Triple H Says UFC Merger Slowed Down NXT Europe Plans

Triple H gave an update on their NXT Europe plans following Money in the Bank on Saturday. WWE announced last year the new brand would be coming in 2023 and speaking at the post-Money in the Bank press conference, Triple H said that the plans have shifted due to Endeavor’s purchase of WWE.

“It’s just slowed down the process I think,” he said (courtesy of Wrestling Inc). “At some point, end of the year, last year, whatever it is, we said in ’23 it would happen. Not having a crystal ball to see where everything was headed in that moment in time, obviously this transition with this merger with UFC with Endeavor and TKO, it’s changed the timeframe. But I think the intent is still the same.”

He continued, “I mentioned under the premise of WrestleMania and premium live events going global, we’re a global company. We’re looking to be everywhere. And I think … there are a lot of amazing talents here, internationally. And we’d love to explore that and give them opportunities to shine on the biggest stage possible and see what we can do with that. It’s just going to take a little bit of time.”

Natalya Received Six Guinness World Record Certificates

Backstage at Saturday's WWE Money in the Bank premium live event, WWE "Raw" Superstar Natalya received a total of six Guinness World Record certificates. Of course, Nattie reacted to the news via Twitter, noting that "wrestling is a singles sport that you can't do on your own.

"These kinds of stats paint the picture that I want for my legacy, long after I'm done. Each one of these records was attained while trying my hardest to build a division, not a person. That's what my family has taught me. Wrestling is a singles sport you can't do on your own," she tweeted.

The records include — Most WWE matches (female) with 1,514 matches, Most WWE wins in a career (female) with 663 wins, Most WWE PLE appearances (female) with 75 appearances, Most WWE WrestleMania appearances (female) with 8, Most WWE "Raw" matches with 174 matches and Most WWE "SmackDown" matches with a total of 200.

Natalya's first WWE match, according to Cagematch.net, was a Dark match against Victoria on the November 27, 2007 episode of "SmackDown." Since then Natalya has been a fixture in the WWE Women's roster. She has held the WWE Divas Championship, the "SmackDown" Women's Championship, and her most recent title was in 2021 — the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship. Nattie's last televised "Raw" match was on the June 5 episode, where she lost to Zoey Starks in a Money In The Bank Qualifying match. On June 30, she faced Rhea Ripley for the WWE Women's Title at a non-televised event.

Darren 'Droz' Drozdov Dead, Former WWE & ECW Star Died At Age 54

Darren 'Droz' Drozdov, who wrestling fans remember from his days in WWE and ECW, has passed away aged 54. The official statement from his family, which was obtained by WWE, reveals that he died this morning of natural causes.

While the news of Drozdov's passing is tragic, the statement focuses on the positive aspects of his life and what he accomplished. His family praised him for living each day to the fullest, despite being paralyzed from the neck down for the past 24 years. Furthermore, the family thanked his fans, friends, teammates, and colleagues for showing him support throughout the years while revealing that Drozdov wouldn't want people to mourn for him.

"Everyone who knew Darren was a better person because of it. He taught everyone so much about how to look at life: how to put things in perspective, how to overcome adversity, and how to show compassion for others. He would not want anyone to be sad at this moment and would want to this to be a celebration of his life, to be remembered for all the great things that he accomplished, the fun, the laughter, the great memories he shared with everyone."

Drozdov's wrestling career was cut short due to injury, but he did make an impression on WWE and ECW fans during the Attitude Era. Additionally, he was also known for his time in the NFL.

Darren Drozdov debuted in WWE in 1998, initially portraying a puking gimmick. During his tenure in Vince McMahon's company, he was primarily used as a mid-card superstar and tag team competitor. He once led a body piercing-themed stable that included Prince Albert and Vic Grimes. However, he is arguably best remembered for his stint in the Legion of Doom, which saw him take part in an infamous segment that culminated with Hawk being pushed off the Titantron.

Elsewhere, Drozdov had a short stint in ECW throughout 1997 and 1998. He was part of a stable that included Lance Wright, Brakkus, Doug Furnas, and Phil LaFon. They were presented as invaders from WWE who'd been sent to cause chaos in Paul Heyman's promotion.

Sadly, Drozdov's career was cut short following an accident in a match with D'Lo Brown on the October 5, 1999 episode of "WWF SmackDown." He landed on his head and broke two vertebrae in his neck, causing him to become paralyzed. However, as the aforementioned family statement notes, Drozdov continued to live his life to the fullest after becoming quadriplegic, and those who knew him praised him for his positive outlook.

Outside of wrestling, Drozdov played three seasons in the NFL for the New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, and Denver Broncos

WWE Media Rights Negotiating Windows With NBCUniversal & FOX Have Ended

A report from New York Post’s Andrew Marchand reveals the exclusive WWE TV rights negotiating windows for both FOX and NBCUniversal have closed for RAW and SmackDown. 

WWE is free to explore signing a deal with other networks and streaming platforms.

One of the leading streaming platforms expected to enter into talks with WWE is Amazon Prime Video. The likes of Apple and Warner Bros. Discovery may show interest but are not expected to make a play for the broadcasting rights.

In regard to traditional broadcasters, FOX and NBCU are still reportedly the favorites to retain WWE broadcast, but Disney has shown interest in WWE programming to air on FX but not ESPN, as ESPN "can’t guarantee a specific night of the week due to their rotating slate of games."

The report noted something very interesting, “One nugget I was told that may interest wrestling fans is that Warner Bros. Discovery does not have to stay exclusive to AEW. It would be something if it got in on WWE. But I don’t see it yet.”

XFL Loses Nearly $60 Million This Season

A group led by Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson took ownership of the XFL from Vince McMahon last year and just wrapped up their first full season of the revamped football league. Reports from Forbes indicate that the league lost nearly $60 million this season.

The XFL was largely a football league intended to be for players looking for a path to the NFL. In fact, 67 players who played in the XFL this season earned invitations to workout for NFL teams and 22 of them signed actual contracts. The Arlington Renegades won the championship despite finishing the regular season with a losing record (4-6).

The Rock continues to be adamant that the XFL is not a ‘side hustle’ and there is a clear goal that he remains confident the league can achieve. The Rock said, “This is not just an endeavor that’s going to fill up a portfolio and one day we flip it and we’re out. This is legacy. This is the long game.”

Forbes further indicated that the league expects around $100 million in revenue next season. Nearly 25% of XFL income comes from ESPN, which pays the league $20 million per season for rights to air games on TV.

XFL owners, including chairwoman Dany Garcia, said that the league recently signed sponsorships with national brands such as Progressive and Under Armor. She said, “We’re extremely well-capitalized for the long-term. This is our new WWE. The next massive live property.”

WWE Touts Nearly 90M U.S. Fans as CEO Says “It’s Time to Monetize” With New TV Deals

WWE Hall of Famer The Iron Sheik passes away

From WWE.com:

WWE is saddened to learn that Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri, known the world over as WWE Hall of Famer The Iron Sheik, passed away on Wednesday, June 7, at age 81. 

With his imposing physique, curled boots and dreaded Camel Cutch finishing hold, The Iron Sheik’s larger-than-life personality and natural gift for inciting crowds across the globe helped him become one of the greatest villains in sports-entertainment history. Yet, over time that awe-inspiring showmanship not only earned the respect of his peers, but the WWE Universe as a whole, making him a beloved figure.The Iron Sheik first excelled in the world of Greco-Roman Wrestling, competing in the Amateur Athletic Union and becoming a gold medalist at 180.5 pounds in 1971.

 The Iron Sheik became WWE Champion the day after Christmas in 1983 when he defeated Bob Backlund in Madison Square Garden. The victory was a controversial one, as Backlund's manager Arnold Skaaland threw in the towel when Backlund refused to submit to the Camel Clutch.

 After losing the WWE Championship to Hulk Hogan, The Iron Sheik engaged in a heated rivalry with Sgt. Slaughter culminating in their famous Boot Camp Match at Madison Square Garden. Soon after, The Iron Sheik teamed with Russian strongman Nikolai Volkoff. The anti-American pairing went on to win the WWE World Tag Team Championship in 1985 at the first WrestleMania.

The Iron Sheik left WWE in 1988 but reappeared in 1991 by the side of former enemy Sgt. Slaughter as Colonal Mustafa. His last in-ring appearance was at WrestleMania 17, as The Iron Sheik returned for one night only, winning a Gimmick Battle Royal and re-igniting his rivalry with Slaughter in the process.

The Iron Sheik remained a pop culture icon due to his bombastic online persona and appearances on “The Howard Stern Show,” “The Eric Andre Show,” and more.

WWE Announces Multi-Year Partnership With TWITCH

WWE today announced a multi-year partnership with Twitch that will see the return of the official WWE channel and popular WWE Superstar channels, featuring live and exclusive content.

In addition to the launch of the channel, WWE will debut today a companion sidecast to Monday Night RAW, bringing the WWE Universe behind the scenes and closer to the in-ring action. The weekly viewing experience will be led by a rotating cast of hosts and will regularly feature appearances by WWE Superstars, unique and exclusive content such as backstage interviews, and more. Viewers can stream the sidecast live every Monday beginning at 8 p.m. ET via https://www.twitch.tv/wwe or the Twitch App.

Additionally, the official WWE channel will be home to other live productions and will serve as an alternate live streaming feed for all of WWE’s premium live event press conferences.

WWE Legend Billy Graham Dead At 79

WWE Hall of Famer "Superstar" Billy Graham has died ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

Billy's family tells us he died Wednesday after being taken off life support. We're told Billy's wife and daughter were by his side when he passed. As we reported, Billy's wife Valerie announced Monday he had been in the ICU for three weeks as a result of various health issues. She said doctors wanted to take Billy off life support Monday night, but she initially refused.

Known for his prowess as a wrestler and a bodybuilder, Billy rose to fame back in the day wrestling for the American Wrestling Association and later the World Wrestling Federation.

Billy mentored big-time wrestlers like Hulk Hogan, Scott Steiner, Ric Flair and Jesse Ventura ... and in 2004 the WWE inducted Billy into its Hall of Fame.

Billy's recent health issues took a toll on his body ... his family says he lost 45 pounds while suffering from congestive heart failure, diabetes, hearing loss, and a significant infection in his ears and skull. We're also told his kidneys were failing.

Tributes are now pouring in from across the wrestling world ... with Ric tweeting, "THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR INFLUENCE On My Career!"

Billy was 79.

Merged UFC And WWE Will Reportedly Be Called TKO Group Holdings

The New Whale has been knocked out and a new, permanent name has been chosen for the soon-to-be-merged WWE and UFC hybrid company.

CNBC is reporting that what was temporarily known as New Whale Inc. will now be known going forward as TKO Group Holdings, with the TKO acronym meaning "technical knockout," paying homage to both UFC and WWE's shared combat sports lineages. While the two companies have an agreement to merge under this new name, WWE is still to be run by Vince McMahon out of its headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, while UFC is still being run by Dana White out of its headquarters in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The new company will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange as TKO. The merger between the two companies will make TKO Group Holdings worth an estimated $20 billion.

Endeavor CEO Ari Emmanuel secured Chairman Vince McMahon to oversee WWE during negotiations with a new revision made to WWE's term sheet which says McMahon must remain in charge of the company until he either retires or is physically unable. McMahon was also granted five of the eleven seats on the WWE Board of Directors, as well as veto power. In exchange for the request to make McMahon executive chairman, WWE shareholders get a higher percentage of voting power under the new terms. Despite McMahon's newly cemented authority, Endeavor has been adamant that WWE Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque will continue to oversee the creative direction of the company.

WWE Delivers Record-Breaking Backlash In Puerto Rico

WWE today announced that WWE Backlash®, which emanated from the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot in San Juan, Puerto Rico, became WWE’s highest-grossing and most-viewed Backlash in company history.

Viewership of Backlash saw a 28 percent increase versus the record set in 2022. The event, which featured Bad Bunny, the most-streamed music artist in the world, marked the largest gate ever for any WWE event held in Puerto Rico and the largest gate in the history of Backlash.

More than 34,800 fans descended on San Juan, Puerto Rico, for back-to-back sellout nights of SmackDown (16,896 attendees) and Backlash (17,944 attendees). It also marked the most social Backlash of all-time, led by over 40 million views of the San Juan Street Fight featuring Bad Bunny vs. Damien Priest. The hashtag #WWEBacklash, accompanied by a custom Bad Bunny emoji, trended No. 1 across the entire evening of sports.

In addition, Backlash broke merchandise and sponsorship records. As the first-ever WWE event under the expanded partnership with Fanatics overseeing the on-site event retail experience, top-selling items included the WWE Backlash and LWO Puerto Rico t-shirts. Sponsorship revenue surpassed any Backlash event in history, breaking last year’s record with a 98 percent year-on-year increase through partnerships with Netflix’s FUBAR, Mike’s Harder Lemonade and Xfinity.

Lawsuit Brought Against Vince McMahon Has Been Dropped

WWE shareholders dropped a lawsuit recently, according to Bloomberg.

Shareholders leading the consolidated lawsuit agreed to drop it Wednesday, saying their claims became moot when McMahon agreed in late March to repay $17.4 million the company wracked up investigating him. Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster granted the motion the same day.

The payment appears to cover only the cost of the probe, not the nearly $20 million McMahon allegedly paid his accusers since 2007. Counsel for the WWE investors indicated they plan to seek a “mootness fee” as a reward for their role in forcing McMahon’s hand.

A different group of shareholders is already seeking a mootness fee after dropping a related case when McMahon walked back some bylaw changes he’d pushed through as part of his corporate coup in early January. McMahon had left the board in mid-2022.