As previously reported, the Seth Rollins heel turn against The Shield on this past Monday’s RAW was actually not written into the script for the show. Apparently the Rollins heel turn was officially decided upon on Sunday afternoon prior to the WWE Payback pay-per-view.

According to one source, Rollins turning heel was Vince McMahon’s way of reacting to the low RAW rating for the Payback “go-home” show the week before.

WWE’s Talent Relations department has announced several new programs to help former wrestlers and referees with their finances.

WWE is now offering financial planning and debt assistance services through a financial firm, free of charge. Anyone who was ever under contract to WWE is eligible.

The company is also offering a $5,000-per-semester scholarship to any former contracted talents who are looking to further their college education.

Talents must enroll by August 1st to be eligible for the fall 2014 semester scholarship and must provide proof of enrollment to WWE.

These new initiatives, combined with the company’s long-standing program of financing substance abuse rehabilitation programs for former talents in need, demonstrate WWE’s continued commitment to the health and wellbeing of pro wrestlers.

The following are highlights of a new U.K. Mirror interview with MVP:

Possibly not getting to face Kurt Angle: “Before I signed I said there were three people I absolutely had to work with: Samoa Joe, Bobby Roode and Kurt Angle. Kurt’s out with knee surgery – I don’t know how long he’s going to be out, and I’m not really sure at this stage of his life and his career, how much longer he’ll be with us – I don’t want to speculate. I do know if you lace up a pair of boots, Kurt Angle is someone you want to get in the ring with. If that doesn’t happen, I will truly feel like this has been a missed opportunity for me – selfishly.”

Vince McMahon giving him a chance: “When society wouldn’t give me an opportunity to earn a minimum wage because I was a convicted felon, Vince McMahon gave me an opportunity to earn more money than both of my parents had made in their lives combined and become an international star. [Then]I asked to leave, and he allowed me to go – and said the door’s open when you want to come back. I’m totally indebted to Vince McMahon for both of those opportunities.”

His future: “I still wanna wrestle in Mexico, before all’s said and done. When I’m ready to retire, my goal is to retire in Japan. We’ll see – I don’t know what’s coming down the road. I know for the foreseeable future, if a TNA Title run is on the cards for me, that’d be a huge honor.”

Check out the complete interview at Mirror.co.uk.

The following are highlights of a recent interview with Vader:

On his relationship with Vince McMahon: “As far as Vince is concerned, I’ve worked for so many great promoters such as Misawa, Inoki, etc who were very good at what they did. But Vince is the best. Everything he wanted to do with the WWE, he has done it and has done so successfully. It’s the largest pro wrestling company in the world and has been for a long time.”

On his relationship with Eric Bischoff: “Eric was a unique individual. He was an announcer and didn’t really know a lot about wrestling. When he first moved into the top spot, the top guys were me, Ron Simmons, Sting and Cactus Jack. The company drastically changed when guys like Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair came in. But the thing you have to admit about Eric is that he made history. What he did is on the record books. He took the nWo and created a monster company that was highly successful.”

On the interview incident in Kuwait: “I was standing backstage watching a show on the air. The representative for the WWF was next to me. The producer of the show was a friend of the interviewer. He came over to me and said the interviewer was going to ask me if wrestling was fake. He told me to stand up, act insulted, kick over the coffee table and scare him, don’t hurt him. I said that we were told not to do anything of that nature in this country. And he said “No, this guy’s a good guy, he knows it’s gonna happen, he’s a good friend of mine and it’ll be funny.” The manager from the agent in charge from WWF said, “Leon, do what they want you to do.”
I was acting under orders from the producer, not the agent in charge. But when I did what I did, the interviewer was caught off guard and was frightened. The cops were called and I went to jail. I took the heat. But the point is that it was a skit. They wanted to use this thing to increase ratings, but it just wasn’t the case.”

On pulling off his moonsault: “I just have the athleticism to do it. I guess it gets harder if you’re heavier. But to me, it is just second nature and I am still able to do it to this day.”

Check out the complete interview at PWMania.com.

As far as Rey Mysterio’s contractual status with WWE is concerned, his deal reportedly expired last week. From there, Vince McMahon renewed it for one year, despite not having such an option to do so in the contract. WWE contracts are allowed to be frozen in the event of an injury to a Superstar.

WWE went with the mindset that since Mysterio missed so much time during his contract period due to various injuries, that he owed them the time and he was renewed through May of 2015 on that basis.

– With WWE stock taking a catastrophic hit since WrestleMania XXX (dropping from $31 to $11), WWE CEO Vince McMahon has lost around $842 million of personal wealth. He’s still worth around $700 million. A source close to Vince says that he’s very bothered by the media coverage of him no longer being a billionaire.

– In honor of Memorial Day, WWE is donating a portion of today’s WWEshop.com proceeds to the Hire Heroes USA organization, which helps veterans transition from military service to civilian life.

– Adam Rose has been tweeting about Jack Swagger, encouraging him to break away from Zeb Colter, who he has dubbed a “grumpy super lemon.”

“Do you think if Jacky boy got away from grumpy pants @WWEZeb he would want to party? I think so! I think we should start a campaign to separate jacky boy and @WWEZeb!

Let’s free Jacky from the grumpy super lemon!!! #wwe #rosebud #FreeJackyBoy from @WWEZeb!!!! Let’s try get this message out! #wwe #rosebud”

(Partial Source: Wrestling Observer)

– The Washington Times recently ran a piece that noted Vince McMahon and Linda McMahon have emerged as Republican “mega-donors.” According to public finance reports, the McMahon’s have donated approximately one million dollars to Republican candidates, party committees and super PACs this year, including Karl Rove’s American Crossroads and TD Ameritrade founder Joe Ricketts’ group Ending Spending.

– Below is the official synopsis for the next episode of WWE Legends House, which airs next Thursday on the WWE Network:

“The WWE Legends play a game of ‘How well do you know your roommates?’ Then the group receives a visit from Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels.”

There was a lot of fear in WWE on Monday about how Vince McMahon would react to the implosion of WWE’s stock and the company losing approximately $350 million in value on Friday.

It’s said that Vince feels mislead by his management team that WWE would be getting a much better television deal than they ultimately got. Especially with Vince McMahon personally losing a lot of money and credibility on Wall Street, certain people will be held accountable.

The company taking such a massive hit in value has many people expecting the company to release talent to cut costs.

Internally, the company is disappointed with the number of WWE Network subscribers and the company is expected to make significant changes to how the Network is promoted.

(Information from PWInsider.com was used in this report)

As previously reported, WWE stock plummeted recently after news of the company’s new deal with NBCUniversal was announced.

Several mainstream media outlets have picked up the story, almost all of which are using the headline that Vince McMahon lost $350 million in one day.

You can check out some coverage of the story, which is trending worldwide on Facebook and Twitter today, at the following links:

– Forbes.com

– MSN.com

– Yahoo! News

– The Sacramento Bee

– ThePostGame.com

– NESN.com

WWE legend Mick Foley posted the following on his Facebook page on Monday night, questioning whether top company executives should be portraying evil characters on television:

A SERIOUS QUESTION FOR WWE 

“I swear, I’m not posting this right after WWE Monday Night Raw to be a smart alec, a trouble-maker or to create drama. But, could it be – following the precipitous tumble of WWE stock, that having real life WWE Chief Operating Officer Paul Levesque and Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon performing simultaneous duties as the on-air “Authority” is simply not best for business.

No matter where I might go, what I might say, and what type of home appliance WWE decisions may occasionally cause me to break, World Wrestling Entertainment is a GREAT company – a company that managed to post record profits during the worst economic downturn in a generation. I just bought stock myself – some I’m putting money where my mouth is here. I’ve heard from reliable sources that the WWE Network hasn’t yet met its initial goals, and that the recent TV deal signed with USA Network wasn’t as lucrative as investors had hoped. But there has to be something more – probably alot of little things. Might one of those things be the blurred line between the real life McMahon-Levesques and the characters of Triple H – WWE Universe and Stephanie McMahon – WWE they portray?

I vividly recall Vince McMahon looking at me like I was legitimately insane in 2007 when I told him I didn’t think the WWE Universe (I actually called them “fans”) made the distinction between Vince McMahon, the face of WWE, and “Mr McMahon” who, at the time, as a TV personality, has presumably been blown to smithereens in a televised exploding limousine incident.

Likewise, I’m not sure that everyone “gets” that Paul Levesque and Stephanie McMahon are definitely seasoned and intelligent business people who simultaneously portray horrible bosses as on-air authority figures. The lines are awfully blurry – and while most fans seem to understand that the real life Stephanie is that legitimately kind, caring soul we see on “Raw” as the face of the “Be a Star” campaign, and other positive endeavors that the company is involved in – she can be awfully convincing when she has that mic in her hand, and is dressing down, maligning…and occasionally slapping the dog poop out of WWE talent. Personally, I think Steph has been simply sensational as a character this year – but I’m not sure everyone “gets” that she’s essentially a really nice person, doing a really good job of being really, really bad.

Look, I don’t have all the answers, and there are probably far more factors at play than I am capable of understanding. But maybe, just maybe, having investors watch the Chief Operating Officer of a billion dollar company (past tense) kick the dog poop out of a hand-cuffed employee (or Independent contractor) is not best for business as far as Wall Street is concerned.”

– Vince McMahon ended up making the trip to London, England for WWE RAW tonight. As previously reported, McMahon — along with company executive George Barrios — held a conference call earlier today to react to the recent WWE stock decline following the announcement of the company’s new agreement with NBCUniversal. McMahon did the call from London, while Barrios was in Stamford, CT.

– WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross has recently listed the following stars as future guests on his “Ross Report” podcast, which airs every Tuesday night at PodcastOne.com: Michelle Beadle of ESPN, Eric Bischoff, Bill Goldberg, Ted DiBiase, MVP, Lance Storm, Kurt Angle, Bully Ray, Sting, AJ Styles and Tony Schiavone.

The following are highlights of a new Submission Radio interview with former WWE Superstar and UFC Hall Of Famer Ken Shamrock:

On mending his relationship with his brother Frank Shamrock: “My brother came out with that documentary Blood Brothers ‘Bound by Blood’ and so it was an opportunity for us to get together and really talk about things, and I was happy, I was happy the way it came out. It seemed like he was trying to make an effort trying to make things to make things right, and so I opened my arms. That’s all I ever wanted, was for him to make an honest effort to fix what he broke. I mean I didn’t break it, I didn’t do those things. He did. So I’m not saying I wasn’t at fault at all, because I was. I know I was, but I wasn’t the one who walked out and left, and I wasn’t the one who didn’t go to my Dads funeral, or wasn’t there when he was sick. I didn’t do those things. And so I embraced him when he did that, I was happy.”

On drugs in MMA: “I think that when people talk about banning the substances, its funny because I don’t think people really realized what they’re asking, or what they’re saying. If they take these things out of the sports, people are going to be backed up twenty years as far as competitiveness. What people used to see in colleges that are now like pro now and professional like the supermen; the level of play will be dropped significantly in fighting, in football and in everything that we’re used to seeing. The athleticism and the strength and the stuff these guys are doing will be dropped significantly and the entertainment value will drop with it, and I don’t really think people realize what they’re asking for. They’re asking for the value of the entertainment to drop significantly and we’re going to be ok with that, because considering what we’re used to seeing, it’s just not going to be the same. And I think people are saying ‘oh it’ll still be good, it’ll still be this’ I just don’t really believe they understand what it is that they’re really asking for and I believe personally that things were made to help people and their health and I believe there’s a safe level for people to take these kinds of things to help their body recover and be a safe athlete and be able to get in the ring and compete on a safe level and then be able to have their body’s recover enough for them to be normal throughout the week. Rather than having these guys afraid of getting caught, so they won’t go to a doctor, so they won’t get it legally, they go on the black market, they get it because they can’t let anybody know they got it cause then they can lose the ability to fight or their pro card or whatever it is that they’re doing. They’ll get caught, the media will find out, they’ll get banned, they’ll get fined, all these things happen. So they’ll go to the black market and get it and that’s where the problem is, is that they’re getting stuff (with which) they don’t know what they’re doing, they don’t have doctors for their care to help them do it the proper way so that they’re not putting their health at risk. So that’s the issue right there. I think that If they could somehow find a safe level, make these guys all make sure they got their own doctors to put ’em on it, if they’re gonna go on it to have their own doctors put ’em on it and make sure that the doctors are giving physicals every month, once a month, keeping them at a safe level, I think that’s how you fix the problem.”

“It’s crazy to think people go ‘oh we’re gonna stop it now, now that it’s been going on for fifty years, we’re just gonna completely ban it now’, because I promise you this and I bet you people who understand how many people are using it in sports, they know how BADLY the athletic level will drop it. It’ll be so bad that people won’t want to turn on the TV anymore because there not going to be able to see what there used to seeing.”

On who pays better between Vince McMahon and Dana White: “I don’t know what other people say, but for me it’s definitely Vince (McMahon). I felt like he did me right, even though he may, I don’t know what the issues are with me and him now cause no one will talk to me or say anything, but for me personally I thought he treated me very fairly, he paid me well and I thought he gave me a great opportunity to be able to keep competing in the WWF; Of course I had to do my job, I had to do what they needed me to do, otherwise he wouldn’t give me the time of day. I understand that, I understood that. But when I did do what I was supposed to do he payed me what I deserved.”

On Owen Hart’s tragedy: “We were standing backstage and I was in the gorilla station and I watched it happen. And for the longest time we stood there and just stared at the monitor waiting for some gimmick to pop up, or the match to start, or for him to pop up and then when he was wheeled back in the gurney, still we were waiting for him to get up. I mean, we just didn’t believe that it was real you know, because you know all the gimmicks and stuff that go on there and you’re never told what’s happening and they’ll play all the way out till the next week. And so for the longest time, I think the fans were the same way, was that no one truly believed or understood what was happening at that moment and how real it was and for us, I mean even thought there was a meeting about whether we would go on and do the show, (whether) we were going to keep doing it, out of his honour we were going to do it, at the back of everybody’s mind we were all thinking we were getting worked, like this was a work, someone was working us. And so no one really grasped that until probably after a few weeks afterwards where it set in, in the funeral and in the news and it really set in that it was real. But can could you imagine that, not really knowing something like that?”

On if he considers himself retired: “Oh no I’ll never retire. I’ll never fight again but I’ll never retire”

Check out the complete interview above.

WWE issued the following today:

WWE® BUSINESS OUTLOOK MAINTAINS POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT EARNINGS GROWTH

STAMFORD, Conn., May 15, 2014 – WWE (NYSE:WWE) today announced that it has reached a multi-year agreement in principle with NBCU for the renewed U.S. licensing of WWE’s flagship programs and ratings juggernauts Raw and SmackDown. Given the anticipated increase in television rights, and with successful WWE Network subscriber growth, WWE management continues to believe that the Company can achieve significant earnings growth, potentially doubling or tripling 2012 OIBDA1 results to a range of $125 million to $190 million by 2015.2

“We continue to achieve significant increases in the value of our largest television agreements, a key component of our business plan” stated Vince McMahon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “The rising value of our content coupled with the global expansion of WWE Network will provide the foundation for long-term growth that continues to transform our business over the coming years.”

“With the favorable renegotiation of our largest television agreements, WWE transitions to a subscription-based business model for future growth,” added George Barrios, Chief Strategy & Financial Officer. “Successful execution of our WWE Network strategy could significantly raise the Company’s earnings profile and better reflect WWE’s tremendous global appeal and brand strength. With such execution, the Company anticipates sufficient financial resources, including debt capacity, to fund growth, support ongoing business requirements and maintain its current dividend.”

Renewal of Key Television Agreements

Over the past six months, the Company has negotiated television distribution agreements in the U.S., U.K. and Thailand, and is in the midst of discussions regarding the distribution of WWE content in India.

The Company estimates that it will increase the average annual value of these key television agreements to approximately $200 million, representing an increase of more than $90 million that is nearly three times (3x) the increase achieved in the previous round of negotiations.

Management believes that the new agreements more fully reflect the value of WWE content, including significant first-run hours, a passionate and loyal fan base, and 90% “live plus same day” viewership in the U.S., which makes WWE content, like sports, “DVR-proof.” The Company plans to capitalize on the value of WWE content to drive further increases in value in other international markets.

The Global Expansion of WWE Network

The Company’s consumer research indicates a high proportion of U.S. and international broadband users have an affinity for WWE content. This research indicates that in the U.S. and certain international markets5, approximately 50% of broadband households have an affinity for WWE content, representing 77 million homes (WWE Homes) in these markets. The Company’s research also indicates that based on an overall take-rate of 3% to 5% of WWE homes in these markets, between 2.5 million and 3.8 million subscribers could subscribe to the WWE Network in these U.S. and international markets at a “steady state” (when the ramp-up of subscribers has been completed and subscriber levels are relatively stable), representing a sizable economic opportunity.

At a retail price per month of up to $9.99, this would represent estimated incremental OIBDA, net of potential pay-per-view cannibalization, between $50 million and $180 million.7 Managing subscriber growth contains significant execution risk and actual results could vary materially from this range based on, among other factors, the rate of subscriber adoption and churn rates, as well as changes in pricing, promotion levels and distribution terms.2

As shown below, the Company estimates that the WWE Network, on a global basis, will require 1.3 million to 1.4 million subscribers at “steady state” for the WWE Network’s incremental OIBDA to offset the complete cannibalization of the Company’s Pay-Per-View and SVOD businesses. At 1.3 million to 1.4 million subscribers, the Company’s Network segment, which includes the results of WWE’s Network, Pay-Per-View and SVOD businesses, would generate OIBDA results of $40 million (+/- 10%), which is on par with the OIBDA profits generated by the Company’s Pay-Per-View and SVOD businesses in 2012.

WWE Business Outlook for 2014 and 2015

The rate of subscriber adoption is a critical determinant of the Company’s projected future financial performance. If WWE Network achieves approximately one million subscribers by year-end 2014, it would yield a 12-month average of 650,000 subscribers for the year. This rate of adoption in 2014 translates to an estimated 2014 OIBDA loss ranging from $35 million to $45 million, and a 2014 Net loss ranging from $45 million to $52 million.

If WWE Network achieves an average of 2 million to 2.5 million subscribers for 2015, the Company’s 2015 OIBDA is expected to range from $125 million to $200 million, and 2015 Net income is expected to range from $57 million to $105 million. Actual subscriber levels and financial performance could vary materially based on various factors.2

About WWE:

WWE, a publicly traded company (NYSE: WWE), is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family friendly entertainment on its television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing platforms. WWE programming is broadcast in more than 150 countries and 30 Languages and reaches more than 650 million homes worldwide. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Miami, Mexico City, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, Munich and Tokyo.

Additional information on WWE (NYSE: WWE) can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. For information on our global activities, go to https://www.wwe.com/worldwide/.

It’s being said that Triple H is in kind of a rough position when it comes to talent relations for WWE. Basically, Vince McMahon is still the guy making all of the final calls, and because he’s known to change his mind so often, HHH is basically forced to go to talent multiple times, explaining that what he had told them previously was no longer happening.

Despite being in the rough situation, it’s being said that Triple H is still viewed as “one of us” to a lot of the talent in the company.

The following are highlights of a Q&A update from the official website of Vince Russo:

The only reason you did anything good in WWE was because Vince McMahon was your filter. “A myth. While all the shows were bounced off Vince for final approval, Vince never changed what Ed and I wrote. He just “tweaked” some things within the segment. If Vince is “the filter”, than how do you explain where ratings are today, compared to when Ed and I were writing the show? And—the ratings have been in the 3-range since 2002.”

Could you respond to this Bret Hart quote from 2009 (courtesy of Ministry of Slam radio show): “I think they should take Vince Russo and hang him by the neck somewhere in the back of the parking lot.” “Had many conversations with Bret at WCW, never said anything like this to me. If Bret did indeed say it—than I don’t understand it. I think the world of Bret Hart. Keep in mind, many things have been said about me behind my back—never to my face—so it’s hard for me to really understand the reasoning behind it.”

Why book a legitimately injured Bret Hart in a hardcore match with Terry Funk (this is right after Bret was kicked in the head by Goldberg)? “I would never book anybody in a match that was hurt—if I was aware of it. Can’t remember back that far, but I’m sure Breat hadn’t spoke up about his injury yet.”

What were your original plans with Bret Hart coming into WCW? “Put him high on the pedastal that he deserved to be on.”

Why did you book yourself to win the WCW World Championship? “Just another week of TV. Was never a big deal to me, especially knowing I was going to relinquish it 3 days later.”

Ric Flair doesn’t have kind words for you either when talking about his time working with you in WCW. What was your experience working with The Nature Boy? “I loved every second of it. Again, while we worked together Ric never said ANYTHING negative about anything. It was HIS IDEA for me to shave his head. I gave his son, David, the most exposure he ever had in his career. We put his younger son Reed on TV. What more did Ric want? Again—nothing was ever said to me to my face by Ric—even when we worked together later at TNA.”

What on earth happened to the Samoe Joe kidnapping angle!? “Tell me and we’ll both know. Unfortunately for my critics–not my idea. I was just as perplexed as you. Still am.”

Mike Johnson and Dave Scherer of PWInsider.com do not like you, it appears? Why? “Maybe it’s because I had an interview set up with Mike after I left TNA. Then prior to the interview I had a conversation with Mike where he already seemed to know all the answers to the questions before even speaking to me. I told Mike that if he already had the answers—then there was no need in him interviewing me. So I canceled the interview. Dave? Dave is just another guy who writes whatever he wants to write about me without ever confronting me. That’s the power of the computer age . . . i guess.”

The “Attitude Era” was a blatant ripoff of ECW! “Yeah, I hear that alot. I knew of ECW, and had maybe seen a handful of shows. No offense, but what they were doing at the time had no impact on me whatsover during the birth of the “Attitude Era”. Here’s a great story of how the “attitude Era” actually started. It was Vince’s birthday—I had to get him something. What do you buy a millionaire? So, I bought him a T-Shirt that said, “Keep your ATTITUDE to yourself—I have enough of my own.” That was literally weeks before the “Attitude Era” was born.”

Do you RESPECT the dirt sheets as a whole? Why or why not? “Very few members. Why? It’s real simple. out of all the BS said about me over the past 20 years, I can count maybe 1, or 2 instances where I was actually “contacted” for a response. They wrote whatever they wanted to write because there was no accountability. Just like they said a few weeks ago that I was under contract with TNA. Even with all the rumors concerning my status of late—NOBODY—has picked up the phone to ask ME. How can you respect that?”

Do you read the dirt sheets? “Honestly? When I’m working on my computer, and I just need to step away from what I’m writing–I’ll pop on. You have to understand, since so many mistruths have been wriiten about me, it’s hard for me to really look at those sites with any legitimacy. You just never know what’s true, and what’s inaccurate.”

What was the “real” Vince McMahon like? “WOW—not too many people know. When you get past all the layers, and there’s a level of trust, you see a Vince that very few see. A guy that never grew up, and was still a kid at heart in many aspects. That wasn’t a good thing—it was a great thing. I loved those times I got to spend with the unguarded Vince. I actually miss them.”

Do you ever regret leaving WWE for WCW? “Tough question. I have to go back to WHY I left. I was literally on the verge of a nervous breakdown at that point. Vince had added “Smackdown” without even talking to Ed and I about it, and the pressure, stress and work load just became to much to handle. You have to remember there weren’t 20 people writing TV back then—there was TWO—Ed Ferrara and myself. It was just too much.”

Were you ever physically threatened by any wrestlers? “Yes. Shawn threatened me once by saying, “I know I can take you”, which was his “funny” way of threatening me, and Goldberg made me feel uneasy once. That’s about it, and that’s ridiculous on all our parts because at the end of the day it’s just business—nothing is personal.”

Check out more of Russo’s Q&A at PyroAndBallyhoo.com.

The following are highlights of a new WGD Weekly interview with WWE Hall Of Famer Harley Race:

The incident at Starrcade ’83, where it was in question as to whether he would show up for his match with Ric Flair: “The thing on me not being there, it was all just a big rib to start with. I just wanted everyone there to think that I wasn’t going to be there, because at that point in time, there was a board of directors, and the board had thought it was time to make a rotation with the title, and I just wanted everyone there to believe that maybe I wasn’t going to be there…truthfully, I don’t know if I told Ric or not, you can ask him. I’m sure have at some point in time, I couldn’t let that little lie rest still after all these years.”

Confronting Hulk Hogan backstage at an event as the WWF made the move “across territory lines” in the mid 1980’s: “In confronting the Hulkster, he was the type of guy, that he was being paid to do what he did, and that is how he looked at it. He didn’t look at it as though he was running roughshod over everyone else out there. I confronted him about all that garbage. There was no push come to shove or anything. We never got into anything that far into it. Talent wise, he was as good as there was out there in that era…I was a wrestling style champion, and the Hulkster was a talking style. That was the two sides of it.”

Going to work for Vince McMahon and the WWF and how the “King” gimmick came about: “When it first came up, I thought the easiest way out of this was just for me to come up with an idea that was so far out in one direction or the other that Vince and his group wouldn’t go along with it. So, I said, I want to be the King, I want to come in and win a big tournament, and I want the crown, and then that’s how it turned, with that, how could you not go on with it.”

Owen Hart’s passing, and a conversation he had with him while he was working backstage at that event: “Who the god knew it would be my last conversation with Owen. With him it was always about talking about his father and what they did up there in the Winnipeg area and me coming in and out of there. The Hart Family is as good of a family as there ever was on the face of the earth and they’ve got a lot of kids that were involved in the wrestling part of it. It is just a horrible, horrible thing when stuff like that happens… He didn’t mention (being uncomfortable), that was the amazing part of it. It could’ve been me, it could’ve been anyone else. No one knows when the man up above wants to call your name.”

Becoming a manager in WCW: “I had been as high or higher than almost anyone I think, even still today. It sounds like I’m blowing smoke, you know where, but I had done everything feasibly possible to do in wrestling and to be able to take another guy like Vader or Luger or whoever and be able to help move them up to that top position, it just continued the Harley race version of wrestling. It kept it alive, it kept me alive.”

Check out the complete interview above.

• DIRECT LINK: Photos Of Bray Wyatt’s SMOKIN’ HOT Sister Mika Rotunda [>>]

Wrestling legend Vader was recently interviewed by Wrestling101. Here are some highlights of what he said about:

The Undertaker: “Undertaker was just phenomenal and I would say he is the best big man in professional wrestling history, without a doubt.”

Brock Lesnar: “I think Brock Lesnar is just a beast, he’s an incredible athlete and he would be great at anything he turned his hand to, I would love to see Brock featured more than he is.”

Triple H: “Triple H is doing a fantastic job running the company now but I would love to see more of him performing in the ring as he is still a tremendous athlete.”

Rumors Of Him Entering The WWE Hall of Fame: “I heard rumblings about it a couple of years ago, but I’ve not heard anything for a while now. I would really like for that to happen, I think I?ve earned it. Yokozuna, Bam Bam Bigelow, King Kong Bundy and myself would be considered super-heavyweights, and I would rank myself very high out of that group, and there is a time in my career in the early nineties where I considered myself to be the best big man.”

Comparing Vince McMahon and Eric Bischoff: “Eric was put into a situation and I think from a wrestling standpoint he wasn’t really ready for it at that time. He became very educated and excellent at what he did but it was kind of like we had one guy running the wrestling part and then two weeks later we had another guy doing it and so on and so forth until Eric did it. I think Eric was way in over his head initially but he certainly figured it out with the help of Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan and there were times when it became a biased situation but he achieved some great things, he is one of the most successful promoters in the history of professional wrestling. What can I say about Vince, he’s a genius, he is the most successful wrestling promoter of all time and just works so hard. He was very approachable and he has done nothing but treat me like a gentleman.”

According to one source, the reports that claim Batista refused to work a program with Daniel Bryan are untrue. A source recently told ProWrestling.net:

“WWE wants that story out, but it’s all twisted. (Batista) would do five jobs for Bryan. They’ve f—ed him in money, booking, broken promises (relating to his) schedule, and promoting his (outside projects).”

The source continued:

“Had that not happened, he would be around until late June, but because Vince (McMahon) f—ed him, he’s not, so they dragged Daniel Bryan into this to vilify Batista. Daniel is beloved and a martyr so he benefits, but it has nothing to do with jobbing. They’ve twisted. It’s classic Vince. Look at Ultimate Warrior and SummerSlam, Bret Hart in Montreal. (Vince) puts out his narrative. There are always two sides.”

Batista Expected To Stick Around Through WWE Payback PPV

– The official website of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins recently posted a video of WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan supporting the team.

– Former WWE personality Armando Estrada posted the following tweet on his official Twitter account recently, revealing what Bray Wyatt (the former Husky Harris) told Vince McMahon when he was taken off of television a few years ago:

I was backstage when Orton punt kicked Husky Harris off tv 3 yrs ago. Afterwards, Harris waited 4 Vince & told him “I’ll be back” #braywyatt

— Armando Estrada (@RealArmandoHaHa) April 29, 2014

• DIRECT LINK: Photos Of SEXY New TNA Knockout “Rebel” — View Here!

Rey Mysterio was at WWE headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut on April 30th to discuss a new contract with the company.

He was reportedly offered a deal to be somewhat of an ambassador for the company, particularly in Spanish language markets, as well as the opportunity to still wrestle part time.

While Mysterio’s future with the company is still uncertain, Vince McMahon does want to keep him on board.

– WWE has added all 35 NWA & WCW ‘Clash of the Champions’ to the vault section of the WWE Network. The next series to be added will be WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event.

– This summer’s WWE live events tour will be branded the “SummerSlam Heatwave Tour.”

– A fan suggested to Donald Trump on Twitter that he should run for President in 2016 and select Vince McMahon as his Vice Presidential running mate. Trump replied:

"@Kennokevin: @realDonaldTrump You should run for President in 2016 and have @Vincemcmahon as your running mate." Cute!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 3, 2014

– John Cena tweeted the following workout photos from the weekend, saying that he’s finally learning to ‘jerk’ and joking that he hopes it won’t make him go blind:

This was Saturday. 37 years old and I'm just learning to #jerk hope I don't go blind @muscle_fitness #evenstronger pic.twitter.com/oeilsJf7Vp

— John Cena (@JohnCena) May 4, 2014

WWE held their 2014 first-quarter conference call on Thursday morning, which features Vince McMahon, George Barrios and Michael Weitz talking specific WWE financials. Below are highlights from the call.

– Vince McMahon said that the key metrics, including WWE live events, were basically flat.

– McMahon said WrestleMania XXX is looking good based on the WWE Network count combined with pay-per-views.

– McMahon spoke of the XBOX ONE launch of the WWE Network and noted that smart televisions will be coming soon as well.

– McMahon noted that the company is in the middle of negotiations for India television rights. He mentioned that the domestic television deals will be finalized over the next few weeks.

– Barrios said that the 667,000 WWE Network subscribers translates to roughly $80 million annually, and said it’s more than they generally generated domestically from pay-per-view.

– Barrios spoke more of the WWE Network launch and mentioned an Amazon rollout in addition to smart televisions. He also noted that WWE Tough Enough will be returning as new programming on the Network.

– Corporate and other expenses increased $5.3 million to $37.7 million from the prior year quarter. It was listed as including “corporate overhead and certain expenses related to sales, marketing, and talent development costs.”

– WWE took an $8.6 million loss for the WWE Network launch costs that included customer service, programming and marketing.

– Barrios noted that the company is continuing to negotiate television rights deals in India and the United States. He said because negotiations are ongoing, they would not be answering any questions regarding that subject today.

– Barrios mentioned that the company is planning a WWE Network global launch for later this year. He noted that they also intend to report the subscriber count for the WWE Network on a regular basis.

– Barrios noted that the production costs for WrestleMania are included with the WWE Network financial numbers.

– A caller asked Barrios for a projected subscriber count for the WWE Network in 2015. He declined to comment but mentioned that they are targeting two-to-three million in general, without mentioning how long they plan to get to that point. He did say upon further questioning, however, that the two-to-three million subscriber estimate is just for domestic. McMahon chimed in and noted that the figure is a very conservative estimate.

You can read the full press release with all of the quotes and exact figures at 4-Traders.com.

WWE revealed their first-quarter financial results on Thursday. The company reports a net loss of $8 million, compared to a net income of $3 million for the first-quarter of 2013. “For the quarter, our earnings reflected the launch of our WWE Network, which delivers unparalleled depth of programming, ease of use and value to our fans,” said Vince McMahon in a company press release.

McMahon continued, “With almost 670,000 WWE Network subscribers in the U.S. and nearly 400,000 domestic pay-per-view buying homes for WrestleMania 30, we are confident that we will reach our goal of 1 million subscribers by the end of 2014. To drive WWE Network subscriber growth, we are highly focused on further developing our programming, expanding distribution platforms and executing customer acquisition campaigns. The expansion of WWE Network in the U.S. and international markets will provide a platform for long-term growth over the coming years.”

Check out the full press release at 4-Traders.com.

The following are highlights of a new CBS Sports interview with Sheamus:

On locker room resentment from him being WWE Champion after five months on TV: “I really didn’t give a damn. I wasn’t a kid. I wasn’t there to make friends I was there to be successful.”

On WWE now compared to when he debuted: “I think the locker room is a lot better. There’s a lot more willingness to help everybody.”

On working for Vince McMahon: “Vince is really quiet. You’ll see him backstage and he’s quiet. He’s really focused on what he’s doing … He’s cool, always been cool with me I’ve never had a problem with him. Get along with him well and he’s a fair boss.”

On Nancy Grace: “You know, I’ve never been a fan of Nancy Grace. It’s not a talk show. It’s just her talking. I don’t even think she has a soul, to be honest with you … It’s garbage. Her show is garbage.”

Check out the complete interview above.

Despite reports to the contrary, it was not Undertaker’s decision to end his legendary undefeated streak at WrestleMania XXX this year. The belief, however, is that if he didn’t want to end the streak, he could have put up a fight and it probably wouldn’t have happened. Regardless, Vince McMahon made the call to have Brock Lesnar win the match.

Another interesting note is that the original plan for the match was for Undertaker to go over, however a few days before the show, McMahon changed his mind. The feeling is that McMahon knew of Undertaker’s physical condition and the chance that this was going to be his last match, and decided that if the streak was ever going to be broken, it was now or never.

Details On The Referee Not Knowing The Finish To Undertaker vs. Lesnar

As far as Undertaker’s reaction, as previously reported, there are conflicting reports. One friend of his said that he had to be talked into it, while another person who would likely know, said that he didn’t argue the decision at all.

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)