Happy Birthday Stephanie

Stephanie McMahon Levesque
September 24, 1976

Triple H Comments On His Recent Cardiac Event

WWE Executive Vice President of Global Talent Strategy & Development Paul "Triple H" Levesque posted his first public comments since his recent heart surgery on Twitter:

"I’ve been blown away by the outreach and support from so many people. I’m recovering, doing well, & deeply grateful for all the love in my life. Especially grateful for Shawn Michaels & all the Superstars & WWE NXT Crew! (Steph and the girls loved the snacks!) See you soon"

Rumor Mill - Vince McMahon Reportedly Looking To Make WWE NXT 2.0 An Edgier Product

WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon reportedly has some significant plans in store for the WWE NXT 2.0 brand.

Word going around WWE is that McMahon has plans for NXT 2.0 to be a more edgier product, according to Fightful Select. This would be a part of the ongoing revamp for the brand.

It was reported that the NXT 2.0 brand may target more of a P18-34 demographic, which would go for everything from in-ring work and aggression, to harsher language, and the like. It was also noted that there may be more lenience when it comes to the attire worn by female Superstars, although it wasn’t specified exactly what that means. Another point brought up was that the brand may “keep up with current affairs with promos and character verbiage.”

There’s no word on when these changes might be implemented, and it was noted that sources haven’t heard much more outside of a brief internal acknowledgement that the changes have been discussed.

At least some officials at the USA Network are aware of the potential changes, and are said to be in support of them.

Adam Cole Comments On Shawn Michaels And Triple H

“I’ve been so open with how much of a relationship I formed with Shawn Michaels. He is an idol of mine. A guy I look at as the greatest professional wrestler of all-time. To have the chance to work under him was really cool. Triple H, as well, treated me with nothing but respect and is someone I learned so much from, whether it be things that may seem small but are a big deal in the ring or a work ethic. I feel like the pro wrestler I am today is a lot better than Adam Cole was four years ago. A lot of that is because of my time in NXT.”

AEW And The Owen Hart Foundation Announce Partnership, Tournament To Be Held

 All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and The Owen Hart Foundation (OHF), a nonprofit charity which provides a vast range of assistance and opportunities to individuals in-need across the world, are collaborating to honor the legacy of late wrestler Owen Hart, a beloved figure in the professional wrestling community and beyond. This collaboration includes launching the annual Owen Hart Cup Tournament within AEW, which will see the winner receive a Cup known as “The Owen,” as well as the production and distribution of unique and original Owen Hart merchandise, including specified retail goods as well as the upcoming AEW console video game.

This alliance incorporates opportunities to develop Owen Hart action figures via AEW’s partnership with Jazwares, apparel, posters, and additional collectable merchandise. Owen Hart is survived by his wife, Dr. Martha Hart, who spearheads The Owen Hart Foundation with a mission of providing global aid to at-risk communities (e.g., scholarships, housing, various forms international assistance, food drives, backpack giveaways and Christmas projects).

“AEW’s relationship with the Hart family dates back to our inaugural pay-per-view event, Double or Nothing in 2019, and Owen’s influence is still felt today,” said Tony Khan, AEW CEO, GM and Head of Creative. “To extend his memory and his legacy even further through this agreement is a powerful and meaningful moment for the entire wrestling community.”

“The Owen Hart Foundation is extremely pleased to partner with AEW in this wonderful joint venture to honor Owen’s substantial international wrestling career and the lasting influence he and his craft has had in the sport. AEW’s Owen Hart Cup Tournament serves as a tremendous tribute to Owen and provides an incredible way for professional wrestling enthusiasts to celebrate his work in a most fitting way. We trust that Tony Khan and his amazing AEW team will do a brilliant job with this highly anticipated project. This OHF/AEW partnership is my special gift to all of Owen’s magnificent loyal fans who forever remember him and his inspiring repertoire of talents,” said Dr. Martha Hart.

Sean Waltman Shares Heartwarming Text Exchange With Triple H After His Heart Surgery

The friendship between Sean Waltman and Triple H is a bond that can never be broken.

WWE COO Triple H recently had heart surgery which caused concern among members of the WWE Universe. While it’s been reported that he will make a full recovery, situations like this can still be terrifying.

Speaking on the latest episode of Pro Wrestling 4 Life (via Wrestling Inc), Sean Waltman spoke on the situation and went out of his way to remind listeners of the positive impact that Triple H has had on the pro wrestling industry:

“The health of the entire industry outside of WWE probably wouldn’t be what it is right now if it wasn’t for him, which maybe (laughs) that’s why he has heat right now,” Sean Waltman joked. “He picked the whole business up. Picked WWE up, but at the same time, it raised the awareness of a lot of stuff. They have some of it on the Network. They host ICW out of Scotland, things like that. I’m grateful for that because regardless of what somebody corporate might think, that’s good for everyone.”

Waltman also shared a beautiful story of text messages between the two members of D-Generation X following Triple H’s heart surgery:

“I haven’t talked to him on the phone, but we had this running joke, Paul and I,” Sean Waltman said. “We’d be talking forever, be on the phone for an hour or two, and finally, whenever it was time for Paul to get off the phone, he’d go, ‘Are you going to be around later?’ And he never called me later. It was just, it’s time to take this home. I heard the news just like everyone else, and I just texted him, ‘Hey man, I’m glad you’re gonna be around later,’ and he just said, ‘Me too. Love you, kiddo,’ and that’s it. That’s the extent of what I know. I wasn’t gonna say, ‘Tell me what happened.’ I don’t need to know. I just need to know he’s okay (Waltman starts choking up).”

It was stated on the podcast that Triple H was probably dealing with a lot of pressure right now, due to all of the changes currently happening in WWE NXT. In response to that, Waltman had some advice for his long-time friend:

“I’ll just say this, the things you got to deal with lately, after this, I would seriously consider just cashing in and spending time with my family and saying, ‘F–k this.’ He’s got three beautiful daughters and a beautiful house up on a lake in New Hampshire that I would never leave if I had it,” Sean Waltman pointed out. “I’m just saying, if it was me.”

NXT 2.0 Arrives Tonight

Triple H Underwent Procedure For Cardiac Event, Expected To Make Full Recovery

Triple H is on the mend after having a procedure to correct a cardiac-related issue.

On Wednesday, WWE issued the following statement to confirm Triple H (Paul Levesque) had a procedure done in Connecticut last week due to a cardiac event. It was noted that Levesque’s health issue was caused by a genetic heart issue and he is expected to make a full recovery.

STAMFORD, Conn., September 8, 2021 – WWE issued the following statement today regarding Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE Executive Vice President, Global Talent Strategy & Development:

“Paul Levesque, a.k.a. Triple H, underwent a successful procedure last week at Yale New Haven Hospital following a cardiac event. The episode was caused by a genetic heart issue and Paul is expected to make a full recovery.”

Booker T Reveals New TV Deal For ROW

WWE Hall of Famer Booker T has landed a new TV distribution deal for his Reality of Wrestling indie promotion.

ROW announced today that the Texas-based promotion will begin airing their weekly TV show in nearly 50 markets on Saturday, September 18. The new partnership is with CW, ABC, The Action Channel, RokuTV and Right Now TV.

The full schedule can be seen in Booker T’s tweet below. Booker thanked everyone for supporting the promotion, which launched back in 2005 as Pro Wrestling Alliance.

“I am proud to announce that @TheOfficialROW will be returning the television nationwide in nearly 50 markets! Check out this press release. It’s because of all of you we’ve made it to this point! Thank you all!,” he wrote.

Mick Foley Says WWE Has A Problem, Touts AEW As ‘The’ Place Where Talent Aspire To Be

This past weekend’s AEW All Out pay-per-view may have signaled a major shift in the world of professional wrestling, and that’s exactly the case if you ask a certain WWE Hall of Famer in Mick Foley.

Mick Foley took to social media to post a video titled ‘WWE — We Have A Problem’ to claim that AEW is now the place that talent ‘aspire’ to be. Foley explained that WWE broke something that didn’t need to be fixed, but now they need to correct that mistake if they want to be the destination for talent once again.

“WWE is no longer the place for talent to aspire to. Part of it is because AEW is doing a great job of attracting great talent, proven talent, building other talent, creating storylines,” Foley said, “but part of it is a problem of your own [WWE] making. I think younger talent sees the way that developmental characters are cut or left by the wayside, or in the case of Karrion Kross, greatly watered down and even made a joke of when debuting on the main roster.

“If it’s not broke, don’t fix it. If I was an aspiring talent now, a big-league talent with a major decision to make, I’m not sure that I would trust WWE creative to do the right thing with my career. You guys did wonders with me back in the day but that was a different time, different place,” Foley noted, “and if it was today, I’m not sure that I would trust the powers to be with my career in their hands. And until that changes, WWE, we got a problem.”

The Undertaker And The New Day Announced For Interactive Movie From WWE & Netflix

The Undertaker and The New Day will be featured in a new interactive film to be released by WWE and Netflix in time for Halloween.

Netflix Interactive announced today that “Escape The Undertaker” will be released on Tuesday, October 5.

The interactive film features The Undertaker and The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, Big E). Viewers will be able to decide the fate of The New Day as they enter Taker’s mansion.

The following synopsis was released for the film, courtesy of Polygon:

“In this interactive film featuring WWE Superstars, The Undertaker has set a trap for the decorated tag team The New Day at his mansion. What they don’t know: The Undertaker’s mansion is an extreme Haunted House, packed to the brim with supernatural challenges. It’s up to viewers to decide the fate of these three poor souls trying to survive the wrath of The Undertaker.”

The Undertaker tweeted on the project.

“Be careful whose door you knock on… never know who is on the other side! ⚱️ 

Adam Cole, Bryan Danielson And Ruby Soho Debut At AEW All Out

Adam Cole, who walked to the ring and shocked everyone by attacking Jungle Boy. He greeted Omega and the Young Bucks, then said it was storytime and talked about how his arrival proved The Elite was unstoppable now. Omega went to bid the crowd adieu when “Ride Of The Valkyries” cued up and the arena erupted as Bryan Danielson made his way to the ring. Danielson aligned himself with Jurassic Express and Christian, then assisted in clearing the ring before playing to the crowd to end the night.

Ruby Soho‘s destination is finally known… and she’s got a date with Britt Baker in the future.

Ruby Soho not only made her AEW debut at All Out, but she also won the Women’s Casino Battle Royale to earn a shot at Baker, who retained her title against Kris Statlander earlier in the night. Ruby was the “Joker” in the match and eliminated Thunder Rosa to win the bout.

Update On Vince McMahon’s Role In The WWE NXT Revamp

The weekly WWE NXT show will reportedly not be directly produced by WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon and Senior Vice President & Executive Director Bruce Prichard with the upcoming revamp that kicks off this month.

It was reported this week, via Wrestling Observer Live, that McMahon and Prichard were to produce the weekly NXT TV show beginning with the September 14 live episode. The report noted that McMahon and Prichard will be behind the big decisions for the NXT brand, but not the smaller ones. They will also be responsible for marketing, promotion and direction of the NXT brand. It was also said that NXT will be like “the old NXT” moving forward, which appears to be a reference to how the brand was at its peak, around 2015-2018 or so.

In an update, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that WWE held a meeting with talent and staff where they were told the story of McMahon and Prichard directly producing the weekly NXT TV show is incorrect. Word is that McMahon and Prichard simply do not have the time to produce another weekly TV show.

While McMahon and Prichard won’t be directly producing the weekly NXT TV show, Vince remains in charge of everything in WWE, and there have been, and will continue to be more big-picture decisions on the NXT brand that are made my higher-ups in the company, those outside of the NXT circle, including decisions related to creative, branding and marketing. 

The people making these decisions, on their own, will be a group made up of McMahon, Prichard, President & CEO Nick Khan, Talent Relations head John Laurinaitis, and Executive Producer & Chief of Global Television Distribution Kevin Dunn. This group will have more influence on whoever they want pushed or protected in NXT, but it was noted that they likely will not be involved in weekly booking since they already have so much going on.

Regarding the changes in NXT, <b>Fightful Select adds that numerous WWE sources have effectively denied the original story on McMahon and Prichard directly producing NXT</b>

It was also noted that McMahon and Prichard were not at the recent set of NXT TV tapings. However, influential WWE Producer Jamie Noble has been seen at the WWE Performance Center more often than usual as of late. Furthermore, Prichard is scheduled to be at the Performance Center this weekend. There’s no word on what Prichard’s Saturday visit is for, but talent is not mandated to be there.

It remains to be seen exactly what this NXT revamp will mean for WWE’s Executive Vice President of Global Talent Strategy & Development Triple H and his crew. We noted earlier this week that the NXT brand will still be “very much in the hands” of Triple H and his team, which includes Trainer & Assistant Coach Shawn Michaels, Director of Talent Development & Head of Global Recruiting William Regal, Head Coach & Vice President of Talent Development Matt Bloom, and others. Word was that the day-to-day operations of NXT won’t change too much, but that the revamp will mean at least some loss of power for Triple H.

The original report on McMahon and Prichard producing NXT led to a “#RIPNXT” hashtag trending worldwide on social media.

CM Punk Responds To Rumors Of AJ Lee Coming To AEW

CM Punk recently spoke with the New York Post about his newfound career in All Elite Wrestling, and he was asked about his wife: former WWE Divas Champion AJ Lee, and if we will ever see her return to the ring.

Punk shot down the rumors immediately.

“I just want to say no...just because of her neck. The reason she stopped wrestling is because of her neck. I wouldn’t want her to jeopardize her health and neither would she, so we’ll put an end to that rumor right now."

AJ hasn't wrestled since 2014, having to retire due to a neck injury. Since then, she has mainly focused on writing.

Linda McMahon Named Chairman of the Center for the American Woman

FPI ANNOUNCES CHAIR OF THE CENTER FOR THE AMERICAN WORKER

Today, America First Policy Institute (AFPI) announced that Linda McMahon, Chair of the Board for AFPI, will also serve as AFPI’s Chairman of the Center for the American Worker.

“There is no stronger advocate or voice for the American worker and their employers than Linda McMahon—an entrepreneur who helped grow a two-person small business to a worldwide, publicly traded corporation that employs hundreds. While serving as the 25th Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, she advocated on behalf of the 30 million small businesses in America—the backbone of our Nation’s economy,” said AFPI President/CEO Brooke Rollins. “I am excited for Linda to carry out AFPI’s mission putting the American worker FIRST.”

“The American worker is the heart of our country,” said Linda McMahon. “AFPI’s Center for the American Worker will reignite the focus on the dignity of work. We have to make sure that the workers, the innovators, and the entrepreneurs who bring these businesses to life have the tools and skills that they need for their workforce.”

Main Roster WWE Producer Spotted More Often At WWE NXT Tapings

Following reports that the WWE NXT brand will be produced by Vince McMahon and Bruce Prichard going forward, Fightful Select is reporting that McMahon and Prichard were not at the latest set of NXT television tapings but one name who has been spotted more often at the WWE Performance Center/Capitol Wrestling Center is WWE main roster producer Jamie Noble.

"Those that we spoke to have said that they didn’t notice Vince McMahon or Bruce Prichard at the recent set of tapings. However, influential producer Jamie Noble has been said to be around the Performance Center much more often than usual of late."

Rumor Mill - Vince McMahon And Bruce Prichard Reportedly Producing The WWE NXT Brand With Revamp

WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon and Senior Vice President & Executive Director Bruce Prichard are set to produce the WWE NXT brand moving forward.

As we’ve noted, NXT will return to airing live weekly shows on the USA Network beginning with the September 14 episode, which will feature the wedding of Dexter Lumis and Indi Hartwell. This will mark a reset for the brand, with a new logo, new theme song, a new look for the weekly show, and a new creative direction.

It was noted by Bryan Alvarez on today’s edition of Wrestling Observer Live that McMahon and Prichard will be producing the weekly NXT TV show when the brand returns to live TV later this month.

Furthermore, Dave Meltzer adds that McMahon and Prichard will be behind the big decisions for the NXT brand, but not the smaller ones. They will also be responsible for marketing, promotion and direction of the NXT brand.

Regarding NXT creative, it was noted that McMahon and Prichard may be only be booking the wrestlers at the top of the brand.

Word is that NXT will be like “the old NXT” moving forward, which appears to be a reference to how the brand was at its peak, around 2015-2018 or so.

There’s no word yet on what the changes will mean for Triple H and his team, which includes WWE Hall of Famers Shawn Michaels and “Road Dogg” BG James, but we will keep you updated.

WWE President & Chief Revenue Officer Nick Khan recently confirmed that there will be a complete revamp for the NXT brand coming soon. You can click here to read his comments.

As noted, rapper Wale recently revealed a bright new color-changing logo for the NXT brand, and a snippet of the new NXT theme song, which includes several familiar hip-hop samples. That same teaser has aired on WWE TV and social media this week. You can see those teasers below.

Ric Flair Appears At NWA 73

Former NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair returned home at tonight's NWA 73 event in St. Louis.

Flair thanked a number of people including Vince McMahon, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Undertaker, and Steve Austin. He told Vince McMahon, "I love you. That’s why I’m here" and said that as long as he is alive he will never let people forget about the NWA which made him a star back in the day.

Flair mentioned that Vince knows this is where he belongs. He thanked Triple H for not giving up on him during his time in WWE and mentioned the NWA Title is hanging in Triple H’s office. Flair said Shawn Michaels and Taker carried him at the age of 59. Flair said that Steve Austin always asks him to tell NWA stories.

He went on to tell a Harley Race story and mention some of the greats of NWA. He also thanked Randy Orton and Bob Orton and wants Randy to one day to break his prestigious title record. He also mentioned his kids.

Flair also had praise for NWA owner Billy Corgan and joked about how he thought the company wanted him to challenge Worlds Champion Nick Aldis.  Flair hit the ropes and then did his strut and said that Corgan only wanted him to talk and not get back in the ring.

Friday's WWE SmackDown Soars To Almost 3 Million Viewers On FOX

A report from SpoilerTV reveals that Friday's WWE SmackDown on FOX, which featured all the fallout from this past Saturday's SummerSlam 2021 pay-per-view drew an overnight viewership of 2.933 million viewers.

The 2-hour broadcast also scored a 0.7 rating in the key 18-49 demographic.

The viewership increased significantly from the week previous, which delivered 2.237 million viewers and a 0.55 rating 18-49 demographic.

New WWE NXT Logo Revealed Ahead Of Major Revamp

The new logo and branding for WWE NXT has been revealed.

We reported recently that the yellow and black brand is set to undergo a major revamp, with reports of a new logo, stage, and format, it appears as if that change is almost ready to launch, with Wale revealing the updated NXT logo on his official Twitter page.

NXT is dropping the trademark yellow and black for a more bold and colorful design, with some likening it to AEW Dynamite's colorful graphics. 

WWE is in the process of revamping the CWC (Performance Center) with the new look for the show expected to be revealed on September 7, 2021.

WWE is reportedly not looking to sign anymore indy talent going forward as they have done in the past for the NXT brand.

AEW All Out To Air In Movie Theaters

AEW’s All Out pay-per-view will air in select theaters across North America next month.

AEW and Joe Hand Promotions announced today that the All Out pay-per-view on September 5 will air live in select theaters. Participating theaters include Cinemark, AMC, Harkins, Galaxy, Marcus, Emagine, Studio Movie Grill and Cinepolis Luxury Cinemas in the United States, and Landmark Cinemas in Canada.

AEW CEO, General Manager and Head of Creative Tony Khan commented on how AEW has found a lot of success airing previous pay-per-view events in theaters.

“We’ve had a lot of success bringing the camaraderie and excitement of our pay-per-events to the big screen, and we’re looking forward to delivering another memorable evening next Sunday,” Khan said. “Joe Hand Promotions has been a great partner in delivering top-notch experiences and connecting us with our fans at theatres across North America.”

The full list of participating theaters can be found on the Joe Hand promotions website.

“We’re excited to give wrestling fans the opportunity to experience ALL OUT in their local theatres through our partnership with AEW,” said Joe Hand, Jr., President of Joe Hand Promotions.

AEW All Out will air live from the NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois on Sunday, September 5. 

Happy Birthday Vince

Vincent Kennedy McMahon
August 24, 1945

Happy Birthday Vaughn

Vaughn Levesque
August 24, 2010

Nick Khan Comments On Recent Releases

“There’s a collective of us, keep in mind at WWE their is one boss, that’s Vince as we all know. Between Bruce Prichard who oversees the entire creative process, Kevin Dunn, who oversees all of our production, Stephanie McMahon, Paul Levesque are all involved in these decisions, with ultimately Vince making the final decision on everything”

“I don’t know if there is one explanation for it, ultimately what’s looked at, ‘Is this person for us going move to the needle now or in the imminent future’. ‘We signed a dozen new talent, we’re always looking for what’s next. We live in the present, we live in the future, 7 don’t live in the past”

WWE'S Nick Khan Promises Imminent NXT Revamp

WWE President and Chief Revenue Officer Nick Khan says that a "revamp" of NXT is underway and that changes to the product will be seen within a couple of weeks. 

In an interview with Ariel Helwani for BT Sport, Khan said that Triple H is leading the changes. 

"We're doing a complete revamp on NXT, led by Triple H, Paul Levesque, who is really one of the architects of the original NXT," said Khan. 

"In terms of an NXT rebrand, look for it in the next couple of weeks. It's gonna have a whole new look, it's gonna have a whole new feel."

Khan also indicated a change in philosophy when it comes to recruiting talent for NXT. 

"What we believe, because of lot of the 'indie wrestlers' if you will have come through our system and are in our system with SmackDown and Raw now, we don't want to just keep doing that same thing," said Khan.  "We want to look elsewhere for great young talent."

Khan also spoke of a more direct kind of developmental system, comparing it to high school and college football talent recruiting. 

"So what we found, it's part of why we did the tryout [Las Vegas tryout on Friday], what we want to make sure is it's easy for folks who want to be WWE superstars figuring out how to be WWE superstars," said Khan. 

"If you think of the life of an elevated athlete throughout their career, the opportunity to go play somewhere has always been easy, being able to play somewhere is not... If you're an amazing high school football player, colleges come after you, you get recruited, you go into their system, and either you make it or you don't make it. All that it takes to get there? Difficult. The system? Not difficult," said Khan. 

"We want our system to be an easy system where people who want to be superstars know how to get to us and we can get to them."

Nick Khan On WWE Sale Rumors, 'We’re Not Trying To Sell It'

During a recent interview with the Recode Media podcast, the WWE President Nick Khan said WWE is "open for business on anything and everything" when he was asked if WWE is looking to put itself up for sale.

His comments during that interview had people speculating that the company would be prepared to sell, especially given the amount of WWE in the last year which some say is so the company can maximize its selling potential.

In an interview with Ariel Helwani promoting SummerSlam weekend, Khan clarified his comments noting the company isn't in talks about a potential sale.

"When I say we’re ‘open for business’ that means if someone credible calls on anything—NFT, trading cards, international rates—we take the call. We’re inherently sales people, meaning we’re not like, ‘We don’t want to talk to this company because we think they’re…’ If you call and you want to pitch us something and you’re credible, we’re going to hear the pitch. We’re an entrepreneurial company that Vince and others built over the last 35 years or so, and we always want to stay fresh and entrepreneurial. 

"In our minds, when I say open for business, if somebody calls, credible, asking ‘are you for sale?’ it’s ‘what’s your offer, what are you thinking?’ We’re not trying to sell it, that’s not our intent. There are no internal meetings about selling this company. The internal meetings are about growing it and the ability that we think we collectively have to tremendously grow what the value of the company is now."

WWE Issues Announcement On SummerSlam Attendance

WWE announced a sold out crowd of 51,326 fans in attendance at Allegiant Stadium for tonight’s SummerSlam pay-per-view from Las Vegas, Nevada.

WWE noted that this is the indoor attendance record for SummerSlam, and their biggest event of 2021.

To compete, WWE announced a total of 51,350 fans at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa earlier this year for WrestleMania 37, which broke down to 25,675 fans each night. That event had a limited capacity due to COVID-19.

WWE issued the following press release to us tonight:

WWE BREAKS SUMMERSLAM INDOOR ATTENDANCE RECORD

WWE SummerSlam at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas set an indoor attendance record for the event, as a sold-out crowd of 51,326 fan attended WWE’s biggest event of 2021.

WWE Announces History-Making Return To Saudi Arabia

WWE has confirmed that they will return to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for Crown Jewel 2021 in October.

WWE aired a promo for Crown Jewel during tonight’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view, confirming their return to Saudi Arabia for October. You can see the promo below, which features male and female Superstars.

WWE noted that they are “set to make history in its legendary return to Saudi Arabia” this October. It’s believed that the event will be held in the Saudi capital of Riyadh.

No actual date was given past the month of October, but it was previously reported that the event will take place on Thursday, October 21. WWE has not confirmed that date as of this writing.

It was also reported before that WWE will hold the King of the Ring tournament finals at Crown Jewel, along with the finals of the first-ever Queen of the Ring all-women’s tournament. WWE has not officially announced those tournaments as of this writing. It’s believed that the tournaments will begin on the October 8 SmackDown and the October 11 RAW, but those dates have also not been confirmed.

WWE has not ran the Kingdom since the Super ShowDown 2020 event was held in February 2020 at the Mohammed Abdu Arena in Riyadh. WWE and the Saudi General Sports Authority announced in 2018 that they were entering into a 10-year strategic multi-platform partnership to support the Saudi Vision 2030 initiative, which is the Kingdom’s social and economic reform program. The deal called for two events to be held per year, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced delays in 2020 and 2021. WWE visited Saudi Arabia for Greatest Royal Rumble and Crown Jewel in 2018, Super ShowDown and Crown Jewel in 2019, and Super ShowDown in 2020.

Triple H On If WWE Has Changed Their Philosophy On NXT

 At the end of WWE’s open tryouts yesterday in Las Vegas, WWE’s own Triple H held a media call. Wrestling Inc.’s own Nick Hausman was invited and asked Triple H if WWE had changed their policy in recruiting following rumors of WWE overhauling NXT and their developmental system. According to Triple H, there isn’t a shift because things have never shifted to begin with.

“It’s a funny thing, people talk about the shifting if what it is. It never really shifted,” Triple H said. “So if you go back and look at the hiring process, not the hiring process of a television show, the hiring process of who we’re looking to train and make WWE Superstars. Long term. If you go back and look at it, it hasn’t shifted. It’s been the same process. I don’t negate anybody. From a standpoint of ‘I wrestled some independent stuff. ”Well all right, you’re out!’ That’s not a factor to me, but it’s also not the factor that makes me go ‘okay, you’re in.’ When they get in here today, if somebody goes in and hits the ropes perfectly every time, has every roll perfect, does all the stuff, (makes) it look easy because they’ve been training, that’s not really showing me anything. You should be able to, if you’ve been training, if you’ve been working indies you should be able to do all of that.

“To me, what is the potential long-term? What is that potential? And are they willing to do the work to live up to that potential. Vince used to always say ‘we’re a variety show. We are. In some manner, you need a little bit of everything. That’s the key to all of this. But people hear one statement and then make one (assumption). ‘Now it’s that. No, now it’s this.’ It always has been.”

Later Triple H was asked how many talents WWE signed at this tryout? While he didn’t have an exact number, he was able to give a pretty decent estimate.

“I didn’t count,” Triple H joked. “We had thirty eight talent here today, we had one drop out from yesterday to today. We had an injury and then we had another, not dropout, but we cut training short today. And I’d say somewhere, in the ballpark, of thirteen and sixteen I’d say. There’s a lot passion here in the last couple of days and a lot of drive. And clearly we’re looking for something different. You’ll hear Vince say it a lot. It’ll sound wrong to a lot of people, but it’s right. We’re not looking for professional wrestlers, we’re looking for superstars. We’re looking for somebody that can break through that. The rest of it takes care of itself.

“You’re looking for the diamond in the rough, you’re looking for the one in a million, you’re looking for those things. That’s the difficult part. The rest of it takes care of itself and it happens. And you go about that process. So to me, right now it’s about giving opportunities. And there was a lot of people here that have the tools to break through, that stood out when they walked through the room. You’re like ‘alright, who’s that?’ They had that some type of it factor, and then proved it to us here how much they wanted it. And I think, in this moment in time, to be able to go a little bit beyond and bring in these people give them that shot. Are they going to make it? No. It’s a long hard journey. But if everybody made it it wouldn’t be that special when you got there, right?”

Triple H also discussed the so called ‘it’ factor, and if there was any difference in identifying it between men and women. Triple H answered the question by focusing on the women aspect.

“People use that term it factor, x factor, charisma. It’s hard to put your finger on what it is,” Triple H said. “Sometimes I feel like, for women, there’s this emphasis on ‘oh man she looked like a million bucks when she walked in here.’ They’re dressed a certain way, make up is a certain way, hair’s a certain way, doing all those things. It’s important. At the end of the day though, it’s more personality to me. I don’t care, if somebody doesn’t have the money and they don’t wear make up? I mean present yourself well, but you don’t have to have high dollar hair extensions and a bunch of make up on and do all these other things in high dollar clothes to come in here and go ‘oh yeah, they’ve got it.’ To me it almost has nothing to do with it.

“It’s personality, it’s how they engage with you, it’s how they connect with you. Do they make you feel something when you them when they’re working? What’s that connection point that you have with these people? Do you feel something from them? Do they engage you in some manner? Some people you don’t see that when they’re here. Sometimes the red light goes on and they got it ‘boom.’ I’m sure you’ve heard people say ‘the camera loves them.’ Yeah they take great pictures. I’ve seen that a lot too. When you get to a tryout you’re like ‘this person looks great.’ Then they get there and you’re like ‘when do they get in?’ It’s not the same person. In person it doesn’t resonate. On camera it does. There’s factors that but it’s not an image thing. That’ll fade. I feel like that’s part of the process of the two day journey or the three day journey or the four day journey, depending on the tryout style that we’re doing.”

Triple H continued, emphasizing again how appearances can only take someone so far. Ultimately he concluded that there’s differences for every individual talent involved, regardless of whether they are male or female.

“Yes somebody walks in the room, those things might catch your eye for a minute,” Triple H said. “And then very quickly, that persons not really doing anything else, and this person is. And they don’t have any makeup on, they don’t have their hair done. So it’s never those other things. You can look past those. What’s really in here, that’s what it factor, charisma, all those things. Part of that is a passion and a connection to the person, and if you feel that, that person has charisma, that person has an it factor. It’s funny because I look at these tryouts sometimes totally differently. I find myself, catching myself, looking back at the same person in the first half of the first day.

“I find myself constantly looking back at that same person for some reason, or the same ten, fifteen whatever people. Like constantly find myself, catching myself interested in what they’re doing. And if I mentally see that, I put a check there. I check that person out ten times, I keep seeing that person do this. They might be terrible. But I keep going back to it. There’s a reason, they’re drawing my eye for whatever reason. I don’t have to figure that out, I don’t have to tell you what that reason is, I just have to know that it’s there. So I don’t know, I just look at it a little differently. But that’s a factor. Is it different for men and women? It’s different for every single person. It doesn’t matter, man, woman, it doesn’t matter. It’s different for everybody. You just got to open to it.”

credit:  Wrestling Inc.

WWE Announces Multi-Year Merchandise Deal With MLB

WWE and Major League Baseball have announced a new multi-year partnership to release MLB-inspired WWE Title replica belts and accessories.

The belts and accessories will feature the logos of all 30 MLB teams from around North America. The line will launch in 2022.

WWE touted how this is the first official licensing agreement for WWE Title replica belts between the company and one of the major United States sports leagues.

The new deal will see WWE and MLB collaborate to design and manufacture team-branded replica titles, and replica titles that celebrate some of MLB’s Jewel Events such as the World Series, the All-Star Game, and the Home Run Derby. There will also be custom side plates and unique Lucha Libre masks.

“At MLB we are constantly looking to serve our fans with the most unique products possible so that they can support their favorite Clubs and players in the ways they want,” said Denis Nolan, MLB Senior Vice President, Global Consumer Products. “We often see baseball fans and players bringing their MLB and WWE fandom together at games and online, so this is a natural development for us to work together and offer the highest quality, official co-branded items for fans around the world.”

WWE Senior Vice President of Direct-To-Consumer Products Kevin Moore added, “We’ve been continually amazed by the reaction to custom WWE Championship title belts, and we’re excited this partnership will allow us to make them widely available to fans.”

WWE has had a tradition of sending custom title belts to top athletes and championship sports teams, but this marks the first time these items will be available for fans. WWE created a custom title for the Los Angeles Dodgers to celebrate their 2020 World Series win, and did the same for the Washington Nationals in 2019.

Nick Khan On WWE Possibly Being Sold, Vince McMahon Stepping Down

WWE President & Chief Revenue Officer Nick Khan was on the latest episode of the Recode Media podcast with Peter Kafka. The two discussed WWE’s big media rights deals despite declining TV viewership across all of TV. Khan discussed that topic and explained why he doesn’t see advertisers moving away from TV anytime soon.

“I think you’ve seen it in primetime scripted television,” Khan stated. “When you and I were kids, and Archie Bunker did a 15 rating and made significant amount of money at that time for Norman Lear, and the studio and everybody behind it. Now you’re seeing shows in primetime that do a one in the demo, where significant dollars are paid for that.

“So 1/15 and again, the 15 million was the overall audience but even less than 1/15 of what the audience was 30 years ago, still commanding top dollar.  I’m not sure that you’ve seen a mechanism come across for advertisers yet that is as effective as television, and put the streaming component in there on the ad supported tiers, it feels like it’s going to be around at a high level for a long time.”

On the Q2 earnings call, Vince McMahon created headlines when he said that he did not see AEW as competition. Khan spoke on WWE’s competition and talked about where his focus lies.

“We had an earnings call a couple of weeks ago, and I referenced the recent Reed Hastings line about sleep is our competition.” Khan noted. “That’s the challenge for us is how do you get people to tune into our product, instead of just sitting there in their bed and texting all night, or watching Tik Tok for free, or doing nothing, or listening to a podcast.

“It’s always tricky. In essence, I personally as, an agent, as an executive, I never look at anybody as competition. I just focus on what I’m doing, but in the totality of circumstance, you have to look at everything as your competition, without a specific focus on any one entity. So we hope the NFL continues to get great ratings. We hope the NBA continues to great ratings. What does it have to do with us? We just have to make sure our product is great.”

Kafka later asked Khan whether he would takeover McMahon as WWE CEO. Khan gave his opinion on the topic of McMahon stepping down from WWE.

“I don’t think Vince has any plans, nor in my opinion, should he have stepping aside,” Khan said. “He’s 75, will be 76 in a couple of weeks. He’s healthy. He’s strong so maybe he goes another 50 years and you’ll be asking me this question in 49 years.”

WWE have continued to make different types of business deals, most recently with The Ringer and Spotify. Khan discussed the topic of whether or not WWE will sell in the next year.

“We’re open for business on anything and everything, and even some of the business plans that we’ve announced recently, I think, are different or unique to what the company has traditionally done,” Khan pointed out. “So we’re open for business. If somebody calls, we’ll listen, but we’re not active. We’re not out in the marketplace trying to change that structure.”

WWE Settles Various Lawsuits With Shareholders

WWE has settled a lawsuit that alledged it wasted corporate assets and made false statements, among other charges, with its shareholders.

The company had been facing several lawsuits; other claims alledged that the company failed to disclose unfavorable facts related to its stock, mislead investors, and permittted senior executives to sell over $282 million worth of shares at inflated prices.

The filing is as follows:

On August 16, 2021, World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (the “Company”) reached an agreement in principle and signed a term sheet to settle the previously disclosed shareholder derivative actions titled (i) Merholz et al. v. McMahon et al., No. 3:20-cv-00557-VAB; (ii) Kooi v. McMahon et al., No. 3:20-cv-00743-VAB; (iii) Nordstrom v. McMahon et al., No. 3:20-cv-00904-VAB; (iv) Merholz/Jimenez v. McMahon et al., No. 3:21-cv-00789-VAB; (v) Rezendes v. McMahon et al., No. 3:21-cv-00793-VAB; and (vi) City of Pontiac Police and Fire Retirement System v. McMahon et al., No. 3:21-cv-00930-VAB, currently pending in the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut (collectively, the “Derivative Actions”), as well as related lawsuits filed in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware titled (i) Leavy v. World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., No. 2020-0907-KSJM; (ii) Dastgir v. McMahon et al., No. 2021-0513-LWW; and (iii) Lowinger v. McMahon et al., No. 2021-0656-LWW (together with the Derivative Actions, the “Actions”).

Among other things, the plaintiffs in the Actions have alleged violations by certain current and former Company directors and officers related to disclosures concerning the Company’s business relationship in and with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and that certain of these defendants engaged in improper stock trading.

The proposed settlement would include, among other things, a full release of all defendants in connection with all allegations made in the Actions, and it would not contain any admission of liability or admission as to the validity or truth of any or all allegations or claims by the Company or any of the other defendants. The proposed settlement also would provide that the Company will implement and maintain certain corporate governance measures. As part of the settlement, the plaintiffs have indicated an intent to seek payment of their attorneys’ fees, reimbursement of expenses, and case contribution awards, which the proposed settlement provides would be paid by the Company’s insurance carriers. The proposed settlement remains subject to shareholder notice, court approval and other customary conditions. In the event that the parties are not able to cause all of these conditions to be satisfied, the Company and the other defendants intend to continue to vigorously defend against the claims asserted in the Actions.

Although the Company and the other defendants have denied, and continue to deny, all claims asserted by the plaintiffs in the Actions, the Company believes that resolving the Actions in accordance with the terms of the proposed settlement is the proper business decision and that it is prudent to end the protracted and uncertain derivative litigation process on the terms of the proposed settlement.