BuzzFeed, known for their often hilarious videos, has invited WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin to try out several cocktails for the first time to see how they stack up against his favorite alcohol beverage – beer!
“I’m not sure what the fuck this is but I’m about to find out,” Austin said when he was given a Birthdaytini. “It tastes like sugary dog shit,” was his overall assessment of the drink.
Austin seemed to enjoy the Cosmopolitan and Appletini cocktails as he finished them all and said “not bad” for Sex On The Beach. However he did not enjoy the Jolly Rancher Shot calling it “one of those red piles of shit” which gives you a “case of sugar diabetes and no buzz.” As he said it best, “Fuck that drink!”
The former champ then said he’s going to haul ass if “you don’t have better shit than this to drink,” at which point he was given a beer, his own beer as a matter of fact: Broken Skull IPA. “Now that’s a tasty beverage,” Austin said.
The WWE Network made up of the bulk of the risk factors that WWE outlined that could harm their business and their income going forward as a company.
“The Company has spent, and plans to continue to spend, substantial amounts to produce content, build infrastructure and market our WWE Network which launched domestically in early 2014 and began to be made available internationally in late 2014,” the opening statement of the WWE Network risk factor states. It’s noted that if for any of a number of reasons they are unable to monetize the Network, there will be additional costs, and the loss of very significant revenue, which will have a material adverse effect on their operating results.
Retaining subscribers is the biggest obstacle so to speak. Churn is every OTT service nightmare and WWE is no different having lost hundreds of thousands of subscribers who do not renew their subscription. WWE mentions that the amount of pirated material contribute to churn however attracting and retaining subscribers to WWE Network will depend in part on their ability to provide consistent high quality content and a high level of service.
WWE mentions that their partnership with MLB Advanced Media is crucial to the WWE Network as they are the ones who supply the the technology and infrastructure necessary to deliver the content. They also mentions platforms provided like Amazon and Apple, who offer their owned or licensed content along with the Network, who might become disincentivized to promote and deliver WWE Network at the same level as provided for their content.
Another risk factor which is out of WWE’s hands in relation to the Network is the disruption of Internet services from subscribers’ end. “Interruptions in these systems, or with the Internet in general whether due to fault by any party or due to weather, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, power loss or other force majeure type events, could make our service unavailable or degraded or could otherwise hinder our ability to deliver content or cause WWE Network to fail completely,” the 10-K filing says. It also mentions that their servers and those of third parties used to distribute WWE Network are vulnerable to computer viruses, physical or electronic break-ins and similar disruptions and could experience directed attacks intended to lead to interruptions and delays in service and operations.
Apart from those mentioned, WWE lists other type of risk factors including International censorship of the product, fraudulent transactions, failed marketing attempts, violation of intellectual property rights, government regulations, and technology enhancements.
In their latest 10-K filings with the United States Securities and Exchange, WWE revealed that as of February 2016 they had 840 employees, their largest ever payroll.
The addition of employees was due to more manpower needed to run and operate the WWE Network and original shows. Apart from in-house employees, WWE has contracted personnel for their weekly television production.
This 840 headcount excludes the Superstars and Divas who WWE classify them as independent contractors.
“We believe that our relationships with our employees are good. None of our employees are represented by a union,” the document said.
Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart, the starts of the upcoming movie Central Intelligence, have been selected as the hosts of the 2016 MTV Movie Awards which pretty much guarantees a hilarious and outrageous broadcast.
For the first time ever, the awards show will be filmed outdoors at the Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank on April 9 and will air a day later on Sunday, April 10, at 8PM on MTV.
“It’s an honor to be hosting the ‘MTV Movie Awards’ with a guy who’s not only one of the funniest guys on the planet, but who’s often mistaken as my twin, Kevin Hart,” Johnson said. “We live for our fans and promise to make this an epic, historic, unforgettable night for them.”
The funniest part is that both Johnson and Hart are allowing fans to submit ideas for the show’s promos, allowing them to write the stuff and then they will read them during a live Internet broadcast today at 2PM. The live-streaming event will be broadcast on various social media platforms, including Facebook Live, YouTube, Periscope, Meerkat and YouNow and will allow fans to interact using the hashtag #movieawards.
After that, MTV will select footage for promos from the platforms and credit fans who helped create the content.
Smackdown drew 2,458,000 viewers yesterday with the first appearance of Brock Lesnar on the show in twelve years. That is up slightly by just 44,000 viewers from the previous week. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer revealed to the Miami Herald newspaper that the city is bidding for WrestleMania 34 as well in 2018 apart from the one next year.
Dyer said that several years ago when WrestleMania came to Orlando for the first time, he went to Connecticut to meet Vince McMahon and the WrestleMania tea to add more stock to Orlando’s bid. And it paid off as the company awarded the city WrestleMania 24 in 2008. “I don’t think they’ve had many Mayors who have come [to Stamford] to make the pitch for WrestleMania, so there’s some mutual admiration going on,” Dyer added.
Dyer said that they are in competition with a handful of cities for 2017 while also adding that there’s a bid for 2018 as well.
The Orlando Mayor is a huge wrestling fan and he’s hoping that the refurbished Citrus Bowl stadium will help them land one – or both – WrestleManias.
“We’d love to get in a rotation where [WrestleMania] comes here every four or six years,” Dyer concluded.
The ankle injury Finn Balor suffered a few weeks ago seems like it cleared as the NXT champion returned to the ring at the NXT non-televised live event in Philadelphia last night.
The sold out show at the Tower Theater saw a main event of Finn Balor teaming up with newcomer Austin Aries to take on Samoa Joe and Baron Corbin in a tag team match. The champ and Aries won the match to send the crowd home happy.
This was Aries’ first day on the road with NXT as the former TNA champion adjusts to WWE life.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has signed on to film the sequel of San Andreas, his biggest solo blockbuster film to date for New Line.
The Hollywood Reporter said that New Line has hired Neil Widener and Gavin James to write the sequel with most of the San Andreas team returning including Johnson, producer Beau Flynn, and director Brad Peyton. The cast of Carla Gugino, Alexandra Daddario and Paul Giamatti are also expected to return.
The plot is still being kept under wraps although the rumors are that it will focus on the infamous Ring of Fire which circles the Pacific Ocean with fault lines and volcanoes and, according to scientists, is home to about 90 percent of the world’s earthquakes.
San Andreas grossed over $473 million worldwide last year.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer is reporting that The Undertaker’s match at WrestleMania has been decided and it’s someone not active on the roster at the moment.
Meltzer – who said that he is unaware of who the opponent is – added that it will not be Cena, Owens, Strowman, or anyone else who has been rumored over the past several weeks. WWE is keeping the opponent a mystery until it’s time for the big reveal, which should not be long now since WWE goes full speed ahead with Mania storylines after the Fastlane pay-per-view.
The rumors are obviously pointing to Sting, who if he were not injured, would be the best candidate to fit the category. However Sting has a serious neck injury that requires surgery and even though the man himself said that he has one more match left in him it would be doubtful that WWE doctors clear him. The Undertaker vs Sting match has been a dream match for years which unfortunately has never come to fruition.
Impact on Pop did 273,000 viewers this week, down 3,000 viewers from last week’s show. TNA hit a season high on January 26 with 339,000 viewers however they haven’t gone over 300,000 since then. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Speaking with Channel Guide Magazine, Triple H said that the new WWE Network show titled Global Cruiserweight Series has been long coming and logistics for the show kicked in around eight months ago.
HHH called the lighter, faster guys as “sometimes, if not more, exciting than anything else you see” and while they usually put cruiserweight on Raw, Smackdown, and NXT, having them go against each other with a similar style will put them on a whole new playing field.
“I have Regal out there in every corner of the globe trying to find out not only the ones who people are aware are the best, but others who nobody is aware of quite yet. We want to put them in this and let’s see what they can do,” Triple H said. William Regal is one of WWE’s most trusted and respected talent scouts so it’s no surprise that they put him in charge of locating talent.
Triple H confirmed that wrestlers who are under contract to other companies such as New Japan Pro Wrestling would not be eligible however he mentioned talent at Progress Wrestling, EVOLVE, Rev Pro, and others, who can make the cut.
“If we can use those promotions in a way that helps them as well, to me that’s great. I think helping that independent undercurrent is beneficial to everybody,” Triple H added.
Global Cruiserweight Series premieres on Wednesday, July 13, at 9PM EST with 32 participants in a 10-week tournament filmed at Full Sail University in Orlando, Florida.
Episode 5 of season 5 of Total Divas titled Come Reign or Shine did a total of 808,000 viewers, down 2,000 viewers from last week’s episode. This is the fourth week in a row that the show has declined in the ratings. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
WWE launched a brand new WWE.COM today with a site design and development by Code and Theory, a company which has extensive experience designing successful content distribution and publishing platforms for partners including Bloomberg, Vogue and NBC.
The new-look WWE.COM designed by Web designers from Manchester will feature designs and experiences that change depending on the time of day and day of week that fans access the site, mobile design, innovative video experience with site-wide video presence, Spanish and German language translations, improved social sharing and commenting features, and infinite scroll on the homepage and key destinations allowing users to explore unlimited content options.
“WWE has always been at the forefront of embracing new technology, and the all-new WWE.com will allow us to better serve our fans by providing them with compelling content anytime, anywhere on the platform of their choice,” said Rajan Mehta, WWE Executive Vice President & Chief Technology Officer. “With locally relevant content, WWE.com will enhance the experience for our fans around the world.”
Monday Night Raw this week drew 3,477,000 viewers for the three hour broadcast, a decrease of 430,000 viewers from last week. The show went up against The Grammy Awards, which did monster ratings. It was the lowest rated Raw since December 21, 2015.
Hour one did 3,661,000 viewers, hour two did 3,537,000 viewers, and hour three dropped to 3,233,000 viewers. From hour one to three the show lost 428,000 viewers.
The Grammy Awards which went from 8PM to 11PM in exact head-to-head with Raw drew 24.7 million viewers in the first hour, 25.3 million in the second hour, and 21.1 million in the third hour. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Former WWE and UFC champion Brock Lesnar appeared on ESPN SportsCenter last night during the Off The Top Rope segment with Jonathan Coachman to discuss WrestleMania, Daniel Bryan, and Ronda Rousey.
Coach starts off by going all the accomplishments in his career and asked him what has been the most difficult thing he has done. Brock said the most physical was winning the NCAA championship however all the accolades he worked for have been tough and none of them were easy.
Asked about his favorite WrestleMania moment, Brock chuckled and mentioned the failed shooting star press from WrestleMania 19. He said he should have never attempted or done the move in the first place and thought it would be a great WrestleMania moment at the time. It turned out it was, however all for the wrong reasons. He said he doesn’t necessarily have a favorite moment as he doesn’t look back and only looks towards the future and what can he do at the next Mania.
His friendship with Paul Heyman was brought up and Brock said him and Paul are like bread and butter and if there was no Paul Heyman, his career would have certainly be different. “It just works,” said Lesnar, who explained that you have one guy who can talk the talk and the other guy who can walk the walk. He added that from day one, Paul took him under his wing and the rest is history.
The topic of Daniel Bryan and his retirement came up next. Lesnar said that he thought Daniel made a wise choice. He said he suffered a lot of concussions that went undiagnosed back in the day and it’s great when you can step away and put your health before your pride as there’s more to life than wrestling or fighting. He said if you want longevity, retiring was the best option. “I tip my hat to Daniel,” Lesnar told Coach.
Before wrapping up, the discussion then turned on Ronda Rousey and her admission during an interview with Ellen that she was suicidal after her loss to Holly Holm. Brock said that he’s a big fan of Ronda Rousey and has been since her beginning but said that one thing that he was thought from a very young age was that you have to learn how to lose before you can win. He mentioned that he was a very sore loser when he was young and his coach hammered that quote in his head, something he thought Ronda should have known. He said that Rousey will be able to get back on the horse and life is short and precious and one fight won’t break her career.
When asked if Rousey could transition to the WWE, Brock said the biggest challenge when making a transition is that you have to work hard for it and if you believe in yourself, things can happen and Ronda certainly can do whatever she wants. However Lesnar advised that she has a lot on her plate and she can’t be a fighter and be in ten different movies a year and it was time to step back and think about what she wants for her future.
There have been lots of rumors over the past two days about the future of Wade Barrett, who according to Ryan Satin of ProWrestlingSheet.com, is not renewing his WWE deal once it expires in June.
Addressing the situation, Barrett said that he unexpectedly received a lot of very nice messages and thanked everyone who took time to write the kind words. “I’ll comment further at a more appropriate time, but for now I’m 100% focused on doing my job for @WWE. See you at #FastLane on Sunday,” Barrett tweeted.
The Brit became the first NXT winner in 2010 with Chris Jericho as his mentor. He made his main roster debut on the June 7 episode of Raw when along with fellow NXT rookies, destroyed CM Punk, John Cena, and everything and everyone in sight for one of the most powerful angles on television at the time.
Unfortunately his career never had the big lift off that many predicted and went through some gimmick changes throughout the years, with the latest one being King Barrett after winning the King of the Ring tournament last year. Barrett is a 5 time former Intercontinental champion, the only title that he managed to win so far.
Axl Rotten, the former ECW wrestler who passed away at age 44, on February 4, died from accidental overdose according to Anne Arundel County Police.
Citing the police report, the Baltimore Sun newspaper said that Rotten was found unconscious and not breathing on the bathroom floor of a McDonald’s in Linthicum. He was on the floor inside a bathroom stall, had pulled down the infant changing table and placed on it drug paraphernalia and a broken burnt tablespoon with a “crystalline residue.” An unlabeled pill bottle with capsules of a “brownish substance,” which police suspected was heroin, was atop the paper-towel dispenser, the report said.
He was pronounced dead at the scene at 3:09PM although it’s unclear how long he had been in the bathroom before he was discovered.
Smackdown lead commentator Mauro Ranallo did not call yesterday’s Smackdown tapings and was replaced by Michael Cole for the show.
Ranallo was actually at the arena and ready to call the show as usual however he was sick, sick enough that WWE officials decided to pull him out and send him back home, letting Cole handle the play-by-play.
“I appreciate the concern. I was sent home from Smackdown taping suffering from the flu. Still in bed but getting better. THANKS,” wrote Ranallo on Twitter.
The Canadian sports announcer – who does MMA and boxing commentary as well for Showtime – has been the lead voice for Smackdown since the show moved to USA Network in early January. His work has received rave reviews from fans who consider him a breath of fresh air compared to the usual WWE announcers.
WWE has regained the friendship of ESPN sports reporter Michelle Beadle, months after she decided to quit following WWE after the company supported Floyd Mayweather in his boxing match against Manny Pacquiao.
Beadle was a big supporter of WWE and even hosted Brock Lesnar’s exclusive interview on her show when Lesnar announced he had re-signed with WWE and turned down a return to the UFC during WrestleMania week. However she soon had enough of the company when according to her, WWE supported a “serial domestic abuser” in Mayweather.
“Triple H has continued to display his relationship with Floyd Mayweather through social media, the most recent being a hearty congratulations to the boxer following his victory Saturday night. It’s not my place to say what one should and should not do on Twitter, especially during personal time. However the era in which we’re living is rapidly changing. And the lines between one’s corporate and private personas have blurred,” Beadle wrote at the time. “It’s hard to sell a message of anti-bullying while slapping the ultimate bully on the back. I was a fan. A big fan. But it’s time to use my voice.”
Beadle was at last night’s Raw in Anaheim and then appeared on camera. “Good friends. Great overdue conversation. Thanks @StephMcMahon & @TripleH,” Beadle tweeted afterwards. “Awesome to reconnect with old friends and bury the hatchet… Good things to come,” responded Triple H. McMahon told Beadle that she “looked pretty good in the front row of #RAW,” and then thanked her for coming to the show and for her support.
Her sudden reconnection with WWE prompted a not-so-nice rebuttal from Mark Madden, the former WCW commentator, who questioned why the sudden change of heart since Mayweather is still Triple H’s friend.
WWE has announced a new show that will be joining the WWE Network lineup – Global Cruiserweight Series – which will debut on July 13 at 9PM EST.
The series will see 32 of the greatest in-ring competitors under 205lbs who will spend 10 weeks in Orlando, Florida, competing against each other at Full Sail University to earn the right to be called “the best cruiserweight in the world.”
This show has been rumored for quite a while although it was never made official. The latest WWE tryout camp at the WWE Performance Center focused heavily on cruiserweights.
Also WWE announced that Camp WWE, the adult animated comedy featuring WWE Superstars, Divas, and Legends, all voicing their characters will debut on May 2 but like the Jerry Springer WWE show, it will only be on demand and not inserted into the live schedule.
The second season of Swerved will premiere on June 6. The series was said to be on the axe as WWE personnel did not really appreciate getting punk’d however the geniuses behind Jackass and Bad Grandpa struck again!
