Triple H is campaigning for Motorhead to get into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The WWE star, who was close friends with Lemmy and had several Motorhead-created theme songs, posted:
AEW Dynamite on TNT has again beaten WWE NXT on USA Network for the third consecutive week in the Wednesday Night War.
Dynamite on TNT scored 1,014,000 viewers, which was down from the 1,140,000 that they did on TNT and TruTV last week.
NXT on USA was also down on the week previous scoring 712,000 overnight viewers, down from 790,000 viewers.
Both AEW and NXT experienced an 11% drop in viewership.
In terms of the all-important 18 to 49 demographic, AEW dropped from 0.46 to 0.44 and NXT down to 0.20 from 0.22.
Neither show was up against Baseball playoffs, as was the case last week.
WWE announced today that their first-ever weekly podcast series, After the Bell, will launch on Wednesday, October 30. The podcast, which will be hosted by Corey Graves, is the first for WWE Podcast Network, a partnership between WWE and Endeavor Audio.
According to a press release sent to Wrestling Inc. After the Bell will offer fans "an edgy and unpredictable look at the latest in Monday Night Raw, Friday Night SmackDown and NXT." New episodes will drop every Wednesday.
"After the Bell will deliver unprecedented access to the biggest WWE Superstars and storylines week in and week out. No other podcast can say that," said Graves. "As WWE's first podcast we have the responsibility to ask the burning questions and it's going to be a wild ride."
Paul "Triple H" Levesque will be Graves' special guest for the premiere episode.
Listeners can subscribe to After the Bell on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Pandora.
WWE announced that Bruce Prichard will replace Eric Bischoff as the Executive Director of WWE Friday Night SmackDown. Prichard will report directly to WWEChairman & CEO Vince McMahon.
Prichard will oversee the creative development of Friday Night SmackDown on FOX and ensure integration across all platforms and lines of business.
WWE had named Bischoff as the Executive Director of WWE SmackDown this past June, while also appointing Paul Heyman as the Executive Director of WWE RAW. There had been reports over recent months about Bischoff not being heavily involved with the SmackDown creative process.
AEW Dynamite has topped WWE NXT in viewership for the second week in a row.
Wednesday's Dynamite episode on TNT drew 1.018 million viewers while NXT drew 790,000 viewers on the USA Network, according to Showbuzz Daily. Dynamite topped NXT by 29%.
AEW ranked #8 in the Cable Top 150 18-49 demographic list, while NXT ranked #27. AEW ranked #25 in viewership, while NXT ranked #33 in viewership.
Last week's Dynamite premiere episode drew 1.409 million viewers and ranked #2 in the Cable Top 150, and #16 in viewership, so the audience was down 28%. NXT was down 11% from last week's season premiere episode, which drew 891,000 viewers and ranked #10 in the Cable Top 150, and #27 in viewership.
AEW drew a 0.46 rating in the 18-49 demographic, topping the 0.22 in the same demo that NXT scored by 109%. Last week's AEW episode drew a 0.68 in that demographic while NXT drew a 0.32.
Veteran WWE Superstar Big Show has signed on for his second TV show.
Show will be getting his own travel reality TV series, titled "Big Show vs. The World: A Giant Abroad," from WWE Studios and ITV America's Thinkfactory Media, according to The Wrap.
"Big Show vs. The World: A Giant Abroad" is currently in the development phase ad is being shopped to top broadcast and cable TV networks, and streaming platforms.
Below is the official synopsis for the new series, provided to Wrestling Inc.:
"Through his extensive world travels with WWE, Big Show has collected a lifetime of unusual stories filled with unexplained natural occurrences, local enigmas and fascinating people. "Big Show vs. The World: A Giant Abroad" will follow the larger-than-life WWE Superstar as he travels back to these locations and indulges his lifelong passion for exploring the strange and unknown.
Each self-contained episode will feature Big Show venturing to a new exotic area, where he'll team up with a local guide and dive head first into a native mystery or legend. Navigating the difficulty of travel (at seven feet tall) and the extreme, sometimes awkward situations he encounters with his signature self-deprecating sense of humor, Big Show will do whatever it takes to unearth every quirky and shocking detail during his adventures into the bizarre."
Rapper and multi-millionaire entrepreneur Master P has announced that he is the new owner of the House of Glory indie wrestling promotion.
Master P, who appeared for WCW during the 1999 feud between the No Limit Soldiers and the West Texas Rednecks, announced today that he is taking over HOG, which is the New York City indie fed that was launched in 2012, ran by The Amazing Red and Brian XL.
The No Limit boss and head of the Miller family issued a warning to WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, as seen in the new Instagram video below.
"And we're getting into wrestling! I'm just telling y'all," Master P told a TMZ reporter while promoting his new 'Miller's Family Treasures' lifestyle reality TV show. "Vince McMahon, you in trouble, cause I'm about to take over wrestling."
He continued, "Taking hip-hop to a whole different league. HOG - House of Glory Wrestling. I'm hiring all the top wrestlers, come over here. WWE, come over here to us."
The caption on the video reads like this: "TMZ @romeomiller @cymphonique Our new lifestyle of the elite and wealthy tv show is called 'Miller's Family Treasures' and we are making history by bringing Hip Hop to wrestling. We don't own the NFL, NBA, or MLB but we do own House of Glory aka "HOG". Join the movement #weallwegot @hogwrestling"
It looks like the Miller family will feature HOG on their "Miller's Family Treasures" TV show.
There's no word yet on when Master P and his crew will begin running HOG, or what they have planned.
After teasing fans for months, the XFL finally released its season ticket packages for all eight teams. This comes after announcing that the selection process will be taking place today. Fans are now able to choose their location for the 2020 season at 11 a.m. ET.
There will be six tiers plus suite seats for several teams. Prices vary depending on the team and area:
* Dallas Renegades: From Tier 6 to Tier 1, prices range from $20 per seat ($100 for a five-game package) to $80 ($500 for a five-game package).
* DC Defenders: From Tier 7 to Tier 1, prices range from $20 per seat ($100 for a five-game package) to $100 ($500 for a five-game package).
* Houston Roughnecks: From Tier 6 to Tier 1, prices range from $20 per seat ($100 for a five-game package) to $90 ($450 for a five-game package).
* Los Angeles Wildcats: From Tier 7 to Tier 1, prices range from $20 per seat ($100 for a five-game package) to $85 ($425 for a five-game package).
* New York Guardians: From Tier 7 to Tier 1, prices range from $25 per seat ($125 for a five-game package) to $115 ($575 for a five-game package).
* St. Louis Battlehawks: From Tier 6 to Tier 1, prices range from $20 per seat ($100 for a five-game package) to $90 ($450 for a five-game package).
* Seattle Dragons: From Tier 7 to Club 1, prices range from $20 per seat ($100 for a five-game package) to $90 ($450 for a five-game package).
* Tampa Bay Vipers: From Tier 7 to Tier 1, prices range from $20 per seat ($100 for a five-game package) to $90 ($450 for a five-game package).
Each fan that purchases a season ticket will receive a VIP Field Pass for one home game. Season ticket members will enjoy benefits that include season ticket price locks for the first two seasons, 25% discounts on merchandise, VIP experiences throughout the year, priority status for playoff and season ticket renewals and early access to the XFL's Football Advisory Network. The FAN is an online community that will give fans access to help optimize the team and fan experience.
Fans still have time to secure their depositsfor the season.
In just a few short weeks the XFL Draft will be taking place from Stamford, CT. The relaunched XFL season is expected to start in February of 2020, the weekend after the Super Bowl.
The Associated Press took a look at WWE TV ahead of the SmackDown FOX premiere and the 20th anniversary celebration from Los Angeles.
FOX Sports President Eric Shanks spoke with The AP for the piece and said SmackDown has potential to do big things for Friday night TV.
"It has the potential to rejuvenate Friday nights," Shanks said.
Triple H was also interviewed. He said FOX is looking to help WWE increase the value of SmackDown, and make it something more. He also said we will see changes right away.
"I think the opportunity to go to a broadcast platform with partners like Fox that not only want to take what you do and embrace it, but help you to make it something more, increases the value," Triple H said. "You'll see changes right away."
Triple H downplayed the drop in WWE TV ratings that we've seen over the past several years.
"I think any show that has been on the air as long as RAW and SmackDown have, you're going to have moments in time where things ebb and flow," Triple H said. "When you look back over it, you hope that as you look back 10 years from now, you go, 'oh, there was a little dip there but it wasn't for long and they corrected course and got right.'"
It was noted how FOX has publicly been nonplussed about the drop in viewership. Shanks pointed to how WWE will now have the FOX promotional machine behind them, and they expect viewership to increase after this week.
"They haven't had the programming and awareness that they will have on Fox," Shanks said. "We're hoping it will grow after the anniversary show."
The piece noted how how WWE has leaned on Hall of Famers like Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan as of late, perhaps as a way to get the lapsed fan, and how RAW and SmackDown are expected to have their own rosters moving forward. Triple H commented on how they want to put stars out that people are engaged with.
"You want to put on something for everybody," Triple H said. "You want to put out stars that people remember, that people are engaged with right now. You want to put something of, this guy's going to be a star in a year or two."
AEW Dynamite premiered last night on TNT against WWE NXT on USA Network. As we previously reported, early indicators seemed to suggest a ratings victory for AEW.
WWE sent Wrestling Inc. the following statement regarding the AEW Dynamite premiere, congratulating the organization for a successful debut while noting "this is a marathon, not a one-night sprint":
"Congratulations to AEW on a successful premiere. The real winners of last night's head-to-head telecasts of NXT on USA Network and AEW on TNT are the fans, who can expect Wednesday nights to be a competitive and wild ride as this is a marathon, not a one-night sprint."
AEW Dynamite premiered on TNT on Wednesday garnering 1.409 million viewers, topping the 891,000 viewers garnered by the season premiere of WWE NXT on the USA Network, which was airing head-to-head, by 58%.
AEW Dynamite was the second highest rated show on cable on Wednesday in the 18-49 demo with a 0.68 rating. It topped WWE NXTin the demo by 112.5%, as NXT did a 0.32 rating and was #10 for the night for the demo.
AEW Dynamite actually narrowly topped last Tuesday's episode of SmackDown Live in the 18-49 demo. While AEW Dynamite scored a 0.68 rating, SmackDown garnered a 0.67 rating in the demo.
AEW Dynamite was also the most watched wrestling show on cable that wasn't RAW or SmackDown in over 5 years, since the April 10, 2014 edition of Impact Wrestling, which did 1.42 million viewers.
Last night, AEW Dynamite (results here) and WWE NXT (results here) went head-to-head for the first time. Today's big question: who won week one in the ratings?
Ryan Glasspiegel of The Big Lead is reporting the overnight ratings from Nielsen has AEW at a 0.7 and NXT at 0.5. Final ratings and viewership will be out later this afternoon.
As noted, it was reported by Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio that, albeit a small sample, Playstation Vue's streaming service showed Dynamite had three times the amount of viewers that NXT had.
For AEW, Jake Hager (fka WWE's Jack Swagger) made his debut for the promotion. On NXT, Tommaso Ciampa and Finn Balorboth made their returns (here and here).
