John Oliver Takes Down WWE, ‘A**hole’ Vince McMahon On Wrestlers’ Health Care; WWE Responds

John Oliver loves pro wrestling, and it’s breaking his heart that the WWE is treating its athletes like “circus animals,” as one wrestler put it.

So the “Last Week Tonight” host on Sunday staged his own cage match against the WWE and its boss, Vince McMahon.

The comedian grappled with working conditions at the WWE, which he said gets away with regarding performers as independent contractors even though it signs them to exclusive contracts.

The predicament leaves the wrestlers with health and financial protection so meager that it makes McMahon look like an “asshole,” Oliver said. The wrestlers have a “shockingly high” premature death rate, added Oliver, who compared the WWE rather unfavorably with another sports organization with battered alums.

“When you’ve lost the moral high ground to the fucking NFL, you are morally subterranean,” the HBO host said.

The WWE issued a statement in response to the segment on Monday, writing to HuffPost:

John Oliver is clearly a clever and humorous entertainer, however the subject matter covered in his WWE segment is no laughing matter. Prior to airing, WWE responded to his producers refuting every point in his one-sided presentation. John Oliver simply ignored the facts.

The health and wellness of our performers is the single most important aspect of our business, and we have a comprehensive, longstanding Talent Wellness program.

We invite John Oliver to attend WrestleMania this Sunday to learn more about our company.

Linda McMahon To Step Down From Small Business Administration, Reportedly Raising Funds For Trump

Former WWE CEO Linda McMahon is expected to announce later today that she is stepping down as the head of the Small Business Administration.

Linda is expected to rejoin the private sector, according to Politico. Her exact plans are unclear, but a source close to Linda said she plans on playing a fundraising role for President Donald Trump's 2020 re-election campaign. Linda was expected to join Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida this weekend.

Trump named McMahon as the head of his SBA back in December 2016. Trump administration officials have long seen Linda as a leading contender to replace Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross when he eventually steps down, but that won't be happening.

Vince McMahon Sells Millions Of Dollars Worth Of WWE Stock To Help Fund The XFL

A new SEC filing made by WWE today revealed that Vince McMahon sold 3,204,427 shares of company stock, worth around $270 million.

The filing noted that the sale was primarily to fund Vince's Alpha Entertainment LLC, which oversees the XFL football league that will re-launch in 2020. Vince informed the company that he has no current plan to sell additional shares, and that he intends to continue his role as WWE Chairman and CEO for the foreseeable future.

The shares sold today represent 4.1% of the total outstanding shares of stock. Vince still owns 28,682,948 shares of WWE stock, which represents approximately 36.8% of the company's total shares of stock and 80.1% of the total voting power.

Joan Jett To Perform ‘Bad Reputation’ For Ronda Rousey Live at WrestleMania 35

WWE has announced Joan Jett will be performing “Bad Reputation” live for Ronda Rousey’s ring entrance at WrestleMania 35.

Rousey will defend her Raw women’s title at WrestleMania 35 against Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair. The match will main event the show.

Major Stipulation Added to Triple H vs. Batista Match at WrestleMania 35

During tonight's edition of WWE Monday Night Raw, it was revealed that in addition to the No Holds Barred stipulation for the Triple H-Dave Batista match at WrestleMania 35, Triple H's in-ring career will also be on the line as well.

WrestleMania to feature first-ever women's main event

For the first time in WWE history, a women’s match will be the main event of WrestleMania as the Raw Women’s Championship Match featuring Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch will take place on Sunday, April 7, in front of a capacity crowd at MetLife Stadium and streaming live on WWE Network around the world.  

Ronda Rousey is the current Raw Women’s Champion, Olympic medalist, the first female UFC Champion and the first woman to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. She is also an actress and New York Times bestselling author. Charlotte Flair is a seven-time Champion in WWE, a former Division 1 volleyball player, philanthropist and author. She is the daughter of two-time WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair. Becky Lynch is the 2019 Women's Royal Rumble winner, a two-time SmackDown Women's Champion and was named Wrestler of the Year by both Sports Illustrated and CBS Sports in 2018. She was also the first woman ever to top ESPN’s WWE Power Rankings.

At WrestleMania 32 in 2016, WWE re-branded the Divas Division the Women’s Division and unveiled a new Women’s Championship title. Since that time, the women’s evolution has placed a greater spotlight on WWE’s female Superstars, including more prominent storylines and deeper character development that showcases their athleticism, charisma and star power.

Last October, WWE held it’s first-ever all-women’s pay-per-view event, Evolution, in front of a sold-out crowd and millions more watching on WWE Network.

Stephanie McMahon and Paul Levesque open new suite at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh

WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon and Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events & Creative Paul Levesque donated $1 million to open a new suite at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

McMahon and Levesque were on-hand Thursday, March 21, to cut the ribbon for the MIBG Therapy Suite, which was established to treat high-risk neuroblastoma. They personally donated $1 million in May 2018 to fund the suite.


In 2014, WWE created Connor’s Cure, a fund in honor of Connor Michalek, an 8-year-old WWE fan, to raise funds for pediatric cancer research to benefit UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. WWE supports Connor’s Cure through the V Foundation grant-making process.

Levesque said that his focus with the donation was to raise awareness.

“The biggest thing we can do is spread the word,” Levesque said. “The thing that impacted us the most when we met Connor was how little is done for kids. That doesn’t change until everybody is involved. Few people can make that difference. Everybody has to make that difference. Everybody has to hear that message. Everybody has to hear those words. Everybody has to understand what is needed to make that change.

“So instead of thanking, please go out, spread the word. Tell as many people as you can. Get them to go out there, get engaged and make a difference. Like [Dr. Jean Tersak, M.D.] said, we won’t stop until it’s 100 percent.”

Stephanie added that Connor inspired her and her husband to do something more, which led to the creation of Connor’s Cure.

The relationship between WWE and the hospital grew over the years, and McMahon joined the board for the UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation, where she learned more about the need for funding for pediatric cancer research.

“Currently, only 4 percent of all money from the government spent on cancer treatment goes to pediatrics,” WWE’s Chief Brand Officer said. “There have only been 10 drugs in the past 40 years developed for kids with cancer, and those kids are given the same dosages that adults are given because there is just not enough known.”

McMahon and WWE Superstars have visited the hospital many times in the five years since the creation of Connor’s Cure.

Stephanie praised the hospital staff, from Dr. Tersak to Connor’s favorite nurse, Stacy, who McMahon ran into before the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“Thank you for your tireless efforts, for never giving up, for constantly searching for ways to help these kids in all of their illnesses,” McMahon said. “This is a phenomenal hospital that we are proud to partner with.”

Both McMahon and Levesque emphasized that their work is not over.

Levesque urged everyone in attendance to spread the word to make sure everyone worked toward eliminating pediatric cancer, and he thanked the child who made this partnership happen.

“If there’s anybody that I’d like to thank, it’s right here. Thank you for the courage to be here. Spread your message so that others will spread that word. Thank you and thank you for Connor. He was the light that made that possible. He’s why we’re here."

WWE Announces New Global Headquarters in Stamford

WWE today announced that the company will move its global headquarters to a new office complex at 677 Washington Boulevard in Stamford, Connecticut. This move will allow the company to bring together its operations, including its production studios and corporate offices at its new site.

“One of the most important elements necessary to execute WWE’s long-term growth strategy is world-class talent collaborating seamlessly to create compelling content. Our workplace initiative will be the foundation to meet these objectives and underpins our ability to deliver long-term value,” said George Barrios, WWE Co-President.

The new headquarters will provide the company with work space suited to its growing and evolving workforce. The site in Stamford’s central business district provides greater access from various means of transportation, floor plans which are well-suited to producing video content and greater flexibility in workplace design. The Company anticipates that it will move to the new headquarters in early 2021.

WWE will lease the space for an initial term of approximately 16.5 years commencing no earlier than July 1, 2019, with five five-year renewal options thereafter. The lease will be accounted for as a finance lease, with the creation of a lease obligation (equal to the present value of future lease payments, which would result in the recognition of interest expense over time) and a right-of-use lease asset (equal to the lease obligation less tenant incentives, which is depreciated on a straight-line basis through depreciation expense). Accordingly, the accounting for the lease agreement is not expected to have a material impact on Adjusted OIBDA. Depreciation expense associated with the right-of-use asset will be reflected in operating income. The Company’s capital expenditure guidance reflects this initiative. That guidance estimated capital expenditures of approximately $70 million to $90 million for 2019 with continued spending in 2020 above the historic range of approximately 4% to 7% of revenue. Additionally, the company expects to sell its owned and operated corporate facility at 1241 East Main Street, exit its leased spaces at 1266 East Main Street, and will evaluate options for its production studio facilities at 88 and 120 Hamilton Avenue based on strategic, operating and financial considerations.

Backstage News On Arn Anderson's WWE Firing

Arn Anderson was released from WWE in February due to an incident at a live event with Alicia Fox.

Wrestling Inc. has confirmed with multiple sources that Anderson was fired because Fox showed up at a live event intoxicated. Anderson was the agent for her match and allowed her to perform. Vince McMahon was reportedly furious when he found out. There were apparently some other issues, however that was the final straw.

Anderson had been working with WWE since WCW folded in 2001. He would occasionally appear in backstage segments and even got physical at the WWE Starrcade event in November of 2017, where he delivered his trademark spinebuster to Dolph Ziggler.

Fox's status is unclear. She was not backstage at RAW last week.

Roman Reigns announces his leukemia is in remission

“The Big Dog is back!”

So said Roman Reigns on Monday Night Raw, four months after the former Universal Champion revealed to the WWE Universe that he would be stepping away from the ring to battle leukemia, a condition that he has lived with for 11 years.

“When I made my announcement, I said I was going to swing for the fences. We did better than that, y’all. We didn’t just swing for the fences, man, we hit a homerun,” Reigns said. “I’m in remission, y’all.”

Rumor Mill - Backstage Update on Arn Anderson's Release: Incident with Vince McMahon

In an update on the story about Arn Anderson's release from WWE, Dave Meltzer commented on the situation on Wrestling Observer Radio:

“Arn got fired. It’s an incident, I mean everyone is pretty much keeping quiet about what it was, but it was an incident with Vince. I know people who are siding with Arn. I know people who are siding with Vince. I don’t know the whole details of the incident other than it was something at a house show that evidently wasn’t handled well and Arn took the blame for that. Arn and Vince were not really on the best of terms. There had been a lot of situations over the years and another one not too long ago. You know the thing with Arn is he’s well-liked by key people — Triple H, John Cena, you know he’s John Cena’s agent.“

WWE Hall Of Famer Tammy "Sunny" Sytch Arrested In New Jersey

Sources at PWInsider have learned that WWE Hall of Famer Tammy "Sunny" Sytch was arrested in Freehold, New Jersey yesterday. Sytch currently remains incarcerated at the Monmouth County Corrections Facility as we anticipate further details about her arrest.


A bench warrant was apparently issued for Sytch in the State of Pennsylvania on 2/15, as well. On that day, the Carbon County Probation Department started the process to revoke Sytch's October 2018 parole. Court records indicate that Sytch paid a $120 fee in the months of October and November 2018 to begin reimbursing the State of Pennsylvania for the costs in her legal cases. Since then, Sytch reportedly did not make any additional payments.