USA NETWORK SETS JANUARY PREMIERES FOR 'SMACKDOWN®' AND 'SUITS'
Live Action WWE® Powerhouse "SmackDown" To Debut January 7
Critically Acclaimed Drama "Suits" Picks Up After Powerful Mid-Season Cliffhanger on January 27
Previously Announced New Drama "Colony" To Premiere on January 14
New York, NY – November 4, 2015 – USA Network will have a white hot January with the grand arrival of the two-hour live action WWE powerhouse SMACKDOWN on Thursday, January 7 at 8/7c. The winter continues to heat up with the return of the critically acclaimed drama SUITS, which picks up from the intense cliff hanger on Wednesday, January 27 at 10/9c. The network will also premiere the previously announced epic drama COLONY, from executive producers Carlton Cuse ("Lost") and Ryan Condal ("Hercules"), on Thursday, January 14 at 10/9c.
With the arrival of SMACKDOWN on Thursday, January 7 @ 8/7c, USA becomes the exclusive cable home to WWE's two marquee properties. Viewers can now bookend their week with MONDAY NIGHT RAW live on Mondays from 8-11p and SMACKDOWNon Thursdays from 8-10p. Consistently one of the highest-rated weekly series on cable, over the past 15 years SMACKDOWN has been broadcast from 170 different venues, in 148 cities and towns and in seven different countries including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Iraq, Japan, Italy and Mexico. On January 7, SMACKDOWN will air its 855th episode from Laredo, Texas.
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November 4, 2015
USA Officially Announces WWE SmackDown Premiere
Triple H Presents Check to the Concussion Legacy Foundation
As noted, Corey Graves is hosting Chris Nowinski's Concussion Legacy Foundation's 8th annual Impact Awards tonight in Boston and Triple H also attended. As seen below, they presented the foundation with a check:
Presenting @ConcussionLF a check on behalf of @WWE at the 2015 #ImpactAwards #NextTimeIllBringaBigDebitCard pic.twitter.com/KnccSXrvTP
— Triple H (@TripleH) November 5, 2015
WWE Reveals How Much WrestleMania 31 Generated For The Santa Clara / San Jose Area
WWE, Santa Clara Mayor Jamie Matthews and San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo announced today that WrestleMania 31 generated $139 million in economic impact for the Santa Clara/San Jose region this past March, according to a study conducted by the Enigma Research Corporation. This marks the second largest economic impact in WrestleMania history, and the fourth consecutive year that WrestleMania generated more than $100 million in economic impact for its host region.
Over the past nine years, WrestleMania has generated more than $700 million in cumulative economic impact for the cities that have hosted the event. WrestleMania 31 also generated approximately $23.2 million in federal, state and local taxes.
"On behalf of the beautiful city of Santa Clara, I sincerely thank all WWE fans that visited Levi's Stadium for WrestleMania 31," said Santa Clara Mayor Jamie Matthews. "The event exceeded our expectations, and we would absolutely welcome the opportunity to once again host WWE's marquee event."
"WrestleMania 31 gave passionate fans that came from near and far an experience they'll never forget," said San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo. "I thank WWE for choosing to host their longest-running flagship event in Silicon Valley, for its contributions to our community, and for driving economic benefit in our region."
"We are proud that WrestleMania continues to deliver an incredible economic benefit for its host region," said John P. Saboor, WWE Executive Vice President, Special Events. "Our WrestleMania Week success in the Bay Area would not have been possible without the support of Mayor Matthews, Mayor Liccardo, the San Francisco 49ers and countless other public- and private-sector partners that embraced WWE's worldwide fan base. We are excited with the planning that is already underway with our new partners in the Dallas/Arlington area for WrestleMania 32."
A capacity crowd of 76,976 fans from all 50 states and 53 countries attended WWE's pop-culture extravaganza this past March, making it the highest-grossing event in WWE history. Key highlights from the study include:
* $139 million in direct, indirect and induced impact derived from spending by visitors to the Santa Clara/San Jose region for WrestleMania 31.
* 78 percent of fans that attended WrestleMania were from outside the greater Santa Clara/San Jose region and stayed an average of 3.3 nights.
* $22 million was spent on hotels and accommodations within the Santa Clara/San Jose region.
* The economic impact derived from WrestleMania Week was equal to the creation of 1,218 full-time jobs for the area.
* $6.2 million was spent by visitors to the Santa Clara/San Jose region at area restaurants.
Larry Zbyszko Comments On His Time Spent At The WWE Performance Center
"You get emotionally involved whether you want to or not. I go there and I look at the faces of these young men and women and they will come to me and ask can you watch my match and you end up getting involved emotionally. I'm old school and what's in me is you do what is good for the business otherwise no one makes money. Some of these guys and chicks at the school are great and are going to be good and have great potential. It breaks your heart because with others you want to say; did you ever think about getting a job? You get kind of emotionally involved with it and I can't help it and I kind of steer myself to people I know are going to be good for the business."
WWE Steps Into Virtual-Reality Ring With Samsung
WWE is the latest entertainment company to take a test run at virtual reality, launching two VR videos exclusively on Samsung Electronics’ Milk VR content service to give fans a front-row perch to soak up the grappling action.
The videos are available on the Samsung Gear VR Innovator Edition, powered by Oculus VR, as well as on the forthcoming $99 Gear VR consumer headset slated to go on sale in time for Black Friday (Nov. 27). WWE worked with studio Reel FX to produce the VR segments, shot at its tentpole SummerSlam 2015 event this August at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.
“It’s a first step for us into virtual reality world,” said Michelle Wilson, WWE chief revenue and marketing officer. “I don’t know if (VR is) going to be the next big success or not, but we’re going to be platform agnostic — and go where our fans go.”
For Samsung, getting VR content seeded into Milk VR is a linchpin of its consumer launch.
Tyler Breeze Talks When He Found Out He Was Being Called Up in WWE, Facing Jushin Liger, Creating His Character, Leaving NXT & More
WWE main roster newcomer Tyler Breeze recently spoke with Rolling Stone, and below are some interview highlights:
How did he find out he was getting called up to the main roster?
“I had heard some rumblings that they were looking to bring up someone. When you look at the roster of NXT, you kind of gauge yourself and figure out where you fit in, and I figured I’d be a possibility. Finally, I had a meeting with Triple H, and he said that I was given the green light, and we were going to start moving on it. We weren’t sure of all the details, but I knew it was happening. The next thing I know, I was sitting there, ready to go.”
Did he want to stay in NXT?:
“I’m always excited for every step along the way. My time in NXT was definitely fun though. If anything ever pops up and they want me back there, like for this U.K. tour coming up, I’m always on board to do anything with NXT, just because I’ve had so much fun with it. I’ve been almost like a pillar of NXT in terms of being there the whole time and now I’m moving on. It would be a cool thing if they brought me back for a few shows here and there, and I’d definitely be up for it.”
What was it like to wrestle Jushin Liger?
“It was awesome. That’s another thing that was a first. Nobody in WWE has ever worked with him on a WWE stage. So the fact that I was the first one to do that, and the only one to do that, is a huge honor. He’s a huge star, and it was fun to be the guy on the other side of the ring with him. He was a pleasure to work with, and I’d do that any day of the week.”
On the Creation of the Tyler Breeze character after being Mike Dalton in FCW:
“There are a few key players in it. Basically, it was one of those things where I was doing Mike Dalton for a while and it just wasn’t catching on. There wasn’t really anything for people to sink their teeth into – I was just kind of the faceless guy that was on the card. Finally it gets to a point where you’re either marketable or you’re not, and Mike Dalton just wasn’t marketable. So I had to come up with something that was marketable. I had the conversation about needing to come up with something else, and I immediately called Xavier Woods. I told him, “I don’t really know what to do, I need your help.” He said, “Let’s come up with 5 or 10 different characters and a bunch of different things at every end of the spectrum. We’ll have new names, we’ll have personalities for them, we’ll come up with bios for them. We’ll create videos and we’ll keep pitching until they like something.
Nikki Bella Gets Top Spot In Women's PWI 50
In a move that is likely to cause controversy with at least a few readers. Pro Wrestling Illustrated has announced that former WWE Divas Champion Nikki Bella will take the top spot in their annual PWI 50 for female performers.
Bella spent the majority of the year as a dominant WWE Divas Champion, eventually earning the longest reign in the title's history.
See Also: Nikki Bella Confirms Why She Wasn't On WWE RAW
Inside the ring, Bella showed obvious improvement, but still drew the ire of many fans. She's currently sidelined with a neck injury that prevented her from traveling with WWE to Europe. She noted on Instagram that she's doing rehab 8 times a day on the injury.
Bella commented on the achievement, saying "Thank you @OfficialPWI for naming me #1 I truly feel as if I have won an Olympic gold medal! This achievement has made my past decade beyond worth it! I know they'll be haters but if they can't see past the character that's their problem. It's just nice to be acknowledged fpr hard work."
November 3, 2015
Wrestling Legend Signs New Deal With WWE
Wrestling legend and WWE Hall of Famer "Superstar" Billy Graham announced on Facebook that he has signed a WWE Legends contract after being offered the deal by Triple H. Graham attended last week's WWE TV tapings in Phoenix and met with Mark Carrano of Talent Relations to discuss the deal.
Graham has had several issues with WWE in the past, including speaking out against Linda McMahon during her 2010 Senate campaign. Soon after that, Graham had some health issues and reached out to the McMahons to apologize. Graham sent a letter to Vince McMahon this past summer and asked to take Dusty Rhodes' job in WWE NXT after he passed.
Graham wrote the following on Facebook:
"Hello Facebook fans around the world. I am thrilled to report to all of you that Triple H, via a telephone conversation, has offered to give me an official WWE Legends contract. I of course said yes, and thank you very much! I have received that contract, and signed and mailed it back to the WWE. So I am officially back in the WWE family, proving that miracles still happen !! I did go to the Smackdown show held here in Phoenix on October 27th, as some had reported on the internet. I met with WWE Talent Relations executive Mark Carrano to go over various opportunities for me in the future. Mark Carrano is a real class act and gentleman and was very encouraging on the future release of my WWE merchandise sometime after the first of the year, along with attending WrestleMaina 32 in Dallas as part of the meet and greet fan access festivities. So, I want to thank Triple H and Mark Carrano for making this exciting event happen for me. I am officially back home in the family of the WWE where I belong !!!!"
Last Night's WWE RAW Draws Record-Low Viewership
Monday's episode of WWE RAW, with Team Seth Rollins vs. Team Roman Reigns in a Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match, drew 3.248 million viewers. This is down 3% from last week's 3.354 million viewers. This is the lowest non-holiday viewership since RAW went to three hours.
For this week's show, the first hour drew 3.375 million viewers, the second hour drew 3.180 million viewers and the final hour drew 3.189 million viewers.
RAW was #3 for the night in viewership behind the NFL on ESPN, which drew 12.404 million viewers, and ESPN SportsCenter. RAW was #4 for the night in the 18-49 demographic, behind the NFL, SportsCenter and Love & Hip-Hop.
How NBCU and WWE Are Working Together to Woo Advertisers, More on SmackDown - USA Network
Adage.com has an article about how WWE and NBC Universal have spent the past few months trying to change the image of the company in the eyes of advertisers as the USA Network prepares to bring on WWE SmackDown in 2016, upping their annual WWE content to 263 hours. This effort has led to 37 new advertisers agreeing to run commercials on WWE TV on USA.
NBC Universal's Vice President of Advertising Sales, Dan Lovinger commented:
"In the past, WWE wasn't associated with being family-friendly. We had to redefine what it is to both advertisers and consumers."
NBC Universal began to get aggressive in their pitch to ad agencies and clients at their upfront event back in the summer. Snapple tapped WWE personalities such as Triple H and Stephanie McMahon for a commercial in April, while Paramount promoted "Terminator: Genisys" with a WWE integration that included Triple H making a grand entrance during "WrestleMania" using imagery from the movie.
While WWE is an "easier sell" now, there is still an issue with the low ratings and some advertisers are still shying away from the product due to the content.
The article also notes that SmackDown will serve as USA's lead-in to new original series. Colony will be the first to premiere in January and then USA will debut a new series in the 10pm time-slot each quarter. The first presenting sponsor for SmackDown on USA will be the movie Hateful Eight, the next Quentin Tarantino movie that comes out on Christmas.
November 2, 2015
Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka pleads not guilty in '83 death of mistress
Former professional wrestling star Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka on Monday pleaded not guilty to a murder charge in the death of his mistress more than three decades ago.
Snuka, who recently underwent surgery for stomach cancer, appeared to have trouble answering questions at his arraignment in Lehigh County Court, and Snuka's attorney said he has early onset dementia and post-concussion syndrome. Snuka also told the judge he can't read or write, saying he never went to school.
Authorities found the body of Snuka's girlfriend, 23-year-old Nancy Argentino, of New York, in May 1983 after they were called to a Whitehall Township hotel room she was sharing with the wrestling star. Defense attorney Robert Kirwan II has called her death an "unfortunate accident."
Snuka, now 72 and living in Waterford Township, New Jersey, was charged in September with third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter after a grand jury concluded he beat Argentino. He has long maintained his innocence.
At his court appearance Monday, Snuka did not appear to know the date or day of the week or the location of the courthouse.
"He has his good days and his bad days," Kirwan said in court. "This is a good day."
The defense said Snuka might not be competent to stand trial.
At prosecutors' request, Judge Kelly Banach issued a gag order in the case. Kirwan objected, saying his ability to comment on the case was "leveling the playing field for the defense."
Snuka was known for diving from the ropes and even the top of steel cages in a career that spanned four decades. He was admitted into the World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Fame in 1996, according to the organization's website.
source: foxnews.com
