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WrestleMania 32 generates record $170 million for Dallas/Arlington region

By
Colin Vassallo
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WWE today issued a press release announcing that WrestleMania 32 generated $170.4 million in economic impact for the Dallas/Arlington region this past April, according to a study conducted by the Enigma Research Corporation. This marks a new record for WrestleMania’s economic impact and the fifth consecutive year that WrestleMania generated more than $100 million in economic impact for its host region.

Over the past ten years, WrestleMania has generated nearly $1 billion in cumulative economic impact for the cities that have hosted the event. WrestleMania 32 also generated approximately $23.8 million in federal, state and local taxes.

“On behalf of our city, we would like to thank all of the domestic and international WWE fans that converged on Dallas for WrestleMania Week to enjoy all that North Texas has to offer,” said Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings. “The week-long series of events brought a tremendous economic windfall to our region.”

Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams said, “We are proud that WWE’s biggest event in history was held here in Arlington. The event was an incredible success for our city, and we would like to thank the Dallas Cowboys for their tireless efforts in bringing WrestleMania to AT&T Stadium.”

A record crowd of 101,763 fans from all 50 states and 35 countries attended WrestleMania 32, making it the highest-grossing and best-attended event in WWE history. Key highlights from the study include: $170.4 million in direct, indirect and induced impact derived from spending by visitors to the Dallas/Arlington region; 72% of fans that attended were from outside the greater Dallas/Arlington region and stayed an average of 3.9 nights; $25 million was spent on hotels and accommodations within the Dallas/Arlington region; The economic impact derived from WrestleMania Week was equal to the creation of 1,550 full-time jobs for the area; $8.4 million was spent by visitors to the Dallas/Arlington region at area restaurants.

Total Divas season six kicks off tonight with new cast on E!

By
Colin Vassallo
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Season six of Total Divas kicks off tonight on E! at 8PM EST with a new cast as WWE and E! tries to find a way to spice up the show.

Joining Brie Bella, Nikki Bella, Eva Marie, Nattie, Paige, and Trinity are Maryse, Renee Young, and Lana. The three new additions will bring with them appearances by The Miz, Dean Ambrose, and Rusev, who are the significant others of the new arrivals.

The synopsis for tonight’s episode, which is titled Total Superstars, reads, “In the season premiere, Brie’s swan song is ruined when someone from her past reveals a secret, new cast member Lana is tested when she makes her debut at WrestleMania, Trinity suffers a hair emergency the day before Mania, and the WWE has a major announcement about the future of the women’s division.”

Season six will climax with another wedding, this time between the beautiful Lana and Rusev.

WrestleMania 33 pre-sale starts this morning

By
Colin Vassallo
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Fans attending next year’s WrestleMania will get a chance to purchase tickets for the biggest event of the year starting this morning at 10AM EST on Ticketmaster.com. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday at 10AM EST.

The cheapest ticket will be priced $35, then $50, $75, $150, $175, $200, $250, $350, $450, $1,000, and $2,000. All the prices quoted are without the additional taxes and fees, with the highest priced ticket carrying over $100 in extra fees while the lowest priced ticket carries $3 in extras.

Codes that can be used for the pre-sale to unlock tickets are NETWORK, WWEAPP, DOTCOM, and TWEETS.

Tickets can also be purchased through all Ticketmaster outlets or by calling 1-800-745-3000.

Raw rating for 11/14/2016

By
Colin Vassallo
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Monday Night Raw this week drew 2,877,000 viewers, perhaps a disappointment considering both Brock Lesnar and Goldberg were advertised. It’s up 110,000 viewers from last week’s show.

Hour one drew 2,960,000 viewers, then dipped slightly to 2,930,000, before finishing the night with 2,743,000 for the big Survivor Series angle at the end. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)

Smackdown celebrates 900 episodes tonight on USA Network

By
Colin Vassallo
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Smackdown will celebrate its 900th episode live on USA Network tonight with special appearances by The Undertaker and Edge.

The Undertaker has not appeared on WWE television since his WrestleMania 32 match against Shane McMahon while Hall of Famer Edge, apart from his WWE Network show, has been absent from WWE television since September 2015, where he appeared in a backstage segment with Christian on an episode of Raw. Edge will be hosting The Cutting Edge with all five members of Smackdown’s male team as the guests.

Smackdown made its debut on UPN back in April 1999 before moving to The CW Network in 2006. In 2008 it moved to MyNetworkTV, and then to SyFy in 2010 before finally landing on the USA Network in January 2016.

Several WWE legends such as The Undertaker, The Rock, Eddie Guerrero, Edge, Kurt Angle, Rey Mysterio, John Cena, JBL, and others were mainstays on the show throughout its history.

Citi card holders can purchase WrestleMania 33 tickets now

By
Colin Vassallo
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Citi card holders can get their WrestleMania 33 tickets starting today, one day before the pre-sale hits the Internet.

The offer to purchase tickets today is only for Citi bank members who have a Citi credit card or Citibank Debit MasterCard who are legal residents of the 50 United States or District of Columbia.

You must make your purchase using a valid Citi card otherwise the transaction will not go through. The code for this Citi pre-sale is the first six digits of your Citi card.

Go to Ticketmaster.com to get your tickets now!

WWE offering five big events free for ex-WWE Network subscribers

By
Colin Vassallo
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WWE is sending out e-mails to former WWE Network subscribers urging them to resubscribe to the service and in return get the next five major events for free up until the end of January 2017.

The e-mail notes that the offer will include NXT Takeover: Toronto, the Survivor Series, TLC, Roadblock, and even the Royal Rumble next year.

WWE runs a free month promotion for new subscribers but this is the first time that they’re offering such a deal for ex-subscribers which runs to around two and a half months for the price of absolutely nothing.

If you have never subscribed to the WWE Network, you can start your free month now and get NXT Takeover: Toronto, Survivor Series, and TLC. All you have to do is go to http://w-o.it/wwentwrk and sign up!

Vader given two years to live due to heart failure

By
Colin Vassallo
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Former WCW champion Leon “Vader” White revealed on Twitter that two heart doctors gave him two more years to live due to congestive heart failure, the after effects from his football and wrestling career.

The 61-year-old who still wrestles occasionally is on the heavy-end of the scale and the diagnosis isn’t a big surprise to many.

Raw General Manager Mick Foley went on Facebook to campaign to get Vader in the Hall of Fame before it’s too late. “I have been talking with Leon White the past few weeks, so I knew the news might be coming. But seeing it in print this morning was a shock nonetheless. Leon is dying,” Foley wrote.

“His legacy is so important to him, and he has told me that being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame would mean so much on both a personal and professional level. On a global level, Vader was one of the greatest attractions the pro wrestling business has ever seen. I have talked with people at the highest levels at WWE, and hope and pray that Leon’s name will be included in the class of 2017 Hall of Fame inductees,” Foley added.

Vader has a long and storied career in professional wrestling, wrestling for the AWA, New Japan Pro Wrestling, WCW, WWE and even briefly in TNA. He’s a former 3-time WCW and NJPW champion but never won a title in the WWE.

WWE redesigns the WrestleMania 33 seating chart

By
Colin Vassallo
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WWE has changed the seat map for WrestleMania 33 at the Camping World Stadium, moving the stage further to the back and adding more seats to the north side of the stadium.

Before, the floor had big empty areas with only half the aisle having full seats on each side with the rest of the entrance way having only a few rows on each side, with the rest being empty space. There was also lots of empty space facing the stage in the corners behind the announcing booths.

This has all changed with WWE adopting tapered-style seating for the aisle sides and more seats were added on the floor in the corners.

The stage area moved completely to the end of the stadium now and all the seats on the lower bowl will be used with a longer aisle and a bigger stage that will cover the empty north side of the stadium. With this setup, the stage has moved completely off from the field.

You can see the new seating map below.

WrestleMania will be airing for FREE on the WWE Network. If you have not subscribed yet, go to http://w-o.it/wwentwrk to start your free month!

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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson named this year’s Sexiest Man Alive by PEOPLE Magazine

By
Colin Vassallo
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PEOPLE Magazine has named Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson this year’s sexiest man alive. It’s the first time that the 44-year-old former WWE Superstar has topped the list.

Johnson said that it’s “awesome” to be given the title and then in typical Rock sense of humor, he said that this is the pinnacle. “I thought, ‘Wow, we’ve pretty much reached the pinnacle.’ I’m not quite too sure where we go from here. I’ve done it all, this is it,” he said in the newly released magazine.

When asked what his fans find sexy about him, Johnson said that it’s a question that gets him into trouble! “Ah, a sense of humor. And I think probably just not trying to be sexy and just being cool and confident in your movies. I think with a lot of my fans, I’ve gotten to a very, very cool place where there’s a direct line between the man they know off-screen and the man they see on-screen.”

Johnson was on The Ellen DeGeneres show today to celebrate the title, also unveiling the cover of the magazine. You can see the segment below.

Joey Styles fired from two other indie promotions

By
Colin Vassallo
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Joey Styles went from working three different wrestling indie promotions to nothing in a span of a few days thanks to his comment from Saturday night during EVOLVE’s show.

After Gabe Sapolsky of EVOLVE fired Styles, Beyond Wrestling also tweeted that they have severed their relationship with the former WWE executive. “Joey Styles will no longer be appearing at Sunday’s live event in Worcester or any future Beyond Wrestling live events. Thank you,” the statement read.

Meanwhile, Mike Quackenbush from CHIKARA also decided to get rid of Styles. “Effective today, we are terminating our relationship with Joey Styles,” he wrote in a blog. “Effective today, we are instituting a zero tolerance policy for misogynistic, racist, and/or homophobic speech, written or verbal, whether it’s directed toward our cast, our crew, or our patrons. This is the shape of CHIKARA.”

Styles got into heaps of trouble on Saturday after he told EVOLVE ring announcer Joanna Rose that she was looking great and if the next United States President was present, “he’d want to grab her by the…” Styles did not finish the sentence but everyone knows what was to follow.

Sapolsky, who heads EVOLVE, was furious and wrote that there was a clear mandate to everyone not to get political and Styles went against the direct order.

First pre-sale code for WrestleMania 33 tickets released

By
Colin Vassallo
-

WWE announced the first WrestleMania pre-sale code for the pre-sale which kicks off in two days.

Those looking to get ahead in tickets for WrestleMania can use the code NETWORK, starting Wednesday, November 16 at 10AM EST on Ticketmaster.com.

The cheapest ticket will be priced $35, then $50, $75, $150, $175, $200, $250, $350, $450, $1,000, and $2,000. All the prices quoted are without the additional taxes and fees, with the highest priced ticket carrying over $100 in extra fees while the lowest priced ticket carries $3 in extras.

Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, November 18 at 10AM EST.

Wrestling-Online.com is having a bus service for the stadium for $40 per person round-trip. If you’re interested go to http://store.wrestling-online.com.

Ric and Charlotte Flair releasing new book in 2017

By
Colin Vassallo
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Two-time WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair and his daughter Charlotte are releasing a new book titled Second Nature: The Legacy of Ric Flair and the Rise of Charlotte. The book, published by St. Martin’s Press, will contain 320 pages and will be released on July 25, 2017.

The synopsis of the book reads, “Ric Flair is a 16-time World Champion and two-time WWE Hall of Fame Inductee. His four-decades long career is recognized as one of the greatest of all time, but with success comes a price. Despite his effortless brilliance in front of the cameras, his life away from the cameras includes personal struggles, controversy and family tragedy. Through his bond with Charlotte, he’s becoming the father he needs to be while rediscovering the legend he has always been.”

“Charlotte grew up in the shadow of her famous father, ‘the dirtiest player in the game,’ but now she is poised to take the Flair name to new heights. As the inaugural WWE Women’s Champion, Charlotte has had an impressive career, and she’s just getting started. With the (dare we say it) flair of the “Nature Boy” running through her blood, Charlotte is destined for greatness. Find out how she embraced her heritage and battled her own challenges through her rise to the top of WWE.”

The cover of the book features a photo of Flair in his prime holding the WCW World title and Charlotte holding the WWE Raw Women’s title both wearing a pink robe.

You can see a photo of the book below.

Goldberg and Lesnar to appear together on Raw tonight

By
Colin Vassallo
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Goldberg and Brock Lesnar will come face to face in the ring for the first time since WrestleMania XX tonight on Monday Night Raw, just a week away from the massive Survivor Series.

The two have been appearing on the show every other week and have so far avoided each other but tonight, live from the Keybank Center in Buffalo, New York, that wait is over.

This will be the final push of the Survivor Series from Raw’s end. Raw’s teams for the traditional 5-on-5 matches are already set. The men team include Kevin Owens, Roman Reigns, Chris Jericho, Seth Rollins, and Braun Strowman. The women team consists of Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Nia Jax, Bayley, and Alicia Fox, while the tag teams are The New Day, Enzo and Big Cass, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, Sheamus and Cesaro, and The Shining Stars.

Linda McMahon comments on Cabinet position rumors

By
Colin Vassallo
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Linda McMahon appeared on Eye Witness News 3’s Face The State television program yesterday to talk about her longtime friend, and now President-elect Donald Trump.

The former WWE CEO mentioned that he’s the first United States President who is a WWE Hall of Famer and noted how she’s known Trump for a very long time, meeting him at a concert in New Jersey almost three decades ago.

McMahon said that the election campaign was ugly and doesn’t think it brought out the best of either candidate but the American public shouldn’t be afraid because the President Trump we’ll see will be more of that guy who we saw giving the speech in the early hours of Wednesday morning rather than the one during the campaign.

When asked if she will be serving on his Cabinet, McMahon replied, “It would be hard to turn down a request by the President to serve in his cabinet, however, he has not reached out to me in that capacity, so  that’s all I know at this point.”

Linda McMahon being considered for Secretary of Commerce under Trump administration

By
Colin Vassallo
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Several news outlets, including the NBC affiliate in Connecticut, are reporting that former WWE CEO Linda McMahon is being considered to be the new Secretary of Commerce under the Trump administration.

The United States Secretary of Commerce is the head of the United States Department of Commerce. As a member of the President’s Cabinet, the Secretary is tasked with promoting American businesses and industries and its mission is to foster, promote, and develop the foreign and domestic commerce.

McMahon, who ran and failed on two occasions to be elected in the Senate, is a major Trump donor and donated $6 million to support the Trump campaign for this general election.

The friendship between the McMahon family and Donald Trump dates back to around three decades and the President-elect is also a big fan of the WWE.

Bilbao hosts final leg of 12-day WWE European tour

By
Colin Vassallo
-

WWE wraps up its second European tour of the year today, with a final live event in Bilbao, Spain.

The Raw crew already finished off their end of the tour yesterday and are US-bound for tomorrow’s live Monday Night Raw. The Smackdown crew flies out after the final show for the 900th special episode of Smackdown, also live.

WWE Superstars and crew performed 22 live events in 12 days, visiting 8 countries including one outside Europe. Raw and Smackdown were also taped in Glasgow, Scotland.

The company returns to Europe in May, a month later than usual for their first Euro tour of 2017. TV will be taped in London at The O2 Arena.

Joey Styles fired from EVOLVE

By
Colin Vassallo
-

Joey Styles was fired from EVOLVE yesterday after he made a remark based off the leaked audio tape of President-elect Donald Trump that took the news by storm last month.

During the live iPPV, Styles told ring announcer Joanna Rose that she was looking great and if the next United States President was present, “he’d want to grab her by….” Styles did not finish the sentence for obvious reasons but it was enough for EVOLVE’s Gabe Sapolsky to fire him after the show.

“We’ve parted ways with Joey Styles and that’s my final comment on this,” Sapolsky wrote. Prior to that, Sapolsky apologized to fans who were watching who might have been offended. “I deeply apologize for Joey Styles’ comments and am furious.”

Styles noted during the EVOLVE 72 show that he was told not to mention politics but obviously ignored his clear instructions, and ultimately cost him his job.

Styles had been working for EVOLVE since he was let go from WWE in August of this year.

Ashley Massaro claims she was sexually assaulted while in WWE in 2006

By
Colin Vassallo
-

The Boston Globe newspaper is reporting that former WWE Diva Ashley Massaro has joined the class action lawsuit against WWE, spearheaded by attorney Konstantine Kyros. The former Diva Search winner is claiming that she was sexually assaulted while on a trip for the Tribute to the Troops show.

Massaro said that in 2006, she was sent to Kuwait with other WWE Superstars where the plan was to go to Iraq to perform a show. She claims she was sexually assaulted at a US military base and then examined by a company physician after she returned from Kuwait. She alleges the doctor reported the incident to WWE executives, who met with her “to apologize for their negligence, but [they] persuaded her that it would be best not to report it to appropriate authorities.”

Massaro also says that she suffered several concussions, including one that rendered her unconscious for five minutes in the ring, while she performed for the company from 2005 to 2008. Massaro says she received no care after she was knocked out and alleges she was told to “shake it off.”

The 37-year-old former Playboy covergirl says she has undergone debilitating behavioral changes since she left the WWE, including developing a drug addiction, which the company helped her treat in 2010. She suffers depression, anxiety, memory loss, and migraine headaches, all of which have been associated with CTE, a disease that can only be diagnosed through a postmortem autopsy.

Among the other injuries she suffered while in the WWE are a hairline fracture of her spine, two herniated disks, an ankle fracture that required the insertion of a five-inch metal plate to repair and a shattered knuckle on her right hand.

Jim Ross’ biography, titled Slobberknocker, to be released in fall 2017

By
Colin Vassallo
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Skyhorse Publishing, who will be releasing the upcoming Jim Ross biography, issued new details about the book yesterday in a press release.

Titled Slobberknocker, the book is due to come out in fall 2017, and will cover JR’s life and career, with a climax at WrestleMania 15. After a second bout of Bell’s palsy, JR was removed from the broadcast booth, only to return and call the main event between Steve Austin and The Rock.

With this book covering only up to WrestleMania 15 in 1999, it’s a given that there is at least another book in the pipeline to cover his career after that.

The book was planned to be released in time for WrestleMania but it has been pushed back for unknown reasons.

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