Rumor Mill - WWE Talents Unhappy Right Now: Payoffs, New Rules, More

It's being reported that WWE has recently laid down a new set of rules for their talents, or rather, they have brought back some old rules. They are reinforcing the dress code again with the idea that any time a Superstar or Diva is seen out in public, they have to look professional. Any talent who does not adhere to the dress code will be fined.

Talents will also be fined now if they are so much as one minute late to the arenas. Fines for being late is nothing new to WWE, as this is a policy that has been enforced off and on for many years now, but lately they've apparently been getting more strict about it again.

Another issue that has many talents upset is recent payoffs, more specifically, royalty checks. Certain talents who were used to getting around $70,000 for first quarter video game royalties only ended up getting less than $12,000. There was a hope that the second quarter royalty checks would make up for the difference, but the second quarter checks only ended up being about $1,500.

Rumor Mill - UFC Fighter Rashad Evans Interested In Joining WWE?

UFC fighter Rashad Evans is reportedly interested in pursuing a career in WWE after his MMA fighting career is over. Evans is currently recovering from a knee operation and he has reportedly been inquiring about a possible job with WWE in the future.

Seth Rollins Talks About His New Theme Song, Learning from Triple H, Indie Memories, His Hair

Seth Rollins recently spoke with NorfolkNavyFlagship.com to promote next week's RAW. Here are some highlights:

Favorite memories from the indies:
"The friends that I made there – now being able to see my friends here working with me. Guys like Daniel Bryan, Cesaro, and you’ve got Sami Zayn and Adrian Neville down in NXT – watching people grow and being a part of that. I enjoyed my time on the indies very much."

Working with Triple H:
"There is a wealth of knowledge in this company. Being side by side with the COO and (13-time) World Champion, the guy who has pretty much done it all in this business, having him as a mentor is something that you can’t buy. If you’re not learning something every single day, you’re messing up."

Adapting to his new theme song:
"It took me a little while, even just walking down the ramp instead of through the crowd is a little weird at first. With the music, you have to find out how it flows with your entrance. I think now, after about a month or so, it’s starting to catch on and I kind of like the way it feels."

The blonde streak in his hair:
"When I was down in NXT, there were a lot of guys with long dark hair – Roman Reigns, Adam Rose, Bo Dallas. I needed to do something to set myself apart a little bit. If you’re seeing the show for the first time and there are five guys with long dark hair, it’s going to be difficult to remember who is who."

Triple H wins ... always

When Triple H announced John Cena would be defending the WWE world heavyweight championship in a Fatal 4-Way match against Randy Orton, Kane, and Roman Reigns at the upcoming Battleground pay-per-view (PPV) on Sun., July 20, 2014, at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Florida, the immediate reaction was to search for logic.

After all, why would he insert Reigns into the picture when that would seem counterintuitive? If the idea is to put the title back on Orton, why add Reigns to the match to gum up the works?

Then Monday Night Raw played out last night in Montreal and during the course of it, a hierarchy was clearly established with Reigns challenging Cena's status within it. In short, it's become less and less about Cena battling Orton or Kane and more and more about Reigns looking to usurp Cena as the top dog in the yard.

Triple H, in the midst of all this:

Anyone still wondering why we put @WWERomanReigns in the fatal four way? #alwaysastepahead

— Triple H (@TripleH) July 8, 2014

Don't you just love a good evil overlord?

Considering Cena's track record of success against both Orton and Kane, and his decided lack thereof with Reigns, this is the perfect play here, right? And when Triple H smugly declares it "best for business", he also means that on a literal level. Reigns is best for the story, and he's best for the selling of the actual event.

Because who the hell wants to watch Cena vs. Orton vs. Kane in 2014?

Triple H wins ... always.

source: cagesideseats.com

Linda McMahon Gives $1 Million to CT Hospital

The Stamford Daily Voice reports that Linda McMahon recently gave a $1 million gift to The Greenwich Hospital in Connecticut through the Vince & Linda McMahon Family Foundation to purchase 3-D mammography machines to help with early breast cancer detection. The machines are located at the Greenwich Hospital Breast Center, within the Smilow Cancer Hospital at Greenwich, as well as the Hospital’s Diagnostic Imaging Center in Stamford.

WWE Delays Production of Two Major Shows Due To Budget Cuts

WWE has reportedly now pushed back the filming of the latest edition of WWE Tough Enough until October due to the companies ongoing budget cuts.

The company is also unsure about the future of Legends House with some members of the production team being told that no second season will air at all. The original plan had been for Tough Enough to begin filming this week and to go right to filming Legends House.

Rumors of WWE looking to cut $20 million from their budget this year are now confirmed. Vince McMahon has reportedly decreed that they cut $20 million and while they may not get that far, that's what Vince wants.

Santino Marella Announces Retirement At WWE Live Event In Toronto

Santino Marella announced his in-ring retirement at Sunday’s WWE live event in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Marella stunned the live crowd by saying he has suffered a third neck injury and because of it, his in-ring career is over.

Rumor Mill - WWE's Plans For Stephanie McMahon & The Bella Twins

Stephanie McMahon is penciled in to face one of The Bella Twins at SummerSlam with the stipulation being that if Stephanie loses, Brie will get her job back with WWE. They just can't decide if they want to have Nikki fight for her sister's job or if Brie will actually get the chance to fight Stephanie for her own job.

Simon Dean Comments On Triple H

12 Reasons CM Punk Is The Most Hated Man In WWE Right Now

I don't agree with #2. He's gone and hopefully will stay gone.

Motley Fool looks at WWE Network

Wade Michaels of The Motley Fool has an article up looking at the launch of the WWE Network and why he feels the network needs more time before it can be fully successful.

"I think the only reason why the WWE Network isn't working is that it's only been around for a few months. I believe it needs time to push its platform. Time to work out the kinks, time to tap into just 10% of that passionate fan base. With time, I think the WWE Network will be a major success. There are too many fans, there is too much content, and the value is just too good for it to fail. Ultimately, Vince McMahon may be thought of as a pioneer. If successful, the WWE may be the first of many companies that create a network so that customers can buy what they want, when they want."...More?

Joey Mercury Talks About What He Learned from Vince McMahon, Working with Triple H, More

Former WWE Tag Team Champion and current WWE producer Joey Mercury recently appeared on The Big O and Dukes Show. Below are some highlights:

Triple H’s perceived reputation with fans and how he really is:
"First and foremost, he’s a wonderful person. He’s just a great human being. He cares deeply for those around him and he takes care of them really, really well. I’ve wrestled Hunter in the past when I was a talent, but I didn’t really know him. I knew how good he was in the ring, obviously, one of the greatest of all time, certainly one of the best I’ve ever been in the ring with, but I didn’t travel with him, I didn’t hang out with him or anything like that. Once he took over the developmental system for WWE, I was a coach at the time, when he came into power over the developmental system, I talked to him and he told me that he wanted me on his team, and that’s where I really got to know him. I got to work closely with him, and once I got a promotion to be a producer for WWE and being on the road full time, working with him side by side on a daily basis is tremendous. Beyond the fact that he’s a great person, he is just on a whole ‘nother level with the way his brain works. Certainly that’s a lot of experience that’s from him having great mentors and learning both what to do and what not to do, how to do it, why he’s doing it, and where to do it. He’s just one of the smartest guys I’ve had the pleasure of working with."

Working backstage for WWE:
"When I made the transition to a backstage role, I was really concerned I wouldn’t be able to get the same fulfillment, to get that performer’s rush or performer’s high, from going out there and getting that you know, you have this aim and you have this idea of what you want to get the crowd to do, and what you want the audience to feel, and when you’re able to do that out there in the ring, it’s a real special feeling. It’s unlike anything else. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to replicate that or feel that again and the truth is what I’m doing now is so much more rewarding because I get to have that feeling several times a night, not just one. Not just because I’m Joey Mercury out there. I get to live vicariously through Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, Cesaro, the Wyatts, just all these incredible, incredible future Hall of Famers. It’s really cool to be there with Bo Dallas and say, “Hey, that’s really, really good man, but you might want to try this tomorrow night,” or you might want to keep this out, or put this in. To have them take your suggestion or take your instruction and direction and go do it, and see how fulfilled they are and how rewarded they are from it working. It’s amazing."

Crowd chants and a lesson learned from Vince McMahon:
"One of the things I learned from [Vince McMahon] is the real indicator that you’re catching on or getting over is when the crowd chants your name and that’s where you can tell if a guy can draw money or not. The “HOLY S” chants or the “You Can’t Wrestle” or anything the crowd starts chanting, that’s more for the crowd to get themselves over. When they say “THIS IS AWESOME” that’s a little bit better, you know you’re doing good. But when Roman Reigns is down and he’s digging from underneath, he’s got a mountain to climb, when the people start chanting, “Roman! Roman! Roman!” that’s not to get themselves over, that’s because they want him, because that’s their guy. So it’s kind of a good barometer. I’m of the school of thought, that I share with John Cena and he’ll tell you himself he doesn’t care if they’re saying “Let’s Go Cena” or “Cena Sucks” as long as they’re loud. Indifference is the killer. If they’re watching the ring, looking at the ring and screaming their heads off, it’s awesome."