Now that Dean Ambrose has left the WWE, it seems a teaser promo was soon to follow ushering in the return of Jon Moxley shown in a video from his only visible post on Twitter (@JonMoxley).
https://twitter.com/JonMoxley/status/1123438186410205184?s=19
The following press release comes from WWE.com:
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA and STAMFORD, Conn. — The Saudi General Sports Authority, in partnership with WWE, will host an event at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Friday, June 7, at 8 p.m. AST. The event will feature WWE Superstars Roman Reigns, Undertaker, Kofi Kingston, Braun Strowman, Seth Rollins, Goldberg, AJ Styles and Brock Lesnar, and stream live on WWE Network.
Additional details on the event’s matches, ticket availability and pricing, and regional broadcast information will be announced in the coming weeks.
Brock Lesnar has decided not to return to MMA, according to ESPN. The Beast is now retired from the sport.
UFC President Dana White said that Lesnar has informed the company that he does not plan on fighting in the Octagon again.
Lesnar had been rumored for a summer 2019 fight against UFC Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier. That fight will not happen as Lesnar told White last week that he is retired from the sport.
"[Lesnar] told me he's done, he's retired," White told ESPN. "We're going to move in another direction with Cormier."
White now plans to book a rematch between Cormier and former champion Stipe Miocic.
Lesnar's last MMA fight came at UFC 200 in July 2016, a win Mark Hunt over that was overturned due to a failed drug test from Lesnar. He had put himself back in the USADA drug-testing pool last July, which made him eligible to fight again for the UFC this past January.
Lesnar lost the WWE Universal Championship to Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 35 earlier this month and is not currently scheduled for any WWE events. He has been rumored for WWE's next event in Saudi Arabia, which is expected to take place on Friday, June 7th.
The WWE Network will see some huge changes in 2019, according to the company's Q1 earnings call.
During the call with investors, WWE Co-President George Barrios noted that their team has been working on the new platform for over a year, and they are very excited for it to be released.
The re-launched Network will include new features fans have been asking for for a while, though did not specify what these features will be.
Last year, WWE sent out a survey that gauged interest on a potential premium tier of the Network, which would offer "more content, features, and perks" for $15 per month
Source: WWE
Former WCW United States Champion Dean Malenko is no longer with WWE. Malenko had been with the company since retiring from the ring in 2001.
Sports Illustrated reported on Thursday that Malenko quit the company. According to PWInsider, Malenko might have been let go.
"Hurricane" Shane Helms, Sonjay Dutt, Shawn Daivari, "Abyss" Chris Parks and WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett have been hired in recent months as producers. PWInsider noted that with the newer hires, many of the older producers are being "cycled on and off the road." There has reportedly been some concern that this is the start of some of the older producers being replaced.
Since her match at WrestleMania 35 along with Bayley against the IIconics, Natalya & Beth Phoenix, and Nia Jax & Tamina, Sasha Bankshas been missing from television. Reportedly, this is due to her frustrations with creative, particularly with her late notice of losing the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship to the IIconics at MetLife stadium.
Over the past couple of years, Banks has expressed dissatisfaction with her direction in WWE in previous interviews. In addition to it being nearly two years since she has been Women's Champion, her four title reigns spanning from July 25, 2016 to August 28, 2017 lasted only a total of 82 days.
Despite these factors, WWE Hall of Famer Tony Atlas adamantly disapproves of Banks' desire to quit the company. In a recent interview with Boston Wrestling MWF, Atlas shared his thoughts on the situation, feeling that Banks is making a bad decision to hold WWE up while she is sitting at home. To Atlas, Banks is making a "power play," which will backfire. He feels that WWE will fire Banks for "putting fear into her employee."
"They never fire you on the spot," said Atlas. "You always get it at home. That's why they say go home and think about it. Now what they do, they have a meeting. Now, if she [does] decide to come back, they're going to destroy her. Her career is over. They'll job her out. She lost [reliability], because what she... just told them, 'you can't trust me.' That's all she did. She let the wrestling world [down], and not just the wrestling world; everybody [who is] affiliated with the WWE is looking at it the same way."
Atlas stated that "WWE don't need Sasha Banks; Sasha Banks needs WWE, "and Banks will find herself going "lower and lower on the totem pole" without the backing of WWE. He also believes that "every woman in the WWE celebrated" when word got around that she wants to quit, because it opens up an opportunity for them.
"You know how many women right now [are] kissing up to Triple H, kissing up to Stephanie [McMahon] and saying, 'who are you gonna put in that spot?' She left a spot. They're glad she's gone. Every woman there is glad Sasha's gone. She's gone. Vince is not going to let [her do that]. If Vince let her do that, [this is] what you gotta understand, he just told every wrestler there that they could do that."
Knowing that Vince McMahon is a smart businessman and "don't get into nothing without first having a way out," Atlas feels that Banks could be making the worst decision of her wrestling career.
"She made the biggest mistake of her wrestling career," said Atlas. "They would never push her like that again." Atlas believes that anyone who leaves WWE after using the company to gain popularity is "working their way down," instead of up, because "everything [else] out there is beneath him." He adds that Vince will "make it hard" on Banks and use her as an example to the other women.
Source: Boston Wrestling MWF
WWE stock had been rising to nearly $100 (and even surpassed the point recently before trading had closed), but it’s not remotely close to it anymore. After the company released their first quarter 2019 financial results and had a net income of a loss of 8.4 million, it dropped over $13. WWE stock is now at $85.38 after starting the day at $98.54.
That’s a loss of over 13% and not the way any company wants to see the financial world react to their latest quarterly numbers.
WWE stock is once again booming and managed to smash the $100 mark today for the very first time since the company went public in October 1999.
Shares hit $100.10 before dropping back into the $99 range.
With the current value, WWE has a market cap of $7.5 billion and the company is looking to increase that with the upcoming new India and United Kingdom television deals.
I knew what I was getting into when I signed that agreement. I knew there was going to be no health insurance. I knew there was going to be no retirement. Nobody talked to me about a 401(k). I’m intelligent enough to read the agreement I signed…I know what to expect, in return for my services. So it’s hard for me to relate to people that bitch and whine about it after the fact. If you don’t like that situation, you don’t like the fact that WWE is not offering you the things that maybe you could get at, I don’t know IBM or Apple or an airline, then go work there. But if you’re like me or I’m sure many people who aspire for an opportunity for greatness, like musicians do, you know what? You gotta roll the dice. And if you choose to roll the dice going into that deal knowing what it is and what it isn’t, then don’t bitch and whine about it afterwards.
WWE COO Triple H and Stephanie McMahon were interviewed by Sports Business Journal. During the discussion, Stephanie revealed that WWE's long term goal is to have a business plan similar to Disney's. Triple H also took some time to talk about Vince McMahon's part in the company's progress over the years.
As we've noted, Banks reportedly tried to quit WWE over WrestleMania 35 Weekend as she was said to be "blindsided" over WWE's decision to put the WWE Women's Tag Team Titles on The IIconics so soon. It was also reported that Bayley and Banks caused scenes backstage at MetLife Stadium and at the WWE hotel, laying on the floor and making it known they were unhappy about the title change. You can read our reports on Banks trying to quit at this link and the report on Banks and Bayley at this link.
Banks' husband, WWE costume designer Mikaze, took to Twitter yesterday and posted a message that fans assume is related to the Banks situation.
Mikaze wrote the following, which could be a copied quote, "In life, there comes a point in time where passion and pleasure intersect with business and finances. Where the smart choice completely contradicts the right one. And when that time comes, some people will understand, but most people won't. They'll talk about you. They'll question whether you made a mistake. They'll cry because they miss you. They'll laugh and say good riddance. But at the end of the day, your choices are your own. They're not for anyone to understand except yourself. Life will become difficult. The roads you travel may get rockier. Believe in yourself. Believe in your dreams and what they mean to you. And as long as you stay true to who you are, and why you make the choices you make, then they will always be the right ones."
Sasha Banks felt "blindsided" by the decision to put the WWE Women's Tag Team Titles on The IIconics and reportedly tried to quit the company. It was noted that she expected to have a strong run with Bayley and the titles. According to the report, which you can read at this link, Banks has been given time to think everything over before making a decision.
Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet took to Twitter today and reported that Banks and Bayley were laying on the floor of the locker room at Met Life Stadium on Sunday, "loudly making it known they were unhappy" about dropping the titles. It was also noted that they made a similar scene back at the WWE hotel.
"Heard from a few sources now saying Sasha Banks and Bayley were laying on the floor of the locker room on Sunday, and back at the hotel in front of one of their rooms, loudly making it known they were unhappy about losing the tag titles," Satin wrote on Twitter.
Satin defended his report and said he heard the same information from multiple sources. "This info is from four different sources I've spoken with the past day. All independent from each other and all came to me about it, not the other way around," he wrote in one tweet to a fan. He continued in another tweet, "Was told this by four separate people who have no relation to each other. There were a lot of people staying in the hotel during Mania weekend."
