Author: John Bass

WWE Announces $256 Million Revenue As It Blames Releases On Budget Cuts

The financial call took place right before news of Thursday’s releases started to filter through.

WWE announced it generated almost $256 million in revenue in one quarter on the same day it released multiple Superstars due to budget cuts.

The phrase too big to fail is often thrown around in the business world. Some fans might say WWE now falls into that bracket. It is a massive and well-oiled machine that has turned Vince McMahon from a millionaire into a billionaire. During the last quarter alone WWE generated $256 million, as was revealed during the company’s latest financial report.

The report was published on Thursday of this week and then dissected by a number of WWE higher-ups during a quarterly financial call. The $255.8 million of revenue is $34.2 million more than the promotion generated during the same three-month period in 2020.

Since that period took place during lockdown last year, WWE has attributed the uptick in revenue to ticket sales, for the most part. Fans were allowed to return to buildings, and WWE returned to touring, in late July, meaning almost the entire quarter included ticket sales for the first time since spring of 2020.

What won’t sit well with fans is the timing of this reveal. The financial call took place directly before news of WWE’s latest batch of releases started to filter through on social media. That likely means the talent being let go was called and informed they were losing their jobs while the financial call was in process. It has also been reported that those released were given little more than “budget cuts” as the reason for being shown the door.

The wrestling world is still trying to digest who WWE released on Thursday and figure out where the company went so wrong with some of the soon-to-be free agents. Karrion Kross and Keith Lee are at the top of the list when it comes to head-scratchers. Scarlett falls into that bracket too, as does Hit Row’s B-Fab who was only called up with the rest of the former NXT faction during last month’s draft.

Source: TheSportster

Karrion Kross, Keith Lee, Nia Jax, Ember Moon, Franky Monet, Eva Marie And More Released By WWE

WWE has reportedly released multiple members of its roster including Keith Lee, Ember Moon, Karrion Kross, Nia Jax, Oney Lorcan, Franky Monet, Mia Yim, and Hit Row’s B-Fab, who was recently called up to the main roster.

Per Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful, the current list of released Superstars is as follows:

  • Keith Lee
  • Mia Yim
  • Nia Jax
  • Karrion Kross
  • Scarlet Bordeaux
  • Oney Lorcan
  • Ember Moon
  • Franky Monet
  • B-Fab
  • Jessi Kamea
  • Gran Metalik
  • Lince Dorado
  • Trey Baxter
  • Zayder Ramier
  • Jeet Rama
  • Katrina Cortez
  • Eva Marie
  • Harry Smith
https://twitter.com/_denisesalcedo/status/1456416341590642720

This week’s releases bring WWE’s total to 71 for the year.

Impact Wrestling Preview 11/4/21

The road to Turning Point continues on an all-new IMPACT! this Thursday at 8/7c on AXS TV and 8:30pm ET on YouTube for IMPACT Insiders!

* Josh Alexander, Eddie Edwards and Matt Cardona vs. Moose, W. Morrissey and NJPW legend Minoru Suzuki

* Knockouts Championship: Mickie James (c) vs. Madison Rayne

* Madman Fulton w/Ace Austin vs. Chris Sabin

* Impact World Tag Team Champions The Good Brothers vs. Fin Juice

* X-Division #1 Contenders Match: Rohit Raju vs. Steve Maclin vs. Laredo Kid vs. Black Taurus 

* Brian Myers, VSK and Zicky Dice vs. Rich Swann, Willie Mack and Same Beale – Before the IMPACT, this Thursday at 7/6c on AXS TV.

WWE Office Departure Reportedly Shocks Many Within The Company

There were reportedly multiple WWE office departures this week.

Long-time WWE Senior Vice President of Creative Services Stan Stanski was reportedly released on Wednesday, according to PWInsider. Stanski had been with the company for almost 15 years.

Stanski joined WWE back in 2006 as the Vice President of Creative Services, and was promoted in March 2012 to the SVP role.

Stanski’s departure shocked many within the company on Wednesday. One person described the departure as “the ultimate proof no one is safe” and “yet another reminder this isn’t the same company it was a year ago.”

It’s expected that more departures will be confirmed soon, but Stanski was the most high-profile exit from the company on Wednesday.

The Rock Announces Seven Bucks Productions Change: “We Won’t Use Real Guns At All”

The recent tragedy involving Alec Baldwin and Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust has rocked the entertainment world and sparked major conversations for change within the movie industry. The Rock has been part of those and has come out to make his stance about guns on film sets very clear.

The Rock recently spoke with Variety where he announced that from now on Seven Bucks Productions will no longer use real guns on set. Whether it is filming a movie or a television show, making it clear that it doesn’t matter what it costs.

“I can’t speak for anyone else, but I can tell you, without an absence of clarity here, that any movie that we have moving forward with Seven Bucks Productions — any movie, any television show, or anything we do or produce — we won’t use real guns at all,” Johnson said.

“We’re going to switch over to rubber guns, and we’re going to take care of it in post. We’re not going to worry about the dollars; we won’t worry about what it costs.”

Dwayne Johson revealed that just hours after the sad news of Hutchins’ passing he got onto the phone and began discussing how things can change. Reaffirming that the rule will be no real guns, no matter what studio they work with.

“I love the movie business,” Johnson said. “There are safety protocols and measures that we have always taken in the movie business and we take very seriously, and these sets are safe sets, and we’re proud of that. But accidents do happen. And when something like this happens of this magnitude, [that is] this heartbreaking, I think the most prudent thing and the smartest thing to do is just pause for a second and really re-examine how you’re going to move forward and how we’re going to work together.”

“Any movie we do that Seven Bucks does with any studio, the rule is we’re not going to use real guns. That’s it.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Former WWE Superstar Kalisto Debuts For AEW Under New Name

The former WWE Superstar attempted to win the AAA Titles alongside Aero Star.

Kalisto teamed up with AAA’s Aero Star on Dynamite this week in what was the luchador’s first match since being released by WWE.

WWE has released more than 50 wrestlers and employees so far in 2021, and some of them have since shown up in AEW. Malakai Black, Ruby Soho, and Andrade all make that list, as does Tony Nese who reportedly signed with the promotion last month. On Wednesday, that list got a little longer as Kalisto wrestled in a tag match on Dynamite.

Kalisto, who is now going by Samuray Del Sol, teamed up with AAA’s Aero Star to take on FTR. The debuting pair was actually competing for FTR’s AAA Tag Team Titles. Dax Harwood and Dash Wilder beat the Lucha Bros for the Mexican promotion’s championships last month.

Despite Del Sol and Aeors Star’s best efforts, the Tag Team Titles will not be heading home to AAA. Wheeler rolled up Aero Star for the win, using the ropes as leverage. The pair will try to add more tag team gold to their resume at Full Gear where they will face Penta and Rey Fenix for the AEW Tag Team Championships, a full year after they lost the titles to The Young Bucks.

This is the first match Kalisto has wrestled outside of WWE since he was released back in April of this year. The luchador actually enjoyed a lot of success in WWE, winning the US Title on two separate occasions. It remains unclear what’s next for him in terms of his wrestling career. He doesn’t seem to have signed a permanent deal with AEW. His pairing with Aero Star could mean he has or will sign with AAA in the future.

A Twitter exchange between Del Sol and Chris Jericho might suggest the former doesn’t have a future in AEW. The former tweeted that he prayed to Brodie Lee before his match, misspelling Jon, Brodie’s real name. Jericho quote tweeted Del Sol, telling him he spelled Jon’s name wrong. While not confirmed, fans have speculated there’s more to the exchange than Del Sol misspelling a name.

Source: TheSportster

CM Punk Shouts Out Jon Moxley During Emotional Promo On Dynamite

An emotional tribute from Punk on Dynamite delivered in tandem with an important message.

CM Punk kicked off his promo on Dynamite this week by discussing how much he admires and respects Jon Moxley.

Tony Khan revealed earlier this week that Jon Moxley has entered himself into an alcohol treatment program. Moxley naturally has the full support of AEW, and well wishes for the former World Champion have been pouring in ever since. That includes a heartfelt message from CM Punk live on Dynamite last night.

Punk kicked off his promo by saying he wanted to talk about two people who weren’t in the building for Dynamite last night. The first of those people was Moxley. Punk got the fans chanting his name and admitted he’d be happy for them to keep chanting Moxley throughout the duration of his segment.

The Second City Saint then moved on and said that despite his and Moxley’s differences, he is very proud of his AEW peer right now. Punk speaks about times in his own life when he needed help but he didn’t ask for it because he thought he needed to show the world he is tougher than that. You can watch all but the very beginning of the promo in the clip below.

https://twitter.com/AEWonTNT/status/1456056299683209216

Punk closes the first half of his promo by telling fans that if they need help, talk to someone. Whether it be a phone call or a text, they don’t need to tough it out. Punk and Moxley are evidence of that. Renee Paquette, Moxley’s wife formerly known as Renee Young when under WWE’s employ, has also reached out since the news broke and thanked everyone for their messages over the past 24 hours.

Moxley will obviously be out of action for an indefinite amount of time, and we wish him all the best in his recovery. On the wrestling side of things, the former AEW Champion was replaced by Miro on Dynamite last night in the World Title Eliminator Tournament. Miro beat Orange Cassidy in the semi-final match and will face Bryan Danielson in the final at Full Gear.

Source: TheSportster

Impact Wrestling Removes Tommy Dreamer, Petey Williams And Others From Roster

Impact Wrestling has removed five wrestlers from its roster this week, with their profiles being taken down from the company website which has sparked question marks about their futures with the company.

PWInsider reports that the following names have been removed: No Way, TJP, Taylor Wilde, Petey Williams, and Tommy Dreamer.

The removal of Williams is one that makes sense as he has recently had a tryout with WWE. He was backstage at SmackDown last week where he was working as a producer for the company.

Former ECW star, Dreamer, is another name that isn’t too much of a surprise considering the controversy surrounding him following his comments on Dark Side Of The Ring. The company suspended him in the aftermath, although Busted Open Radio has since brought him back to the show.

However, it is worth noting that the company hasn’t officially announced that any of these names have been released. It was stated that sources haven’t made any form of comment, with these removals not to be taken as a guarantee of any releases.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

MLW Fusion ALPHA Preview 11/3/21

Major League Wrestling returns tonight at 7pm ET with Fusion: ALPHA, streaming worldwide for free on MLW’s YouTube channel and Saturdays on beIN Sports. 

  • Caribbean Champion King Muertes in action!
  • Willow Nightingale and Zoey Sky vs. The Sea Stars
  • Alex Kane Prize Fight Open

The monstrous King Muertes is unleashed this week on Fusion: ALPHA, presented by newlawoffice.com!

Cesar Duran has signed the current Caribbean Champion to compete in singles competition, but details regarding his opponent remain scarce at this time.

Could this late match addition be some sort of  power move against one of El Jefe’s detractors? What member of the MLW roster has drawn the ire of Cesar Duran and could be sacrificed to The Man of 1,000 Deaths this Wednesday night?! Tune into ALPHA and find out!

The future of the National Openweight Championship will be announced!

Tom Lawlor has an ultimatum for Cesar Duran???

The war of words between World Tag Team Champions Los Parks and 5150 turns violent!

Willow Nightingale returns from injury to team with Zoey Sky against the top ranked tandem of The Sea Stars. Can The Babe With The Power stay focused while her attacker Holidead still lurks in the shadows?

An exclusive update on Calvin Tankman’s 2021 Opera Cup status following The Heavyweight Hustle’s brutal assault at the hands of Alex Kane and King Mo last week.

PLUS: Alex Kane challenges the sports best to come and get this work in the Alex Kane Open Prize Fight Challenge! Does anyone have what it takes to collect Kane’s hefty cash prize and curb the momentum of The Suplex Assassin?

Join Rich Bocchini, Joe Debrowski, and broadcast journalist Alicia Atout as MLW presents Fusion: ALPHA! 

AEW Dynamite Preview 11/3/21

Tonight’s AEW Dynamite episode airs on TNT at the Cable Dahmer Arena in Independence, Missouri.

The AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament semis will likely continue with Orange Cassidy facing a yet to be determined opponent. As noted, Jon Moxley entered an inpatient alcohol treatment program. The winner of this match takes on Bryan Danielson in the finals at Full Gear on November 13.

Below is the current lineup:

* Cody Rhodes vs. Andrade El Idolo

* Anna Jay vs. Jamie Hayter (AEW TBS Title Tournament First Round Match)

* Orange Cassidy vs. TBA (AEW World Title Eliminator Semifinal Match)

* FTR Open Challenge for the AAA World Tag Team Titles