Triple H Reveals There Will Be Another Mae Young Classic

During a recent interview with Inside the Ropes, Triple H commented on WWE’s plans for another Mae Young Classic:

“We’re gonna do it again here soon, and we’re kind of getting to that point again now, like, wow, there is just a lot out there. So they are here and there and they’re all over the place. I think the talent sort of gravitate toward finding each other and they end up in these little pockets and then they’re all learning from each other but helping to bring that out and show it to the rest of the world is the goal."

Additional NXT Talent Released From WWE

Six more wrestlers within the NXT system were released by WWE this week, according to PWInsider. Most of the names hadn't yet made it to NXT TV or live events.

Rocky (seen in the video above) was signed from a 2016 tryout in China.

The other five names are: Mohamed Fahim (signed in January 2018), Marcos Gomes (signed in May 2019), Faisal Kurdi (signed in June 2019), Edgar Lopez (signed in September 2019), and Hussain Aldagal (signed in June 2019).

Kassius Ohno was also released.

WWE Superstars will climb the corporate ladder at WWE Money In The Bank

This year’s WWE Money In The Bank Men’s and Women’s Match participants will have an even more unique challenge ahead of them than usual.

The match begins on the ground floor of WWE Headquarters, but the briefcases – containing contracts for a championship match anytime, anyplace – will be hanging all the way up on the roof of the corporate tower.

Catch the historic, groundbreaking matches when WWE Money In The Bank streams live on the award-winning WWE Network on Sunday, May 10, at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

More NXT Releases

Add WWE NXT Superstars Tino Sabbatelli, Cezar Bononi, Nick Comoroto, Taynara Conti and Mars Wang to the list of wrestlers, producers, announcers and other employees released by WWE this week, according to PWInsider.


Stay tuned as there are rumors on more NXT cuts to be confirmed soon. It's possible that the releases were made earlier this week as well.

WWE NXT Beats AEW Dynamite In Viewership For Second Week In A Row, AEW Draws Record Low

Week 28 of the Wednesday Night War saw WWE NXT top AEW Dynamite in viewership, for the second week in a row.

Wednesday's Dynamite episode drew 683,000 viewers on TNT, while NXT drew 692,000 viewers on the USA Network, according to Showbuzz Daily.

AEW ranked #29 in the Cable Top 150, while NXT ranked #58. AEW ranked #74 in viewership, while NXT ranked #72 in viewership.

Last week's Dynamite episode drew 692,000 viewers and ranked #32 in the Cable Top 150, and #73 in viewership. Last week's NXT episode drew 693,000 viewers and ranked #51 in the Cable Top 150, and #79 in viewership.

This is the lowest Dynamite viewership of 2020. This is also the lowest non-holiday AEW viewership in history, tied with the December 18 episode. The lowest Dynamite viewership overall is the Thanksgiving week show on November 27, which drew 663,000 viewers.

AEW drew a 0.25 rating in the 18-49 demographic while NXT drew a 0.17 in the same demo this week. Last week's AEW show drew a 0.26 rating while the NXT episode drew a 0.19 in that demographic.

AEW's 0.25 rating is tied with the December 18 and April 1 episodes for the lowest ever.

WWE Hall of Famer Howard Finkel passes away

WWE is saddened to learn that Howard Finkel has passed away at age 69.

When considering the greatest ring announcers in the history of sports and sports-entertainment, you’d be hard-pressed to name one better than Howard Finkel. A native of Newark, NJ, “The Fink” — a label that had been attached affectionately to Howard over the years — made his ring announcing debut at Madison Square Garden in 1977 for WWE’s predecessor, WWWF.

By 1979, Finkel was the full-time ring announcer for WWWF, and when WWE was established in 1980, The Fink became the first — and eventually longest-serving — employee. Finkel’s distinctive voice was instantly recognizable, and for more than two decades Superstars such as The Ultimate Warrior, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and more would have a title victory marked by The Fink’s signature call, “and NNNEEEWWW World Champion!”

Despite being a ring announcer, Finkel didn’t shy away from in-ring competition in certain circumstances. In 1995, he battled his longtime rival Harvey Wippleman in a Tuxedo Match on Raw, and later helped X-Pac shave Jeff Jarrett’s head in a Hair vs. Hair Match at SummerSlam 1998.

In addition to his legendary tenure as a ring announcer, The Fink was an indispensable resource inside the WWE offices for his vast knowledge of sports-entertainment history. Well respected by current Superstars, WWE Legends and Hall of Famers, Finkel’s encyclopedic memory and kindness made him beloved among his colleagues. The Fink was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 4, 2009.

WWE owned a piece of the XFL, after all

The resurrection of the XFL was sold as an endeavor bought exclusively by Vince McMahon, with no involvement from his publicly-traded wrestling corporation, WWE. The wreckage of XFL 2.0 says otherwise.

Via multiple reports, WWE owned 23.5 percent of the Class B stock in the XFL, while McMahon owned the other 76.5 percent. McMahon also owned 100 percent of the Class A stock in the XFL. (Typically, Class A stock has greater voting rights than Class B stock.)

When McMahon conducted a press conference unveiling the project in 2018, he said that “there will be no crossover whatsoever” with WWE, and he specifically said that this doesn’t relate to funding.

“I wanted to do this since the day we stopped the other one,” McMahon told ESPN at the time. “A chance to do it with no partners, strictly funded by me, which would allow me to look in the mirror and say, ‘You were the one who screwed this up,’ or ‘You made this thing a success.'”

Whether the actual state of affairs creates any problems for WWE is a separate issue, but if the WWE investment was significant and if it was not disclosed in the financial information of a publicly-traded company, that could be a problem — especially if WWE ended up throwing a large chunk of change away.

WWE owned a piece of the XFL, after alloriginally appeared on Pro Football Talk.

WWE Releases Three Performance Center Coaches

Add WWE Performance Center coaches Serena Deeb, Kendo Kashin and Chris Guy (Ace Steel) to the list of wrestlers, creative writers, producers, referees and other talent released today by WWE, according to PWInsider.

WWE PC Coach And Others Released, WWE To Cut Hundreds Of Employees, More On Today's Departures

WWE NXT Superstar MJ Jenkins, Performance Center coach Norman Smiley, Spanish announcer Jerry Soto and on-air talent Josiah Williams to the list of wrestlers, creative writers, producers, referees and other talent released today by WWE.

Regarding the releases, @Wrestlevotes noted that the number of staff and talent releases will be "well into the hundreds" when everything has been finalized. Casey of Squared Circle Sirens also noted on Twitter that staff from the WWE Performance Center are being let go.

Below is the updated lists of confirmed cuts made today by the company, along with the tweets from Jenkins, Smiley, Soto and Williams:

WRESTLERS:

* MJ Jenkins
* Deonna Purrazzo
* Aleksandar Jaksic
* Rusev
* No Way Jose
* Mike Kanellis
* Maria Kanellis
* Primo
* Epico
* Rowan
* Sarah Logan
* Karl Anderson
* Luke Gallows
* EC3
* Drake Maverick
* Curt Hawkins
* Heath Slater
* Eric Young
* Lio Rush

PRODUCERS (Furloughed or released):
* WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle (Released)
* Billy Kidman
* Mike Rotunda
* Pat Buck
* Fit Finlay
* Shawn Daivari
* Scott Armstrong
* Sarah Stock
* Shane Helms
* Lance Storm

ANNOUNCERS:
* Aiden English
* Jerry Soto

REFEREES:
* Mike Chioda

CREATIVE:
* Andrea Listenberger

COACHES:
* Norman Smiley

OTHER ON-AIR TALENT:
* Josiah Williams

WWE Announces Coronavirus-Related Business Changes After Vince McMahon's Meeting With Employees

WWE today provided an update on measures taken by the Company in response to the current impact of COVID-19 on the organization.

Due to COVID-19 and current government mandated impacts on WWE and the media business generally, the Company went through an extensive evaluation of its operations over the past several weeks. This analysis resulted in the implementation of various short-term cost reductions and cash flow improvement actions including:

* Reducing executive and board member compensation;
* Decreasing operating expenses;
* Cutting talent expenses, third party staffing and consulting;
* Deferring spend on the build out of the Company's new headquarters for at least six months.

Given the uncertainty of the situation, the Company also identified headcount reductions and made the decision to furlough a portion of its workforce effective immediately. The decision to furlough versus permanently reduce headcount reflects the fact that the Company currently believes the furlough will be temporary in nature.

The Company's reductions of employee compensation and headcount result in an estimated monthly savings of $4 million along with cash flow improvement of $140 million primarily from the deferral in spending on the Company's new headquarters. Additionally, the Company has substantial financial resources, both available cash and debt capacity, which currently total approximately $0.5 billion, to manage the challenges ahead. Management continues to believe the fundamentals of the Company's business remain strong and that WWE is well positioned to take full advantage of the changing media landscape and increasing value of live sports rights over the longer term.

The Company will provide further details when it reports its first quarter 2020 results next Thursday, April 23 after the close of the market.

News On Vince McMahon Meeting With Talent: Talent Cuts Coming, Furloughs, WWE HQ

Vince McMahon held a call this afternoon to address WWE employees.

During the call, McMahon said that some employees will be furloughed. Vince said that he hopes to have them back when the situation is resolved, but there is no timeline. Furloughed employees will receive a text message from the WWE Human Resources immediately.

WWE will also be cutting talent, which will be permanent cuts. There should be announcements on that as soon as today.

Construction of the new WWE headquarters in Stamford, CT has been delayed six months. The move was expected to happen in early 2021.

WWE has also cancelled third party consulting contracts.

Donald Trump Taps Dana White, Mark Cuban, Vince McMahon as Advisors... 'We Need Sports'

Donald Trump is putting together a team of the most powerful people in U.S. sports to serve as advisors to get the country up and running again ... including Dana White, Adam Silver and Vince McMahon.

POTUS says the team will help advise him on how to restart the economy and get pro sports going again in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We have to get sports back," Trump said at the White House ... "I'm tired of watching baseball games that are 14 years old."
Here are some of the names Trump mentioned ...

NBA Commish Adam Silver
NFL Commish Roger Goodell
NHL Commish Gary Bettman
MLB Commish Rob Manfred
Patriots Owner Robert Kraft
Dallas Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban
UFC President Dana White
WWE Owner Vince McMahon
Dallas Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones

He's also working with the top execs from the PGA, LPGA, NASCAR and MLS.

Trump says he will consult with everyone -- some people will be included in a group call, others will be 1-on-1.

source: tmz.com