*******************||Trending||*******************
June 30, 2013
Blast From The Past: Jeff Hardy vs. Edge vs. Triple H - WWE Championship Match: Armageddon, December 14, 2008
June 29, 2013
More on WWE NXT Staff Changes
As noted earlier today NXT Creative team member Rob Naylor finishes up at WWE Developmental this weekend. His position at NXT was dropped/shifted to a new hire with the move to Orlando. Many within the company/close to the situation were surprised at this news as he was well liked. Naylor's departure was said to be very amicable. He was was apparently told that in the future, the door was open to come back to work for the WWE. He had a lot of fans in the company and received a really nice send-off over the last week. There was talk of him going to work in Stamford, but obviously, that did not happen as of this writing.
Naylor, however, will continue working with Dusty Rhodes. Rhodes posted the following today on Twitter:
In an update from earlier, PWInsider.com has confirmed that Norman Smiley has stayed on with WWE developmental and will be heading to Winter Park, FL with the NXT talents.
Steve Keirn is not making the move to Winter Park, FL.
FCW Closes It's Doors, WWE Developmental Heads to Orlando
WWE's developmental system began breaking down their materials and the rings at the FCW Arena in Tampa, FL yesterday. Everything that the company is taking to Winter Park, Florida for the new WWE Performance Center will be transported this weekend to the Center for their 7/8 opening.
As part of the transition, a number of FCW will be departing. Rob Naylor, who has gotten high marks working in the FCW creative side under Dusty Rhodes, will be departing the company. We've heard conflicting reports that trainer Norman Smiley will be leaving developmental as well.
WWE will hold an official grand opening for the Performance Center for invited media on 7/11.
WWE NXT Executive Possibly Leaving The Company
It appears WWE NXT creative assistant Rob Naylor is leaving the company, or possibly getting a promotion. Dusty Rhodes tweeted this morning:
"NXT and all, me most will miss Naylor. Great working with him . Rob will b in charge of my new Blog , new web coming soon."
Naylor also tweeted:
"@wwedustyrhodes Thank you Dream for all you've done for me and for the 21 month life/wrestling education. #breadandwater #cuepurplerainmusic"
Naylor, a former Dragon Gate USA announcer, was hired by WWE in late 2011.
Rumor Mill - Triple H Berates WWE Talent In Backstage “Team Meeting” Warning Against Twitter
Triple H held a “team meeting” at last week’s WWE NXT tapings from the campus of Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. Hunter basically “berated” a lot of the developmental talent, telling them if they didn’t want to be there they could leave and would be granted their release. Apparently this drew a lot of confusion amongst talent as morale had been “pretty good” lately and Hunter’s speech seemed to have come out of nowhere.
Triple H also told talent that some more releases could be on the horizon and anyone that bad mouthed the company on Twitter after being released would never be brought back. He talked specifically about guys getting let go on good terms only to return later. Hunter stressed the importance of staying on good terms with WWE, even if you end up losing your developmental deal.
Side Note: Triple H’s meeting seems to be a reaction to Derek Foore (f/k/a Chad Baxter), who is threatening to sell a copy of his contract and has made other claims against management.
It also might have something to do with this Twitter post from J.R.:
Jim Ross @JRsBBQ 20 Jun
@WWENXT will be on USA TV in the future. When? Where? I don't know but it will happen.
He has since deleted it.
source: wnw premium news
June 28, 2013
Bryan, Orton Fined By WWE
WWE announced Friday that Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton have been fined an undisclosed monetary amount for their chair shot exchange in a Street Fight on Monday's Raw.
"We don't allow chair shots to the head in WWE," said Paul "Triple H" Levesque, WWE's Executive Vice President, Talent and Live Events. "We understand it was in the heat of the moment but we take this very seriously and as a result, [Orton and Bryan] were fined."
While Triple H was called by his kayfabe position as COO in the dot com coverage, he is the person that directs the fine and/or suspension as EVP of Talent & Live Events.
WWE did not disclose the amount of the fines. Orton offered comment on the fine, stating, "Trust me, it was enough."
The company has outlawed planned shots to the head as a way to battle concussions. WWE fined Triple H and Undertaker for a similar offense at WrestleMania 27.
June 27, 2013
Video: Once in a lifetime experience - Outside the Ring: Triple H, Summer Rae and Supertars for Sandy Relief Auction Winner
WWE Working on 50th Anniversary Project
According to pwinsider.com, WWE is working on a book to chronicle the 50th anniversary of the company. There is no word on when the book will be released at this time.
Linda McMahon's New Positions
Linda McMahon announced on her Facebook account the she will now be the chair of the board's Student Affairs/Athletics Committee at Sacred Heart University. In addtion, the following press release was issued today:
FORMER WWE CEO LINDA MCMAHON JOINS APCO’S INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL
Washington, D.C. (June 27, 2013) - Linda McMahon, former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), joins APCO Worldwide as a member of the firm's International Advisory Council (IAC), founder and CEO Margery Kraus announced today.
"Linda is a savvy business leader who grew a small, regional company into a global brand that is a leader in the entertainment sector," said Kraus. "Her firsthand experience in branding, rapid growth, market entry and transformation will allow our clients to have access to even greater insights as they deal with these issues that confront all successful business leaders. We are truly excited to have Linda join our team."
McMahon brings a strong background in executive leadership within the entertainment industry to APCO, having grown WWE from a 13-person operation to a publicly traded company with global operations delivering its entertainment to 650 million homes worldwide. In 2007, she was named one of Multichannel News' "Wonder Women," which recognized her accomplishments as a leader in the U.S. cable industry.
"I'm excited to work with the strong group of IAC members and contribute to APCO’s industry-leading thinking on corporate positioning, branding and market entry," said McMahon. "Having successfully grown WWE into a global brand, I know firsthand how critical such advice can be when your goal is a true transformation."
TNA Hires Recently Released, Long Time WWE Executive
TNA has issued a press release noting that the company has hired John "Big" Gaburick, who was recently released from his long time executive position in WWE. Gaburick was hired as TNA's Executive Vice President of Television Production, and the following is an excerpt from the press release:
"I’ve always admired Dixie Carter and TNA as a uniquely dynamic and growing organization,” aaid Gaburick. "This opportunity marks an exciting new challenge for me, and I am honored to join the team."
Dixie Carter also commented on the hiring by saying, "As TNA evolves, John’s award-winning creative vision and production expertise coupled with his sports and entertainment industry business savvy make him the perfect person to push us in new directions," Carter said. "He is a gifted and innovative storyteller, and we are thrilled to have him on board."
Good News for Triple H
One of Paul Levesque's business units is up almost 10%:
Here are some WWE business notes for May 2013:
* The average live event attendance was 4,438 paid per show, up 9.9% from May 2012
* WWE shipped 305,000 DVD units in May, up from 301,000 in 2012
* WWE.com did 13.5 million unique visitors last month, the same as May 2012
* WWE’s shop website took 613 orders per day last month, the same as May 2012
Rumor Mill - Physical WWE HOF Update
It looks like the physical WWE Hall of Fame will be heading to TNA's old home after all, the Universal theme park in Orlando, Florida. Word from the park is that the NBA City table-service location is shutting down and there's talk it will be remodeled as the WWE Hall of Fame.
Rumor Mill - Details on Recent WWE Creative Changes, Why WWE Asked David Kreizman to Stay, More
WWE head writer David Kreizman was talked into staying until mid-August because his original direction of things were building to SummerSlam and they wanted him to stay until the completion of his direction. Plus, WWE wants him to help train whoever they hire as his replacement. There was a feeling that the new writer would have problems with the pressure building to SummerSlam, whereas now he can ease into the role, get comfortable from September through December before the WrestleMania season pressure starts.
Regarding the creative situation, Stephanie McMahon's role has been minimized as she's only involved when needed. Brian James has been put into creative because they want someone who has a pro wrestling perspective to be in with the soap opera and TV writers because Michael Hayes isn't in the office regularly anymore. Hayes is on conference via phone at major meetings but they want a wrestling person at the meetings as well.
When it comes to the re-writes on Mondays and Tuesdays, David Kapoor (Ranjin Singh) has been in charge of those but his position has changed. Kapoor delegates the workload to the writers after Vince McMahon makes all the changes. He also interacts with TV people, the App people and the WWE.com people to make sure they all know of the changes.
Ed Koskey is now the lead writer for RAW while Ryan Ward, who got rave reviews for his work as NXT's writer, has been promoted to the lead writer of SmackDown.
source: wrestling observer
June 26, 2013
How Ring Of Honor Is Handling The Departure Of The Briscoe Brothers
Following up on Jay and Mark Briscoe, here is how Ring of Honor is handling their departures in storyline:
Last weekend in Baltimore was a physically brutal one for both World Champion Jay Briscoe and his “Best in the World 2013” challenger Mark Briscoe. The brothers tore into one another in one of the more physical championship battles and it ultimately required Jay to utilize multiple Jay Drillers in order to put his brother down for the three count. Unfortunately, as a result of those maneuvers and the general punishment suffered in the bout, Mark Briscoe was forced out of his spot in the Steel Cage Warfare bout that went down during the following day’s “Ring of Honor Wrestling” TV Tapings.
As for Jay, the day of those tapings he defended his title once again, this time against S.C.U.M’s Matt Hardy and although he was victorious in the bout, following the match the champion was viciously assaulted with a steel chair by S.C.U.M and left laying.
Unfortunately, ROHWrestling.com has since learned that, as a result of the injuries sustained during “Best in the World” weekend, both Jay and Mark will be out of action indefinitely. Mark suffered severe head trauma as a result of the bout with his brother while Jay apparently has a fractured shoulder and torn rotator cuff coming from the assault at the hands of S.C.U.M. At this point it is unknown how long Jay and Mark will be out of action but we will stay on top of the story to provide you with details, as they are made available to us.
ROHWrestling.com also contacted Match Maker Nigel McGuinness for an update on how this would affect the championship held by Jay Briscoe and he informed us that there will be an announcement made soon regarding the status of the ROH World Title. Nigel did inform us that he intended to announce this week that Michael Elgin would receive his championship opportunity on August 3rd in Toronto but now that is in question. ROHWrestling.com has heard rumors that with Elgin scheduled to be the next man in line for a shot, he may be awarded the World Title due to forfeit.
All of the events that led to this will be seen on “Ring of Honor Wrestling” TV broadcasts over the course of the next several weeks or you will be able to see it all unfold very shortly courtesy of the Early Bird TV options here on ROHWrestling.com.
Stay tuned for more details on the status of the World Title as they are made available…
June 25, 2013
Video: Triple H encourages Vickie Guerrero to give Daniel Bryan his rematch with Randy Orton: Raw, June 24,
Briscoes Gone From Ring of Honor
PWTorch has learned that ROH World champion Jay Briscoe and his brother, Mark Briscoe, are gone from Ring of Honor for the foreseeable future. (The status of the ROH Title is unknown at this time.)
The Briscoes's contracts expired and will not be renewed at this time. The decision was made in response to Jay's tweets in early May vowing to shoot anyone who teaches his children about marriage between same-sex couples.
PWTorch has learned that Sinclair Broadcasting, the publicly-traded company that owns ROH, recently became aware of the tweets. ROH had previously tried to handle the issue in-house by having Briscoe issue a public apology and donate his pay from two shows.
Both Briscoes were written off television at Sunday's TV taping in Baltimore, Md. Jay's storyline injury is that he re-injured his shoulder and Mark's injury is that he suffered a "severe concussion." Despite Jay being written off TV, ROH kept the ROH Title on Jay, who defeated Matt Hardy with a small package in their title match taped for television this summer. After the match, S.C.U.M. delivered a vicious-looking beat down on both Briscoes to write them off television.
There is currently talk within the organization that he and Mark are "headed for greener pastures," which could mean a potential WWE developmental deal. However, there is also talk that the duo may just be on hiatus.
June 24, 2013
The Newest Member of the WWE Announcing Team Is...
Alex Riley has replaced the departed Matt Striker on WWE Superstars. For those who missed it, WWE opted not to renew Striker's contract last week. He is done with the company.
Chris Benoit Double Murder-Suicide Anniversary
Today marks the six-year anniversary of the Chris Benoit double murder-suicide that occurred over a three-day period ending on June 24, 2007 [full story]. He allegedly murdered his wife and son before hanging himself.
Ring of Honor to Cease Broadcasting Live iPPV Events
After the issues with their most recent iPPV event over the weekend, Ring of Honor has made the decision to discontinue all iPPV broadcasts live and will instead present them as VOD offerings the day after the live event.
The official statement from ROH issued to PWInsider.com reads as follows:
This past weekend at "Best in the World" in Baltimore, MD , Ring of Honor proved once again from top to bottom why our talent is truly the best in wrestling today. Unfortunately, there were some issues with the live iPPV stream that wound up distracting from the energy and action in ring. For this, we sincerely apologize to all fans that encountered problems.
Because of how much we value the support of our fans, and understand the imperfections of the live streaming technology, "Best in the World" will be the last iPPV stream that we will be broadcasting live. All future main event shows will now be offered as a Video On Demand, which will allow Ring of Honor to present a flawless show and truly depict the excellence of our product.
From now on, fans can watch ROH Wrestling on TV, VOD, or DVD, however there is still nothing like seeing Ring of Honor in person. We thank you for your continued support and are excited to be moving forward.
Ring of Honor Wrestling
Ring of Honor popularized the iPPV craze within independent pro wrestling starting with their 2009 Final Battle event. Less than four years later, that run is over.
June 23, 2013
NXT Should Be On Primetime TV
By Scott Fishman
This week Daniel Bryan and Seth Rollins competed in one of the most critically acclaimed matches on Raw this year.
The "cool kids" of the WWE Universe see this type of action by flipping on their computers and watching NXT on a regular basis.
More often than not the company's developmental territory delivers better programming than what we see on TV on Monday or Friday nights.
NXT gave us the likes of the Shield, Big E Langston and countless others. Before the Wyatt family was coming to WWE, they were getting people talking on NXT. Their shows have an old school feel to it. It's almost a throwback to the territory days with current WWE superstars coming in from time to time to work with the talent and help draw a good house.
They tell stories and have well thought storylines. Each TV taping appears exciting with the intimate crowd giving off great energy. The female performers actually have time to develop their personas and improve in the ring.
Steve Keirn, Triple H and the other staff who are responsible for the tremendous evolution of NXT, formerly billed as Florida Championship Wrestling, should be given a pat on the back. However, one must ask how a show this good can only be found on platforms such as Hulu Plus? Fans should be able to watch this on USA Network or another channel (And don't tell me to wait for the WWE Network because I'm still waiting on those WWE ice cream bars).
More times than not WWE will have the same match ups on its shows every week. I understand they have so many hours to produce, making it hard to create fresh and interesting contests all the time. With that said, why not give an hour to NXT? If Raw is three hours on USA Network, why not dedicate 8 p.m. to the future superstars of tomorrow.
It's hard to imagine me saying this a few years ago given what NXT was in its infancy. NXT was really a unique concept that debuted on SyFy and introduced us to a number of today’s top WWE performers. Eventually, the program lost its way by the end of the first season. Then by the third cycle featuring divas in training it became hard to watch. In their defense, they did introduce the WWE Universe to most of the female roster today, including the entertaining AJ Lee. The show's run ended on the network, and it faded into WWE.com obscurity.
NXT in its current form deserves to be seen by as many fans as possible. Therefore WWE should seriously consider talking to USA Network in making NXT the lead for Raw. If not an hour-long, then maybe a half-hour. You could even call it an “NXT Showcase”. I’m sure the program can spare a few minutes less of pushing the WWE APP and the Great Khali dancing to squeeze in some gold old fashion wrestling from the up-and-comers.
source: layfieldreport.com
Jim Ross Blogs On WWE Performance Center Opening
"The new, WWE Performance Center will officially open on Thursday July 11 which is also the next time we tape NXT at Full Sail. This grand opening is not open to the public and will be via invitation only to the media and a variety of WWE business partners, etc.
"The Performance Center begins a new era in the development of WWE talents that is truly exciting. I went through the facility again last week and it is amazing. There is not a NFL training facility that exceeds what WWE has done with this facility. With that said, the training of these future WWE Superstars will be amped up and the expectations raised not only for the athletes but for the coaches as well."
How WWE Helped Build The USA Network, Where They Fit In The Success
Philly.com has a new feature article on the USA Network’s Bonnie Hammer, one of WWE’s biggest allies. Below are the highlights from the article.
How WWE helped build the USA Network:
Her USA Network – built partly on the popularity of the World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. – has been the most-watched ad-supported cable channel for seven straight years and in 2012 earned more than $1 billion in profit.
“She doesn’t stand on ceremony as some executives do,” Vincent McMahon, the chief executive officer of World Wrestling Entertainment, said. “She wants to give the audience what it wants.”
Her advice to McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment years ago was to develop story lines and characters, which they did.
In February, acknowledging USA’s momentum and her golden-eyed selection of hit cable shows, NBCUniversal head Steve Burke consolidated all the company’s entertainment cable channels under Hammer, 62, making her one of the most powerful women in entertainment and at Comcast.
Vanity Fair rates her No. 16 on its powerhitters list, and on the day of her interview, superagent Ari Emanuel called to chat up a project. Burke and Comcast CEO Brian Roberts are jointly Vanity Fair’s No. 2 powerhitters. In an e-mail on Friday, Burke wrote: “Bonnie is the whole package. She has great taste, judgment and business skills. She is an important part of our management team.”
Where WWE fits into Hammer’s equation of the USA Network’s success:
The network’s winning formula is based on one-third original series, one-third acquired shows, and one-third World Wrestling Entertainment.
A championship WWE belt, a gift from McMahon for Hammer’s 50th birthday, hangs above the low, cushy couch in her office.
Hammer is a big fan, saying WWE’s live Raw consistently draws five million viewers per episode 52 weeks a year. WWE also has a show on Syfy, Smackdown, and in July E! will launch Total Divas, a reality show featuring female wrestlers. “She is really in charge of the cash of the cash cow at NBCU,” McMahon said...More?
News From WWE's Ron Simmons Appreciation Night
WWE held Ron Simmons Appreciation Night at last night's live event in Tallahassee, Florida. Justin Roberts introduced JBL, who was to host the festivities. JBL gave a great speech about his career with Simmons. Simmons came out to a big pop and watched a highlight video that included footage from his college football days. Simmons was presented with a plaque for Ron Simmons Day. JBL asked Simmons if he had anything to say and finally, he let out a big, "Damn!"
This Day In Wrestling History - The Birth of Austin 3:16
It's somewhat odd to think of but in a roundabout way, The Kliq -- and Triple H, specifically -- are indirectly responsible (at least partially) for the booming success of Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Back in early 1996, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, two of The Kliq's members, were leaving the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) for the larger contracts and guaranteed main event slots being offered by World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Shawn Michaels and Triple H, however, were staying behind. During a house show at Madison Square Garden in May, the four orchestrated a small ceremony to say goodbye, in which each member got into the ring at the end of the night and hugged each other before giving a curtain call.
This was a major breach of kayfabe, as the group consisted of both heels and babyfaces, and showed enough lack of professionalism that someone had to be punished. With Hall and Nash leaving the company and Michaels the WWF champion at the time, that left Triple H to take the fall. This was unfortunate timing, too, for him, at least. That's because he was penciled in to win the King of the Ring tournament the very next month to begin a big push.
Instead, that push went to a rising star in the company, Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Last we left "The Rattlesnake," he was losing a Caribbean Strap match to Savio Vega at In Your House: Beware of Dog 2, which served to rid Austin of his manager at the time, Ted DiBiase. He entered the King of the Ring tournament immediately after and advanced by defeating Bob Holly in the first round and getting his win back on Vega in the second.
That led him to the pay-per-view (PPV) and a match-up against Marc Mero in the semifinals, which he won after a damn fine 17-minute match that saw him get his lip busted open. Because of this, he had to go straight to the hospital while the event continued on before returning later to meet Jake "The Snake" Roberts in the final.
Stone Cold made it back in time and the two had a mostly underwhelming match. Roberts had his ribs busted up earlier in the night by Vader after their match ended and he was selling that injury all throughout the match. Austin, of course, used it as his focal point before ending it just under five minutes in with the Stone Cold Stunner, a finisher he had just started using at that time.
The match itself was quickly forgotten but the promo Austin cut during his coronation will live on forever in the annals of pro wrestling lore.
Roberts was using a born again Christian gimmick at that time, as he had recently converted to as much in his real life. So Austin used it for inspiration in his promo and created one of the most famous catchphrases in pro wrestling history
source: cagesideseats.com
June 21, 2013
Ron Simmons Appreciation Night
WWE will honor Ron Simmons at Saturday night’s live event in Tallahassee, Florida with Ron Simmons Appreciation Night.
Sean Waltman Comments on WWE NXT & Triple H
“From where it was a couple of years ago it’s so much better, so much better. I actually think quite often it’ the best thing on TV. Sometimes I think the best stuff comes off of that show. Triple H is working closely with that too.”
Rumor Mill - Where is the McMahon Family Storyline Going?
No word yet where WWE is going with the McMahon family storyline with Triple H, Vince McMahon and Stephanie McMahon but the feeling is that it will end with Triple H taking all power from Vince, at least in the storylines. The storyline is being heavily featured because the USA Network sent word to WWE that they wanted more of the McMahons on TV.
Kevin Nash on HHH & X-Pac Joining The Kliq, Their Backstage Influence
On X-Pac joining The Kilq: "Pac did that angle when he was the 1-2-3 Kid. It was his 21st birthday, Kid's, Hennig and the Smoking Gunns took him out, Bart and Billy Gunn. The next day he shows up at TV and he's missing an eyebrow. They got him all f***ed up and shaved his eyebrow. Now Kid makes the decision to shave both his eyebrows. So he gets to TV and lo and behold, they're going to shoot his 8x10. So that son of a b**** on his 8x10 has got no eyebrows. Back then there wasn't no money in the WWF so I think that photo followed him for about two years. The funniest thing was he knew it was either the Smoking Gunns or Kurt. And because him and Kurt were buddies for many [years], he made the calculation that it had to be the Smoking Gunns. We're in El Paso, and I look over and see Kid's over there and he's got super glue and he's putting it around the brim of the cowboy's hats. I'm like what the f***. The Kid's like a buck 70, Billy and Bart are two big ol' raw bone dudes. That's one thing people don't realize. Until you shake hands with Billy Gunn, look him in the eyes, you have no idea how big that dude is. That's a grown man. Bart was the same way.
We go to the curtain, Smoking Gunns, they put their hats on, they go out there, shoot the pistols and go to pull off their hats and the s***'s glued to their hair. I about p***ed myself. We looked down at Kid, he was standing there, he watched it, he turned, looked at us and smacked his hands together like f*** you, job well done. We said dude, you're going to need some protection. You need to get in our car. He jumped in [with the Kliq] on that there. I want this mother f***er in our car. The thing was, that mother f***er could go. He's been going since he was 17, you know, so he was a working mother f***er. He was another one of the people that loved to talk the business."
On Triple H joining The Kliq: "Hunter, we were on the road so much we were watching the Saturday, it was called Main Event back then, the WCW Main Event. Me and Shawn's favorite wrestler was Terra Ryzing, who was Hunter's deal when he was in WCW. He was Terra Ryzing. We were in Wooster or some place like that, Kowalski came in and Hunter came in with him. He had a sports coat and slacks on and we were like look at this mother f***er, but we knew he was Terra Ryzing, with that long Fabio hair. So he had his tryout match and we all sat there at the monitor. Scott looked back at me and said mother f***er's money. He walked out of the ring and Scott was walking step for step, maybe three feet behind him. Kind of being a goof. Paul turned around and looked at him, he said who do you ride with? He said Walters, he said not next week. Next week, he said, you ride with us. Then we found out that he didn't drink or do anything. He didn't drink, he didn't take pills, he didn't do s**. It was like f*** yeah, designated driver because my big ass had been driving those guys around for like two years. "
On their backstage influence: "We had pull because the spots we were in. The Intercontinental Championship spot was always the precursor to the World Title. Between Scott, myself and Shawn Michaels, we had that mother f***er pretty much wrapped for about three years. I had a year run with the strap, with the World belt. Shawn and I popped in there a couple times as tag champs. We were always in the mix, upper echelon guys. Hunter hadn't lost, he was unbeaten. He was an up and coming star. Kid was always in the mix because he was so talented, he could have a match with anybody. When Bret debuted, Bret actually worked on RAW, which was a big deal. They put Shawn Waltman in there with him just because they knew they'd have an incredible [match]. They never gave s*** away for free back then and RAW was a one hour show and I think they did a two or three segment match that was just off the hook."
Opening Date for WWE Performance Center
Jim Ross noted on his Twitter that the new WWE Performance Center opens on July 11th and "is amazing."
The First WWE NXT Divas Champion Is...
Paige won the WWE NXT Divas championship at last night's NXT taping.
More Coaches for WWE Performance Center?
WWE is planning to hire more coaches for the Performance Center in Orlando. The company is floating a late summer start date for the job, but it could be "much earlier" depending on how quickly construction of the facility is completed.
June 20, 2013
Competition for WWE's Tout
Tout, the 15-second video service that WWE bought a stake in last year, now has competition from Facebook. Facebook unveiled Thursday plans to debut a 15-second video service through Instagram. Facebook's intention is competing with Twitter, but it will indirectly affect Tout.
Update on the FCW & NXT Websites
WWE has shut down the NXT and FCW websites. Both are now pointing to a new WWE NXT section of the WWE website, which you can check out by clicking here.
Stephanie McMahon Cashes In WWE Stock
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that Stephanie McMahon sold 137,610 shares of WWE stock for roughly $1.25 million, between 5/15 and 5/24. Thus far this month, she has sold another 140,000 shares for an additional $1.37 million. She has 191,945 shares remaining, worth $1,902,175 as of the weekend. That is her personal stock, not including her husband’s shares.
According to SEC filings, Stephanie is in the process of diversifying her investment portfolio.
Changes Expected In WWE Developmental
There will be a lot of staffing changes in WWE developmental when the move is made for the new Performance Center. The belief is that Steve Keirn will no longer be involved once the move is made. There are some staffers who will be transferred to other positions or leaving the company altogether.
David Kreizman Staying With WWE Through The Fall
In a follow-up to our earlier report, Mike Johnson is reporting that David Kreizman will stay on with WWE as Head Writer through the Fall to “close out” the direction he has been manning. On May 29, 2013 WWE began looking for a new “Lead Writer,” presumably to replace Kreizman.
WWE TV Feature Planned
There is expected to be a major television feature on the WWE developmental system once the new Performance Center is up and running in Orlando. It's going to be on one of the major TV sports documentary shows. Brad Smith from Sports Illustrated recently interviewed Triple H and posted the following on Twitter:
Interviewing 13 time WWE World Champion, Triple H!
WWE Announcer No Longer With the Company, Contract Not Renewed
WWE announcer and backstage reporter Matt Striker just announced that he is no longer with the company. He said (via Twitter) that WWE has decided not to renew his contract and he is available for independent bookings.
June 19, 2013
Head WWE Creative Team Writer Leaving After Less Than Three Months
David Kreizman is leaving the WWE creative team this week after only a three month stint as the company’s head writer.
While we haven’t heard details surrounding his departure, Kreizman boasts a strong resume where he co-wrote several well known soap operas including Guiding Light, General Hospital, As the World Turns and All My Children. He took the WWE job weeks before Wrestlemania 29 on March 21, 2013.
WWE Issues An Updated Statement Regarding the Death of Viloude Louis
WWE's Director of Public Relations/Corporate Communications, Adam Hopkins, has sent the following updated statement regarding the death of Viloude Louis:
The death of Viloude Louis is a tragedy and we express our heartfelt condolences. Authorities have already charged the accused with second degree murder and determined that this was not an accidental death due to a wrestling move. The facts of this case clearly point to a lack of parental supervision and a teenager who had a history of violent behavior toward his 5-year-old stepsister. It is illogical to conclude that the repeated, brutal and ultimately fatal beating of a 5-year-old little girl by a teenager could be confused with imitation of WWE action seen on TV.
Interview with Shawn Michaels
WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels was recently interviewed about his WWE career and retirement on the Ministry of Slam podcast. The following are highlights.
Michaels reinforced that he will not be coming out of retirement to wrestle again, but he is flattered that fans still want to see him compete in the ring.
"I think it's important that in any job you do, you do it well and you leave when you think it's time to leave. And only you can make that determination," Michaels said. "I'm flattered that people would still like to see me perform. I very much enjoy when I go back, doing the small roles I do. I try not to detract from anything I do. And, I hope that people enjoyed the body of work that I did."
Michaels relayed a recent conversation with WWE head Vince McMahon about talent evaluation. Michaels set it up as feeling what current new stars feel because he struggled to gain acceptance as an undersized wrestler who was given the WWF Title when others in the company felt like he wasn't worthy.
"I had a conversation a couple of weeks ago with the man in charge," Michaels said, "and we were talking about a certain individual and he goes, 'I just don't see money in him.' And I said, 'You said the same thing about me.' He said, 'I did not.' I said, 'Yes you did!' (laughs) I said, 'And it's okay. It's just one of those things.'"
Michaels continued: "I wasn't your prototypical - heck, I wasn't anybody's protoypical main event guy. And I knew that. So, you just do your absolute best. Yes, I was very scared and very worried, which had a lot to do with how bad I handled stuff because I spent a great deal of my career waiting for the other shoe to drop. Because it was a very real view of me and my ability and my talent. I'm a firm believer that talent does rise to the top, but you have to be patient. So, I spent a great deal of time worried, intimidated, and concerned that with each passing storyline, it might be the last one."
Michaels, who benefited from working with Sherri Martel early in his singles career, discussed the lack of managers in today's wrestling. Michaels said often-times it comes down to the manager having the skills, experience, and mindset to handle the role effectively.
"Paul (Heyman) continued to apply himself each and every day at his job. Not at the job of being the main focus, but Paul loved his role as the manager and he wanted to do it the absolutely best way possible," Michaels said. "Then, have guys who start as a manager and want to be a wrestler. It's tough to find people who can do that job as well as a Paul Heyman."
Michaels said he was initially against the idea of having Sherri as his manager because he wanted to be singles on his own, but Pat Patterson helped him see the light that Sherri brought him instant credibility shortly after managing top stars like "Macho Man" Randy Savage. Michaels added that Sherri was not out there to steal the spotlight, but to help him.
Michaels said he does not think the "Michaels vs. Jannetty" label that has been applied to wrestlers in recent years is fair to Marty Jannetty.
"I think the whole 'Who's going to be Marty and who's going to be Shawn?' is unfortunate and, honestly, unfair," Michaels said. "Marty was unbelievably talented; there were a number of other circumstances that kept Marty from the success he could have had. I learned so much from him. He was an unbelievably good guy and good wrestler. So, from that standpoint, I think it's unfortunate and unfair."
Michaels said he was never really close to jumping to WCW during the Monday Night Wars, but the thought crossed his mind after he left WWF in 1998.
"Vince just wasn't a guy that was going to give up. I knew the man and I knew he would not stay down for long," Michaels said. "So, it was a brief thought. Was there ever an opportunity? Yes, but I wasn't even wrestling then. It was a brief thought, but quickly discarded and pledged my loyalty to WWE. Believe it or not, they were incredibly loyal to me and I always felt that I owed them that. We had common ground there, so it was never really a thought in my mind to leave the company."
Roman Reigns: "I Want to be the Absolute Top Guy in This Company"
4th and Pain recently had an opportunity to interview Roman Reigns of The Shield.
The show is hosted by Adam Carriker (@Adam Carriker94) of the Washington Redskins and Chuck Carroll (@TheChuckCarroll), a former wrestling announcer and weight loss champion. Reigns spoke about the formation of The Shield and his relationship with Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins. He also talked about his brief NFL career before transitioning to pro wrestling and the differences between the two. The biggest takeaway from the interview was Reigns opening up about his desire to break out as a singles wrestler and win the WWE Championship. "I want to be the absolute top guy in this company," he said.
Rumor Mill - Stephanie’s Raw Interruption Drawn From Real Life Incident?
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that Stephanie’s stern warning towards Kaitlyn for interrupting her was inspired by an incident that recently occurred backstage. According to the report, someone had interrupted Stephanie and caused a bit of a scene. The report does not state who the culprit was, nor if they were even a wrestler, but it’s interesting to see how messy real life situations can translate to great television segments.
Teen Killed Young Sister Allegedly Using 'WWE Style Moves,' WWE Issues Statement
The Advocate published a story about the death of five-year-old Viloude Louis, who was killed by her 13-year-old brother after he allegedly used wrestling moves that he learned from television.
"The 13-year-old reported he started to wrestle with the victim and practiced 'WWE' style wrestling moves on the 5-year-old," said Col. John Fortunato of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office.
Devalon Armstrong, 13, allegedly slammed his sister onto a bed and beat her. She suffered multiple injuries including broken ribs, internal bleeding and lacerations of the liver. The boy called police after his sister stopped breathing, and paramedics were teaching him over the phone how to use CPR to keep her alive. She died shortly after deputies arrived and paramedics were unable to revive her.
Devalon was booked into a juvenile jail and has been charged with second-degree murder. WWE sent us this statement on Viloude's tragic passing:
"The death of Viloude Louis is a tragedy, and our condolences go out to her family.
"WWE urges restraint in reporting this unfortunate incident as if it were the result of a WWE wrestling move. As in similar cases, criminal intent to harm and a lack of parental supervision have been the factors resulting in a tragic death.
"Authorities have already charged the accused with second degree murder and determined that this was not an accidental death due to a wrestling move."
June 18, 2013
Rumor Mill - Who Contacted Rob Van Dam About Returning To The WWE?
The Wrestling Observer is reporting that Triple H reached out to Rob Van Dam about three weeks ago for a return for the company at the WWE Money In The Bank pay-per-view. Van Dam had to cancel several independent dates. His contract will be limited to a part time schedule. Van Dam will likely work TV, PPV and select live events over a short time period before considering a renegotiation of contract.
More on the Triple H - Daniel Bryan Altercation
The finish to Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton was legitimate last night in that the company stopped the match after Bryan suffered a stinger diving to the outside.
The original planned finish was for Bryan to defeat Orton cleanly to help set up a planned main event run this summer. They are building to Bryan vs. John Cena for the WWE title on a PPV.
When Bryan returned to the back, he was "irate" according to a source and complained to Triple H that the match should not have been stopped. The two got into a loud argument over it. The argument went down in the gorilla position with a lot of eyeballs on it and people were shocked because Bryan is generally soft spoken and good natured and he was standing up to one of the most powerful men in the company.
Bryan complained that he's worked all over the world and has worked hurt and knows when he can still go and when he cannot. Triple H's argument was that they were protecting Bryan and they don't want anyone working hurt. Obviously, the company sees something major in Bryan and wants him ready for his push.
The two eventually apologized to each other.
WWE posted the video of Triple H online (we we mentioned earlier today), explaining what happened as a way to use the legitimate finish and tie it into their storylines going forward.
Dolph Ziggler Health Update
For those wondering Dolph Ziggler is medically cleared to wrestle and the angle on Raw last night was done to further the Del Rio story line coming out of Payback. While WWE did take Ziggler's concussion very seriously and would not clear him to return to the ring until all concussion symptoms disappeared, he is now healthy and able to compete.
Daniel Bryan Legitimately Injured At WWE Raw, Match Outcome Changed
Daniel Bryan was legitimately injured during his match against Randy Orton on this week’s episode of WWE Monday Night Raw, according to Bryan Alvarez and the crew over at Wrestling Observer. Apparently the physician coming to ringside and the match being thrown was not a work as originally thought.
According to their report, Bryan was originally scheduled to go over but the referee stopped the bout due to a legitimate injury. The injury was later revealed as a stinger.
This makes a lot more sense given the questionable outcome. It also explains Bryan’s status for Smackdown being questioned and later cleared while WWE was still on the air. The backstage bit where Bryan argued with Triple H over stopping the match was reportedly WWE booking on-the-fly.
Bryan will face WWE United States Champion Dean Ambrose in a match for SmackDown that will be taped on Tuesday night.
Daniel Bryan Confronts Triple H Over Match Stoppage on Raw
Among the most controversial moments of a wild Raw in Michigan was the unexpected stoppage of the Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton contest after the submission expert suffered a “stinger” in the middle of the bout and was deemed unfit to compete by WWE officials, with the final decision coming from WWE COO Triple H himself.
“Whether anybody likes it or not, it’s my job as COO of this company,” confirmed Triple H to WWE.com. “I made the call that Daniel Bryan’s health was important and I called the match.”
Bryan – currently battling a self-imposed perception that he is a “weak link” – seemed less than happy at the result on air, and in fact, he let The Game know exactly how he felt once he stepped backstage.
“I saw Daniel face-to-face with Triple H, nose to nose, screaming at him, saying that the match should not have been stopped and he’d worked through several injuries over 13 years,” said referee John Cone, who followed Bryan into the locker room area. “Triple H fired back, saying he’s worked through torn quads, but Bryan was saying it was supposed to be the biggest match of his career and it was taken away from him.
“I’d never seen anything like it, they almost came to blows,” elaborated Cone. “Randy stepped in and pulled Daniel Bryan back, it was the craziest thing I’d ever seen backstage.”
Layla agreed: “It was probably the most intense argument I have ever seen right in front of me.” The former Divas Champion was backstage when Bryan emerged through the curtain.
“Bryan beelined straight for Triple H, and the passion in his voice – [he said] ‘I have wrestled for 13 years, this was supposed to be my biggest match, my biggest accomplishment; you don’t ever stop a match without me!’”
Alicia Fox, who was also backstage with several of the Divas, agreed.
“I think he was just trying to state his fact that he’s very passionate about what he does, his job and how he handles his work in the ring and taking care of his body,” she said. “At the same time, the way Triple H saw it, he was looking out for his safety, his well-being for his future, the company, and future matches to come.”
All the eyewitnesses seemed to agree the two Superstars were coming from a place of passion, not animosity.
“Both Daniel Bryan and Triple H have a ton of passion, if anyone could relate to what Daniel Bryan felt it’d be Triple H,” Natalya said, “But I’d just never heard an exchange so heated like that in my life.”
“I’ve never seen Daniel like that before,” Cameron said. “He was cursing, just saying he’s worked through everything … Triple H was only doing what’s right for Daniel, but Daniel is just so passionate about this business.”
Veteran official Chad Patton drew a haunting parallel in his own summary of the argument: “What I did see when Daniel Bryan and Triple H went at it, for him to talk to his boss and just to the extreme he was doing it, I haven’t seen anything like it since Bret Hart and Vince McMahon.”
Triple H himself confirmed the situation had been smoothed over and both parties apologized to each other, but Bryan’s status for this Friday’s SmackDown is still up in the air. While he has been reviewed by WWE doctors, his injury requires close observation and further tests will be done down the line before his scheduled bout with U.S. Champion Dean Ambrose.
source: wwe.com
June 17, 2013
Interview with Michael Cole
Michael Cole recently spoke with Wrestling101. Below are the interview highlights:
What have been some of your highlights during your time with WWE?
My career was made at the beginning thanks to Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Chyna and Rick Rude, if it wasn’t for D-Generation X who knows if I would’ve ever been discovered to become the personality that I am today, with those guys we had so much fun together and I become their foil.
From there I went onto SmackDown and I was there for ten years straight before I moved to Raw and that was obviously a huge experience for me. Then moving to Monday Night Raw was probably the biggest moment of my career. Finally being asked to get in the ring and have Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler’s only WrestleMania match was a complete honour, I was completely humbled by that and I had a lot of fun doing it.
I like being a bad guy but now I’m a good guy again and it’s all just so much fun, you’re able to reinvent your character so much in this business and that’s why I enjoy it so much.
You were doing commentary on Raw when Jerry Lawler had a heart attack, what instincts kicked in when that incident happened?
My news instincts kicked in, it was just one of those things where Jerry had a heart attack next to me and being a news reporter kicked in. I had to report what was going on in the ring, then I had to report what was going on with Jerry, it was all instinct, there was nothing premeditated about it.
Jerry had a match that night but it was business as usual, he came back and went to work nothing changed. Whatever match it was we were calling, I thought he was snoring and I turned around to look at him and he was passed out on the table and we went from there. It was a surreal thing and I’ve never watched that moment back, I don’t want to but I’ll never forget it for the rest of my life. He was passed out under the table and luckily doc Sampson was three feet away and they got to him quickly and got his heart going again but it was a bizarre time, I didn’t know for the last hour of the show if I was going to have to report that Jerry had passed away or if he was surviving and luckily we got the news right as we were going off the air that he was surviving, it was a really tough time.
Obviously it all came out the way we wanted it to, and it is great having Jerry back on the commentary table. It changed me personally but it also changed me professionally because at that point I became a babyface again and I think for the best, I was a bad guy for a while but it was time to change. Obviously Jerry’s heart attack changed history as we look at it.
What is Vince McMahon like as a boss?
He is wonderful, he’s hard but he is a genius with what we do as a company. If you can understand how to learn from him, here is a guy that is a billionaire and he’s built the wrestling business to where it is today but he still goes out and puts himself in situations, embarrassing situations for the good of the company.
That’s why when I did my role as a heel for a few years and all the things I did to Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler, I did that with Vince in mind. Vince is the owner of the company but he has had his head shoved up Big Shows rear-end, had his head shaved bald at WrestleMania, all the stuff he did over the years I thought if my boss could do that, I could do that.
He is one of my hero’s in this business and even in life, I’ve grown up in this business, I’ve spent 16-years here, I started as a fairly young kid, I’ve raised my family being a part of the WWE. Vince is like a second father to me and he has helped me throughout my career and I hope to spend the rest of my career with the guy, he’s just been an unbelievable mentor.
Have you ever had an ear bashing from Vince?
(Laughs) Yeah it happens every week, the thing is you can’t take it personally. Vince is very obsessive about his product because he should be, he has built the WWE into a global phenomenon, this is his baby and he acts that way because he wants his product to be the best.
You have to understand it’s not a personal attack, it’s him wanting his product to be the best in the world and once you can understand that you’re going to be better than ever and you’ve got to understand it’s a way to motivate you.
June 16, 2013
WWE Announces the Return of Rob Van Dam
A video package aired on Sunday night during the Payback PPV hyping the return of Rob Van Dam at the Money in the Bank PPV next month on July 14.
It should be noted that as of 9:00 p.m. Eastern (8:00 CT) on Sunday night, TNA was still listing RVD as being part of the Impact Wrestling roster.
June 15, 2013
Rumor Mill - Backstage News On Vince McMahon - Triple H Angle, Vince Knocking Curtis Axel
According to a source, the McMahon family is said to be happy with their current angle and feel that it is compelling television that plays off of reality. The storyline is expected to continue for the foreseeable future.
The USA Network actually wanted the McMahon family to be featured prominently again, and Vince and Stephanie both felt that the timing was right since it has been years since they've been recurring characters on TV. Stephanie in particular was open to returning to a televised role throughout the summer since her children are on summer vacation, which allows her to take them on the road along with her maid and assistants.
In a related note, writers apparently checked with Vince during rehearsals about the backstage segment on RAW this past Monday night to confirm that he wanted to tell Triple H that he was "bigger than a match with Curtis Axel." Vince was said to be insistent that the wording be what was shown on the air, which was similar to language on last week's episode knocking Joe Hennig as a top star.
Rumor Mill - CM Punk's WWE Future
PWInsider.com is reporting that there have been many talks backstage on how to book CM Punk upon his return to the WWE. Although he was one of the best heels in the company, WWE knows that he will be cheered when he comes back. There are discussions of turning Punk into a face because of this and because he has one year left on his contract. It will be interesting to see what decision WWE decides to make, but they are leaning towards turning him face sooner rather than later.
June 14, 2013
June 13, 2013
WWE's Paul Heyman: 'TNA Crossover Makes No Sense'
Paul Heyman has laughed off the suggestion that WWE and TNA should have a crossover event.
TNA boss Dixie Carter told Digital Spy last month that she "absolutely would" be up for a joint promotion, but Heyman - who represents CM Punk and Brock Lesnar - rejected the proposal.
"I'm sure that Dixie Carter would love to do a WWE versus TNA pay-per-view," Heyman told DS, speaking ahead of this weekend's WWE Payback pay-per-view.
"Why wouldn't she? A friend of mine who has way too much time on his hands just started a new beverage company here in the United States.
"It's called Shmuley's Soda Company and he's now distributed in three stores in the Bronx and two in Brooklyn."
He continued: "He would like to do a global promotion with Coca-Cola. I don't suggest that Coca-Cola would be profitable having to do a global co-promotion with Shmuley's Soda Company.
"In the same way it would make no sense for WWE with 95% global share to do an event with TNA with its 5% global market share!"
source: digitalspy.com
New NXT Champion Crowned
WWE NXT star Bo Dallas defeated Big E. Langston on this week's edition of NXT on Hulu Plus to become the new NXT Champion.
June 12, 2013
ION Television - WWE Main Event Nominated for a CableFAX Faxie Award
ION television has been nominated for a Faxie Award in the following category:
Marketing of a New Series or Show - Large Network
Cartoon Network - DreamWorks Dragons: Riders of Berk
The History Channel - Hatfields & McCoys
ION Television - WWE Main Event
Oxygen Media - Oxygen's The Face
Sundance Channel's Push Girls
TLC - Here Comes Honey Boo Boo
WE tv - Kendra on Top
www.cablefax.com
June 11, 2013
Justin Credible on first run with WWE, thoughts on Triple H
Justin Credible joined Inside The Ropes last Thursday for the first of a two part interview. Talking about his Aldo Montoya run, here are the highlights:
How he went from jobbing on RAW to getting a contract with the company in 1994:
"I live in Conneticut, I live 45 minutes from WWE headquarters and I was doing jobs (on TV) and one day the office called me and they said “We need you to come down to the office and work out with Mark, Undertaker. We have somebody coming in that’s gonna do a double Undertaker and we need to train him during the week to look like Mark and do his moves.” So basically they paid me $150 a day to go up there and be a crash test dummy for Brian Lee doing the impostor Undertaker. We did it all week and on Friday we did a dress rehearsal with Brian Lee in full Undertaker gear and Mark was sitting there and Vince and Pat Patterson, one of the bookers at the time, came down and saw the entire dress rehearsal and at the end Pat and Vince come up to me and started asking me questions about where I was from, who trained me but the next question they asked me was, what nationality I was. So I told Vince I was portuguese and he said “Ahhh, you’re portuguese, do you speak it?” I told him yeah absolutely and he laughed and said good and that was it. So low and behold I found out later they’d been fixing to do the Aldo Montoya gimmick anyway and they had it written up. So they were looking for a legitimate portuguese kid to come in and do the gimmick and I was just the in the right place at the right time."
Thoughts on Triple H:
"I was there when Hunter came in. I was his first set of matches around the loop. i was real close with Kev, Shawn, Scott and Pac. I remember, in 1996, we weren’t making much money so Hunter and I would share like a $40 room at Red Roof Inns across the country. I knew he had the passion, I knew he had ability. He just wasn’t.....His rise to stardom was very slow for a very long time. He just wasn’t getting over. That thing with the bow and the snob gimmick just was not getting over. The office was trying and trying, he was beating everybody, they were giving him storyline after storyline but the fans just weren’t biting. But Vince kept trying and you know the Kliq thing, the curtain call, Paul went out and he got put in the doghouse. Vince buried him on the road and on TV for almost a full year. For a long time, I didn’t think Paul was gonna get to where he is today that’s for sure. It’s just amazing, time heals all wounds, You know the persistance paid off. He’s a hard working guy, passionate about this business. For that I respect him."
Video: Mr. McMahon gives Triple H his match with Curtis Axel but The Game doesn't want it: Raw, June 10, 2013
June 10, 2013
Jim Ross Explains Why Some Talents Are Not Pushed In WWE
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross recently talked with Hooked on Wrestling and explained what goes into giving some talents a push while others may not receive a push:
“I’m not going to start naming names of guys that have had issues telling the time, committing or paying attention,” Ross said. “But the company have to invest in guys that are reliable. Reliability comes in many forms, shades and colours that the average fan is not aware of.mIt’s not that the company are trying to hold someone back or keep someone down. That’s totally counter-productive. No businessman of any intellect is going to do that in any business. No matter what I say or you say, there will still be some people who still say ‘I still think so-and-so should be pushed’. That’s great. That’s your right to say it. But don’t live and die by it and let it upset your day. If it is meant to happen, it will happen.
“Look at The Shield. They are three guys that came in and they were prepared. They had no issue in developmental. They were very professional in all aspects in their preparation. They earned the opportunity for the ‘push’ that they are getting. They covered all the bases. The results are three guys getting quality minutes on television and maximising those minutes very well. They are starting to get over.
"If WWE didn’t want a guy to get over and didn’t want to use him, guess what they would do? They would release him. It’s simple. In the corporate world, you get job reviews for every job you do. If you are really successful, you get a promotion or a raise. You advance up the ladder to a new payscale and now the task in hand is to do that job very well and be successful. You don’t get into one role where you say, ‘I’m not going to work hard at this job because I don’t really like it. I’ll just wait for my promotion’.
“I’ve had wrestlers that I’ve watched their matches and Vince [McMahon] and I would brainstorm and say, ‘You know, so-and-so doesn’t look like his heart is in it, we need to have a little visit with him to see what’s wrong’. He might be hurt, he might have issues at home. I’ve had guys that have literally said to me, ‘Well I haven’t really been putting out a great effort. I’m waiting for my push’. So when you get your push, then we’ll get your great effort? I say, ‘Well, I think you’ve got it backwards. We need to see the difference now so that you earn your push’. It’s funny that you have grown adults, professionals, that have a chance to make an amazing amount of money for something they allegedly love to do, and they have that attitude. It makes no sense.”
June 8, 2013
WWE seeking Performance Center GM, new "Talent Review System" to be implemented
Ahead of next month's anticipated launch of the "WWE Performance Center," WWE posted a new job listing Friday for a Performance Center General Manager.
Included in the job listing are more details on the Performance Center. Most notably, WWE plans to launch a "Talent Review System" later this year, which the General Manager will oversee. This suggests there will be more of a structured schedule within the Developmental system.
The job listing states: "The new Performance Center will give WWE the ability to train more potential performers than ever before through a comprehensive program including in-ring training, physical preparedness, and character development." Later, the job listing states: "Supervise the development and manage the day-to-day process of WWE’s Talent Review System that will be implemented in late 2013. The overall review process will entail working with senior leaders from Stamford and the WWE Performance Center on the execution of this bi-annual program focused on accelerating the development of our Orlando-based Superstars."
Currently, talent stays in Developmental indefinitely until one of two things happens - WWE finds a spot for them on the main roster or they are released. The indefiniteness of Developmental appears to be changing later this year.
The job listing also notes that talent will have access to money management, media training, and wellness education" as part of the Talent Relations program.
Also required will be "enhancing and managing" the relationship with Full Sail University for TV tapings and "other relationships" in the Central Florida region.
Job Listing - WWE Performance Center General Manager
Jake Roberts Talks Royal Rumble Return, CM Punk, Turning RAW Around, DDP Yoga, Shane McMahon
Jake "The Snake" Roberts recently appeared on Wrestling Heels Radio. Here are some highlights:
Possibly returning at the 2014 Royal Rumble: "That's my dream. That's my dream. That's nothing they've said. I've been wanting to go back, man. Whenever I started losing the weight, whenever I started seeing the world again, whenever I started seeing progress in myself, when I seen – when I started dreaming again, man, dreaming of not so much getting back to the ring, at first. The dreams at first were taking a walk. I went and actually walked up Stone Mountain, man, few months ago, and I could not do that years ago even when, you know, I was in wrestling form, you know? It was a very tough experience."
Who he'd like to face in WWE: "I would wrestle Shane McMahon. I think I'd enjoy that, and I think it would be a match he could be proud of and that I could be proud of. There's lots of other guys – a few other guys. I say lots, but there's a few other guys I wouldn't mind being in the ring with. I think I could do something spectacular with [John] Cena, but here's the thing. I could do something spectacular with anybody 'cause Jake the Snake did that. I've proven that."
CM Punk's promos: "Well, he's trying to slow it down, but he doesn't get it yet. You know what, man? Here's the thing. We'll just throw this out here. WWE, Jake the Snake calling. I have a proposition, okay? Here's my proposition. You give me five weeks. Give me an hour a week with five guys, and I will significantly change not only them but I will change the look of Raw, in five weeks. I will do it by simply talking to them, by sitting them underneath the learning tree if you will and just casting it out there, letting them absorb what I give and I won't exactly remember everything I tell them that they'll get enough to change your product significantly. Trust me. Ta da."
DDP Yoga: "It's incredible, Bro. It is just incredible. I mean all the years I spent in gyms and, believe it or not, I did work out. I mean, there was a lot of sacrificing going to gyms. There's a lot of pain in trying to do too much weight 'cause you think that's going to make you bigger. No, it's going to – it might make you bigger for a short time until your injuries start to come up through it, but all those years, I was doing that stuff to my body and I didn't have a clue as to what I was doing, man.
"Back then, a workout you went in the gym and you pushed as hard as you could with as much as you could, and, of course, you supplemented that with powders and pills and steroids. You do get bigger, but at the same time, you're tearing your body apart, you know. See, god didn't make us to carry 300 pounds on are back. It's just been recently, in the last several years, that people have gotten into core strength, and that's the most important part, man. I mean, it was such idiots not to have learned it sooner because, I mean, the biggest part of your body is the trunk of your body, your chest and your waist and your abs.
June 7, 2013
Bad Sign For IMPACT Wrestling TV Rating
In a bad sign, TV By The Numbers has posted the cable TV ratings for last night, and Impact Wrestling is nowhere to be found. That means that the show didn't make the top 100 cable shows for adults 25-54, which is the first time that has ever happened.
WWE Trying Out Mainstream Athletes
Jim Ross is at WWE Developmental this weekend for tryouts. He responded to a couple of Twitter followers regarding the tryouts, stating that females will not be participating in this particular camp. Rather, he said "15-20 men from mainstream sports world" would be trying out.
Vince McMahon & Triple H Added to Raw After Payback PPV
A new line-up released for the June 17th Raw indicates that The McMahon Family drama will be continuing following the Paypack pay-per-view event. Mr. McMahon and Triple H were not on the original line up, but since then have been added.
WWE kicked off a McMahon Family Drama storyline on this week’s episode of Raw, which will play out throughout the summer as WWE attempts to counter the annual post-WrestleMania ratings swoon.
The story is that Triple H’s “concussion injury” and subsequent concern from Stephanie and Vince McMahon will create a family conflict that will be a key part of Raw events going forward
June 6, 2013
NXT Star Undergoing Back Surgery
According to The Wrestling Observer, WWE NXT star Richie Steamboat will be undergoing back surgery with Dr. Joseph Maroon in Pittsburgh in the very near future. Steamboat has been out of action for months, and with this current back surgery approaching, there is growing concern that his wrestling future might be in jeopardy.
