WWE Officially Announces Stephanie McMahon’s Memoir, Stephanie Comments

WWE has announced the following:

Stephanie McMahon to publish memoir

NEW YORK — Regan Arts has announced that they will publish a memoir by WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon. The book will provide an unprecedented look inside WWE’s incredible history and remarkably contemporary approach to media.

Stephanie’s inspirational memoir reveals her life growing up behind the scenes in WWE and the story of her journey to becoming Chief Brand Officer — including her successes and failures in the business world — and valuable advice for anyone working in a challenging industry today. She is also candid about balancing her family life with the instense schedule and demands of WWE.

“Growing up in the world of WWE has been an incredible journey that has really only just started,” McMahon said. “I’m thrilled to be able to fulfill a lifelong dream and share an inside look into WWE in my upcoming memoir.”

Judith Regan, CEO of Regan Arts said, “Stephanie McMahon is one of the great visionaries behind the continuing success of WWE and has navigated the entertaining, treacherous, and awe-inspiring world of Superstars, egos, and drama with style, tremendous skill and dynamic feminine force. And that’s just dealing with her family. That family encompasses everyone in the WWE family worldwide. Her story is Shakespearean in its drama and comedy, and she is in a unique position to share an inside view of one of the world’s most successful organizations. Her story will also motivate you to get off your butt and make magic happen. I love her and you will too when you read her book.”

Adam Rose’s Next Court Date

According to Pwinsider.com, Ray Leppan (WWE’s Adam Rose) is scheduled to appear before the Hillsborough County Court in Florida on June 7th. This is for last week’s arrest for domestic battery and tampering with a witness. Leppan is suspended indefinitely by WWE while the legal process plays out.

Stephanie McMahon Writing a Book on Her Life, Key Selling Points for the Book Released

Stephanie McMahon recently noted on Twitter that she is writing a book on her life, and the Simon and Schuster website is also offering additional details on the book as seen below:

Key Selling Points

—Star quality: Stephanie McMahon is one of WWE’s most popular figures, with 1.5 million Twitter followers, and 1 million Instagram followers. Growing up in the WWE spotlight has given Stephanie a dedicated fan base, who have followed her journey since the beginning of her career.

—Millions of viewers: WWE content today is seen in 177 countries and 35 different languages. They have over half a billion followers on social media; the most viewed sports channel on YouTube; and the first paid direct-to-consumer streaming service with both a linear channel and video-on-demand content, the WWE Network.

—Just as Regan Arts did with Ronda Rousey, we are bringing Stephanie McMahon as she’s never been seen before to her fans and creating a book that also appeals to readers who have never watched the WWE. Stephanie has been under-covered in major mainstream media, especially the women’s magazines, and this book is the perfect way to break her out.

—Behind the scenes of the business of WWE: Not only a “bad guy” onscreen, as one half of the feared Authority, Stephanie is also WWE’s Chief Brand Officer. Starting her career as a receptionist, Stephanie had to work hard to prove herself as more than the boss’s daughter. As the CBO, McMahon has had a major role in growing WWE into the billion dollar company it is today.

—Empowering read for the 40 percent of WWE viewers who are women: As a mother to three girls, Stephanie knows first-hand the challenge of balancing her family life with her work. Stephanie shares inspirational advice for the many other women working in a male-dominated workplace, and how she navigates the balance of family and work life.

—Stories from the life of wrestling royalty: Stephanie will tell stories of her childhood surrounded by WWE stars, such as Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan, and of course, her husband Triple H, with whom she shares a great romance.

—WWE YouTube & Social Media Numbers: Half a billion social media followers across all of its accounts; WWE YouTube channel has over 11 million subscribers and nearly 9 billion views; WWE’s YouTube channel has received nearly 5 billion video views in the past year alone—ahead of the NBA, MLB, NFL, NHL, ESPN and NASCAR; WWE accounts across Facebook attracted 98 million new likes year-to-year.

Rumor Mill - Backstage News On TNA Being Behind On Pay Again

In regards to rumors of TNA being behind on pay to production workers, Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that the company is behind once again but not as far behind as they have been in the past. TNA's financial issues continue and they are likely low on cash again.

At the last set of Impact Wrestling tapings in late April, there were some workers paid in full but some workers not paid at all. There was an issue with paychecks as some were there and some were not. TNA blamed it on a snafu and told the workers that all checks would be mailed out the next day, Monday, April 25th. As of this weekend, the workers who were not paid at the tapings still have not received their checks.

This is not the first time TNA has fallen behind on pay to production workers. It will be interesting to see what happens as they head into the June tapings with the Slammiversary pay-per-view.

Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka Deemed Unfit To Stand Trial By Psychologist In Ongoing Murder Trial

The story of Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka getting away with murder has been one of those wrestling tall tales that has been around for ages now, moving more into the territory of fiction than fact. That all changed, though, when charges were finally filed against Snuka and proceedings began in 2015. All of a sudden this tale that highlighted the insanity and insider nature of the wrestling industry was a public spectacle and very real.

His defense has been looking for a way to present Snuka as incapable of standing trial for the murder ever since the charges were levied, finally trotting out a testimony from a psychologist on Friday who deemed Snuka mentally incompetent due to the many blows to the head that he suffered throughout his professional wrestling career. Snuka, who is perhaps best known for his finisher — the Superfly Splash — and one in particular where he dove from the top of a cage in Madison Square Garden against Don Muraco, has appeared in rough shape throughout his trial. There are questions as to if it’s all some elaborate professional wrestling show, though.

The case takes an interesting twist now considering the slew of recent lawsuits that the WWE has been facing thanks to increased awareness of the effects of concussions on their performers. Much like the NFL, the WWE has been met with increased criticism for what their performers put themselves through for the company, with the company taking serious measures to prevent future lawsuits, such as forcing Daniel Bryan to retire due to concussion concerns.

This new path for the trial should be interesting to watch unfold. The trial has been adjourned until Wednesday when an expert will take the stand for the prosecution in hopes of explaining why Snuka is fit enough to stand trial. Their argument currently includes footage from a performance in the ring dating back to 2015 as well as a seemingly-lucid interview around the same time.

source: yahoo.com

Rumor Mill - CM Punk Not Progressing Well as a Fighter, Concerns About How He Has Fared In Sparring

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that CM Punk is not progressing well as a fighter. Punk’s original fight date was pushed back because of back and shoulder injuries. His first scheduled opponent is Mickey Gall.

It is, reportedly, expected that Gall will “run through” Punk whenever they do fight. So far in his short career, Gall is 2-0. The rumors WON is hearing is that Punk has not fared well live sparring.

The concerns with Punk’s progression have grown because it has taken him so long. Cain Velazquez had the same surgery as Punk a few weeks earlier and is on the UFC 200 card.

Punk’s first fight was originally hoped to be in the summer of 2015 or the fall. Injuries and transition into MMA have caused the delay for his UFC debut. As for the FS1 reality show that will determine Punk’s opponent, WON has not heard anything new other than that they have begun taping the show.

Since the injuries, UFC has kept a low profile on Punk. The signing of Punk brought massive media attention, and WON still thinks Punk’s first fight will still garner media attraction.

WON notes that since he may not be able to pull off proving his critics wrong, the next moves for Punk could be interesting.

Triple H's first ever appearance on Raw

Today marks 21 years since Triple H made his Monday Night Raw debut. You can check out Hunter Hearst Helmsley's first appearance below.

Date Night

Chyna’s Final Days Filmed for Documentary, Footage Shows Her Bruised From Possible Drunken Fall

– TMZ released another report on some of the details that have come out regarding the former WWE Superstar Chyna and the days before her recent tragic passing. According to the report, Chyna recorded several videos for a documentary where she appeared to be incredibly troubled and intoxicated.

The videos showed an inebriated Chyna who had some severe bruising and a gash over her right eye. According to filmmaker Rob Potylo, Chyna claimed the wounds were from a champagne bottle attack at a liquor store. However, Potylo believes she injured herself in a drunken fall and did not want to admit it. The filmmaker was reportedly concerned when he saw the videos and informed Chyna’s attorney to try and get her help.

The report also mentions that Chyna’s team reached out to WWE to possibly help get her into rehab, but Chyna passed away before the details could be worked out.

Speaking on Chyna, Potylo stated, “I love her and miss her dearly every day.” He also admitted that the videos were cries for help, and he feels terrible that they weren’t able to save her. You can view a video clip Chyna released shortly before she passed away that was embedded by TMZ’s report by clicking here.

Breakdown of Triple H's 2015 WWE Income

In 2015, Hunter earned a total of $1.713 million as a WWE talent, up from $1.647 million in 2014, but down from $1.868 million in 2013.

Hunter also earns salary as a WWE executive. In 2015, his base salary was set at $577,500 – his official earnings were $573,269.

The base salary will increase to $606,375 in 2016 after the executive team surpassed key performance goals in 2015.

Hunter also earned “incentive plan compensation” of $526,000, nearly doubling last year’s bonus of $283,140.

Triple H’s 2015 Earnings

$1,713,360 million as talent
$573,269 as executive (fixed compensation)
$526,000 bonus (variable compensation)
TOTAL PAY: $2.812 million

Hunter was also awarded performance stock units (PSUs) valued at $299,995, which is considered long-term equity incentive compensation, as part of WWE’s accounting disclosure.

This brought his total 2015 compensation package to $3.112 million, as disclosed in WWE’s total value table.

Triple H Talks WWE Wellness Policy, Trying To Help People Who Make Bad Decisions After Leaving WWE

As previously noted, 98 FM Dublin recently interviewed WWE's Triple H to promote NXT's upcoming UK tour. Among other things, Triple H talked about WWE's Talent Wellness Program.

'The King Of Kings' said that the WWE Talent Wellness Program is one of the finest health and wellness policies in the world.

"We're a show, but the physicality of it is very real and we have a very advanced and probably one of the best in the world health and wellness programs for our athletes and our talent. And we're very serious about trying to keep them in the best shape possible and them staying in the best shape possible, but the physicality is real and you know that going in. You try to take the most risks possible. The thing about our business is the intent is to try to make it look as painful as possible and make it actually be as painless as possible and that's a fine line, but you do the best that you can."

Triple H added that while WWE tries to assist former talents as much as possible, those individuals are ultimately responsible for their own lives. 'The Game' went on to say that current WWE talents are subject to strict heart, concussion, and drug testing.

"It's tough when people leave WWE. What they do with their lives, how they live their lives, you unfortunately can't control that for everybody. And, unfortunately, lots of people in life, in any profession, make bad personal decisions. And we try to help people as much as we can, but, at the end of the day, people are responsible for their own personal decisions they make in their [lives]. But when you're working with WWE, when you are one of our talents and our athletes, you are part of a very stringent testing program, not only for drugs, but it's a wellness program, it's a health and wellness program that involves cardiac testing, concussion protocols, drug testing, every gamut of it. We want our athletes to be as absolutely healthy as possible at all times while they're working for us."

source: wrestlinginc.com

New WWE Documentary Series In The Works

WWE Network is working on a new documentary-style "Behind The Curtain" series. The series would focus on various stories from the past and some ideas discussed include Gorgeous George's career, the Ric Flair plane crash and Bruiser Brody's murder.