Bruno Sammartino defeats Buddy Rogers for the (WWWF)WWE Championship at Madison Square Garden.
May 17, 1963
Vince McMahon Sr. died of cancer at 69.
May 17, 1984
Marty Jannetty defeated Shawn Michaels for the WWF(E) Intercontinental title.
May 17, 1993
"British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith died of a heart attack at 39.
May 17, 2002
May 17, 2012
This Day in Wrestling History
May 16, 2012
News on WWE Raw’s 1000th Episode
WWE has recently launched a website campaign to promote the forthcoming 1,000th episode of WWE Raw. Based on WWE promoting the 900th episode on August 23, 2010, the actual 1,000th episode will be July 30, but WWE is promoting July 23rd as the date to acknowledge the milestone. WWE unveiled a logo for the 1,000th episode and said they will be featuring interviews with stars over the next two months leading to the end of July.
Shawn Michaels Comments on Triple H, The Undertaker and WMXXVIII
"For me, it was about three of us who have been there -- for the most part -- the longest of anybody and probably the last of the Mohicans, so to speak.It was three guys who had been sharing that locker-room for a long time, doing this in some form or another, whether it was me and Hunter, me and Taker, Taker and Hunter. The three of us have run the gamut of being in and out of the ring with each other and going through ups and downs, personally and professionally, and this is the last time the three of us will be in the ring together. That's what the End of an Era was to me."
Linda McMahon Accused Of Exchanging WrestleMania Ticket For Political Endorsement
There’s an interesting story making rounds today in the Linda McMahon for Senate campaign. Campaign rival Christopher Shays is making bribing accusations against Linda McMahon as Republican Town Committee chairman John Slater was ringside at WrestleMania XXVIII in Miami and publicly endorsed McMahon a month later.
“I find it interesting that John Slater went to WrestleMania in Miami, and soon after he returned came out and endorsed Linda McMahon,” said Amanda Bergen of the Shays campaign.
Slater has denied the accusations, claiming he attended the show on his own dime and sent a photo of his bank statement and ticket stub for the event to the Greenwich Time. According to the materials sent to the publication, Slater paid $355 for a central rise seat at Wrestlemania. Slater officially endorsed McMahon on May 8th.
“If they’re insinuating a bribe, which I can prove never happened, that’s totally wrong,” Slater told Greenwich Time. “If that’s the road that his campaign is now taking, it shows another reason why not to vote for him, because it’s a lie.”...More?
sources: wrestlingnewsworld.com and greenwich times
Jim Ross Ross Says He Will Be At First Full Sail Taping; Role TBD
WWE announcer Jim Ross says he will be part of the first WWE TV taping at Full Sail University in Florida Thursday, but his role has not yet been determined. "The future of the WWE lies within the Talent Development program and I am blessed to be able to help in that area in any way that the company sees fit," Ross wrote in his latest blog on jrsbarbq.com before traveling to Florida. "My role has yet to be outlined but I think I can assist in many areas and I'm excited to devote my time and energies to helping develop the young stars of tomorrow."
This Day in Wrestling History
Andy Kaufman dies of kidney failure due to large cell carcinoma in Los Angeles, California. Kaufman is best known in the wrestling world for his 1982 match with Jerry Lawler at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, Tennessee, and subsequent expletive-laden appearance with Lawler on the Late Show with David Letterman.
May 16, 1984
May 15, 2012
Financial Status of Shane McMahon's Company - YOU on Demand
The financial status of Shane McMahon's company, YOU on Demand (YOD) is best described as "shaky". Although YOD has signed several deals with content distributers recently, the 10Q quarterly report filed May 15, 2012 tells the real story.
Shane initially invested $4 million dollars in YOD 2009. He loaned YOD $3 million dollars on May 10, 2012. The report also states the following:
We anticipate that we may need to raise additional funds to fully implement our business model and related strategies. The fact that we have incurred significant continuing losses and have relied on debt and equity financings to fund our operations to date, could raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
The 'going concern' concept directs accountants to prepare financial statements on the assumption that the business is not about to go broke or be liquidated (i.e. where the business closes and sells all the assets for whatever price they can get. In other words the company is not financially stable.
YOD has also had problems with proper financial controls:
As required by Rule 13a-15 under the Exchange Act, our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of March 31, 2012. Based on that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that as of March 31, 2012, and as of the date that the evaluation of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures was completed, our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective to satisfy the objectives for which they are intended. However, during 2011, the Company hired two US
GAAP and SEC qualified internal personnel, one in the US and one in China, to oversee its financial reporting operations. Subsequent to March 31, 2012, our US based employee resigned from the company to pursue another opportunity. During the interim period, another internal employee with US GAAP and SEC experience temporarily filled the position on a full time basis. The company anticipates hiring a permanent replacement during the second quarter. The interim employee will remain in a supporting role to provide additional control support. With these individuals in place and with the additional personnel to be added, we expect that
within the next quarter our internal controls will be effective.
YOD reported gross profit loss of 45%. The full report can be viewed here.
Vince McMahon Appears on DWTS
Several readers have sent in word that Vince McMahon appeared on last night's edition of "Dancing with the Stars" in a video package, during which he put over Maria Menounos and described her as "daring," saying she has a "great work ethic."
source: wrestlezone.com
Paul Levesque's Corporate Title Changed
Corporate bio hasn't changed, just the title. He is now listed as EVP, Talent & Live Events. You can view his bio here.
Suing WWE for Brock Lesnar: Payday or Payback for Paul Heyman?
One of Hollywood’s most famous lines is from 1972’s Academy Award winning film "The Godfather" when Michael Corleone, about to enter the world of organized crime, tells his brother, “It’s not personal Sonny. It’s just business.”
Paul Heyman’s two lawsuits against WWE Chief Operating Officer Triple H and WWE for breach of Brock Lesnar’s contract and assault and battery clearly have business ramifications for all parties involved, but could Heyman’s involvement be part of his own personal vendetta?
Lesnar debuted in WWE 10 years ago with one of wrestling’s greatest Managers, Paul Heyman, as his agent. Heyman had already been with WWE for a year following the bankruptcy of ECW, boasting a five-year tenure with WWE that was marred with animosity both on and off television.
Following the abysmal ECW December to Dismember pay-per-view in 2006, a very public disagreement about who was to blame for the subpar show saw Heyman part ways with WWE either by resignation or termination, depending on whether you ask Heyman or WWE. Heyman remained publicly silent about his acrimonious split from WWE. Did Heyman sign a non-disclosure and non-disparagement agreement or was the Extreme mastermind simply biding his time until an opportunity for vengeance materialized or both?
Lesnar and Heyman remained friends while Lesnar did the unimaginable, leaving WWE in his prime to UFC at age 30 and battering his way to the undisputed UFC heavyweight championship. In fact, the former ECW Owner co-wrote Lesnar’s autobiography.
Fast forward to Raw on April 30, 2012. One night after beating John Cena bloody at Extreme Rules, Lesnar was confronted on Raw SuperShow by Triple H, who dismissed Brock's outlandish demands, including private jets. The WWE COO explained that the ludicrous details Executive Vice President of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis had verbally agreed to the previous Monday on Raw were not authorized by him or the Board of Directors and were, thus, invalid.
Enraged, Lesnar savagely attacked Triple H and snapped his left arm with a punishing MMA hold called the Kimura Lock. A week later, Brock sent a legal representative to state his position. His representative? None other than Paul Heyman! Heyman read Brock’s statement to the WWE Universe that Lesnar quit, then, moments later, Heyman told WWE.com that his client was “owed millions” by WWE.
From a business standpoint, as a representative of Lesnar’s, recouping even a small percentage of Lesnar’s seven-figure contract is a nice commission for Heyman. The question is: Does Heyman (who turned down multiple offers to return to wrestling during his five-year absence from WWE, indicating income is not an issue for him) relish suing WWE as personal payback rather than a pecuniary payday?
source: wwe.com
Oderint Dum Metuant: Let Them Hate As Long As They Fear
