Posts Tagged ‘Vince McMahon’
As of this week, the business “blow-up” between Vince McMahon and Brock Lesnar has yet to be resolved, although McMahon is said to be confident that Lesnar will work WrestleMania 31 as scheduled.
As reported over the weekend, WWE writers reportedly asked McMahon if they should write a back-up script for WrestleMania 31 that doesn’t involve Lesnar, but he told them not to. Not only would Lesnar be in breach of contract if he didn’t show up for WrestleMania, but his pay for working the show is so significant that skipping the show doesn’t appear to be much of a concern to WWE officials, as they are confident he will work it. There is, however, concern regarding whether or not Lesnar will continue to work for WWE after WrestleMania 31.
We reported previously that Lesnar and McMahon were involved in such a heated shouting match backstage at RAW in Nashville that people who overheard the argument were concerned for McMahon. This is the same night that Lesnar walked out during the show and went home. The issues with McMahon that night reportedly had to do with negotiations over a new WWE contract, but apparently those differences were not so great that they can’t get past it. It’s said to be a situation where two people — Lesnar and McMahon — simply did not want to back down.
As far as Lesnar’s appearance at the UFC 184 pay-per-view is concerned, he made the arrangements with the UFC President Dana White at least a few days before the show, which would have been just one or two days before the big blow-up backstage at RAW.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
Posted March 4th, 2015 in News, WWE. Tagged: Brock Lesnar, Vince McMahon.
– After making the list last year, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon failed to make the Forbes list of billionaires for 2015 due to WWE stock woes. The Hartford Courant has an article up today that mentions Connecticut has 16 billionaires, but McMahon is not one of them. You can check out the article at Courant.com.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Shawn Michaels recently spoke to The Christian Post to promote his new book, “Shawn Michaels: Wrestling for my Life.” During the interview, Michaels explained why he feels WWE becoming a PG-product has made the company more profitable. Below is an excerpt.
“It was very successful and lucrative for the guys in it at that time but when wrestling first went sort of mainstream so to speak in the 80s, with Hulk Hogan in it, that was certainly more PG than it was Attitude Era. I would say that way back when in the 50s when it was again on at primetime it was the Gorgeous George era, it was more, certainly more realistic but it wasn’t Attitude Era. People talk about the Attitude Era as if it was some kind of longstanding, it was a four-year run out of a line of work that’s been around for fifty-plus years. I would always have to say that ultimately everything is done more for the bottom line of making a profit. WWE is more profitable if it appeals to more people.”
You can check out the complete interview at ChristianPost.com.
Posted March 3rd, 2015 in News, WWE. Tagged: Shawn Michaels, Vince McMahon.
– Even more details are coming in regarding the major argument between Brock Lesnar and Vince McMahon that saw Lesnar storm out of last week’s WWE RAW without appearing on television, as scheduled.
While it was known that the issue was related to business matters (not creative plans), former WWE writer ‘MetsFan4Ever’ revealed that Lesnar told McMahon he wanted to attend Saturday night’s UFC 184 pay-per-view to discuss a potential deal with UFC President Dana White. McMahon was strongly against Lesnar attending the show, which caused him to storm out, leaving his WWE future in question.
As we saw over the weekend, Lesnar did in fact attend the UFC show and was seen cageside talking with Dana White. After talking with a few people in the know over the weekend, it looks like the chances of Lesnar returning to UFC are over 50% at this point.
– Bryan Alvarez of f4wonline.com has provided some new information regarding AJ Lee calling out Stephanie McMahon on Twitter last week regarding the way WWE Divas are paid and portrayed on television. While Lesnar’s walkout was a huge story last week, it’s said that there’s even more heat on AJ Lee.
Posted March 2nd, 2015 in News, WWE. Tagged: AJ Lee, Brock Lesnar, Stephanie McMahon, Vince McMahon.
John Cena spoke with TMZ in New York City this week about Vince McMahon’s “Muscle & Fitness” cover, the Jon Stewart vs. Seth Rollins feud and WrestleMania 31.
Regarding McMahon’s “Muscle & Fitness” cover, Cena said he is an inspiration to anyone who lifts weights. He said that even at age 69, McMahon operates like a 29 year old.
When talking about the Stewart-Rollins feud, Cena said he’s a big fan of “The Daily Show” host, so he would like to see him come to WWE.
Cena also spoke about WrestleMania 31, predicting that The Undertaker will go over Bray Wyatt.
You can check out the complete TMZ interview with Cena at the top of this page.
Posted March 1st, 2015 in News, WWE. Tagged: Bray Wyatt, John Cena, Seth Rollins, The Undertaker, Vince McMahon.
The timing of Brock Lesnar attending the UFC 184 pay-per-view on Saturday night has a lot of people in the industry talking, especially considering the fact that Lesnar and Vince McMahon had a big blow up at Monday’s RAW that led to Lesnar walking out during the show.
As far as the blow up is concerned, there are still not a lot of details regarding the situation. We can, however, report that whatever happened between Lesnar and Vince has something to do with negotiating a new WWE contract, and that things got so bad that both were said to be overheard loudly yelling at each other to the point that some became concerned, especially for McMahon. Those who could hear the argument noted that it sounded “really bad.”
Lesnar is friends with Tony Ferguson, a UFC Lightweight contender who fought in the pay-per-view opener on Saturday night. In fact, Lesnar was Ferguson’s coach on The Ultimate Fighter back in 2011.
According to UFC President Dana White, Lesnar “just happened to be in town,” as that’s the explanation he gave for Lesnar being at the show, however it’s pretty obvious that Lesnar is “playing the game” in terms of negotiations, in an attempt to get the best offer for his services.
While no one seems to know what Lesnar’s issue is with WWE’s new contract offer, it’s worth pointing out that there have been a lot of talent that have gotten offers from WWE recently that included a lot of weird stipulations, including extended non-competes and verbal agreements being made that end up being completely different than what ends up being written into the physical contracts.
It will be interesting to see what happens at the March 9th edition of RAW, as that is the next show that Lesnar is being advertised to attend. At the WWE SmackDown television taping this past Tuesday night, things regarding Lesnar were so bad that the WWE writers actually asked McMahon if they should write a “back-up version” of WrestleMania 31, one that wouldn’t include Lesnar in any way, shape or form. McMahon replied with a firm “no,” and insinuated that he would sue Lesnar if he didn’t work the show.
If Lesnar does not work the remainder of his current deal with WWE he would likely be in breach of his contract, unless there are unknown extenuating circumstances.
(Credit: F4WOnline.com)
Posted March 1st, 2015 in News, WWE. Tagged: Brock Lesnar, Vince McMahon.
– As noted on Saturday night, current WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar, who is in the middle of a serious negotiating issue with WWE, was in attendance at the UFC 184 pay-per-view in Los Angeles, California. While Paul Heyman didn’t directly comment about Lesnar attending the show last night, he did re-tweet a fan who commented about him being there, and also re-tweeted a MMA journalist who posted about Lesnar wearing a “sweet suit” at the show. You can check out photos of Lesnar wearing his “sweet suit” at the UFC pay-per-view this weekend by clicking here.
– Vince McMahon tweeted the following on Friday, congratulating part-time WWE performer Batista on his role as “Mr. Hinx” in the new James Bond movie.
Posted March 1st, 2015 in News, WWE. Tagged: Batista, Brock Lesnar, Paul Heyman, Vince McMahon.
Adrian Neville recently spoke to the folks at the “This Is Awesome Wrestling Show” to promote the upcoming NXT live event in Cleveland, Ohio on March 6th. Below are highlights from the interview.
On if there is any jealousy between main roster and NXT roster: “I don’t think so. I certainly don’t get that when I’m working the main roster shows. I think, if anything, the main roster guys are supportive and they are excited to see us thrive and make the transition from NXT to the main roster. And looking forward to standing across the ring from us and competing against us. I know, if I was on the main roster, and I saw the young guys coming in who were hungry and killing it down in NXT, I’d look forward to facing them. I don’t think that’s the case at all. I don’t think that’s true at all.”
On meeting Vince McMahon for the first time: “I haven’t sat down and spoke with Vince in any depth. It’s just been hellos and goodbyes. The first time he caught me off guard backstage at Monday Night Raw. He was just walking down one of the corridors backstage. It was a bit surreal. But it was just a quick, ‘hello, sir, I’m Adrian Neville, one of your developmental talents. Pleasure to meet you.’ It lasted about 20 seconds. It wasn’t very notable or noteworthy.”
On who his choice is to hit the Red Arrow on and who he’d like to rosterfeud with on main roster: “Red Arrow – Daniel Bryan. We’ve been across the ring from each other before and it would be great to do an one-on-one with Bryan on a big stage. Feud – I’d love to wrestle (feud) with Dolph [Ziggler]. I’ve never wrestled Dolph and I think he’s a phenomenal talent. I think it would be a trip. Also, Seth [Rollins]. He’s on fire at the moment. I’d love to go up against Seth. One of those two would be unbelievable.”
On a NXT match at Wrestlemania 31: “Absolutely. Like I said, I don’t think NXT is considered a developmental brand or territory anymore. I feel like, we put out a product that’s just as good as the main roster. So, I’d say yes.”
On if we will see him on main roster within six months: “I very much hope so. I can’t tell you for definite, because the truth is, I don’t know. If I was a betting man, I’d bet on yes. But we will have to wait and see.”
Check out the complete interview at Libsyn.com.
Posted February 27th, 2015 in News, NXT, WWE. Tagged: Daniel Bryan, Vince McMahon.
– WWE.com has published a gallery of rare Vince McMahon photos from throughout the years.
– Triple H was interviewed by USA Today this week about his induction into the International Sports Hall of Fame.
– Hulk Hogan, John Cena and Stephanie McMahon were at Google headquarters in Mountain View, California earlier today as part of the #31to31 Wrestlemania campaign. They each held a Q&A session on Twitter, with #AskCena and #AskSteph still trending. They will also tour the campuses of Twitter and Facebook as part of the tour. Here are some photos from today:
Hit up Page 2 for more photos & videos:
Posted February 26th, 2015 in News, WWE. Tagged: Hulk Hogan, John Cena, Stephanie McMahon, Triple H, Vince McMahon, WrestleMania.
We’ve got an update on the pipebomb dropped by AJ Lee on Tuesday night regarding the way WWE Divas are paid and portrayed on television. To recap, AJ tweeted the following to Stephanie McMahon:
“Your female wrestlers have record selling merchandise & have starred in the highest rated segment of the show several times, And yet they receive a fraction of the wages & screen time of the majority of the male roster. #UseYourVoice”
Regarding Lee’s merchandise claims, while she was a strong merchandise mover when she was being pushed, the formula WWE uses for merchandise sales with a majority of the roster is the same, outside of a few top WWE Superstars who get higher percentages. None of the Divas in the company sell at the level of the top several Superstars.
As for Divas being involved in the highest-rated segments of WWE shows, their segments were rarely above average when weekly segment breakdowns were available. Despite that fact, AJ was fortunate enough to work various main event segments with stars like CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, segments that usually did pretty strong numbers.
Regarding pay, it’s true that Divas on the main roster are paid considerably less than the men. It’s interesting to note that this is not the case in NXT. Most of the men at NXT came from the indy scene and are willing to accept lower pay just to get a foot in the door with WWE. Most of the NXT women, however, came from modeling agencies or had athletic backgrounds. Additionally, there’s said to be an idea that the women need to earn at a certain level to maintain the type of “look” that WWE desires.
According to a source close to this story, AJ Lee caught the company completely off-guard with her comments. Stephanie McMahon in particular was said to be furious at being made to look bad on a public forum by one of their employees. Vince McMahon, in looking at the big picture, reportedly told Stephanie to reply with the tweet that she sent, which simply thanked AJ for her opinion.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
Posted February 25th, 2015 in News, WWE. Tagged: AJ Lee, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Stephanie McMahon, Vince McMahon.
WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon has responded to the #GiveDivasAChance movement, assuring fans that WWE is well aware of the latest viral backlash campaign.
The trend is the product of widespread frustration surrounding the way women’s wrestlers are used on WWE television. It’s not a new situation, but it’s finally gaining some mainstream exposure due to fans being fed up and WWE’s top Divas speaking out publicly about it.
Earlier this month at a Wizard World Comic Con event, the Bella Twins spoke about the Women in NXT getting much more time int he ring than the Divas in WWE.
On Tuesday night, after #GiveDivasAChance had been trending for nearly 24 hours, AJ Lee sent Stephanie McMahon a series of tweets pointing out that Divas do not get equal TV time or compensation compared to the Superstars. (Read Her Tweets Here). Stephanie has since responded:
Posted February 25th, 2015 in News, WWE. Tagged: AJ Lee, Bella Twins, Paige, Stephanie McMahon, Vince McMahon.
As noted earlier today, WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar was at Monday’s post-Fastlane edition of WWE RAW in Nashville, Tennessee, but for some reason was not used on the show.
Lesnar reportedly flew his private plane to Nashville early in the day on Monday, but WWE decided against using him as part of the program.
According to those who saw Lesnar on Monday, he was said to be “obviously angry” about something, with one source even claiming that he actually walked out before the taping began.
As far as what went down, there are a few different stories making the rounds. It’s said that whatever happened was not a creative conflict, but instead had something to do with the business relationship between WWE and Lesnar.
Vince McMahon reportedly acknowledged the issue during a production meeting for WWE SmackDown held earlier today, but did not elaborate on what happened in terms of providing details during the meeting.
At this point, Lesnar has returned home to Minnesota, and is not backstage at the WWE SmackDown television taping tonight.
Lesnar is currently not advertised to appear for WWE again until the March 9th edition of RAW in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which gives WWE a few weeks to work out whatever issues are going on.
(Credit: PWInsider.com)
Posted February 24th, 2015 in News, WWE. Tagged: Brock Lesnar, Fastlane, Vince McMahon.
WWE Hall Of Famer Jake Roberts recently spoke with the folks at Nerd Repository to promote his new documentary, “The Resurrection of Jake “The Snake” Roberts.”
Below are highlights from the interview:
On when he found out pro wrestling wasn’t “real”: “It was horrible, man. All my life, I had always been worried for my father’s health. The matches he was going through, he was a main eventer, so he was doing a lot of cutting and bleeding… he was the focus on all the cards he was on. So to be terrified, as a child, thinking your dad’s gonna get killed… it really broke my heart, man. I was very upset, because I realized my father had played all of us kids. All those years, when we were scared to death for his safety, he was playing it… You look at your dad as the guy that would never lie to you, and never do anything wrong to you, and then you find out he’s a total con artist… I really wanted to throw up, man. I was devastated.”
On the positive reaction to his new documentary: “It feels great, and it also feels great when I’m getting feedback from people who are struggling with the problem that I had, or people that have maybe washed their hands of somebody in their family. Or maybe it’s a great friend they’ve washed their hands of, because that person has a problem. These people now are rethinking, they’re going out and giving that person another chance, and trying to help them.”
On if he’ll ever return to the ring in WWE: “I hope so. I’m going to talk to Vince McMahon [about it] at WrestleMania. I would like my last match, forever, to be at WrestleMania next year in Dallas, Texas. I would love to be on that show. I want to go out and give it my best, and I would be in much better shape than I probably was at the end of my career. I still believe there’s a lot of people out there who would like to see me have one more match. I would certainly like to do it… That would certainly be the greatest way to go out. I think that would be awesome, man.”
On who he’d like to face if he ever did return to the ring: “I’d like it to be a situation where it would help him. I can think of a thousand scenarios… ideally, it would be something with Bray Wyatt… [but] he doesn’t need Jake Roberts. So it’s gotta be somebody that’s on the way up, that needs a little extra ‘oomph’ like Steve Austin did. And we’ll see if I can’t help them out. Maybe it could be a situation where the winner must use the DDT, and from that point on, they’re the master of the DDT. How about that?”
Check out the complete interview at NerdRepository.com.
Posted February 20th, 2015 in News, WWE. Tagged: Bray Wyatt, Jake Roberts, Steve Austin, Vince McMahon.
Pro wrestling legend Bobby Fulton, who is best known as one-half of the former tag-team known as The Fantastics, ripped into Vince McMahon and WWE in a new blog posted recently via social media.
Fulton posted the following on his official Facebook page after McMahon’s recent Muscle & Fitness magazine cover was released:
“Vince sure is ripped. He’s a master of ripping people off, like all the wrestlers like me from the territory days. He stole our likeness, who we are, and our intellectual property of our matches. WWE has admitted they don’t have any of our signed releases most don’t get a dime for DVD’s sold in major stores world wide and online or The WWE Network. Come on Vince really man up pay up. Scott Ammon said you paid a lot for libraries of video from World Class, Mid South, UWF and other regions. Please share this and let WWE know its time to pay up!”
“If you buy an album from the 70s or 80s the artist and song writers are still paid. Even though the work was done decades ago. Same with movies and TV shows. So why not pay the wrestlers of my era for the DVDs of our work that are being sold in major retail stores world wide? A select few are being paid. Why not all of us? If they feel we are important enough to be on those DVDs and The Network then we should be important enough to have a fair share for everyone. I’m not bitter. I had a great career. Not all of us ended up like Randy The Ram even though they try to make you think that. I have been successful in other business ventures. I like many others have had life after wrestling. We are only asking for it to be fair across the board. If wrestler A is being paid for videos of matches against wrestler B. Should not wrestler B also be paid? Fair is Fair.”
Additionally, Fulton originally posted these comments as well, however they were later deleted from the blog.
“Please share to all Wrestling related groups and pages! And let WWE know! This is the time to let our voices be heard. For those that are appearing on merchandise that has lost their health, their families, and some their lives. The problem is he wants to pay for the future by ripping off the past, he has once said that the past didn’t exist. If Egypt can be overturned and changed so can Vince McMahon and so can his WWE empire. Let your voices be heard and help us to let ours be heard! … As people got behind us years ago. Get behind us one more time. Support us in this effort. We just got it up on the WWE page. Please go there and share my post on Vince’s Muscle Body and Fitness. It gives us the power! ?#?WWEPAYUSNOW?! … I’m getting lots of questions one i spoke with wwe scott ammon he said we could beat WWE on a state level for stealing our likeness,name, intellectual property . Wwe scott ammon said we will beat you in court on a federal level . He said we paid certain people Lots of money . Problem is you paid the wrong people . Its time to pay up the talent not just top names but also the refs enhancement and announcers that is being distributed by WWE. They have no signed releases . Even scott ammon told me that . Help us in our plight your voice is heard and does count . Be silent no longer . Deflate Vince McMahon now! Go to WWE’s page and tell them to pay the wrestlers the royalties that owe them. If they are on merchandise for example the network or dvds. That is how to voice your opinion! If you want to help us you can contact the following sponsors and tell them what WWE has been doing: General Motors, Ford Motor Co., Disney, DreamWorks, Paramount, Kmart, Subway, Taco Bell, Colgate, Frito-Lay, Schick and Mattel.”
Posted February 19th, 2015 in News, WWE. Tagged: Vince McMahon.
TNA wrestler Ethan Carter III recently spoke with Glenn Moore and Steve Guy on the “This Is Awesome Wrestling Show” to talk about WWE vs. TNA and other topics.
Below are highlights from the interview:
On the freedom he has in TNA compared to WWE: “Doing things like indies or any sort of outside appearances, stuff of that nature, what’s cool about TNA you can build yourself as a brand and they allow it. You’re not their property as much as your own businessman. I can get gigs. I can be doing a TV commercial where I’m cleaning a toilet, and they would be totally cool with it and think that’s fun. As opposed, elsewhere (WWE), where I can use my celebrity to do something great and they shoot it down because they don’t profit off it. TNA is awesome.”
On being able to work indy promotions, as well as TNA: “Indies are cool, because there are fans that love wrestling. It’s always fun and it’s a different environment. I don’t want to say that wrestling on TV isn’t fun, because I’m a dude on TV and I’m having fun every time I wrestle on TV because I always win.
There’s a little more freedom to experiment in matches you’re doing on the indies. I think it’s cool because you get to satisfy your career and your need to be on TV with TNA, plus on the weekend if you want to go out there and do something, that’s cool too. I could go put a wig on and wrestle as Elvis Carter the Third, and that would be funny.”
On meeting Vince McMahon for the first time: “Well, this is ironic, Vince McMahon loved me and he loved my crazy hair. And we did some awful cologne commercial; that was the Mark Henry Cologne. He produced and wrote every bit of that segment. And he laughed hysterically when we were doing it. So, he thought it was awesome. Then, I was never on Raw again. So I guess it wasn’t that good. But I have nothing but respect and the guy was cool. He was always a straight shooter. I can’t say that about everyone in that company, but Vince will always tell you like it is.”
On the difference between working in WWE and TNA: “It’s a little more relaxed. No walking on eggshells. There’s not the constant fear of people going to stab you in the back for their personal gain, because for some reason, that’s the atmosphere that is bred in WWE sometimes.
It’s relaxed, it’s cool. They were very welcoming, especially being a new guy, which is hard coming in as a new person. Everyone was nothing but cool to me. I have great friends in WWE, still do, but TNA is more of a brotherness. ”
Check out the complete interview at Libsyn.com.
Posted February 19th, 2015 in News, TNA, WWE. Tagged: Vince McMahon.
The latest issue of Muscle & Fitness Magazine with Vince McMahon on the cover featured a lengthy interview with the WWE Chairman & CEO.
When asked about the future of WWE if he retires or goes up to that “big ring in the sky,” Vince said WWE will be fine (what else would he say?) despite the fact that “no one person” can do everything he does.
“Our future from a corporate standpoint is extremely strong because we have so many talented executives, and they all bring different strengths to the table. Steph and Paul will certainly have significant roles going forward. I think when I kick, the organization is going to change, and I think for the better, because there’s no one person who can do all that I can do because of my background. There’s no one individual who’s going to take my place.”
McMahon said his favorite WWE Superstar is The Undertaker:
“…because of his loyalty, his longevity, and his extraordinary commitment to his character. We have lots of fun creating fun. [Superstars] try to crack each other up from time to time, and we all have tried to get Undertaker to break character, and we can’t do it. He is such a professional and an extraordinary human being behind the character. He’s committed to his craft and has worked through his injuries.”
Other topics discussed are his Mr. McMahon character and his workout regimen. The new issue of Muscle & Fitness is on newsstands now.
Posted February 19th, 2015 in News, WWE. Tagged: The Undertaker, Vince McMahon.
WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon is gracing the cover of Muscle & Fitness magazine once again. At 69 years old, the boss of wrestling’s billion dollar empire is showing off some of the “chiseled granite” he used to talk about on commentary.
Visit MusclendFitness.com for subscription information and check out the magazine at your local news stand.
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Posted February 16th, 2015 in News, WWE. Tagged: Vince McMahon.
Vince McMahon and other WWE senior officials hosted another investor conference call this morning from company headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut.
– Michael Weitz, WWE’s SVP Financial Planning & Investor Relations, welcomes everybody and gives an introduction.
– Vince McMahon spoke about the WWE Network and WWE’s TV ratings. Vince touted social media followers being up 85% from the same quarter in the previous year. WWE is the #1 sports channel on YouTube, Vince spoke about WWE App growth and said everything is in support of the Network. He covered the subscriber increases, which were detailed in the earnings report. Vince talks about the Network and hands it over to Barrios.
– Barrios says 4th quarter results surpassed their expectations. He talked about new features on the Network and how they’ve added new subscribers. They still expect a gradual subscriber increase over time as consumer awareness grows. He talked about the Network expanding internationally. He said the UK and Ireland became their second biggest market almost overnight. Barrios said other international markets that they won’t be in by the end of this year will be worked on at a later date.
– Barrios talked about how the live NXT specials helped with growth. Steve Austin’s live podcasts with Vince McMahon and Triple H were two of the most watched Network shows ever, and said they’re working on having more live specials and working on more exclusive content like talk shows. He talked about revenue increases and other financial data that was detailed in the earnings release.
– Barrios talked about some projects WWE came out with in the last year and talks about their reach on social media and with the WWE App. They expect more growth all across the board next year.
– Q&A: Barrios was asked how they monitor to make sure fans who previously used a free month of WWE Network don’t sign up for another free month. Barrios said they have some tools in place to check for this but didn’t go into details.
– Q&A: A caller asked to compare the WWE fanbase to UFC/MMA and asked about WWE signing MMA fighters to help bring in MMA fans. Barrios said WWE is all about multi-generational family viewing and that’s different from MMA audiences.
– Q&A: Barrios was asked about the budget for WWE Network content and feature films in 2015. Fixed costs for the Network will be about the same as last year but the films budget will be between $20 and $30 million.
– Q&A: A caller asked Vince about Twitter controversy and the #CancelWWENetwork hashtag after the Royal Rumble. Vince said the whole situation was actually good for WWE – because it created controversy. Vince fans were upset that “Santa Claus didn’t come” at the Royal Rumble. Vince mocked fans who say they’re never watching again who are then glued to the TV the following night.
– Barrios wouldn’t comment on Network advertising revenue. He took a few more questions before wrapping it up.
Posted February 12th, 2015 in News, WWE. Tagged: Vince McMahon, WWE Network.
– WWE’s new “The Destruction of The Shield” Blu-ray that is scheduled to be released soon will feature two deleted scenes that were originally reported as DVD extras — a look at the Dean Ambrose vs. William Regal feud, and a look at Roman Reigns in FCW as Leakee.
– WWE announcer Scott Stanford has been nominated for a New York Emmy Award in the “Daily or Weekly Sports Program” category for his work with New York City’s PIX11 Sports Desk program. Stanford was also nominated in the news anchors category. The awards will be announced on May 2nd.
– Vince McMahon recently tweeted out the following trailer for the movie “Trainwreck,” which features John Cena.
Posted February 12th, 2015 in News, WWE. Tagged: Dean Ambrose, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Scott Stanford, The Shield, Vince McMahon, William Regal.
It was reported on Tuesday that there has been no heat from WWE management directed towards Seth Rollins for his recent nude photo leak on social media, as WWE believed that Rollins’ accounts were legitimately hacked. Despite the fact that there is said to be no heat on Rollins, the WWE Superstar has reportedly faced repercussions as a result of the incident.
According to Reddit user MetsFan4Ever, who has broken multiple WWE stories in the past, there is talk of Rollins being fined a small amount of money because of the feeling that while the leak was likely a mistake on his part, he originally leaked the initial photo himself.
Triple H was said to be against fining Rollins in any form, however Vince McMahon felt someone needs to be held responsible and because he can’t punish any of the women involved, it has to be Rollins that bites the bullet.
Many within WWE have been under the impression that Rollins would cash in his Money In The Bank briefcase in June and become WWE World Heavyweight Champion, however now many are of the opinion that he won’t be champion any time soon.
The Rollins story received a lot of mainstream media coverage, however WWE officials were said to be particularly upset that Elvis Duran spoke about the topic for about 15 minutes on his morning radio show, which is a nationally syndicated show and one of the most-listened to programs in all of New York City.
In addition to the memo that we reported about being sent to all WWE talents after RAW telling them not to speak about the issue publicly, WWE also held a “social media etiquette” meeting in Dayton, Ohio at the WWE TV tapings on Tuesday night, as well as at company headquarters in Stamford. Talents were told to immediately remove any photos from their phones that would be considered risky.
Posted February 11th, 2015 in News, WWE. Tagged: Seth Rollins, Triple H, Vince McMahon.
It appears that WWE has once again changed plans for the WrestleMania 31 main event, according to a Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer.
For the better part of 2014, it was expected that Roman Reigns would be challenging Brock Lesnar for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the main event of WrestleMania 31. It appeared that plans were still on course after Reigns won the Royal Rumble. That was until fans outright rejected WWE’s storyline plans for Reigns in a sign of fan defiance we hadn’t seen since, well, the previous year’s Rumble.
Daniel Bryan was originally booked to wrestle Sheamus at WrestleMania. Then, Bryan and Dolph Ziggler began talking about a potential WrestleMania match on social media. Now, it looks like fans have pushed Daniel Bryan right back into the WrestleMania main event mix.
According to Dave Meltzer, Vince McMahon recently changed his mind about the WrestleMania main event, with Daniel Bryan being added as the third person in 3-way match. The feeling after the Royal Rumble was that Vince McMahon would not want to do another triple threat match to headline their biggest show of the year, since they went that route last year. However, Vince McMahon heard the fan backlash to Roman Reigns loud and clear, held a meeting with top WWE officials and decided on Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan.
Of course, plans could change again, but as of now, that’s what they’re going with.
It’s also worth noting that WWE.com ran a poll over the weekend asking who was more deserving of the WrestleMania main event – Daniel Bryan or Roman Reigns – with Bryan earning over 87% of the vote.
Posted February 9th, 2015 in News, WWE. Tagged: Brock Lesnar, Daniel Bryan, Roman Reigns, Vince McMahon, WrestleMania.
As noted recently, Cesaro, Tyson Kidd and Adam Rose have been referring to themselves as the “Brass Ring Club” in recent weeks, including wearing t-shirts with a logo on it that is similar to the New Japan Pro Wrestling “Bullet Club” faction.
The nickname and t-shirt logos were done because WWE officials asked Cesaro and Kidd to come up with an idea for a name for their new tag-team. The two came up with the name “Brass Ring Club,” likely as a response to Vince McMahon’s “brass ring” speech during his appearance on the initial live “Stone Cold Podcast” on the WWE Network.
WWE officials reportedly liked the idea and the name, with many thinking it was a clever name for the duo.
There is no word yet, however, as to whether or not the company will accept the name for full-time use and get behind it.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
Posted February 4th, 2015 in News, WWE. Tagged: Bullet Club, Tyson Kidd, Vince McMahon.
Stone Cold Steve Austin’s podcast with Triple H from Monday night continues to make headlines, which is not surprising considering the number of controversial topics discussed.
Regarding Triple H’s comments a bout CM Punk where he said there is no animosity between the two parties, a lot of people were rolling their eyes at that one. That said, Triple H’s description of Punk saying “everything’s fine” when everything is not fine is viewed as a pretty accurate assessment of his demeanor.
WWE talent was also surprised that Triple H acknowledged that he prefers a 2-hour format for RAW. While its certainly a popular opinion, there are no plans to scale back RAW due to the millions of dollars WWE generates in ad revenue from the extra hour of prime time programming each week.
It’s also worth noting that during Triple H’s weekly sit down interview with Michael Cole at WWE.com, Triple H said that the show did 40% more viewers than Vince McMahon’s appearance on the Stone Cold Podcast back in December.
(Information from F4Wonline.com was used in this report)
Posted February 4th, 2015 in News, WWE. Tagged: CM Punk, Steve Austin, Triple H, Vince McMahon.
Mick Foley recently published a new Facebook blog addressing this year’s Royal Rumble match, Vince McMahon writing Roman Reigns’ promos and more.
Below is Foley’s latest blog:
RUMBLE BLUES
Remember how caught up in the ?#?RoyalRumble? I got last year? I sent out that tweet asking whether WWE hated their own audience, smashed a TV set, and texted all the powers that be – telling them how badly I thought they’s messed up. It’s safe to say that I was pretty mad last year.
I’m not worried about this year’s ?#?Wrestlemania?. I can envision a number of scenarios in which Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar can have an epic confrontation. My suggestion to WWE in this match would be to step aside and let the fertile fields of Paul Heyman’s mind run free and allow Lesnar and Reigns to create the most exciting, physical match possible.
No, I’m not worried about Wrestlemania. But I m worried about the Rumble.
I wasn’t mad after this year’s Rumble. Instead, I was sad. Sad, because the Rumble, which has been one of the most entertaining ?#?WWE? events of the year for so long, might just be in danger of becoming “just another show”, and going the way of “Survivor Series” as a good idea that runs it course and ceases to be relevant. I didn’t see this year’s Rumble, and with the exception of the final few minutes I caught on WWE Monday Night Raw, I don’t envision myself doing so. But I didn’t need to see the Rumble or know the outcome to know what a disappointment it was. All I had to do was watch the people. I dropped 3 of my kids off at the Wells Fargo Center at 6:30, and showed up on Broad Street, just a few blocks from the arena at 10:45, just as the crowd was letting out. No one saw me in my vehicle. But I saw them, and could tell, just by the way people were walking- by the way children were dragging their signs, and shuffling slowly, by the way adults held their heads down, with limited verbal interactions – that there was no joy in Philadelphia.
Let me quote a story I wrote about Zack Ryder several months ago here on Facebook, and hope that the right people in WWE read it – because I think they are on the verge of losing some fans in the fallout of the Rumble. It wasn’t just that one of their favorites didn’t win – it was the brevity of their appearances, the lack of imagination in their involvement and the unceremonious way in which they were eliminated.
“Eventually people get tired of finding out that the WWE Superstars they have supported with their cheers, their purchases, their signs, their follows and their likes aren’t real Superstars – and little by little, those fans lose interest in WWE, find other interests, and become former WWE fans.”
I have no intention of becoming the “anti-WWE guy”. I’m going to take a little break from ?#?Raw? and ?#?Smackdown? for the next couple of weeks, and see what the landscape looks like, heading into the next PPV. I really do think WWE is going to turn out a great Mania, and I’ll be in the crowd watching. But I fear for the Rumble. What was once the start of “The Road to Wrestlemania” has now become a roadblock to the good will and excitement needed for a truly memorable Wrestlemania atmosphere.
One more thing. I’ve heard rumors that Mr McMahon is personally writing the recent Roman Reigns promos. If that’s true, I’d like to personally address Mr McMahon.
Dear Vince,
Please stop – you’re killing the poor guy,
Sincerely,
Mick Foley
Posted February 2nd, 2015 in News, WWE. Tagged: Mick Foley, Roman Reigns, Royal Rumble, Vince McMahon.
Tyson Kidd recently spoke with the folks at Slam! Wrestling to promote the recent WWE live event in Calgary. During the interview, Kidd spoke about his current tag-team with Cesaro, his relationship with Viktor of The Ascension, his work in NXT, Vince McMahon’s “brass ring” speech and more.
Below are highlights.
On Viktor of The Ascension and their history: “It means a lot because I know of his struggles and past and it is similar to mine. We both competed in a lot of places that weren’t highly publicized so even though you are doing a lot people don’t know about it. You have to keep growing and growing and to see him here is great. Unfortunately for him I am also in a tag team so it is probably for the best for him that our paths don’t cross.”
On working in NXT: “The main thing is that everything is taped at Full Sail. It is kind of like competing on home turf every time in terms of the tapings and specials. The main roster travels, I am in Hartford for live Smackdown, then head to Edmonton and Calgary and Denver. It is travel travel travel. NXT is more stationary. Having a chance to work with Dusty Rhodes, he has helped me so much that I can’t even praise how much. The first time I saw him on WWE television in polka dots I never would have thought that guy would be such an influence on my career.”
On the current talent pool in NXT: “Those guys are unbelievably talented. We really can take nothing away. Just look at my match that aired this week on the WWE Network with Adrian Neville. The guy is phenomenal. It is really cool that they are being bred down there. Add in a guy like Tyler Breeze doesn’t have the publicity, background, or buzz, but is a sleeper — he is the one to keep your eye on.”
On his current tag-team with Cesaro: “Two guys who are insanely talented, extremely shredded and a lot frustrated come together and decide to make a name for ourselves and show why we are who we are. Cesaro’s story is unbelievable; he won a green card lottery in Switzerland and now here he is. The man is a freak. He can clean and jerk 135 pounds with one arm. He is a freak in every sense of the word. Throw in the best guy pound for pound in the business as his tag team partner and I think our upside is limitless.”
On Vince McMahon’s “brass ring” speech: “I think it fired a lot of the talent up. We have a super talented locker room, for any that maybe were coasting it lit a fire under them and for the rest of us ensured we just keep pushing. Every day here is different. One day I was in Phoenix at Axxess wrestling Cryme Tyme in the worst match we ever had with them, which is saying a lot, 48 hours later I am clotheslining Mr. McMahon in front of 58,000 people at Wrestlemania. Things can change here quickly.”
Check out the complete interview at Slam.canoe.ca.
Posted February 1st, 2015 in News, WWE. Tagged: The Ascension, Tyler Breeze, Tyson Kidd, Vince McMahon.
As I sat down to write this week, I felt a sense of disappointment. It wasn’t because I didn’t know what to write about (in fact, I’d hoped I could have written about my amazement with the Royal Rumble). It wasn’t because I had nothing to say. The reason I felt a sense of disappointment was because I knew that I was not going to be able to write the article I wanted to. This past Sunday was the Royal Rumble, a once a year event that would be under-described if one were to refer to it as “can’t miss.” True to form, I made a point not to miss it; I cancelled plans, I changed my workout schedule, I did everything I could to make sure I was front and center for the event, because I knew if WWE delivered, I wouldn’t have to think for a second about what to discuss. My hopes were that I could deliver to you, my top five moments from the event, and indeed, I probably still could. After all, Lesnar / Cena / Rollins was easily one of the best triple-threat matches I’ve ever seen, both from a wrestling and storytelling perspective. Bubba Ray Dudley and others appearing from the woodwork to make a few surprise appearances was awesome. For the most part, WWE really did deliver with the event.
However…
When it mattered the most; when the biggest prize of the night was up for grabs, WWE not only let us down, they insulted us. Again. For the second year in a row, WWE ignored the pleas of the crowd; they ignored the wishes of the millions of fans across the universe who united as one loud clear voice under the banner of “Yes.” While it was more than obvious the fans wanted Daniel Bryan as the man to win it all, WWE had other plans for the finish. When the lights went off and the smoke settled, Roman Reigns, a man who many feel was not ready for such an honor, was the last man standing. Unsurprisingly, the rowdy Philadelphia crowd, much like it’s rival fan base in Pittsburgh did the previous year, held nothing back in letting the WWE know what they thought of the decision, and as ticket holders, they had every right to. Outside of the arena, the internet exploded with negative criticism. Things like #CancelWWENetwork were trending worldwide on twitter. Reddit’s top wrestling community, /r/SquaredCircle was buzzing about not just the ending being bad, but the entire match. Fans were so frustrated, in fact, that they jokingly begun the trend known as #Axelgate, in reference to the fact that the man who came in at number 6, Curtis Axel, technically never entered the ring, and thus was never eliminated, demanding that he be allowed to go in and try to eliminate Reigns. Even a surprise appearance by The Rock, which clearly was planned as damage control, could not get the crowd to side with WWE, as Reigns was booed out of the building, even as his arm was raised by the great one. It was obvious, from the moment Bryan’s feet hit the floor, that the turnout was not going to be positive, really no matter what happened.
However, what might not be so obvious was the real reason behind the booing; the reason that shakes every wrestling fan to their core, and genuinely makes us question one of our favorite forms of entertainment. While it might seem at the surface like petty fans acting like babies for not getting what they want, the truth runs much deeper. Ultimately, the fans booing Reigns is not a rejection of the man, himself. It’s not a rejection of the possibility of Reigns becoming one of the future stars. It’s not even a rejection of a super baby face who might one day be seemingly untouchable. Instead, it is the response to being ignored; to being told “You don’t know what you want” over and over again. It is the only way fans can express their frustration with booking decisions that lead WWE down a road fans don’t want to go. Booing Roman Reigns is a symbol; one which represents the fans booing McMahon himself, for having the audacity to tell us that we decide who goes over, and then giving us the exact opposite of what we say we want.
Posted February 1st, 2015 in News. Tagged: Daniel Bryan, Roman Reigns, Royal Rumble, Vince McMahon.