Ari Emanuel Details Vince McMahon Resigning From WWE

In July 2022, a report was published by the Wall Street Journal accusing Vince McMahon of sexual misconduct and hush money.

McMahon would retire from WWE after the report was published, though he found his way back into the company by the end of the year.

In his new book “Roll the Calls: A Memoir,” Ari Emanuel detailed where he was and how he felt about the news and McMahon resigning.

“I was at Wimbledon when The Wall Street Journal dropped its first bombshell report: Vince making secret payouts to several women to settle harassment suits. I stared at my phone, then did something I never do: slipped it into my pocket. The rest of the match I didn’t look at the thing once. But I felt it in there like some tiny animal, wiggling, buzzing, chirping. People asking if I’d seen the story. Asking what it meant for the company. For me. Truth was — I didn’t know. And now, months later, I still don’t. As I walked out of Wimbledon, Vince called and assured me the charges were false. But he also said he was going to step down, for the good of the company. His daughter, whom I’ve always remembered fondly from our first meeting, would take over. A short time after that, however, Vince changed his mind and took back the company. What a mess. Such a mess, in fact, that I can see only one solution, and now I’m steadily pitching that solution to Vince. Vince, old buddy: Sell us your company. The idea is to merge Vince’s wrestling empire with UFC, creating one giant fighting mega-organism. Vince can stay on as a sort of chairman emeritus. Shapiro and I get him into a room, show him all the things we’ve learned from UFC, the knowledge that we could bring to bear. We talk about running his company, but it’s more about saving the company. Because the whole enterprise is teetering. Vince, who’s having all manner of health problems, seems not to fully understand.”

Emanuel, leading Endeavor, and McMahon, leading WWE, would eventually negotiate the merger with UFC that led to the formation of TKO.

In January 2024, after the TKO merger was agreed to, Janel Grant filed a lawsuit against McMahon, accusing him of sexual assault.

“And then…fuck. More revelations. The worst yet. Vince accused of defecating on a woman during a threesome. Incredible how many things in the world of business are undreamed of in business schools. These revelations are on a different level, orders of magnitude more troubling than the previous ones. Moments after they break, Shapiro calls. Ari—you reading this shit? Yes. We gotta get him out. Yeah. I know. All the way out the door, Ari. Right the fuck now. No emeritus position, no involvement in the company whatsoever. I know. You ready? Yeah. Shapiro dials; Vince answers right away. I know what needs to be done, I have clarity, but I’m feeling uncomfortable. So I deploy my go-to phrase— Tell him, Mark. Shapiro sighs. Vince, we’ve crossed several red lines and we’re in new territory here. We both wait, listening to the white noise. Finally Vince says— Okay. Tell me what to do and I’ll do it. Today. With these two enormously profitable companies now under one banner, which we call TKO, we hope this new structure of Endeavor will, at long last, thrill Wall Street. It doesn’t. The stock price doesn’t budge.”

McMahon would resign from TKO after the Grant lawsuit was filed.

Ari Emanuel: TKO Will Never Be For Sale

In promotion of his new book ‘Roll The Calls’, Emanuel has spent the past number of weeks on the interview trail.

During a recent interview with The Town, Matt Belloni asked Ari to name the ideal buyer for TKO.

“TKO.”

Belloni pressed Emanuel, saying that the company will surely be for sale one day.

“No, it won’t. No. Never.”

Continuing to push for an answer, Belloni brought up other media companies like Paramount and Amazon.

“No. No, not for sale. Never.”

Emanuel then proceeded to explain why the company will never be sold.

“Why would it be? Here’s the great thing. In 2016, Egon Durban, Mark, myself, Patrick, we saw where sports was going and saw where the streamers were going. At the time, people thought that the value — [that] we were crazy to pay what we did when we bought IMG [or] crazy that we paid the two cheapest acquisitions of all time in the sports space. As my son Leo says to me, Thursday is baby Friday. With AI, probably Wednesday is going to be the baby Thursday. There’s going to be more free time than ever. If we grow at 3% GDP, we’re going to have more money than we’ve ever had with AI in my opinion, and I agree with that. Take all the bad things that could happen, you’re sitting in a situation that there’s going to be more time for people to consume entertainment or [be] social animals. Go out, go to sporting events, consume sports. Sports is the greatest reality show of all time. Owning sports assets — now people are trying to own teams — we own four leagues. It’s an incredible asset. The value is going up and to the right. Egon Durban, myself — there’s no chance that that’s happening. Zero."

AEW wrestling star Benjamin Satterley, known as Pac, dies at 40

Benjamin Satterley, an English wrestling star known by his ring name Pac, has died at 40, according to All Elite Wrestling.

“A native of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, Satterley began his wrestling career in 2004 and went on to perform for wrestling organizations all over the world, captivating fans with innovative high-flying moves and incredible in-ring ability,” said AEW in its announcement Sunday night.

“Pac signed with All Elite Wrestling in 2019 and held multiple AEW Championships and competed in some of the most memorable matches in AEW history,” it said, extending condolences to his family, friends and fans.

He previously wrestled for WWE under the ring name Neville, and became known for his aerial attacks and explosive style – earning himself nicknames like “King of the Cruiserweights” and “The Man That Gravity Forgot.”

The circumstances and cause of his death were not provided.

The announcement came just a day after Satterley wrestled a match at AEW’s “All Out” pay-per-view event near Chicago, going up against Andrade El Ídolo.

During his acclaimed career, Satterley made history as the inaugural AEW All-Atlantic Champion in 2022 before the title changed to the AEW International Championship. He was also an acclaimed AEW World Trios Champion, winning the championship alongside teammates Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta in front of tens of thousands of fans at Wembley Stadium in his home country in 2024. source: cnn.com

Triple H Gets Emotional Seeing Shawn Michaels & Undertaker’s Success, ‘Nothing Makes Me Happier’

Triple H loves seeing Undertaker and Shawn Michaels thrive.

Earlier this month, cameras recently followed ‘The Game’ as he traveled around North America for WWE, AAA, and Zuffa Boxing events.

While he was backstage for AAA TripleMania 34, Triple H said that he gets emotional when he sees his friends/contemporaries succeed in their roles.

“Seeing the guys that are my generation, my contemporaries, my friends being able to step into these roles, be able to continue — as our bodies won’t allow us to do it anymore — but continue to be able to take all the knowledge that they have in their minds and be able to give it back to this next generation, to me, that’s what this business is all about. To be able to have Shawn running NXT and taking it to a whole other level and to have Undertaker come here and revitalize Lucha Libre in Mexico and take it to a level that it hasn’t seen maybe ever, it’s incredible. It’s emotional for me to see that and to be a part of it and do it with those guys. Nothing makes me happier.”

credit WWE.com and Fightful for the transcription.

WWE Main Event Moves From YouTube to Ru‘WWE Main Event’ Moves From YouTube to Rumble, a Conservative Streaming Platform Backed by JD Vance

Starting Oct. 14, WWE Main Event is tagging out of the YouTube ecosystem and strutting down the entrance ramp to Rumble — a video-sharing platform and cloud provider that is a favorite of conservative commentators like Dan Bongino, Steven Crowder and Andrew Tate, the journalist Glenn Greenwald, and gamer Dr. Disrespect. Rumble is also where Dana White’s Power Slap competitions stream — the WWE deal highlights a further push into sports (or “sports,” depending how you feel about real slapping and fake fighting).

Rumble markets itself as being anti-cancel culture. It was founded in 2013 and went public as “Rumble Inc., The Neutral Video Platform” in 2021.

Main Event, which features matches that take place weekly ahead of Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown, will stream Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. These used to be “dark” (non-televised) matches until WWE Main Event debuted in 2012.

“WWE Main Event will be a key pillar in Rumble’s expanding sports programming lineup,” Claudio Ramolo, Rumble’s chief content officer, said in a statement. “WWE content has consistently ranked among the most-watched programming on television, top streaming platforms and social media for decades — a rare combination that resonates with both fans and advertisers alike. This partnership reflects Rumble’s ongoing commitment to bringing our users the very best in sports, entertainment and beyond.”

“Serving a digital-first audience is a core focus for WWE, and Rumble has built an accessible platform that is committed to delivering premium sports and entertainment programming,” added Alex Varga, an executive vice president with WWE.

In 2024, crypto stablecoin venture Tether invested $775 million in Rumble. The platform’s shareholders also include Bongino and a venture capital firm co-founded by Vice President JD Vance. At the time of the Tether investment, Vance’s financial disclosures showed that he had a personal stake in Rumble valued between $100,000-$250,000.

source: hollywoodreporter.com

Happy 50th Birthday Stephanie

Stephanie McMahon Levesque
September 24, 1976

X-Pac Is Taking on More Responsibilities at WWE Than Initially Intended

Sean “X-Pac” Waltman’s behind-the-scenes responsibilities with WWE have grown considerably beyond what was initially planned.

The two-time WWE Hall of Famer currently works with independent wrestlers involved in WWE’s ID program. What initially began as weekly tape study has since developed into a broader coaching and mentoring role.

Waltman discussed his expanded responsibilities during an appearance on Six Feet Under. He explained that the arrangement originally came together after he spoke with WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque.

“Coaching, mentoring,” Waltman said. “Because the original gig was, ‘Hey, can I help out with the ID?’ The original thing was, you can review tapes for six hours a week.”

The role eventually grew because Waltman realized the developing wrestlers needed more than someone to analyze their matches.

“And it ended up not being just that, because they need way more than just [tape study sessions]… There’s things that come up that they have to deal with.”

Waltman also spoke about how fulfilling his current work has become. After dealing with addiction issues that affected significant parts of his life and career, he said helping younger wrestlers has given him another sense of purpose.

“I love this, working with all of them. It’s so fulfilling,” Waltman said. “Life was already great because I go hiking with my dog in the mountains almost every day during the week. But now having that, it’s important to have a purposeful life, right? Meaningful things to do.”

Outside of wrestling, Waltman also pointed to becoming a grandfather and his passion for rescuing dogs as important parts of his life.

“So now I have a grandson, I got my dog I love to go hiking with. I’m big into rescuing dogs and things like that. I just love dogs. I have that and helping those kids down at the [Performance Center].”

Triple H And Rob Fee Contributed To Amazing Spider-Man #1000 Comic

Marvel revealed its preview for Amazing Spider-Man 1000, which follows up on Aunt May being rushed to the hospital.

This issue will be a celebration and feature additional stories from various creators celebrating Spider-Man’s history, “bringing together veterans of the franchise and creators contributing to the Spider-Man mythos for the first time.”

Among the contributors is WWE Hall of Famer and Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque, known to wrestling fans as Triple H.

WWE Director of Character Development Rob Fee is also a contributor.

From AIPT Comics:

Written by JOE KELLY NOAH HAWLEY, FRANK MILLER, DAN SLOTT, J.M. DEMATTEIS, BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS, TRIPLE H, ROB FEE & LARRY LIEBER

Art by PEPE LARRAZ, PATRICK GLEASON, PEACH MOMOKO, MARCOS MARTIN, HUMBERTO RAMOS, STUART IMMONEN, ED MCGUINNESS & GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI

Cover by JOHN ROMITA JR. & PAOLO RIVERA

Cover by PEPE LARRAZ

The issue will be on sale on September 30.

Nick Khan Makes Big Claim About Triple H and WWE's Creative Team

WWE often draws plenty of fan criticism, and Nick Khan has now shared his thoughts about it while praising Chief Content Officer Triple H.

In recent years, WWE has landed major deals with Netflix and ESPN, among others, as the company has continued to break records from a business perspective. The company also beganresizing superstar compensation following WrestleMania, further improving the bottom line.

However, many fans have been critical of the on-screen product for some time now, and this discourse is especially evident on social media.

In a new interview, WWE President Nick Khan discussed the fans' criticism while also highlighting the company's creative team, led by Triple H.

Speaking on The Varsity with John Ourand, Khan was asked about WWE's deals with ESPN and Netflix. When Ourand noted that some fans were upset they couldn't watch WWE through ESPN Unlimited when the deal launched because it wasn't available on all providers, Khan stated that this has been corrected, as the app is currently available on YouTube TV and Comcast. He also pointed out that sports fans often complain, especially on social media.

Khan went on to compare sports to politics, explaining that by believing what you see on social media, you'll incorrectly predict outcomes.

"If you believe what social media says, you will incorrectly predict so many outcomes," Khan said. "For companies that read it and believe it and react to it, it never, ever works. Even if you see some of these companies that took some of these far-right or far-left positions, that’s not what most people are looking for. Most people are looking for left of center [or] right of center."

Khan then emphasized that you could not be reactive to criticism. Instead, it was crucial to "rely on your team," and he praised Triple H.

"We have the best creative in terms of all of wrestling in Triple H," Khan said. "We have the best live events team. We have the best merchandise and consumer products team. They’re able to monetize it. If you’ve seen the growth of TKO,...each of these [companies] continue to grow every year. It’s not easy, but it’s not supposed to be easy. We have to continue to develop and redevelop what we do, and make sure we have the right team in place to help make the right decision."

WWE is coming off a memorable Sunday Night's Main Event show in Atlanta this past weekend. The company will hold Raw and SmackDown in Mexico City over the next week, and both tapings are set to deliver star-studded cards.

WWE Roster Cuts Reported, Full List of Superstars Released After SmackDown

Ten talents signed with WWE have been released, per Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com, who reported the news on Friday evening.

- Wendy Choo
- Adriana Rizzo
- Zena Sterling
- Anya Rune
- Braxton Cole
- Jasper Troy
- PJ Vasa
- Gary Wilson
- Ellen Akesson
- Marcus Brown

Brock Lesnar Retires From Wrestling, Ends WWE Career

Brock Lesnar has retired.

The WWE star announced the end of his storied wrestling career on Tuesday, Aug. 4 on "The Pat McAfee Show." His decision comes after he wrestled Oba Femi in the main event of SummerSlam 2026 night one on Saturday, Aug. 1, which took place in his home state of Minnesota.

"I'm here today to to to do this interview to let the world and everybody know that that I am retired, and I wanted to say a big thank you to everybody. Saturday was a very emotional day for for me," he said. "Saturday for Brock Lesnar, that's it. That's it for me in the squared circle, and for everything else too."

Brock Lesnar speaks during SummerSlam at U.S. Bank Stadium on August 1, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The announcement confirms what was heavily speculated to happen this year for the "Beast Incarnate." After he first faced Femi and lost at WrestleMania 42 in April, he stood in the ring and took off his gloves and boots while he and longtime manager Paul Heyman emotionally embraced in a moment that indicated he was calling it a career.

He actually admitted to McAfee he figured he was done at that point but "he still had some fuel in the tank," leading to his return a month later to reignite the feud with Femi, which led to a win in the second match at Clash in Italy.

It all led to SummerSlam 2026 in Minneapolis, where Lesnar attended school and was a standout collegiate wrestler at the University of Minnesota. The third matchup against Femi was a Hell in a Cell match, and Femi conquered Lesnar to officially best the veteran in their trilogy.

There was belief Lesnar would want to end his career at home, and that was further cemented by what happened after the match. Lesnar returned to the ring and gave Femi a hug and took the microphone to tell the entire audience he was the future of WWE.

Nothing was officially confirmed immediately afterward by Lesnar or WWE until the announcement three days later.

5 "I spent the last two days in bed. I got run over by a Nigerian nightmare dump truck Saturday night, and yeah, it's time," Lesnar said, adding he is ending his career in all of combat sports with no desire to compete in anything else.

A national championship-winning wrestler for the Golden Gophers and one-time preseason player with the Minnesota Vikings, Lesnar has had a decorated WWE career that began in 2002. Dubbed as "The Next Big Thing," Lesnar immediately rose up the company with his high level intensity, power and athleticism. That same year, he won the WWE Undisputed Championship to become the youngest WWE Champion at age 25.

He remained a top name for the remainder of his career, transitioning to UFC in 2008 and succeeding there, becoming UFC Heavyweight Champion with a 5-3-1 mixed martial arts career. Lesnar returned to WWE in 2012 and had notable feuds with John Cena, Roman Reigns and The Undertaker, including one of the most shocking moments in wrestling history when he snapped The Undertaker's 21-0 WrestleMania streak at WrestleMania 30 in 2014.

While he was undoubtedly one of the biggest stars of this generation, he did undergo some controversy. He was named in the Vince McMahon sex trafficking and sexual assault lawsuit filed in January 2024 by a former WWE employee Janel Grant. In the suit, she alleged McMahon offered Lesnar sexual encounters with Grant as an incentive to re-sign with the company. It is also alleged there were plans for an encounter, but it never happened. The suit was dismissed in July.

When the suit was filed, Lesnar was taken off of WWE programming and was away for two years before returning for his final run at SummerSlam 2025.

In WWE, he is a 10-time WWE champion − one of eight wrestlers to ever reach that mark − a two-time Royal Rumble winner and winner of both King of the Ring and Money in the Bank.

Vaughn Evelyn Levesque, Daughter Of Stephanie McMahon And Triple H, Sings ‘God Bless America’ At WWE SummerSlam

Vaughn Evelyn Levesque, the daughter of Stephanie McMahon and Triple H kicked off WWE SummerSlam by singing “God Bless America.”

This was her official WWE TV debut.

Triple H is the Chief Creative Officer in WWE, while Stephanie is no longer an official employee of the company, she still makes various on-screen appearances.