WWE Issuing Violations For Social Media Posts Naming Third Parties

WWE is issuing “violations” to talent for tweets or Instagram posts naming any third party business, person, brand or charity, Wrestling Inc. has learned. Wrestling Inc. has learned that the violations start with a warning, then a fine, and finally suspension. The company is claiming ownership of talent Twitter and Instagram accounts via a clause in their contracts that grants WWE the exclusive use of their likeness. It has been made clear to talent who have complained that the current “flexibility” allowed in social media could be retracted by the company. We first reported last September that Vince McMahon issued an edict stating that talent can no longer use platforms like Cameo and Twitch. Zelina Vega was released from the company last November due to fallout from her continuing to use platforms like Twitch and OnlyFans. A recent study from LoveUX revealed how lucrative these social media posts. Their study estimated that Lana earned $625,922 off 59 sponsored posts in 2020 ($10,608 per post), while Mandy Rose garnered an estimated $490,104 off 71 sponsored posts ($6,902 per post).

Edge Has Been Pushing To Work With NXT

Some fans have already ruled out a possible match between Edge and NXT Champion Finn Balor at WWE WrestleMania, but Triple H believes that the bout is a genuine possibility.

In the NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day media call, Triple H offered his thoughts on this match, and he said that it’s on the table, just like Edge’s potential clashes with Drew McIntyre and Roman Reigns.

“I don’t think any of it is beyond the realm of possibility,” said Triple H. “You saw it last year with Charlotte [Flair]. I think you see it this year, with him playing things across the board. I think that all those things are on the table….”

Triple H explained that Edge has been pushing to work with young talent because he wants to help them however he can. “The Game” revealed that Edge has wanted to work with NXT wrestlers for a while, even before his return at WWE Royal Rumble 2020.

“He really is in a place in his mind where he wants to build young [talent] and just keep them rolling in different directions,” said Triple H. “So he has been talking to me since prior to coming back the first time in the Royal Rumble over a year ago, of coming to NXT and not only stepping in the ring and talking ,but stepping in the ring and performing.

More?

Triple H On The Tradition Of Sending Custom WWE Title Belts To Sports Teams

Triple H recently spoke with Tony Maglio of The Wrap and talked about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiving their custom WWE Title belt, which was brought to last night’s Super Bowl LV post-game victory press conference by safety Antoine Winfield Jr.

It was noted that the tradition of sending championship sports teams a custom WWE Title belt goes back 8 years, but the seed for the idea was planted long before then. Triple H noted that sports players would often stop him and ask him to take photos with his titles during his various reigns when he was an active Superstar.

“You see Aaron Rodgers motion for the title belt,” Triple H said of the Green Bay Packers quarterback’s regular touchdown celebration. “It’s just become synonymous with ‘The World Champion.’”

WWE began sending titles to sports teams back in 2013 when the Boston Red Sox won the MLB World Series.

“David Ortiz — Big Papi — was a huge fan. Still is. Here’s a guy with all this bling, he’s got the earnings and the giant chains and everything. It’s part of who he is,” Triple H told The Wrap before Sunday’s big game. “When they won the World Series, he was such a big fan and was so into them, we [sent him a] title. He wore it nonstop and just put it over like a million bucks.”

WWE sent a title to LeBron James in 2014 after the Miami Heat won the NBA Championship. James then purchased custom title belts for everyone else on the team. More requests began coming in after that.

Triple H noted that the hand-made WWE Title belts run a few thousand dollars each WWE ordered side plates for both Super Bowl teams this year so the belt would be ready to wear right after the game ended. He said the “rush process” can be the most expensive part of the promotion.

Former WWE superstar Gabbi Tuft comes out as transgender

Gabbi Tuft is ready to show the world who she is.

Tuft, a former WWE wrestling star, announced she is transgender this week.

"This is me," she wrote in an Instagram post coming out as transgender. "Unashamed, unabashedly me."

The former wrestler was active in the WWE from 2009-2012 under the ring name "Tyler Reks." In 2012, she left WWE fame to spend more time with her wife, Priscilla, and their daughter.

But her post-wrestling life wasn't always smooth sailing.

"The previous eight months have been some of the darkest of my entire life," Tuft wrote on Instagram. "The emotional turmoil of being transgender and having to face the world has almost ended me on multiple occasions."

Tuft, a former WWE wrestling star, announced she is transgender this week.

"This is me," she wrote in an Instagram post coming out as transgender. "Unashamed, unabashedly me."

The former wrestler was active in the WWE from 2009-2012 under the ring name "Tyler Reks." In 2012, she left WWE fame to spend more time with her wife, Priscilla, and their daughter.

But her post-wrestling life wasn't always smooth sailing.

"The previous eight months have been some of the darkest of my entire life," Tuft wrote on Instagram. "The emotional turmoil of being transgender and having to face the world has almost ended me on multiple occasions."

"However," she said, "the day I stopped caring about what other people thought, was the day I truly became limitless and allowed my authentic self to come into the light."

More?

Booker T on How He Looks Back at His WrestleMania Match With Triple H, Possible Rematch

During a recent edition of his Hall of Fame podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Booker T spoke about his match with Triple H for the World Heavyweight title at WrestleMania 19, which was a very controversial loss. During the podcast, Booker T spoke about getting back into the ring with Triple to get his win back, saying it would have to be a big payday for him for a WWE card in Saudi Arabia.

Additionally, Booker T noted he doesn’t look back at the matchup thinking he “should’ve won that.” Below is an excerpt and a clip of Booker T talking about the matchup (via Fightful):

“If Booker T vs. Triple H went down, it would have to be in Saudi because they are passing out big big checks. For me to get in the ring, the situation would have to be right. I would want to get paid to get back in the ring. ‘Oh you wrestle at Reality of Wrestling.’ Yeah, that’s my place and it’s my job to teach my students how it’s done sometimes. That’s how I am. I would love to have another match, if the situation is right, with Triple H. A lot of people think about that match and talk about it and the ending wasn’t what most fans wanted. So many people wanted me to win that night. A couple of the office guys were like, ‘Book, you should have won that night.’ WELL YOU WROTE IT! Why didn’t you speak up? [laughs]. I don’t lose any sleep over it because I’ve looked at wrestling like movies. Sometimes, the bad guy wins. I’ve never once looked back at that match and been like, ‘You should’ve won that.'”

 

Damian Priest On Triple H Telling Him About Call-Up

In a recent interview with Sportskeeda, Damian Priest discussed Triple H telling him he was joining the main roster:

"He wanted to tell me face to face and shake my hand and congratulate me. I appreciate that he was the one just cause he’s helped me so much, and he believed in me. That’s the main thing. Like he’s actually believed in me and helped me to believe that it’s okay to be myself. So I was really appreciative that he was the one and the words he said to me, you know like, as far as like going forward and it was super cool.”

Bianca Belair On Her Post-Royal Rumble Talk With Triple H

 

Bianca Belair recently spoke with Ryan Satin of FOX Sports to promote her big win in last Sunday’s Women’s WWE Royal Rumble Match. She revealed a talk she had with Triple H after her win at Tropicana Field.

Belair was asked if Triple H gave her any specific advice as she’s headed to WrestleMania 37, or any insight on what to prepare for over the next few months.

“I mean, I’ve always gotten a lot of different words from him and some of them I always want to keep for me and for myself,” she said. “But, the one thing that really stuck with me from that night was, he just commented on everything that I’ve been through from the very beginning and said he always believed in me, and the one thing that stuck with me was, I won the Royal Rumble and I’m about to go to WrestleMania, but I haven’t even scratched the surface yet.

“That’s the one thing I’m like, ‘Okay. You’re right.’ Because, you know, you win the Royal Rumble, and you’re going to WrestleMania and everybody in WWE wants to go to WrestleMania. That’s your dream. But, winning the Royal Rumble, hearing him say that you haven’t even scratched the surface yet, lets me know, ‘Don’t get complacent. You won the Royal Rumble, but don’t get complacent.’

“So, lets me know, ‘Get your emotions in check. Don’t just be happy with the Royal Rumble win. You gotta go to WrestleMania and you still have something else to prove. And even after WrestleMania, whatever happens, you still have a long career to go from there.'”

New Japan Pro-Wrestling Sets Roku Channel TV Deal in U.S., U.K, Canada

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) will air on the Roku Channel in the U.S., U.K., and Canada under a new television deal, Variety has learned.

The professional wrestling promotion will air a one-hour weekly series on the Roku Channel beginning Feb. 11 and will air every Thursday thereafter beginning at 5 p.m. Episodes will then be available on-demand to Roku’s estimated 61.8 million users for free with ads. Additionally, the Roku Channel will host a block of library content, featuring key highlights from the 2020 NJPW catalogue, with potential for the introduction of more historical content in the future. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The deal will make NJPW the first pro-wrestling promotion to debut on an AVOD service. WWE recently announced that it will be moving the WWE Network over to Peacock, with that transition set to take place on March 18.

source:  variety.com

Shawn Michaels On Working With Triple H In NXT

Shawn Michaels on whether creative has changed in NXT since moving to NXT and what it’s like working with Triple H:

“Not that I’m aware of. Hunter, obviously, he’s the final say. But we’ve always had similar visions and similar ideas as far as creative and what we enjoy about wrestling. I’m still a huge wrestling fan, and when they’re actually out there in the ring, I don’t think anybody gets any more joy out of that than I do. Hunter has learned so much more than me when it comes to a production standpoint. He could now produce a movie or a motion picture. I’m very much enjoying learning that aspect from him. I think we balance each other out.

“I’m still the wrestling fan part of it – the simplicity, the old wild west aspect of it. Together, he’s able to take something that may be very wrong that I might have as an idea and make it so much bigger and better than what it was. In that aspect, I think we work well together. It’s still a business, and it’s no different than when we were in the ring. It continues to evolve and change, and you have to adapt to that. To me, that’s where all the enjoyment comes out……there’s just nothing better than being able to be out there and work side by side with the guys you drove up and down the road with.”

WWE Files Lawsuit Against US Citizenship And Immigration Services

WWE has filed a lawsuit against United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The lawsuit was filed on Tuesday, January 26 in the US District Court of Connecticut, according to PWInsider. Immigration attorney Martine G. Cuomo has filed documents on behalf of WWE for the lawsuit.

The nature of the lawsuit is currently sealed to the public, but speculation is that this has to do with WWE not being able to get a talent or employee into the United States, possibly due to recent policy changes amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Court records show that Citizenship and Immigration Services has not been served with the lawsuit yet, but they have 60 days to respond. Records also indicate that amended pleadings must be filed by March 27 with discovery completed by July 8.

ESPN Is Reportedly Finished With WWE

ESPN has reportedly made the decision to stop airing all WWE content

Dave Meltzer indicated that there are issues between WWE and ESPN as it’s believed that ESPN was a significant part of the WWE Network talks before WWE decided on a deal with NBCU for Peacock. Disney is the parent company of ESPN, and there were rumors at one point of Disney/ESPN potentially being interest in buying WWE. Apparently ESPN found out three weeks ago that they were not getting the WWE Network deal. Meltzer then reported that ESPN has “pretty much shut down” any WWE coverage, and right now no more WWE content is to air on ESPN.

ESPN started airing classic WWE content back in 2020, and often covers significant stories for the company. ESPN launched a WWE subsite in 2016, but it looks like that site is no longer being regularly updated. It was also reported back in February 2020 that WWE and ESPN had talks about potentially moving WWE pay-per-view events to the ESPN+ platform.

WWE Network – Peacock Deal Reportedly Worth More Than $1 Billion

The new WWE Network – Peacock deal is reportedly worth more than $1 billion.

As noted, WWE announced today that NBCUniversal’s Peacock will become the exclusive new home for the WWE Network in the United States on Thursday, March 18. You can click here for full details on the announcement, including price points.

In an update, the Wall Street Journal reports that a person familiar with the deal says it runs for 5 years, and is valued at more than $1 billion. WWE and NBCU did not officially disclose terms of the multi-year agreement.

It’s also been noted that WWE and NBCU will share details on how existing WWE Network subscribers in the United States will be switched to the Peacock platform in the next few weeks. It remains to be seen if current subscribers will be automatically subscribed to Peacock, or how they will do it.

WWE Network will continue to operate as a stand-alone entity outside of the United States and nothing will change for international users.

WSJ also reported that Alan Gold, a partner at Creative Artists Agency’s advisory and investment Evolution Media, served as an adviser on the new WWE – Peacock deal.