Chris Jericho Talks Having Issues With Triple H In The Past

ESPN's The Last Dance has captivated many as the series looks back on Michael Jordan's final year with the Chicago Bulls featuring personal interviews with Jordan, his teammates, coaches and former rivals. Rich Eisen had Chris Jericho on his show and asked Jericho if there was ever a person that he hated as much as Jordan hated the Detroit Pistons.

"I think there were guys, in the past, that I had issues with," Jericho said. "I mean Triple H is one of them. He'll tell you the same. In the early 2000's, we didn't have much [likeness] for each other, but we always had great matches, and I think that's one of the reasons why. We just had this professional rivalry, maybe a bit of a personal dislike [for each other]. But fast forward five, six, seven years, you get to be older and wiser and think back. Why did we have so many problems? Why did we hate each other? Why didn't we like each other? And now we're friends.

"I think there's a lot of professional rivalry when you're young full of vim and vigor as they say. It happens in rock and roll bands all the time. Bands will break up, and 10 years later, they'll get back together like why did we waste 10 years of our lives not playing together?"

Jericho recently referred to Triple H as a brother on social media. He believes that Vince McMahon used the animosity that he and Triple H had for each other to get the best out of them inside of the ring.

"I think there's that animosity that drives you to become better, and if you have a case like say Jericho and Triple H, our matches were always great because there was a little bit of real-life animosity between us," Jericho admitted. "'I'm gonna show him. Well, I'm gonna show him. Well, I'm gonna show him,' and I think that's good in a certain way. And I can almost suggest back in those certain days, Vince McMahon would subtly encourage that because you knew you were going to get better results inside of the ring."

Becky Lynch Vacates RAW Women's Title To Asuka, Announces Pregnancy On RAW

Becky Lynch is expecting her first child.

The Man appeared during tonight's RAW from the WWE Performance Center and announced that she is pregnant. The segment opened with Lynch coming out with the women's MITB briefcase. She got emotional and cried before bringing Asukaout. She then revealed that Asuka hasn't been able to open the briefcase because she was the only one with the combination. Lynch opened the briefcase and the RAW Women's Title belt was inside. Lynch then confirmed that Asuka is the new RAW Women's Champion as Sunday's MITB Ladder Match wasn't for a future women's title shot, it was for the RAW Women's Title.

Asuka danced around and came back to the ring where Lynch was waiting. That's when Lynch announced that she was going to be a mother because she can't fight anymore. Lynch then finally smiled and showed some happiness while embracing Asuka. Lynch made her emotional exit up the ramp, told fans she will miss them, and left to the back as Asuka continued her celebration.

RAW returned from the commercial break and we saw Lynch being congratulated by several Superstars in the backstage area.

Lynch is engaged to Seth Rollins.

AEW Dynamite & NXT Viewership Both Rise With Eventful Shows

AEW Dynamite drew 732,000 viewers overall (which is up from last week’s 693,000) and came in at No. 12 for the night. That’s up from No. 16 last week.

Per Showbuzz Daily, NXT was up from last week with 663,000 viewers (up from 637,000) and came in at No. 33 with a .18 rating in the 18-49 demographic. That’s lower than AEW’s .28 for the night.

NXT YEAR-TO-DATE RANKINGS

Feb. 19 – 794,000 – 2020 High

March 18 – 542,000 – 2020 Low

May 6 – 663,000 – This Week

AEW DYNAMITE YEAR-TO-DATE RANKINGS

Jan. 1 – 967,000 – 2020 High

April 15 – 683,000 – 2020 Low

May 6 – 732,000 – This Week

Triple H And Stephanie McMahon To Host The Quest For Lost WWE Treasures

A+E Network announced their upcoming programming slate earlier today and it was revealed that WWE's Triple H and Stephanie McMahon would be hosting a future series known as 'The Quest for Lost WWE Treasures'.
A+E Network had already previously announced 'Macho Man' Randy Savage, 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper, Booker T, 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels 'Biography' specials, with the first three set to air fairly soon.
'The Quest for Lost WWE Treasures' will take 'viewers on the ultimate hunt to find some of WWE’s most iconic, lost memorabilia.' McMahon and 'The Game' will lead a team of collectors, WWE legends and current superstars as they all try to 'investigate, negotiate, bid and travel across the country to hunt down and reclaim some of the most elusive WWE collectibles.'

It's also been said that the show will feature exclusive behind-the-scenes WWE footage and full access to the WWE archives, meaning that a whole host of iconic items are surely set to be unearthed during the series.
There will be ten one-hour episodes overall, but there's still no word on when the show will actually be dropping on our screens.

AEW Fined $10,000 By The Maryland State Athletic Commission For Jon Moxley Vs. Kenny Omega Match

AEW has been fined $10,000 by the Maryland State Athletic Commission over the "Unsanctioned Lights Out match" between current AEW World Champion Jon Moxley and current AEW World Tag Team Champion Kenny Omega.

The order, seen below, notes that AEW was the promoter for a pro wrestling match between Omega and Moxley at the AEW Full Gear pay-per-view from the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Maryland on November 9, 2019, a match that saw the licensed talents suffer lacerations that caused blood to be introduced into the ring. The commission determined that administrative charges against AEW were appropriate for alleged violations of Maryland law pertaining to pro wrestling contests and related regulations.

The filing mentions how Moxley and Omega used "foreign objects including a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire, a broom with bristles wrapped in barbed wire, and a tool similar to an ice pick." It also states Moxley "used the baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire to strike" Omega three times across his back and cause lacerations from which Omega bled. It also details how Omega used the broom to cause Moxley to bleed from his head, shoulder and back.

The Commission alleges that AEW violated multiple regulations, including the Conduct of Wrestling Contest and Responsibility of Promoter. AEW agreed to pay a civil penalty to the Commission in the amount of $10,000 within 30 days of the order.

It was also noted that while the Commission acknowledges that AEW took precautions to reduce the potential for injury to both competitors by using materials to simulate injury and merely give the appearance of bleeding, blood was still introduced into the ring in other instances during the match, through deliberate and repeated actions of the two wrestlers, as scripted by AEW.

Triple H And Shawn Michaels Discuss Social Media’s Impact On WWE

Triple H and Shawn Michaels recently appeared on Inside The Ropes. The duo discussed social media’s impact on WWE’s creative process and how fans behave differently now. Triple H said that fans are much more expressive, which makes it more difficult to create heels and faces.

“Everybody has an opinion,” said Triple H. “Everybody has an opinion, but you can’t dictate now, so, like, you’re gonna create a character that everybody’s supposed to dislike, but there’s a large portion of them that are gonna like that. And then when you make somebody that they’re supposed to like, there’s a large portion of them that are gonna dislike that. And if you tried hard to flip them, and I know everybody’s gonna make the Roman thing of this, but there’s something to all that. But that’s a more difficult thing probably now than it’s ever been in this business to come up with a universal one or the other.”

Triple H and Michaels said that this effect holds true for fans in sports and other forms of entertainment. Triple H specifically brought up the music industry. “Same with music, too,” said Triple H. “Artists put out an album now, and you go through the social media when the album comes out, and it’s like, ‘Greatest thing ever,' ‘absolute crap, complete garbage,’ ‘greatest music of all time,’ like, it just…”

Michaels said that, when you’re the one who’s making the content, you don’t necessarily care if the fans love or hate it. “It’s okay if you get on social media, and you say that it’s absolute garbage because that means at least you purchased the album to listen to it, to find out, to make your decision it’s absolute garbage,” said Michaels. “After you purchase the album we’re good. You know what I mean? Whatever decision you want to come up with after that, knock your socks off.”

Triple H said that he loves the fans’ passion, whether the crowd is cheering or booing. “I think sometimes fans think it’s something that we hate or something,” said Triple H. “It’s funny, sometimes I see the internet talk about us manipulating crowd noises. We don’t manipulate the crowd noises. You know, on live stuff, where they think like, ‘Oh and then they turned down the volume because this guy was getting booed and they didn’t want him getting booed.’ No, we didn’t. It’s just what’s happening right, it just is. But they’re so passionate about it, but the fact that, we love the fact that they can express their opinion. We love the fact that they can go out there and say, ‘This is great,’ ‘This isn’t great,’ ‘This guy’s a good guy,’ ‘That person’s a bad guy,’ whatever that is, right, and yet, if they also, if they tell us they dislike something, if we’re smart, we listen to that. Might take a while but we can fix it.”

Finally, Michaels said it’s better to see fans showing some engagement rather than watching them give up entirely. “I’d be more worried if you weren’t engaged, if you didn’t have an opinion,” said Michaels. “Whether you do get tired of it or not, what’s gonna really suck is the day when nobody cares, when nobody wants a picture, when nobody wants an autograph. So, no matter how much, better to have that ‘hassle’ than no hassle at all, and I think that’s how all of us in this line of work look at it. Any kind of engagement, good, bad or otherwise, is better than no engagement at all.”

WWE Hit With Multiple Lawsuits On Behalf Of Shareholders, Top WWE Officials Named

WWE and top company officials have been hit with multiple lawsuits on behalf of shareholders.

The class actions mention WWE's recent history with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and make several accusations against top executives in the company, who are named.

The Gross Law Firm recently filed a lawsuit on behalf of shareholders, accusing the company of making "materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failing to disclose" that they perpetrated a fraudulent scheme. The suit noted that investors would've been affected between February 7, 2019 and February 5, 2020. Full details on the suit are here. The press release on the class action reads like this:

"A class action has commenced on behalf of certain shareholders in World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. The filed complaint alleges that defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: Defendants perpetrated a fraudulent scheme which: (i) deceived the investing public regarding WWE's business and prospects; (ii) artificially inflated the price of WWE Class A common stock; (iii) permitted certain senior executives of WWE to sell more than $282 million worth of their personally held shares at fraud inflated prices; and (iv) caused the public to purchase WWE Class A common stock at artificially inflated prices."

More?

Stephanie McMahon Joins Board of the Ad Council

The Ad Council is adding several new faces to its Board of Directors following the group’s spring meeting on Tuesday.

Diego Scotti, Chief Marketing Officer at Verizon, is being elected Board Vice Chair, joining additional Board Vice Chairs Linda Yaccarino, Chairman, Advertising Sales and Client Partnerships, NBCUniversal, and Jacki Kelley, CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network.

The Board is chaired by David Fischer, Chief Revenue Officer, Facebook who will vacate his seat after his 12 month term is up in July. He’ll be succeeded by Yaccarino.

Other new members are Mel Edwards, Global CEO, Wunderman Thompson, Stephanie McMahon, CBO WWE, Chad Engelgau, CEO, Acxiom, Pete Stein, CEO, Huge, David Creech, VP Brand Creative, North America, Nike and Blake Chandlee, VP Global Business Solutions, TikTok.

The Ad Council also elected two new members to its Leadership Council —Zachary Dominitz, SVP, Partnerships, CBS and Chris Schmicker, VP, Global Brand & Strategy, Xerox.

Video: Vince McMahon, Shawn Michaels Crash Triple H's 25th Anniversary Celebration

Donald Trump Tweets About Triple H For His 25th Anniversary Celebration

On last night's SmackDown, Triple H celebrated 25 years in wrestling in a near 30-minute segment that featured WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels and Vince McMahon. Via phone, Triple H also received messages from WWE Hall of Famers Ric Flair and Road Dogg, along with his wife, Stephanie McMahon.

Earlier this week, Chris Jericho and The Rocksent some kind words to "The Game" about their times in the ring.

Add President Donald Trump to the list after he responded to a tweet from Vince about Triple H.

"We didn't know it a quarter-century ago, but he would go on to change 'The Game' forever," Vince wrote on Twitter. "Happy 25th #WWE Anniversary to my son-in-law, @TripleH!"

"Triple H is a total winner!" Trump responded.

Trump was inducted into the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013.

Triple H And Vince McMahon Explain WWE’s Safety Protocol During COVID-19 Pandemic

As one of the few public-facing companies in America still running full steam ahead amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic, WWE has had to keep its employees safe as they perform in a very physical manner. When asked about keeping talent safe during the recent quarterly earnings call, Vince talked about what precautions have been put in place.

As far as testing is concerned, we do everything imaginable. You can’t even step on the premises if you have a fever. We have this whole form you have to fill out, and you have to do it every week, in terms of whether you’ve been exposed. It’s a whole long form. We’re doing everything we can for safety and making sure the environment is as good as it possibly can be. Not only monitoring our talent but our employees as well. Anyone who’s been at the training facility, and we’re very careful as to how many people are in and out at one time.

Vince continues by confirming some aspects we’ve heard about WWE’s safety policies. Talent is sequestered in hotels during tapings, and the ropes and turnbuckles are changed out between matches. He describes a frequent “pandemic cleaning” that goes on throughout the facility. Triple H then stepped in to expand on what exactly that means.

It’s a company called Applied Bioscience that we work through. They have a spray that, through a process, makes it cling to surfaces. Once it’s coated, it lasts for 90 to 120 days. How it was explained to me it, it acts like a sword that punctures the cell wall of what causes the virus and kills it on contact.

Vince finishes by saying that they’ll take advantage of any testing that comes out as time goes on. Closing fully is not an option for WWE, but Vince and the company want to be sure that everything is as safe as possible for those who choose to come in and perform in their ring.

WWE Network Updated Subscriber Count

The WWE Q1 2020 earnings report issued this evening noted that the WWE Network had a total of 2.10 million subscribers as of April 6, which was Night Two of WrestleMania 36.

The number of average paid subscribers was 1.46 million, down from the previous quarter. WWE had around 640,000 free subscribers who signed up during the free trial that was issued during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.

The earnings report also noted that the WrestleMania 36 weekend subscriber additions, from Friday - Sunday, were the highest in the history of the platform. Total subscribers reached 2.10 million on that WrestleMania Sunday, which was up 5% from the day after WrestleMania 35 in 2019.

Back in February when WWE issued their Q4 2019 and Full Year earnings report it was noted that the Network had 1.389 million paid subscribers at the end of the year, with 70,000 free subscribers for a total of 1.459 million. The total number of paid subscribers reported then was down 9% from 2018, while total subscribers were down 6.6%. The average number of paid subscribers in the fourth quarter of 2019 was 1.419 million, down 10.5% from 1.585 million in 2018.

You can click here to read the full Q1 2020 earnings report.

Triple H addresses controversial Ronda Rousey comments, success of WWE WrestleMania 36 event

Earlier this month, Ronda Rousey caused an internet stir when she labeled wrestling fans as "ungrateful" while explaining how they did not appreciate her. At the same time, Rousey said she would not return to WWE on a full-time basis in the future. The comments seemed out of left field, with Rousey having been off television for more than a year and her time in WWE being considered a great success by nearly all measures.

Then, the responses started, with seemingly everyone in the WWE women's locker room giving their two cents. As the tweets and quotes piled up, WWE began referencing Rousey's comments on weekly television programming as fans began to question whether Rousey's comments were legitimate or an elaborate beginning to a bigger Rousey storyline set to take place.

Speaking with CBS Sports HQ on Wednesday, WWE legend and executive vice president of global talent strategy and development, Paul "Triple H" Levesque, addressed Rousey's comments. He didn't provide much clarity on the matter, but said the world would have to "wait and see" if those comments were simply Rousey operating in promotional mode.

More?

The Rock Sends Special Message To Triple H For WWE's The Bump

The Rock sent a special message to Triple H for today's episode of The Bump on WWE's Digital platforms. As noted, Triple H appeared on the show to promote his 25th Anniversary Celebration, which kicks off this Friday during SmackDown on FOX.

The Rock started out his message with a joke about doing his signature "Finally..." promo in his quiet neighborhood. The Great One then praised The Game for his career, in and out of the ring.

"There's some big stuff going down and the big stuff going down is Triple H - 25 years of a storied, epic, historic career already, so I am honored to send you this message, my friend, to help celebrate and help honor you at 25 years, of not only being a part of the WWE, but 25 years of being the WWE," Rock said. "And man, I gotta tell you, I have, like you, we are lucky boys to have the career that we have had in the world that we love so much, of pro wrestling. I gotta tell you, man, from the time I first got into the company, you, from my very first match in Survivor Series at The Garden, you were so good to me, so welcoming to me then, but also I knew... I knew of everybody in the locker room, that there was a hunger in your eyes, and I knew that we were going to be competitors, and we were going to compete, and work our asses off, and that's exactly what we did, and that's exactly why we jelled together, why we had incredible chemistry.

"You know, I always talk about the matches that I've had with Stone Cold, that you've had with Stone Cold, and that you've had with Mick Foley, and I've had with Mick Foley, The Undertaker... you name it, but there's only one man who I've gone around this world with and wrestled consistently with so many times, and put on just incredible matches, and that's you. And I thank you, I love you, congratulations, man, on just an amazing career, but also to, not only an amazing 25 years, but also not only in the ring, but what you've done outside of the ring, too, has been unparalleled. You can't compare it because nobody else has done it, and what you're doing with NXT, what you're doing with the company itself, and what you're doing to make sure the fans go home happy, because it's in your blood, it's in your DNA, it's as if you were born into the business, and in some other lifetime you were. This is why we're kindred spirits. Congratulations on such an amazing 25 years. I look forward to the next 25 years. Thank you for being a friend, thank you for being a brother. Again, I love you, man. Happy 25th. Amazing, amazing. Love you brother."

Rock finished his message with another joke about doing one of his signature catchphrases in his quiet neighborhood.

Triple H responded and joked, "That is awesome. I'm honored, I really am. The worst part is, how come he looks so great and I look like an old prune? I'm all wrinkled and grey, and stuff, and he looks exactly the same as he did when I wrestled him in The Garden when he walked in the door."

Vince McMahon Sued By Former XFL Commissioner & CEO Oliver Luck

Former XFL Commissioner and CEO Oliver Luck is suing Vince McMahon for wrongful termination.

Luck has filed suit against the XFL boss and WWE Chairman, claiming he was wrongfully terminated after the league folded due to the coronavirus earlier this month, according to TMZ.

Luck says he received a termination letter detailing why he was being let go on Thursday, April 9, but he denies any wrongdoing and says the allegations against him are not true.

In the suit, Luck says he fulfilled his end of the deal and ran the league from its resurrection in January 2018, only to be wrongfully terminated. Regarding the specific allegations against him, Luck redacted those details in the lawsuit. This is likely due to a confidentiality agreement he had with the league from when he first signed.

Luck is suing McMahon to hold him responsible for paying out a guaranteed portion of his contract. There's no word yet on how much money that is.

The XFL recently folded for a second time and filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy due to losses from the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Rock Is Working On A Backyard Wrestling Series For HBO

The Rock, Issa Rae and Dany Garcia will be executive producing a new series for HBO on the creation of a backyard wrestling promotion, according to Variety.

It's titled "TRE CNT" for "TRE COUNT" and comes from writer Mohamad El Masri. The show focuses on Cassius Jones, a young docker worker and struggling pro wrestler, who uses inherited life-insurance money for start-up money, and the deed to a shotgun house from his grandfather, to start a hip-hop centric backyard wrestling empire in the Third Ward of Houston, Texas (The Tre). Jones creates the empire with the help of his working-class family, friends and neighbors.

El Masri is an executive producer on the project in addition to writing. Judah Miller will executive produce and serve as showrunner. Rock and Garcia will executive produce along with Hiram Garcia under their Seven Bucks Productions company. Rae and Montrel McKay will executive produce via their Issa Rae Productions. Dave Becky, Tom Lassally, and Jonathan Berry will executive produce for 3 Arts Entertainment, according to Variety.

Variety noted that The Rock's involvement brings a layer of authenticity to the project due to his successful pro wrestling career with WWE.

Triple H Reveals There Will Be Another Mae Young Classic

During a recent interview with Inside the Ropes, Triple H commented on WWE’s plans for another Mae Young Classic:

“We’re gonna do it again here soon, and we’re kind of getting to that point again now, like, wow, there is just a lot out there. So they are here and there and they’re all over the place. I think the talent sort of gravitate toward finding each other and they end up in these little pockets and then they’re all learning from each other but helping to bring that out and show it to the rest of the world is the goal."

Additional NXT Talent Released From WWE

Six more wrestlers within the NXT system were released by WWE this week, according to PWInsider. Most of the names hadn't yet made it to NXT TV or live events.

Rocky (seen in the video above) was signed from a 2016 tryout in China.

The other five names are: Mohamed Fahim (signed in January 2018), Marcos Gomes (signed in May 2019), Faisal Kurdi (signed in June 2019), Edgar Lopez (signed in September 2019), and Hussain Aldagal (signed in June 2019).

Kassius Ohno was also released.

WWE Superstars will climb the corporate ladder at WWE Money In The Bank

This year’s WWE Money In The Bank Men’s and Women’s Match participants will have an even more unique challenge ahead of them than usual.

The match begins on the ground floor of WWE Headquarters, but the briefcases – containing contracts for a championship match anytime, anyplace – will be hanging all the way up on the roof of the corporate tower.

Catch the historic, groundbreaking matches when WWE Money In The Bank streams live on the award-winning WWE Network on Sunday, May 10, at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

More NXT Releases

Add WWE NXT Superstars Tino Sabbatelli, Cezar Bononi, Nick Comoroto, Taynara Conti and Mars Wang to the list of wrestlers, producers, announcers and other employees released by WWE this week, according to PWInsider.


Stay tuned as there are rumors on more NXT cuts to be confirmed soon. It's possible that the releases were made earlier this week as well.

WWE NXT Beats AEW Dynamite In Viewership For Second Week In A Row, AEW Draws Record Low

Week 28 of the Wednesday Night War saw WWE NXT top AEW Dynamite in viewership, for the second week in a row.

Wednesday's Dynamite episode drew 683,000 viewers on TNT, while NXT drew 692,000 viewers on the USA Network, according to Showbuzz Daily.

AEW ranked #29 in the Cable Top 150, while NXT ranked #58. AEW ranked #74 in viewership, while NXT ranked #72 in viewership.

Last week's Dynamite episode drew 692,000 viewers and ranked #32 in the Cable Top 150, and #73 in viewership. Last week's NXT episode drew 693,000 viewers and ranked #51 in the Cable Top 150, and #79 in viewership.

This is the lowest Dynamite viewership of 2020. This is also the lowest non-holiday AEW viewership in history, tied with the December 18 episode. The lowest Dynamite viewership overall is the Thanksgiving week show on November 27, which drew 663,000 viewers.

AEW drew a 0.25 rating in the 18-49 demographic while NXT drew a 0.17 in the same demo this week. Last week's AEW show drew a 0.26 rating while the NXT episode drew a 0.19 in that demographic.

AEW's 0.25 rating is tied with the December 18 and April 1 episodes for the lowest ever.

WWE Hall of Famer Howard Finkel passes away

WWE is saddened to learn that Howard Finkel has passed away at age 69.

When considering the greatest ring announcers in the history of sports and sports-entertainment, you’d be hard-pressed to name one better than Howard Finkel. A native of Newark, NJ, “The Fink” — a label that had been attached affectionately to Howard over the years — made his ring announcing debut at Madison Square Garden in 1977 for WWE’s predecessor, WWWF.

By 1979, Finkel was the full-time ring announcer for WWWF, and when WWE was established in 1980, The Fink became the first — and eventually longest-serving — employee. Finkel’s distinctive voice was instantly recognizable, and for more than two decades Superstars such as The Ultimate Warrior, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and more would have a title victory marked by The Fink’s signature call, “and NNNEEEWWW World Champion!”

Despite being a ring announcer, Finkel didn’t shy away from in-ring competition in certain circumstances. In 1995, he battled his longtime rival Harvey Wippleman in a Tuxedo Match on Raw, and later helped X-Pac shave Jeff Jarrett’s head in a Hair vs. Hair Match at SummerSlam 1998.

In addition to his legendary tenure as a ring announcer, The Fink was an indispensable resource inside the WWE offices for his vast knowledge of sports-entertainment history. Well respected by current Superstars, WWE Legends and Hall of Famers, Finkel’s encyclopedic memory and kindness made him beloved among his colleagues. The Fink was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 4, 2009.

WWE owned a piece of the XFL, after all

The resurrection of the XFL was sold as an endeavor bought exclusively by Vince McMahon, with no involvement from his publicly-traded wrestling corporation, WWE. The wreckage of XFL 2.0 says otherwise.

Via multiple reports, WWE owned 23.5 percent of the Class B stock in the XFL, while McMahon owned the other 76.5 percent. McMahon also owned 100 percent of the Class A stock in the XFL. (Typically, Class A stock has greater voting rights than Class B stock.)

When McMahon conducted a press conference unveiling the project in 2018, he said that “there will be no crossover whatsoever” with WWE, and he specifically said that this doesn’t relate to funding.

“I wanted to do this since the day we stopped the other one,” McMahon told ESPN at the time. “A chance to do it with no partners, strictly funded by me, which would allow me to look in the mirror and say, ‘You were the one who screwed this up,’ or ‘You made this thing a success.'”

Whether the actual state of affairs creates any problems for WWE is a separate issue, but if the WWE investment was significant and if it was not disclosed in the financial information of a publicly-traded company, that could be a problem — especially if WWE ended up throwing a large chunk of change away.

WWE owned a piece of the XFL, after alloriginally appeared on Pro Football Talk.

WWE Releases Three Performance Center Coaches

Add WWE Performance Center coaches Serena Deeb, Kendo Kashin and Chris Guy (Ace Steel) to the list of wrestlers, creative writers, producers, referees and other talent released today by WWE, according to PWInsider.

WWE PC Coach And Others Released, WWE To Cut Hundreds Of Employees, More On Today's Departures

WWE NXT Superstar MJ Jenkins, Performance Center coach Norman Smiley, Spanish announcer Jerry Soto and on-air talent Josiah Williams to the list of wrestlers, creative writers, producers, referees and other talent released today by WWE.

Regarding the releases, @Wrestlevotes noted that the number of staff and talent releases will be "well into the hundreds" when everything has been finalized. Casey of Squared Circle Sirens also noted on Twitter that staff from the WWE Performance Center are being let go.

Below is the updated lists of confirmed cuts made today by the company, along with the tweets from Jenkins, Smiley, Soto and Williams:

WRESTLERS:

* MJ Jenkins
* Deonna Purrazzo
* Aleksandar Jaksic
* Rusev
* No Way Jose
* Mike Kanellis
* Maria Kanellis
* Primo
* Epico
* Rowan
* Sarah Logan
* Karl Anderson
* Luke Gallows
* EC3
* Drake Maverick
* Curt Hawkins
* Heath Slater
* Eric Young
* Lio Rush

PRODUCERS (Furloughed or released):
* WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle (Released)
* Billy Kidman
* Mike Rotunda
* Pat Buck
* Fit Finlay
* Shawn Daivari
* Scott Armstrong
* Sarah Stock
* Shane Helms
* Lance Storm

ANNOUNCERS:
* Aiden English
* Jerry Soto

REFEREES:
* Mike Chioda

CREATIVE:
* Andrea Listenberger

COACHES:
* Norman Smiley

OTHER ON-AIR TALENT:
* Josiah Williams

WWE Announces Coronavirus-Related Business Changes After Vince McMahon's Meeting With Employees

WWE today provided an update on measures taken by the Company in response to the current impact of COVID-19 on the organization.

Due to COVID-19 and current government mandated impacts on WWE and the media business generally, the Company went through an extensive evaluation of its operations over the past several weeks. This analysis resulted in the implementation of various short-term cost reductions and cash flow improvement actions including:

* Reducing executive and board member compensation;
* Decreasing operating expenses;
* Cutting talent expenses, third party staffing and consulting;
* Deferring spend on the build out of the Company's new headquarters for at least six months.

Given the uncertainty of the situation, the Company also identified headcount reductions and made the decision to furlough a portion of its workforce effective immediately. The decision to furlough versus permanently reduce headcount reflects the fact that the Company currently believes the furlough will be temporary in nature.

The Company's reductions of employee compensation and headcount result in an estimated monthly savings of $4 million along with cash flow improvement of $140 million primarily from the deferral in spending on the Company's new headquarters. Additionally, the Company has substantial financial resources, both available cash and debt capacity, which currently total approximately $0.5 billion, to manage the challenges ahead. Management continues to believe the fundamentals of the Company's business remain strong and that WWE is well positioned to take full advantage of the changing media landscape and increasing value of live sports rights over the longer term.

The Company will provide further details when it reports its first quarter 2020 results next Thursday, April 23 after the close of the market.

News On Vince McMahon Meeting With Talent: Talent Cuts Coming, Furloughs, WWE HQ

Vince McMahon held a call this afternoon to address WWE employees.

During the call, McMahon said that some employees will be furloughed. Vince said that he hopes to have them back when the situation is resolved, but there is no timeline. Furloughed employees will receive a text message from the WWE Human Resources immediately.

WWE will also be cutting talent, which will be permanent cuts. There should be announcements on that as soon as today.

Construction of the new WWE headquarters in Stamford, CT has been delayed six months. The move was expected to happen in early 2021.

WWE has also cancelled third party consulting contracts.

Donald Trump Taps Dana White, Mark Cuban, Vince McMahon as Advisors... 'We Need Sports'

Donald Trump is putting together a team of the most powerful people in U.S. sports to serve as advisors to get the country up and running again ... including Dana White, Adam Silver and Vince McMahon.

POTUS says the team will help advise him on how to restart the economy and get pro sports going again in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We have to get sports back," Trump said at the White House ... "I'm tired of watching baseball games that are 14 years old."
Here are some of the names Trump mentioned ...

NBA Commish Adam Silver
NFL Commish Roger Goodell
NHL Commish Gary Bettman
MLB Commish Rob Manfred
Patriots Owner Robert Kraft
Dallas Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban
UFC President Dana White
WWE Owner Vince McMahon
Dallas Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones

He's also working with the top execs from the PGA, LPGA, NASCAR and MLS.

Trump says he will consult with everyone -- some people will be included in a group call, others will be 1-on-1.

source: tmz.com

Sheriff's Deputies Called To The WWE PC Over COVID-19 Order, Order Linked To Trump Super PAC?

The Orange County Sheriff's Department reportedly visited the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, FL several times over the last few weeks, in March and April, to tell the company that it was not in compliance with the "stay-at-home" Executive Order issued by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and that they had to shut the tapings down, according to Orlando reporters Jon Alba and Stephanie Coueignoux.

Alba reports that Orange County deputies were called again on Monday regarding the live RAW that aired on the USA Network. However, the new Executive Order from DeSantis, signed on April 9, already allowed for WWE to continue operations as an essential business. There's no word on who was calling the sheriff's department or how many calls they received since March. Coueignoux said deputies told her that on Monday "someone called to say there would be taping at the location that evening" and they responded to the Performance Center again before RAW, but the April 9 order allowed WWE to continue.

More?

WWE Considered An Essential Business By Florida Governor's Office

Orange County, Florida Mayor Jerry Demings was asked about WWE being allowed to continue operations during a press conference today. He said that originally WWE was deemed non-essential, but that changed after some talk with the office of Governor Ron DeSantis.

"I think initially there was a review that was done and they were not initially deemed an essential business. With some conversation with the Governor's office regarding he Governor's [stay-at-home] order, they were deemed an essential business. Therefore they were allowed to remain open."

XFL Files For Bankruptcy

The XFL has filed for bankruptcy.

Vince McMahon's second shot at a professional football league was forced to cease all ongoing operations due to the ongoing global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The league canceled the remainder of the season after the fifth week of play and, while the original plan was for the league to return for the 2021 season, those close to the league said it would not come back for a second season.

The death of the fledgling league seems to be official as a spokesperson for the XFL spoke with a reporter with TMZ Sports and said the league had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

"The XFL quickly captured the hearts and imaginations of millions of people who love football," the spokesperson said. "Unfortunately, as a new enterprise, we were not insulated from the harsh economic impacts and uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 crisis. Accordingly, we have filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.

"This is a heartbreaking time for many, including our passionate fans, players and staff, and we are thankful to them, our television partners, and the many Americans who rallied to the XFL for the love of football."

TMZ Sports reported the league lost out on "tens of millions in revenue" due to the rest of the regular season and planned playoff games being canceled and that the filling occurred when it did to maximize the return to investors. Among the creditors listed in the filing include XFL head coaches Bob Stoops ($1,083,333.33), Mark Trestman ($777,777.78), Jonathan Hayes ($633,333.33) and Winston Moss ($583,333.33).

Nathan M contributed to this article.

WWE Releases Statement About Going Back To Live TV Shows

WWE sent a statement to ESPN about the change.

According to the statement, which can be read below, WWE will be producing content on a closed set with only essential personnel in attendance.

We believe it is now more important than ever to provide people with a diversion from these hard times. We are producing content on a closed set with only essential personnel in attendance following appropriate guidelines while taking additional precautions to ensure the health and wellness of our performers and staff. As a brand that has been woven into the fabric of society, WWE and its Superstars bring families together and deliver a sense of hope, determination and perseverance.