Tag: WWE

WWE Trying To Get Ronda Rousey For WrestleMania 33?

Source: WrestlingINC

As if CM Punk, Brock Lesnar and potentially Paige VanZant weren’t enough for potential UFC and WWE crossovers, it appears as if the WWE is hoping to land Ronda Rousey for next year’s WrestleMania 33 event.

According to a report by Forbes, the WWE is looking to angle the Brock Lesnar UFC fight to potentially get Rousey on WrestleMania. As you may remember, Ronda Rousey participated in WrestleMania 31, working an angle with Stephanie McMahon, Triple H and the Rock.

As we mentioned earlier, the WWE is also hoping to get UFC stars to appear at Summerslam.

NXT TakeOver: The End – 6/8/16 – Card

NXT Championship – Steel Cage Match: Samoa Joe (c) vs. Finn Balor

NXT Women’s Championship: Asuka (c) vs. Nia Jax

NXT Tag Team championship: American Alpha (c’s) vs. The Revival

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Austin Aries

Tye Dillinger vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas

Triple H Media Call: Bobby Roode And Eric Young, WWE Brand Split, ‘The End,’ Nakamura, Muhammad Ali

Source: WrestlingINC

Triple H’s media call to promote WWE NXT Takeover: The End:

Triple H joined the call and thanked everyone for joining and noted that there will probably be some questions about the Cruiserweight Classic. Triple H ran down the card for Wednesday’s Takeover event. Triple H said that Nakamura will be a key player in the company. He added that he’s excited for the debut of Andrade Almas and that he will be “big player.”

Triple H said “The End” title for the event has a lot of meanings, which we’ll see tomorrow. He said that you can expect it to be the end of the Finn Balor – Samoe Joe series.

NXT will be taping TV on Thursday, and he will be heading to the UK with the NXT crew for the UK tour after the tapings.

The Cruiserweight Classic starts up at the end of the month. Triple H thinks it will be the premier cruiserweight tournament, and he thinks it will be an unbelievable ten weeks. He says that it will be something unlike you’ve seen from WWE or NXT.

He thinks the NXT roster will look a lot different after the brand split, but he doesn’t know for sure. He thinks that one of the strengths of NXT is that their talent rises to the occasion whenever talent leaves for the main roster.

He doesn’t think the talent is any more aggressive than they were before, and they’re always looking for the best talent around the world. He’s always been aggressive in acquiring great talent.

About the brand split, Triple H noted that they’ve always had two tours and he’s not sure how much everything will change.

He was asked about how much they focus on the UK. Triple H said there is a ton of talent in the UK, but they don’t focus on any one area for talent, they look everywhere.

On Bobby Roode and Eric Young, Triple H is working on contracts for both men and said to stay tuned. He said they’re both talented, and he looks forward to working with both of them.

When asked about NXT touring in Canada, he said that they’re looking at everywhere. He said that NXT will be doing 180-190 events this year alone, and with RAW and SmackDown, you’re at around 500 events a year. With all the events, there’s a lot of factors that go into where they tour.

When asked for an update on Hideo Itami, Triple H said that he can’t go too much into his medical information, but everyone heals differently, and Itami had some issues with mobility and scar tissue, and wants him to take his time and return at 100%. Nothing has changed regarding his thoughts on Hideo as a performer, and he looks forward to him returning.

Triple H was asked about doing a women’s tournament, similar to the Cruiserweight Classic. Triple H said he had been throwing out ideas about it, and said that he would like to do it if the timing is right. He said it’s on the table, but there are a lot of things on the table. He said that it’s just an idea that spread quickly on the internet, and when they know what they’ll want to do, they’ll put out a statement or contact talents.

He said that the process for the Cruiserweight series has been very exciting, and he’s enjoyed working with outside promotions to secure talent for the series.

Triple H thanked everyone for calling in. He mentioned the passing of Muhammad Ali, and called him a personal hero of his. He said that Ali’s personality and charisma, which admittedly was influenced by pro wrestling, was amazing and and he was able to pass it on to others. Triple H said Ali was integral to what they do, and even though Ali wasn’t a part of WWE on a day-to-day basis, that his impact isn’t forgotten in the sports entertainment world.

Brock Lesnar On Vince McMahon’s Reaction To UFC 200

Source: WrestlingINC

Brock Lesnar made the media rounds on ESPN yesterday to promote his upcoming fight against Mark Hunt at UFC 200. During an interview on ESPN’s SportsCenter, which you can watch below, Lesnar was asked about how Vince McMahon reacted when approached about the upcoming fight.

“I said, ‘Listen, old man, we can do this the hard way or the easy way,'” Lesnar recalled. “I said, ‘Do you wanna arm-wrestle for it?’ He was like, ‘Aw yeah, what the hell.’ So, I ended up beating him and here we are.”

Lesnar said that McMahon had no hesitation allowing Lesnar to do the fight.

“Who would you [have any hesitation]?,” Lesnar asked. “I believe that in the WWE brand, I’m a legit athlete in that brand, and I bring lots to the company. For me to get back in the Octagon legitimizes why the WWE has me in their company. It’s a win-win for all of us. It’s a win for me, it’s a win for WWE and it’s a win for the UFC.”

Lesnar again wouldn’t reveal how much he is making for the fight, but said that it was “lots of money” and stated that he was a prizefighter.

“You don’t get in the cage for nothing,” Lesnar noted. “It’s a lot of money… I’m not gonna relay how much money I’m making on it, I wouldn’t do that to either one of the companies.”

WWE RAW And SmackDown GMs Revealed?, How Brand Split May Benefit WWE

Source: WrestlingINC

In case you missed it, before kicking Teddy Long out of the building in a backstage segment on last night’s RAW, Stephanie McMahon claimed that she would be in charge of SmackDown, which would presumably leave Shane McMahon in charge of RAW. It’s not clear if that was the official announcement, or the start of an angle between Stephanie and Shane on who would run the show.

“My father wants someone in charge [of SmackDown] who is intelligent, who is young, who is vivacious, who is smart, who has business acumen, someone who is going to bring in the New Era right!” Stephanie said. “That’s not my brother Shane McMahon, I’m going to let you in on a little secret Teddy… it’s going to be me!”

 

Joseph Bonaccorso has an article at Seeking Alpha looking at how the brand split can boost WWE’s bottom line. It noted that it can attract older fans who no longer follow the product, as well as lead to excitement with the current fan base. It also noted that the shows can deliver better content with the separate rosters, and can lead to an increase in WWE Network subscriptions.

WWE reportedly interested in UFC’s Paige VanZant

At just age 22, Paige VanZant is arguably one of the best fighters in the ever growing Strawweight division. With just two losses under her belt in her professional MMA career many would say she’s the next huge crossover star.

She’s already been endorsed by Reebok and was in the finals of Dancing with the Stars this past season, and now according to MMA Junkie the biggest company in professional wrestling known as the WWE has an interest in “12 gage”

VanZant has reportedly been in talks with the WWE about appearing at their biggest PPV of the summer, SummerSlam, says her manager Mike Roberts.

No word has been said what type of role PVZ will play in the PPV if she does indeed appear. Still it’s interesting to think about especially with the news that broke this past weekend of WWE’s Brock Lesnar competing at UFC200. Let’s not forget the appearance by Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania 31.

All of this begs the question of could it be possible that the WWE and the UFC be in some type of under the table partnership? We here at WNB sure think so. 

WWE Names New Vice President Of Brand That Will Report Directly To Stephanie McMahon

WWE issued the following:

WWE® NAMES JULIA JENSEN VICE PRESIDENT, BRAND

STAMFORD, Conn., June 6, 2016 – WWE (NYSE: WWE) today announced the appointment of Julia Jensen as Vice President, Brand. Jensen, a global brands and communications executive with more than 20 years of experience, will report directly to WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon.

As Vice President, Brand, Jensen will work across WWE’s business units to help drive revenue and further enhance the company’s brand reputation among key constituencies including advertisers, business partners, media and investors.

Prior to WWE, Jensen spent more than 15 years at Mattel, most recently as Vice President of Global Brands Communications. In this role, she was responsible for overseeing global communications across all businesses and driving brand engagement and relevancy for iconic Mattel brands, including Barbie. Jensen also spent time as Mattel’s Vice President of International Communications where she oversaw a team across 34 markets, responsible for executing communications programs supporting Mattel’s businesses and corporate initiatives around the world.

Before Mattel, Jensen’s agency experience included Ketchum and Fleishman-Hillard, where she provided creative program development and created marketing, advertising and public relations campaigns for global brands including Clorox, Proctor & Gamble, Levi’s Jeans, Cabbage Patch Kids, Maxwell House and Celestial Seasonings.

Jensen holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Syracuse University.

Brock Lesnar’s UFC 200 Opponent Revealed; Lesnar Talks SummerSlam, UFC Return, More

Source: WrestlingINC

Brock Lesnar’s return to the UFC is set, and so is his opponent. As announced this morning on ESPN SportsCenter, Lesnar will take on Mark Hunt in his return.

Lesnar last fought in 2011, taking on Alistair Overeem. Lesnar battled diverticulitis throughout his career, missing long stretches of action. Last year, Lesnar re-signed with the WWE for three years, and said that he closed the door on a UFC return.

“I couldn’t live with that decision, that decision has haunted me for the last 15 months,” Lesnar said. “I’m a big believer in facing your fears and facing the reality of not sitting 20 years ago saying ‘Son, you should have done that.’ I was on UFC 100, so why not UFC 200?,” Lesnar said.

Lesnar said that this was his idea, and he immediately regretted not making a return to the Octagon.

“I lost to diverticulitis, that’s who beat me. My performance was because of the illness. I feel a thousand percent, I wouldn’t step in the Octagon if I didn’t. I’m not faking it, this is for real,” Lesnar said.

When Lesnar announced that Mark Hunt would take him on, he noted that he’s never turned down a fight in the UFC. “Why not (Mark Hunt), I don’t care,” Lesnar said.

“It’s taken some time for things to play out, but I said ‘What are the chances of having Brock Lesnar at UFC 200?,” Lesnar said. “I’m a crossover athlete, I’m the modern day Bo Jackson, and I couldn’t be more excited that both companies have the faith in Brock Lesnar to return to the Octagon.”

Lesnar said that he spoke to Vince McMahon about the idea and hashed it out. He said that he doesn’t know what the plans for SummerSlam are, but isn’t sure what the plans are for him on the card.

Interviewer Hannah Storm asked about the UFC banning Ariel Helwani over breaking the story of Lesnar’s return, but Lesnar said that he’s not on Twitter and isn’t familiar with Helwani. Lesnar was also asked about the late Muhammad Ali, and said the two shared a handshake and said he felt something powerful in Ali.

Lesnar closes the interview by saying he isn’t sure what any of this means for his legacy, but has to do what’s best for himself and his family.

NXT Preview: 6/1/16

The following is scheduled for tonight’s 6/1 WWE NXT:

Face-to-face interview between NXT Champion Samoa Joe and Finn Balor

Austin Aries vs. Eilas Samson

Contract signing for Asuka vs. Nia Jax

Tye Dillinger vs. Murphy

John Cena Shirt Pulled And Replaced Due To Legal Threat From Beer Company

Source: WrestlingINC

WWE have released a new shirt to coincide with John Cena’s Monday return, after a previous design was removed when Pabst Blue Ribbon threatened legal action against the brand.

The design is very similar to the one that was pulled, without any references to the aforementioned Pabst Blue Ribbon logo. In the past, John Cena has had shirts inspired by John Deere and AWA Wrestling logos, in addition to an 8-bit version.

You can see a photo of the new design below, and the old one at the bottom of the page.