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BETTING ON THE XFL, WHERE IS RENEE LEFT WHEN DEAN EXITS WWE AND MORE

By Mike Johnson on 2019-02-02 10:00:00

Jeff Wirtheim reported on the site that according to Oliver Luck, Vince McMahon owns a minority stake in Draft Kings and plans to use that as a way to promote gambling and fantasy leagues with the XFL. Does this seem like a good idea to you? The first thing that comes to mind is Pete Rose. Also, all the major professional sports leagues have bans against players and members of the team organizations from being involved with gambling related to their chosen sport. Lastly, I can't help but think that this would call into question the legitimacy of the games as well as draw a high level of scrutiny from law enforcement agencies. 

 

I don’t believe Luck was speaking of himself or anyone in the actual XFL betting on their games, as much as they want to create interest in the XFL via the betting lines and fans betting on the games.  The Super Bowl will have a ton of betting on it this weekend, in both reputable and non-reputable circles.  The XFL, like any other sporting event, wants that interest in their games.  It may turn out that Vince may have to divest himself of his stake in Draft Kings, but that’s only if someone determines it’s a conflict of interest – and we aren’t anywhere near that point.  The league hasn’t even played a game yet!

With Dean Ambrose set to depart, where does that leave Renee Young?

Young will be remaining with WWE.  Her contract has nothing to do with Ambrose’s contract.

Ring of Honor is partly to blame for helping to create their competition. They gave their blessing and assisted Cody and The Young Bucks in putting together All-In and four months later, they left ROH and formed All Elite Wrestling. They have to feel pretty stupid right now for letting those guys technically breach their contract and helping them put together a show, if you look back in hindsight. What do you guys think?

I disagree.  None of those talents breached a contract, because ROH was financially behind “All In”, just as WWE was behind the ECW themed PPVs, and I believe they were more intimately involved than was portrayed publicly, as I wrote and said at the time.  Those talents had creative pull and used it on that show on conjunction with ROH, but that event was not a breach of their ROH deals.  They opted to leave ROH and did so after ROH offered them new deals to stay.  ROH knew for a long time those deals were coming up, so it’s not like they blindsided the talents were leaving, just like WWE now knows Dean Ambrose is leaving.  It’s part of the business.    

Could Dean Ambrose still stay with WWE?

If they make him an offer that makes him reconsider, sure.  As I I wrote on Tuesday, they could always offer him more money or a shorter deal or lots of other things that could make Ambrose decide he wants to stay, or at least remain associated with WWE.  Or, he could exit.  There's time for things to change.

Is the Dean exit a work?

As of today, it is not.  That doesn't mean that should he reconsider his decision, WWE can't work it into a storyline.  Heck, they could work it into a storyline to lead to his exit.

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