Owner of The Monster Factory Comments on the WWE Performance Center

Danny Cage, co-owner of The Monster Factory wrestling school in New Jersey, recently talked with Temple-News.com about the possibility of working with WWE at some point. The idea would that they could become an extension of the new Performance Center for wrestlers that can't move to Florda, or those that WWE doesn't have room for currently.

Cage said the following:

"I love what they're doing with the Performance Center. When Gerald Brisco came to our place, he suggested we discuss with Triple H and check the center out. We run a very similar program to WWE developmental because they're also looking for the basics rather than the high spots. But there are only so many people they can train at once, and people can't always move to Florida to train. It would be great if they sent people over to us to check out. I can't ever see there being a problem with us finding students because it's for the better of the business."

WWE Issues Statement Regarding The WWE Network

Wrestlezone.com revealed new information obtained through sources within WWE regarding the direction the company is moving in for the long awaited WWE Network.

WWE has issued an official public statement:

“In addition to not being able to confirm timing of WWE Network launch, WWE is still considering all options for distribution, pricing and role of pay-per-view.”

New Details on the WWE Network

Justin LaBar of WrestleZone.com is reporting that WWE has a targeted launch date of February 24th for the WWE Network, which is the day after the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. This confirms a previous report from PWInsider.com, but LaBar's sources provided him with a few extra tidbits about the Network:

Initial price point will be in the $10-$12 a month range, with the sign-up being for six months.

You'll be able to watch WrestleMania 30 on the Network, with the plan still being the reported "every non-WrestleMania pay-per-view airing on the Network in the future".

It won't be a channel on television, but an app-like service along the lines of Netflix that you'll be able to watch online and on devices like smart TVs, PS3, PS4, X-Box 360, X-Box one, and so on.

There will be a live, 24/7 stream of content on the Network, which is the thing that will separate it from apps like Netflix, which focuses more on-demand viewing. However, on-demand viewing will still be a part of the Network, as the entire library of Raw and Smackdown episodes, as well as pay-per-views, will be available to watch at launch.

source: wreetlezone.com

Backstage News On Vince And Triple H Making Decisions, Creative News On Daniel Bryan, More

Right now when it comes to power and making decisions within WWE, there are a lot of people involved in the process but the only real key decision makers are Vince McMahon and Triple H.

Regarding everything changing on Mondays, RAW is WWE's big priority and as of late, they don't even start talking about what they are going to do on SmackDown until Monday afternoon. Then around 6pm, Vince will want the writing team to give him a SmackDown main event so it can be promoted on RAW, and then the writers start scrambling for a match. This is why SmackDown and Main Event matches on RAW frequently change.

The reason this week's CM Punk vs. a member of The Shield match was promoted is because as of around 10pm on Monday night, Vince still hadn't made up his mind on which of the three Shield members would best fit as Punk's opponent.

Regarding Daniel Bryan's recent push, it's not that creative didn't want him to get revenge, a WWE Title win or even some kind of symbolic win, it's that nobody else really has that kind of influence except Vince and Triple H.

Update on the WWE Creative Department

In response to a PWInsider.com query on where the WWE Creative team now fits with all the changes to WWE Corporate that were announced yesterday, WWE issued the following response:
"Creative Writing now reports to Paul Levesque, EVP Talent and Live Events.

In addition to Stephanie McMahon’s expanded responsibilities as Chief Brand Officer, she will continue to maintain a presence on TV."

So, Triple H is now directly in charge of the WWE Creative team, although Vince McMahon remains the final say in every aspect of that part of the company

WWE Promotes Key Executives to Lead Future Growth

WWE (NYSE: WWE) is poised for transformative growth in important areas, including the renegotiation of its four largest television rights agreements, the potential launch of a WWE Network, expansion in key international markets, distribution of content on emerging platforms and new strategic partnerships. Michelle D. Wilson, George Barrios and Stephanie McMahon have been promoted to lead WWE in the execution of these strategic growth initiatives.

Michelle D. Wilson, formerly Chief Marketing Officer, has been promoted to Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer and will now oversee all of the company’s revenue lines and assume responsibility for WWE’s $900 million retail consumer products business. Wilson retains her current revenue generating responsibilities for Sponsorship Sales, Pay-Per-View and New Business Development and will continue to oversee all WWE Marketing and Corporate Communications. Wilson is also spearheading the company’s efforts to launch a WWE Network and will continue to report directly to WWE Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Vince McMahon. Casey Collins, Executive Vice President, Consumer Products will report to Wilson.

George Barrios, formerly Chief Financial Officer, has been promoted to Chief Strategy and Financial Officer and will now oversee all of the company’s strategic planning processes and take over management of WWE’s day-to-day Television Operations. He will retain his management of Financial Planning and Investor Relations. With Wilson, Barrios is co-leading WWE’s television rights negotiations and will continue to report directly to WWE Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Vince McMahon. Will Staeger, Executive Vice President, Television Production will report to Barrios.

Stephanie McMahon, formerly Executive Vice President, Creative, has been promoted to Chief Brand Officer and will lead WWE’s efforts to further enhance its brand reputation among key constituencies including advertisers, media, business partners and investors. McMahon will serve as the company’s brand ambassador and work with WWE’s business units to support key growth initiatives. McMahon will also lead WWE’s targeted youth and moms marketing programs and will continue to report directly to WWE Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Vince McMahon.

Kevin Dunn will serve as Executive Producer of all WWE programming, including Monday Night Raw, Friday Night SmackDown, WWE Main Event and Total Divas and will continue to report to Vince McMahon.

“WWE is entering a new era of unprecedented growth,” said WWE Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Vince McMahon. “I am confident that my senior executive team is now organized more effectively to capitalize on the wealth of opportunities.”

Additionally, Perkins Miller, Executive Vice President, Digital Media will report to Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Vince McMahon, and Eddie Feldmann, Senior Vice President, Creative Writing will report to Paul Levesque, Executive Vice President, Talent and Live Events.

Looks like Triple H may finally get to run the creative department.

The Full List Of WWE Slammy Awards Revealed Including "Hashtag Of The Year"

WWE have updated the full list of Slammy Awards that fans will be able to vote on the WWE app on Monday night.

The full list is:

Superstar of the Year

Match of the Year

Diva of the Year

Insult of the Year

Double-Cross of the Year

"LOL!" Moment of the Year

"This Is Awesome" Moment of the Year

Extreme Moment of the Year

Trending Now (Hashtag) of the Year

Beard of the Year

Fan Participation of the Year

Breakout Star of the Year

Update on the Sin Cara WWE Character

WWE may have parted ways with Luis Ignascio Urive Alvirde, the real Sin Cara, on Monday by informing him just a few hours before RAW. We're still waiting on confirmation of his departure.

Hunico will be working as Sin Cara going forward but may not be behind the mask permanently as there's already talk of bringing someone up from NXT to play the character.

WWE chose not to kill off the Sin Cara character completely because his merchandise has done well and there's a feeling that they have built up a character that pays into the colorful personality of WWE. The feeling is that the character didn't fail but the performer who played the character failed.

December 2nd Edition of WWE Raw Draws Lowest Viewership of the Year

The 12/2 edition of WWE Raw had the lowest viewership of any Raw this year. Monday's show drew 3,541,000 viewers overall, which is the lowest dating back to the 2012 Christmas Eve episode. It's the lowest number since October 1st of last year if you take out holiday shows. In comparison, the New Orleans Sants vs Seattle Seahawks dominated ratings on Monday with 15.5 million viewers. To make matters worse, Raw gradually lost viewers as the night went on, starting out with 3,616,000 before dropping to 3,447,000 for the final hour.

Video: Triple H vows The King of Kings will crown The Champion of Champions at WWE TLC

Chris Hero Talks About Getting Released by WWE, Current NXT Stars, the Indies and More

The Masked Man of Grantland.com has a lengthy new article up asking if indie wrestling can survive WWE. It features an interview with Chris Hero, formerly known as WWE NXT star Kassius Ohno. Here are some highlights:

The pressure of going back to the indies: "I'm the prettiest girl at the dance for the moment. I know it's not going to last forever. I have to be on my toes. One very real thing is people asking, "Does he still have it in him? Can he bring to the table what he brought to the table years ago?" It's inspiring for me. I want to show people that I have as much to offer as anyone in the history of wrestling. That sounds a little grandiose, but I feel like I have something different."

Whether WWE prefers homegrown talent to hiring wrestlers with indie buzz: "I don't think they give a shit about buzz. They only care about their own buzz, which makes sense. You can't solely cater to the niche fan base — it's a tricky demographic to deal with. But you can see somebody get over with those fans and think maybe they can do it in WWE, too. And they see someone who has the passion to chase the dream, traveling around the world. If you have passion, if you're a good performer, those are two of the most important things in wrestling, and they're things you can't manufacture. Some people are naturals. Take Big E Langston; he has such a perfect match of athleticism and charisma, and he looks like an action figure."

Being released by WWE: "I'd been employed for 21 months. They knew what I was. They had a certain perception of what I brought to the table, and I guess they thought I wasn't going to be called up anytime soon. They had a pecking order, and certain guys who were going to be the next ones called up, and I wasn't in that group. It was a little vague, but I was told, "This isn't good-bye forever; this is good-bye for now.""

"Getting fired sucks for anybody, even if it's a job you hate. So the gut instinct is to be mad, but none of that will serve me. None of that will put any money in my bank account. It's not hard to be positive because I do what I love. When I was 8 or 9 years old my mom would take me to Hara Arena in Dayton, Ohio, to see Ultimate Warrior versus Andre the Giant or to watch Demolition versus the Rockers or to see the very first Survivor Series in Richfield. It would be completely different if I landed on my head and got injured so I couldn't wrestle anymore — that would be hard to deal with. But what was taken from me? A weekly paycheck?"

His fellow developmental wrestlers: "The guys in NXT now — Sami Zayn, Adrian Neville, Tyler Breeze, Scott Dawson — when they get called up, they could set the world on fire just like Daniel Bryan did. But Bryan did more than that — he set the locker room on fire. He was in the ring in the main event every week with so much intensity that everybody else realized they had to step things up. Randy Orton, for instance. He looks like he's wrestling with a new inspiration, and he doesn't need to do that."

WWE Possible WrestleMania XXX Match for Triple H

There has been a lot of changes to WrestleMania XXX plans within the last week. Word now is that they are building to a Triple H vs. CM Punk match either leading up to WrestleMania or at the big event itself.