At Thursday’s WWE press conference from London, Triple H announced WWE will crown its first ever United Kingdom Champion. A 16-man tournament will air on the WWE Network in January. Here is WWE’s official announcement:

• Videos From Today’s WWE UK Press Conference

WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament comes to WWE Network in January

LONDON — At an historic press conference at the O2 Arena in London, Triple H revealed that WWE’s first-ever United Kingdom Champion will be crowned this January.

The WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament is a 16-competitor, two-day throwdown at Blackpool’s Empress Ballroom, airing live and exclusively on the award-winning WWE Network, featuring some of the best talent the U.K. has to offer. The last man standing at the end of the tournament will be crowned champion and awarded a title, which was also revealed at the conference.

Joining Triple H in London were former WWE Universal Champion Finn Bálor, General Manager of NXT William Regal and British wrestling icon Nigel McGuinness, who will be calling the tournament action on WWE Network alongside the voice of Monday Night Raw, Michael Cole. The WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament competitors also took the stage.

Tickets for this historic two-day event at the Empress Ballroom will be available starting today at 12 p.m. GMT at livenation.co.uk.

Stick with WWE.com for more news on this incredible tournament as it becomes available, and don’t miss the WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament, January 14 & 15, live and exclusively on WWE Network!

.@TripleH announces @WWE's United Kingdom Championship Tournament. https://t.co/aGWbtVf1Cl pic.twitter.com/Z7QtlYRa5d

— WWE (@WWE) December 15, 2016

"Ladies and gentlemen…we will have the best talent we can find for this tournament…" – @RealKingRegal @WWEUK pic.twitter.com/9zycOobj8j

— WWE (@WWE) December 15, 2016

Welcome @McGuinnessNigel to the @WWE as part of the @WWE UK Championship Tournament! @WWEUK pic.twitter.com/BjVq87vla1

— WWE (@WWE) December 15, 2016

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

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

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

The latest development in the ongoing battle between WWE and the various wrestlers suing them came today in the form of WWE filing a motion to dismiss the action filed by Marcus “Buff” Bagwell and Scott “Raven” Levy. This is the case dealing with WWE Network royalties, and there are two prongs to it:

1. That WWE has a legal obligation to pay both wrestlers royalties for WCW footage in general.
2. Levy’s 2000 WWF contract, because it allows for royalties from videos released in formats yet to be invented and did not specifically exempt royalties from internet and video on demand subscription fees the way current WWE contracts do.

WWE’s motion to dismiss deals with each in simple yet highly detailed fashion:

1. WWE does not fall under any of the legal criteria that would make it a successor company to WCW, if just because the legal entity formerly known as WCW still exists as the Universal Wrestling Corporation. Both plaintiffs’ WCW contracts also saw them forgo video royalties in exchange for other considerations.
2. The key language in the contracts is that royalties come from a “direct sale” of WWE home video products, with the references to technology not yet invented referring to formats like Blu-Ray. It didn’t exist at the time of the contract, but, like VHS, Laserdisc, and DVD, it’s a physical product that can be sold and re-sold. There’s also a detailed argument about how there’s legal precedent saying that a “sale” refers to a physical product, not a temporary license like a WWE Network subscription is. WWE attorney Jerry McDevitt also points out that a WWE contract’s royalty structure is pretty much impossible to apply to WWE Network.

No word yet as far as when a ruling should be expected.

– RAW episodes from 2011 have started to upload to the WWE Network. 14 new episodes from 2010 were also added this week.

– TMZ Sports recently caught up with Brooke Hogan again and as you can see in the video below, she’s not exactly denying the recent WrestleMania claims she made about Hulk Hogan. As reported before, Brooke previously told TMZ that WWE had called her dad about a possible WrestleMania return but Hulk later denied those claims and said Brooke was just stirring the pot. Several sources have reported a different story as Hogan has definitely had recent talks with WWE about moving forward together. When asked if Hogan will use his Gawker money to fund Brooke’s new women’s wrestling promotion, Brooke says she’s trying to make him proud by doing everything on her own. She teases more news on that promotion in the near future.

– After missing Monday’s RAW to attend the LeSports Connects conference in China, Stephanie McMahon flew to California to speak at the Fortune 2016 Most Powerful Women Next-Gen Summit. Below are a few photos from the event:

Who has the bigger biceps? @ameliaboone or @StephMcMahon Watch them live on stage #FortuneMPW pic.twitter.com/rpF0CsB8Eb

— pattiesellers (@pattiesellers) November 30, 2016

@StephMcMahon on stage now #FortuneMPW pic.twitter.com/3A33lufCGX

— Meagen Eisenberg (@meisenberg) November 30, 2016

Thank you @PattieSellers @NinaEaston and everyone at @FortuneMPW, it was an honor to speak among such amazing women! #Inspired #Leadership pic.twitter.com/dovYspzid3

— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) December 1, 2016

Thank you @PattieSellers @NinaEaston and everyone at @FortuneMPW, it was an honor to speak among such amazing women! #Inspired #Leadership pic.twitter.com/dovYspzid3

— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) December 1, 2016

WWENetworkNews.com reports that WWE has purchased part of the tape library belonging to former developmental territory Heartland Wrestling Association. Trainer and booker Les Thatcher, who ran HWA, worked with WWE to secure the library.

No word yet on when WWE may start airing the HWA footage on the WWE Network but they did not purchase the entire library. Thatcher told WNN that around 48 episodes from 2001 and 2002 were purchased. We could see Superstars such as John Cena, Charlie Haas and Nick Dinsmore.

You can watch a classic HWA match with Jamie Noble and Sean O’Haire below:

– As noted last week, Vader was involved in a serious car accident last Tuesday that left him trapped upside down for more than 30 minutes while unconscious. Vader tweeted this photo of his wrecked car, noting that he rolled over twice.

Rolled it over twice I was loke a giant penatta That bigdent is where my head was A very thanful Vader Time pic.twitter.com/hQ0buFnVQs

— Big Van Vader (@itsvadertime) November 14, 2016

– A WrestleMania 33 online ticket pre-sale will be held this Wednesday at 10 AM ET. The pre-sale password is WWEFAN.

https://twitter.com/wrestlemania/status/798238995310383104

– Here’s the official logo for WWE’s new 205 Live cruiserweight series, which premieres on the WWE Network next Tuesday November 29th following SmackDown Live on the USA Network.

It sounds like we’ll be seeing more of Paul Heyman and JBL on the WWE Network next year. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE is looking at using Heyman and Bradshaw for several different Network programming ideas.

One show being considered for development is something similar to ESPN’s Pardon The Interruption. There has also been talk of hiring New York radio DJ and YouTube personality Peter Rosenberg as a reporter for the show.

According to the Observer, WWE is also looking at producing a show that would feature several original ECW stars. Taz, Tommy Dreamer, and The Dudleys are reportedly being considered to be regular personalities on the Network.

It sounds like changes are coming to WWE’s pay-per-view schedule starting next year.

According to a report by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE will be cutting back on the amount of pay-per-view events they host. This is reportedly in-part due to declining WWE Netwok subscription numbers. There’s no word on exactly how many or which events will be cut, but the company will reportedly be removing a “few” pay-per-views from the schedule.

By the end of 2016, WWE will have produced 15 PPV events this year, not including 5 other Network-exclusive events.

– Recently married WWE Hall of Famer Edge revealed on Twitter that he and Christian are working on a second season of their popular WWE Network show. The duo had previously expressed uncertainty regarding the show’s future, so this is a pleasant surprise.

Brainstorming continues. Not exactly a torrential downpour. Be afraid #ThECShow @Christian4Peeps pic.twitter.com/ATiOmxKOPG

— Adam Copeland (@RatedRCope) November 5, 2016

– Dave Meltzer says WWE Cruiserweight Classic competitor Jack Gallagher is on his way to WWE and hasn’t been seen on RAW yet because he’s resolving an issue with his work via.

As noted last week, WWE is launching the 205 Live Cruiserweights show later this month and WWE will be bringing in several more performers to round out that growing division. Other Superstars announced for the show include Cruiserweight Champion The Brian Kendrick, TJ Perkins, Rich Swann, Noam Dar, HoHo Lun, Cedric Alexander, Lince Dorado, Gran Metallik, Tozawa, Gurv Sihra and Harv Sihra.

On his way, just clearing up a visa issue https://t.co/m31aI8x3Vx

— Dave Meltzer (@davemeltzerWON) November 6, 2016

Powerbomb TV, the upcoming fully independent streaming service, made some big announcements on Saturday when they tweeted about their first content partners:

As we said, Lucha Libre will be a big part of https://t.co/mfZ70gKUdN. We're proud to announce that we've partnered with RIOT Lucha Libre…

— IWTV (@indiewrestling) November 5, 2016

One of the premier independent companies in Mexico that features some of the top talents on the Indies there. We'll also be helping RIOT…

— IWTV (@indiewrestling) November 5, 2016

Production and production upgrades. We're really looking forward to bringing RIOT to the rest of the world.

— IWTV (@indiewrestling) November 5, 2016

That's not all though! https://t.co/mfZ70gKUdN has also partnered up with the two major sources of independent Lucha Libre in Mexico!

— IWTV (@indiewrestling) November 5, 2016

First we're proud to announce that we've partnered with @carxyus. With Carxyus comes content from a wide variety of promotions and styles.

— IWTV (@indiewrestling) November 5, 2016

Including Innova Aztec Power, Kamicazes del Ring, Xtrem Mexican Wrestling, Innovacion de Lucha Libre Mexicana, Los Rudos Neza and MORE!

— IWTV (@indiewrestling) November 5, 2016

Whether it's hardcore, high flying, or technical Lucha Libre, @carxyus has you, and https://t.co/mfZ70gKUdN covered!

— IWTV (@indiewrestling) November 5, 2016

Last, but certainly not least, we're extremely happy to announce that we've partnered with @BLACKTERRY Jr! BT Jr grew up in Lucha Libre…

— IWTV (@indiewrestling) November 5, 2016

BT Jr's intimate, in your face fan cam style of quality Lucha Libre comes to https://t.co/mfZ70gKUdN, giving you the chance to see…

— IWTV (@indiewrestling) November 5, 2016

I hope that we didn't disappoint with our Lucha Libre announcements! We're very proud to be partnering with RIOT, @carxyus & @BLACKTERRY :)

— IWTV (@indiewrestling) November 5, 2016

We will have both older and newer material from @BLACKTERRY! https://t.co/SbutwXPeUe

— IWTV (@indiewrestling) November 5, 2016

Analysis: This definitely differentiates Powerbomb TV from WWE Network, Flo Slam, and Highspots Wrestling Network right out of the gate. With both Flo and Highspots carrying some of the bigger name indies plus WWE likely eyeing a lot of the same groups as Flo, this immediately gives Powerbomb a unique hook.

Plus, in the event that one of the bigger players were to pick up shows from one of the top lucha libre promotions like CMLL, AAA, or Elite, then fans who got into the Mexican scene through those services could see more from the same wrestlers on Powerbomb TV. In Mexico, independent shows are flush with name talent booked from the major offices, and there are no restrictions on who can appear on video like with American indie shows.

If you’re a fan of WWE’s curated “Collections” of themed matches and angles, then we have some good news for you. As reported on Saturday by Steve Coulson of WWE Network News, Monday (November 7th) will see the release of two new additions to the Collections bucket: Austin vs. McMahon Part II and Randy Savage: Cream of the Crop. Here are the official descriptions for each collection:

Austin vs. McMahon Part II:

One of the greatest rivalries of all time rages on as the next chapter in the saga between the tyrannical Mr. McMahon and the defiant Stone Cold Steve Austin unfolds. Beginning with WrestleMania XV, follow The Rattlesnake and The Boss throughout their journey of ups and downs, Black Weddings, Greater Powers, celebrations, farewells, and more, culminating with the stunning fallout from WrestleMania X-Seven. Relive these unforgettable matches and moments in this exclusive WWE Network Collection!

Randy Savage: Cream of the Crop:

Get ready to freak out and let the madness begin with this WWE Network Collection celebrating the storied career of Macho Man Randy Savage. From unforgettable moments and interviews, to both rare and classic battles against Macho Man”s greatest rivals, there is only one place to find these eclectic moments from the Hall of Famer”s legendary run in sports entertainment!

Yahoo News posted a story on Wednesday morning about Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s connections to Robert LiButti, a reputed mob member who was a regular at Atlantic City casinos when the former was in that business. It’s a topic they’ve covered in the past, including how Trump Plaza was fined over connections to LiButti before he was banned from New Jersey casinos. The new story, however, centers around new evidence they discovered that theoretically rebuts Trump’s claims that he didn’t know LiButti: The two of them attending WrestleMania IV together.

Held at the Atlantic City Convention Center (billed as “Trump Plaza” due to the hotel sponsoring the event), Trump is seated in the front row opposite the hard camera throughout WrestleMania IV. LiButti is next to him the whole time. However, even though the show is on WWE Network with minimal edits, this is how Yahoo referred to the clip (emphasis ours):

The reputed mob figure, Robert LiButti, can be seen standing alongside Trump in the front row of a 1988 “WrestleMania” match in Atlantic City, N.J. LiButti wasn’t there by accident, according to his daughter, Edith Creamer, who also attended the event. “We were his guests,” she told Yahoo News in a text message this week.

The video was given to Yahoo News by a confidential source who discovered it in the online archives of World Wrestling Entertainment, the sponsor of “WrestleMania.”

The images and clips in question have the WWE logo on them and appear to be taken from WWE Network’s version of the WrestleMania IV broadcast, not any kind of leaked video taken from WWE’s servers. Also, while worded oddly, that last part of the quoted section isn’t even factually true. as Trump Plaza was the sponsor of the event. That’s why the Atlantic City Convention Center was referred to as “Trump Plaza” for the show, because the sponsoring hotel got naming rights a la Atlantic City boxing events from that era.

Analysis: Politics aside, this is really strange, but also not the first time something like this happened during the election. Other outlets have branded previously broadcast Trump clips as exclusive discoveries, though not necessarily with the “confidential source” angle and sleight of hand used here by Yahoo. Even though there’s news value to tying together Trump and LiButti with the clip, the claims about the sourcing cast a shadow over the entire piece.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZu-yMyo7lo

On Thursday, WWE released its Q3 2016 financial results, including a nice amount of data regarding the WWE Network:

• WWE Network subscribers increased 24% from the third quarter 2015 to 1.46 million average paid subscribers over the third quarter 2016, consistent with the Company’s guidance. Despite the increase, they actually missed their target of 1.49 million. By comparison, the Network averaged 1.52 million subscribers in the second quarter (WrestleMania).
• WWE Network subscription revenue increased 18% to$42.8 million from $36.4 million in the prior year quarter based on a 24% year-over-year increase in average paid subscribers to 1.46 million.
• WWE Network had 1.44 million total paid subscribers at the end of the third quarter, which represented a 17% increase from September 30, 2015. The geo-breakdown as of 9/30 saw 1.07 million U.S. paid subscribers and 373,000 international paid subscribers.
• WWE projects the WWE Network will average 1.40 million in the fourth quarter, an approximate 4% sequential decline from the third quarter 2016 and a 13% increase from the fourth quarter 2015.
• WWE expects the level of Network subscribers will continue to increase in 2017, albeit at a lower rate, on a year-over-year basis.

For more on WWE’s latest financial results, visit Corporate.WWE.com.

(Click to enlarge)

WWE is currently doing market research to gauge interest in a multi-tier system for the WWE Network.

The 1st tier would be free, according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio. It would be limited to 5 hours of viewing a month, the content would include small video clips, access to the full archive of content and the live stream. Live PPV, NXT and other live specials would be blacked out.

The 2nd tier would be $4.99. This plan is exclusive to phones and tablets. It would include the big 4 PPV events (Royal Rumble, Wrestlemania, Summerslam and Survivor Series), NXT on demand not live, unlimited viewing of the full archive of content as well as the live stream but will not include a possible new Cruiserweight show.

The 3rd tier would be $9.99. This tier is basically the standard one that is available now with some possible undisclosed upgrades.

The 4th and final tier would be $14.99. It would include all the above as well as content from other promotions not under the WWE umbrella. Dave specifically mentions TNA and ROH, WWE is interested in the full library from both companies but would also like to air live events. He goes on to say there has been rumblings about the interest in Ring Of Honor specifically.

There would also be possibilities of working out deals with several other independent companies such as EVOLVE, or PROGRESS out of the UK.

Additional benefits of this premium tier would be the ability to vote for WWE Hall Of Fame candidates and exclusive opportunities for ticket pre sales and talent meet and greets.

This would be very interesting and could really change the landscape of independent wrestling if WWE started airing this content on their network. It could potentially put more eyes on companies that might not have been able to get that type of exposure otherwise.

Discussion: Let us know your thoughts on this potential tier based system and which one would you sign up for, if any.

– Big Cass is celebrating his 30th birthday today.

– It was announced last night on the WWE Network that the first 5 episodes of “Holy Foley” will be available on-demand after SummerSlam goes off the air on Sunday.

– The woman who Nia Jax squashed on last night’s RAW was Texas indie wrestler Delilah Doom, using the name Rachel Levy. She was trained by former WWE star Funaki.

– Sam Roberts has announced that Kevin Owens, Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson will be the special guest this Thursday afternoon for his live podcast from Caroline’s in New York City.

Owens. Gallows. Anderson. Roberts.

Thursday at @CarolinesonBway – can't wait. pic.twitter.com/zX2AQCmQyQ

— Sam Roberts (@notsam) August 16, 2016

– Seth Rollins tweeted the following on his “special” WWE Universal Title match against Finn Balor at SummerSlam this Sunday:

Balor v Rollins. Demon King v The Man. Devitt v Black. Summerslam. Brooklyn. Universal Title. This is special. pic.twitter.com/OAEzrz51KC

— Seth Rollins (@WWERollins) August 16, 2016

– Here are some more backstage videos from last night’s RAW, Heath Slater requesting medical attention after being manhandled by Brock Lesnar and New Day talking trash aboutThe Club:

WWE sent in the following press release detailing WWE Network programming for SummerSlam week:

WWE NETWORK® UNVEILS SUMMERSLAM® WEEK PROGRAMMING

STAMFORD, Conn., August 15, 2016 – WWE Network unveiled its SummerSlam Week programming line-up filled with a series of all-new episodes, specials and live events beginning today, Monday, August 15, including the summer’s biggest spectacle, SummerSlam, on Sunday, August 21 at 7pm ET.

SummerSlam Week will include a sneak peek at WWE Network’s newest original series, Holy Foley, brand new episodes of WWE 24, WWE NXT, Cruiserweight Classic, WWE Ride Along and Legends with JBL, as well as the premiere of Holy Foley. Plus, fans can also watch NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II and the week’s main attraction, SummerSlam, live from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

New subscribers can get all of this programming as part of a free month trial by signing up at WWENetwork.com now. The schedule of SummerSlam Week programming on WWE Network is as follows:

Holy Foley: First Look Sneak Peek
Monday, August 15 immediately following Monday Night Raw® (approximately 11pm ET)
Corey Graves and Cathy Kelley sit down with Mick and Noelle Foley to give a first look at and discuss their highly-anticipated reality show, Holy Foley.

WWE 24: Women’s Evolution
Tuesday, August 16 immediately following Talking Smack (approximately 10:30pm ET)
This episode of WWE 24: The Women’s Evolution details the confluence of forces that elevated the Women’s Division to main event status at WrestleMania 32. The episode celebrates talent of the past, the current Superstars who powered the 10-Woman Tag Match, and the prodigious impact of NXT, with a special look at the emotional and pressure-filled moments for WWE Superstars Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks and Charlotte surrounding their historic Triple Threat Match for the new WWE Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 32.

WWE NXT
Wednesday, August 17 at 8pm ET
With only a few days to go, take a special look at the upcoming matchups at this Saturday’s NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II, including an exclusive sit-down interview with NXT Champion Samoa Joe and Shinsuke Nakamura. Plus, SmackDown Superstars return to NXT to help showcase the future of the Women’s Division as Carmella teams with Liv Morgan and Nikki Glencross to take on Alexa Bliss, Mandy Rose, and Daria Berenato.

Cruiserweight Classic
Wednesday, August 17 at 9pm ET
For the first time ever, WWE has invited 32 of the greatest cruiserweights in the world to compete in the 10-week long global tournament, Cruiserweight Classic. The second round action heats up as Akira Tozawa battles Jack Gallagher and Brian Kendrick faces Tony Nese for a spot in the quarterfinals.

WWE Ride Along
Thursday, August 18 at 9pm ET
This episode features one of the top tag teams in WWE today, Enzo and Cass and one of the top tag teams of all-time, The Dudleys, as they take a trip down memory lane to their old stomping grounds in New Jersey.

Legends with JBL
Friday, August 19 at 9pm ET
John “Bradshaw” Layfield interviews the Icon Sting in a rare interview that covers the Hall-of-Famer’s WCW career as well as his shocking retirement from WWE.

NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II Pre-Show
Saturday, August 20 LIVE at 7:30pm ET
A panel of experts look at the matches and moments fans can expect at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II.

NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II
Saturday, August 20 LIVE at 8pm ET
Samoa Joe defends the NXT Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura for the first time ever. Plus, the NXT Women’s Championship is on the line when Asuka defends against former champion, Bayley; Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa challenge NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival; and fans will see the much anticipated in-ring debut of Bobby Roode when he faces Andrade “Cien” Almas.

SummerSlam Kickoff
Sunday, August 21 LIVE at 5pm ET
Join Renee Young, Corey Graves, and WWE Hall of Famer Booker T as they share their thoughts and predictions for the evening’s matches at SummerSlam and discuss all the events that led up to WWE’s biggest event of the summer. Plus, the show will feature live matches from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.

SummerSlam
Sunday, August 21 LIVE at 7pm ET
WWE turns up the heat for its biggest event of the summer. In a confrontation more than 15 years in the making, “The Viper” clashes with “The Beast” when Randy Orton goes one-on-one with Brock Lesnar. Plus, Finn Bálor vs. Seth Rollins for the right to be called the first WWE Universal Champion; Dean Ambrose defends the WWE World Championship against Dolph Ziggler; Sasha Banks defends her WWE Women’s Championship against Charlotte; and John Cena faces AJ Styles.

Holy Foley
Sunday, August 21 immediately following SummerSlam
Mick’s daughter Noelle has a secret and it’s a big one. While Mom, Colette, does her best to push Noelle to be a model, it seems Noelle has different ideas about how she sees her life playing out. When the family sits down to dinner, Noelle drops the bomb on her unsuspecting family and Mick is left wondering what else Noelle is hiding.

The WWE Network averaged 1,517,000 paid subscribers for Q2 2016: the quarter in which WrestleMania 32 took place. This is in line with the company’s earlier projections that average paid subscriptions for the quarter would be between 1,480,000 and 1,550,000.

The quarter ended on June 30, with 1,511,000 paid subscribers. Ending-period paid subscribers are up 1,156,000 from Q2 2015, a year ago. Average paid subscribers are up from 1,216,000 during the same period last year.

Those figures were reported as WWE issued its Q2 (April 1 to June 30) earnings release this morning. Other interesting information revealed:

• The paid attendance for WrestleMania 32 was between 73,711 and 85,888. This is based on average attendances calculated with and without WrestleMania for the quarter that WWE provided in its Key Performance Indicators.
• OIBDA (WWE’s profit-like metric of choice) was just $7.5 million for the quarter, down from $27.6 million in the previous quarter, and down from $13.2 million in Q2 2015.
• 471,000 WWE Network subscriptions were cancelled in Q2. WWE’s most important event, WrestleMania took place on the third day of the quarter. That’s an improvement from last year. 508,000 subscriptions were cancelled in Q2 2015, following  WrestleMania that year.

Source: WWE Q2 2016 Key Performance Indicators

• Attendance has not suffered badly due to the absence of John Cena from live events from January to May. Average North American live event attendance for Q2 2016 was 6,600. Taking WrestleMania’s attendance out of that calculation, average attendance for the quarter was 5,400. That’s unchanged from the same quarter last year, even though Cena was on a full schedule last year. Cena was off all live events (except an unadvertised appearance at WrestleMania 32) from the very beginning of January this year, until his return on May 30. While regularly appearing on TV, he has worked  limited house show dates since his return, whereas he worked a full schedule before going out with a shoulder injury in late 2015.

Documents WWE released this morning include:

• Trending Schedules
• Key Performance Indicators
• Investor Presentation
• Earnings Press Release

The conference call for this release can be listened to live at 11:00AM EST on WWE’s corporate website, at this link. WWE CEO Vince McMahon and Chief Strategy and Financial Office George Barrios are expected to speak and answer questions. We will have a report of any news coming out of the call, soon after it’s over.

Regarding the WWE Cruiserweight Classic weight limits, competitors coming back for the second round of tapings were told that they are subject to more weigh-ins and will have to maintain the 205 pound limit for all future matches.

We reported before how all 32 entrants had to make weight or be cut from the tournament. WWE even brought in extras in case talents failed to make weight and one did. It’s also worth noting that although the weights are a shoot, WWE has been adding a few inches to the billed height of most competitors.

The 10-week Cruiserweight Classic series premieres next Wednesday on the WWE Network.

– Alicia Fox will be returning to the ring soon as she is advertised for a WWE live event on Saturday, July 30 in Savannah, Georgia.

According to the official website of the Savannah Civic Center, she will be teaming up with Paige to face WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte and Natalya.

Fox last wrestled in April during WWE’s European tour.

– WWE Network subscribers can now watch the final episode of WCW Monday Nitro (airdate March 26, 2001). The historic program was added to the vault this week, along with other episodes from 1999, 2000 and 2001.

– WWE’s Community website posted photos of Darren Young meeting Pulse nightclub survivor Angel Santiago and paid his respects to those lost during the Orlando, Florida, shooting at a local memorial.

• What caused Roman Reigns to be suspended by WWE?

WWE Chief Strategy & Financial Officer George Barrios held a presentation at the Bernstein Global Future of Media & Telecom Summit in Boston on Tuesday and stated that WWE’s current TV deal with NBC Universal expires the first quarter of 2019. Barring any dramatic downturn in viewership, this is the earliest that we could see RAW going back to 2 hours. WWE’s TV deals in the UK and India expire in the fourth quarter of that same year.

Barrios also noted that he could see the WWE Network offering multiple price tiers in the future.

$WWE CFO George Barrios says he could see offering multiple tiers for the WWE Network. pic.twitter.com/8dprAdOS0N

— Brandon Thurston (@BrandonThurston) June 21, 2016

~1.5m average paid subs for Q2 pic.twitter.com/mpk7N3YFaZ

— Brandon Thurston (@BrandonThurston) June 21, 2016

Barrios argues TV cannibalization is minimized because they have different content on each platform…

— Brandon Thurston (@BrandonThurston) June 21, 2016

He doesn't mention clips of Raw and Smackdown are among the most viewed videos on their YouTube channel.

— Brandon Thurston (@BrandonThurston) June 21, 2016

The WWE Network announcement to subscribers over the weekend regarding the “Watch from Beginning” feature not working. We actually received an email about this so hopefully it’s useful information:

Dear WWE Network Subscriber,

WWE Network’s “Watch from Beginning” feature on Xbox One is not currently working. If you are planning to watch Money in the Bank, you can watch it LIVE on Xbox One. If you want to watch Money in the Bank after it starts from the beginning, you will need to select an alternate device.

WWE Network is available on your computer at WWE.com , mobile devices and through a wide range of streaming platforms. For a complete list of devices, please go to WWE.com/devices.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and we are working as quickly as possible to correct the issue.

If you need additional assistance, or if you have any questions regarding your subscription, please go to wwe.com/help

Thank you,
WWE Network Support
wwenetwork.com

Despite The June 13th edition of WWE RAW fetching it’s lowest cable rating since 1997, one stock analyst expects the company to do just fine.

CNBC spoke with Pacific Crest analyst Evan Wingren about WWE, and specifically their WWE Network streaming service. Wingren says the streaming business will cause WWE’s stock to take off, and that using the Nielsen ratings to gauge the company’s business isn’t viable anymore.

“We believe WWE’s model is at an inflection point, and that it is on the cusp of demonstrating profitability that greatly exceeds its historical earnings power,” Wingren wrote. “A deep dive into WWE Network’s cost structure suggests greater leverage than we previously thought.”

Earlier this year, WWE revealed that their streaming service now has 1.82 million subscribers, a 39% increase from the year before.

You can read the full article here.

– AWA Superclash 2 is now available on the WWE Network in the Vault. The 5/2/87 event features Curt Hennig vs. Nick Bockwinkel and Sherri Martel vs. Madusa in the main events.

– Paige defeated Eva Marie in the dark match before tonight’s WWE Main Event tapings in Biloxi.

– After Luke Gallows took a shot at the New Orleans Saints during Monday’s RAW, the NFL team tweeted the following today:

@WWE tell @LukeGallowsWWE if he wants to talk trash about us come to our facility, some friends want to say hello 😄 pic.twitter.com/bNqMZu43Ef

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) June 14, 2016

It was announced during this week’s SmackDown that the Stone Cold Podcast is returning the night after Money in the Bank. Immediately following WWE RAW from Phoenix, Arizona on Monday, June 20th, Steve Austin’s guest will be AJ Styles.

Since making his debut earlier this year at the Royal Rumble, Styles went on to have strong feuds with Chris Jericho and Roman Reigns before turning heel and going full throttle with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson.

Styles will be hot off his match against John Cena the previous night and is sure to provide some new insight on his first 6 months as a WWE Superstar.

– After being released from WWE last month, Adam Rose will now be working the independent scene suing the name Aldo Rose.

Never got the opportunity in my life to work the indie scene… I look forward to this experience. #AdamRoseIsDead

— Aldo Rose (@Aegis_Rose) June 6, 2016

His updated Twitter bio states, “Ain’t no more PG in this party! For bookings email imalemooon@gmail.com!”

– Eden posted this teaser on her career after spending the past week in Los Angles with husband Cody Rhodes:

Today was pretty unbelievable. Completely verified my beliefs that I'm SO much more than "just a ring announcer". 🙌🙌🙌

— Brandi Rhodes (@TheBrandiRhodes) June 2, 2016

– WWE Network has quietly introduced a new auto-play feature to their apps on iOS, Windows 10 and Roku. The new feature allows for series to auto-play to the next episode when pressing play on the first episode and will be rolling out on other platforms soon.

– Sheamus spoke with WWE’s website to promote TMNT 2 and commented on if he felt pressure to live up to fan expectations surrounding the iconic role of Rocksteady. He said:

“Loads of pressure! I can’t tell you how much pressure I felt to do this right. Naturally, with any role like this, you want to take your interpretation of it and add that to the character. There was definitely a lot of pressure, but walking away from the premiere after seeing the movie, I was very happy.”

– Sasha Banks represented WWE at the 2016 Event & Arena Marketing Conference in Nashville, TN this weekend:

Speaking at #EAMC2016 @WWECommunity #NXT #WomensEvolution pic.twitter.com/hwptBmRit8

— Mercedes Moné Varnado (@MercedesVarnado) June 2, 2016

https://twitter.com/katieEwells/status/738393434348621824

https://twitter.com/WhitneyH757/status/738384197073698817

@WWE breakfast at @eamc ! Got to meet the @WWENXT Women's Champ @SashaBanksWWE !! THE BOSS! @WWEHidalgoTeam pic.twitter.com/Hrwsyn9KBo

— Raziel Cano (@RazielCano) June 2, 2016

https://twitter.com/JEspo25/status/738462387511103489