WWE recently purchased a library of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling footage shot in Virginia at ringside next to the ring announcer, from Jim Crockett Promotions events. The footage was filmed by George Pantas, as he revealed in the Norfolk Navy Flagship. The footage includes what may be the only complete match on tape featuring Ric Flair vs. Buddy Rogers.
May 3, 2014
WWE Purchases More Classic Wrestling Footage
Rumor Mill - WWE Officials Considering a Significant Change to NXT Tapings
WWE officials have been talking about making the NXT TV tapings at Full Sail University bi-weekly instead of monthly so the last episode of the taping isn't a month old by the time it airs.
This potential change has to do with NXT's popularity increasing thanks to the WWE Network, but also has to do with continuity issues when they have to insert new segments, such as JBL stripping Paige of her NXT Women's Title last week.
Rumor Mill - Details Revealed on WWE Tough Enough Returning
WWE Tough Enough is returning this year on the WWE Network and will reportedly be filmed at the Performance Center with NXT talents who aren't regulars on TV. It's said that this season will be very different from past seasons and it's also scheduled to be one of four reality TV shows for the Network in 2015 with Legends House and two other shows that haven't been announced yet.
Video: Shawn Michaels has some fun impersonating Hulk Hogan on Raw, before their match at SummerSlam
During Shawn Michaels' Q&A in Manchester earlier this week, he noted that it was Stephanie McMahon who helped him write the Larry King skit about Hulk Hogan in 2005, which you can watch above.
May 1, 2014
WWE Conference Call Highlights: New TV Deal Update, Tough Enough Returning, Total Divas & WWE Studios News, 2nd Quarter Losses Expected
WWE held a conference call for its first quarter financials this morning, and it was hosted by Michael Weitz, George Barrios and Vince McMahon. The following are some highlights from the call:
-Vince said that with Network subscriptions and PPV buys, WrestleMania 30 did over 1 million buys, and the launch of the Network has been well received by fans and industry experts.
-Vince said WWE will be announcing a new TV deal in several weeks, and the company is currently negotiating in India.
-Barrios said WWE maintains the belief that the Network will hit 1 million subscriptions by the end of the year, and 2 to 3 million as the Network grows.
-Barrios said Tough Enough will be coming to the Network, but he did not specify whether or not it will be new seasons of the show, or archives of past seasons.
-TV revenue was up thanks mostly to Total Divas. WWE Studios revenue was up mostly thanks to The Call. Scooby-Doo and Oculus are delivering strong performances that are in line with expectations.
-Live event revenue was up from the previous year's quarter due in part to a rise in ticket prices and new VIP packages.
-They expect a $7-$10 million loss for the second quarter of this year.
Musician Behind Wyatt Family Theme Talks Playing WrestleMania XXX, Meeting Bray Wyatt, WWE Discovering His Music & More
Mark Crozer, the musician behind the Wyatt Family entrance theme "Live in Fear", recently did an interview with JourneyofaFrontman.com.
How WWE and Bray Wyatt ended up finding his music:
"Ages ago, between 1999 and 2000, I found out about this idea that you could, as an independent artist, get your music into TV shows. It was the organization called Taxi based in LA. I joined and it was completely new to me. I put that and other songs into this one music library and I guess they had a deal with another library that was servicing the WWE. Bray Wyatt was searching for a song for his theme music and he came across my song. I think he spent six hours or so listening to songs, that’s what he told me. And when he heard mine, right away, he just thought it was gonna be good for his character. They tried it out and it worked. And that was that."
Playing live at WrestleMania XXX:
They asked me to do it. I’d really been following the whole Bray Wyatt development over the last couple years. I knew that there was a good chance that he was gonna do Wrestlemania this year. I’d heard that they’d had bands occasionally to perform. I e-mailed my guy at WWE around Christmas time saying, “I’d love to do it.” And then they got in touch with me a couple months later to ask me to play.
Check out the complete interview featuring Mark's thoughts on meeting Bray Wyatt, the evolution of his character, how his song is being used in wrestling and a lot more.
WWE Beats Out NCAA, Nike and Visa For Webby Award
WWE today announced the WWE App won the fan-voted People's Voice Award in the Sports Mobile & Apps category, as a part of the 18th Annual Webby Awards. WWE will be honored at the Webby Awards ceremony on Monday, May 19, at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City.
The Webby People's Voice Awards are selected by Internet users from more than 200 countries worldwide. With more than 11 million downloads in 220 countries, the WWE App beat out The Nike SB App, Visa 360 Cam and NCAA March Madness Live 2013 for the highly coveted fan award.
The WWE App offers fans live and original programming as well as the vast on-demand library found on WWE Network. Delivering a revolutionary second screen experience during its flagship television programs, Monday Night Raw® and SmackDown®, the app also includes live match continuation during TV commercial breaks, backstage content, live polls, photos and exclusive information on WWE Superstars and Divas.
April 30, 2014
Rumor Mill - Certain People Trying To Run Brisco's Recruits Out Of WWE Developmental?
WWE officials recently issued a directive to NXT staff regarding the treatment of some of Gerald Brisco's wrestling recruits. There had been a feeling that Brisco would sign guys with good looks, personality and skills, but when they got to Orlando at the Performance Center, certain people (possibly trainers) working for developmental would try and run them off because they didn't like shooters around.
WWE Under Investigation for “Potential Securities Laws Violations”; Official Statement Issued by WWE
According to Shareholdersfoundation.com, WWE is currently being investigated by an unnamed law firm for "potential securities laws violations."
The law firm is investigating whether or not a series of statements made by World Wrestling Entertainment regarding its business, its prospects and its operations were materially false and misleading at the time they were made.
Shareholders Foundation is a portfolio monitoring site that alerts stock holders when a company in which they own stock is under investigation, and although the site did not reveal the name of the law firm investigating WWE, they did note to stock holders that some type of investigation is currently underway.
WWE has issued the following statement regarding the Shareholders Foundation report:
“The claim that Shareholders Foundation is allegedly investigating has absolutely no substance or merit.”
Huge Pro Wrestling NOAH Superstar Leaves
KENTA announced today at a press conference at the NOAH offices that he will be having his final show being on 5/17.
KENTA is the biggest name in NOAH, and has had a WWE tryout week in January. The belief in Japan is that he is WWE/NXT-bound, at the Press Conference he said the following;
"There is only one life, and it is now or never to try something new in a different environment,"
If you didn't know, KENTA was trained by his name-sake, legendary Kenta Kobashi, and had outstanding matches back in 2005/2007 in Ring Of Honor with the likes of WWE Champion Daniel Bryan, Samoa Joe and Seth Rollins. While having won pretty much everything in NOAH and being #22 on the PWI Top 500 last year.
WWE Releases NXT Wrestlers & Divas
PWInsider reports that WWE released the following NXT wrestlers this afternoon:
* Mason Ryan, former Nexus member who last lost to Tyson Kidd on NXT TV
* Shaul Guerrero, known as Raquel Diaz. She is the daughter of Eddie and Vickie Guerrero. This was her second run in WWE developmental.
* Danny Burch, a UK talent who had been signed since 2011.
* Oliver Grey, a UK talent, who just returned from a knee injury after being out for a while. He last lost to Camacho on NXT TV.
* Sarah Backman, a professional arm wrestling champion from Sweden, who was signed in March of 2013. She was recently re-named Shara in NXT. Backman requested and received her release several days ago.
April 29, 2014
WWE Announces Ten Most-Watched WWE Network Shows from This Past Week
Courtesy of WWE, below are the top 10 most-watched shows on the WWE Network from the past week:
1. Legends House, Episode 2
2. RAW Pre-show
3. Legends House, Episode 1
4. WrestleMania XXX
5. RAW Backstage Pass
6. WWE Main Event
7. WWE Slam City
8. WWE Hall of Fame
9. Ultimate Warrior: Ultimate Legend
10. WWE NXT
April 27, 2014
April 25, 2014
Top WWE executive involved with WWE Network leaves
Perkins Miller, who was WWE's Executive Vice Presidnet of Global Digital Media and a big part of the launch of the WWE Network, has left the company to go work for the NFL to take on a role as Chief Digital Officer. The NFL plans to launch a new serviced called NFL Now that will be very similar to the WWE Network that Miller will be part of.
source: sports business daily
April 24, 2014
WWE legend Stone Cold Steve Austin supports gay marriage
WWE legend Stone Cold Steve Austin has been running a weekly podcast for the last year, and it’s a must-listen for any pro wrestling fan. On a show last year, Austin shared his thoughts on same-sex marriage, and offered a brash, profanity-laced take on the subject which is just now making the rounds.
Austin, who is married and has two biological and one adopted daughter by previous marriages, said that he adamantly believes that people should be able to marry whoever they want.
“What also chaps my [expletive], some of these churches, have the high horse that they get on and say ‘we as a church do not believe in that.’ Which one of these [people] talked to God, and God said that same-sex marriage was a no-can-do?”
You can listen to the segment from Austin’s podcast here.
Rumor Mill - WWE Executives Not Happy With Mick Foley
Several top WWE executives are reportedly upset at Mick Foley. This is due to the blogs and tweets he made in regards to the booking of Daniel Bryan around the Royal Rumble. Foley was very critical of the company during that time about how they were booking Daniel Bryan and not listening to the fans.
They're likely not happy about his latest blog, where he explains not signing a new Legends deal because he was disappointed with the payoffs on the past two video games.
DDP Says He Was Setup By Nancy Grace, Reveals What He Was Told the Show Would Focus On Before He Went On the Air
Diamond Dallas Page recently appeared on The Undisputed Wrestling Show and he spoke on a number of topics, including DDP Yoga and his now infamous interview with Nancy Grace.
The following are some highlights:
On Nancy Grace:
"First of all, I wanted to leave. Oh my god, this woman was so nice to me when I walked in there. Once she started hitting me with that deal, I got scared. I go 'Oh my god, she set me up, so should I get up and walk away? How is that going to make the business look?' I breathed, I focused on breathing.
"The only thing I could think of at that time was that WWE has the best wellness program, better than the NBA, NFL, MLB, so I think that is fighting for the company. I thought about firing back at her (Nancy Grace), but it was a really weird situation. I can't put that b—h over. I can't talk about her anymore, I want to strangle her. The last thing I want to be is in that position. The way it was told to me is that I saw four questions. I said 'I don't know about this' and Nancy Grace said 'No, it's gonna be a feel good piece.' When I walked in there, she was so sweet to me. She totally set me up."
On the graphic shown by Grace of wrestlers who died young:
"I never saw that! That totally blindsided me. I will never do that b—h's show again, I can guarantee you that!"
Rumor Mill - WWE Hall of Famer Booked to Return on Monday's RAW from St. Louis
Ric Flair has been booked to return to WWE on this coming Monday's RAW from St. Louis.
One would assume that Flair will be getting involved in the Evolution storyline because of his history with the group. As of two weeks ago, the plan was for Flair not to be involved in the reunited Evolution.
WWE NXT General Manager JBL Stripping Paige of Her NXT Women's Title
WWE will announce on tonight's NXT that NXT General Manager JBL will strip Paige of her NXT Women's Title because she can't hold that title and the WWE Divas Title at the same time. The segment will feature Paige initially refusing but finally agreeing.
The segment will be released online today and inserted into tonight's broadcast. It was likely produced at Monday's RAW.
A storyline that will crown a new NXT Women's Champion will kick off at tonight's tapings at Full Sail University.
"NXT Takeover" to Air Live on WWE Network
WWE today announced that NXT Takeover, a live, two-hour action-packed special, will air exclusively on WWE Network on Thursday, May 29 at 8 pm ET. Following the success of NXT ArRIVAL™, the special will once again showcase the best and brightest from WWE’s Performance Center and include appearances by WWE Superstars and Legends.
Thirty minutes prior to the event, the NXT Takeover pre-show will air at 7:30 pm ET and include exclusive interviews and appearances by NXT Superstars, WWE Superstars and Legends.
“As NXT continues to grow in popularity and our fans demand to see more of the next generation of WWE Superstars, we are going to deliver live, in-ring programs featuring up-and-coming talent on WWE Network,” said Paul “Triple H®” Levesque, Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events & Creative, WWE. “Our live NXT specials on WWE Network bring out the very best in our performers and make for must-see TV for the WWE Universe.”
On February 27, NXT ArRIVAL on WWE Network had 21 worldwide Twitter trends and was No. 3 in overall social mentions for primetime programs on both cable and broadcast. The event had more social mentions than American Idol, the Vikings premiere on History Channel, college basketball on ESPN and Vampire Diaries on CW.
April 23, 2014
Former tag team and X Division champion apparently no longer with the company
Former TNA Tag Team and X Division Champion Christopher Daniels is apparently no longer with the company. Daniels tweeted today, "I became a free agent & a published comic book writer on the same day!"
Stephanie McMahon to Apologize on Monday's RAW
WWE has announced that Stephanie McMahon will be on Monday's RAW to issue an apology to Daniel Bryan for the attack from Kane that took place on last night's show.
April 22, 2014
WWE Announces Top 10 Network Shows from Last Week
1. WWE Legends House
2. WrestleMania XXX
3. Ultimate Warrior's Greatest Matches
4. Warrior: The Ultimate Legend
5. WWE Main Event
6. Journey to WrestleMania XXX: Daniel Bryan
7. WWE RAW Pre-show
8. WWE NXT
9. Legends of WrestleMania: Warrior
10. RAW Backstage Pass
April 21, 2014
April 20, 2014
New WWE Network Show
WWE Network will debut a new series, "Best of WWE Hall of Fame" this week, showcasing different Hall of Fame inductions from over the years.
April 18, 2014
Recap of Last Night’s “Warrior: The Ultimate Legend” Special – Vince McMahon, Sting, Triple H & Others Say Goodbye to the Ultimate Warrior
Thursday night WWE aired part three of their three-part Ultimate Warrior tribute series on the WWE Network, as a part of what they are calling "Warrior Week".
Part one focused on Warrior's greatest matches, while part two was centered completely around his epic confrontation with Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania.
This week's episode started out with footage of Warrior making his debut in the WWE, with commentary from him, Hulk Hogan, Kofi Kingston, John Cena, Batista, Stephanie McMahon and others. They then move forward through his career, including his WWE Championship match with The Hulkster at WrestleMania, to the point where Warrior was the highest merchandise pusher in the company.
The second part of the video followed Warrior and his family in New Orleans during WrestleMania 30 weekend. Sgt. Slaughter paid a visit to Warrior in his hotel room, followed by a discussion about dropping the title to Slaughter, and the iconic retirement match against "Macho Man" Randy Savage.
Also discussed was Warrior holding up Vince McMahon for $500,000, the litigation between both parties regarding the Ultimate Warrior persona, his run in WCW being a failure, and the infamous "Self Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior" DVD. Warrior revealed why he refused to shake Vince's hand, Hogan talked about being called into court during the dispute, and several other personal stories.
The final segment saw Warrior arrive at WWE HQ to talk about his return with Triple H. Then, in an extremely emotional moment, they showed Warrior meeting with Vince McMahon for the first time in years, backstage prior to the 2014 Hall of Fame ceremony. The episode ends with Vince McMahon, Triple H, and Sting giving their teary-eyed thoughts on the tragic passing of Warrior, with a few final thoughts from John Cena, Cesaro, and Hulk Hogan.
The entire episode, as well as parts one and two of the Warrior Week tribute videos, are available on the WWE Network right now.
Oderint Dum Metuant: Let Them Hate As Long As They Fear
