No Charges To Be Filed Against Enzo Amore

Former WWE Superstar Enzo Amore (Eric Arndt) revealed on Twitter today that the investigation into sexual assault allegations has been closed and no charges were filed.

Enzo, while WWE Cruiserweight Champion, was accused back in January by a woman named Philomena Sheahan in Phoenix, Arizona, who claimed the assault took place several months before. This led to a police investigation and WWE releasing Enzo on January 23rd. There's no word yet on how WWE will react to the latest developments or if they might bring Enzo back in the future. The letter noted that Enzo was not aware of the accusations beforehand until Sheahan's tirade on Twitter.

It was also noted in the letter Enzo tweeted that he has plans for a new venture in the entertainment industry but there's no word yet on if he plans on returning to the ring for any wrestling promotion.

Below is the full letter from Enzo's attorney, Tom Cargill, which was tweeted out this afternoon by Enzo:

On January 22, 2018, Eric Arndt (also known as Enzo Amore for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)) was accused, via the internet and social media, of misconduct during an alleged incident in Phoenix, Arizona several months earlier. Prior to that date, no law enforcement or any other officials had contacted Mr. Arndt regarding such claims. However, after the careless, unfounded tirade on social media, Mr. Arndt learned of these accusations when his counsel reached out to Phoenix Police. Subsequently, and as evidenced by the vast amount of online admissions and other publicly available information, it was soon clear that the accuser exhibited a complete lack of truth or credibility. At all times, Mr. Arndt fully and unequivocally denied such accusations and remained confident in clearing his name.

The Phoenix Police Department recently informed Mr. Arndt and his counsel that there is insufficient evidence in this matter to warrant any criminal charges, that the matter will not be transferred to the County Attorney for prosecution, and that their investigation and case is closed. No charges were ever filed. The matter is closed.

Mr. Arndt expresses his gratitude for the enormous amount of support from his fans and followers during this time period. The support has carried him through these events and opened his eyes to the faith and loyalty of those who have cheered and followed his career. This experience has further taught Mr. Arndt to be cautious with his personal associations, because false, defamatory, and unfounded accusations can alter and impact the lives and careers of the falsely accused and their families. Mr. Arndt is working diligently toward his next venture in the entertainment industry and looks forward to reconnecting with his fans in a big way in the very near future.

*** Tom Cargill, P.A., is Mr. Arndt's personal general counsel. Osborn Maledon, P.A., served as Mr. Arndt's defense counsel in Phoenix, AZ, regarding the alleged incident and accusations.

CM Punk To Go To Trial With WWE Doctor Next Week

Former WWE superstar Phil 'CM Punk' Brooks will be on trial on May 21, in a defamation case brought on by WWE doctor, Chris Amann.

Amann is suing Punk as well as fellow wrestler Colt Cabana, for comments made by the two on Cabana's 'Art of Wrestling' podcast in November 2014. 

During the episode, Punk alleged that Amann encouraged the former WWE champion to work a European tour with a concussion, and allegedly misdiagnosed an MRSA infection. 

Punk also claims that Amann has repeatedly placed the interests of the WWE over the medical interests of superstars. 

Amann is suing for defamation, which is defined as lowering someone in the eyes of right-thinking members of society and/or disparage that person in their trade. 

Punk and Cabana initially attempted to have the lawsuit dismissed, but this motion was turned down by the presiding judge. 

WWE have issued the following statement:

"Phil Brooks' latest claim that WWE directed Dr. Amann to file a lawsuit against Brooks is categorically false. Dr. Amann made the decision to file suit in order to protect his professional reputation. WWE conducted its own investigation into this matter and found no evidence of wrongdoing by Dr. Amann, and thus continues to support Dr. Amann and the staff that runs our world-class medical program."

Punk is scheduled to have his second UFC match against Mike Jackson at UFC 225 on June 9.

Final Two Members Of MMA's Four Horsewomen Report To The WWE Performance Center In Orlando

WWE now has all four of MMA's Four Horsewomen working for the company as Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke have reported to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando. Ronda Rousey is currently on the RAW brand while Shayna Baszler is the WWE NXT Women's Champion. Shafir is engaged to NXT Tag Team Champion Roderick Strong.

Below is WWE's full announcement on Duke and Shafir arriving:

Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke, Four Horsewomen teammates of Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler, report to WWE PC

MMA's Four Horsewomen have arrived in WWE in full force.

Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir have joined their Four Horsewomen teammates Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler in making the move from mixed martial arts to sports-entertainment, reporting for training today at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla.

The 5-foot-11 Duke fought professionally from 2012 to 2016, competing in the bantamweight class for organizations including the UFC. She was also a member of the UFC's "Ultimate Fighter" reality competition series in 2013, as part of "Team Rousey."

Shafir, known by the nickname "The Supernova from Maldova," stands 5-foot-7 and has fought under the banners of Invicta and Lights Out Promotions. She is also engaged to NXT Superstar Roderick Strong and has been seen at ringside for many of The Messiah of the Backbreaker's matches.

The WWE Universe no doubt remembers the Four Horsewomen's standoff with Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch and Bayley — three-quarters of WWE's Four Horsewomen, alongside Sasha Banks — at last year's Mae Young Classic. Duke, Shafir and Rousey were there to support Baszler, who advanced to the final round of the inaugural tournament before losing to Kairi Sane. Though the Four Horsewomen factions did not come to blows at the Mae Young Classic, the exchange of words made for a stirring scene.

Since then, Baszler and Rousey's impact in the squared circle been nothing less than immense: The Queen of Spades forcefully claimed the NXT Women's Title from Ember Moon at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans, while "Rowdy" Ronda has emerged as one of Raw's top Superstars following a spectacular in-ring debut at WrestleMania, where she teamed with Kurt Angle to defeat Triple H & Stephanie McMahon.

With Duke and Shafir now preparing to conquer a new world of combat sports, will it be long before they add to Baszler and Rousey's already incredible list of accomplishments in the ring?

WWE Listed As A Minority Owner In The XFL

MLive.com is reporting WWE is listed as a minority owner for the XFL in the latest SEC filings that came out earlier this week. WWE and McMahon's Alpha Entertainment LLC (parent owner of the XFL) had an agreement where the following was stated:

"Alpha has announced that it expects that this launch will occur in early 2020. Under these agreements, WWE received, among other things, a minority equity interest in Alpha without payment by, or other financial obligation on the part of, WWE."

As noted, the Orlando Sentinel reported that officials from Vince McMahon's XFL have reached out to to the city of Orlando about possibly bringing one of the XFL football teams to Camping World Stadium. It was believed that XFL and WWE would run separate for the most part but Allen Johnson, Executive Director of Orlando's venues, confirmed to the Sentinel that John Saboor, WWE's Senior Vice President of Special Events, was the one that recently reached out about an XFL team in Orlando.

Back in December, McMahon sold $100 million worth of WWE stock to help kick start his Alpha Entertainment LLC venture. In an interview with The New York Times, McMahon responded to the sale:

"I am very committed to this, and it's going to take more than $100 million to do this league."

WWE Paying Female Superstars For GRR

WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler recently indicated on his "Dinner with The King" podcast that WWE might be paying their female Superstars for last Friday's Greatest Royal Rumble event, even though they were unable to appear due to the culture in Saudi Arabia. PWInsider has confirmed that the female Superstars are being paid as if they would have been on the show. WWE reportedly received major money from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for what was the first event under a 10-year deal between the two sides.

WWE Planning NXT Expansion Through ‘Global Localization’ of Performance Centers & Regional Territories

WWE wants to take over the world. As the largest and most profitable professional wrestling organization, WWE has already expanded their brand on a global level with live events and talent being recruited from all corners of the map.

Now WWE is expanding even further by using their model for NXT in new locations around the globe.

Paul “Triple H” Levesque, who championed and helped built NXT into a feeder system for the main WWE roster, revealed plans for even more expansion to help cultivate and foster talent from countries all over the world.

“With ‘RAW’ and ‘Smackdown Live’ calling up all of my NXT superstars, I quickly realized NXT needed a feeder system of its own,” Levesque explained when speaking at the WWE 2018 Business Partner Summit. “We had to re-imagine once again how and where we were recruiting. Not only in the United States but outside as well.”

The plan to expand falls under what Triple H calls ‘global localization’ — a term he’s actually trademarking — where WWE will establish performance centers and NXT style brands in local markets around the world.

The first example of this kind of expansion was with WWE launching the United Kingdom tournament that crowned a champion last year with another version of that same event taking place again in June.

“WE’VE GOT TO FIND A WAY TO TRANSFORM THE CURRENT PATHWAY INTO A SUPER HIGHWAY” ~ TRIPLE H

Now WWE plans to expand that same kind of footprint in new markets around the globe including the possibility of setting up a performance center and an NXT type brand with their new partners in Saudi Arabia after inking a 10 year deal there just recently.

“We’ve got to find a way to transform the current pathway into a super highway,” Levesque explained. “We’re going to do it through what I call ‘global localization’. Where we’re going into individual markets around the world, we will create scaled versions of the template we’ve created.

“Organizing tryouts, recruiting talent, establishing performance centers and building on the ground NXT style brands.”

The global expansion will look to build home grown talent from markets in Europe, Asia, and numerous other places around the world.

As Triple H revealed during his chat with those in attendance, 80-percent of the current WWE roster came from NXT, which serves as all the proof he needs to show that this expansion is not only good for the organization, it’s absolutely necessary to continue building the brand on a global scale.

There’s no word yet when WWE plans to launch these new performances centers and NXT type brands, but obviously plans are already underway with the return of the U.K. tournament in June.

2018 WWE Business Partner Summit

During WrestleMania Week, WWE’s executive team discussed the company’s record-breaking year and its 2018 strategic plans at the annual Business Partner Summit. This year’s Business Partner Summit was hosted by Renee Young and Byron Saxton and included appearances by WWE Superstars John Cena, Ronda Rousey, Charlotte Flair, Elias, The New Day, Bayley and Bobby Roode.

Highlights from the Summit, found in the video on corporate.wwe.com, include:

WWE’s Business Strategy: Record-Breaking 2017 Results and Road Map for 2018 (Michelle Wilson and George Barrios)
WWE Brand: 2017 Successes (Stephanie McMahon)
Sales and International (John Brody)
Digital and Social Media (Jayar Donlan)
Talent Recruitment and Global Localization (Paul “Triple H” Levesque)
WWE’s Business Partner of the Year Award presented to Cricket Wireless (John Cena and Charlotte Flair)

WWE Gets Restraining Order Against Fan Following Several Incidents; More Details

In a report today by TMZ Sports, it was revealed that WWE has gained a restraining order against Armando Alejandro Montalvo who is believed to have been harassing the company since 2015.

Montalvo has reportedly been a part of the following incidents in Florida:

Smearing his own feces on the walls of the WWE Performance Center in July 2015Wearing a makeshift costume and banging on the doors of the PCHarassing employees at WWE Event where he screamed his wrestling name and made references to his genitalsWWE claims Montalvo has threatened to use his semen in a biological attackIn early April, Montalvo made cryptic threats in a post on Instagram which prompted the company to seek the restraining order.

WWE Hall of Famer Bruno Sammartino passes away

From WWE.com:

WWE is saddened to learn that WWE Hall of Famer Bruno Sammartino passed away at age 82.

The story of Bruno Sammartino is the story of the American dream.

During his childhood in the small Italian mountain town of Pizzoferrato in the Abruzzi region of Italy, Bruno Sammartino heard stories about how the streets in the United States were paved with gold. Though he believed it literally at the time, Sammartino would experience fortune and fame first-hand as the longest-reigning WWE Champion and the most beloved competitor in the history of the squared circle.

Life wasn’t always so glorious for The Italian Superman. Bruno’s brother and sister both passed away at young ages, and Adolf Hitler’s Nazi forces seized their town, but Bruno persevered. He and his mother hid in a mountain called Valla Rocca during the German occupation and eventually joined his immigrant father in Pittsburgh in 1950.

Sammartino began lifting weights as a young man and grew to become one of the strongest men on the planet. After setting a world record in 1959 by bench-pressing 565 pounds, Sammartino caught the eye of Vincent J. McMahon, and became a sports-entertainer.

Bruno became an overnight sensation, connecting with not only fellow Italians, but also the Latino, Greek and Jewish communities, successfully bridging the gap in America’s melting pot of wrestling fans. His legend continued to grow on May 17, 1963, when Sammartino defeated Buddy Rogers in just 48 seconds to become the second-ever WWE Champion in front of nearly 20,000 fans at the old Madison Square Garden.

Bruno held the WWE Championship for nearly eight years — by far the longest reign of all time, and a record for all professional wrestling champions, no matter the organization. A household name all over the country, the beloved hero defended his title in legendary rivalries against WWE Hall of Famers Killer Kowalski, Gorilla Monsoon and George “The Animal” Steele.

In early 1968, Sammartino headlined the first wrestling event at the brand-new Madison Square Garden, just eight days after it opened. The Garden truly was the house that Bruno built, as he sold it out an astounding 187 times. When he lost the title to Ivan Koloff in 1971, grown men in the crowd were seen weeping, but on Dec. 10, 1973, Sammartino became the first two-time WWE Champion and held the title for an additional three-and-a-half years.

On Aug. 9, 1980, Sammartino defeated his former protégé, Larry Zbyszko, inside a steel cage at New York City’s Shea Stadium in front of more than 35,000 people. The heated grudge match broke box-office records for wrestling events, and Bruno retired from the ring the following year.

Bruno returned to WWE in the mid-80s as a broadcaster alongside Mr. McMahon and as a mentor for his son David, who was just beginning his grappling career. Now known as The Living Legend, Bruno also engaged in several rivalries with a generation of WWE’s greatest villains, including “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, “Macho Man” Randy Savage and The Honky Tonk Man.

The star power and influence of Sammartino was exemplified by the fact that he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013 by none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger. It was the 188th and final time that Sammartino headlined and sold out Madison Square Garden.

Al Snow Purchases Ohio Valley Wrestling, Talks Future Plans For The Company

Last weekend, it was announced via WDRB 41 that former WWE European and Hardcore Champion Al Snow is buying Ohio Valley Wrestling. OVW was founded by former wrestler "Nightmare" Danny Davis in 1997, and has been one of the longest-running televised wrestling shows ever since.

Over the years, OVW is also known for being the developmental territory for both WWE and Impact Wrestling creating WWE stars such as Brock Lesnar, John Cena, and WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix, among many others. For many years, Snow was a trainer in OVW, and helped build several successful WWE names.

After 21 years as the founder of OVW, Davis is now retiring to Florida, and Snow will take over as the lead executive. Currently, OVW features mostly indie talent. However, former WWE and Impact Wrestling star Elijah Burke is active in the company.

"What I have in mind is to create a great developmental center for wrestling talent to come find themselves, learn their craft, and learn it from truly experienced professional wrestlers," said Snow in an interview with FITE TV. "I've always said that when you attend a wrestling school, or a wrestling training academy of any sort, that you take it much like if you were going to a university. If you want to go for accounting, you go in, you pay your tuition, you ask the Dean, 'Ok, what's my professor?' and he goes, 'this guy's really good, he's very talented.' Well great! Who's he work for? What's he done? What kind of experience he has?

"Well, he's never really went anywhere, he's never really done anything, but he's really good, he's at the top of his class. That's great, but if he doesn't have experience, that means he has no real knowledge. If he has no real knowledge, there's no way that he can communicate to you what you need to know. So you better take advance of any opportunities that may come up for you."

The announcement of Snow taking over was well-received by both the current roster, as well as former Impact Wrestling stars, with names such as Hornswoggle and Madison Rayne sending their congratulations. As far as when the first show of Snow taking over will be, he stated, "it will be soon and I will let everyone know."

Paige Announced As New WWE SmackDown LIVE General Manager

On tonight's edition of WWE SmackDown LIVE, Commissioner Shane McMahon announced that Daniel Bryan has formally resigned as the brand's General Manager in order to return to in-ring competition after recently being medically cleared.

McMahon then announced that Bryan's replacement as General Manager will be Paige, who on Monday night's edition of Raw officially announced her retirement from in-ring competition.

Bobby Lashley Returns To WWE On RAW

Former World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Lashley made his WWE return on tonight's post-WrestleMania 34 edition of RAW in New Orleans. He took out Elias in a quick segment.

Lashley last wrestled for WWE in 2007 and was released in February 2008. He's worked with TNA or Impact Wrestling off & on since then, and has focused on his MMA career.