WWE Creating New Quibi Unscripted Series Headlined By Female Superstars

WWE Studios and independent studio Critical Content are producing a new series, Fight Like A Girl, which will air on mobile-first media technology platform Quibi.

According to a press release sent to Wrestling Inc., each episode will feature WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon pairing a WWE female Superstar with a young woman struggling with a personal issue that has been holding her back. The WWE stars will draw from their own life experiences to help their trainees overcome obstacles and become tougher, stronger and healthier versions of their former selves inside and out.

Each episode will be shot at the WWE Performance Center and will feature a stunning transformation and heart-pounding reveal as the women change their lives forever.

Fight Like A Girl is produced by WWE Studios and Critical Content. Executive Producers are Stephanie McMahon, Susan Levison, Ben Zierten and Richard Lowell for WWE Studios, and Tom Forman, Jenny Daly and Jon Beyer for Critical Content.

Becky Lynch Becomes First WWE Star To Land ESPN The Magazine Cover

As seen below, Lynch and actress Alison Brie of Netflix's GLOW series are gracing the cover of the "Blockbuster Issue" from ESPN The Magazine. The issue hits newsstands this Friday.

Below is WWE's announcement on the cover, along with the cover photo:

Becky Lynch and Alison Brie to be featured on cover of ESPN The Magazine's "Blockbuster" issue

Becky Lynch has taken over the sports-entertainment scene in the last year, and this Friday, you can find the Raw Women's Champion with actress Alison Brie on the cover of ESPN The Magazine's "Blockbuster" issue.

The new issue focuses on the intersection between Hollywood and sports. Lynch and Brie, who is the star of Netflix's hit comedy show "GLOW" on the 1980s Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling promotion, got together for an interview about the obstacles they face in their respective industries, the toughness of women, and much more.

The Man is the first WWE Superstar to ever appear on the cover of ESPN The Magazine. Get your hands on the issue when it hits newsstands this Friday.

Stephanie McMahon and Michelle Wilson set for Cynopsis Top Women in Media 2019 honors

WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon and WWE Co-President Michelle Wilson will be honored at Cynopsis’ 2019 Top Women in Media ceremony this September.

At the ceremony, which honors the most influential women across the media landscape, McMahon is set to be recognized in the social subcategory of Women in Sports. Wilson, WWE’s Co-President, will be recognized in the Sports-Centric Brands category.

The ceremony takes place Sept. 9 at Tribeca Rooftop in New York City. Take a look at the rest of the honorees here.

BOOM! Studios Launching New WWE Comic Book Series

Boom! Studios have announced that they will be releasing a new WWE comic book series titled “WWE SmackDown Live”, written by Kevin Panetta with art by Kendall Goode and a main cover by Xermánico. The first issues is set for release on October 2nd.

The synopsis for the first is as follows:

“Join Becky Lynch as she arrives at the arena and runs into The Brothers of Destruction (Undertaker and Kane), WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions The IIconics (Peyton Royce and Billie Kay), WWE Champion Kofi Kingston, WWE Superstar Roman Reigns, and many more. Behind the scenes, unexpected alliances are formed, lifelong enemies are made, and chaos ensues as Superstars erupt into a free-for-all centered around The Man herself.”

Rumor Mill - WWE Set To Move Away From Wholly TV-PG Programming

WWE is reportedly set to move away from the PG orientated product they have presented over the last decade.

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon is aware the company is struggling to capture the teen market and he is implementing immediate changes to the product, which have already started to filter through on WWE television.

The company is also well aware of All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and their target audience and thus will look to close the gap and ensure they are staying relevant.

Dave Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio:

“They were very aware that they had lost touch with the teenagers,” Meltzer said. “They were afraid of completely losing teenagers, especially when AEW starts. This is a direction they felt they had to go.”

It will be interesting to see if and when WWE drop the official "TV-PG" rating from their weekly broadcasts, or if they will try and combine the two ratings.

source: wrestling observer radio

Triple H Heading To Vidcon

WWE is headed to Vidcon for the first time ever. Triple H announced today that he will be speaking at the big YouTube-related convention in Anaheim next week, discussing the Content Innovation Lab. WWE has success with both of their YouTube channels - the main WWE channel and the WWE Performance Center channel. They also have a hand in running some of the other related channels, such as The Bella Twins and Xavier Woods' UpUpDownDown channel.

"The @WWEPC has continued to grow in all facets, training the next crop of @WWENXT Superstars in every aspect of the business. Excited to discuss the Content Innovation Lab's success and growth opportunities next week at #VidconUS," Triple H wrote.

Triple H Praises Paul Heyman And Eric Bischoff, Welcomes Them Back To The WWE Team

WWE Hall of Famer Triple H took to Twitter this evening to issue his first public comments on Paul Heyman being hired as WWE's Executive Director of RAW and Eric Bischoff coming back to the company as the Executive Director of SmackDown.

"Two people who pushed our industry and @WWE forward over the last 25+ years. Great to have @HeymanHustle and @EBischoff working on #Raw and #SDLive. Welcome BACK to the team," wrote Triple H, WWE's Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative.

Rumor Mill - Reason why Vince McMahon didn't offer Triple H the Executive Director position

On Thursday, June 27th, Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff were announced as the new Executive Directors of WWE Raw and SmackDown Live respectively.This announcement made a major impact on the wrestling community because of the surprise factor and the individuals in question. It seems to have been largely received as a very positive step. Certainly, it has taken a lot of attention away from the upcoming All Elite Wrestling show this weekend.There are questions however over Triple H, the current Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative for WWE. Fans have been asking why the King of Kings has not been offered either of those jobs.

Paul Heyman ran Extreme Championship Wrestling during the Monday Night Wars while at the same time Eric Bischoff ran World Championship Wrestling. After the Monday Night Wars ended, McMahon would hire both to run shows within his organization.Early in the brand extension, Bischoff would be in charge at Raw, meanwhile Heyman was in charge over on SmackDown. Heyman has had particular credit over the years for the rise of Brock Lesnar and the high-quality performances from a group known as the SmackDown Six.Triple H and his tight grip on the WWE world heavyweight championship at the time would be overseen by Bischoff in storyline as Eric Bischoff’s famed on-screen character would be heavily used for years on the Raw side.Triple H would later transition into a more managerial role. Since 2013 he has been Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative – an all-consuming role that he has successfully juggled alongside being the founder and Senior Producer of NXT.

While some members of the WWE locker room were also questioning why Triple H was not offered one or both of the WWE Executive Director positions, I am told that the answer lies in the role itself.

A source close to WWE management explained that the role is essentially very similar to the Senior Producer role that Triple H already occupies in NXT and that Triple H is known to prefer a continuation of that role.Triple H is also overseeing large quantities of WWE’s international expansion, particular as regards the set up of NXT UK, the Saudi Arabia and Australia shows and the set up of WWE Performance Centres worldwide. The source went on to explain that Triple H already had considerably more responsibility than an Executive Director role would offer.Finally, a separate source explained Triple H’s position in relation to talent a little closer. Heyman will be in charge of Raw. Bischoff will be in charge of Smackdown. Triple H is in charge of all talent, everywhere in WWE. “The job’s basically beneath him.

There is continual speculation that Triple H will be taking over the mantle for the WWE when Vince McMahon eventually retires. Triple H, meanwhile, is actively involved in everything that the WWE does.

source: sportskeeda.com

FOX Hoping To Make AEW Look Inferior With WWE SmackDown Debut?, News On AEW Start Date And Time Slot

AEW is expected to start on Turner during the first week of October, which is the same week that WWE SmackDown will being airing on Friday nights on FOX. The news was first reported by MMA insider @fightoracle, who first broke the story that Turner Sports would be presenting AEW at their upfronts last month. As noted, AEW applied for the trademark "Wednesday Night Dynamite" earlier this month.

With the television show seemingly airing on Wednesday nights, the premiere date will be October 2nd. Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter that while there are still meetings occurring regarding the show, strategies, and other ideas from the TNT side, the plan is for the show to air on Wednesdays, with 8-10 p.m. being the most likely time slot.

WWE SmackDown will make its much anticipated debut two nights later at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. It was reported in The Observer that FOX will be testing out two new cameras for the debut. FOX is also looking to invite a lot of celebrities and give the show the feel of a major event, which is a reason that it's being held in Los Angeles. It was noted that the idea is to make WWE look as major league as possible, which in turn would make AEW look minor league from the start.

Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

WWE Names Eric Bischoff And Paul Heyman As New Executive Directors Of RAW And SmackDown

WWE has named Eric Bischoff and Paul Heyman as Executive Directors.

Bischoff is set to become the new Executive Director of WWE SmackDown while Heyman is set to become the new Executive Director of WWE RAW. Both will report directly to WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.

The new roles are full-time executive roles. According to Sports Illustrated, there are no current plans for these roles to be introduced as part of a TV storyline.

Bischoff will also work directly with Fox executives as the blue brand plans to premiere on Fox Friday nights in October, SI reported.

The major move will allow WWE to establish "two distinct creative processes for its flagship shows."

Below is the full press release that WWE sent Wrestling Inc.:

WWE® NAMES PAUL HEYMAN AND ERIC BISCHOFF EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS

Stamford, Conn., June 27, 2019 – WWE (NYSE: WWE) today announced that it has named Paul Heyman as Executive Director of Monday Night Raw and Eric Bischoff as Executive Director of SmackDown Live, newly created positions reporting directly to WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon.

In their executive roles, Heyman and Bischoff will oversee the creative development of WWE's flagship programming and ensure integration across all platforms and lines of business. The creation of these roles further establishes WWE's ability to continuously reinvent its global brand while providing two distinct creative processes for its flagship shows.

With more than 30 years of experience in the sports entertainment industry, Heyman served as President of ECW from 1993-2001, securing pay-per-view distribution for the company as well as a national cable television deal with TNN. After his time with ECW, Heyman joined WWE's Creative team and is widely credited with helping launch the careers of many current and former WWE Superstars.

Bischoff is a former WCW President and New York Times bestselling author. During his WCW career, Bischoff oversaw the signing of some of the biggest names in sports entertainment and helped create and develop the NWO storyline. He was also instrumental in securing a television deal for WCW Monday Nitro on TNT and WCW Thunder on TBS. After WCW, Bischoff co-founded Bischoff-Hervey Entertainment, a production company that launched TV reality shows and mobile games.

CM Punk Files Lawsuit Against Colt Cabana

CM Punk has filed a countersuit against his former friend, Colt Cabana, on June 18th. According to a report from PWInsider, Punk is seeking $600,000 for general damages as well as interest and legal fees in response to an amended lawsuit that Cabana filed in August of 2018.

WWE Doctor Chris Amann sued Punk and Cabana in 2015 for comments that Punk made on Cabana's podcast where Punk said, among other claims, that Amann misdiagnosed a MRSA staph infection as a fatty deposit. Punk claimed that a doctor recommended to him by wife AJ Lee said that he should be dead after wrestling with the staph infection for months. The jury ruled in favor of Punk and Cabana, and they did not have to pay anything to Amann.

Cabana had sued Punk last August for breach of contract and fraud over legal fees related to the lawsuit. Cabana claimed that Punk promised to cover his legal bills, however Punk's legal team dropped him as a client. Cabana got his own representation after their falling out. Cabana is seeking $200,000 for his personal legal costs and additional damages.

Punk claims that he spent $1.2 million in legal fees between himself and Cabana in the Amann lawsuit and was never reimbursed, which he stated "violated fundamental principles of justice, equality, and good conscience" and breached their contract. Punk also noted that the podcast with Cabana was immensely popular, however he never received any compensation for it.

Cabana's side must respond to the countersuit by July 3rd. You can read more details on the lawsuit at PWInsider by clicking here.

Exclusive Details On Harvard's WWE Case Study: Who WWE Sees As Their Main Competitor, Royalties

As previously noted, Harvard Business School's Business Of Entertainment, Media, And Sports class will include a case study on World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), beginning this fall. Course instructor, Professor Anita Elberse, has been gracious enough to provide me with an advance copy of the WWE case. Here are some highlights that may be of interest to professional wrestling fans:

WWE did not pay for the development of the case; however, a WWE designate approved of the case before publication.

The case takes place in January 2018 and focuses on the questions of whether WWE should try to sign retired MMA fighter Ronda Rousey, and, if so, how such a deal should be structured.

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