Former WWE CEO Vince McMahon is planning on returning to the company and selling it, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal.
McMahon stepped away from the company last July after The WSJ reported on sexual harassment and assault allegations but the Journal later reported that McMahon told people that he felt like he got bad advice and that he should have never stepped down.
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Per the WSJ: “Mr. McMahon, who has majority voting power through his ownership of WWE’s Class-B stock, has told the company that he is electing himself and two former co-presidents and directors, Michelle Wilson and George Barrios, to the board, the people said. The move to reinstate Mr. McMahon, which the board previously rebuffed, and the others will require three current directors to vacate their positions.”
McMahon is reportedly expecting to assume his role as executive chairman but he would need board approval. At this point, it is not clear what this means for his daughter Stephanie McMahon, and Nick Khan, who currently are the co-CEO’s. Stephanie is also the company Chairwoman.
The WSJ adds that McMahon sent a letter to the board in December about his desire to return to “to help spearhead a strategic-review process.” McMahon reportedly is of the belief that there is a narrow window to kick off the sale process because they are about to enter negotiations for their next media rights deal.
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The WSJ adds, “The board responded last month in a letter to Mr. McMahon that it was prepared to initiate a review process and would welcome working with him on it. However, it said it unanimously agreed that Mr. McMahon’s return to the business wouldn’t be in shareholders’ best interest, according to people familiar with the letters.”
The following press release was issued today on Vince McMahon’s plans to return to the company. As was reported in the Wall Street Journal, McMahon is looking at selling the company.
Here is the press release:
Vince McMahon Takes Actions in Support of Plan for WWE to Undertake a Review of Strategic Alternatives and Capture Unique Opportunity to Maximize Long-term Value for All Shareholders
Submits written consent to WWE Board electing himself and Company veterans George Barrios and Michelle Wilson as DirectorsActions are necessary to ensure McMahon’s full participation in upcoming media rights negotiations and review of strategic alternatives
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GREENWICH, Conn., Jan. 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Vince McMahon, the founder and controlling shareholder of World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. (“WWE” or the “Company”) (NYSE: WWE), announced today that he has taken necessary actions to position the Company to capitalize on a unique opportunity to maximize long-term value for all WWE shareholders. The actions, communicated to WWE’s Board of Directors today via written consent, include the election to the Board of Mr. McMahon, as well as Michelle Wilson and George Barrios – former WWE Co-Presidents and Board members, and currently the Co-Founders and Co-CEOs of Isos Capital Management – and the requisite removal from the Board of three directors. Mr. McMahon expects to assume the role of Executive Chairman of the Board.
Mr. McMahon’s new role will enable unified decision making through the Company’s upcoming media rights negotiations and a parallel full review of the Company’s strategic alternatives, which Mr. McMahon believes is the right course of action and in the best interests of WWE and WWE shareholders amidst the current dynamics in the media and entertainment industry. As Mr. McMahon has communicated to the Board, he believes there is a narrow window of opportunity to create significant value for all shareholders and that to do so, the strategic alternatives review must occur in tandem with the media rights negotiations. He also expressed to the Board that he believes these two initiatives require Mr. McMahon’s direct participation, leadership, and support as controlling shareholder.”
WWE is entering a critical juncture in its history with the upcoming media rights negotiations coinciding with increased industry-wide demand for quality content and live events and with more companies seeking to own the intellectual property on their platforms,” said Mr. McMahon. “The only way for WWE to fully capitalize on this opportunity is for me to return as Executive Chairman and support the management team in the negotiations for our media rights and to combine that with a review of strategic alternatives. 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.”
Prior to delivering written consent, Mr. McMahon sent two separate letters to the Board in late December in which he expressed the urgency of his return to the Company as Executive Chairman and his desire to work collaboratively with the Board and management team. Following conversations with representatives of the Company both before and after Mr. McMahon’s most recent letter on December 31, Mr. McMahon determined, consistent with his rights as controlling shareholder, that the steps announced today are necessary to maximize value for all WWE shareholders.
Mr. McMahon said, “Ms. Wilson and Mr. Barrios are highly qualified directors whose professional experience positions them well to help the Company achieve the best possible outcomes in both initiatives. As former WWE Co-Presidents and Board members, they are intimately familiar with industry dynamics and the organization’s operations and have helped guide the Company through past successful media rights negotiations. I look forward to working closely again with Michelle and George – as well as the Company’s remaining directors and management team, who have my full support and confidence. WWE has an exceptional management team in place, and I do not intend for my return to have any impact on their roles, duties, or responsibilities.”
In conjunction with the changes to WWE’s Board, Mr. McMahon’s written consent also includes certain amendments to the Company’s bylaws to ensure that WWE’s corporate governance continues to properly enable and support shareholder rights. These changes will be detailed in a Schedule 13D amendment to be filed by Mr. McMahon and a Form 8-K to be filed by the Company in the coming days.
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No assurances can be given regarding the outcome or timing of the review process. Mr. McMahon does not intend to comment further until the process has concluded or Mr. McMahon has otherwise determined that further disclosure is appropriate or required.
Michelle Wilson Biography
Ms. Wilson is Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Isos Capital Management. She is a leading sports and entertainment c-suite executive and, prior to founding Isos with Mr. Barrios, most recently served as Co-President and Board Member of WWE until January 2020. In 2018, Forbes named Ms. Wilson one of the 10 Most Powerful Women in Sports. She also was featured on the Adweek 50 list, which highlights the leading executives in Media, Marketing and Technology, and named one of Sports Illustrated’s 10 Most Influential Women in Sports. She joined WWE in 2009 and prior to her appointment as Co-President, served as Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer.Previously, Michelle served as the Chief Marketing Officer of the United States Tennis Association, oversaw all marketing efforts for the launch of the XFL, a partnership between WWE and NBC, and held consumer products and brand management positions at the NBA and Nabisco, respectively. She received her MBA from Harvard Business School and currently serves on the Boards of Bowlero Corporation and Turtle Beach Corporation.
George Barrios Biography
Mr. Barrios serves as Isos Capital Management’s Co-Founder and Co-CEO. He is an award-winning c-suite executive and most recently served as Co-President and Board Member of WWE until January 2020. In 2017, Institutional Investor ranked George among the Top 3 CFOs in the Media Industry as part of its All-America Executive team rankings. He joined WWE in 2008 as its Chief Strategy and Financial Officer.Previously, he held leadership roles in finance, strategy and operations at the New York Times, Praxair, Time Warner and HBO. He received his MBA from the University of Connecticut School of Business and currently serves as the National Board Chair of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Kirkland & Ellis is serving as legal counsel to Mr. McMahon.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward looking statements include statements regarding Mr. McMahon’s return to the Board as Executive Chairman, the impact of Mr. McMahon, Ms. Wilson and Mr. Barrios as members of the Board, the timing and success of the Company’s media rights negotiations and the Company’s review of strategic alternatives. In addition, the words “may,” “will,” “could,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “continue,” “project,” “intend,” “estimate,” “believe,” “expect,” “outlook,” “target,” “goal,” “guidance” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such words. These statements relate to future possible events, as well as plans, objectives, expectations and intentions and are not historical facts and accordingly involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to be materially different from future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to uncertainties relating to, without limitation, the matters referred to in this release, the complexity of the Company’s rights agreements across distribution mechanisms and geographical areas and the Company’s review of strategic alternatives. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made and are subject to change without any obligation to update or revise them. Undue reliance should not be placed on these statements.
Triple H is not done bringing in talent that was released under the Vince McMahon regime.
Last night on WWE Friday Night SmackDown, Emma wrestled her first match in WWE in almost 5 years and Fightful Select is reporting that the company has an interest in bringing back “several” women. One of the names being talked about is Tegan Nox (Nixon Newell).
Nox was among many people released last year due to “budget cuts.” Nox was moved up to the main roster in the summer of 2021 and she wrestled a handful of matches on SmackDown but then was let go just a few months later. She has not wrestled on any independent shows since her release from WWE. Fightful was told that there were visa issues that slowed things down for her.
During her final months in the company, Nox teamed up with names like Shotzi, Aliyah, Liv Morgan, and Naomi on SmackDown and at live events. She was considered to be one of the good in-ring workers in NXT so it makes sense for WWE to express interest in bringing her back
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PWInsider’s Mike Johnson followed up on his previous reporting on the Vince McMahon allegations during a Q & A published today.
Johnson noted on Saturday that several mainstream media outlets, including HBO, are working on stories about Vince McMahon. It was also stated that The Wall Street Journal is working on yet another story. It’s not confirmed if more allegations will come out or if the WSJ is working on getting more details on the four settlements that have already been reported on.
Johnson reported today that The Wall Street Journal is pursuing “additional stories” on McMahon and they were trying to reach out to former WWE talent as of 48 hours ago. So, it is clear that there is a lot more to come.
For what it’s worth, people who have seen McMahon backstage in recent weeks continue to say that he is treating everything as if it’s business as usual and there has been no talk of the allegations from him backstage or anyone in his inner circle. Whether or not the additional stories force McMahon to make a change (as some feel he should step down from the company) remains to be seen.
Johnson wrote, “We also know a number of legal firms are investigating the situation themselves from the perspective that all of this hurt the WWE stockholders and until they decide they are filing class action suits or not, those are still ongoing. Finally, I know that The Wall Street Journal is still pursuing additional stories and I know they were trying to reach out to former WWE performers as of 48 hours ago. So, short answer, yeah, it looks like there is more to come.”
On the latest Kurt Angle podcast on AdFreeShows.com, Angle covered the career of Jason Jordan, who now works as a Producer backstage in WWE.
Angle talked about the injury that Jordan suffered that ended his in-ring career:
“What happens is your vertebrae, you have discs in between each vertebrae, and when you injure your neck, the disc slides. What happens is it slides to the side, so it’s sticking out of the vertebrae, and you have nerves that come out of the vertebrae, and those get blocked by the disc. Then you can’t feel your arm and you don’t have motor skills with one arm or both arms, depending if they slide both ways. So usually, it’s just one way, and you can’t feel one arm and you can’t use one arm. That’s what Jason was having trouble with. His disc slid and blocked the nerves to his arm.”
On what he’s heard about Jordan as a producer:
Shane McMahon has been indefinitely suspended from WWE “He’s done a fantastic job as a producer. He found his calling. Don’t get me wrong, he would have been a great professional wrestler, WWE superstar. But his calling is definitely producing. He’s really good at it.”
Kurt said Jordan is still suffering from his injury to this day:
“He has problems to this day. His motor skills, his hands, are on and off all the time. He just can never get right. I’m not sure why that’s occurring with him because with me at least, I got relief at times. With him, he’s never gotten relief. He’s been really struggling with it for years.”
During the latest Kurt Angle Show on AdFreeShows.com, WWE Hall Of Famer Kurt Angle talked about Jason Jordan, who was supposed to be getting a big push as the illegitimate son of Kurt.
The angle came to a halt in 2018 due to Jordan’s neck issues and he hasn’t wrestled since that time. Angle talked about Jordan’s neck issues that he still struggles with today. He also talked about Jordan’s work backstage as a Producer and he talked about what it was like to work with Jordan.
Angle shared an interesting tidbit on why he was paired with Jordan to begin with.
“Vince McMahon caught wind that I dated a couple of African-American women in my past, just a couple,” Angle said. “About 17 years ago, he had me do a program with Booker T and Sharmell where I was stalking Sharmell, Booker T’s wife, and now it’s Jason Jordan. So Vince likes to take ribs and turn them into storylines. He just has this crazy weird personality, and he just wanted to kind of rub it in my face, like, ‘I know what was going on in your life and we’re going to make some of that storyline.’”
Police confirm that Bo Dallas was arrested on Friday night Angle covered a lot more on this podcast, including what the payoff was supposed to be for the storyline with Jordan, and more. Click below for more on how you can listen to The Kurt Angle Show.
There are a lot more details coming out on the Sasha Banks/Naomi situation. As noted last night, Naomi was originally scheduled to win the 6-Pack Challenge on Raw but Banks and Naomi walked out of the building at the start of the show.
PWInsider reports that the plan was for Banks and Naomi to be featured in two or three segments to build on the idea that they would have to face off against each other in the 6-Pack Challenge and Raw would have ended with Naomi and Banks celebrating that Naomi would be facing Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view.
The plan was for Naomi to lose to Belair at the pay-per-view and some are of the belief that an angle was going to be shot at SmackDown to set up an angle between Banks and Ronda Rousey and Banks would have lost to Rousey at the Hell in a Cell show. Basically, the Women’s Tag Team Champions would have been used to put over the singles champions from Raw and SmackDown.
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PWInsider adds, “We are told that at some point during the day, likely after the initial concerns about creative were raised, there was an alternative idea that would have been Banks and Naomi have a short tag team match instead and be beat down after to set up a different program. One source cited their opponents would have been Nikki A.S.H. and Doudrop but we have not 100% confirmed that to be the case.”
Just before Raw went on the air, WWE Producer Molly Holly let Banks and Naomi know that they were going ahead with the 6-Pack Challenge with Naomi winning. It was shortly after that when Banks and Naomi told John Laurinaitis that they were leaving. As stated in WWE’s press release, they left the belts on Laurinaitis’ desk.
Vince McMahon was reportedly told about them leaving just as Raw was going on the air and the Becky Lynch-Adam Pearce segment was pitched “on the spot” with one source crediting Lynch for her quick thinking. McMahon then ordered to have their segment shot later on to explain why the 6-Pack Challenge was changed.
The report noted that the issue wasn’t about Banks losing but more about how Banks and Naomi would have been portrayed over the next few weeks, especially because they put so much time into building their team only to be booked to put over the singles champions on upcoming shows. What seemed to be in WWE’s plans was to downplay the Women’s Tag Team Titles in the coming weeks.
Some will say that Naomi and Banks should have just done what was scripted because they are characters on a TV show. Others would say that they stood up for what they believed, similar to what Stone Cold Steve Austin and others have done in the past.
Last night’s statement that was sent out made it clear that Vince McMahon is not happy about what went down. During the show, Corey Graves (likely Vince McMahon in his ear) stated that the duo acted unprofessionally by walking out.
Things like this have happened in the past and they usually get smoothed over. Right now this is all a shoot but if things get smoothed over, don’t be shocked if this turns into a storyline at some point.
Austin Theory has been pushed strongly since returning to the main roster last year during the Draft as Vince McMahon is very high on the young star.
WrestleVotes reported today that a WWE source stated he anticipates bigger things in the future of Theory as the WWE Chairman sees him as a young John Cena, WWE’s biggest star since Steve Austin and The Rock.
“Now that his push is in full effect, source states he anticipates bigger & bigger things for Theory. A person with direct knowledge states Vince “sees a young John Cena in Theory” and will “give the kid everything he needs to be successful.”
Although Roman Reigns is the current top star in the company, McMahon is looking to make new top guys. As previously reported, Theory and Bron Breakker are two of the names that are being looked at by management as stars that can carry the company at some point.
When Cena was coming up, Batista was also being groomed as a top star. They both won their first World Titles at WrestleMania 21 as Cena beat JBL to become the WWE Champion while Batista defeated Triple H to become the World Heavyweight Champion.
Theory has previously stated that he looked up to Cena when he was growing up and would want to retire him.
After several months of trying to impress Vince McMahon, Austin Theory (now known as Theory) has won the WWE United States Champion. Theory defeated Finn Balor to win the title on Monday Night Raw.
After the match, Theory celebrated in the ring with some of the heel roster and then he went to the stage to celebrate with McMahon.
Theory is being pushed as the next big star and Vince McMahon reportedly believes that he can be the next John Cena. Theory is on a similar path as John Cena. When Cena started in WWE, he lost matches on TV for months and was eventually booked to win the United States Title, which was considered a stepping stone to the World Championship.
As for Balor, WrestlingNews.co reported in January that the company no longer sees him as a top star and his role is to help put over younger talent.
On this week’s “My Love Letter To Wrestling,” the season finale for this podcast until September, both Austin Theory and Jeff Hardy appeared.
Austin Theory talking about being a part of WrestleMania 38:
“I had to take that in. That was my biggest match that I’ve ever had and the biggest crowd I’ve ever performed in front of,” Theory said. “I would say it was my first WrestleMania because the first experience I had was inside of the Performance Center, and we all know how that was. Getting introduced to the ring by Mr. McMahon, who says you’re the future Universal Champion, that’s amazing.”
“Then to get in there with somebody like Pat McAfee, who has a huge following and obviously you can tell he’s got a crazy connection to the audience, which is amazing, just makes everything easier. Then also, we got to save the best for last Stone Cold Steve Austin, yeah, he stunned my ass to the moon.”
Theory talking about meeting Steve Austin:
“I’m walking down the hall and this is the second day of WrestleMania. So you know, we’re probably a few hours away from the show. Stone Cold is getting ready to get on a golf cart because the arena is so big, so they’re just driving it around. He had somebody driving them around, but he stopped and he was talking to someone. I was like, well, I got to introduce myself,” Theory said.
“This is my first time meeting Stone Cold. So I just introduced myself and everything. He hangs onto my hand and he looks me in the eyes, and he’s like, ‘I’ll be seeing you later tonight’, and I was like, ‘What?’ Like, that was pretty cool. Then a little bit later, I got pulled aside and it was super private, but basically was told what was going to happen. I was just like, ‘Wait, what? Like what’s going on?’”
Jeff Hardy was asked if it’s hard to balance his wrestling career with his family life:
“It can be tough sometimes, especially before the pandemic. They’re getting back to that now and it can be hard especially with kids. My wife has been my life saver. She’s about my spirit. She’s my God. She’s my everything,” Hardy said.
“Like, all the stuff I’ve been through in my personal life, and she’s stuck by my side. Oh my gosh, she has been amazing. Now we have two beautiful little girls, the Hardy girls, 11 and 5.”
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During tonight’s episode of WWE Monday Night Raw, it was announced that Austin Theory will simply be known as just Theory. This was announced by Theory during a backstage segment that also included WWE officials Sonya Deville and Adam Pearce. This is the latest in a long line of name changes by Vince McMahon.
Theory is slowly being pushed up the ladder in WWE with the goal of eventually becoming a main eventer and Vince McMahon reportedly sees him at the next John Cena-level star.
Theory is the next in line for Finn Balor’s United States Championship.
WWE has begun the build towards WrestleMania Backlash but as of this writing, there are no hints about what Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar are doing on the show.
Last Friday, Reigns and The Usos attacked Shinsuke Nakamura so it’s possible that Reigns vs. Nakamura is the next title match program but Nakamura has been positioned as a mid-card guy for years so if that match does happen then a lot of work will need to be done to make Nakamura look credible for Reigns.
As for Brock Lesnar, he is advertised for upcoming pay-per-view events but there was no sign of him at Raw or SmackDown last week.
Last week there was speculation that Reigns was injured during his WrestleMania match with Lesnar but Dave Meltzer reported that the match went as planned and that Reigns is not hurt. If he is hurting, then that is being kept a secret from everyone because key people in the company that would know are not aware that there’s an injury.
Ringside News reported today that “no one knows the truth” in regards to the situation outside of “Roman Reigns, Paul Heyman and Usos” and that the only people that really know are Vince McMahon “and maybe Bruce Prichard and John Laurinaitis.”
In other words, the creative team and the agents have not been told anything. RSN reported that someone on the creative team stated, “we’ve asked, since we’re planning Backlash, and Vince didn’t answer either way.”
Another thing that should be noted is that Reigns did not wrestle at the live events this past weekend. He could have simply been given the weekend off but if he doesn’t wrestle this coming weekend then it could mean that something else is going on and it’s being hidden from everyone. We should know more later in the week
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WWE called up Gunther, formerly known as WALTER, to the main roster alongside Ludwig Kaiser, formerly known as Marcel Barthel, on Friday’s episode of SmackDown where the former NXT UK Champion beat Joe Alonzo, a local wrestler, in a squash match.
Dave Meltzer talked about Gunther’s main roster debut on today’s Wrestling Observer Radio and noted that WWE asked him to lose weight because Vince McMahon wants slim wrestlers on television. Meltzer noted that the original plan was for Gunther to be a singles star on the main roster.
“It’s interesting that they’re going with them as a tag team and not Gunther as a single, which surprises me greatly. Especially because the original plan was separate brands. And then, the other one is if they were going to do the tag team they kind of like aced out Eichner. I think that Barthel and Eichner are the better idea of the team…Yes, it probably is a size thing. Maybe an idea that they don’t have faith in Gunther as a singles guy yet… I think that, you know, he can be a top singles guy, although I think the loss of weight hurts him a lot. I know he was told and he listened unlike other people who thought that being big was really good and were told and didn’t listen and now is somewhere else, which is Keith Lee, I’m not beating around the bush on that.
Vince wants slim people on TV. I could see from the Vince perspective, telling the guy, ‘Hey, drop 30 pounds,’ right? I thought what made him special was the idea that he’s a 290-310 pound guy who can fly around and can move and hits really hard and looks like a powerhouse and now he’s just a 6’3” guy.”
Gunther was booked to lose to NXT Champion Bron Breakker in the main event of Tuesday’s NXT 2.0 show. WWE kept Fabian Aichner in NXT instead of bringing him up to the main roster with his fellow Imperium members.
One of the big highlights from last night was Stone Cold Steve Austin and Vince McMahon standing in the ring one more time, a nod to their feud that kicked off in 1998 and culminated in 2001.
McMahon wrestled and won his match against Pat McAfee but Austin made his way down to the ring and proceeded to give Austin Theory a stunner. That was followed by a stunner on McMahon but McMahon did not take the move as it was intended.
As many of you saw last night, McMahon went to one knee and then he got up and stumbled against the ropes before finally taking the move. Backstage, McMahon was said to be all smiles and didn’t seem bothered by the botch. The wrestlers and staff who were watching on the monitors got a kick out of seeing McMahon taking a bump again.
WrestlingNews.co was told that there was a brief audio snafu during the segment. Before Austin walked out, they played Austin Theory’s music and McMahon briefly reacted with a concerned look on his face. WrestlingNews.co was told that what was supposed to happen was Stone Cold’s music (not Austin Theory’s) music was supposed to play right away and that explained why McMahon reacted early. We’re told that there’s no heat on anyone for the snafu and McMahon was said to be in a great mood all weekend.
On a related note, while McMahon would probably love to have Austin do more, the word going around backstage is that Austin was happy with his performance in the match with Kevin Owens and there are no plans for him to wrestle again
the second to last match of the night, Pat McAfee took on Austin Theory at WWE WrestleMania 38.
Notes from the match (written in real-time):
Vince McMahon walked out first to introduce Austin Theory. He referred to him as a future WWE Universal Champion. McAfee had the Cowboys cheerleaders as part of his entrance and he used “Seven Nation Army” as his theme.
The match started with right hands by McAfee. Theory chopped McAfee’s throat and then he stomped his body. Theory hit back with a spinning elbow and a hurricanrana and pin attempt. Theory countered with a backbreaker and punches to the head. Theory hit a snap suplex as the camera showed McMahon watching from ringside. Another snap suplex by Theory. McAfee countered with his own suplex and a shoulder block that sent Theory off the ring apron and onto the announce table. McAfee rammed Theory’s head on the announcer’s table while doing his own commentary with the headphones on.
McAfee did a Swanton off the top but Theory moved. McAfee kicked out of the pin attempt. Theory went up top but McAfee stopped him. McAfee went up top, moonsaulted off the top rope, jumped back up top and super plexed Theory off the top rope. McAfee went for the cover, Theory kicked out. The crowd is hot for this match. McAfee missed the punt, Theory took out the knees and he hit a shot to the head. McAfee got a surprise roll up and pinned Theory to win the match.
McAfee taunted McMahon, who was at ringside with Theory. McMahon took off his jacket and tie and shirt. McMahon stood face to face with McAfee. Theory attacked McAfee. The referee started the match and it was officially Vince McMahon vs. Pat McAfee. McMahon continued the attack. McAfee recovered but Theory tripped McAfee and dragged him into the ring post while the referee was distracted. McMahon kicked a Cowboys football into the ribs of McAfee and then he pinned McAfee.
McMahon and Theory celebrated. They hugged and then Stone Cold Steve Austin walked out. Austin took out theory with the stunner. Austin and McMahon shared a beer but it was a swerve and Austin stunned McMahon. It was a bad stunner because Vince stumbled into the ropes before he took the move. Austin stomped Vince out of the ring and then he continued drinking some more beer. He continued celebrating with McAfee in the ring. Austin gave the stunner to McAfee.
Ever since Randy Orton was paired with Triple H, Batista, and Ric Flair as part of Evolution, “the Viper” has been booked as a top guy in WWE. After being with the company for 20 years, Orton has had plenty of time to get to know Vince McMahon as a boss.
While speaking on The Pat McAfee Show, Orton noted that McMahon became a father figure to him over time.
“Yeah, it’s been a long, steady growing one. I’d say early on, most of our encounters were because I was fking up. I was very fortunate because he took a liking to me. I think it’s kinda like a father figure on the road. I was so young, and I think he saw a little bit of something of himself in me because I’m a little batst crazy.
He’s seen me throw a tantrum or two and kinda get emotional and lose it. I’ve had a couple of deep conversations with the guy, and he’s known some of the troubles that I’ve went through, so we’re kind of on a different level. I think he kinda sees a little bit of himself in me, and I think that’s why he took a liking to me. I think he also sees that I’m a WWE guy. I started out a WWE guy, and I’m not going anywhere.”
Vince McMahon inducted The Undertaker into the WWE Hall Of Fame tonight. This is rare for Vince since he does not like to be mentioned at the ceremonies but he made the exception for Taker.
Here are some notes from the induction:
Vince named dozens of the people who Taker has worked with over the years. Vince told a story about a Shotgun Saturday Night taping and seeing The Undertaker and Triple H fighting on an escalator at Penn Station. Vince said Taker did that even though he was reluctant.
He also mentioned the time when Taker had to work in a cemetery in the rain and another time when he had to stand on a Thanksgiving Day float for hours. Vince praised Taker as a leader and someone who commands respect because of his toughness, discipline, and intelligence, among other things.
Taker got an ovation that spanned several minutes and it might be the longest standing ovation anyone has gotten at a Hall of Fame ceremony. Taker said he wanted to talk about Mark Callaway, the man under the black hat because he wanted to show the fans the respect that they’ve shown him.
Taker thanked the fans for being loyal and passionate and giving him the motivation to push through the pain and perform. Taker talked about getting into the business in 1986 after he declined to pursue basketball, even though it was not what his parents wanted.
Taker told a story about the time when he roughed a guy up during a squash match and Vince telling him that everyone in the arena and backstage thinks he’s an “assh*le.” Taker said he’s not proud of his actions from that night and this was his first mental move to constantly remind himself that actions matter.
During his speech, he referenced Shane and Stephanie McMahon and The Godfather. They didn’t show Shane on camera. He also referenced the BSK (Rikishi was shown on camera) and the late Yokozuna, the co-founder of the BSK. Taker also talked about “Crush” Bryan Adams and the last time he saw him. He also talked about Paul Bearer and the ribs he pulled. Taker also talked about Kane and joked that he stole all of his moves.
Taker also mentioned his father. He thanked Dusty Rhodes, Bruno Sammartino, Bret Hart, Ricky Steamboat, and Ric Flair for paving the way for him.
Others included in his speech were Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Bruce Prichard, some of the behind-the-scenes people, his wife Michelle McCool, his parents, his kids, and Vince McMahon.
Before leaving the ring, Taker put on his signature outfit and hat as fans chanted “one more match” and then he ended with “never say never.”
This may have been the best Hall Of Fame speech in history. If it isn’t then it’s definitely near the top.
The full list of names inducted this year:
The Steiner Brothers Sharmell Shad Gaspard (Warrior Award) Vader The Undertaker
“I had two or three other segments during the show, including a pose down with Hulk Hogan. Then the closing shot was me pouring beer on Vince during a Stone Cold beer bash. Like, this shouldn’t happen. It was the craziest story ever. Every week, twice a week working with him, two TVs a week, insane.”
“I always regret not asking him random things because he would have, instead of him being on his Blackberry, be like, ‘Hey, tell me about Sid.’ Or ‘Hey, what really happened with you and Nailz? Give me the scoop.’ Or like just random things. ‘Hey, how was Mr. T the first time?’, just stuff like from when I was a fan that I always wanted to know that he definitely would have answered and talked to me about because he’s just open and he doesn’t care and likes to be taken away from his business quite a bit.”
“But he was awesome. He’s the ultimate perfectionist. I always say that too. Like, he will reshoot and reshoot and reshoot and reshoot until it’s exactly how he wants. But when he gets it, he’s happy.”
Other topics covered include falling asleep during a spot with The Undertaker and stealing the show at a “WeeLC” match in 2014.
Kevin Owens decided to re-sign with WWE last December as his contract was slated to expire this past January. The former WWE Universal Champion will be part of the WWE roster for the foreseeable future after inking the multi-year deal that will make him one of the highest-paid wrestlers in the company.
While speaking with ESPN to promote WrestleMania 38 where he is slated to meet Steve Austin on the KO Show for a confrontation, Owens noted that a big part in him deciding to stay with WWE was Vince McMahon making it clear that he wanted him to stay.
“Well, a big part of it, honestly, was that Vince McMahon made it pretty clear to me that he wanted me to stay. I’ve been in WWE for seven years at this point. I have a lot of friends everywhere else in wrestling, but there is a whole side of WWE that people don’t get to see, whether it’s the production crew or the camera people, the stage manager, the creative team, all these people. They’re all very special people and they’re a part of my family. My extended family now. My professional family, if you want to call it that. Those were all factors that led to me staying put because Vince made it clear he wanted me to stay. It feels like my home and all those other people there. If I wasn’t there, I wouldn’t get to see anymore and that was just like. It just seemed like the right move. That’s really all there is to it.”
WWE and Blumhouse Television have decided on the showrunners for the scripted series in development on Vince McMahon.
The Wrap reported today that Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster will write and serve as executive producers for “The United States of America vs. Vince McMahon.”
WWE and Blumhouse Television previously announced the series last year. It was stated the series will be set in the early ‘90s and focus on the steroid distribution trial where McMahon was acquitted in the summer of 1994.
Vince McMahon, Kevin Dunn, Jason Blum, Chris McCumber, and Jeremy Gold will also be executive producers on the series. The distributor of the project has yet to be announced.
The subject was covered in the latest season of Vice TV’s Dark Side of the Ring series. Fitzerman and Blue worked together in the past including writing the screenplay for “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” on Mr. Rogers that starred Tom Hanks in 2019 as well as writing the Netflix drama “Painkiller” which covers the opioid crisis
WWE posted footage of Seth Rollins’ visit to the company headquarters in Stamford, CT.
Rollins walked into McMahon’s office and asked if he would be fined, suspended, banned for Raw, or fired. McMahon said that he didn’t ask Rollins into his office to fire him and he was surprised that Rollins didn’t win his way into WrestleMania.
McMahon said that Rollins should have asked instead of jumping through so many hoops and this year’s WrestleMania is different from all of the others and it’s a good idea if Rollins is in it.
McMahon said that Rollins would have his “own main event” and he’s going to WrestleMania. McMahon did not say who Rollins would be facing on the show and he won’t know until he’s in the ring. This lines up with previous reports from Dave Meltzer that stated that WWE was likely going to hold off on Cody Rhodes’ return until WrestleMania.
Ahead of this Sunday’s WWE WrestleMania pay-per-view, the company has released a new shirt that will raise some eyebrows.
WWEShop.com has added a shirt that states, “If people think I’m an asshole – congratulations. I am.” The shirt includes an image of Vince McMahon with devil horns on his forehead.
The line comes from McMahon’s interview on The Pat McAfee Show and plays into the perception that some have about him. It also plays off the “asshole” chants that were directed at McMahon at shows beginning in the late 90s during his storyline with Stone Cold Steve Austin.
McMahon is expected to be involved somehow in the Austin Theory vs. Pat McAfee match at WrestleMania.
WWE is using social media to continue Seth Rollins’ storyline heading into WrestleMania. Rollins posted a screenshot of a text message he received from Vince McMahon. The message says the following:
Seth:
Someone from my office is going to be reaching out to you to set up a meeting at corporate headquarters.
I want you in my office at 9 a.m. on Monday.
This development is happening after Rollins threatened to hijack Monday Night Raw if he did not get a WrestleMania moment. Per the current storylines, Rollins does not have a path to WrestleMania. It’s widely believed that he will end up facing Cody Rhodes on the show. It’s unclear if Rhodes will be appearing on Raw this Monday or if they will save his return for WrestleMania.
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Rollins has had numerous chances to get on to the WrestleMania card. In recent weeks, he lost a match to AJ Styles and Kevin Owens where he would have taken their spot on the show if he had won. Rollins and Owens also failed to win the Raw Tag Team Titles a few weeks ago.
This Monday’s Raw is the go-home show for WrestleMania. WWE is also advertising that Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns will be there.
ESPN has uploaded Stephen A. Smith’s entire interview with Triple H where he talked about his heart issues and almost dying last September.
In the video below, Hunter talked about his father, grandfather, and great grandfather dying young. He praised WWE’s wellness program and said that he never had issues and he had a bit of an enlarged heart but there was never any indication that he would have serious issues before September. He said that Stephanie was a rock for him and he doesn’t know if his daughters fully understood the consequences of his health issues and the health scare makes you appreciate things in life much more.
On why he hasn’t spoken until now, he said that “not saying anything” is because of “not knowing” and he didn’t want to misspeak on anything. As noted earlier, Triple H confirmed that he will never wrestle again but he was already in a place where he was comfortable being done and he had a conversation about doing something at WrestleMania in Dallas but his health scare shut that down.
In regards to his role in WWE, his endurance is not fully back but he is back in the office and fully focused on recruiting for the future and he wants to find more people like Gable Steveson.
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On his thoughts on the current product, he feels that they are just scratching the surface on where they want to be internationally and there’s a next level of athletes coming in. He said that people don’t pay to see their next door neighbor and WWE is looking to find someone that is larger than life. He named Roman Reigns, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey as people that transcend the business.
Triple H put over Pat McAfee and said that he has his own ring at home that he’s trained in for years. Stephen A. Smith joked that he could be a “bad guy manager” like Bobby Heenan or Paul Heyman. Triple H agreed that he could do it because most people want to punch Smith in the face.
WWE has made two more changes to the card for WrestleMania 38 as two matches have been moved to different nights.
First up is AJ Styles vs. Edge, which was originally announced for the second night and then pulled from the lineup. It has since been added to WrestleMania Sunday only to now be listed for the first night.
Also, the fatal 4-way match for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles is now listed for WrestleMania Sunday after originally being listed as Friday or Saturday. With Friday being listed, there was some speculation it could have taken place on SmackDown instead of WrestleMania.
Title Unification Match:: Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. WWE Champion Brock Lesnar
Singles Match: Pat McAfee vs. Austin Theory
WWE Raw Tag Team Championship Triple Threat Match: RK-Bro (champions) vs. Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Fatal 4-Match: Zelina Vega and Carmella (champions) vs. Sasha Banks and Naomi vs. Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan vs. Natalya & Shayna Baszler
Anything Goes Match: Sami Zayn vs. Johnny Knoxville
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