– New episodes of WWE Slam City, which features Brock Lesnar, Sheamus, Rey Mysterio and Damien Sandow, are now available at WWESlamCity.com. They will also be added to the WWE Network in the near future.

– The following is a new video blog from former WWE Superstar Ezekiel Jackson:

http://youtu.be/Bd27od40CZo

– Former independent wrestler Drake Younger worked the WWE NXT live event on Friday night in Orlando, Florida as a referee. There had been rumors that Younger was signed to WWE to work as a referee as opposed to a wrestler.

– This coming Tuesday night’s edition of WWE Countdown on the WWE Network will count down the ten craziest ladder matches in WWE history.

WWE is reportedly considering a number of ideas for potential new WWE Network original programs. Courtesy of WrestlingDVDNews.com, below is information on some of these potential programs:

• News (Comedic):
News show about all things WWE. Presented with a comedic slant like the Daily Show with Jon Stewart or The Colbert Report.

• News (Serious):
A news show about all things WWE. Presented with a more serious approach like ESPN’s SportsCenter.

• Documentary:
New additions to the existing documentary line-up, such as Journey to WrestleMania: Daniel Bryan. In-depth programs about WWE related topics, similar to HBO’s Hard Knocks, or Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth.

• In-Ring:
New additions to the existing in-ring show line-up, such as RAW, Main Event, and NXT.

• Game Shows:
Superstars hosting, or being involved in, WWE-themed game shows in which fans compete for cash prizes like on Cash Cab, Jeopardy!, and Family Feud.

• Talk Shows:
Intimate and exclusive interviews with Superstars, Legends and Divas in a Late Show with David Letterman or Tonight Show format and similar to Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.

• Animated:
New additions to the existing animated programming line-up, such as Slam City.

• Reality: Docu-series:
Unscripted reality shows that explore the daily lives of Superstars, like seen on Total Divas or similar to Deadliest Catch or Dog The Bounty Hunter.

• Reality: Lifestyle:
Reality shows that explore the lifestyle of a Superstar, like foods they crave and places they like to travel. Similar to Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, or Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown.

• Reality: Competition (In-Ring):
“In-ring” competition shows, like Tough Enough. The new season of Tough Enough has been confirmed for the Network and begins filming soon at the WWE Performance Center.

• Reality: Competition (Outside The Ring):
Competition shows that have Superstars, Divas and Legends competing against each other outside the ring like on Amazing Race or Shaq Vs.

• Reality: Buying/Selling:
Reality shows looking at collecting habits of Superstars, or buying and selling pop culture memorabilia or antiques, like on Pawn Stars or American Pickers.

• Reality: Survival:
Reality shows featuring Superstars, Divas, and Legends attempting to survive in the wild, like on Dude You’re Screwed, or Survivorman.

• Reality: Prank Shows:
Reality shows featuring Superstars, Divas and Legends “punking” and pranking each other like on Punk’d or Impractical Jokers.

Fans were spared from having to sit through the same John Cena promo that we have all seen a million times last week on Raw. Instead, he was shipped to the WWE Network exclusive program Main Event in an attempt to increase viewership and attract new subscribers.

Since becoming a Network exclusive, Main Event has received a lot more attention. Prior to re-launching online, the program typically featured two matches that were nothing more than garbage, throwaway contests. However, since becoming a Network program, there have been a few title matches and they have at least made an attempt to have top stars appear (Cena and Hogan immediately come to mind).

The company has placed more emphasis on Main Event since making it a Network exclusive in a trend that will likely continue.

Although the immediate goal of placing more emphasis on Network-exclusive programs it to reach one million subscribers, I also believe there is a larger goal involved: the company is testing the waters to see if it can cut all ties with cable providers.

The idea of taking all WWE content to the WWE Network makes sense on one hand. It already appears this is going to happen in the near future with pay-per-views. Cable providers Dish and DirectTV declined to carry this month’s pay-per-view because they were undoubtedly upset that they were losing profits because the WWE chose to circumvent them by starting their own network. It is likely only a matter of time before the others tap out and wrestling fans are forced to subscribe if they hope to (legally) watch the pay-per-view each month.

Taking Raw to the Network would be a bit more challenging, however. Their contract with USA is expiring at the end of this year and a new deal has not yet been reached. If a new deal is not reached, one of the highest rated programs on television will be finding a new home come fall. They would definitely not attempt to move the program to the Network immediately, but if the next deal falls through, it seems hard to imagine that they would not at least consider doing so.

After all, there are already reports that they are going to advance storylines on both the Raw Pre-Show and Backstage Pass programs, essentially meaning that Raw has been extended to four hours, with one hour airing exclusively on the WWE Network.

– New “Old School” episodes from 1990s Madison Square Garden events are scheduled to be added to the WWE Network later this month.

– Below is the cover art for the 2014 WWE Extreme Rules DVD and Blu-ray, which is scheduled for a June 3rd release in stores across the country.

– The following is the latest edition of the JBL & Cole Show:

– The following is a preview clip for the next “Beyond The Ring” documentary on the WWE Network, which features Big Show:

– Finally, here’s a video of WWE Superstars and WWE Divas wishing their mother a happy Mother’s Day:

According to reports, WWE is planning to shoot angles and story lines on the WWE Network, particularly on the pre-and-post shows for RAW, SmackDown and pay-per-view events.

There has reportedly been discussion within the company about tightening up these shows and shooting angles on them that would lead to the next WWE television show and/or pay-per-view.

These changes are expected to begin in the near future.

– There will be no WWE SmackDown post-show on the WWE Network tonight. There will, however, be a SmackDown pre-show before this week’s episode begins.

– WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair is scheduled to appear at a wrestling convention at the Newark Memorial High School in Newark, California on May 17th. Also scheduled to appear are Scott and Cody Hall, Chris Masters, Ezekiel Jackson, Molly Holly, Daniels and Kazarian.

– For statistic junkies out there, Daniel Bryan and Kane have had nine singles matches against each other on television over the past two years. Of those nine, Bryan has won seven, with two of those wins coming by way of disqualification. One of his losses was also by disqualification. Bryan has won their last six meetings, as Kane’s last victory over the current WWE World Heavyweight Champion came back in June of 2012.

The following are some WWE Network exclusive interviews with “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and Hillbilly Jim, where they discuss this week’s edition of “Legends House.”

The following are highlights of a new IYHWrestling interview with former World Class Championship Wrestling producer Mickey Grant:

Do you think it was in WCCW when people started liking the bad guys for the first time? “Our bad guys worked so well in World Class Championship Wrestling, and much of the reason why was we told their side of the story. It wasn’t one sided, and so when we led up to a big conclusion, usually with something at Texas Stadium, there’d be fans on both sides. I think that’s what you’ve got to do, but you’ve got to do it well…I think it started with our show. I don’t think anyone had really given enough of the storyline; they’d written enough of a textured, shades-of -gray storyline before. Part of doing this thing live is having respect for the wrestling audience, and I think some people today just don’t have enough respect for the wrestling audience. I find that wrestling audiences come in all shapes and sizes: lawyers, judges, professors, non-professors, truck drivers. Whoever they are, you’ve got to get them…they’re connoisseurs of a good storyline …I respect hard-working people, and I believe they want a good story; they want something like this.”

Do you think in the long run the WWE Network will be a success? “I don’t know about their network; I just think I know maybe a little about wrestling. I think wrestling will be a success. If you have repetitive storylines, and if you don’t have your fans sitting on the end of their seats wondering what’s going to happen next week, you’re not going to have a market. Too many people have done that…I think somebody with relatively little money can jump in there today and do very well…If you’ve got the talent, and you’ve got the broadcast, and a methodology to get it to the audience, it’s going to work…I think that a handful of people will probably come about who will turn wrestling upside down, inside out and rebirth it, where it is exciting…I think it’s there; it just takes bigger-than-life personalities…and it would take off…I think a lot of people like Vince McMahon, they just get kind of in a rut. They’ve done it so many times, and the next thing you know networks are turning them off and turning them down. But that has nothing to do with wrestling; that just has to do with bad storytelling.”

Check out the complete interview at IYHWrestling.com.

– The official WWE website has a new poll up for a future episode of the WWE Network show “WWE Countdown,” which asks fans to vote on which big-man wrestler was the most imposing in history. The options are Bam Bam Bigelow, Big Show, Undertaker, Sid Vicious, Andre The Giant, Vader, Yokozuna, Earthquake, King Kong Bundy and Kevin Nash. You can vote right now at WWE.com.

– WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley recently commented on WWE’s tribute video to Connor Michalek on his official Twitter account. Foley posted the following tweets:

The @WWE tribute video to Connor "The Crusher" Michalek is one of the greatest things I've ever seen. Please watch. http://t.co/o0EfLoNHP3

— Mick Foley (@realmickfoley) May 7, 2014

Thanks to everyone who watched Connor's video. It's beautiful. The next time I bother @WWE, it will be about the #Chrusher4WWEHOF15 campaign

— Mick Foley (@realmickfoley) May 8, 2014

– As previously reported, a new season of Tough Enough is currently in the works and will air exclusively on the WWE Network. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, It’s believed that the new season of WWE Tough Enough will begin filming this June at the Performance Center in Orlando. There’s talk of limiting the participants on the show to talents that are already under developmental contracts, but have not yet appeared in NXT.

– Stephanie McMahon noted on Twitter that she was in California’s Bay Area on Wednesday to have talks about WrestleMania 31 at Levi’s Stadium.

Excited to be here in the Bay Area talking about #WrestleMania31 from @LevisStadium !!!! pic.twitter.com/Y5cZKPjBNt

— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) May 7, 2014

– The latest WWE Inbox features WWE Superstars and Divas talking about Brock Lesnar ending The Undertaker’s Streak:

Photo: BO DALLAS Posts Hilarious Tribute To His Brother BRAY WYATT

– On next week’s edition of WrestleMania Rewind, which will air Tuesday night on the WWE Network, the show will be centered around the historic showdown between the “Mega Powers,” Hulk Hogan and “Macho Man” Randy Savage.

– John Cena has been announced for the upcoming Wizard World convention at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas on Sunday, August 3rd.

– WWE has added the following video of Adam Rose and “The Exotic Express” to their official YouTube channel:

– The WWE Network’s next ‘Beyond The Ring’ special will premiere this Saturday night at 8pm EST and features the Big Show.

– Former NXT star Adam Rose made his WWE television debut on Monday’s RAW in a brief segment with Zeb Colter and Jack Swagger. Rose did not wrestle and his physicality was limited to clearing Jack Swagger from the ring. According to PWInsider.com, the decision for Rose to not wrestle in his first appearance was made so his character can be slowly introduced to the audience. While the debut came off as somewhat flat on television, fan reports have stated that he was very over.

– WWE Intercontinental champion Bad News Barrett tweeted some ‘good news’ on Tuesday:

After intense negotiations (and much groveling from the @WWEShop staff) the first #BNB T-Shirt will be unveiled next week.

— Bad News Barrett (@WadeBarrett) May 6, 2014

– WWE revealed the top-ten most watched shows on the WWE Network during this week’s edition of RAW. The latest top-ten looks like this:

1. Extreme Rules 2014
2. Extreme Rules Pre-show
3. Legends House: Striking Out
4. Extreme Rules Post-show
5. Legends House: Cart Before The Horse
6. WrestleMania XXX
7. RAW Pre-show
8. WWE NXT
9. WWE Countdown: Tag Teams
10. WWE Main Event

– The following are video highlights of the 20-man battle royal from RAW that saw Sheamus walk out victorious as the new WWE United States Champion.

WWE is offering a special deal for fans who refer friends to the WWE Network. The deal is you get a $25 gift card to WWE Shop for every friend you get to subscribe to the WWE Network, with a limit of ten.

So, WWE fans can now potentially receive $250 in free WWE merchandise for referring friends to their subscription-based service.

The offer lasts until May 31st.

WWE executive Matt Singerman was recently let go by the company, most likely at some point in the past week.

Singerman was the Executive Vice President of Programming and was responsible for all of the programming on the WWE Network, so this was a pretty big departure.

– 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 saw their stock fall to its’ lowest point since the big rise, dropping $1.50 per share today to close at $18.83 per share, the day after the company released their financials. By all accounts, yesterday’s results were better than projected by company guidance.

It should be noted, however, that releases today showed almost all core business metrics, with the exception of the WWE Studios movie division, down in profitability, even those that seemed stronger yesterday since they showed overall revenue increases. This means the profit decline was more than just losses suffered due to the launch of the WWE Network.

– International pro wrestling star Prince Devitt is officially done with New Japan Pro Wrestling at this point and reportedly still has a standing offer from WWE. It’s being said that Devitt joining WWE isn’t a “dead issue” just yet.

– As previously reported, WWE Tough Enough is scheduled to return as an original program on the WWE Network. The word going around is that the new season of Tough Enough will be filmed at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida and will likely feature talent currently in the WWE developmental system that aren’t regulars on television.

– Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson turns 42 today. The part-time WWE Superstar was born on May 2, 1972.

– As noted in the recap of Thursday’s WWE first-quarter conference call, the “Tough Enough” reality show is scheduled to return on the WWE Network. Former Tough Enough trainer Bill DeMott tweeted the following about the news:

The news is out @WWEToughEnough is coming to @WWENetwork – to say I am waiting for the call would be an (1/2)

— Bill DeMott (@BillDeMott) May 1, 2014

understatement! #nxtmeansbusiness (2/2) pic.twitter.com/oezhyARO3F

— Bill DeMott (@BillDeMott) May 1, 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 is the official synopsis for the new weekly one-hour “Rivalries” series that will soon premiere on the WWE Network:

“Rivalries is a one-hour series documenting epic rivalries between two or more Superstars. This series will dive deep into the full history of a classic clash through matches, promos and any other elements involved in the story. Different rivalries include Austin vs. McMahon, Undertaker vs. Kane, Hogan vs. Sting, and Triple H vs. Rock – to name just a few.”

Speaking of the new show, WWE issued a survey asking about the following 16 potential rivalries being included on the program.

– Dusty Rhodes vs. Ric Flair
– Edge and Christian vs. Matt and Jeff Hardy
– Hulk Hogan vs Roddy Piper
– Hulk Hogan vs. Randy Savage
– Hulk Hogan vs. Sting
– John Cena vs. Edge
– Rey Mysterio vs Eddie Guerrero
– Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat
– Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart
– Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker
– Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H
– Steve Austin vs. The Rock
– Steve Austin vs. Vince McMahon
– The Rock vs. Triple H
– The Undertaker vs. Kane
– The Undertaker vs. Mankind

The following are highlights of a recent Miami Herald interview with WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley:

Hoping WWE will cooperate on his “I Am Santa Claus” documentary: “I want to have their footage in it without charging a price that makes that impossible. We are looking at November [for release], with a big announcement regarding the film in the next few weeks. We want to have it out in some way, whether it’s Netflix or a possible small theatrical run. It’s a really good movie. It’s something I’m glad I pursued. My official role as a subject was over December 2, 2012 and here it is a year-and-a-half later. I’m showing up for late night editing sessions and try to make the movie as good as it can be for when it’s seen to the public. Everything attracts me when it comes to the story-telling, whether it’s in the ring with the physicality, the emotion and facial expressions or on stage. Once I got involved with this. It reminded me of what I loved when I was a college student with the emphasis on TV production.”

Speaking out against WWE earlier this year: “I expressed that frustration, and they ended up going into the direction I hoped they would. So you won’t see me complaining about their direction any time soon. It’s a bullet I can only fire once in a great while. I watch the show and enjoyed it, as I usually do… I think the future looks really bright. There are a lot of great stars. It’s hard to focus on all of them. The talent pool has so greatly changed over the last few years. They have done a tremendous job of using their legendary figures in supporting roles and kind of allowing the superstars of the past few years to usher in the superstars we see today.”

A possible comedy special on the WWE Network: “I’ve accepted that WWE is too busy with their network to send someone out to check it out. To me, it seems like a simple sidestep to a new form of entertainment. For whatever reason, I don’t think it’s going to happen. It makes perfect sense, but the less said about it the better. I’m tired of waiting for them to find out it’s a perfect marriage. I can’t make them and continue to do my own thing. I’ll continue to pursue my own [televised] special.”

Check out the complete interview at MiamiHerald.com.