Update on Reports of WWE and All Japan Pro Wrestling

Despite reporting last week that WWE and All Japan Pro Wrestling had agreed to a partnership, The Wrestling Observer Newsletter is now reporting that the story reported in the Japanese media turned out to be nothing. All Japan officials took John Laurinaitis out to dinner after one of the recent WWE events in Tokyo back in August and pitched him on making All Japan an affiliate of WWE. However, by that point Laurinaitis had lost most of his power.

Rumor Mill - WWE Teaming Up With All Japan Pro Wrestling

Tokyo Sport and The Wrestling Observer are reporting that WWE and All Japan Pro Wrestling have forged an alliance and will be working together. John Laurinaitis reportedly helped put the deal together. More

source: wrestling observer newsltter

Triple H Improving WWE Developmental, How WWE NXT Is Booked, More

WWE is not airing NXT on local TV in Florida because they don’t want it available in the US with the idea that it will lower the value if at some point they want to sell it to a TV station or put it on the Network.

There has been a lot of talk about how the entire WWE developmental system has improved since Triple H took things over from John Laurinaitis. Vince McMahon is keeping his hands off developmental, which is why they are attempting to turn it into something like a sports franchise training system with Triple H hiring ex-professional athletes to work in talent relations.

The WWE NXT tapings at Full Sail University are running more and more smoothly. Shows have been very wrestling-heavy, going about 3 hours. While Triple H isn’t booking the NXT events, they are being booked with his directives and some people think that this is how WWE’s TV will be done when he is running the whole show.

source: wrestling observer newsletter

More on the WWE Future of John Laurinaitis

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that John Laurinaitis stepping away from his excutive job to now be a producer isn't just because he's "burnt out" as initially reported.

The reasoning of being tired, while it might have some truth to it, is more of a cover for the political reasons behind it.

Triple H is said to have never been a fan of Laurinaitis and the writing was on the wall as Triple H has continued to gain more power as an executive.

Jane Geddes, Vice President of Talent Relations, and Canyon Ceman, Senior Director of Talent Development have been continuing to learn the ways of the machine that is WWE.

As they continue to learn, they assumed duties that belonged to Laurinaitis. Creative writer Michael Hayes replaced John Laurinaitis as matchmaker of live events and it is said that he was taken out of the loop concerning developmental program matters.

Laurinaitis is expected to return to television soon as an on-screen performer. The word in WWE is as Laurinaitis began losing all of his power, he decided to not leave WWE because his family just bought a new home in Connecticut and don't want to pick up and leave.

John Laurinaitis resigns as Senior Vice President of Talent Operations

Effective immediately, John Laurinaitis is resigning from his position as Senior Vice President of Talent Operations. Following his very public firing at June’s No Way Out, Laurinaitis continued to work behind-the-scenes in his corporate role. After eight years of service in talent relations, he’s “burned out” and now hopes to concentrate on what he knows best: putting together matches and working with WWE talent as a producer.

source: wwe.com

Laurinaitis Losing More Duties with WWE

John Laurinaitis continues to lose some of his real-life duties with WWE. Pete Leone now has been given more responsibilities with talent relations and development. Triple H has not been a big proponent of Laurinaitis which is why he has lost a lot of his duties to people he has hired.

source: wrestling observer newsletter

What Happened After Raw?

After Raw went off air, Big Show came back out to beat on Cena, but John ended up getting the upper hand and hit an AA on Show. As Big Show made his way up the ramp, he passed Johnny still crawling around in pain. He stood Johnny up, lifted is shirt and gave not 1, not 2, but as the crowd requested, 3 big slaps to the chest.

Johnny tried getting away again, but Cena said "We cant end the show like this" and brought out Zack Ryder. The Lauranitis beating continued with a Broski Boot. Of course, Triple H comes out to join the fun. The crowd is chanting for a Pedigree, but he said Johnny's front was all red, but his back wasnt, so they pulled up his shirt and delivered some more NASTY chops. Lauranitis was covered in big, red, visible hand prints. Johnny then get his Pedigree, and it looked like he kind of botched it and slammed his face on the mat. Justin Roberts lead the crown in "NA NA NA NA HEY HEY HEY GOODBYE" while Cena and Ryder greeted fans at ringside. As Johnny finally made it to the top of the ramp, Vince's music hit, he appeared and kicked Johnny right in the nuts to send us home happy.

John Laurinaitis Has His Duties with WWE Cut Back, Speculation On His Future & Update On FCW

As noted in a previous post, Paul Levesque (Triple H) is now listed as the Executive Vice President of Talent & Live Events on WWE's corporate website, and John Laurinaitis is no longer listed as an executive. This is a change making official what has been the case for a while. Laurinaitis has worked under Triple H and Triple H has hired new people like Canyon Cemen and Jane Geddes. Geddes is Vice President of Talent Relations and is doing a lot of the work Laurinaitis was doing. Cemen is running Talent Development and is reporting to Triple H.

Laurinaitis has had many of his duties reduced as of late and the expectation is that his job will be changed in some form down the line as Triple H puts his own hires in key positions. Laurinaitis is still booking WWE live events but the writers are more involved in that as there is a movement within the company to make the live events more like the TV shows. Laurinaitis is also doing the talent payroll but has been spending more time on the road as a talent.

That belief along with Triple H building his management team with people experienced in other sports gives you an idea of his direction with developmental. They are going with the idea that signing top level athletes and teaching them to be wrestlers will develop the kind of marquee guys that can be Superstars.

People in FCW have been told that developmental is changing for the better, with a different structure, and a different schedule. There is some concern in FCW about what is happening since Tom Prichard was released as head trainer with no explanation on his departure given to those there.

Under Triple H, the idea is to structure the entire developmental process and talent relations like WWE is a major sports company.

Backstory Behind Vince McMahon’s “One Legged Wrestler” Joke On Raw Supershow

For those that missed Vince McMahon’s “go hire the one legged wrestler” joke to John Laurinaitis during the opening segment of tonight’s Raw Supershow, here’s the backstory. Several years ago, Vince told Laurinaitis to sign the popular one-legged wrestler Zach Gowen who was 19, working out of Livonia, Michigan. Somehow the signals were crossed and Laurinaitis offered a contract to a 37-year-old working out of Florida. When Gowen arrived in Stamford, Connecticut to meet with company officials, Laurinaitis asked him who he was. Tom Prichard had already sent Gowen his contract and airplane tickets so Zach introduced himself. John asked him why he was there when Vince interrupted and said that’s the 19-year-old one legged wrestler I asked you to sign. Just as John was trying to explain his mistake, Vince let him know he was aware and called him an idiot for trying to ink a wrestler in their late 30s.

source: wrestlingnewsworld.com

More Details on TNA vs. WWE

A look at the lawsuit TNA filed last week against World Wrestling Entertainment and Brian Wittenstein provides deeper insight into exactly what confidential materials TNA alleges that Wittenstein provided to WWE, why they are suing WWE as well as Wittenstein and why the company feels WWE tampered with Ric Flair's TNA deal.

In the 37 page lawsuit filing obtained by PWInsider.com, TNA stated that Wittenstein signed a Severance Agreement with the company in August 2011 (which means that unlike what he claimed to PWInsider, Wittenstein was let go by TNA) where he agreed to a severance package in exchange for returning any company materials and not disclosing confidential TNA information. TNA included a copy of Wittenstein's Severance Agreement in the filing, blacking out only the amount he was paid by the company as severance.

In violation of the Severance Agreement, Wittenstein then allegedly "downloaded and took TNA's confidential, trade secret and proprietary information after leaving his employment with TNA." The lawsuit noted that Wittenstein, in his position as Talent Relations Coordinator, had access to TNA's computer network and proprietary information.

TNA's lawsuit admitted that the company TNA is "uncertain of the full breadth of Wittenstein's "theft and at minimum, the company believes he took documents including "copies of TNA's policies and procedures, a spreadsheet contained personal and confidential information regarding TNA's wrestling talent and staff, a spreadsheet containing the terms of TNA's contracts "with its prospective, present and past wrestling talent", a spreadsheet containing "confidential information regarding activity, payment and royalty reports" for TNA talents, a draft contract between TNA and one of its wrestlers, an executed contract between TNA and one of its wrestlers and a draft promotional agreement between TNA and a licensee.

TNA noted that their Severance Agreement with Wittenstein allowed him to go work for WWE or any other competitor as long as he "complied with his obligations" not to use TNA's material or information.

Instead, Wittenstein sent a memorandum to WWE "summarizing TNA's contracts with its wrestling talent." TNA's filing included an excerpt of Wittenstein's email, where he wrote, "Attached, please find a contract status and terms chart for the TNA Wrestling roster. I combined a bunch of different documents I had from there to put it all in one concise spreadsheet that should capture all the relevant information you would be interested in. Here are a few notes for you regarding the TNA deals."

So, TNA is alleging that every piece of important material relating to their roster's contracts were handed over to their primary competitor, which explains the Unfair Competition aspect of their lawsuit. They believe WWE knows all of their contractual details when it comes to talent and can make moves to out-maneuver TNA when necessary with that information.

More?

John Laurinaitis Injury Angle Post-PPV

John Laurinaitis may have crawled out of WWE Over the Limit with a win over John Cena thanks to an interfering Big Show, but the General Manager’s victory didn’t come without a serious price. WWE.com has gotten word that Mr. Laurinaitis was rushed to the emergency room from Raleigh, N.C.’s PNC Arena, showing signs of a possible concussion, possible ACL damage to his knee and a possible spinal injury. To add to this litany of serious injuries, the executive also suffered contusions over his entire body and was said to have difficulty raising his left arm and left leg, which can indicate possible nerve damage. The General Manager may have also suffered a broken clavicle. As of now, none of these injuries have been fully confirmed and it is unclear whether or not Mr. Laurinaitis will be able to attend Raw SuperShow Monday night.

source: wwe.com

Rumor Mill - Brock Lesnar vs. Triple H Plans

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting the creative plans for Brock Lesnar vs Triple H are being kept very secretive. Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon, John Laurinaitis, Triple H, Brock Lesnar, Paul Heyman and a few others are aware of the plans but nobody else.

The WWE creative writing team hasn't even been informed on the specific direction of the angle. Those high ranking WWE officials are claiming Triple H vs Brock Lesnar will NOT happen at SummerSlam but reportedly sources still say the match will take place in August.

Is Brock’s fate in the hands of Triple H, the Board?

Brock Lesnar’s vicious attack on Triple H now poses a major dilemma for both Triple H and WWE’s Board of Directors, who inevitably view the former WWE and UFC Heavyweight Champion as a boon to business. Moments before the attack Monday, Triple H made clear that although Lesnar is free to abandon his contract if he has misgivings about it, he hoped that Lesnar would stay in the WWE fold.

“I don’t think you want that, and I don’t want that either,” Triple H said of a possible Lesnar exit, adding that the WWE Universe wants to see Brock pitted against WWE Superstars such as WWE Champion CM Punk, Randy Orton and Sheamus.

Yet, with his left arm now in a sling, will the WWE COO have a change of heart? Although Triple H’s office has not yet issued a formal response to Monday’s attack, is it possible that Lesnar’s termination papers are already working their way through Human Resources channels?

Even beyond Triple H, how might the Board of Directors – which, in the eyes of the public, has taken on a much more involved role with Raw personnel in the last year – react to Monday’s assault? Even if Triple H holds firm in his stance that Lesnar shall remain a WWE talent, could the COO be overridden by the Board?

Adding one further wrinkle is the revised contract that Laurinaitis agreed to during the April 23 edition of Raw. Among the new terms approved by the GM was a clause that waived any future fines or disciplinary actions against Lesnar.

Triple H has already dismissed those additional contract perks as null and void, but could Lesnar’s camp pursue legal action in the event that the Board of Directors or Triple H comes down on Lesnar?

Finally, what of John Laurinaitis himself? One must wonder if the Raw and SmackDown GM must be held to some accountability. How can the Board approve of Laurinaitis agreeing to Brock’s mandates without any consultation, or that the company’s COO earned a broken arm for attempting to rectify a bad situation? It might be wise for the Board to take disciplinary action against Laurinaitis, and not just for apparently exceeding the limits of his authority. No, it might be a good idea to do so for the EVP of Talent Relations’ safety, before Triple H recovers and deals with Laurinaitis – personally.

Video: Brock Lesnar attacks Triple H: Raw, April 30, 2012

What consequences could Brock Lesnar face for breaking Triple H's arm?

At the start of Raw SuperShow, Brock Lesnar brutally attacked WWE COO Triple H, breaking his arm.

The attack was spurned on when Triple H declared that Raw and SmackDown General Manager John Laurinaitis had no authority to grant Lesnar the many demands arguably extorted from the GM prior to Extreme Rules. The Game also declared there should be a rematch between John Cena and Lensar.

Remaining defiant towards the COO, Lesnar attacked from behind, pummeled Triple H, and finally locked him in his Kimura submission hold.

After the attack, Triple H could be heard saying "it's broken," regarding his arm. And, the COO had to be helped from the ring by Big Show, Sheamus, R-Truth and Kofi Kingston.

As a result of his brutality, Lesnar was escorted out of the Nutter Center.

The egregious actions raise a host of questions for the man John Cena went to war with at Extreme Rules. Will Lesnar be fined? Will he be suspended? Could he even be fired for attacking the WWE COO?

Also, how long will it take Triple H's arm to heal? When the COO was tended to by WWE medical personnel after the attack, he could move his fingers, but not his arm.

Stay with WWE.com for more updates.

Triple H To Be On Raw Tomorrow

Tonight, during WWE Extreme Rules, John Laurinaitis was seen in a backstage segment taking a phone call from Triple H. When asked by Matt Striker what the two were talking about, Laurinaitis said that it would be addressed on tomorrow night's Raw broadcast.

Change in WWE Executive Team?

Why has John Laurinaitis' corporate bio been removed from the WWE Corporate Executives Team Bio page?

Kevin Nash Reveals What Was Planned for Texting Angle and Why It Was Derailed Mid-Stream

Kevin Nash revealed for the first time the full story on why his match with CM Punk was derailed after Summerslam last year in an interview with pwtorch.com.

What? You mean Triple H didn't hijack the storyline for himself? No haters...keep reading...

"I'll tell you what nobody knows about this entire thing," Nash said. "I never went into it and WWE never went into it because of the privacy issue. What happened was, because of the wellness program, because my dad died of a heart attack at 36 years old, they do beyond a thorough physical. Well, my heart and everything else was fine, but I'm on Plavix and Plavix is a blood platelet agulator; they call it a blood thinner. It's not, it stops your platelets from sticking together so you don't get cardiovascular disease and blockages in your arteries and have a heart attack. it's also for stroke. It's very common to take with a statin drug if you have anybody in your heredity who died before 50 let alone having a father who died of a massive coronary at age 36.

"So I was on Plavix. So this comes through. When the doctor sees I'm on Plavix, I can't wrestle. So now I'm supposed to wrestle CM Punk. I can't. They won't medically clear me. Triple H has to take my spot. It screws up the entire angle. That's how all that came about. WWE would never - because that's the class of the program - let that come out, but I need to make sure people realize it wasn't Creative's [fault], it was that a 52 year old guy was on Plavix and I had to go off it. I had to be off it for a certain amount of time before I could go back to work. It just so happened that I was finishing the Soderbergh film "Magic Mike" at the time, and I had to go shoot that, so it coincided with me going away for a while. I took the shot with the sledgehammer in Buffalo at Night of Champions and that got me away until I could be clear, and then I came back and we went into the match with Paul [Triple H] and I. At that point, Phil [CM Punk] and I sort of missed our opportunity to have that match. That's the true untold story that I give only Wade Keller (laughs)."

He said as a result, the entire storyline was scrambled and rewritten on the fly.

More?

Top WWE Executive Released from the Company

PWInsider reports that WWE executive Ty Bailey was released from the company yesterday. Bailey had worked directly under John Laurinaitis and more recently worked with Triple H once he took over the developmental end of talent relations. He was in charge of booking talents as extras for TV tapings, among other things and had been with WWE since December of 2005. A source noted that while Bailey had his strengths, evaluating talent was not considered his strong point by people within the company.

Bailey worked for the NFL before coming to WWE. His father, Joe, is the former CEO of the Miami Dolphins. and was in charge of booking talents as extras for TV tapings, among other things. He had been with WWE since December of 2005.

It remains to be seen if this is the latest step in an overhaul of the Talent Relations department with Triple H overseeing that department in his executive role. Bailey did not have a good reputation among wrestlers in the industry. One wrestler described Bailey to PWTorch as a "complete tool."

partial sources: prowrestling.net & pwtorch.com

WWE Board of Directors Announcement Revealed

Below is WWE.com’s Board of Directors announcement regarding who is in control of RAW and SmackDown.

Statement:

"Both Raw and SmackDown are about to get extreme makeovers. In an effort to help determine which General Manager should control both shows, the WWE Board of Directors has decided to switch control of each show next week. SmackDown GM Theodore Long will take control of Monday night’s Raw while Raw GM John Laurinaitis takes the reins of next Friday’s SmackDown.

The decision comes one week after Laurinaitis announced at Elimination Chamber that he will seek control over both shows, bolstered by flattering testimonials by Superstars Mark Henry, Christian and Alberto Del Rio. A perturbed Long made it clear to Laurinaitis that he’s not about to take the threat to his position lying down.

Last week on SmackDown, the two got into a heated argument as they tried to overrule one another during a match between WWE Champion CM Punk vs. World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan. Last night on Raw SuperShow, the two were at it again as tensions continued to escalate. What will the GMs have in store for their respective rival as they switch roles? And how will each try to outshine the other? Tune into both Raw and SmackDown to see the lengths they’ll go to impress the Board of Directors – and get back at each other."