Triple H Speaks To Students In WWE College Class

We noted back in January how Robert Morris University near Pittsburgh was offering a class on WWE for the Spring 2018 semester. The "Survey of WWE" class is a part of the Sports Management catalog and offers 3 credits to students, taught by Patrick Synowka. Below is the class synopsis:

"This course examines the cutting-edge business and artistic presentation practices of a global leader in live entertainment, World Wrestling Entertainment (NYSE: WWE). Students will review the history covering the professional wrestling business,its talent development, theatrical influences/production practices, event/facility management operations as well as WWE's innovative branding, marketing and mass media strategies

WWE Changes Name Of Fabulous Moolah Memorial Battle Royal

WWE is changing the name of the first-ever Fabulous Moolah Memorial Battle Royal to take place at WrestleMania 34. The new name will be the WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal.

WWE sent us the following statement on the name change today:

"After further consideration, we believe it's best to proceed with the name 'WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal.' What remains most important is that this historic match is part of WWE's unwavering commitment to the Women's Division."

We noted how the public backlash over WWE paying tribute to the WWE Hall of Famer Moolah began as soon as the match was announced on Monday's RAW. Fans were not happy over how WWE was honoring such a controversial figure. Moolah has been accused of pimping younger women's wrestlers and taking their pay decades ago, among other bad business practices.

WWE WrestleMania Sponsor Says Fabulous Moolah Battle Royal Name Is 'Unacceptable'

The backlash continues over WWE announcing the first-ever Fabulous Moolah Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 34, which will feature female wrestlers from RAW, SmackDown and NXT. Many fans are outraged that WWE would name the match after Moolah, with WWE even disabling comments on the video above for the match on YouTube. While Moolah is a WWE and NWA Hall of Famer and NWA Hall of Famer, as well as a four-time WWE Women's Champion and a five-time NWA Women's Champion, her controversial past it being brought to the forefront.

Moolah, who passed away at the age of 84 in 2007, has been accused of corruption and "pimping" out female wrestlers during her era. Luna Vachon, Wendi Richter, Leilani Kai and others have discussed Moolah's checkered past, with several of the allegations being denied by Moolah.

"Moolah did send girls out to this guy in Arizona and pimped them out," Jeannine Mjoseth, a former student of Moolah who briefly wrestled as Mad Maxine, told Slam! Wrestling in 2014. "I actually spoke to him on the phone and asked him what he was looking for. He said, 'If I'm spending all this money, you know what I want.' That was part of Moolah's way of making money. She was just a bad person. Moolah didn't have a good bone in her body."

The son of African American female wrestler Sweet Georgia Brown, who passed away in 1989, also told some disturbing stories to the Free Times in 2006 of his mother's experiences during the time that she trained and worked for Moolah. Brown was Moolah's first black student, and her family implied that Moolah and her common-law husband, Buddy Lee, would exploit her physically and financially.

A petition was launched at Change.org to change the name of the battle royal, which is nearing 10,000 signatures. Fans have also been contacting Snickers, which is a sponsor of WrestleMania. While WWE has not responded to our request for a comment regarding the backlash, Mars Wrigley Confectionery US, the parent company of Snickers, called the decision to name the battle royal after Moolah "unacceptable." Below is their statement that we received:

We were recently made aware of the World Wrestling Entertainment Inc's (WWE) decision to honor a former wrestler during the upcoming WrestleMania 34 event. As a principle-based business that has long championed creating inclusive environments that encourage and empower everyone to reach their full potential, this is unacceptable. We are engaging with the WWE to express our disappointment.

Backlash Over WWE's Fabulous Moolah Memorial Battle Royal, Mainstream Media Attention, Petitions

As noted, WWE announced on Monday that the first-ever Fabulous Moolah Memorial Battle Royal will take place at WrestleMania 34 with female Superstars from WWE NXT, RAW and SmackDown competing, likely for a trophy. The match is named after WWE Hall of Famer and NWA Hall of Famer The Fabulous Moolah, a four-time WWE Women's Champion and a five-time NWA Women's Champion. Her last WWE match came on September 15th, 2003 as she defeated Victoria on RAW, a match that she was promised for her 80th birthday, making her become the first octogenarian to wrestle in a WWE ring. She made a few more non-wrestling appearances for WWE over the years before passing away at the age of 84 in 2007.

There has been significant backlash among fans on social media since WWE made the announcement on Monday night.

Moolah has been accused over the years of essentially being a pimp to younger women's wrestlers back during her prime, taking advantage of them and screwing others out of work and pushes, among other allegations. The stories on Moolah come from shoot interviews with women's wrestling stars such as Luna Vachon, Wendi Richter, Leilani Kai and others, plus other industry talk. You can read a "Wrestler's True Colors" Reddit thread on Moolah at this link, which details some of the claims made about Moolah before and after her death, some of which have been denied by Moolah.

"Moolah did send girls out to this guy in Arizona and pimped them out," Jeannine Mjoseth, a former student of Moolah who briefly wrestled as Mad Maxine, told Slam! Wrestling in 2014. "I actually spoke to him on the phone and asked him what he was looking for. He said, 'If I'm spending all this money, you know what I want.' That was part of Moolah's way of making money. She was just a bad person. Moolah didn't have a good bone in her body."

Forbes has picked up on the backlash at this link and fans have launched a Change.org petition to have the name of the battle royal changed at this link. The petition has 3,165 signatures and counting as of this writing. There's also a petition to have the match canceled at this link. That petition has 3,231 signatures and counting as of this writing. These Change.org petitions never force any actual changes in WWE but they are worth mentioning.

As seen below, fans have responded to various tweets from female Superstars regarding Moolah and the match, including tweets from Stephanie McMahon and WWE NXT Women's Champion Ember Moon. Liv Morgan had made a tweet on the match but it appears she deleted it due to the feedback from fans.

The first-ever Fabulous Moolah Memorial Battle Royal to take place at WrestleMania

The Superstars of Raw, SmackDown and WWE NXT's Women's divisions will have the chance to make history yet again when they compete in the inaugural Fabulous Moolah Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 34.

As first announced on Raw, this ground-breaking battle royal will pay tribute to the first-ever WWE Women's Champion, The Fabulous Moolah, who not only paved the way for female competitors through the years, but also played a pivotal role in the first several WrestleMania events.

In the highly-anticipated free-for-all, members of the Women's divisions from Raw, SmackDown LIVE and WWE NXT will compete to be the last Superstar standing in the over-the-top-rope melee.

Jeff Hardy Arrested For DWI Following Traffic Accident

Jeff Hardy was arrested for Driving While Impaired on Saturday night in Concord, North Carolina after an accident on Concord Parkway. The accident happened at 8:11pm. Hardy was arrested at 10:39pm EST and released later that night. The police report notes that Hardy totaled his 2016 Cadillac CTS-V with an estimated $8,000 in damages. Hardy was not traveling over the speed limit but was going an estimated 50 mph at the time of impact. The report also indicates Hardy underwent some sort of test for alcohol but that the results were pending at the time of the arrest.

Officer Kelemecz wrote the following on the accident in the police report:

"Driver of Vehicle #1 ran off the roadway to the right, in turn striking about 105 feet of guardrail before the back end of the car spun out 90 degrees to the left, coming to rest in the middle of the right N bound lane of travel. The driver was arrested and charged with DWI."

The police report lists an estimated $5,000 in damages to the 105 foot of guardrail, owned by the NC Department of Transportation, which could be a factor in any restitution that the court orders Hardy to pay. As is standard in NC following a DWI arrest, Hardy's license have been suspended. His first court date is scheduled for Monday, April 16th in Cabarrus County.

In an update, WWE issued the following statement on the arrest to us this morning:

"Jeff Hardy is responsible for his own personal actions. We are investigating the matter and awaiting information from local law enforcement officials."

Ric Flair Talks Hip-Hop Community Respect

WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair recently spoke with Revolt to discuss his new appearance in the music video for the "Ric Flair Drip" single from Offset, 21 Savage and Metro Boomin. You can see the video above. Flair revealed that he wants to shoot a video with Offset's fiancee next, Cardi B. Flair commented on what it's like to be an icon to the hip-hop community today:

"I mean it's so rewarding. It's hard to explain all that stuff I did in the '80s. All that money I spent on jewelry when nobody was wearing it. [Laughs] It's all coming back around full circle. I used to sometimes want to kill myself later in life for all the money I spent renting jet airplanes, limousines, and all of that. But, now it's coming back full circle. I don't regret any of it. So to have the respect of guys like Snoop Dogg, who I've been friends with forever, and Offset, whose career and future is unlimited, I'm thrilled by it."

WWE Reportedly Planning To Introduce New Championships After Wrestlemania 34

WWE is reportedly planning on introducing a new set of Cruiserweight Tag Team Championships, and the titles would be debuted after Wrestlemania 34.

According to a report by PWInsider.com, multiple sources have confirmed the 205 Live brand will add the tag titles. The design of the titles has reportedly been finalized, but there is no current timeframe for when they might appear on TV besides the ‘post-Mania’ period.

It was also noted that several designs were worked on before the final ones were approved, and this should serve as a sign that WWE will continue to build the 205 Live brand moving forward.

Vince McMahon Makes Forbes 2018 Billionaires List, How Much Money Is McMahon Currently Worth?

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon is ranked #1,394 on the 2018 Forbes Billionaire List.

Forbes has Vince's 2018 Billionaires net worth at $1.7 billion as of today. They have Vince's Real Time net worth at $1.8 billion as of today.

This is Vince's second straight ranking on the annual list put out by Forbes. He missed the billionaire threshold in 2016 by just two months.

WWE Reportedly Set To Hold 100k Event In Australia In October

WWE is reportedly looking to hold one of their biggest events ever in 2018. The MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) is looking to host more big events going forward, and WWE wants to capitalize on this desire. The venue has a capacity of over 100,000, and is the 10th largest stadium in the world.

According to the Herald Sun (a major newspaper in Victoria, Australia), WWE has partnered up with Visit Victoria to put on a show in October, one week after the AFL Grand Final, which takes place on September 29. An announcement for the event is excepted to occur at WrestleMania 34 on April 8.

The reports states it would be a PPV event and they would look to bring in names like The Undertaker, Rey Mysterio, and John Cena. If this event does occur, it would crush the previous attendance record (56,214) in Australia, which was UFC 193 featuring Ronda Rousey vs. Holly Holm. Rousey just signed her Raw contract at last Sunday's Elimination Chamber.

It's estimated the event would bring more than $100 million to the state's economy, along with 900 jobs.

Regarding past WWE pay-per-views, WrestleMania 32 in Dallas, TX, broke the 100K threshold at 101,763, although this number has varied in accuracy. Others coming close to 100K were WrestleMania III in Pontiac, Michigan at 93,173 (again, that number is disputed), WrestleMania 29 in East Rutherford, NJ, at 80,676, SummerSlam '92 in London, England at 80,355, and WrestleMania 23 in Detroit, Michigan at 80,103.

Source: Herald Sun

Former WWE Star Tammy 'Sunny' Sytch Arrested On Fugitive From Justice Charges

Tammy Sytch, also known as former WWE star Sunny, is once again behind bars, with cops saying she is a "fugitive from justice."

According to a report tonight by TMZ, jail records show that Sytch is currently locked up in New Jersey on contempt of court and fugitive from justice charges.

TMZ is trying to get more details on what exactly led to her arrest.

Sytch, who turned 45 years old in December, has been arrested several times over the years. In 2012, she was arrested five times in a four-week span, for disorderly conduct, third-degree burglary, and three counts of violating a protective order. She was arrested a sixth time in January 2013, also for violating a protective order. She served 114 days in jail and was released in May 2013.

In January 2016, Sytch pleaded guilty to driving while under suspension. On August 18, 2016, a judge sentenced her to 90 days in jail but counted her 97 days in rehab as jail credit. On September 23, 2016, 18 days into her probation, Sytch was arrested for violating her parole. The arrest was due to three DUI arrests in 2015. Sytch remained in jail on these charges through her arraignment in January 2017. She was fined $1,496.45 for the remaining charges and released on February 3, 2017.

Triple H Hits Social Media Milestone

Triple H hit 7 million followers on Twitter, making him the third most followed pro wrestling personality behind only The Rock and John Cena. The top 10 most followed WWE personalities as it stands right now are:

1. The Rock (12.6 million)

2. John Cena (10.9 million)

3. Triple H (7.1 million)

4. Randy Orton (5.8 million)

5. Sheamus 4.8 (million)

6. Steve Austin (4.4 million)

7. Daniel Bryan (4.3 million)

8. Shawn Michaels (3.9 million)

9. Nikki Bella (3.4 million)

10. Chris Jericho (3.4 million)

Roman Reigns is close to cracking the list, sitting at #11 with 3 million followers.