In the days after his shocking revelations in Colt Cabana's "Art of Wrestling" podcast, CM Punk received many phone calls, tweets and e-mails of support from people around the wrestling world. Punk apperciated them but in the end knew that the interview itself will never change anything. The WWE would just ignore it and it would slowly go away. He thought to himself they survived a federal steriod scandal, the in-ring depth of Owen Hart and the Benoit murder/suicide and came out bigger and better then ever so a simple "shoot" interview wouldn't even slow the machine down. So with that in mind, Punk turned down numerous interview requests over the next couple of weeks and thought soon he was going to be able to put it all behind him but as the weeks passed he still found himself angry about the way he was treated by Vince McMahon and the WWE.
Punk decided to call and discuss it with his good friend, Paul Heyman, because if anybody understood about how the WWE is it was him. Heyman understood where Punk was coming from but didn't know what they could do. Heyman said he personally tried to make ECW more wrestler-friendly and it ended up going bankrupt. Heyman said the WWE does what they want because they can get away with it because they are the only game in town. He said TNA isn't a threat and not everybody wants to go to another country to wrestle like in New Japan. He said until then Vince can call the shots because he holds all the cards. Heyman though gave Punk some advice by saying Vince is at the top and he has had made a lot of enemies along the way to get there and reminded him of the saying " your enemy's enemies are your friends". Punk thanked him and got off the phone as he wondered about what Heyman just said.
Today, Colt Cabana sat down with Ring of Honor President, Dana White, on his "Art of Wrestling" podcast. This is the first of three interviews with key people in Ring of Honor as tomorrow will be Paul Heyman and the next day will now be Dixie Carter instead of CM Punk after some demand from fans to hear from her.
On his relationship with UFC and Zuffa
"I made a mistake with my comments about lawsuit and after the backlash they caused, we knew it was for the best interest of the company for me to resign as UFC President. But I'm still part-owner in the promotion and I'm still in a consultant role. UFC will always be a part of my life, it's like a son to me."
What was Zuffa's reaction to your Ring of Honor plans?
"We never saw professional wrestling as a rival to MMA on the same level as boxing. So when I stepped down, I knew I wanted to do something else and believe it or not professional wrestling has always interested me. Vince McMahon and I has always had a kind of a rivalry and after some meetings with Phil Brooks, we hatched this idea. I went to Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta and got their blessing because I have a no-compete clause in my contract. We then went to FoxSports1 and talked to them and gauged their interest and then made the offer to Sinclair Broadcasting.
What is the financial situation of Ring of Honor? Can you compete on a grand scale?
"I mean we are a new company but I don't think we are your typical start-up wrestling promotion. We already have a lucrative television contract if we can reach our bonuses. I've been able to secure some pretty decent sponsorships for the promotion that is also has bonus incentives. Finally, we was able to find some investors that believe in our vision. I'm already working on a deal with pay per view, streaming and merchandise deals that will increase our bottom line."
"I think with the internet nowadays that wrestling fans are smarter then they have ever been. They don't want these over the top characters like they have been given in the past because they know everything about these guys. It's simple they want great story lines and great action and that's it. I think we have assembled a team led by Paul Heyman that will provide them with just that."
What is plans on touring or are you going to have a permanent home?
"Right now our plan is to rotate between between 6-9 cities. We have been doing research on what is the best markets for us. We are pretty sure that Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Dallas and Las Vegas is going to five of them. We are planning on going to those cities and doing a weekend of two shows where one is going to be live and then we will tape one. When it comes to touring we are keeping that at a minimum as unlike other promotions we don't want to wear our superstars out. We want them to be rested, healty and have great home lives. We are in the early stages of an international tour that will see us in the UK, Spain, Germany, India, Japan, China, U.A.E, Australia, Brazil and Mexico for a couple of weeks next summer. We want to take this brand global and reach audiences that others haven't really tried to reach and I think with my experience with the UFC in these countries will help us achieve it."
On talent that you have acquired and what are you looking for
"This is the most tricky thing we have had to deal with because Ring of Honor has some loyal fans but let's face it, we can't reach the levels that we want to with just the talent they already have. We have some wrestlers with already existing contracts that we like but don't think they are quite ready for the big stage and that is why we have set up deals with Evolve and Full Impact Pro to be our developmental promotions where Hunter Johnston and Tazz will help in Evolve and yourself and Cliff Compton will help in Full Impact.We have sat down with Board of Directors and Creative and came up with a game plan as you see as we just announced our first eight superstars. We have came up with the game plan of the three different kind of contracts. We got the exclusive contracts where they will only compete in Ring of Honor shows. Then we got the non-exclusive contracts where they are going to mostly for wrestlers that want to compete in Japan, Mexico, Europe and here in the U.S. We think that is something that other promotions have missed on. If we can get a superstar that can bring us a broader audience then I'm going for it even if I only have him for a six month run. The third contract is the pay by appearance contract which seems to be confusing some fans. The contract is this, a wrestler will sign with us and give us first rights to use them and we will pay them by appearance. They will also have the time to work for other promotions with we aren't using them. It's that simple, we have hired wrestling veterans Bob Ryder and Bill Behrens to help them book appearances outside of Ring of Honor. I think it's hard enough to make a living this day and age and I don't want to block someone that I know we can't really pay well. I think the three levels give them something to strive for also. Like if you are on a pay by appearance, you should want a non-exclusive contract because it's benefits and more money, then if you are non-exclusive, you want to get big enough to be exclusive because that's even more money and better benefits and then after you get these deal you need to still keep them. You can't reach the top and get lazy because I have no problem getting rid of people. We want to was make this company the most wrestler friendly in the world but you got to also want to put the work in."
Your thoughts on some people's criticism of your hires
"The big one is Dixie Carter but she wasn't hired, Rick Rubin placed her on the Board of Directors but got all of our opinions but we all agreed that she has great experience and can be a real asset. You look at the other hiring we brought in Paul Heyman and Gabe Sabolsky to head-up our creative and I don't think we could have landed a better duo. After we hired Gabe, we was able to bring in his good friend, Sal Hamaoui, in to lead up our digital media department. Then we also made deals for their own wrestling promotions' Evolve and Full Impact Pro to be one of the premium places for the pay by appearance guys to get booked. It's the same thing with William Regal as he set up his own promotion, Regal Wrestling, in the U.K. and I imagine that some of our wrestlers will get booked there, Dave Prazak was brought in on creative and he has his Shimmer promotions so we will have people there also.I've brought in other experienced wrestling minds like Lou D'Angeli, who worked with Heyman in ECW, John Gaburick who worked in the WWE and TNA, Carl DeMarco who worked for the WWE, Kevin Kleinrock who worked for some indy promotions and Dave Marquez, who was running a successful California NWA promotion. We wanted a diverse front office and I think they have seen everything that the wrestling business has to offer.
Well, lets say we had about everybody we could think of call us to inquire about a job. Eric Bischoff called us but there's no way we can get him and Heyman together, I can say the same thing about Jim Cornette, who contacted us and we are thinking of maybe bringing him in some kind of role. We have had the infamous Vince Russo contacted us about joining the creative team but we declined. We had talks with Jim Ross but he decided to go with the WWE instead. Konnan was a candidate but we couldn't have him after we hired Dixie Carter. I learned quickly that there is a lot of grudges out there in the business but not much different then MMA.
This is the question I get asked the most and I tell them competing with the WWE is like a start up MMA company competing with the UFC...it's not going to happen. We are making a splash right now because we are the new kids on the block but this will die down. We can't worry about what the WWE is doing, we can only control what we are doing. I think so far that we have put ourselves in the best position to succeed and we will take it from it there. We got a two year deal with FoxSports1 so I know we will be in business that long.
That's simple, we want to change the wrestling world. We want to give be a friendly place for wrestlers to compete,we want to make sure they are taken care of, that they are appreciated and they are safe. We think that will translate into them putting out their best and giving great shows to the fans that will make them happy. We want to be company with some integrity and be a leader in that department for the rest of the wrestling world. We want to do all that and hopefully we will make some money along the way because without that we won't be doing this very long.
The picture above was taken two years ago at a much happier time for two of them as just a week after last week's DEA raid on the WWE and after extreme pressure from investors and sponsors even after the firing of much of the WWE's medical staff, Vincent Kennedy McMahon resigned from his post of CEO and Chairman of the Board of the WWE. Also the resignations of his son-in law, Paul Levesque, and long-time WWE executive, Kevin Dunn, was announced. The daugher of Vince McMahon and the wife of Levesque, Stephanie McMahon will remain in her current position.
Many insiders though rolled their eyes as the new CEO and Chairman was named as Vince's son, Shane McMahon. Shane had left the WWE in 2010 for other business ventures. Former WWE executive, John Laurinaitis, was named the interim replacement for Levesque and the replacement for Dunn will be named at a later date. Many people are questioning these moves even after Shane McMahon promised some wholesale changes in the ways the company does business saying it's his number one priority to re-establish the WWE reputation and name in the business world.
Today at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles, Dana White ended all the speculation as he held his press conference. Many expected that this was a press conference to announce the signing of CM Punk to the UFC but was shocked as Dana White announced that he is part of a group that has purchased Ring of Honor Wrestling from Sinclair Broadcasting. After taking a few questions it was revealed that White partners in the deal is CM Punk, record producer Rick Rubin, Bushiroad President Takaaki Kidani, wrestling Hall of Famer Mick Foley and former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen.
White said he will take over as the Ring of Honor CEO, leaving the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He dismissed that he was being forced out of the MMA organization but rumors have been swirling about his future as Zuffa hasn't been happy with his public comments concerning the class action lawsuit filed against them as the company was losing some appeal with fans over White's opinions on the suing fighers. White said the group is planning on a Board of Directors with Takaaki Kidani, CM Punk and Mick Foley being members along with Ring of Honor hold-overs, Joe Koff and Cary Silkin. White then went on to say that both Rick Rubin and Chael Sonnen each will add a person to the board to fill the final two spots of the seven person group.
Dana then went on to say that he has already had preliminary talks with FoxSports about debuting the new Ring of Honor on the sports network as the lead-in to UFC's Ultimate Fighter and expects to get a deal done soon. He said he has also had some talks with major sponsors about working with the promotion and they will be announced as soon as stuff is finalized with Fox. Dana explains that he knows that Ring of Honor won't do damage to the WWE but he wants the industry leader to know they are around. Dana White told everyone to watch Twitter and the ROH website as he said things are move quickly this weeks as he has a lot of interviews set up for front office staff, tv production and creative. He says he wants the best and they aren't going to leave any rock unturned. Dana White ended the press conference promising that professional wrestling will never be the same when he is done with it.
The Drug Enforcement Agency today showed up today at the WWE's developmental promotion, NXT, and also before RAW in Washington D.C. The agency had done a similar procedure to some NFL teams the previous month. But unlike the NFL, the agency came away with multiple arrests to WWE medical staff and the company is facing up to fifteen violations from the two raids. The charges are said to be mostly about the prescriptions and abuse of pain killers and antibiotics by the medical staff to it's superstars. The raids are said to be spurred by the interview former WWE superstar, CM Punk, gave at the beginning of last month where he claimed he was given wrong antibiotics for a staph infections and steroid use of fellow superstars.
The news of the WWE's violations caused a bigger backlash then even Vince McMahon expected as many of the company's sponsors pulled their ads from their programs as of today. Mattel, Post Foods, Disney, Paramount,General Motors and Kraft Foods have pulled all advertisements from WWE broadcasts. Other sponsors Gillette, Ford, Army National Guard and Colgate are still deciding on the future with the WWE. Also retail giant, Wal-Mart has pulled all WWE merchandise from the shelves.
The news of the problems saw the WWE stock plummet as shares went from 12.48 a share to 3.44 by the end of the day, costing investors millions of dollars. The WWE refused to comment on the situation.
A week after taking over the reigns from his father as CEO of the WWE, Shane McMahon has announced that due to recent scandals, he has personally called every superstar on the roster in the past week and offered them unconditional releases from the promotion. Shane stated that due to findings of the DEA and other proven accusations of racism in the company that if a superstar was unhappy, they will be allowed to leave. While this angered some in WWE management, Shane simply stated that if someone didn't want to be here that he wasn't holding them to their contract especially with the conditions that the WWE has provided.
We are proud to say that superstars such as John Cena, Randy Orton and Brock Lesnar to name some of the 111 superstars have decided that are staying with the company with only 24 superstars leaving. The WWE takes this as a show of support from their roster that they believe in the company and believe that changes will be made for the better.
We in the WWE are looking to put the past few months behind us as we now as a company look to Wrestlemania 31 and a new era in sports entertainment.
Today much to the surprise of everyone that figured he would have been one of the superstars leaving the WWE, Paul Heyman, was named as the interim replacement for Kevin Dunn. Heyman is now in charge of all of the WWE's shows and pay per views and will be a big part of guiding the company's creative process. Paul Heyman issued this statment in response
"Even though I would have liked to take this job under better circumstances, I'm proud to take on a bigger part with the WWE. The CEO of the WWE, Shane McMahon, shocked me with this offer and frankly it's an offer I couldn't refuse. I can't wait to mold this year's Road to Wrestlemania into my image. This is certainly going to be one of the highlights of my career."
Wrestling fans and insiders are anxious to see what Paul Heyman can do with creative control of a company with the unlimited resources of the WWE and think this is a great step by Shane McMahon as he changes the company from the image of his father.
After changes to the official WWE websute we have learned the indenities of the 25 WWE Superstars that chose to opt out of their current WWE contract. They are the following...
A.J. Lee
Bray Wyatt
Brie Bella
Christian
Cesaro
Damian Sandow
Daniel Bryan
Dean Ambrose
Diego
Dolph Ziggler
Fandango
Fernando
Finn Balor
Justin Gabriel
Kofi Kingston
The Miz
Natayla
Paige
Rey Mysterio Jr.
Ryback
Sami Zayn
Sara Amato (NXT trainer)
Seth Rollins
Tyson Kidd
William Regal
Although there is some big names on the list most insiders see them opting out of their contracts as more of a negotiating ploy then them actually testing the market. WWE insiders expect to see the likes of Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Ryback,Damian Sandow, The Miz, Dolph Ziggler and Bray Wyatt to sign new WWE contracts for more money. The rest of the list is expected to test the market and see what they can get with offers from TNA, Ring of Honor or international promotions such as New Japan or AAA.
I was on board until I saw the roster cut. But then I thought of the possibility of Punk starting his own company and having Heyman help him and the people that left WWE would sign with Punk. But then I remembered that Heyman is in creative control of WWE.
Where is this going? I'll keep an eye on this and hopefully everything gets cleared up for me.
Dave Metzler reports that as expected Bray Wyatt, Brie Bella, Damian Sandow, Daniel Bryan, Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler, Fandango, Kofi Kingston, Miz, Natayla, Paige, Ryback, Seth Rollins and Tyson Kidd have signed new contracts with the WWE but it's been reported that only Damian Sandow, Fandango, Natayla, Paige, Ryback and Tyson Kidd is said to be long term contracts as others have seemed to have signed extensions to get the company past Wrestlemania XXXI. It seems to be another contract ploy by the superstars to get as much money as they can from the WWE.
It's also interesting to point out that even though Paul Heyman got promoted that his and Brock Lesnar's contract also expires shortly after Wrestlemania XXXI. The U.F.C. is said to be ready to make Brock Lesnar an offer to return that the WWE might not be able to match with the other superstars needing contracts. Paul Heyman's future seems to be resting on the success of Wrestlemania XXXI, if the show is a big success look for the interim to be dropped from his new title and he gets the job full time. It's rumored that Heyman gets along with Shane McMahon a lot better then he has with Vince, Stephanie and HHH. It's also worth noting that Stephanie even though has the same job is taking a backseat to Heyman in many decisions and is more in charge of the actual production of the shows and other backstage areas. It seems that the WWE has tough choices to make in the next couple of weeks.
The future of the other eleven wrestlers are mostly decided as we have seen The Colons (WWC), Sami Zayn (ROH), Cesaro (ROH), Sara Amato (ROH)and Finn Balor (NJPW) show up in different companies. There is reports that both Rey Mysterio and Christian is considering retirement and outside endeavors. William Regal and Justin Gabriel has been booked for various promotions in the U.K. A.J. Lee is said to be done with wrestling also as she plans on spending more time with her new husband, CM Punk.
It seems though after a chaotic couple of months for the WWE and the whole wrestling world that things are getting back to normal with the Royal Rumble this weekend.
WWE's 2015 Royal Rumble is in the books as fans saw Roman Reigns walk away as the victor and the right to go to Wrestlemania XXXI will he face the WWE Undisputed Heavyweight Champion, John Cena, who defeated Brock Lesnar earlier in the night thanks to the distraction of the WWE return of The Rock. The Rumble also the WWE return of The Dudley Boys, Sting and The Hardys. Sting was eliminated by HHH as he came to ringside and pulled Sting over the top.
The event as a whole was considered a big success and Paul Heyman was given praise by the front office and superstars for the booking of the show.
The rumors now that the Wrestlemania XXXI card is locked in as the following..
Main Event-Brock Lesnar VS The Rock
WWE Undisputed Heavyweight Title-John Cena VS Roman Reigns
Triple H VS Sting
Dave Batista VS Ryback
World Tag Team Title Match (TLC) with Edge as guest referee-Ascension VS The Dudley Boys VS Hardy Boys
WWE U.S. Title Match-Rusev VS Bryan Danielson
WWE I-C Title Match-Luke Harper VS Erick Rowan
Money in the Bank Match-Dean Ambrose VS Seth Rollins VS The Miz VS Dolph Ziggler VS Damian Sandow VS Bray Wyatt VS Randy Orton VS Rob Van Dam
WWE Divas Title-Nikki Bella VS Brie Bella
Cody Rhodes VS Goldust
Andre The Giant Invitational Battle Royal w/ Big Show, Bad News Barrett, Mark Henry, Fandango, The Usos, Kane, Erick Rowan, Tyson Kidd, Sheamus, Great Khali, Booker T, Santino, Big E, Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, R-Truth, Adam Rose, Curtis Axel, Titus O'neil, Heath Slater, Jack Swagger, Chris Jericho, Zack Ryder and Adrian Neville
Although he won't be in action, most people expect The Undertaker to make some sort of appearance at the show along with Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair and Steve Austin as the WWE pulls out all the star power they can to help with their image. Wrestlemania XXXI will go down as the most expensive show in history according to WWE insiders with the cost of so much top notch talent.
Today CM Punk was a guest on "The Opie and Anthony Show" where he went over some of the stories he touched upon during the Colt Cabana's podcast a few months earlier. Punk was the questioned about the changes that the WWE has made since his accusations and he answered that he thought they were just done to appease stockholders and not for the well-being of the superstars. Punk then changed the conversation as they touched upon the Chicago Blackhawks season and even about The Walking Dead. Punk also revealed that he had been offered a role in the upcoming Expendables 4 movie but isn't sure if he is going to take it or not. Finally they were able to get Punk back on pro wrestling as they asked him if he was still sure about not returning to the business. Punk once again said as of now that he wasn't planning a return to the ring even know there is always rumors but he has an interesting offer to be involved by the business. When asked to elaborate on the offer, Punk moved on from it and talked about his wife, A.J. Lee for rest of the interview.
The Punk interview started a frenzy in the internet wrestling community as people guessed Punk's next move. Some said that Punk planned commentating for the Global Force Wrestling or New Japan, to buying Ring of Honor, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla or Evolve, starting his own promotion or finally working under Paul Heyman in the WWE. The final truth is that nobody knows what he is going to do next but whatever he does it will be newsworthy.
No, actually I've only listened to it a couple of times, I just came across the image as I was looking for something like it for the storyline. Let's just say Sirius rehired Anthony.
Once again the WWE was rocked with a scandal earlier today as the new independent medical staff for the first time in the company's history performed surprise blood tests for the banned substance HGH. HGH has been on the list of banned substances since the start of the Wellness Policy but they have never tested for it.The tests saw eight superstars test positive including mega-stars, John Cena and Randy Orton, and they are now facing 30 day suspensions except Randy Orton, who could face being fired for a third offense. This puts the WWE in a real bind as the suspensions will see Wrestlemania XXXI fall within the time period. The other seven superstars that failed the tests are Ryback, Adrian Neville, Titus O'Neil, Tamina, Big E and Adam Rose. The WWE has been accused in the past of manipulating the wellness program penalties if it benefited them so it's going to be interesting as there is a lot of eyes on the company.
The suspensions though have already put Paul Heyman and Shane McMahon in panic mode as they have said to already reach out to The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Rey Mysterio Jr. and Steve Austin to fill the void in case the suspensions are put in effect. Wrestlemania XXXI has gone from the saving grace of the WWE to a potential disaster overnight.
Today the suspensions of the WWE Superstars including John Cena and Randy Orton was publicly announced and that they will be missing Wrestlemania XXXI for their failed HGH test. On the heels of that announcement, it was announced that The Rock and Dave Batista have withdrawn from the show also. Publicists for both men cited that they were disappointed about the WWE and the drug suspensions. It is said that after the WWE scandals that both men had a clause that they could get out of Wrestlemania if anything else happened and it was triggered after the suspensions. The big rumor though is that both men found out that they would also be tested and dropped out before they were tested. It's worth noting from an WWE insider that Triple H and Brock Lesnar both still have to be tested for HGH before Wrestlemania XXXI.
On last night's RAW, we found the new direction of Paul Heyman concerning Wrestlemania XXXI as the company announced that John Cena has been suspended and stripped of the Undisputed WWE Heavyweight Championship and a 16 man tournament will be now be held at the biggest pay per view of the year. Shane McMahon played it up as the beginning of a new era in the WWE. The 16 man tournament participants are the following in alphabetical order
Bad News Barrett
Bray Wyatt
Brock Lesnar
Cody Rhodes
Damian Sandow
Daniel Bryan
Dean Ambrose
Dolph Ziggler
Luke Harper
Jack Swagger
Jeff Hardy
Miz
Roman Reigns
Rusev
Seth Rollins
Sheamus
The match between Triple H and Sting is also still being planned as the co-main event. The Divas Title match, WWE Tag Team Titles and Andre the Giant Battle Royal will be now moved to an extended pre-show.
Surprisingly the news to the tournament seems to be a hit with the fans as it seems that fans are sick of John Cena, Randy Orton and the likes in the main event.
Today Ring of Honor and CM Punk announced that he will be appearing at Supercard IX on Wrestlemania weekend. Punk though once again, said he wasn't going to be appear in the ring and fans will have to watch the show to see what he does. Some fans and experts are saying actually the Ring of Honor show with New Japan Wrestling stars coming will probably be better then Wrestlemania XXXI. The line up for Supercard IX is the following...
ROH World Title-A.J. Styles (champion) VS Kazuchika Okada
Claudio Castagnoli VS Hiroshi Tanahashi
Samoa Joe VS Michael Elgin
Austin Aries VS Adam Cole
El Generico VS Kota Ibushi
ROH T.V. Title-Jay Lethal (champion) VS Tetsuya Naito
ROH World Tag Team-REDragon(champions)VS Addiction VS Young Bucks VS Briscoes
Roderick Strong, Jimmy Jacobs & BJ Whitmer VS Karl Anderson, Bad Luck Fale & Prince Devitt
Hanson VS Mike Bennett
Cedric Alexander VS Alex Shelley VS Kenny Omega VS ACH
The show is already close to a sell-out and Ring of Honor expects it to be the highest selling pay per view yet. The buzz surrounding CM Punk appearing at the show is said to hopefully put it over the top.
Just two weeks before Wrestlemania WWE CEO, Shane McMahon sat down for a WWE Network exclusive interview with the legendary talk show host, Larry King for a no-holds barred interview. A long-time WWE fan himself, King has assured fans that he will ask the hard questions that fans want answers for. The interview took about an hour and a half and here is the highlights.
On what fans think about the WWE..."I think fans are going to stick by the WWE but they have to learn that the WWE has sponsors and stockholders to listen too. We have certainly taken a hit financially with losing sponsors this year due to our problems but I think we have turned the corner. We have upgraded our medical department, our drug testing and we think now that we rival any organization in that aspect.
On his father...My father is the greatest wrestling promoter ever and I don't think anybody can say he isn't. The WWE is his life's work. People say that putting me in charge is way for him to remain in power behind the scenes but that is the farthest from the truth. Since I took over the WWE four months ago my dad hasn't been to a live event, he still goes to WWE headquarters sometimes but he is also still the largest stockholder we have in the company. But we agreed if I came back that I was in charge and he has kept his word. I still get phone calls or texts about stuff where he gives me advice and I'm stupid if I don't at least take his ideas into consideration because he did built the WWE into what it is today but besides that he isn't involved.
Why did he return..I just stepped down as CEO of China Broadband Inc. which is a lot like Netflix here in the U.S. last year but I have been doing a lot of small business ventures with various businesses in the meantime when my father approached me about coming back to the WWE. What people don't know is that my father was very close to selling his shares of the WWE to Comcast if I didn't take the job. So in a way, I felt it was my place to return and take over and keep the business in the McMahon family.
His changes so far...I knew that our image in the public eye has taken a severe hit and many people was saying that we didn't care about our superstars and that we was being compared to sweatshops and stuff like that so I decided to give everybody a chance to leave. I got to the point like this is where the company is and this is where I'm going to take it. If you don't believe me or don't want to be here then you are free to go. We are rebuilding the WWE in a new image and if everybody isn't on board with it then I didn't want them here. Some people left and that is fine but most people stayed and I think that shows what kind of company the WWE really is.
On the recent HGH suspensions..."After the CM Punk allegations about our medical staff and then the Drug Enforcement Agency issue, we met with World Doping Agency and they gave use referrals of drug testing companies. We ended up hiring Dr. Yao Chang's Suncoast Medical Group out of Tampa. Chang and his doctors have full control of the drug testing. We met once and they told me what they are testing for and I approved it. I don't know when the drug tests happen, I don't know who fails and who passes until they announce it.The group has also put in a great new concussion protocol as superstars now have a very serious group of tests to go through before they can return to action. I think the Suncoast Medical Group has about 20-30 employees working exclusively for the WWE at this time for the care of our superstars. Those employees report directly to Suncoast not to the WWE, we have totally given them full control over our medical department in all areas concerning our stars. I thought it was important to keep boundaries between them and other staff members. I don't want any doctors to feel pressured into clearing somebody medically to perform. I will never let something like what happened, happen again."
On The Rock and Dave Batista pulling out of Mania..."I understand why the did it. They both have careers outside of wrestling and they think right now working for the WWE could tarnish their reputation and I guess we made that bed. It took a lot of convincing to get them to do the show in the first place and both of their people told us that we was on thin ice so to speak with anything else hitting the news that could be negative, so when the HGH suspension hit the news, they both pulled out. Some people are thinking that they pulled out because they would be tested too and we did inform them of that possibility when they signed the contract. HGH has always been banned from the WWE but we haven't had the resources to perform blood tests. If that is the real reason they pulled out, I don't know, you have to ask them."
On the WWE Network..."The Network is something we are really analyzing. It was my dad's vision but so far it hasn't reached the expectations that he envisioned when he started it. We are really taking a look at all angles like is it something we should keep, should we go back to the old system of pay per views or do we sell it to a cable or streaming company and let them be in charge of it. After Wrestlemania it's the biggest thing on my agenda."
On Wrestlemania XXXI..."I think it's going to be a great show. I mean this is like the fifth time we have reworked the card but I think the idea of a WWE World Title tournament is something the fans like. We have a lot of young, great talent and it's going to be their time to shine. Many fans say that the WWE needs to make new stars and this is their time to seize the opportunity. It might not be the biggest Wrestlemania financially wise or publicity wise but I don't think there has been one more important to the WWE then this one coming up in two weeks."
On Paul Heyman and his role..."Paul Heyman has been great. I talked him into this job and he was hesitant at first but I promised him that he would have the complete creative control. Heyman has probably had the most hectic three months with everything but I think he has a great game plan for Wrestlemania and I'm behind his vision all the way. If I can talk him in to staying, I hope he has the job for a long time."
On the WWE fans..."I think we have the greatest fans in the world and I'm not just saying that. You come to our shows and they have their signs, they have their favorite wrestler merchandise on and they are so vocal each and every week. One thing though that my father doesn't really understand is that the fans are so much smarter now. The fiction or kayfabe of wrestling is dead because of the internet. There is so many sites that tells them about everything so you can't fool them. Ten years ago they didn't know about contracts and stuff but now it's all out there. You can't really surprise fans anymore with wrestlers appearing so you got to be more creative with story lines. I think you have to really listen to the fans nowadays more then ever because they are the life line of the WWE."
The fans' reactions to the interview is mostly positive and they applauded Larry King for asking some tough questions. The take on Shane McMahon is that he has some good ideas and is looking to take the WWE in the right direction but fans still don't believe that Vince isn't lurking in the background controlling him. But mostly the fans' responses to the interview has been positive and the view within WWE headquarters is that Shane handled himself very well in his first real public performance as the face of the WWE.
Shit man. This is pretty epic so far. I've just started reading BTB and no offense, while a lot of them are well written and well thought out, they move way too slow and seem bogged down by lots of inconsequential...mess.
This is pretty fresh and wrenching. Shit feels real. And huge. There's stuff at stake. I like. I like very much.
Edit: also a great sense of scope. This is about more than a few main guys and a meandering midcard scene. I like that this story is about the wrestling world as a whole.
Many fans have thought that the suspensions of John Cena and the firing of Randy Orton wasn't going to stop either from being at Wrestlemania have been proved wrong as Randy Orton has been spotted in St. Louis last night at an area Hooters. Even though that doesn't stop him from flying into Santa Clara two days from now, it seems that Orton is more then content on missing the big show.
Concerning John Cena, he is in Santa Clara but he has kept a low profile as people say he hasn't appeared in WWE events but is there for support of WWE Divas Champion, Nikki Bella, as they announced their engagement earlier this month.
People was a little shocked as CM Punk showed up Friday at the Robbie Lawler/Johnny Hendricks III fight in Las Vegas. Punk started many rumors as he sat ringside and chatted up Dana White most of the night. Dana White told reporters that he would be traveling to the Santa Clara area in the morning as he will be Punk's special guest at the Ring of Honor show and White will also be attending Wrestlemania. When questioned about the chance of Punk signing with the UFC both men seemed to make sure they didn't give a clear cut answer either way.
The WWE is said to be in scramble mode after Dana White's announcement of him being at Wrestlemania as they see it as him showing up to come after Brock Lesnar after his contract runs out on Monday. There was even talk about banning him from the arena but it was shot down as they feel that it would turn in to a public relations nightmare. Rumors are that Lesnar is going to weigh all options as there is expected to be good offers from the WWE, the UFC and Bellator.
Just a few hours ago, Ring of Honor's annual Wrestlemania show, Supercard of Honor IX, ended and it quickly became the talk of the professional wrestling world. Fans were buzzing as we saw CM Punk at ringside sitting with Dana White, ROH's Cary Silkin and New Japan's Takaaki Kidani. Punk made his in-ring return as he was cutting a promo with RD Evans showed up and confronted him. Evans bragged about his streak and that everybody cared about Punk while he got no press. Evans ordered Punk out of the ring and Punk seemed to oblige as Evans but turned around and nailed him with the GTS. The crowd roared as Punk returned to ringside for the rest of the show. Here is the results...
Cedric Alexander VS Alex Shelley VS Kenny Omega VS ACH
Winner-Cedric Alexander (pinned Kenny Omega)
Mike Bennett VS Hanson
Winner-Mike Bennett (pinned Hanson)
DECADE VS Bullet Club
Winner-Bullet Club (Karl Anderson pinned B.J. Whitmer)
ROH Television Title Match-Jay Lethal VS Tetsuya Naito
Winner-Jay Lethal (pinfall)
Samoa Joe VS Michael Elgin
Winner-Michael Elgin (pinfall)
ROH World Tag Team Title Match-REDragon VS Briscoes VS Young Bucks VS Addiction
Winners-REDragon (Bobby Fish pinned Mark Briscoe)
El Generico VS Kota Ibushi
Winner-Kota Ibushi (pinfall)
IWGP World Title-Hiroshi Tanahashi VS Claudio Castagnoli
Winner-Hiroshi Tanahashi (pinfall)
Austin Aries VS Adam Cole
Winner-Austin Aries (submission)
ROH World Title Match-A.J. Styles VS Kazuchika Okada
Winner-A.J. Styles (pinfall)
After the hard fought main event, streamers and confetti fell as Styles celebrated his win. ROH matchmaker, Nigel McGuinness, hit the ring as he handed Styles the world title belt. As Styles celebrated, Nigel nailed him from behind with a lariat. The crowd was in shock as Nigel called for the referee to get back in the ring. As Styles staggered back to his feet, Nigel nailed him with another lariat and yelled for the ref as he reluctantly counted to three. Nigel held the world title over his head as the show went off the air.
I'm really enjoying the format of this at the moment.
I hope it develops into something more, but you are well and truly setting the scene.
Keep it up.
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