BOOM! Studios Launching New WWE Comic Book Series

Boom! Studios have announced that they will be releasing a new WWE comic book series titled “WWE SmackDown Live”, written by Kevin Panetta with art by Kendall Goode and a main cover by Xermánico. The first issues is set for release on October 2nd.

The synopsis for the first is as follows:

“Join Becky Lynch as she arrives at the arena and runs into The Brothers of Destruction (Undertaker and Kane), WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions The IIconics (Peyton Royce and Billie Kay), WWE Champion Kofi Kingston, WWE Superstar Roman Reigns, and many more. Behind the scenes, unexpected alliances are formed, lifelong enemies are made, and chaos ensues as Superstars erupt into a free-for-all centered around The Man herself.”

Triple H Praises Paul Heyman And Eric Bischoff, Welcomes Them Back To The WWE Team

WWE Hall of Famer Triple H took to Twitter this evening to issue his first public comments on Paul Heyman being hired as WWE's Executive Director of RAW and Eric Bischoff coming back to the company as the Executive Director of SmackDown.

"Two people who pushed our industry and @WWE forward over the last 25+ years. Great to have @HeymanHustle and @EBischoff working on #Raw and #SDLive. Welcome BACK to the team," wrote Triple H, WWE's Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative.

FOX Hoping To Make AEW Look Inferior With WWE SmackDown Debut?, News On AEW Start Date And Time Slot

AEW is expected to start on Turner during the first week of October, which is the same week that WWE SmackDown will being airing on Friday nights on FOX. The news was first reported by MMA insider @fightoracle, who first broke the story that Turner Sports would be presenting AEW at their upfronts last month. As noted, AEW applied for the trademark "Wednesday Night Dynamite" earlier this month.

With the television show seemingly airing on Wednesday nights, the premiere date will be October 2nd. Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter that while there are still meetings occurring regarding the show, strategies, and other ideas from the TNT side, the plan is for the show to air on Wednesdays, with 8-10 p.m. being the most likely time slot.

WWE SmackDown will make its much anticipated debut two nights later at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. It was reported in The Observer that FOX will be testing out two new cameras for the debut. FOX is also looking to invite a lot of celebrities and give the show the feel of a major event, which is a reason that it's being held in Los Angeles. It was noted that the idea is to make WWE look as major league as possible, which in turn would make AEW look minor league from the start.

Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

WWE Names Eric Bischoff And Paul Heyman As New Executive Directors Of RAW And SmackDown

WWE has named Eric Bischoff and Paul Heyman as Executive Directors.

Bischoff is set to become the new Executive Director of WWE SmackDown while Heyman is set to become the new Executive Director of WWE RAW. Both will report directly to WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.

The new roles are full-time executive roles. According to Sports Illustrated, there are no current plans for these roles to be introduced as part of a TV storyline.

Bischoff will also work directly with Fox executives as the blue brand plans to premiere on Fox Friday nights in October, SI reported.

The major move will allow WWE to establish "two distinct creative processes for its flagship shows."

Below is the full press release that WWE sent Wrestling Inc.:

WWE® NAMES PAUL HEYMAN AND ERIC BISCHOFF EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS

Stamford, Conn., June 27, 2019 – WWE (NYSE: WWE) today announced that it has named Paul Heyman as Executive Director of Monday Night Raw and Eric Bischoff as Executive Director of SmackDown Live, newly created positions reporting directly to WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon.

In their executive roles, Heyman and Bischoff will oversee the creative development of WWE's flagship programming and ensure integration across all platforms and lines of business. The creation of these roles further establishes WWE's ability to continuously reinvent its global brand while providing two distinct creative processes for its flagship shows.

With more than 30 years of experience in the sports entertainment industry, Heyman served as President of ECW from 1993-2001, securing pay-per-view distribution for the company as well as a national cable television deal with TNN. After his time with ECW, Heyman joined WWE's Creative team and is widely credited with helping launch the careers of many current and former WWE Superstars.

Bischoff is a former WCW President and New York Times bestselling author. During his WCW career, Bischoff oversaw the signing of some of the biggest names in sports entertainment and helped create and develop the NWO storyline. He was also instrumental in securing a television deal for WCW Monday Nitro on TNT and WCW Thunder on TBS. After WCW, Bischoff co-founded Bischoff-Hervey Entertainment, a production company that launched TV reality shows and mobile games.

Exclusive Details On Harvard's WWE Case Study: Who WWE Sees As Their Main Competitor, Royalties

As previously noted, Harvard Business School's Business Of Entertainment, Media, And Sports class will include a case study on World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), beginning this fall. Course instructor, Professor Anita Elberse, has been gracious enough to provide me with an advance copy of the WWE case. Here are some highlights that may be of interest to professional wrestling fans:

WWE did not pay for the development of the case; however, a WWE designate approved of the case before publication.

The case takes place in January 2018 and focuses on the questions of whether WWE should try to sign retired MMA fighter Ronda Rousey, and, if so, how such a deal should be structured.

More?

WWE NXT Takeover Draws More Than RAW And SmackDown

As noted, Mauro Ranallo announced that Saturday's WWE NXT "Takeover: XXV" event from the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, CT was sold out, but no attendance figure was given. Triple H revealed in his post-show media call that the 25th Takeover special was the highest-grossing event WWE has done at that arena.

"This brand can stand on its own, and tonight was special. This was the highest-grossing WWE event we've done in this building. We've done RAW and SmackDown here, and this outdrew them."

There's no word yet on the actual number of fans in attendance but the Webster Bank Arena has a capacity of 10,000 for concerts, up to 9,000 for basketball games, and around 8,400 for hockey games.

Triple H On Tyler Breeze Back On NXT Roster, Creative Decisions When NXT Stars Join WWE Main Roster

In WWE as in life, sometimes things don't go as planned and adjustments are made. An example of that is someone in NXT being called up to the main roster because of necessity which then affects both NXT and whatever brand they join.

Triple H was asked by Wrestling Inc. Managing Editor Nick Hausman about those creative decisions and also the possibility of the 24/7 or Women's Tag Titles being defended in NXT.

"It's definitely a possibility on both," Triple H said. "When Sasha and Bayley had the tag team championships, they talked about it. It's something I would love to have, but it really just comes down to scheduling. Trying to match the schedules up is the biggest problem. But who knows? You could see any of them at any time."

More?

Road Dogg Reportedly Working Full-Time On The WWE NXT Brand

According to PWInsider, WWE Hall of Famer Road Dogg is now working full-time on the WWE NXT brand. His official role and title haven't been confirmed yet though.

As it was reported earlier this month, James has been working at the Performance Center. He also made a cameo today on the WWE PC Combine, which is airing on the WWE Network.

Last month James stepped down as the co-lead writer of SmackDown Live. He quit the position because he was reportedly frustrated with Vince McMahon always making changes to the TV scripts.

WWE Release Official Press Statement On WWE Superstar Shake-Up

WWE SUPERSTAR SHAKE-UP ON RAW AND SMACKDOWN LIVE THIS MONDAY AND TUESDAY the world were surprised when it was announced that the WWE roster will once again undergo a seismic shift on this week’s editions of Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live, both airing live at 8/7C on USA Network this Monday and Tuesday night

Both sides have been granted an opportunity to make any roster moves that they feel fit.

Tune into this week’s Raw and SmackDown Live on USA to see where your favorite Superstars land, as the WWE landscape prepares to undergo a major change.

Click here to view a teaser for the Superstar Shake-Up.

On air for more than 26 years, Monday Night Raw is the longest running weekly episodic television show in U.S. primetime history with 1,350 episodesand consistently a ratings juggernaut in all of cable. SmackDown Live is the second longest-running weekly episodic program in U.S. television history with 1,025 episodes.

Matt Riddle Thinks NXT Has Potential To Be WWE'S Top Brand

TMZ Sports recently interviewed Matt Riddle. "The King of Bros" compared NXT to WWE's main roster and the possibility of NXT rising to the top of the company food chain in the future. Highlights and video are below.

NXT:

“I think we’re just different, and I know that’s easy to say. But we’re different, we’re new, we’re fresh, and we’re not the same watered down child’s product that WWE has kind of turned into a lot. And when people watch us — even though it’s scripted a lot of the time — it’s more real. It’s more believable.”

Moving To Main Roster:

“You know, funny enough, I was thinking about that the other day, and I want to get to the main roster. But then I was thinking, ‘Well, maybe I’m thinking about it wrong’ because NXT is so hot. Maybe we should stay and try to make it bigger than RAW and SmackDown, and just make it one—like the big guy, you know, which isn’t impossible I don’t think.”

NXT Being On Top Of WWE:

“The big thing is Vince [McMahon] owns RAW, SmackDown— he owns everything, and those are his babies. He’s had them forever. So, I think the probability of NXT taking over at that level is probably hard. But at the same time, I don’t see it too far from the future with us being on the same playing field as RAW and SmackDown.”

Triple H Says Some Talent Might Stay In NXT Without Going To WWE Main Roster

As reported here earlier today, Triple H was in London celebrating the grand opening of the new WWE Performance Center UK. As seen above, Inside The Ropes attended the event and caught an in-depth interview with Triple H where they asked him about his future aspirations concerning the NXT and NXT UK talent. Triple H confirmed that certain NXT UK stars will indeed make the eventual transition to RAW or SmackDown, but along with that, certain stars will begin to rotate back through the various developmental territories they continue to establish.

"There are some talent here, that you might see come from the UK, that might move straight to RAW or SmackDown," Triple H explained. "I think right now there's sort of this perceived system of where it's kinda - 1. RAW, 2. SmackDown, 3. NXT, 4. NXT UK. I don't believe that, I believe that talent are talent and I believe they will sit where they sit, and I believe you'll see talent over the next few years start coming up to Raw and SmackDown. And I think you'll see them move back over in to NXT, or come back in to the NXT UK system. I think talent will begin to evolve and rotate through territories, so to speak."

Triple H believes that some performers have reached their plateau of success rotating through the NXT developmental territories, and hopes to give those individuals successful, meaningful careers without them ever having to transition to the cable network programs.

"I think there will be some talent that will be incredibly successful, will be global names, will be global, household names," Triple H said, "that will probably never leave that NXT system because that's their home base and that's where they fit, and they'll have incredibly successful, meaningful careers. And probably over those careers they'll gravitate through different locations within the globe, maybe without never being on RAW or SmackDown, but that not being any lesser to their careers."

Triple H also discussed the importance of reinventing a character when the performer feels it's the necessary action to take, saying that it's no different than decades ago, when wrestlers would travel to a new territory and present their revamped character to an audience.

"I think it depends on the talent and the moment and I think it's no different than it was if you go back, 30 - 40 years, into the territory system in the US. No different," Triple H said. "You left one place, you went someplace else, sometimes you reinvented because you thought, 'What I'm doing is good, but here, I want to do something different, I want to make it something more.' And you reinvent, and you become something different."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Inside The Ropes with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Impact Wrestling Moving From POP TV In January

Impact Wrestling announced today that its flagship weekly two-hour program, IMPACT!, will move to Friday nights on the Pursuit Channel in January. As noted, SmackDown Live will also begin airing on Friday nights when it moves to FOX this October, while MLW FUSION also currently airs on Friday nights on beIN Sports.

Beginning on Friday, January 11, featuring the aftermath of the Homecoming pay-per-view, IMPACT! will air weekly on Pursuit Channel on Friday nights at 10:00 p.m. ET.

"Pursuit Channel is a natural fit for IMPACT!" said Impact Wrestling President Ed Nordholm. "It has a passionate viewership base that correlates strongly with our core audience, and is one of the few broadcast destinations that is expanding its footprint, enjoying a 15% increase in broadcast distribution this year alone. With IMPACT Wrestling coming off a tremendous year of audience growth globally and positive fan engagement, we look forward to leveraging our respective resources to bring fans more of the wrestling content they want to see: tougher, edgier action."

USA Touts WWE Success

The USA Network issued the following press release today, touting their successful 2018 as the #1 overall cable entertainment network in total viewers for the 13th year, which is the longest streak in TV history. They also touted finishing the year as the #1 cable entertainment network for the 18-49 demographic for the second year in a row. USA mentioned the success of WWE's RAW and SmackDown shows, and the success of the Miz & Mrs. series with The Miz and Maryse.

Vince McMahon And Triple H: The Fans Are Now The Authority

As promised, Vince McMahon graced Monday Night RAW with his presence tonight. He opened by saying that he can no longer do the show all by himself, and so he brought out his daughter, Stephanie McMahon, her husband, Triple H, and his son, Shane McMahon.

Stephanie opened by saying that “they haven’t been doing a good job lately” and that they haven’t been listening to the audience. However, that it was all going to change. “The days of absentee management is over,” said Triple H. “The four of us will be taking back Monday Night RAW.” Shane then went on to echo the same sentiment for SmackDown.

“We’re going to give fans what they want,” stated Triple H. “Something new. Something fresh. In the coming months you’ll be seeing new faces, fresh match-ups, and more of what you want. You are the authority.”

WWE Is Preparing For Global Domination And Everyone Is Finally Noticing

Triple H Comments On Possibility Of Main Roster Superstars Being Moved To NXT

Triple H was asked about the possibility of NXT becoming a part of an upcoming Superstar Shake-Up and main roster names coming to NXT. Here is what he had to say:

On NXT Being Part of The Superstar Shake-Up:

“I guess in some ways it is,” Triple H replied. “Because usually when you do some kind of Shake-Up somebody gets called up. So I end up losing some NXT talent.”

On Main Roster Stars Being Moved to NXT:

“I think now when you look back at the roster over the last few years and you look at the main roster. I think the number is something like 80% or so of the main roster came out of NXT. So there are a lot of talent there that wouldn’t even be a stretch to come into NXT if they were on the main roster and came back to NXT. It wouldn’t be a big stretch — and I think when you’ve seen, you know the last few weeks every now and then in an effort to give people surprises and constantly keep things fresh we’ve had live events where we brought The Revival on and we’ve had live events where we brought Tyler Breeze on. Those kinds of surprises and shocks — people love it — it’s like going home in a way. So I do think you could see that happen very easily and I don’t think it would be a stretch for people to consider that being a possibility.”

Triple H Handles Criticism Of WWE's Main Roster When Asked If He Could Give It An 'NXT Approach'

Triple H performs his duties as WWE's Vice President of Talent, Live Events & Creative which means he wears many hats in WWE. During a recent conference call, Paul Levesque was actually questioned about WWE's main roster storylines and how he would change things if given the opportunity.

A caller prefaced his question by saying he was asking "as a fan," and he was "burned out" by the WWE main roster. While praising NXT storylines for their crispness, he said Raw and SmackDown are often left "burning the midnight oil" for him personally. He noted that he wasn't looking forward to SummerSlam, and only for Takeover.

Triple H had a diplomatic reply when he was finally asked if he wished that he could take control of the main roster with an "NXT approach."

"I also wish I could fly and breath underwater," Triple H replied. "Dude, I wasn't sure if you were going to ask me a question or you were making a statement about your displeasure.

"Everybody has opinions on things and positive/negative that's the beauty in what we do and people are free to express those opinions. I'm happy that you like NXT and I'm happy you're looking forward to that show. You know some people dislike some things, there are other people who dislike what we do in NXT and there are people that like what we do there. Everybody's got an opinion and the great thing for us is no matter what it is, positive/negative, we don't have a shy fan base that is afraid to let us know.

"They will let us know and whether we decide to take that message immediately or whether it takes us a little bit to hear it, eventually we hear you. So you know, it is what it is but if people dislike something or like something that's what their voice is for and we encourage that for sure."

source: wrestlinginc.com

Why Fox Was Attracted To WWE, What Happened With The ESPN - WWE Negotiations, More On TV Deals

Sports Business Daily has a new article looking at how WWE's new deal with Fox marked the end of more than two years of negotiations among TV networks looking to land deals with WWE and the UFC. The article also looks at how two of the top entertainment agencies went head-to-head for their clients - Endeavor worked the five-year $1.5 billion deal between UFC & ESPN while Creative Artists Agency (CAA) crafted the $2.34 billion deal between WWE and NBCUniversal & Fox. Below are a few notes from the piece:

* While considering a future with or without UFC, Fox started looking at other sports content to fill nights on its broadcast network as part of a new strategy that focused on live programming in primetime. It sounds like Fox first started looking at WWE some time in 2017 and Fox insiders were attracted to the consistently high ratings & passionate fanbase that WWE has.

* WWE's negotiation period with NBCU ran until mid-May of this year but officials had already been making the rounds to get to know other TV executives through a series of "get-to-know-you meetings. The networks had one significant issue - Endeavor owns UFC and Endeavor's Ari Emanuel is friends with Vince McMahon, who asked Ari to represent WWE during media talks. Networks did not feel comfortable negotiating with the same person who was working on behalf of two competing sports brands. This was seen as a conflict of interest and networks made it clear to WWE officials. WWE hired CAA, a top rival of Endeavor, soon after a WWE show in Los Angeles during the spring of 2017 where Fox Sports President Eric Shanks pulled Vince to the side to point out the conflict of interest. Fox pushing for the change annoyed Ari and indicated that UFC & Fox would have trouble coming to a deal.

* Stephanie McMahon, Triple H, Co-President George Barrios and Co-President Michelle Wilson met with ESPN executives 4 times from December 2017 through the spring. ESPN had upped their coverage of WWE and was receptive to talks but it was soon clear that a deal was not going to be reached. The issue between ESPN and WWE came down to scheduling as RAW & SmackDown are produced every week and ESPN can't afford to give any sport 52 weeks in a year.

* ESPN did consider WWE programming for their ESPN+ streaming service but that would have directly competed with the WWE Network.

* WWE soon targeted Fox and made it clear they were interested. Fox did the same. Shanks and other Fox executives were shown on camera during a May 2017 RAW show from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. WWE was still in the exclusive window with NBCU, which ran until mid-May, but Stephanie, Triple H and other WWE executives made a point to visit the Fox lot for an informal meet & greet. WWE told Fox executives then that they could not discuss terms of a potential deal until NBC's exclusive window closed but both sides were interested.

* Bonnie Hammer, a longtime friend of WWE's and chairman of the NBCU cable entertainment group, was leading the renewal talks with WWE. Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBC Broadcasting & Sports, oversees all major sports rights negotiations for NBCU but they view WWE as an entertainment property so Hammer led the talks while he was on hand to participate in strategy sessions and offer advice. NBCU officials knew Fox was interested in WWE but they believed WWE ultimately wanted to stay on the USA Network. They also believed WWE fans wanted consistency as they knew where they could go to see RAW on Mondays and SmackDown on Tuesdays.

* WWE had been averaging $130 million per year for each show in previous deals and that figure was considered well below the market value by network executives. WWE officials knew they were negotiating from a strong position and decided to split their TV package in two. CAA told Hammer they wanted $265 million per year for RAW and $200 million per year for SmackDown - a 358% increase. NBCU's exclusive window closed on May 16th and they informed WWE they would take RAW for $265 million but they would not renew SmackDown. The next day WWE executives visited the Fox offices in New York City for the meeting that included Rupert Murdoch. The $205 million per year deal that would move the blue brand back to Fridays was settled on that day as both sides quickly realized they were close to an agreement. WWE signed the five-year SmackDown deal with Fox and renewed a five-year RAW deal with NBCU for USA.

WWE And FOX Announce New SmackDown TV Deal For FOX Sports, Vince McMahon Touts Perfect Match

WWE and FOX issued the following today:

FOX Sports Becomes New Home of SmackDown® Live

06/26/2018 - NEW YORK & STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- For the first time, every Friday night beginning October 4, 2019, FOX broadcast network will air WWE®'s flagship program SmackDown Live as part of a new five-year agreement with FOX Sports. The weekly, two-hour live event will air 52 weeks a year and captivate fans with a unique combination of edge-of-your-seat action, unpredictable drama and world-class athleticism.

"At FOX we are thrilled to welcome WWE to the FOX Sports family and bring SmackDown Live to broadcast television," said Eric Shanks, President, COO and Executive Producer FOX Sports. "We are huge fans and know that together FOX Sports will be the leader in live events for the foreseeable future."

"WWE and FOX are a perfect match," said Vince McMahon, WWE Chairman & CEO. "Moving SmackDown Live to broadcast TV and having the ability to leverage FOX's extensive portfolio of world-class sporting events will expand the reach of our flagship programming."

SmackDown Live is a consistent winner on television, currently averaging1 1.3M P18-49, 1.3M P25-54 and 3M total viewers P2+.

On air for almost 20 years and nearly 1,000 episodes, SmackDown Live is the second-longest running weekly episodic cable television show in U.S. primetime history, only behind Monday Night Raw®. SmackDown Live is currently among the most-watched, regularly scheduled programs on primetime cable and delivers more viewers in primetime than any cable network in the U.S. (2.9 million average viewers).

SmackDownLive has also helped launch the careers of pop-culture icons including Dwayne "The Rock®" Johnson, John Cena®, Undertaker®, Triple H®, "Stone Cold®" Steve Austin and The Bella Twins™.

1: Source: Nielsen NNTV, 2018 YTD through April (1/1/18-4/30/18), Live+7 Average Viewers for selected demographics (P18-49, P25-54, P2+).

Rupert Murdoch Highly Influential In WWE SmackDown Live Moving To FOX

Rupert Murdoch Highly Influential In WWE SmackDown Live Moving To FOX
Rupert Murdoch, the Executive Co-Chairman of 21st-Century Fox is believed to be influential in the recent broadcasting deal which saw FOX poach WWE SmackDown Live from NBCUniversal's USA Network for a whopping $1 billion over a five year period.

The deal was reportedly negotiated between Stephanie McMahon, Triple H, and FOX executives although the deal has yet to be officially signed but agreed on a handshake.

The Hollywood Reporter notes that Murdoch told WWE that NBC are embarrassed to have the sports entertainment brand on their network, even though it brings in a strong and consistent viewership.

Murdoch is also believed to have told Vince McMahon in a phone call that this will usher in a new era between himself and the McMahon as they both see themselves as rebels who built big media brands.

In addition, FOX plans to air promos airing across sports programming every night of the week, along with a new weekly studio show on FS1.

It is believed shortly FOX will sell the majority of their assets to Disney or Comcast with sports becoming the centerpiece for the networks' programming on "New Fox".