JBL on Being Named Beyond Sport Ambassador

Olympians, CEOs and even a former prime minster; these are the people who have the honor of being named Beyond Sport Ambassadors, and now John “Bradshaw” Layfield is one of them. The WWE announcer and former World Champion was recently named an Ambassador of Beyond Sport, a global organization that commits itself to using sport to cause a sustainable social change.

“Beyond Sport, to me, is one of the best organizations in the world,” JBL told WWE.com. “They use ‘Sport for Change’ as the catchphrase that goes around the world for all different programs, but they’re all doing phenomenal work. They change the lives of, predominately, disadvantaged kids.”

A longtime supporter of Beyond Sport, JBL first connected with them in 2010 while he was in Cape Town, South Africa for the World Cup. He was introduced to some of their programs, which gave him insight into how sports can be used to benefit disadvantaged children.

Being introduced to Beyond Sport prompted JBL to create his own organization, Beyond Rugby Bermuda. Along with providing a homework academy for after school help and rugby training, BRB also offers family support services through Family Center Bermuda.

“It’s a tremendous honor; all the ambassadors have done remarkable work.” JBL told WWE.com when asked about his new role as an official ambassador. “It’s such an honor to be there but it’s an honor of what I represent, not of me. What I’m recognized for is not my own personal achievements, but for what the program has done for Bermuda.”

Additionally, JBL has climbed several mountains in support of his Seven Summits for Kids campaign, including Pikes Peak and Mount Kilimanjaro. Just yesterday, JBL finished a 9 hour climb to the top of Quandary Peak, moving one step closer to his goal.

Sami Callihan Explains Why He Asked For NXT Release

Sami Callihan spoke with Sports Illustrated for a new interview. See some excerpts below:

On why he asked for his NXT release: “Everyone’s like, ‘You left NXT, and NXT is so hot,’ but I have no hard feelings against NXT. Hopefully I’ll be back there one day. But when I went in, a couple things happened–I got injured at one point, and I was just not being used. Now that I’m 28, I wanted to have the chance to leave and show them why they hired me in the first place. I’m still young enough to go back, so that’s what I’m doing now. I’m one of the only guys ever to walk up to WWE and quit, but I didn’t do it to be a badass. I needed to roll the dice, and it may pay off one day and it may not. But no matter where I am, whether it’s WWE or someplace else, I’m still a professional wrestler. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters to me.”

On if he gave notice to Triple H: “I gave my notice in the office on a conference call. I left on no hard terms, and they knew I was miserable at the time. People said to me, “But you were making so much more money with WWE,” but it’s not always about the money–it’s about quality of life. Triple H showed up at the Evolve show [the night before the Royal Rumble], and that was the first time I got to see him face-to-face and talk with him. He said, “Man, I know how good you are, and to quit the top company in the world takes balls. You left on good terms and did it professionally, so if a spot opens, it’s yours.” I did everything by the book, and I want to be back, but at the end of the day, I realize WWE isn’t the only place that is professional wrestling. I can be a professional wrestler anywhere in the world. If my journey takes me back to WWE and WrestleMania someday, then that’s freakin’ awesome. But my career could take me to the Tokyo Dome or someplace else, and that’s why I left when I did. I have the chance to go out and do what I want to do.”

On his post-WWE goals: “My first goal is to show WWE exactly what they had in me. I don’t believe they truly knew what they had. If you look at me in regular clothes, I’m a 5’8″ white kid that’s a nerd. But when I go out there, I become something different, something you can’t teach people. That factor makes me different from everyone else. My goal now is to become ‘The Man’ on the indies, and I also want to prove why WWE hired me in the first place. Before I got to WWE, I had the same accolades as Finn Balor and Samoa Joe, but things didn’t work out. So now I want to show them exactly why I got hired in the first place, show them why I have the cult following that I have, and to prove, truly, why I am the best professional wrestler walking this planet today. If there’s any wrestler out there who disagrees with me, work a show with me and we’ll see who has the better match.”

WWE Stock Falters on O’Neil Suspension, OTT Miss

World Wrestling Entertainment stock has taken a hit over the past few days in the wake of a 60-day suspension of an African-American wrestler who playfully grabbed CEO Vince McMahon’s arm briefly during a telecast, and a drop in subscribers at its online service WWE Network.

The twitter-verse lit up Wednesday night after WWE suspended wrestler Titus O’Neil for what it called “unprofessional conduct” after the wrestler grabbed McMahon’s arm during a taping of WWE’s Monday Night Raw in Seattle. The incident was not shown on the official broadcast – subscribers to its WWE Network were able to catch a glimpse though – and after news of the suspension hit, several versions of the video were widely available on the Internet.

Many fans saw the suspension – initially a 90-day suspension that was reduced by 30 days – as a racist move by the controversial CEO. WWE denied the suspension was racially motivated.

“The suspension of Titus O’Neil had nothing to do with race and everything to do with unprofessional conduct,” the company said in a statement to the New York Post.

The WWE also sent the post a copy of a text they said O’Neil sent the organization “‘I feel like sh** now so if you have to let me go, I understand. Stupid mistake.’”

O’Neil (his real name is Thaddeus Bullard) graduated from the University of Florida and played football for the Gators (1997-1999) as a defensive tackle under head coach Steve Spurrier. He is well-known for his charity work and is one of the more well-liked wrestlers on the circuit.

The O’Neil move likely played a role in WWE’s stock dipping on Feb. 10 – it fell 4.4% (72 cents each) to $15.75 per share from $16.47 the previous day.

While the incident did keep social media humming for awhile, the real hit to the stock occurred the following day (Feb. 11) when shares dipped as much as 10% after WWE revealed that subscribers for its WWE Network fell to 1.2 million in the fourth quarter from 1.3 million in the previous period. The stock finished the day at $14.94 per share, down 5.1%. WWE shares closed at $16.40 each, down 2%, (30 cents) on Feb.12.

The weak WWE Network numbers overshadowed what was otherwise a strong quarter for the content company – revenue was up 18% and the company reported $3.4 million in net income, compared to a loss of $600,000 in the previous year.

source: multichannel.com

Ring of Honor's Declaration of Independence: How one indie promotion changed the face of today's WWE, and continues to thrive in the face of overwhelming odds

The mid-Nineties were a particularly bad time for WWE. Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage defected to WCW, goofy characters like Doink the Clown and Tatanka felt childish and out of touch and freshly minted faces like Diesel and Lex Luger couldn't quite capture the zeitgeist or enthusiasm of the previous decade. The company had become boring, smug, bereft of star-power – and they had nobody to blame but themselves.

Meanwhile, unsatisfied diehards were in search of their pro-wrestling fix, and they found it in the bleak industrial parks of South Philadelphia. Extreme Championship Wrestling never had the funding to cross into popular culture – it was mostly broadcast in the witching hour on microscopic cable channels up and down the East Coast – but its followers were loyal and its reputation was hard-earned. ECW was violent, it was angry, it was vengeful; it was everything mainstream wrestling wasn't in the mid-Nineties. It's where the Dudley Boyz dropped their first 3D, where Rob Van Dam became a star, where Tommy Dreamer and Brian Lee wrestled a terrifying, irresponsible and utterly incredible "Scaffold Match," where Cactus Jack and Terry Funk asked for chairs and watched the ring get buried in a sea of steel. The message was clear: we don't follow the rules in ECW.

Pro wrestling eats its young, and eventually Extreme Championship Wrestling was absorbed by the bigger budgets and higher ceilings of the WWE. First-ballot hall of famers like Eddie Guerrero, Chris Jericho and Rey Mysterio all wrestled fantastic matches in ECW, but they happily signed lucrative contracts with the big show. In 2001, left without a budget or a competitive roster, ECW was forced to close its doors – leaving behind a small pile of ashes in the warehouses and gymnasiums it had conquered.

This was particularly bad news for Rob Feinstein and his company, RF Video. ECW VHS tapes – and, later, DVDs – were their primary export, and all of a sudden he needed something to sell. In 2002 he broke ground on Ring of Honor, a new Philadelphia-based promotion that served as a torchbearer for that gritty, barbed-wire tradition. In the years since, ROH has slowly but surely established itself as worthy successor to ECW, and like its forefather, has started to catch the attention of the elephant in the room.

"The major company in our business is of course the WWE – I'm not going to Voldemort them and say, 'He who has no name,' because we very much respect their organization," says Joe Koff, Ring of Honor COO. "But what's interesting is that over the last two years all their champions and key people have been Ring of Honor people. They have a developmental program, which is a fine, fine program, but where were their champions coming from?"...More?

source: rollingstone.com

Sean Waltman Comments On Roman Beating Up Triple H

Former WWE Superstar Sean Waltman was a on a recent edition of The Ross Report with Jim Ross. During his appearance he spoke candidly about Roman Reigns’ push and his attack on Triple H after the WWE TLC PPV:

WWE did wonders in a two-day period between the last pay-per-view and I was here in Philly when Roman won the title in the exact building in Royal Rumble that they booed him out of the building. I might get heat for this but him beating the hell out of Hunter, that almost didn’t happen. Hunter had to fight really hard to get that to happen and they tried to put an edge on Roman and it did work.

Hulk Hogan, Vince McMahon And Roddy Piper Talk WWE WrestleMania I For MSG Network

The MSG Network will air a special on WWE's WrestleMania I tonight at 10:30pm, as detailed below. The special is narrated by actor Ben Stiller and will feature the late Roddy Piper, Vince McMahon, Hulk Hogan, Mean Gene Okerlund, Cyndi Lauper and others. The following was issued:

"THE GARDEN'S DEFINING MOMENTS" SERIES CONTINUES WITH "WRESTLEMANIA I" PREMIERING FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12 AT 10:30PM

New York, NY (February 11, 2016) – MSG Networks (NYSE: MSGN) continues the special 20-part television event "The Garden's Defining Moments" presented by SAP with - "WrestleMania I." The event that launched the WWF (now WWE) into the stratosphere and married sports and entertainment for the first time, set a then record for pay-per-view buys in the United States.

"The Garden's Defining Moments: WrestleMania I," narrated by Ben Stiller, premieres Friday, February 12 at 10:30 pm on MSG Network, following MSG's telecast of the Rangers \ Kings game. Interview subjects include Vince McMahon, Hulk Hogan, the late Roddy Piper, Cyndi Lauper, Mean Gene Okerlund and more.

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WWE NXT Star Knocked Unconscious During Live Event Match, Suffers Possible Injury

According to live reports, WWE NXT star Riddick Moss suffered a possible injury during a 6-man tag team match featuring Dawson, Dash and Moss vs Sami Zayn, Enzo Amore and Big Cass at tonight’s NXT live event in Jacksonville, FL.

Moss appeared to suffer the injury following a 6 man suplex spot. Following the spot, Moss remained unconscious for about a minute, and the referee threw up the “X” sign. Paramedics tended to Moss until he eventually regained consciousness and was helped to the back.

Visit the WWE Experience at the 2016 Arnold Sports Festival

For action and entertainment, there’s no better spot than the WWE Experience at this year’s Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio, taking place Saturday, March 5, and Sunday, March 6.

Enjoy live matches and meet-and-greets with the Superstars of WWE NXT during autograph signings, as well as guest appearances, Q&A sessions, giveaways and more.

Plus, you can see what it takes to become a WWE Superstar when you watch a live tryout. Will any of these recruits become the next breakout Superstar?

Better yet — will you? If you’re serious about a future in sports-entertainment, stop by the WWE Experience recruiting booth.

The WWE Experience at the 2016 Arnold Sports Festival in takes place on Saturday, March 5, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Sunday, March 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Stop by for your chance to meet:

Aiden English
Alexa Bliss
Apollo Crews
Asuka
Baron Corbin
NXT Women's Champion Bayley
Billie Kay
Chad Gable
Dan Matha
Dana Brooke
NXT Tag Team Champion Dash Wilder
Dylan Miley
Emma
Eva Marie
NXT Champion Finn Bálor
Hugo Knox
Jason Jordan
Johnny Gargano
King Konstantine
Kishan Raftar
Nia Jax
Peyton Royce
Riddick Moss
Sami Zayn
Samoa Joe
NXT Tag Team Champion Scott Dawson
Simon Gotch
Tino Sabatelli
Tom Kingdon
Tommaso Ciampa
Tye Dillinger

Tickets for the 2016 Arnold Sports Festival are available now at Ticketmaster.com/Arnold. Get yours today so you don’t miss out on the WWE Experience!

Updated WWE Network Subscriber Count

WWE announced today in their fourth quarter 2015 financial report that WWE Network had 1.22 million paid subscribers, representing a 49% increase from the fourth quarter of 2014. They also announced that WWE Network hit an all-time high of 1.24 million average paid subscribers for the quarter.

In October WWE reported 1.173 million subscribers for the third quarter of 2015. WWE finished the third quarter with 1.233 million paid subscribers. Before that, WWE announced 1.156 million subscribers for the period ending June 30th.

WWE Conference Call: Vince McMahon discusses the fourth quarter financial report

ince McMahon and members of senior management served as the hosts of a conference call pertaining to the 2015 fourth quarter financial report that was released on February 11, 2016. The following are the highlights of the call. Refresh the page for the latest updates.

-The call is hosted by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, WWE Chief Strategy and Financial Officer George Barrios, and WWE Investor Relations Michael Weitz.

-Vince said they produced a record year with $659 million in revenue. He touted the success of WWE on Youtube and the WWE Network. Vince said the average WWE Network subscriber watches more hours of content on the network than any cable network.

-Barrios ran through the highlights of the earnings report presentation. Barrios said they are continuing to work on network launch plans in their three remaining markets China, The Philippines, and Thailand.

-Live events profits are up 9 percent in attendance and 13 percent in ticket prices. NXT becoming a touring brand was touted as one of the factors in the increase.

-Barrios also boasted about the company’s social media success.

-Barrios stressed that WrestleMania will occur on April 3, meaning that it will fall in the second quarter rather than the first quarter as it did last year.

-WWE will release the next WWE subscriber count the day after WrestleMania.

-Once Barrios finished, they opened it up for calls.

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Why TV Ratings Aren't As Important To WWE Now

Vince McMahon noted during today's Fourth Quarter 2015 earnings call that the company isn't as worried about TV ratings like they once were.

An investor asked about WWE TV ratings being down for several quarters now and Vince said the ratings are down but not as much as other programming on the networks they work with. Vince talked about how people aren't watching TV as much as they used to. Vince said TV is still extremely important to WWE but when you add in their digital and social content, their audience is consuming content when they want to and how they want to. Vince said that is important to WWE.

Vince added that WWE is not just about TV ratings anymore. He acknowledged that the company used to "live and die by" ratings but that was before the era of new media.

WWE posted an infographic touting the following 2015 stats after today's strong Fourth Quarter 2015 earnings report:

A closer look at @WWE’s record breaking year. $WWE pic.twitter.com/QSALQIdAk0

— WWE Investor (@WWEinvestor) February 11, 2016