Triple H Talks Recent WWE Releases

Dating back to April 15, 2020, WWE has made a sizable amount of cuts from their roster. From in-ring talent to producers, pink slips were dished out on numerous occasions over the past year.

Speaking to the New York Post, Triple H emphasized that the releases are “just business.”

“Coming out of COVID and a pandemic and everything else, all companies are having to make difficult decisions and we were no different,” Triple H said. “It’s a part of what we do and it happens on a regular basis, all companies have to do it. It’s not the most pleasant part of what you do, but it is what it is.”

Samoa Joe Says Triple H Contacted Him About NXT Return Hours After His Release, He’s Working In Talent Scouting Now

Samoa Joe‘s NXT return was put in motion just a few hours after he was initially released by WWE in April.

Samoa Joe was the latest guest on Out Of Character with Ryan Satin and he spoke about his return to NXT in a new “enforcer” role. Joe was released on April 15, but quickly returned to the company with the NXT brand on June 15. Speaking to Satin, Joe explained how John Laurinaitis called him and informed him of his release in April, and he was understanding due to his situation. He noted that the release was not expected, but he was relatively calm about it given the circumstances. He said a younger version of himself might have been worried, but you need to “roll, pivot” and move forward with his next projects.

“A few hours later, I get a call from Hunter and that all pretty much kinda changed.” [laughs]

Satin asked to clarify that the call from Triple H was only a few hours after being released by John Laurinaitis, Joe said it “essentially” happened that way.

“I had sent some company farewell texts to people to just say ‘it’s a pleasure working with you’, some people I genuinely enjoyed working with, some general thanks and ‘I’m sure we’ll talk down the road at some point’ [remarks] and then I got a text back [from Triple H]. [He said] ‘Give me a minute, I’m getting out of a meeting’ and we had a brief conversation, which was essentially ‘give us a little bit of time, I’ll work out a package and we’ll be talking soon,’” Joe said. “And that led to my return back to NXT.”

Asked if he had any reservations about coming back despite what had transpired, Joe said he didn’t before explaining what his new role will entail.

“No, and a lot of it was that me and Triple H had spoken about this transition in-depth, and it wasn’t just coming back to NXT and being an enforcer and having a role on the show. Now, I’m working in the talent scouting department, working with Canyon Ceman, a few more administrative things here and there behind the scenes,” Joe explained, “It’s a little bit of a transition for me into some of the other aspects of the business of WWE.

“It’s kind of an evolution of my journey, I’ve gone through the commentary production ranks and I’m working a little more on the behind-the-house type of things, so it was a really great, cool opportunity that Hunter offered me. And I’m still performing here within the bounds of WWE,” Joe noted, “so it was a very, very nice understanding that we have come to and I’m really excited about it.”

In regards to his new role, Joe said that he’s looking forward to giving looks to talent that might not otherwise get a chance in WWE. Joe was also asked about his potential in-ring return, and if it’s something he’s still pursuing. Joe said ‘absolutely’, adding that he’ll just say yes he’s working on it, and “we’ll leave it at that.”

credit:    WrestleZone

WWE Releases Multiple Superstars

The rumored WWE releases coming Friday turned out to be accurate as the company continued their recent paredown of the roster, focusing on both NXT and 205 Live talents.

The final list as of Friday night: Fandango, Tyler Breeze, Tony Nese, Ariya Daivari, August Grey, Ever-Rise (Chase Parker and Matt Martel), Curt Stallion, the Bollywood Boyz (Sunil and Samir Singh), Arturo Ruas, Marina Shafir, Killian Dain, and Tino Sabbatelli.

The majority of the releases were first reported by Fightful or PWInsider.

Jim Ross: Triple H And Stephanie McMahon Should Run WWE If The Company Is Sold

Jim Ross is of the opinion that if WWE is sold, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon should run the company.

Speaking on the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast, Ross hypothesized about what happens if WWE is sold. The conclusion he came to was Triple H and Stephanie McMahon are the people best suited to run WWE. Here is the quote, courtesy of Fightful:

“Let’s say it sells. It has to be sold with the thought in mind that there are people in place to run it. It’s a unique genre and takes a special breed, background, and desire to make it work. Our audience now with social media are more educated. Wrestling fans have something to carry their flag around and people are paying attention in a great way. If I were going to sell WWE, who better to run it than Triple H and his wife? The DNA is there, the experience, Vince has given them a great opportunity to have more experience in upper management.

“The key thing is talent and television. One without the other doesn’t make any money. If they do sell, it’d be a huge win for all involved, especially the family. It’s no guaranteed that (if they sell), Triple H and Stephanie have to find new jobs. I assume they’ll be running it.”

WWE’s McMahon, Board Accused of Insider Trading Over Saudi Deals

A World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. shareholder sued chairman Vince McMahon and other members of its board in Delaware, claiming company leaders sold more than $300 million worth of stock at inflated prices while keeping the public in the dark about the collapse of key Middle East broadcasting deals.

The lawsuit, made public Tuesday, accuses WWE’s executives of telling investors for months it was poised to renew an agreement with Riyadh-based Orbit Showcase Network, which it knew to be exiting sports broadcasting altogether, then misleading them about its chances of finding a replacement deal.

Meanwhile, McMahon—the company’s co-founder and controlling stockholder—allegedly sold 3.5 million shares worth more than $280 million based on “nonpublic information regarding the company’s key contracts, business metrics, and financial prospects” in the increasingly “critical” Middle East region.

Other executives sold stock worth $30 million based on the same inside information, according to the complaint filed in Delaware Chancery Court. Among the board members named as defendants are McMahon’s daughter Stephanie and her husband Paul Levesque, a longtime wrestler known as “Triple H.”

When the truth about WWE’s “rapidly deteriorating” Middle East business finally emerged in early 2020, the company’s stock price fell from more than $62 a share to $44.50, according to the complaint.

WWE didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

The partly redacted 68-page complaint echoes a securities fraud class action that settled for $39 million in December. McMahon and the board are to blame for that hit to the company’s finances and for damage to its business reputation, the suit says.

It was originally filed under seal June 10.

Cause of Action: Breach of fiduciary duty; unjust enrichment; aiding and abetting.

Relief: Punitive and actual damages, costs, and fees.

Attorneys: The plaintiff is represented by Rigrodsky Law PA and Joshua H. Grabar of Philadelphia.

The case is Dastgir v. McMahon, Del. Ch., No. 2021-0513, complaint unsealed 6/15/21.

To contact the reporter on this story: Mike Leonard in Washington at mleonard@bloomberglaw.com

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Rob Tricchinelli at rtricchinelli@bloomberglaw.com; Nicholas Datlowe at ndatlowe@bloomberglaw.com

Triple H Comments On AEW Ratings ‘Lie’

In a recent sitdown with Wrestling Inc. Daily, Wrestling Inc, Axel Tishcer, formerly known to WWE and NXT audiences as Alexander Wolfe discussed his relationship with Triple H and the recently ended ‘Wednesday Night War’ between WWE NXT and All Elite Wrestling. Here, the ex-Wolfe told managing editor Nick Hausman his thoughts on the competition between the two companies, that stated how allegedly Triple H relayed to talent that USA does not care about the ever-popular 18-49 demographic like AEW and their flagship show, Dynamite does – instead putting a core focus on viewership. 

 “It’s always a competition no matter which promotion. Competition keeps us guys thriving,” Tischer stated. “A lot of people say competition is healthy for the business, and even before AEW, we were always in competition. There are more promotions out there other than AEW still. He also mentioned, for example, the demo because a lot of people are like, ‘AEW scored more viewers in the 18-49 demo,’ and the funny part was he gave us a little insight.” 

 USA Network, they are not aiming for that demo. They can have the demo because it’s not important about who has the bigger ratings. You have a contract with a channel. That’s what I’m say right now not what he said. You have a contract with the channel. They pay you an amount per year to produce the product. As long as they’re happy, nothing else counts because you have to satisfy the guys who pay you and also the guys who you switch in. 

 And if you’re in the demo and you want to watch NXT, you watch NXT. If you want to watch AEW, watch AEW. That’s the beauty of freedom of choice. I think it got too oversaturated with this Wednesday Night War because everybody wanted to go back to the Monday Night War because it was so exciting, and they battled each other and it was about ratings. ‘There’s another war coming with AEW. One of the main bosses from AEW, he got fired by WWE, so he wants to take them out of business.’ That’s too corny for me.”

FROM MOTÖRHEAD TO POPPY: WWE'S TRIPLE H ON CREATING NXT HEAVY-METAL FAMILY

Triple H Believes Wrestling Fans Often “Ruin Their Own Stuff”

Ahead of NXT “Takeover: In Your House”, Paul “Triple H” Levesque was part of a media call where he discussed the current state and future of NXT. Triple H was asked about the lack of movement within the NXT roster to other brands, and while discussing it, he critiqued wrestling fans.

“It’s a funny thing to me sometimes that in our business, everybody is so worried about where people are going to go or land or ‘how is this going to play out long term in the future?’ How about watch it,” Triple H stated. “Do you like it, or do you not like it? Do you have to say, ‘I like it, but I like this other thing more,’ or ‘I like it, but I don’t like it as much as I like that one.’ Just watch it or don’t and stop trying to figure out where everything goes.”

Triple H noted that fans often “ruin their own stuff” by overanalyzing the product.

“The fans ruin their own stuff half the time trying to figure out where everything goes and why it’s going there and how and then trying to pick up their phone and go search for the thing to find out what it is that can ruin it for them so they’re not surprised when it happens. I don’t understand that. I’m thrilled with what the brand is. I’m happy with where it is. Do I want it to get better? Yes. Do I want it to grow? Yes. Do I want it to expand? Yes.

“But again, people will take this line, use it out of context. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. I’m not here to make a brand that’s around for a few years or a few minutes. I want it to be long term, and how’s it going to be long term? It’s going to morph and evolve. It shouldn’t be the same. If it’s the same three years from now or four years from now as it is right now, we made a mistake. It’s just like people, you grow. If you’re the same person four years from now, you didn’t grow.”

WWE Stock Is Booming Today, Here's Why

WWE stock has surged to a 52-week high of $70.72 this morning.

The stock is currently up to $65.31 per share with the stock opening at $63.01 per share today, and has stayed above $62.99.

The sudden surge is due to the popular r/WallStreetBets subreddit, and post urging people to buy WWE as a stock option. The same subreddit was behind the recent surge for Gamestop and AMC.

It appears that the investors are happy as trading volumes are ballooning. Over 5 million shares of WWE have exchanged today against the 768,000 daily average.

Stephanie McMahon: focused on content post-COVID with Peacock deal

Stephanie McMahon, chief brand officer of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., said Monday that the company was focused on content as live-event attendance begins to ramp up in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In an interview with CNBC, McMahon said the professional wrestling promoter was experiencing "really significant trends" toward increased attendance at live events.

Asked about the WWE's recent deal to stream its wrestling shows on the Peacock streaming service, McMahon said the company would focus on content production in the future.

"We don't want to be competitive in the technology business," she said, adding that the WWE's original streaming service would have had difficulty facing off against behemoths like Disney or Amazon.

Instead, McMahon described the company's current strategy as staying "competitive in terms of content."

Commenting on the return of live audiences at its wrestling events, the WWE exec stated that distribution deals and merchandise allowed it to weather the COVID storm.

McMahon noted that a majority of the firm's revenue is contractual, coming from deals with broadcasters and other similar arrangements. At the same time, she said that an increase in e-commerce revenue offset a fall in live-event revenue during the outbreak.

Still, McMahon highlighted the fact that the company traditionally draws more than $100 million in revenue each year from live events.

Early this year, WWE announced a deal with Comcast's (NASDAQ:CMCSA) NBCUniversal that made the Peacock service the exclusive home of its streaming content.

source: seeking alpha

Triple H Rings Bell Before NBA Playoff Game In Surprise Appearance

Triple H rang the ceremonial bell before today’s NBA Playoff game between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Atlanta Hawks.

The Game appeared alongside Philadelphia 76ers player Joel Embiid who happens to be a massive WWE fan. Embiid led Triple H to the court while wearing DX “Thrust The Process” T-shirts.

After the game, he tweeted the picture with the caption, “If you’re not down with the process, I got two words for ya **** **.”

WWE Confirms Top Superstars Have Been Released

WWE released the following announcement and wished the Superstars the best in their future endeavors:

Braun Strowman, Aleister Black, Lana, and other Superstars released

WWE has come to terms on the releases of Braun Strowman, Aleister Black, Lana, Murphy, Ruby Riott and Santana Garrett.

WWE wishes them the best in all of their future endeavors.

As noted, it had been reported earlier this week that these releases were being made due to budget cuts. These departures come after a round of talent cuts in mid-April, a round of talent cuts in mid-May, and a number of significant office/corporate departures in May that were part of a major WWE HQ restructuring.