Bruce Prichard Debunks Rumor Claiming Triple H Caused Former Intercontinental Champion To Retire

It has long been rumored that issues with Triple H was what resulted in Pat Patterson's retirement.

Patterson famously became 24/7 Champion during the Raw Reunion Show last year, making history as the oldest person to ever win a WWE title - he's 78 - but he's been retired since 2004 and works as a producer and creative consultant for the company.

The former wrestler was a subject of conversation during Bruce Prichard's Something to Wrestle podcast and the host would rubbish the rumors over Triple H and Patterson being at odds being the cause of the latter's retirement.

"It’s complete bulls**t. I mean, I started to laugh when you said ‘Pat Patterson’s retirement’ because yes, he’s still around now," he said. "And Pat, I think that the - okay, first Pat retired from being in the ring. Then Pat retired in the office. He got a big screen TV then. Then he came back, and then he retired again. Got a second big screen TV, and then he came back. And I told him the second time he came back, ‘Okay Pat.’ I said, ‘This is it. No more big screen for you. You’re gonna stay a while this time.’

"So Pat had a tendency to, when he would be on the road for a while, he would get tired. He would just get burned out. And at this point in his career [in 2005], he was single. He was living life, and he couldn’t do that being gone as many days a week as it took to be on the road and everything. So he looked at it and just wanted to have more ‘Me time.’"

Prichard added that Patterson was tired of all of the traveling and everything else that came with being a WWE wrestler.

"Pat was fed up with the business at that point," he explained. "When I say ‘fed up with the business,’ he was fed up with the travel. He was fed up with being at the building at 11:00 for the production meeting, and then having to do the show, and then talk about it afterward."

Patterson is the first-ever Intercontinental champion and is actually the man behind the creation of the Royal Rumble. He's also said to be one of the main persons who helped WWE become what it is today.

As Prichard puts it, the Hall of Famer apparently grew tired of the grind and decided that he could not commit to being a WWE performer at the point that he opted to call it quits.

So, all of that — Pat retiring, him having heat with Triple H. That’s 100% complete just bulls**t. That’s something that someone made up to try and come up with a story to sell news dirt sheet f**king subscriptions or something, to say ‘Oh hey, here’s the real scoop.’ No, there was nothing there. That was Pat being frustrated and wanting to go off and live, and not be tied down every week.


Source: (Lords of Pain)

WWE SmackDown Draws Fourth-Highest Viewership Since Moving To FOX, Takes #1 In All Demos

Friday's WWE SmackDown episode, featuring Roman Reigns defeating Robert Roode in a Tables Match main event, drew an average of 2.562 million viewers on FOX, according to Showbuzz Daily.


This final number is down from the overnight viewership that was released on Saturday morning, which was an average of 2.58 million viewers. This number is up 2.6% from last week's final SmackDown viewership of 2.497 million viewers.

This is also the fourth-best SmackDown viewership since the show premiered on FOX back on October 4. This is also the best blue brand viewership since the taped November 8 episode from England, which drew 2.610 million viewers.

Friday's SmackDown drew a 0.8 rating in the key 18-49 demographic, a 0.9 rating in the 25-54 demo, and a 0.5 rating in the 18-34 demographic. Last week's episode also drew a 0.8 rating in the 18-49 demo, a 0.9 rating in the 25-54 demo, and a 0.5 rating in the 18-34 demographic.

SmackDown ranked #1 in the 18-49 demographic on network TV this week, for the fifth week in a row. SmackDown also came in at #1 in the 18-34 demo this week, for the fifth week in a row. SmackDown tied for #1 in the 25-54 demo, with Hawaii Five-O and Magnum PI.

SmackDown came in at #8 for the night in viewership on network TV, for the third week in a row, behind Hawaii Five-O, Magnum PI, Blue Bloods, 20/20, American Housewife, Lincoln Rhyme, and Dateline. Blue Bloods topped the night with 5.499 million viewers.

Jim Ross Discusses Shane McMahon Leaving WWE In 2009, How Vince McMahon Felt Stephanie Was More Like Him Than Shane

On the latest edition of Grilling JR, Jim Ross discussed Shane McMahon’s resignation from WWE in 2009, reportedly because he felt passed over for power and humiliated by his father, Vince McMahon. Highlights are below.

On Shane McMahon feeling like he was not going to be the heir apparent to takeover WWE: “I never thought Shane would leave, but I also never thought Shane was going to be the heir apparent. And I think at some point around this time is where Shane realized that Vince was going to go another direction as his successor and that was in his daughter, it was Triple H, Paul Leveque was going to be the guy, he still is going to be the guy. But I didn’t know drastic times would take these drastic measures whereby Shane would be leaving his birthright, be leaving the family company, to go out on his own. I think at the end of the day, folks, all Shane McMahon wanted to do was make his dad proud in the family business, and it seemed, in Shane’s view, that that opportunity was never going to exist.”

On his talk with Shane about him leaving WWE: “He came to my office and we talked because we were friends, and he understood my, I had some of those same trepidations. I got tired of some of those things that he was experiencing, just took it as a part, but I wasn’t Vince’s son, I wasn’t in the hunt, or the discussion, of being in that heirachy, which was fine with me, I was making plenty of money and I had my gig and I was happy with it. Shane had a whole different ballgame than anyone could experience. The only son of Vince McMahon felt like he wasn’t going to be able to succeed his father, and that’s what he wanted to do.”

On how Vince thought Stephanie was more like him than Shane: “Vince told me one time, Vince loved both of his kids, still does, great grandchildren, Stephanie’s got all girls, Shane’s got all boys, it’s a great situation, but the bottomline is, Vince told me one time, ‘The girl is more like me than the boy.’ I don’t know how we got in the conversation but Vince always saw that Stephanie had that eye of the tiger, very aggressive, sometimes hyper aggressive in the eyes of some I’m sure, but that’s what he wanted. He wanted controversy, he wanted strong leadership. He wanted impactful players in that role, and he thought Stephanie had more of Vince’s personality than did Shane, and Shane was more like Linda.”

credit: Grilling JR and 411mania

WWE Hall of Famer Rocky Johnson passes away

From WWE.com:

WWE is saddened to learn that Rocky "Soul Man" Johnson (born Wayde Douglas Bowles), a WWE Hall of Famer, former World Tag Team Champion, and father of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, has passed away at age 75.

Johnson's sports-entertainment career began in the mid-1960s when he made a memorable impression in the National Wrestling Alliance. However, Johnson found his highest levels of success when he began his WWE tenure in 1983.

The physically imposing and wildly charismatic Johnson had several memorable rivalries with the likes of Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, Don Muraco and Adrian Adonis. He found his greatest success when he teamed up with Tony Atlas as The Soul Patrol. The two men became the first African-American World Tag Team Champions in WWE history when they defeated The Wild Samoans on Dec. 10, 1983.

The "Soul Man" retired from the ring in 1991, but his imprint continued to be felt on WWE for years to come. Post-retirement, Johnson had a hand in training his son, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. The Rock would become one of the biggest stars in the history of sports-entertainment and carried on his father's legacy with pride.

In 2008, Johnson achieved the highest honor in sports-entertainment when he was inducted by The Rock into the WWE Hall of Fame where he will be forever enshrined as one of sports-entertainment's most influential performers.

DX To Reunite For WWE Live Event At Madison Square Garden

WWE Hall of Famers DX have been announced for the upcoming WWE live event at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

MSG announced today that Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Sean "X-Pac" Waltman, and "Road Dogg" Brian James will be reuniting DX for the March 22 live event.

MSG tweeted, "JUST ANNOUNCED: D-Generation X returns to The Garden for the first time in over a decade! See @TripleH, @ShawnMichaels, @TheRealXPac & @WWERoadDogg on the @wwe Road to WrestleMania on March 22!"

It was previously announced that the MSG show will be headlined by a six-man match with Seth Rollins and The Authors of Pain vs. Samoa Joe, Big Show and Kevin Owens. WWE Women's Tag Team Champion Asuka vs. RAW Women's Champion Becky Lynch is also being advertised. Other Superstars advertised to appear are WWE United States Champion Andrade, Rey Mysterio, Rusev, Bobby Lashley, Drew McIntyre, Ricochet, Aleister Black, The Street Profits, Charlotte Flair, AJ Styles and Randy Orton.

Tickets for WWE's return to MSG officially go on sale this Friday. The Ticketmaster pre-sale is going on now with the code SOCIAL.

WWE "Fight Like A Girl" Series Details With Stephanie McMahon And Various Superstars

WWE has announced new details on their "Fight Like a Girl" series with Quibi.

It was announced today that individual episodes will be lead by RAW Women's Champion Becky Lynch, The Bella Twins, Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Alexa Bliss, Sonya Deville, Paige, Nia Jax, and Natalya.

WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon will be featured in each episode as she pairs a WWE Superstar with a young woman struggling with personal issues. The episodes were filmed at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando. Stephanie is also an Executive Producer of the series.

"This strong cast of Superstars are leaders and role models who each have personal stories of challenge, perseverance and triumph," Stephanie said in the announcement. "We are thrilled to have them on board to help young women find both their inner and outer strength and overcome adversity in their lives."

Below is the full announcement issued by WWE today:

QUIBI AND WWE ANNOUNCE SUPERSTARS IN FIGHT LIKE A GIRL

LOS ANGELES, CA and STAMFORD, Conn., January 15, 2020 - Quibi and WWE today announced the WWE Superstars participating in the transformational series Fight Like a Girl. Leading individual episodes of the upcoming series are WWE Superstars Sasha Banks, Brie Bella, Nikki Bella, Alexa Bliss, Sonya Deville, Charlotte Flair, Nia Jax, Becky Lynch and Natalya.
In each episode of Fight Like a Girl, Stephanie McMahon pairs a WWE Superstar with a young woman struggling with a personal issue that has been holding her back. The WWE Superstars 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.

"This strong cast of Superstars are leaders and role models who each have personal stories of challenge, perseverance and triumph," said Stephanie McMahon, WWE Chief Brand Officer. "We are thrilled to have them on board to help young women find both their inner and outer strength and overcome adversity in their lives."

Shot at the world-famous WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, each episode features a stunning transformation and heart-pounding reveal as the women change their lives forever.

Produced by WWE Studios and Critical Content. Executive Producers are Stephanie McMahon, Susan Levison and Ben Zierten for WWE Studios, and Tom Forman, Jenny Daly and Jon Beyer for Critical Content.

Paige Speaks Out Regarding Triple H's Inappropriate Joke; Hunter Apologizes

WWE star Paige spoke with Sportskeeda regarding comments that Triple H made earlier this week at her expense.

During a media scrum in the U.K. to promote last week's NXT U.K. Takeover event, Triple H joked, "You know, Edge has kids, Paige... maybe, she probably has some she doesn't know of."

Paige, who has stated in the past that she is unable to have children, said the joke took her by surprise. Paide admitted that she's confused why someone she's always had respectful encounters with would make a joke about something she believes was inappropriate.

"Obviously I was a little bit perplexed, a little bit taken aback, because he's someone that I truly look up to and he's always been very respectful, so I feel like he got caught up, maybe, in a joke, that I just don't think was appropriate to joke about," Paige said. "I don't know, I feel like it's something that I don't need to continually keep talking about because I feel like people have done a pretty good job of that."

Several stars have spoken out about the inappropriate comment, including Renee Young and The Bella Twins. Triple H has reached out to Paige since the incident. Paige says that she intends to speak to him about the matter.

"He's definitely reached out. We're going to be talking about some things," Paige said.

Triple H tweeted an apology:

I’ve reached out to @RealPaigeWWE to apologize. I made a terrible joke and I’m sorry if it offended her or anyone else.

— Triple H (@TripleH) January 15, 2020

AEW Dynamite Viewership Remains Strong, Beats WWE NXT Again

The Wednesday Night War has returned with a bang with AEW Dynamite winning the night once more against WWE NXT.

Wednesday's AEW Dynamite on TNT drew 947,000 viewers, well ahead of NXT's 721,000 viewers on the USA Network, according to Showbuzz Daily.

Last week's Dynamite episode drew 967,000 viewers with viewership remaining steady for this week's Anniversary Edition. NXT last week was a taped special and drew 548,000 viewers

AEW drew a 0.36 rating in the all-important 18-49 demographic, again beating the 0.19 that NXT drew in the same demo.

AEW ranked #6 in the Cable Top 150, while NXT ranked #55.

Source: Showbuzz Daily

Triple H On CM Punk And AJ Lee Potentially Returning To WWE, Getting Older In The Business

"The Game" Triple H recently spoke on a media call that featured questions from Metro.co.uk, including how Hunter feels about a potential return from former stars CM Punk and AJ Lee.

Triple H thinks that as long as everyone involved is satisfied with the deal, he would be open to seeing the power couple back with WWE.

"If it was right for them, for the company, for everyone involved, then absolutely [I'd like to see them return]. I don't think that's ever been a factor, of somebody saying, 'This person should be here, or that person should be here,'" Hunter said. "'Incredible talent are always incredible talent – but there's so much more to the business than just being a talented performer...

"In a perfect world? Yeah, sure. Again, you've heard Vince echo that sentiment so many times of the years, 'Never say never!'"

Hunter says that he wishes he was once again a young man performing in his prime so that he could face today's best talent in epic matches. However, he's well aware that as his age increases, the long storylines and physical matches he's involved in will continue decreasing.

"Sometimes I look at the talent and I think, oh man, if I was 25 and could step in the ring with them – but then the reality quickly comes back to me. 'You're not 25 and you can't do that!' The business evolves, and in some ways I look at it from a story telling standpoint," Hunter said. "That's what we're sort of teaching them, and that comes from experience. But the physicality of it and the things that a lot of talent are able to do, I couldn't do that anyway!

"...There are a lot of talent that I look back on my career and think, if I was in my prime, I'd be all over pitching ideas to do something with this talent," Hunter continued. "But the reality is, you're not young anymore. It all moves on and it's a young man's business, and hopefully that always continues."

Triple H Named Loudwire Metal Ambassador of the Decade

Call him The Game, The Cerebral Assassin, The King of the Kings, and now, The Metal Ambassador of the Decade.

Triple H was given that honor by Loudwire on Wednesday and spoke to the publication about integrating metal into NXT and more. With WrestleMania entrances that have featured the sounds of Motörhead and Metallica, The Game has long brought a metal influence to the world of sports-entertainment — one that is also now seen prominently on the black-and-gold brand. 

Click here to see Loudwire's full story and a sit-down interview with The Game. 

WWE Sued By Stockholder Over XFL Ties

An Oklahoma firefighters pension fund filed a lawsuit on December 26 in Delaware Chancery Court against the WWE, according to Bloomberg Law. The group claims there is "a credible basis to believe" Vince McMahon and other WWE senior officers are not keeping up with their WWE duties as they focus resources towards the XFL, which is being run under McMahon's Alpha Entertainment, LLC.

The XFL is scheduled to begin in February, shortly after the NFL finishes up, and will start with eight teams.

The lawsuit also claimed that there hasn't been enough oversight on Vince by company board members as he "engages in transactions that are in conflict with WWE's interests" and want a look at WWE's internal records. Vince has previously said he plans on continuing his role as WWE Chairman and CEO for the foreseeable future.

It was reported by ESPN back in 2018 that McMahon had informed insiders that he would spend close to $500 million in the first three years of the XFL's existence. He's sold WWE shares ($100 million in 2017, $270 million in 2019) to help fund Alpha Entertainment, LLC.

WWE NXT Tops AEW Dynamite In Viewership And Key Demographic This Week

After last week's tie, Week 12 of the Wednesday Night Wars saw WWE NXT top AEW Dynamite in viewership and the key demographic.

Wednesday's NXT drew 795,000 viewers on the USA Network, beating the 683,000 viewers garnered by Dynamite on TNT by 16%, according to Showbuzz Daily.

This is the second-lowest AEW viewership since the show began airing back in October. The November 27 episode drew 663,000 viewers.

NXT opened with a strong commercial-free opener this week, which saw NXT Champion Adam Cole retain over Finn Balor, and closed just as strong as Rhea Ripley defeated Shayna Baszler in the main event to become the new NXT Women's Champion.

NXT beat AEW in the prime 18-49 demo for the first time ever by 8%. AEW drew a 0.25 rating in the 18-49 demographic while NXT drew a 0.27 in the same demo this week. It was the lowest rating for Dynamite in the demo yet. Last week's AEW episode drew a 0.28 in that demographic while NXT drew a 0.24.

AEW ranked #30 in the Cable Top 150 for the prime 18-49 demo, while NXT ranked slightly above it at #27. AEW ranked #43 in overall viewership, while NXT ranked #37 in viewership.

Last week's Dynamite episode drew 778,000 viewers and ranked #11 in the Cable Top 150, and #34 in viewership. Last week's NXT episode drew 778,000 viewers and ranked #21 in the Cable Top 150, and #34 in viewership.