16-time world champion John Cena recently appeared on Variety’s Playback podcast to discuss his new movie The Wall, taking time away from WWE and much more. You can listen to the full episode here:

Here’s what John Cena said about:

Deaths in Pro Wrestling:

“I think it all comes down to personal choice. You look at choices in the entertainment industry, there are great entertainers that we lose too soon all because it comes down to personal choice, so it’s not necessarily the life. There are a lot of guys that did all those dates on the road and they’re fine. And there are a lot of guys who lived like there was no tomorrow and guess what: when you do that there’s no tomorrow. Like, that stuff catches up with you plain and simple, so it’s again, not [relegated] to a profession.”

“What I admire about the WWE nowadays is that even though the way we are set up, as independent contractors, they take care of us as if we are family. They offer financial assistance, onsite healthcare if you get injured. We get injury pay now. They offer secondary education. They offer a second language program. The depth that they go to make sure we are protected is… they don’t need to do that and they do it anyway. It’s a great testament to how much they care about their current talent and talent of life after the [pro wrestling] business.”

The Vince McMahon Movie Script & The Possibly Of Playing Vince: 

“That script is amazing! That is something that I read in one sitting and, like, man, I need to be a part of this movie.” Cena admitted, “man, I don’t want to get myself in hot water with him, but I’d love to. I’d love to. I just love the story. The words jump off the page. I certainly know and admire the man. He’s literally one of my heroes. He has been a friend, a father, a mentor. Whoever does that, they have a wonderfully crafted challenge in front of them because he is one-of-a-kind.”

“I think [Tom Hardy] would be a fantastic choice. I don’t know if he has final say. I think the people making the movie do, but that’s a fantastic choice. Vince is just so unique, man. I can’t wait to see the movie. They already have my ticket money.”

This Sunday, SmackDown star Jinder Mahal headlines his first WWE pay-per-view when he challenges Randy Orton for the WWE Championship at Backlash. Ahead of his championship opportunity, the former 3MB member was a guest on Chris Jericho’s popular Talk Is Jericho podcast to discuss his ascension from obscurity to main events. Mahal also spoke at length about his evolving relationship with Vince McMahon, which you can read about below.

Vince McMahon changing his original post-Six Pack Challenge win promo:

“He had rewritten my promo,” Jinder said. “The original promo was something totally different, so when I finished calling the match, one of the writers was like, ‘hey, Vince changed your promo.’ I was like, ‘okay, bring it to me. Please bring it to me.’ So they [broughgt] it to me and I had read the American comment and I was like, ‘ah, I like the old promo better.’ Like, it was like something like, ‘I tried being peaceful, but nobody was listening. But now I have all you guys’, everyone’s, attention. I beat five of SmackDown’s very best and I did it all alone.’

Something like that. It was just like a regular heel promo, but the new one was like, ‘you Americans this and that.’ And I was like, ‘argh, man, I don’t think we should go [there]. Like, but I’m like, ‘but whatever. Vince wrote it. It’s okay.’ But I did it and the reaction I got, I was like, ‘oh man, Vince is a genius!’ He knows exactly what’s going to draw the most heat.”

Originally shying away from Vince McMahon but now having a great relationship with him:

“I’ve become closer with Vince. It was weird, during my first run, and even when I was on 3MB, I would kind of like avoid Vince. Not avoid him, but he’s intimidating. Now, I have like a good relationship with him.”

“It’s weird. He’s like an evil genius. Is there anyone who has watched more [pro] wrestling than Vince McMahon?” Mahal added, “Vince knows what he’s doing.”

H/T Wrestlign Inc. for the transcribed quotes

WWE Superstar and current No. 1-contender for the WWE Championship Jinder Mahal was recently a guest on fellow WWE Superstar Chris Jericho’s podcast, Talk Is Jericho.

Mahal discussed his recent push to the main event scene in the WWE and revealed that prior to his Six Pack Challenge on SmackDown Live; in which he defeated Mojo Rawley, Sami Zayn, Luke Harper, Erick Rowan and Dolph Ziggler to earn the right to challenge Randy Orton for the WWE Title, Vince McMahon made a big change to his character:

“So when I finished calling the match, one of the writers was like ‘hey Vince changed your promo’ and I was like ‘okay, bring it to me’ so they brought it to me and I had read the America comment and all that and I was like ‘ugh I like the old promo better.’ Like it was something like, ‘I tried being peaceful but nobody was listening but now I have all you guys’ attention, I just beat five of SmackDown’s very best and I did it all alone.’ Something like that, it was just a regular heel promo but the new one was like: ‘You Americans, this and that’ — I was like ugh I don’t like it, but Vince wrote it, it’s okay. But I did it and the reaction that I got I was like ‘ah man, Vince is a genius.’ He knows exactly what draws the most heat”

He also shared the interaction he had with Vince following his promo, and praised “The Chairman Of The Board” for his genius wrestling mind:

“It’s weird, he knows what’s going to draw the most heat. I didn’t see it at first but as soon as I heard the reaction — actually when I came back to I sat with Vince and he was like, because we went over time already and he was like, ‘forget about the time, let them boo even more before you start talking’ so I was like, okay.”

 H/T to GiveMeSport for the transcribed quotes

As mentioned, there is a possibility that TriStar could be making a movie based on WWE’s Vince McMahon’s life. WWE Studios President Michael Liusi is involved in the project as one of the film’s producers, however, it should be noted that items in the script are not historically correct and have been changed.

During a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, WWE Superstar John Cena noted that he’d love the opportunity to play McMahon in the film:

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon has an incredible life story. McMahon rose to fame by changing the wrestling industry and becoming a billionaire in the process, now a film about his life is officially in the works. Sony’s TriStar is reportedly in talks to pick up the screenplay, and the film will be called Pandemonium.

Ex-WWE writers Alex Greenfield and Court Bauer recently got a hold of the screenplay for Vince’s upcoming biopic, and shared some exclusive details on what’s in store on their MLWRadio podcast. They note that the film starts in 1969 and focuses on McMahon’s career until the end of the federal trial in New York in the 90’s.

We highly recommend you head over to MLWRadio.com and sign up for their VIP service to hear this VIP podcast. If you’re familiar with MLW Radio, Bruce Prichard’s Something to Wrestle or the Jim Cornette Experience, you know MLW delivers some of the best podcasts around. Going VIP gets you access to a ton more additional podcasts / hotlines.

Here’s a recap of some of the material covered in the MLW podcast:

The First Scene

The movie reportedly opens up with Vince in his 20’s, with his car breaking down while he’s on the way to work for his father. For those who read Vince’s now-rare 1999 Playboy interview, you may remember his stories of growing up without indoor plumbing in North Carolina, almost being beaten to death by his step-father, being exposed to sex very early in life, and later working crushing rocks for 90 hours a week. This film reportedly won’t cover those younger years. The script does reportedly touch on Vince working selling plastic/paper cups, which was a job he despised, prior to entering the wrestling business.

Who’s In It

A key part of the script is Vince getting his first job in wrestling from his father, Vince Sr., who is featured several times. Wrestlers who appear in the script include The Rock, Hulk Hogan, Andre The Giant, The Iron Sheik, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Randy Savage, Gorilla Monsoon, Verne Gange, King Kong Bundy, and more. There are reportedly scenes featuring NWA meetings, Ted Turner, the Crocketts, and several other names from the old wrestling territory days.

Style & Accuracy

There appears to be some “movie magic” at work in the script as far as accuracy goes. Some historical facts have been changed for the script, such as his wife Linda’s history. For example, the movie has Linda working in a bar, but in real-life she worked as a paralegal at the time. The film reportedly portrays Linda as having a similar creative role and approach as Vince, when in actuality she mostly worked in the offices in an executive role. Linda’s personality is also portrayed in a way that Greenfield & Bauer feel the McMahons likely won’t sign off on.

The script reportedly admits that it strays from the truth, at one point breaking the fourth wall to admit that it’s as real as pro wrestling. Greenfield and Baurer said the script leans more towards Ready To Rumble than The Wrestler in terms of tone, but not “as silly” as Ready To Rumble. They also compare the script to “a poor man’s version of The People vs. Larry Flynt.”

The film follows McMahon trying to recruit his cast of characters for his promotion, especially Hulk Hogan. Hogan is portrayed as a guy who wasn’t properly trained prior to the WWF, with some of the WWF stars breaking him in correctly. There is a Hogan sex-scene where he isseen holding a video camera. The script also has Vince instructing Hogan to start taking performance enhancing drugs.

Vince’s character is portrayed as being resentful of his father, when in actuality he held Vince Sr. in high regard. Vince Sr. also lives later in the movie timeline than he did in real life.

Greenfield and Bauer also noted there’s a scene of Gorilla Monson watching VHS tapes of his old matches from before there was tape of them. Gorilla is portrayed as an antagonist of Vince in act 2, which was not the case in real life. Jim Crockett is also portrayed as an antagonist late into the film, when in actuality he had been bought out by that time and was a consultant.

Greenfield and Bauer both felt that Vince’s life story would be better told in a Boardwalk Empire or Sopranos-like series.

The Second Act & The Monday Night Wars

The second act of the movie is about the WWF’s rise to success. This part of the script shows montages of steroid use and big name stars. There are also scenes of Vince doing recreational drugs, and working on the No Holds Barred movie for Hogan. This is also around the time when a relationship between Vince and Ted Turner is loosely established, and Ted is also seen working with the Crocketts. The Monday Night Wars are covered “very quickly” in the film, with Vince’s triumph over his top competitor being treated as an afterthought. Greenfield and Bauer feel that some of Vince’s dialogue and behavior in the second act started becoming too unrealistic. This is also where WWE lawyer Jerry McDevitt is introduced as a character.

The Final Act & The Steroid Trial

The third act of the script focuses on McMahon’s federal trial for steroid charges, the No Holds Barred movie, and WCW raiding WWF talent. Vince’s neck brace at the trial wasn’t mentioned in the script. Greenfield and Bauer noted that there was a lot of information to be crammed into the trial scenes, and that the trial and the Attitude Era seemed rushed. Vince’s business suffered a downturn in the early and mid 90s, which also wasn’t covered. The third act reportedly features a lengthy montage, and Vince McMahon interacting with Stacy Keibler to close out the film.

Script & Production

This is very likely not the last draft of the script, and there are several things the McMahons may not sign off on. There’s a possible Hollywood writers strike on the horizon next week, and studios are reportedly putting together material already ready-to-shoot in the event of a strike. If the script is finalized quickly, shooting could begin this summer, and the film could be released before Fall 2018.

Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, who direct and produce NBC’s This Is Us, are in talks to direct the project. Craig A. Williams wrote the script, and Andrew Lazar, who produced American Sniper, is producing. Also producing are Michael Luisi of WWE Studios, and Aperture Entertainment’s Adam Goldworm. Charlie Gogolak of Zaftig Films will executive produce.

• Which actors would you like to see cast in this film? Who should play Vince? Who should play Linda? Discuss in the comments!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdTnZOuH4Nw

Tristar Pictures is set to produce a biopic on the life of Vincent Kennedy McMahon. The working title of the film is “Pandemonium”. Directors/Producers Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (This is Us, Crazy Stupid Love) have signed on with the project already.

The script was written by Craig A. Williams, who also wrote 2007’s Underdog. It is said that multiple companies were interested in producing the film, but Tristar was the most aggressive.

https://twitter.com/IanisaGoodDude/status/856952502733942784

Vince McMahon This Is Your Life

The 71-year old McMahon’s life has played out in front of audiences for the last 30 years, so it’s doubtful the film would produce much content wrestling fans are not already aware of. What will be interesting is to see what areas of McMahon’s life the film chooses to focus on.

Controversial parts of Vince McMahon’s story might have to be cut from the film for time. Owen Hart’s death, Chris Benoit, Snuka’s role in Nancy Argentino’s death, are not all guaranteed to be in the film. In fact, it’s possible none of the above stories are covered.

Former WWE ring announcer Justin Roberts participated in a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) on Tuesday, where he answered a wide range of questions on his 12-year run in the company spanning from 2002 to 2014.

Highlights from the AMA are as follows:

Do you think the culture of “ribbing” in WWE is somehow related to the backstage bullying you’ve mentioned before? Possibly, some wrestlers cannot see where a rib becomes too serious, and is actually bullying?

It’s the mentality there.

The higher-ups don’t see it as bullying, they laugh it off and encourage it because they just find it funny. Obviously the locker room has changed, but Vince, Kevin, and Hunter like to entertain themselves and it still happens.

What was the absolute worst thing you’ve witnessed JBL do?

He terrorized guys.

It’s funny because people are bringing this up now because of the stuff going on now and the book release, but this was like 2003-2004; it was a long time ago.

He terrorized me, and a lot of guys. He’d make life hell for a lot of guys. He chewed Miz and Morrison out after they won the titles for not celebrating enough.

He was eventually let go back then, and when he came back he was a lot better, but he was mostly only showing up for TV. Even now, it comes across on commentary with how he is with Byron.

Did he have a group of people helping him terrorize people or did he work alone?

He had a group.

He was like the leader, and he pretty much had a cabinet, just like on TV. They followed him and did what he asked. It was him vs. ‘the new guys’

He had taken my passport out of my bag, and the next tour I guarded it with my life. On the flight back, Orlando Jordan told me he would watch my back and I should go to the gift shop. I didn’t take his advice.

I also remember being told I had to bring beer to the guys on the plane, but I got out of that, luckily.

Which guy other than JBL is just an asshole backstage? I know you probably don’t want to bad mouth people but was wondering.

Back then, Bob Holly, Kid Kash, and Orlando Jordan was like JBL’s stooge.

Have there been any incidents of someone standing up to a known bully and putting them in their place infront of the locker room?

Joey Styles did that to JBL on a plane with only a handful of guys, but enough for it to get around. Vince had talked to HHH about it, and HHH told the locker room about it.

How much did you know about the Nexus debut? Did you know Bryan would try and choke you with your tie? Any ill feelings etc?

I knew the general idea. I’d found out about a half hour before the show started. The tie wasn’t planned out, Daniel Bryan is really great at what he does. When he saw me laying their with the tie on, he’s just a smart guy and took it upon himself to choke me. People comment on the selling, but it was real. He wasn’t trying to kill me by any means, but he made it look good.

When we got to the back, everyone, Vince included, praised it. I am glad things worked out for Bryan; the crowd use to chant his name at me like I got him fired and I’d tell people at ringside that I liked him and it sucked he was gone.

If Vince praised it, how did he get fired?

Vince was very happy with it, but from what I understand, it had something to do with a sponsor – something corporate. They were unhappy and WWE had to do what they had to do to get paid and that was their out, no one but Bryan had to take the heat. Fortunately, they made it up to him when they brought him back. Vince had actually called him and explained everything to him.

Craziest Vince story?

He was watching Sin Cara vs. Sin Cara at HIAC, I had asked a writer to find out about a change on the show. The writer happened to ask as Vince was watching that, and he was in a bad mood. I was motioned towards Mark and I got on the headsets, and he immediately began chewing me out. I thought I was getting fired that night.

When you’re getting chewed out on the headset like that, everyone can hear… the guys in the trucks could hear.

Chewed out about what, exactly? Don’t quite understand this.

“God dammit, don’t you know how to do your job? What are you asking?!” Basically yelling at me because I asked how the setup was supposed to go…

Does he say “God damn it” alot?

Yes!

Any Undertaker stories?

There’s a magic that comes with that character, and I had to learn the hard way on how to react to help that character achieve the mystique. I learned my lesson on selling the wrong way.

In Wales, at catering, Taker was across from me and simply had a bowl of two scoops of banakee pie. For whatever reason, I started commentating the eating of his pie in JR’s voice.

I got the Undertaker to laugh at a show, so that was cool.

How would you describe Kevin Dunn? Any interesting stories about him?

Kevin Dunn sits on headsets during the show and just berates everyone. He’s kind of on a throne there. Just talks down to everyone, very negative, very high strung. Just heartless, and not a man of his word. I’m thankful that he hired me, but he’s not a good person in a company full of great people.

Was wondering what was your opinion of Chris Benoit before the tragedy? Was he as batshit crazy as other people have said?

Yes, he was crazy. I talk about that in the book. He had different personalities. He had a personality with a big heart, but on the nights where he was drinking and maybe taking pills, there was a different side and that side was crazy.

Opinion on Lillian Garcia? … and how she was able to stick around after messing up so much?

We always got along. We were very different. There was a period of time where she was making a lot of mistakes, but she was there longer than me, so, I don’t know I guess…

I guess the company were ok with mistakes. If I made a mistake, I wouldn’t get yelled at. It’s not like a normal show where you have time to memorize a script; a lot of times you’d get your verbiage on the spot.

They were patient with mistakes, both mine and hers.

The night you got released from wwe, there was rumor that you flipped off Michael Cole at ringside. Is that true if so, is that why you had been released?

Absolutely not true at all.

There was never any interaction between he and I that night. There were times on other nights I’d talk to him, but we didn’t really interact because he’s on the headsets.

But, the funny part is, he was the one who released me. And when he did, there was no anger whatsoever. No bad feelings whatsoever between us, at all.

You think there is a chance of you going back to the WWE?

No.

I am happy with everything that I did.

I had an awesome run.

I wasn’t treated well when I was there and I wouldn’t want to go through that again. I was treated awesome by co-workers, but I wouldn’t want to go through that experience with upper-management again.

You can read the AMA in its entirety here.

Roberts recounts his WWE career in his newly released autobiography, Best Seat in the House: Your Backstage Pass through My WWE Journey. Visit JustinRobertsBook.com for more information.

• What is John Cena’s net worth?

Vince McMahon appeared on Monday’s post-WrestleMania RAW from Orlando and made two big announcements. Vince said it’s time to “shake things up” with the RAW and SmackDown rosters. He did not specifically mention a draft, but expect to see some high-profile trades starting next week.

NEXT WEEK: The landscape of @WWE will CHANGE as a SUPERSTAR SHAKE-UP begins on #RAW! #RAWAfterMania pic.twitter.com/Anm43PwoCw

— WWE (@WWE) April 4, 2017

With Mick Foley being relieved of his duties as RAW General Manager, Vince also announced that the new RAW GM will be somebody who was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this past weekend. Teddy Long came out, but Vince informed Teddy that he’s not the new GM. The new General Manager of RAW is none other than Kurt Angle.

Former WWE announcer Justin Roberts recently did an interview with Memorabiliaguy.com to promote his new book, Best Seat in the House: Your Backstage Pass through My WWE Journey. The book is getting rave reviews, with Roberts detailing his journey living out a childhood dream and the good & bad aspects he experienced throughout his 12 year run with the company. Here are some highlights of what he said about:

The claim in his book that Vince McMahon does not care what fans think:

“When you do a live wrestling show you have a live audience telling you what they like and what they hate. Instead of appeasing the fans and writing the show the fans like, and believe me they have some of the greatest minds and talent in wrestling, they could put on a Wrestlemania every week. Like the attitude era. You watch it now and its really flat for three hours and once in while the crowd kind of like some of it. It’s not the talents fault. As an example, say the crowd really like Cesaro but the company wants you to like Sheamus so they are going to give you Sheamus until you like him in the same way you like Cesaro. Look at Roman Reigns, the company wants you to accept him, but if you like someone else, no you have to like who the company wants you to like. The fans aren’t getting a show that is catered for them, it’s catered to running with the guys who they want to push.”

Why the fans aren’t getting a show that is catered for them:

“The higher-ups at that company are the sort of people who say, “You’re not going to tell us what to do. This is our company and we will run it how we want” – that’s it. Wrestling fans are so loyal they will find one or two things every week that they like about a show, even if they hated everything else. Its unfortunate and I want WWE to thrive. I just want the fans to have great shows and the shows I had growing up. I loved wrestling as a kid because it was great, and I want it to be the same way for current fans. I want the business to keep going strong.”

• Buy Now From Amazon: Best Seat in the House by Justin Roberts

WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon was involved in a car accident this morning near WWE headquarters in Stamford, CT. 

At this point it’s unknown what caused the accident, but luckily nobody was hurt and Vince was seen walking around afterwards. According to on-site reports, his black Bentley coupe was badly damaged.

The following images of the incident have been circulating on social media:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJqQwYo31AU

Triple H is well-rewarded for his duties in WWE according to the company’s recent proxy filing with the SEC. WWE released their Proxy statement this month, which revealed the base pays for several WWE executives.

Triple H earned $3.993 million in 2016, up from his $3.112 million in earnings the year prior. The Game’s earnings break down to $601,933 in base salary, $499,992 in stock awards, $419,531 in non-equity incentives and $2,471,961 for “all other compensation,” which would include his pay as a performer.

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon earned a $3.071 million salary in 2016, down from $3.3 million in 2015. WWE Executive Producer Kevin Dunn earned $4.637 million last year, down from $4.758 million in 2015. Shane McMahon earned $2.15 million last year for “performance fees” and royalties, and Stephanie earned $2 million.

Elsewhere on the proxy statement WWE lists Chief Revenue & Marketing Office Michelle D. Wilson as earning $4.317 million, and Chief Strategy & Financial Officer George A. Barrios as earning $4.3 million.

According to Forbes, these numbers don’t include dividends and bonuses.

Adult film company Brazzers is filming a parody of WWE’s Montreal Screwjob this week titled “The F**kjob.” Porn stars Johnny Castle (as Vince McMahon), Mia Malkova (as Shawn Michaels) and Romi Rain (as Bret Hart) are starring in the film.

Filming just began this week and no official release date has been announced.

You can see behind-the-scenes / promo photos below:

https://twitter.com/thegirthbrooksx/status/833851155025260544

https://twitter.com/Romi_Rain/status/833796681757921281

https://twitter.com/VicLagina/status/833798200179896320

https://twitter.com/MiaMalkova/status/833841059947909120

The Rock and Vince McMahon appeared before tonight’s RAW in Los Angeles before the USA Network broadcast began.

Rock came out to a big pop and told the crowd that they would be filming footage for the “Fighting With My Family” movie based on Paige’s family from WWE Studios and Rock’s Seven Bucks Productions. He confirmed that they will be filming a scene based on Paige defeating AJ Lee for the Divas Championship.

Rock also took a shot at John Cena, first announcing that Cena was in the movie but then saying he was just kidding because they want it to be a good movie. Rock joked that he would be hearing from Cena via text message for the joke.

Rock went to wrap up his segment before Vince McMahon joined him for a quick appearance as they were getting close to the 8PM RAW start time.

Below are fan photos & clips from the segment:

.@NextGenGirl got a nice pic of our view of @TheRock (and the WWE control station for #RAW inside Staples Center!) pic.twitter.com/oTIpC75IDK

— Eric Goldman (@TheEricGoldman) February 21, 2017

https://twitter.com/Nick_Schwartz/status/833843564547235840

https://twitter.com/_RyRyan/status/833843539825946625

.@TheRock is here!!! pic.twitter.com/GMhoREyTCI

— Eric Goldman (@TheEricGoldman) February 21, 2017

Funny moment: Rock got walked off stage by Vince McMahon. #raw pic.twitter.com/pjcXOt9G6t

— Marcus Vanderberg (@marcowill) February 21, 2017

During Thursday’s fourth-quarter earnings call, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon discussed his company’s brand extension, which saw WWE’s roster split between RAW and SmackDown in July. McMahon believes the brand extension has been a big success, and he teased more talent jumping from one brand to the other.

“It’s working extremely well, it’s working exactly like we thought it would,” McMahon said. “There is some crossover, which is what we wanted. But at the same time, we’re introducing new viewers.

“You have fresh talent coming from one brand to the next,” he continued. “So in essence, if you haven’t seen a Roman Reigns on SmackDown, then when he does – if and when he does – then that’s really a big thing. It freshens up talent, and it gives us a much longer range in terms of the use of those talents and the IP that goes with them.”

On the topic of creating new stars, McMahon says the company runs more live events under the brand extension and that gives them more time to groom talent.

“If you have only one show, or two shows with the same talent, it’s difficult to create new stars because the tendency is to keep the larger talent on top all the time,” McMahon said. “So it allows other stars to climb the ladder of success.”

• WWE Reports Strong 4th Quarter 2016 Results, Vince McMahon Statement

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_WVM8FUXiM

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon took part in a conference call this morning to discuss the company’s fourth quarter earnings results. McMahon commented on WWE’s momentum leading into April 2nd’s WrestleMania pay-per-view and compared this year’s WrestleMania push to last year’s.

A caller told Vince he feels this year’s WrestleMania has more interest than last year’s, and pointed to the majority of WWE’s roster being healthy and Goldberg being back. McMahon seemed to disagree with his point about Goldberg, and told the caller he doesn’t believe there’s one talent that makes the “big wheel keep on turning.” Vince agreed that there is “more momentum” this year, but feels it’s a result of the execution of WWE’s storylines and shifts in momentum between pay-per-views.

McMahon also agreed with the caller’s first point, and partly credited the momentum with the company having less injuries on their roster now than during last year’s WrestleMania season.

• Discussion: Do you have more interest in this year’s WrestleMania than last year’s? Comment with your thoughts below!

WWE® Reports Strong Fourth-Quarter 2016 Results Achieving Record Revenue for the Full Year

Fourth-Quarter 2016 Highlights

– Revenue increased 17% to $194.9 million as compared to the prior year quarter
– Operating income of $13.9 million and Adjusted OIBDA1 of $20.5 million were in line with guidance
– WWE Network subscribers increased 14% from the fourth quarter 2015 to 1.41 million average paid subscribers over the fourth quarter 2016, consistent with the Company’s guidance
– The Company premiered new original content across platforms, including Total Bellas® (E! network), The Bella Twins® (YouTube channel), 205 Live™ and WWE Story Time™ (WWE Network)
– Announced new UK Championship Tournament to showcase local talent, which successfully engaged both attendees and network viewers in January 2017
– Announced SNICKERS® will once again serve as the exclusive presenting partner of WrestleMania® (April 2, 2017), which will be held at the Orlando Citrus Bowl and broadcast live globally on WWE Network
– WWE issued $215 million of convertible note financing to support the execution of the Company’s long-term growth strategy and for general corporate purposes2

Full Year 2016 Highlights

– Revenue increased 11% to $729.2 million, the highest in the Company’s history, including record levels of revenue from its Network, Television, Live Event, Venue Merchandise, and WWE Shop segments
– Total international revenue increased by 11% to a record $189.3 million
– Operating income increased 44% to $55.7 million and Adjusted OIBDA3 increased 17% to $80.1 million, with both measures within the relevant range of Company guidance
– WWE Network subscribers watched a total of 294 million hours of content (up 15% from 256 million in 2015), yielding an average of 194 hours per household that places it among top cable and broadcast networks
– Digital engagement continued to grow with video views up 56% to more than 15.1 billion and social media engagements up 45% to 1.1 billion from the prior year4

STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– WWE (NYSE:WWE) today announced financial results for its fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2016. For the quarter, the Company reported Net income of $8.0 million, or $0.10 per share, as compared to a Net loss of $1.2 million, or a $0.02 loss per share, in the prior year quarter. Operating income increased to $13.9 million from an Operating loss of $1.5 million. Excluding items affecting comparability, Adjusted OIBDA increased to $20.5 million from $11.1 million.

“During the past year, we continued to successfully execute our content strategy, which resulted in significant operational achievements and generated record revenue. We grew WWE Network to an average of more than 1.5 million subscribers, attracted record attendance of 101,763 fans at WrestleMania, and strengthened the global reach of our television programs, completing distribution deals in China, Australia, Germany and Spain, among other countries,” said WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon. “The increased engagement with our brands across multiple platforms provides a foundation for achieving our 2017 and long-term financial objectives.”

Q1 2017 Business Outlook

For the first quarter 2017, the Company projects Operating income of $16 million to $20 million and Adjusted OIBDA3 of approximately $23 million to $27 million. Additionally, the Company projects average paid subscribers to WWE Network of 1.48 million (+/- 2%).5 The first quarter 2017 subscriber forecast represents an approximate 15% year-over-year increase from the first quarter 2016, and a sequential quarter increase of 5% from the fourth quarter 2016. The Company’s first quarter 2017 subscriber guidance is based on WWE Network’s subscriber performance in January. As of January 31, 2017, WWE Network had 1.5 million ending paid subscribers including 1.1 million ending paid U.S. subscribers and 0.4 million ending paid international subscribers, which represent growth of 15% and 27% respectively, from January 31, 2016.

2017 Outlook

In 2017, WWE management expects the Company to achieve another year of record revenue and has targeted Operating income of $70 million and Adjusted OIBDA of $100 million, which would be an all-time record (up approximately 25% from 2016 Adjusted OIBDA of $80.1 million).5

Supporting the continued growth in the Company’s revenue and profits, management anticipates contractual increases in television rights fees from key distribution agreements and expects the level of WWE Network subscribers will continue to increase, albeit at a lower rate, on a year-over-year basis. As management believes there is a significant long-term growth opportunity for WWE, the Company plans to continue to invest in key areas, as reflected in operating expenses and capital expenditures, to optimize WWE’s long-term performance while driving strong bottom line performance.

Providing perspective on the growth of WWE Network and the Company’s targeted profit expansion, Mr. Barrios reiterated previous comments, “Given the current scale and leverage of WWE Network, increases in its subscribers have the potential to drive meaningful growth in revenue and profit.” Mr. Barrios added, “Based on anticipated subscriber growth, we believe we can achieve our targeted record financial results. In 2017, we will continue to evaluate our financial performance and to balance earnings growth with investments that could enable us to deliver a wider range of content, strengthen our engagement with a broadening audience, and support our continuing digital and direct-to-consumer transformation.”

Comparability of Results

For the fourth quarter 2016, there were no material items that impacted the comparability of results on a year-over-year basis. For the fourth quarter 2015, Corporate and Other expense included a $7.1 million non-cash abandonment charge to write-off the value of costs related to a media center expansion project. These costs were incurred several years ago but the expansion was delayed and the Company determined that these plans would no longer be viable and deemed them abandoned.

The full release can be read on WWE’s Corporate website at this link.

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon underwent a second surgical procedure over the past several months, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Back in September, we covered the news of Vince McMahon undergoing surgery to repair a torn quad. He was injured while weight training.

At the recent WrestleMania 34 press conference from New Orleans, Vince was spotted on crutches. The Observer reports that Vince was using the crutches because he recently underwent hip surgery, similar to the operation The Undertaker had last year.

Excited to announce and welcome Wrestlemania 34 back to New Orleans in 2018!#WrestlemaniaNOLA #onlylouisiana pic.twitter.com/QItSvPbTQs

— Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser (@BillyNungesser) January 10, 2017

WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon recently spoke with NOLA.com as part of the promotional hype for WrestleMania returning to New Orleans in 2018. When asked if he sees himself ever slowing down, Vince vehemently shot down the notion.

“No. No, never. This is not work for me. I never go to work. Ever. Every aspect of the business, whether it’s working with the talent or the writing staff, even on occasion working with the legal guys, it’s all a big family. I never go to work.”

At 71 years old, working as hard as he does, surely Vince must get tired and enjoy recharging himself overnight, right?

“I never sleep,” he said. “I don’t know that it’s an age thing. I just do it because I do it. It’s just something you love and have the passion for. You can’t get enough of that. How can you get enough of what’s really, really good? You can have steak every night and get accustomed to that, but that’s not what this is. This is not work.”

“Mr. McMahon” is one of the most successful heels in WWE history. Fans bow down to Vince as a sign of respect and it’s always a big event when he appears on WWE television. That said, does Vince miss being on camera?

“God, no. That was a chore. I enjoyed it, but it just ate up so much time personally, and I couldn’t produce and direct, which is what I love to do. I love to help create new stars and tweak this and help them grow here. I can’t do that as a talent because you have to have your head wrapped around that. I’ve done both in the past, but it’s not what I prefer to do. It takes an extraordinary amount of energy to be able to do that. Trying to both is difficult. It really is.”

Check out the full interview with the WWE Chairman on NOLA.com at this link.

Vince McMahon is still using crutches to get around after undergoing quad surgery back in September.

WWE’s Chairman and CEO was on hand for Tuesday’s WrestleMania 34 press conference from New Orleans and can be seen below.

WrestleMania 34 takes place from NOLA’s Superdome on Sunday, April 8th, 2018.

Excited to announce and welcome Wrestlemania 34 back to New Orleans in 2018!#WrestlemaniaNOLA #onlylouisiana pic.twitter.com/QItSvPbTQs

— Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser (@BillyNungesser) January 10, 2017

After announcing her departure from WWE in August to care for her ailing father, Lilian Garcia made a surprise appearance earlier this month at the company’s annual Tribute to the Troops event — held on Dec. 13 at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. The former ring announcer of Raw sang “The Star-Spangled Banner,” which may have left fans wondering if she could still return to the road on a full-time basis.

While Garcia has repeatedly said that she is no longer with WWE, the company never issued a formal announcement confirming her departure. WWE, however, quietly moved her profile on WWE.com to the Alumni section last week, which would indicate that she’s officially gone from the company. Up until then, she was listed as an active member of the WWE roster.

Garcia discussed her appearance at Tribute to the Troops last Monday on her podcast, Making Their Way To The Ring, where she again said that she needs to spend time with her father. She revealed that she lost part of her voice due to the stress she’s currently going through because of her father’s illness, which led to difficulty in getting through “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Garcia also talked about WWE welcoming her with open arms backstage at the show.

“It’s like a forever family, that I feel there. And then to see Triple H and Vince McMahon when I walked in and saw them … I mean, they both gave me this huge hug,” Garcia said.

“When I got done singing and I went back to Vince and thanked him for everything, he was just like, “‘Damn girl! I don’t know if that was the best you’ve ever sung it, or we just miss you around here!'”

• Seth Rollins Gets Bashed By Fans For Posting Vacation Photos With His Girlfriend

With the successful launch of WWE’s new 205 Live series, it’s worth noting that Vince McMahon and Kevin Dunn have been directly running the show. There has been speculation on Triple H running things since he was a driving force behind the Cruiserweight Classic, but that’s not the case. Shortly after the brand split, the ‘different feeling’ of SmackDown Live had a lot of fans wondering who was in charge there, then similar reports came out that Vince was in fact still running both RAW and SmackDown.

Vince has been very hands-on with 205 Live and the cruiserweight talent in an effort to get them to execute his vision for the show, according to PWInsider.com. Triple H likely has some input, but it’s almost entirely a Vince & Dunn production.

WWE recently released lead managing writer Tom Casiello, who oversaw the RAW and SmackDown writing teams and was a proponent of the Women’s Division overhaul. Casiello took to his Twitter account on Saturday night to address the circumstances of his release, saying that while he was sad to leave the company there was no drama surrounding his release. According to Casiello, the company eliminated the position that he was filling.

“I think the McMahons, despite all their eccentricities and quirks, are AWESOME,” he wrote. “I loved working with them.”

As far as the Women’s Divison goes, Casiello says that while he worked closely with them it was a team effort to revitalize the division. He also credited Vince McMahon for pushing the division, adding that if Vince only does things he wants to.

Casiello noted that he’s lost 12 jobs in his 20 year writing career, and that the release from WWE was business as usual for a writer.

I'm sure there will now be lots of stupidity floating around. So here's my only statement on this, and you can print it, and then I'm…

— Tom Casiello (@tommiecas) December 10, 2016

…not entertaining this anymore. I think the McMahons, despite all their eccentricities and quirks, are AWESOME. I loved working with them.

— Tom Casiello (@tommiecas) December 10, 2016

TMZ Sports has posted an interesting new video with Paige and Alberto Del Rio talking President-elect Donald Trump and the McMahons, Vince and Linda.

When asked about Trump naming Linda as his administrator of the Small Business Administration, Del Rio gives his opinion of Trump by flipping the bird. Paige says the announcement was incredible. Del Rio jokes around with Paige about being in the “WWE family” and she replies with, “I love you Vince!”

Del Rio also says he believes Trump and Linda will not do a good job but says everything is possible because Trump actually won the presidency. Del Rio also believes Linda becoming president one day is possible but they both agree that Vince could run in 2020. Del Rio says, “I think he’d do a good job because at least he’s smart.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cgnc4EHfRyc

– Above is a teaser for next Wednesday’s Total Divas episode with Lana and Rusev’s mother clashing over wedding plans.

Next Wednesday’s episode will also feature Renee Young having a meltdown and more. Below is the official synopsis for the episode, titled Mother of the Groom:

“Mother of the Groom: Maryse and Mike panic when they find their home invaded; cultural differences cause a family feud; arguments over whether the wedding should be in Malibu or Bulgaria; Renee has a meltdown; Dean Ambrose in Vegas for the first time.”

– Bubba Ray Dudley took to Twitter this week and offered his thoughts on President-elect Donald Trump appointing Linda McMahon as the head of the Small Business Administration and as you can imagine, Bully’s comments didn’t go over well with many fans:

If liberals were pissed and crying about @realDonaldTrump winning, wait till they see @VinceMcMahon struttin through the White House. ???

— Bully Ray (@bullyray5150) December 8, 2016

Following up on the story that WWE was moving forward with efforts to add content from various top independent promotions to the WWE Network, Vince McMahon has reportedly changed his mind and is no longer bullish on the idea.

After strong start by competing streaming service FloSlam and an insatiable need to build the WWE Network subscriber count, live events from hot indies seems like a viable option. The Wrestling Observer reports that some behind-the-scenes talks are ongoing with the hope that Vince could change his mind again at some point.

WWE recently ran Fan Council surveys mentioning various independent groups and the results indicated  strong interest. However, there was also a feeling that the interest wasn’t strong enough to warrant the additional costs. As noted earlier this week, WWE is considering taking NXT television live each week, but the same cost/benefit considerations will be employed before any decisions are made.