Tag: WWE

WWE Extreme Rules Card 5/22/16

WWE World Heavyweight Championship – Extreme Rules Match: (C) Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles

WWE Women’s Championship – Submission Match – Ric Flair Is Banned From Ringside: (C) Charlotte vs. Natalya

Asylum Match: Dean Ambrose vs. Chris Jericho

Intercontinental Championship – Fatal 4-Way: (C) The Miz w/Maryse vs. Kevin Owens vs. Cesaro vs. Sami Zayn

United States championship: (C) Kalisto vs. Rusev w/Lana

WWE Tag Team championship: (C) New Day vs. The Vaudevillains

Tornado Tag Match: Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson vs. The Usos

(Kickoff) No DQ Match: Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin

 

Charlotte Breaking WWE Record

Source: WrestlingINC

Charlotte will be hitting a milestone and breaking a WWE record this Sunday at Extreme Rules as she’ll be featured in her 11th consecutive WWE PPV. First uncovered by a user on Reddit, this is the longest streak of pay-per-views involving a single woman in WWE history.

 

ROH COO On WWE Not Changing Wrestlers’ Names

Source: WrestlingINC

Phil Strum recently interviewed ROH COO Joe Koff for The Poughkeepsie Journal, who was promoting last Saturday’s ROH show in Manhattan. During the interview, Koff discussed ROH talent signing with WWE and some talent not changing their names.

“There’s always going to be people going to other promotions and it’s not something we are concerned about,” Koff said. “They had a No. 1 contenders match on Monday Night Raw and three of the four people in the match were ex-ROH guys (A.J. Styles, Kevin Owens and Cesaro). Of the three, two had their names changed.”

“WWE has created an incredible brand and merchandising opportunities. This is a new era. It speaks to the fact that when wrestling was a TV promotion, you were in total command and control of every aspect of the business. If you’re a fan of a guy like A.J. Styles, you know that he came to WWE from New Japan and WWE can’t act surprised that every fan is chanting his name. You’re starting to see a little bit more that they’re not changing the name anymore, that’s starting to go away. You have to be genuine. Fans are not stupid about these things. The essence used to be buyer beware, but now it’s seller beware. Fans are so knowledgable. The guy’s name is worth something. They really are smart fans and that’s not just a term.”

Koff also discussed the relationship between ROH and New Japan, the growth of ROH, WWE being the pinnacle of the business, ROH being on syndicated cable and more. You can read the full interview by clicking here.

Emma suffers back injury at live event 

Via WWE’s official website: WWE.com has learned that Emma suffered a back injury last Sunday night during a WWE Live Event and is currently undergoing tests to determine the extent of her injuries.

Please check back with WNB as updates to the matter surface. Here’s to hoping it’s nothing serious. God speed Emma 

Lilian Garcia NOT released. Takes time off for sick father 

We have learned via pro wrestling sheet that despite speculation WWE announcer Lilian Garcia has not been released by WWE.

She is however taking time off to spend time with her father who has been battling cancer and who has had complications in the past month. 

Sources close to Lilian say her father was having major complications in his battle with cancer and WWE not only approved her emergency leave, but the company has been constantly checking in since.

You can read Lilian’s full statement on the matter here 

Imagine my surprise today when I woke up to find out that I was among the top trends in the world on twitter! What for, I said to myself….wait, does that say “Lilian Garcia released from WWE”?? That’s when I knew I had to set the story straight. As you know, I have been absent from TV for the past few weeks missing “WWE Payback” & two “WWE Monday Night Raw’s”. I mentioned on twitter that it was due to a family member being ill. Well, that family member is my father. He has been battling bladder cancer and multiple Myeloma (blood cancer) and due to a reaction to the chemotherapy, he became very ill these past two weeks. On top of that, he had to go into two emergency procedures on his kidneys. To say he has had it tough is an understatement. However, he is a retired Lieutenant Colonel from the US Army, being a Veteran from the Korean and Vietnam Wars, so his spirit is that of a fighter. I am so inspired by how he has taken on this disease and continues to battle it with all his might. He has allowed me to share this story as he hopes his journey will inspire anyone else who is battling cancer. Luckily he is doing much better now and gearing up for a new treatment next week. As you can imagine, my entire family has been through a rollercoaster of emotions and cherishing all the time we have with him. I truly believe in the power of prayer and ask all of you to please pray for him and also my mother. They have been married for 62 years, so you can imagine the bond they share together.  

 

I want to thank all of you for the many messages you have tweeted & FB’d me when you thought I had been released. It truly shows me how much I matter to you, and right now more than ever, I needed to know that. Above all, I want to thank the WWE for all their support & love during this hard time. They have been constantly checking in on me and also given me the time I needed to get my father strong again. I feel so proud to work for a company that cares so much. 

 

So, on to Monday, I will be back on RAW and couldn’t be happier as I have missed you all very much!! Thank you and I love you!!!

 

Xoxo,

Lilian

We here at WNB would like to send our thoughts and prayers to Lilian and her family. 

WWE Released Christian From His Performer’s Contract, Backstage News On More Releases

Source: WrestlingINC

Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that not only The Brooklyn Brawler, Damien Sandow, King Barrett, Hornswoggle, El Torito, Alex Riley, Zeb Colter, Santino Marella and Cameron were released but Christian was released from his performer’s contract.

Christian’s release did not have to do with his agreement to do The Edge and Christian Show and is more of a technicality of no longer having an active performer’s contract, according to The Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Christian hasn’t wrestled since his last concussion in March 2014 and WWE decided to stop using him due to his history of concussions. He remained under a performer’s contract until now but he is still affiliated with the company.

The Observer reports that several internal lists were going around last week and two names on the list were Ryback and Adam Rose. Rose had been serving a 60-day suspension due to his second violation of the WWE Wellness Policy until he was arrested for misdemeanor domestic battery and felony tampering with a witness this week in Florida. WWE then announced he was suspended indefinitely but it’s possible he’s released soon as he was already on the bubble. Cameron, who was not on the list, ended up being released.

WWE Statement On Adam Rose’s Arrest & Indefinite Suspension, Rose Still Held Without Bond

WWE.com has confirmed that Adam Rose is suspended indefinitely following his arrest in Hillsborough County, Florida early this morning after an incident with his wife. WWE previously announced the suspension via The Wrap with a statement that said they have zero tolerance for domestic abuse.

Here is WWE’s full statement On Rose’s arrest:

Raymond Leppan (a.k.a Adam Rose) arrested, suspended

TAMPA, Fla. — Raymond Leppan (a.k.a. WWE Superstar Adam Rose) was arrested at his home this morning by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in Tampa, Fla.

According to a police report, Leppan was taken into custody and booked on alleged charges of tampering with a witness, a felony, and battery domestic violence, a misdemeanor. He is currently being held without bond.

WWE has zero tolerance for matters involving domestic violence, and per our policy, Raymond Leppan has been suspended indefinitely following his arrest.

Longtime WWE Employee Released

Source: WrestlingINC

Longtime WWE wrestler and employee Steve “The Brooklyn Brawler” Lombardi has been released from the company, according to PWInsider.

Brawler’s release came last week but was not announced by the company. He had been with the company for 30 years and most recently worked as a backstage producer.

Below are some of Brawler’s tweets since last week, which may or may not be related.

WWE Reports Strong First-Quarter 2016 Results

WWE issued the following today:

WWE® Reports Strong First-Quarter 2016 ResultsFirst Quarter 2016 Highlights

* Revenue increased 13% on a pro-forma basis to $171.1 from $151.3 million in the prior year quarter, excluding the timing impact of WrestleMania (which occurred in Q2 2016 vs. Q1 2015)

* OIBDA increased 31% to $27.6 million from the prior year quarter (29% on a pro-forma basis)

* WWE Network averaged 1.29 million paid subscribers over the first quarter 2016, which represented a 39% increase from the first quarter 2015, and reached 1.47 million total subscribers at quarter-end

* WWE’s YouTube channel reached 11 million subscribers and achieved Diamond Play Button status joining Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber; WWE content garnered 10 billion YouTube views over the last 12 months

* Announced new series spin-off, Total Bellas, to debut on E! in Fall 2016 along with the sixth season of Total Divas. Continued to develop exciting new content for WWE Network, including Camp WWE (May), Swerved Season 2 (June) and Holy Foley! (August)

Selected WrestleMania Highlights

* WrestleMania (April 3, 2016) achieved record breaking attendance, ticket sales, viewership, and social media activity

* WrestleMania broke WWE’s attendance record, attracting 101,763 fans at AT&T Stadium

* WWE Network reached a record 1.82 million total subscribers following WrestleMania (as of April 4)

* During WrestleMania Week, WWE Network featured 19 hours of prime-time, premier programming and subscribers watched nearly 22 million hours of content, averaging 12 hours per subscriber

* WrestleMania generated more than 2.5 million mentions on Twitter in one day and over 250 million video views across WWE digital and social platforms during WrestleMania Week

STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–WWE (NYSE:WWE) today announced financial results for its first quarter 2016. For the quarter, the Company reported Net income of $13.9 million, or $0.18 per share, as compared to Net income of $9.8 million, or $0.13 per share, in the prior year quarter.

“Our strong performance in the first quarter reflected the successful execution of our content strategy,” said WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon. “The sustained year-over-year growth of WWE Network, the global consumption of our video content across all platforms, and the recent record breaking attraction of WrestleMania demonstrate the increasing strength of our brands. We believe we can continue to leverage these strengths to drive long-term growth.”

George Barrios, Chief Strategy & Financial Officer, added “Our earnings growth was driven primarily by the increased monetization of our network and television content as well as higher licensing revenue from our franchise video game. Over the next year, we will continue to focus on producing engaging content across all platforms, investing in emerging markets, and deploying technology across the enterprise to drive our long-term growth.”

Q2 2016 Business Outlook

For the second quarter 2016, the Company projects average paid subscribers of approximately 1.5 million. The Company also estimates second quarter 2016 Adjusted OIBDA of approximately $5 million to $9 million.1,2 This range represents an expected year-over-year decrease attributed to three primary factors: incremental strategic investments, the timing impact of WrestleMania production costs, and the timing of a lower effective royalty rate associated with the Company’s franchise video game. (The lower video game royalty rate derives from an increasing rate structure over the 2015 year as compared to a flat rate structure in 2016. For the full year, the Company expects the rate for 2016 will be comparable to the average effective rate for 2015).

Click here for the full announcement on WWE Corporate.

 

Vince McMahon Confirms WWE Returns, Touts Talents Coming To Main Roster

Source: WrestlingINC

Vince McMahon confirmed today that Randy Orton, Bray Wyatt, John Cena and Seth Rollins will all be back in action in the next month or so. Vince also touted 13 new talents coming to the main roster and said in the next 30 days they will have more talents on the roster than they have ever had before.