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WWE reports Q1 2019 financial results

By
Colin Vassallo
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WWE today announced financial results for its first quarter ended March 31, 2019.

The not-so-stellar quarter had revenues of $182.4 million as compared to $187.7 million in the prior year quarter and an operating income loss of $6.8 million as compared to income of $21.8 million in the prior year quarter. Net Income reflected a loss of $8.4 million as compared to net income of $14.8 million.

“During the quarter, we continued to execute our strategy and achieved targeted financial results,” stated Vince McMahon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “While engagement metrics over the past two quarters were impacted by Superstar absences, we believe they will improve as our talent return and we launch our new season following a successful WrestleMania. We remain excited about the future, particularly with our debut on Fox in October.”

George Barrios, Co-President, added “In the quarter, we delivered Adjusted OIBDA within the range of our public guidance and continue to target full-year record revenue of approximately $1 billion and record Adjusted OIBDA of at least $200 million. Our primary focus is to deliver record results while investing in our key priorities: content creation, localization and digitization.”

The full press release can be read here.

JPMorgan analyst raises WWE price target to $105

By
Colin Vassallo
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JPMorgan analyst David Karnovsky raised his overweight rating for WWE stocks and raised his price target from $95 to $105.

Karnovsky outlined that upcoming TV deals in India, United Kingdom, Middle East, Latin America, and China will bring in more money as well as a potential third hour of Smackdown on FOX which would greatly increase WWE’s revenues for 52 more hours of action for the network.

He expects that the India television deal will bring in over the double the amount that the company gets at the moment. A third hour of Smackdown would generate around $25 million per year in extra revenue for WWE.

“We continue to see upside to WWE shares, with the stock remaining our top pick in the live entertainment subsector,” Karnovsky wrote in a note.

Where in the world is Daniel Bryan?

By
Colin Vassallo
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It’s been over three weeks since we’ve last seen Daniel Bryan on WWE television. The former WWE champion has been missing in action ever since he lost his title to Kofi Kingston at WrestleMania 35 and it’s been radio silence since then.

Bryan is said to be injured, although what kind of injury remains a tightly-lipped secret. No one has talked about Bryan, he hasn’t been mentioned, and he has not attended any WWE events for the past three weeks.

He signed a new deal last year with the company after he got the green light to step back in the ring. He undergoes a test after every single time he wrestles and the first time he fails it, he will be benched pending further testing. Bryan’s past concussion-related injuries are obviously a big speculation why the former champ has not been seen on television but WWE looks like they’re going to great lengths to prevent any leaks stemming from his injury. It’s also good to note that he has not used social media either since WrestleMania.

Bryan was scheduled for this past weekend’s non-televised live events but was pulled from the shows. He’s advertised for Smackdown next week and the upcoming European tour but his participation at this point remains a question mark.

WWE announces six non-televised live events in Latin America

By
Colin Vassallo
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WWE announced a Latin America tour which will have six shows in six different countries in August, September and October. The Smackdown brand will be doing the shows. The tour will also include the first-ever WWE live event in Bogota, Colombia.

It all starts on August 23 with a live event in Bogota at the Movistar Arena, followed by a trip to Lima, Peru for a show at the Jockey Club on August 24. The next day on August 25 it’s off to Panama City, Panama for a show at the Roberto Duran Arena.

In September, WWE will travel to Santiago, Chile for a show on September 5 at the Movistar Arena and then the next day on September 6 in Buenos Aires, Argentina for a live event at the Luna Park.

Puerto Rico will get the final show on October 26 at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan.

Raw rating for 04/22/2019

By
Colin Vassallo
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It was definitely not a good night for Raw when it comes to ratings this week as the show did an average of 2,374,000 viewers, down 291,000 viewers from last week and the least-watched broadcast since January 7.

Hour one started with 2,680,000 viewers, followed by a big drop to 2,296,000 in the second hour, and then down to 2,146,000 in the third and final hour. The NBA playoffs on TNT did 2,933,000 and 2,891,000 head-to-head with Raw.

The show was #3, #4, and #5 in the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographic and #6 in overall viewership for the night on cable. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)

Becky Lynch defending both women’s titles at Money In The Bank

By
Colin Vassallo
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Becky Lynch will be pulling double duty at the Money In The Bank pay-per-view, defending both titles on the show on the same night.

The Irish Lass Kicker, the first women to hold two titles in the WWE, will be facing Lacey Evans first for the Raw Women’s title and then Charlotte Flair for the Smackdown Women’s title. Flair became the number one contender after she beat fellow Four Horsewomen member Bayley in a match on Smackdown last night.

As a “champ champ,” Becky is showing up on both Raw and Smackdown for separate feuds.

Meanwhile, another match was announced for Money In The Bank involving Roman Reigns and Elias. Shane McMahon threatened to fire Reigns for what he did to his father and then Elias interfered, attacking Reigns. Last week, Reigns interrupted Elias after he was introduced as the “biggest acquisition in Smackdown history” by Vince.

WWE pulls The Undertaker and Kurt Angle from appearing at Starrcast II

By
Colin Vassallo
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WWE has dealt a big blow to Conrad Thompson and his upcoming Starrcast event by pulling The Undertaker and Kurt Angle from the show, leaving Thompson without two of the biggest stars with a month to go for the event.

The news was revealed by Thompson himself in an exclusive interview with Sports Illustrated yesterday. Thompson said that Vince McMahon personally interfered to get Taker off the show and it was Taker who got the wrath of McMahon rather than Thompson himself.

The Undertaker’s representatives, Get Engaged, told Thompson that WWE has pulled the plug and returned the deposit that he initially paid to secure his services.

“I had a friend discuss the situation with Vince McMahon, and I was assured the ‘heat’ wasn’t on me or my event but rather that The Undertaker shouldn’t be doing personal appearances outside of WWE,” said Thompson. “I was assured that damages would be covered, a suitable replacement offered, or some sort of compromise to make everyone happy.”

Meanwhile, with WWE’s offer for a suitable replacement, Thompson went on the attack. He suggested Vince McMahon himself, Triple H, or Stephanie McMahon, with all proceeds going to Conor’s Cure and a donation from Thompson matching the money. But that didn’t fly either, with Thompson told that no one from the main roster would be allowed.

Kurt Angle, who also just recently signed a new WWE deal, was also pulled from the show.

“I asked to keep Kurt Angle and announce Shawn Michaels as the replacement for The Undertaker,” said Thompson. “I offered to book everyone ‘through the office.’. I wanted to play by the rules but I felt like I already had, since each of these guys were actively marketing themselves for outside appearances via booking agents or their own social media. I have checked in daily for a week now and nothing is changing.”

The Starrcast event will take place during the All Elite Wrestling’s Double or Nothing weekend. The company is setting up to start giving WWE some competition once it’s fully up and running and McMahon doesn’t want any of his talent to appear at events closely associated with AEW.

WWE stocks hit $100 for the first time ever

By
Colin Vassallo
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WWE stocks managed to crack the $100 mark today for the very first time since the company went public in October 1999.

During the day, shares traded briefly at $100.10 before dropping back into the $99 range. At time of this writing, stocks were at $99.50, a 3.5% increase over yesterday’s closing.

With the current value, WWE has a market cap of $7.5 billion and the company is looking to increase that with the upcoming new India and United Kingdom television deals.

Ronda Rousey talks babies, future in WWE, and surgery

By
Colin Vassallo
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Former Raw Women’s champion Ronda Rousey recorded her first video blog since WrestleMania to give an update on her hand injury and future.

Rousey said she broke her pinky knuckle during her match at WrestleMania and underwent surgery last week. Two pins were inserted to repair the problem and she will be in a cast for the next four weeks.

Ronda said that her original plan last year was to come in at WrestleMania and wrestle till November and then try to start a family. But she was having fun and the “small detour” from her life ended up being her life for the entire year. She was told that if she sticks around, the probability that the women would main event WrestleMania is huge so she decided to hang in there but told WWE officials that she would leave after Mania to try and start a family.

Her husband Travis Browne said that there were “multiple attempts” already at getting pregnant and who knows, she might already be pregnant and joked that the name would be Brooklyn Mania Browne.

Discussing her future WWE plans, she said she wants to have a baby first and then see what happens. “I don’t know what it’s like to have a baby. I could look down at this beautiful child and be like f**k everything…I don’t care about anything else other than this baby and you’ll never see me again,” she said. She also added that she could do like her mom, train until she was eight months pregnant and win the U.S. Open six weeks after giving birth.

“I don’t think I’m going to try and aspire to her level…but I’m just saying, you never know. The thing is, I don’t want to make any promises about the future when I don’t know how I’m going to feel in the future.”

Ronda thanked the fans for “the most amazing time” and she said she’s looking forward to rest. The video ends on a funny note when an almost fully-naked Browne comes out and asks Ronda if she’s ready because he sure is.

You can see it below.

The Viking Experience gets another name change!

By
Colin Vassallo
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It looks like somebody important in Stamford came to the realization that the name The Viking Experience was pretty stupid for a tag team.

The War Raiders, the current NXT Tag Team champions who were drafted to Monday Night Raw last week, received the not-so-impressive name for their Raw debut. The change was met with a lot of criticism online and led to tons of memes mocking the name.

But now, just a week after getting christened with the new name, The Viking Experience is no longer, although a part of their name remains. From now on, the duo will be known as The Viking Raiders, a combo of their old and new name. They do keep their new individual names of Ivar and Erik though, a change from Hanson and Rowe.

But you know how the saying goes right? You can’t get everything in life!

First two title matches for 2019 Money In The Bank announced

By
Colin Vassallo
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The first two title matches for this year’s Money In The Bank pay-per-view were made official last night on Raw.

AJ Styles quickly got to the top after he became the number one contender for the Universal title. He defeated Rey Mysterio and Samoa Joe in his first qualifying match while Baron Corbin defeated The Miz and Drew McIntyre in his qualifying match. The two winners then faced each other for the MITB match, with Styles securing the victory. He now faces Seth Rollins next month.

Meanwhile, Lacey Evans will be taking on Becky Lynch for the Raw Women’s title on the same show. Evans has been targeting Lynch ever since the Raw after Mania. It’s unclear if Lynch will defend the Smackdown Women’s title on the show as well but she has a face-to-face segment with Charlotte Flair tonight on Smackdown which might lead to something.

The Raw participants for the MITB ladder matches will be announced next week on the show during the Moment of Bliss segment. Four men and four women from each brand will make up the two ladder matches where the winners will take the briefcase and a shot at the title any time.

Five more WWE Superstars switch brands

By
Colin Vassallo
-

Despite the Superstar Shake-up ending last week, five individuals swapped brands yesterday as WWE continued to shuffle Superstars around.

Andrade, Zelina Vega, and Alistair Black have all been moved to Smackdown. Andrade and Vega were on Smackdown before while Black performed on both brands leading up to the Shake-up episode. With this move, Andrade rejoins his girlfriend Charlotte Flair on the blue brand while Black and Vega, also a couple, remain together as well.

Moving the opposite direction were the United States champion Samoa Joe and Cesaro. With the IC title on Smackdown, it was bound to happen that the U.S. title is moved back to Raw. Cesaro leaving Smackdown also effectively ends The Bar tag team, with now Sheamus on his own over at Smackdown.

WWE to hold four-day training camp in Shanghai, China in July

By
Colin Vassallo
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WWE will hold a four-day training camp in Shanghai, China from Monday, July 15 through Thursday, July 19 with nearly 50 male and female athletes from China participating. Those who impress enough will be selected to travel to Orlando to begin training at the WWE Performance Center.

“We are excited to return to Shanghai following the huge success of the first tryout in 2016,” said Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events & Creative. “I have a personal message to every athlete and performer in China who has a dream of becoming a WWE Superstar: I am coming to Shanghai to help you make that happen. This is real, this is your chance. Step up and take this opportunity to change your life forever.”

For Chinese athletes looking to participate in the WWE Shanghai tryout camp this July, applications can now be submitted at Sports.pptv.com/wwe/tryout2019.

In past years, WWE held tryouts in London, Dubai, Tokyo, Jeddah, Cologne, Santiago and Mumbai.

Goldust says goodbye to fans after WWE grants him his release

By
Colin Vassallo
-

Dustin “Goldust” Rhodes said goodbye to WWE fans in a long post on Instagram, confirming that he has left the company after he asked to be let go.

“I have requested my release from WWE and it has been granted. I am taking this time to explore some of those many opportunities. Life is too short to not take ALL the chances you feel driven to take, and I will give this next chapter my full focus and effort. I would appreciate your continued support as I turn this page in my life and go wherever this journey may lead me next,” he wrote.

Goldie thanked fans for allowing him to perform for them and for sticking with him during this journey through thick and thin. He said that he would like to think he’s done a good job and made his father proud.

He also thanked WWE for giving him and his family incredible years and experiences and said that he has nothing but respect and warmth for everyone in the company. “The roster is stacked with awe-inspiring talent who want the best and are breaking down all barriers to grab that coveted, elusive brass ring. To @WWE and to each and every one of my co workers, I love you, I appreciate you, and I thank you for loving and taking care of me for so long, Keep doing your thing and find *you* out there. Thank you so very much and God bless,” he concluded.

The former Intercontinental champion also posted a video showing him putting his Goldust costume in a box, closing it, and saying goodbye.

Dustin will be taking on his brother Cody at the AEW Double or Nothing pay-per-view on May 25.

The Shield ends run with one final victory as Dean Ambrose bows out

By
Colin Vassallo
-

The Shield wrestled their final match together last night as part of the WWE Network special The Shield: Final Chapter which aired live from Moline, Illinois.

And while the time-honored tradition calls for the person leaving to “do the job,” it wasn’t the case last night as Ambrose, Rollins, and Reigns defeated Drew McIntyre, Baron Corbin, and Bobby Lashley in the six-man tag team main event of the show. All three Superstars hit their separate finishing moves, with Reigns spearing Lashley, Rollins hitting the curb stomp on McIntyre, and Ambrose with the Dirty Deeds on Corbin, followed by a triple power bomb on Corbin. However, it was WWE Universal champion Seth Rollins who got the final pin rather than Ambrose.

Ambrose capped off the night by addressing fans, telling them that if someone tells you that you cannot do something, show them you can, then stick your middle finger in the air and say The Shield said that I could!

The night then ended with the traditional Shield fist-bump in the middle of the ring as fans chanted “Thank you Ambrose.”

Ambrose will be leaving WWE at the end of this month after he refused to sign a new contract.

WWE’s planned Backlash pay-per-view for June canceled

By
Colin Vassallo
-

The pay-per-view Backlash set for June 16 in San Diego, California has been canceled by WWE.

The company is rescheduling the planned May show from Saudi Arabia to take place in June, right now tentatively planned for June 7. Having a PPV a week later, and even named Backlash to boot, doesn’t seem to be a great idea.

The Backlash date and location were revealed in WWE’s court filing earlier this month where the rest of the dates for this year were announced.

Instead of Backlash, there is a non-televised event scheduled at the Maverik Center in Salt Lake City, Utah by the Smackdown brand and one for Raw will probably be announced as well.

A masked CM Punk delivers GTS at indie event in Milwaukee

By
Colin Vassallo
-

CM Punk apparently returned briefly to a wrestling ring on Friday night under a mask, delivering the Go To Sleep finishing move at an MKE Wrestling independent event in Wisconsin.

During the Ace Steel vs Daryck St. Holmes match, Dave Prazak is seen running to the back and inviting someone to come in and interfere. With the referee down and out, the masked individual runs in, stops St. Holmes from hitting Steel with a chair, delivers the GTS, and helps Steel cover him for the pin.

Silas Young and the promoter for MKE Wrestling both confirmed that it was Punk under the mask. “Personally I’m extremely grateful that he did this because it’s helping get eyes on what we’ve been quietly doing here in Milwaukee,” the promoter said. Young added, “Here is some PUNK running in a match last night @MKE_Wrestling you never know who’s in gonna show up at our shows.” Punk appeared at a BJJ event at the West Allis Central High School earlier in the day and this MKE show was held at the Knights of Columbus in West Allis, just a mile away.

Punk is big friends with Ace Steel and Dave Prazak which made this easier to pull off. On a radio show a few years ago, Punk noted at the time that “never say never” in terms of a return to the ring but if it happens, “It’s not going to be anything televised. It’s going to be me in a ninja f**king outfit, wrestling one of my buddies and nobody is ever going to know about it.”

You can see the video of what went down below.

Alexander Wolfe of SAnitY moves to the NXT UK brand

By
Colin Vassallo
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At last night’s NXT UK tapings in Glasgow, Scotland, former SAnitY member Alexander Wolfe made his debut and it looks like he will be sticking with the brand moving forward.

The German, along with Eric Young and Killian Dain, have been “lost” ever since they made the jump to the main roster and they haven’t been part of anything significant on Smackdown, with most of the time not even appearing on television. Young was moved to Raw during the Superstar Shake-up, effectively ending the group.

In a tweet earlier this week, Wolfe thanked WWE and his team mates and said that he will now walk a different path…a path that seemingly took him across the Atlantic and back on the NXT brand.

The former NXT Tag Team champion is now part of another faction in NXT UK along with WALTER, Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner.

Cody to face his brother Dustin at AEW Double or Nothing

By
Colin Vassallo
-

Cody Rhodes’ opponent at Double or Nothing will be none other than his brother, Dustin Rhodes. The announcement came yesterday evening in the latest episode of the YouTube series Road to Double or Nothing.

The man formerly known as Goldust recently changed his Twitter handle as well to remove all WWE references, suggesting that he is no longer employed by the company. In fact, last month, Ryan Satin of ProWrestlingSheet.com said that his contract expired and was not renewed, but Rhodes shot back saying that it’s all “just talk and complete bullshit” and that he’s still under contract with WWE. The announcement, unless Rhodes was given a special permission by WWE (which is highly unlikely), confirms that he is in fact no longer under a WWE deal and with no 90-day no-compete clause, it suggests that he was let go rather than him asking for a release.

Promo: Visit Flawless Vape Shop for all your vaping needs.

In the video, Rhodes is interviewed in his home, and is shown applying his makeup, getting rid of the gold paint and instead applying red and black paint. Dustin talks about his brother, saying he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and he is just “filling” his shoes. Dustin puts over his brother for taking the helm of AEW but he’s still young and will not be able to put him out of his pasture.

It will be interesting to see what kind of odds websites such as sbobet88 will publish for this event, especially for this match when the Double or Nothing weekend comes along.

As Dustin is shown applying the makeup in front of a mirror, he said that the red stands for life, the black stands for death, and Cody is facing his reckoning.

Dustin has also been added to the Starrcast II event which will take place that weekend with tickets on sale at starrcast.com.

AEW’s Double or Nothing will be airing live on pay-per-view on May 25 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Live WWE event results from 04/19 in St. Louis, Missouri

By
Colin Vassallo
-

W-O reader Anthony Brill attended the non-televised live event from the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri yesterday and sent in the following results:

Finn Balor defeated Elias to retain the Intercontinental title; Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins defeated The Revival to retain the Raw Tag Team titles; Lucha House Party defeated Singh Brothers; Aleister Black and Ricochet defeated the Singh Brothers; Becky Lynch defeated Alexa Bliss to retain both Raw and Smackdown Women’s titles; The Riott Squad and Lacey Evans defeated Bayley, Ember Moon, Dana Brooke, and Nikki Cross in an eight-woman tag match; Tony Nese defeated Buddy Murphy to retain the Cruiserweight title; The Shield defeated Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley and Jinder Mahal in the main event.

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