NXT To Debut On USA Network On September 18

WWE management has reportedly told talent to listen out for a major announcement during tonight's Raw broadcast.

The announcement is expected to be the news that NXT will be heading to the USA Network as has been rumored for the past week.

Dave Meltzer is reporting on F4WOnline.com, that the new two-hour NXT TV broadcast will air on USA Network from September 18.

WWE has been keen to get NXT on television before AEW launch their weekly broadcast on TNT from October 2. They will then be competing weekly in the 8-10PM EST slot.

Rumor Mill - WWE NXT Possibly Headed To The USA Network

It looks like the WWE NXT brand could be headed to the USA Network.

There has been a pitch over the last 48 hours for the NXT series to be moved to Wednesday nights on the USA Network beginning in October, according to PWInsider.

The idea from this recent pitch is that NXTwould begin airing as a weekly, live two-hour series each Wednesday night, from Full Sail Live on the campus of Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL. Word is that the series would begin airing on USA on Wednesday, October 2. This could be the kickoff to the WWE vs. AEWWednesday Night War as this is the same night that AEW will begin airing live from 8-10pm ET on TNT.

There has been a lot of talk about NXT possibly moving to another network from the WWE Network as of late, with there being a feeling that we would see the black & yellow brand on FS1, to go along with WWE's SmackDown show premiering on Fox on Friday, October 2. It was believed that if NXT did end up on FS1, it would air as a live two-hour show each Wednesday night.

USA previously aired a special NXT episode on Wednesday, December 13, 2017 as a part of their WWE Week programming. That show drew 841,000 viewers.

Chyna’s Mother Blasts Upcoming Television Show Focusing On Her Daughter’s Last Hours

Jan LaQue, the mother of late former WWE Superstar Chyna, has taken to her official Facebook page to blast an upcoming edition of the series “Autopsy: The Last Hours Of...” that is scheduled to focus on Chyna herself.

LaQue says that the episode is scheduled to air on Sunday, August 25 on Channel 5 in the United Kingdom, as well as Reelz in the United States.

Below is the full statement from LaQue:

”I wanted to let you know that I just became aware yesterday that there is going to be an episode on Chyna in Autopsy: Last hours of Chyna on Sunday 25th August on Reelz channel (USA channel) and also coming to Channel 5. I am not too happy about this, to say the least. I did not know about this "film" until yesterday, and I didn't know until today that this Kerry Newton is playing my daughter.

The reason for this post is to be very clear that I have not given anyone permission to do this film about her or to use her likeness (which I own legally as her sole beneficiary) by someone playing her. I will be contacting my attorneys tomorrow morning. I will speak to them about several issues: the unlawful use of my daughter's likeness, about grounds for potential defamation of Joanie or me or anyone in her family, the inappropriate release of any private medical records, and the emotional/physical distress this causes me.

Whatever happened in her last hours is just that, supposition and conjecture. Not the truth as no one knows that, not even me. And certainly NOT Kerry and whoever is producing this supposed film. So anyone and everyone connected with this film, including these supposed friends that they interviewed to produce whatever they've produced, needs to be put on notice, warned, and informed that I am going to take legal action on this. And that includes Kerry. And I have informed Kerry publically on her FB page that she need to inform those who have had a part to play in the making of this film.

I don't know why so many people continue to be fascinated with the dark side and end of Joanie's life rather than the positives about her life and pretend that they know the truth about what happened, and have the need to drag me, her mother, and my family through all of this dark conjecture over and over again. For that reason alone, the emotional distress (and therefore physical stress) this causes to me, not to mention not giving anyone clearance to anyone to use her likeness or private medical information, and the need for me to once again have more legal expenses, I am going to take legal action on this first thing in the morning. I have given Kerry my contact information in a separate FB message should she feel the need or want to contact me.”

Triple H Takes Exception To "Blood And Guts" Question After WWE NXT Takeover

NXT Builds Hybrid TakeOver Pay Per View Into Best Product in Industry

Triple H On Why He Was Not Given WWE Executive Director Role, Vince McMahon "Outliving All Of Us"

Paul "Triple H" Levesque took part on a conference call today to hype NXT Takeover Toronto and WWE SummerSlam taking place this weekend.

During the call, the NXT Senior Producer was asked about the new roles of Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff as Executive Directors of RAW and SmackDown, respectively. In particular, Triple H was asked if he was under consideration for one of those roles.

"You have to understand the way it's laid out, the scope of what they're doing is very specific to those shows," Triple H explained. "While I'm still at the shows there are many weeks where due to my schedule and other commitments I can't be at every single RAW or every single SmackDown. The scope of the things that I do are way beyond live events, it also encompasses creative regarding shirts, billboards and the things you don't see they just sort of appear; as well as everything to do with talent.

"There are only so many hours in the day, even though the WWE and Vince [McMahon] are working hard at creating an eighth day, as well as extra hours added onto the 24 hours in a day, so we can get more accomplished.

"I'm thrilled it is those guys and think they'll knock it out of the park. I'm excited to work with both of them. Heyman, I have been working with for a while and Bischoff, it's been a while but this is the first time I've kind of worked with him in this manner. So far it's an exciting process so I'm really happy and already see the positives from it."

Triple H was also asked about if WWE has a plan for who will eventually take over WWE, the COO was quick to stress that succession plans constantly change and that those who think Vince McMahon is stepping away are mistaken - stating that the chairman of the board will probably "outlive all of us".

"In any company of this size and with everything that we do you have to have some succession plans and you have to have a plan for the next level of where you want to go. I think sometimes people get caught up in just the product that gets put out there thinking it's just about RAW or SmackDown and someone is the heir apparent to this, that or whatever. There is no heir apparent.

"There are succession plans to everything, those plans change on the regular because this company changes on the regular. There's a lot of factors involved regarding who goes where, how and what happens - it's a constantly evolving thing.

"But all of us, Vince, myself, Steph, everybody in this company is constantly looking at when things shift, who can take who's place and who does what. You're constantly looking for people who can step up and take things off your plate so you can advance to something different."

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE 2K20 Cover Superstars, Release Date And Collector's Edition Revealed

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–2K today announced current Raw® Women’s Champion Becky Lynch® and WWE Superstar Roman Reigns™ as the cover Superstars for WWE® 2K20, the forthcoming release in the flagship WWE video game franchise. Lynch and Reigns will serve as ambassadors for WWE 2K20’s worldwide marketing campaign – “Step Inside” – which invites players to enter the world of WWE and face a variety of new and exciting challenges in the virtual ring. WWE 2K20 is currently scheduled for worldwide release on Tuesday, October 22, 2019 for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and the Xbox One family of devices, including the Xbox One X and Windows PC. Players who purchase the WWE 2K20 Deluxe Edition or Collector’s Edition will receive in-game bonuses, including playable Superstars Chyna, Hulk Hogan, Mankind and The Rock®, in addition to the Standard Edition game.

“My career has been about breaking barriers and doing what nobody else has done before. Being the first female Superstar on the cover of a WWE 2K video game is no exception,” said Becky Lynch.

“As a gamer myself, being on the cover of WWE 2K20 alongside ‘The Man’ Becky Lynch and joining the likes of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and John Cena is a huge career and personal milestone for me,” said Roman Reigns.

WWE 2K20, in direct response to fan feedback, will include several franchise firsts alongside streamlined gameplay and a variety of popular modes. The story-driven, objective-based 2K Showcase: The Women’s Evolution will follow the careers of the Four Horsewomen – Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch, SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley®, Charlotte Flair® and Sasha Banks®. Controls will be streamlined to allow new players to jump into the game more easily, while experienced players will still enjoy a challenge.

In addition, WWE 2K20 players will be able to compete as both male and female Superstars in MyCAREER and Mixed Tag matches, while last year’s popular WWE Towers returns with exciting new challenges, including a story-driven Tower centered around the career of Roman Reigns.

The game will also introduce a new service model – WWE 2K20 Originals – set to deliver a wealth of 2K Showcase add-on content for player exploration beyond the game’s initial launch. Each of the WWE 2K20 Originals will present a new playable world and its own unique theme, with more details to be announced in the coming months. WWE 2K20 Originals is downloadable content that may require additional purchase.

“Becky Lynch and Roman Reigns embody passion, determination and perseverance, and they’re both major game changers within the larger WWE landscape,” said Chris Snyder, Vice President of Marketing for 2K. “They are the spirit of WWE 2K20, which is going to introduce changes requested by our fans. They asked for female-driven MyCAREER and 2K Showcase offerings, and we’re giving them just that, as well as streamlined controls and our brand new WWE 2K20 Originals. We can’t wait to reveal more details soon.”

Stockholder files class action lawsuit against Shane McMahon's Ideanomics

Ideanomics, the often evolving financial technology company promising a $400 million investment in West Hartford, is facing a shareholder class action lawsuit alleging that it made false and misleading statements that led to artificial inflation of the company’s stock value. Shane McMahon is the Executive Vice-Chairman of the company.

Ideanomics is a New York-based company that also operates in China that focuses on financial technology services. The company has been in flux for several years. In the past year and a half, Ideanomics has seen numerous shifts in leadership, with three different CEOs and two different chairmen. In the past three years, the company has also operated under three different names.

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More Details On Triple H's 50th Birthday Bash

WWE's Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative Triple H celebrated his 50th birthday with a big bash in New Hampshire this past weekend.

Sean "X-Pac" Waltman, who was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame with Triple H and the rest of DX earlier this year, spoke about the birthday party in the latest episode of his X-Pac 12-360 podcast, seen above.

Waltman noted that he flew on Friday from Los Angeles into a quiet, beautiful town in New Hampshire, one of the most beautiful places he's ever seen, but he wouldn't give the name of the town. The birthday guests were housed a hotel on the lake, which had around 40 rooms. Waltman said the party was somewhat intimate with maybe 50 people in attendance, but not many more than 50. He believed a lot of people got their feelings hurt because they weren't invited. The party was so big that they had itineraries for the guests with everything laid out.

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WWE Hall of Famer Harley Race passes away

From WWE.com:

WWE is saddened to learn that WWE Hall of Famer Harley Race passed away today at age 76 due to complications from lung cancer.

Harley Race captured the NWA World Heavyweight Championship seven times, which stood as a record until Ric Flair broke it in 1991.

To this day, only a handful of Superstars can claim to have won more World Heavyweight Championships than Race.

During the 1970s and early 1980s, Race was the National Wrestling Alliance's most dominant champion, winning the sport's oldest World Heavyweight Championship from the likes of Dory Funk Jr., Giant Baba, Terry Funk, Dusty Rhodes and Flair.

The tough-as-nails Race was so universally respected that WWE, despite having seceded from the NWA and having its own World Heavyweight Champion, chose to recognize Race's title status as well. As a result, Race was the first NWA Champion to engage in title unification matchups against WWE Champions like "Superstar" Billy Graham and Bob Backlund.

In what seemed unthinkable at the time, Race, one of the NWA's most influential figures of all time, joined WWE in 1986 during the company's national expansion. After winning the King of the Ring tournament, Race was the first to don regal robes and a crown. "King" Harley Race was managed by Bobby "The Brain" Heenan and was introduced to a new generation of fans. Race battled all of WWE's top heroes and pinned Junkyard Dog at WrestleMania III in front of a record-setting attendance of 93,000 fans.

Triple H Gets D-Generation X Drone Show During 50th Birthday Bash

Triple H rang in his 50th birthday with some musical performances from Rock and Roll greats, as well as a drone show dedicated to one of his most popular wrestling stables.

The party took place Sunday night in New Hampshire (Triple H's hometown) and featured wave runners, axe throwing and performances by legendary rockers ZZ Top and John Fogerty.

The festivities included an awesome drone show, organized by HHH"s wife, Stephanie McMahon.

Set to the tunes of Triple H's entrance music throughout his prolific wrestling career, the drones formed tributes to D-Generation X, as well as his solo career as The Game.

WWE Chairman, and Triple H's real-life father-in-law, Vince McMahon posted a heartfelt birthday wish on Twitter, adding that his son-in-law- is a "Cerebral Assassin in any arena."

Instagram fitness celeb, Joe DeFranco and his wife, Ashley, chronicled some of the celebration, which lasted the entire weekend.

Activities for guests included axe throwing and rides on wave runners at the nearby lake.

There were also some sweet treats provided, especially an ice cream shack with tons of flavors.

The DeFrancos had an awesome time partying with the WWE stars, and wrote on social media that, "@stephaniemcmahon really knows how to throw a party!!!"

The highlight of the weekend other than the axes and drones, appeared to be a private concert put on by ZZ Top and John Fogerty.

Triple H must have paced himself with the partying, being 50 and all, because he was up early Monday morning thanking everyone for celebrating over the weekend.

"For all the calls, texts, posts, messages and well wishes for my birthday....THANK YOU!!! Couldn’t have had a better weekend celebrating!!So far this 50 club is pretty cool!!!!"

Happy Birthday Murphy

Murphy Claire Levesque
July 28, 2008

Happy Birthday Triple H

Paul Michael Levesque
July 27, 1969

Vince McMahon On WWE Staying PG But Getting Edgier, Why Eric Bischoff & Paul Heyman Were Hired

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon discussed Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff being hired as the new Executive Directors for RAW and SmackDown during today's WWE Q2 Earnings call. While Vince discussed the new hires more than once, he did not mention Heyman and Bischoff by name.

"One the things that we've done is hire 2 Executive Directors, one for Raw and 1 for SmackDown and in doing so, it allows me to look at a longer-range story – our standpoint and also spend more time on talent development and not get into the weeds as much as I had to do in the past. That is a really, really good thing for a long-term as well as short-term. Actually, we've seen a big result already," Vince said in his opening statement. (H/T to Seeking Alpha for the transcript.)

Vince was later asked by an investor about why WWE chose to hire Executive Directors at this time, and how much latitude Heyman and Bischoff will have.

"I can't personally be in the weeds any longer and we have these 2 individuals who have a longer range of point of view and a developmental point of view. Both of these individuals have extensive backgrounds in the business from various aspects and with the organizational aspects that they have and the depth of talent, executive talent we now attract it's going to be really good for our business. And how much latitude they will have, that's again it allows me to have a broader overview of things and escape from just getting in the weeds. So they'll have a lot of latitude."

"As far as the content is concerned, I'll address that. We have definitely turned the corner and again as I've mentioned, we have Executive Directors with each brand now. They're going to grow in a more in-depth I think notwithstanding that, we spent more time on storylines, good ones, and also talent development. It's a combination of a lot of things on the things as far as coming together and what I guess, I'll call it relaunch in terms of our content," Vince said.

"We're going to be a bit edgier but still remain in the PG environment," Vince revealed. "We've just come anywhere close actually to go into another level. So that will be something will do in terms of direction of content, more controversy, better storylines, etc. But at the same time, we're not going to go back to the bold Attitude Era and we're not going to do blood and guts and things of that nature such as being done on perhaps a new potential competitor. We're just not going to go back to that gory that we graduated from. And again, a more sophisticated product. Again attracting much better writers and attracting better management things of that nature. So again, I feel really good about it."

WWE Second Quarter Finances Revealed, Vince McMahon Comments

The WWE's 2019 Q2 Financial report has been released, with revenue dropping from the previous year. 

According to the company's finances, the second quarter of 2019 produced $268.9 million in revenue, down 5% from the 2018 Q2 of $281.6 million. 

The WWE Network now boasts 1.69 million paid subscribers, which is consistent with the company's guidelines. 

The use of digital outlets like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram increased drastically, with 324 million hours being consumed, up 22% from the previous quarter. 

Digital video views also increased by 17% over the previous quarter to 9 billion.

In a conference call, WWE CEO Vince K McMahon said how this second quarter of the year had been focussed on making major changes to the company, such as recent deals with BT Sport in the UK and the upcoming Fox-SmackDown move.

He said: "We completed content distribution agreements in key international markets, prepared for the next phase of our WWE Network service, and achieved steady improvement in engagement metrics."

More details can be found from the company's official statement here. 

source: wwe

Beth Phoenix To Be Inducted Into The George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall Of Fame

The National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum announced that WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix will be inducted into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame this weekend.

The Class of 2019 also includes Bruno Sammartino (Posthumous Inductee), Thunderbolt Patterson (Lou Thesz World Heavyweight Championship Award) Sgt. Slaughter (Frank Gotch Award), Brian Shields (Jim Melby Award), and UFC's Daniel Cormier (George Tragos Award).

Phoenix is the first female to be inducted into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall Of Fame. She received the Frank Gotch Award in 2015.

The ceremony will be at the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center in Waterloo, Iowa on Saturday, July 27th.

WWE Network Re-Launch Coming Soon

It looks like we're getting closer to the roll-out of the tiered version of the WWE Network. PWInsider reports that there was a lot of talk at this week's RAW and SmackDown on how the company is finally close to launching the tiered-pricing version of the Network. It's believed that various features and perks will be offered with the different subscription levels. There's no word yet on when the roll-out will begin, but word backstage is that it will happen much sooner than later.

WWE Co-President George Barrios noted during the Q1 earnings call in late April that this will be a "re-launch" of the Network, something they have been working on for more than a year. Barrios said they are very excited for the new version to be released as it will introduce features that fans have been asking for. The new version will develop over the next few years and WWE is very optimistic about what it will grow into. Barrios then confirmed that the re-launch will take place in 2019 some time.

AEW Weekly TNT TV Show Officially Announced For Wednesday Nights

TNT and AEW have announced that the weekly AEW TV show will air on Wednesday nights from 8pm until 10pm ET, beginning on Wednesday, October 2. The debut will take place two nights before SmackDown moves to FOX on Friday, October 4th.

The first AEW TV show will air from the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. AEW will be announcing details on tickets this coming Monday.

Happy Birthday Aurora

Aurora Rose Levesque
July 24, 2006

Variety Calls Out Vince McMahon Over Excuses For Falling Ratings, WWE Q2 Earnings Decline Expected

WWE will be reporting earnings its second quarter 2019 earnings this Thursday, July 25th. Zacks Equity Research reports that Wall Street analysts are expecting a year-over-year decline in earnings on lower revenues for the quarter, which ended on June 30, 2019. They estimated that revenues are expected to be $277.20 million, down 1.6% from the prior year quarter. The company is expected to report a loss of $0.03 per share for the quarter, which is a change of -121.4% from this point last year.

WWE reported disappointing results for the first quarter of 2019, with a net loss of $8.4 million compared to a profit of $14.8 million in the prior year quarter. The decrease was primarily because of the drop in live event revenue and lower merchandise sales. At the time, WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon Vince McMahon blamed the poor results on "superstar absences."

"While engagement metrics over the past two quarters were impacted by Superstar absences, we believe they will improve as our talent return and we launch our new season following a successful WrestleMania," McMahon said last April. "We remain excited about the future, particularly with our debut on Fox in October."

Top media outlet Variety ran a story today calling out McMahon for his past excuses for the drop in business. It was noted that the "superstar absences" have been rectified this quarter, however ratings have continued to fall.

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Rumor Mill - NXT Reportedly To Use WWE Main Roster Talent If They Go Head-To-Head With AEW

As previously reported, Fox held a meeting last week with their affiliates to discuss the 2019 fall schedule. During the meeting, Fox confirmed that there are talks about moving NXT to one of their channels.

There has been speculation that NXT may air on FS1 and go head-to-head with AEW. AEW will start on TNT this fall, and is rumored to be airing live on Wednesday nights starting on October 2nd.

Dave Meltzer noted on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio that WWE is "absolutely" planning to use main roster talent on the NXT show if they go head-to-head with AEW. One issue with NXT airing on Wednesday nights is that FS1 airs Big East College Basketball that night during their season.

In its current format, NXT has been airing on the WWE Network since 2014. There was a special airing of NXT on the USA Network as part of "WWE Week" in December of 2017, which averaged 841,000 viewers. RAW that week averaged 2.684 million viewers, while SmackDown pulled in 2.481 million, so NXT averaged less than a third of what the two flagship shows drew.

In addition to NXT possibly airing on FS1, a weekly WWE studio show will air on the network Tuesdays with Renee Young as the host.

WWE Launches New Talent Brand Management Department

WWE recently established a Talent Brand Management department to help develop the individual brands of their Superstars. They are now hiring a Vice President to run the department and a Director to help. The Director would report to the Vice President, and the Vice President would report directly to WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon.

Both jobs are based at WWE HQ in Stamford, CT. You can see WWE's job listings for the new positions at this link and this link.

WWE described the new Talent Brand Management department like this:

"Talent Brand Management is a division of WWE that has 360-degree oversight of Superstars' individual talent brands and is focused on positioning and growing these inside and outside WWE platforms."

WWE Reportedly Planning 24/7 Championship Segment At San Diego Comic-Con

WWE Reportedly Planning 24/7 Championship Segment At San Diego Comic-Con
The WWE is planning on having a segment with the 24/7 Championship at San Diego Comic-Con this weekend, according to PWInsider.

On SmackDown, new Champion R-Truth and Carmella teased appearing at the Pop Culture Expo, and according to reports, the pair are in San Diego, as well as former champion Drake Maverick.

Truth captured his ninth reign on this week's edition of RAW, pinning the British Superstar whilst he was trying to consummate his marriage to wife Renee Michelle.

The company has already announced that several Superstars will appear at a panel at the convention, with a Mattel toy panel being hosted by Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder.

RAW Women's Champion Becky Lynch, WWE Champion Kofi Kingston and Rey Mysterio have also been announced.

San Diego Comic-Con will take place from today, July 18, until Monday, July 22.

Roman Reigns Wins First-Ever WWE Award At ESPN's ESPYS, Reigns Comments, Top WWE Stars In Attendance

Roman Reigns just won the first-ever Best WWE Moment award at the 2019 ESPN ESPYS from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Reigns won the award for his "triumphant return to Monday Night RAW" earlier this year following his second battle with leukemia.

The other nominees were Becky Lynch for winning the RAW Women's Title and SmackDown Women's Title at WrestleMania 35, Kofi Kingston for winning the WWE Title at WrestleMania 35, and Ronda Rousey for winning her first RAW Women's Title at SummerSlam 2018.

As we've noted, this was the first time that WWE had an award category at the ESPYS, under the Best Performance category.

"For to me just to be able to be healthy was the only award I needed. This is just so flattering for everyone to kind of lift me up and show me that support system and love from everybody," Reigns said in WWE's announcement on the award. "It was never about awards or anything like that. It was just about awareness, it was just about sharing my story and hopefully someone could use it for a little bit of hope."

WWE noted that Reigns was congratulated during during the red carpet special by Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, the RAW Women's Champion Lynch, and WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins.

WWE Creating New Quibi Unscripted Series Headlined By Female Superstars

WWE Studios and independent studio Critical Content are producing a new series, Fight Like A Girl, which will air on mobile-first media technology platform Quibi.

According to a press release sent to Wrestling Inc., each episode will feature WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon pairing a WWE female Superstar with a young woman struggling with a personal issue that has been holding her back. The WWE stars will draw from their own life experiences to help their trainees overcome obstacles and become tougher, stronger and healthier versions of their former selves inside and out.

Each episode will be shot at the WWE Performance Center and will feature a stunning transformation and heart-pounding reveal as the women change their lives forever.

Fight Like A Girl is produced by WWE Studios and Critical Content. Executive Producers are Stephanie McMahon, Susan Levison, Ben Zierten and Richard Lowell for WWE Studios, and Tom Forman, Jenny Daly and Jon Beyer for Critical Content.

Becky Lynch Becomes First WWE Star To Land ESPN The Magazine Cover

As seen below, Lynch and actress Alison Brie of Netflix's GLOW series are gracing the cover of the "Blockbuster Issue" from ESPN The Magazine. The issue hits newsstands this Friday.

Below is WWE's announcement on the cover, along with the cover photo:

Becky Lynch and Alison Brie to be featured on cover of ESPN The Magazine's "Blockbuster" issue

Becky Lynch has taken over the sports-entertainment scene in the last year, and this Friday, you can find the Raw Women's Champion with actress Alison Brie on the cover of ESPN The Magazine's "Blockbuster" issue.

The new issue focuses on the intersection between Hollywood and sports. Lynch and Brie, who is the star of Netflix's hit comedy show "GLOW" on the 1980s Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling promotion, got together for an interview about the obstacles they face in their respective industries, the toughness of women, and much more.

The Man is the first WWE Superstar to ever appear on the cover of ESPN The Magazine. Get your hands on the issue when it hits newsstands this Friday.

Stephanie McMahon and Michelle Wilson set for Cynopsis Top Women in Media 2019 honors

WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon and WWE Co-President Michelle Wilson will be honored at Cynopsis’ 2019 Top Women in Media ceremony this September.

At the ceremony, which honors the most influential women across the media landscape, McMahon is set to be recognized in the social subcategory of Women in Sports. Wilson, WWE’s Co-President, will be recognized in the Sports-Centric Brands category.

The ceremony takes place Sept. 9 at Tribeca Rooftop in New York City. Take a look at the rest of the honorees here.

BOOM! Studios Launching New WWE Comic Book Series

Boom! Studios have announced that they will be releasing a new WWE comic book series titled “WWE SmackDown Live”, written by Kevin Panetta with art by Kendall Goode and a main cover by Xermánico. The first issues is set for release on October 2nd.

The synopsis for the first is as follows:

“Join Becky Lynch as she arrives at the arena and runs into The Brothers of Destruction (Undertaker and Kane), WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions The IIconics (Peyton Royce and Billie Kay), WWE Champion Kofi Kingston, WWE Superstar Roman Reigns, and many more. Behind the scenes, unexpected alliances are formed, lifelong enemies are made, and chaos ensues as Superstars erupt into a free-for-all centered around The Man herself.”

Rumor Mill - WWE Set To Move Away From Wholly TV-PG Programming

WWE is reportedly set to move away from the PG orientated product they have presented over the last decade.

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon is aware the company is struggling to capture the teen market and he is implementing immediate changes to the product, which have already started to filter through on WWE television.

The company is also well aware of All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and their target audience and thus will look to close the gap and ensure they are staying relevant.

Dave Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio:

“They were very aware that they had lost touch with the teenagers,” Meltzer said. “They were afraid of completely losing teenagers, especially when AEW starts. This is a direction they felt they had to go.”

It will be interesting to see if and when WWE drop the official "TV-PG" rating from their weekly broadcasts, or if they will try and combine the two ratings.

source: wrestling observer radio

Triple H Heading To Vidcon

WWE is headed to Vidcon for the first time ever. Triple H announced today that he will be speaking at the big YouTube-related convention in Anaheim next week, discussing the Content Innovation Lab. WWE has success with both of their YouTube channels - the main WWE channel and the WWE Performance Center channel. They also have a hand in running some of the other related channels, such as The Bella Twins and Xavier Woods' UpUpDownDown channel.

"The @WWEPC has continued to grow in all facets, training the next crop of @WWENXT Superstars in every aspect of the business. Excited to discuss the Content Innovation Lab's success and growth opportunities next week at #VidconUS," Triple H wrote.

Triple H Praises Paul Heyman And Eric Bischoff, Welcomes Them Back To The WWE Team

WWE Hall of Famer Triple H took to Twitter this evening to issue his first public comments on Paul Heyman being hired as WWE's Executive Director of RAW and Eric Bischoff coming back to the company as the Executive Director of SmackDown.

"Two people who pushed our industry and @WWE forward over the last 25+ years. Great to have @HeymanHustle and @EBischoff working on #Raw and #SDLive. Welcome BACK to the team," wrote Triple H, WWE's Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative.

Rumor Mill - Reason why Vince McMahon didn't offer Triple H the Executive Director position

On Thursday, June 27th, Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff were announced as the new Executive Directors of WWE Raw and SmackDown Live respectively.This announcement made a major impact on the wrestling community because of the surprise factor and the individuals in question. It seems to have been largely received as a very positive step. Certainly, it has taken a lot of attention away from the upcoming All Elite Wrestling show this weekend.There are questions however over Triple H, the current Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative for WWE. Fans have been asking why the King of Kings has not been offered either of those jobs.

Paul Heyman ran Extreme Championship Wrestling during the Monday Night Wars while at the same time Eric Bischoff ran World Championship Wrestling. After the Monday Night Wars ended, McMahon would hire both to run shows within his organization.Early in the brand extension, Bischoff would be in charge at Raw, meanwhile Heyman was in charge over on SmackDown. Heyman has had particular credit over the years for the rise of Brock Lesnar and the high-quality performances from a group known as the SmackDown Six.Triple H and his tight grip on the WWE world heavyweight championship at the time would be overseen by Bischoff in storyline as Eric Bischoff’s famed on-screen character would be heavily used for years on the Raw side.Triple H would later transition into a more managerial role. Since 2013 he has been Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative – an all-consuming role that he has successfully juggled alongside being the founder and Senior Producer of NXT.

While some members of the WWE locker room were also questioning why Triple H was not offered one or both of the WWE Executive Director positions, I am told that the answer lies in the role itself.

A source close to WWE management explained that the role is essentially very similar to the Senior Producer role that Triple H already occupies in NXT and that Triple H is known to prefer a continuation of that role.Triple H is also overseeing large quantities of WWE’s international expansion, particular as regards the set up of NXT UK, the Saudi Arabia and Australia shows and the set up of WWE Performance Centres worldwide. The source went on to explain that Triple H already had considerably more responsibility than an Executive Director role would offer.Finally, a separate source explained Triple H’s position in relation to talent a little closer. Heyman will be in charge of Raw. Bischoff will be in charge of Smackdown. Triple H is in charge of all talent, everywhere in WWE. “The job’s basically beneath him.

There is continual speculation that Triple H will be taking over the mantle for the WWE when Vince McMahon eventually retires. Triple H, meanwhile, is actively involved in everything that the WWE does.

source: sportskeeda.com