Search Results: "rights"

NEWS

Again: Vince McMahon Facing Another Lawsuit Over Alleged Sexual Harassment Payments

January 26, 2023

They just keep coming. Earlier this month, Vince McMahon returned to WWE in what could almost be defined as a coup. McMahon said that if he was not put back in his previous role of Chairman Of The Board, he would not let the company go forward with either television rights deals or a sale. He got what he wanted, but that might not be what everyone else wanted and now some more people are saying something about McMahon. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: On The Mend: Update On Wrestling Legend’s Health Status, Leaving Hospital Soon According to Bloomberg, McMahon is facing another lawsuit involving alleged payments made to deal with sexual harassment claims. While the details of the lawsuit, filed by Carole Casale and Chrystal Lavelle, are not known, they are attempting to sue on their own rather than part of a class action lawsuit. McMahon is already facing two lawsuits filed earlier this month, both of which are hoping to be recognized as class action suits over attempting to keep McMahon off t..

NEWS

WWE Hires JPMorgan To Help With Sale of the Company

January 7, 2023

Let the bidding begin. According to a report from CNBC, WWE has hired JPMorgan to begin the process of selling the company. This is being reported following the news that Vince McMahon returned to the company yesterday. The report states that if a deal occurs, it would likely occur in the next three to six months. In addition, WWE plans to talk to potential buyers before it makes a decision on TV rights renewal agreements. McMahon had the following to stay in a statement: “My return will allow WWE, as well as any transaction counterparties, to engage in these processes knowing they will have the support of the controlling shareholder.” His return doesn’t affect current leadership as Stephanie, and former CAA agent Nick Khan are co-CEOs. However, it remains unclear what type of role, if any, Vince would want at WWE if he sold the company. WWE has told investors that his role is essential in “our ability to create popular characters and creative storylines.” Currently, Vince doesn’t h..

NEWS

There It Is: Vince McMahon Officially Returns To WWE Board Of Directors

January 6, 2023

That didn’t take long. To say that WWE is rapidly changing at this point would be a huge understatement as the major backstage pieces keep moving around. There were all kinds of changes last year, including one at the very top of the company. Now things have changed back in the other direction after a very short time, as the original boss is back in a huge way. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: She’s In: Update On Ronda Rousey’s WWE Status Following Title Loss Earlier this week, Vince McMahon announced that he was attempting to return to WWE’s Board Of Directors by threatening to block any potential sale or media rights deal. Less than twenty four hours later, three members of the WWE Board Of Directors (JoEllen Lyons Dillon, Jeffrey R. Speed, Alan M. Wexler) have officially been removed, allowing McMahon and former co-Presidents George Barrios and Michelle Wilson to take their places. Following the change, other members Ignace Lahoud and Man Jit Singh resigned. There is no word on any potentia..

NEWS

Not Welcome: Backstage Reaction To Vince McMahon Wanting Back In WWE (It’s Not Good)

January 6, 2023

It doesn’t seem to be popular. The biggest wrestling story of the week so far has been Vince McMahon announcing that he is attempting to return to WWE after five months away. McMahon is planning to try to return to the Board of Directors and is threatening to block any media rights deal or sale of the company if he is not allowed. This is going to cause some backlash and it seems to have already begun. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: It Didn’t Work: Bryan Danielson Reveals How He Tried To Get Fired From WWE Job Fightful Select has spoken to several people in WWE about the situation, with everyone being described as “floored” by the announcement. No WWE department was given a heads up about McMahon’s statement and the main concern is about McMahon possibly returning to WWE creative. Everyone asked felt that the announcement was negative but it was something they would not worry about until they had to. There is no word on when McMahon will be attempting to return to WWE. There have been a lot..

NEWS

He’s Back? Vince McMahon Planning Return To WWE, Threatens To Block Huge Deals

January 6, 2023

He wants back in. The biggest wrestling story in a busy 2022 was the retirement of Vince McMahon from WWE. After nearly forty years in charge of the company, McMahon retired amid an internal investigation over a series of payments but still remained the company’s majority owner. However, now something else has chanced and we could be in for something very different. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Over There: WWE Taking Annual Event To London Later This Year Last month, a report stated that McMahon was planning a comeback to WWE. According to the Wall Street Journal, McMahon is attempting to have himself and former co-WWE Presidents Michelle Wilson and George Barrios elected to the WWE Board of Directors. This would require three current Board members to vacate their positions. McMahon has also said he will not support any media rights deal (with negotiations expected to begin before the current deals expire in 2024) or sale of the company. McMahon has issued a press release: Submits written..

NEWS

WATCH: Velveteen Dream Arrest Video Released

December 19, 2022

A serious situation. Wrestlers portray either heroes or villains in the ring, but that does not mean that they are the same way when the cameras stop rolling. You never know what you might be seeing behind the scenes, but every now and then, a glimpse comes through. Now we can see something else from a former wrestler in a serious situation and it is not the nicest thing. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Upgrade: Road Dogg Explains Changes Coming To NXT Call-Up System Back in August, former NXT star Velveteen Dream was arrested in Orlando, Florida on charges of first degree battery and trespassing. TMZ has released video of Dream being arrested outside of an Orlando fitness center. The video shows Dream yelling at the officers, asking for his phone to call his lawyer and repeating that he had not been read his rights. The case was later dropped with the alleged victim did not wish to press charges. This is a rough sit. Check out the arrest footage: [This post contains video, click to play] ..

NEWS

REVIEW: Survivor Series 2005: The First Showdown

November 24, 2022

Welcome to KB’s Old School (and New School) Reviews. I’ve been reviewing wrestling shows for over ten years now and have reviewed over 5,000 shows. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I’ll be posting a new review here on Wrestlingrumors.net, starting today. It could be anything from modern WWE to old school to indies to anything in between. Note that I rate using letters instead of stars and I don’t rate matches under three minutes as really, how good or bad can something that short be? Survivor Series 2005 Date: November 27, 2005 Location: Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan Attendance: 15,000 Commentators: Joey Styles, Jerry Lawler, Jonathan Coachman, Michael Cole, Tazz This show is all about brand vs. brand, which really isn’t an interesting story because they would interact pretty regularly but of course WWE doesn’t get this. Therefore, the main event is a five on five Team Raw vs. Team Smackdown Survivor Series elimination tag for pure bragging rights. At least they didn’t have a..

NEWS

AEW’s Television Future Could Be Very Promising

November 10, 2022

That’s a good sign. AEW has come a very long way in a rather short amount of time. The company has only been around for about three and a half years but it is already the second biggest wrestling promotion in the United States. That is in part due to its very strong television presence, and now the agreement that keeps them on the air may be getting even bigger. According to Fightful Select, a source at Warner Brothers Discovery would be “shocked” if AEW does not get a new television deal with the company, but also with a big increase in the rights fee. Warner Brothers Discovery has worked closely with AEW and 2022 was seen as a rebound year for wrestling interest, which has sparked a good relationship. AEW’s current deal expires at the end of 2023. Opinion: That is great to hear, as AEW getting more money and having more ability to move around and try new things is one of the best things that could happen to them. The company needs more money to help fund various things and a rights..

NEWS

Two WWE Stars set For Hulu Reality Series

November 3, 2022

A different kind of show. Wrestlers are larger than life characters and you never know what you are going to see when they get in the ring. Their personalities are given the chance to shine through and it makes for some special moments when they get to do something that you would not see in day to day life. Now you might get to see something that goes in a different, yet still interesting direction. During WWE’s Q3 earnings call this week, WWE co-CEO Nick Khan announced that an upcoming series revolving around Montez Ford and Bianca Belair is set to air on Hulu. The series will run for eight episodes but no release date was announced. Ford and Belair are married and both wrestle on Monday Night Raw. In a related note, it was also announced that WWE and Hulu have extended their broadcasting rights deal for Monday Night Raw to last through the rest of their current broadcasting deal. There was no word on any extension for any other other WWE show on Hulu. Opinion: A show about Belair a..

NEWS

Netflix Reportedly Debuting Wrestling Series, Could Open Door For Major Streaming Deal

July 5, 2022

Add it to the list. The rise of the internet and streaming services have changed the way wrestling works. Fans are now able to see all of the content that they want with almost no limitations, as wrestling from around the world is now open before them. This includes even smaller territories, but now one of them might be leading to a much bigger broadcasting deal down the road. According to Fightful Select, a previously rumored deal between Netflix and Ohio Valley Wrestling would include a special behind the scenes show. The deal also includes the rights of first refusal for Ohio Valley Wrestling’s televisions rights. Should Netflix get into the live streaming business, they could be a potential bidder for the rights to WWE or AEW programming. WWE’s deals with USA and FOX and AEW’s deal with WarnerMedia all expire in 2024. Opinion: This is the kind of thing that could be a game changer for the industry. I don’t know if Ohio Valley Wrestling is going to set the streaming world on fire,..

NEWS

WrestleMania Is Going To Make A Lot Of Money (And Just Not For WWE)

March 30, 2022

That’s why they fight over it. WrestleMania 38 is just a few days away and most of the build has been completed. If all goes according to plan, WWE has put together a card that is going to bring in the maximum amount of fans to the event. WWE is certainly ready to take over the Dallas area for the show, and it turns out that is going to be a very lucrative deal for the city itself. According to the Dallas Morning News, WrestleMania 38 will bring in $200 million to the Dallas area economy. This comes through expenses such as food, lodging, transportation, retail and recreational activities. WWE will be in the Dallas area for SmackDown on Friday, NXT Stand & Deliver on Saturday and Monday Night Raw on Monday, plus in Arlington on Saturday and Sunday for WrestleMania. This is the second time that that Dallas area has hosted WrestleMania, following WrestleMania 32 in 2016. Opinion: And that’s why cities bid over the rights to host WrestleMania. It is incredible to see how much money come..

NEWS

How USA And FOX Helped WWE Make A Whole Lot Of Money

March 29, 2022

One or the other. There are two major WWE television shows every week with Monday Night Raw and SmackDown. These have been the top shows in the wrestling world for well over twenty years with almost nothing coming anywhere near either show. Both air on national television, but the two shows almost did not exactly look the way that they wound up appearing. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, FOX, which currently airs SmackDown, originally wanted to acquire the broadcasting rights to Monday Night Raw. However, the USA Network had the right of first refusal to match any offer that FOX made. USA did so, which caused FOX to go after SmackDown instead. That was too much for USA to match as well, so FOX picked up SmackDown, with the end result being WWE making more money as a result. Opinion: That right there is a shining example of how WWE makes money. They know how to make their content seem valuable and that is going to make more people invest in them. It works very well, especially w..

NEWS

WATCH: WWE Stars Go Dancing In Saudi Arabia

February 18, 2022

When in Jeddah. Over the last few years, WWE has maintained a business relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. WWE has presented major events in the country, which earns them several million dollars per show. This has led to a controversial reception, as the country has a terrible human rights record. WWE continues to run events in the country though, which includes some interesting side moments. WWE will be holding the Elimination Chamber event in Saudi Arabia this coming weekend and the roster has already arrived in the country. A video has made its way online, showing the Miz and Goldberg at some sort of a celebration where they are both dancing while spinning sticks around. Both are scheduled to wrestle at the show, with Miz facing Rey Mysterio and Goldberg challenging Roman Reigns for the Universal Title. This might get some people talking. Check out what the two WWE stars were up to: [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: This is the kind of thing that is g..

NEWS

Monday Night Raw And SmackDown Could Be Changing Online Homes

February 14, 2022

The new home? WWE is a huge wrestling company that pumps out more content than they know what to do with most of the time. That makes them a rather valuable property for a lot of platforms, as WWE fans will come and watch almost anything the company presents. That has made WWE a lot of money over the years and now they might be ready to do just that again with a possible change up. The online rebroadcast rights of WWE’s weekly television shows currently belong to Hulu. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, the Hulu contract is expiring soon and Peacock is interested in picking up the rights to Monday Night Raw and NXT. Peacock currently airs Monday Night Raw and SmackDown thirty days later, though it is not clear if SmackDown would be allowed to air so soon due to the show airing on FOX. Peacock is reported to have one billion dollars to spend on acquiring new content this year. Opinion: This would be a big move for Peacock and WWE as Peacock certainly has the money and needs the co..

NEWS

AEW Battle Of The Belts Results

January 9, 2022

Battle of the Belts Date: January 8, 2022 Location: Bojangles Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur It’s the first of AEW’s quarterly specials but I’m assuming they couldn’t get the rights to Clash Of Champions. This show is all about the titles, with three championships on the line. One of them is a new title, as Cody Rhodes’ medical issues means we need an Interim TNT Title. Let’s get to it. Interim TNT Title: Dustin Rhodes vs. Sammy Guevara This is a new title as TNT Champion Cody Rhodes is missing due to Coronavirus issues. Arn Anderson is here with Dustin. Respect is shown and it’s an armdrag to take Sammy down. That’s fine with Guevara, who grabs a hiptoss but gets kicked away to give us a standoff. They run the ropes and Dustin needs a breather so Sammy flips over him a few times before knocking Dustin outside. A whip into the barricade rocks Dustin again but he’s back with more chops. There’s a piledriver on the floor to leave ..

NEWS

Survivor Series 2021 Preview, Predictions And Thoughts

November 21, 2021

What in the world happened to this show? Fans have not exactly seemed thrilled with the Battle For Brand Supremacy for a long time now, but this year even the wrestlers have been complaining about how worthless the show really is. There is nothing of value here as the show is all about bragging rights, without even as much as a title on the line. Maybe the action can make up for the lack of…well everything else. Let’s get to it. Shinsuke Nakamura (SmackDown) vs. Damian Priest (Monday Night Raw) We’ll start it off with a battle of the midcard champions in a match that is kind of appealing. Nakamura has come a very long way since winning the King’s Crown and then the Intercontinental Title. At the same time, Priest is one of the few people to be called up from NXT and then actually do something good on the main roster. The fact that these are two of the exceptions tells you a lot about WWE, but that’s for another time. He looks ready: [This post contains video, click to play] I think..

NEWS

REVIEW: Survivor Series 2004: The Consolation Prize

November 16, 2021

Welcome to KB’s Old School (and New School) Reviews. I’ve been reviewing wrestling shows for over twelve years now and have reviewed over 6,000 shows. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I’ll be posting a new review here on Wrestlingrumors.net. It could be anything from modern WWE to old school to indies to anything in between. Note that I rate using letters instead of stars and I don’t rate matches under three minutes as really, how good or bad can something that short be? Survivor Series 2004 Date: November 14, 2004 Location: Gund Arena, Cleveland, Ohio Attendance: 7,500 Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz, Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler This is an interesting show as the two big matches are a match where the impact comes over the next four weeks and another where there is little more than bragging rights on the line. The build for this show hasn’t been the strongest, though a lot of that is due to the changes taking place in the company. There are some fresh talents coming in and they’re sti..

NEWS

WRESTLING RUMORS: AEW Planning To Bring Back A 1980s Special

November 1, 2021

Keep up the content. There is a lot of wrestling going today and thanks to modern technology, it is easy to see more of it than ever before. That can be a very good thing for fans, as they have never had this much content. It can also be exciting to hear that something new is coming, and now we know when that will be happening again in the new year. According to Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men podcast, AEW is planning to run a special show on TNT on January 8. The show would be similar to WCW’s Clash of Champions, but since WWE owns the rights to the name, AEW may call the event Battle of the Belts, a named used for a series of NWA specials in the late 1980s. There is no word on what might be on the card. Per Source: AEW is planning a TNT Special on Jan 8th. They're obviously not able to use the name "Clash of the Champions" due to WWE owning the rights… However, I'm hearing the possible name for this show will be "Battle of the Belts" A throwback to NWA/CFW from pic.twitt..

NEWS

AEW’s Max Caster Rips Crown Jewel With Photoshopped Tweet

October 23, 2021

The shots continue. This week, WWE presented its latest Saudi Arabia event, which included one of the most stacked cards in a very long time. However, as is the case with every Saudi Arabia show, there are certain problems hanging over the show, as Saudi Arabia’s human rights issues will be brought up every time. Now another wrestling promotion’s star is taking a shot at WWE as a result. During Crown Jewel, a fan held up a sign was held up saying “All My Homies Love Adam Pacitii” of Cultaholic, with Pachitti tweeting out a photo of the sign saying “I’ll take ‘things I didn’t expect to see on a WWE Saudi Arabia show’ for 500, Alex. Thank you!”. AEW’s Max Caster responded to the tweet with a Photoshopped version, with the sign saying “All My Homies Love The Acclaimed”, with the caption of “I’ll take “Things I Didn’t Expect to See on a Blood Money Show,” for $500, Alex!”. Caster has taken various shots at WWE and NXT in his raps before. I'll take 'things I didn't expect to..

NEWS

Ring Of Honor TV Results – September 8, 2021

September 10, 2021

Ring of Honor Date: September 8, 2021 Location: UMBC Event Center, Baltimore, Maryland Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Lenny Leonard It’s time to set up the finals of the Women’s Title tournament, which has gone from rather interesting to lacking star power outside of Angelina Love. Ring of Honor is going to need to do something special to make this work and they might be able to pull it off. At the same time, Death Before Dishonor could use some serious building. Let’s get to it. Opening sequence. Quinn McKay welcomes us to the show and runs down the card. Trish Adora is ready to beat Miranda Alize. Miranda Alize is ready to beat Trish Adora. Women’s Title Tournament Semifinals: Trish Adora vs. Miranda Alize Adora shoves her down to start and Alize bails to the floor for a quick breather. Back in and Adora grabs a quick Cattle Mutilation to crank on both arms at once. That doesn’t last long as Alize flips out and kicks her in the ribs to take over. Some rights and lefts have Adora ..