August 11, 2019
August 8, 2019
Triple H On Why He Was Not Given WWE Executive Director Role, Vince McMahon "Outliving All Of Us"
Paul "Triple H" Levesque took part on a conference call today to hype NXT Takeover Toronto and WWE SummerSlam taking place this weekend.
During the call, the NXT Senior Producer was asked about the new roles of Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff as Executive Directors of RAW and SmackDown, respectively. In particular, Triple H was asked if he was under consideration for one of those roles.
"You have to understand the way it's laid out, the scope of what they're doing is very specific to those shows," Triple H explained. "While I'm still at the shows there are many weeks where due to my schedule and other commitments I can't be at every single RAW or every single SmackDown. The scope of the things that I do are way beyond live events, it also encompasses creative regarding shirts, billboards and the things you don't see they just sort of appear; as well as everything to do with talent.
"There are only so many hours in the day, even though the WWE and Vince [McMahon] are working hard at creating an eighth day, as well as extra hours added onto the 24 hours in a day, so we can get more accomplished.
"I'm thrilled it is those guys and think they'll knock it out of the park. I'm excited to work with both of them. Heyman, I have been working with for a while and Bischoff, it's been a while but this is the first time I've kind of worked with him in this manner. So far it's an exciting process so I'm really happy and already see the positives from it."
Triple H was also asked about if WWE has a plan for who will eventually take over WWE, the COO was quick to stress that succession plans constantly change and that those who think Vince McMahon is stepping away are mistaken - stating that the chairman of the board will probably "outlive all of us".
"In any company of this size and with everything that we do you have to have some succession plans and you have to have a plan for the next level of where you want to go. I think sometimes people get caught up in just the product that gets put out there thinking it's just about RAW or SmackDown and someone is the heir apparent to this, that or whatever. There is no heir apparent.
"There are succession plans to everything, those plans change on the regular because this company changes on the regular. There's a lot of factors involved regarding who goes where, how and what happens - it's a constantly evolving thing.
"But all of us, Vince, myself, Steph, everybody in this company is constantly looking at when things shift, who can take who's place and who does what. You're constantly looking for people who can step up and take things off your plate so you can advance to something different."
Source: Wrestling Inc.
August 5, 2019
WWE 2K20 Cover Superstars, Release Date And Collector's Edition Revealed
“My career has been about breaking barriers and doing what nobody else has done before. Being the first female Superstar on the cover of a WWE 2K video game is no exception,” said Becky Lynch.
“As a gamer myself, being on the cover of WWE 2K20 alongside ‘The Man’ Becky Lynch and joining the likes of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and John Cena is a huge career and personal milestone for me,” said Roman Reigns.
WWE 2K20, in direct response to fan feedback, will include several franchise firsts alongside streamlined gameplay and a variety of popular modes. The story-driven, objective-based 2K Showcase: The Women’s Evolution will follow the careers of the Four Horsewomen – Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch, SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley®, Charlotte Flair® and Sasha Banks®. Controls will be streamlined to allow new players to jump into the game more easily, while experienced players will still enjoy a challenge.
In addition, WWE 2K20 players will be able to compete as both male and female Superstars in MyCAREER and Mixed Tag matches, while last year’s popular WWE Towers returns with exciting new challenges, including a story-driven Tower centered around the career of Roman Reigns.
The game will also introduce a new service model – WWE 2K20 Originals – set to deliver a wealth of 2K Showcase add-on content for player exploration beyond the game’s initial launch. Each of the WWE 2K20 Originals will present a new playable world and its own unique theme, with more details to be announced in the coming months. WWE 2K20 Originals is downloadable content that may require additional purchase.
“Becky Lynch and Roman Reigns embody passion, determination and perseverance, and they’re both major game changers within the larger WWE landscape,” said Chris Snyder, Vice President of Marketing for 2K. “They are the spirit of WWE 2K20, which is going to introduce changes requested by our fans. They asked for female-driven MyCAREER and 2K Showcase offerings, and we’re giving them just that, as well as streamlined controls and our brand new WWE 2K20 Originals. We can’t wait to reveal more details soon.”
August 3, 2019
Stockholder files class action lawsuit against Shane McMahon's Ideanomics
Ideanomics, the often evolving financial technology company promising a $400 million investment in West Hartford, is facing a shareholder class action lawsuit alleging that it made false and misleading statements that led to artificial inflation of the company’s stock value. Shane McMahon is the Executive Vice-Chairman of the company.
Ideanomics is a New York-based company that also operates in China that focuses on financial technology services. The company has been in flux for several years. In the past year and a half, Ideanomics has seen numerous shifts in leadership, with three different CEOs and two different chairmen. In the past three years, the company has also operated under three different names.
August 1, 2019
More Details On Triple H's 50th Birthday Bash
WWE's Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative Triple H celebrated his 50th birthday with a big bash in New Hampshire this past weekend.
Sean "X-Pac" Waltman, who was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame with Triple H and the rest of DX earlier this year, spoke about the birthday party in the latest episode of his X-Pac 12-360 podcast, seen above.
Waltman noted that he flew on Friday from Los Angeles into a quiet, beautiful town in New Hampshire, one of the most beautiful places he's ever seen, but he wouldn't give the name of the town. The birthday guests were housed a hotel on the lake, which had around 40 rooms. Waltman said the party was somewhat intimate with maybe 50 people in attendance, but not many more than 50. He believed a lot of people got their feelings hurt because they weren't invited. The party was so big that they had itineraries for the guests with everything laid out.
WWE Hall of Famer Harley Race passes away
From WWE.com:
WWE is saddened to learn that WWE Hall of Famer Harley Race passed away today at age 76 due to complications from lung cancer.
Harley Race captured the NWA World Heavyweight Championship seven times, which stood as a record until Ric Flair broke it in 1991.
To this day, only a handful of Superstars can claim to have won more World Heavyweight Championships than Race.
During the 1970s and early 1980s, Race was the National Wrestling Alliance's most dominant champion, winning the sport's oldest World Heavyweight Championship from the likes of Dory Funk Jr., Giant Baba, Terry Funk, Dusty Rhodes and Flair.
The tough-as-nails Race was so universally respected that WWE, despite having seceded from the NWA and having its own World Heavyweight Champion, chose to recognize Race's title status as well. As a result, Race was the first NWA Champion to engage in title unification matchups against WWE Champions like "Superstar" Billy Graham and Bob Backlund.
In what seemed unthinkable at the time, Race, one of the NWA's most influential figures of all time, joined WWE in 1986 during the company's national expansion. After winning the King of the Ring tournament, Race was the first to don regal robes and a crown. "King" Harley Race was managed by Bobby "The Brain" Heenan and was introduced to a new generation of fans. Race battled all of WWE's top heroes and pinned Junkyard Dog at WrestleMania III in front of a record-setting attendance of 93,000 fans.
July 29, 2019
Triple H Gets D-Generation X Drone Show During 50th Birthday Bash
Triple H rang in his 50th birthday with some musical performances from Rock and Roll greats, as well as a drone show dedicated to one of his most popular wrestling stables.
The party took place Sunday night in New Hampshire (Triple H's hometown) and featured wave runners, axe throwing and performances by legendary rockers ZZ Top and John Fogerty.
The festivities included an awesome drone show, organized by HHH"s wife, Stephanie McMahon.
Set to the tunes of Triple H's entrance music throughout his prolific wrestling career, the drones formed tributes to D-Generation X, as well as his solo career as The Game.
WWE Chairman, and Triple H's real-life father-in-law, Vince McMahon posted a heartfelt birthday wish on Twitter, adding that his son-in-law- is a "Cerebral Assassin in any arena."
Instagram fitness celeb, Joe DeFranco and his wife, Ashley, chronicled some of the celebration, which lasted the entire weekend.
Activities for guests included axe throwing and rides on wave runners at the nearby lake.
There were also some sweet treats provided, especially an ice cream shack with tons of flavors.
The DeFrancos had an awesome time partying with the WWE stars, and wrote on social media that, "@stephaniemcmahon really knows how to throw a party!!!"
The highlight of the weekend other than the axes and drones, appeared to be a private concert put on by ZZ Top and John Fogerty.
Triple H must have paced himself with the partying, being 50 and all, because he was up early Monday morning thanking everyone for celebrating over the weekend.
"For all the calls, texts, posts, messages and well wishes for my birthday....THANK YOU!!! Couldn’t have had a better weekend celebrating!!So far this 50 club is pretty cool!!!!"
July 28, 2019
July 27, 2019
July 25, 2019
Vince McMahon On WWE Staying PG But Getting Edgier, Why Eric Bischoff & Paul Heyman Were Hired
WWE Chairman Vince McMahon discussed Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff being hired as the new Executive Directors for RAW and SmackDown during today's WWE Q2 Earnings call. While Vince discussed the new hires more than once, he did not mention Heyman and Bischoff by name.
"One the things that we've done is hire 2 Executive Directors, one for Raw and 1 for SmackDown and in doing so, it allows me to look at a longer-range story – our standpoint and also spend more time on talent development and not get into the weeds as much as I had to do in the past. That is a really, really good thing for a long-term as well as short-term. Actually, we've seen a big result already," Vince said in his opening statement. (H/T to Seeking Alpha for the transcript.)
Vince was later asked by an investor about why WWE chose to hire Executive Directors at this time, and how much latitude Heyman and Bischoff will have.
"I can't personally be in the weeds any longer and we have these 2 individuals who have a longer range of point of view and a developmental point of view. Both of these individuals have extensive backgrounds in the business from various aspects and with the organizational aspects that they have and the depth of talent, executive talent we now attract it's going to be really good for our business. And how much latitude they will have, that's again it allows me to have a broader overview of things and escape from just getting in the weeds. So they'll have a lot of latitude."
"As far as the content is concerned, I'll address that. We have definitely turned the corner and again as I've mentioned, we have Executive Directors with each brand now. They're going to grow in a more in-depth I think notwithstanding that, we spent more time on storylines, good ones, and also talent development. It's a combination of a lot of things on the things as far as coming together and what I guess, I'll call it relaunch in terms of our content," Vince said.
"We're going to be a bit edgier but still remain in the PG environment," Vince revealed. "We've just come anywhere close actually to go into another level. So that will be something will do in terms of direction of content, more controversy, better storylines, etc. But at the same time, we're not going to go back to the bold Attitude Era and we're not going to do blood and guts and things of that nature such as being done on perhaps a new potential competitor. We're just not going to go back to that gory that we graduated from. And again, a more sophisticated product. Again attracting much better writers and attracting better management things of that nature. So again, I feel really good about it."
WWE Second Quarter Finances Revealed, Vince McMahon Comments
The WWE's 2019 Q2 Financial report has been released, with revenue dropping from the previous year.
According to the company's finances, the second quarter of 2019 produced $268.9 million in revenue, down 5% from the 2018 Q2 of $281.6 million.
The WWE Network now boasts 1.69 million paid subscribers, which is consistent with the company's guidelines.
The use of digital outlets like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram increased drastically, with 324 million hours being consumed, up 22% from the previous quarter.
Digital video views also increased by 17% over the previous quarter to 9 billion.
In a conference call, WWE CEO Vince K McMahon said how this second quarter of the year had been focussed on making major changes to the company, such as recent deals with BT Sport in the UK and the upcoming Fox-SmackDown move.
He said: "We completed content distribution agreements in key international markets, prepared for the next phase of our WWE Network service, and achieved steady improvement in engagement metrics."
More details can be found from the company's official statement here.
source: wwe
July 24, 2019
Beth Phoenix To Be Inducted Into The George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall Of Fame
The National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum announced that WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix will be inducted into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame this weekend.
The Class of 2019 also includes Bruno Sammartino (Posthumous Inductee), Thunderbolt Patterson (Lou Thesz World Heavyweight Championship Award) Sgt. Slaughter (Frank Gotch Award), Brian Shields (Jim Melby Award), and UFC's Daniel Cormier (George Tragos Award).
Phoenix is the first female to be inducted into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall Of Fame. She received the Frank Gotch Award in 2015.
The ceremony will be at the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center in Waterloo, Iowa on Saturday, July 27th.
Oderint Dum Metuant: Let Them Hate As Long As They Fear
