WWE has announced that NXT U.K. will officially premier on the WWE Network next Wednesday.
WWE's U.K. Twitter account posted the following:
BREAKING: #NXTUK, a new weekly episodic series featuring the greatest male and female competitors from the UK, will stream on @WWENetwork on Wednesdays beginning 17th October at 8pm BST. pic.twitter.com/L8wVJquMdF
— WWE UK (@WWEUK) October 11, 2018
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA and STAMFORD, Conn. — For the first time since 2010, Shawn Michaels will return to the ring alongside Triple H as DX take on The Brothers of Destruction, The Undertaker & Kane, at WWE Crown Jewel at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Friday, Nov. 2.
WWE Crown Jewel will also include a Universal Championship Triple Threat Match featuring Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman; a WWE Championship Match between AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan; and the first-ever WWE World Cup tournament to determine the best in the world.
General Sports Authority of Saudi Arabia Chairman, His Excellency Turki Al Sheikh, WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia invite the world to celebrate this signature event. Following the sold-out Greatest Royal Rumble in April, this is the second event as part of a long-term partnership between WWE and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
WWE Crown Jewel will stream live on WWE Network and be available on pay-per-view outside of the Middle East. Ticket availability will be announced in the coming weeks.
Paul “Triple H” Levesque has been doing the media rounds in order to promote Saturday’s WWE Super Show-Down event, and the topic of intergender wrestling was brought up an interview with SBS reporter Manny Tsigas. Those looking to see intergender wrestling within WWE will be disappointed by what Levesque had to say. He wasn’t high on the idea, and spoke to it as being mostly shock value.
Transcription by WrestleZone Senior Editor Tyler Treese.
On intergender wrestling as a whole:
There’s just a shock moment and a spectacle to that. Women, female athletes, our women the WWE female Superstars don’t need a man to make them successful in the ring. They don’t need a man to step in the ring with them to make them have a spectacular match. Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch will probably walk into “The G” on Saturday and steal the night. Ronda Rousey will be one of the biggest superstars in that arena on Saturday. They don’t need a man to make them successful. They don’t need a man to be in the ring with them.
They need each other, the opportunity, the platform, and to be set free to do what they do. When we do that they rise to the occasion. They have stolen the show, they have had the main event, they will have their own pay-per-view…They don’t need [intergender wrestling]. It’s just shock value. You don’t need it. When it’s done right, I do believe there is an exciting moment when it can happen, but it doesn’t need to be the standard.
On if it’s empowerment:
To say that in order for a female to prove she is empowered she has to be able to compete against a men or have a man in the ring with her to do what she does at a high enough level? No. What makes a woman empowered is when she’s so good with another woman in that ring that no man on the card can stand up to them…When they do all the things that they can do right now on their own because they have that ability, that is the empowerment. It’s not about us giving them something.
WWE received three Gold W3 Awards and twenty Silver W3 Awards from the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts.
The following comes from WWE.com:
WWE.com, WWE Network and WWE’s social media have been recognized for their digital excellence by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts (AIVA) with 23 total W3 Awards, including three Gold Awards and 20 Silver Awards.
This year’s honors were bestowed to a variety of WWE’s overall Social Media and digital efforts, including WWE Mixed Match Challenge on Facebook Watch, which won two Gold Awards for Social Video-Events & Live Streaming for Social and Social Video-Video Series for Social. The WWE Instagram also picked up a Gold Award for Social Content & Marketing-Entertainment for Social.
Other awards for social media efforts included the WrestleMania 34 Kickoff Live Stream on Facebook, which received Silver honors for Social Video-Events & Live Streaming for Social and Online Video-Live Streaming for Video.
WWE’s very own Cathy Kelley received the Video Features-Web Personality/Host for Video honor for WWE Now. AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura’s 3D holograms were also celebrated with a Silver Award for VR/360-VR-Interactive for Video.
WWE Game Night and Southpaw Regional Wrestling each won Silver Awards for Online Video-Comedy, Extended or Series for Video. Southpaw Regional Wrestling also earned a Silver Award for Branded Entertainment-Long-Form for Video.
Superstar Ink, My Son/Daughter is a WWE Superstar, and WWE Chronicle each earned Silver Awards for Online Video-Documentary Series for Video. WWE Formerly Known As received two Silver honors for Online Video-Web Series for Video and Video Features-Editing for Video.
The WWE App with WWE Network earned Silver for Mobile Apps.
AIVA presents the W3 Awards every year to the very best in websites, web advertising, mobile sites/apps and web video.
Kevin Nash was recently interviewed by Sporting Newsand gave his thoughts about criticism from fans who don't want to see another Triple H vs Undertaker match. Check out his comments below.
"No one cares about the young guys. When I watched Summerslam that (Undertaker and Tripe H) package caught my eye and made me want to see that match. I don’t know if I want to see Roman Reigns versus Undertaker again. What more of a rub can you give than that? He’s [been] given rubs before and they just aren’t getting over."
WWE Superstar The Undertaker was interviewed by pastor Ed Young of Fellowship Church in North Texas. In the interview, he discussed how he wants wrestlers today to focus on character, not just moves.
On character over moves:
“It’s not about the moves — it really isn’t — it’s being able to evoke emotion in one facet or another. You have to either make people love you or you have to make people hate you.”
On the problem with too many moves:
“A lot of times what happens with these young guys is they’re so athletic, they’re so gifted, they’ll do some kind of double crazy back flip off the top rope and land on somebody on the floor and then that’s what the audience takes away from it: ‘this guy does crazy stuff.’ Well, you can only see that so many times before you’re like ‘I’ve seen that. I need something new,’” he said. “And that’s the position they sometimes back themselves into. They have to keep upping the ante. And when you up the ante like that, then you increase your potential for injuries.”
On how character work is the key to longevity:
“If you can’t bring that emotion out of your audience, you aren’t going to have them for long.”
I do feel as though my experience playing football at the college level has helped me, certainly at the NFL level. Probably the thing that has helped me the most in terms of getting ready for this challenge was the ten years I spent working for the NFL after I quit playing, in Europe. Running franchises in the old World League of American Football and basically running the league as league president in the ’90s and being an athletic director, you’re administering football. That’s what you do. Not only the football side with coaches; but, also the business side – you gotta sell tickets, you gotta sell sponsorships, you’ve got stadium up-keeps, concession issues, parking, all those things that matter to having a successful football program. I also believe that in life everything you do helps you in the job you’re currently doing. You take skills that you picked up along the way and try to use them the best you can to try to do a successful job wherever you’re at. I’m absolutely prepared – I think – for this challenge.
We’re looking at it more as shaping a lump of clay and trying to do the best we can possibly do. Forget about 2001. Some of the things that were done were a little bit gimmicky, I think is maybe the best word. We want to make this build a serious sustainable league that football fans can enjoy, that families can enjoy, that’s family affordable, that’s as safe as can be while still respecting the great rock ’em sock ’em game of football, which we know and you know better than I, is a very physical rough game. We kind of look at it as taking a mold of clay – thanks to Vince [McMahon] and his foresight – we’ve given ourselves plenty of time before we kick off in 2020 to get it right, to really make sure we’re doing all the right things in terms of tweaking the rules, the markets we go to, the types of coaches and players we have in our league. I almost feel like we’re starting from scratch quite honestly.
Last week it was revealed that WWE and Impact Wrestling had a meeting at WWE headquarters in Connecticut. While details on what was discussed were practically non-existant last week (except that it wasn’t regarding a possible sale), we now have a few additional details thanks to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (subscription required). First off, while several notable names weren’t present (such as Don Callis and WWE President Vince McMahon), it’s been confirmed that Paul Levesque met with Impact’s Ed Nordholm and Scott D’Amore.
It turns out that WWE reached out and requested the meeting, rather than vice-versa, which is what some outlets originally reported. What exactly went on during the meeting remains a mystery, but people from both sides have said that the two companies are no longer enemies as they were in the past. That leaves the door open for future collaborations, be them in-ring or licensing opportunities.
Baron Corbin did an interview with Denver’s KS1075 and discussed Triple H’s impact on NXT:
On Triple H’s influence on NXT’s success: “He’s extremely hands on, and I think that plays in part of the success, with what Triple H has created. Just with the [WWE] Performance Center, and giving these guys the opportunity to be—Shawn Michaels is there now, that’s insane—it’s crazy that you’re given these opportunities in a place like that. The coaches and the quality of the facility; there’s seven rings, a weight room, training staff, rehabilitation for injuries, all of those things. You’re given every opportunity to succeed and Hunter is extremely hands on. He’s there at every NXT taping, every NXT live event, he helps guys grow. He’s one of the greatest there’s ever been, and he’s still going. He’s in touch with what’s going on. He’s competing next week in Australia [at WWE Super Show-Down] against The Undertaker, so you have a guy that’s still in the moment of everything WWE is doing, helping to mold the younger talent. It’s unbelievable.”
It's now confirmed that Mia Yim has signed with WWE.
The 2018 Mae Young Classic competitor started with WWE back on Sunday, September 16, according to PWInsider. We noted before that there was speculation on Yim, a former TNA Knockouts Champion, signing after she appeared in a WWE NXT Twitter video from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando.
Yim recently revealed on Twitter that she's dating NXT Superstar Keith Lee. She also revealed she's roommates with Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke.
Abyss will take his rightful place in the IMPACT Wrestling Hall of Fame. Abyss has had a storied career as a former World Champion, X-Division Champion and World Tag Team Champion. Not to mention that Abyss has been a staple of IMPACT Wrestling since Day 1. Abyss has long been the Monster, the man who terrorized opponents and thrilled fans.
There is no one more suited to join the Hall of Fame than Abyss. Fans who purchased VIP Tickets for Bound For Glory will be invited to attend the Induction Ceremony the night before Bound For Glory. Also, tickets are available as well, it will be a limited engagement and a once in a lifetime chance to watch as the man behind the Monster’s Ball Match takes his rightful place in the Hall of Fame.
A federal judge in Connecticut has dismissed a lawsuit by 60 former professional wrestlers, many of them stars in the 1980s and 1990s, who claimed World Wrestling Entertainment failed to protect them from repeated head trauma including concussions that led to long-term brain damage.
U.S. District Judge Vanessa Bryant in Hartford threw out the lawsuit Monday, saying many of the claims were frivolous or filed after the statute of limitations expired. Stamford-based WWE denied the lawsuit’s allegations.
Bryant also criticized the wrestlers’ lawyer, Konstantine Kyros, based in Hingham, Massachusetts, for repeatedly failing to comply with court rules and orders and ordered him to pay WWE’s legal fees, which could total hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Kyros strongly disagreed with Bryant’s ruling and vowed to appeal to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York. He said the allegations were not frivolous and Bryant was wrong about the claims being filed too late, because many wrestlers’ ailments — including dementia and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE — were diagnosed years after they left the ring or after they died.
“I stand for professional wrestlers who face the prospect of losing their identity and consciousness to the effects of a latent occupational disease that robs them of their sanity, comfort of their families and memories of everything they achieved entertaining the millions of people who love them,” Kyros wrote in an email to The Associated Press on Wednesday.
source: nypost.com
Several high-ranking WWE officials met with Impact Wrestling officials at WWE HQ in Stamford, CT last week, according to PWInsider.
Impact was represented by Scott D'Amore and Ed Nordholm. Vince McMahon was not at the meeting but members of Triple H's team were there. The meeting took place during the middle of last week as Impact officials were returning from UK, headed to Mexico City for TV tapings.
A WWE source described the meeting to PWInsider as a general discussion about the two companies and a chance to get everyone in the same room, not a specific negotiation of any kind. It's no secret that WWE has worked with Impact since Anthem purchased them, paying to license footage on WWE Champion AJ Styles and The Hardys' Broken Universe storyline. An Impact source stressed that the meeting had nothing to do with the sale of Impact as a company or its video library as neither are for sale.
WWE is a multi-million dollar business and, like other businesses, it is susceptible to being sued by former employees (or contractors in the case of WWE Superstars).
Some of the biggest lawsuits that WWE has faced in recent years are those related to concussions. On Monday WWE finally received resolution of those suits as Judge Vanessa L. Bryant of the United States District Court of Connecticut officially dismissed all concussion-related lawsuits against WWE.
Dozens of former WWE Superstars had sued the company regarding a lack of transparency and protection in regards to their health. These suits specifically brought up concussions, CTE and other head trauma injuries that can suffer from competing in the ring. But Judge Bryant has ruled that WWE is not liable for those head and brain injuries.
SEE ALSO
Triple H Says WWE Will Keep Close Watch Over Daniel Bryan's Health
This isn't the first time that Bryant has ruled in favor of WWE regarding a federal concussion lawsuit. In April she cleared WWE from a suit filed by two former Superstars, Vito LoGrasso (aka Big Vito) and Evan Singleton, who never competed on the main roster.
"The evidence does not support a finding that WWE knew of a risk that repeated head injuries incurred while performing as a professional wrestler could cause permanent degenerative neurological conditions," Judge Bryant said in regards to that case.
Source: PWInsider
WWE has confirmed that starting this week 205 Live will be moving to Wednesdays at 7pm ET before NXT and the Mae Young Classic.
Stone Cold Steve Austin has never been one to shy away from giving his opinion on WWE and has often been vocal about how the company could improve its product.
He was recently joined by former WWE Superstar Sean Waltman, better known as X-Pac on his Steve Austin Show. During the show both discussed NXT and why they feel it is better than Raw and SmackDown Live. Austin felt the show was a throwback to a more classic pro-wrestling product and felt the main shows tend to get very complicated with regards to story telling.
“The thing I like about the NXT thing is it’s almost like [Waltman] said, the main roster is almost trying to cover or cater to everybody. And to me, the NXT thing is more… they are both under the same umbrella, it’s WWE, it’s sports entertainment. It ain’t pro wrestling anymore. Now, it’s sports entertainment officially, but in my mind, it’s still pro wrestling. And to me, NXT, yeah, it’s kind of like a throwback. And it’s all modern stuff, great lighting, great production values, everything else, but the storylines are very easy to understand and very simple. And, I mean, the announcers aren’t trying to go overboard trying to explain whatever’s going on.” Austin added, “sometimes when I watch the main roster stuff, it’s like they’re trying to play to so many people that the storylines get kind of convoluted.”
Starting tonight, Renee Young will be the first woman to join the Raw broadcast booth full-time.
She will now bring her unique voice and perspective to the longest-running weekly episodic program in the U.S. as she joins Michael Cole and Corey Gravesat the commentary desk. Renee joined WWE in 2012 and has served as a backstage interviewer and commentator on Raw, SmackDown LIVE and NXT. She is currently part of the Mae Young Classic commentary team on WWE Network.
In turn, Jonathan Coachman will take over as the new host of WWE’s pay-per-view kickoff shows. A veteran broadcaster with more than 20 years of experience hosting shows for WWE, ESPN, MSG Network and the Golf Channel, Coachman will bring his unique style to millions of viewers around the world on WWE Network, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and WWE.com, as the host of WWE’s pay-per-view kickoff shows. Coachman will begin his new role this Sunday, Sept. 16 alongside WWE Hall of Famer Booker T, David Otunga, Sam Roberts and Peter Rosenberg prior to WWE’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view event.
The latest Dinner with the King features WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler addressing a live crowd at Starrcast during All In weekend.
A fan commented on how he associates Lawler with the word ‘puppies’ and Lawler then directly addressed that:
“The thing with the puppies, I did not coin the phrase. I was not the first one to say the phrase on WWE TV; but, because like you said I am so associated with that word puppies, most people think that way. That is probably the reason I’m not on TV anymore and I mean that seriously because they [WWE] went so politically correct. It’s not necessarily PG because they’re not PG. They’re further south than PG. They’re PC. They’re so politically correct to a fault and especially like they got so right now into – starting with the Revolution – now it’s all about empowering women and that’s a big political correct thing these days and everything, so WWE jumped right on that, so it’s about empowering women. They actually came to us and said, ‘Do not ever say that women are sexy or that they’re good looking or that they’re beautiful. You must treat them exactly like you would a male athlete. You could say that they are powerful, they’re strong, they’re athletic, all this stuff; but, nothing that would be considered sexist at all.”
Lawler then talks about the RAW 25th Anniversary Show when he let the word ‘puppies’ slip early on during the historic live broadcast,
“This is like early on the show and I said, ‘JR [Jim Ross], it’s so nice to be here tonight and we’re gonna go back in time or something and I might even say puppies tonight.’ Immediately I hear [Vince McMahon] in my earphone (grunts), ‘Let’s stay away from that tonight.’ That was the last time it was ever said on there.”
Dave Lagana recently appeared on The Taz Show and spoke on his experiences working with Vince McMahon in WWE and his time in Impact Wrestling. Below are interview highlights
Transcript courtesy of Michael McClead and Wrestlezone.com
Working Under Vince McMahon:
“I have nothing bad to say about him [Vince McMahon]. He took the company from three billion to nine billion dollars in one year. He’s pretty good, so for everyone that hates him for the Roman Reigns booking, show me what you’ve tripled in one year with your business. I learned more from him than anybody.”
Education Received From Vince McMahon:
“It was like a master class…I would have paid to have worked there at that time. I paid $100,000 to go to college and I didn’t get 1/100th of the education I got working for him. I read a lot of people say a lot of negative stuff about him, like he’s out of touch. Ok, show me your business. Show me what you’ve built. He’s insane; but, everybody’s insane…He’s been fighting a world that has told him he couldn’t do it and I think the end of this story – by the way I have no insider information – is him selling the company to a giant media conglomerate for $10 billion. I think that’s the end of the story.”
Impact Wrestling:
“It was bad there. It was real bad. Every year you think it couldn’t get any worse. Oh, we lost Spike. Oh, we lost DA [Destination America]. Samoa Joe just showed up at NXT. They found new ways to water torture us working there.”
Former ECW Champion Justin Credible has been arrested for the second time in a month, for violating a restraining order.
Credible was arrested on Wednesday, with his bond set at $50,000.
This is considerably higher than the $7,500 bond after being arrested last month, for violating a different protective order.
In a statement after his August arrest, Credible promised to do better:
"I promise to my fans, my friends and my family that the man Peter Polaco will never be a negative headline again, and the character Justin Credible still has many great moments left.”
Source: ProWrestlingSheet
The stories of Vince McMahon and the WWE have been told from a variety of different perspectives over the years, but there hasn't been a singular, unfiltered, comprehensive look at the origins of the man or the company he built that included Vince's voice -- until now.
Journalists Craig Marks and Rob Tannenbaum, the authors of "I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution," are set to write the definitive oral history of the WWE and the man who took professional wrestling into the mainstream and created an empire that continues to grow to this day.
The involvement and commitment of Vince McMahon and his entire family was the final push that made this long-discussed project into a reality.
"I think that that was one of the negotiating points where the WWE knew that we were serious about writing a no-holds-barred book," said Tannenbaum, in an interview with ESPN.com. "Sometimes when you're trying to sell someone on an idea they're reticent about, you underplay what you're asking for. Craig and I, I think if anything, overplayed what we were asking for.
"We made it clear that we wanted access to Vince and to the entire McMahon family," Tannenbaum continued. "And that what we wanted was not a 15-minute phoner. We were going to need an ample amount of his time which in some ways is a dumb thing to ask for, because he's got a lot better things to do than talk to two geeks about the history of the WWE."
Though Vince McMahon rarely does interviews these days, his blessing and willing involvement separate this project from everything that's come before it.
"This will be an unapologetic look at the good, the bad and the ugly, and the journey that made WWE into the global phenomenon it is today," said Vince McMahon, WWE Chairman and CEO, said via a news release Thursday.
Texas megachurch pastor Ed Young of Fellowship Church in Grapevine will be interviewing top wrestling stars for his new "Wrastlin'" sermon series. WWE Hall of Famers Sting, Ric Flair and Ted DiBiase have been announced, along with The Undertaker.
The four-week series kicks off on Sunday, September 9. The main stage at Fellowship Church will have a wrestling ring constructed on it with one side opened up so the congregation can see the pastor and the wrestler being interviewed.
Below is the announcement from the church:
Wrastlin'
A Series by Ed Young
Beginning September 9, 2018
Over four weeks this September, Ed Young and Fellowship Church welcome four legendary guests from the world of professional wrestling – Ric Flair, The Undertaker, The Million Dollar Man, and Sting!
The Bible often compares the Christian life to that of a warrior, a wrestler. Wrestling is a metaphor commonly used in the Christian life and one that will remind us that no matter what, God is ready and able to step in between the ropes and help us overcome any challenge we face!
NXT Superstar Velveteen Dream is scheduled to make very rare appearances outside of WWE in September. He will be working two Evolve events. Evolve has a close working relationship with WWE. Dream will wrestle at at EVOLVE 112 at the MCW Arena in Joppa, Maryland on September 7 and EVOLVE 113 at La Boom in Queens, New York on September 8. It has been revealed that Dream will be facing Austin Theory in Joppa and taking on Darby Allin in Queens. Velveteen Dream, a native of Washington DC, was trained by and worked for Maryland Championship Wrestling prior to signing with WWE.
Colt Cabana took to his Art of Wrestling podcast and briefly touched on his current unpaid legal fees lawsuit against former best friend CM Punk,
“There was some news that got leaked out. I understand it was going to happen. This is the perfect place for me to be right now because I was super stressed out when it got leaked out and people were talking about it. I don’t even want people talking about it. I just want to be in my own world. That’s all I want and luckily I just go to shows and I go perform and I don’t have to think about any of that. All I want is for this thing to be settled, to be done with and to move on with my life.”
Cabana added that he doesn’t have anything else to say about it [CM Punk lawsuit] and will attempt to refrain speaking further on the subject until everything unfolds.
Cabana did address rumors that he was backstage at a WWE show,
“I don’t know who spread this rumor that I was backstage at the WWE. The last time I was backstage at WWE, I did a podcast with Hornswoggle. It was a house show and that was probably four years ago. The internet doesn’t always get it right. That’s OK. They’re known for that. It’s kind of the charm of the internet.”
Triple H is regarded by many WWE fans as perhaps the smartest guy in professional wrestling. That’s due not only to his ability to transition from the ring to the executive level. It’s also due to his vision.
The Game saw WWE’s developmental brand NXT for what it could be and helped mold it into a highly successful, highly entertaining product. He gives guys opportunities to prove themselves, not just because WWE wants to turn a profit. He does it because if a talent wants to succeed bad enough, then he or she will put in the work to earn it. Shaping those talents now could prove highly beneficial in the future.
One of those talents is Matt Riddle, who recently signed with WWE. Riddle transitioned from the UFC to pro wrestling and quickly became one of the most popular hands in the business. But his past sins in the MMA world can certainly not be forgotten.
Riddle’s UFC run ended due to failed drug tests and his reputation was perhaps forever affected by it. Triple H, real name Paul Levesque, recently spoke to CBS Miami about Riddle specifically.
“I believe in him, and I believe he has a lot of potential and talent,” Levesque said. “But again, just like everybody else as they walk in the door, we’ll see.”
Hunter’s quote was in reference to an earlier statement regarding the type of people he wants in the WWE locker room.
“Somebody can be very, very talented, but not be the right human being or the right support system for everybody else or be detrimental and the fly in the ointment. Then, I don’t want them there. I don’t care how talented they are. You can be really talented but go be talented somewhere else. If you’re going to mess up my locker room, I don’t want you here.”
Triple H’s assessment does seem to point directly to Riddle, who may or may not be fully embraced by his peers or perhaps even the company. But Hunter seems confident that Riddle has what it takes and it’s difficult to argue with The Game’s track record thus far.
