Michael Luisi Exits Top Post At WWE Studios

A power struggle has ended with Michael Luisi out as WWE Studios president.

Sources said there was a clash with Michelle Wilson, the co-president of WWE who took on a co-president title at WWE Studios as well.

Luisi took the top post eight years ago, and in that time WWE Studios has grown to be an active player in the movie space. Films have included The Marine, the action film that started John Cena’s transition to films; the genre hit Oculus; the Halle Berry-starrer The Call; and the in post production Fighting With My Family, which features former WWE superstar Dwayne Johnson.

Upcoming there is the Josh Duhamel-directed The Buddy Games, and Pandemonium, the TriStar-based film that Glenn Ficarra and John Requa will direct about the formative years of WWE chief Vince McMahon, who learned the wrestling ropes from his local promoter father. After dad tagged out and son tagged in and bought his father’s struggling business, the young showman turned WWE into a global entertainment corporation with huge stars and sideshow participants that included the current president, Donald Trump. WWE Studios also has generated animated direct-to-DVD titles including The Jetsons and Scooby-Doo.

I’ve heard the company will be steered in the interim by Wilson along with biz affairs exec Timothy Schmidt. They will look to replace Luisi, who previously served exec stints at New Line and Miramax and The Weinstein Company before revamping the fortunes of WWE Studios.

source: deadline.com

NXT UK Women’s Champion To Be Crowned In Birmingham This Weekend

WWE has announced they will crown the first-ever NXT UK Women’s Champion on Tuesday, August 21 on a post promoting the upcoming NXT UK TV tapings which take place this Saturday and Sunday in Birmingham, United Kingdom at the NEC Birmingham.

The events are set to also feature WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate, Trent Seven, Noam Dar, Mark Andrews, Zack Gibson, Toni Storm, Joe Coffey, Jinny, and Charlie Morgan and more.

Wale joins the WWE 205 Live commentary team

Grammy-nominated rapper Wale will join Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness and Percy Watson tonight on commentary during WWE 205 Live, WWE.com can confirm!

A longtime WWE fan, Wale is no stranger to the WWE Universe, having hosted a rap battle between The Usos and The New Day in 2017.

Why is the Washington D.C. native joining the announce team? Tune in to WWE 205 Live tonight at 10/9 C, streaming live on the award-winning WWE Network!

Former WWE Star Justin Credible Currently In Jail

Connecticut state court records show that former WWE and ECW star Justin Credible (Peter Polaco) is currently incarcerated at the New Haven Correctional Center in New Haven, CT.

The 44 year old was arrested on Tuesday, August 14 for Felony Criminal Violation of a Protective Order and Misdemeanor Disorderly Conduct. His current status is listed as "unsentenced," but he does have a bond of $7,500. The case status for the August 14 incident is listed as "Awaiting Plea" and the next activity, likely a hearing, is scheduled for Tuesday, September 4 at 10am in Waterbury, CT.

Court records show Credible also has a court date scheduled for Friday, March 29, 2019 for 2017 cases he picked up. It looks like those cases were referred to the "Family Violence" court program and they currently have a status of "Awaiting Disposition/ Referred to Family Relations Officer" listed. Credible was arrested on Friday, March 3, 2017 for Misdemeanor Disorderly Conduct and Misdemeanor Threatening 2nd Degree. He was then arrested on Friday, December 1, 2017 for Felony Criminal Violation of a Protective Order, Misdemeanor Breach of Peace 2nd Degree and Misdemeanor Criminal Mischief 2nd Degree. Those two 2017 cases were ran together for the March 29, 2019 court date.

Triple H Handles Criticism Of WWE's Main Roster When Asked If He Could Give It An 'NXT Approach'

Triple H performs his duties as WWE's Vice President of Talent, Live Events & Creative which means he wears many hats in WWE. During a recent conference call, Paul Levesque was actually questioned about WWE's main roster storylines and how he would change things if given the opportunity.

A caller prefaced his question by saying he was asking "as a fan," and he was "burned out" by the WWE main roster. While praising NXT storylines for their crispness, he said Raw and SmackDown are often left "burning the midnight oil" for him personally. He noted that he wasn't looking forward to SummerSlam, and only for Takeover.

Triple H had a diplomatic reply when he was finally asked if he wished that he could take control of the main roster with an "NXT approach."

"I also wish I could fly and breath underwater," Triple H replied. "Dude, I wasn't sure if you were going to ask me a question or you were making a statement about your displeasure.

"Everybody has opinions on things and positive/negative that's the beauty in what we do and people are free to express those opinions. I'm happy that you like NXT and I'm happy you're looking forward to that show. You know some people dislike some things, there are other people who dislike what we do in NXT and there are people that like what we do there. Everybody's got an opinion and the great thing for us is no matter what it is, positive/negative, we don't have a shy fan base that is afraid to let us know.

"They will let us know and whether we decide to take that message immediately or whether it takes us a little bit to hear it, eventually we hear you. So you know, it is what it is but if people dislike something or like something that's what their voice is for and we encourage that for sure."

source: wrestlinginc.com

Jeff Jarrett And Global Force Entertainment LLC Sue Impact Wrestling’s Owner Anthem

As reported by PWInsider, Jeff Jarrett and Global Force Entertainment LLC have filed a lawsuit against Anthem Sports & Entertainment, the owners of Impact Wrestling. Below are a handful of the allegations noted throughout the course of the 26-page lawsuit.

*Violated state and federal trademark infringements in relation to GFE.

*Violated Jeff Jarrett’s exclusive property rights to his own name, photograph, and other likeness.

*That Anthem has used “a reproduction, counterfeit, copy, or colorable imitation of the GLOBAL FORCE WRESTLING and GFW trademarks” in commerce, therefore they are in violation of the Lanham Act, which prohibits trademark infringement, trademark dilution, and false advertising.

*The lawsuit also claims violation of the Lanham Act through alleged “acts of unfair competition” that were done “with the intent to deceive the public into believing that goods and services offered or sold by Defendants are made by, approved by, sponsored by, or affiliated with GFE.”

*That Anthem has “caused products and/or services to enter interstate commerce designated with variations” of the Global Force Wrestling and GFW trademarks. The filing claimed, “Defendants’ use of said designation and other representations constitute a false designation of origin which is likely to cause confusion, to cause mistake, and to deceive as to the affiliation, connection, or association of Defendants with GFE and as to the origin, sponsorship, or approval of such goods and services by GFE.” This allegation would be an alleged violation of the Lanham Act.

*That Anthem was involved in “Unfair Competition in Violation of Tennessee Common Law”, alleging, “GFE and Defendants compete for a common pool of customers. As alleged herein, Defendants have engaged in unfair, deceptive, or fraudulent conduct, which is likely to cause, if it has not already, customer confusion in violation of Tennessee common law.”

Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart passes away

WWE is saddened to learn that Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart passed away.

Best known as the powerhouse of the legendary Hart Foundation tag team with his brother-in-law, Bret “Hit Man” Hart, Jim Neidhart was also the father of current WWE Superstar Natalya.

Neidhart began his ring career after playing professional football with the Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys. He was trained by WWE Hall of Famer Stu Hart in the infamous Hart Dungeon in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and earned his ring nickname, The Anvil, after winning an anvil throwing contest.

Neidhart married Stu's daughter, Ellie, to become a member of the legendary Hart Family before making the move to WWE along with Bret "Hit Man" Hart, Dynamite Kid and Davey Boy Smith when WWE purchased Stu Hart’s Calgary Stampede Wrestling.

Initially, Neidhart and Hart were managed by Jimmy Hart as The Hart Foundation and went on to win two WWE World Tag Team Championships.

After several years of teaming with Bret’s younger brother, Owen Hart, and some singles competition, The Hart Foundation was re-formed in controversial fashion in 1997. Consisting of Neidhart, Bret, Owen, Smith and Brian Pillman, the pro-Canadian faction stirred United States crowds into a frenzy with their anti-American sermons.

Neidhart last competed in WWE in 1997 but his legacy lives on today through his daughter, Natalya, who displays her father’s signature charisma and toughness every time she steps in the ring.

More On Colt Cabana Suing CM Punk: Why Cabana Got His Own Lawyer, Feels Punk's Advice Led To Lawsuit

CM Punk and Colt Cabana escaped their defamation trial against Dr. Chris Amann on June 5th with a verdict in their favor. As we reported earlier, Cabana filed a lawsuit against Punk for over $1 million in legal fees and punitive damages because he claims that Punk persisted to press on in the legal process and defrauded him along the way.


The legal documents filed by Cabana's attorney on August 7th provides new details about the Amann lawsuit. It was said Cabana received an email with a letter from Dr. Amann "on or about December 14, 2014," demanding that he take down the podcast. Cabana notified Punk of this email through text messaging and the former WWE Champion said he would have his attorney at Loeb & Loeb "handle it."

After Cabana received a demand letter by mail on December 16th, Punk was notified again via text messages. Punk allegedly told Cabana to not respond and that he would be talking to his attorney, Sunny Brenner, to come up with a game plan." Punk told Cabana that "you're 100% covered." Cabana said that if he would have responded to the letter instead of listening to Punk, then he wouldn't have have had to incur the "costs, expenses or losses" associated with the case that he did.

After Amann filed his lawsuit on February 16th, 2015, Punk and Cabana retained Brenner as legal counsel for the case. Since Punk assured Cabana he was 100% covered, they signed an agreement saying they agree to "bill [Punk] for all of the legal services and expenses that we incur with respect to the Amann lawsuit" and "it is our understanding that Phil (Punk) will be responsible for paying these invoices."

Despite agreeing to pick up the cost of the trial's mounting legal fees, in late April 2016, Punk demanded via email that Cabana pay "for one or more of the Loeb Firm's statements."

"To date, I have spent $513,736 on this Amann lawsuit," Punk wrote. "My outstanding current bill is at least $300k. Half of all this is yours. Divide the 513,736 by 2 and that is what you owe me and what I expect you to pay me. Starting now I will no longer be paying your bills. You are on your own. Whatever my bill is currently, will be cut in half, and half will be yours. If you choose to make this ugly, that's fine too. I hope you won't but I gave up on you doing what is right a long time ago."

On May 5th, 2016, Cabana retained separate counsel from Punk. Brennen replied with an email on June 1st saying "he and [Punk] believed and agreed that it was best that [Cabana] not substitute counsel at that time."

In the email, Brennen wrote, "Despite your unwillingness to contribute to your legal fees, I am still prepared to represent you. [Punk] is prepared to have me represent you and cover your legal fees going forward, as long as there is no conflict between you and [Punk] that prevents me from fairly and ethically representing you. At his time, I don't believe that any such conflict exists."

Cabana agreed to keep Brennan as counsel and felt that there were no ethical issues that would prevent him from being represented by Punk's attorney. However, on March 10th, 2017, Cabana believes Punk "caused the Loeb Firm to withdraw as [Cabana's] counsel in the Amann lawsuit."

After being informed of losing his legal counsel, Cabana hired Carey Stein from the law firm Ashman & Stein to represent him in the Amann lawsuit. After the verdict was handed down in favor of Punk and Cabana, Stein demanded reimbursement of approximately $200,000 in legal fees from Punk incurred as a result of the lawsuit, which Punk refused.

Cabana is suing Punk for breach of contract and fraud. It is believed Punk breached his contract with Cabana concerning legal counsel. It was stated that Punk made promises to Cabana and he "deliberately failed or refused to inform [Cabana] that he had no intention of performing them."

The lawsuit claims, "Brooks acted with fraud, malice, and oppression toward Colton, with the deliberate intention of causing Colton harm."

Colt is asking for $200,000 in general damages, plus $1 million in punitive and exemplary damages, according to the lawsuit filing. Punk has not yet responded to the suit.

Colt Cabana Suing CM Punk For Over $1 Million

Colt Cabana (Scott Colton) is suing CM Punk(Phillip Brooks) over legal fees related to their recent defamation lawsuit win over WWE's Dr. Chris Amann, according to a report from The Chicago Sun Times.

Cabana has filed a lawsuit against Punk in Cook County Circuit Court for breach of contract and fraud.

Colt's suit alleges that Punk promised to help him out with the legal bills from the defamation suit. Colt claims Punk told him that he would be "100% covered" in a text message. Punk has allegedly failed to keep that promise and Colt now has unpaid legal bills totaling $513,736. Punk asked Colt to pay half of the legal fees, which would be $256,868, allegedly saying, "You are on your own."

The lawsuit claims, "Brooks acted with fraud, malice and oppression toward Colton, with the deliberate intention of causing Colton harm."

Colt is asking for $200,000 in general damages, plus $1 million in punitive and exemplary damages, according to the lawsuit filing.

Colt and Punk were good friends for years and courtroom reports from the recent trial with Amann indicated that they were back on good terms. It's worth noting that they started out with the same legal team for the case against Amann but Colt did hire his own attorneys. The two had a falling out in 2016 but Colt said in a June 2018 interview that they were cordial, but he hesitated before saying they are still friends.

Kane Wins Election To Become Next Mayor Of Knox County, Tennessee

Glenn Jacobs is better known to WWE fans as Kane, but the citizens of Knox County, Tennessee will know him as Mayor.

Today's election for next Mayor of Knox County, Tennessee turned out in Jacob's favor when he pulled in 66.56% of the vote. Early and absentee voting showed Jacobs leading over Democrat Linda Haney by a 2-1 margin. When all was said and done 22,595 citizens cast their vote for Kane.

Jacobs announced his intentions to run for Mayor of Knox County Tennessee as a Republican in April 2017. He won the Republican primary election on May 2nd this year by only 23 votes and was expected to win the general election due to Knoxville's historically Republican population.

How Much Money Did WWE Make From The Greatest Royal Rumble?

The WWE earned a reported $40 million - $50 million, according to the company's Q2 earning's report. 

According to their report, the company raised over $60 million in their 'other' section, which Dave Meltzer noted would include the Greatest Royal Rumble event.

The Greatest Royal Rumble event took place in April this year, and was the first part of a 10 year deal between WWE and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Despite the success of the show, the company was criticised due to their involvement with Saudi Arabia, and their extreme views against women and homosexuality. 

Happy Birthday Murphy

Murphy Claire Levesque
July 28, 2008

Happy Birthday Triple H

Paul Michael Levesque
July 27, 1969

Happy Birthday Aurora

Aurora Rose Levesque
July 24, 2006

Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon and Triple H announced the first-ever Women's pay-per-view, WWE Evolution

A historic announcement was promised, and a historic announcement was given. With almost the entire roster assembled atop the ramp, including the Cruiserweights and SmackDown LIVE Superstars — and with an intro from Mr. McMahon himself — Stephanie McMahon and Triple H took to the ring at the opening of Raw and made an announcement that marked the greatest leap forward yet in the Women's Evolution.

The Game beckoned the Women to step forward and, after emphasizing the support from both their male contemporaries and the WWE Universe itself, emotionally thanked them for “stealing the show” time and again. Upon taking the mic, Stephanie recapped the arc of the Women’s Evolution from its grassroots beginnings in the #GiveDivasAChance to its largest showcase yet. “Because of all of you, we are able to stand here and make another first-ever announcement,” said Stephanie. “On October 28, over 50 women, then, now and forever, will participate in an event called Evolution, and that event — I am privileged to announce — will be the first-ever all-women’s pay-per-view.”

Details were quick to follow. As Michael Cole explained moments later on commentary, the show will emanate from Nassau Coliseum and feature defenses of the Raw, SmackDown and NXT Women’s Championships as well as the finals of the Mae Young Classic. (More information can be found here.) Some might think this event marks the pinnacle of the Women’s Evolution. But if the Women’s Evolution has taught us one thing, it’s that it’s only just the beginning.

Hulk Hogan reinstated into WWE Hall of Fame

After a three-year suspension, Hulk Hogan has been reinstated into the WWE Hall of Fame. This second chance follows Hogan’s numerous public apologies and volunteering to work with young people, where he is helping them learn from his mistake. These efforts led to a recent induction into the Boys & Girls Clubs of America Alumni Hall of Fame.

ROH Dojo Announces Partnership with Four Other Major Wrestling Schools

The following comes from ROHWrestling.com:

The ROH Dojo is now officially open in Baltimore, MD and is an invite-only program for future ROH stars. With that, ROH is proud to announce its affiliation with four of the top, internationally-recognized wrestling schools in the world. The World Famous Monster Factory, Team 3D Academy, Maryland Championship Wrestling, and the Power Factory will provide a pipeline of talent and well over 150 years combined in professional wrestling among their trainers and lineages.

The World Famous Monster Factory has produced numerous World Champions seen on television since the late 1970s, with Larry Sharpe training some of the day’s top stars before the Monster Factory officially launched in Paulsboro, NJ 1983 under its historic name. The Monster Factory, led by Danny Cage, possess one of the longest and most accomplished lineages of alumni of any school in the country. Danny Cage continues to open doors all over the world for aspiring wrestlers with his state of the art facility.

For 11 years, Bully Ray and Devon have owned and operated Team 3D Academy in Kissimmee, FL, providing hands-on training from the most accomplished professional wrestling tag team of all time. Bully and Devon have most recently been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and have produced many stars that have been seen on television for organizations all across the globe!

Since 1998, Maryland Championship Wrestling in Joppa, MD has served as a training home for some of the fastest-rising stars in professional wrestling. The host of the Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup each year, MCW has turned from one of the top showcases in the world for the brightest independent stars to one of the top producers of blue chip talent in the world. Head ROH Dojo Trainer Joey from Wrestling has led many of the most recent classes, building on the legacy created by owner Dan McDevitt and current trainers R.J. Meyer and Dean Gutridge.

Lastly, The Power Factory is the youngest school among the affiliates of the ROH Dojo but its trainers have nearly 40 years combined experience in professional wrestling. Ray Lloyd (aka Glacier) and QT Marshall lead the Power Factory in Norcross, GA, near Atlanta, GA! Lloyd and Marshall have state of the art facilities, as well as strength coaches and dieticians to help you get to the next level and have seen blue-chip prospects appear on international television in the just-under-one year they have been in existence!

These four schools will serve as partners for developing young talent who will train to learn wrestling, communication, and all other aspects needed to enter the ROH Dojo and become an ROH Star. Keep it locked in to ROHWrestling.com for the latest news on the ROH Dojo and if you are ready to begin your journey to success in professional wrestling, please contact one of our affiliates nearest to you!

GLOW Nominated For 10 Emmys

While WWE was unsuccessful in their bid for an Emmy nomination, congratulations go out to the cast of Netflix’s GLOW as they were nominated for 10 Emmys. Nominations include Outstanding Comedy Series.

This Week's WWE RAW Draws Lowest Viewership In History

Monday's WWE RAW, featuring the final red brand hype for Extreme Rules with Drew McIntyre vs. Seth Rollins in the main event, drew 2.470 million viewers. This is down 8.8% from last week's 2.707 million viewers and a new viewership low for 2018. This is also the lowest RAW viewership in history, coming in under the 2.478 million viewers from the September 26th, 2016 episode, which went up against the Trump - Clinton Presidential Debate and Monday Night Football.

For this week's show, the first hour drew 2.582 million viewers (last week's hour 1 - 2.641 million), the second hour drew 2.508 million viewers (last week's hour 2 - 2.822 million) and the final hour drew 2.320 million viewers (last week's hour 3 - 2.658 million).

RAW was #4 for the night in viewership on cable, behind Hannity, Tucker Carlson Tonight and The Ingraham Angle. RAW was #2 in the 18-49 demographic for the second week in a row, behind Love & Hip-Hop.

Hannity topped the night in viewership on cable TV with 5.817 million viewers. The Bachelorette drew 5.677 million viewers on broadcast TV in the 8pm hour while MOM drew 3.908 million viewers on broadcast TV, also in the 8pm hour, and American Ninja Warrior drew 4.999 million viewers in the 8pm hour.

Jay Lethal Responds To The Allegations

Taeler Hendrix made an accusation last week that she lost her push in ROH because she refused to sleep with Jay Lethal. ROH responded by saying they are taking this claim seriously and they are currently investigating the matter.

Lethal broke his silence on the matter as he tweeted out a message to his fans. He wrote a full response in a notepad and included it as an attached screenshot.

"Please do not use my words here as fuel to attack myself or my accuser, there is already too much hate going around in the world so let's not add to it," Lethal advised in his tweet.

"Let me be clear, there is absolutely no validity to these baseless allegations. Throughout my career, I have sought to conduct myself with honor and integrity. I would never engage in any conduct that disrespects this business or the men and women in this industry.

Every individual has a right to be heard and must be given every opportunity to speak truth to power. Anyone engaging in misconduct or abuse of any kind simply has no place in our business or our society.

I am confident that these unfortunate allegations will be proven to be completely unfounded at the conclusion of Ring Of Honor's investigation."

Why Fox Was Attracted To WWE, What Happened With The ESPN - WWE Negotiations, More On TV Deals

Sports Business Daily has a new article looking at how WWE's new deal with Fox marked the end of more than two years of negotiations among TV networks looking to land deals with WWE and the UFC. The article also looks at how two of the top entertainment agencies went head-to-head for their clients - Endeavor worked the five-year $1.5 billion deal between UFC & ESPN while Creative Artists Agency (CAA) crafted the $2.34 billion deal between WWE and NBCUniversal & Fox. Below are a few notes from the piece:

* While considering a future with or without UFC, Fox started looking at other sports content to fill nights on its broadcast network as part of a new strategy that focused on live programming in primetime. It sounds like Fox first started looking at WWE some time in 2017 and Fox insiders were attracted to the consistently high ratings & passionate fanbase that WWE has.

* WWE's negotiation period with NBCU ran until mid-May of this year but officials had already been making the rounds to get to know other TV executives through a series of "get-to-know-you meetings. The networks had one significant issue - Endeavor owns UFC and Endeavor's Ari Emanuel is friends with Vince McMahon, who asked Ari to represent WWE during media talks. Networks did not feel comfortable negotiating with the same person who was working on behalf of two competing sports brands. This was seen as a conflict of interest and networks made it clear to WWE officials. WWE hired CAA, a top rival of Endeavor, soon after a WWE show in Los Angeles during the spring of 2017 where Fox Sports President Eric Shanks pulled Vince to the side to point out the conflict of interest. Fox pushing for the change annoyed Ari and indicated that UFC & Fox would have trouble coming to a deal.

* Stephanie McMahon, Triple H, Co-President George Barrios and Co-President Michelle Wilson met with ESPN executives 4 times from December 2017 through the spring. ESPN had upped their coverage of WWE and was receptive to talks but it was soon clear that a deal was not going to be reached. The issue between ESPN and WWE came down to scheduling as RAW & SmackDown are produced every week and ESPN can't afford to give any sport 52 weeks in a year.

* ESPN did consider WWE programming for their ESPN+ streaming service but that would have directly competed with the WWE Network.

* WWE soon targeted Fox and made it clear they were interested. Fox did the same. Shanks and other Fox executives were shown on camera during a May 2017 RAW show from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. WWE was still in the exclusive window with NBCU, which ran until mid-May, but Stephanie, Triple H and other WWE executives made a point to visit the Fox lot for an informal meet & greet. WWE told Fox executives then that they could not discuss terms of a potential deal until NBC's exclusive window closed but both sides were interested.

* Bonnie Hammer, a longtime friend of WWE's and chairman of the NBCU cable entertainment group, was leading the renewal talks with WWE. Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBC Broadcasting & Sports, oversees all major sports rights negotiations for NBCU but they view WWE as an entertainment property so Hammer led the talks while he was on hand to participate in strategy sessions and offer advice. NBCU officials knew Fox was interested in WWE but they believed WWE ultimately wanted to stay on the USA Network. They also believed WWE fans wanted consistency as they knew where they could go to see RAW on Mondays and SmackDown on Tuesdays.

* WWE had been averaging $130 million per year for each show in previous deals and that figure was considered well below the market value by network executives. WWE officials knew they were negotiating from a strong position and decided to split their TV package in two. CAA told Hammer they wanted $265 million per year for RAW and $200 million per year for SmackDown - a 358% increase. NBCU's exclusive window closed on May 16th and they informed WWE they would take RAW for $265 million but they would not renew SmackDown. The next day WWE executives visited the Fox offices in New York City for the meeting that included Rupert Murdoch. The $205 million per year deal that would move the blue brand back to Fridays was settled on that day as both sides quickly realized they were close to an agreement. WWE signed the five-year SmackDown deal with Fox and renewed a five-year RAW deal with NBCU for USA.

Stephanie McMahon On List Of Most Influential Women In Sports

Stephanie McMahon is more than the Billion Dollar Princess we see on television. Aside from her duties as Commissioner Of Raw, she is also WWE's Chief Brand Officer and appears on the company's behalf on a regular basis.

McMahon is featured in AdWeek's list of 30 Most Influential Women In Sports. The feature mentions McMahon's participation in WrestleMania 34 and her match tagging with Triple H against Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle. It was noted WrestleMania 34 broke the record for highest-grossing entertainment show at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome with $14.1 million.

It was also mentioned how WWE continues to strengthen their influence on women's sports entertainment by growing the status of women in the company. Rousey's signing put a huge spotlight on the Women's Division, and WWE nearly doubled the roster of female Superstars in the past three years. WWE has also hired three female coaches and a female referee.

Mattel's line of WWE Superstar Barbie Dolls was noted as an accomplishment as well. Due to these increased efforts to focus on women, WWE's female fan base is said to have increased by 40%.

Ronda Rousey Becomes First Woman Inductee In UFC Hall Of Fame

Ronda Rousey helped sell millions of pay-per-views during her MMA career and it helped transcend Rousey past her MMA roots into mainstream pop culture. She has acting and media appearances under her belt as a result of her MMA and Olympic fame. Signing with WWE brought her to a marquee match at WrestleMania 34 where she and Kurt Angle defeated Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in her first match with the company.


She is now a WWE Superstar and competing on the Raw Brand, but Rousey was awarded last night in her previous home because she is now a UFC Hall Of Famer. Matt Serra was inducted into the Pioneer Wing, Art Davie was placed in the Contributors Wing, and Rousey received the honor of being the latest to enter the Modern-Era Wing of the UFC Hall Of Fame.

Rousey is the first female inductee into this elite club of fighters, but during her acceptance speech, she hoped there will be more to come. She also praised everyone involved for the group effort it took to help move along the women's fighting revolution.

"Because of you I am the first woman standing up here accepting this incredible honor, may I be the first of many," Rousey said. "I look around and I see together we have built this. This division, this sport, this revolution. Together we have redefined what it means to be strong, to be sexy. We have changed what it means to fight like a girl."

ROH Issues Statement Regarding Allegations Against Jay Lethal

Former ROH star Taeler Hendrix recently made allegations saying her run in Ring Of Honor was sabotaged due to the fact she wouldn't sleep with current-ROH World Champion Jay Lethal.

Hendrix replied to a fan standing up for Lethal's accomplishments by saying, "the dude you're standing up for is the same dude that told me because I didn't sleep with him they sabotaged me and took me off TV. that being the all mighty Jay."

She also said in a later social media post that her attorneys are working on this case at the moment. These allegations came out a week after Lethal started his second run as ROH World Champion.

Ring Of Honor released a statement to PW Torch on the matter. ROH said they are troubled to hear about these allegations and are taking the matter very seriously. They said appropriate action will be taken after they draw a conclusion following an investigation.

"We were troubled to hear the allegations that surfaced last night on Twitter. We take these matters very seriously and will be investigating this situation thoroughly, reviewing all evidence related to the matter. Ring of Honor strives to provide an environment and workplace where male and female wrestlers are free from any misconduct or abuse. We will take appropriate action upon the conclusion of our findings."

Triple H Offers To Save Toys R Us Mascot With NXT Opportunity

Toys "R" Us is unfortunately officially closed, but before he retires Geoffrey might have a chance to step into a WWE ring thanks to Triple H.

As the store wound down, a photo made the rounds of the store's mascot Geoffrey the Giraffe wearing a hat and sunglasses with a suitcase, apparently on his way to enjoy a nice retirement or at least a vacation. Some fans evidently used that opportunity to place Geoffrey in front of the WWE Performance Center and inside of it too, where the wrestlers of NXT and Tough Enough have trained.

Triple H got a big kick out of the images and took to social media to tease that maybe fans will see Geoffrey in an NXT ring someday.

"Thanks for recommendation. You know what they say, Geoffrey when one door closes...another one opens! #WeAreNXT WWEPerformanceCenter.com."

Odds are you won't see Geoffrey going against Adam Cole or Velveteen Dream anytime soon, but it's nice to know if he wanted to he at least has options.

WWE And FOX Announce New SmackDown TV Deal For FOX Sports, Vince McMahon Touts Perfect Match

WWE and FOX issued the following today:

FOX Sports Becomes New Home of SmackDown® Live

06/26/2018 - NEW YORK & STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- For the first time, every Friday night beginning October 4, 2019, FOX broadcast network will air WWE®'s flagship program SmackDown Live as part of a new five-year agreement with FOX Sports. The weekly, two-hour live event will air 52 weeks a year and captivate fans with a unique combination of edge-of-your-seat action, unpredictable drama and world-class athleticism.

"At FOX we are thrilled to welcome WWE to the FOX Sports family and bring SmackDown Live to broadcast television," said Eric Shanks, President, COO and Executive Producer FOX Sports. "We are huge fans and know that together FOX Sports will be the leader in live events for the foreseeable future."

"WWE and FOX are a perfect match," said Vince McMahon, WWE Chairman & CEO. "Moving SmackDown Live to broadcast TV and having the ability to leverage FOX's extensive portfolio of world-class sporting events will expand the reach of our flagship programming."

SmackDown Live is a consistent winner on television, currently averaging1 1.3M P18-49, 1.3M P25-54 and 3M total viewers P2+.

On air for almost 20 years and nearly 1,000 episodes, SmackDown Live is the second-longest running weekly episodic cable television show in U.S. primetime history, only behind Monday Night Raw®. SmackDown Live is currently among the most-watched, regularly scheduled programs on primetime cable and delivers more viewers in primetime than any cable network in the U.S. (2.9 million average viewers).

SmackDownLive has also helped launch the careers of pop-culture icons including Dwayne "The Rock®" Johnson, John Cena®, Undertaker®, Triple H®, "Stone Cold®" Steve Austin and The Bella Twins™.

1: Source: Nielsen NNTV, 2018 YTD through April (1/1/18-4/30/18), Live+7 Average Viewers for selected demographics (P18-49, P25-54, P2+).

USA Network and WWE® Monday Night Raw® Extend Long-Standing Partnership

Three-Hour Live Programming Block to Continue Weekly on Cable's #1 Entertainment Network

NEW YORK & STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- USA Network and WWE (NYSE: WWE) today announced a five-year extension for WWE's flagship program Monday Night Raw. The new agreement for the live, weekly three-hour block which commences in October 2019 continues WWE and USA's nearly three decade-long relationship. Monday Night Raw, the #1 show on USA Network, delivers action, drama, compelling storylines and unmatched athleticism, 52 weeks per year.

"Monday Night Raw and USA Network have dominated Monday nights during a truly historic run," says Chris McCumber, President, Entertainment Networks for NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. "Our partnership with WWE is one of the strongest and most successful in the business, and together we'll take Raw to even greater heights."

"We look forward to continuing our long-standing partnership with NBCUniversal and USA Network," said Vince McMahon, WWE Chairman & CEO. "Monday Night Raw has been synonymous with USA Network and we are excited about what the future holds for WWE's flagship program."

On the air for 25 years and more than 1,300 episodes, Monday Night Raw is the longest-running weekly episodic television show in U.S. primetime history and consistently a ratings juggernaut. Among the most-watched, regularly scheduled programs on primetime cable, Raw delivers more viewers in the U.S.than all sports other than the NFL. On USA Network, the weekly block is currently averaging 1.7M P18-49, 1.7M P25-54 and 3.6M total viewers P2+1.

Since its debut in 1993 on USA, Raw has been watched nearly 6 billion times in the U.S. alone. In its 25-year history, Raw has helped launch the careers of pop-culture icons including Dwayne "The Rock®" Johnson, John Cena®, Undertaker®, Triple H®, "Stone Cold®" Steve Austin and The Bella Twins™.

1Source: Nielsen NNTV, 2018 YTD through May (1/1/18-5/31/18), Live+7 Average Viewers for selected demographics (P18-49, P25-54, P2+).

Rumor Mill - ROH Reportedly Contemplating Legal Action After WWE’s Involvement In Cancelled MSG Show

Dave Meltzer talked about the cancelled ROH Madison Square Garden show on his Wrestling Observer podcast,

“As of right now they [Ring of Honor] are out of the date. A WWE official, who is not Vince McMahon, called up and told Madison Square Garden to cancel the show and they did and there’s a lot of unhappiness going around. There may be legal action. There may not be legal action. They [Ring of Honor] are contemplating legal action. Evidently the Garden believes that they had the right to do it.”

Meltzer elaborated further and pointed out that Ring of Honor did not come to Madison Square Garden. Meltzer claims that it was Madison Square Garden that came to Ring of Honor,

“Madison Square Garden was looking. The word was out that they were looking for someone to come in because WWE was not running enough dates. It’s not like they’re on bad terms; but, it’s like three dates a year. We want more wrestling so somebody else wants to run a date, they can run a date. So they are out there doing that and Ring of Honor goes and books a date. Then WWE calls and they say, ‘Well you can’t have the date.’ I think it makes MSG look real bad. The WWE, I don’t know. Does someone want to file an anti-trust case against them? I don’t know.”

Meltzer questions WWE’s decision making when it comes to making enemies with Sinclair. According to Meltzer, Sinclair owns approximately 54 FOX stations, some of which will run Smackdown beginning in 2019. Meltzer adds,

“I don’t know if you want the people who own a bunch of stations that you’re on to be mad at you. I don’t think that’s smart.”

Rumor Mill - WWE Has New Working Relationship With NOAH

WWE has a new working relationship with Pro Wrestling NOAH in Japan, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

There's no word yet on full details of the agreement but this is the first time in decades that WWE has worked with a Japanese promotion. The Observer notes that the deal will see Hideo Itami return to NOAH for an event on August 29th. NOAH does not have a show booked for August 29th as of this writing but they do have their 20th anniversary show on September 1st, which will celebrate Naomichi Marufuji's 20 years in the business. Itami feuded with Marufuji for several years.

It's worth noting that Twitter user Hisame, who provides NOAH updates in English, believes this may be a one-off deal for Itami instead of a working agreement with WWE as NOAH currently has a working relationship with Impact. There has been talk of the Impact - NOAH relationship coming to an end as of late.

"We have an alliance with PROGRESS in the UK, a situation with ICW in Scotland, two very well run and respected promotions that do good business – but more importantly they are cultivating talent. They are not just exploiting talent and grabbing guys to do a show with them, they are teaching talent and trying to make them better, which is what it is all about for me."

"Is there opportunity for cross-promotional events?" Triple H said, "Absolutely, with the right things. It's a blank slate and I'm open to just about anything if the right situation shows itself."

WWE Announces 2018 Mae Young Classic

WWE today announced that Mae Young Classic 2018 will take place Wednesday, Aug. 8, and Thursday, Aug. 9, from Full Sail Live in Orlando, Fla., with tickets available tomorrow at 10 a.m. ET/7 a.m. PT via www.nxttickets.com.

The tournament, named after WWE Hall of Famer and one of the greatest WWE Superstars in history, Mae Young, will once again feature 32 of the top female competitors from 12 countries participating in a single-elimination tournament. The second annual event will stream exclusively on WWE Network later this summer.

"We are thrilled to once again present the Mae Young Classic and provide a global showcase for 32 of the top female talent from around the world," said Paul "Triple H" Levesque, WWE Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events & Creative. "Last year's event was a significant milestone in WWE's Women's Evolution, and I am confident this year's event will break even more barriers."

Additional information on Mae Young Classic 2018 will be announced in the coming weeks.

Six Years Ago Today, NXT Relaunched At Full Sail University

Today has marked a very special anniversary for the WWE, as it has been six years since the revamp of NXT, with episode one airing June 20, 2012. 

The relaunched focused of new stars and establishing NXT as it's own brand, instead of the reality-competition style of NXT which launched in February 2010.

The results for the show were: 

Bo Dallas defeated Rick ViktorThe Ascension (Conor O'Brian and Kenneth Cameron) defeated CJ Parker and Mike DaltonTyson Kidd defeated Michael McGillicutty

A lot has changed since then, with Viktor joining the Ascension as well as Cameron and Parker being released.

In addition, Mike Dalton has gone on to become Tyler Breeze, with Michael McGillicutty becoming Curtis Axel.

Charlotte Flair To Appear In ESPN's Annual Body Issue

SmackDown Live superstar Charlotte Flair will appear in ESPN's 10th annual Body issue, celebrating the athletic form when it hits newsstands June 29. 

Flair will appear with fellow athletes from various sports, celebrating athletics and healthy bodies by posing in tastefully naked poses. 

Taking to Twitter, the former Women's Champion said it was a huge honour to be selected.

RAW superstar Ronda Rousey posed for the magazine in 2012, during her time with UFC.

The announced athletes taking part will be:

Charlotte Flair (WWE superstar)Saquon Barkley (American Footballer, NY Giants)Adam Rippon (Olympic Figure Skater)Megan Rapinoe (American Soccer Player, Seattle Reign)Breanna Stewart (Basketball Player, Seattle Storm)Sue Bird (Basketball Player, Seattle Storm)Jerry Rice (Retired American Footballer)Greg Norman (Golfer)Jessie Diggins (Cross Country Skier)Tori Bowie (Track and field Athlete)Karl-Anthony Towns (Basketball Player, Minnesota Timberwolves)Dallas Keuchel (Baseball player, Houston Astros)Yasiel Puig (Baseball player, Los Angeles Dodgers)Laura Chamberlain (Softball player)Crystal Dunn (American Soccer Player)Zlatan Ibrahimovic (European Football player, LA Galaxy)