Archive for the ‘WWE’ Category

The Rock isn’t the only former WWE superstar who has caught the acting bug. Former WWE champ and part time MMA fighter Batista tweeted out a message to his fans and said that his wrestling days could be over. It appears he doesn’t like the way the WWE runs the company and at his age he could just do films instead. But one thing is for sure, he isn’t going to TNA anytime soon and pledged his allegiance to Vince McMahon.

Sup Tweeple?!! Longer day than expected. Guardians is going to be insane! I’m about to pass out but fuck it! Q n A 4 5! GO!! And I apologize in advance for not being able to answer everyone.. And I’ll use my E.S.P. and go and answer the question I’m asked everyday all GD day… I don’t know when or if I will ever go back to wrestle!! I would love to but there’s a ton of other factors that I would have to weigh in. Shit like..how much will I be fined if I bleed? And who would I work with? And will I have the freedom to other things that I want to accomplish in life? Ya Know?!! ..but I do mss it. And I miss the fans alot. Even the dipshits who boo me and make up BS about me and smear it all over the iternet. Anyway..5 , GO!!!!

Maybe we will see the former Evolution member in the WWE Hall of Fame one day. With his title runs you know the McMahons will honor him one day. And if the money was right we could see Batista back in the ring just like the Rock.

It was a pretty poor kept secret that Wrestlemania 29 would be the last time we would see The Rock in the WWE. After a three year part time run with the promotion that elevated him to superstar status it looks like Dwayne Johnson is done wrestling and will concentrate on acting.

The Rock confirmed the rumors with a tweet.

Mania may have been my last match. The 3 year goal was to come in & elevate the @wwe. Then proudly “do the honors”. #RockTalk @tigertomblin

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) April 26, 2013

He doesn’t close the door completely and says it “may have been my last match”. But with a torn abdomen and insufficient time to train for his time in the ring a permanent move to acting would make the most sense. The Rock is almost at the “A-list” status and anytime he goes back to the WWE he risks injuring himself and setting his film career back. He did come back and helped elevate John Cena to Hulk Hogan-like status. He even did CM Punk a favor and made him a pretty big deal last year.

It’s likely he will pop up to promote a movie on RAW or accept a spot in the Hall of Fame possible in 2014 or 2015 but unfortunately it looks like ‘The Great One’ will not come back to the ring.

The WWE announced that they have appointed a former executive from the UFC to a nice office job at corporate headquarters. Check out the press release below.

WWE today announced the appointment of Michael Pine as Senior Vice President of Global Sales & Partnership Marketing. Pine, who previously held senior level sales positions at Turner Broadcasting, UFC, World Triathlon Corporation, and most recently IMG, will report directly to WWE Chief Marketing Officer, Michelle D. Wilson.

As head of WWE’s Global Sales & Partnership Marketing division, Pine will be a key member of the company’s senior management team. He will be responsible for providing strategic vision for WWE’s sales operation and ensuring revenue growth is aligned with company objectives and values.

Pine brings 15 years of experience in strategic sales and marketing across a variety of major sports properties and brands. Prior to joining WWE, Pine was IMG’s Vice President of National Sales for the company’s College Division. In this role, he was responsible for the daily development of national sales for IMG’s College and NCAA corporate champions, and their partner programs with Turner and CBS business units. He managed IMG College’s two largest national corporate partnerships, UPS and MillerCoors, accounts which exceeded $100 million.

Formerly, he held the position of Global Chief Sales Officer at Ironman – World Triathlon Corporation, where he oversaw all global sales, marketing, licensing, PR and digital media sales business verticals.

While at UFC, Pine oversaw and executed advertising, sponsorship, digital media and marketing operations. He secured key deals with Bud Light, Bacardi Cazadores, Harley-Davidson and Burger King, to name a few.

Pine was a U.S. Air Force Captain and served from 1993 – 1999. He earned his M.B.A. from Golden Gate University in San Francisco, California and his undergraduate degree in Behavioral Sciences from the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Some WWE wrestlers resent the Rock for coming back and working a part time schedule right before Wrestlemania to get a big payday. CM Punk an Dolph Ziggler have both been especially vocal about it but there are others in the locker rom who don’t seem to mind it and are glad the Rock comes back to help the WWE. Longtime WWE Superstar Kane recently spoke to Forbes.com about the Rock and his role with the WWE and how it helps everyone involved.

Well, it’s certainly beneficial for us, because we get so much mainstream exposure. The guy, of course, really came to prominence in the WWE and is now arguably…if not the top, certainly one of the top action stars in Hollywood, and certainly one of the top actors. That’s kind of beyond our community. The fact that he comes back into WWE certainly helps us. Also, from his perspective, I think he really does love WWE and wrestling, so he loves to do it. I think that also, it helps Rock as well, because he becomes part of the big event (WrestleMania). As a participant in and as a part of WWE myself, I think it’s great that he comes back because it just helps overall and it creates so much buzz. It’s really awesome.

Kane has been around for a long time in the WWE and was a big part of the attitude Era in the 90′s that really jumpstarted the WWE and put them where they are today. Rock and Kane faced off in the ring several times so I’m sure Kane has a different perspective on the Rock than the younger guys who haven’t been around as long.

The WWE officially announced their brand new training center yesterday with a press conference in Orlando. Today the promotion sent out a press release touting the new facility and what exactly it will do for the state and future WWE wrestlers it will produce. Triple H and Florida Governor Rick Scott were on hand for the festivities.

Here is the scoop from the WWE;

Opening this summer, the WWE state-of-the-art Performance Center will serve as the new home to WWE’s talent developmental system, recently re-branded NXT® and create nearly 100 high-wage jobs in Orlando, Florida.

With 26,000 square-feet, seven training rings, a world-class strength and conditioning program and cutting-edge edit and production facilities, the new Performance Center will give WWE the ability to train more potential performers than ever before through a comprehensive program including in-ring training, physical preparedness and character development. The new center will be the training ground for talent that includes former professional and collegiate athletes, Olympians and entertainers, and will offer a best-in-class sports medicine program creating a central location for all WWE talent to receive the best care both in and out of the ring.

“Our economy has created nearly 300,000 new private sector jobs in just over two years, meaning that thousands of Florida families now have the opportunity to pursue their dreams,” said Governor Rick Scott. “WWE could have chosen anywhere in the world to house this new global performance center – and they chose the Sunshine State. Today’s announcement that WWE will create nearly 100 more jobs for families in Central Florida is further proof that everything we do is geared towards job creation and it’s working.”

“We are so excited that WWE has chosen to establish its training and talent development operations in Central Florida,” said Teresa Jacobs, Mayor of Orange County. “In addition to strengthening our burgeoning entertainment production industry, the WWE Performance Center brings high-value jobs, capital investment and continued economic expansion to our area.”

Today’s announcement solidifies WWE’s presence in Orlando and evolves WWE’s partnership with Full Sail University. Last year, WWE and Full Sail announced an innovative partnership that moved live tapings of WWE NXT series, WWE’s weekly one-hour show that broadcasts on WWE.com and in more than 60 countries worldwide, to Full Sail Live, the university’s state-of-the-art performance venue. The partnership, which created a new student scholarship fund, also allows students of the university’s entertainment-focused degree programs, including Film, Show Production, Digital Arts and Design, Internet Marketing and Entertainment Business, to gain real-world experience alongside WWE production staff during WWE NXT tapings.

“The WWE Performance Center and our partnership with Full Sail University are critical to the future of our company,” said Paul “Triple H®” Levesque, Executive Vice President, Talent and Live Events, WWE. “Orlando is now the home to the next generation of WWE Superstars.”

“Collaborating with WWE has elevated the education experience here at Full Sail University by creating many opportunities for our students to gain hands-on experience by being mentored by some of the best minds in the entertainment production industry,” said Garry Jones, President of Full Sail University. “We are excited to welcome WWE to the neighborhood and can’t wait to see what the future holds for this evolving partnership.”

The WWE is setting up shop just outside Orlando with their new training facility. There have been rumblings for a while as they have been shooting their NXT television show at Full Sail University since last summer. There will be a big announcement later today with WWE Executive Vice President Triple H, Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs, and Full Sail President Garry Jones.

According to a statement by Floria Governor Rick Scott,

“WWE could have chosen anywhere in the world to house this new global performance center – and they chose the Sunshine State. The announcement that WWE will create nearly 100 more jobs for families in Central Florida is further proof that everything we do is geared towards job creation.”

NXT has launched some pretty promising WWE Superstars the past year. The Shield, Fandango, and Big E all came out of the developmental system in recent months and it looks like the WWE is going to be investing heavily in the future of the company with the new facility in Orange County.

The new facility will have 7 rings and a soundstage for performers to hone their craft.

Orlando is quickly becoming the hub of the WWE. They hosted Wrestlemania in 2008 and have bid on it again for 2105 and 2016. The WWE Hall of Fame is also rumored to be built in Orlando as well. Should it finally get built it could become a popular tourist attraction for people coming to Florida to see the theme parks as well as the history of the WWE.

The WWE put out a video today of their theme song composer Jim Johnston playing “ChaChaLala”, or as we all know it Fandango’s music. Ever since Wrestlemania 29 his theme song has caught fire and almost broke the Top 40 charts in the UK last week. The theme song really broke big on the RAW after ‘Mania when a bunch of crazy fans got bored during a Sheamus vs. Randy Orton match and started singing it. Since then it’s been popping up everywhere and just last weekend a video popped up on Youtube of the Houston Texan cheerleaders “Fandangoing”, as they danced and sang the accidental hit WWE theme song.

Wrestlemania 29 was the biggest event of the year for the WWE. With the Rock and Brock Lesnar returning the show has a lot of star power that most shows don’t have. Too most fans the best match on the show was Undertaker vs. CM Punk with the streak on the line. And to WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart, that match stole the show. According to a Q&A on his Facebook page;

I thought undertaker and punk stole the show … I thought the two main events were more than predictable. Step by step. Overall I thought the show was good. The highlight of Wrestlemania weekend for me was the induction of Bruno. All of the Hall of Famer recipients were great selections.

I have to agree with Hart. The match was back and forth and there were a few times when it appeared Taker could lose. But as we all know Undertaker found a way in the end and he disposed of Punk to extend the undefeated streak at Wrestlemania to 21-0.

The WWE had a hard time with their feed online with their online pay per view stream of Wrestlemania 29. The feed went down several times during the show due to problems with the server. But instead of issuing refunds that would’ve cost the company a lot of money Vince McMahon and company decided to allow customers to view the stream for an extra two days.

According to the WWE;

Thank you for your inquiry.

We experienced intermittent system issues during portions of the live WrestleMania XXIX PPV that affected some customers. These issues have been resolved, and we have extended the viewing window for the WrestleMania XXIX stream for an additional 48 hours to allow you to watch the event in its entirety. Please log out of the site and any application you were using when you experienced the error, and log back in to access your purchased content.

We apologize for this inconvenience. We are continuing to review each request and to respond with additional details as requested.

Thank you for your continued support.

Best regards,
WWE Premium Support

This does suck for the fans that couldn’t get it to work Sunday night. When I order something I want to watch it live right then, not have it go down then hear about it the next day from my buddies then watch it. Hopefully the WWE can get their feeds straightened out before the next show.

With Wrestlemania 29 already in the books members of the WWE Universe will have to tune in tonight to RAW to see how things are going to shape up for the next few months as the promotion always sets up new storylines following ‘Mania.

With John Cena winning the title he will need a new nemesis to play off of. And with the top heel CM Punk already in his rear view it will be interesting to see who they set him up to face for the next few months. The Rock is back in California after skipping out on the WWE as soon as the show was over. Rumor has it that Rock is penciled in to face Brock Lesnar next year in New Orleans but there is still plenty of time to get them there. Rocky was supposed to shoot some kind of skit backstage where Lesnar attacked him but instead left without doing it. The video was going to air on RAW and it would begin a slow build to Wrestlemania 30. I sure hope we don’t get Cena-Rock 3 but you never know what Vince McMahon will think of.

The Undertaker will have to come back of course. Last night he and CM Punk arguably had the best match of the night with several near falls and on a few occasions it appeared Punk might actually end the streak. Would Taker face Punk one more time next year or would he move on to another foe. Perhaps a match with John Cena where they have the WWE Title vs. The Streak. Or perhaps we see the Dead Man face Dolph Ziggler or another mid-card guy they want to elevate.

Triple H will of course be back and maybe we will see him face CM Punk. Punk is always trying to stick his finger in the air to the establishment and they can do something to build up to it.

But the match everyone wants to see is Steve Austin vs. CM Punk. Punk has even been lobbying for it online and calling out Stone Cold every chance he gets. But it remains to be seen if Austin wants to come back for one more match. If he does Wrestlemania 30 could be the biggest of all time.