Vince McMahon Hasn’t Shut The Door On Traditional WWE Network Model

The New York Post is reporting that Vince McMahon has not shut the door on adopting a premium cable-TV channel model for the WWE Network in the United States.

According to their report, McMahon is keeping a close eye on the company’s partnership with Rogers Communications in Canada — the only place where the WWE Network is available in such form — to see what distribution is like. You can read their report at this link.

Triple H Conference Call Recap: Compares NXT to ECW, Talks Recently Signed Indy Stars, Kenta’s NXT Debut, Sean O’Haire’s Passing, Hypes Takeover 2

Triple H took part in a conference call this afternoon to promote NXT Takeover 2 tomorrow night. Here are some highlights from the call:

* Triple H said that he doesn't like to refer to NXT as "developmental" anymore because it's become its own brand. He put over the matches scheduled for Takeover 2 tomorrow night.

* He wants to bring up Kevin Steen and Prince Devitt in the biggest way possible and for them to become huge superstars.

* He compared NXT to ECW, and noted that it's a feeder system for talent to reach the next level. He said the goal is for NXT to be more like WCW than ECW.

* As for NXT talents appearing on RAW and SmackDown more often, he noted that if that were to happen, then they would be WWE talents and not NXT.

* He talked about coming up with the idea for the Performance Center and pitching it to Vince McMahon.

* He was asked if Kevin Steen, Kenta or Prince Devitt would have to change their names. He said that they might change it, but admitted that they bring name value and that they had a following. While there may be changes, he doesn't want to erase their past.

* Triple H was very happy with the performances on RAW by Adrian Neville, Sami Zayn, Tyler Breeze and Tyson Kidd. He talked about Zayn and noted how proud he was of Zayn's progression.

* He talked about Mick Foley helping him grow as a performer, and said that Mick's matches with him meant a lot of his career.

* He said that he'd like for NXT to continue to grow and go on the road.

* He finished the call by mentioning the passing of Sean O'Haire, and offered his condolences to O'Haire's family on behalf of himself and the company.

This Day In Wrestling History

Happy Birthday to Steve Keirn
September 10, 1951

Ric Flair wrestles his first ever bout in the WWF(WWE) after being fired from WCW.
September 10, 1991

Fritz von Erich died from cancer at at age 68.
September 10, 1997

Eric Bischoff fired as WCW President
September 10, 1999

Triple H to host live Twitter Q&A before NXT Takeover: Fatal 4-Way

WWE COO Triple H will take questions from the WWE Universe at 3 p.m. ET this Thursday, just hours before the Superstars and Divas of the future hit the ring for NXT TakeOver: Fatal 4-Way on WWE Network. TakeOver: Fatal 4-Way is the latest live special featuring the Superstars and Divas of the future, airing exclusively on WWE Network this Thursday at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Adrian Neville, Sami Zayn and Tyler Breeze Make Their WWE RAW TV Debuts

WWE NXT stars Adrian Neville, Sami Zayn and Tyler Breeze made their RAW TV debuts on tonight's show from Baltimore. Neville and Zayn teamed up to defeat Breeze and Tyson Kidd.

The crowd really got going when Neville received the hot tag and went to work on Breeze. Neville ended the match with Red Arrow on Breeze, to another good reaction.

The RAW announcers put over NXT and Thursday's Takeover 2 event several times. As noted, these four Superstars will compete for Neville's NXT Title on Thursday night.

Over One Million Viewers Tune In for Season Three Premiere of WWE Total Divas

E!’S “TOTAL DIVAS” SEASON 3 PREMIERE DELIVERS OVER 1.2 MILLION TOTAL VIEWERS

“#RichKids of Beverly Hills” Draws Half a Million Among Adults 18-49 – Second Season Continues to Pace Ahead of Season 1

Los Angeles, CA – September 8, 2014 – E!’s “Total Divas” kicked off its third season premiere with a pop on Sunday, September 7 (9-10:00 pm). Delivering over 1.2 million total viewers and 821K Adults 18-49, the series was up +15% and +17% respectively versus the season 2 premiere. Back for an all-new season where sisterhood meets over-the-top drama, viewers were introduced to the brazen WWE Diva, Rosa Mendes™, and saw Nikki Bella™ pursue freezing her eggs unbeknownst to her longtime boyfriend, WWE Superstar John Cena™. The unprecedented inside look at the lives of the women of the WWE® was the most watched E! season 3 premiere in more than three years. On the digital front, "Total Divas" garnered 26,000 Tweets and ranked as the #1 ad-supported cable program of the night (excluding sports).

Viewers of Sunday night’s highly rated “Total Divas’” premiere stayed tuned for a new episode of “#RichKids of Beverly Hills” (10 – 10:30 pm), which followed EJ Johnson as a celebrity Grand Marshal of San Francisco’s Pride Parade. The episode, which also documented socialite Dorothy Wang’s return to the dating scene after recent heartbreak, retained nearly two-thirds (64%) of its lead-in and delivered over half a million among Adults 18-49 (516K). The second season continues to pace ahead of season 1 by +6%.

This Day In Wrestling History

In what was described as one of the greatest matches ever in Phoenix, Arizona, Jim Londos defeats Pete Sauer.
September 9, 1929

WWWF(WWE) World Champion Bruno Sammartino defeats Gorilla Monsoon in a Texas Death match at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.
September 9, 1967

Dusty Rhodes defeated Arn Anderson for the NWA Television title.
September 9, 1986

Ric Flair wrestles his first match for the WWF(E) following his departure from WCW the previous July. He defeats Jim Powers at a WWF(E) Television taping in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
September 9, 1991

In order to rival the Billy & Chuck wedding on SmackDown, Eric Bischoff introduces HLA (Hot Lesbian Action) to the RAW audience.
September 9, 2002

Batista Talks Getting Fined 100K By WWE, Said He Knew That Things Would Never Be The Same

In the second installment of his recent appearance on Talk is Jericho, Batista and Jericho touched upon the fact that wrestlers occasionally butt heads with Vince McMahon, prompting a thorough discussion of an incident in 2008 when Batista was hit with a substantial fine by McMahon.

Jericho set up the tale, explaining that he was scheduled to go up against Batista in a cage match in Tampa, Florida with the understanding that he'd win the World Title back from Batista after having won the belt at Cyber Sunday the week before.

Batista added that he thought about in-ring storytelling in a relatively "old school" frame of mind, believing that if someone would, say, get hit over the head with a pipe, he'd be expected to bleed. Indeed, that was the agreed upon finish for the match, with Jericho garnering the win after belting Batista with a metal pipe he'd stashed atop the steel cage.

"This was a point where we weren't shedding blood any more," Batista recalled. "We were PG and that didn't make any sense to me. I just didn't want to hear that, especially when there's a title match involved."

Batista implied that he employed a blade to "shed a little blood for the business" and then added that he was also busted open "the hard way" during the match. Both men agreed that it was an exceptional match.

"I can't believe we had to deal with grief over that," said Batista.

Jericho then noted that as they came back through the curtain after the match, "there was a lot of yelling and screaming going on," ostensibly because Batista had bled during the match. He said Vince declined to discuss the matter in depth, indicating he'd address it the following week and decide on a punishment for both wrestlers. Jericho said he tried to discuss the issue with Vince in a subsequent phone call that lasted only 18 seconds and included Vince telling Jericho to "shut up" and "F off."

Batista picked up the story and said that the following Monday, Jericho and he met with McMahon and that Dean Malenko, who produced the match, and referee Mike Chioda were also present at the meeting. Vince apparently played the match back for them multiple times in slow motion and with footage from various angles to show the moment at which Batista had apparently initiated his own bloodletting. Jericho noted that he'd known through some conversations with Batista that Batista was looking to bleed in the match but he didn't know exactly what he had in mind.

"I knew we weren't supposed to do it…I knew I would get consequences but I thought I would get the consequences and I didn't think they'd be as harsh as they were," Batista said.

Jericho recalled that Vince contemplated firing Batista but felt like that would be the easy way out.

"Then he starts passing out fines," said Batista. "So my fine was $100,000…My heart dropped. I thought it would be like $25,000…When he said $100,000, I was just heartbroken. I literally think that he sucked the life out of me that day. I think that's the day that I knew things were never going to be the same."

He expressed some degree of lingering bitterness about the incident to this day, indicating that he felt Vince was unnecessarily heavy-handed in the situation.

"I did the right thing. It was good business," Batista added.

Despite having written about this story in one of his books, Jericho said he was very surprised to hear Batista's reflections on the incident because he'd never discussed the matter in detail with Jericho.

Jericho was only fined $5,000 by McMahon and Vince leveled the same fines against Malenko and Chioda. In addition to paying his own fine, Batista also paid the other fines.

Batista continued, stating that he felt like the PG Era was killing the art form of professional wrestling and that this contributed to his decision to leave WWE in 2010.

Update On WWE Tribute To The Troops 2014

WWE will tape their 2014 Tribute to the Troops special on December 10th.

Update on Daniel Bryan Possibly Needing Another Surgery and His Health

Brie Bella reportedly said in a media interview for Total Divas this past week that her husband Daniel Bryan will not need a second surgery as expected. Doctors made their decision this past week. Brie added that Bryan is going through rehab and is slowly regaining strength in his right arm. There's still no word on when he will be back in action but WWE officials are hoping for three months from now.

Total Divas Season 3 Premier Recap

This Day In Wrestling History

Verne Gagne defeats Miguel Guzman in Houston, Texas for the NWA Texas Heavyweight Title, ending Guzman's fifth title reign, and beginning his second run with the belt.
September 8, 1950

El Mongol defeats Mr. Wrestling for the NWA Georgia Heavyweight Title in Atlanta, starting his fourth run with the belt.
September 8, 1967

Intercontinental Champion Pat Patterson defeats WWF(E) World Champion Bob Backlund via countout in a rare champion vs. champion match in Springfield, Massachusetts.
September 8, 1979

Ric Flair is stripped of recognition as the official NWA World Champion after being fired from WCW in 1991.
September 8, 1991

This Day In Wrestling History

Buddy Rogers defeats Ted Cox in Houston, Texas to win the NWA Texas Heavyweight Title for the second time.
September 7, 1945

Two years before winning the first official WWF(E) King of the Ring tournament, Bret "Hitman" Hart eliminates I.R.S. to win the 1991 KOTR tournament.
September 7, 1991

This Day In Wrestling History

The Sheik defeats Seiji Sakaguchi in Tokyo, Japan to win the NWA United National Heavyweight Title. That belt is now part of the All Japan Triple Crown.
September 6, 1972

WWWF(WWE) World Champion Bruno Sammartino defeats Bugsy McGraw & Lou Albano in a handicap match at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
September 6, 1975

At a non-televised event in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, WWE Champion Brock Lesnar defeats World Champion Triple H in a rare bout between the SmackDown and Raw champions. Before the match, it was announced that only Lesnar's title was on the line.
September 6, 2002

WWE Says SmackDown Is Staying on Fridays

The mystery surrounding SmackDown moving back to Thursdays continues. After Syfy updated their schedule today to show that SmackDown would be staying on Friday nights after October 2nd, it was changed back a short time later and as of this writing, they still have SmackDown moving to Thursday nights at 8pm EST beginning October 2nd. However, F4Wonline.com now reports that WWE officials have confirmed to them that SmackDown is staying on Friday nights.

Part Two of Triple H's Interview on Chris Jericho's Podcast

This Day In Wrestling History

Greg Valentine defeated Tito Santana for the WWWF(WWE) Intercontinental title.
September 24, 1984

Shawn Michaels & Diesel defeated Owen Hart & Yokozuna for the WWF(E) Tag Team title.
September 24, 1995

At the conclusion of TNA's No Surrender Pay-per-view, a video package announces that former WWF World Champion and Olympic Gold Medallist Kurt Angle would be coming to the company. TNA issued a press release, announcing the signing of Angle and the fact that SpikeTV had decided to give the company a prime time slot on Thursday nights.
September 24, 2006

This Day In Wrestling History

On SmackDown from Green Bay, WI, Chuck Palumbo asks Billy Gunn to be his "partner for life" in a very controversial storyline that got national attention.
September 5, 2002

WWE Performance Center anniversary, other marks set under Paul Triple H Levesque

It’s been a little over a year since the state-of-the-art WWE Performance Center officially opened its doors in Orlando.

Celebrating its one-year anniversary this summer, just how are things going?

Well, Bray Wyatt & the Wyatt Family (Luke Harper and Erick Rowan), Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Lana, Bo Dallas, Summer Rae, Adam Rose, Emma, Xavier Woods, Rusev and Paige transitioned from developmental to developed, reaching WWE status via sports entertainment training at the center. The Ascension (Konnor and Viktor), Bayley, Tyler Breeze, Charlotte, Adrian Neville, Mojo Rawley and Sami Zayn are currently standing out in NXT while training WWE style at the center, and recently, WWE signed Fergal Devitt, Kenta Kobayashi and Kevin Steen, three talented wrestlers who will train the WWE way at the center.

The vision of Paul Triple H Levesque came to fruition on July 11, 2013 with a special ceremony to showcase the new WWE Performance Center, where WWE’s future began.

Levesque’s idea was inspired by the Timex Performance Center, the main headquarters and practice facility of the New York Giants at Meadowlands Sports Complex, where WWE held WrestleMania 29 in 2013.

Levesque visited the facility prior to WrestleMania 29 Week, and that’s how WWE’s center evolved.

The WWE Performance Center is above and beyond most -- if not all -- pro sports teams’ centers. Since its opening, personnel from the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers as well as other pro organizations visited WWE’s crown jewel for facility and training tips. All were impressed.

With 26,000 square-feet, seven training rings, a world-class strength and conditioning program and cutting-edge edit and production facilities, the Performance Center allows WWE the ability to train more potential performers than ever before through a comprehensive program including in-ring training, physical preparedness and character development.

“The WWE Performance Center represents the guaranteed future success of our company, providing the next generation of WWE superstars and divas with a world-class facility to call their home,” Levesque said during the opening in 2013. “The venue offers our developmental talent a full training experience with real time feedback from WWE coaches, trainers and directors, giving them the resources they need to develop their talent both athletically and creatively.”

Florida Gov. Rick Scott even attended the grand opening in a non-election year.

Talent can also perform, wrestle in a quality facility at Full Sail Live at Full Sail University in Winter Park, near the WWE Performance Center in Orlando. Full Sail Live provides hi-tech production capabilities for NXT shows on WWE Network. That gives NXT superstars and divas a Raw or SmackDown feel, preparing them better for working a TV broadcast (live or taped) for WWE.

In an interview in May, Levesque said: “I look at the opportunity for NXT from a learning perspective for everybody who touches our business, top to bottom. We [also] train camera guys. We train audio techs. We train lighting crew. We train directors and producers, all of it. For them to have the opportunity to work side-by-side with our key players and also have the opportunity to do it live on a quarterly basis, there’s a whole different buzz level.”

The WWE Performance Center features a Dream Team of coaches, trainers, producers and staff, including Dusty Rhodes, Terry Taylor, Sara Amato and Bill DeMott.

source: miamiherald.com

CM Punk's Lawyers Send Letter to WWE Officials Over Royalties and Use of Punk's Likeness

CM Punk's lawyers recently sent a 22-page letter to WWE over royalties and their use of his likeness, mainly him being featured in the WWE 2K15 video game.

This isn't confirmed but WWE may have stopped sending Punk royalty checks over their claim that he breached his contract. Regarding the video game, the roster was put together before Punk quit the company.

Fired WWE wrestler Alberto Del Rio reportedly gets non-compete clause thrown out to join Mexico’s AAA promotion

Alberto Del Rio fans can breath a sigh of relief. The ex-WWE superstar who was fired last month for reportedly slapping an employee over a racist joke, is set to wrestle again after getting a non-compete clause thrown out in court, WrestlingInc.com reports. The news first broke on the Spanish-language Web site SuperLuchas.net, which has been following Del Rio’s post-WWE career as he signed with the Mexican promotion AAA.

Speaking about the non-compete clause, Del Rio, now known as Alberto “El Patron,” told reporters (via SuperLuchas.net) at a press conference for an upcoming AAA event:

“It is unconstitutional that you cannot work… Thanks to lawyers and support of AAA, I can fight without any problems.”

The event, which will be El Patron’s debut with AAA, is set to take place on Sept. 14 at the Hard Rock Hotel in Cancun, Mexico. El Patron will team up with La Parka and Myzteziz to face Hijo del Perro Aguayo, Texano Jr. and Averno in the main event.

Part One of Triple H's Interview on Chris Jericho's Podcast

TNA Live Events Reportedly On Hold, More Departures Rumored, TNA Focusing on TV Now

PWInsider and the Talk Is TNA podcast both report that there's talk of more TNA office departures in the last week.

Talk Is TNA reports that TNA live events are on hiatus for the foreseeable future as the company is focusing on TV for now. Some of the releases in the last week were reportedly from the live event department.

After this weekend's tapings in North Carolina & Virginia, TNA has tapings next week in Bethlehem, PA and then the Bound For Glory pay-per-view from Tokyo in October. After Bound For Glory, there are no TNA events scheduled until the UK tour in January 2015.

DoSomething.org Joins Forces with WWE and The Creative Coalition’s Be a STAR Anti-Bullying Initiative

The Bully Text campaign uses an SMS text message experience to encourage young people to step up to bullying

New York, NY – September 3, 2014 – DoSomething.org, the largest organization for young people and social change, and Be a STAR, an anti-bullying initiative co-founded in 2011 by The Creative Coalition and global entertainment company WWE, are teaming up for The Bully Text: Superstar Edition, a campaign that uses an SMS text message game to get young people to take action around bullying.

Beginning today, young people will be able to participate in the SMS text message experience that virtually walks them through a day in the life of a student giving them a chance to take action around bullying. For example, young people receive a text in the experience with the following scenario: "Seth teases Amy, ur lab partner, about her stutter & everyone laughs. Do u A) wait & comfort her after class or B) tell them to quit it." Each scenario is designed to make young people think about what they would do in the face of bullying alongside some of their favorite WWE Superstars.

More?

Rumor Mill - WWE Partnership With Social Media Site Finished?

It appears WWE's relationship with the social media website Tout has ended. WWE has not used their main Tout page since July 12th and NXT has not used their page since May 25th. Several WWE talents have gone months without using the service and the last Superstar account was active in June.

WWE invested $5,000 with Tout back in July 2012 and entered into a two-year strategic partnership with the company. It looks like that partnership expired and they chose not to renew it. It was reported in 2012 that WWE CBO Stephanie McMahon would be on Tout's Board of Directors.

This Day In Wrestling History

Eddie Guerrero defeated Kurt Angle and Chyna for the WWF(E) Intercontinental title.
September 3, 2000

WWE NXT Feature On ESPN

ESPN's E:60 show filmed footage at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando and the NXT TV tapings at Full Sail University this past Feburary for a feature that will air this season. A promo for the episode aired tonight which featured an interview with Triple H. Xavier Woods was also shown for the feature about NXT.

WWE NXT Diva Leaves The Company

WWE NXT Diva Veronica Lane, real name Erika Hammond, has left the company. She was signed back in the spring of 2013 and has done mostly backstage interviews and ring announcing in NXT. She recently recovered from a leg injury.

This Day In Wrestling History

WCW's Clash of The Champions XX celebrates its 20th year of wrestling on TBS. The show also featured the last appearance of Andre The Giant in the USA.
September 2, 1992

Eric Bischoff awarded Triple H the new WWE Raw World title, exclusive to Raw.
September 2, 2002

WWE Invites NFL Player Michael Sam to Next Week's RAW, Offers Open Mic

WWE has invited NFL player Michael Sam to next Monday's WWE RAW from Baltimore. Sam was the first publicly gay player to be drafted in the NFL. He was cut by the St. Louis Rams this weekend after a good performance in the preseason.

If Sam comes to RAW next week, WWE will give him an open microphone to tell his side of things.

Next Monday's RAW will face major competition as the NFL returns with a doubleheader.

Development Begins on New WWE Animated Project

A second WWE & Scooby-Doo crossover animated movie project is in the early stages of development according to a report by Mike Johnson. It is said that if the project gets the green light, the hope is for the movie to be out by 2016. The first WWE & Scooby-Doo animated movie, "Scooby Doo Wrestlemania Mystery" was released earlier this year on DVD & Blu-Ray and has now begun airing on Cartoon Network. WWE's next animated project, a crossover movie with the Flintstones, is set to be released in 2015.

source: pwinsider.com

Triple H to be Interviwed on Chris Jericho's Podcast

Chris Jericho revealed that Triple H will be appearing on his podcast this week on both Wednesday and Friday.