Triple H & Stephanie McMahon in the NOH8 Campaign

Total Divas Recap 4/20/14

New WWE Network Show

WWE Network will debut a new series, "Best of WWE Hall of Fame" this week, showcasing different Hall of Fame inductions from over the years.

Recap of Last Night’s “Warrior: The Ultimate Legend” Special – Vince McMahon, Sting, Triple H & Others Say Goodbye to the Ultimate Warrior

Thursday night WWE aired part three of their three-part Ultimate Warrior tribute series on the WWE Network, as a part of what they are calling "Warrior Week".

Part one focused on Warrior's greatest matches, while part two was centered completely around his epic confrontation with Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania.

This week's episode started out with footage of Warrior making his debut in the WWE, with commentary from him, Hulk Hogan, Kofi Kingston, John Cena, Batista, Stephanie McMahon and others. They then move forward through his career, including his WWE Championship match with The Hulkster at WrestleMania, to the point where Warrior was the highest merchandise pusher in the company.

The second part of the video followed Warrior and his family in New Orleans during WrestleMania 30 weekend. Sgt. Slaughter paid a visit to Warrior in his hotel room, followed by a discussion about dropping the title to Slaughter, and the iconic retirement match against "Macho Man" Randy Savage.

Also discussed was Warrior holding up Vince McMahon for $500,000, the litigation between both parties regarding the Ultimate Warrior persona, his run in WCW being a failure, and the infamous "Self Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior" DVD. Warrior revealed why he refused to shake Vince's hand, Hogan talked about being called into court during the dispute, and several other personal stories.

The final segment saw Warrior arrive at WWE HQ to talk about his return with Triple H. Then, in an extremely emotional moment, they showed Warrior meeting with Vince McMahon for the first time in years, backstage prior to the 2014 Hall of Fame ceremony. The episode ends with Vince McMahon, Triple H, and Sting giving their teary-eyed thoughts on the tragic passing of Warrior, with a few final thoughts from John Cena, Cesaro, and Hulk Hogan.

The entire episode, as well as parts one and two of the Warrior Week tribute videos, are available on the WWE Network right now.

WWE Reportedly Telling Current and Former Talents to Stay Away from Nancy Grace

TMZ reports that Nancy Grace has been blackballed by WWE over the way she covered the death of The Ultimate Warrior. WWE is warning current and former Superstars to stay off her show.

TMZ notes that while WWE hasn't issued any official memos yet, strong word is going around the company that anyone connected to the WWE brand should stay away from Nancy if they want to keep a working relationship.

The Kliq Members Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Sean Waltman and HBK Discuss the MSG Curtain Call Incident

WWE.com has posted a new interview up with Kliq members Kevin Nash, Sean Waltman, Shawn Michaels and Scott Hall. The interview was conducted during the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, and below are some highlights of the interview, which focuses on the famous MSG Curtain Call incident in 1996. Click here.

Major Network Expected to Make Play for Renee Young

ESPN is expected to make a major play for Renee Young soon. She has impressed a lot of the networks with her smoothness in her work with WWE since coming from The Score.

Triple H Reportedly Suffers Injury at WrestleMania

Triple H suffered some kind of muscle injury in the match with Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania XXX, which is why his leg was taped up the next night on RAW. The only thing being said is that there was noticeable bruising from a muscle injury.

Ultimate Warrior’s Wife Dana Issues Statement on the Death of Her Husband, Thanks WWE Stars for Raw Tribute

The official WWE website posted the following touching letter from The Ultimate Warrior's wife Dana today:

Dearest Warriors,

It is with an absolutely broken heart I reach out to you. Since the passing of my husband, I have been fortunate enough to insulate my sweet girls and myself from the outside world. In this bubble we have grieved and continue to do so. For a week, I did not allow any television or media to seep through our cocoon. I was told, though, of the outpouring of love for my beloved husband and support for, as he always called us, his Warrior Girls. I can only say thank you.

On Sunday night, I was told WWE would pay tribute to Warrior and so I set the DVR planning to watch it when we were ready. As the hour neared, I broke resolve and turned on every TV in the house to full blast and snuggled our daughters close to me on the couch, unsure what we would see. As the scene unfolded with that amazing roster of talent gathered donning Ultimate Warrior shirts and even his face paint, we cheered and sobbed simultaneously. To everyone who stood there, thank you. My girls will remember your bowed heads for the rest of their lives. You are not just Superstars; you are super people.

I cannot put words to what that video tribute meant. We watched it multiple times and, this morning, it was how I started my day; mornings are the hardest for me. I will treasure that song and those images more than anything I own. Vindication. ULTIMATE PERFECTION.

I was told it was reported WWE was "there" for us. "There" is the understatement of a lifetime. They were a warm blanket to us three and we were quickly absorbed into their family. Words are cheap; promises are forever. This family is one I'm honored to be a member of and will gladly be the warm blanket to any of them who need me next.

My husband's speech had so many highlights for me as I sat proudly in the audience looking on at his moment ... I most loved his request for the Hall of Fame to include the, as he called them, "true Superstars," those behind-the-scenes people who make the machine run. See, I'm the person who puts up the ring in our house. I'm the background person who makes things happen seamlessly. I am surrounded by performers in my husband and children, so I felt a kinship with all the people he wanted to shine a spotlight upon who make WWE work. He loved you all, and knew that each of you made his run there possible. Thank you!

To all the ULTIMATE WARRIOR fans: THANK YOU!! He told me when he shook the ropes it was him gathering strength from each of you. Warrior respected you and loved you as do the girls and I. I will reach out to the ropes for your strength to sustain me in the sad days that the girls and I face. UNWAVERING is what you've been. GRATEFUL is what we are.

The Undertaker and I have a lot more in common than you might think. You see, I had a bit of a streak of my own going for the last 20 years. Yes, Warrior and I would have matches of our own ... He would yell, I would cry, he would submit, I would win - always. My quivering chin and "pooched" lip was always more powerful than any clothesline or gorilla press slam. He'd laugh and shake his head and say,"you win, Pooch," but really we both did.

My streak was broken April 8, 2014 when he collapsed. I fought and screamed and cried for him not to leave me, but I wasn't to win this round. Heaven won and I lost, but I had the ULTIMATE love for 20 years and my children learned to be Warriors from THE ULTIMATE DAD. I wouldn't trade a moment of the life we shared, good or bad, for anything on God's green earth. He is the love of my life and gave me the gift of our beautiful, sweet, amazing girls. He was loyal and kind and strong and brave. He taught me to live by his creed,"Live Strong, Act Bold, Be Brave. Nothing's too hard to do, ALWAYS BELIEVE," and with that creed I will carry on and make him proud.

Streaks are broken but legends live forever.

Always Believe,

Dana A. Warrior

In lieu of donations to the family or flowers please make a donation to our wounded veterans and their families at www.operationfamilyfund.org. Our brave servicemen and women are our true warriors.

Hart Family Member Calls WrestleMania XXX Opener the Greatest In History, Praises Triple H

Smith Hart, uncle of WWE diva Natalya Neidhart and member of the legendary Hart family dynasty, has published a new column at PWMania.com. Hart gives his thoughts and reaction to WWE WrestleMania XXX. Here is an excerpt from his entry:

"As the pyrotechnics subsided the 75000+ were ignited immediately with the sounds of Hulk Hogan entering the Silverdome….ugh I mean Superdome. As Hulk stumbled to remember where he was, the crowd exploded as the glass shattered and the faithful were finally treated to the very first Hulk Hogan-Steve Austin face-to-face “showdown”. Despite fan’s hopeful anticipation of a good ole fashioned ass-whuppin’, the mood immediately shifted as Stone Cold Steve Austin engaged the audience in some jubilant laughter and a respective retrospect of the Immortal Hulk Hogan’s Wrestlemania legacy. As the two blew smoke up each other’s asses, the audience busted out of their seats as The Rock entered the Superdome and cut a promo for the ages proving once and for all, even amongst the Mount Rushmore of WWE, The Rock stood supreme. As the three greatest icons in history held court in the ring, not only were we treated to a WM moment, I would argue we were treated to the single greatest opening in the history of the grandest event in Sports Entertainment.

As I expected, Daniel Bryan and Triple H initiated the event. I would say that in terms of spectacle, Hunter`s Game of Thrones-influenced promenade was the top entrance of the evening, even eclipsing that of The Undertaker. This match was perhaps the best match to start the evening as it set a great pace without overshadowing anything later to come. Furthermore, Hunter did an amazing job creating “heat” on Daniel Bryan to give the fans the appropriate emotional reactions as to whether or not their faithful hero would in fact move on to the main event that evening."

WWE to be part of new AOL Premium Video Experience

AOL.com announced a new Premium Video Experience today and listed WWE among the premium content providers. Other providers listed includes ESPN, E!, HSN, Vanity Fair, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue and many more.

Record 1 Million U.S. Households Watch WrestleMania

WWE® (NYSE: WWE) today announced that WrestleMania 30 reached a record 1 million households in the U.S. alone on WWE Network and pay-per-view combined, the first time WrestleMania has eclipsed this mark domestically. With more than 667,000 WWE Network subscribers in the U.S. and nearly 400,000 domestic pay-per-view buying homes for WrestleMania 30, WWE is confident that it will reach its goal of 1 million subscribers by the end of 2014.

WWE Network launched on February 24 in the U.S. and successfully streamed six hours of live coverage of WrestleMania 30 on Sunday, April 6. Additionally, more than 7.1 million hours of video content was viewed on WWE Network during WrestleMania Week from Tuesday, April 1 through Tuesday, April 8.

WWE Network will be rolled out in Canada, the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong and the Nordics in late 2014/early 2015.