WWE Sues Hall Of Famers And Other Legends In Extension Of Concussion Lawsuits

Earlier today, we linked an Associated Press article about WWE's response to the various lawsuits filed against them relating to claims of long-term health issues stemming from head trauma. That article has since been updated with additional details that help frame the situation better and allowed us to look up the case in question to get a better idea of exactly what was going on.

What happened is that on Monday, WWE filed a lawsuit against Robert Windham (Blackjack Mulligan as well as Big Machine in the WWF), James Ware (Koko B. Ware), Tom Billington (Dynamite Kid), Oreal Perras (Ivan Koloff, who's not mentioned in the AP article), and various John Doe defendants. The intention is to get the Connecticut Federal District Court to block any lawsuits from both the named defendants and any other wrestlers who have retained Konstantine Kyros (the lawyer behind most or all of the WWE concussion lawsuits we've heard about). Kyros had sent WWE "notice of representation" letters on behalf of the named defendants on June 2nd, in which he asked the company not to contact them directly as well as telling them to retain any relevant information.

McDevitt told the AP that "[b]efore this guy started trolling around looking for people to sue, we didn't have one person, none, claiming they had any kind of traumatic brain injuries, or dementia or ALS or any of the kind of stuff you seek associated with the NFL." The complaint alleges that the claims came about after Kyros placed ads on Google tying in to searches relating to WWE anc concussions, as well as Billy Jack Haynes' name after he filed the initial lawsuit with Kyros.

For his part, Kyros denied the allegations, said he has been retained by dozens of former WWE stars, and that WWE's claims of the statute of limitations expiring don't apply in this case. The argument, which he's explained in the past, is that when the symptoms of an injury present themselves later in life, as they would with complications from repeated head trauma, Connecticut's three year statute of limitations doesn't apply. He added that "[w]hat the WWE lawsuit is doing is trying to do is prevent some of the most storied performers in the history of the organization from having their day in court."

WWE has taken issue with Kyros filing the suits outside of Connecticut even though most of the wrestlers' contracts has clauses restricting the venue to WWE's home state. There are also allegations that, through sloppy editing of the complaints, living plaintiffs were listed as deceased,as well as inaccuracies in the listed time frames for when the wrestlers worked for WWE.

That said, WWE is not innocent of this, either: Oreal "Ivan Koloff" Perras is listed in the new complaint as having last wrestled for the Capital Wrestling Corporation (Vincent James McMahon's company). In actuality, he last worked for the WWF in late '83, when it was indeed owned by Titan Sports, the company that went through several name changes in the last 15-20 years before becoming World Wrestling Entertainment in 2002.

One point of contention is whether or not Kyros is involved with all of the lawsuits. The suit filed in California with Russ McCullough, Ryan Sakoda, and Matthew Wiese (Luther Reigns/Horshu) has other, unrelated lawyers' names on all of the filings. WWE insists Kyros is behind them, but that he has not said one way or the other if he's involved. At the time, Kyros claimed that he was not involved with the case spite of the nearly identical complaints. His explanation was that it was commonplace for lawyers copy the bulk of a complaint since they're not protected by copyright. WWE also maintains that Kyros was ordered to stop listing unrelated wrestler deaths in complaints, only to continue doing so.

The AP was able to get quotes from one of the defendants, Robert "Blackjack Mulligan" Windham. Now wheelchair-bound with constant nausea and severe short term memory problems, he said that "[t]hey really don't want to face it. They want to send everyone to rehab. But rehab doesn't work for loss of memory. [...] "And my son[, Barry], you look at him and the lights are on, but nobody is home anymore." He cited Sgt. Slaughter "[going] nuts" and beating him unconscious with a turnbuckle as one particularly damaging incident, although they most likely would have only worked together in Jim Crockett Promotions.

WWE Holding Tryouts And Special HOF Ceremony In Japan

2015 WWE Hall of Famer Tatsumi Fujinami will be appearing at the July 3rd WWE live event in Tokyo, Japan. WWE will actually be holding a special Hall of Fame ceremony for Fujinami that night. WWE will also be holding tryouts for Japanese wrestlers before that night's live event.

WWE Requests Concussion Lawsuit Block

As noted, numerous former WWE stars, including the wife of the late Nelson Frazier, Jr (aka Big Daddy V) and the family of Matt Osborne (aka Doink the Clown) have filed concussion and wrongful death lawsuits against WWE.

The Associated Press is now reporting WWE has requested that a federal judge block concussion lawsuits from former talents, as they cite a statute of limitations in Connecticut.

WWE wants all of the lawsuits moved to a federal court in Connecticut, and adds the “claims are fraudulent and barred because of a three-year statute of limitations on such claims in Connecticut.”

WWE stockholder lawsuit heats up over backtracking whistleblower

In this week's Figure Four Weekly Newsletter, David Bixenspan has an excellent cover story bringing his readers up to speed on the latest developments in the ongoing legal battle between WWE and their disgruntled ex-investors. Things started heating up in January when the plaintiffs filed a consolidated amended complaint with information from a former high-ranking employee of WWE named "Confidential Witness Number 1" or "CW1" for short that backed up their claims, including arguing that:

WWE officers knew they wouldn't be able to get a significant rights fee hike from USA due to low ad rates ("$15,000 per spot");

WWE's own internal research studies demonstrating that their actual fan base was a fraction of what the defendants represented to the public ("at the very most, WWE had 4-6 million total fans");

Actual social media followers of WWE accounts are counted multiple times to achieve the huge totals the company loves to tout, in order to present a larger, yet inaccurate, picture of their fanbase;

Michelle Wilson had asked the witness to present false viewership data to potential sponsors, i.e., lie to them, an act he had refused to do.

WWE's reaction was to file a memorandum of law in support of their motion to dismiss the updated complaint in March, which included an affidavit of Brian Maddox, the Vice President of their global digital advertising sales team from December 2010 to January 2014, who claimed that he believed he was CW1, had not consented to the use of any of his purported statements in the complaint, and then went on to deny all those statements:

"I am submitting this affidavit because the statements attributed to me in the Amended Complaint are not accurate and do not accurately reflect what I said to plaintiffs' counsel. Contrary to the Amended Complaint, I am not aware of any instance in which the Company or anyone else made inaccurate or intentionally misleading public statements about the size of WWE's fan base, the number of its social media followers, the potential outcome of its negotiations of television contracts, the launch and ultimate success of the WWE network, the potential impact of those on its future financial results, or anything else referenced in the Amended Complaint."

According to Bixenspan, the plaintiffs have fought back with a strongly worded opposition to WWE's motion to dismiss, arguing that Maddox's affidavit should come under scrutiny because he could have been coerced by the company to rescind his original statements:

"If the Court reviews the Affidavit at face value and in its appropriate context, it is the preparation of the Affidavit, not the Amended Complaint, that should come under scrutiny. Indeed, should the Court come to the logical conclusion that Mr. Maddox was pressured by Defendants and their counsel to submit the Affidavit, especially in light of the fact that Mr. Maddox provided his confidentiality agreement with WWE to KSF [Kahn Swick & Foti, the plaintiffs' attorneys] because he feared reprisal from the Company, and that the Affidavit does not represent a truthful depiction of his correspondence with Lead Counsel, the allegations attributable to Maddox in the Amended Complaint should be deemed more compelling and foster an even stronger inference of scienter [a legal term referring to knowledge of wrongdoing]."

More On WWE Hall Of Famer Wanting Dusty Rhodes' Old NXT Job

As noted earlier this week, WWE Hall of Famer "Superstar" Billy Graham is interested in taking Dusty Rhodes' old job of helping NXT talent develop promo. Graham posted the following on his Facebook this week:

Hello wrestling fans, this is Superstar Billy Graham. With all of the rumors going around about my interest or lack of, concerning a position for me with the NXT that my dear friend Dusty Rhodes had, I thought that was necessary to give you a direct statement from me to set the record straight. First off, I have been planning on moving back to Florida for some time now. My wife of 35 years, Valerie, is from Tampa and all of her family lives there. Also my daughter lives in West Palm Beach.

This morning, Tuesday, June 30th 2015 I sent an email directly to Vince informing him that if the position that Dusty once had has not yet been filled, that I am very much interested in taking it since I am moving back to live in Florida . I have not heard back from Vince or any of his staff as he is a very busy man. I am sure at some point I will get an answer from Vince concerning this question.

About my qualifications for this position: It should be obvious that I am qualified for this NXT position of coaching the younger talent about how to to do promos and communicate with the worldwide WWE TV wrestling audience. Also, I am not so stupid that I would try to teach them how to be charismatic to the level of a Dusty Rhodes or myself, one is born with that level of charisma, but a young wrestler can be taught to be more confident in their delivery and bring out their full potential in this area.

About my health: As almost everyone knows, I have had a successful liver transplant. My liver, according to a recent test, is doing extremely good. I feel very robust, alert, and healthy, as the doctors at the world famous Mayo Clinic Hospital here in Phoenix have told me and I train at a 24 hour fitness gym 4 days a week.

As soon as I hear from Mr Vince McMahon regarding the NXT position one way or another, I will post that information on my Facebook. Thank you for your time and every one have a nice day, Superstar Billy Graham.

Here are some reasons the WWE might not want him back:

"Superstar" Billy Graham Auctioning HOF Ring

Former Professional Wrestler Blasts Linda McMahon and Her Campaign For Senate

Coachman Wants to Bring WWE and ESPN Together

Former WWE announcer Jonathan Coachman, who still works for ESPN, told a fan on Twitter that he wants to bring WWE and ESPN together. He then made this tweet, proposing that they take SportsCenter on the road when SummerSlam comes to New York City this year:

"SportsCenter On The Road at Summerslam." How does that sound. Show my bosses the power of @wwe fans by retweeting as many times as possible

— Jonathan Coachman (@TheCoachESPN) July 1, 2015

Rolling Stone Releases Their WWE "Best of the Rest of the Half-Year" Awards, Praise for Kevin Owens

Rolling Stone has announced their WWE "Best of the Rest of the Half-Year" awards at this link. They named NXT Champion Kevin Owens as the WWE Wrestler of the Year, so far. They wrote:

"In a matter of months, the father of two from Marieville, Quebec has not only stared down his potential but surpassed it, becoming a lynchpin of two promotions and building a character inspired by everything it took to get him to this point. Love him or hate him, you can't deny his impact on the first six months of 2015 – or wonder how high he'll climb by year's end. It's wrestling, folks. It's Kevin Owens."

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Interview with Sasha Banks

Sasha Banks was interviewed by Sam Roberts recently for the Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast. You can read highlights below, or see the full video above:

* Sasha Banks talks about how excited she was to main event NXT in Philadelphia. She thought they were joking and was surprised that they were trusted. She also says she cried because she was so nervous. She said the reaction there was the best of her life.

* Sasha talks about how embarrassed she was when she was younger and her mom would see bra & panties matches, and question if Sasha wanted to really do that for a living. Sasha said she tried to explain to her mother that she'd rather be a female Eddie Guerrero.

* Sasha Banks says when she gets on the main roster, women will be main eventing the shows there, too.

* She puts over training with Sara Del Rey, Joey Mercury, Billy Gunn, Norman Smiley.

* Sasha says that Billy Gunn was not a fan of women's wrestling, and training with the NXT girls made him enjoy it.

* Sasha Banks says many didn't expect the "boss" gimmick to take off, but she says when she started to see so many "boss" shirts, she knew it would work.

* She says that Snoop Dogg is actually her cousin, and he calls her "Little Boss." She wasn't around him a lot, but went to a lot of his concerts. She said she begged him to take her to WrestleMania 24. She said she thought she was going to get signed at 16, and was so nervous she had Snoop ask the superstars for the pictures. She said that he is really proud of her, especially since she didn't ask him for help and did it on her own.

* The WWE NXT schedule is set, but they're able to get additional ring time if they want. She said she likes helping out the younger girls who are starting out. She got to teach the women's class one week when Sara Del Rey was on the road.

* Sasha Banks says she wants to be in WWE forever, and doesn't care about the money. She worked on the indies for free for a long time because she loves it.

* There are times she surprises herself, like doing a moonsault.

* Sasha Banks thought the crowd was chanting "Sasha's rat sh*t" instead of "rachet" at first.

* It's always been her dream to be on the WWE main roster, but loves it in NXT. She says she's done main roster loops, and there's no comparison to the NXT crowd.

* She said she marked out for Joey Styles, screamed "Oh my god," then ran away from him. She said she thought it was really cool that Mick Foley wanted a picture with her. Foley traveled four hours to watch her and Charlotte wrestle.

* She wanted to be a wrestler since she was ten. She missed sleepovers, funerals and family holidays just to watch WWE Smackdown.

* She used to hunt, but now she feels bad about it because she loves animals. Sam Roberts says deer are horrible because they run across highways and get hit by cars.

* Eddie Guerrero was her favorite wrestler. She tried to to a frog splash and missed the crash pad and busted her face on the mat. She says maybe she'll bust one out at a WrestleMania.

* She's also a big fan of Kurt Angle, Dean Malenko and lucha-style.

Big Backstage Update on GFW and TNA Working Together, Possible Invasion Angle, Future of Top TNA Talents Who Left, Magnus & More

According to F4WOnline.com, some of the TNA talents who recently left the company are actually being “transferred” to Global Force Wrestling for a future invasion angle between the promotions.

Any former TNA talent who is now in GFW (like Magnus) or who might end up signing with GFW, is expected back on TNA TV at some point in the future. James Storm is also expected back to work future TV tapings.

With regards to Magnus, although a press release issued by GFW today claimed he had “signed” with the promotion, he hasn’t actually signed a contract, and as of now is scheduled to appear at the July 9th-11th live events and the TV tapings on July 24th.

John Cena Nominated for the Sports Humanitarian of the Year Award, WWE Community Also Nominated

John Cena Nominated for the Sports Humanitarian of the Year Award

Inaugural event presented by ESPN and PlayStation to salute those using the power of sport to serve community; finalists and Stuart Scott ENSPIRE award winners announced

The inaugural Sports Humanitarian of the Year Awards, presented by ESPN and PlayStation, will celebrate and honor athletes, teams, nonprofits and members of the sports industry for using sport to serve communities and make a positive impact on society, it was announced by John Skipper, President, ESPN. The event, which will take place Tuesday, July 14 at the Conga Room at L.A. Live, will be the first of its kind, bringing together the leagues and sporting community to pay tribute to the collective good of sports.

Multiple sports-related leagues and/or governing bodies — including MLB, MLS, NBA, NFL, NHL, USOC, USTA, WNBA, WWE and the Women’s Sports Foundation — have nominated athletes, teams and community members that are using the power of sports to transform lives and uplift communities. Highlights of the evening will be featured during a 30-minute special on ESPN, July 23 at 8:30 p.m. ET.

During the event, which will be hosted by Laila Ali, winners will be announced from among the finalists for two major award categories — Sports Humanitarian of the Year and Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year. Additionally, the event will celebrate four inaugural “Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award” (ESPN + inspire) winners, recognized for taking risks and using innovation to help the disadvantaged.

“Through their selflessness and compassion, the Sports Humanitarian of the Year Award honorees are improving lives of many around the world,” Skipper said. “The awards pay tribute to some incredible individuals and organizations and the extraordinary impact of their efforts on society.”

PlayStation is the presenting sponsor of the Sports Humanitarian of the Year Awards, which will benefit the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund at The V Foundation — a fund that encourages cutting-edge research for minority populations suffering from cancer.

An independent panel of judges selected the finalists, including, Tracy Hoover, CEO of Points of Light, Sharon Roerty, Senior Program Officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Sab Singh, Founder of Sports Doing Good and professor at Farmingdale State College, and Caryl Stern, CEO of the US Fund for UNICEF.

“Humanitarianism is a central narrative of sport — as athletes aspire towards greatness, their ability to make a mark on society is as important as their athletic accomplishments,” said Stern. “The Sports Humanitarian of the Year Awards give rise to the increasingly important role that sports can play in society, and how the sports community can work together to build and inspire strong communities.”

SPORTS HUMANITARIAN OF THE YEAR
The Sports Humanitarian of the Year Award is given to an athlete whose continuous, demonstrated leadership has created a positive impact on their community through sports. The honoree will receive a $75,000 grant (and $25,000 grant for each of the three finalists) from ESPN’s Corporate Citizenship department to advance the impact of the charity related to the award-winning humanitarian efforts.

Finalists (winner to be announced at awards ceremony July 14):

• Anquan Boldin, San Francisco 49ers (NFL): Inspired by his own humble beginnings, Boldin is a passionate advocate for underprivileged youth and works to help them to overcome their limitations by expanding educational and life opportunities. Through his foundation, he provides a network of support with mentoring and after-school programs, scholarships, and annual summer enrichment programs — all of which are creating tangible impacts in the lives of children in Baltimore, South Florida and San Francisco. Becoming an Oxfam Ambassador on his own accord, Boldin also has testified before Congress to strengthen human rights protections for communities impacted by the oil and mining industries in Africa. In 2014, Boldin and his wife, Dionne, made a $1 million pledge to help youth in need by providing 4-year college scholarships to four deserving high school graduates annually.

• Tamika Catchings, Indiana Fever (WNBA): Growing up with a hearing impairment, Catchings was no stranger to being bullied, but she used her disability as inspiration and fuel to do her best in the classroom and on the court. Today, she teaches young girls about embracing their differences, building their self-esteem and overcoming obstacles. Through her Catch the Stars Foundation, she promotes fitness, literacy and mentoring to youth in Indianapolis. Catchings has served on the U.S. Department of State’s Council to Empower Women and Girls Through Sports and has supported countless programs in the community through her unwavering volunteer efforts and financial support.

• John Cena (WWE): WWE Superstar John Cena’s popular catchphrase “Never Give Up” is also a real-life mantra that he uses to inspire those battling life-threatening illnesses. For more than a decade, Cena has been a force in granting the wishes of children in partnership with Make-A-Wish. As the most requested wish granter of all-time, he has granted nearly 500 wishes for children around the world. Additionally, Cena is also a passionate advocate in the fight against breast cancer, helping to spread the word about the importance of early detection.

• Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers (NHL): As founder of the Henrik Lundqvist Foundation and an ambassador for the Garden of Dreams Foundation, Lundqvist has seized the opportunity to positively impact the lives of children most in need through education and health services. He’s touched the lives of thousands of children and families in New York City, the Dominican Republic and Sweden with both personal and financial support. He’s also providing a platform to the next generation of community leaders, by selecting a group of young adults to complete community service projects and volunteer work, as part of his Young Ambassadors Program.

SPORTS HUMANITARIAN TEAM OF THE YEAR
The Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year represents a sports team (and their community relations department or foundation) that demonstrates how teamwork between athletes and their team’s community relations or foundations can create a significant impact on a community or cause. The winner will receive a $75,000 grant (and $25,000 grant for each of the three finalists) from ESPN to the qualified charity related to the award-winning humanitarian efforts.

Finalists (winners to be announced at awards ceremony July 14):

• WWE Community Relations: WWE leverages the power of its brand and platforms to help address important social issues worldwide, and through its partnerships, they support programs and initiatives that positively impact children and families around the world. WWE has granted more than 6,000 wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions through Make-A-Wish, and launched an anti-bullying program, Be a STAR, to encourage young people to treat each other with tolerance and respect through education and grassroots initiatives. More than 100,000 kids from all 50 U.S. states and 100 countries have taken the pledge to end bullying through the program. WWE is also a strong advocate for athletes with intellectual disabilities and breast cancer awareness through their work with Special Olympics and Susan G. Komen respectively, and they are staunch supporters of the U.S. military through their annual Tribute to the Troops celebration and partnership with Hire Heroes USA to help returning vets transition to the civilian workforce.

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Dolph Ziggler on Re-Signing with WWE: “I Should End My Career in WWE”

WWE star Dolph Ziggler, who recently re-signed a longterm contract with WWE, was interviewed by The Boston Herald to promote Ziggler’s recent stand-up comedy show.

On the subject of re-signing with WWE, Ziggler had the following to say:

“I mean, it feels like I started here, I should end my career in the WWE. I feel like they like having me around and I love working here, so it would be really hard to walk away.”

On the subject of doing stand-up comedy, Ziggler admitted he’s been into comedy longer than he has pro wrestling:

“When I was a kid, like 5 years old, I used to watch the Johnny Carson show with Don Rickles. I loved the old ‘Saturday Night Live.’ I wrote jokes for almost 10 years before I got the courage to get up on stage and do five minutes.”

Tough Enough Contestant Talks Coming Out On The Show

ABC affiliate WPVI-TV in Philadelphia, PA has a story about Tough Enough contestant Daria Berenato, who came out as gay on the show. Berenato talked about coming out on the show.

"That was not planned," Berenato said. "That was not thought about. I didn't even consider it, to be honest. I did talk to my girlfriend before I left in California and I said, 'Hey if it comes up, do you mind if I tell the truth?' She was like, 'Absolutely tell the truth.' [But] I didn't sit down and think, 'Oh, how can I make the judges like me? Let me tell them I'm a lesbian.' I would never artificially plan like that. It wasn't premeditated. I think that's what made the moment so special.

"I've gotten so much generosity and so much love so far. People from all kinds of LGBT organizations reaching out saying, 'what you did was amazing, thank you for representing our families,' and that kind of stuff. I just couldn't be happier with the way it worked out. I never could have planned such an epic moment."