As noted, TNA has moved its headquarters from Cummins Station in Nashville to a 25,000 foot warehouse which the company has been using as ShopTNA.com. TNA production will be moving to NorthStar Productions, which is a top production facility in the same city as the new company headquarters.
According to The Wrestling Observer, TNA had been falling behind on payments at the Cummins Station location, and at one point had moved into the basement of the facility where TV production was done as a cost cutting maneuver. TNA reportedly continued to fall behind on payments, and was basically evicted from the Cummins Station offices, effective at the end of April. TNA has known about the move for several months now, and had been preparing to move to the ShopTNA warehouse.
With regards to TNA seeking investors for Impact Wrestling, investors are reportedly already in play, and have been backing Impact Wrestling to keep the show on TV, but have not purchased any kind of interest in TNA Wrestling.
One of the current deals on the table centers around the controlling power of TNA, something Dixie Carter does not want to give up, but is something potential investors are interested in. It’s being said TNA might have to proceed with the deal to stay afloat, and that could give investors a leg up in terms of gaining controlling power of the company.
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April 14, 2016
Details on TNA Being Evicted From Their Headquarters, Investors Reportedly Already Backing Impact Wrestling
Triple H, Stephanie & the Girls After WrestleMania
Family over everything.. 👪 @TripleH @StephMcMahon pic.twitter.com/TKOG0VA5Pt
— Riz. (@johncenaAm) April 14, 2016
Triple H & Stephanie with Retro WWE Titles
#FBF #ThenNowForever pic.twitter.com/hDnx60O5sn
— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) April 15, 2016
April 13, 2016
April 12, 2016
ECW Original Balls Mahoney Passes Away At Age 44
From WWE.com:
WWE is saddened to learn of reports that Jonathan Rechner, best known for competing in ECW as Balls Mahoney, has passed away. WWE extends its condolences to Rechner's family, friends and fans.
According to PWInsider.com, while the details of Balls Mahoney’s death are still scarce, he reportedly suffered a bad fall days ago and injured his hip. The report adds Mahoney was using a walker following the fall, then he became ill, and earlier today passed away. It’s unknown at this time whether or not the fall and subsequent sickness lead to Mahoney’s death.
The Game-Changer: Triple H Is On Top of the World
On paper, Paul Levesque appears to be just another busy businessman with a family living in the burbs. He’s 46 years old, wears a suit to the office, works late hours, lives in Connecticut, and is happily married with three kids. He even finds the time to exercise. But Levesque isn’t your ordinary paper-pushing number cruncher. At 6'4", 255 pounds, he’s kind of a big deal—literally—that’s because Levesque, World Wrestling Entertainment’s Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events & Creative, is also Triple H, former WWE World Heavyweight Champion. We spoke with the King of Kings covering topics that include his upcoming title bout, dealing with prematch jitters, his family life, retirement, and craving macaroni and cheese. Click here for the full interview.
source: muscleandfitness.com
Shane McMahon Sued Over SEC Violations
Shane McMahon and the You On Demand company are listed as defendants in a lawsuit filed by attorney David Lopez on behalf of the plaintiff Deborah Donoghue on March 14. Donoghue is seeking recovery of “short swing profits.” The lawsuit claims that McMahon disposed for value of 7.010.000 shares of the YOU On Demand stock on January 31, 2014, and then purchased 24,6000 shares of YOU On Demand stock on May 22, 2015. Read the full lawsuit at Scribd.com/doc/308052456/YOD-Shane-McMahon-Lawsuit.
Shane is the founder and co-chairman of the YOU On Demand company. Shane is being sued for violating SEC Rules that limits people who have close access to information about company from making short term sales that will net them quick profits. Owners and operators of a company are not supposed to make multiple transactions within a six month period. Donoghue estimates the profits made by Shane to be roughly $17,700.
WWE Performance Center Welcomes New Class of Recruits
WWE today announced that a new class of 10 recruits, including a former NFL player, All-American collegiate wrestler, U.S. Marine Corps veteran and talent from independent wrestling circuits have begun training at the state-of-the-art WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
“With support from our world-class coaching staff at the WWE Performance Center these men and women will have the chance to hone their skills and fulfill their dream of becoming a WWE Superstar,” said Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events & Creative. “Our state-of-the-art training facility gives our talent every opportunity to succeed and grow, and I’m pleased to welcome this new class to WWE.”
The new training class includes:
• Babatunde Aiyegbusi (Olesnica, Poland) – Standing 6 feet 9 inches and weighing 350 pounds, Aiyegbusi is a former professional football player who had stints in Poland and Germany. Most recently, he spent the 2015 pre-season with the Minnesota Vikings as an offensive lineman.
• Bianca Blair (Knoxville, Tennessee) – Blair was an All-American and All-SEC track & field performer in hurdles at the University of Tennessee, and was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll in 2011 and 2012. A CrossFit competitor and powerlifter, Blair has been featured in RX Magazine, Femme Rouge Magazine and CrossFit.com.
• Nikola Bogojevic (Superior, Wisconsin) – World-class Greco Roman Wrestler who was the National Champion in Greco Roman Wrestling at the Junior Pan-American Games in 2011. Bogojevic also won bronze at the Pan-American Games in Greco Roman Wrestling in 2014 and has extensive experience training at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
• Carolyn Dunning (Las Vegas, Nevada) – Dunning is a former Air Force ROTC member and nationally ranked bodybuilding bikini competitor by The National Physique Committee (NPC).
• Macey Estrella (Parris Island, South Carolina) – Trained with Tom Caiazzo of American Premier Wrestling, Estrella is a former U.S. Marine and member of the Marine Corps SWAT Team.
• Nicola Glencross (Glasgow, Scotland) – Also known as Nikki Storm, Glencross has eight years of experience wrestling on the independent circuit for Japanese Women Pro-Wrestling (JWP), Pro Wrestling Eve, Scottish Wrestling Alliance, Insane Championship Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Elite, Stardom and Shine.
• Terrance Jean-Jacques (Boston, Massachusetts) – Standing 6 feet 3 inches and weighing 265 pounds, Jean-Jacques was an All-American wrestler at the University of Rhode Island in 2015. Prior to that, he accumulated a 32-2 record in wrestling at the University of Iowa.
• Daniella Kamela (Los Angeles, California) – Trained with Rikishi Fatu and David Gangrel Heath at Knokx Pro Entertainment, Kamela was an on-air talent for FOX Sports Arizona, Phoenix Suns dancer and Arizona Cardinals cheerleader.
• Michael Nicholls (Perth, Australia) – Also known as Mickey, Nicholls has 10 years of experience wrestling on the independent circuit for multiple organizations, including Pro Wrestling NOAH, where he was two-time Heavyweight Tag Team Champion with Shane Veryzer, New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) and Explosive Pro Wrestling.
• Shane Veryzer (Perth, Australia) – Also known as Shane Haste, Veryzer has 11 years of experience wrestling on the independent circuit for multiple organizations, including Pro Wrestling NOAH, where he was two-time Heavyweight Tag Team Champion with Michael Nicholls, and Explosive Pro Wrestling.
The new class will join a group of 69 men and women training out of the state-of-the-art, 26,000 square-foot WWE Performance Center
April 11, 2016
Doc Gallows And Karl Anderson Debut On WWE RAW Tonight In Los Angeles
The Usos defeated Curtis Axel and Heath Slater on tonight's WWE RAW to advance to the second round of the new tag team tournament. After the match, they were attacked by a debuting Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. The former IWGP Tag Team Champions destroyed The Usos in and out of the ring as fans cheered them on. Gallows and Anderson came through the crowd and left over the barrier, taunting The Usos.
As noted, The Dudley Boyz defeated The Lucha Dragons to advance tonight as well. The winners of the tournament will face WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day, apparently at WWE Payback. The Dudleyz will face the winners of Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady vs. The Ascension while The Usos will face the winners of The Vaudevillains vs. Goldust and R-Truth.
WWE Tag Team Tournament Announced, Winners To Face The New Day
Shane McMahon announced on tonight's WWE RAW that there will be an eight-team tag team tournament to crown new #1 contenders for WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day.
The participants are The Ascension, Goldust and R-Truth, Curtis Axel and Heath Slater, The Lucha Dragons, The Dudley Boyz, The Vaudevillains, Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady and The Usos.
The first match took place tonight and saw The Dudley Boyz defeat Sin Cara and WWE United States Champion Kalisto.
TNA Wrestling Moving Their Headquarters In Downsizing Operation
TNA Wrestling will be moving their corporate headquarters later this month in a move which has been planned for some time.
The company has for a while been planning to downsize their operations and are in the process of packing up their offices at Cummins Station in Nashville, according to PWInsider. The offices have been part of TNA since Dixie Carter and Panda Energy took over.
Going forward the company will have their offices located to the warehouse which the company uses for ShopTNA.com.
Lawsuit Filed By Rene Dupree Against WWE Over Royalties Already Being Dismissed
We noted last week that former WWE Tag Team Champion Rene Dupree filed a class-action lawsuit against WWE over royalties related to the WWE Network and Netflix. That lawsuit is already over, according to PWInsider, less than a week after it was filed.
Dupree's lawyers, Brenden Leydon and Clinton Krislov, filed a notice today in Connecticut, voluntarily dismissing the suit against WWE. The court still has to sign off on the notice and officially dismiss the suit but there should be no problem there. His attorneys did file to dismiss the lawsuit without prejudice, leaving it open to be re-filed at a later date.
The class-action suit was aimed at representing other wrestlers that had deals with WWE and other wrestling promotions between 1980 and now. They were seeking millions of dollars in damages.
As noted, WWE lawyer Jerry McDevitt told The Hollywood Reporter last week that Dupree signed a contract in 2011 that prevents him from filing a lawsuit like this one. McDevitt wouldn't elaborate on the deal Dupree signed but it appears this dismissal by his lawyers shows McDevitt was right. McDevitt informed Dupree's lawyers of the 2011 deal on the same night the suit was filed and their response indicated they did not know about any other deal their client had signed.
Sting on WWE Hall of Fame induction, WrestleMania match with Triple H, More
Sting was recently interviewed by Sports Illustrated's Extra Mustard. Below are a couple of highlights:
Losing to Triple H at WrestleMania 31:
"People took the loss personally, but in this business, you have to learn real quick not to take anything that personally. For me, it was a memory just being in Levi Stadium in California, my home state, with that crowd there."
Planning to still appear at select independent wrestling shows:
"I'm going to kick back. I'll pick and choose some events, but I won't be traveling as much. These grassroots shows remind me of my humble beginnings–even the smell of the building reminds me when I started. It's an honor to still be in front of the fans."
Sting also discussed being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, Ric Flair doing the induction, having DX and the nWo together at WrestleMania 31 and more. You can read the full interview by clicking here.
How Much Money Did The McMahons Donate To The Donald J. Trump Foundation?
The Stamford Patch has an article about how Vince McMahon and Linda McMahon were the largest donors to The Donald J. Trump Foundation from 2004 to 2014.
The McMahon family donated $5 million to the charity named after the WWE Hall of Famer and US Presidential candidate. Trump himself did not give any money to his foundation from 2009 to 2014.
WWE Signs Four Female Talents
According to Squared Circle Sires, WWE has signed 22 year old fitness athlete CJ Dunning, 26 year-old independent wrestler Ruby Mobs, Scottish wrestler Nikki Storm (who appeared on TNA British Boot Camp 2) and 25 year-old crossfit athlete Bianca Blair. All four women had tryouts with WWE last year.
April 10, 2016
Baron Corbin Talks His WrestleMania 32 Moment, What WWE Fans Need to Know About Him, His Success in NXT and More
Baron Corbin, one of the most recent WWE main roster call-ups from NXT, recently spoke with TheState.com to promote this weekend’s WWE NXT live events in the Carolinas, and below are some highlights:
Who Baron Corbin is and what fans need to know about him:
“He’s a no-nonsense guy who usually gets what he wants. It doesn’t matter who’s in his way. He’s not afraid to get his hands dirty. He gets it done as violent as possible.”
His WrestleMania Moment after winning the third annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal:
“It was unbelievable. We had over 100,000 people there. I was the last one standing in the ring and I got the trophy. My family was up front. It was pretty surreal. The noise, the energy, the atmosphere was untouchable. The feeling you get from that is just unreal.”
What NXT means for the business and fans:
“NXT has grown immensely in the last year, year and a half to where we’re traveling now, we’re doing overseas tours. The atmosphere we get with NXT and NXT fans, they’re a die-hard group. They care deeply about NXT. It’s a very unique experience when you come to it. It’s like when you find that local band you love playing at a small place and there are 50 people there. You continue to watch them and it grows to arenas. That’s what NXT is doing.”
April 9, 2016
Bray Wyatt On His Relationship With Triple H, Moving On From Husky Harris, Being Patient
Bray Wyatt joined Doug Mortman and Dave LaGreca on Busted Open during WrestleMania week. They sent us these highlights:
Moving past his previous incarnation in WWE as Husky Harris:
"I explain the old guy as a shell of a man that never really existed at all because that's exactly what it was. It was 'the man' trying to make into something that they thought would be humorous for them, but it meant nothing to me. Never did and it never will."
The perspective he has that allows him to be patient:
"There's a level of understanding that comes with seeing it. I didn't just see the good times. I saw all the horribleness in-between and the drop-off when it ends. My mind has always been prepped to be here. That being said, there's no favors being done for me. When I was thrown away years ago, and I was. I was thrown away and no one ever thought I'd come back. I remember Hunter telling me something. Hunter told me, 'When you walk in the door, no one is going to look at you and go, 'This guy needs to be a world champion.' He's like, 'You have to find yourself and invent yourself and you have to grab them by the throat and make them watch, make them understand you'. That's where I came from and that's exactly what I've always tried to do and I think I've done a pretty good job of that. Not to mention adding five giants behind me has kind of helped with that."
Whether true faces and heels still exist in wrestling today:
"TV and movies have changed everything about that. Stone Cold Steve Austin, for instance. There still is, to me, the cliche 'good guy' and 'bad guy'. I really believe that, but there's also guys like me and Roman that kind of blur the lines… Deadpool has this wonderful thing, and I think this explains this wonderfully. He tosses a guy up and he sticks him with two swords and he goes, 'Hey, hold on. I know it looks like I'm a hero here, but I want you to know something. I am a bad guy' and he slices the guy in half. That's a great testament to, I think, what I am. I fight for what I believe in, but I'm not a good person. I never claimed to be and I'm not."
His relationship with Triple H:
"Me and Triple H, I think we have a love-hate relationship. I love him, he hates me. I'm just kidding.
"Hunter was there at the beginning of NXT. It was nothing, it was still FCW, it was a warehouse, and when he came in, everything started to change. It was a lot of cartoon characters. It was, I'm not going to name names, but a lot of goofs and, you know, guys just wearing trunks and going out there, baby oil all over themselves, and then there was me. When we started that first show, I was one of the first characters to ever come out and I was so different. No one understood that at that time because NXT was not what you see today with all these bright characters. Finn Balor coming out with all the, whatever, devil crap. It wasn't like that then. It was just cartoon characters and when I walked out, it was just a great feeling because people immediately accepted what I was doing. They didn't care about the other guy. They didn't want to know about how it happened. They were just happy it did. They were very receptive and Hunter was instrumental in that for believing in me when not too many other people did… He's carried me a long way and I owe him everything."
Hulk Hogan Talks Roman Reigns Listening to Fans, Praises Triple H, More
Hulk Hogan recently spoke with Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard, here are the highlights:
On Roman Reigns: “If I was Roman Reigns, I would just listen to what the people want. If they want to boo me, then it’s like Razor Ramon would say–‘I’ll be the ‘Bad Guy’ for you.’ Roman Reigns should be as evil as he wants. If they’re booing him, then that’s what they want to see.”
On Triple H: “Triple H has stood the test of time. When he is in the ring, everybody loves watching him wrestle. His work goes back to DX and the NWO–the more evil he is, the more the people cheer him. Wrestling is in his blood, and people know what to expect when he gets in the ring, so people cheer his a–.”
On Working In Front of Big Crowds: “Once you get there in front of 100,000, the final element is how you respond to the people. Usually by the time you get to a crowd that big, you already have your act together. With a crowd that big–even if you bodyslam a giant–the signals come back awkwardly. It’s such a sea of people, you need to be able to read the crowd and roll to it. That’s why you see Triple H perform on a different level to connect with the crowd. That’s the mental aspect, and that shows you who the masters are out there.”
Will He Appear at WrestleMania 33?: “Never say never.”
April 8, 2016
April 7, 2016
CM Punk / Chris Amann Lawsuit Trial Date Set
According to documents issued by the Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court, the lawsuit brought on by WWE doctor Chris Amann against CM Punk and Colt Cabana has a trial date set.
The county set Monday, June 27th 2016 as the date for the trial; Amann is suing CM Punk (Phil Brooks) and Colt Cabana (Scott Colton) for comments made about him on Cabana’s “Art of Wrestling” podcast in November 2014.
WWE Touts More WrestleMania 32 Records - Merchandise, Digital And Social Media, WWE Network
WWE sent us the following:
WRESTLEMANIA® BREAKS MORE RECORDS
Stamford, conn. – April 7, 2016 – In addition to setting a new attendance record of 101,763 fans, which led to the highest-grossing live event in WWE history at $17.3 million, WrestleMania also broke records for digital and social media engagement and merchandise sales.
Digital/Social Media
* WrestleMania 32 was the most social event in WWE history, according to Nielsen Social with 2.5 million mentions on Twitter throughout the day and 1.3 million mentions during the broadcast alone, an increase of 50 percent and 18 percent year-over-year, respectively.
* WWE-related content saw more than 250 million video views across WWE.com, WWE App and social media during WrestleMania Week, an increase of 122 percent year-over-year.
* WrestleMania set data usage records, totaling 8.6TB on the AT&T network. This set a new record for data traffic at AT&T Stadium, an increase of 36 percent over the data traffic during the College Football Playoff National Championship Game in 2015.
WWE Network
* WrestleMania reached 1.82 million global households on WWE Network alone, making it the most-watched WrestleMania in history, with pay-per-view data still forthcoming.
* WWE Network subscribers viewed 21.7 million hours during WrestleMania Week or 12 hours per subscriber during the week. This compares to 15 million hours last year, a year-over-year increase of 45 percent.
Merchandise Sales
* WWE generated a record-breaking $4.55 million in WrestleMania merchandise revenue, an increase of 37 percent or $1.2 million, from last year's previous record at WrestleMania 31.
Blackjack Mulligan Passes Away
WWE is saddened by the news that Robert Windham, aka WWE Hall of Famer Blackjack Mulligan, has passed away at age 73.
Considered to be one of the toughest competitors of his day — only his rival Andre the Giant could overshadow the 6-foot-9, 345-pound stud from Eagle Pass, Texas — Mulligan served as a U.S. Marine in Guam and played for the New York Jets before gaining fame in the ring. With his signature all-black gear — from his cowboy hat to his leather glove — and his thick western mustache, Mulligan cut the figure of a dangerous outlaw in the ring and proved every bit as treacherous with his feared iron claw hold.
Blackjack Mulligan In Action
Starting off his career in the AWA as “Big” Bob Windham, Mulligan soon joined up with Blackjack Lanza to form The Blackjacks in WWE. The duo won tandem titles across the country, including a reign as WWE’s World Tag Team Champions in 1975, and made their mark as one of the most iconic duos of the 1970s. In 2006, the pair was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by their manager, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan.
Reflect on the amazing life and career of one of sports-entertainment's most rough and rugged individuals, WWE Hall of Famer Blackjack Mulligan.
Mulligan’s career winded down in the late ’80s, but his legacy continued on as his sons, Kendall Windham and WWE Hall of Famer Barry Windham, entered the ring. Today, his hard-hitting style can be seen in his grandsons, Bo Dallas and Bray Wyatt, the boys of Mulligan’s son-in-law, Mike Rotunda.
WWE extends its sincerest condolences to Windham’s family, friends and colleagues.
Former WWE Star Rene Dupree Hits WWE With A Class Action Lawsuit
The wrestler known as "Rene Dupree" leads an effort over money from the company's over-the-top network as well as Netflix.
As World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) transitions from a time when it earned a good chunk of its revenue from pay-per-view telecasts to one where streaming platforms dominate, one of its former professional wrestlers is now asking a federal court to interpret an old contract that spoke of "technology not yet created."
On Wednesday, Rene Goguen (known in the ring as "Rene Dupree" as part of the group "La Resistance") brought a putative class-action lawsuit alleging he and others haven't seen money from the much-ballyhooed over-the-top channel, WWE Network, as well as videos put on Netflix.
According to the complaint filed in Connecticut federal court, Goguen signed a "booking contract" in 2003 where WWE took ownership over a wide swath of intellectual property including his nickname, personality, character, costumes, props, gimmicks, gestures, routines and themes.
In return, WWE was obligated to pay out 25 percent of net receipts to a pool of wrestlers for licensed products as well as for video cassettes, videodiscs, CD-ROMs "or other technology, including technology not yet created" consisting of pay-per-view videos. Other video items like a WrestleMania box set had just a five percent royalty share for wrestlers.
In February 2014, WWE made waves by launching its own $9.99 per month streaming network, which included videos of past live pay-per-view events as well as other wrestling-themed shows, and according to Goguen's lawsuit, this fits the definition of "other technology and/or technology not yet created" in the booking contract.
The lawsuit, aiming to represent those who signed booking contracts for the WWE and other professional wrestling outfits between 1980 to the present, asserts breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, unjust enrichment and a violation of the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act, with millions of dollars in alleged damages being sought. Clinton Krislov and Brenden Leydon are the attorneys representing the plaintiffs.
In response, WWE attorney Jerry McDevitt tells THR that the problem with this lawsuit is that Goguen signed a contract in 2011 that destroys his ability to bring these types of claims. McDevitt wouldn't get into the specifics of this agreement, citing a provision on confidentiality, but he did say that he informed Goguen's lawyer last night. "His response back indicates he did not know about it," says McDevitt.
The WWE attorney wouldn't get into hypotheticals about potential other lawsuits from other wrestlers perhaps not bedeviled by waiver, but he expressed a lack of worry, pointing to the outcome of ESPN's legal dispute with wrestler Steve Ray for the proposition that many claims will be preempted by copyright law.
source: hollywoodreporter.com
Brie Bella On Why She's Leaving WWE
WWE.com posted an interview with former Divas Champion and recently retired Brie Bella, who confirmed that WrestleMania 32 was her retirement.
Leaving WWE:
"Yes. WrestleMania 32 was my last match. I wouldn't say my last match forever, just my last match that you'll see in a while. I am here at home because Daniel Bryan and I want to start a family soon. Or I shouldn't say soon — we want to start it now! We're going to start having babies, so I have to put my career on hold. It doesn't mean that I'm going to be gone. I'm going to be an ambassador for WWE. But I'm going to try motherhood."
If she'll miss the term 'diva':
"No! Absolutely not. Granted, of course, I have so many memories being a Diva. I guess it will always hold a special part of me. We always called ourselves Divas. I came in through Diva Search. I was a Divas Champion."
I always felt like it had this negative feeling to it because a Diva is so much more high maintenance, and that's the last thing we women wrestlers are. I'm really happy to see it go, just as I was really sad when I saw the original Women's Championship go away. It's amazing to just finally have it. So, yeah, I definitely won't miss it.
Women's Championship:
"Oh, my gosh. It was crazy. It's so hard to explain because it was such an overwhelming feeling. I couldn't stop smiling. I was just so proud of the three girls in the match. I felt like this is probably what women felt like the day it was announced that women can vote, or the day that women started in business and started feeling equal to men, owning and running companies. For me, I just felt like "Whoa, this is it! This is no longer about men and women. This is about all of us being Superstars." It's a very surreal feeling, and I just can't believe that I was actually there to witness it and be a part of it."
You can see the full interview at this link, where Bella talks about getting support from fans, her decision, and more.
April 6, 2016
Update On The EVOLVE / WWE Relationship, What EVOLVE Will Focus On Going Forward
PWInsider.com is reporting EVOLVE will be moving towards a focus on talents who have the most potential to move up to WWE developmental / NXT. The idea would be to have a list of talents that WWE could look at as potential signees, but they would still have the option of using other talents under contracts with other promotions for short term programs or for guest spots.
One example given was Sami Callihan, who just signed a deal with Lucha Underground. Callihan was originally involved in plans to challenge EVOLVE Champion Timothy Thatcher this past weekend, and he could always be used in shorter programs, but getting a longer term storyline may be difficult considering EVOLVE’s new focus.
Additionally, there is a plan to start running more EVOLVE events. The company had previously been running shows every 6-to-8 weeks, but now would start hosting events every 4 weeks.
Titus O'Neil Returning From Suspension Soon, WWE Running Contest With Titus And His Family
Titus O'Neil's WWE suspension for unprofessional conduct ends on April 10th, next Sunday, so it's possible that he returns at next week's RAW in Los Angeles or SmackDown in San Diego.
On a related note, WWE and the USA Network are running a new contest with Titus and his family, as seen below:
WWE WANTS TO SEND YOU ON A TRIP TO UNIVERSAL ORLANDO® RESORT WITH WWE SUPERSTAR TITUS O'NEIL AND HIS FAMILY!
You could win a trip to Universal Orlando® Resort, home of the world's two most jaw-dropping theme parks, where you'll attend the VIP Preview of the new ride Skull Island: Rein of Kong with WWE Superstar Titus O'Neil and his family. You can also explore more of Harry Potter's world than ever before at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™, swing high above the streets on The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man® and prepare for battle on Transformers: The Ride-3D. Plus, you'll stay in the heart of the excitement at Universal's Cabana Bay Beach Resort and enjoy the best in restaurants, live music, movies, shopping and more at Universal CityWalk®. It's a universe of action, thrills, and excitement for every member of the family. Vacation Like You Mean It® at Universal Orlando® Resort.
You could win a 3-night trip for four to experience it all for yourself, including:
* Roundtrip airfare for 4 to Orlando, Florida
* 4-day/3-night on-site accommodations at Universal's Cabana Bay Beach Resort
* Ground transportation between airport and hotel in Orlando
* Admission to both Universal Studios Florida® and Universal's Islands of Adventure® theme parks
* Tickets to Blue Man Group
* Admission to Wet 'n Wild® Orlando water park
* A "Meet & Greet" with Titus
* Attendance at the VIP Preview of Skull Island: Reign of KongSM
For more information on Universal Orlando Resort and for great deals on vacation packages, visitwww.universalorlando.com.
News On Bobby Roode And WWE, Roode Backstage At WrestleMania 32
Bobby Roode was backstage at WrestleMania 32 this past Sunday and was introducing himself to a lot of people. He also rode with talent back to the hotel after the show.
While Roode was shown on camera at NXT: Takeover last Friday, he actually had signed with WWE a week earlier. As you'd expect, he will start in NXT.
John Cena On Concussions, Possibly Donating His Brain For Research
TMZ Sports caught up with a very cautious John Cena while he was in New York City.
Cena is asked about concussions and if they're big in wrestling. Cena said concussions are an element of anything that involves contact. Cena also said he would be open to donating his brain to research because he's donated his body for other things. Cena said if he could do things to help people after he exists, he would be open to it.
