During a mainstream presentation Tuesday, WWE CFO George Barrios shot down UFC as competition for WWE, noted the WWE Studios performance was a "disaster" in 2011, and said WWE is currently in the middle of "heated" negotiations concerning the WWE TV Network launch.
Barrios, who presented WWE's business model at the annual ROTH OC Growth Stock Conference in Laguna Niguel, Calif. on Tuesday, provided the update on WWE Network negotiations after noting he still cannot disclose the revenue model for the Network.
"We're in the middle of some fairly intense negotiations and I don't want to do anything that would cause us to lose leverage in those negotiations," Barrios said. He said once they formulate a plan for distributing the content, WWE will "just have to execute."
March 15, 2012
WWE CFO Barrios biz updates - current "intense negotiations" over WWE Network, admits WWE Studios "disaster" in 2011, More
Update on Scott Hall
Scott Hall was released from WWE-sponsored rehab on March 6th according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. It is reported Hall is doing well so far.
Hall visited the Team Vision Dojo in Orlando with his son Cody on March 7th. Cody Hall has been training to do be a wrestler.
March 14, 2012
Stone Cold Steve Austin Comments on The Rock's Heat, CM Punk, More
Talent Having Problems with The Rock returning: "My thoughts on that are, you earn what you get in this business. Rock has earned the ability to come and go as he wants, because the business still needs him, it can still use him, and it can elevate the profile with having such a mainstream guy there. I don't know about the promos between John (Cena) and Rock. I think some of them have gotten kind of personal, you wonder how much of it's a work and how much of it's a shoot. At the end of the day, it's a worked business. Again, I think it's a good thing for Rock to be involved with this. He's earned his right to come and go and do whatever he wants."
Current talent being vocal to creative: "(CM) Punk was a guy, and is a guy who, man, that guy flew by the seat of his pants. He was pissed off, he vented, he cuts great promos. He worked himself out of a bad situation into a great situation. He knew when it was time to pick his spot, when he contract was gonna be up. That guy's been around the horn a few times, and he's been kicked around a little bit. He saw how the other guys were being treated, and he needed, and deserved, and earned the right to be treated in that same fashion. Guys, you gotta pick your spot, but you gotta be vocal. It is a very interesting machine these days. They need voices to question them. They need voices to inspire them, or fuel them, to rethink some of the things that they're doing and make it a better product."
Returning under the right circumstances: "There's nothing up in the air for me. If there's something that presents itself as a business opportunity, then I have an open ear to listen to it. It would have to be right for myself, my opponent, and obviously the company. I'm not lobbying for another match. There's always talk. People ask, 'am I capable of having another match?' Yeah. If I was in a bad situation, I would get back in the ring full time if I had to, but I don't have to. I'm happy doing what I'm doing."
source: live audio wrestling
Oklahoma Suspends Combat Sports & Pro Wrestling as of March 31st
MMAValor.com is reporting that The Oklahoma State Athletic Commission has suspended all "combat sports," including MMA, boxing and professional wrestling effective as of 3/31/12. The report notes:
Effective right now the Oklahoma State Athletic Commission has halted approving event permits for all combative sports (MMA, Boxing, etc.) the Commission regulates for events after March 31st, this according to the Director of Oklahoma State Athletic Commission, Joe Miller who talked with MMAValor regarding the matter.
The report goes on to note that although the OSAC is claiming that the reason for the suspension is due to lack of funding, the more specific reason is that a pending UFC lawsuit is threatening the funds the commission currently has. You can read more, including the letter of suspension by the OSAC, by clicking on the above link.
It should be noted that WWE has an event scheduled to take place in Oklahoma on October 1st, however there has been no word as of this writing as to whether or not it has been canceled.
WWE takes no issue with Oklahoma's PPV tax
WWE Hall of Fame Inductee “Iron” Mike Tyson to be at WrestleMania Axxess
Not only can WWE Universe members meet their favorite Superstars at WrestleMania Axxess, they can meet boxing legend and 2012 WWE Hall of Fame Inductee Mike Tyson!
"Iron" Mike will be at WrestleMania Axxess at the Miami Beach Convention Center on Friday, March 30 from 8:00 - 10:00 p.m.
TICKETS
A limited amount of tickets will be sold for an exclusive photo opportunity at the WWEShop stand on Thursday from 6:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. and Friday from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m
source: wwe.com
This Day in Wrestling History
Evan "Strangler" Lewis defeats Joe Acton in Chicago, Illinois to win the World Catch-as-Catch-Can Heavyweight Title.
March 14, 1887
Ric Flair becomes a 14-time World Heavyweight Champion defeating Hollywood Hogan
March 14, 1999
The infamous Bob Costas interview of Vince McMahon airs on HBO's "On the Record with Bob Costas". McMahon looked very intense and visably upset when Costas asked him questions about the fledgling XFL and the sex and violence in the WWF(E).
March 14, 2001
WWE sets a record for the highest grossing wrestling event ever held in Madison Square Garden in New York City, pulling in over $2.4 million in ticket sales for WrestleMania XX, which was headlined by Chris Benoit defeating Triple H and Shawn Michaels in a three way match for the World Heavyweight Title. The event also sees the final WWE appearances (to date) for Brock Lesnar and Bill Goldberg.
1987 - The WWF aired the 10th edition of Saturday Night's Main Event on NBC, which got an 11.6 rating. The show was taped on February 21 in Detroit, Michigan at Joe Louis Arena.
March 14, 2004
Vince McMahon receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
March 14, 2008
March 13, 2012
Rumor Mill - Legitimate Tension Between The Rock and John Cena
Multiple sources have confirmed to the Pro Wrestling Torch that there is legitimate tension between Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and John Cena, which reflects in their war of words. Furthermore, Vince McMahon is doing nothing to stop it as he and those in upper management love the conflict.
As in the past, McMahon enjoys seeing top stars challenge other. He feels the audience will sense real friction between two wrestlers, thus furthering interest in the match he's trying to sell. In the case of Johnson and Cena, the top circle likes that fans are sensing their friction and believing that they may legitimately come to blows at WrestleMania XXVIII.
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
Booker T Offers Advice to Younger Talents
"Of course, we’re friends, but this is a business, and you’ve got to go out there and treat it like a business. You’ve got to think about being better than the next guy. These young guys really got to focus, if they want to work at the top of the card, if they want to be in that main event, if they want to carry the World title, if they want to be the WWE champion. They’ve got to really put their thinking cap on and really focus on what it’s going to take for them to get in that position. It’s a test each and every day."
Rumor Mill - Triple H Considered "DeFacto Vince"
WrestleZone.com is reporting that the transition phase in WWE, with power being shifted to HHH and his wife Stephanie McMahon Levesque from WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, continues at a decent pace, with many of the creative decisions Vince used to rule on now being handled by HHH. One writing team source called HHH "The DeFacto Vince," but added "Vince is hands-on in control of WrestleMania, and he's not letting anyone else have a say in the matter."
This is one of the reasons why so much of the WrestleMania lineup has not been finalized yet, because, according to another key WWE insider, "Vince keeps changing his mind. He's just not sold on anything but the top matches."
