Triple H Talks Recent WWE Releases

Dating back to April 15, 2020, WWE has made a sizable amount of cuts from their roster. From in-ring talent to producers, pink slips were dished out on numerous occasions over the past year.

Speaking to the New York Post, Triple H emphasized that the releases are “just business.”

“Coming out of COVID and a pandemic and everything else, all companies are having to make difficult decisions and we were no different,” Triple H said. “It’s a part of what we do and it happens on a regular basis, all companies have to do it. It’s not the most pleasant part of what you do, but it is what it is.”

Samoa Joe Says Triple H Contacted Him About NXT Return Hours After His Release, He’s Working In Talent Scouting Now

Samoa Joe‘s NXT return was put in motion just a few hours after he was initially released by WWE in April.

Samoa Joe was the latest guest on Out Of Character with Ryan Satin and he spoke about his return to NXT in a new “enforcer” role. Joe was released on April 15, but quickly returned to the company with the NXT brand on June 15. Speaking to Satin, Joe explained how John Laurinaitis called him and informed him of his release in April, and he was understanding due to his situation. He noted that the release was not expected, but he was relatively calm about it given the circumstances. He said a younger version of himself might have been worried, but you need to “roll, pivot” and move forward with his next projects.

“A few hours later, I get a call from Hunter and that all pretty much kinda changed.” [laughs]

Satin asked to clarify that the call from Triple H was only a few hours after being released by John Laurinaitis, Joe said it “essentially” happened that way.

“I had sent some company farewell texts to people to just say ‘it’s a pleasure working with you’, some people I genuinely enjoyed working with, some general thanks and ‘I’m sure we’ll talk down the road at some point’ [remarks] and then I got a text back [from Triple H]. [He said] ‘Give me a minute, I’m getting out of a meeting’ and we had a brief conversation, which was essentially ‘give us a little bit of time, I’ll work out a package and we’ll be talking soon,’” Joe said. “And that led to my return back to NXT.”

Asked if he had any reservations about coming back despite what had transpired, Joe said he didn’t before explaining what his new role will entail.

“No, and a lot of it was that me and Triple H had spoken about this transition in-depth, and it wasn’t just coming back to NXT and being an enforcer and having a role on the show. Now, I’m working in the talent scouting department, working with Canyon Ceman, a few more administrative things here and there behind the scenes,” Joe explained, “It’s a little bit of a transition for me into some of the other aspects of the business of WWE.

“It’s kind of an evolution of my journey, I’ve gone through the commentary production ranks and I’m working a little more on the behind-the-house type of things, so it was a really great, cool opportunity that Hunter offered me. And I’m still performing here within the bounds of WWE,” Joe noted, “so it was a very, very nice understanding that we have come to and I’m really excited about it.”

In regards to his new role, Joe said that he’s looking forward to giving looks to talent that might not otherwise get a chance in WWE. Joe was also asked about his potential in-ring return, and if it’s something he’s still pursuing. Joe said ‘absolutely’, adding that he’ll just say yes he’s working on it, and “we’ll leave it at that.”

credit:    WrestleZone

WWE Releases Multiple Superstars

The rumored WWE releases coming Friday turned out to be accurate as the company continued their recent paredown of the roster, focusing on both NXT and 205 Live talents.

The final list as of Friday night: Fandango, Tyler Breeze, Tony Nese, Ariya Daivari, August Grey, Ever-Rise (Chase Parker and Matt Martel), Curt Stallion, the Bollywood Boyz (Sunil and Samir Singh), Arturo Ruas, Marina Shafir, Killian Dain, and Tino Sabbatelli.

The majority of the releases were first reported by Fightful or PWInsider.

Jim Ross: Triple H And Stephanie McMahon Should Run WWE If The Company Is Sold

Jim Ross is of the opinion that if WWE is sold, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon should run the company.

Speaking on the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast, Ross hypothesized about what happens if WWE is sold. The conclusion he came to was Triple H and Stephanie McMahon are the people best suited to run WWE. Here is the quote, courtesy of Fightful:

“Let’s say it sells. It has to be sold with the thought in mind that there are people in place to run it. It’s a unique genre and takes a special breed, background, and desire to make it work. Our audience now with social media are more educated. Wrestling fans have something to carry their flag around and people are paying attention in a great way. If I were going to sell WWE, who better to run it than Triple H and his wife? The DNA is there, the experience, Vince has given them a great opportunity to have more experience in upper management.

“The key thing is talent and television. One without the other doesn’t make any money. If they do sell, it’d be a huge win for all involved, especially the family. It’s no guaranteed that (if they sell), Triple H and Stephanie have to find new jobs. I assume they’ll be running it.”

WWE’s McMahon, Board Accused of Insider Trading Over Saudi Deals

A World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. shareholder sued chairman Vince McMahon and other members of its board in Delaware, claiming company leaders sold more than $300 million worth of stock at inflated prices while keeping the public in the dark about the collapse of key Middle East broadcasting deals.

The lawsuit, made public Tuesday, accuses WWE’s executives of telling investors for months it was poised to renew an agreement with Riyadh-based Orbit Showcase Network, which it knew to be exiting sports broadcasting altogether, then misleading them about its chances of finding a replacement deal.

Meanwhile, McMahon—the company’s co-founder and controlling stockholder—allegedly sold 3.5 million shares worth more than $280 million based on “nonpublic information regarding the company’s key contracts, business metrics, and financial prospects” in the increasingly “critical” Middle East region.

Other executives sold stock worth $30 million based on the same inside information, according to the complaint filed in Delaware Chancery Court. Among the board members named as defendants are McMahon’s daughter Stephanie and her husband Paul Levesque, a longtime wrestler known as “Triple H.”

When the truth about WWE’s “rapidly deteriorating” Middle East business finally emerged in early 2020, the company’s stock price fell from more than $62 a share to $44.50, according to the complaint.

WWE didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

The partly redacted 68-page complaint echoes a securities fraud class action that settled for $39 million in December. McMahon and the board are to blame for that hit to the company’s finances and for damage to its business reputation, the suit says.

It was originally filed under seal June 10.

Cause of Action: Breach of fiduciary duty; unjust enrichment; aiding and abetting.

Relief: Punitive and actual damages, costs, and fees.

Attorneys: The plaintiff is represented by Rigrodsky Law PA and Joshua H. Grabar of Philadelphia.

The case is Dastgir v. McMahon, Del. Ch., No. 2021-0513, complaint unsealed 6/15/21.

To contact the reporter on this story: Mike Leonard in Washington at mleonard@bloomberglaw.com

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Rob Tricchinelli at rtricchinelli@bloomberglaw.com; Nicholas Datlowe at ndatlowe@bloomberglaw.com

Triple H Comments On AEW Ratings ‘Lie’

In a recent sitdown with Wrestling Inc. Daily, Wrestling Inc, Axel Tishcer, formerly known to WWE and NXT audiences as Alexander Wolfe discussed his relationship with Triple H and the recently ended ‘Wednesday Night War’ between WWE NXT and All Elite Wrestling. Here, the ex-Wolfe told managing editor Nick Hausman his thoughts on the competition between the two companies, that stated how allegedly Triple H relayed to talent that USA does not care about the ever-popular 18-49 demographic like AEW and their flagship show, Dynamite does – instead putting a core focus on viewership. 

 “It’s always a competition no matter which promotion. Competition keeps us guys thriving,” Tischer stated. “A lot of people say competition is healthy for the business, and even before AEW, we were always in competition. There are more promotions out there other than AEW still. He also mentioned, for example, the demo because a lot of people are like, ‘AEW scored more viewers in the 18-49 demo,’ and the funny part was he gave us a little insight.” 

 USA Network, they are not aiming for that demo. They can have the demo because it’s not important about who has the bigger ratings. You have a contract with a channel. That’s what I’m say right now not what he said. You have a contract with the channel. They pay you an amount per year to produce the product. As long as they’re happy, nothing else counts because you have to satisfy the guys who pay you and also the guys who you switch in. 

 And if you’re in the demo and you want to watch NXT, you watch NXT. If you want to watch AEW, watch AEW. That’s the beauty of freedom of choice. I think it got too oversaturated with this Wednesday Night War because everybody wanted to go back to the Monday Night War because it was so exciting, and they battled each other and it was about ratings. ‘There’s another war coming with AEW. One of the main bosses from AEW, he got fired by WWE, so he wants to take them out of business.’ That’s too corny for me.”

FROM MOTÖRHEAD TO POPPY: WWE'S TRIPLE H ON CREATING NXT HEAVY-METAL FAMILY

Triple H Believes Wrestling Fans Often “Ruin Their Own Stuff”

Ahead of NXT “Takeover: In Your House”, Paul “Triple H” Levesque was part of a media call where he discussed the current state and future of NXT. Triple H was asked about the lack of movement within the NXT roster to other brands, and while discussing it, he critiqued wrestling fans.

“It’s a funny thing to me sometimes that in our business, everybody is so worried about where people are going to go or land or ‘how is this going to play out long term in the future?’ How about watch it,” Triple H stated. “Do you like it, or do you not like it? Do you have to say, ‘I like it, but I like this other thing more,’ or ‘I like it, but I don’t like it as much as I like that one.’ Just watch it or don’t and stop trying to figure out where everything goes.”

Triple H noted that fans often “ruin their own stuff” by overanalyzing the product.

“The fans ruin their own stuff half the time trying to figure out where everything goes and why it’s going there and how and then trying to pick up their phone and go search for the thing to find out what it is that can ruin it for them so they’re not surprised when it happens. I don’t understand that. I’m thrilled with what the brand is. I’m happy with where it is. Do I want it to get better? Yes. Do I want it to grow? Yes. Do I want it to expand? Yes.

“But again, people will take this line, use it out of context. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. I’m not here to make a brand that’s around for a few years or a few minutes. I want it to be long term, and how’s it going to be long term? It’s going to morph and evolve. It shouldn’t be the same. If it’s the same three years from now or four years from now as it is right now, we made a mistake. It’s just like people, you grow. If you’re the same person four years from now, you didn’t grow.”

WWE Stock Is Booming Today, Here's Why

WWE stock has surged to a 52-week high of $70.72 this morning.

The stock is currently up to $65.31 per share with the stock opening at $63.01 per share today, and has stayed above $62.99.

The sudden surge is due to the popular r/WallStreetBets subreddit, and post urging people to buy WWE as a stock option. The same subreddit was behind the recent surge for Gamestop and AMC.

It appears that the investors are happy as trading volumes are ballooning. Over 5 million shares of WWE have exchanged today against the 768,000 daily average.

Stephanie McMahon: focused on content post-COVID with Peacock deal

Stephanie McMahon, chief brand officer of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., said Monday that the company was focused on content as live-event attendance begins to ramp up in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In an interview with CNBC, McMahon said the professional wrestling promoter was experiencing "really significant trends" toward increased attendance at live events.

Asked about the WWE's recent deal to stream its wrestling shows on the Peacock streaming service, McMahon said the company would focus on content production in the future.

"We don't want to be competitive in the technology business," she said, adding that the WWE's original streaming service would have had difficulty facing off against behemoths like Disney or Amazon.

Instead, McMahon described the company's current strategy as staying "competitive in terms of content."

Commenting on the return of live audiences at its wrestling events, the WWE exec stated that distribution deals and merchandise allowed it to weather the COVID storm.

McMahon noted that a majority of the firm's revenue is contractual, coming from deals with broadcasters and other similar arrangements. At the same time, she said that an increase in e-commerce revenue offset a fall in live-event revenue during the outbreak.

Still, McMahon highlighted the fact that the company traditionally draws more than $100 million in revenue each year from live events.

Early this year, WWE announced a deal with Comcast's (NASDAQ:CMCSA) NBCUniversal that made the Peacock service the exclusive home of its streaming content.

source: seeking alpha

Triple H Rings Bell Before NBA Playoff Game In Surprise Appearance

Triple H rang the ceremonial bell before today’s NBA Playoff game between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Atlanta Hawks.

The Game appeared alongside Philadelphia 76ers player Joel Embiid who happens to be a massive WWE fan. Embiid led Triple H to the court while wearing DX “Thrust The Process” T-shirts.

After the game, he tweeted the picture with the caption, “If you’re not down with the process, I got two words for ya **** **.”

WWE Confirms Top Superstars Have Been Released

WWE released the following announcement and wished the Superstars the best in their future endeavors:

Braun Strowman, Aleister Black, Lana, and other Superstars released

WWE has come to terms on the releases of Braun Strowman, Aleister Black, Lana, Murphy, Ruby Riott and Santana Garrett.

WWE wishes them the best in all of their future endeavors.

As noted, it had been reported earlier this week that these releases were being made due to budget cuts. These departures come after a round of talent cuts in mid-April, a round of talent cuts in mid-May, and a number of significant office/corporate departures in May that were part of a major WWE HQ restructuring.

Sting Comments On His WrestleMania Match With Triple H

Sting talked about the match in a recent interview with Sports Illustrated:

“WrestleMania is a great memory, too,” said Sting. “I know so many fans have said to me, ‘You should have won that match.’ But when you think about that WrestleMania, what do you remember about it? Hulk, Hall, Nash, and DX, that was surreal. I hope that’s what people remember.”

WWE And New Japan Pro-Wrestling Reportedly In Talks For Exclusive Partnership

According to a report from F4WOnline‘s Dave Meltzer, WWE president Nick Khan has been having talks with New Japan Pro-Wrestling about WWE becoming the promotion’s exclusive partner in the United States.

According to Meltzer, the talks have been ongoing since March or April, but there’s no status update on where things stand. If the deal would go through, the agreement would see WWE exchanging talent that would work on NJPW events. Meltzer noted that Khan is looking to change the “isolationist attitude” of WWE vs. everyone, and the move would not only re-establish WWE as part of the wrestling landscape but it would also keep New Japan from working with other companies domestically.

In recent months, New Japan has established a working relationship with IMPACT Wrestling and All Elite Wrestling, and worked with Ring Of Honor for many years. It was also recently reported that WWE has been in talks with MLW about a potential working relationship.

During a recent media call, Triple H was asked about by All Elite Wrestling partnering with IMPACT Wrestling and if WWE or NXT would be open to such a collaboration. Triple H says WWE is open for business as long as it makes sense for both sides.

“We’re open for business in a lot of ways and a lot of things,” Triple H responded. “People’s thoughts and misperceptions, their perceived knowledge of what we do and how we think is often greatly misinterpreted and not accurate. Are we open to the right business opportunities? Yeah, at any given time we’re open to things. It just depends on what they are and if they’re beneficial to us in the long-term. When I say long-term I don’t mean three months, I mean 10 years. Long-term. That’s how we think. We’re not necessarily worried about minute-by-minutes. Open for business, I think Vince says that a lot and I’ve been around him long enough that if it’s the right thing and meaningful to business, he’s open to anything.”

source: wrestlezone.com

WWE Studios Sees Layoffs As Features, TV & Digital Divisions Consolidate

Not a happy day in Stamford, CT, today as WWE had a round of layoffs that impact its film, TV and social media divisions in Connecticut and Los Angeles. Trying to find out the exact number, but WWE Studios saw layoffs in features, TV and digital/social media division Advanced Media Group. All of these operations will be consolidated into a single division, with a smaller staff running those operations.

We’ve heard the cuts were deep. The news was conveyed today by phone by president and chief revenue officer Nick Khan, who left his post as co-head of the CAA television department last summer to take the job. He was the agent for the WWE before joining the company.

source: deadline.com

Velveteen Dream Confirms WWE Release

Once believed to be one of WWE's hottest rising characters, Dream initially faced accusations of inappropriate contact with a minor on social media in March 2020. He immediately addressed the allegations, saying he was working with authorities to resolve the situation. 

A second allegation surfaced during the Speaking Out Moment when pro wrestler Joshua Fuller accused Dream of inappropriate contact with a minor, and grooming. A statement by NXT Executive Producer Paul "Triple H" Levesque claimed that WWE had looked into the claims, but found nothing. However, Dream was then only used sporadically on NXT TV until his release. 

Clark has now confirmed his departure from WWE in a lengthy post on his Instagram Story, in which he claims the allegations against him are inaccurate but derailed his push in NXT, eventually leading to his release.

The former Velveteen Dream also wrote about how he came up with the character and addressed the interactions he had with his two accusers on social media. 

The statement, on his Instagram Story, read: 

The allegations from April 20, 2020, have effectively derailed any upward momentum I had professionally. And has ultimately resulted in my termination with WWE. My name is Patrick Clark, not the Velveteen Dream. Velveteen Dream is a character that I have spent years developing and trying to bring to life. The success of the Dream character relied heavily on kayfabe, my ability to blur Patrick Clark from Tough Enough with this over-the-top personality.

The character was conceptualized the day Prince passed, April 21, 2016. I knew nothing about him at that time, but my thinking was that I could use my interpretation of Prince to create an onscreen personality vastly different from who I am as a person.

'Cue Velveteen Dream: A Sexually Ambiguous, Gender Fluid, Self Absorbed Diva. And as I learned more about Prince I began to tame certain aspects of the character. Aspects that I deemed way too over the top and inconsistent with who Prince was as a performer.

Now before I unpack, I will say, I've enjoyed the many stories I've been able to share on camera and I'm grateful to the many people who trusted me with their safety and wellness.

Thank you to any and everybody who enjoyed and allowed me to be my character, whether you paid a ticket or walked up on me in Walmart. My goal was to provide you with the same escape that I was offered when I first started watching. My job was to play a character and to help advance storylines and drama for the fans who cared to tune in. I take any job I have seriously, which is why I've remained silent about these allegations. To me addressing rumors would be working against an already compromised ability to sell a character I've invested in so heavily. After I had been accused, I was given the opportunity to be in a storyline that lasted a few months and I worked in a few segments unrelated to the story arch, but now I feel comfortable in this position to share with you the details of my accusations.

More?

Friday Ratings: ‘Shark Tank’ And ‘WWE Friday Night SmackDown’ Tie In Demos

ABC’s Shark Tank and Fox’s WWE Friday Night SmackDown tied in the demo wars for Friday night, with the season finale of Shark Tank edging out wrestling by virtue of its larger audience.

The Sharks in this episode included Mark Cuban, Kevin O’Leary, Lori Greiner, Daymond John and Robert Herjavec

WWE Friday Night SmackDown had a Fatal 4-Way Intercontinental Championship match between Big E, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens and Intercontinental champion Apollo Crews as its draw.

source: deadline.com

Lawsuit Filed Against WWE For Patent Infringement

SITO Mobile, Ltd has filed a lawsuit against WWE alleging infringement of patents.

Heel By Nature is reporting that the lawsuit was filed on May 21, 2021 in the United States Court for the District of Delaware. Below is an excerpt from the complaint that includes 12 patents that SITO Mobile is claiming WWE has infringed:

SITO respectfully requests this Court to enter judgment in SITO’s favor and against WWE as follows:

a. finding that WWE directly infringes, literally and/or under the doctrine of equivalents, one or more claims of each of the patents-in-suit;

b. awarding SITO damages under 35 U.S.C. § 284, or otherwise permitted by law, including supplemental damages for any continued post-verdict infringement;

c. awarding SITO pre-judgment and post-judgment interest on the damages award and costs;

d. awarding costs of this action (including all disbursements) and attorney fees pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 285, or as otherwise permitted by the law; and

e. awarding such other costs and further relief that the Court determines to be just and equitable.

Click here to read more.

This Day In Wrestling History

WWE Announces Return To Touring With 25-City Schedule

WWE is returning to the road with fans in attendance.

It was announced this morning that a 25-city tour will begin on Friday, July 16 with a live SmackDown at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The Money In the Bank pay-per-view will then take place that Sunday, July 18 at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, TX, and a live RAW will be held on July 19 from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX.

Tickets for all three of those shows will go on sale this Wednesday, May 26 at 11am ET.

WWE will be announcing the rest of the tour stops and on-sale dates in the coming weeks. It was noted that the 25-city schedule will run through Labor Day, which is Monday, September 6.

These dates will be WWE’s first regular ticketed events since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. WrestleMania 37 was held this past April with fans in the crowd.

AEW Dynamite Viewership And Key Demo Rating Down From Last Week’s Show

Wednesday’s live edition of AEW Dynamite drew 821,000 viewers on TNT, according to Nielsen via Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer.

This AEW viewership is down 12.3% from last week’s show, which drew 936,000 viewers.

This week’s Dynamite drew a 0.28 rating in the 18-49 key demographic. This is down 9.7% from last week’s 0.31 rating in the key demo.

WWE NXT Viewership Up From Last Week With Steel Cage Main Event

Tuesday’s live edition of WWE NXT, featuring Bronson Reed defeating Johnny Gargano to win the NXT North American Title in the Steel Cage main event, drew 700,000 viewers on the USA Network, according to Nielsen via @SportsTVRatings.

This viewership is up 0.43% from last week’s show, which drew 697,000 viewers.

WWE Releases Velveteen Dream

WWE NXT star Velveteen Dream was released today by the company, according to multiple sources.  The release happened within the last hour we are told.

Dream, real name Patrick Clark, 25, was signed to the company after being eliminated fromthe 2015  Tough Enough season where he obviously showed the most passion for pro wrestling out of any of the contestants but was still voted off the show.  After a big push from WWE Hall of Famer Lita at the time, WWE hired Clark for the developmental system, sending him to WWE NXT later that year.

Clark eventually debuted as The Velveteen Dream in 2017, a character obviously inspired in part by the late, great musician Prince and went to great lengths to remain in character as much as possible when in the public eye.  He quickly rose to prominence in NXT with a tremendous series of performances, looking every bit like a future Wrestlemania main event player.  His work in the ring, nor his flair for performing, was never in question.

That momentum sputtered, stalled and died after online allegations of Clark allegedly sending indecent images to underage boys through social media, a story that lit up after a Reddit user began posting screenshots and audio.  WWE management stated that they looked into the allegations but found no cause for action, leading to Paul Levesque being asked about the situation numerous times during media calls and anti-Velveteen Dream trends on social media whenever he did appear on television.

Clark last wrestled for WWE NXT in December 2020 and had not been seen at the WWE Performance Center for some time.  He was present several weeks back at a Raw taping, but at the time, PWInsider.com was told there were no plans to use him on the main roster.

WWE has not publicly announced Clark's release.  PWInsider.com confirmed his departure with a number of sources this afternoon, however.

source: pwinsider.com

Several WWE NXT Releases

Several WWE NXT departures have been made today, according to PWInsider:

Former MMA Horsewomen member Jessamyn Duke is gone from the company. After a MMA career with the UFC and Invicta, Duke signed with WWE in 2018. She appeared on RAW Underground last year, picking up a win over Avery Taylor. She has not been in action since then.

Vanessa Borne (Danielle Kamela) has also been released. She trained under WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi in 2016, and signed with WWE in April 2016. Borne was reportedly called to the main roster in January 2020 after re-signing with WWE, but never made her official debut. She worked as a NBA dancer, NFL cheerleader and FOX Sports presenter before signing with WWE. 

Skyler Story (Brandi Lauren Pawalek) is also no longer with NXT. She was formerly known as Ava Storie and Brandi Lauren on the indies, and also spent about a year with Impact Wrestling from 2017-2018. 

Ezra Judge (Ezekwesiri “EJ” Nduka Jr.) was also released. He was signed in August 2019 after multiple WWE tryouts. Judge previously played arena football and was a pro bodybuilder for the IFBB. 

Fightful Select reports that Alexander Wolfe (Axel Tischer) has also been released. He just wrestled on last night’s NXT TV episode, losing to Killian Dain. 

Kavita Devi (Kavita Dalal) was also cut today, per Fightful. The former TV presenter and powerlifter signed with WWE in October 2017, becoming the first female pro wrestler of Indian nationality to wrestle for the company. 

It was noted that those being released today are told that their departures are due to budget cuts.

NXT referees Drake Wuertz and Jake Clemons were also released.

Triple H Remembers Wrestling First WWE Match While Under WCW Non-Compete

In a post on Twitter, Triple H spoke about first wrestling for the WWF in 1995, while he was still under a non-compete clause following his release from WCW.

He wrote: “Was signed w/ WWE but still on a non compete from WCW. Called JJ Dillion & begged him & Vince to let me work this card & flew myself in. Brought my dad, 1st time he ever saw me wrestle for a big promotion live & at Boston Garden where he watched as a kid. Night I’ll never forget!”

WWE Closes Down Talent Management Group

Last year, WWE began looking to fill positions for a Talent Brand Management department that would help develop WWE Superstars’ brands both in and outside of WWE. This included third party bookings for film, TV, sponsorships, among other things.

The group was short lived as WWE has already shut it down, according to PWInsider.

Below was a description from WWE of what the department would bring to the table.

“WWE Talent Management Group will deliver best-in-class 360-degree support of Talent across all internal lines of business and key external partners, amplifying Talent brand value and maximizing monetization opportunities for Talent and WWE.”

The report noted the decision to end the group was made a few weeks back and the it only existed for four to five weeks.

The division’s creation likely stemmed from WWE looking to tighten up its hold on talent working individually with third parties, like Cameo or Twitch (or even mentioning them on social media).

For several months now, WWE has not allowed talent to create unauthorized content through third party providers. Going on the guise that the contractual ownership of the likeness of their performers includes all social media accounts, regardless of whether the accounts use the stage names or the real names of the talent.

ECW Original New Jack Passes Away

ECW Original New Jack (Jerome Young) has reportedly passed away at the age of 58.

New Jack passed away this afternoon after suffering a heart attack in North Carolina. His wife Jennifer informed PWInsider of the passing. The passing was also confirmed by Jack’s official Facebook page.

Jack is most known for his run in the original ECW, but he also had notable stints with SMW, XPW and various indie promotions. He also multiple made appearances for TNA. He was a three-time ECW World Tag Team Champion. The hardcore star has been retired for a few years now.

Steve Austin Comments On Working With Triple H, Reflects On The Two-Man Power Trip

Steve Austin appeared on Drew McIntyre’s “Drew & A” interview series which aired on Peacock and the WWE Network this week. During the episode, he shared his thoughts on Triple H.

“I love working with Triple H,” Austin said. “We hit it off when he came down to WCW way back in the day. We didn’t travel roads together but we were on the same page. We both loved bodybuilding, powerlifting. He’s a great worker, good mind for the business.”

“But Triple H, a great mind for the game,” Austin continued. “I picked his opinion on many different things, and asked his opinion on many different things when I was on my run, and one of my ideas as a heel that I wanted to do was form a tag team with him, and call it The Two-Man Power Trip. We were really, really trying to get some heat, laying some heavy steel chairs down on The Undertaker, Kane, Hardys, Lita, my God.

“We were doing everything we could in my alliance with him, which kind of ensured that I was headed in a heat direction, and then fate hit one night in a tag match on Monday Night RAW, and he blew out that quad, and that was the end of that, And he made a successful comeback, obviously he’s had one of the greatest runs in the history of the business, but a guy that’s a lot of fun to be in the ring with.”

AEW Dynamite Viewership Fell Back Below 1 Million Viewers This Week

AEW viewership dropped this week following last week's highly anticipated Blood & Guts match.

The two-hour broadcast on TNT this week pulled in 936,000 viewers, which is down from 1.090 million last week, according to PWTorch.

The episode scored a 0.66 cable rating, which is also down from 0.72 last week, and delivered a 0.38 demographic rating in the 18-49 category, down from 0.42 the week previous.

Ric Flair On Bret Hart, 'God He's Bitter'

Ric Flair recently addressed Bret Hart’s criticisms of others in the wrestling business on a Jeff Jarrett's My World podcast. He called his fellow WWE Hall Of Famer "bitter"

“What I do wanna do is be able to walk into the building and not have people say, ‘God, he’s bitter, he’s old, and he’s gonna continue to knock people. I couldn’t live like that. And calling Roman Reigns the next Triple H or cracking on him… I mean, how uncomfortable is that for people in the family to walk around in front of Hunter [Triple H]? And Shawn [Michaels], who is an integral part of the company. NXT, that’s part of the company, right? What else? Jerry Lawler… ‘Jerry Lawler hit me with a chair too hard.’ Wow, okay… I don’t understand it. I don’t ever wanna be that lonely.”

“I don’t know what happened there [Hart’s problem with Eric Bischoff], and now he’s blaming Eric for everything. Eric made him rich. I don’t know how you blame Eric. I was talking to Eric the other day. I said, ‘It’s the flavor of the week. He’s mad at Goldberg one week, mad at me the next, something I didn’t do, I was repetitive.’ Well, you wrestle an hour every night 280 times [a year], which he wouldn’t know nothing about, and you’re gonna get slammed off the top, that’s called taking a bump. How many press slams did you take, Bret? None.” 

Source: sportskeeda.com

Zelina Vega Reportedly Returning To WWE

Zelina Vega (Thea Trinidad) is reportedly headed back to WWE.

Vega was at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando on Thursday of this week, according to Fightful Select. Word is that Vega was at the Performance Center for some sort of filming with the company.

Wrestling Inc. recently learned that Vega’s WWE return has been planned for a while now, before WrestleMania 37.

There’s no word yet on when Vega will be back, but we will keep you updated on her status. WWE recently started airing vignettes for the return of Vega’s husband, Aleister Black.

Vega was released from her WWE contract back on November 13 after issues with the company related to their edict on third party activity with sites such as Twitch. Her 90-day non-compete clause expired in mid-February, but, she has focused on acting and video game streaming since leaving WWE, and has not worked with any other wrestling promotions.

Booker T Denies Triple H Segment Was Pulled From A&E Biography; Clears The Air On Racial Overtones of WM Match

Earlier on Sunday, professor and writer David Dennis Jr., who was interviewed by A&E to cover Booker T’s career, tweeted that he was brought in specifically to talk about the controversial WM19 storyline – but the footage didn’t make the final cut in the two-hour documentary.

While speaking on his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T cleared the air on the situation.

“Ok, you [Dennis Jr.] talked about it [the storyline] but how can it be pulled from the biography? It was never supposed to be in there,” Booker T said. “It makes it seem like there was a whole lot of meat and potatoes on the bone of the story of Booker T vs. Triple H at WrestleMania 19.

“And personally, I’ve never given that story a whole lot of credence. To me it was just a championship match that I lost. I understand where some fans are coming from, since as a young black kid, I looked up to my heroes as well. But I’ve never looked at my career and framed it around any one match.

“I got paid more money for that one match than I got paid for any other match in my life. I am not going to complain about that. End of the day, it’s about taking care of my family. When people try to make stuff out of something such as a racial issue… for me, that was not what my story was about.”

Booker T went onto confirm that he never saw Dennis Jr.’s interviews – talking about WrestleMania 19 – on the rough draft he reviewed a year ago.

“My documentary was not just about one match or one angle,” stressed Booker. “It was about taking whatever I had [in my career] and turning it into something. I never cared if I was on the mid card or I was doing GI Bro opening the show, or if I was in the main event.”

credit: Hall of Fame podcast Wrestling Inc.