivaled in years to come.

From purchasing the WWE from his late father back in 1982, to helping create household names such as The Rock, Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin and John Cena. He was also the mastermind behind professional wrestling’s biggest show of the year, WrestleMania.

Vince McMahon works tirelessly to ensure that the WWE remains at the forefront of the professional wrestling world, and it looks like his efforts have recently been recognized by Adweek.

“The Chairman Of The Board” was named 70th on Adweek’s List Of 100 Most Cutting-Edge CEOs. His daughter, Stephanie McMahon, recently took to Twitter to congratulate her father on the honor and credited him for making WWE’s WrestleMania the #6 most valuable sports event brands in the world:

“From creating @WrestleMania, @Forbes‘ #6 most valuable sports event brands in the world, to driving record revenues year-over-year, @VinceMcMahon has made @WWE a global media powerhouse.”

From creating @WrestleMania, @Forbes' #6 most valuable sports event brands in the world, to driving record revenues year-over-year, @VinceMcMahon has made @WWE a global media powerhouse. @Adweek #Power100List https://t.co/2S6pqwBLGT

— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) July 25, 2018

Former WWE official Bruce Prichard was recently interviewed on the Sam Roberts’ Wrestling Podcast and talked about what it was really like working for Vince McMahon.

One topic of discussion brought up was whether or not “The Chairman Of The Board” ever takes some time to get some rest. Prichard said that McMahon likely gets a few hours of sleep each night before an early wake-up call to get in a cardio workout.

He also detailed how McMahon sometimes takes 30-minute naps during the day from time-to-time. Prichard shared an experience of his own with McMahon, who used a tour bus to take a nape in once:

“He’d probably get a couple of hours of sleep before he’d wake up to do cardio. He takes like 30 minute power naps every once in awhile. I’ve gotten alcohol poisoning two times in my life, both times with Vince McMahon.

“The first time drinking moon shine and the second time was just a crazy night and I remember Vince coming to me and going, ‘Brucie, what are those buses like?’ Those were the early days of the rock n’ roll buses we had for the cameramen and the ring crew guys. Actually they’re pretty nice. McMahon said, ‘Get everybody off. We’ll take a nap in there.’

“We would go and just 30 minutes. He would go nap. He goes out and when he wakes up he’s like, ‘Goddamn let’s go. Holy cow that was good! Good times, huh? You know what? I think I got an extra minute there. I think that made a difference”

You can listen to Prichard’s interview on the Sam Roberts’ Wrestling Podcast by clicking this link here.

H/T WrestleZone for the transcriptions

As noted earlier this week, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon was not backstage for Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view from Pittsburgh, PA.

In his absence, Triple H and producer Billy Kidman ran the show, with Vince McMahon staying in communication with officials throughout the show.

Especially with Hulk Hogan attending his first WWE show in several years to address the roster, some fans have been wondering where Vince was, since he does not miss many shows. 

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Vince McMahon usually takes a 1-week vacation each year in mid-July, which explains why he wasn’t at Extreme Rules. 

McMahon has not been seen on WWE television since the March 12 episode of Monday Night Raw, when he made an appearance in a backstage segment with Roman Reigns.

What are your thoughts on McMahon missing this latest pay-per-view event? Now that a few days have passed, has your opinion changed about the show?

The Rock was recently named to the fifth place on Forbes’ 2018 Celebrity 100 list.

“The Great One” shot up from his 22nd place ranking the previous year in which he made $65 million. He nearly doubled his earnings in 2018 by making $124 million between June 2017 to June 2018. On the list of highest-paid entertainers across the world, the former WWE Champion was named the highest-paid actor in the history of the list.

He took to Twitter to react to the news:

Wow unexpected news.
I don’t have a Harvard MBA, but my business philosophy has been sharpened over time and thru failure. I have one boss I serve and connect with – the world and the people in it. I’m the dude who started w/ $7bucks. I’m awestruck ($124M) grateful & hungry. https://t.co/0VWSn5YU6N

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) July 17, 2018

Rock’s former boss and WWE’s “Chairman Of The Board” Vince McMahon Tweeted out a congratulatory response to the accolade:

“Congratulations to @TheRock on becoming the highest-paid actor in @Forbes #Celeb100 history. The hardest working man in show business proving once again that anything is possible through hard work.”

Congratulations to @TheRock on becoming the highest-paid actor in @Forbes #Celeb100 history. The hardest working man in show business proving once again that anything is possible through hard work. https://t.co/xJScYQ0jxD

— Vince McMahon (@VinceMcMahon) July 19, 2018

Some interesting backstage news has surfaced about the WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view event.

According to a report by PWinsider.com, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon was not backstage at Sunday’s (July 15, 2018) pay-per-view event in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the PPG Paints Arena that aired on the WWE Network, which marked the final PPV event before next month’s SummerSlam pay-per-view event. SummerSlam is widely regarded as the second biggest show of the year for the WWE just behind WrestleMania.

With McMahon not being there, Triple H was at the PPV with Billy Kidman running the show from the gorilla position. It should be noted that although McMahon missed the show, he was in communication with officials at the show, and as of this writing, there’s no word yet on if he will be backstage for this week’s RAW and SmackDown Live TV events.

Also, PWinsider.com reported that Randy Orton was hidden backstage in a bus until about 30 minutes before he made his return following the United States Title match that saw Shinsuke Nakamura beat Jeff Hardy to win the title.

Orton underwent minor knee surgery in May and had been seen in Birmingham, Alabama where was doing rehab last month gearing up for his return to the blue brand.

What are your thoughts on McMahon missing this show? Sound off in the comment section.

Vince McMahon is going all in for the relaunch of he XFL.

The revamped league that is expected to return in February 2020 already received $100 million in funding from McMahon, who sold a swath of his stock in World Wrestling Entertainment to initially fund the XFL under his new brand Alpha Entertainment.

Now it appears that number was just a pittance compared to what McMahon expects to spend over the first three seasons of the XFL — assuming the league sticks around that long.

The first iteration of the XFL only went one season.

According to ESPN, McMahon told insiders that his investment in the XFL would likely be around $500 million over three seasons.

New XFL CEO and commissioner Oliver Luck explained that the $100 million that McMahon helped to relaunch the league wouldn’t be nearly enough to actually sustain the kind of financial commitment needed to fuel a new professional football endeavor.

“People were focused on the $100 million, but the truth is that doesn’t even get us to the 20-yard line,” Luck said in the interview.

The biggest chunk of the cost to run the league will go to the players’ salaries, which are expected to average around $75,000 per athlete on a 40-man roster. Some of the higher end players may end up with bigger contracts.

Add to that, McMahon and the XFL are also expected to pay out more than $10 million in the first season just for insurance premiums to cover the players’ injuries.

Luck added that finding an insurance carrier for the league was a top priority for McMahon after announcing that the XFL was coming back. That cost alone could continue to add cost with so few insurance companies willing to cover a sports league like the XFL.

By all accounts, McMahon is not only financially invested in the XFL but he seems committed to make the league work the second time around after the organization originally folded in 2001.

It won’t matter who WWE pushes on television from October 1st, 2019 to September 30th, 2024. WWE’s ratings can tank, their shows can receive poor reviews, and in the end, they will still hit record profits. This is all thanks to the new television contracts they signed with the USA Network and Fox.

In a press release from earlier this week, WWE revealed revenue generated from television contracts will more than double in the next 2 years.

As the deals won’t take effect until the fall of 2019, it will be a steady climb for the company. The value of their stock has jumped significantly recently with the news.

Expected WWE Television Revenue

The difference between this round of television contract negotiations and last is the boom in streaming services. Amazon, Facebook Live, and Netflix have entered the market in a big way, creating leverage for content producers like WWE. With more media outlets vying for live content, WWE was put in a far more advantageous position this time around.

As a result, WWE’s current television contract revenue is projected to increase drastically.

2017 – $217 million

2018:  $235 million

2019: $314 million (includes 3 months of new TV contracts)

2020: $435 million

2021: $462 million

2022: Past $470 million

Update On WWE Stock Price

A report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter is indicating the company should achieve double record-profits next year and beyond that for the following years.

On June 26th, WWE stock closed at $70.86 per share. The company is now estimated at $5.467 billion.

Some are now saying Vince McMahon may have waited to sell his stock had he known the stock price would go up as much as it did. This is likely not the case, however. McMahon was under pressure to announce his XFL deal before Charlie Ebersol announced his. Had Vince McMahon waited to invest in his own company, he would have been behind Ebersol’s league in terms of negotiating with venues, players, and cities.

With that being said, however, McMahon sold his stock at less than $30 a share. Had he waited until now to sell his stock, he would have gotten 133% more for it in return.

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon is in charge of several aspects of his sports entertainment company.

Thus, it’s likely that he can forget things from time to time. Former WWE creative team member Kevin Eck was recently a guest on The Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast and during that podcast, Eck talked about a variety of topics about his time in WWE.

He decided to reflect on one interesting story that he had witnessed involving McMahon, which was his memory lapses during creative meetings. At one point, he forgot what the finisher was of Universal Champion Brock Lesnar. Keep in mind that McMahon has taken the finisher before on WWE television.

“As Vince has gotten older I think he has become more forgetful with things and there were a lot of instances where he had to be reminded. He would just flat-out ask, ‘What did we do on RAW last week with this guy? What did we do?’ He would need to be caught up to speed. Granted, he was in his late 60s/early 70s at that point and responsible for a lot of programming and seen a lot of angles over the years and seen a lot of TV shows.

One of the funniest things I recall is Vince one time in a booking meeting…it was Brock Lesnar against somebody and Vince was trying to think of what the finish could be and he literally says this in a booking meeting. He said, ‘What’s Brock’s finish again?’ It wasn’t a joke.

There was kind of a pause and somebody spoke up and said, ‘The F-5.’ Then it suddenly dawned on Vince that he had taken that move not too long before that and hurt his hip and made a joke about it, ‘Oh that’s right, my hip didn’t like that movie very much.’ He could not remember the F-5.”

H/T to Wrestlezone for the transcribed quotes.

What are your thoughts on this story about McMahon’s memory lapses?

WWE’s Triple H recently did an interview with Inside The Ropes at the WWE’s UK Championship Tournament tapings. The Game was asked how aware Vince McMahon is of the WWE’s NXT and UK brands with them being under his control:

“He’s well aware of all of it. It’s a funny thing, some people think he’s not aware of things in his own company. [Laughs] He’s well aware of all of it. He’s all for all of it. There’s a lot of things going on. We grow as a brand every single day and that growing and that expanding, and all of it is an important part of WWE.

“It doesn’t take away from any of the things we were in the past, but our intent is not to stay what we were, our intent is to be what we can become. Our vision of WWE is massive compared to what it is right now.

“His vision of what WWE will become is massive and you have to remember this is a guy who envisioned it going from little smoke-filled bars to 100,000 people in a stadium and being seen all around the world with one global brand. That vision is amazing, so he has a vision for all of it, but he’s well aware of all of it, trust me.”

HHH was then asked about those who say that NXT and the UK brands are putting out a better product than what’s happening on the main roster with shows such as Monday Night RAW and SmackDown Live:

“Everybody has opinions. I’m sure you’ve heard that quote before. Yeah, everybody has opinions. Look, you just try to put out the best product you can put out. For me, it’s a different reach and a different vibe. If you’re a fan of a certain genre of music, you just like that music better.

“If you go to that concert, you like that concert better. It’s a big world, lot of fans. WWE has almost a billion followers on social media, number one channel for sports, number two channel overall on YouTube. We got a lot of people watching. Some of them like different things. It’s just funny people believe what they believe is the answer. It certainly doesn’t seem to be hurting business, there’s enough product to go around for everybody.”

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

Vince McMahon Reflects

The official Twitter account of WWE Chairman Vince McMahon paid tribute to the late Ultimate Warrior on what would’ve been his 59th birthday. He passed away shortly after being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame back in 2014.

The Warrior spirit will live forever. pic.twitter.com/dLrXMKXeyB

— Vince McMahon (@VinceMcMahon) June 16, 2018

Carmella Tweets

WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmella recently took to her official Twitter account to hype her upcoming title defense against Asuka at the upcoming WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view event on Sunday, June 17, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois at the Allstate Arena. She wrote the following:

“Tomorrow I will make history AGAIN when I defeat @WWEAsuka. I will be the first woman to beat BOTH Charlotte Flair AND Asuka. Man, I gotta say, being legendary is exhausting… but someone’s gotta do it. ????? #MITB #MellaIsMoney.”

Tomorrow I will make history AGAIN when I defeat @WWEAsuka. I will be the first woman to beat BOTH Charlotte Flair AND Asuka. Man, I gotta say, being legendary is exhausting… but someone’s gotta do it. ????? #MITB #MellaIsMoney ?? pic.twitter.com/jtnOOD2WR1

— Mella Is Money ? (@CarmellaWWE) June 16, 2018

What are your thoughts on Warrior’s legacy in the pro wrestling business? Sound off in the comment section.

WWE Hall Of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler recently did an interview on The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling to talk about several professional wrestling topics. One such topic was Vince McMahon and his first time working as a heel being in Memphis during the mid 90s. Here’s what he had to say:

“That was part of the deal of Vince sending us some talent to help us out and keep us a float while I was working up there as well. It first started with basically the deal of me and Bret was going really big in the WWE and I asked Vince if it was a possibility we could send Bret and Owen and some of the guys down here to help us out on Monday nights in Memphis so that is what we did.

“The one thing I can’t remember is I think that I had one of our Memphis Championship belts up there with me and I think it was Vince’s idea to make an interview and promo holding the belt talking about how he was sending the WWE talent down. I think it was his first opportunity to become a heel and to talk down to the fans because in the past all Vince had ever done was the commentary in WWE and talk about the product and talk good to the fans.

“But when he was defending the WWE against the Memphis territory, it was his first opportunity to be a heel and I think he fell in love with it. He volunteered to come down and he sat ringside during one of the matches and wound up tripping me and had Pat Patterson as his bodyguard and I honestly belive that was the genesis for the heel Mr. McMahon, who I think and still in my mind is the best heel (and I’m not saying this because I work for the guy or kiss up to him) but during the Attitude Era with Stone Cold Steve Austin and the stuff with The Rock, I think he is the best heel that has ever been in the WWE.”

You can listen to Lawler on The Two Man Power Trip Of Wrestling by clicking this link here.

WWE fans were completely baffled when the main event of WrestleMania 34, between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns for the Universal Title, didn’t go as they had been expecting for the past year.

The stage seemed to be set for Reigns to be the one to dethrone Brock Lesnar after both men had become the only people in history to defeat The Undertaker at WrestleMania. The Beast had been successfully defending his Universal Title all year, getting the pinfall victory after hitting one F5 every time.

Reigns, however, was able to kick out of several, but after Lesnar hit a sixth F5 he got the three count on Reigns and left New Orleans still the Universal Champion.

Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Live recently explained why the plans were changed at WrestleMania. It was said McMahon had a one-year plan that included Lesnar beating all his adversaries all year by hitting just one F5. At WrestleMania, Lesnar would hit an F5 on Reigns and The Big Dog would kick out before hitting a Spear on The Beast for the win. This remained the plan until the week before WrestleMania, when Vince changed his mind. Instead, Vince came up with the storyline that Lesnar retains his title and Reigns blames The Authority for keeping him back.

As of this writing, Brock Lesnar has been WWE Universal Champion for 423 days.

Discussion: How do you feel about the current Universal Title picture and the last-second change to the WrestleMania 34 main event?