Rumor Mill - XFL Trademark Filed, WWE Responds On Whether It Will Be Returning

From the very beginning, the XFL was quite a bizarre concept. Intentionally trying to go against the grain of what NFL fans view American football to look like, Vince McMahon sought out to create a league that was extreme and over-the-top.

Here were some rules that the XFL enforced to distinguish them from the NFL:

- Instead of a coin toss, players were placed on the 50-yard line to recover the ball. Whoever recovers had the choice whether they wanted to kick or receive.

- The receiving team had to run kickoffs out of the endzone, unless the ball was kicked through the endzone.

- Defensive players can use bump-and-run tactics down the entire field.

- There was no kicker for the point after touchdown (PAT). It had to be either via pass or run.

- There was no fair catch rule.

While the initial hype of the XFL generated a strong audience, diehard fans of the NFL began to heavily criticize the league, and numbers started to reflect the dissatisfaction. As a result, the XFL lasted only one season, and never returned again. On the ESPN 30 for 30 "This Was the XFL" documentary, the conclusion saw Vince McMahon discuss the ups and downs of the league with former NBC Sports Chairman Dick Ebersol. Interestingly, during the discussion, the idea of revitalizing the company after a 15-year absence was suggested. In fact, the idea was not adamantly rejected by either party.

Based on new information, the XFL could be returning. On Wednesday, June 28, 2017, the XFL trademark was filed by WWE under the category of "Education and Entertainment Services." WWE has until 12/28 before the foreign filing deadline is expired.

Here is the description provided to the United States Patent and Trademark Office for the filing.

"Entertainment services, namely, an ongoing series featuring wrestling exhibitions and performances by professional wrestlers and entertainers provided through broadcast media, namely, television and radio, and via the Internet or online service; Entertainment services, namely, production of sports and sports related programs provided through broadcast media, namely, television and radio, cable, satellite and via the Internet or online service; Sports entertainment, namely, conducting of sports competitions; Providing information in the fields of sports and entertainment via an online community portal; Providing a website featuring information in the fields of sports and entertainment."

Deadspin reached out to WWE regarding the resurrection of XFL. Although the spokesperson did not confirm or deny, it was revealed that Vince McMahon has started Alpha Entertainment, which will personally be funded by him to "explore investment opportunities across the sports and entertainment landscapes, including football."

How Was WWE NXT On The USA Network Viewership?

The broadcast debut for WWE NXT on the USA Network drew 841,000 viewers. This was a special airing for WWE Week on USA. The show ranked #22 on the Cable Top 150.

To compare, this week's RAW drew 2.684 million viewers (down from last week's 2.813 million viewers), this week's SmackDown drew 2.481 million viewers (down from last week's 2.493 million viewers) and last week's Impact Wrestling drew 226,000 viewers (down from 255,000 viewers).

WWE Gives Statement On Rich Swann's Arrest

WWE issued the following statement on Rich Swann's arrest, earlier today.

"WWE has zero tolerance for matters involving domestic violence, and per our policy, Rich Swann has been indefinitely suspended following his arrest."

As noted, earlier this morning at 12:09am in Gainesville, Florida, 205 Live Star Rich Swann was arrested and charged with Kidnapping and False Imprisonment: Adult, a third-degree felony in Florida that is punishable with up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine, if convicted. Swann was also charged with Battery (touching or strike), a first degree misdemeanor that is punishable with up to one year in jail or 12 months probation and a $1,000 fine, if convicted.

The Gainesville Police tweeted out Swann's mugshot and the police report, due to the numerous national media requests. According to the report, the victim was pro wrestler, Su Yung (Vannarah Riggs). Swann was driving a car and apparently began critiquing Riggs' performance at a wrestling show, earlier in the night. Swann was said to get angry and Riggs "got scared that the argument was going to escalate" and eventually jumped out of the car. The report continues Swann stopped the car in traffic, yelled for her to return, ended up putting her in a headlock and dragged her back to the vehicle.

SEE ALSO

WWE 205 Live Star Arrested, Updated With Police Report

Raven & Buff Bagwell's Lawsuit Against WWE Dropped "With Prejudice"

According to a report from PWInsider.com, the lawsuit filed against WWE by Marcus "Buff" Bagwell and Scott "Raven" Levy has been completely dropped, and with prejudice.

Their claim was that WWE owed them royalties from the WWE Network the same way that they would get royalties from physical media, like DVDs.

The report from PWInsider.com also notes that at one point while the lawsuit was going on, WWE officials were actually thinking about completely removing all content featuring Raven and Bagwell, even though it would have been a long and tedious process for them to go through and edit all of the WWE, WCW, and ECW footage that Raven and Bagwell appear in. 

This lawsuit reportedly stopped WWE from uploading more content to the Network that they wanted to add by now, including episodes of WWE Sunday Night Heat and WCW Thunder. Now that the lawsuit is finished, look for WWE to add more classic content in the near future.

Backstage News On Jim Johnston's WWE Release

Longtime WWE composer, Jim Johnston, was quietly released from the company this past week after his contract expired. The news was first reported by the @ThemeTitan_ Twitter account, as seen below. Johnston had worked for the company for over 32 years, and had composed legendary themes for The Undertaker, D-X, The Rock and many others.

While the release has yet to be officially announced by WWE, Dave Meltzer reported on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio that people in the company saw it coming and weren't surprised by it. Johnston apparently wanted to stay with the company but had a very high contract, and WWE has been relying more on CFO$ to produce their themes since 2012.

Johnston's release was expected once his contract expired, which happened last week. Meltzer noted that "it's the end of an era, but the era kinda ended years ago."

USA Network To Air WWE NXT Episode

USA Network’s website is advertising to broadcast an NXT episode on their network.

Multiple cable guides namely Comcast, FIOS and DirectTV are advertising that an NXT episode will air on the USA Network on Wednesday, December 13th at 7 pm ET.

This could be a one-off special to test viewership with potential for airing the show on a regular basis or part of WWE's annual Christmas week on the network.

Ford Files Lawsuit Against John Cena Over Sale Of Supercar

John Cena is on Ford's $#&% list for allegedly flipping his new $500k '17 Ford GT -- violating a contract with the company -- and they're takin' him to court.

According to the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Michigan, Cena was "selected from thousands of applicants for the opportunity to purchase the Ford GT."

Ford says Cena signed a deal in which he agreed to hold onto the car for at least 2 years ... prior to unloading it.

However, Ford claims, soon after receiving the car, Cena flipped it for a big profit.

"Mr. Cena has unfairly made a large profit from the unauthorized resale flip of the vehicle, and Ford has suffered additional damages and losses, including, but not limited to, loss of brand value, ambassador activity, and customer goodwill due to the improper sale."

Ford is demanding that Cena hands over all the profit from the sale, as well as other damages.

According to the suit, for his part, Cena told the company he sold the car, along with other property, to pay bills.

WWE Studios Expanding

Variety reports that WWE Studios is expanding into scripted TV series, animation and digital content as they look to grow the studio into a broad-based production operation. They are currently working on a HBO documentary on WWE Hall of Famer Andre the Giant and their next big movie project will be "Fighting With My Family" on Paige's pro wrestling family, which is being led by The Rock and director Stephen Merchant.

"WWE Studios is open for business with this new TV and digital initiative," said Vince McMahon.

"Our new expanded focus on television and digital continues to push WWE Studios as a multi-platform production company, with the ability to create original content for global distribution as we have successfully done for the big screen," said WWE Studios President Michael Luisi. "We look forward to identifying key partners to work alongside us while creating opportunities to use our on-screen WWE talent in new and exciting ways."

WWE NXT Call-Ups

Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose have been called up to Raw and Sarah Logan, Liv Morgan and Ruby Riot will be going to SmackDown.

Hideo Itami will be going to 205 Live.

Shawn Michaels, The Miz And Becky Lynch Announced For Next WWE Studios 'The Marine' Movie

WWE® STUDIOS AND SONY PICTURES WORLDWIDE ACQUISITIONS TO PARTNER ON THE MARINE 6: CLOSE QUARTERS

Starring WWE Superstars The Miz® and Becky Lynch™, and WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels®

Burbank, Calif. (November 22, 2017) – WWE Studios and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (SPWA) today announced that the two studios will partner again to release the upcoming action film The Marine 6: Close Quarters, directed by James Nunn (The Marine 5: Battleground, Eliminators). The film will feature WWE Superstars The Miz and Becky Lynch, and WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels, and is set to begin production on Monday, November 27 in London.

When Jake Carter (The Miz) and fellow Marine Luke Trapper (Shawn Michaels) stumble upon a kidnapped girl being held prisoner by a dangerous gang of international criminals, they find themselves in the crosshairs as they try to save the girl and bring her kidnappers to justice.

"The Marine series continues to deliver action-packed entertainment to our fans, and we are excited to partner again with Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions and director James Nunn to bring The Marine 6: Close Quarters to a global audience" said Michael Luisi, President of WWE Studios. "The motion picture debut of the talented Becky Lynch and the addition of Shawn Michaels to the series, alongside The Miz, is sure to bring the excitement and action to the next level."

Ric Flair Suing Former Manager Over "30 For 30" Money

Ric Flair claims he was supposed to pocket $25,000 for the ESPN "30 for 30"special on his life -- but his manager stole the money ... and now he's out for legal justice. 

Nature Boy is suing Legacy Talent and Entertainment -- the management company he used from 2009 until October 2017. 

Flair says he had a feeling something fishy was going down behind the scenes so he hired a lawyer to investigate his finances ... and realized he was missing huge amounts of cash. 

Among the missing money ... Flair says he learned Legacy Talent had received $25,000 from First Row Films, the production company behind Flair's "30 for 30" special. Flair claims he was never informed of the payment nor was given his cut. 

He also noticed a $12,000 royalty advance from Jake's Fireworks -- a company he signed an endorsement deal with earlier this year. 

Flair says he reached out to Legacy to find out why he never got the money and was told they were using the funds to pay legal bills. Flair is calling BS, saying he never authorized Legacy to do that. 

Flair says he's owed at least $46,000 -- and he wants his money back, asap. 

David Otunga and Jennifer Hudson No Longer Together; Hudson Is Granted Protective Order Against Otunga

People Magazine is reporting that WWE Superstar David Otunga and Academy Award Winner Jennifer Hudson are no longer together. Otunga and Hudson had been together for nearly ten years, have a son together and were engaged.

Hudson has filed and been granted a protective order against Otunga for what her rep described as, “in the best interest of their son.”

Otunga’s attorney released the following statement to People:

David Otunga has been trying to negotiate the terms of an amicable parenting agreement with Ms. Hudson for several weeks now. However, when it became apparent to Ms. Hudson that Mr. Otunga would be the parent granted residential care of the child, as a result of Mr. Otunga being the child’s primary caregiver while Ms. Hudson pursues her career all over the world, Ms. Hudson decided to file a meritless Petition for Order of Protection in an effort to gain an unfair advantage in the custody dispute.

As a result of Mr. Otunga’s career in the WWE, Ms. Hudson felt that she could give an award winning performance in court to portray herself as the victim.  Mr. Otunga has never abused or harassed Ms. Hudson or their son, and it is unfortunate, especially in today’s climate, that she would feel the need to make these false allegations against him. Mr. Otunga looks forward to his day in court and in being awarded the residential care of the parties’ only child.