Rumor Mill - WWE Holds Talent Meeting, Reinstates Dress Code & More, Have Talents Been Paid For WM30?

WrestleZone.com is reporting that WWE talent relations held a meeting with all the wrestlers in the past week or so and instituted a dress code again, which is a sore subject with the talent considering the brutal schedule they've been on.

Fines will be levied for any violation of the dress code.

Wrestlers were also told there is a zero tolerance rule in effect for showing up to Raw or Smackdown after the designated call time, which is usually 2pm eastern time for Raw and 2pm local time for Smackdown. Needless to say, with WrestleMania checks and video game payments still not distributed, the talent in WWE is, according to one source, "jittery" to say the least.

WNS Column: HHH In, Vince Out?

Redskins Name Debate Makes WWE Raw

Stephanie McMahon, Triple H announce 'Connor's Cure' charity fund in honor of Connor Michalek

WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon and WWE Executive Vice President of Talent, Creative and Live Events, Paul “Triple H” Levesque have announced the formation of “Connor’s Cure,” a charity that they have personally funded through Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation named in honor of Pittsburgh native Connor Michalek. Connor passed away at age 8 earlier this year from Medulloblastoma, a rare tumor that affects the brain and spinal cord. Donations to Connor’s Cure will provide funds for pediatric brain and spinal cancer research, and medical care for children and their families.

Through the love of his family and Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Connor persevered over his affliction. His fighting spirit made him a local celebrity in Pittsburgh, including getting Superstar treatment from both the Pittsburgh Pirates and WWE. Although Connor lost his battle to cancer, his message of light and love continue to thrive.

Donations can be made by visiting: www.givetochildrens.org/CONNORSCURE.

Vickie Guerrero "Fired" On RAW

Vickie Guerrero was "fired" by Stephanie McMahon on tonight's RAW. We've noted that Vickie has been planning on taking a lengthy absence from WWE and there is no timetable for a return yet.

Total Divas Coming To WWE Network

WWE announced on Monday night's edition of RAW that the first season of Total Divas will begin airing on the WWE Network this coming Thursday night.

WWE Wins Three Sports Social TV Awards

WWE received three awards from the second annual Sports Social TV Awards this week.

The company captured awards for:

*WrestleMania 29 – Best Special Event Award

*WWE – Best Social Commerce or Marketing Program Award

*John Cena – Social TV Sports Entertainer of the Year Award.

The Sports Social TV Awards, "Bring together the top people, platforms and programs in the Sports Social TV space, nominees were recognized for excelling in the fast-moving industry of social TV, specific to the sports market, and pioneering the future of television with second-screen experiences."

Joe DeFranco Discusses Triple H's Training

Triple H's trainer Joe DeFranco recently appeared on The Podcast for Skinny Bastards. During the episode, he discussed how tore up Triple H was when he starting working with him. You can listen to it by clicking here.

Is it time for a new WWE CEO?

With this past week's announcement of World Wrestling Entertainment releasing 11 people from its roster added to the already horrendous drop in the WWE's stock price by almost 50%; reports that Vince McMahon personally lost over $750 million dollars over the last few months; the market's disappointment in WWE's new U.S. television deal; and the number of WWE Network subscribers being stuck at 667,287 which is quite far off the reported 1.5 million subscribers needed for it to break even; questions are being asked about the company's direction.

As is inevitable when a company has this kind of downfall in such a short amount of time, reports have been circulating that many investors are calling for Vince McMahon to resign as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company. However, the obvious query is whether or not that should happen and if so who would replace him?

Before devolving further into this issue, though, it has to be noted that Vince McMahon owns roughly 57% of WWE’s Class A common stock - 39.9 million shares - which gives him controlling interest in the company. So if he doesn’t wish to be removed as CEO of the company it would be almost impossible to force him to do so. Additionally, it also means that any successive CEO would need his stamp of approval.

Regardless, this does not mean that it hasn’t come time for someone else to guide the WWE as the CEO...More?

source: slamwrestling.com

More Details on WWE Offering Assistance and Scholarships to Former Contracted Talents

We noted before that WWE recently sent out a letter to all former contracted talents offering them assistance. The name of the program is the WWE Professional Development program. Below is a copy of the letter that was sent out, clarifying some of the details:

"WWE is pleased to announce a Professional Development Program available to former WWE talent, and in some cases, their family members. The Professional Development Program aims to provide guidance and support beyond your tenure with WWE. The first two initiatives are:Financial Education and Continuing Education.

Money Management International (MMI) is the largest non-profit credit counseling agency in the country and has partnered with WWE to provide financial education to WWE talent. Please see enclosed packet for more information. The use of MMI is free for you and your immediate family members. We encourage you to reach out to MMI for assistance.

WWE is now offering financial scholarships to former WWE talent in the amount of $5,000 per calendar year to be used for obtaining a college degree or completing a certificate program. In order to receive this scholarship, a former WWE talent must apply for the three annual scholarships that are available. Please note–the deadline for the 2014 award is Friday, 8/1.

To keep former WWE talent up to date with WWE news, we will be distributing via email an “Alumni Newsletter” on a quarterly basis. The newsletter will include information on WWE news, archives, wellness, professional development and more."

WWE Gives Belt to The Superdome

WWE officials presented The Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans with a WWE World Heavyweight Title belt today, to commemorate the building hosting WrestleMania XXX.

Five Athletic Transformations: The Good, The Bad, and The Strange

Some people change for the worse while others change for the better and some change just for the sake of changing. Regardless of what people change for, in almost every scenario of a transformation, there is a cosmetic overhaul. This applies to athletes as well. Though their physical changes may be something as small as a haircut, or as big as a torso-covering tattoo, the athletic change is not always fashionable. Here is a list of five athletes that have transformed themselves over the years and whether this these changes were good, bad, or just downright strange.

4. Paul Levesque (better known as Triple H). This may come as surprise to a few because many do not view professional wrestlers as professional athletes; rather they see them as stuntmen posing as actors. I could go on a wonderfully long rant about how professional wrestling is an age-old sport that is as deeply rooted in American Sports tradition as baseball, but I wont. Simply realize that they do things, athletically, that no one else in the world can do. Now that I’ve addressed the elephant in the article, we can get back to the athletic transformation of Triple H. “The Game” chopped off his iconic flow of golden locks just a few short years ago. Unofficially retired as an in-ring performer, Levesque traded in his tights for Armani suits and Rolex watches. He is now taking a more hands-on approach to running the WWE from a professional business point of view along side his wife Stephanie McMahon Levesque and father-in-law (and father of modern wrestling) Vince McMahon. Though he will go down as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, the transformation from jock to suit will aid him in infiltrating the business side of wrestling and be able to leave a lasting legacy beyond what he’s accomplished in the ring.

Verdict: The Good

Read the full article here.

source: proplayerinsiders.com