Stephanie McMahon Discusses WWE’s Cardio, ImPACT & Drug Testing

KDKA Channel 2, the CBS affiliate out of Pittsburgh, has a new article online on WWE’s medical team featuring quotes from WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon. In it, she discusses the company’s Wellness testing.

“We do cardiovascular screening,” says Stephanie told the media outlet. “We do ImPACT testing. We do blood work. There is a drug testing component.”

“It’s really with the idea of having our athletes and our superstars have the best health possible,” McMahon said.

Click here to read the article in its entirety.

This Day In Wrestling History

Sting defeats Hulk Hogan for the then vacant WCW World Championship.
February 22, 1998

Hulk Hogan Returns to WWE

WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has returned to WWE (NYSE:WWE) and will host WrestleMania® 30 on Sunday, April 6 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. Hogan will make his long-awaited return to WWE this Monday on Raw®, which airs live at 8 pm ET on USA Network. He will also appear on WWE Raw Backstage Pass, airing live on WWE Network on Monday night at 11:05 pm ET.

A larger-than-life icon, Hogan is one of the biggest names in WWE history. On January 23, 1984, “Hulkamania” was officially born when he defeated The Iron Sheik to become WWE Champion at Madison Square Garden. He headlined WrestleMania III, where he successfully defended the WWE Championship against Andre The Giant in front of a record 93,173 fans at the Pontiac Silverdome. Hogan went on to win six WWE Championships, starred in movies, television shows and became an idol to a vast legion of fans he dubbed “Hulkamaniacs.” Hogan was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005 by Hollywood legend Sylvester Stallone. His last WWE appearance was in December 2007, where he appeared at the 15th anniversary of Monday Night Raw.

“We are thrilled that Hulk Hogan has returned home to WWE,” said WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon. “It’s fitting to have him help us celebrate 30 years of WrestleMania and usher in a new era with the launch of WWE Network.”

“Words cannot express how excited I am to be back in the WWE family,” said Hulk Hogan. “I only have one question for the WWE Universe: whatcha gonna do when Hulkamania runs wild as the host of WrestleMania 30?”

Triple H & Stephanie McMahon to Appear in Joe DeFranco's Fitness Video

According to Joe DeFranco's Facebook page, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon will be shooting a fitness video with him. After I commented on his post this morning, he removed it from his page. DeFranco is their personal trainer.

WWE Going Against TNA on Thursdays, LGBT Training at the WWE Performance Center

Patrick Burke of the You Can Play Team, which aims to end homophobia in sports, noted on Twitter that they will be giving a presentation on LGBT issues in sports to the NXT stars at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando this week.

The bigger news coming out of the WWE Network programming lineup announcement on Wednesday is WWE going head-to-head with TNA's Impact Wrestling on Thursday nights. The Network will have a three hour block of programming on Thursday nights - Legends House at 8pm (beginning April 10th), NXT TV at 9pm (beginning March 6th) and Superstars at 10pm (beginning February 27th).

WWE & NBCU Far Apart On Price

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that NBCUniversal and WWE are “far apart on price” regarding a new domestic television distribution agreement. According to their report, they’ve retained Chris Bevilacqua, head of media advisory firm Bevilacqua Helfant Ventures, to negotiate the deal.

Click here for coverage by the LA Times.

Vince McMahon Says CM Punk Is “Taking A Sabbatical”

Vince McMahon was asked about CM Punk on Thursday’s conference call with investors. He said Punk is “taking a sabbatical, let’s put it that way.”

Vince McMahon conference call coverage: Operating income loss in quarter; incomplete answers on television negotiations and carriage of WrestleMania XXX; expected losses in 2014

Vince McMahon and members of senior management hosted a conference call pertaining to the 2013 fourth quarter report that was released on February 20, 21014. The following are the highlights of the call.

-The call was hosted by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, WWE CFO George Barrios, and WWE Investor Relations Michael Weitz.

-Vince touted increases in live event attendance, TV viewership, and social media reach. He also touted some of their new product lines and the new UK television deal.

-Vince mentioned that they had left their negotiating window with NBCU and they were in the marketplace for the first time in long time.

-He hyped the WWE Network launch on Monday and said "most" of their traditional pay-per-view carriers have agreed to carry WrestleMania XXX with a month-to-month approach to events after that.

-George Barrios took over the call and read through the financial report. He announced an OBIDA loss for fourth quarter based primarily on spending for the WWE Network and film impairment charges, but that their year-end OIBDA results were within expected results.

-Barrios said that with the addition of Total Divas this year, WWE reaches 14.2 million viewers on average each week.

-Average attendance for the quarter were up four percent for the quarter and two percent for the year with a seven percent increase in ticket prices.

-Barrios touted Total Divas increasing viewership by over 150 percent from the programming it replaced on the E! Network.

-Barrios again repeated their belief that they can double or triple the 2012 $60 million OIBDA level by 2015. He listed their American and Indian television deals, as well as the WWE Network as how they would do that.

-Barrios said they expect expansion of the Network to the UK, Canada, Australia, and Nordic countries by the end of the year or early 2015.

-Barrios said to expect losses early in 2014 because of costs to launch the WWE Network and other investments. He said they expect a 2014 first quarter loss of $12 to $15 million.

-The call was turned over to questions. Barrios refused to answer a question about how many companies were interested in their TV shows but said they were optimistic about the negotiations since all of their properties are available at the same time.

-Barrios also refused to give an estimate about how many subscribers they expected to have by WrestleMania but repeated the "one million by the end of the year" line for expected total subscribers.

-A caller asked about the excitement level for WrestleMania XXX from fans and Vince said he felt like they were on track to have a big year.

-Vince simply said CM Punk was "on sabbatical" when asked for an update.

-A caller challenged why WWE was in the movie business. Vince said they understood characters and story lines and already had a set of stars to use. He talked about changing the models for the studio and when asked about how long they would take to decide if the studio was working, Barrios said they were seeing a better return under their new model and would continue to evaluate with each film.

-A caller asked about WrestleMania coverage and Barrios said they expected to be available in 85 percent of the US households. He refused to discuss who was and was not carrying the PPV.

source: prowrestling.net

WWE Network Announces Programming Lineup

WWE Network, the first-ever 24/7 streaming network, has unveiled its programming lineup, which is highlighted by WrestleMania® 30 on Sunday, April 6 at 7 pm ET live from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.

In addition, for the first time ever, the WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will air live in its entirety on Saturday, April 5 at 9 pm ET on WWE Network. This year’s current inductees include The Ultimate Warrior, Jake “The Snake” Roberts and Lita. A one-hour special will also air on USA Network on Monday, April 7, immediately following Monday Night Raw®.

WWE Network will officially launch on Monday, February 24 at 9 am ET and fans will instantly have access to live programming and the most comprehensive WWE video-on-demand library upon signing up exclusively at WWE.com.

WWE Network will be available through the WWE App on TV via connected devices including Roku streaming devices, Sony PlayStation® 3, Sony PlayStation® 4 and Xbox 360. WWE Network will also be available through the WWE App on iOS devices, including Apple iPad and iPhone, Amazon’s Kindle Fire devices and Android devices, as well as on desktops and laptops via WWE.com.

The programming line-up on WWE Network includes:

WrestleMania 30

WWE’s pop-culture extravaganza, WrestleMania 30, will air live on Sunday, April 6 at 7 pm ET from New Orleans. More than 70,000 fans from all 50 states and more than 30 countries are expected to converge on the Mercedes-Benz Superdome with millions more watching around the world. Current WWE Superstars will be joined by a host of WWE Legends for a celebration 30 years in the making.

WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

For the first time ever, the 2014 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will air live in its entirety on WWE Network on Saturday, April 5 at 9 pm ET from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. This year’s current inductees include The Ultimate Warrior, Jake “The Snake” Roberts and Lita.

Live Monday Night Raw Pre-Show and WWE Raw Backstage Pass

A live, 30-minute Raw Pre-Show will air each week and premieres on Monday, February 24 at 7:30 pm ET.

WWE Raw Backstage Pass will air live each week immediately following Monday Night Raw, providing analysis of the night’s action and exclusive backstage interviews. The premiere will air on Monday, February 24 at 11:05 pm ET.

Friday Night SmackDown® Pre-Show and WWE SmackDown Backstage Pass

A 30-minute pre-show for SmackDown will air each week and premieres on Friday, February 28 at 7:30 pm ET.

WWE SmackDown Backstage Pass will air each week immediately following SmackDown, providing analysis of the night’s action and exclusive backstage interviews. The premiere will air on Friday, February 28 at 10 pm ET.

WrestleMania® Rewind

WrestleMania® Rewind will provide fans with a comprehensive look back at the most groundbreaking matches and dramatic moments in WrestleMania history. The series premieres on Tuesday, February 25 at 9 pm ET with a sneak peek on Monday, February 24 at 9 am ET.

WWE Countdown™

A one-hour, groundbreaking, interactive, countdown series that will put the power squarely in viewers’ hands by giving the audience the chance to discuss and rank WWE’s most spectacular Superstars, unexpected moments, best catch phrases and more through digital polling and social media interaction. The series premieres on Tuesday, February 25 at 10 pm ET with a sneak peek on Monday, February 24 at 10 am ET.

WWE Legends’ House™

WWE’s greatest Legends reunite for a new title – only this time, they’re competing outside of the ring. Imagine a beautiful house in the suburbs – perfectly furnished, with gorgeous landscaping, a lovely pool and quiet, respectable neighbors. WWE Superstars from the past including Rowdy Roddy Piper, Tony Atlas and Hacksaw Jim Duggan will turn the neighborhood upside down as the house staff tries their best to keep these Legends on time, on speaking terms, and out of trouble in this new reality show. The series premieres on Thursday, April 10 at 8 pm ET.

This is NXT®

A one-hour special that will take viewers inside the action-packed world of tomorrow’s WWE’s Superstars as they aspire to become the future of WWE. Featuring behind-the-scenes moments and in-ring action from WWE’s Performance Center, fans will get up close and personal with the next generation of Superstars. The series premieres on Monday, February 24 at 11 am ET.

NXT ArRival™

WWE Network’s first live in-ring event will air on Thursday, February 27 at 8 pm ET. The live special will showcase the brightest and best of WWE’s rising stars from WWE’s Performance Center, as well as appearances by WWE Superstars John Cena®, Sheamus®, The New Age Outlaws and WWE Legends Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels.

Thirty minutes prior to the event, the NXT ArRival Pre-Show will air at 7:30 pm ET and include exclusive interviews and appearances by NXT Superstars, WWE Superstars and Legends.

WWE NXT®

Each Thursday at 9 pm ET, WWE Superstars and Divas of tomorrow face off on WWE NXT, a one-hour, weekly show that features the brightest and best of WWE’s rising stars. WWE NXT showcases the Superstars and Divas from WWE’s Performance Center as well as appearances from WWE Superstars and Legends in an intimate setting. WWE NXT broadcasts from the state-of-the-art Full Sail LIVE venue on the Full Sail University campus in Orlando, Florida. The series premieres on Thursday, March 6 at 9 pm ET.

WWE Superstars®

A one-hour, weekly show highlighting the best of WWE Superstars and Divas in heart-pounding matches. The show will also feature highlights from all WWE programming, as well as a special glimpse at everything going on in the WWE Universe. The series premieres on Thursday, February 27 at 10 pm ET.

Beyond the Ring™

An all-access pass to the fast-paced action of WWE’s home video library. With classic matches and groundbreaking biographies of WWE Legends, fans will have all the action from WCW®, AWA®, ECW® and WWE right at their fingertips. The series premieres on Saturday, March 1 at 8 pm ET.

Best of Raw

Every Wednesday at 9 pm ET, Best of Raw will feature the most memorable episodes from the longest-running weekly episodic show in television history. Each week, see some of the most incredible matches and controversial moments featured over the years on Monday Night Raw. The series premieres at a special date and time on Thursday, February 27 at 4:30 pm ET.

Best of SmackDown

For more than a decade, Friday Night SmackDown has brought amazing action and memorable moments to the WWE Universe. On Saturdays at 1 pm ET, WWE Network will showcase the most exciting episodes of SmackDown. The series premieres on Saturday, March 1 at 1 pm ET.

Expansive Video-On-Demand Library

In addition to live and original programming, fans will have access to the most comprehensive WWE video-on-demand library the instant they subscribe. WWE Network will offer all WWE, WCW and ECW pay-per-views as well as encores of Raw and SmackDown® totaling more than 1,500 hours of video on demand at launch.

The Titus Effect

Is WWE's Daniel Bryan inspiring mainstream sports? Yes!

Daniel Bryan is not a cable TV subscriber, despite starring on one of its top-rated shows. So it was good fortune that Bryan, one of World Wrestling Entertainment's most popular stars, was on the road in a hotel when Michigan State hosted Ohio State in basketball on Jan. 7.

"All of a sudden I get a text from one of our other Superstars, Titus O'Neil," Bryan told USA TODAY Sports. "It said, 'If you're in your hotel room right now and have ESPN, turn it on.'"

Bryan took O'Neil's advice and saw Travis Jackson, a junior center on Michigan State's football team, standing on the basketball court at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich. Jackson pointed his index fingers to the sky, bent his arms at the elbow and led 14,797 people in a chant that Bryan has implanted in popular culture in the past year.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!"...More?

source: usatoday.com

WWE: CM Punk Has Not Been Released

WWE have released a statement to F4WOnline which simply confirmed that CM Punk has not been released.

This contradicts earlier reports from PWInsider of the rumour of people backstage at live events at the weekend suggesting he had been released. Of course, they only went on what talent were talking about.