Appearing on Busted Open Radio, former AEW World champion Chris Jericho talked about the specifics of his appearance on Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions on the WWE Network.
Jericho described his involvement as both monumental and groundbreaking and no one really knew what to expect. He admitted that he wouldn’t have agreed to do the interview if they weren’t going to cover AEW and said Austin would not have wanted him on either if that was the case.
Jericho said that both Vince McMahon and Tony Khan showed a lot of trust towards Austin and himself and they knew no one was going to bury either side.
“I think the moment Vince said ‘do it,’ he knew what we’d be talking about. And, Tony even said it to me…he trusted Steve and I to sort of take care of both parties and we did that,” Jericho said.
Jericho added that only around 10 minutes was cut and it wasn’t because of anything he said, but rather because of time constraints and is ready to do round two with Austin if he is invited. The former Undisputed champ also put over Austin for his interview skills.
Jericho explained how only a handful of people knew about the interview in the WWE and not even Triple H was aware about it so when the commercial came out, it was a complete surprise to everyone.
In the end, Jericho said that both he and Steve had the final edit and credited Vince McMahon for being completely hands off on it and said the interview aired as intended.
Former AEW star Ivelisse removed her tweet that she was let go by the promotion for speaking up about mistreatment but released a statement to Fightful Wrestling to further clarify her comment.
“I spoke up about mistreatment from a Coach, even to other women too,” she said, adding that there were other witnesses but she was the only one suspended, left in limbo, and now let go.
Ivelisse then turned her guns on to Thunder Rosa, saying that nothing was done the entire time about Rosa slandering her name the entire time in AEW and trying to sabotage her position with AEW.
“I kept quiet,” Ivelisse continued, noting that Rosa has a history of getting involved with officials in order to get ahead.
All Elite Wrestling has not responded to her accusations.
Episode eight of season one of Young Rock, titled My Baby Only Drinks the Good Stuff, did 2,779,000 viewers this week, up 149,000 viewers from last week’s show. Young Rock had 0.24 rating in 18-34, 0.58 in 18-49, and 0.91 in 25-54. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
As YouTube star Jake Paul gears up for his third professional boxing match, many fans of the sport are wondering how it all came to this. There is a nervous shuffling of feet among many involved in boxing when fights featuring YouTubers and other celebrities begin to get more publicity and more pay-per-view sales than some high-profile bouts between experienced professionals, and these strange new-age happenings in the sport clearly rankle with many fans of a more traditional disposition.
But disregarding any speculation of whether or not Paul should have had such an easy path to fighting professionally, he has lived up to the billing in his first two fights, winning both. The first came against fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib, with Paul clinching the victory by TKO in the first round. That set the tone for a follow-up win against basketball star Nate Robinson, with Paul’s opponent lasting just two rounds. They were the kind of performances that made certain sections of the boxing community sit up and take notice, and ponder whether Paul’s boxing career is all smoke and mirrors or if there is a genuine desire to build a reputable legacy in the sport.
Paul’s next fight will be the most challenging of all, as he is taking on someone who is already a professional fighter. Although Ben Askren is a mixed martial artist, he is someone for whom the culture of fighting is already ingrained within him, and he’ll have his sights set on bringing Paul’s unbeaten record to an end. The Ben Askren vs Jake Paul betting odds are extremely close to call in the build-up to the fight, with the YouTuber narrowly edging it, but there’s no denying that this is an extremely difficulty fight to predict.
Part of this unpredictability boils down to the basic nature of who is fighting. In one corner you have someone who, just a few years ago, was a YouTuber making daily content for his fans, with no hint that a foray into the professional boxing world was on the cards. In the other corner, it’s difficult to know what to expect from Askren, as this is a change of scenery for him too, albeit not quite as dramatic a change.
But the fact that Paul’s fights get so much attention is indicative of the power now wielded by YouTube and social media stars. Often without even realising it’s happening, followers of these internet personalities get swept interestedly into their lives, to the point where everything they do becomes a must-see event. To use a British-based example, when Joe Sugg was a contender on Strictly Come Dancing, the vast majority had never heard of him, and yet there were millions of his fans tuning in eagerly to see their favourite YouTuber on a show they would never have watched otherwise.
The same can be said of Paul and other internet stars, such as KSI, who have plunged themselves into the world of boxing. They will attract a whole host of viewers who aren’t all that interested in the fight itself or the sport of boxing, but are absorbed in the world of the individual taking part.
Many have questioned whether this is good for the sport. On one hand, you have a younger generation being drawn in to boxing, and these YouTuber fights could ultimately be the inspiration for young people to become more and more engrossed in the sport. But then there is an argument that these kinds of fights detract from the purity of combat sport, and encourage the kind of cult of personality which can be damaging for the sport’s integrity.
In the end, it’s clear that there is a demand for this type of contest, and while many will turn up their noses at it, there are plenty of people who are thoroughly engrossed in Paul’s fortunes in the professional boxing world.
New Raw Women’s champion Rhea Ripley revealed why she teared up during the singing of America The Beautiful at the start of WrestleMania when everyone was on stage with WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon.
Ripley told TVInsider.com that walking through the curtain and seeing the crowd and how excited they were she realized that all her dreams were coming true.
“I was trying to hold it all together, telling myself, ‘Don’t cry.’ Then I looked over to Edge near me, and he had tears in his eyes,” Rhea said. “He nodded at me and winked. I just lost it. I could not hold it together.”
She then said a fan close to the stage told her that “you got this” and that she was going to kill it, giving her a pep talk!
“Next thing I know, I’m being shown on the big screen,” she continued.
NXT drew a total of 805,000 viewers for the Tuesday premiere and post-Takeover show, up 37,000 viewers from last week’s broadcast. The show did 0.22 in the 18-49 demo and landed in #8 for the night on the top 50 cable chart. This was the most-watched NXT since Halloween Havoc in October 2020. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
WWE President Nick Khan said that fans should “stay tuned” for more in-person events but couldn’t share any plans for the moment.
Speaking to Variety, Khan said that once WWE hits the road, they’re going on the road full time and they’re not looking to do other one-offs like WrestleMania.
“Again, this was WrestleMania. And we felt it needed to be done for the fans. So look for news coming soon,” Khan said.
Khan credited the WWE staff for getting WrestleMania in front of fans and they knew that if it could be done in a safe way, they had to do it.
“We wanted to make sure that the fans and the people watching at home got the WWE experience that they’re used to on the biggest event that we have,” he added.
According to WWE, WrestleMania saw a record 1.1 billion video views across their various video and social media channels, marking a 14% increase year-over-year. WWE-related content also saw a record 115 million engagement on social media during the week of WrestleMania, a 102% increase, and boasted 71 Twitter trends alone between Saturday and Sunday night.
WWE merchandise also flew off the shelves from the WrestleMania Store and Raymond James Stadium with the highest per capita in WWE history.
Episode 15 of season two of Miz & Mrs, titled Mike’s Man Cave, drew 705,000 viewers, up 154,000 viewers from the previous episode. The show did a healthy 0.26 in 18-49 and finished #12 in the top 50 cable chart. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
In a Proxy Statement filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, the salaries for top WWE executives for last year and this year were published.
The filing was ahead of the company’s 2021 Annual Meeting of Shareholders which will be held virtually on May 27.
The biggest earner last year was WWE President Nick Khan. Khan, who had a $5 million sign-up bonus, also received nearly $7 million in stock, almost half a million in incentives, and a base salary of $498,462. In 2021, his base salary has more than doubled to $1.2 million and will have nearly $2 million in performance bonuses. Khan, formerly of CAA, is one of the most powerful individuals in the company and the brains behind the $1 billion move of the WWE Network to Peacock.
WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon had a base salary of $1.4 million. Adding to that salary was $854,000 in incentives and $20,000 in compensations plus $1.6 million in stock awards. In total, McMahon did over $3.8 million for 2020. Vince’s salary of $1.4 million will remain for 2021.
WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon had a base salary of $730,000 in 2020 and will keep the same salary in 2021. In addition to that, Steph had $464,000 in stock, over $200,000 in incentives, and over $775,000 in other compensation mainly related to her talent and merchandise contract. For 2020, Stephanie did over $2.1 million in total.
Paul “Triple H” Levesque, who is WWE’s EVP of Global Talent Strategy & Development, also has a base salary of $730,000 and will keep that in 2021. For last year, Triple H also received $464,000 in stocks, over $200,000 in incentives, and $906,000 in other compensation from his talent and merchandise deal. Triple H had a total of $2.3 million for 2020.
Shane McMahon, who has no corporate position with WWE and is on a talent contract, received approximately $820,000 in guaranteed performance fees and royalties.
Ivelisse Velez, who has been wrestling for All Elite Wrestling since the Summer of 2020, has been apparently released from the promotion.
In a tweet today, the 33-year-old wrote, “History repeats itself unfortunately. I speak up about mistreatment and get let go. Thats life.”
Ivelisse was referring to her WWE release back in 2012 after she spoke up and was one of the first to report former NXT head coach Bill DeMott of inappropriate behavior. DeMott eventually left the company in 2015 after several other trainees ganged up on him and came out with their own accusations.
Since leaving WWE, Velez performed for Shine Wrestling, TNA, Lucha Underground, and eventually AEW. Velez was one of the many who sued Lucha Underground for not being contractually released after there were no plans for a new season. After her release from Lucha Underground, she joined AEW. In AEW, Ivelisse won the AEW Women’s Tag Team Cup last year along with her tag team partner Diamante.
24-year-old Japanese sensation Sarray, who wrestled before under the name of Sareee, will be making her NXT debut next week on USA Network.
Sarray appeared on NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver alongside with Stephanie McMahon at ringside prior to the main event of night one for the NXT Women’s title.
She wrestled her final match for SEAdLINNNG on January 22 and then left for the United States. She has been signed to a WWE deal for a year but due to the coronavirus pandemic, she was not able to travel and was given permission to remain wrestling in Japan for World Woman Pro-Wrestling Diana and later SEAdLINNG.
Sarray made her debut in 2011 and won her fair share of titles already in Japan, including the the Sendai Girls World Championship and the World Woman Pro-Wrestling Diana World Championship.
All Elite Wrestling starts its new unopposed run tonight with Dynamite on TNT, something that the company has been very vocal and in favor of since its inception. The hopes of hitting the weekly magic one million viewership number has been dented by NXT over the past 80 or so weeks and now it’s game on for the Jacksonville-based promotion.
Four matches, including two title matches, have been announced for tonight’s show which was pre-recorded last week. The Young Bucks will defend the AEW Tag Team titles against Rey Fenix and Pac, Darby Allin will defend the TNT title against Matt Hardy, Red Velvet takes on Jade Cargill, and Dax Hardwood battles Chris Jericho with Mike Tyson as the ringside enforcer.
Plus, former British professional boxer Anthony Ogogo makes his AEW in-ring debut as well.
LOS ANGELES, April 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — TrillerNet (aka Triller Hold Co LLC), parent company of the global AI-driven short video social app Triller, today announced it has acquired FITE, the premier global live-event and Pay-Per-View, SVOD and AVOD and streaming platform for sports and entertainment.
The deal gives Triller a major foothold in the live-event PPV and streaming space, greatly expanding the reach of Triller’s fast-growing AI-powered content and distribution ecosystem and allowing the company to continue to invest in new lifestyle and entertainment programming.
“FITE has been a fantastic partner, and the synergy between the two businesses and teams was clear from day one,” said Bobby Sarnevesht, Chairman and Co-owner of Triller, and Ryan Kavanaugh, Co-owner of Triller, jointly. “With our acquisition of FITE, we bring into TrillerNET their stellar technology, valuable customer and content partner base, and one of the most experienced executive teams in this space. The deal represents our ambitions to not only expand Triller Fight Club and grow FITE’s distribution relationships, but also to reimagine what, how and when premium music, sports and entertainment is delivered to today’s audiences.”
“Triller has an exceptionally visionary executive team that is revolutionizing the world of sports and entertainment. We are very excited to be a part of and play a role in this process,” said Kosta Jordanov, FITE Co-Founder and CEO. “As part of the TrillerNet, FITE will become the exclusive global digital distributor of all Triller Fight Club events going forward, and this content relationship is planned to expand in exciting new ways. We will continue to work with and serve all our content partners, and we look forward to bringing Triller’s significant user base and promotional clout to all the major events we carry on the FITE platform.”
Triller is used by musicians, athletes, digital talent and other culture-setters and serves hundreds of millions of fans worldwide while also providing specialized opportunities for major brands across music, sports, entertainment, fashion and pop culture. The addition of FITE is a key strategic addition as Triller seeks to capture the burgeoning ‘culture graph,’ the next generation of creators and users leading the move to Internet 3.0.
“With over 10 million users, FITE is the perfect long-form platform for Triller to continue releasing its cultural content spanning fighting, sports, fashion, music and pop culture,” added Ryan Kavanaugh. “We have officially completed our 360-degree content engine with this acquisition.”
The FITE acquisition is the latest major move for TrillerNet, which on March 9 acquired leading live-music streaming platform Verzuz, the popular live streaming music platform founded by music stars Swizz Beats and Timbaland. TrillerNet also owns Triller Flight Club, a live-event platform in partnership with Snoop Dogg that reimagines boxing as four-quadrant entertainment, and TrillerTV, a long-form content streaming platform with more than 65 original half-hour digital series from trendsetters such as Jennifer Lopez, The D’Amelio Family, 2 Chainz, Jake Paul, Perez Hilton and others.
With over 10 million users and 4 million registered sports and entertainment fans, FITE has streamed over 5,000 live events over the past 5 years. FITE’s partners include the most elite combat sports brands including Top Rank, AEW, PBC, ONE Championship, WWE, Impact, Golden Boy Promotions, and Matchroom Boxing. FITE has one of the industry’s most scalable and reliable live digital streaming capabilities, a large loyal audience for premium events, and content relationships with over 300 sports rights holders across 5 continents. In collaboration with its partners, FITE has already streamed the biggest names in combat sports, including Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, Mike Tyson, Tyson Fury, Canelo Alvarez, Gennady Golovkin, Roy Jones Jr., Deontay Wilder, Terance Crawford, Errol Spence Jr., Teofimo Lopez and Vasyl Lomachenko among hundreds of others as well as the boxing matches of YouTube celebrities KSI, Logan Paul, and Jake Paul. The investors in FITE include Earlybird Digital East, LAUNCHub Ventures, Tim Draper, and BrightCap who have now joined the list of investors in Triller.
Alantra acted as a financial adviser to FITE for the transaction.
Next up for Triller and FITE is the highly anticipated 2021 debut of Triller Fight Club, featuring the headline fight Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren in Atlanta on April 17th, and live performances by some of the music industry’s top talent, including Justin Bieber and hip hop supergroup Mt. Westmore (Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Too $hort and E-40), as well as The Black Keys, Doja Cat, Saweetie, Diplo and Major Lazer. The two companies will announce next month several more four-quadrant events of this magnitude, including the highly-anticipated, post-retirement return of Oscar De La Hoya to the boxing ring at Triller Fight Club’s upcoming July 3 event.
Taya Valkyrie, who now goes by the name of Franky Monet, made her NXT debut last night on USA Network, interrupting the new NXT Women’s champion Raquel Gonzalez.
After congratulating Raquel on her title win, Money said she’s there to introduce herself to the champion and to the rest of the NXT. She referred to the NXT women’s division as the “best division” in the world and now with her on the roster, it just got a whole lot better.
Gonzalez told Monet not to interrupt her and she should be thanking her for being in a good mood because otherwise she would shove her Pomeranian dog – who was with Monet – up her ass. Money told her that she’ll be seeing her every Tuesday.
The former Impact Knockouts champion signed a WWE deal this past February and is married to WWE Superstar John Morrison.
The Raw after Mania episode this past Monday did an average of 2,026,000 viewers, up 325,000 viewers from last week’s show. This was the most-watched Raw since the January 4 Legends Night episode which pulled 2,127,000 viewers and the same average 18-49 number of 0.68.
Hour one started with 2,125,000 viewers, then dropped slightly to 2,091,000 viewers, before crashing to 1,862,000 viewers for the third and final hour.
Raw was #1, #2, and #3 in the top 50 cable chart with 0.71, 0.69, and 0.65 ratings respectively. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair made a surprise appearance on NXT last night on USA Network as they both celebrated with Raquel Gonzalez, showing off their new gold.
Gonzalez was cutting a promo announcing the start of the RG era but was rudely interrupted by the debut of Franky Monet. After Monet left the ring, things got interesting.
The new Raw Women’s champion’s music hit the speakers to a big ovation from the NXT crowd as Ripley came out with the title. The two stood face-to-face but then smiled, had a “cheers” with the titles and hugged each other as fans showed their appreciation. And then, the EST of WWE made her way out with the Smackdown Women’s title to another big pop from the Capitol Wrestling Center crowd.
The three stood in the middle of the ring as an older photo of them together from their NXT days was shown on the large ThunderDome screen. All smiling from ear to ear, the trio lifted their respective titles above their shoulder to end the feel-good segment.
Gonzalez won the NXT Women’s title from Io Shirai in the main event of NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver night one, Belair won the Smackdown Women’s title from Sasha Banks in the main event of night one of WrestleMania, and Ripley defeated another NXT alumni, Asuka, during night two of WrestleMania to win the Raw Women’s title.
WWE modified its ThunderDome setup for the first time since introducing the concept back in August of last year.
The video screens which show virtual fans are now set in a semi circle rather than in a shape of a J and also cover both sides of the stage which wasn’t the case before. The hard camera side obviously has no screens as that side is very rarely visible, if ever.
WWE started its four-month residency at The Yuengling Center yesterday on the campus of the University of South Florida in Tampa, returning to a closed set after two successful WrestleMania nights in front of fans.
This is the smallest arena that has hosted The ThunderDome following the Amway Center and Tropicana Field.
You can check out a beautiful shot of the new WWE ThunderDome setup below.
Streaming giant Netflix today released the trailer for Army of the Dead, a movie directed by Zack Snyder and featuring Dave Bautista in the leading role.
The movie revolves around a group of mercenaries who plot a $200 million heist on a Las Vegas casino during a zombie outbreak. Starring along with the future WWE Hall of Famer are Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera, Theo Rossi, Matthias Schweighöfer, Nora Arnezeder, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tig Notaro, Raúl Castillo, Huma Qureshi and Garret Dillahunt.
Snyder is the man behind movies such as The Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, Justice League, Aquaman, and many others.
Army of the Dead is scheduled to be released in select theaters and on Netflix on May 21, 2021.
NXT begins on its new night of Tuesday tonight on USA Network at 8PM ET, running without head-to-head competition from All Elite Wrestling. Impact Wrestling also moved to a different night to avoid NXT, so for the first time in a long time, there will be no wrestling competition during the two-hour broadcast.
The Takeover-fallout show will start with the new NXT champion Karrion Kross and Scarlett addressing the WWE Universe. New NXT Women’s champion Raquel Gonzalez will also be on the show and Franky Monet, the new name of former Impact Knockouts champion Taya Valkyrie will also make her debut.
In addition, new NXT Tag Team champs MSK will defend their titles against Drake Maverick and Killian Main, Leon Ruff takes on Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, and all four members of The Way will wrestle Bronson Reed, Dexter Lumis, Ember Moon, and Shotzi Blackheart in an eight-person tag team match. Plus, undisputed NXT Cruiserweight champion Santos Escobar will issue an open challenge.
Atlanta, GA (April 13, 2021): The National Wrestling Alliance is proud to announce the debut of PowerrrSurge on FITE, premiering April 13th at 6:05 pm EDT.
An ancillary to our flagship show, NWA Powerrr, PowerrrSurge features hard-hitting and exclusive interviews, plus live and previously unseen wrestling action from our home at GPB Studios in Atlanta, Georgia.
This week, PowerrrSurge hosts Joe Galli and May Valentine welcome international superstar Mike Parrow to the desk, discuss the future of Strictly Business with Kamille, and talk with NWA World Champion Nick Aldis, who has a special message for fans.
Our first PowerrrSurge Spotlight match: Jeremiah Plunkett vs. Mims.
Also, there will be an official announcement from the NWA on veteran Sal Rinauro’s bid for a tag team title shot against champions Aron Stevens and Kratos.
Fans are encouraged to follow the NWA on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @NWA on all three platforms. Use the hashtag #PowerrrSurge before, during, and after the show to stay socially connected.
And don’t forget wrestling fans, a brand new episode of NWA Powerrr returns next week (Tuesday, April 20th at 6:05 pm EDT), available only on FITE! A subscription to NWA Powerrr on FITE in only $4.99/month and includes the latest episode of NWA Powerrr live and on demand, the entire NWA Powerrr catalogue, exciting episodes of PowerrrSurge, access to a special selection of past NWA PPV events, plus more!
