WWE Internal Memo Touts Crown Jewel 2022 As Most-Viewed International PLE In WWE History

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reports that WWE sent out an internal memo to company executives in which it stated that Crown Jewel surpassed Clash at the Castle to become WWE’s most viewed international Premium Live Event of all time.

Per Sapp, the top five most-viewed events WWE has held in Saudi Arabia are as follows:

1) Crown Jewel 2022

2) Greatest Royal Rumble 2018

3) Elimination Chamber 2021

4) Crown Jewel 2021

5) Super ShowDown 2019

WWE also highlighted Crown Jewel’s seven-figure viewership number on Peacock in the United States.

WWE’s Vince McMahon Investigation Ended Up Costing $19.4M In Expenses

The WWE, led by co-CEOs Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan, handily beat Wall Street expectations on revenue in its third quarter, delivering net revenue of $304.6 million, and operating income of $58.9 million.

The bump in revenue was “primarily due an increase in both domestic and international media rights fees related to the Company’s flagship programs, Raw and SmackDown,” the company said.

Indeed, the majority of the revenue, some $233 million, came from media rights, with live events accounting for $35.2 million, and consumer products $36.4 million.

But while many entertainment companies are beginning to lower expectations for the rest of the year amid an uncertain economic environment, the WWE appears bullish on its prospects, telling investors that it now expects full year 2022 Adjusted OIBDA to be at the “upper end” of its $370 million – $385 million range from just a few months ago, including fourth quarter 2022 Adjusted OIBDA of $83 million – $90 million.

In its earnings report, the WWE also provided an update into the board investigation into former CEO Vince McMahon. McMahon retired amid the probe back in July, but he remains the company’s controlling shareholder.

“The Special Committee investigation is now complete and the Special Committee has been disbanded,” the company said in the earnings report. “Management is working with the Board to implement the recommendations of the Special Committee related to the investigation.”

The company says it spent $17.7 million on costs associated with the investigation in Q3, and $19.4M so far this year. 

WWE Bringing ‘Elimination Chamber’ to Montreal

WWE is returning to Canada for a pay-per-view.

Elimination Chamber will be held on Feb. 18 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Sports Illustrated has learned. It is the first PPV in Canada since 2019 when SummerSlam took place in Toronto.

This will mark the first pay-per-view—which WWE now refers to as a premium live event—in Montreal since Breaking Point in 2009. That card, headlined by CM Punk against The Undertaker in a submission match, featured a loaded roster, including current stars Cody Rhodes, Kofi Kingston, The Miz, MVP, and Randy Orton.

Last year’s Elimination Chamber was held in Saudi Arabia and ended with Brock Lesnar regaining the WWE championship in an Elimination Chamber match. That show also featured Bianca Belair punching her ticket to a women’s title match at WrestleMania by winning the women’s Elimination Chamber match, as well as Roman Reigns defeating Bill Goldberg. Like last year, this is expected to be the final major event prior to WrestleMania.

Shawn Michaels Gets Emotional Talking About Paying Triple H Back

With the monumental news of Vince McMahon retiring beginning to fade into the past, the WWE is currently in a great spot, with Triple H running the main roster side of things and his best friend Shawn Michaels taking over his duties down on the developmental side with "NXT." The two have experienced it all together in the WWE and are now steering the ship for the company that helped 

"Hunter was there for me at a time in my life when I really needed it, obviously it's been 25 years since that time, but I guess for me it's always been how could I pay him back for that?" Michaels said during a recent appearance on the WWE After the Bell Podcast.

The answer to Shawn's question came last year when Triple H suffered a cardiac event that caused him to take the year off and undergo heart surgery. The former WWE Champion has been on the record stating it was a life-threatening situation and his absence from "NXT" would be something the company would have to deal with. While he was away, his best friend came to his aid, repaying the favor Triple H did for him, as Michaels took over his role with the developmental brand.

'It was absolutely not a moment's hesitation, it wasn't even difficult to do.' "For me, that's what I feel like some of this was, this was a way for me to be there for him and that means a lot to me," said Michaels. "I can get emotional, I'm all about the romance of this job. Even [taking over for Vince McMahon] has been pulling that out of him, another side of him that not many people get to see. To be able to be there for your friend in the best way you can, it was not easy by any stretch, the situation wasn't great at all, but it was absolutely not a moment's hesitation, it wasn't even difficult to do. Again because of the love, the respect, the care that I have for him."

"I appreciate the pats on the back but my goodness, it was nothing more than what he's done for me many many years ago. I was just happy to at least put a little dent in what he did for me in hopes that I helped him through a hard time in his life and that's all that really matters to me."

Triple H Discusses 'The White Rabbit Project' Leading To Bray Wyatt's Return

Speaking to The Wrap, WWE’s Chief Content Officer Triple H discussed how WWE used social media to build up Bray's return.

“We asked ourselves how we could bring back Bray Wyatt in the most engaging way possible. So we created ‘The White Rabbit Project,’ intended to lead our audience down this literal rabbit hole of content to help build anticipation for Wyatt’s return at ‘Extreme Rules’ on Peacock,” he said. "It started with flickering lights in arenas and continued with the release of other easter eggs, like hidden QR codes within episodes of ‘SmackDown’ and ‘Raw’ that led viewers to more clues that kept them guessing, and tuning in, each week. It culminated in what we believe was a massive pay-off for our fans – and for WWE. This is a great example of how WWE is uniquely positioned as a sports and entertainment property to harness the power of our shows and our social following to develop multimedia, long-term storytelling that can help produce meaningful aggregated audiences."

WWE stock hits 52-week high, defying market trends, in aftermath of McMahon scandal

WWE is defying broader market trends this year.

The company’s stock is up more than 50% in 2022, hitting a 52-week high Monday, and trading at levels it hasn’t seen since summer 2019. The S&P 500, by comparison, is down more than 20% this year.

The stock’s strong performance this year occurred as WWE’s live wrestling events business came roaring back after months of Covid restrictions and the company increasingly became the subject of sale talks. The stock continued to do well after WWE’s longtime leader and biggest shareholder, Vince McMahon, retired from the company over the summer in a cloud of scandal.

Shares of WWE were effectively flat Monday after hitting $76.90. The company’s market capitalization is more than $5.6 billion.

Industry insiders believe WWE could be an acquisition target. A deal could come before the company’s next U.S. TV rights renewal — likely to be announced in mid-2023. WWE’s current U.S. streaming deal with NBCUniversal’s Peacock expires in 2026.

Analyst John Healy of Northcoast Research, who covers WWE, sees the stock’s success as a confluence of successful ratings, upcoming media deal opportunities and the speculation about a possible acquisition.

“That speculation has been going on for a long time, and I think will always be around this company given the unique asset that it is and the ownership structure,” Healy told CNBC on Monday.

He also noted that WWE is relatively insulated from consumer trends, saying that “two-thirds of the revenue is coming from locked-in relationships” with media companies. Given a highly saturated media market, Healy expects high bidding for the rights to “Raw” and “Smackdown,” which are set to be renegotiated in the coming year.

source:  cnbc.com

Triple H Reportedly Tests Positive For COVID-19

It appears WWE will be without their head of creative tonight for the first time since he stepped into the role earlier this year. Based on a report from PWInsider, Paul "Triple H" Levesque has tested positive for COVID-19. He will be absent from both tonight's "WWE Raw" and tomorrow's episode of "WWE NXT."

Levesque is said to be feeling good despite the diagnosis, and the company is hopeful that he will return in time for this Friday's "WWE SmackDown," or next week's "Raw" at the latest. The Chief Content Officer has reportedly been in touch with the company's writers and producers remotely, and feels confident in the direction of tonight's show in his absence.

While the company received internal criticism for the way it handled COVID-19 infections in the early days of the pandemic, they would eventually begin more rigid testing protocols before relaxing those rules towards the end of last year. WWE has seen its fair share of COVID-19 infections throughout the course of the pandemic, with the most recent outbreak of more than an isolated case or two taking place this past April.

Until he begins testing negative for the virus and is cleared to return, Levesque will be forced to take something of a step back from his duties as head of creative. However, it's likely that major creative decisions will still make their way to him to approve, while the actual running of the shows will be left to the producers with the most experience.

Shawn Michaels Talks Struggling To Run WWE NXT After Triple H's Cardiac Event

Shawn Michaels admits it was tough for him to take the reins of "NXT" during Paul "Triple H" Levesque's absence. Last year, Levesque underwent heart surgery following a serious cardiac event. "The Game" was in heart failure and had to have a defibrillator put in his chest.

Michaels, who is now WWE's Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative, was dealt a rough hand as he had to take what Levesque helped build while also dealing with what his higher-ups wanted for "NXT" during the Vince McMahon regime. He explained that time period during an appearance on "The MMA Hour."

"Well, look, nothing sucks more than to have to follow in those footsteps, and then have all these abrupt changes that you have to then take over," Michaels said. "I will say this, my knowledge at the time, for instance, the logo, that came at the last minute and even from Hunter's standpoint, from the best of my understanding it was, 'This is what it is.' I think that's maybe something a lot of people — and I saw the interview you did with Hunter where he said – look, I know there are a lot of things people thought he wouldn't have done or decisions he didn't make, but they actually were."

With that said, Michaels admitted that there were also some significant changes that were out of Levesque's hands.

"So, there were some things that he did know about, but then there was others, especially as it started going and he wasn't there, that were very different and very difficult to sort of deal with."

credit: The MMA Hour Wrestling Inc

WWE Announces “WWE CAMPUS RUSH” Recruitment Tour

WWE today announced “WWE Campus Rush,” a multi-campus college athlete recruitment tour which will visit top NCAA Division I universities in search of the next generation of WWE Superstars.

WWE Superstars such as Big E, Bianca Belair, Omos, Madcap Moss and Raquel Rodriguez, all of whom have transitioned from college athletics to a career in WWE, will address student athletes at each tour stop and educate them about the global leader in sports entertainment. In conjunction with each university, student athletes will learn about WWE’s “Next In Line” (NIL) program and the resources that they can utilize including brand building, social media, fan engagement, media training and more. Each stop of the tour will include a lively competition that features student athletes facing off on the microphone to cut the best WWE-style promo.

“WWE Campus Rush” will begin tomorrow, October 12 at the University of Mississippi and will visit a total of eight universities from five conferences during the fall semester, including:

University of Mississippi – Tomorrow, October 12

Georgia Tech – Thursday, October 13

Clemson University – Tuesday, October 25

Boise State University – Tuesday, November 8

University of Arkansas – Wednesday, November 9

Ohio State University – Tuesday, November 15

University of Kansas – Tuesday, December 6

Penn State University – Wednesday, December 7

*Schedule subject to change

Looking ahead to 2023, ‘WWE Campus Rush” will visit the University of Florida, University of Michigan, Michigan State University, University of North Carolina, Texas A&M University, University of Oklahoma, Auburn University, University of Illinois, and Northwestern University.

“WWE Campus Rush will serve as a core pillar in our commitment to finding the next generation of WWE Superstars among today’s elite college athletes,” said James Kimball, WWE’s Head of Talent Operations and Strategy. “The talent pipeline from college sports to WWE has proven to be effective, as evidenced by current champions Roman Reigns and Bianca Belair, and we are looking forward to visiting major college campuses around the country to introduce ourselves in a new way.”

WWE launched its “Next In Line” program in December 2021 and currently has 25 active athletes with NIL partnerships. Three athletes from the inaugural class have joined the company following their graduation from school and have started training full-time at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla.

Additionally, WWE has exclusively hosted more than 100 college athletes from more than a dozen different sports at multi-day talent tryouts in 2022. WWE signed nearly 50 athletes from those events in a growing effort to find the most talented athletes in the world.

Learn more about the path to WWE at wwerecruit.com.

WWE Announces Updates To Commentary Teams

Today WWE announced that Raw, SmackDown, NXT and Premium Live Events will all have updated announce booths starting with this week's season premieres. The news was first reported by Variety on Thursday afternoon.

On Friday Night SmackDown, the commentary table will be headed by Michael Cole with Wade Barrett doing color commentary. Samantha Irvin will be the ring announcer, and interviews will be conducted by Kayla Braxton and Megan Morant.

On Monday Night Raw, Corey Graves will still be providing his colorful insights and will be joined by Kevin Patrick on play-by-play. Mike Rome will continue to announce from the ring, and Byron Saxton will transition from the commentary booth to backstage interviews. Also joining Saxton in backstage interviews is none other than Cathy Kelley in her return to WWE.

Over on NXT, Vic Joseph will be assisted by six-time World Champion and WWE Hall of Famer Booker T. Alicia Taylor will still provide her exceptional voice to ring announcing, and McKenzie Mitchell will once again be conducting interviews.

On the Premium Live Event side, Michael Cole and Corey Graves will come together again to announce from the booth.

Pat McAfee will return to the WWE announce booth following his commitments to ESPN's College GameDay.

Anonio Inoki Passes Away, Age 79

Yahoo! Japan has broke the news that wrestling legend Antonio Inoki has passed away.

A translated version of the article can be read below.

Former professional wrestler Antonio Inoki (real name Kanji Inoki), who served two terms as a member of the House of Councilors, died at his home on the 1st. he was 79 years old. Born in Yokohama City. Born in 1943 (Showa 18). He lost his father at the age of five, and at the age of thirteen he and his family moved to Brazil to work on coffee farms. When he won the shot put at a local track and field competition, he was scouted by the late Rikidoyama, who was on an expedition to Brazil, and began professional wrestling. He entered Japan Pro Wrestling.

On September 30, 1960, he made his debut on the same day as the late Giant Baba, who turned from professional baseball to professional wrestling, and since 1962, he has used the ring name "Antonio Inoki". After training in the United States, leaving Japan, returning, and being expelled, he married actress Mitsuko Baisho in 1971 (later divorced).

In 1972, he launched New Japan Pro-Wrestling, and after that he built the heyday of professional wrestling. Boxing in June 1976, a "mixed martial arts match" with Muhammad Ali, the world heavyweight champion, attracted attention and was televised around the world.

As a politician, he launched the "Sports and Peace Party" in 1989, and ran for the 15th House of Councilors election in the same year as a proportional representation member with the catchphrases "Fix the swastika in the Diet" and "Slash the consumption tax" and was elected for the first time. He became the first wrestler-turned-member of parliament in history.

Chris Nowinski Blasts NFL's 'Tua Disaster' While Praising Pro Wrestling Promoters

Fans watching last night's NFL game between the Miami Dolphins and the Cincinnati Bengals witnessed a scary moment when Dolphins starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had to be carted off the field on a stretcher following a rough sack. Tagovailoa was taken to a local trauma facility, and while he was ultimately released and traveled back to Miami with the team, he clearly suffered a concussion during the play, just one week after likely receiving another head injury in a previous game.

Neuroscientist and former WWE star Chris Nowinski, a prominent advocate for concussion safety, took to Twitter to share his perspective on the matter.

"In light of the Tua disaster last night, I appreciate more than ever AEW's Tony Khan, WWE's Triple H, and NWA's Billy Corgan all inviting me to come teach their talent [about] concussions & the risks of getting in the ring before you've recovered," Nowinski tweeted. "Protecting athletes begins with educating them."

Nowinski had tweeted about the NFL's concussion protocol ahead of last night's game, saying that it was blatantly dangerous to allow Tagovailoa to take the field after allegedly suffering a concussion the previous week. "If Tua takes the field tonight, it's a massive step back for concussion care in the NFL," Nowinski stated. "If he has a 2nd concussion that destroys his season or career, everyone involved will be sued & should lose their jobs, coaches included. We all saw it, even they must know this isn't right."

After being forced to retire in 2003 due to his own concussion issues, Nowinski went on to earn a PhD in behavioral neuroscience and is the co-founder of the Concussion Legacy Foundation non-profit organization. Nowinski and his former partner, Dr. Bennet Omalu, were able to get a hold of Chris Benoit's brain post-mortem and diagnosed the notorious wrestler with CTE in 2007 — the first time a wrestler was publicly diagnosed with the dangerous illness.