Author: John Bass

Stephanie McMahon Undergoes Surgery And Begins Rehab

Earlier this week, Stephanie McMahon announced her resignation as co-CEO and Chairwoman of WWE. Now, just a few short days later, McMahon is seemingly putting her newly-acquired free time to good use in order to deal with a health issue.

In a post shared on social media, she disclosed that her week involved getting ankle surgery, writing, “Busy week! Thank you Dr. Waldrop, @AndrewsSportMed and the Orthopaedic Center Staff for fixing my ankle! And to Kevin Wilk @ChampionSportsM for already getting me started on rehab! (And of course to my amazing caregiver @TripleH) #RoadtoRecovery.” Additionally, she shared a photo of herself waving from a hospital bed while also attaching a picture of her right leg wrapped in a cast. The extent of her ankle injury was not disclosed. 

https://twitter.com/StephMcMahon/status/1613894410315468800

Plenty of well-wishes came pouring in, with current “NXT” Tag Team Champion Kofi Kingston, in particular, understanding her current plight. “He fixed my ankle, too! You are [in] great hands! Godspeed on your recovery!” 

McMahon’s resignation followed soon after her father, Vince McMahon, reinstated himself to WWE’s Board, along with former WWE executives George Barrios and Michelle Wilson. McMahon had initially stepped away from the company in May 2022 to take a leave of absence. However, her sabbatical was cut short when she was abruptly thrust back into action and named interim Chairwoman and CEO of WWE amid sexual misconduct allegations involving her dad that prompted him to step aside and retire. Within two months, the interim label was off, and she had officially been appointed Chairwoman and Co-CEO, sharing the latter duties with Nick Khan. 

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Rampage Preview 1/13/2023

Tonight’s AEW Rampage on TNT at 10/9C

  • TNT Championship: Darby Allin (c) vs. Juice Robinson
  • Eddie Kington & Ortiz vs. Kings of the Black Throne
  • Tay Melo & Anna Jay A.S. vs. Ruby Soho & Willow Nightingale street fight
  • Promos from The Acclaimed and Paul Thomas Hauser

WWE SmackDown Preview 1/13/2023

WWE SmackDown will air live tonight on FOX, and emanate from the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

IMPACT Wrestling Hard To Kill 1/13/2023 (Card)

IMPACT Wrestling presents Hard to Kill 2023 live from Atlanta Georgia on Friday, January 13th. The pre-show starts at 7:30 pm eastern with the main card starting at 8 pm eastern. The pre-show will be available on YouTube and the main card will be on pay-per-view and FITE.

CARD

  • IMPACT World Championship Full Metal Mayhem
    Josh Alexander (c) vs. Bully Ray
  • IMPACT Knockout’s Championship vs. Mickie James’ Career: Jordynne Grace (c) vs. Mickie James
  • IMPACT World Tag Team Championship 4-Way Elimination Match: Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) (c) vs. Heath & Rhino vs. Major Players (Matt Cardona & Brian Myers) vs. Bullet Club (Ace Austin & Chris Bey)
  • IMPACT X-Division Championship: Trey Miguel (c) vs. Black Taurus
  • IMPACT Knockouts Number One Contenders Match: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Masha Slamovich vs. Taylor Wilde vs. Killer Kelly
  • IMPACT Digital Media Championship: Joe Hendry (c) vs. Moose
  • Falls Count Anywhere: Steve Maclin vs. Rich Swann
  • Jonathan Gresham vs. Eddie Edwards
  • Scott D’Amore’s temporary replacement to be named
  • Countdown to Hard to Kill – Six-Knockouts Tag Team Match – The Death Dollz (Rosemary, Taya Valkyrie & Jessicka) vs. Savannah Evans, Tasha Steelz, & Gisele Shaw (w/ Jai Vidal)
  • Countdown to Hard to Kill – Six-Man Scramble – Angels vs. Yuya Uemura vs. Mike Jackson vs. Bhupinder Gujjar vs. Mike Bailey vs. KUSHIDA

Tony & Shahid Khan Being Interested In Buying WWE

Tony and Shahid Khan are reportedly interested in purchasing WWE.

 CNBC is reporting that several sources familiar with the situation have confirmed that the Khans are interested in merging AEW and WWE.

The report notes that the Khans would be willing to team up with a media company for the IP, which would result in a merger of WWE and AEW.

While Tony and Shahid have not spoken with Vince McMahon or Nick Khan at this point, it was noted that McMahon may not be interested in speaking with them at all. The idea is said to be “a long shot.”

Once again – no discussions between the Khans and WWE have taken place at this point. For what it’s worth, Shahid Khan has a net worth of $7.56 billion.

Source: ewrestlingnews

Stephanie McMahon & Triple H Reportedly Oppose Sale Of WWE

Stephanie McMahon and Triple H are reportedly against a sale of WWE.

It was announced on Tuesday that Stephanie submitted her resignation from WWE after her father, Vince McMahon, was unanimously re-elected as Executive Chairman to the company’s Board of Directors.

According to a report from Axios, there was some serious opposition from Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, and others on a potential sale of WWE.

The report notes that Stephanie and Triple H “had opposed a sale,” with some believing Stephanie’s resignation had to do with her father taking charge of the company. While Stephanie and Triple H won’t comment publicly, it’s said that they are both fuming in private.

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Endeavor, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix, Shahid and Tony Khan, and others are interested in purchasing the company.

Source: ewrestlingnews

Saudi Arabia Not The Favorite To Buy WWE

There had been rumors online earlier this week Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund had purchased WWE. That is not the case, but the fund is among the names interested in buying WWE. 

This all comes shortly after Vince McMahon’s return as Executive Chairman of the Board and him wanting to be part of selling the company. Since then, WWE has hired Raine Group to help lead WWE’s potential sale.

It was reported by Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Saudi Arabian investment isn’t even the favorite to make the purchase.

He wrote, “Those at WWE said that Saudi Arabia was in the running but not the favorite.”

Source: ewrestlingnews

Vince McMahon & Stephanie McMahon Had Issues Working Together In WWE

Earlier this week, Stephanie McMahon resigned from WWE, just days after her father, Vince, had returned to the company. Reportedly, the two did not work great together.

Vince made his WWE return by bringing two new Board Of Directors members with him and removing three from the WWE Board. This was done to make room for himself and the two new Board members. 

Stephanie resigned from all positions on top of this, meaning WWE Board has quickly changed pretty drastically.

According to Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Stephanie and Vince have had some issues working together:

“It was also conceded that she and Vince did have issues in working together as family members and how Khan was a buffer who kept things smooth between them as well as between Vince and Levesque.”

Vince’s main reason for coming back to WWE is said to be because he plans to spearhead a WWE sale. Stephanie and Paul Levesque (Triple H) reportedly had opposed a sale.

Source: ewrestlingnews

Major Updates On FTR’s AEW Status, Contract Expiration Date & Future

While the wrestling world is currently in the grips of Vince McMahon and his return to power, it’s easy to forget that another big story is looming this year, the free agency of FTR. The duo have made it clear that their contracts with AEW are expiring this April, and no one, including themselves, knows what’s going to happen. Sadly though, it seems fans will be seeing a lot less of FTR in the meantime. In the latest episode of his podcast FTR with Dax, Dax Harwood revealed that he and Cash Wheeler will be taking some time to consider their next move.

“We have asked and been granted the next few months off of television, so we can sit back, reflect, let our bodies heal, and figure out what we are going to do for the next few years,” Harwood said. “Because whatever we decide to do next, will be the absolute last thing we do, as far as wrestling. I don’t see myself, after I’m done with whatever we’re going to decide next, in five years going on the independents. I don’t see myself working, in five years a Japan tour, or a Mexican tour, or traveling around the world and wrestling all over places.”

“That’s why these next few months are the most important few months for us. By April at least, at most, we will have an answer. But now, again, I have to take in my health, I have to take in my family, I have to take in my creativity, and I have to take in my personal life all into consideration, about what we’re going to do next.”

Dax Harwood went on to state that he wasn’t sure if FTR would be returning to AEW TV before their deals expired, and also admitted that a lot of things will factor into their decision, including the recent corporate turmoil going on in WWE.

“I’d be lying to you if I said no, it doesn’t at all. Of course it does,” Harwood said. “But also … If I feel like we aren’t being respected the way I think we should, and I mean as entities and characters, what we’ve done, what we’ve accomplished, and who we are, I will not hesitate to explore other options. Whether those other options are taking a year off and doing things we love, that could be it. Whether those options are being presented to me in other forms? There’s a lot of things I have to weigh.”

One thing Harwood can confirm is that a decision will only be made when he and partner Cash Wheeler are in absolute lockstep. The duo, who Harwood described as never having an argument or cross word with each other, will be sitting down to discuss things soon, including opportunities outside of the ring. “I’ll put this out there, we’re looking into buildings for a pro wrestling school as well,” Harwood said. “That’s one of our things we want to open up. We also have ideas for more real estate together, and also for a future coffee shop. So there’s a lot of things we’re going to be talking about for the next few months. But, at the top of the list, is our future.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE SEC Filing Clarifies Stephanie McMahon Resignation Timeline

Stephanie McMahon made waves through the professional wrestling world on Tuesday when she announced that she had stepped down from her post as Co-CEO of WWE following the reinstatement of Vince McMahon as Executive Chairman of the company’s Board of Directors.

A report filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 11 has now helped to shed some light on the timeline of how the events went down, stating that Vince had been elected as Executive Chairman on January 9 while Stephanie was still a member of the board. Following the reinstatement, Stephanie “ceased to be Chairwoman of the Board” and handed in her resignation the following day, which led to Nick Khan “[assuming] the role of sole Chief Executive Officer of the company.”

The SEC report also noted that Michelle McKenna, Steve Koonin, and Steve Pamon were the current individuals that made up the Audit Committee, the Governance and Nominating Committee, and the Compensation and Human Capital Committee. McKenna and Koonin were selected by the Board to serve on the Audit Committee and the Governance and Nominating Committee on the same day McMahon was reinstated while McKenna and Pamon were also chosen to serve on the Compensation and Human Capital Committee. Pamon, Koonin, and McKenna have been members of the Board since September 1, 2020, June 1, 2021, and September 16, 2022, respectively.

Stephanie was named Co-CEO of WWE and Co-Chair of the Board (alongside Khan) in July of last year after Vince announced his retirement following multiple allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment. 

Source: Wrestling Inc.