STAMFORD, Conn.-- WWE (NYSE:WWE) today announced financial results for its first quarter ended March 31, 2015. For the quarter, the Company reported Net income of $9.8 million, or $0.13 per share, compared to a Net loss of $8.0 million, or $0.11 per share, in the first quarter last year.

“During the quarter, we generated record quarterly revenue and strong earnings growth, reflecting our strategy to realize greater value from our content across multiple platforms,” said WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon. “We believe that we are on a path to significant growth as we continue to expand WWE Network and innovate faster than ever.”

“Our strong earnings growth was driven primarily by the escalation of our television rights fees and the expansion of WWE Network subscribers. For the quarter, our OIBDA surpassed our public guidance,” added George Barrios, Chief Strategy & Financial Officer. “WWE Network subscribers watched an estimated average of 53 hours of content per household over the quarter putting it among Netflix and the top cable and broadcast networks in terms of viewers per household. Additionally, WrestleMania 31 was viewed in more homes globally than ever before. Our ability to engage our global fan base reinforces our view that successful execution of our WWE Network strategy can generate meaningful economic returns.”

WWE Network Update: First Quarter Highlights

Network segment revenues increased 104% from the prior year quarter. WWE Network surpassed 1.3 million subscribers¹ following WrestleMania 31 (as of March 29, 2015), making it the most viewed WrestleMania in history. The subscriber level at quarter-end was nearly double the number of subscribers reported on April 7, 2014 - the day after WrestleMania last year - and represented a 33% increase since January 27, 2015, when the network surpassed the 1 million subscriber milestone. Subscriber growth since January was driven by the iconic attraction of the Company’s WrestleMania event and the success of WWE Network’s February free promotion. During the quarter, the Company continued to broaden the network’s global distribution, launching it in the U.K. and Middle East, and expanding distribution in Canada. From inception through March 31, 2015, WWE Network had attracted nearly 1.8 million unique subscribers with 74% of these subscribers active as of that date.

• WWE Network’s compelling live and new original content continued to drive viewer engagement. WWE Network’s most viewed programs were led by the Company’s pay-per-views, original series, NXT Live, and other specials.
• During the quarter, 94% of total subscribers accessed WWE Network at least once per month. WWE Network subscribers watched an estimated average of 53 hours of content per household over the quarter putting it among Netflix and the top cable and broadcast networks in terms of viewer hours per household.

(For additional information, see the Company’s First-Quarter 2015 Earnings Presentation, which can be found on the Company’s web site at ir.corporate.wwe.com)

• WWE Network added 511,000 subscribers to reach 1,327,000 paid subscribers at March 31, 2015, representing a 63% increase from year-end 2014. The subscriber growth reflected the acquisition of 795,000 subscribers, which was 13% above the gross subscriber additions in the prior year period from the network’s launch through WrestleMania (February 24, 2014 - April 6, 2014).
• WWE Network attracted an average of approximately 927,000 paid subscribers for the first quarter 2015, representing a 29% increase from the fourth quarter 2014 average.² The network’s February free promotion contributed to that growth, attracting approximately 201,000 trial subscribers, of which 154,000, or 77%, converted to paying subscribers in March.
• The Company continued to broaden the global distribution of WWE Network. During the quarter, the network was made available in the U.K. and Ireland in mid-January for £9.99 per month and €12.99 per month, respectively, and was launched in the Middle East and North Africa in late March as a premium linear channel. Additionally, Rogers Communications, the Company’s exclusive network distribution partner in Canada, reached agreements that made WWE Network available nationally in Canada before WrestleMania (March 29). At quarter-end, WWE Network had approximately 196,000 international subscribers.³

^(1),(3) Subscriber numbers in UK/Ireland are subject to local consumer protection laws and regulations governing fee charges.

⁽²⁾ Average paid subscribers are calculated based on the arithmetic daily mean over the relevant period, and may differ substantially from paid subscribers at the end of any period due to the timing of paid subscriber additions. Trial subscribers acquired during a promotional period are not counted as paying subscribers until they convert after the end of the free period.

WWE Network Update: Future Plans

To grow WWE Network, the Company is executing a five-part strategy, including creating new content, implementing high impact customer acquisition and retention programs, introducing new features, expanding distribution platforms, and entering new geographies. Over the remainder of 2015, the Company is focused on expanding the network’s line-up of compelling original content as a critical element of this strategy.

Programming: In addition to the premium monthly live pay-per-view events, WWE Network unveiled new programming for the remainder of 2015, which includes eight brand new original series and partnerships with director Jeff Tremaine, Seth Green’s Stoopid Buddy Stoodios and legendary talk show host Jerry Springer. In addition, in the new show, Diva Search, WWE will span the globe in search of the most beautiful, athletic and charismatic women in the world to find the next stunning WWE Diva. WWE Network will also produce compelling special programming and short form content while continuing to add 1,000 hours to its robust video-on-demand library, which currently has more than 3,000 hours of content. (For more details of WWE Network’s programming line-up, please see the Company’s March 30, 2015 programming release).

Promotions: Based on the successful execution of the network’s free trial offerings, the Company will continue its sampling program. All new subscribers who register for the network in May will receive the network for free in that month, including WWE Payback live on Sunday, May 17.

Features/Distribution: Other important elements of the Company’s network strategy include improving the user experience and content discovery across devices, while continuing to expand distribution platforms.

Geographies: The Company is developing plans for geographic expansion to India, China, Germany, Japan, Italy, Thailand and Malaysia.

2015 Business Outlook

The rate of WWE Network subscriber adoption is a critical determinant of the Company’s projected future financial performance.

In 2015, the Company expects year-over-year adjusted OIBDA growth in every quarter, with growth driven by the performance of WWE Network, the contractual escalation of television rights fees, and continued innovation across all of the Company’s businesses.

For the second quarter 2015, the table below outlines ranges of potential Company performance at different subscriber levels (Reconciliation of Operating Income to Adjusted OIBDA can be found in the Supplemental Information included in this release).

(For the full-year 2015 Business Outlook, see the Company’s Q4 2014 Earnings Release - February 12, 2015.)

⁽⁴⁾ Average paid subscribers shown in thousands. The average number of paid subscribers in 2015 Q1 was approximately 927,000.

Comparability of Results

WrestleMania 31 occurred on March 29, 2015 and is included in first quarter 2015 results, whereas the comparable prior year event occurred on April 6, 2014 and was included as part of second quarter 2014 results. Given that a significant portion of first quarter network subscriber growth occurred in late March of 2015, the timing impact of the event on WWE Network profits within the quarter is not considered to be material. Therefore, the Company believes the timing impact of WrestleMania, is best estimated from the direct contribution of the event to ticket sales, merchandise sales, pay-per-view revenue, pay-per-view production costs (excluding any attribution from WWE Network). In aggregate, these items increased revenue by $24.9 million and reduced OIBDA and EPS by $0.4 million and $0.00, respectively. In order to facilitate an analysis of the Company’s financial results, the Company has prepared a pro forma statement, which excludes these items from reported amounts. (See Supplemental Information - Pro Forma Income Statement & Reconciliation to GAAP Measures.)

The impact of WrestleMania is measured using a pro forma statement rather than as an adjusting item to the Company’s reported results because adjustments to the Company’s financial measures are limited by definition to items that are difficult to predict and are considered unusual or non-recurring in nature. As defined, adjusted financial measures would exclude certain material items, including but not limited to, non-cash impairments of film, intangible and fixed assets, gains and losses on asset sales, as well as material restructuring charges. No such items were reported in or have been adjusted from first quarter 2015 or first quarter 2014 results.

Three Months Ended March 31, 2015 - Results by Region and Business Segment

Revenues increased 40% to $176.2 million. North American revenues increased 38% driven primarily by the expansion of WWE Network subscribers and the escalation of television rights fees as reflected in the Company’s Media Division, as well as increased Live Event revenue from the performance of North American events and the timing of WrestleMania. Revenues from outside North America increased 50% driven by the increased monetization of content as reflected in the Media Division across the EMEA and Asia Pacific regions. Changes in foreign exchange rates did not have a material impact on first quarter 2015 revenue.

The following tables reflect net revenues by region and by segment (in millions):

Media Division

Revenues from the Company's Media division increased 38% to $104.8 million with growth driven by the ramp up of WWE Network and the escalation of television rights fees, partially offset by declines in Home Entertainment and Digital Media.

The following table reflects Media Division revenues (in millions):

• Network revenues, which include revenue generated by WWE Network and pay-per-view, increased 104% or $19.2 million from the prior year quarter.

WWE Network generated $28.6 million in revenue based on an average of 927,000 paid subscribers over the quarter. WWE Network had approximately 1,327,000⁽⁵⁾ paid subscribers at March 31, 2015 as compared to 816,000 paid subscribers at December 31, 2014 and 495,000 paid subscribers at March 31, 2014.

The following table reflects WWE Network paid subscribers (in thousands):

⁽⁵⁾⁽⁶⁾ Subscriber numbers in UK/Ireland are subject to local consumer protection laws and regulations governing fee charges.

⁽⁷⁾ The calculation of average paid subscribers for the twelve months ending Dec. 2014 uses a year-to-date period beginning January 1, 2014 and is below the average that would be calculated using the actual WWE Network launch date, February 24, 2014.

Pay-per-view revenue contributed $9.0 million in revenue with approximately 505,000 buys as three events were produced in the quarter. On a comparable basis (for the events produced in both the current and prior year quarter), current period pay-per-view buys declined 71%, reflecting the availability of pay-per-view events on WWE Network.

The details for the number of buys are as follows (in thousands):

• Television revenues increased 43% to $58.2 million from $40.6 million in the prior year quarter primarily due to the renegotiation of key domestic and international distribution agreements, the largest of which became effective in the fourth quarter 2014 and the first quarter 2015. Additionally, the increase in revenue reflected the production and monetization of a third season of Total Divas, which had 10 episodes in the quarter as compared to 3 episodes of the second season in the prior year quarter.
• Home Entertainment net revenues decreased to $4.7 million from $10.5 million in the prior year quarter primarily due to a 43% decline in units shipped and the recognition of a $2.5 million minimum guarantee in the prior year quarter. The decline in DVD units shipped reflected reduced shipments of WWE's catalog titles attributable, in-part, to the decline in the DVD industry. As catalog titles are typically characterized by lower prices and profit margins than new releases, the resulting change in product mix contributed to an 11% increase in the average effective price to $8.74.

• Digital Media net revenues were $4.3 million compared to $6.7 million in the prior year quarter. The decline reflected lower advertising across various platforms as well as lower monetization of the Company's pay-per-view webcasts via WWE.com as these events became available on WWE Network. Additionally, the decline reflected the absence of revenues associated with the Company’s Magazine Publishing business, which was discontinued in the third quarter 2014.

Live Events

Live Event revenues increased 81% to $39.3 million from $21.7 million in the prior year quarter primarily due to the timing of the Company's annual WrestleMania event, which occurred in the first quarter 2015 as compared to the second quarter 2014, and stronger performance of the Company’s other live events in North America.

• There were 76 total events in the current quarter, including 73 events in North America and 3 events in international markets, as compared to 80 events in the prior year quarter, which were held in North America.
• North American live event revenue increased 68% to $38.3 million from $21.7 million in the prior year quarter, driven in part by the timing of WrestleMania, which generated revenue of approximately $15.7 million in the current year quarter. Excluding the impact of WrestleMania, revenue growth from the Company’s North American live events reflected a 7% increase in average ticket prices to $44.88 and a 4% increase in average attendance to 6,700 fans. These factors more than offset the impact of 8 fewer events in the region.
• International live event revenue increased $1.0 million reflecting the staging of 3 events in the current year quarter. (There were no international live events in the prior year quarter.)

Consumer Products Division

Revenues from Consumer Products increased 30% to $30.2 million from $23.2 million in the prior year quarter, with growth across our businesses as described below.

• Licensing revenues increased 18% to $16.5 million primarily driven by increased video game revenues that derived from both higher unit sales and effective royalty rates than in the prior year quarter. Estimated unit sales of our newest franchise game, WWE2K15, increased globally by approximately 30%. Additionally, the increase in licensing revenue benefited from higher sales of downloadable content associated with our franchise video game, WWE2K14, and a WWE branded game, WWE Supercard.
• Venue Merchandise revenues increased 68% to $8.4 million from $5.0 million in the prior year quarter reflecting an increase due to the timing of WrestleMania. WrestleMania 31 generated venue merchandise sales of $3.3 million in the current year quarter.

• WWEShop revenues increased 26% to $5.3 million as compared to $4.2 million in the prior year quarter as a 42% rise in the number of online merchandise sales to approximately 113,000 orders was partially offset by a 11% decrease in revenue per order to $46.51. The significant rise in orders was driven by increased marketing, and improved product assortment.

WWE Studios

WWE Studios recognized revenue of $1.5 million as compared to revenue of $4.3 million in the prior year quarter. The decline in revenue was primarily due to the performance and timing of results from the Company’s portfolio of movies as the prior year quarter reflected the strong performance of The Call (released theatrically in March 2013).

WWE Studios' movie portfolio generated a loss of $0.4 million in the quarter compared to income of $1.6 million in the prior year quarter. In March 2015, WWE Studios released The Flintstones & WWE Stone Age Smackdown (direct-to-DVD), which continues the Company's successful partnership with Warner Bros. Animation.

Corporate and Other

Corporate and Other expenses of $38.1 million were essentially unchanged from the prior year quarter. As defined, these expenses include corporate G&A expenses as well as sales, marketing, international management and talent development costs, which are not allocated to specific segments.

Operating Income Before Depreciation and Amortization (OIBDA)

OIBDA reached $21.0 million as compared to a loss of $7.2 million in the prior year quarter. The $28.2 million increase was driven by the escalation of television rights fees, higher profits from live events, the expansion of WWE Network, and increased video game sales. Television profits increased $15.0 million predominantly from the renegotiation of key distribution agreements. Live event profits increased $13.8 million with $11.1 million attributable to WrestleMania and the remainder to the strong performance of the Company’s other North American events. Network segment OIBDA increased $2.1 million as significant growth in subscription revenue was partially offset by the production costs associated with WrestleMania. Reduced profits from Home Entertainment and WWE Studios also partially offset the overall OIBDA growth. With such growth across most of the Company’s businesses, its OIBDA margin improved to 12% in the current year quarter as compared to (6%) in the prior year quarter.

Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization expense totaled $5.9 million for the current year quarter as compared to $5.0 million in the prior year quarter. Depreciation and amortization expense in both the current and prior year periods derived from investment in assets to support the Company's content initiatives, including efforts to launch WWE Network.

Investment Income, Interest and Other Expense, Net

Investment income, interest and other expense, net yielded expense of $0.6 million compared to an expense of $0.3 million in the prior year quarter.

Effective tax rate

The effective tax rate of 32% decreased four percentage points from the prior year quarter, reflecting increased deductions for domestic production activities.

Cash Flows & Liquidity

Cash flows provided by operating activities were $14.3 million in the current year quarter. The source of cash was driven by the Company's operating profit.

Purchases of property and equipment and other assets increased by $1.5 million from the prior year period.

As of March 31, 2015, the Company held $113.6 million in cash and short-term investments and currently estimates debt capacity under the Company’s revolving line of credit to be approximately $161 million.

Additional Information

Additional business metrics are made available to investors on a monthly basis on the corporate website - ir.corporate.wwe.com. Note: As previously announced, WWE will host a conference call on April 30, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. ET to discuss the Company's earnings results for the first quarter of 2015. All interested parties are welcome to listen to a live web cast that will be hosted through the Company’s web site at ir.corporate.wwe.com. Participants can access the conference call by dialing 1-855-200-4993 (toll free) or 913-489-5104 from outside the U.S. (conference ID for both lines: 6696160). Please reserve a line 5-10 minutes prior to the start time of the conference call.

The earnings presentation referenced during the call will be made available on April 30, 2015 at ir.corporate.wwe.com. A replay of the call will be available approximately two hours after the conference call concludes, and can be accessed on the Company’s web site.

About WWE

WWE, a publicly traded company (NYSE:WWE), is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family friendly entertainment on its television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing platforms. WWE programming reaches more than 650 million homes worldwide in 35 languages. WWE Network, the first-ever 24/7 over-the-top premium network that includes all 12 live pay-per-views, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library, is currently available in more than 170 countries. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Mexico City, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, Dubai, Munich and Tokyo.

Additional information on WWE (NYSE:WWE) can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. For information on our global activities, go to http://www.wwe.com/worldwide/.

Trademarks: All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, logos and copyrights are the exclusive property of WWE and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.

Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are subject to various risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks relating to: WWE Network; major distribution agreements; our need to continue to develop creative and entertaining programs and events; a decline in the popularity of our brand of sports entertainment; the continued importance of key performers and the services of Vincent K. McMahon; possible adverse changes in the regulatory atmosphere and related private sector initiatives; the highly competitive, rapidly changing and increasingly fragmented nature of the markets in which we operate and greater financial resources or marketplace presence of many of our competitors; uncertainties associated with international markets; our difficulty or inability to promote and conduct our live events and/or other businesses if we do not comply with applicable regulations; our dependence on our intellectual property rights, our need to protect those rights, and the risks of our infringement of others’ intellectual property rights; the complexity of our rights agreements across distribution mechanisms and geographical areas; potential substantial liability in the event of accidents or injuries occurring during our physically demanding events including, without limitation, claims relating to CTE; large public events as well as travel to and from such events; our feature film business; our expansion into new or complementary businesses and/or strategic investments; our computer systems and online operations; a possible decline in general economic conditions and disruption in financial markets; our accounts receivable; our revolving credit facility; litigation; our potential failure to meet market expectations for our financial performance, which could adversely affect our stock; Vincent K. McMahon exercising control over our affairs, and his interests may conflict with the holders of our Class A common stock; a substantial number of shares which are eligible for sale by the McMahons and the sale, or the perception of possible sales, of those shares could lower our stock price; and the relatively small public “float” of our Class A common stock. In addition, our dividend is dependent on a number of factors, including, among other things, our liquidity and cash flow, strategic plan (including alternative uses of capital), our financial results and condition, contractual and legal restrictions on the payment of dividends (including under our revolving credit facility), general economic and competitive conditions and such other factors as our Board of Directors may consider relevant. Forward-looking statements made by the Company speak only as of the date made, are subject to change without any obligation on the part of the Company to update or revise them, and undue reliance should not be placed on these statements.

Non-GAAP Measure:

We define Free Cash Flow as net cash provided by operating activities less cash used for capital expenditures. Although it is not a recognized measure of liquidity under U.S. GAAP, Free Cash Flow provides useful information regarding the amount of cash our continuing business is generating after capital expenditures, available for reinvesting in the business, servicing and repaying debt, and for payment of dividends.

Non-GAAP Measures:

The Company defines OIBDA as operating income before depreciation and amortization, excluding feature film and television production asset amortization and impairments, as well as the amortization of costs related to content delivery and technology assets utilized for WWE Network. OIBDA is a non-GAAP financial measure and may be different than similarly-titled non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies. A limitation of OIBDA is that it excludes depreciation and amortization, which represents the periodic charge for certain fixed assets and intangible assets used in generating revenues for the Company's business. OIBDA should not be regarded as an alternative to operating income or net income as an indicator of operating performance, or to the statement of cash flows as a measure of liquidity, nor should it be considered in isolation or as a substitute for financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. We believe that operating income is the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure to OIBDA.

Adjusted OIBDA, Adjusted Operating income, Adjusted Net income and Adjusted Earnings per share exclude certain material items, which otherwise would impact the comparability of results between periods. These items include, but are not limited to, non-cash impairments of film, intangible and fixed assets, gains and losses on asset sales, as well as material restructuring charges. The adjusted measures should not be considered as an alternative to net income, cash flows from operations or any other indicator of WWE's performance or liquidity, determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

Non-GAAP Measures:

The Company defines OIBDA as operating income before depreciation and amortization, excluding feature film and television production asset amortization and impairments, as well as the amortization of costs related to content delivery and technology assets utilized for WWE Network. OIBDA is a non-GAAP financial measure and may be different than similarly-titled non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies. A limitation of OIBDA is that it excludes depreciation and amortization, which represents the periodic charge for certain fixed assets and intangible assets used in generating revenues for the Company's business. OIBDA should not be regarded as an alternative to operating income or net income as an indicator of operating performance, or to the statement of cash flows as a measure of liquidity, nor should it be considered in isolation or as a substitute for financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. We believe that operating income is the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure to OIBDA.

Adjusted OIBDA, Adjusted Operating income, Adjusted Net income and Adjusted Earnings per share exclude certain material items, which otherwise would impact the comparability of results between periods. These items include, but are not limited to, non-cash impairments of film, intangible and fixed assets, gains and losses on asset sales, as well as material restructuring charges. The adjusted measures should not be considered as an alternative to net income, cash flows from operations or any other indicator of WWE's performance or liquidity, determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

⁽¹⁾ Unknown at this time, there may be other items that would be adjusted for in the presentation above.

Given that a significant portion of first quarter WWE Network subscriber growth occurred in late March, 2015, the timing impact of WrestleMania on WWE Network profits within the current year quarter is not considered to be material. With the evolution to a subscription based platform, the Company believes that the value of WrestleMania is reflected in the acquisition and retention of subscribers over longer periods of time as opposed to solely in the period in which the event occurs.

VINCE COMMENTS ON TOUGH ENOUGH SUBMISSIONS, CHINA UPDATE & MORE : WWE FIRST QUARTER 2015 EARNINGS CALL

Welcome to PWInsider.com's live, ongoing coverage of WWE's stockholders conference call discussing their record-breaking first quarter 2015 earning.

Michael Weiss welcomed everyone to the call and noted Vince McMahon and George Barrios were also on the call. 

They noted that Wrestlemania fell into the first quarter this year, as opposed to last year, when it fit into the second quarter of 2014. 

Vince said they were proud to announce they had hit record breaking revenue for the quarter and touted that Wrestlemania 31 was the highest grossing event in their history.  He noted that Total Divas was E!'s number one show in its third season as The Kardashians were on hiatus.  He noted the WWE Network broke 1.3 million subscribers and pushed the new content, specifically mentioning all the new series that would be debuting soon. 

Vince also noted Smackdown would be moving to the USA Network and they expect that will increase viewership.  He also talked about Tough Enough returning and said all the current online videos, some of which he called ridiculous, are the show before the show.

George Barrios began reading a prepared statement, recapping the press release breaking down the company's earnings.

They then went into the Q&A portion of the call.

The first question noted that the first quarter was huge and asked about the background of the revenues raising.  Barrios noted the videogame sales performed and Wrestlemania exceeded their expectations while some costs were able to be moved back to the second quarter, which also helped.

They were asked about seasonality in the consumer products business.  They recognize money from the holiday season in the first Quarter of the year, so there will be a drop from that in the second quarter.

Barrios noted they continue to add additional platforms for the WWE Network, noting they are looking at Chromecast, AndroidTV and others.  They have to look at the long-term viability of each platform before they put the money into development.

They were asked about adding investment to create new content with names like Seth Green and Jerry Springer.  They spent $115 million last year across the board on the Network and should be within "10% of that" this year.

They were asked about advertising.  They are going to continue to evolve relationships like the one they had with Paramount to promote the new Terminator film.

The next caller asked if WWE wanted to go back to a tiered pricing structure since they have different content every month while Netflix doesn't [Note from Mike: WWE's content doesn't, because it's all in VOD so she's way off base.]  Vince said they are a company that can adapt quickly, but they aren't currently pricing their PPVs differently.  They could down the line but not now.

They were asked how the social media interactions help their economics.  Vince said "it's a land grab out there" and it's important to grab as much as you can.  He said that they are a hub that can attract fans of all sort of forms of entertainment and it's important to marry and integrate social media to engage the audience.  It's not just about a TV rating but about reaching out to engage the audience and immerse them.

They were asked about the demographics of the fan base.  Barrios said they see it's skewing number and that's one of the reasons they push the social media, because that's where millennials are.

They were asked about the new TV rights deals.  Barrios said that by 2018, they will be $100 million more than 2014 but they haven't broken down how it's broken down.  He said that in the first quarter, they have additional episodes of Total Divas in comparison to other quarters, so that's a difference.  They don't get that bump over ever quarter and since the company adapts to new ideas quickly, it's hard to give guidance on how that will ebb and flow.

They were asked about the Quarter 1 rise and how it will change.  He noted there are season elements, such as licensing which will be down after the holidays and more expensive TV tapings because of the European tour.

The sources of churn when it comes to the WWE Network: Barrios said that he doesn't know they have learned about the sources of it and they work on different ways to market and advertise.  He said that they had trained the audience for a long time to pick and choose events and they have broken that with a lot of subscribers but they are still working on it.  It's about content as well as marketing.

They declined to release information on how many subscribers for Wrestlemania 30 were retained for Wrestlemania 31.

They noted there aren't a lot of countries left to launch in the WWE Network, and they are working on deals for those areas.  It's hard to predict when that will be but they expect plans to be announced over the next 18 months,

They were asked about overlapping information from Youtube subscribers to WWE live event ticket buyers to Network subscribers, etc.  Barrios said they are matching those up and are building algorithms to hopefully map those consumers.

They were asked about the relationship of social media engagement and WWE Network subscribers.  Barrios said social media is a way to engage people and reach them where they are spending their time and they are only scratching the surface of that.

They were asked about the potential of a cable distribution deal domestically after the Hulu and Netflix deals with Cablevision.  Barrios said it's interesting how much the world has changed since they launched the Network.  They are open to discussions and the WWE Network could take "different forms" as it makes sense.

They were asked about working with specific regional providers for places like China.  Barrios said their strategy in China has been the same as their strategy around the world =- establish a TV presence and then go into the region.  He said it's been a slow process but they are really looking into re-evaluating their approach to see if they can move things forward in a faster way.

They were asked if the company had ways to prevent users from turning their Network subscriptions off in April and then signing up in May for free.  Barrios said they have tools to manage that but it's never a perfect process.

That was it for the call.

EXTREME RULES COVERAGE

You can read Mike’s report by clicking here.

You can read Dave’s blog by clicking here.

You can read Sabih Ahmed’s live report by clicking here.

As expected, due to his injury Daniel Bryan did not wrestle on the Extreme Rules PPV. There was be no Intercontinental Title match. Instead, Bad News Barrett will wrestle Neville on the pre-show.

PAYBACK MATCHES ANNOUNCED

The WWE Payback PPV will be headlined by WWE World Heavyweight champion Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton.

Also announced for the show, which will take place on Sunday 5/17 in Baltimore, Maryland is WWE United States champion John Cena vs. Rusev in an I Quit Match.

STEPH ON JERICHO REPORT

Welcome to PWInsider.com's coverage of Chris Jericho Live! with Stephanie McMahon on the WWE Network. I am starting ten minutes behind as I was coming back from seeing the new Avengers movie and got caught up. Sorry!

Jericho welcome everyone and said he was here with his old "nemesis" and they played it up as if they didn't like each other and laughed. Jericho said that fans always want the hard-hitting questions, so he's going to start out by noting Stephanie just came from the WWE company staff party and asked why he's never been invited. She said Jericho obviously would be invited because he's Jericho.

Jericho said that he imagined Vince walking around serving food and Stephanie said he doesn't do that, but they do take photos with the employees who are celebrating anniversaries. They noted the producer of the show just celebrated 20 years with the company. Jericho joked about how he thought there would be a Christmas bonus and instead WWE sent everyone a plastic "hardcore" Santa. I bet a bunch of those will pop up on Ebay now.

Jericho asked how many people WWE employees these days. Stephanie said that currently it's 800. Jericho noted she was just in China for two weeks and asked her what her role was. She said she was in Singapore and then Shanghai and Beijing. Stephanie said she was there not just representing WWE but also for the Eisenhower Fellowship she was awarded. She talked about having to go and defend WWE during the process where she was being "interrogated" for the award. She broke down the process of having to serve the Fellowship. She explained the Fellowship was created when Eisenhower wanted something that could help change the world as opposed to a statue or something in his hoachienor.

Jericho said it was wild that she had to defend the company. Stephanie said that is part of her role in the company now and ran down all the achievements the company has had and that her father put PPV on the map with Wrestlemania.

Jericho asked what it's like to have her father as her boss. She said it's very challenging, especially since her father is Vince McMahon. She said everyone's dad has quirks and with her dad, she has to work super hard because he's driven and that makes her work so much more. They noted Vince was standing there off-camera giving them the finger. Stephanie cracked up. She said the bar of expectation is set very high. She noted Vince grew up living in a trailer and fought for everything he had and Vince wants her to fight and earn it every step of the day.

Stephanie said that she's made mistakes and that's the worst feeling, especially when he's disappointed because he's so emotional - especially he's also her dad. She noted that as a performer, he made her re-shoot things. There was a segment where she and Shane McMahon were sent back out at a TV Taping in Boston to re-shoot a segment during the time period where she "owned" ECW in the storylines. Steph said that making it worse was that it was the Boston crowd, saying, "They knew" what was going on and can be "so unforgiving." She said it was an awesome lesson to be learned but when she came back out there, she had the weight of the world on her because she didn't want to let fans or anyone else down. Vince warned her, "You can't let this effect the rest of your performance." Jericho noted that he's had to do it a few times and you always feel like a loser doing it. She agreed.

Jericho noted that on screen, she is just like Vince right down to the facial expressions. Stephanie said that Shane McMahon calls her the "Vincess." She said that she's been around him so much and studied him so much, but there's no one like him. She said that to be compared to him is a huge honor.

Jericho said when she started, it was almost like a deer in headlights. He said that she was basically tossed on TV but over time, evolved and improved. He compared it to Vickie Guerrero's evolution. Stephanie said that life teaches you a lot of lessons and that's a mom now and has had corporate experiences and you draw from experiences and from people you encounter in life.

Jericho asked if it was an interesting dichotomy doing her evil character and then working behind the scenes as an ambassador for the company and asked if people get it mixed up. She said it's a great question and uses that as an example during the B. A. Star rallies, noting that she's playing a bully on the WWE shows and talked about how important those rallies were for you.

Jericho talked about Bret Hart's experiences growing up. Jericho asked her if her life was that way with wrestlers in and out of the house. She said that there were guys there and it just was what she grew up with. She told a story of Hulk Hogan and Mr. T. coming over for dinner and how her mother, who hates liver, was almost nauseated while making it for T. She then told a pretty awesome T story about how she wanted his autograph and then he went off signing just about everything. She said that even thought she was little, she knew it was funny. Then, when he went into the Hall of Fame, her kids ended up with 15 things signed each.

Stephanie was then asked about her first memories of her first live WWF event. She told a story about being young (3-6 years range) and being at a show in the Philadelphia Spectrum and seeing George Steele backstage, completely in character and being so scared, she hid behind her father, who laughed. Knowing her dad would defend her, she was surprised that Vince was laughing and then realized her dad was laughing about how bad Steele felt that she was scared and Steele tried to talk to her to make her feel better.

Jericho asked her favorites as a kid. The Killer Bees and Tito Santana, but she gravitated more towards the heels and didn't root for Hulk Hogan. Jericho told a story about how his grandmother hated Jesse Ventura, so while he thought Jesse was the coolest thing on the show, he "hated" him too.

Stephanie was asked about the relationship she had with Andre the Giant. Stephanie said they had a bond. She relayed a story that her mother tells. Stephanie was out there playing and Andre showed up and the Nanny got scared. Andre walked up and with one hand, lifted her up and she kissed him on the cheek. She said that she saw people treating Andre differently because he was Andre and after she said that to him, they had a bond. She noted that she didn't like the way people treated others differently when she was young and had experiences where people treated her a certain way because she was Vince McMahon's daughter. Her dad taught her an important lesson in that not everyone is going to like her but she has to look herself in the mirror and be a good person.

Jericho asked if she and Shane McMahon wrestled at home. She said that Shane was seven years older, so she was in every wrestling hold ever. She told the story about them tossing each other back and forth onto couches and once she missed and hit a glass door. Her dad came running in and she popped up yelling that she was OK.

Stephanie was asked about crushes growing up. She said she was in love with Bo Duke. OK, my new goal is to interview Stephanie ONLY about the Dukes of Hazzard. She told a story about being devastated about seeing John Schneider kiss Barbara Mandrell on a Christmas special. Jericho said that the show was great when you were young but it was awful. Stephanie agreed but said she loves the Dukes of Hazzard. This is the last thing I ever expected them to talk about and I popped huge, because it was so random.

Jericho asked her about starting to work for the company. She said she always wanted to work for WWE, which surprised her dad. She started as a teenager answering the phones and said she knew everyone by their office extensions and had a phone relationship with them but when they would walk past her in the lobby, she didn't know who they were by face unless they clued her in.

She told a story of a fan calling in upset because Bobby Heenan had said on TV that there was no such thing on Santa Claus. I distinctly remember this on Primetime Wrestling and being shocked they actually said that. The angle, if you care, led to Roddy Piper, who was hosting the show with Gorilla Monsoon, tracking down Heenan (in his "own" studio and slapping him around). A mother called angry about how her best friend's kids had seen Heenan "lie" about it and it caused all sorts of problems. Stephanie said she was couching the woman on how to fix things and by the summer, she received flowers from the woman.

Stephanie began interning in different areas of the company. Every summer, her dad required her to have a job so she could learn the value of a dollar. She worked in marketing and talked about when she worked on the old AOL WWF area and would go into the chats and talk to fans, only to have some of them figure it out. She said that she had no idea but WWE fans just find things out, "they are amazing." Stephanie said she worked in HR and joked she could run a Xerox machine like no one else and now they don't even exist anymore.

In college, she was a production assistant and helped make different promo reels and recalled making a Summerslam Sweepstakes spot. She said working with editors on that was very cool. After college, she spent three months in her mother's office taking notes during every business related call so she could ask her mother questions and learn. Then she spent six months in her father's office, "and it was Oh My God, this is the coolest job." Her dad was more of an in the moment sort of teacher. She said it was an amazing and unique opportunity, then went into the sales office and then started on TV.

Jericho said that his daughters are a few years away from dating age but he knows that if his daughters brought him home, he would say absolutely not, no wrestlers. He asked Stephanie if Vince ever forbid her from dating wrestlers. Stephanie said, "Oh yeah. Absolutely. Forbidden. Are you kidding me? So bad for business, potentially." She said that's why it was so shocking she dated HHH.

Jericho asked her about her father's reaction to that. Stephanie said that she feels Vince sort of put them together. Jericho joked that the master manipulator strikes again. Steph said, "Yes, he does." He would say things like Steph needs a guy like HHH but then Shane would say, but not HHH and Vince would say, No not him. So, in a way, he sort of suggested it.

Once they got together, Vince "sort of took away that blessing" and "we weren't allowed to see each other anymore." She said she was forbidden to see HHH. Jericho asked about Hunter reacted to that. She said that at the time, he wasn't sure about the risk that he was taking with his own career by dating her and whether it was worth it, because it would all be on him. Stephanie said she feels Hunter was seriously questioning the decision. She said it could have been his career. She'd like to think that wasn't the case, but it was the boss' daughter. She said their time apart was good for them. They tried to let it go but couldn't and got back together a year later. She said that it was her decision and there were some bumps and rocks. She questioned to her mother whether she was ready to move forward with the relationship because there were some past things. Her mother told her that if she wanted to proceed, she could "never" bring up the past with him again. She said that at that point, she and Hunter were two older, educated adults making an educated decision and that's what they did and they moved forward.

Jericho asked the reaction at the time and whether there was locker room backlash. Stephanie said almost all of that was focused on Hunter and that there were agents at the time going to Vince McMahon raising their concerns about this and what HHH's intentions really were. She said some of that was hurtful to Hunter at the time.

They moved onto discussing her on-air persona. She said she has no problem with making fun of herself and she's a clumsy, goofball in real life, so she's cool with it. Jericho said Stephanie got him to the next level with her interactions with him. He told the story of mistaking her on the air for one of Godfather's Ho from behind which led to their regular interactions. She said she was touched he feels that way and said that she feels her role as a character is to try and help someone else get over when she is able to do so. They talked about some of their interactions on the air.

They then told a story about Vince liking Apes and wanting them on the show, so creative got them some ape suits around the time the Planet of the Apes film came out and them putting together a silly segment which led to the Apes bringing a cake out and the cake going in Steph's face.

Jericho then told a story about a Chicago segment after McMahon got her breast enhancement. Steph said that at the time, it was obvious, so how could you not go there? The Rock came out and then when it came time to the Rock's cut-off line, Rock still said mother-F***er when she was supposed to cut him off at mother. Jericho said that he remembers going backstage and Vince McMahon just losing it and yelling at The Rock over it.

She said she got the enhancement because she was heavier and had lost weight and didn't look the same and didn't feel confident. Jericho said he remembers that people couldn't believe he went there.

Jericho then told a story about wanting to say that "Stephanie lost her flower a long time ago" after HHH would say that she was his little flower. He had to go to Vince to get the line approved and Vince sat there and thought and said, "OK, but after the line, pause so it can get the maximum effect." Stephanie laughed and said, "Thanks Dad."

Jericho said he heard a story before he came to the company that Stephanie was going to be the one who would take the company over, not Shane McMahon. He asked her if it's hard that Shane isn't in the company anymore. Stephanie said, "Of course it is. Shane is my big brother, right?" She said Shane was her protector and best friend growing up. She said WWE is a business and passion that they shared. She said there were other things he wanted to do and made a decision and she supports it. She misses him in the company and says that there is nothing more fun than working with him and "Boy, does he deliver." She said that she still has a good relationship with him and will see him on Mother's Day. She said that maybe he'll come back one day.

Stephanie noted that her mother has retired from the business as well. She said slapping her mother was one of the hardest things she ever had to do. The other was kissing Eric Bischoff. She told the story of almost throwing up for slapping her mother but her mother was on an adrenaline high. When her mother got to hit her back, she stiffed Stephanie. Jericho said Stephanie's slaps were the hardest ever. She said that the boys all told her to lay it in.

Stephanie said that the hardest she ever hit someone was Rock at Wrestlemania and she said the energy level was up and she felt so bad after. Jericho recaps the angle and asked about the background of the Ronda Rousey angle. Stephanie said that she doesn't know what the plan will be going forward because she doesn't know if Ronda will be back. Stephanie said she was a huge Rousey fan and she is a woman drawing main event money for UFC. She said Rousey is inspiring and she wants her own daughters to look up to someone like Rousey. Stephanie said Rousey is a legitimate bad-ass and could have broken her arm in a second. Stephanie said the crowd was into it and chanting for Ronda because she ever hopped the rail.

Jericho brought up the idea of Stephanie McMahon vs. Ronda Rousey. She said that she would be lying if she said she hadn't thought about it but she can't say it's the plan. Jericho noted that Dana White said he wouldn't let Rousey do a match but suggested that if someone asked Ronda, her reaction might be different. Stephanie said you never say never but she doesn't know.

Jericho asked whether the type of personality and attitude Ronda brings and the fact that Steph wants women that can inspire her own children could lead to changes in how the Divas are portrayed. She said that she hopes so and talked about the #GiveDivasAChance campaign online and how she's pushing every day for the women to be given more time. They talked about how amazing the WWE NXT Divas are and that they hope it can translate to the main roster. Jericho suggested perhaps using Smackdown to test it.

They talked about Stephanie performing and feeding off the energy of the crowd. Steph said it's the thing she loves to do the most in the world and says the audience wants her to be the most evil, obnoxious person in the world when she's out there.

Jericho talked about the final farewell angle with Vickie Guerrero. She said it was different puddings that were mixed with bare feet and Hershey's syrup. Stephanie noted that she got an infection in the eye from the pudding. He asked her about Guerrero's exit. Stephanie said that she was sad to see her go, partially because she saw her as an extension of Eddie Guerrero. She was happy that Vickie got to be the first person to "get her" since Stephanie returned. Steph said she has goosebumps thinking about it.

Jericho asked about whether it's hard to be around HHH all the time. She said that actually they aren't. They are together at Raw but then she goes home and he stays on the road for TV then goes to Florida for NXT. Then, they have different roles in the office so they aren't together and the hardest problem is trying to get time with him and then they talk too much about wrestling. She said she's trying to get them to put the phones away so they have time together.

Stephanie's oldest daughter, who is 8, already wants to be a Diva and has trained with Natalya.

Stephanie said her favorite moment and match was the Summerslam 2014 with Brie Bella because it was the first time in 11 years she had wrestled. She said to have a match at the PPV that was one of the best matches on the show after closing Raw several times was amazing, especially having her daughters in the crowd. She said that was one of her favorite moments and noted that if her kids get into the business, they will be fifth generation.

I thought this was a great conversation and a far better installment then the Cena conversation last month.

HULK HOGAN SAYS HE'S WRESTLING AT WRESTLEMANIA 32

During a press conference for this August's WWE tour of Australia, WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan claims he stopped Vince McMahon at a WWE show and told the WWE head that he would be wrestling at Wrestlemania 32.

Hogan stated that he told McMahon that he would be on the show wrestling whether that meant a farewell match or whether that meant he was winning his next WWE title. Hogan said Vince shook his hand and said, "I look forward to it."

Hogan last competed at a Wrestlemania, as irony has it, against Vince McMahon at Wrestlemania 19. He last wrestled at the 2011 TNA Bound for Glory PPV.

For the entire conference, click below:

WWE LOSES A VALUABLE ALLY FROM ESPN

After being banned from attending last night’s Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao by Mayweather’s camp due to covering the allegations of domestic abuse against Floyd, ESPN and HBO’s Michelle Beadle tweeted the following last night:

”I’ve loved @WWE for a long time. But @TripleH and his love for a serial abuser is too much. I'm turning in my fan card. #WasFunWhileItLasted”.

When she was asked if it was about “credentials” she responded, “No. They've given me great seats to amazing events over the years. I'm grateful. But I'm also done now. “

Beadle's tweet was in response to a tweet that H, a good friend of Mayweather, sent out after the fight: ".@FloydMayweather WOW..... Just WOW. Masterful !!!!! #TMT #TBE #48and0
Congratulations".

Beadle has attended many WWE events over the years and hosted Brock Lesnar’s “decision” broadcast, where the then champion announced he was staying with WWE, for ESPN back in March. She was also involved in a backstage flap a few years ago where she made a remark to CM Punk that AJ Lee took offense to, leading to an altercation between the women.

TOP MATCHES FOR WWE NXT TAKEOVER NEXT MONTH

Officially announced for the 5/20 WWE NXT Takeover special on the WWE Network:

*WWE NXT champion Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn.

*WWE Divas champion Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch.

*Hideo Itami vs. Tyler Breeze vs. Finn Balor to determine the new top contender for the NXT title.

DANIEL BRYAN UPDATE

Daniel Bryan has been pulled from all upcoming WWE advertising, both for TV Tapings and live events.

PWInsider.com reported last week that the expectation was that Bryan would be out at least a month following an injury in Dublin, Ireland during the last European tour.

WWE made the call on Friday not to bring Bryan to the Extreme Rules PPV, we are told.

BOOKER T APOLOGIZES FOR RAW COMMENT

Booker T issued the following apology following Raw:

During Neville vs. Luke Harper, JBL commented that Neville could become the first "high-flying" King of the Ring, then added, "Of course Owen [Hart] was a high-flyer, but not like this." Booker T then responded, "He couldn't defy gravity."

The line was obviously meant as a play on Neville's nickname of the "Man That Gravity Forgot", but given the nature of Owen Hart's death in May 1999 where he fell from the rafters during a WWE PPV broadcast, it created an unintended double-meaning. It was obviously a line Booker improvised to push Neville, not to mock or offend Hart's legacy - and that unfortunately, due to Raw being broadcast live, made it on the air.

MORE DETAILS ON NEXT WEEK'S WWE DOCUMENTARY ON ESPN

ESPN will debut their new documentary on WWE's talent creation and the NXT brand, "WWE: Behind-The-Curtain" on Tuesday 5/5 at 8 PM EST.

Promotional material for the documentary released by the cable network to PWInsider reads:

E:60 Pictures presents WWE: Behind-The-Curtain, a new one-hour documentary film featuring unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to Vince McMahon's billion-dollar global empire. The show will follow three amateur wrestlers on their grueling, high-stakes climb with dreams of making it to the big show, complemented by candid interviews with WWE President Vince McMahon, his Executive Vice President of Talent Development, Paul Levesque (or 'Triple H') as well as former WWE talents Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock – Dwayne Johnson, and Hulk Hogan. The result is an inside look into what is perhaps the greatest spectacle in sports entertainment – with its extravagant productions, flagrant drama, and sold-out arenas.

With flagship show Monday Night RAW drawing four million viewers per week, storied WWE owner and CEO Vince McMahon reveals the reason behind the brand's success: “Talent is the only natural resource we have, without it we have nothing. There's no product. There's no shows. There's no anything."

For decades, McMahon and WWE have created some of the most iconic characters in pop culture -- Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, Ultimate Warrior, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Rock and John Cena.

But before they become household names, WWE characters are carefully developed in a minor league system, NXT - led by WWE icon and current Executive Vice President of Talent Development, Paul Levesque, aka, "Triple H". It is a backstage world no one has ever had access to – until now.

TOO HOT FOR TV? JERRY SPRINGER PRESIDES OVER NEWEST WWE NETWORK SERIES, REFLECTS ON SIMILARITIES & DIFFERENCES OF HIS OWN SHOW TO WWE PROGRAMMING, OUR FASCINATION WITH DYSFUNCTION AND MORE

Jerry Springer hosts WWE TOO HOT FOR TV, debuting tonight on the WWE Network.
Image courtesy of WWE.

Loud characters throttling towards each other, each hell-bent on the destruction of the other, being held apart from ripping each other limb from limb by security as verbal jabs and promises of physical pain are expressed?  The latest episode of Monday Night Raw?  Not quite. 

More like your average episode of the seemingly-eternal "Jerry Springer Show."

For twenty-five years, the now 71-year old former Mayor of Cincinnati has been the centerpiece of his own talk show, one that at times, has been as strange and tumultuous as any riotous situation created in the ever-zany world of professional wrestling.  So, hosting a new series for WWE, "Too Hot For TV", might not only be old hat for Spring, but perhaps, it might be a tad bit safer.

"The WWE is a natural fit, certainly for what we do on ["The Jerry Spinger Show]", said Springer during a phone interview this past Friday.  "It's just that in WWE, they are bigger, stronger, faster and better looking, but otherwise, it's the same show.  When they asked me to host the show and show clips from their vault of 20-30 years, they have so much material.  To be able to show clips of their 'finest moments' and then joke around about them, it's so natural an idea.  The only question is, 'how come we didn't do this sooner?' "

WWE Too Hot for TV debuts tonight via VOD following the conclusion of Monday Night Raw on the USA Network.  The series is WWE's first attempt to use a mainstream name as an anchor for regular programming on the Over the Top Network.  While everyone from Hugh Jackman to Bob Barker to the Muppets have appeared as guest stars on WWE programming, Springer will be the full-time host for this series, which will dive into the company's massive video library to review some great and not so great material that has amazed, entertained and perhaps even embarrassed fans over the years.

"It's like [E! series] 'The Soup' is for talk shows, where they show clips and the guys jokes around about it," Springer explained.  "This will be the same thing.  We'll show clips of great matches and great drama and the outrageousness of the WWE, and I'll joke around about it.  It's the same genre in a sense."

The debut episode of the series is titled "Love Hurts" and will showcase romance over the years in the unique landscape that is WWE storytelling, a world that has seen love triangles involving the "Demon Spawn" of Kane, live "Sex celebrations", The Undertaker attempting to force Stephanie McMahon to marry him in an "unholy ceremony", a wedding reception crashed by a Cobra and all sorts of other lovey-dovey antics you'll never find on The Hallmark Channel.

"I didn't know any of this happened, " Springer noted, pointing out that as a child, he watched names like Haystacks Calhoun, Ricki Starr and The Great Bolo, but keeping up with wrestling while working in television and politics isn't easy. 

"[The debut episode] is about the various romantic efforts that have been made on the show between the wrestlers.  Sometimes it's within the ring.  Sometimes, it's just their private lives or at home and the craziness that came about because of it, the disasters that came about because of attempts at romance...the marriages that fell apart and all the attempts at romance within the lives of these wrestlers.  Some of it is really crazy and that's the theme of the first show."

 Indeed, such antics fall squarely into the Jerry Springer wheel-house.  He sees a great similarities between the drama that takes place on WWE's weekly programming and his own series, noting that the only major difference is that for his shows, the audience has a "clean slate" and don't know the guests they are going to meet and watch (Springer claims he isn't allowed to and the trademark cards that he holds on the air are his guide to the guests he is about to interview) while with WWE, the characters and stories are something the audience is already intimately aware of and invested in. 

Beyond that, however, what are the differences in the two long-running television entities?  Are there similar challenges in keeping the franchises viable as technology and television marketplace continue to evolve?

"Well, what Vince McMahon does is a little different and in a sense, perhaps a little more difficult, " Springer intoned.  "He and his producers have to create, they have to come up with the drama and what the stories are going to be, in a sense.  On my show, we don't come up with the stories.  The people who call us come in with the stories - it's their lives.  So, in my show, it's just providing the platform and have it come across within one hour, but we don't have to come up with the storylines.   So, to that extent, to what [Vince] does, is probably more difficult."

At the heart of all that drama is dysfunction, the type of over the top, dysfunctional situations that not only results in someone having the unique life experience of appearing on "The Jerry Springer Show" but also in having many viewers being attracted to the "car crash" as they watch.  So why do we, as passengers on the highway of life, never fail to stop and rubberneck at the situations of others?

"That's human history.  We are social beings," Springer said.  "A couple of thousand years ago, it was the same thing.  We just didn't have television.  Back then, people would gather in the marketplace or gather in a town square and they would talk among themselves about what was happening in their neighborhood and if someone did something weird or crazy, that would be what they would be talking about.  'Oh, did you hear what so-and-so did?  Isn't that unbelievable?'  So, that conversation has taken place throughout history, in literature, it's in the Bible.  There's never, ever been anything, for example, on a talk show, that you can't find someone in The Bible, of Shakespeare, or great literature.   It's only the technology that has changed and we are social beings.  We are fascinated in how other people live and relating it to our own lives.   That's human nature and if we had television 2,000 years ago, we'd have had the same shows."

Looking at some of the WWE's own twisted romances, was there anyone that he came across that he would have wanted to get on his own show to probe the situation deeper?

"There's nothing deep going on at our show," Springer joked, before noting that anyone could be a guest.   "Everyone in their own family has at least one story - and I don't mean scandalous - that if the rest of the world knew about, they'd be scratching their heads and going, 'Oh my Gosh?'  Everyone has an Uncle Bob or whatever in their family, sure."

Springer noted it's just a matter of finding someone who's willing to share their privacy on television, although today, people are more than willing to share via social media, which will end up being a social media experiment of it's own for future generations.

"Just look at Facebook and Instagrams.  What are kids today not sharing?", Springer pointed out.  "It's everybody's worry and should be.  We will see.  This generation will grow up learning the consequences of it, so the next generation will probably be more circumspect in terms of what they share."

As "Too Hot for TV" debuts tonight on the WWE Network, one has to wonder if Springer is looking forward toc making a third appearance on Raw after his last one led to Springer being legitimately carted out of the Arena on a stretcher after getting injured as The Bella Twins, trying to tear at each other, rolled over him and indeed, caused him to roll his ankle:

Is he looking for a triumphant comeback?

"I'm in training now," jokes Springer, obviously in a tone that reveals the last thing he wants is to be stretchered out of an Arena again.  Some things, indeed, may be too hot for even Jerry Springer.

WWE Too Hot for TV can be seen on the WWE Network, which is free for new subscribers signing up until the end of April.

Mike Johnson can be reached at MikeJohnsonPWInsider.com@gmail.com and followed @MikePWInsider.

WWE 2K15 RELEASED FOR PC

2K Sports issued the following:

WWE 2K Makes Franchise Debut on Windows PC with WWE® 2K15
 
Inaugural release extends flagship WWE video games to PC platform, including feature-rich, simulation-based gameplay, fan-favorite modes and notable roster
 
Extensive offering of free downloadable content scheduled for release in spring 2015
 

• Full Game;
• Access to two playable Sting characters: the mysterious, ghost-like persona with black and white face paint, as well as his earlier look featuring bright colors and a blond, flattop hairstyle;
• Access to two playable Hulk Hogan® characters: Hulk Hogan and “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan.

• WCW Pack
  • Playable WCW Superstars: Bam Bam Bigelow, Diamond Dallas Page, Fit Finlay, Lord Steven Regal and Lex Luger;
• NXT® ArRIVAL Pack
  • Playable Former WWE Champion, NXT General Manager and Monday Night Raw announcer: JBL®;
  • Playable NXT Superstars: Adam Rose™ and The Ascension™ (Konnor™ and Viktor™);
  • Playable NXT Diva: Emma™;
• New Moves Pack
  • More than 30 new moves, including an alternate version of Sister Abigail (made popular by Bray Wyatt™), the Gutwrench Suplex (made popular by Cesaro™), Rack Attack (made popular by Nikki Bella™) and Running Knee Smash (made popular by Brie Bella™), as well as the Uso Crazy and Spinning Powerbomb (made popular by Jimmy Uso® and Jey Uso®);
• Accelerator
  • Instant access to all unlockable content available in the game;
• 2K Showcase: One More Match
  • Story focused on the rivalry between WWE Superstars Randy Orton® and Christian® in 2011;
  • Playable WWE Superstars (2011 versions): Christian, Randy Orton, Edge®, Mark Henry® and Sheamus®;
  • Playable arenas from 2011: SmackDown®, Extreme Rules®, Over the Limit® and Capitol Punishment™;
• 2K Showcase: Hall of Pain
  • Playable WWE Superstars (2011 versions): Mark Henry, Big Show®, Kane®, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, Sheamus, The Great Khali®, Randy Orton, Daniel Bryan® and Ryback®;
  • Playable arenas: SmackDown (2011), Vengeance® (2011) and WrestleMania® 29;
• 2K Showcase: Path of the Warrior
  • Story focused on the career of WWE Hall of Famer Ultimate Warrior;
  • Playable WWE Hall of Famers: Ultimate Warrior (1989-1996), Hulk Hogan (1990), Andre the Giant (1988), Sgt. Slaughter (1991) and “Macho Man” Randy Savage (1991);
  • Playable WWE Legends: Honky Tonk Man (1988), Rick Rude (1990) and Colonel Mustafa (1991);
  • Playable WWE Superstars: Undertaker (1991) and Hunter Hearst Helmsley (1996);
  • Access to WWE Hall of Fame ring announcer Howard Finkel and WWE managers Jimmy Hart, Bobby Heenan, Paul Bearer, Sherri, Sid Justice and General Adnan;
  • Playable arenas: WrestleMania VI, VII and XII; SummerSlam (1988, 1990 and 1991); Saturday Night’s Main Event® XXIV and Madison Square Garden.

VIDEOS

WWE Canvas 2 Canvas-Canvas 2 Canvas Goes Extreme

WWE Canvas 2 Canvas-Booker T Spins Onto The Canvas

4/26/15 WWE Fury-22 Leaps Of Faith You Won't Believe

4/26/15-New Day New Champs

Extreme Rules kickoff

Neville's Big Night:  April 26, 2015

Ambrose Back On Track:  April 26, 2015

The Kiss Heard Round The World:  April 26, 2015

Summer Rae And The Miz On The Sam Roberts Show

4/27/15 WWE RAW "Fallout"-Dean Ambrose Forgives Dolph Ziggler

4/27/15 WWE RAW "Fallout"-On To The Next One

4/27/15 WWE RAW "Fallout"-The Imitation Game

4/27/15 WWE RAW "Fallout"-R-Truth Is Feeling Good

4/27/15 WWE RAW "Fallout"-Bad News Barrett Is Fired Up

Help Send Big E To The Prom

3/27/15 Top Ten WWE RAW Moments

NEWS AND NOTES

Vice.com has a very good piece on Sara del Rey and her role as a WWE trainer at this link.

McFarlane Toys are having a 50% off sale on their statues, including Triple H at this link.

WWE has released a "Kliq Rules" t-shirt emblazoned with artwork of the hand symbol for the group, which of course The Bullet Club in New Japan has co-opted for themselves.

WWE will release "Monday Night War: Shots Fired" on DVD and Blu-Ray on 7/7.

The Booker T remark that he apologized for has been deleted from Raw replays I am told.

A number of the WWE NXT events on the road in May will go on sale over the next several days. For those who have asked about pre-sale codes, as soon as we learn of them, we will pass them on. The Albany pre-sale is 4/30 and the pre-sale for that is CAPITAL.

The main event advertised for the final WWE event on 5/25 at the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island before the venue is ripped out and renovated is Roman Reigns & John Cena & Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins & Kane & Rusev. The show is a Raw taping.

WWE NXT is running Lakeland, FL this Thursday.

Sheamus needed a few stitches to close a wound suffered last night at the WWE King of the Ring live broadcast.

It's Mick Foley Night on the WWE Network tonight with the debut of his Cheap Pops One Man Show and a special looking at highlights of his career with Renee Young and Byron Saxton hosting.

Steven Fernandes reporting....Adam Copeland has been nominated for a Golden Maple Award in the "Best Actor in a TV Series" Category for his work in "Haven". It is an award show celebrating Canadian talent working on TV shows that are broadcast in the U.S. Winners will be announced July 1st.

This week's WWE Smackdown will feature:

*WWE World Heavyweight champion Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose.
*Damien Sandow vs. Curtis Axel.
*WWE Divas champion Nikki Bella vs. Cameron.
*WWE Tag Team champions The New Day vs. Tyson Kidd and Cesaro.
*Ryback vs. Luke Harper.
*Kane vs. Roman Reigns.

The first episode of WWE Network's "Too Hot for TV" with Jerry Springer is rated TV-14 and is certainly not for children, focusing on a lot of the Attitude era fare, including Mark Henry's dalliances during his "Sexual Chocolate" run.

WWE has announced they are adding a second WWE NXT event in Philadelphia, PA on Friday 5/15 at the Tower Theater.

WWE will announce their first quarter earnings for 2015 this Thursday 4/30.

This week's sit-down interview on the WWE website is Kane to forward storylines at this link.

Hulk Hogan has been added to the WWE Australia tour this summer and will be appearing in the role of General Manager for the tour.

The Daily Mail has a great story about Hulk Hogan visiting sick children at Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital as part of this year's Starlight Day celebrations. You can check it out by clicking here.

The Herald Sun also has a story where Hogan puts over the toughness of Australian Rules footie players. You can check it out by clicking here. Hogan is in Australia promoting WWE’s summer tour.

Here are the three videos that WWE ran on TV this week for the June 23 return of Tough Enough, on The USA Network:

Extreme Rules

Raw

SmackDown

Joey Styles tweeted the following today: “There's always a chance that I'll be at @WWENXT in Philly ;)”

Randy Zellea sent word that he has interviewed former WWE personality Todd Grisham. You can check it out by clicking here.

Stock site Zacks.com liked what they saw in WWE’s first quarter earnings release and has upgraded the stock from Sell to Hold. The stock was down for the week, closing on Friday at $13.50.

Former WWE CEO Linda McMahon has told local press in Connecticut that she is working on a new business venture and will announce details as it gets closer.

The Mirror is reporting that the producers of Celebrity Big Brother want Hulk Hogan to appear on the show, living in the house, this summer. They are doing a US vs. UK theme for the program.

WWE announcer Scott Stanford won a New York Emmy last night for “Outstanding Sports Anchor”. Stanford works for WPIX Channel 11 in New York City.

TMZ has a story on former WWE Tag Team and Light Heavyweight Champion Scotty 2 Hotty obtaining his realtors license and is currently helping WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley try and find a house in Celebration, Florida near Disney World. In the last few years, the master of the worm had enlisted in firefighter and EMT training. Recently, Scotty was in the news earlier this year for his comments following Rikishi's Hall of Fame speech where he did not mention his former running buddies in Too Cool. He also appeared at Mick Foley's stand up special recording a little over a week ago at Full Sail University.

Wrestling DVD News revealed the title for the recently announced Sting WWE documentary coming in late 2015. It will be called “Sting: Into the Light”. The site also reveals that there's one more unannounced home video release rounding out the year.

This Tuesday at 6 PM Eastern on WWE Network, WWE has scheduled a two hour block celebrating Cinco de Mayo hosted by Los Matadores and El Torito. The description reads as follows: "Join Los Matadores and El Torito for a special look at the history of Lucha Libre in the United States in La Celebracion de Cinco de Mayo!"

WWE announced during their first quarter earnings release that they will be extending the offer of a free first month to the WWE Network for the month of May to new subscribers. If you subscribe, you won't be billed until June. Obviously, the company is happy with the number of subscribers who are starting out under the free trial before converting to paid subscribers if they are continuing the offer.

The Sporting News ask Jerry Lawler and Booker T who they think will win Saturday’s Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather fight, here in Las Vegas. You can read their predictions by clicking here

Daniel Bryan will be a doing a meet and greet on June 28th at iPlay America in Freehold, NJ at 11 am. For ticket information, click here.

Tony Spivey sent this link, which tells the story of Ric Flair going to North Korea to work Antonio Inoki back in 1995.

Dixie Carter tweeted that she did a podcast with Steve Austin that will air next Tuesday.

Paige, Randy Orton, Undertaker, Sting and Daniel Bryan are scheduled to appear at The Chicago Wizard World Comic Con Aug 20 - 22.

Aug 20:
4:30 - 8 pm - Randy Orton signing and photo op.
5:30 - 8: 30 pm - Daniel Bryan signing, photo op, and Q and A session.

Aug 21:
3 - 7 pm - Undertaker
3:30 - 7:30 pm - Paige including a Q and A session.

Aug 22:
11 am - 3 pm - Sting, making a rare appearance in face paint.

Tamina Snuka officially returned to action at tonight's WWE event in Syracuse, NY working in Naomi's corner as Naomi wrestled NXT star Charlotte.

Steven Fernandes reporting....WWE.com has a poll asking fans to vote on who the next "Live with Chris Jericho" guest should be. One of the options is Shane McMahon and he is leading the votes at the moment. Meanwhile, on his latest audio podcast, Jericho mentioned that it will be a while before he does another Network podcast. He said people will understand why after he makes the "Big Announcement" that he has been teasing the last few days, most possibly this weekend.

Alex Riley noted on Twitter he is having surgery this Thursday stemming from Kevin Owens powerbombing him on the ring apron on this week's NXT. I believe this is storyline, but I have not 100% confirmed that.

Neville made an appearance earlier this week on The Meredith Viera Show, meeting a fan (who was completely thrilled when he saw Neville). You can watch the episode at this link.

Billy Gunn worked Friday night's WWE NXT event in Tampa, FL as the mystery partner for Finn Balor against Tyler Breeze and NXT champion Kevin Owens. Thanks to Mohammed Zubari.

Syracuse.com featured a piece on Friday night's WWE show at this link.

You can read David Tees’ Raw report by clicking here.

You can read the off air report from Monday by clicking here.

You can read Richard Trionfo's King Of The Ring report by clicking here.

You can read our report from the 5/2 house show in Hamilton, ONT by clicking here.

You can read our report from the 5/2 house show in Halifax, NS by clicking here.

You can read our report from the 5/2 NXT show in Cocoa Beach, FL by clicking here.

You can read Richard Trionfo's Superstars report by clicking here.

You can read Richard Trionfo's NXT report by clicking here.

You can read Richard Trionfo's Main Event report by clicking here.

You can read Richard Trionfo's Smackdown report by clicking here.

The 4/27 edition of Raw did 3,756,000 viewers, down from last week’s 4,038,000 viewers. Usually WWE gets a viewership bump after a PPV but it didn’t happen this week.

The 4/30 edition of Smackdown did 2,338,000 viewers, way down from last week’s 2,642,000 viewers. Raw also noticeably down this week.

WWE Studios' "Vendetta" starring Dean Cain and Big Show, will be released theatrically and VOD on 6/12. The film stars Cain as a detective who gets himself sent to prison after being arrested in order to try and get revenge on the man who murdered his wife, only to uncover an illegal criminal operation inside. Show plays a convict in the prison. The tag line for the film is, "Get Ready for Hell in A Cell."

Paul Jordan sent the following:

Girls Make Games, an organization that encourages young girls to get into game development , announced that former WWE Divas Champion AJ Lee is sponsoring a $1500 scholarship to a camp in the Chicago area.

We’re THRILLED to announce an amazing collaboration with the wonderful AJ Lee of WWE fame. AJ is a champion both in and out of the ring, fighting to bring more girls into STEM fields. An avid gamer herself, AJ’s career-long pursuit of empowering girls to be themselves makes her the perfect partner for GMG. We’re proud to team up with her to announce the #‎AJLee Scholarship Contest!

To participate, simply send along a one minute video of a game design concept that you would like to bring to life at camp. Be sure to submit your videos no later than May 15th to ajscholar@girlsmakegames.com

more information, please see below:

Winner gets to attend the Chicago, IL camp free of charge! ($1500 value sponsored by AJ Lee)

Open to girls ages 11-14. who wish to attend the GMG Chicago 2015 summer camp.

Multiple entries are A-OK

Scholarship is non-transferable.

TNA

BILLY CORGAN JOINS TNA CREATIVE

Smashing Pumpkins lead singer Billy Corgan has signed on with TNA and will be working for the company in their creative end, according to Variety.

Corgan, who at one point was the lead creative for Chicago-area independent Resistance Pro, will have the title of "Senior Producer of Creative and Talent development."

PWInsider.com broke the news that Corgan was in Nashville, TN for meetings at the TNA offices several weeks back.

Corgan has long flirted with professional wrestling, dating back to appearances in the original Extreme Championship Wrestling, which later led to Paul Heyman offering to sell Corgan a piece of the company. Corgan had been very involved in Resistance Pro until leaving last year. At one point, a reality series about Corgan working in pro wrestling with Resistance had been set for cable network AMC until AMC shut down it's reality division.

“There is a tremendous opportunity to go into really fresh, new directions,” Corgan told Variety “There are ways to explore those themes in ways that are productive, create new stars and show that value-based ‘babyfaces’, no matter what their background, no matter where they come from, can draw new audiences and inspire people in new ways."

In the Variety article, TNA President Dixie Carter noted, the company needs to have "a greater depth" to their existing characters. "We want the stories to have a depth and a meaning to someone that is relevant today. Billy can really help that."

TNA has released the following video of Josh Mathews interviewing Corgan about coming on board with the company:

OFFICIAL TNA ANNOUNCEMENT OF BILLY CORGAN JOINING CREATIVE

TNA issued the following:

SMASHING PUMPKINS MASTERMIND AND ROCK INNOVATOR BILLY CORGAN JOINS TNA WRESTLING

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (April 27, 2015) --- TNA Entertainment today announced Billy Corgan, founder of the Smashing Pumpkins and creative icon, is joining TNA Wrestling as Senior Producer, Creative and Talent Development, effective immediately. In this position, Corgan will develop characters and create story lines for TNA’s flagship program IMPACT WRESTLING, broadcast Friday nights at 9/8c on Destination America, as well as other TNA programming.

“I’ve known Billy for years and have always been blown away by his musical artistry, as well as his knowledge and understanding of professional wrestling,” said TNA President Dixie Carter.  “He has always impressed me with his creativity and passion for our business. Billy is truly gifted and understands the emotion tied to the psychology of connecting with an audience. The more we talked, the more I realized his perspective has the potential to make a huge impact on our brand.”

“Saying I’m humbled and honored by this opportunity to be part of TNA, a world-class wrestling organization, is an understatement and a dream come true,” said Corgan. “What’s great is the entire TNA organization stands in full support of my music life with the Smashing Pumpkins. In return, I’m fully committed to using my 30 years of entertainment experience, along with my deep-rooted passion for pro wrestling, to take on the thrilling challenge of creatively contributing to IMPACT WRESTLING, finding and developing new talent, and working eye-to-eye with the best-of-the-best. For as cultures currently evolve at great speed, so must pro wrestling meet and supersede such expectations to thrive.”

Corgan joins a gifted group of creative writers led by TNA Executive Vice President of Television and Talent John Gaburick. In addition to partnering with his creative colleagues in writing compelling and emotionally engaging story lines for TNA programming, Corgan will attend TNA television tapings where he will serve as a senior producer, working with TNA’s roster of world-class athletes including veterans such as TNA World Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle, Jeff Hardy and Gail Kim, as well as a fresh crop of Superstars led by Ethan Carter III, Bram, Rockstar Spud and more.

“As an iconic songwriter and performance artist, Billy stands as a true powerhouse,” said Gaburick. “I also find him to be an ardent historian of professional wrestling and a true visionary. We knew Billy would bring a great viewpoint when we offered, and he graciously accepted, to attend a recent creative summit. During those meetings, Billy’s pioneering perspectives and collaborative approach made it quickly evident we needed to bring him on as a permanent member of our team.”

TNA programming, which features unparalleled professional wrestling entertainment through its innovative high-flying X-Division, the best women’s division on the planet in the TNA Knockouts, and incomparable Tag Team action, is seen by millions of viewers each week in more than 120 countries around the world.

 

# # #

 

About Billy Corgan

Grammy award-winning and multi-platinum artist Billy Corgan is a celebrated creator, illustrious lyricist, distinguished musician and founder of the revered Smashing Pumpkins, who has written and released more than 300 songs, sold more than 31 million albums and later this year will co-headline ‘The End Times’ tour alongside Marilyn Manson, as recently announced on The Howard Stern Show. ‘Monument to An Elegy,’ the Smashing Pumpkins current studio album features ‘Drum + Fife,’ a stirring single calling attention to the issues of war trauma facing America’s servicemen and women, performances of which were featured on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and ABC’s Good Morning America. Corgan has also been featured on VH1’s Rock Icon, a music biography series profiling the most legendary artists in the history of rock music. A wrestling aficionado, in April 2015, Corgan announced a partnership with TNA Wrestling where he serves as a Senior Producer for creative and talent development. For more information, follow Billy on twitter @Billy and visit www.smashingpumpkinsnexus.com .

About TNA Entertainment, LLC

TNA Entertainment, LLC, is a privately held sports entertainment company represented by United Talent Agency and based in Nashville, Tenn., specializing in television properties, events, products, merchandise and music, as well as the management and promotion of professional wrestlers. The roster features such greats as Jeff Hardy, Kurt Angle, MVP, Lashley, Magnus, James Storm, Bobby Roode, Austin Aries, Gail Kim and the lovely and lethal Knockouts, through its highly successful flagship IMPACT WRESTLING weekly broadcast, which airs Fridays at 9/8c on Destination America. The product is the world’s most innovative experience in professional wrestling and is broadcast in more than 120 countries.  For more information, visit www.IMPACTWRESTLING.com or follow @IMPACTWRESTLING on twitter.

About Destination America

Destination America is the only network to celebrate the people, places, and stories of the United States. The inclusive network targeting Adults 25-54 is available in nearly 60 million homes, emblazoning television screens with the grit and tenacity, honesty and work ethic, humor and adventurousness that characterize our nation. Destination America features travel, food, adventure, home, and natural history, with original series like BBQ Pitmasters; A Haunting; Mountain Monsters; Buying Alaska; Buying the Bayou; and Railroad Alaska. For more information, please visit DestinationAmerica.com, facebook.com/DestinationAmerica, or twitter.com/DestAmerica. Destination America is part of Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the world’s #1 pay-tv programmer reaching nearly 3 billion cumulative subscribers in 220 countries and territories.

TOP TNA STAR SUFFERS BROKEN LEG [UPDATED]

TNA President Dixie Carter announced via Twitter that Jeff Hardy suffered a broken leg in a dirt-bike accident today. Hardy is currently one half of the promotion's Tag Team champions with his brother Matt.

For those who have asked, we are told this is not a storyline work and pretty much throws TNA's plans for their next set of TV tapings (which were designed to build to the Slammiversary PPV) out the window as creative will have to be reconfigured.

TNA has released footage of Jeff Hardy's dirt-bike accident:

TNA President Dixie Carter announced Jeff Hardy underwent surgery on 4/29 to repair a broken tibia in his leg suffered during his dirt-bike accident yesterday.

JEFF HARDY UPDATE

Shane Helms issued the following on behalf of OMEGA:

HUGE NEWS!! We've just received word from Jeff Hardy himself, that despite being only a few short days away from having a titanium rod surgically inserted into his leg, Jeff Hardy WILL BE at Chaos in Cameron 2, this Sat. May 2nd!! We here at OMEGALives are quite simply blown away by this act of courage and dedication by Jeff to his fans, his supporters, and the company he helped make famous, OMEGALives. Jeff has agreed to do a special meet and greet to show his continued support for OMEGALives and the extremely loyal fanbase that both he and OMEGALives appreciate so much! This event will indeed be special!! Make no mistake, YOU WILL BE ENTERTAINED!! #‎ThankYouJeff

The show is set for Union Pines High School (1981 Union Church Rd) in Cameron, NC.

For more details, visit omegachampionshipwrestling.com.

TNA ANNOUNCES SLAMMIVERSARY WILL AIR LIVE ON PPV IN JUNE

TNA TO MAKE THE SLAMMIVERSARY PPV AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET

TNA's Bob Ryder just tweeted the following in response to being asked if June's Slammiversary PPV will be available by non traditional methods:

Yes. We will be announcing an "over the top" method of watching. Look for the details in the next few days. https://t.co/9zKdkrRaoI

— Bob Ryder (@brydertna) May 3, 2015

TNA will release full details of their VIP and travel packages for the weekend on Tuesday at 10 AM ET.

VIDEOS

I'm With Spud Wednesday

(Episode 27)

Rockstar Spud, Mandrew And Kenny King Comment On Friday's X-Division Title Match

Interview With Brooke Following Her #1 KO Contendership Win

NEWS AND NOTES

Hector Guerrero, who's worked for TNA for seven years as a Spanish language announcer, announced that he has departed the company and is now available for bookings.

Davey Richards and Angelina Love, who have been dating for some time, publicly announced via social media that they have gotten engaged. Our best wishes to the happy couple.

TNA was thrilled with the mainstream media attention for Billy Corgan signing on with the company.

This week's edition of TNA Greatest Matches will be repeats of episodes devoted to Jeff Hardy and Lockdown 2013.

Billy Corgan noted on Twitter that he's bought the wrestling archives of long-time Chicago wrestling promoter Bob Luce, who passed away in 2007. Luce was the local promoter for the AWA in the 1960s and 1970s for the Windy City. Corgan noted he hopes to make some of the archives available via a book soon.

TNA Impact Wrestling will debut in Romania tonight on the Discovery Channel and will be airing there on Friday and Saturdays every week.

TNA Impact next week is being planned as a live to tape broadcast for the same evening, the first time the company has done that since their debut on Destination America. If anyone is planning to attend any of the TNA tapings next week, we are seeking spoiler reports.

Billy Corgan spoke with Esquire about joining TNA at this link. The Corgan signing was good for TNA in terms of getting mainstream media attention.

The 4/24 edition of Impact did 381,000 viewers, down from last week’s 401,000 viewers. It was the fourth week in a row the viewership for the series has dropped. The replay was also up a little, doing 188,000 viewers, up from last week’s 171,000.  

You can read Stu Carapola's Impact report clicking here.

ROH

OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT ON ROH TV DEBUTING IN DALLAS

Ring of Honor issued the following:

RING OF HONOR WRESTLING TV COMES TO DALLAS, TEXAS

(Baltimore, MD - April 30th, 2015) - Dallas, Texas has a deep wrestling history on professional wrestling that dates back to April of 1959. Ring of Honor Television has now added to that history with our debut on KTXD-TV airing every Saturday at 1pm.

Professional wrestling fans in Dallas grew up with legends like The Von Erich’s, The Fabulous Freebirds, Bruiser Brody, Gino Hernandez, “Gentleman” Chris Adams, Playboy Gary Hart and so many more. Now you get to see the stars and legends of today in ROH World Champion Jay Briscoe, ROH World Television Champion Jay Lethal,  ROH World Tag Team Champions The Addiction, “Mr ROH” Roderick Strong, The Kingdom and so many more.

Do not miss The Best Wrestling on The Planet, Ring of Honor every Saturday afternoon at 1pm on KTXD-TV! 

Where to Watch KTXD-TV

• AT&T: 47
• DirecTV: 47
• Dish: 47
•Charter: 22 / 746 HD
•Time Warner: 24 / 429 HD
•Verizon: 18 / 518 HD

To find out when RING OF HONOR WRESTLING airs in your area click HERE, or become a Ringside Member to watch every Monday by clicking HERE. 


Notes:

Ring of Honor debuted on TV in Dallas, Texas yesterday at 1 PM on KTXD-TV.

You can read Richard Trionfo's ROH TV report by clicking here.

OTHER NEWS

WWE HALL OF FAMER, AWA FOUNDER VERNE GAGNE PASSES AWAY

Former AWA founder and ten time AWA World Heavyweight champion Verne Gagne, who was inducted into the WCW Hall of Fame in 1993 and the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006, passed away earlier today, PWInsider.com has learned. He was 86 years old. His passing was announced by Gene Okerlund on Okerlund's Twitter this evening.

We are awaiting further details but wish to express our deepest condolences to the Gagne family, their friends and obviously Verne's fans.

LOOKING AT THE LIFE & CAREER OF THE LATE VERNE GAGNE

The announcement late Monday night by Gene Okerlund that Laverne "Verne" Gagne, the founder of the American Wrestling Association and a Hall of Famer by any description, had passed away closed the final chapter on the glory era of professional wrestling in Minnesota.  Gagne was 89 at the time of his death and in recent years, had been living in a nursing home due to the effects of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

A High School wrestling and NCAA star, Gagne broke into the business in 1949, one year after competing in the Olympics as a member of the 1948 wrestling team, trained by Tony Stecher and Joe Pazandak.  His timing was perfect as the young, athletic All-American amateur wrestling star made the perfect babyface as pro wrestling was being broadcast on the Dumont Network, which featured live broadcasts from the Northeast.  Gagne was a ready-made star and quickly was headlining in Madison Square Garden.

Gagne was not only a quick success, but given his legitimate looking style in the ring and obvious pedigree in amateur wrestling, he was long pushed as the successor to then-NWA World champion Lou Thesz, but the trigger was never pulled, often blamed on politics, specifically that Thesz didn't want Gagne to be his successor despite all the obvious money that could be made from their natural rivalry and obvious chemistry in the ring.  But, it was not to be and that would have long-lasting ripple effects.

Instead, Gagne was awarded the first United States Heavyweight championship, which was a belt created specifically for him that was defended in the Mid-Western region of the U.S.  The idea was that the belt would allow Gagne to travel and work as a traveling champion similar to Thesz, making a percentage of the live gates in areas he worked due to the credibility of the champion coming into the area.

When longtime Minneapolis Boxing and Wrestling Club promoter Anton Stetcher passed away, control of his territory in the Minnesota area went to his son Dennis and Wally Karbo, who helped promote the territory.  In 1959, Gagne purchased Dennis' shares in the company, which became the parent company for what would eventually become known as the American Wrestling Association.    The National Wrestling Alliance attempted to bring the pair into the fold as official members who would promote the Minnesota area, but Gagne and Karbo, perhaps remembering Thesz' slight on Gagne and refusal to drop the NWA title, instead decided to promote on their own.

Gagne was named the first AWA World champion (the cover story was that then-NWA champion Pat O'Connor had refused to defend it against him) and was the focal point of the promotion.  Now, Gagne not only had the star-power but the title and he could control the shots to boot.  No politics.   He was the boss and in the ensuing years, he and Karbo would expand the AWA to not just run Minneapolis but also Milwaukee, Chicago, and Winnipeg, Canada, among other markets.  Later on, Las Vegas, Denver and a number of other markets would see AWA action as well, but for the lion's share of the AWA's glory era, it was running a big chunk of the Mid-Western United States.

During the 1970s, Gagne not only became the perennial (and multi-time champion) but also one of the most renowned trainers of all time.  Holding court inside a barn that was by all accounts freezing and probably one of the all-time worst conditions to train professional wrestlers in, Gagne created one of the toughest training camps of all time - one that was so tough, Ric Flair tried to quit after he began training there.  Gagne showed up at his house and allegedly threatened to kick his ass if he quit and as the story allegedly goes, Flair was so scared of that, he went back to training.

While Flair was undoubtedly the greatest all-around performer to come out of the camp, the others who did were, in many cases, mind-blowingly awesome and legends as well - Ricky Steamboat, Ken Patera, The Iron Sheik, Bob Backlund, Ole and Gene Anderson and Larry Hennig.  All of Gagne's trainees often had the same traits - they were beyond tough and when it came to the science of pro wrestling and the finesse that it takes to have a great physical match, they excelled at it.

Inside the ring, Gagne had a bevy of classic feuds over the AWA championship.  Always the babyface and armed with his deadly sleeper hold as a finisher, he battled the likes of Ray Stevens, Nick Bockwinkel, The Crusher, The Vachons, Larry Hennig, Fritz Von Erich and many, many others.  He was the local star pro wrestler who was known for giving back to the amateur wrestling clubs in the area, often having local amateurs on the TV show to promote their upcoming events.  A purist to the end, Gagne loved wrestling and what it had brought to his life.  That showed in his creative - the villains were all loud, brutes who in the end, always lost to the better, heroic classically-trained pro wrestlers.

Gagne was also one of the most powerful promoters from the time the AWA launched well into the mid-1980s when the WWF national expansion came along with the advent of cable television.    The territory was liked because the travel was easy (although when it came to the weather, the winters were terrible and very much hated because of the bitter icy cold and snow). 

Gagne even wrote, starred and produced in his own film "The Wrestler", where actor Ed Asner played what was obviously a version of Verne in promoter Frank Bass, who was dealing with his own champion Mike Bullard (played by Gagne) preparing to face off his an upstart challenger (played by the late Billy Robinson) at the same time local mobsters are trying to force him to throw matches so they can make money gambling.  The entire script is obviously Gagne's voice and featured an angry rant by Asner's Bass towards newspaper reporters who won't take pro wrestling seriously, not even after a wrestler is killed in the ring.  Legend has it that other promoters were sold a piece of the film in advance to help finance the production and lost a fortune when it was a bomb, although the film, shot for $400,000 is also alleged to have made several million in some media reports.  Today, it's an interesting slice of 70s wrestling history with everyone from Vince McMahon Sr. to Lord James Blears making appearances, a bar fight with Dusty Rhodes and Dick Murdoch kicking ass and the mobsters getting theirs from no less of authorities then the Crusher and The Bruiser.  On a personal note, I love the film so much that I have it's theatrical poster hanging in my office.  It's a very unique love letter to the business from Gagne and well worth checking out if you want to see something pretty well, different.

Gagne announced his first retirement in 1981 and in an ironic twist given the issues with Lou Thesz, never lost the AWA World title.  Nick Bockwinkel was named the champion.  While Gagne would never hold the belt again, he would end up with a record ten reigns and held the belt well over 4,000 days.  Like most wrestling retirements, Gagne's didn't stick and he would become involved in the ring at different times, often to kick the hell out of an evil manager as a big blow-off stipulation.

The AWA continued to be a strong promotion through the mid-1980s.  While WWF would have one believe that Hulkamania started there, the reality was that Hulkamania started with Rocky III, the Sylvester Stallone film that featured Hogan as Thunderlips.  According to stories Hogan has told over the years, Vince McMahon Sr. refused to give him time off to make the film, so Hogan quit and went and made it, then went to the AWA.  When the film came out, it was a huge sensation and suddenly, so was Hogan, who was the super-babyface chasing then-AWA World champion Bockwinkel, managed by Bobby Heenan.

The promotion teased a number of times that Hogan was about to win the belt, or that he had and the decision was reversed.   Perhaps Gagne was trying to delay the inevitable to get a bigger house when it finally happened, but at the same time, a lot of factors began working against him, factors that would eventually cripple and destroy the promotion. 

For one, Hogan and Gagne were butting heads over money, especially money Hogan was making on t-shirts and New Japan tours.  One version is Gagne wanted his cut of the tours, feeling Hogan got them because of his work in the AWA.  Another is that Gagne was selling shirts and not giving Hogan his cut. 

Around the same time period, Vince McMahon Jr. called Hogan and pitched the idea of Hogan being the centerpiece of his WWF expansion.  Hogan, frustrated with Gagne, was gone without notice.  That was the first stake in the AWA's heart.  Hogan being gone didn't stop the AWA from advertising he would be appearing at events he was scheduled for - and of course he didn't appear.  That was stake number two as now fans had been baited and switched. 

The third stake was the WWF's national expansion as Vince McMahon tried to buy the AWA out.  Verne balked, likely believing, as many did, that McMahon was full of it and would never succeed.  So, Vince hired everyone he could from Jesse Ventura to Hogan to Bobby Heenan and all of them, except Heenan, left without notice.  Some did because of unhappiness over pay.  Some claimed they were told to do so. Either way, it was crippling to the AWA, which was never again the powerhouse it once was.  It was around this time that Gagne, according to The Iron Sheik, offered Sheik a big payday to break Hogan's leg in the bout where Hogan won the WWF title.  Although Gagne was his original trainer, Sheik remained loyal to McMahon.

Gagne continued on, even getting a cable slot on ESPN.  Based on stories that have been told, Gagne didn't seem to realize how technology was changing before his eyes and according to former AWA announcer Larry Nelson's book Stranglehold, Gagne would ask him how the show looked and was, because Verne didn't have cable where he lived.  While the AWA maintained a weekly show locally and on ESPN as well as live specials on the cable network (imagine if someone had THAT today), the WWF was growing stronger by the week, with better production values, the AWA's old stars and the biggest star period, Hulk Hogan.  It was likely a matter of time. 

I've seen some blame the heavy push Verne's son Greg Gagne received as one of the causes of the company's issues, but I don't believe that to be the case - Greg was certainly a draw as one half of the High-Flyers tag team with Jim Brunzell but even if he didn't click with the masses as a singles star, it really didn't matter who was in that position.  Similar to TNA today - there were bigger issues in the AWA that needed to be addressed and Gagne wasn't able to step into the future (or hire someone with that foresight) in order to compete with the WWF.

That said, the AWA was able to stave off the bleeding, at least in the beginning, due to the rise of The Road Warriors, who at the time were the biggest stars in wrestling outside of Hulk Hogan or Ric Flair and were legitimate drawing cards for the company.  In an attempt to cut McMahon off at the pass, a number of other promoters including Gagne and Jim Crockett of the NWA and others formed Pro Wrestling USA, with the idea being they would share talent and tape TV together and create a super-promotion to ward off McMahon and erode his troupe's popularity.  As you might imagine, it didn't last long.

There were bright spots over the last few years of the promotion.  They had a toy line and a VHS tape series deal, although the success of those paled in comparison to the success of what WWF had produced.  The AWA provided the first national exposure for the Midnight Rockers, Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty.  Curt Hennig, the soon to be Mr. Perfect, was an excellent AWA World champion after defeating Nick Bockwinkel.  Larry Zbsyzko had his World title runs.  Lots of other names who went on to become huge stars in the business including Scott Norton, Paul Heyman, Diamond Dallas Page, Kevin "Nailz" Walcholz, Madusa, The Patriot (at the time, The Trooper) and even Eric Bischoff, who came to the AWA seeking a venue to advertise toys he and partner Sonny Onno had created and ended up taking a job in the office before one day being put in front of the camera as an interviewer, had their initial breaks with the company or runs early enough that it certainly helped them in the long-run.

The company even produced the first-ever live wrestling PPV outside of the WWF and Jim Crockett Promotions.  Superclash III on 12/13/89 was headlined by Jerry Lawler defeating Kerry Von Erich to unify the AWA and World Class championships (it didn't last long) and an undercard made up of matches from the AWA, World Class, Memphis talents and even David McLane's POWW.  While the show at the time was entertaining, it didn't make money, not even with the ESPN exposure.    There was talk of talents who were never paid but whether that was true or sour grapes over low pay when the expected windfall from the PPV didn't come in, I don't know.

The AWA limped on until 1991, when it finally shut down. The Team Challenge Series that came at the end of it's life was in many ways, laughable and a long journey from what the promotion had been founded on. 

Still, in the end, the final nail in the coffin was most likely the decision by the government to declare ownership over a big piece of Gagne's property via eminent domain.  Now Gagne was fighting in court to keep what he had earned and bought for himself with all his hard work at the risk of losing it for a fraction of what it was worth.  In the end, Gagne lost, and with it went the money that the property was worth as well as everything he had lost in the court case and in the AWA's promotional war with WWF.  A proud man who worked hard and wrestled hard for what he earned, Gagne had lost it all.  Personal bankruptcy soon followed and the Boxing & Wrestling Club was no more.

Nostalgia for the AWA lived on locally for some time as Verne and Greg would host a local AWA Classics series for a time in Minnesota but the past could never truly be recaptured.  It could, however, be celebrated.  Verne Gagne was one of the first inductees into the WCW Hall of Fame in May 1993 when Eric Bischoff launched Slamboree: A Legend's Reunion as an annual PPV event.  He would become a member of the first Hall of Fame class for the Lou Thesz & George Tragos Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame, which at the time was a Hall where the members were chosen for their work as professionals as well as their work in the amateur wrestling world.  Gagne would later be voted into the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame in Amsterdam, NY. 

Finally, after the AWA video library was sold to the WWF, Verne would be inducted into the WWE Hall in 2006 and WWE would later made a documentary DVD about the AWA.  The Hall of Fame would prove to be one of Verne's last appearances publicly outside of the Minnesota area and he even got the last laugh at one point, joking how he never liked Vince McMahon, which brought the house down in Chicago.

As Verne grew older, he began experiencing a number of health issues.  At first, they would never be publicly explained but he would end up missing advertised convention appearances and his son would explain that his father had become too ill to travel.  It was later revealed that Gagne was suffering from Alzheimer's disease and dementia after an incident in a Minnesota nursing home where he tossed his roommate, breaking the man's hip and eventually causing his death.  Gagne had no recollection of the issue happening and his roommate had no recollection either and couldn't understand why he was hurt.  The story was picked up nationally because of Gagne's connection as a wrestler and it was a sad story, one that shouldn't have been the way the general public last heard of Verne Gagne.

So, we'll end it on another one.   In 2012, "The Wrestler" returned to theaters locally in Minnesota as part of a celebration of the film.  Verne had not been well (and wasn't well enough to even sign autographs) but attended the screening and absolutely loved that the film was being shown and that people wanted to see it.  He hadn't been seen publicly in years but had a huge smile on his face, getting a chance to see the good old days on the silver screen and share it with people who loved them as much as him.  That's the ending we all deserve and at least in this article, it's the one we'll give Verne Gagne.

The news of Gagne's passing was acknowledged late Monday by WWE and is already a news story locally within the Minnesota area. 

On behalf of everyone associated with PWInsider.com, I'd like to express our deepest condolences to the family, friends and fans of a truly all time great, Verne Gagne.

DORY FUNK JR. REMEMBERS VERNE GAGNE

Amarillo Sports Arena – World Title Match – Dory Funk Jr. vs Verne Gagne

My father and trainer, Dory Funk Sr. said, “You will never learn to be a great worker unless you have the opportunity to wrestle the best in the business.” That night I had the privilege of wrestling Verne Gagne to a 60 minute draw for the AWA World Championship in front of a capacity crowd at the Amarillo Sports Arena.

Dad always said that the really great amateur wrestlers within the wrestling business always had respect for each other. Verne Gagne was a friend of my father born of admiration for each other in business, professional wrestling and amateur wrestling.

The one hour match with Verne Gagne brought credibility to my career and I still remember and teach many of the basic wrestling moves I learned from Verne Gagne in 60 minutes of wrestling.

The next morning, Verne Gagne was at my father’s Flying Mare Ranch at 10 am to give me further instruction. (Dad had our two car garage modified into a wrestling training center). We parked the cars out in the West Texas Weather.

Verne Gagne (Minnesota University Wrestling Team), Bob Geigel (University of Iowa Wrestling Team) and Iron Mike Dibiase (University of Nebraska Wrestling Team) and my father, Dory Funk Sr. (University of Indiana Wrestling Team) were all there to show me what they knew about professional wrestling. What an incredible list of instructors and what a privilege to be able to learn from these great performers.

I went through a couple of hours of instruction and then Bob Geigel showed me a special take down and Verne Gagne said “You can’t do that to me” and Mike Dibiase said, “I can do it to you,” and My father said to Verne, “You can’t escape my Top Body Scissors.”

Immediately I was the only witness to a Round Robin Shoot Fight between four of the best wrestlers in the business as they went after each other with Big Ten Athletic Conference Pride on the line.

Only I know the results of this showdown and out of respect for these great athletes and what I was privileged to witness I will keep it to myself. What an experience for a young wrestler breaking into the wrestling business.

Learning from Verne Gagne impacted my whole life in such a positive way. Verne Gagne was a man of his word, a great professional wrestler and a world class athlete.

My condolences to Greg Gagne and the family of a great wrestler, teacher and friend, Verne Gagne.

Dory Funk Jr.

THE INDUSTRY REACTS: VERNE GAGNE'S PASSING

WWE ran a "Breaking News" update on the passing of Verne Gagne hosted by Scott Stanford this afternoon featuring an interview with Gene Okerlund:

A sampling of reactions from those within the pro wrestling industry to the death of AWA founder and Hall of Famer Verne Gagne:

BOB BACKLUND DISCUSSES THE PASSING OF VERNE GAGNE AND MUCH MORE

WWE Hall of Famer Bob Backlund joined Doug Mortman and Dave Lagreca on Busted Open. You can hear Busted Open on SiriusXM 92 and on the SiriusXM app. Also go to Busted OpenNation.com for all the details.   

Q:  Talk about your relationship with Verne Gagne.

BB: Verne Gagne came to most of my tournament matches when I went to High School in Minnesota. He used to sit next to a guy who I worked for whose name was Reed Henschel who happened to be a pastor. When I was in 10th grade, I tried to find the hardest job in my town and that was the one I found. Verne knew me a lot more than I knew him. There was a piece on the WWE website that says Verne got me into pro wrestling but that’s incorrect. Eddie Sharkey was actually the guy that helped me get started but Verne was a great guy.  

Q: What were some of the lessons Verne instilled in you? It seems like you guys are similar in that you are both no nonsense type of guys who are very into physical training.

BB: I never really had to be coached. When I was a Junior in High School, I was ready. I wanted to outwork everybody. I was going to be in the best shape of anyone on the team. I wasn’t really around Verne much. The Funks ( Terry and Dory) helped me a lot when it came to starting my career. Verne was a great man but I just wasn’t around him very much.  

Q: When you were champion, there was a lot more actual wrestling in Pro Wrestling than there is right now.

BB: It’ changed so much. I’d like to go back in the ring and put some W back in it but I don’t think that is going to happen.  

Q: You have one good run left in you?

BB: Yea but I think the WWE is a little nervous after what happened to Jerry Lawler when he stepped into the ring and had a heart attack. But Jerry never really worked out a day in his life and I work out now harder than I ever have.  

Q: Who worked the Bob Backlund heel character? How did that character come about?

BB: When I first started I wanted to be the typical good guy, but then I realized it was going to be hard to reach the same level of intensity with the fans than I would otherwise as a heel. I asked if I could be a bad guy, and they asked why. I said because the good guys are lying, cheating and swearing. Let me be bad by being good. I also said I wanted to have a luminous vocabulary so I can upset the plebeians.  

Bob also taked about the WWE Hall of Fame, his relationship with Vince McMahon, and his physical training. 

REMEMBERING CHRIS CANDIDO

4/28 marks the tenth anniversary of Chris Candido's passing.

Chris was a guy who truly loved wrestling and was one of those rare types who didn't carry themselves with an ego at any point and just loved performing and passing on the education he had received.

I saw him wrestle from the early days where he was the WWA Junior Heavyweight champion and you could tell he just had that right placement in terms of his body language and footing in the ring that guys who have "it" as great performers just "have."

I always thought he was one of the best opponents ever for Sabu and saw them have some great matches on the independents and later ECW. He could take all of Sabu's crazier stunt-style wrestling and mesh it with his own well rounded skills and put together some amazing bouts that were just great stuff. He worked a lot with Sabu leading into ECW's first PPV and did a great job of building him on the way to the eventual Taz vs. Sabu showdown.

No one loved pro wrestling more than Chris and while he had his demons, he had worked hard to conquer them, which made his passing from a blood clot following surgery for a broken ankle all that more tragic.

The original plan (and I'm not sure how many people know this but it's been a decade at this point) was for Candido to face Lance Storm in the opening match at ECW One Night Stand in 2005 as a surprise as he wasn't under a valid TNA contract at the time and it would have been a "ECW style surprise" to shock everyone and kick off the PPV to show that, as promised, this wasn't going to be another "WWE" style event. When he passed away suddenly, the deck was shuffled and Storm wrestled Chris Jericho.

There was loud "Candido" chant during the show and I can remember getting huge goosebumps sitting ringside when I heard them. Chris should have been there. He had earned it and has earned his redemption. It remains a bummer that he didn't get to achieve it. Candido had been looking forward to the moment, feeling it was going to be his big "comeback" to mainstream of pro wrestling - and while it's a shame it never happened, it's a bigger shame he died so young and that his family still misses him.

The wrestling industry, as well, would be far better if he was still around helping the next generation. If you've never seen his work, I'd suggest checking out some of the stuff he did in SMW and ECW as well as some of the BodyDonnas stuff in WWF - he was a great, underrated performer and his work, sort of like Eddie Gilbert's work still does, continues to entertain me personally today.

My best wishes to the Candido family.

GLOBAL FORCE WRESTLING NEWS AND NOTES

There will be some sort of official press conference this week in Las Vegas regarding the 7/24 TV Tapings.

Tickets for the initial GFW live events in June will be going on sale this Monday, a week earlier than originally planned. For complete details, visit www.globalforcewrestling.com/.

Paul Jordan sent the following:

Jim Cornette announced on his podcast this week that he will be taking part in the June 12th and 13th Global Force Wrestling "Grand Slam Tour" events in Jackson and Knoxville, Tennessee. This makes him the first announced talent for those events, beyond Jeff Jarrett himself.

Jarrett threw out the first pitch at the Mississippi Braves Minor-League Baseball Game Friday night. GFW will be at the stadium 6/20 for a live event.

Yesterday, Jarrett was in Jackson, Tennessee at the Jackson Generals game. Both appearances promise more info on their corresponding Global Force Wrestling live events.

Brent Hinson sent this report:

Really cool night at Jackson Generals Double A baseball game last night. Jeff & Karen Jarrett were sitting behind home plate mingling with fans for the first few innings.

Then, in the 4th inning, Jeff & Karen were available for pictures and autographs in the Generals gift shop. Both were class acts. They took the time to interact with my little boy (who isn't a big wrestling fan) and encouraged him to come back to their inaugural GFW show on June 12th.

During the 7th inning stretch, Jeff & Karen participated in some on-field activities.

The posters they signed said pre-sale tickets are May 11th and regular ticket sales start May 15th, but tickets for GFW will actually go on sale this Monday.

UPDATE ON BIGGEST EVENT IN JERSEY CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING HISTORY

JCW issued the following:

New Japan Pro Wrestling star and Bullet club member to headline for championship at Six Flags Great Adventure.

Jersey City, NJ April 30th, 2015: Saturday night June 13th is shaping up to be one of the biggest nights in the history of Jersey Championship Wrestling as the company will hold an event at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey. This event will feature WWE Hall of Famers, Mick Foley, Scott Hall, “Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase, Jake “the Snake” Roberts, and more legends and stars,but in the main event Saturday night June 13th will be Bad Boy vs. Bad Boy as JCW Champion Joey Janela will defend his title (if still champion) against New Japan Pro Wrestling star and member of the Bullet Club TAMA TONGA!

Tonga, a second generation star has become one of the most well regarded and respected wrestlers in Japan, not only for his pedigree being the son of the legendary wrestler Haku (AKA Meng) , but for being a member of one of the, if not the biggest stable of wrestlers seen in New Japan Pro Wrestling, the Bullet Club. Tonga's stature and ability will follow him to Six Flags as he takes on the JCW Champion Janela, who has risen in the ranks of Pro Wrestling in North America and defeating wrestlers such as Chris Dickinson, Carlos “Pinkie” Sanchez, and former WCW tag team Champion Devon Storm. This battle of the bad boys has sent shock waves through Jersey Championship Wrestling, as Tonga sent a message to Janela while in Tokyo for New Japan Pro Wrestling. Tonga claims that their can only be one bad boy in pro wrestling and it will be decided upon on June 13th.

You will not want to miss the homegrown champion Janela defend his title against this international star and member of one of the most popular groups in Professional Wrestling, The Bullet Club! Will Janela be able to defeat the NJPW star, or will Tonga take the title to Tokyo? The only way to find out is by joining us Saturday night, June 13th as Jersey Championship Wrestling comes to Six Flags Great Adventure! Tickets are now available via Ticket Fly and feature great packages that include options for season pass and non season pass holders.

This great event will include appearances by WWE Hall of Famers Mick Foley, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, The “Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase, Scott Hall and “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan! Also featuring wrestling legends Tommy Dreamer, The Sandman, Sean Waltman and more!

Those great stars and the rest of the amazing JCW roster featuring, Team Pazuzu, JCW tag team champions The Playas Club, Devon Storm and more!

Stay tuned to Jersey Championship Wrestling's Facebook and Twitter pages (@JCWProWrestling) for the latest and up to date info on this amazing event!

https://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/810107?utm_medium=bks to get your tickets, today!

ABOUT JERSEY CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING

Established in 1999, Jersey Championship Wrestling was created by promoter Ricky Otazu, who after many years of mentoring by the late Dennis Coralluzzo and Eugene Moore established his own promotion. The company went on to host the J-Cup tournament that featured some of the most dynamic and entertaining high flying and cruiserweight wrestlers in North America.

After a several year absence, Otazu ran under the Liberty States Wrestling banner before being able to retain the brand and history in the summer of 2013.

THE YOUNG BUCKS TALK ABOUT THEIR FEELINGS TOWARD JIM CORNETTE, WHY THEY AREN'T IN WWE AND MORE

The Young Bucks, Matt and Nick, joined Glenn Moore and Steve Guy of The This is Awesome Wrestling Show to talk about their beef with Jim Cornette, if they turned the WWE down, if their styles could fit with WWE and if they would change if they ever did go to the WWE.

Link to interview:
http://mooreglenn.com/2015/04/30/this-is-awesome-wrestling-show-episode-27-with-the-young-bucks/
Interview tarts at 19:53 mark.

Transcript of some highlights from interview:

Beef with Jim Cornette:

Nick: He hates our style. He left us home when we were under contract for ROH. We left TNA for them. There’s heat there, because when we were starving when he begged us quit TNA to come work for him at ROH. There’s legit heat there.

Matt: We don’t feel like he did his best to help us out in our situation. And it was personal, because we are talking about money, taking money, food out of our children’s mouth.

Nick: Where we had a guaranteed thing at TNA, and we risked it by leaving there going to something that we thought would be even better.

Matt: We put our trust with into him and maybe it was our fault for trusting him. But we don’t feel like he did everything he could to help us.

Nick: He put the blame on the other guys in the office, so we don’t know who it really goes to..

Matt: We don’t know who is ultimately to blame…

Nick: But he was running the promotion at the time…

Matt: And then after all of this, after him doing these very personal things to us, he fires shots at us on his podcast. Smart aleck tweets about us. We felt like, we could have some many times gone public with what he did to us, and we didn’t. We were nice about it. So after he screws us over, and basically lets our contract run out…

Nick: They never even called us, by the way…

Matt: Never even called and thanked us.

Nick: They just let our contract end and we literally didn’t get a ‘Hey, thanks guys, but we are letting you guys go.” Nothing.

Matt: At one point on our last show, they brought us in, it was a pity booking, he [Cornette] said, “Can you beg for your jobs back at TNA, and go get your jobs back? We can’t afford you guys. We can’t work with you.”

At that point, Nick and I said ‘is this really happening to us?’ So then, for all that to go down, and then for him to take shots at us at our work, how can you even do that? You’re lucky, at that point, that we didn’t come out and say anything about how you treated us. If anything, we should be the ones pissed off.

So, I think that’s what really pissed us off, that he did this very personal thing to us, and then he’s the one burying us on the internet and his podcast. And I think, you know what, we fell right into the trap and bait, because he loves talking about this stuff. Because he has nothing going on. The guy had to start a Kickstarter to get booked in Europe.

He sees us doing big things and we’re successful. I understand that. You want to get people to talk, and that’s what he did. That’s fine. At this point, you ask if I have a beef with him. I do, but if I saw the guy, I’m not going to go jump him and start a fight with this old man. I would be cordial and say hello to him.

Would I wanna work for him again? Absolutely not.

Did they turn down WWE contracts?

Matt: Not a contract. They offered us a tryout. We turned down the offer for a tryout.

If they ever went to WWE, would they be open to changing their style?

Matt: It’s hard to say. Never say never, because it feels like what they’re doing right now…

Nick: It’s working for some of the guys, like Pac [Neville]…

Matt: They’re doing their act. Kevin is doing his act.

Nick: It works for some of the guys. But as tag teams are concerned, I dunno, there’s just not much of a future for tag teams in the WWE, unfortunately.

Matt: That would be a concern for us, because we liked being booked on the top of the card, and doing our act and having fun…

Nick: I think if we put our focus on going there and changing, I think we could do it. But right now, we’re just having too much fun. Right now is not the right time.

Matt: You know, a good wrestler can change with what they are given; their style. We wouldn’t expect to come there and do this exact, what you saw tonight. We would have to adjust, because that’s what good workers do.

Like for example, we’re in New Japan. It’s a completely different audience, who reacts to different things. And it’s taken us a year. But we are finally at the point now we’ve changed our act to what they like. We verbalize the things they are familiar with. We do the things they relate to.

Nick: Just gotta adjust to where you are wrestling.

Matt: I like to say, I like to have confidence in if we did ever go there [WWE], that we
would be successful. Because we would just change it up to what they like and what they want.

Nick: But right now, if the offer was something really, really good, we could consider it.

Matt: Right now though, a tryout, is like, we have a good thing going on. A guarantee. Why say, ‘hey guys, we got this tryout real fast, okay, hang on’. And then if they say no to us, we come back to the for sure thing and go, ‘hey, they said no, do you still want us?’

We just can’t do it. We have families. To big of a gamble.

Nick: Too risky. We have a guaranted thing right now. Why screw it up?

If they could Superkick Party one person, who would it be?

Nick: Jim Cornette.

Matt: I dunno if I would waste it on him.

Just because it would be a sweet animated GIF, however you say it, Shawn Michaels.

I would love to have a match with him and give him the Superkick. It would take a few to knock him down, but that’s okay.

D LO BROWN TALKS HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH DROZ, WEARING THE CHEST PROTECTOR AND MORE

The Pancakes and Powerslams Show was pleased to have D'Lo Brown as a special guest host to promote his new D'Lo Academy wrestling school. He had much to say about his time in WWE, TNA and Japan. Here are some highlights:

On the origin of the Chest Protector: It was never a torn pec. It was a gimmick to make people mad at me. It was not my idea. In fact, when the idea was pushed to me, I hated it. I remember being in [WWE] catering, and Jim Ross sat next to me and said, "D'Lo, we need to find something that's gonna separate you from the pack. Do you remember Iron Mike Sharpe and the forearm protector and the broken arm?" I said, yeah. He goes, "What if we did something different? Your finish is a frog splash. What if we hurt your chest? And you come back with this protective coating on your chest, like a chest protector. And when you hit the finish, it intensifies the frog splash." And I sat there and shook my head and thought, "Oh my God, I think he's crazy!"

So I remember going home and talking to my girlfriend/fiancee at the time, and telling her. I was livid, I thought I was going to be the laughingstock of wrestling. Probably the most intelligent, prophetic, deep thing she ever said to me was, "You need to try it, and if it fails and you try it, it's their fault. But if you don't try it and it fails, it's your fault." So I went back and told JR let's try the chest protector thing, and two weeks later, Dan Severn pulled my pec, and a month later I came out with the chest protector. That's the thing that really put me out there.

Whether there is any aminosity between him and Droz: As a performer, I was never the same. There was time after that when I quit wrestling. Luckily, Jim Ross called me and talked me out of that. There's no hatred from Droz towards me. We both understand the risks we take when we go in the ring, and it's dangerous in there. Just because it's predetermined, that's why they have the PSAs of kids don't try this at home.

But as far as Droz and I are concerned, we're boys, we're good, we've talked throughout the years. He has a place in my heart. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about him. There's no blame on either side from either person.

On what caused his failed gimmicks with Tiger Ali Singh and Teddy Long at the end of his WWE career: It wasn't because of the Droz thing. I will tell you, in my opinion, the character of D'Lo was floating around and doing really good things, and then Vince Russo went to WCW. And there were rumors of me going to WCW, and everything was downhill from there. I had a great time teaming with Chaz, but I hated the turbins and Tiger Ali Singh. That was the lowest point of my career.

The Thuggin' and Buggin' was me floating through and them trying to find something. But, I totally believe Vince Russo made the move to go to WCW, I don't know where the rumors came from, but there were rumors that I was going to go to WCW which couldn't be further from the truth. And, as a result of that, life went downhill quickly.

D'Lo also discussed his time in the Nation of Domination, both of his TNA runs, success in Japan, involvement in Aces & Eights, being an agent, ROH, and more. You can listen to the full interview at this link [http://www.blogtalkradio.com/pancakesandpowerslams/2015/04/29/pancakes-and-powerslams-episode-161]
--

PORTLAND'S WEST COAST WRESTLING ASSOCIATION CLEARS ROKU, INTERNATIONAL MARKETS WITH NEW TV DEAL

Portland, Oregon's West Coast Wrestling Association issued the following:

The West Coast Wrestling Connection Expands to International Distribution 

Portland Based Company Joins the MiCasa Network to Bring Professional Wrestling to Millions of Homes Across Its Multiplatform Network

PORTLAND, OR, April 30, 2015 -- MCB Network Corp's MiCasa Network today announced that it has inked a deal with The West Coast Wrestling Connection (WCWC). This deal will bring WCWC to nearly 60 million viewers across MiCasa’s 44 over-the-air (OTA) stations, not to mention many millions more via its over the top (OTT) channels on Roku, XBOX, PlayStation, etc. and mobile video app for iPhone and Android.   

“The West Coast Wrestling Connection has been bringing some of the best in professional wrestling to fans for the past ten years,” said Sean M. Malatesta, CEO of MCBN/MiCasa Network. “This partnership allows MiCasa to jump from the top rope into pro wrestling and bring the action to our loyal Hispanic Millennial—‘Hispennial’—viewers.”

Jeff Akin, commentator for WCWC, added , “We are very excited to be a part of a network that is the first choice in entertainment for so many people! With an emphasis on “Old School” wrestling in a modern environment, the WCWC is an exciting, family-friendly event. With fans ranging in age from 5-99 and even older, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Wrestlers such as Alexander Hammerstone, Mikey O’Shea, ‘The Gentleman Brawler’ Eric Right, Gangrel and Ashton Vuitton will be an exciting addition to the great programming on MiCasa.”

The West Coast Wrestling Connection began as a local, live, pro wrestling company in Salem, OR In March 2005. Over the last ten years, they have expanded their live events by appearing up and down the I-5 Corridor. They debuted on Portland television in May 2014.

The WCWC will start airing nationwide on MiCasa starting today, April 30, 2015. 


VIDEOS

Former WWE and TNA star Shelly Martinez released the following video diary:

NEWS AND NOTES

In his latest blog entry, WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross writes about the passing of Verne Gagne, penning, "Verne Gagne was a man's man who was a legit, two sport star at the University of Minnesota, football and wrestling, and will always be considered one of the most significant and influential men in the history of pro wrestling. He also trained many amazing stars and loved to utilize legit athletes with which to mold into pro mat stars much like Bill Watts, Eddie Graham and even myself did back in the day in WWE. So many within the world of wrestling will forever be indebted to Verne Gagne for what he did for their careers and even though I never worked for Verne he helped me indirectly have the career that I've had the past 40 years. Men like Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Ricky Steamboat, the Iron Sheik, Ken Patera, Sgt. Slaughter and countless others would say essentially the same thing." To read Ross' complete thoughts on Gagne's passing as well as a lot of other topics, check out www.jrsbarbq.com.

Meanwhile, you can check out Taz's thoughts on Extreme Rules and more on his latest podcast at Play.it.

Shane "Hurricane" Helms was interviewed by JourneyofAFrontman.com.

CHIKARA has launched their own streaming service titled CHIKARAtopia. The streaming subscription will cost $7.99 a month. For more details, click here. New subscribers get 7 days free. Knowing CHIKARA the way I do, I suspect they will load the service up with all sorts of cool extras to reward the subscribers.

Taz tweeted the following:

You can read Kris Zellner's 4/27 Lucha report by clicking here.

You can read Kris Zellner's 4/29 Lucha report by clicking here.

You can read Kris Zellner's 5/1 Lucha report by clicking here.

You can read Brian Cannon's OVW 4/29 TV taping event report by clicking here.

You can read Matthew Macklin 5/3 New Japan report by clicking here.

You can read Jeff Sheridan’s PWS TV report by clicking here.

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