Rumor Mill - WWE NXT Possibly Headed To The USA Network

It looks like the WWE NXT brand could be headed to the USA Network.

There has been a pitch over the last 48 hours for the NXT series to be moved to Wednesday nights on the USA Network beginning in October, according to PWInsider.

The idea from this recent pitch is that NXTwould begin airing as a weekly, live two-hour series each Wednesday night, from Full Sail Live on the campus of Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL. Word is that the series would begin airing on USA on Wednesday, October 2. This could be the kickoff to the WWE vs. AEWWednesday Night War as this is the same night that AEW will begin airing live from 8-10pm ET on TNT.

There has been a lot of talk about NXT possibly moving to another network from the WWE Network as of late, with there being a feeling that we would see the black & yellow brand on FS1, to go along with WWE's SmackDown show premiering on Fox on Friday, October 2. It was believed that if NXT did end up on FS1, it would air as a live two-hour show each Wednesday night.

USA previously aired a special NXT episode on Wednesday, December 13, 2017 as a part of their WWE Week programming. That show drew 841,000 viewers.

Rumor Mill - NXT Reportedly To Use WWE Main Roster Talent If They Go Head-To-Head With AEW

As previously reported, Fox held a meeting last week with their affiliates to discuss the 2019 fall schedule. During the meeting, Fox confirmed that there are talks about moving NXT to one of their channels.

There has been speculation that NXT may air on FS1 and go head-to-head with AEW. AEW will start on TNT this fall, and is rumored to be airing live on Wednesday nights starting on October 2nd.

Dave Meltzer noted on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio that WWE is "absolutely" planning to use main roster talent on the NXT show if they go head-to-head with AEW. One issue with NXT airing on Wednesday nights is that FS1 airs Big East College Basketball that night during their season.

In its current format, NXT has been airing on the WWE Network since 2014. There was a special airing of NXT on the USA Network as part of "WWE Week" in December of 2017, which averaged 841,000 viewers. RAW that week averaged 2.684 million viewers, while SmackDown pulled in 2.481 million, so NXT averaged less than a third of what the two flagship shows drew.

In addition to NXT possibly airing on FS1, a weekly WWE studio show will air on the network Tuesdays with Renee Young as the host.

Rumor Mill - WWE Set To Move Away From Wholly TV-PG Programming

WWE is reportedly set to move away from the PG orientated product they have presented over the last decade.

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon is aware the company is struggling to capture the teen market and he is implementing immediate changes to the product, which have already started to filter through on WWE television.

The company is also well aware of All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and their target audience and thus will look to close the gap and ensure they are staying relevant.

Dave Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio:

“They were very aware that they had lost touch with the teenagers,” Meltzer said. “They were afraid of completely losing teenagers, especially when AEW starts. This is a direction they felt they had to go.”

It will be interesting to see if and when WWE drop the official "TV-PG" rating from their weekly broadcasts, or if they will try and combine the two ratings.

source: wrestling observer radio

Rumor Mill - Reason why Vince McMahon didn't offer Triple H the Executive Director position

On Thursday, June 27th, Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff were announced as the new Executive Directors of WWE Raw and SmackDown Live respectively.This announcement made a major impact on the wrestling community because of the surprise factor and the individuals in question. It seems to have been largely received as a very positive step. Certainly, it has taken a lot of attention away from the upcoming All Elite Wrestling show this weekend.There are questions however over Triple H, the current Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative for WWE. Fans have been asking why the King of Kings has not been offered either of those jobs.

Paul Heyman ran Extreme Championship Wrestling during the Monday Night Wars while at the same time Eric Bischoff ran World Championship Wrestling. After the Monday Night Wars ended, McMahon would hire both to run shows within his organization.Early in the brand extension, Bischoff would be in charge at Raw, meanwhile Heyman was in charge over on SmackDown. Heyman has had particular credit over the years for the rise of Brock Lesnar and the high-quality performances from a group known as the SmackDown Six.Triple H and his tight grip on the WWE world heavyweight championship at the time would be overseen by Bischoff in storyline as Eric Bischoff’s famed on-screen character would be heavily used for years on the Raw side.Triple H would later transition into a more managerial role. Since 2013 he has been Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative – an all-consuming role that he has successfully juggled alongside being the founder and Senior Producer of NXT.

While some members of the WWE locker room were also questioning why Triple H was not offered one or both of the WWE Executive Director positions, I am told that the answer lies in the role itself.

A source close to WWE management explained that the role is essentially very similar to the Senior Producer role that Triple H already occupies in NXT and that Triple H is known to prefer a continuation of that role.Triple H is also overseeing large quantities of WWE’s international expansion, particular as regards the set up of NXT UK, the Saudi Arabia and Australia shows and the set up of WWE Performance Centres worldwide. The source went on to explain that Triple H already had considerably more responsibility than an Executive Director role would offer.Finally, a separate source explained Triple H’s position in relation to talent a little closer. Heyman will be in charge of Raw. Bischoff will be in charge of Smackdown. Triple H is in charge of all talent, everywhere in WWE. “The job’s basically beneath him.

There is continual speculation that Triple H will be taking over the mantle for the WWE when Vince McMahon eventually retires. Triple H, meanwhile, is actively involved in everything that the WWE does.

source: sportskeeda.com

Rumor Mill - Sasha Banks And Bayley Reportedly Cause A Bad Scene Over WrestleMania Loss

Sasha Banks felt "blindsided" by the decision to put the WWE Women's Tag Team Titles on The IIconics and reportedly tried to quit the company. It was noted that she expected to have a strong run with Bayley and the titles. According to the report, which you can read at this link, Banks has been given time to think everything over before making a decision.

Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet took to Twitter today and reported that Banks and Bayley were laying on the floor of the locker room at Met Life Stadium on Sunday, "loudly making it known they were unhappy" about dropping the titles. It was also noted that they made a similar scene back at the WWE hotel.

"Heard from a few sources now saying Sasha Banks and Bayley were laying on the floor of the locker room on Sunday, and back at the hotel in front of one of their rooms, loudly making it known they were unhappy about losing the tag titles," Satin wrote on Twitter.

Satin defended his report and said he heard the same information from multiple sources. "This info is from four different sources I've spoken with the past day. All independent from each other and all came to me about it, not the other way around," he wrote in one tweet to a fan. He continued in another tweet, "Was told this by four separate people who have no relation to each other. There were a lot of people staying in the hotel during Mania weekend."

Rumor Mill - Backstage Update on Arn Anderson's Release: Incident with Vince McMahon

In an update on the story about Arn Anderson's release from WWE, Dave Meltzer commented on the situation on Wrestling Observer Radio:

“Arn got fired. It’s an incident, I mean everyone is pretty much keeping quiet about what it was, but it was an incident with Vince. I know people who are siding with Arn. I know people who are siding with Vince. I don’t know the whole details of the incident other than it was something at a house show that evidently wasn’t handled well and Arn took the blame for that. Arn and Vince were not really on the best of terms. There had been a lot of situations over the years and another one not too long ago. You know the thing with Arn is he’s well-liked by key people — Triple H, John Cena, you know he’s John Cena’s agent.“

Rumor Mill - XFL In Talks With Both ESPN And FOX For TV Deal

XFL could have an official television deal as early as next week, and they’re talking to some big names according to John Ourand and Terry Lefton of the Sports Business Journal (subscription required). The report states that the company is in talks with both ESPN and FOX at the moment. Both deals would have the games airing on two stations as the ESPN deal would have matches on ABC and ESPN, while the FOX deal would be on FS1 and the titular network. While a deal hasn’t been made, both talks are described as being ongoing and interest is strong for both.

Interestingly, the XFL’s main competitor, the Alliance of American Football, will start its debut season on Feb. 9 of this year. The XFL won’t launch until next year. Debut teams will be featured in Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, New York, St. Louis, Seattle, Washington, D.C., and Tampa Bay. The 10-game season will be capped off with two weeks of playoffs.

Rumor Mill - Linda McMahon Reportedly Top Candidate for Promotion Within Trump Administration

WWE continues to make a strange amount of geopolitical headlines in 2018 as Linda McMahon is rumored for a bigger role in President Trump's cabinet.

We typically deal in wrestling rumors but turns out political rumors read the exact same. In a report from Politico, McMahon — who's currently running the Small Business Administration —may replace current Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross if he leaves the position.

“The leading candidate to replace Ross if that happens is now Small Business Administration chief Linda McMahon, according to two sources familiar with the discussions. McMahon has made clear she is interested in the position and would accept it if it is offered, according to a source familiar with the conversations.”

“Whether Ross stays or goes will depend on the extent to which newly empowered Democrats in the House decide to probe the Commerce secretary’s finances and questions about his divestment of assets, a White House official said. If Democrats decide to press those issues, Ross could have a harder time staying.”

According to Politico's sources, McMahon is said to be interested in the role and would accept the promotion if it came her way.

President Trump and the McMahons have a relationship dating back to the 80's. Trump was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013 and his connection to the McMahons has become his administration's most innocent subplot. Vince and Linda McMahon were active supporters of Trump's campaign, contributing millions to pro-Trump Super PACs.

Unlike Trump and the rest of his troops, McMahon rarely makes headlines which could make her potential promotion one of the Trump Administrations least controversial decisions.

However, WWE found itself in the thick of political drama ahead of it's latest trip to Saudi Arabia. After the death of Jamal Khashoggi, many American entities froze or severed their relationship with the Saudis. But despite waves of criticism from fans, the media, and even US Senators, WWE pressed forward with Saudi event, Crown Jewel.

McMahon was asked about WWE's tenacity regarding their relationship with Saudi Arabia, but she gracefully passed the buck to her husband and WWE patriarch Vince McMahon.

Vince McMahon didn't have much to say about WWE's choice to press forward with Crown Jewel, but WWE did release this statement during their Q3 earnings report.

“WWE has operated in the Middle East for nearly 20 years and has developed a sizable and dedicated fan base. Considering the heinous crime committed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, the Company faced a very difficult decision as it relates to its event scheduled for November 2 in Riyadh.

Similar to other U.S.-based companies who plan to continue operations in Saudi Arabia, the Company has decided to uphold its contractual obligations to the General Sports Authority and stage the event. Full-year 2018 guidance is predicated on the staging of the Riyadh event as scheduled.”

Outside of the family business having active ties to a contentious Saudi regime, Linda McMahon's still remains one of Trump's most palatable appointments.

Rumor Mill - WWE Officials Meet With Impact Officials At WWE HQ

Several high-ranking WWE officials met with Impact Wrestling officials at WWE HQ in Stamford, CT last week, according to PWInsider.

Impact was represented by Scott D'Amore and Ed Nordholm. Vince McMahon was not at the meeting but members of Triple H's team were there. The meeting took place during the middle of last week as Impact officials were returning from UK, headed to Mexico City for TV tapings.

A WWE source described the meeting to PWInsider as a general discussion about the two companies and a chance to get everyone in the same room, not a specific negotiation of any kind. It's no secret that WWE has worked with Impact since Anthem purchased them, paying to license footage on WWE Champion AJ Styles and The Hardys' Broken Universe storyline. An Impact source stressed that the meeting had nothing to do with the sale of Impact as a company or its video library as neither are for sale.

Rumor Mill - ROH Reportedly Contemplating Legal Action After WWE’s Involvement In Cancelled MSG Show

Dave Meltzer talked about the cancelled ROH Madison Square Garden show on his Wrestling Observer podcast,

“As of right now they [Ring of Honor] are out of the date. A WWE official, who is not Vince McMahon, called up and told Madison Square Garden to cancel the show and they did and there’s a lot of unhappiness going around. There may be legal action. There may not be legal action. They [Ring of Honor] are contemplating legal action. Evidently the Garden believes that they had the right to do it.”

Meltzer elaborated further and pointed out that Ring of Honor did not come to Madison Square Garden. Meltzer claims that it was Madison Square Garden that came to Ring of Honor,

“Madison Square Garden was looking. The word was out that they were looking for someone to come in because WWE was not running enough dates. It’s not like they’re on bad terms; but, it’s like three dates a year. We want more wrestling so somebody else wants to run a date, they can run a date. So they are out there doing that and Ring of Honor goes and books a date. Then WWE calls and they say, ‘Well you can’t have the date.’ I think it makes MSG look real bad. The WWE, I don’t know. Does someone want to file an anti-trust case against them? I don’t know.”

Meltzer questions WWE’s decision making when it comes to making enemies with Sinclair. According to Meltzer, Sinclair owns approximately 54 FOX stations, some of which will run Smackdown beginning in 2019. Meltzer adds,

“I don’t know if you want the people who own a bunch of stations that you’re on to be mad at you. I don’t think that’s smart.”

Rumor Mill - WWE Has New Working Relationship With NOAH

WWE has a new working relationship with Pro Wrestling NOAH in Japan, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

There's no word yet on full details of the agreement but this is the first time in decades that WWE has worked with a Japanese promotion. The Observer notes that the deal will see Hideo Itami return to NOAH for an event on August 29th. NOAH does not have a show booked for August 29th as of this writing but they do have their 20th anniversary show on September 1st, which will celebrate Naomichi Marufuji's 20 years in the business. Itami feuded with Marufuji for several years.

It's worth noting that Twitter user Hisame, who provides NOAH updates in English, believes this may be a one-off deal for Itami instead of a working agreement with WWE as NOAH currently has a working relationship with Impact. There has been talk of the Impact - NOAH relationship coming to an end as of late.

"We have an alliance with PROGRESS in the UK, a situation with ICW in Scotland, two very well run and respected promotions that do good business – but more importantly they are cultivating talent. They are not just exploiting talent and grabbing guys to do a show with them, they are teaching talent and trying to make them better, which is what it is all about for me."

"Is there opportunity for cross-promotional events?" Triple H said, "Absolutely, with the right things. It's a blank slate and I'm open to just about anything if the right situation shows itself."

Rumor Mill - Triple H Open To The Idea Of WWE Cross-Promoting With New Japan Pro Wrestling

New Japan Pro Wrestling is carving out a huge place for themselves in the pro wrestling landscape and hearts of fans all over the world. Many people watched Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada's epic Dominion confrontation in awe and although there will always be detractors, the general consensus is the match was a masterpiece.

It seems WWE is being a bit more friendly toward the Bullet Club recently as both The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega were featured in a huge way in WWE's promotion of The New Day's E3 escapades. The Cleaner is also featured on the WWE Network as a "Hidden Gem" where WWE utilized one of the only pieces of footage they had of Omega in Deep South Wrestling to capitalize on his incredible name value.

With New Japan Pro Wrestling and their high match quality making headlines all over the world causing Dave Meltzer to create new spaces for more stars to hand out ratings, a partnership with WWE would be ideal. After all, if the two companies converged or even shared talent it could be a huge advantage all around. But we are still dealing with baby steps at this point and while The New Day and Golden Elite's E3 Street Fighter war was a good start, there is plenty more room to go before the companies actually start sharing talent.

But Triple H seemed open to the idea of joining forces with New Japan eventually when he spoke with Sunsport and compared it to a partnership WWE currently has with a few other companies.

"We have an alliance with PROGRESS in the UK, a situation with ICW in Scotland, two very well run and respected promotions that do good business – but more importantly they are cultivating talent. They are not just exploiting talent and grabbing guys to do a show with them, they are teaching talent and trying to make them better, which is what it is all about for me."

"Is there opportunity for cross-promotional events?" Triple H continued, "Absolutely, with the right things. It's a blank slate and I'm open to just about anything if the right situation shows itself."

It looks like there could be a chance down the line for some incredible cross-promotional opportunities between WWE and New Japan. Because since Triple H could very well eventually find himself in the position where he's the one making the call to join forces with NJPW, it sounds like he's already very open to the idea provided the right situation comes along.

Source: SunSport

Rumor Mill - News On WWE Potentially Moving To FOX And Going Back To Two Hours

On January of 1993, WWE launched the Monday Night Raw series on the USA Network. They continued their relationship with USA until 2000, before moving to TNN/Spike TV until 2005. WWE returned to USA in 2005, and went to three hours in 2012.

There has been much speculation of WWE possibly moving to a new network, or at least commencing a bidding war to land the most profitable slot. Their deals with NBC Universal, which includes RAW and SmackDown (as well as Tribute To The Troops), expire on September 30, 2019, however WWE CFO George Barrios said that the company hopes to announce their U.S. distribution plans between May and September of this year. WWE's current contract with NBC Universal generated $180 million last year.

Months ago, Triple H had a meeting with the executives of FOX Sports about potentially airing WWE product on their network. The reason for the potential move would be due to UFC possibly leaving FOX, which would leave space open for another combat sport to fill. WWE has worked with FOX in the past, and the network aired a couple of episodes of Saturday Night's Main Event in the 90s, as well as a WrestleMania 11 special in 1995.

Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter that there is also discussion of FOX possibly buying WWE, which would mean that the network would have them for good. This would also mean that rights fees would not be an issue moving forward, similar to what Viacom did with buying Bellator. Viacom has also shown some interest in having a pro wrestling show on their channels, but that interest does not necessarily involve WWE.

More?

Rumor Mill - XFL Trademark Filed, WWE Responds On Whether It Will Be Returning

From the very beginning, the XFL was quite a bizarre concept. Intentionally trying to go against the grain of what NFL fans view American football to look like, Vince McMahon sought out to create a league that was extreme and over-the-top.

Here were some rules that the XFL enforced to distinguish them from the NFL:

- Instead of a coin toss, players were placed on the 50-yard line to recover the ball. Whoever recovers had the choice whether they wanted to kick or receive.

- The receiving team had to run kickoffs out of the endzone, unless the ball was kicked through the endzone.

- Defensive players can use bump-and-run tactics down the entire field.

- There was no kicker for the point after touchdown (PAT). It had to be either via pass or run.

- There was no fair catch rule.

While the initial hype of the XFL generated a strong audience, diehard fans of the NFL began to heavily criticize the league, and numbers started to reflect the dissatisfaction. As a result, the XFL lasted only one season, and never returned again. On the ESPN 30 for 30 "This Was the XFL" documentary, the conclusion saw Vince McMahon discuss the ups and downs of the league with former NBC Sports Chairman Dick Ebersol. Interestingly, during the discussion, the idea of revitalizing the company after a 15-year absence was suggested. In fact, the idea was not adamantly rejected by either party.

Based on new information, the XFL could be returning. On Wednesday, June 28, 2017, the XFL trademark was filed by WWE under the category of "Education and Entertainment Services." WWE has until 12/28 before the foreign filing deadline is expired.

Here is the description provided to the United States Patent and Trademark Office for the filing.

"Entertainment services, namely, an ongoing series featuring wrestling exhibitions and performances by professional wrestlers and entertainers provided through broadcast media, namely, television and radio, and via the Internet or online service; Entertainment services, namely, production of sports and sports related programs provided through broadcast media, namely, television and radio, cable, satellite and via the Internet or online service; Sports entertainment, namely, conducting of sports competitions; Providing information in the fields of sports and entertainment via an online community portal; Providing a website featuring information in the fields of sports and entertainment."

Deadspin reached out to WWE regarding the resurrection of XFL. Although the spokesperson did not confirm or deny, it was revealed that Vince McMahon has started Alpha Entertainment, which will personally be funded by him to "explore investment opportunities across the sports and entertainment landscapes, including football."

Rumor Mill - Triple H makes incredible gesture to Kevin Owens after emergency

According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Triple H decided to give the money he received for performing in theWWE Live event in Santiago, Chile, to Kevin Owens, who flew home from the event due to personal reasons.

In case you didn't know...

Kevin Owens left the WWE's' South American tour early to be with his family and was pulled from the live events in Argentina and Chile. Also, AJ Styles, who was scheduled to appear in Chile was called back to wrestle Finn Balor at WWE TLC 2017.

In order to make amends, Triple H wrestled Rusev at the Live Event in Santiago, Chile.

The heart of the matter

As per the report, the shows in Santiago were paid for by a local promotion run by Hugo Savinovich, a former Spanish commentator for the WWE. The promotion had paid the WWE a sum of about $900,000 for the Live Events.

The organizers were unhappy as stars such as Kevin Owens and AJ Styles were forced to miss the live shows. To make things right, Triple H himself stepped in and wrestled the Rusev to a great reception from the crowd in Santiago.

Triple H then displayed incredible generosity as he gave the money that he received for his performance to Kevin Owens.

Rumor Mill - Baron Corbin’s WWE Push Stalling, NXT Takeover Crowd Picks Up on Reports of Corbin’s Backstage Heat, News on Enzo Following SSlam

Speculation has been that Baron Corbin’s current WWE push has stalled due to backstage heat on him for a number of reasons, the main reason being recent behavior on social media.

It appears as if the NXT Takeover Brooklyn crowd picked up on the reports of Corbin having heat, as they directed a “you f**ed up” chant at The Lone Wolf when he appeared in front of the live crowd.

On the most recent edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer confirmed Corbin definitely has backstage heat on him, and that was made clear by the way he was booked in a “basic” opening match against John Cena at SummerSlam. Meltzer added that WWE officials are very high on former NXT Champion Bobby Roode, and it’s possible WWE might be called up to Smackdown Live to replace Corbin’s spot/push.

News on Enzo Following SummerSlam

In related news, for reasons not yet known, Enzo Amore’s backstage heat seems to have worsened, as Meltzer noted “everybody” in WWE hates him. Meltzer added the fact that the crowd is staring to cool on Enzo is bad news for the Raw star, as that was one of the few things saving his spot in the company.

Rumor Mill - WWE said to be working towards a Triple H vs. Kurt Angle match

According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio WWE officials are planning on doing a match between Triple H and WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle in the near future.

Meltzer did not comment on when the match will take place, or how they will get there, but it should be noted that there is currently a storyline WWE has been doing with Angle and Corey Graves.

Also, it was noted that RAW Commissioner Stephanie McMahon should be returning to TV soon to work play off Angle as the RAW General Manager.

Stephanie has not been seen on WWE TV since going through a table at WrestleMania 33. Kurt Angle was named the General Manager of RAW the night after WrestleMania.

Rumor Mill - WWE NXT Going Live On WWE Network Next Year?

There's been talk of taking WWE NXT live on the WWE Network in 2017, according to Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Radio.

There are obviously major logistical issues that would come with going live and the costs would be significantly higher than the current tapings model. WWE would have to bring in talents each week for a one-hour live show and NXT airing live or on tape likely won't affect the Network subscriber count.

Rumor Mill - ROH Losing Color Commentator Steve Corino To WWE

Steve Corino will be finishing up with Ring of Honor in December, and will become a full-time trainer at the WWE Performance Center in January. Corino recently spent time at the WWE Performance Center as a guest trainer.

Rumor Mill - Sin Cara Has Been Ordered To Go Through Anger Management Courses

There's not going to be a major fallout with this fight that had happened, but Sin Cara has been ordered to take anger management courses. Dave Meltzer has given some details and clarification on what actually happened on the WWE bus in Europe on Sunday.

Sin Cara was making some sort of noises on the bus and others were telling him to shut up. Afterward, Jericho told him to shut up and that’s when Sin Cara told him to “f*ck off.” Sin Cara took a swing and missed and that’s when everyone jumped in to break it up.

Despite reports spreading around, Sin Cara did not end up hitting Jericho’s face, and Jericho was not knocked out. Sin Cara’s fist got close to Jericho’s mouth during the pull apart so that’s when Jericho had bitten his hand.

This so far marks 3 different fights Sin Cara has went through.. He was in a fight with Sheamus a few years ago backstage at a show and he was also involved in a fight with Simon Gotch in July backstage near catering before a Smackdown show. There were people that thought that Sin Cara would end up being fired after the fight with Gotch. Dave Meltzer has noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that Sin Cara is being ordered to go to anger management.