December 14, 2015
December 13, 2015
NJPW On AXS Announcer Heading Up WWE SmackDown Announce Team In January
In a pretty big WWE announcing move, highly regarded play-by-play announcer Mauro Ranallo will be introduced as the new Smackdown lead announcer, according to Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated, who first reported the news.
In his column, Deitsch says that WWE play-by-play announcer Michael Cole is the one who helped get Mauro Ranallo the gig.
In an interview with SI.com on Friday, Ranallo said Cole, who handles broadcast talent development for the WWE in addition to on-air work, emailed him about a month ago to inquire about his interest in working with the company. Ranallo then sent the WWE some of his broadcast work, including a promotional vehicle he did for Berkshire Hathaway shareholders where Ranallo called a mock fight between billionaire Warren Buffett and Floyd Mayweather. (This was no low-end production: The video was directed by Animal House director John Landis.) The WWE brass, including chairman Vince McMahon, (were) impressed. "This was an opportunity I did not think I would get at this point of my career and I jumped on it," Ranallo said. "I have been a lifelong fan of the product. Michael said that when Vince saw the Warren Buffet video, it seemed to cinch it. They believed I could sell the entertainment part."
Ranallo has been praised for his work in pro wrestling, MMA, boxing and kickboxing, widely regarded as one of the best announcers in the business. He'll be taking over when Smackdown moves to USA on January 7. He'll retain his roles with GLORY Kickboxing and Showtime Boxing.
ROH Announces Agreement With Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
Ring of Honor Wrestling announced today that they've entered into a strategic agreement with Pro Wrestling Guerrilla that enables exclusively contracted stars to compete on a select number of PWG shows per year in California.
ROH and NJPW have been developing a significant global relationship for the past two years and now ROH will work with PWG on the west coast of the United States.
"PWG is a fantastic company in California that both our fans and stars have always been passionate about," said Joe Koff. "As we continue to grow the ROH brand and enter into exclusive agreements with our talent, we want all fans to continue enjoying the performance of the ROH stars in PWG. This alliance is great for both of our companies, the talent, and most importantly – The FANS."
With this agreement, wrestling fans can look forward to seeing stars such as Adam Cole, Kyle O'Reilly, The Young Bucks, etc. compete at PWG shows, demonstrating to the West Coast why Ring of Honor is the best wrestling on the planet.
December 11, 2015
Kimber Lee Soaks In Historic Victory
Back on July 13, WWE launched what it called a “divas revolution.”
Sasha Banks, Charlotte and Becky Lynch made the jump from NXT, WWE’s popular developmental territory, to its main roster. On NXT, Banks, Charlotte and Lynch, along with Bayley, broke down barriers for women’s wrestling by earning the same billing as the men by showcasing their in-ring prowess and captivating characters.
When the trio made finally made its way up to WWE, it created a buzz among the wrestling community, as it signaled what was supposed to be a shift in how WWE presented women’s wrestling from an uncoordinated cat fight to a technical showcase of skill that rivaled the quality of men’s matches.
While WWE considered what is was doing revolutionary, it wasn’t necessarily historic. Sure, Banks and Bayley became the first women to headline a WWE special event, but that was in NXT, not on one of WWE’s main shows.
However, something truly historic did occur at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia on Dec. 5.
On that night, Seattle native and University of the Arts graduate Kimber Lee captured the CHIKARA Grand championship at the company’s season finale, Top Banana.
With the victory, Lee (or Princess KimberLee in CHIKARA) became the first woman to win the primary championship of a non-female promotion in the history of professional wrestling in the United States.
Bill Behrens on How WWE Signed Samoa Joe, Indy vs. Television Wrestling
WWE signing Samoa Joe:
Samoa Joe was working with me as he went to them and for example the deals that NXT did prior to him for Prince Devitt and El Generico and for the other people they were taking from Ring of Honor or from overseas, the thought process of when they signed those people changed dramatically when they then evaluated Samoa Joe. When they did Joe, Joe had three of four deals change over a two to three week period as they continued to evaluate what are we really trying to do here and what’s our goals for NXT. How do we get people to pay attention to the product and be big enough that we don’t piss Vince off but stay small enough where we could be the rebel or outcast league but still present the big screen, the lights, the music playing but a little bit more of an intimate environment in terms of presentation. In essence, that’s a Ring of Honor, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla a more “Indy” feel. NXT started from we are going to be like those guys and yet not be offensive to the WWE product yet still be the cool kid.
Indy wrestling versus television wrestling:
The overall atmosphere of professional wrestling right now is as vibrant and active then any time that I’ve been involved in it and I’ve been involved in it since the late 80s – early 90s, the tail end of the territory era and when TV or larger companies consolidating the TV became the norm and the Indy companies were struggling. There are more people now putting on good shows that draw hundreds then there were back in the end of the 1990s when there were just a few. My Music City Wrestling which became NWA Worldwide in Nashville that I did with Bert Prentice was one of the few that was actually drawing numbers and had a local TV show. There has been a big transition. More people are bellying up that have a chance of actually paying people. Lucha Underground which is a television company almost exclusively right now is still providing good money to their top people, I’m privy to their contracts. Ring of Honor is now really stepping up and providing good money. New Japan partnering with Ring of Honor has now built Ring of Honor and New Japan simultaneously into this much more International entity with footprints outside of their backyards. Whether Global Force Wrestling becomes that is unknown because they don’t have much to announce but then there is the Paragon’s of the world who are buying there way onto television with a roster that is underwhelming at best. You have to look at it as are they doing it as a step forward in the wrestling business or because they just wanted to be on TV?
WWE to start online streaming in Japan
World Wrestling Entertainment, the U.S.'s largest pro wrestling and entertainment company, on Jan. 5 will start a streaming service in Japan.
WWE Network will allow Japanese Internet users to view unlimited hours of professional wrestling, including live matches, for $9.99 a month.
Until now, WWE fans in the country have had to subscribe to satellite or cable TV services to catch matches.
Even events that are billed as pay-per-view elsewhere will be available at no additional cost.
Subscribers will also have on-demand access to more than 4,000 hours of past and current WWE footage as well as to video of events put on by now defunct wrestling organizations. The library includes matches involving legendary stars.
The streaming service will be offered in English. But, George Barrios, the WWE's chief strategy and financial officer, said, "over time we will decide if it makes sense for us to translate some of the content" into Japanese.
The WWE Network will also feature matches from the NXT circuit, a stable of up-and-coming athletes that includes Japanese wrestlers Hideo Itami and Asuka, a female wrestler.
The network started streaming in the U.S. in February 2014, then began expanding abroad that summer. The WWE Network currently has some 1.3 million subscribers, around 20% of whom live outside the U.S., according to Barrios.
The WWE Network ranks fifth among U.S. online streaming services, after Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and Major League Baseball's MLB.TV, according to Parks Associates, a market research and consulting company.
Barrios is upbeat about the service's potential in Japan. "Japan has a long wrestling tradition," he said. "We have a very loyal and passionate fan base. Japan is very, very important for our global strategy."
Rumor Mill - Daniel Bryan Claims WWE Have Asked Him To Be An Announcer Or Trainer
Daniel Bryan claims he has been offered the chance to be an announcer, or trainer at the WWE Performance Center.
The four-time World Champion’s future has been up in the air in recent times, with WWE’s medical teams refusing to allow him to get back into the ring – even though he has been given the all clear by his own personal doctor. It seems that Vince McMahon et al see his future away from being a competitor between the ropes.
The leader of the Yes movement spoke to Singaporean publication PassThePopcorn while on a promotional tour where he claimed to have been offered a new role.
“They [WWE] asked me a bunch of stuff of what I’d like to do like announce or be a trainer at NXT,” said Bryan. “I’m sure at some point in my life I would, but right now it would be too soon.”
If he was to be refused a return to the ring, Bryan has previously said that he could leave for pastures new. Singapore based The New Paper ran an interview with D-Bry where he said: “I think it could be the end of my career in WWE, but I don’t think it will be the end of my career.”
Given what a draw he is now, this would presumably mean a return to Japan as neither ROH, TNA and the like could afford him. At the end of the day WWE are looking out for one of their biggest star’s health. Even though you probably want to, you can’t begrudge them for that.
December 10, 2015
Triple H & Stephanie McMahon at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
Happy to have @TripleH join me as I represent @ChildrensPgh Board of Trustees & help give kids a chance to be kids. pic.twitter.com/7SBX1lNzrl
— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) December 10, 2015Stephanie sits on the Board of Directors.
Triple H Addresses Fan Frustration with the Current WWE Product, Explains Why Talents Like Finn Balor Are Not on the Main Roster, More
Triple H conducted an NXT Takeover London media conference call today, and the following are some more highlights from the call. You can listen to the full call audio in the player below.
On fan frustration with the current WWE TV product:
“We just have to become more disciplined and more Creative with how we do things, and how we operate the shows. We’ve had some unfortunate situations with injuries and everything else. It’s on us to be more creative and come up with a better format; a better show. We hear people’s frustrations and in a lot of ways feel the same way. It’s fixing it. And, trying to fix it. It is what it is. How we fix it, we’re not 100 percent sure yet. But, we will get there. Trust me.”
WZ Daily host Nick Hausman asked Hunter why talents like Finn Balor have yet to be called up to the main WWE roster, and Triple H responded with the following:
“The thing that I hate doing is, ‘Well, there’s a lot of injuries right now, so we’re going to pull this guy up,’ but then the injured guys will come back and then we’re not sure what we’ll do – now we have too many guys for the space.
I hate taking a guy as talented as Finn Balor and saying, ‘You’re the band-aid to hold us over until all these other guys come back and then we’ll see from there.’ If we don’t have that gameplan for when we call these guys up, especially for a Finn Balor, then it’s not the right time. You need to have something in your mind, and hopefully a long-term plan in place that gets them to where you want them to be. At least that would be the goal for me when guys come up.”
Stephanie McMahon And Others Nominated For Award
Stephanie McMahon, The Big Show, John Cena, Nikki Bella, Roman Reigns and Titus O'Neil are the WWE stars nominated for the 2015 Celebs Gone Good Awards. Stephanie commented on her nomination on Twitter, writing:
Nothing is more important than giving back. I’m proud to be nominated for @dosomething’s #CelebsGoneGood list. pic.twitter.com/Oom059SoEk
— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) December 10, 2015
December 8, 2015
December 7, 2015
Triple H Announces Warrior Book Contest
Everyone has a favorite Warrior Moment...send yours using #WarriorBook and you can win an exclusive signed copy. pic.twitter.com/Gj0i8zh7gH
— Triple H (@TripleH) December 7, 2015
Woman Wins CHIKARA Title
This past weekend at Chikara's Top Banana event, Kimber Lee made history by becoming the first woman to win the CHIKARA Grand Championship.
December 5, 2015
UFC President Dana White Announces a Reality Series Will Determine CM Punk’s First UFC Opponent, Watch the Pilot Episode
UFC President Dana White did an interview yesterday with TSN in Canada, and during the interview White revealed he will be using a reality series he is currently filming to scout potential opponents for former WWE Champion CM Punk’s first UFC fight in 2016. You can currently check out the pilot for the series in the video below, and White offered the following comment on the series:
“I just started a new show, the pilot is on YouTube, it’s called ‘Dana White Looking for a Fight’ and I’m actually out looking for opponents for CM Punk right now.”
WWE teams with Junk Food Clothing Co. for new apparel lines
The pair has launched a range of WWE graphic t-shirts and hoodies inspired by WWE Superstars and Legends from the entertainment company’s history.
Global wrestling brand, WWE has partnered with Junk Food Clothing Co. to deliver a new collection of licensed apparel.
Under the partnership, the pair has launched a range of WWE graphic t-shirts and hoodies inspired by WWE Superstars and Legends from the entertainment company’s history.
Launching over the holiday season in the US, the collection marks the first time Junk Food Clothing Co. has worked with WWE.
The line now joins a growing roster of licensed properties in the firm’s portfolio, featuring alongside the likes of NFL, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Marvel.
December 4, 2015
NBC/Universal Issues Statement About Declining WWE Ratings
Following an article by the The New York Post looking at WWE’s ratings decline titled “Is WWE down for the count?,” WWE’s broadcasting partner has issued a statement in defense of the company. A rep for NBC/Universal issued the following statement to the outlet:
“WWE programming delivers one of the most massive live audiences in cable on a weekly basis and is consistently a top performer for our networks.”
It’s worth noting that the Post article did state that despite the fact that ratings are down, WWE’s stock is up 41% year-to-year.
FOX News Looks At WWE Ratings Decline
FOX News ran a story here with Diana Falzone looking at the recent WWE ratings decline. She asked if WWE had writer's block and if the ratings drop was due to weaker storylines, stating that RAW "has declined by 50% since 2015." That's a little exaggerated. If you were to take the highest rated episode of RAW this year - the post-WrestleMania 31 show which garnered a 3.68 rating with 5.267 million viewers - and last week's record-low 2.21 rating with 2.7 million viewers, then that would be a 41% drop in the rating and a 49% drop in the audience. However, the audience for that episode was significantly higher than any other show this year. Really the average audience for the show was around 3.8 million viewers before football season started (including the post-Mania show), and around 3 million viewers since, a drop of about 21%. Without the post-Mania show, it's a 19% drop. Still not good by any means, but it's not quite as drastic as what is presented in the story, at least for the year
WWE Studios Announces Partnership and Will Release Multiple Films, Recording Artist to Star in a WWE Movie
WWE has released the following:
WWE STUDIOS AND CODEBLACK FILMS LOCK MULTI-PICTURE CO-PRODUCTION DEAL
Trey Songz to Star in First Title BROTHER’S BLOOD
WWE Studios and CodeblackFilms, a Lionsgate company, today announced a partnership to co-produce and co-finance a slate of films, starting with the gritty action thriller, Brother’s Blood. Trey Songz (Baggage Claim, Texas Chainsaw 3D) is set to star and John Pogue (The Quiet Ones) will direct the film, which is written by Michael Finch (Hitman: Agent 47, The November Man), Karl Gajdusek (Oblivion, Trespass) and Charles Murray (Sons of Anarchy, Castle, Criminal Minds).
Brother’s Blood takes place on the mean streets of a city in decay, where a recently released convict begins to take murderous revenge against his childhood friends, whom he believes let him take the fall for a crime they collectively committed. As the bodies start piling up, one of the friends, now a cop, will stop at nothing to put an end to the murderous rampage and to right the many wrongs of their tragically violent past.
“We look forward to working with Codeblack and expanding our tremendous relationship with Lionsgate,” said Michael Luisi, President of WWE Studios. “John Pogue and Trey Songz are exceptionally talented artists and the ideal creative team to shepherd our first co-production with Codeblack.”
Sean Waltman Explains Why The Kliq Recruited Triple H
Sean Waltman spoke with WrestleTalk in a new interview discussing the Kliq and Triple H joining them. Check out the video and highlights below:
On what the Kliq saw in Triple H: “Obviously we didn’t predict exactly what would (happen), but immediately it was like ‘let’s gobble him up.’ He was riding with Killer Kowalski every night, who was his teacher. He was trying to be cool to Walter (Kowalski). We were like ‘you gotta drop Walter, you’re coming with us.’ We needed a designated driver anyway.”
On what attracted the group to him: “Level headed, focused. His determination, drive. His learning curve, his aptitude. When he first got there, he was still the student, but the way he soaked up all the knowledge and got better, it was really light years ahead of how most people do it.”
December 3, 2015
Is WWE Down For The Count?
Fans of Vince McMahon’s WWE are wondering if the 70-year-old pro wrestling impresario has run out of good storylines.
Ratings for “WWE Raw,” the company’s Monday night show on USA Network, have fallen nearly 50 percent from their 2015 high amid a slew of complaints from fans that the entertainment has become too predictable.
As one fan, Alex, posted on ratings blog “TV By The Numbers,” sagging ratings are the result of “too many matches with no storylines and a predictable and boring ending.”
Such opinions have been plastered over pro wrestling bulletin boards recently, which coincide with a months-long decline in the Monday night TV audience.
For example, the audience for the Nov. 23 show slipped below the 3 million threshold — to 2.96 million — from a high of 5.36 million in March, according to WrestlingNewsWorld.com data.
As recently as Aug. 31, the audience was still pushing 4 million — at 3.89 million. However, the last three months have seen a sharp fall-off.
The audience for “Smackdown,” WWE’s Thursday night show on SyFy, fell to 1.65 million viewers on Thanksgiving Day, down 44 percent from its high-water mark on Jan. 29.
Sources said the viewing pool was expected to be drained by WWE’s over-the-top offering, WWE Network, whose 1.3 million subscribers have 24/7 access to the company’s content.
Despite the viewer slippage and storyline complaints, parent NBCUniversal is standing by its brute offspring.
“WWE programming delivers one of the most massive live audiences in cable on a weekly basis and is consistently a top performer for our networks,” NBCU told The Post. WWE said it had nothing to add to that comment.
Shares of the Stamford, Conn., company have been on a tear in 2015, rising 41 percent.
They gained 2.1 percent on Wednesday, to $17.43.
source: nypost.com
Why WWE Shares Keep Rising Despite Falling TV Ratings
Two combatants enter the ring. In one corner stands old school, in the other, new school.
Old school: WWE’s value is being diminished by severely declining television ratings for WWE Raw and SmackDown.
New school: WWE’s new business model is working as the WWE Network, which launched in February, 2014, continues to gain subscribers and is now among the top five over-the-top streaming services.
New school is kicking old school’s but: This year shares of WWE are up 41% versus gains of 8% for the NASDAQ and 1% for the S&P 500.
It’s a lopsided match but old school has not yet been pinned.
The next big thing, I believe, for new school is going to be virtual reality. Want to hook up with some of your WWE fans at Wrestlemania 32 at AT&T T +0.00% Stadium in Arlington, Texas but can’t get tickets or don’t have the time to travel? No problem, put one of these on and it will feel almost like you’re there.
Old school gets pinned by new school.
source: forbes.com
Brad Maddox Talks WWE Release, Practicing Promos With The McMahons, Being Frustrated In WWE
Brad Maddox recently spoke with Gary Mehaffy of F4Wonline.com. The full interview can be heard above where Maddox talks about going to OVW first, how he considers Joey Mercury a mentor, learning promo work from Dusty Rhodes, working with CM Punk and more. Below are highlights:
If using the word 'prick' in a dark match promo got him fired:
"It was because of that...That particular night was a bad decision on my behalf…I didn't think anything of it, but Vince wasn't happy about that. I don't know if it's a generational word that maybe used to be worse than it is now….I didn't really think it through, but I should have been more careful in that moment because I knew Vince was watching. I tend to take chances at stupid times."
Being frustrated in WWE:
"It has been a long couple of years for me, working on angles and ideas trying to get (back) in. I've always wanted to wrestle...Absolutely, I wanted to wrestle from the get go…I could have talked to Vince more than I did, rather than sitting around in catering hoping that the writers were coming up with something for me."
Practicing promos with Vince McMahon and Stephanie McMahon:
"I've got to do some cool stuff. Going over promos with Vince in his office, or the bathroom of his office – for some reason! – with him and Daniel Bryan and Stephanie."
December 1, 2015
Full Content Listing for WWE's "NXT: Greatest Matches Volume 1" DVD and Blu-ray Set
Courtesy of WrestlingDVDNetwork.com, below is the full content listing for the "WWE NXT: Greatest Matches Volume 1" DVD and Blu-ray that hits stores on March 8th:
DISC 1
It Started as a Whisper
Creating the Future
NXT Championship Tournament Final
Seth Rollins vs. Jinder Mahal
NXT • August 29, 2012
WrestleMania 31
No Disqualification Match for the NXT Championship
Seth Rollins vs. Big E Langston
NXT • January 9, 2013
Chris Jericho vs. Bray Wyatt
NXT • May 1, 2013
Women’s Wrestling is Back!
NXT Women’s Championship Tournament Final
Paige vs. Emma
NXT • July 24, 2013
Best 2 Out of 3 Falls Match
Sami Zayn vs. Antonio Cesaro
NXT • August 21, 2013
William Regal vs. Antonio Cesaro
NXT • December 25, 2013
WWE SmackDown Viewership Takes A Hit
Last Thursday's Thanksgiving edition of WWE SmackDown drew 1.652 million viewers, down from the previous week's 2.229 million viewers. A low number was expected for the holiday but this has to be one of the lowest in years. SmackDown was still #1 on cable for the night.
More Backstage News on Tommy Dreamer’s Status in WWE and TNA, Promoting House of Hardcore on Raw and More
As seen on Raw last night, ECW legend Tommy Dreamer made his return to WWE and aligned with The Dudley Boyz in their fight against The Wyatt Family.
According to PWInsider.com, it is not known if Dreamer has signed a full-time deal with WWE, but he most likely has not.
Dreamer was previously scheduled to work as a producer for TNA during its India tour, but with that being canceled it provided a window of opportunity for WWE to bring Dreamer in to help with the Wyatt/Dudley feud. Dreamer is not signed to a TNA deal, so it’s entirely possible WWE could sign him to a full-time, longer term deal if that’s what both sides are interested in.
As for what Dreamer was wearing on Raw last night, it was interesting to see WWE allow him to wear a House of Hardcore t-shirt, which is Dreamer’s independent promotion. With regards to the Polk-a-Dot pants Dreamer was wearing on Raw, that’s something he has been doing since one of his heroes, Dusty Rhodes, passed away.
WWE Taking Steps to Find Out Why it’s Losing the Raw Audience
According to PWInsider.com, WWE sent an email survey out to its WWE Fan Council yesterday, questioning them on the current state of Raw.
Questions included asking the fan when he/she watches Raw, when he/she changes the channel during Raw, and whether or not channel changing takes place during talking segments, matches, etc. This is likely WWE’s way of trying to determine why the company has lost about 25% of its viewers since June.
ECW Original Returns to WWE on Raw Tonight to Assist The Dudley Boyz
Last night on Raw, ECW original Tommy Dreamer made his return to WWE and joined The Dudley Boyz to assist them in their fight against The Wyatt Family.
The three ECW legends took on the team of Braun Strowman, Luke Harper and Erick Rowan in a 6 man tag team match. The finish of the match came when the match broke down and the ref ruled it a no contest.
November 30, 2015
Increased Security Continues at WWE Live Events
As noted, WWE beefed up security following the rumored ISIS terror threat during Survivor Series weekend, and according to WCHSTV.com, increased security continues at WWE live events.
The report notes that fans who attended last night’s WWE live event in Huntington, WV, were told to arrive to the venue early and be prepared to go through multiple levels of security. Doors to the 5pm event opened at 3:30, and all bags were checked, all fans were scanned with a metal wand, and anyone wearing a heavy coat was searched.
A new measure of security has also been added forcing patrons with bags to empty the contents of the bag into a clear bag which is provided by the venue, and the patrons must then return their bags to their cars.
November 28, 2015
WWE Confirms Cesaro’s Injury, How Long Will He Be Out of Action?, Cesaro Comments on the Injury, The Cesaro Section & More
WWE.com has published an article confirming Cesaro’s shoulder injury, and is reporting the results of an MRI revealed Cesaro has a torn tendon and a partially torn tendon in his left rotator cuff. Cesaro has been working through the injury for months and was hoping rehab would fix the issue, but he got a call from the doctor notifying him he will need to have surgery. Cesaro will be having the surgery today, and the official timeframe for his return is 4-6 months.
Cesaro had the following to say to WWE.com about the injury:
“I just want to come back as soon as possible. I felt I was building a lot of momentum, and that was all thanks to the fans. I really appreciate all the support I’ve gotten and I’ve felt that the Cesaro Section is finally rising and it’s becoming undeniable … and then, of course, this happens. It’s funny, because I am having the surgery on the day we are in Nashville, Tenn. [for Raw], which is where the Cesaro Section originated. I was actually expecting a big Cesaro Section tonight, and I’m sure they’ll be there. Unfortunately, I’ll be getting out of surgery. [Laughs]
I will be there in spirit with them. I want to keep the momentum up when I return, and I’m sure the Section will still be there.”
