WWE Releases Cody Rhodes

WWE has come to terms on the release of Cody Rhodes as of today, May 22, 2016. WWE wishes Rhodes the best in all his future endeavors.

Cody Rhodes Says He Requested His WWE Release

Rhodes, real name Cody Runnels, took to Twitter to announce that he'd requested his release, saying the last ten years had 'been a trek.' He said that he would speak on his request at a later date.

Stephanie McMahon Interview With Joe DeFranco

Details On Syfy Airing Two-Hour Version Of WWE RAW

According to PWInsider.com, Syfy will start airing a condensed, two-hour version of WWE RAW starting tonight at 8 p.m. EST.

The replay was said to be a regular addition to Syfy’s schedule, at least for a few more weeks. Syfy hosted various WWE programs, including ECW from 2006 – 2010, NXT in 2010, and WWE Smackdown from 2010 through 2015 until it moved to USA Network this year. Syfy is owned by NBC Universal, which also owns USA Network.

Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling Coming To Netflix?

GLOW (Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling) owner Ursula Hayden, also known as Babe The Farmer's Daughter, announced on Facebook earlier this week that she signed a deal for a full new season of GLOW TV on Netflix. No other details were given but Diva-Dirt reports that Jenji Kohan, the creator of hit shows Orange Is The New Black and Weeds, is set to begin working on the series. It was also indicated that they are working on a pilot but the full season has not been confirmed yet.

GLOW will apparently tell the tale of a struggling actress in the 1980's, who lands a role on a cult women's wrestling show - GLOW. The Netflix series will focus on the actress struggling through the "many highs and lows of the (not so) glamorous world of wrestling."

Kohan is executive producing while Carly Mensch (Nurse Jackie, Weeds) and Liz Flahive (Nurse Jackie, Homeland) will be writing the pilot.

Kohan got the idea for the new series after watching a GLOW documentary available on Netflix.

Stephanie McMahon Receives Eisenhower Fellow Certificate

I just received my certificate from @EF_Fellows Chairman General Colin Powell. I am overwhelmed with pride #ThankYou pic.twitter.com/WwRcVTd8ao

— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) May 19, 2016

Rumor Mill - Backstage News On WWE's Major Goal For Stephanie McMahon's Memoir, Big Marketing Push Planned

As noted, Stephanie McMahon is currently working on her memoir to be released this September.

The book is expected to be big news over the next few months as WWE is hoping to use Stephanie's memoir as a way to really put the spotlight behind her and get her out in front of the general public more.

One of WWE's goals is to get more eyes on Stephanie and have her build a relationship with the audience so when it's time for her to replace Vince McMahon when he steps down, she will be seen as the heir apparent that has already been groomed and put out to the public. This new book will be a big part of that goal.

WWE and publisher Regan Arts are planning a major marketing campaign for the release of the book, including media appearances and book signings, at least in the Northeast.

15-time World Champion to host July 13 ceremony, live on ABC

15-time World Champion John Cena can now add awards-show host to his ever-expanding list of multi-hyphenates: The Cenation leader has been officially tapped as the host of the 2016 ESPYS, which will be broadcast live on ABC Wednesday, July 13, at 8 p.m. ET from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, and will be presented by Capital One.

Cena — who hosts the reality TV competition series “American Grit” on FOX — will be joined by top athletes and celebrities to commemorate the past year in sports by recognizing major achievements, reliving unforgettable moments, and saluting the leading performers and performances. The ESPYS raise more than $1 million annually for The V Foundation, the charity founded by ESPN and the late basketball coach Jim Valvano to promote cancer research. In 2016, WWE partnered with The V Foundation to expand Connor’s Cure, a fund dedicated to pediatric cancer research.

"It is truly an honor to be named host of the 2016 ESPYS," said Cena. "Not only will the biggest names in sports and entertainment come together to recognize some of the most spectacular athletic performances of the year, but we'll also raise funds for The V Foundation to further much-needed cancer research."

Since being sidelined with an injury in late 2015, Cena has kept busy by co-hosting “TODAY,” appearing on “Good Morning America,” “Ellen,” “The Tonight Show,” “Conan” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” and appearing in the Tina Fey/Amy Poehler hit comedy “Sisters.” He has also continued to dedicate his time to numerous charitable causes including Susan G. Komen and Make-A-Wish, where he is the most requested wish-granter of all time and the only celebrity to grant 500 wishes. Cena is also a longtime supporter of the U.S. military, recently recognized by USO-Metro as the recipient of their 2016 Legacy of Achievement Award.

“John is not only a superstar athlete and entertainer, but also a motivational force who inspires fans across the globe,” executive producer Maura Mandt said. “John approaches all of his endeavors with energy, enthusiasm and passion so we expect him to bring a new level of excitement to the night’s celebration."

The celebration of the best moments from the year in sports kicks off with The ESPYS Countdown Show Presented by Capital One, airing from 5-6 p.m. ET, “SportsCenter at The ESPYS” from 6-7 p.m. ET, then another hour of The ESPYS Countdown Presented by Capital One from 7-8 p.m. ET on ESPN prior to the start of the awards. Tickets are available for public purchase at AXS.com. For additional ESPYS news and information, follow the official Twitter handle @ESPYS.

Seth Petruzelli goes from killing the Kimbo hype to head striking coach for WWE

Many MMA fans remember Seth Petruzelli as the man who knocked out Kimbo Slice in 14 seconds, but these days he's teaching the next generation of WWE superstars how to throw a punch...More?

source: foxsports.com

WWE concussion lawsuit takes strange turn with deposition

Vince McMahon, Triple H, Dr. Joseph Maroon, Dr. Mark Lovell, Dr. Chris Amann, Bill DeMott and Chris Nowinski will all be deposed in the Vito LoGrasso and Evan Singleton concussion lawsuit, but Stephanie McMahon won't be.

It has been almost two months since WWE won several important rulings in the concussion litigation filed by six former WWE wrestlers, with the Haynes and McCullough et al. lawsuits being dismissed outright and the LoGrasso and Singleton lawsuit being partially dismissed. The remaining claim against the company is that they committed fraud by omission after the institution of their Wellness Policy by failing to disclose to LoGrasso, Singleton and their other wrestlers "information concerning a link between repeated head trauma and permanent degenerative neurological conditions as well as specialized knowledge concerning the possibility that its wrestlers could be exposed to a greater risk for such conditions."

The case has since entered discovery, which was a slow moving affair until the last couple of weeks when the plaintiffs deposed on short notice:

Vince McMahon (WWE Chairman & CEO),
Stephanie McMahon (Chief Brand Officer),
Paul "Triple H" Levesque (Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events & Creative),
Dr. Joseph Maroon (WWE Medical Director),
Dr. Mark Lovell (President of ImPACT),
Dr. Chris Amann (WWE Senior Ringside Physician),
Bill DeMott (WWE's Head Trainer from June 2012 to March 2015),
Chris Nowinski (Co-Founder and President of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, an organization that has benefited from WWE donations and Levesque is a current board member of).

A week ago, WWE filed an emergency motion for a protective order against these unilaterally-noticed depositions arguing that it amounted to harassment of some of their most senior executives:

"This barrage of unilaterally-scheduled depositions is a transparent attempt to prejudice WWE’s ability to properly prepare for these depositions including having counsel of WWE’s choice defend them. Plaintiffs are seeking depositions of WWE’s highest ranking executives, including its Chairman and CEO, Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events and Creative, and Chief Brand Officer, as well as third parties who Plaintiffs know have no information on any issues relevant under the Court’s discovery order and order on WWE’s motion to dismiss. Plaintiffs have no one to blame but themselves for causing their timing predicament and the resulting prejudice to WWE as they waited until just two and one-half weeks before the close of discovery to notice these depositions.

The Court has already found that Plaintiffs failed to establish good cause to extend the discovery period. The Court should also find that good cause exists to enter a protective order to prevent Plaintiffs’ attempt to prejudice, harass and unduly burden WWE with a host of depositions out of all proportion to the legitimate issues in dispute in this case."

It should be noted that WWE did not attempt to block all attempts at discovery as they had already agreed to produce a corporate representative for a Rule 30(b)(6) deposition scheduled on May 31st, 2016 before they were swamped with these additional requests.

However, Judge Vanessa Bryant denied WWE's motion for the following reason:

"ORDER denying 132 Motion for Protective Order. The Court does not direct discovery. Counsel are expected to civilly and professionally conduct discovery in a consultative manner as provided by Rules 26 and 37 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and within the deadlines set by the Court."

Since that ruling, WWE quickly arranged deposition dates for everyone except Stephanie McMahon, who they are refusing to produce "as "Plaintiffs have failed to identify any relevant testimony that Ms. McMahon would have on the narrow issues on which the Court has authorized discovery."

It should be noted that Paul Levesque will now serve as WWE's corporate representative for the Rule 30(b)(6) deposition mentioned above and will answer both individual and company specific questions in his deposition.

It is highly doubtful highly sceptical that the discovery process will find a smoking gun that will lead to WWE losing this case (Bryant's initial ruling went mostly in their favour and leaked excerpts from Singleton's deposition demonstrate that he didn't even realize that he was claiming fraud in his case against WWE), it should shine a light on WWE's Wellness Policy, in particular their handling of concussions and other traumatic brain injuries. That would be a positive development, even if it only proves that WWE's actions matches their words on the concussion issue.

WWE Announces Dates For Cruiserweight Classic

Tickets for #CruiserweightClassic on:
6/23, 7/14, 8/26, & 9/14
Go on sale FRIDAY at 10am at https://t.co/pcQU3cALRh. pic.twitter.com/8VjnRiOoGI

— Triple H (@TripleH) May 17, 2016

Chairman Of New Kentucky Wrestling Commission Says He Wants WWE Back in the State, Why WWE Is Not Running TV Events in Kentucky

WWE has not run a PPV or televised event in the state of Kentucky in over 5 years, and that is because of strict regulations in the state.

According to Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet, government officials in the state of Kentucky have created a new committee, and one of its focuses will be on bringing WWE events back to the state.

KBWC chairman Chad Miller issued an announcement on the new committee, and below is an excerpt:

“The new commission will have a more focused vision on unleashing the regulatory and market conditions necessary to attract world-class professional athletic events to Kentucky.”

This will include re-evaluating some of the extremely strict rules that were keeping WWE away.

Previous Kentucky officials sent WWE a letter back in 2010, after a Raw taping in which blood was drawn during a match, informing WWE they would only be allowed to return to Kentucky for events if state officials were present at ringside with the right to stop matches if they felt the need to do so.