AEW Dynamite And WWE NXT Overnight Nielsen Ratings Are In

Last night, AEW Dynamite (results here) and WWE NXT (results here) went head-to-head for the first time. Today's big question: who won week one in the ratings?

Ryan Glasspiegel of The Big Lead is reporting the overnight ratings from Nielsen has AEW at a 0.7 and NXT at 0.5. Final ratings and viewership will be out later this afternoon.

As noted, it was reported by Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio that, albeit a small sample, Playstation Vue's streaming service showed Dynamite had three times the amount of viewers that NXT had.

For AEW, Jake Hager (fka WWE's Jack Swagger) made his debut for the promotion. On NXT, Tommaso Ciampa and Finn Balorboth made their returns (here and here).

Triple H Says WWE Is Willing To Forget The Past With CM Punk And Move Forward

Triple H recently appeared on the Sports Illustrated Podcast and was asked about CM Punk possibly working on the WWEBackstage show for FS1, which premieres on Tuesday, November 5 with Renee Young and WWE Hall of Famer Booker T as the hosts. He was asked if Punk working the show would be something he'd sign off on, and be happy to see.

"Look, I've read about that as well," Triple Hsaid of the Punk - FS1 reports. "You know, to be clear, FOX is doing this show, and it's their show, and it's something they're doing to talk about the WWE Universe and everything going on in it. They've had a long list of people they've been interviewing and everything, but as far as for us, one of the things I think this company has shown over and over again, is never say never.

"If the opportunity is right for everybody and it's right for our fans, then we are willing to put the past behind us and move forward. So, I would say, never say never, but that's also probably a long way from coming to. I don't know. That's also a little bit outside of my purview at the moment, but like I said, never say never."

CM Punk Confirms Talks With FOX For WWE Backstage Show, Talks If He's Met With WWE

CM Punk appeared on Collider Live to promote his new horror movie, Girl on the Third Floor. Punk discussed being a fan of the genre, and also talked about comics and comic book movies.

Eventually the conversation turned to pro wrestling. Punk was asked about reports that he tried out for the new "WWE Backstage" studio show on FS1, which he confirmed.

"Yeah I did it," Punk confirmed. "I'm very much in a position where, 'Well come talk to me.'

"I'm open to anything," Punk continued, before adding that it does not necessarily include wrestling. "If they come to me with, 'Hey we want you to wrestle,' I'll say, 'um, I'm not interested'."

Punk noted that he's changed since his last stint with WWE, which ended with a lot of bad blood in 2014.

"I've grown so much as a person and I look back at all the stuff and I don't need it. I don't need the confrontation and I don't need the drama," Punk said. "But I'm a businessman. I also put my morals and my integrity above business deals."

Punk said that while he puts his morals about business, he will be open to the right deal.

"If you want me to do anything, well OK, come talk to me but don't waste my time," Punk stated.

Punk admitted that he doesn't have specifics or numbers in mind regarding what the right deal may be. He noted that his agents contacted him about trying out and he knew that FOX spent a lot of money for the new WWE rights deal. Punk originally thought that the billions that FOX was spending was for the whole WWE package, and was surprised to learn it was just for SmackDown. He said that with all the money that FOX is spending for WWE, they're looking at trying different things.

"Ratings are still dipping and that's been happening for 20+ years," Punk noted. "Trust me, I'm not saying that it's because I'm not there or anything like that. When I was there and I was on top, RAW was doing 3.8's and I was getting blamed for it, like that's a bad rating. Now they would f--king kill to have a 3.8!

"My agents just called me and FOX is throwing everything at this because they spent a lot of money on this and they're all in to make it work. Originally I thought it was a WWE thing, so I was just like, 'meh, no.' But then they said, 'this is FOX.'"

Punk said that he is not dealing with WWE. He noted that if he were to do the job, he would call it down the line, but he would not pretend like something isn't bad if it is.

"I'm not dealing with anybody in WWE," Punk said. "They explained to me what it was and I love Renee Young. Renee Young is a great person... she's Canadian, so obviously she's super over-the-top nice and friendly. I prefaced it with, 'Guys, I'm not going to come in and dump all over stuff just to dump on it. That's old Phil. But if it's bad, I'm not going to be able to pretend it's anything but bad.'

"So they want to present it like it's a real sport and just have a show that recaps stuff, just like they do with the NFL, just like the NHL Network would do with hockey games and stuff like that. That's where we are with that."

Regarding if anyone from WWE has reached out to him since the tryout, Punk joked, "No, I'm the boogeyman!"

Triple H Reveals What Vince McMahon Thinks of WWE NXT

Triple H is at the helm when it comes to running NXT, but Vince McMahon is the man behind WWE and he still has a say in how NXT is run. 

In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Triple H revealed what Vince McMahon thinks of NXT and what he wants it to become. 

"Everything that happens within WWE has Vince’s fingerprints on it. There is no NXT without Vince. It wouldn’t exist without him. He wants NXT to be different, something for the more passionate fan base. It’s a darker, grittier feel, it’s different. He totally understands that. But he has no desire to be in the day-to-day operations. Vince has a lot of other things on his plate.”

“This is the next step in our growth. I don’t even think the word ‘developmental’ works for us anymore because we are WWE’s third touring brand. This is a place where talent can work their entire career, across the world with NXT UK and soon other places, too, and have a long-lasting, meaningful career in a global brand."

Source: SI.com

CM Punk Claims That Colt Cabana Tried To "Extort" Him, Responds To Lawsuit Dismissal

As we previously reported, the legal issues between CM Punk and Colt Cabana were settled last Thursday. Punk and Cabana jointly filed for the case to be dismissed and there was reportedly no financial settlement involved.

In a series of tweets, Punk responded to the case being dismissed. When a user noted that "Colt Abides" while referencing the legal issues between the former friends, Punk responded, "Why'd he ask to settle then? I wanted it to go to trial! Play stupid games, win stupid prizes! Enjoy donating to the eventual 'woe is me' go fund me account."

Punk had filed the countersuit against Cabana this past June seeking $600,000 for general damages as well as interest and legal fees in response to Cabana's amended lawsuit filed in December of 2018. When the user suggested that Cabana settled the suit to move on with his life, Punk replied, "HE SUED ME. He wanted to end the dumb s--t HE started? I asked to speak to him, he declined. I asked to enter mediation, he declined. I offered money, IT WASNT ENOUGH! I never wanted ANY of it. He's as greedy as you are ignorant to who I am, and fooled by who he is."

Punk added that he loved Cabana and "would've done anything for him". He claims that he would have just given Cabana the money if he had asked him, however Cabana instead "tried to extort me."

"I loved the guy," Punk tweeted. "Would've done anything for him. And the irony is, if he just would've asked for the money, I'd have given it to him. Instead he tried to extort me."

Rumor Mill - CM Punk/WWE FS1 Show Tryout

CM Punk was at FOX Studios earlier this week in Los Angeles for a possible on-screen role for WWE Backstage on FS1. The show is currently going to be co-hosted by Renee Young and Booker T, premiering on Tuesday, November 5 at 11 pm ET.

Punk reportedly did some on-camera testing, with Young present at the meeting. FOX has experimented with different versions of the show and how it will be presented, ranging from 3-5 personalities hosting a panel discussion. A final decision on the format had not been agreed on as of earlier this week.

In an update on this morning's Wrestling Observer Radio, the feeling is that Punk's tryout went well and he'll probably get an offer to join the show.

FOX will be taping the series each week, not WWE. Punk would technically be working for FOX and not WWE, if he signs on to be a part of the show. Dave Meltzer speculated that WWE may not want to put up a fight if FOX is interested in Punk, and that it also keeps him away from AEW.

In regards to AEW, Meltzer said he was told by AEW that they would never work with Punk after his interview with ESPN in July. In that interview, Punk was negative about AEW when asked about his relationship with the company. He reiterated previous comments on talking with AEW, but nothing coming from those talks. He also noted that AEW loves to talk about him a lot, and that they had made him an offer over text.

Renee Young And Booker T To Host WWE Backstage On FS1

WWE is adding more programming to an already busy week of wrestling. It has been confirmed via press release that Tuesday's will feature FS1's WWE Backstage, a television only studio show devoted to all things WWE. The hour-long show will be available on FS1 every Tuesday at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT starting November 5.

Renee Young will be the host of the show while Booker T will be providing analysis.

"WWE Backstage is a wrestling show for wrestling fans. From hardcore fans to people new to wrestling, w''ll give them a little bit of everything," Renee said. "It's going to be fun, it's going to be loud, we're going to give them a ton of opinions and I can't wait to help spread the word about SmackDown coming to FOX."

According to FOX Sports, there will be a special preview show on Tuesday, October 15, following the conclusion of Game 3 of the MLB's ALCS on FS1. Young and Booker T will be revealing the WWE Backstage set.

Since early June, rumors have been swirling regarding an opportunity for Young to do more than commentary. This is especially true after SmackDown was moved to Friday's on FOX starting next week on October 4. Back in April, Triple H spoke about the opportunity of a show on FS1. According to the former WWE Champion, the WWE studio show on Fox will feature discussions on the various WWE happenings, plus appearances by familiar faces from the past and present.

This will be the first major role for Booker T in quite some time. As of late, Booker T has made appearances on WWE TV on the PPV Kickoff panels.

"It's awesome being part of the FOX family and part of this movement of Friday Night SmackDown to FOX," Booker T said. "FOX Sports has always been the one-stop shop for sports and now it's going to be the one-stop shop for sports and entertainment. I think this is going to be a tag team that's going to last for a long time, and one that cannot lose. As I always say, now can you dig it, sucka?"

There have been rumblings regarding commentary changes when next week hits, especially with the WWE Draft looming. One of those ideas is a two-man booth. As of now, it is unknown if Renee will be continuing her commentary duties on RAW.

Additional information for FS1's WWE Backstage will be announced at a later date, according to WWE.

Happy Birthday Stephanie

Stephanie McMahon Levesque
September 24, 1976

Shawn Michaels On What Drew Him Out Of Retirement for WWE Crown Jewel

After years of being committed to his decision of not returning to the ring, Shawn Michaels finally came back for one final match at the Crown Jewel event last year.

During a recent interview with State Of Combat Podcast, the former World Champion talked about a number of things and he also revealed the most important reason he chose to do that match.

The Heart Break Kid said that the most important thing about his return was being out there with his best friend Triple H, and it’s the biggest reason he agreed to the match:

“The most important thing to me was being in there with Hunter, more than any reason at all, that is why I did it. As silly as it sounds, I am so fortunate to have the last ride with your best friend in the sunset, which is what I wanted to do with him.”

According to Michaels, he was pretty certain about this but he has always been a bit concerned about saying it out loud in fear that it was the one time he can’t.

Shawn Michaels retired from active competition after he put his career on the line against the Undertaker at WrestleMania XXVI and lost the bout.

He returned to the ring for one more match at the Crown Jewel event on November 2018. He teamed up with Triple H to face the Brothers of Destruction at the show and the duo was able to defeat Undertaker and Kane in this bout.

Quotes via WrestlingInc

Triple H Reveals Vince McMahon's Reaction To NXT's USA Debut

The Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events, and Creative for WWE, "The King of Kings" Triple H, spoke on a media call after this week's debut episode of NXT live on the USA Network that Wrestling Inc. partook in. Hunter opened up about the direct line of communication that he had with Vince McMahon throughout the day leading up to 8 PM EST. Overall, Hunter believes that Vince was pleased with the different product that the NXT stars provide.


"I received a bunch of texts from [Vince McMahon] throughout the day excited, and excited to see it, and wishing us luck especially as it got close," Triple H said. "He was sending me little texts counting me down, '20 minutes!' You know? Which I thought was great because it was just fun. And then he sent me a few texts throughout the show. He watched the entire thing. I'm sure he's at the office, probably at a meeting while he was doing it, but he enjoyed it, he loved it, he thought the talent did a hell of a job, thought they knocked it out of the park.

"He was excited. He sent me a massive congratulations after it was over and was thrilled with the product," Hunter continued. "It's a funny thing because people don't give him the credit - he embraces the difference! He embraces the difference; the products should be different and he embraces that difference and is all into that difference. It's like liking different types of music, and one thing might be somebody's cup of tea and something else may be another but you appreciate all of it. And I think that's the best way of saying it, he absolutely appreciates it and thought it was great. He sent me a congrats to us, the crew, and all the talent."

WWE NXT Draws Strong Audience For USA Network Premiere

Last night's WWE NXT premiere on the USA Network drew 1.179 million viewers, according to Showbuzz Daily.

The show ranked #4 for the night in the Cable Top 150 18-49 demographic, behind American Horror Story, Basketball Wives and Black Ink Crew. NXT ranked #19 for the night in viewership.

These numbers are for the first hour that aired on the USA Network. We do not have viewership for the second hour that aired on the WWE Network. Both hours will begin airing on USA with the Wednesday, October 2 episode.

To compare, Monday's RAW drew an average of 2.272 million viewers, up from last week's 2.130 million viewers. Tuesday's SmackDown drew 2.064 million viewers, barely up from last week's 2.061 million viewers.

USA aired a special NXT episode back on Wednesday, December 13, 2017 and that show drew 841,000 viewers, and ranked #22 on the Cable Top 150.

We Are Not Your Kind #FTMF

FOX Announces WWE SmackDown Moving Truck Tour

FOX has announced a 'moving truck' tour to promote SmackDown moving to the network on October 4.

WrestlingNews.co is reporting that the moving truck will be going to the following cities:

September 15 – Charlotte, NC
September 17 – Washington, DC
September 18 – Detroit, MI
September 19-20 – Chicago, IL
September 21 – Madison, WI
September 22-23 – Minneapolis, MN
September 25 – Kansas City, MO
September 27 – Dallas, TX
September 29 – Houston, TX
September 30 – Austin, TX
October 2 – Phoenix, AZ
October 3 – San Diego, CA
October 4 – Los Angeles, CA

WWE Draft Official Announcement, Celebrities From Fox And NBCUniversal To Announce Picks

As noted earlier, the 2019 WWE Draft has been confirmed to begin on the October 11 SmackDown episode, then wrap on the October 14 RAW episode.

WWE has announced that Superstars will be appearing on RAW and SmackDown along with personalities from Fox and NBCUniversal programming, who will announce the picks.

WWE issued the following press release to us this afternoon to confirm the Draft:

WWE® DRAFT SET FOR FOX AND USA NETWORK ON OCTOBER 11 AND 14
STAMFORD, Conn. – September 15, 2019 – The destiny of WWE's Superstars will be determined during a two-night draft taking place live on Friday Night SmackDown® on October 11 at 8 pm ET on the FOX broadcast network and Monday Night Raw® on October 14 at 8 pm ET on USA Network.

On both nights of the draft, Superstars from Raw and SmackDown will appear along with personalities from FOX and NBCUniversal programming who will announce select picks from each brand. The draft will determine the Superstars that compete for Raw and SmackDown, which feature distinct casts, unique storylines and dedicated writing teams.

Friday Night SmackDown on October 11 will emanate from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas while Monday Night Raw on October 14 will take place at the Pepsi Center in Denver.

Raw and SmackDown are the #1 and #2 longest-running weekly episodic television shows in U.S. primetime history. The programs have aired more original episodes than The Simpsons, Gunsmoke, Lassie and Monday Night Football.

Raw will continue airing on USA Network while SmackDown moves to FOX beginning Friday, October 4.

Triple H Reveals Future Plans For WWE 205 Live, Talks Possible WWE NXT Lifers

Triple H recently spoke with Newsweek and said it was very important that WWE NXT stay at Full Sail Live for the big move to the USA Network this month. He also credited the NXTfanbase in Florida with helping to create the brand.

"For me it was very important," he said. "For one, with our partnership with Full Sail. We do so much there than just put on shows. If you're a student at Full Sail, they are working on our shows with us shadowing and it's a learning process for them as well. To continue that process, I wanted to keep it there. They are one of our biggest and best partners. The other thing to me, that fan base in Florida, they built this. They were there on the ground floor and their energy and excitement allowed [NXT] to become what it has become and what it is becoming, and I want them to be on that ride with us and to continue to grow it. When we say 'we are NXT' they are every bit a part of that as the talent are in some ways. I want them to continue to show the world when we go live on USA. I want them to stand up and say 'we are NXT' because they are."

Triple H also confirmed that the second hours of the September 18 and September 25 NXTUSA episodes are airing on the WWE Network due to the final two episodes of "Suits" airing at 9pm ET. As noted, the first hour from 8-9pm ET will air on USA while the second hour will air on the WWE Network. Both hours will begin airing on USA with the October 2 episode. He was asked if this created any last-minute issues, and he hyped up both shows and said they will be epic.

"I don't look at is as them preempting us [laughs]. They have their season finales there and [Suits] is a great show for our partners at USA," he said. "I'm excited for the first two weeks to give people a taste, but leaving them wanting more. If that makes people jump over to the Network to watch the second hour, we are going to put some spectacular stuff on the first hour on USA and some on the second hour as well.

"That first week alone, on the 18th, you're going to see Velveteen Dream and Roderick Strong for the North American title, you're going to see a Triple Threat between Bianca Belair, Io Shirai and Mia Yim to see who will face Shayna Baszler. There's also a Street Fight between Killian Dane and Matt Riddlethat will continue their story. So there's a lot of stuff that is going to take place. Both shows are going to be epic following one right after the other. The taste is there. If you're a new fan watching on USA you're going to get that taste for a couple of weeks, and then on October 2 we're going to give you the whole thing. For two hours you're really going to see what NXTis all about."

Triple H also revealed that WWE 205 Live will begin to operate under the NXT umbrella soon, along with NXT UK and the main NXT brand. He mentioned 205 Live helping to "breathe" some life into NXT soon, and was then asked if we will see 205 sit under the NXT umbrella.

"You'll start to see 205 begin to," Triple Hrevealed. "I think it always existed as an island onto itself, a little bit, and it's become lost in this limbo. You'll begin to see it move more towards the NXT banner and the talent there. We have a lot of talent. For them to begin to compete either open against anyone or in the cruiserweight division, but have that title sit under the NXT brand is more meaningful. It creates more opportunities for more people. As for RAW and SmackDown, it's an open division for them. When you're on both shows, everybody is competing against everybody."

It's been reported that NXT call-ups to the main roster will continue, despite NXTbecoming a third major brand with the move to USA. Triple H was asked if those "come ups" will continue and if talents could be NXT-lifers now, something Johnny Gargano has said he would love to be.

"I think it can," he responded. "No different than somebody becomes the face of RAW and spends the majority of their career there. It's the same with SmackDown and the same with NXT. I also think the opportunity for someone to leave for a period of time,take a breather and come back a little later refreshed is important. This gives them an opportunity to do other things.

As NXT becomes bigger and more of a global brand, like you see what we've done in the UK, you will see talent has the opportunity to take a breather from RAW or SmackDown and go someplace else. And still it be very meaningful for them and not seen as "I'm going down to the minors" or anything else.

"It's going to be a shift over to a different brand with a different feel and a different vibe where they can go and refresh and become something different so when they do go back - or maybe they don't - they can rebrand themselves. The most successful talent in this business, from a long term standpoint, has the ability to reinvent themselves over time. And that gives them the chance to reinvent yourself at all times."

XFL Named One Of The Hottest Start-Ups In The U.S.

As the XFL's reinsurance continues, several people in the business world are taking notice. LinkedIn ranked the XFL 22nd in its Top Startups of 2019 list.

Discussing the 50 hottest brands, LinkedIn's Senior Editor at Large Jessi Hempel discussed how the list was formed. Using over 645 million LinkedIn members and their actions, the company collected information based off of employee growth, jobseeker interest, member engagement with the company and its employees and how well the startups pulled talent from LinkedIm's Top Companies list.

"The annual Top Start-ups list is a reflection of how work is changing, what new industries are emerging and rapidly growing, and where people want to work now," Hempel stated. "Over 11,000 positions were filled at the Top Startups over the last year, and there are thousands of open jobs available at the companies right now."

Regarding the XFL, they have over 130 employees and continue to grow. Here is what Jessi had to say about the football league:

"Vince McMahon, best known as chairman of WWE, is personally funding a relaunch of the XFL, a professional football league seeking to reimagine the game on and off the field by making the game faster and fan focused. The eight inaugural teams, all owned by the XFL directly, will kick off in February 2020. In preparation, the company is looking to hire more than 50 social media editors, marketing directors and community managers."

With the eight teams officially named, the XFL is looking to finish up its talent search before the season starts. The XFL Player Draft will be taking place in October, with each of the eight teams being allowed to draft 70 players. Those players who accept an invitation must sign a HIPAA release form while also consenting to and clearing a background check. Following the draft, every player must pass a medical examination and drug test.

The relaunched XFL season is expected to start in February of 2020, the weekend after the Super Bowl.

Steve Austin Presents Triple H With Gift At RAW

Triple H took to Twitter today and revealed that he received a special gift from WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin at last night's RAW from Madison Square Garden in New York City - a framed photo of Motorhead.

"@steveaustinBSR and I have shared many moments over the years, many of them @TheGarden. Last night at #RawMSG he gave me this amazing framed photo of @myMotorhead ... so cool! For this and the years spent up and down the road....Thank you!," he wrote with a photo from backstage, seen below.

Triple H has been a big fan of Motorhead for several years and has worked with them on WWE projects. He was also close with founder Lemmy Kilmister before he passed away in 2015.

WWE NXT TV Tapings For USA Network Quickly Sell Out

Tickets for the live WWE NXT TV tapings on Wednesday, October 2 and Wednesday, October 9 are already sold out.

The tickets for both live NXT TV events instantly sold out after going on sale earlier today. The October 2 seats went on sale at 10am ET and the October 9 seats went on sale at 12 noon ET.

NXT usually sells out Full Sail Live events within in minutes, but these two TV tapings instantly sold out today.

These are the first two NXT USA Network episodes that will go head-to-head with AEW TV on TNT.

As noted, NXT will premiere on the USA Network on Wednesday, September 18. The September 18 and September 25 episodes will see the first hour air on USA, while the second hour airs on the WWE Network. Both hours will begin airing on the USA Network with the October 2 episode.

All NXT TV USA episodes will air live from Full Sail Live on the campus of Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida.

The Relationship Between Ric Flair and WWE Sours

The relationship between WWE and Ric Flair is on the rocks according to a number of sources, while not dire the cracks are starting to show and many know how stubborn Flair can be.

His Daughter Charlotte is reportedly not happy that he has taken legal action against WWE and Triple H and Seth Rollins have both unfollowed him on Twitter.

It all started when the two-time WWE Hall of Famer claimed WWE had lost respect for them after he issued a legal challenge for the term "The Man" which he believes he has a claim to financially.

Below is a transcript of what Flair told TMZ:

“I’m glad that I’m having this opportunity to clear the air. When I first saw this [‘The Man’ Becky Lynch] thing go down in August 2018, I thought, ‘Cool, ‘The Man’ – my gimmick – versus my daughter, Charlotte.’ Okay, that’s the day it started, right after SummerSlam. I thought, cool.

I said, ‘I’m going to make some money; it’s my trademark and they have it to use.’ I’ve been saying it’s [been mine] since 1981. So I got my worded statement, I sent [WWE’s lawyer] a text and the lawyer, who just has no respect for me whatsoever which is something I’m not going to deal with much longer, he said, ‘You’re wrong. It’s not even close.’

I said, ‘It’s not even close?’ So, boom, I sent him another text, he didn’t respond. So I had my lawyer call him and he blew off my lawyer. This is all in 2018 or in January of ’19.”

I told Hunter, ‘Hunter, I’m going to file.’ I mean, the reason they don’t have [the trademark for ‘The Man’], it’s my understanding that it’s because it’s too close to mine… I told Hunter, ‘Hey, if push comes to shove, I’m going to file for it.’

I mean, I get it, but here’s the deal: I love Becky Lynch, and no one has supported the women’s division more than me as an outsider. As a matter of fact, I told the guys that I would have texted Becky last night and Sasha, but I’m sure Becky – I don’t know what the WWE’s spin has been to her. They stole it last night.

It’s funny, my daughter [Charlotte Flair] is so mad at me because I filed, not even understanding that it’s not Becky. I have no beef with Becky.

But here’s the deal: when I almost died two years ago, one person stayed by me the whole time for 31 days in ICU, 12 days while I was dying on a respirator, and I’m going to take care of her and her family, and my family that has taken care of me, no matter what.

I don’t care what the WWE thinks of me personally; I know they love me, but obviously they have lost respect for me. If I don’t win, and even if I won, Becky can have [The Man] all day long. I’m glad! But I want the company to pay me for it because I’m going to take care of my family.

I am going to be ‘The Man’, and if I don’t get it, you know what my tombstone will say? ‘He died trying to be The Man’.”

Linda McMahon Donates Big Money To Donald Trump's 2020 Presidential Re-Election Campaign

Former WWE CEO Linda McMahon has donated a total of $366,200 to the 2020 Presidential re-election campaign for Donald Trump, according to data from the Federal Election Commission.

Three different payments were made on June 3 of this year. One donation was made to the Trump Victory PAC based in Massachusetts, for the amount of $360,600. Linda then made two donations of $2,800 each, for a total of $5,600, to Donald J. Trump For President, Inc., which is his Presidential re-election campaign.

The donations were made through Linda's LLC, McMahon Ventures, and were her first political donations since November 2016.

Trump, who was inducted into the Celebrity Wing of the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013, appointed Linda as the Administrator of the Small Business Administration back in 2016. She stepped down from the role at the end of March 2019. It was reported then that Linda was planning on helping with Trump's 2020 re-election campaign. CBS reported at the time that Linda would be working for America First Action, a pro-Trump Super PAC.

FEC data shows that Linda is the Chair of that America First Action Super PAC, and made a donation of $1 million back on May 28.

Triple H Appears on UpUpDownDown, Names His Favorite Video Games

To celebrate hitting two million subscribers, Xavier Woods brought Triple H onto his UpUpDownDown YouTube channel on Wednesday to ask "The Game" some questions.

When asked what his experience with game was, Hunter admitted that he was playing back in the days of arcades.

"So I'm old enough to remember when video games were played like you had to go somewhere and put a quarter in to play those video games," he said. "So for me that whole time frame, and we actually have a one of those console things at our house that the kids play that has Galaga, Centipede, Pac-Man, that's all the stuff I played. Donkey Kong, all that suff."

He said if he had that arcade cabinet back in the day, Donkey Kong would've been his favorite.

He was then asked about Star Trek vs. Star Wars, as somebody hold told Woods that the Hall of Famer was a Star Trek fan. Hunter corrected him by saying he's a fan of both, but leans more towards Star Wars.

"If you were to ask me back in the day, there's that big debate Star Trek or Star Wars, I would've said Star Wars. I don't dislike either one of them but if you were to ask me about any of the Star Trek movies or the shows, I don't know, I don't know s—."

The 14-time former world champion then said the last game he can remember playing all the way through was the Metal Gear Solid series.

"When that stuff was kind of coming out, there was a moment in time where I would get home off the road I would need something to disconnect," he said. And that was kind of like the thing. And then I just got too busy.

"That was a very cool game for me," he added. "I wasn't smart enough at that time even as those games were coming out to realize that there was a community of things that you could do to learn the tricks to get through the game. So I was one of those people that played the same game for like a year and a half on end because I was stuck on the same level for like six straight months."

The NXT brand, spearheaded by Triple H, is set to move from the WWE Network to the USA Network starting on Sept. 18.

WWE RAW Nominated For People's Choice Award

RAW was nominated for "The Show of 2019" award. They are going up against Game of Thrones, Grey's Anatomy, Riverdale, Stranger Things, The Big Bang Theory, The Walking Dead and This Is Us.

Fans can vote for RAW at this link. Voting ends on Friday, October 18, and fans can vote up to 25 times.

The E! People's Choice Awards will air on Sunday, November 10 on the E! network.

Triple H Addresses Speculation On Vince McMahon Running WWE NXT On The USA Network

Triple H spoke with talkSPORT's Alex McCarthy while in the UK for Saturday's WWE NXT UK "Takeover: UK" event. McCarthy asked about Dave Meltzer speculating on Vince McMahon having strong involvement in the main NXT brand when it premieres on the USA Network later this month.

Triple H dismissed that speculation and said Vince has basically told him to go make NXT a success. He also praised his father-in-law for the businessman that he is.

"Let's be honest, there's a lot of things that people like Dave say that don't make sense, because they don't approach things from a business standpoint," Triple H said. "Put it this way, we're going to be live on Mondays, we're going to be live on Wednesdays, we're going to be live on Fridays. There's so much bandwidth to go.... And the truth is that it's just funny, the small-mindedness of it, that people don't give Vince credit for being the businessman that he is. The speculation and rumors, and it's easy when people leave or they go their own way, to fan and to jump onto speculation and rumors, and a lot of it is, that's just what it is.

"So, when people talk about him as a businessman, there's just so many crazy misconceptions. The truth is, all of what we're doing right now, this business, is because of him. They took a failing industry, so to speak, in a period of time in the 80s, and turned it into a global phenomenon, when nobody else had the foresight to do it. All the things that he's done and where it is today, and people look at where it is today, and you hear them say negative things, and I'm like, 'Really?' Because we just signed billion dollar deals with Fox and USA. I'm not sure it's crumbling.

"He's also smart enough to understand the things that we do, and where they go, and the pieces of it. If you're asking the simple term answers... he's not involved, you know what I mean? Yeah, he's gonna have some say in some things, as far as like the brand sits and the marketing of it within USA and clearly, whatever he wants to do at the end of the day, but at this point in time, he's basically just said, 'Go make this thing a success.'"

Triple H On Enzo Amore And Big Cass Coming Back To WWE NXT: "Absolutely Zero Interest."

Earlier this week a report came out that Enzo Amore and Big Cass were in talks with WWEofficials to make a return to the NXT brand. Enzo was released from the company in January of 2018, Cass in June of 2018.

That same day, WWE reached out to the media to say the story had no basis, and they had no discussions with the two former WWE Superstars. After all of this came to light, Cass commented on Twitter, "Idiots [laughing emoji]."

Alex McCarthy of talkSPORT recently wrapped up 30-minute sit down interview with Triple H, and tweeted out his comments about the Enzo/Cass situation.

"I immediately told our PR to shoot down the Enzo and Cass rumors," Triple H said. "Absolutely zero interest. Congratulations to Enzo, I'm sure spreading rumors is working well for him but I want no part of it."

Seth Rollins Takes Top Spot In Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Top 500 Wrestlers List

This year’s Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Top 500 Wrestlers have been revealed and Current Universal Champion Seth Rollins has taken the top spot.

The list takes into consideration a number of factors such as win/loss record, techincal ability, and success in the year period from July 31-June 30.

Below are the top 10 of the 500.

- Seth Rollins
- Daniel Bryan
- AJ Styles
- Kofi Kingston
- Okada
- Johnny Gargano
- Roman Reigns
- Kenny Omega
- Tanahashi
- Will Ospreay

Happy Birthday Vince

Vincent Kennedy McMahon
August 24, 1945

Happy Birthday Vaughn

Vaughn Levesque
August 24, 2010

WWE Spokesperson Responds To Claims They Are Using NXT To Counter-Program AEW

Deadspin recently posted an article in which it looks at the impending ratings war between AEW and NXT on Wednesday night, interestingly it contained some interesting comments from a WWE representative regarding the assumption that WWE is counter-programming.

The WWE Spokesperson had the following to say:

“The premise to your story is wrong. NXT has been on Wednesday nights since 2015 as I’m sure you know. It isn’t called counter-programming if you continue to air a series on the same day/time as it has been on for nearly five years.” The email response closed with a suggestion that “Perhaps you’ll ask AEW about counter-programming NXT?”

WWE Launching Their Own Podcast Network, Partners With Endeavor Audio

Endeavor Audio and WWE today announced plans to launch a new WWE Podcast Network with several Superstar-focused series. The move into the audio space marks a first for WWE and is Endeavor’s latest foray into exploring new podcast formats.

“Storytelling is at WWE’s core and we are eager to add the audio genre to our portfolio,” said Jayar Donlan, Executive Vice President, WWE Advanced Media. “Partnering with Endeavor Audio, an expert in podcasting, will enable us to provide our fans with unique content and reach new audiences across the platform.”

“We’re always looking to pair dynamic content with the best formats for listeners,” remarked Moses Soyoola, Senior Vice President, Endeavor Audio. “Through our new partnership with WWE, we’re looking forward to tapping into their iconic event portfolio and talent base to create compelling audio content for their fans.”

Additional details, including launch timing and content creative, will be announced in the coming weeks.

Endeavor Audio is a full-service operation offering content development, financing, production, distribution, marketing, and monetization. The studio has produced BLACKOUT, the hit audio drama, with Academy Award winner Rami Malek (also starring) and QCode; The Bellas Podcast, the popular weekly lifestyle chat show hosted by WWE Superstars, The Bella Twins®; and Freaknik, a podcast about Atlanta’s infamous spring break, as part of a larger content partnership with Mass Appeal that also includes Drink Champs, the popular hip hop podcast show, and the upcoming re-launch of Juan Ep hosted by Peter Rosenberg and Cipha Sounds.

XFL Announces Team Names & Logos

The XFL has announced the team names and logos for all eight franchises for the league.

The league held a press conference on Wednesday to make the announcement. WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon, who owns the XFL, didn’t appear.

The eight teams will be held in the following cities: New York, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Seattle, Tampa Bay, and Washington D.C.

The league will launch in 2020 on Saturday, February 8 just after the NFL’s Super Bowl. The games will air on ESPN, FOX, ABC, and FS1. Here are the team names:

– St. Louis Battle Hawks

– Tampa Bay Vipers

– New York Guardians

– Seattle Dragons

– Los Angeles Wildcats

– D.C. Defenders [Washington]

– Houston Roughnecks

– Dallas Renegades

Triple H Comments On WWE NXT Moving To The USA Network

As noted, it was officially announced today that WWE NXT will begin airing live on the USA Network each week from 8-10pm ET on Wednesday, September 18. The show will air from Full Sail Live in Winter Park, FL as it does now.


Triple H took to Twitter after the announcement and said the brand is just getting started.

"Can't describe this announcement in any other word than PROUD. Proud of everyone involved from day one. Proud you've let your voice be heard and carried the banner of this brand. Proud you've loudly & clearly said #WeAreNXT. And I'm proud to say, we're just getting started," he wrote.

NXT Earnings For Moving To The USA Network Released

On the most recent edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reported that WWE will be getting a minimum of $50 Million a year for NXT. That is on top of the $265 Million they are getting for RAW.

"The move to USA Network provides an opportunity to deepen our relationship with NBCUniversal and further build the NXT brand," said WWE CEO Vince McMahon. "Over the long term, our goal is to develop a following that can be monetized to the same level as our flagship programs, RAW and SmackDown."