Longest Running Triple H Fansite
Since 2006

August 18, 2014

Photo: Triple H Reveals the New WWE World Heavyweight Championship

Rumors of Vince McMahon and Triple H Being at Odds Over WWE Creative & WrestleMania 31


There have been a lot of rumors going around of Vince McMahon and Triple H "butting heads" creatively, including who to have Brock Lesnar face at WrestleMania 31. The rumor is that Vince wants The Rock vs. Lesnar while Triple H wants Roman Reigns vs. Lesnar.

Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter notes that there is certainly word going around WWE that Vince sometimes undercuts Triple H and makes him look bad but it could be a case of the "good cop/bad cop" dynamic. Meltzer noted that he doesn't sense any strong negative feelings between the two.

Alberto Del Rio Talks About Incident with WWE Social Media Worker, His Future, Vince, More


Former WWE Superstar Alberto Del Rio recently appeared on Televisa's Primero Noticias in Mexico. Thanks to PWInsider for the following recap:

On being fired, Del Rio said there was an incident, an altercation with a WWE employee, that one day he’ll give all of the details on. Right now he’s assessing the best way to do so via legal means, so that everything he says isn’t used against him, since legal matters in the U.S. are handled differently than they are in Mexico.

He said there was an incident where he was offended, where he was completely the victim. He said WWE made a statement that he displayed unprofessional conduct, and that yes it’s true, that he smacked the WWE employee because as he always says, you can take away his job but you can’t take away his dignity and his pride, nor try to offend or humiliate where he comes from, which is of course Mexico, and he doesn’t forget his roots. This problem led to the termination of his contract with WWE.

The interviewer asked if ADR was the victim of racism. Alberto says yes, that there were comments this employee made, and that he admitted he reacted in an inappropriate manner. He said that he wouldn't advise anyone to conduct themselves in the manner that he did. He admitted that he "smacked" the WWE employee and that he is completely embarrassed by his own attitude and by his own reaction, but in that moment, he demanded an apology.

The interviewer interrupted ADR and asked what the employee said to him, Alberto says that part he’s gonna keep to himself for now. He said he's a few days away from being able to tell the world exactly what happened. He said that a lot of people know what happened because there were many people present there in the WWE catering area. The interviewer asks who else was there, Alberto says right next to him was Jack Swagger, one of the referees was behind him, people from the crew, etc. They were all eating in Laredo, Texas at a TV taping.

ADR said he spoke to Vince McMahon after the incident occurred and everything appeared to be fine. Interviewer backs up to the incident, Alberto says someone said something to the WWE employee, and when he responded to the comment, the response was directed at Alberto.

The interviewer asks if he’s had any incidents with this employee before and Alberto says yes. He said that "a while back" there was a time the WWE employee was pretending to read something on his laptop and said, “It says on here Alberto is a ‘tal por cual’ “ (Mexican slang for a slut) and that he tried to play it off like it was a joke and shake Alberto’s hand. Alberto refused and told the employee to get away from him. He said this incident occurred 7 or 8 months prior to the slap. So when this incident occurred recently, Alberto demanded an apology, but that the WWE employee walked right up to Alberto’s face, smirked at him and said nothing. That's when Alberto smacked him. Again, he said he is embarrassed by his reaction, but he doesn’t regret it. He said that yes, it cost him his job, but he thinks WWE is the one who loses the most in this situation.

The interviewer asks if it was another wrestler who he had this incident with, Alberto says no, that it’s their Social Media Manager. He says he never even knew this person's name until after all of this happened. WWE released a statement saying Alberto was fired due to unprofessional conduct, but he wonders why they didn’t mention there was an isolated incident that led to his unprofessional conduct.

Alberto said after the incident happened, Vince McMahon asked to speak to him. Alberto said that Vince himself told him that he understood where Alberto was coming from and why he was upset by the comment, because first he’s insulted and then after the insult the guy smirks in his face. Vince said that he understood ADR's reaction. Everything appeared to be fine after his talk with Vince.

ADR was suspended the next day, which he understood, but that for reasons WWE later decided, they changed their mind and was let go.

Alberto said Triple H called him Thursday morning and told him that it hurts WWE more because they’ve invested a lot of time and money into him, but that they need to let him go. Alberto told him that it was fine, and that once his release was made public AAA contacted him, Japan contacted him, some North American promotions as well.

Alberto said that he has not had any other conversations with WWE since his release, but that word got out of what happened from other people who witnessed the incident occur.

He said going forward, he’s using El Patron now since WWE owns “Alberto Del Rio” (his real name is Jose Alberto Rodriguez). They asked him if he’s going to sue WWE, he said he’s not sure. He said that the reason he went to a lawyer is because when he received his release in the mail, they mentioned he couldn’t wrestle in the United States for a year. ADR admitted he’s not fully familiar with the laws in the U.S. but he thinks it’s unconstitutional to prevent him from wrestling, since that’s how he makes a living and feeds his family.

Del Rio was asked if he wants to wrestle again in the U.S. He says no and that he was already considering not signing a new contract when his contract was up next February. He said he wasn’t sure if he was going to stay or go, so he’s not sure what would have happened, but unfortunately this incident happened which forced him out of the company. He spoke with his wife after he was let go and decided he wasn’t going to pursue legal action against WWE, but then he received his termination letter with the 1 year no compete clause and that changed everything.

Transcript of Alberto Del Rio's Promo at AAA TripleMania Last Night, Says Racism Is a Monster


Below is the English translation of Alberto Del Rio's promo at AAA's TripleMania event in Mexico last night:

"History will mark this day as the day that El Patron returned home. But the truth is, after listening to that grand reception, I don’t think El Patron ever left, because his heart belongs to you, it belongs to Mexico. A lot has been said about why I left, why I came back. Seven years ago I embarked on that dream, that adventure called America. And by suffering, blood, sweat and tears we showed North Americans and the entire world, that when you do things with heart, with passion, with love, and being humble under the eyes of God our Father, dreams do come true. Of course it wasn’t easy, and then came a day that the dream turned into a nightmare. Similar to many of you, or if not you, to family members of yours, who have gone to the other side looking for a better life for those that we love, I came across a monster, a monster called racism. Racism doesn’t distinguish sex, race, religion, color, it doesn’t care…if you have money, if you don’t have it. But this man that’s standing right here (points at his father Dos Caras), that has given me everything and has made me the person that I am, gave me the biggest gift a father can give his son – honesty and the spirit to triumph. He never lowered his head, so that I could learn to never lower it in front of anyone. I love you, Dad. In the U.S., they might be able to take my job, but they’ll never, ever take away my dignity and my pride. And on this night, my fellow Mexicans, I promise you and God that never again will someone come and disrespect my people, myself and all those that I love – because I am El Patron Alberto and I am Mexican ladies and gentlemen!"

August 16, 2014

Video: Former WWE Diva Kaitlyn Comments on Working with Stephanie McMahon

Stephanie McMahon Talks About Why WWE Switched to the Network Logo, WWE's Brand


Variety has a new story up about WWE raising their new logo at company headquarters in Stamford, CT today. Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon talked to them about the decision to use the new logo:

“The new logo is a representation of the evolution of the WWE brand. Everything from the hard edges and the sleek coloring expresses a contemporary feel and demonstrates we’re always looking ahead."

Stephanie noted that WWE didn't originally plan on having the WWE Network logo represent the entire company but they had "a wonderful response" to it in January and "it represented everything we wanted to say to the marketplace" so they went with it. She also noted that they kept the red & black colors because it's been a staple of the company for 15 years, representing "the bold nature of what we do."

WWE unveils new logo

Stephanie McMahon discusses bullying, SummerSlam and Triple H

August 15, 2014

Video: Triple H takes the "Ice Bucket Challenge"

August 14, 2014

WWE Studios' Releasing Another Action Movie Starring Former Member of The Shield


Variety reports that WWE Studios' next action movie will be called Lockdown and will feature Dean Ambrose in a starring role. This is the second movie under the new six-pack WWE Studios and Lionsgate deal.

Production starts this month. The movie will be directed by Stephen Reynolds of Tomb Raider: Ascension.

Written by Nathan Brooks and Bobby Lee Darby of WWE's See No Evil 2, Lockdown tells the story of "a police officer who finds himself trapped inside his own precinct and hunted after crooked cops stop at nothing to recover incriminating evidence of illegal activities against those closest to him."

WWE Studios' head Michael Luisi said of Lockdown:

"Lockdown will continue to energize and excite with the high level of adrenaline our fans have come to expect from our films."

Season 3 of "WWE Total Divas" on E! begins on 9/7


WWE & E! issued the following press release:

SEASON THREE OF E!'S "TOTAL DIVAS" PREMIERES SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7TH AT 9PM ET/PT

Los Angeles, CA, August 13, 2014 – E!, WWE® and Bunim-Murray Productions will once again shadow WWE Divas The Bella Twins™ (Nikki and Brie Bella), Natalya™ (Nattie), Naomi™ (Trinity), Cameron™ (Ariane) and rookies Eva Marie™ and Summer Rae™ giving viewers an inside peek into how these women, who are on the road for 52 weeks a year, balance their personal lives while fighting for the spotlight. In addition, the brazen Latina, WWE Diva Rosa Mendes™ joins the cast when "Total Divas" returns for 10 all-new episodes beginning Sunday, September 7th at 9pm ET/PT.

In the season two finale, Brie Bella and WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan™ had just tied the knot in a beautiful ceremony surrounded by friends, family and many of the gorgeous girls. While most of the Divas were living large, Nikki was patching up her relationship with WWE Superstar John Cena™ as he had discovered her long kept secret —unbeknownst to anyone but her twin sister she had been married before. Now, the Divas are back with an even more prominent position in WWE as each woman has become a serious contender for the WWE Divas championship title.

Following an off-the-grid honeymoon, Brie Bella and Daniel Bryan are back in the ring, but are quickly challenged with unexpected newlywed hurdles as Daniel faces an injury and Brie considers motherhood. While Brie has babies on the brain, her sister Nikki contemplates freezing her eggs when she learns that John doesn't want children... adding to the growing list of issues they don't see eye to eye on.

The relationships in "Total Divas" continue on a rocky road as Nattie and her WWE Superstar husband, Tyson Kidd™ take a stab at couples therapy to work through their marital issues, Trinity and Ariane end their professional relationship as a WWE tag team, and Eva is forced to pick sides between her stubborn new husband and her disapproving father, who learns that his cancer has returned. Luckily, things are looking bright for Ariane as she takes the next step with her boyfriend Vinnie, and Summer Rae jets off to film a lead role in "The Marine 4: Moving Target" alongside WWE Superstar Mike "The Miz™" Mizanin. Just when the girls are ready to let out a sigh of relief with their nemesis Summer out of the picture for a while, former model Rosa Mendes returns to the WWE's Diva roster after a year and a half hiatus.

During the sophomore run of the series, Total Divas reached over 7.7 Million Total Viewers and 4.6 Million A18-49. On the digital front, Total Divas garnered 17,000 Tweets and ranked as the #2 ad-supported cable or reality program of the night (excluding sports). Season two averaged a #3 social rank among ad-supported cable and #2 versus reality. The season two finale episode notched 1.55 Million Total Viewers as well as netting nearly 1 Million Adults 18-49 (961,000K).

Season three of E!'s hit "Total Divas" returns on Sunday, September 7th at 9pm ET/PT followed by an all-new episode of "#RichKids of Beverly Hills."

"Total Divas" is produced by WWE and Bunim/Murray Productions. Jonathan Murray, Gil Goldschein, Jeff Jenkins and Russell Jay are Executive Producers for Bunim-Murray Productions. Kevin Dunn and Will Staeger are Executive Producers for WWE.

Kurt Angle Talks about Potential Return to WWE, Details on His Current TNA Contract and Update on WWE Not Wanting Angle Back


TNA wrestler and former WWE Superstar Kurt Angle talked to Wrestlezone’s own Mark Madden on 105.9 the X. The super-genius and the Olympic gold medalist hyped Impact Wrestling’s return to Washington, PA on August 16th. Madden asked Angle what his current relationship with WWE is like, and if the door is ever open for a return:

“I think [the door] is always open. I’m really not allowed to talk to anybody, due to my contract, but it’s always an open door. It’s about what you can give, what they want from you, and what you want from them. At the end of the day, it really comes down to how much they want to use me, and how much I want to be used.”

Angle also mentioned that he couldn’t work a full-time WWE schedule after 15 years of hard pro wrestling, stating “wherever I end up it’s going to be part time.” He estimates he could work up to eight days in a month, but it could be as low as one or two. His current deal with TNA is 40 dates per year.

Since the interview, Madden has learned from sources that Kurt Angle has spoken with WWE COO Paul Levesque (aka Triple H), but found out that the company isn’t interested in bringing him back right now. He then contacted Vince McMahon, who deferred to Levesque as the executive handling personnel decisions. It’s being said that Triple H was not happy about Angle trying to go over his head to Vince, and that certainly did not help his situation any.

TNA Announces Impact Wrestling Is Moving to Wednesday Nights on Spike


TNA announced the following:

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Aug. 14, 2014) – TNA today announced its flagship program, IMPACT WRESTLING, will make a permanent move to Wednesday nights at 9/8c on SPIKE TV beginning next Wednesday, Aug. 20.

"Moving IMPACT WRESTLING to Wednesday nights gives existing fans and new viewers an opportunity to enjoy both wrestling and live sports even more throughout the week," said TNA President Dixie Carter.

IMPACT WRESTLING has enjoyed sustained ratings growth this summer, drawing over 1.5 million viewers each week this quarter, and is among the most watched cable series in key male demos in its timeslot.

Florida Georgia Line, Train, Flo Rida, Sharon Osbourne, Omar Epps and Chelsea Hightower join WWE® and the Creative Coalition to stop bullying

August 13, 2014

Seth Rollins Comments on Learning from The Authority


Seth Rollins recently spoke with Comcast's Xfinity to promote WWE SummerSlam:

Onda: As a member of The Authority, you are in a position that puts you in the company of WWE’s greatest minds and veterans. What do you learn from them on a weekly basis?

Rollins: You learn how to be successful and how to stay successful. Stephanie is a McMahon. She knows all of the ruthless and cunning things that must be done to stay at the very top. And she’s a woman. And to be a woman at the top is not always the easiest thing, and some may say it’s more difficult than to be a man on top. She’s been able to excel in that role. Triple H – “The Game,” the “Cerebral Assassin” – that’s a nickname Jim Ross gave to him based on the way he operates in the ring, but I think it has as much to do with the way he operates outside of the ring and how he conducts himself. Learning those things – how to carry yourself, how to be the top guy, the man in our industry – those are the things I’ve picked up from Triple H and Randy Orton. Those are the guys who have been to the mountain top and know what it’s like to hold that spot. That’s where I wanna be, and there’s no better person or people to learn from.

Rumor Mill - Del Rio Reportedly Told by WWE He Was Being Suspended, More on Backstage Incident


As noted, WWE released Alberto Del Rio after he slapped WWE's Manager of Social Media Live Events Cody Barbierri at last week's TV tapings. Del Rio confronted Barbierri in catering for a remark that Barbierri made earlier. The story is that someone made a remark to Barbierri about not cleaning off his plate and as a joke, he said that was Del Rio's job. Del Rio was not there at the time but was told about it. When he confronted Barbierri, he told him he did not appreciate the racist remark and wanted an apology.

It was going around backstage that Del Rio "slapped the shit" out of Barbierri, knocking him to the floor, and Del Rio's release wasn't so much that he assaulted Barbierri but based more on how hard he hit him.

Del Rio was reportedly told after the incident that he was being suspended for a short time, until just past SummerSlam. There's a belief that Barbierri threatened to sue WWE and at that point, WWE felt they had no choice but to let Del Rio go due to legal reasons. Triple H called Del Rio on August 7th, letting him go and he was reportedly furious.

Shawn Michaels discusses D-Generation X and SummerSlam

WWE Announces Change in Price Point of the WWE Network and More Availability


The WWE unveiled another change to its pricing format for the network. The network is still available for $9.99 with a six-month commitment, but for those who wish to pay on a month-by-month basis, the network is now available for $12.99, down from $19.99, which was what the company announced during its quarterly conference call July 31. According to the WWE, the change in price “better reflects the variety of economics that exist internationally.”

Beginning Wednesday, the network will be available on Sony Internet connected televisions, Blu-ray Disc players and Blu-ray Home Theater systems. By Friday, it will be available on Samsung Smart TV devices, Blu-ray Players and Home Theater systems.

August 12, 2014

WWE Signs Kevin Steen to NXT


WWE has signed Canadian Superstar Kevin Steen to its NXT division. The burly, outspoken, Package Piledriving Quebec native, who bolts around the ring with equal parts grace and bad intentions, thrives on throwing fists and talking trash.

A 14-year veteran, Steen began training, with his parents’ approval, when he was a teenager. Possessing what no less than “Stone Cold” Steve Austin has described as a “hell of an arsenal,” Steen has earned many accolades in North America and abroad, including the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and Ring of Honor heavyweight championships. In 2013, the magazine Pro Wrestling Illustrated ranked him 10th on its annual list of the world’s top 500 wrestlers.

Along the way to becoming a world-class competitor, he also amassed one of the largest followings of any wrestler outside WWE, a fanbase that belts out their “Fight, Steen, fight!” mantra with pride.

August 11, 2014

End Of An Era For The Scratch Logo On Tonight's WWE Raw


Tonight will be the final edition of Monday Night Raw to feature the WWE "Scratch" logo which has been in use since 1997.

WWE altered the logo in 2002, removing the "F" and re-branding to WWE.

The company officially switches over to the new logo next week.

Rumor Mill - Tension Between Vince McMahon and Triple H


Things between Vince McMahon and Triple H had begun to get noticeably more contentious and seem to have reached their boiling point at WWE’s live event in New York City on July 12, 2014. It was there that Vince and Hunter got into an argument loud enough for others to hear, including producers that were working the show. One issue they had going into that show was Triple H and Stephanie were legitimately on vacation but Vince put his foot down that Triple H had to be in attendance, causing them to end their vacation early. Now, the accusations are that Vince has deliberately made cuts to WWE NXT — considered to be Triple H’s baby — just in spite of him. Hunter has been vehemently opposed to budget cuts in regards to NXT but the budget has been cut to the point where there isn’t much left to cut.

August 9, 2014

Rumor Mill - More on Alberto Del Rio’s Incident That Caused His Release From WWE, Identity of Employee Revealed


Rumors have been circulating ever since the news came out of Alberto Del Rio being released due to “Unprofessional Conduct.” It was revealed that Del Rio slapped a WWE employee and now it seems like the name of that employee has been leaked.

Ring of Honor founder and RF video own Rob Feinstein claimed that Alberto Del Rio slapped a member of WWE’s social media team this past week at WWE Smackdown television tapings. The claim was backed up by PWInsider.com and F4WOnline.com as well.

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer noted that the name of the social media member that received the slap was Cody Barbierri. If you dig deeper into LinkedIn and Twitter, Barbierri is noted as WWE’s manager of social media live events.

A new report is surfacing that WWE’s social media manager was supposedly asked to wipe his plate clean following a meal in catering. He joked, saying that it was Del Rio’s job to clean the plate. This was perceived as a racist joke about Hispanics. Del Rio was told about the incident and confronted him. The individual, which appears to be Barbierri, did not apologize and smiled at him. This caused Alberto Del Rio to slap him in anger.

August 8, 2014

WWE's Twitter Puts Full Blame On Alberto Del Rio For His Release


The the official WWE Twitter account posted the following tweets this afternoon, which were retweeted by Triple H.

The first tweet notes that recently released Superstar Alberto Del Rio is "responsible for his actions" after it was announced he was let go by the company for unprofessional conduct.

According to a source, at the WWE SmackDown tapings on Tuesday in the catering area, somebody asked another person to clean off his plate. The person was said to be a WWE social media manager who joked something along the lines of how "That's Del Rio's job." Del Rio unhappy with this remarked confronted the person and allegedly slapped him across the face.


Strange...

Rumor Mill - More on the Alberto Del Rio Release


While details are still coming in from various sources and wrestlers, the story going around this morning is that Del Rio slapped a Social Media Manager at this weeks television (Likely Raw, since he wasn't on Smackdown).

The lead up to the confrontation started in catering, when sombody (assuming a catering staff member) asked the person (the Social Media Manager) to clean off his plate. The social media manager then joked about how that's "Del Rios Job".

Alberto found out and confronted him. The Social Media Manager didn't apologize and then smiled at him, so Del Rio slapped him.

Rumor Mill - Reason for Alberto Del Rio's Release


Rob Feinstein of RF Video wrote on his Facebook that Del Rio was involved in a backstage incident at the recent WWE TV tapings. RF claimed that Del Rio had words with an employee who works for WWE's social media department and allegedly slapped him. This should be taken as strictly rumor for now.

August 7, 2014

Alberto Del Rio Released

From WWE.com:

WWE announced the release of Alberto Del Rio due to unprofessional conduct and an altercation with an employee.

It would be remiss of us if we didn’t mention that Del Rio’s release doesn’t follow normal WWE protocol. First, the company is featuring it as a top story on their official website. Usually, they downplay releases and bury them in their “News” section. Second, they do not list his real name (Alberto Rodríguez) nor do they wish him the best in his future endeavors - an ongoing rib.

If Del Rio is really gone or if it’s part of some type of elaborate angle, he has not Tweeted about it. If it’s the former, his final bout with WWE was Tuesday night against Jack Swagger in Laredo, TX, in which he went under on this week’s episode of WWE Main Event. He was not used at this week’s Smackdown taping.

Photo: Triple H with the New WWE World Title Belt


We noted before that WWE was planning on slightly altering all championship belts to go along with the official launch of the new company logo, which happens on the RAW the night after SummerSlam.

Below is a photo of Triple H at this week's TV tapings, holding a new WWE Title belt at what looks like a photoshoot to show off the new strap.

August 6, 2014

Mick Foley Reveals He's A 'Stephanie McMahon Guy'


The following blog entry is from the Facebook of WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley:

I’M A STEPHANIE McMAHON GUY

"Let me get the little negatives out of the way first – so I don’t contradict statements I’ve made in the past. Yes, I do think the casual or investor can get confused when real-life authority figures play abusive authority figures on air. I do wish there was an authority figure, a new GM or Commisioner (no, not me, but I’ll have a few suggestions for candidates in a later post) to check and balance The Authority.

But with that being said, I’m proud to say that I’m a Stepanie McMahon guy. Seriously. I am. Stephanie can be such a mesmerizing presense on WWE Monday Night Raw and #Smackdown . Her recent interactions with Brie Bella – WWE Universe have been intense and exciting – and as a long time #DivaBeliever, I love the idea of ending #RAW with the ladies.

I met Stephanie 16 years ago – only minutes after the infamous Cell match, in Pittsburgh, in June, 1998, when I’d been told that a WWE employee and good friend had just learned of the loss of a loved one. I gave my friend a hug, and out of the corner of my eye, saw Stephanie McMahon – WWE for the first time. I gave the young McMahon a smile and then departed to participate in the most awkward run-in/limp-in/stumble in sports entertainment history.

It was 14 years ago that I was the first recipient of a Stephanie on-air slap. I still remember her soaking up everything around her like a sponge; looking at me as I said, “you can slap me as hard as you can – just not on the jaw” as if they were the wisest words in the world. Ms McMahon would go on to slap dozens…and dozens more over the next 14 years – as hard as she could, but hopefully never on the jaw. But hopefully, she has a special memory of the guy she smacked first."

Triple H and Stephanie McMahon Discuss Creative at Needham Fireside Chat


Yesterday, Entertainment and Media Analyst Laura Martin (Needham & Company) sat down with three WWE executives—Paul "Triple H" Levesque (Executive Vice President of Talent and Live Events), Stephanie McMahon (Chief Brand Officer) and George Barrios (Chief Strategy and Financial Officer)—for a "fireside chat" about the WWE during the Needham Interconnect Conference in New York City.

Laura Martin, who has been quite optimistic about the potential for the WWE Network, facilitated the free-wheeling lunchtime conversation. They discussed the WWE's unique business model, the creative process for developing superstars, global expansion of the WWE Network, longevity in wrestling, social media interaction and the difference between scripted sports entertainment and unscripted sporting events.


THE MCMAHON FAMILY

The first question was directed at Stephanie McMahon. Martin noted that she's "been covering the stock since your mom was running it" and wanted to know what life was like at the nightly dinner table.

Stephanie confirmed that there was "never a dull moment" and often "increasing arguments between my dad and my brother." Stephanie also related a story about going to a live event as a very young girl (three or four years old) and running into George "the Animal" Steele, who completely terrified her. When she ran to her daddy (Vince McMahon) for solace, he just laughed and laughed.

She said she learned a lot very quickly from those sorts of experiences. And, as has been alluded to in storyline, Stephanie made sure to again note that Andre the Giant was one of her best friends.

Later in the conversation, a guest wanted to know whether Vince McMahon was still "active and engaged"? Both his daughter and son-in-law had to giggle at this query. Triple H responded, "He's the most active person I know. He works at two in the morning because he's absolutely dedicated to driving himself and the executive team as hard as possible to create the best product as possible."

BECOMING A SUPERSTAR

Laura Martin asked Triple H to quantify how difficult it was for a performer to become a superstar. In particular she asked, "What differentiates superstars versus 'good enough to be on television' versus 'the vast majority who didn't make it'?".

Triple H called it "charisma, the 'it factor.'" When you're training someone the more pieces of "the puzzle" that they get, the better they will do. If they're a good communicator, they'll do well in front of a large audience. However, while all of those pieces are important, a lot of them can be taught. He emphasized, "The one thing you can't teach is charisma."

Triple H talked about WWE as a global company. Some people they recruited wrestled on the independent scene or the "periphery of the industry" for years. On the other hand, others had never stepped in a ring before. At any given time they have about "60 to 80 performers" down at the performance center in Orlando (NXT) who are "learning this craft." And people will always be coming and going. As the EVP of Talent explained, "Some will go up (to television) and some will go away."

Barrios commented on how costs, such as the Talent Development Process, which includes NXT, are part of the "Corporate & Other" financials and it's been growing larger each year.

When Martin asked how long it takes for a performer to make it on to television, Triple H said: "Some guys pick it up like that (snaps his fingers). Some guys it's a longer process. Do they have something? If it takes longer to develop one part of the puzzle, we'll keep at it. In our process, we have people at all different levels."

Husky Harris was brought up as an example. Triple H explained:

"He wasn't quite connecting with the crowd. Decent hand. Talented kid. Right person. They were going to let him go and I said, 'Let me take him and do something with him.' We moved that character to NXT. We put some other people around him that fit the package. Moved him back onto Raw and Smackdown, and he's one of our most popular superstars Bray Wyatt. I'll go out on a limb and say in 10 years Bray Wyatt will be one of the most memorable characters in WWE."

Also, Stephanie McMahon talked about how the "over 320 live events every year" give them a chance to test how audiences are going to react to talent. Triple H added that NXT gives them a chance to figure out which sorts of storylines work best for certain talent. Steph also noted that the agents are part of the process of identifying who has "that ability" to make angles work.

TALENT RELATIONS

Martin asked an interesting question of the panel, "How do you prevent being 'held up' by talent?"

CFO Barrios took this one explaining that WWE viewed the "economic model with our talent, the independent contractors, as a win-win. They are paid a percentage of our revenue streams."

Triple H also chimed in that, "There is no one performer who is bigger than the WWE. There are superstar performers and megastar performers like John Cena. But he's still not bigger than the WWE. Why doesn't anyone 'hold us up'? Because it would only be a short-term gain. There's no upside for them behind it."

And it's all about the long-term investment. Hulk Hogan was brought as someone who was synonymous with the WWE and while he's not able to get in the ring anymore, he still has value. He can still do promotions, and that's the benefit that talent receives when they form a long-term partnership.

When Martin asked whether The Rock was the only successful guy to leave and create his own career, both Stephanie McMahon and Triple H were quick to offer counter-examples including, "Dave Bautista was just in the No. 1 movie this weekend, Jesse Ventura was the governor of Minnesota, Chris Jericho has a successful rock band and podcast and Stone Cold Steve Austin still does movies, has a very successful podcast and his own show Redneck Island."

They also cited Edge as an actor on SyFy's Haven. They noted he was smart, saved his money and just had a baby. So when he wasn't acting, he was happy to just "live in his house on the side of a mountain and sit next to a fire."

However, both Stephanie and Triple H were quick to kowtow Duane "the Rock" Johnson. While not willing to go into the details of the arrangement about using the nickname "The Rock," they both insisted that "there's a healthy respect between Rock and WWE... It's a mutually respectful collaboration between Rock, Vince, Steph and myself (HHH). He doesn't need to come back. But we see ourselves as part of his success."

When Laura Martin asked if they "ex-communicate" many guys, Triple H went back to his television catchphrase: "We do what's 'best for business.' It's all about our fanbase."

Stephanie also carefully noted that the WWE retains all of its own intellectual property. It's able to capitalize on it from the beginning. It's very clear that WWE wants to reinforce that it controls the "brand perception" of each of its television characters and without it, those superstars are worth a lot less.

Regarding their stable of stars, Barrios did note that they are currently seeing the "broadest distribution of merchandise across the largest group of talent." It was unclear whether that's an indication that we're just lacking the mega-draws of previous eras, or it's a positive sign that more talent is getting a piece of the pie.

WWE NETWORK

When asked about the "huge influx of new data" that was available with the network, Triple H talked in the abstract about the importance of using information to learn new things. He mentioned that they have focus groups, social media and ratings that all drive the decision-making process. They did mention that they're going to carefully track which countries are watching the most WWE Network content to help them with the prioritization for which regions get "localization" first (namely, where we'd see emphasis on foreign language commentary).

Barrios mentioned that they had a 150,000-hour library of which they've digitized about 40,000 hours. He insisted that they "own 100 percent of the rights," which sidestepped the minor points about whether that includes all aspects including music. While they have "licensed them (the rights) from time-to-time around the world, we still own them."

The CFO defended the "slow roll-out" that WWE has adopted with adding video-on-demand content to the WWE Network. He insisted that they need to "promote it as it comes alive." One interesting revelation was that as the "Monday Night War" series finally comes online, WWE is planning on rolling out corresponding WCW Nitro episodes.

Stephanie McMahon also noted that during the week of WrestleMania they had "over seven million hours of content consumed on the network." She also insisted that, "We have more families watching WWE than any major sports franchise with the exception of the NFL."

Triple H tried to expand on that point by giving the analogy of a family watching the WWE Network and the father telling his son, "You like this John Cena guy? You should take a look at Bruno Sammartino or Chief Jay Strongbow." (While his scenario is interesting, it should be pointed at that unfortunately at this time, there isn't much Sammartino or Strongbow footage available on the network.)

One questioner pointed out that WWE's deal with NBC Universal (which the Wall Street Journal characterized as "generous but well short of what Wall Street had come to expect.”) appeared to have been damaged by launching the WWE Network ahead of time. Even Vince McMahon admitted that he was disappointed and that the WWE Network probably did hurt the deal. Therefore, the questioner continued, "How do you measure success of the network?"

Barrios supplied the same stock answers that WWE has used before. They believe that "two to four million subscribers over time is achievable," and that's what they're focused on. The "measure of success is acquiring subscribers every single day and making sure we have content that engages them." He went on to tout the 90 percent satisfaction rate for the WWE Network.

When the recent mid-cycle departure of more than 128,000 subscribers was brought up, Barrios was nonplussed. He said that they knew there would be two elements to churn-renewal and billing, and he wouldn't confirm whether these numbers were higher than internal expectations.

Regarding the international roll-out of the WWE Network, several points were discussed. It's going to be the "U.S. product" available in each country. In other words, don't expect to see different versions of the WWE Network in each country. Instead, they hope that by putting the same product out around most of the world, it would be easier to execute a global marketing campaign. In particular, WWE will be using a lot of SEM (Search Engine Marketing) and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) with Google to create "global awareness."

Martin noted that Netflix's strategy is same number; different currency. For instance, a plan in the United States would be eight dollars and a plan in Europe would be eight Euros. Barrios instead said they were going to be using $9.99 everywhere. They weren't planning on charging more in other countries.

The plan was to launch the WWE Network globally in over 170 countries on August 12 followed by UK launch in October. That would only leave eight markets without the WWE Network: Italy, UAE, Germany, Japan, India, China, Malaysia and Thailand.

This brought up an interesting ongoing debate between analyst Martin and WWE executives. Laura Martin has long held that global demand for the WWE Network would be larger portion of the aggregate subscriptions. Conversely, WWE original domestic projections were for one to three million subscribers and original international projections only had 250,000 to 1,500,000 subscribers. WWE still believes the lion's share of subscribers will be on the domestic service while Martin disagrees. Considering the larger-than-expected WWE Network Global roll-out, both sides have a chance of winning this argument.

CREATIVE PROCESS

Discussing the creative team, Triple H noted that:

"We have a whole creative writing team that fluxes over time. We produce eight hours of in-ring content each week. It's a ton of content. There can be anywhere from 20 to 35 writers on with us. There's a churn rate on that as well. At the end of the day, it's all about churning out as many storylines as possible and looking at the business as a whole. You can write the greatest story in the world and have an actor with no charisma. The story will tank. They're interdependent on each other."

A question about how the emergence of UFC has impacted the WWE led Triple H on a long analogy about what was the difference in his mind. He said:

"UFC is not really a competitor to us. I explain it to our talent. They are like boxing. It's completely different from what we are. We're like the movie Rocky. We're a story. We're a great story that just happens to take place in the wrestling ring. In a boxing match, you'll watch one time. You're not going to go back and watch it a bunch of times unless you're a connoisseur of boxing science. Rocky the movie? You'll watch over and over again. It's a triumph story. It's a love story. We create characters you gravitate to. That you connect with. Whether you hate them or love them. We put them in unique storylines with creative passions. We have good guys and bad guys. That's what makes the network successful. Who is going to go back and watch the Super Bowl from 1984? Who is going to go back and watch boxing from five years ago? Our product is evergreen."

Triple H was very passionate about this point, and clearly this is the speech that he's given many times.

SOCIAL MEDIA

WWE also trumpeted some Cena social media statistics including the claim that he's the "#1 most-followed active American athlete on Facebook. (non-retired)."

Stephanie noted that during the first NXT live event, just four days into the WWE Network existence, the company saw it had "21 worldwide trends" and it was the "No. 4 most social program across all of broadcast and cable that night." Either that says something about how little "trending" really means, or it suggests that despite WWE's attempts to ignore it, a large portion of its audience accessing the U.S. version of the WWE Network is coming from overseas.

To end the conversation, the panelists tied social media activity to the Daniel Bryan "Hijack Raw" angle from March. In their mind this was an example of how they melded social media activity with exciting storylines. And in the end, like in the movie Rocky, they were able to create a cathartic outcome. To emphasize the point, they played video from that the episode and ended the panel.

WHAT WE LEARNED

In the end, there were a few revelations:

We can expect to see WCW Nitro episodes on the WWE Network in the next 45 days (alongside the new Monday Night War program).
The WWE Network that is being rolled out globally should be the same as the U.S. version. This included pricing—$9.99/month with a six-month commitment or just $19.99 for just a single month. Expect to see a lot of Internet advertising.
WWE adamantly believes that Charisma is the X-factor that separates superstars and megastars.

The event was webcast live and a replay is available. Quotes in this piece were transcribed from listening to the webcast.

August 4, 2014

Video: Brie Bella vs. Stephanie McMahon SummerSlam Contract Signing


Triple H, Stephanie McMahon and George Barrios will participate in the Needham Investor Conference


WWE announced that its Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon, Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events & Creative Paul “Triple H” Levesque and Chief Strategy & Financial Officer, George A. Barrios, will participate in a “fireside chat” with Laura Martin, Entertainment and Media Analyst, at the Needham Interconnect Conference for investors in New York City on Tuesday, August 5, 2014. A live audio webcast of the event will be webcast and will be available online at ir.corporate.wwe.com under Events & Presentations. Ms. McMahon’s, Mr. Levesque’s and Mr. Barrios’ remarks are expected to begin at approximately at 12:15 p.m. ET. A replay of the presentation will be available after the actual event time and will be available for 90 days following the conference.

August 3, 2014

Hulk Hogan Blames Stephanie McMahon For “Silverdome” Mistake


Let me blame Stephanie McMahon one more time because I keep putting this on her. Y’know, there’s a go position when you go out… right before you go out of the curtain you go out, there’s Vince McMahon, all the executives, all the TV monitors and the headsets… running all the technical stuff. Well, they made me come 20 minutes early, usually you go out there and find early which is when you walk out, and when I was there, I was a little nervous…

There was a press conference and all the media, “What’s Andre like? Was he a nice guy? How hard was it to slam him? Andre this, Andre that… Go back to the go position! Go out to the ring!” All I had on my mind was the Silverdome and Andre The Giant and I’m going to blame Stephanie McMahon for that because she should have been doing the press conference but she didn’t have her makeup all the way on so I had to do it.

August 1, 2014

Latest Backstage Details Regarding Yesterday’s WWE Layoffs, Which Departments Were Downsized?, WWE Magazine Finished, More


CNN Money reported earlier today a WWE spokesperson cited 60 people in WWE were released during yesterday’s employee layoffs. Prior to that, F4Wonline.com was reporting 55 people.

WZ sources inside WWE are telling us the approximate number is around 82 people total. This equals about 8% of the staff. The releases range from employees who just got hired this year to someone who has been with the company for 20 years.

Cuts were made in various departments including production assistants, accounting, WWE.com staff and HR.

We’re also told the WWE Magazine staff which is 14 people will all be cut. It’s been reported this week the October edition will be the last of the magazine and the contents for that are complete enough the company was able to release the staff.

It’s said WWE will be paying over $4.5 million in severance courtesy of these releases.

 photo i_zps0ebed5ab.jpg
Oderint Dum Metuant: Let Them Hate As Long As They Fear