Update On 'WWE Kids' Project

The "WWE Kids" project that a pilot was filmed for several months back will be moving forward soon. The pilot was filmed at Full Sail University with Big Show, Heath Slater and others.

Adam Rose Faces the Judge...Wife Begs For Mercy

Shackled and sporting an orange jail jumpsuit, WWE superstar Adam Rose appeared in Florida court Thursday in his domestic violence case ... where his wife begged the judge to cut the guy a break.

Rose was arrested Wednesday morning after allegedly roughing up his wife -- and then smacking the phone away from her when she called 911. He's been charged with battery and tampering with a witness.

The judge wanted to hit Rose with a restraining order -- barring him from contact with his wife. But shockingly, she begged the court to reconsider ... because she wants him to come home.

During the hearing, Rose's wife said they have a special needs child who needs both parents.

Rose's lawyer also argued Rose's actions were "not aggressive or painful" but rather "more of a passionate, 'Hey, let's talk about this.'"

The judge mentioned a PREVIOUS domestic violence incident in March -- and expressed concern about a pattern of abusive behavior. But in the end, Rose's wife got her wish ... and the judge held off on the restraining order.

The judge also set a low bond -- $1,000 -- which means Rose will probably be out of custody by the end of the day. He's been ordered to see his pastor for counseling once a week until his next court date in June.

Click here for the video.

source: tmz.com

Adam Rose was released from the Hillsborough County, Florida jail at 4:10pm EST today.

Another WWE Veteran Released From His Performer's Contract

The Brooklyn Brawler, Damien Sandow, King Barrett, Hornswoggle, El Torito, Alex Riley, Zeb Colter, Santino Marella and Cameron were not the only 9 talents released from WWE last week as Christian was also released from his contract.

Christian's release did not have to do with his agreement to do The Edge and Christian Show and is more of a technicality of no longer having an active performer's contract, according to The Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Christian hasn't wrestled since his last concussion in March 2014 and WWE decided to stop using him due to his history of concussions. He remained under a performer's contract until now but he is still affiliated with the company.

ESPN And Jonathan Coachman XFL Project

Jonathan Coachman stated during today's episode of The Ross Report with Jim Ross that ESPN is currently working on a "30 For 30" special on Vince McMahon's XFL football league. Coach noted that they've been watching all the old XFL tapes, reliving the games and commentary.

Linda McMahon Among Trump Delegates to GOP Convention

The Hartford Courant reports that Linda McMahon will be in Cleveland as a delegate for the GOP Convention in July. All delegates and alternates were selected by Donald Trump's campaign and formally accepted by the Republican State Central Committee on Monday.

Adam Rose Suspended Indefinitely Following Arrest

Adam Rose has been suspended indefinitely after being arrested for misdemeanor domestic battery and felony tampering with a witness earlier today in Hillsborough County, Florida. Rose grabbed his wife's face during an argument, while screaming at her, and admitted to taking the phone from her when she went to call 911.

Rose was already serving a 60-day suspension for his second violation of the WWE Wellness policy and if he's convicted of these new charges, his contract will automatically be terminated.

Dana Brooke To Make Main Roster In-Ring Debut

As seen on RAW, NXT star Dana Brooke made her WWE main roster debut, aligning herself with Emma and attacking Becky Lynch.

Brooke will make her main roster in-ring debut this week on WWE Smackdown, where she will face off with Lynch.

Dana White Responds To UFC Sale Reports

As noted, Darren Rovell of ESPN reported this evening that the UFC was in "advanced talks" to sell the promotion. According to the report, at least four bidders have submitted offers to purchase the company, including WME/IMG, The Blackstone Group, China Media Capital and Dalian Wanda Group. It was noted that the winning bid will be in the $3.5 billion - $4 billion range, with the Chinese-based Dalian Wanda Group being in the lead. UFC President Dana White responded to the report, telling The Las Vegas Review Journal that the story is "overblown."

"The UFC is not for sale," White said. "The ESPN story is overblown. Darren Rovell is not a fan of facts. His facts could not be further off."

Rovell responded to White on Twitter, writing:

LOL: @danawhite says UFC is not for sale and that I'm not a "fan of facts." We had 5 independent sources on this.

Hey @danawhite, once you hire an investment back to give out your financials, it's hard to say you're not for sale.

We had three different independent sources that said that UFC volunteered a full year EBITDA of in between $200M & $250M to investors.

Rumor Mill - UFC Owners Reportedly Negotiating Sale Of The Company

In the middle of one of the biggest pay-per-view years in company history, it appears as if the owners of the Ultimate Fighting Championship may be selling the company.

According to an ESPN report this evening, there are at least four bidders that have submitted offers to purchase the company. Those bidders are WME/IMG, The Blackstone Group, China Media Capital and Dalian Wanda Group. The likely winning bid will end up somewhere between $3.5 billion and $4 billion, says ESPN.

UFC VP of public relations Dave Sholler wouldn't comment on the matter, saying the UFC doesn't discuss speculation.

The Fertitta brothers own over 80 percent of the company, with Flash Entertainment owning 10 percent and UFC President Dana White as another minority owner. The Fertitta's company Zuffa LLC purchased the UFC in 2001 for just $2 million. The company had financial struggles for several years before turning a corner on it's way to being a pay-per-view juggernaut.

The ESPN report says that Chinese-based Dalian Wanda Group is the leader to buy the UFC. The company's chairman happens to be Wang Jianlin, with a net worth estimated between $28 billion and $35 billion.

Longtime WWE Employee Released

From Mike Johnson at pwinsider.com:

I initially heard this last week when all the other announced WWE releases were going down, but since WWE did not (and still has not) publicly acknowledged it, I wanted to triple-check before PWInsider.com reported this - but we can confirm that last week, WWE released Steve Lombardi, 55, aka The Brooklyn Brawler and he is, after over 30 years, no longer with the company.

Lombardi has worked full-time in professional wrestling since at least the early 1980s, mostly as a preliminary wrestler for WWF, both under his given name or under different masked personas. He was Kamala's handler Kim Chee in the late 1980s and in the early 1990s, performed as Doink the Clown during the time period WWF had multiple Doinks appearing, sometimes at the same time.

Lombardi's biggest singles push as a wrestler came in 1989 when he was rechristened the Brooklyn Brawler and managed by Bobby Heenan in a feud with The Red Rooster, Terry Taylor. He performed as MVP and Abe "Knuckleball" Schwartz at times as well, doing a baseball-inspired character that never seemed to get out of the gate. In 1997, he won a Battle Royal in Madison Square Garden as a surprise, earning a WWF title match against Shawn Michaels in what was undoutedly his highest profile match in his home market, NYC.

Although he continued to make sporadic appearances over the years on WWE TV (usually at events broadcast from NYC, where he was always a cult favorite), Lombardi had been a far more valuable asset to the company behind the scenes, where he worked his way up to overseeing and producing promos. Lombardi was the person that every talent, upon trying out, had to cut promos for and his praise or criticism would factor greatly into whether the talent would get a bigger look from the company.

Vince McMahon Addresses Shane McMahon’s Return to TV, How He Feels His Son Is Doing Since His Return and Shane’s Current WWE Status

During today’s 2016 first quarter earnings call, Vince McMahon addressed Shane McMahon’s return to WWE TV.

On Shane’s current status, Vince made it clear Shane has “come back as a talent”, and that he is part of an “ongoing storyline” in which he is running WWE Raw with his sister Stephanie McMahon.

Vince did not address whether or not Shane has returned to WWE in an executive capacity, nor did Vince elaborate on Shane’s future with regards to returning to WWE as an executive. Vince did add that he feels Shane is doing “extremely well” in WWE since his return to the ring at WrestleMania 32.

WWE Conference Call: Vince McMahon discusses the first quarter financial report

Vince McMahon and members of senior management served as the hosts of a conference call pertaining to the 2016 first quarter financial report that was released on May 10, 2016. The following are the highlights of the call. Refresh the page for the latest updates.

-The call is hosted by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, WWE Chief Strategy and Financial Officer George Barrios, and WWE Investor Relations Michael Weitz.

-It was emphasized that WrestleMania occurred in the second quarter this year compared to last year.

-Vince said the earnings revenue was “pretty good.” He praised the WWE Network number through WrestleMania and the “brand equity of WrestleMania” while noting that they broke their attendance record. Vince said the majority of the tickets were sold when they put them on sale.

-Vince spoke about new network content. He said Camp WWE is doing “extremely well” on the VOD side. He also touted the Holy Foley show and Total Bellas. Vince also boasted of their success on social media and once again labeled it the strength of the brand.

-Vince said they were able to make “chicken salad” out of the injuries they suffered heading into WrestleMania. He mentioned Randy Orton, Seth Rollins, Bray Wyatt, and John Cena among the returning stars. He said they have introduced 13 new talents and said it speaks to the strength of the NXT brand.

More?

WWE Reports Strong First-Quarter 2016 Results

WWE Extends Triple H's Talent Contract

New WWE paperwork filed with the SEC reveals that Triple H extended his booking contract on May 9th. This indicates that he is planning on being "talent" through WrestleMania 35 in 2019. Triple H's previous performer's deal expired at the end of March and this new deal will automatically renew unless they terminate it for any reason.

Triple H Talks About Sheamus and Becky Lynch, Their Work Ethic

Triple H spoke with 98 FM in Dublin, Ireland last week to promote the upcoming WWE NXT UK tour. He commented on what got Sheamus and Becky Lynch to where they are:

"Well because they both have an amazing work ethic. I've known Sheamus for a long time, he's amazingly dedicated, just trains hard and is a sponge for the business. He wants to learn and constantly grow. Becky is the same thing. Becky, from the time I met her and we brought her into the Performance Center, through her time at NXT. Her rate of change and how she's grown as a performer and a character, just captivated the crowd [with] her energy. I always say Becky's energy is infectious. You can't talk to her more than 5 minutes without feeling hyped up and jazzed up. I think that's what works for her, is her personality. But the thing that helps both of them, and I don't know if that's Dublin work ethic or what that is, they're just very hard workers and that's what it takes to get to the top of the game in WWE."

Backstage News on EC3 Shooting on WWE at EVOLVE 61

As we noted over the weekend, TNA star EC3 made a surprise appearance at EVOLVE 61 in Queens and cut a promo after the main event, during which he and TNA Champion Drew Galloway took shots at NXT and Triple H.

According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio, the promo was not meant to be a WWE vs. TNA angle, but was meant to have an anti-WWE feel. However, it’s being said if WWE had a problem with it, it never would’ve happened. It was speculated that EVOLVE isn’t doing anything that WWE wouldn’t sign off on right now.

Andre The Giant Biopic In The Works

Lion Forge Comics and producers Scott Steindorff and Dylan Russell have partnered to develop a feature film about the life of iconic pro wrestler Andre “The Giant” Roussimoff.

The project is based on the authorized graphic novel biography published last year, “Andre the Giant: Closer to Heaven.” Roussimoff’s daughter Robin Christensen-Roussimoff will consult on the film and assigned the exclusive rights for the biography to the producers.

“Andre the Giant rode the wave of the rise of wrestling in America, while suffering from the painful health condition of gigantism – there’s an Elephant Man story here,” Steindorff said.

In addition to his wrestling career, Roussimoff played a key role in Rob Reiner’s 1987 fantasy comedy “The Princess Bride” as Fezzik, part of a trio of bandits with characters played by Wallace Shawn and Mandy Patinkin. He began wrestling professionally at the age of 17 and was billed as being 7-feet-4 and over 500 pounds hailing from “Grenoble in the French Alps.”

“As a lifelong wrestling fan, I can say with conviction that no one was bigger than Andre,” said Lion Forge CEO David Steward II. “His presence and charisma were so powerful, and you could tell there was much more to him under the surface of his ring persona. It’s been an amazing experience telling that story in the book with Robin’s help. With all the spectacle, action, and emotion there on the page, a feature film just made perfect sense.”

“Andre the Giant: Closer to Heaven” was written by Brandon Easton and illustrated by Denis Medri. The biography, which was nominated for the Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity and three Glyph Awards, recounts the wrestler’s life from his earliest days working on the family farm in France along with the rise of professional wrestling itself through the World Wrestling Federation, due in large part to Andre the Giant’s celebrity.

Steward and Lion Forge’s Carl Reed will produce with Steindorff and Russell of Stone Village Productions, with Joel Falderon as a co-producer and Barry Alexander as an associate producer. Jimmy Thomas will executive produce with Peter Fruchtman.

“I’m really excited to watch this story come to life on the big screen,” Robin Christensen-Roussimoff said. “It’s been a labor of love for everyone involved, and we’re really looking forward to making it available to a larger audience.”

source: variety.com

Top TNA Star Makes Surprise Appearance at EVOLVE 61, Shoots on WWE and NXT, Takes Shots at Triple H, Bill DeMott and More

Top TNA star Ethan Carter III rushed the ring at tonight’s Evolve 61 IPPV event and, along with Drew Galloway, attacked Johnny Gargano ending the show’s main event. EC3 then cut a scathing promo on NXT, Triple H, independent wrestlers and more.

Featured below is a full transcript of the promo, edited for clarity.

“[Galloway] became a world champion on his own. I became a world champion on my own. So the way I look at it, you know who kinda blew it? The 203. Stamford, CT. Up north. The ‘King of Kings’, that’s who blew it.”

EC3 and Galloway then fight off multiple referees and wrestlers trying to interfere, as EC3 continues his shoot, now addressing the talent that tried to chase him off.

“No, no, I get it. I get it guys, you wanna make the next step. You want to be good soldiers. But take it from us – you know what they do to good soldiers? They put them on the front line and make them take the bullet.”

EC3 then emulates urinating on the Evolve turnbuckle and dropping an “EC2” on the canvas.

“You wanna take that next step? You wanna get to the show everybody loves? ‘Oh we have great matches, compelling characters, great storylines, NXT, NXT, yay! You know what makes a star? Surviving. Try surviving obstacle courses. Getting slimmed. Wheelbarrow races. Six-minute TV matches where you can’t do any of your cool moves. And Redemption Points! Here we stand, a true success story of independence. Independence is not [ ] to the machine; independence is succeeding despite it.”

Carter was of course referring to his time in WWE, where he actual competed in the original NXT concept when the program was a reality competition. Drew Gulak then rushes the ring and is met with the same fate as the others before him.

“Nice boots Gulak. Do you know what this is? This is a microphone. This is how you create box office. This is how you put asses in seats. No flips and false-finishes. This man (points to Galloway) was ‘chosen’ as a reason. If I can be humble for a second – I have been endorsed by the best, only to be destroyed by the worst. So I’m gonna shoot with you real fast, buddy. By endorsed I mean Hall of Famers, world champions, that kind of thing. But when it comes to being destroyed, I can only think of one obese sociopath who’s best known for being [ ]. So hey Bill, guess what – I won!”

At this point, TJ Perkins rushes the ring and is also taken out by both men, finished off with a powerbomb by Galloway. Carter continues…

“I’m not finished! We are the last bastion of the independents here. We are two men – we weren’t failed football projects. We weren’t models. We weren’t body builders pulled out of a gym. We sure as hell weren’t anyone’s kids! We are two men who love this industry, who breath this industry. To us this isn’t a game – this is our god damn lives.”

It was at this point that Ethan Page rushed the ring with a steel chair and the Evolve talent was all able to run off the invading TNA force. The two sides had a staredown and traded promos for a bit before EC3 and Galloway ended up leaving.

This entire angle was to set up a tag team match featuring Gargano and TJP taking on EC3 and Galloway at the next Evolve show on June 10th.

source: wrestlezone.com

Former TNA & CZW Champions Advance to WWE Cruiserweight Classic at Evolve 61

You can officially add TJ Perkins and Drew Gulak to the WWE Cruiserweight Classic, as both men won their qualifying round matches at tonight’s Evolve 61 IPPV event.

TJ Perkins is 31-years-old and a long-time TNA talent, wrestling under the names Suicide and Manik, and is a former X-Division Champion.

Drew Gulak is a 29-year-old long-time Combat Zone Wrestling talent, winning the promotions World Heavyweight Championship, tag team championship, and television title.

WWE Cruiserweight Classic Update

The WWE Global Cruiserweight Series has been re-named to The Cruiserweight Classic. Apparently other changes are being discussed for the 32-man tournament that kicks off this summer. F4Wonline.com reports that there may be changes to come for the tapings schedule. The tapings have been announced for the week of June 20th at Full Sail University, apparently over a few days. This past week that there was talk of having some of the matches take place with WWE NXT TV matches.