Some of Todays Wrestling News and Rumours (Possible spoilers) ***NO CHAT***

MitchKoobski

rovert wrote: »

Probably nothing but Steve Austin training with strength and conditioning coach Mark Bell won't quell the Wrestlemania rumours to be sure:

https://twitter.com/steveaustinBSR/status/400342383822635009/photo/1

Well he must be doing something instead of the podcasts....

rovert

MitchKoobski wrote: »

Well he must be doing something instead of the podcasts....

His podcast have been diabolical recently. Anything that isn't a wrestler interview gets deleted on sight.

Two or three times he has threatened to do a third podcast reviewing WWE and TNA TV. Only to never follow through something to add to the conspiracy that he intends to return at Wrestlemania.

MitchKoobski

rovert wrote: »

His podcast have been diabolical recently. Anything that isn't a wrestler interview gets deleted on sight.

Two or three times he has threatened to do a third podcast reviewing WWE and TNA TV. Only to never follow through something to add to the conspiracy that he intends to return at Wrestlemania.

I enjoyed his Ric Flair one, but I've grown to despise podcasts where the interviews are always over the phone. Quality of the line is always crap and difficult to hear/understand what the interviewee is saying. And that's just the ones with wrestlers.

Got recommended the Art of Wrestling podcasts and haven't looked back.

rovert

Michael Cole interviews New WWE Director of Operations Kane

Hilarious in places.

MitchKoobski

This put a smile on my face

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZIifXShaN0

rovert

Yesterday it was found out that WWE made changes to their Wellness Policy (remember that? ) back in July.

Adding a Therapeutic Use Exception meaning presumably a talent could smoke medical marijuana (sup RVD) or available of Testosterone Replacement Theory.

A Redemption Program were talents can get one of their wellness violations. People have already did the maths and it seems it was instituted for Randy Orton after his last failure.

More here:
http://www.pwinsider.com/article/81563/changes-to-wwe-wellness-policy-including-how-a-talent-can-get-a-violation-removed-from-their-record.html?p=1

Loopholes aplenty.

x43r0

MitchKoobski wrote: »

This put a smile on my face

DDP: "I'm not playing this game, there's no DDP character"

Razor: "You can play as Randy Orton, he's got a cool finisher"

grames_bond

Scott hall looking and sounding better than he has in years! brilliant to see!

Do you think he could be aiming for the rumble too?!

rovert

Two weeks ago it was excepted that unlike the gamesmanship over the US TV rights the UK WWE rights was pretty much an automatic renewal paying the same fee. However since BT bought over the Champions League rights the game has changed seemingly:

In what sounds like good news for WWE when it comes to increasing rights fees, Sky Sports in the U.K., which has WWE, lost in the bidding, in a shocker for the UEFA Champions League and EUEFA Europa League TV rights from 2015 to 2018. Currently, Sky was paying $384 million on a three-year deal for the soccer leagues. Sky upped its bid to $800 million for three years, but their bid got shockingly destroyed by BT Sports, the station that has the UFC, which bid $1.44 billion for three years, so the rights nearly quadrupled. This is a huge story in the U.K. because Sky is the dominant sports broadcaster and they lost what is, by far, the most valuable sports property. The point being they have less budget constraints for bidding on WWE, plus they won’t want to lose WWE on the heels of losing the Champions League. It was said to be the first time in 20 years that Sky lost out on bidding for something they wanted. The feeling is BT will probably make a bid for WWE as well, so that will drive its price up, and Sky won’t want the perception that they are the sports home of the past by losing a second major property to BT. WWE’s five-year deal with Sky expires at the end of 2014.

There's also talk of having Summerslam 2014 in UK. Partly to boost UK interest in the product ahead of the TV rights negotiations. Partly they think they could make more money than having it in Los Angeles if they price the show correctly live gate wise. Biggest hurdles is forecasting the drop off in PPV buys in North America for a taped show and secondly could they fill Wembley. If they filled Wembley they could most likely offset the revenue lost on PPV.

SimonQuinlank

Would be a pain in the arse for WWE to leave Sky,seeing as Sky control the PPV market with SBO in the UK.

Doubt WWE is much of an advertiser or ratings grabber either tbh.

SureYWouldntYa

SimonQuinlank wrote: »

Would be a pain in the arse for WWE to leave Sky,seeing as Sky control the PPV market with SBO in the UK.

Doubt WWE is much of an advertiser or ratings grabber either tbh.

Maybe if BT gets WWE it won't charge for the PPV's ? Like they're doing now, UFC 167 this Saturday is a PPV but if you just have a regular subscription you can get it

rovert

WWE Network news:

Several cable systems carrying WWE Classics on Demand were given word that the station would be shut down shortly. WWE later confirmed that they would be shutting down in February.

This would seem to confirm the network is very much planned on going live about that time.

http://www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-stories/118-daily-updates/34051-classics-on-demand-shutting-downnetwork-future

Still nothing is known about the method of distribution, cable carriers etc. Recently Stephanie accidentally blurted out February and the night of Elimination Chamber as the launch date.

gnfnrhead

I still think it is a massive gamble. A WWE version of netflix would surely be a better idea seeing as streaming is more popular than ever now. A TV network I think will bomb.

Machismo Fan

A streaming service would be a much better idea on every level in terms of achieving more or less the same effect at a much lower cost with a greater deal of control.

rovert

PWInsider:

The American Wolves, Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards reported today to the WWE Performance Center. We are told that they will be in Orlando, Florida for a week-long tryout.
As previously reported in the Elite section of PWInsider.com, there have been some in WWE who have pushed for the pair to be signed despite some resistance from those who feel the company is currently stocked with good workers from the independent scene.

One WWE source believed the one week tryout could be stage one of the pair receiving a short-term trial deal that would send them to developmental for a few months.

There was quite the internal battle to get them this far. One camp was firmly in the post-Daniel Bryan renewed size push/we've too many indy/indy size guys as it is the other just wants more talented wrestlers. Meltzer wrote this last month:

In asking around regarding stories about who they are signing and such what it is and isn’t true. There is no hard and fast rule, but there is the belief that they have enough “small guys” and the problem with business is there are already too many and not enough “big guys.” Unless someone is really good, they are not going to sign small guys. They also don’t want to sign ROH guys right now, although this doesn’t mean Eddie Edwards & Davey Richards (who fit into both categories) are dead in the water, because they aren’t. They actually fit into the potential tag team category. They did not get e-mails the last week saying the company decided to pass on them like almost everyone else at the tryout camp they were at got. But as a general rule, if they weren’t as talented as they are, and didn’t have key guys pushing for them who saw them in ROH, they would be. The general rule HHH has is that he wants to be training guys either from scratch, or getting younger guys with the right look and size, with all the money they’ve spent on developmental, and get them before they make names on the indie scene. Even though their doctrine today would mean Punk and Bryan, two of their three current most over stars, would have a hard time getting in the door. The feeling is the guys who work indies and travel and have somewhat of a name have bad habits, and if they are at the higher level, if they sign them and even if they agree to take the pay cut to WWE entry level, that they won’t be happy over the long haul, It was also said they don’t want guys who know they can get fired and go back and be successful without WWE. They want guys with the impression that their careers in wrestling depend on making it in WWE.

gnfnrhead

Davey gave an interview recently saying he had no interest in wrestling for WWE. Funny how quickly that changed.

rovert

gnfnrhead wrote: »

Davey gave an interview recently saying he had no interest in wrestling for WWE. Funny how quickly that changed.

Did he? This has been in motion for at least six months.

Best, best case scenario both learn to slow down and wrestling's Roy Keane Davey Richards stays on his best behaviour as they could really be something. Carrying TV like the Shield has this year not to mention a feud with the Shield themselves.

gnfnrhead

rovert wrote: »

Did he? This has been in motion for at least six months.

Best, best case scenario both learn to slow down and wrestling's Roy Keane Davey Richards stays on his best behaviour as they could really be something. Carrying TV like the Shield has this year not to mention a feud with the Shield themselves.

Shortly after the last rumors of a rejection came about.

"I don't desire to go to WWE or anything like that. God Bless those guys. It's just not for me."

rovert

The Wolfpac UK Q&A/signing thing sounded like a disaster:

http://www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-stories/118-daily-updates/34080-complaints-regarding-hall-nash-a-waltmans-uk-appearance

I really hope no one from Ireland flew over for it or anything like that.

gnfnrhead

Necro Butcher has been arrested for domestic battery.

Riddle101

^^^ Almost reminds me of Charles Manson

jaykhunter

The Wolfpac are dumping this all on the promoter. It sounds very suspicious. Like saying there's a part 2 after an intermission and then blowing it off. The lads could've stayed for longer of their own volition - unless they were renting the hall by the hour? I don't believe it was just some faceless no-name promoter who's 100% to blame. I'd wager the three washed up c***ts were in on it and used him as a scapegoat to both fleece and short-change the fans.

GTR63

jaykhunter wrote: »

The Wolfpac are dumping this all on the promoter. It sounds very suspicious.

Sounds very familiar that

Charisteas

jaykhunter wrote: »

I'd wager the three washed up c***ts were in on it

A bit harsh Jay?!

We don't know the facts yet and I wouldn't trust any promoter as far as I can throw them.

rovert

NXT seems like a weird grey area spoilers so I am posting it here:



Yup they are wrestling The Ascension.

GTR63

rovert wrote: »

NXT seems like a weird grey area spoilers so I am posting it here:

Yup they are wrestling The Ascension.

Good guess, is it weird thinking in that picture that Davey has still got an indie ego

rovert

GTR63 wrote: »

Good guess, is it weird thinking in that picture that Davey has still got an indie ego

Not weird as conduct wise he seems to be going to be evaluated against Low Ki/Senshi. Low Ki being held as the non-ideal.

Heard just bits and pieces but he apparently landed on his head on something and/also wrestled more Benoit-y than his own standards. Which I can't imagine is a good thing on a tryout - reminding WWE of their worst nightmare. They did lose but they got a lot of their key spots in like the tandem dive through the middle rope to the floor.

They did get over both in the match and then later in the taping when Ascension came out for another match against Hunico and Camacho when the crowd chanted for Davey and Eddie. NXT tweeted positive things about them too.

Omackeral

And is it true they went with the name American Pitbulls? What think ye of that?

rovert

Omackeral wrote: »

And is it true they went with the name American Pitbulls? What think ye of that?

True.

Them being a new, American version of The British Bulldogs was seemingly the big pitch to bring them in.

Jamie Noble and Kid Kash used the Pitbulls as a name during the mid 00s:



So that name was kicking around the WWE Universe.

rovert

NXT names and everything. Very Irish sounding ones too.

John Cahill & Eric Philbin it seems.

Think Davey John Cahill.