Deadline.com has announced a partnership between Warner Bros. Home Video and WWE Studios to co-produce a Scooby-Doo animated feature that will find Scooby and the gang solving a mystery at WrestleMania.
WWE Superstars Triple H, John Cena, Kane, The Miz, Brodus Clay, Santino Marella, Sin Cara, AJ Lee and chief Vince McMahon are slated to appear in animated format and provide voiceovers for the film.
WWE.com summarizes the film’s plot: “When Shaggy and Scooby win tickets to WrestleMania, the entire gang travels in the Mystery Machine to WWE City to attend the epic event. However, when a mysterious ghostly bear appears and threatens to ruin the show, Scooby, Shaggy, Velma, Daphne and Fred work with WWE Superstars to solve the case.”
Warner Bros Home Entertainment will distribute the film via Blu-ray, DVD, VOD and digital download while WWE will use its considerable resources to promote the title, said WWE Studios President Michael Luisi.
As A.W. predicted, his original Twitter account was suspended after the terminated WWE Superstar posted a multitude of messages disparaging his former employer and Vince McMahon’s wife Linda McMahon. A.W., however, set up another account under his real name, Brian Jossie, at BJRatedR and has continued to sound off on the sports-entertainment organization as well as Linda.
Jossie believes WWE had his original account shut down, writing, “Yeah the #WWE shut down my old account. It’s all good. It was fun while it lasted.” When asked whether the account was his property, he responded, “Not really sure. Although when it comes to the #WWE they own everything like Satan, including your soul,lol!”
Jossie, who blames Linda and her ongoing U.S. Senate campaign for his termination from WWE, subsequently posted three images ridiculing the political hopeful. In the first pic, he posted a joke poster of McMahon reading “UNSTOPPABLE”-a takeoff of the Barack Obama “Hope” poster. He then posted an unflattering photo of McMahon, noting, “Is it me or does Linda McMahon make Hilary Clinton look like Angelina Fucking Jolie!!” Jossie was also sent a side-by-side image of Linda and the Cryptkeeper and asked if he sees a resemblance. “Yep! CryptKeeper might have her beat,” he wrote.
Jossie had also tweeted, “@Linda_McMahon has cost more negroes jobs than hurricane Katrina!!” However, he stated minutes later that he doesn’t hate Linda and that he’s merely joking around.
“I don’t hate Linda, I’m doing what a comedian would do. Making light of a serious situation inorder to make people think!” Jossie wrote.
He then continued the Linda jokes, writing, “David Duke would hire my black ass before @Linda_McMahon!” He then added, “Sorry I won’t be HANGING out at any #WWE shows. There’s enough pro wrestling lynching as it is….”
In response to a fan comment stating, “It’s pretty damn funny that @WWE actually thinks @Linda_McMahon has a chance at winning,” Jossie responded, “Agreed, Them muthafuckas are as high as Jeff Hardy!!!”
Jossie was also asked whether one needs to “play the game” in order to survive the political minefield of WWE. He responded, “Politics is a must. Everyone plays the GAME!! Some (Divas) more than others….#WinkWink #HHH.”
Jossie was also asked how WWE would have acted had he made a Mike Tyson rape joke rather than a Kobe Bryant one. “Nope I would have probably got a raise! #WhatTheFuck?” he responded.
Finally, Jossie was asked whether he’s calling out WWE for exposure, to be controversial or out of bitterness. “I’m just saying my peace. I wish more people would be like JTG and not be afraid to speak up. #Courage,” he says.
A.W. has continued to lambast WWE via Twitter after his contract was terminated Friday for what a company spokesman says was due to his continued use of offensive and inappropriate comments on live television and on social media after making a rape joke on the July 30 episode of Raw.
The boisterous personality strongly feels his firing is unfair and that he is being subject to double standards by WWE, pointing out other similar offensive events where a talent was suspended at most. He wrote, “If I smoked crack or did steroids I’d get suspended but I made a joke and tweeted support Linda and I get fired. #Doesn’tAddUp #Hmmmmm.”
A.W. posted several fan remarks noting WWE’s double standards towardss offensive and inappropriate comments, including Tensai making stereotypical remarks about Japanese people last week on Tout, John Cena cracking homophobic insults on WWE programming, Randy Orton suggesting during a radio interview that Kelly Kelly had sexual relations with upwards of ten WWE Superstars, and Cena and Jerry “The King” Lawler hurling weight-related barbs toward Vickie Guerrero.
“They didn’t do shit to Randy Orton when he called Kelly Kelly a slut, you see the double standard? Fuck politics. #AWForLife.”
“Im a HUGE Cena fan, but Cena made fat jokes w/ King, genitalia jokes n homo jokes. Orton bashes K2, Vince mocks JR! #FuckUWWE”
“so stealing a car, having a yng girl trying to fuck 3 guys at once and not to mntion the Tensai thing is ok, but no jokes? #BS”
A.W. continued to point out the hypocrisy in Vince McMahon mocking Jim Ross’ affliction with Bell’s palsy while simultaneously promoting the ‘be a STAR’ anti-bullying campaign; on the June 11 episode of Raw, the WWE Chairman donned a J.R.-style hat, mimicked Ross’ facial paralysis and yelled, “Stone Cold! Stone Cold! Stone Cold!” He re-tweeted, “So Vince can continually bash @JRsBBQ by teasing his ball palsy but yet your comments where deemed worse? Be a star my ass.” He then posted a photo of McMahon distorting his face to ridicule Ross, with the caption reading “MOCKING JR: QUALITY PG ENTERTAINMENT.”
A.W. also pointed out McMahon using a racial slur on WWE programming in 2006, and enclosed a link to footage of the segment. He noted via re-tweet, “VINCE MCMAHON CAN SAY THE “N” WORD ON NATIONAL T.V. BUT @AWPromotions CAN’T TELL A JOKE………….whats wrong with this picture???”
A.W. also feels it’s hypocritical that WWE would celebrate boxer Mike Tyson, who was convicted of rape in 1992 and sentenced to six years in prison. He re-tweeted, “You said one Kobe Bryant rape joke and you got fired. Isn’t Mike Tyson a convicted rapist? Yet he is in the HoF. Hypocrisy.” He then posted side-by-side images of himself and Tyson, with the caption over his photo reading “FIRED FROM WWE OVER RAPE JOKE” and a caption over the Tyson photo reading “CONVICTED RAPIST – WWE HALL OF FAMER.”
A.W. plans to continue to “shoot” as he has set up a second Twitter account under his real name, Brian Jossie, at BJRatedR. He noted on the account, “Ladies and Gentlemen welcome to my fucking non PG world!!! Where all bets are off and I tell it like it is. Fuck the Bull Shit, I’m legit!”
Wrestler reaction to A.W.’s firing by WWE on Friday for what a company spokesman said was due to his continued use of offensive and inappropriate comments on live television and on social media after making a rape joke on the July 30 episode of Raw is said to be as negative to any termination in a long time.
Upon learning of the news, A.W. posted a barrage of Twitter messages roasting the sports-entertainment organization for what he perceives are double standards, such as Big Show making a similar remark referencing NBA player Kobe Bryant’s sexual assault case years ago and Vince McMahon reneging WWE’s anti-bullying campaign on Raw weeks ago by ridiculing Jim Ross’ affliction with Bell’s palsy. Though it would appear that he is squashing any chance of a return to the organization with each scathing tweet, Wrestling Observer editor Dave Meltzer sees things otherwise.
He posted on the F4WOnline.com message board, “The more he says, the better his chances of being brought back in a while.
“Vince has no respect for people he bullies and don’t fight back.
“He hired Bischoff, Bret (spent ten years begging for him to comeback and even brought him back after Bret walked out on him the day of Mania), Sable, Billy Graham, yet never touched Heenan except for one shots. I doubt even he knows it but he’s playing it smart in the long run.”
After WWE unceremoniously terminated A.W.’s contract Friday for what a company spokesman said was due to his continued use of offensive and inappropriate comments on live television and on social media after uttering a rape joke on the July 30 episode of Raw, the All World Promotions chief posted a barrage of vitriolic messages on Twitter blistering his former employer for what he perceives are double standards.
A.W. strongly feels it is unjust that he’s now out of job when Big Show made a similar remark referencing NBA player Kobe Bryant’s sexual assault case, Vince McMahon reneged WWE’s anti-bullying campaign two months ago on Raw by ridiculing Jim Ross’ facial paralysis, CM Punk told a fan on Twitter to kill himself, Triple H simulated mock sex with a mannequin in a casket, McMahon used a racial epithet on national television, and the company showcased a character making light of mentally challenged individuals, among other unsavory events. Fans comments he posted include: “VINCE MCMAHON CAN SAY THE “N” WORD ON NATIONAL T.V. BUT @AWPromotions CAN’T TELL A JOKE………….whats wrong with this picture???”
“McMahon is a hypocrite! It’s cool for him to mock JR’s Bells Palsy, & you aren’t cut any slack for one joke? #BeAStarVince.”
“I hope Vince hasn’t forgot How he mocked @JRsBBQ on #RAW live, and @AWPromotions gets released for one joke?”
“@if only you had strangled someone with your tie, you’d be back within 6 months lol.”
“so Dx can tell everyone to suck it but u can’t make a joke?”
“@CMPunk told one of his twitter followers to kill themselves. biggest double standard in the world.”
“@kane has sex with a dead girl but @AWPromotions makes a kobe joke and gets fired.”
“Vince can kick the leg out from under a one legged kid, wrestle women, mock The mentally retarded and he fired you!!!”
A.W. feels he is a casualty of Linda McMahon’s Republican pursuit of a United States Senate seat in Connecticut, which many have speculated has led the sports-entertainment organization to take action on any matter deemed controversial so as not to affect her campaign.
He tweeted to Linda, “Creates jobs my ass!! I’m fired thanks to you and your campaign.”
Amid pressure to reveal more of her personal financial information, United States Senate candidate Linda McMahon released her and Vince McMahon’s 2011 tax returns.
The returns show the couple made $24.1 million in 2011, down from $30 million in 2010. The report that they released will be amended soon as the McMahons are waiting on a report from some investment incomes. In 2011, the McMahons paid approximately $3.6 million in federal taxes and $1.72 million in state taxes.
Speaking of Linda McMahon, she may be under fire in Connecticut from Democrats and angry moms, but she can rest assured that she has the support of All World Promotions. AW tweeted:
– The August 6 episode of garnered a 3.08 cable rating over the course of three hours, the same rating as last week. Raw also averaged a 3.23 rating from 9:00 through the 11:00 p.m. overrun, which is identical to last week.
Unlike the last two weeks, the rating for the third hour of Raw declined from the second hour. The program garnered a 3.26 rating in the second hour before declining to a 3.19 in the third. The first hour drew a 2.80 rating compared to 2.79 the week before.
Overall viewership declined 130,000 from last week to 4,360,000 viewers. Raw averaged 4,070,000 viewers in the first hour, 4,650,000 in the second hour and 4,470,000 in the third hour. It was the least watched episode overall since June and least watched from 9:00 through the 11:00 p.m. overrun since July 9.
– Shawn Michaels stated on Twitter Tuesday afternoon that he has declined a behind-the-scenes role with WWE. When asked on Twitter how he would react if offered an executive position by WWE chief Vince McMahon, Michaels replied, “He has, and for now, I’ve declined.”
Chris Masters appeared on Inside The Ropes radio Thursday night. Highlights are as follows:
How he finds Vince McMahon backstage: “He’s above and beyond everybody. Even The Hulkster. He’s the guy that put this stuff together. They’re an odd family. They are good at business. People who are business savvy tend to come off a little cold. They don’t get too close to the performers. My first meeting with him was very cool. I told him in due time, I could definitely be a huge player for WWE.”
Who came up with Masterpiece gimmick: “Dr Tom Prichard changed my name to Masters. My friend Matt Morgan and I were sitting one day and he said Masterpiece. I brought it to Jim Cornette and he ran with it, WWE ran with it. I joke that I give 10 per cent of my salary to Matt Morgan. I’m just kidding. He always ribs that he’s responsible for it but I tell him he just had one moment of brilliance (laughs).”
On working with John Cena in 2005/06: “That guy had some heavy fists. Carlito and I used to joke around that in tag matches with Cena and HBK, we would literally rush to get to Shawn Michaels, because he wasn’t as heavy with hands and the other guy would be stuck with Cena and you’d be potato’ing each other left and right. I remember at the Elimination Chamber I felt like I was in a real shoot fight. It’s not that he’s bad, he just gets really fired up and he’s got big hands, he doesn’t realise his own strength.”
Thoughts on his TNA dark match and ending up working for Dixie: “I think there’s a good chance I’ll be working them in the future. It’s a different vibe to WWE. I like that Dixie Carter makes herself accessible to the talent. Jason Hervey came up to me after the match with a camera and just let me talk, it wasn’t some writer giving you stuff to say. There was a good reaction from the crowd. All in all it turned out as good as it could go. I’ve planted all the seed I could. It’s up to them if they want to capitalise, if not I’ll just go about my way.”
To hear the rest of the interview where Masters discusses how he broke into wrestling, his first WrestleMania, working a program with HBK, The WWE’s Wellness Policy and the infamous Pec Dance gimmick, head over to www.facebook.com/theinsidenetwork.
– David Otunga is being advertised for WWE’s upcoming tour of Australia (8/30-9/1), which would be his first appearance since filming the WWE Studios movie “The Hive” with Halle Berry.
John Laurinaitis has also been advertised for your, but was recently removed from the list of superstars on the WWE Live Events Page. Laurinaitis serves as a producer/agent at WWE live events, so he could still appear on the tour.
– UFC President Dana White has responded to Vince McMahon’s recent comments that UFC’s ratings are “abysmal.” During an interview with Ariel Helwani, White says he likes Vince and has a good relationship with him, but Vince says things like that because of the way he is “wired.”
He added that he could say a lot of things about WWE, but doesnt – and says he doesn’t understand why Vince would attack UFC since Vince is so adamant about saying WWE and UFC are totally different products. Here’s video of the interview:
Here are highlights from WWE Chariman Vince McMahon and George Barrios’ investor conference call from Thursday:
– The company is not yet ready to release additional information regarding the launch of the WWE Network, but will have more details next quarter.
– WWE is currently working on 3 separate business models for the WWE network – basic distribution, a pay TV format (ie. HBO/Showtime) and a third “over-the-top” format.
– Monday Night Wars is expected to be one of the shows on the WWE Network.
– WWE has spent $5 million on production of ‘Legend’s House.’
– Due to the accounting method WWE is using to report its investment in Tout, WWE owns 20% or less than the social media service. The Tout app was downloaded over 30,000 times after the airing of WWE Raw and is now one of the top apps in the Apple App Store.
– WWE PPV revenue jumped approximately 30-35% over last year, partially due more people ordering the HD version of PPVs, which costs $10 more.
– Vince McMahon acknowledged that WWE went too far with “WWE PG” – and says the writing of WWE television has gotten much better in recent months.
– Vince said WWE is using YouTube for the comedy aspects of WWE programming and plans to use television for more drama and storytelling. Vince touted the potential of WWE’s Youtube shows – and WWE’s ability to spin them off into full shows eventually.
– “No Holds Barred” starring Hulk Hogan, which cost less than $100,000, is expected to make $300,000.
– Vince said WWE’s current stock price reflects their financial results of last year. WWE’s social media strength as well as learning from the mistakes of their movie division will help their bottom line and their stock price moving forward.
STAMFORD, Conn., August 2, 2012 – WWE (NYSE:WWE) today announced financial results for its second quarter ended June 30, 2012. Revenues totaled $141.6 million as compared to $142.6 million in the prior year quarter. Operating income was $19.6 million as compared to $21.0 million in the prior year quarter. Net income was $11.9 million, or $0.16 per share, as compared to $14.3 million, or $0.19 per share, in the prior year quarter. There were several items that impacted comparability on a year-over-year basis, including expenses incurred in conjunction with our potential network in the current quarter and film impairments in the prior year quarter. Excluding the impact of these items, Adjusted Operating income declined 12% to $21.3 million from $24.3 million in the prior year quarter. Adjusted Net income was $13.1 million, or $0.17 per share, as compared to $16.5 million, or $0.22 per share, in the prior year quarter.
“In the second quarter, we made important progress on our key strategic initiatives, expanding our content and distribution and enhancing our brand strength,” stated Vince McMahon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “The production and licensing of a third hour of Raw and the launch of a new program, WWE Main Event, for ION Television, as well as our exploding social media presence which now reaches over 100 million global fans, exemplify our achievement of these goals. In order to cultivate further the unique passion of our global fans, we continued to integrate social media in our program content and entered a strategic investment agreement with Tout, which enables users to capture and share 15-second videos. Integrating our fans’ voice in our programming enables us to escalate fan interaction, enhance our programming content, and drive the value of our investment.”
“Our results were highlighted by the strong performance of our pay-per-view business, which offset an anticipated decline in video game sales,” added George Barrios, Chief Financial Officer. “Key audience measures, including a 17% increase in pay-per-view buys and the attraction of 6 million viewers to our 1,000th episode of Raw in July demonstrate our staying power and our continuing ability to build consumer interest. Based on our earnings growth in the first half of the year and the recent positive trends in our pay-per-view business, we are raising our financial forecast for the full year. We expect that our 2012 earnings, measured by either earnings per share, or EBITDA, will be roughly 5% to 15% above our 2011 results on an “as reported” basis.”
– During Thursday’s conference call for 2012 second quarter results, WWE Chairman and CEO, Vince McMahon, said he hopes to make an announcement concerning the WWE Network in three months. “I hope next quarter I will be making an announcement on our Network,” McMahon said.
McMahon acknowledged a delay in announcing details on the WWE Network. He stated at the last conference call in May that he expected an announcement to be made “within the next three months.”
– Jim Powers, who appeared for the World Wrestling Federation from 1984 to 1994, will undergo hip replacement surgery Thursday due to the years of abuse he put his body through while working in the professional wrestling industry.
– According to WrestlingFigs.com, Maria Kanellis will appear at T’s Zone at the Enfield Square Mall 90 Elm St. Enfield, Connecticut on September 29 from from noon to 3:00 p.m. Call 860-756-6522 for more information.
Smackdown opened with Vince McMahon announcing Booker T was the new General Manager of Smackdown. Alberto Del Rio came out and said he wouldn’t be wrestling until Summerslam. Sheamus came out, leading to Booker announcingt Alberto Del Rio vs. Randy Orton and Sheamus vs. Lord Tensai for tonight.
*World champion Sheamus defeated Tensai.
*Eve Torres attempted to get in with Booker. Instead, it turned out Teddy Long had been given a job and told Eve to take a hike.
*Antonio Cesaro defeated WWE United States champ Santino Marella in a non-title match.
*Matt Striker interviewed Daniel Bryan. Basically a backdrop for Bryan to say “No” a lot.
*Daniel Bryan & WWE Intercontinental champ The Miz & Dolph Ziggler defeated Chris Jericho & Kane & Christian.
*Matt Striker interviewed Randy Orton, who said he would defeat Alberto.
*Ryback defeated Jinder Mahal via DQ when Mahal nailed him with a foreign object and ran to the back.
*Darren Young pinned R-Truth.
*WWE Divas champ Layla congratulated Booker T. Cody Rhodes popped up and said he that although he ended Booker’s career, they can work together. Booker told him he would wrestle Sin Cara next week.
*Randy Orton defeated Alberto Del Rio by DQ when Ricardo interfered as Orton was going for the RKO.
Dark Match: John Cena defeated Big Show and Cody Rhodes
BREAKING NEWS: Mr. McMahon will name the new General Manager of SmackDown at tonight’s live event, and there is strong speculation it will be Booker T.
Bare in mind this could be a swerve. It is also interesting to note WWE doesn’t normally make references to the fact that SmackDown! is tapped on Tuesday.
We’ll have full coverage from Smackdown later tonight on here.
– It was announced on Raw that WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon will appear on this Friday’s episode of SmackDown to announce the new SmackDown General Manager.
– Cody Rhodes defeated Zack Ryder in dark match prior to Raw at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio,
Just prior to showtime, there was a minor incident involving the show’s pyrotechnics and as a precaution, the limited number of people in the venue during the incident were evacuated. The fire marshal issued safety clearance for the show to proceed as scheduled at 8/7 p.m. CT. However, due to time constraints, no WWE Superstars matches were held.
– Via Twitter, Jim Ross weighed in on Daniel Bryan’s Street Fight against World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus on Raw: “Does Daniel Bryan ever have a bad match? $2 steak tough. He’s a product of hard work & desire. Same can be said for Sheamus. Physicality!”
– After AJ decided not to marry Daniel Bryan on Raw, it was revealed she accepted a proposal from Vince McMahon to become the new permanent Raw General Manager. She stated on Twitter Tuesday evening that she has big things planned.
“Big meetings this week at WWE HQ. Things are about to get VERY interesting. #Raw1001 #businesschucks.”
– Two matches were taped Tuesday night in Kansas City, Missouri for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars: Sin Cara vs. Drew McIntyre and WWE Divas Champion Layla vs. Natalya.
In dark match results, Zack Ryder defeated Heath Slater via Rough Ryder while Jey and Jimmy Uso beat Camacho and Hunico. Both Usos hit Hunico with the Superfly Splash for the pinfall victory.
– Former WWE Superstar Headbanger Mosh weighed in on Monday’s landmark Raw episode via Twitter: “Thought #RAW1000 was pretty good (from what I saw) only thing missing was @steveaustinBSR.”
– On Backstage Fallout, John Cena was asked about unsuccessfully cashing in the Money in the Bank briefcase on Raw against CM Punk. He responded, “My mistake.”
Cena continues, “We all know I’ve had issues with CM Punk in the past, but it’s been (pause), the word respect comes up. If you’re the champ, nobody has any loyalty to anything. The word respect comes to mind, even when we’re at each other’s throats. It just respect. I go back to Money in the Bank when Vince went to throw it out and I told him no, and I lost. My watch, my terms, and I respect that.”
The Miz, Heath Slater and Daniel Bryan also react to Raw events.
– After AJ decided not to marry Daniel Bryan on Raw, it was revealed she accepted a proposal from Vince McMahon to become the new permanent Raw General Manager. Vickie Guerrero, a former General Manager of the program, weighed in on the matter via Twitter.
“Feelings about @Aj? Her reign in office will be short lived…no experience, maturity, and support….she will learn she needs to grow up,” Guerrero wrote.
– TNA star and former WWE star Kurt Angle tweeted on Raw, “Did not watch Raw 1000 Episode. Was on Honeymoon. Heard It Was Great.”
– Although the WWE heavily promoted a 1,000th RAW pre-show on Youtube.com all week long and on s RAW, WWE didn’t have one. The company opted to tape Superstars instead.
– The Miz defeated Christian to win the WWE Intercontinental championship on RAW1000
– During the Daniel Bryan A.J. wedding segment, A.J. said she had accepted another man’s proposal and wasn’t marrying Bryan. Vince McMahon’s music hit, and out came the WWE Chairman. He said “Said it’s not the type of proposal people were thinking of. Instead, it was a business proposal” With that he asked for the WWE Universe to welcome the new General Manager of Raw…….. AJ!
AJ laughed, skipped around Daniel Bryan and left Bryan at the altar.
– WWE has named Alex Guerrero, Jr. of San Antonio, Texas as their 100 millionth social media fan. WWE is giving him free tickets to Monday’s 1,000th RAW from St. Louis, MI.
– WWE Chairman Vince McMahon sent out the following message on Saturday morning thanking fans for their continued support of WWE Monday Night RAW:
“I would like to personally thank you and the entire WWE Universe for your never-ending support as WWE achieves TV history with its record-breaking 1,000th edition of Monday Night RAW. In celebration of this historic night, we invite you to join us this Monday for a monumental three-hour event. Once again, we thank you for making RAW the success it has become and we look forward to creating another 1,000 episodes.”
Vince McMahon appears in a BusinessWeek.com interview, here are some of the highlights. View the entire article here.
Trying to work for the WWE: “My first question is: Why do you want to work with WWE? They don’t have to know WWE, by the way. They don’t have to be fans. Sometimes that gets in the way. If they give me a boilerplate answer, I look at them and I say, ‘That’s a boilerplate answer. It’s not what I’m looking for.’ I’m very straightforward and very honest with people. That’s what I want back. Don’t tell how to make the watch—tell me what time it is. Be honest. It cuts through a lot of crap. People know where they stand. They know where you stand. Life becomes a lot easier.”
Vince’s Lack of sleep: “I average about four hours of sleep. I don’t like to sleep. I’m missing something when I’m sleeping. From a personal standpoint, I’m aggressive by nature and I’m truculent by nature. So I need to have a socially acceptable outlet for that. That would be bodybuilding. I enjoy that. It’s a challenge to be stronger. I get a lot of enjoyment by training. Nutrition goes with it. I train for my head—not my body. The ancillary benefits are that I’m healthy as a horse. It really does clear my head. It’s an opportunity to wash anything from my head, business-wise or personal. That’s my moment when I can get into a zone.”
His employees: “You can’t say, ‘Go do so-and-so,’ unless you’re willing to do it. You can’t ask someone to put in a zillion hours unless you’re willing to go do it. You can’t ask anyone to have a passion for a product unless you have it. Listening is a lost art. I have a unique ability to listen to myself as I’m talking. That’s somewhat unique, but I think that to listen is to learn. I think some of things begin from a natural standpoint, and you’ve got to work at them. You’ve got to let it evolve.”
Making decisions: “Once you make a decision, you go with it, and everyone gets behind it. There’s no second-guessing. One of my expressions is, ‘First day on the job.’ That’s the way I like our executives to look at our business every day and what they do. When you do that, then it either confirms that what you did yesterday is the right way—or it’s, like, ‘Ooh, now that I have this new information. … There’s this new form of media, there’s a new way of thinking of things, you know, or I read a book last night, I read something in the newspaper ….’ Bringing that degree of intelligence and flexibility into the organization is very, very important.”
His business Success: “Certainly the best way to fail in management [is to be distant and imperious]. You shut people down. If you have all the answers, why is anyone around you? If your ego is so big, then there’s no room for anyone else’s. The fear stuff—that is so rotten. You have to earn everyone’s respect. I have to do it every day. Sometimes I leave the office and I feel great. In military terms, I’ve got ‘scrambled eggs on my cap.’ I’ve got medals dripping off my chest. When I wake up in the morning, they’re all gone. You have to earn everyone’s respect in business every day.”
On decision making: “Indecision ticks me off, but complacency would be the biggest thing. I don’t take anything for granted. There’s no entitlement. I’m not entitled to take my next breath. I will never be complacent. If I climb a mountain, I want to see the next highest peak. Encourage employees by giving them other opportunities. I think if you see complacency, you say from an HR standpoint, ‘We find that you’re becoming complacent.’ So as a quality I don’t like, that’s strike one. Strike two is if they can’t change—if they can’t look at it as the first day on the job. Sometimes people need a kick in the butt for themselves—personally or professionally. Strike three is when it doesn’t work.”
– Linda McMahon and her husband, WWE CEO Vince McMahon, earned $30.6 million in 2010, according to a tax return provided to The Associated Press on Friday by Linda.
The endorsed Republican candidate in the race for Connecticut’s open U.S. Senate seat says her 2011 returns will eventually be released.
The vast majority of their income came from stock dividends. They paid $4.7 million in federal taxes. (Article)
– Former WWE Champion Dave “Batista” Bautista took part in a photo shoot for men’s magazine GQ on Thursday to promote the upcoming Quentin Tarantino produced Kung Fu movie The Man with the Iron Fists. The noted wrestler appears in the flick with Academy Award winner Russell Crowe, Lucy Liu and mixed martial artist Cung Lee.
– Former WWE tandem Perry Saturn and Terri Runnels have been announced to appear a The Big Event 3. The event takes place Saturday, October 6 at the Courtyard Marriott LaGuardia Airport 9010 Ditmars Blvd. East Elmhurst, New York.
– WWE had Triple H, Pat Patterson, Terry Taylor and Dean Malenko, among others, at the recent WWE NXT TV tapings to scout talents and help teach.
– Everything is being kept quiet regarding The Undertaker’s return but there’s still speculation that he may return on Monday’s 1,000th RAW episode.
– WWE’s website is teasing that The Rock may get involved in the WWE Title match between CM Punk and John Cena on Monday’s 1,000th RAW episode.
– There’s speculation that the “big angle” Vince McMahon has been wanting will take place at the end of the 1,000th RAW episode on Monday. WWE has reportedly been working on something big for the summer, something similar to the Nexus and CM Punk angles from the past two years.
– All September, WWE’s 2012 video release The Rock: The Epic Journey of Dwayne Johnson on pay-per-view. The following preview has been released.
http://youtu.be/r9ZC0g2cdg8
– Cranky Vince, a popular Twitter account parodying head chief Vince McMahon, is gone from Twitter. It disappeared Friday after having posted several messages mocking WWE’s partnership with Tout.
The account would spoof McMahon’s demeanor and mindset with random musings depicting the WWE Chairman as eccentric, maniacal and drug-addled. It had drawn alarming concern from organization officials since last year, who believed it was being controlled by an employee within proximity of McMahon due to the eerie nature of the tweets. The account would often post messages based on things he had legitimately done or said at work—sometimes moments after occurring.
– After making his first appearance inside a WWE ring since 2004 on Monday’s Raw SuperShow, Rikishi is today’s featured Superstar on WWE.com.
A licensing inquiry by THQ led one songwriter to file a federal lawsuit against WWE, WWE-owned company Stephanie Music Publishing, Inc., WWE employee Michael Seitz (a/k/a Michael “P.S.” Hayes) and WWE employee James Alan Johnston (a/k/a Jim Johnston). According to a lawsuit filed by songwriter James D. Papa, the sports entertainment organization redirected royalty payments to several wrestling related songs he either wrote or co-wrote by securing the rights to music unlawfully.
The songs in question are featured in the 1992 WCW compilation album Slam Jam 1 and were used as entrance themes by wrestlers. The songs include “Badstreet USA” (The Fabulous Freebirds), “Don’t Step To Ron” (Ron Simmons), “Man Called Sting” (Sting), “Mr. Bang Bang” (Cactus Jack), “Master of the DDT” (Jake “The Snake” Roberts), “Freebird Forever” (The Fabulous Freebirds), “Simply Ravishing” (“Ravishing” Rick Rude), “Johnny B. Badd,” “The Natural” (“The Natural” Dustin Rhodes) “The Dragon” (Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat), “He’s Smokin” (Barry Windham) and “Steinerized” (The Steiner Brothers).
Papa says he was contacted by video-game company THQ for permission to license “Badstreet USA” for its Legends of WrestleMania title that was released in March 2009. The lawsuit alleges, “THQ’s records showed the song to be owned by World Wrestling Entertainment.” The suit continues:
“As a result of the confusion, Papa contacted BMI to ensure that ‘Badstreet USA’ was properly registered to him and his companies. Upon his investigation, Papa learned that ‘Badstreet USA’ had been improperly and erroneously reregistered by Defendants and been given a new registration number, resulting in the royalties being redirected to Defendants. Eventually, through working with BMI, Papa was able to correct the registration to properly reflect his ownership in the work. However, by the time the registration was corrected, THQ had decided not to use the song.”
The suit says, “His investigation revealed a systematic pattern of errors and omissions by WWE personnel that effectively misappropriated Papa’s musical works and deprived the Plaintiffs of royalty payments that would have been paid but for these errors and omissions.” According to BMI.com, “Mr. Bang Bang” has two separate registration numbers: one for Papa, another that credits James Alan Johnston as songwriter and Stephanie Music Publishing as publisher. Johnston is WWE’s longtime music composer while Stephanie Music Publishing is a company owned by Vince McMahon that was named after his daughter, Stephanie.
Papa says his songs have appeared on myriad places including numerous video releases, broadcasts of cable television shows and on-demand programming, without his permission and without receiving financial compensation. He is seeking royalties paid (plus pre- and post- judgment interest) on the sale of videos, computer games, the sale or licensing of ring tones, and the broadcasts of cable television shows and on-demand programming; a preliminary and permanent injunction to halt the use of the copyrighted materials; an order directing the named defendants to file a report detailing how they have complied with the injunction; reimbursement for legal fees; and a trial by jury where the court will determine damages. He also wants the court to certify that he owns the rights to the music.
WWE.com published a rare interview with company head Vince McMahon that WWE Magazine conducted in 2007 in celebration of 15h anniversary of Raw. The WWE Chairman discusses the longevity of Raw, competing with WCW, the future of the sports entertainment industry and who he feels is the most important Superstar in the evolution of the program—it’s a Rattlesnake.
“There’s no question that guys like Triple H, The Rock, Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker have all made enormous contributions to this company, but if there was one single personality that exemplified Raw in the truest sense of what I wanted it to be, it would be “Stone Cold” Steve Austin,” McMahon said.
“Make no mistake, the Attitude Era started long before “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Bret Hart was the first one to push Mr. McMahon on his ass. When the audience responded to that incident so positively, I knew we had something. The great thing about what we do is that we have a focus group every night – our fans. You think you’re giving them what they want, but then they shift on you. Raw has changed. Raw has continued to be flexible in order to keep true to what WWE fans want to see. That’s why Raw has produced more hours than any other television show in history.”
When asked about Raw running the competition out of business, World Championship Wrestling, he noted, “I don’t think we drove WCW out of business. That was certainly never our intent. That was the mindset of Ted Turner and WCW, but not WWE. See, if you spend all of your energy trying to kill the other guy, your product suffers.
“If you don’t kill the other guy, then he’s going to come back at you, and when he comes back, you won’t have done anything to make your house better. It’s no different than being in a fight and knowing that, if the other guy keeps on hitting you, that son of a bitch is going to wear himself out pretty fast.”