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August 24, 2020

Triple H Discusses If He’s Close To Retirement From Wrestling, If It Would Bother Him To Never Wrestle Again

In a recent edition of The Bill Simmons Podcast, Triple H discussed considering retirement and if it would bother him to never wrestle again.

On retiring as an in-ring performer: “I just feel like there’s a moment where a talent goes ‘I’m retired’ and you’re not. For me, I’d rather just not say it and if the right opportunity comes up that everybody believes is right and I feel like I can do it without it falling apart – me or the match – then I’d consider it. I don’t feel like I’m at the point where I would say ‘Absolutely not’ under any circumstances. Probably not that far off, but the thing for me that’s good is I’m so transitioned over and satisfied with the other aspects of my career and life, and everything else. I get as much fun and excitement of what watching others succeed at it.”

On why it wouldn’t bother him to never wrestle again: “NXT for me in a way – and even watching the main roster because they all come through there – it’s a difference between as exciting as your own career is and watching your kids succeed at something. It’s a different level of passion and excitement and pride that you feel. I’ve been there and done that side, and the other side is almost better. I almost prefer the helping them, guiding them in whatever aspects we can to that, and giving them those opportunities to go out there and shine. And one of the coolest things is getting to do it with my best friend. I’m sitting there at the Gorilla position with Shawn and it’s like two giddy kids jumping up and down because it’s something we helped somebody with, or we’re watching them succeed, or that light bulb goes off for the first time where they’re having a level of success they only dreamed about. You know what it meant to you, so watching them is incredible. If the opportunity doesn’t come again for me to step into the ring, it wouldn’t bother me.”

credit: The Bill Simmons Podcast with an h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.

Happy 75th Birthday Vince


Vincent Kennedy McMahon
August 24, 1945

August 23, 2020

Stephanie McMahon Says WWE Intends To Have 50/50 Representation Of Women On Rosters

WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon says that the company intends to eventually have equal representation of men and women on the active rosters of all three brands, RAW, SmackDown, and NXT.

To promote this weekend's WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view, Stephanie did a media call and spoke in length about the women's evolution and the steps that WWE will take to feature its women wrestlers in better storylines and more main event fixtures.

During her chat with Charlotte Wilder of Fox Sports, Stephanie noted that women being featured in main events should no longer be considered "a big deal" as it was a few years ago when the likes of Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, and Becky Lynch started headlining both PPVs and weekly shows.

"I don't want it to be a big deal anymore when our women are the main event. I think that they just should be equally alongside the men. There needs to be parity on the roster, I'd love to see an equal number of men and women equally represented. Of course, at times that would ebb and flow, but I think that would be very important. And just more storylines, more women, more storylines. I think that we've done a good job — I really do — but I think we can do even better," said Stephanie, who recently revealed that WWE is actively looking to hire more female writers.

Stephanie also praised her husband, Triple H, for hiring high-level women athletes and preparing them for the main roster through the Performance Center and NXT.

"The women's evolution happened in our business [once] we started recruiting and training athletes," Stephanie said. "Triple H started recruiting elite female as well as male athletes and training the women the same as the men — giving them the same match time, the same opportunity, the same number of reps. And like anything else, the more reps you have, the better you're going to be. And these women just really stole the show and rose to the occasion. The audience started chanting, 'this is wrestling' and 'women's wrestling.'"

Stephanie also revealed that she "is trying" to put together another all-women event such as Evolution, which first took place in October 2018.

August 21, 2020

Triple H Opens Up On His ‘Unique’ Relationship With Father-In-Law Vince McMahon

There has been a lot said about Vince McMahon over the years, but if there's one man that has a truly unique relationship with the Chairman and CEO of WWE, it's Paul "Triple H" Levesque.

Triple H spent many years on top of the wrestling world and may very well go down as one of the greatest to ever step inside the squared circle. That alone is enough for a relationship to blossom with the boss as we saw on the Undertaker's Last Ride documentary. Then you sprinkle in the fact that he married the boss' daughter and gave the man grandchildren, you're bound to gain a few bonus points.

During his recent appearance on The Bill Simmons Podcast, Paul Levesque got into the weeds and revealed what McMahon is like now that he's gotten older and if he's lost a step along the way.

"He's a machine," Levesque said. "It doesn't bother him. He's probably, given the circumstances, sleeping more than he ever has, but I still don't think he ever missed a day at the office. Even when nobody else was there, he's still there and it's just what he does. He still trains every day. If you go to the office, even at one or two in the morning, he's probably in there training. That's what keeps him going. He eats incredibly well and is just a routine and disciplined person.

"It's hard for some people to understand. When someone is really driven to do something, this is his passion still to this day. He doesn't get up dreading going to work. He gets up looking forward to doing it. All these years later and it's still like he's dating a new girl in a way. He can't wait to get up and do all this stuff. It's awe-inspiring, it really is."

Simmons transitioned over and got Levesque to open up about what their relationship has been like over the years and what McMahon is like as a grandfather.

"He's awesome, man," Levesque said. "They love him. He's busy and works all the time, but he's a funny guy that he'll work and do all these things but when it comes to his family and he needs to be there, he's the guy that's right there. He's there for all the things that they need to do. He's there for their big moments, whether by video or in person, he's there.He loves having fun with them. It's funny, with family stuff he's like an observer. He likes to sit back and watch them do things that kids do. He just gets the biggest kick out of it. It's awesome, really.

August 17, 2020

Shotzi Blackheart Shares Touching Thing Triple H Did For Her After Car Was Stolen

WWE NXT star Shotzi Blackheart revealed last week that her 2015 Honda Civic had been stolen overnight from outside of her apartment. Her wrestling gear bag was inside the car, with her signature helmet and other items.

Later in the week, Blackheart posted a video to YouTube, seen above, where she revealed that local police had recovered her car. There was some minor damage to the front of the vehicle, but her belongings were still there including her signature helmet.

Shotzi has now taken to Twitter to share a touching story surrounding what happened. In her message, she explains that Triple H and the team at NXT actually produced a new helmet for her to wear to the ring.

"I didn't get to wear this but it came with a really awesome story so I wanted to share," Shotzi wrote. "As soon as Triple H found out about my car and helmet he made sure that I had help and had the crew put this together for me in time for my match filmed only 1 day after it was stolen!"

Thankfully, Shotzi found her special helmet and will now have a spare. Upon the item being returned, Blackheart told police that it's very sentimental to her because it was hanging on the wall of the wrestling school she first trained at. Her trainers eventually let her have the helmet once she started having matches, and she's taken it all over the world with her while she's furthered her career.

On NXT TV as of late, Shotzi has been feuding with The Robert Stone Brand. The rivalry has now lead to Shotzi teaming up with Rhea Ripley in hopes that they will take down the group.

WWE Officially Announces New "ThunderDome" Experience Coming To Orlando's Amway Center

It looks like we are about to see a different setting for WWE shows each week. The company has now confirmed ongoing reports of an extended residency at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, according to SI.com.

It was noted that WWE has rechristened the Amway Center as the "WWE ThunderDome" during their stay. Starting with this Friday's SmackDown, all future events, including RAW, SmackDown, and pay-per-views will be taking place from the ThunderDome. There has been no word yet on changes to 205 Live, Main Event, or NXT.

WWE Executive Vice President of Television Production Kevin Dunn took some time to speak with Sports Illustrated about what fans can expect from this new experience. He explained that the ThunderDome will include pyrotechnics, drone cameras, and video boards to give audiences something unique.

"When people think of WWE, most think of the spectacle that we are, but it was just impossible to put on a spectacle in the Performance Center," said Dunn. "Moving to Amway, and unveiling the ThunderDome, the opportunities are limitless.

"We can now do things production-wise that we could never otherwise do," he added. "We're flying drones in the arena, we are putting a roof inside the Amway Center, and we'll be able to project content onto the roof. So when a big star like Drew McIntyre comes down to the ring, the whole arena will turn into his content with lasers, pyro, smoke, projections on the top of the building and on the floor. It will be a big, beautiful entrance, better than WrestleMania."

Dunn says that the "almost 1,000 LED boards" will feature virtual fans live via video streaming, something that WWE officials hope will make up for the absence of the in-person audiences. Starting on this Monday's RAW, fans will have the ability to register for their own virtual seat by using the website www.WWEThunderDome.com. This service is reportedly being provided through a company called, The Famous Group.

"Like the NBA, we're doing virtual fans, but we're also creating an arena-type atmosphere," Dunn explained. "We won't have a flat board, we'll have rows and rows and rows of fans. We'll have almost 1,000 LED boards, and it will recreate the arena experience you're used to seeing with WWE. The atmosphere will be night and day from the Performance Center. This is going to let us have a WrestleMania-level production value, and that's what our audience expects from us. We are also going to put arena audio into the broadcast, similar to baseball, but our audio will be mixed with the virtual fans. So when fans start chants, we'll hear them.

"We start on Friday on SmackDown, and it will be a learning experience. We have two days of testing, and we're going to practice like hell, then we're off to the races. We may have fans for certain entrances, standing up and cheering for the typical babyfaces. But someone like Bray Wyatt, who is so character-driven, the entire Amway Arena will be one big Fiend-dom. That's our opportunity to be different from sports, where we can present these larger-than-life characters uniquely. This will be great for people watching at home across the globe, as well as the ones participating."

Throughout all of this, WWE has guaranteed that social distancing, wearing masks, and other COVID-19 protocols will continue to be enforced. There are still no plans to have fans return to shows any time in the foreseeable future.

"We're going to have a very tight set that is focused on safety for our performers," said Dunn. "Everyone is going to be tested all the time. It's really important that our performers feel safe. It's open-ended [with the future]. Obviously, we want to get back in the live event business. We rely so much on our fans. The Amway people have been fantastic to work with, and we look forward to staying as long as it takes."

Dunn mentioned how appreciative he and his fellow WWE staff members are for the fans that have continued watching the product through the pandemic. He believes that this new interactive experience will bring excitement back to their live shows.

"We're grateful and so appreciate the fans are hanging with us," said Dunn. "It's been tough. The shows haven't been what we'd like them to be, and we'd be dishonest saying anything else. We miss our fans. Our fans make our shows. Without them, it's been really challenging. I can't wait to see the ThunderDome full of 1,000 people, giving us the energy we need to make this as entertaining as possible. I think people watching and participating are really going to enjoy this, and it's going to make people say, 'Wow, WWE, it's back.'"

As noted this past weekend, WWE is scheduled to conduct their shows at Orlando's Amway Center through October 30, according to Jon Alba of MyNews13.

August 16, 2020

Man arrested on kidnapping charge at home of WWE star Sonya Deville

A man was arrested Sunday on a kidnapping charge at the home of WWE star Sonya Deville.

Phillip A. Thomas was arrested and charged with three felonies -- attempted armed kidnapping, armed burglary and aggravated stalking -- at a home in Lutz, Florida, according to police. Thomas is also being charged with misdemeanor criminal mischief. He is being held without bond.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office announced the arrest but did not release the homeowner's name. ESPN confirmed via public records that the home is owned by WWE's Deville, whose real name is Daria Berenato.

Police said Thomas had been planning the alleged crime for eight months. Sheriff Chad Chronister said Thomas stalked the alleged victim "on social media for years." According to a Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office news release, Thomas entered the home at 2:43 a.m. ET Sunday, after the homeowner went to bed, through a back sliding-glass door.

The entry triggered an alarm, which led to the homeowner looking out the window and seeing Thomas on the property. The homeowner and a guest fled the house in a car and called 911. Thomas was still inside the residence when officers arrived, according to the release. He was carrying a knife, plastic zip ties, duct tape, mace and "other personal items."

The release said Thomas cut a hole in a patio screen earlier in the night and remained there for three to four hours, watching and listening to what was happening inside the home through the windows. Thomas went to Florida from his home in South Carolina, telling deputies that he planned to take the homeowner hostage, according to the release.

"Our deputies are unveiling the suspect's disturbing obsession with this homeowner who he had never met, but stalked on social media for years," Chronister said in a statement. "It's frightening to think of all the ways this incident could have played out had the home alarm not gone off and alerted the homeowner of an intruder. Our deputies arrived within minutes and arrested this man who was clearly on a mission to inflict harm."

Deville addressed the incident on social media Sunday, saying it was a "very frightening experience but thankfully everyone is safe."

Thomas, 24, is listed on his jail records as being an Applebee's crew member. Berenato, 26, is starring on WWE's "SmackDown" on Fox as well as the E! network reality show "Total Divas." The New Jersey native is the first openly gay female wrestler in WWE history.

Berenato, a former MMA fighter, has been with WWE since 2015. Asked for comment, WWE referred to Deville's statement on Twitter.

source: espn.com

August 14, 2020

WWE Shows At The Amway Center To Have Virtual Fans Appearing Live On LED Boards

WWE is expected to announce the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida as the location for the SummerSlam pay-per-view on August 23. They're also looking at the venue for other upcoming events and TV tapings.

It was reported on Thursday, via PWInsider, that WWE was considering the use of virtual fans for SummerSlam, something FOX has done for recent MLB broadcasts. Now @Wrestlevotes reports that WWE has a much bigger interactive experience planned for the Amway Center.

It was noted that WWE is about to begin a "new long term residency" at the Amway Center, indicating they have signed a lease with the venue, which has been "officially" closed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This residency includes a new interactive experience that will see fans appear live on the show via LED boards. The interactive experience will be hosted by WWE Superstars and Legends.

The interactive experience will be shown in the arena with more than 2,500 square foot of LED boards.

WWE should be announcing details on the interactive experience soon as it was noted that applications for people to appear on screen will open next week.

WWE Network Acquires Content From Several Top Indie Promotions

Among the new content available on WWE’s streaming service is a collection highlighting how Drew McIntyre rejuvenated his career on the independent circuit.
JUSTIN BARRASSO14 HOURS AGO
WWE is adding content to the WWE Network, Sports Illustrated has learned.

WWE officials have confirmed that shows from EVOLVE, wXw, PROGRESS and Insane Championship Wrestling will begin airing on the WWE Network beginning this Saturday. The shows will add an international flair to the Network, with wXw based out of Germany, PROGRESS a staple of the English wrestling scene and ICW in Scotland.

The new content includes two “Best Of” compilation specials, which feature the work of Drew McIntyre in EVOLVE as well as Keith Lee’s rise in the same promotion.

August 11, 2020

WWE Pays Tribute To Chyna With New Signature Series Replica

WWE's latest Signature Series title replica pays tribute to WWE Hall of Famer Chyna.

The $499 replica is a reproduction of the Attitude Era version of the WWE Intercontinental Title that The Ninth Wonder of the World once held. It includes a custom nameplate with six Swarovski crystals. The strap features studs in homage to Chyna's ring gear, with her logo and nickname. The belt includes 5mm thick plates and weighs over 6 pounds.

WWE previously released Signature Series Championship replicas for several Hall of Famers and Legends - Eddie Guerrero, Triple H, The Rock, John Cena, Bret Hart, Hulk Hogan, "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, and Steve Austin.

Below is WWE's announcement on the new Chyna replica and a look at the belt:

New Chyna Signature Series Title Celebrates The Ninth Wonder of the World
Of all the wonders of the world, perhaps none shone as brightly as Chyna. The new Chyna Signature Series Championship Title available at WWEShop.com commemorates the trailblazing accomplishments and lasting legacy of this history-making WWE Legend.

Chyna was the first woman to hold the Intercontinental Title, a feat which she accomplished twice in her storied career. Fittingly, the main plate of this new replica is a reproduction of the Attitude Era version of that Championship complete with her custom nameplate and adorned with six Swarovski crystals. The strap is studded in homage to her iconic ring gear with her logo and nickname "The Ninth Wonder of the World" emblazoned across it. This title weighs more than six pounds and features five millimeter thick plates.

Chyna's accomplishments or impact cannot be overstated. Boldly treading into territories previously unknown for female Superstars, Chyna broke as many gender barriers as she did bodies. Known for her unbelievable strength, the late WWE Women's Champion blazed a trail unlike anyone in WWE history.

Celebrate this spectacular career with a truly special title. Perfect for any fan of the Attitude Era or this amazing Legend, you can get yours by heading to WWEShop.com today!

August 8, 2020

Forbes' Alfred Konuwa On Why Wall St May Not Embrace Triple H As Vince McMahon's "Heir Apparent"

Media outlet Variety recently called out WWE for its declining popularity and said that investors need to hold Vince McMahon accountable. Alfred Konuwa, wrestling analyst for Forbes.com, weighed in on Variety's comments when he joined The Wrestling Inc Daily podcast.

It's one thing for this story to come out and it's another for there to be actual change within WWE. Konuwa was asked if fans could expect to see real change with either WWE or Vince McMahon.

"We're close. I don't think this time around anything like that's gonna happen. This one feels like the calm before the storm because people are now slowly cracking away at that invincibility complex that Vince McMahon had for so long on Wall Street," stated Konuwa. "So now that these reports that you're talking about and there's a reason they came out right before the investor conference – this is a thing that they're reading to get ready for this meeting. So now that this type of information is out, it's going to be in their minds for months to come.

"Then once football and live sports come back and ravage WWE's ratings to what I think will be cataclysmic proportions, then the third quarter meeting is going to be when stuff hits the fan. That's when there might be like slight demand for Vince to get moved out because he's now done the scapegoat thing for a couple of cycles now, right? Paul Heyman in out and. Eric Bischoff in and out. Bruce Prichard here, same story. They're gonna eventually recognize what's going on."

If Vince were to take a backseat role in WWE, then someone would have to fill his shoes. Triple H is usually thought of as the person to do that and Konuwa discussed Triple H possibly being groomed to take over for Vince.

"Well maybe on one side some investors and the research firm have the same thing where they were saying that Triple H is the type of personality to steer the ship around. But that does not mean that Wall Street would accept that," admitted Konuwa. "That's what's scary about WWE is that maybe Triple H is the guy, but he's not equipped for the role of heir apparent to Vince McMahon.

"In the wrestling world, wrestling fans see him as the next guy up and he would be the natural transition in terms of the face of WWE, but in terms of the experience, in terms of having that financial wizard-czar type personality – and he hasn't even been presented by WWE or anybody publicly as this is the guy that's gonna take over Vince McMahon. This is the number two and only for the wrestling fans who follow the product closely know he's in charge of NXT. Really, the mainstream world knows him as Triple H and they know that he has some power in WWE and some stroke. But WWE needed to do a better job preparing Triple H for that role in terms of financial experience and in terms of selling him to Wall Street. I really don't think that narrative has been out there as much as it should be and that's scary to think of knowing that we're in a global pandemic, he's a 74 year old man where he's one drop away from potentially a disaster in WWE and that stock will go to zero if Vince McMahon is not around or even not well enough to run the company."

As a follow-up, Konuwa was then asked who he thought Wall Street would be more accepting of as WWE's next leader.

"I have two answers and WWE cancelled them: Michelle Wilson and George Barrios," stated Konuwa. "They were the co-presidents who were behind the $2 billion… WWE is a company that is a grease fire when it comes to creatively, when it comes to KPIs. But the only thing that's holding them up is that massive television deal and it's a massive deal. They're making record numbers. That's the work of the co-presidents George Barrios and Michelle Wilson, who were working side by side with Triple H and Vince but they were the spearhead of those deals."

Konuwa noted that they were the ones propping up WWE's business from a financial standpoint and selling the company to investors.

"So, I think Wall Street would have bought them but they had a disagreement with Vince or some sort, we still don't know what happened. Both of them got fired and nobody replaced them. That's what's scary about that. So, if somehow Wilson and Barrios were able to come back into the company, or they had two wizard types that Wall Street was able to see them succeed, that would have been a great answer for Vince's successor but now that they're not around and Triple H is not enough," said Konuwa.

Alfred Konuwa contributes pro wrestling analysis weekly for Forbes.com.

Lawsuit Filed Against Shane McMahon and Ideanomics

Shane McMahon has been named in a lawsuit against Ideanomics, the company which McMahon serves as Vice Chairman of the Board.

Ideanomics has several different divisions including commercial electric vehicles, and next generation financial services. The company owns dbot, Fintech Village, Intelligenta, Liquefy, Logistorm, and Treeletrik. The company is headquartered in New York City, and has offices in China.

The Verified Shareholder Derivative Complaint filed against Individual Defendants and together with Ideanomics, the “Defendants”) for breaches of their fiduciary duties as controlling shareholder, directors and/or officers of Ideanomics, unjust enrichment, abuse of control, gross mismanagement, waste of corporate assets, and violation of Section 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”).

The filing outline’s Shane McMahon’s role within the company.

“Defendant Shane McMahon (“McMahon”) has served as a Company director since July 2010. He has also served as Vice Chairman since January 2016. Defendant McMahon also served as the Company’s CEO in 2012, during which time he made a $3 million loan to the Company in consideration for a convertible note in the aggregate principal amount of $3 million at an annual interest rate of 4%. The Company has executed several amendments to extend the maturity date of the note due to McMahon, most recently to December 31, 2020. According to the 2019 Proxy Statement, as of November 15, 2019, Defendant McMahon beneficially owned 6,090,589 shares of the Company’s common stock, 5 which represented 4.5% of combined common stock and Series A stock of the Company. Given that the price per share of the Company’s common stock at the close of trading on November 15, 2019 was $0.70, Defendant McMahon owned approximately $2.1 million worth of Ideanomics stock, at least. 67. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, Defendant McMahon received $339,354 in compensation from the Company. This included $20,250 in fees earned or paid in cash, $25,000 in stock awards, and $294,104 in option awards.

The lawsuit provides additional details that outline Shane McMahon’s role in making misleading false and misleading statements:

“Additional reasons that demand on Defendant McMahon is futile follow. Defendant McMahon has served as a Company director since July 2010. He has also served as Vice Chairman since January 2016 and served as the Company’s CEO in 2012. Defendant McMahon has received and continues to receive compensation for his role as a director, as described above. As a longtime Company director, he conducted little, if any, oversight of the Company’s engagement in the schemes to make false and misleading statements during the First and Second Relevant Periods, consciously disregarded his duties to monitor such controls over reporting and engagement in the schemes, and consciously disregarded his duties to protect corporate assets. Furthermore, Defendant McMahon signed, and thus personally made the false and misleading statements in 2017 10-K. For these reasons, too, Defendant McMahon breached his fiduciary duties, faces a substantial likelihood of liability, is not independent or disinterested, and thus demand upon him is futile and, therefore, excused.”*

* Demand is excused because of futility when a complaint alleges with particularity that the challenged transaction was so egregious on its face that it could not have been the product of sound business judgment of the directors.

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Oderint Dum Metuant: Let Them Hate As Long As They Fear