Please continue any discussion on wrestling here.

So how long before they join AEW ?

21 minutes ago, Brandon said:

So how long before they join AEW ?

I'd be surprised if something isn't already in the works.  They've had an online "feud" with the Bucks for years and both teams have said they'll face off in the ring one day.

Probably when crowds are back.  That’s the best time to debut them. But for sure they’ll end up there.  One of the revival was about to expire anyway. The other had his contract extended due to injury. But reportedly neither was being paid by wwe since they already made their downside guarantee for the year.   Probably not a coincidence that wwe releases then now 

Interesting.  UFC was told to cancel live shows.  Well wwe was planning to take several weeks of RAW &SD but Vince abruptly changed his mind today after they taped SD.  
 

He wants to air raw and SD as close to live as possible as long as possible.   Speculation being that it’s in the network contracts that they can only air X amount of taped shows.  So If they aired more than that, USA or FOX could hold back money or use it as a breach and re-negotiate.  

1 hour ago, The Unknown Poster said:

Interesting.  UFC was told to cancel live shows.  Well wwe was planning to take several weeks of RAW &SD but Vince abruptly changed his mind today after they taped SD.  
 

He wants to air raw and SD as close to live as possible as long as possible.   Speculation being that it’s in the network contracts that they can only air X amount of taped shows.  So If they aired more than that, USA or FOX could hold back money or use it as a breach and re-negotiate.  

Wasn't a Good Friday for Vince. The WWE must be hemorrhaging money right now. No wonder he shut down the XFL. 

7 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

Wasn't a Good Friday for Vince. The WWE must be hemorrhaging money right now. No wonder he shut down the XFL. 

That’s certainly a possibility.  They’re good as long as the tv deals remain. $2 billion over five years.   But Vince sold a lot of stock.  And fired his two presidents.  Not a good look.  No house shows isn’t even that bad for wwe as they lost money on house shows. 

 

 

WWE should be shut down as the wrestlers live in the community & are just spreading it. 

Well one big question is how they’re even allowed to operate in Florida in violation of the gathering rules. Only essential businesses are allowed to be open.  Someone’s palms were greased. 

9 hours ago, The Unknown Poster said:

Well one big question is how they’re even allowed to operate in Florida in violation of the gathering rules. Only essential businesses are allowed to be open.  Someone’s palms were greased. 

If California, Arizona and Texas can declare gun shops as essential services, then why not these?

Apparently wwe has provided all of its talent with a corporate letter to provide to police if they are stopped which declares them “essential media”. 
 

 

Edited April 12, 20205 yr by The Unknown Poster

 

Absolutely absurd.  It really is who you know.  
 

from wrestlingobserver

 

 

At a press conference today, Orange County (Florida) mayor Jerry Demings was asked how WWE is still able to run shows despite the state's stay-at-home order.

"I think initially there was a review that was done and they were not initially deemed an essential business. With some conversation with the governor's office regarding the governor's order, they were deemed an essential business. And so therefore, they were allowed to remain open," Demings said.

Demings said that -- because of HIPAA laws --  he doesn't know the specifics associated with the person in WWE who tested positive for COVID-19. “But that’s like a little family," Demings said. "A small family of professional athletes that wrestle. And if one of my family members tested positive in my house, that would be concerning to me. We would have to make some provisions in my house to make sure that the rest of us not get infected. So I would assume that -- from a business perspective -- the WWE is doing that type of analysis of its own family.”

The person in WWE who tested positive for COVID-19 is an on-air talent but not a member of the in-ring roster. Over the weekend, WWE issued a statement about the positive test: "A WWE employee has tested positive for COVID-19. We believe this matter is low risk to WWE talent and staff, as the individual and a roommate became symptomatic in the days following exposure to two people working in acute health care on the evening of March 26, after WWE’s TV production on a closed set was already complete. The employee had no contact with anyone from WWE since being exposed to those two individuals, is doing well, and made a complete recovery.”

WWE is resuming live television broadcasts from the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida starting with tonight's Raw.

A tweet of that new conference he looks and sounds real confused by the situation

 

The governor won by a slim margin.  Linda McMahon, who served in Trump's cabinet, heads a Trump superpac who plans to be very active in Florida.  I think we know what happened here....

Oh and raw did 1.9 million 

Edited April 14, 20205 yr by The Unknown Poster

 

WWE is cutting salaries to employees.  And releasing talent or putting talent on furlough.  They want to save $4 million a month.  And also, while announcing this, bragged about having half a billion in cash reserves.

Feel bad for a lot of wrestlers about to be unemployed with zero options.

EDIT: It begins:

 

Gallows.  Heath Slater.  Eric Young.  Shane Helms.  Lance Storm.  Finlay.  Mike Rotunda.

Edited April 15, 20205 yr by The Unknown Poster

So which guys do AEW sign up?  

43 minutes ago, Brandon said:

So which guys do AEW sign up?  

Right now?  No one.  And hope they dont have to do this too eventually.

WWE Producers Billy Kidman, Mike Rotunda, Dave Finlay, Pat Buck, Shawn Daivari,Scott Armstrong, Sarah Stock, Shane Helms and Lance Storm.  Aiden English.  Kurt Angle.  Colons.  Rowen,  Ryder.

Rusev.  Deonna Purrazzo.  Aleksandar Jaksic 

 

 

Sarah is from Winnipeg.  Only heard good things about her in WWE (she was a total pro and totally great person, great talent when she worked here in Winnipeg with us.)

Edited April 15, 20205 yr by The Unknown Poster

Best ring announcer of all time.

On 2020-04-13 at 7:52 PM, The Unknown Poster said:

Absolutely absurd.  It really is who you know.  
 

from wrestlingobserver

 

 

At a press conference today, Orange County (Florida) mayor Jerry Demings was asked how WWE is still able to run shows despite the state's stay-at-home order.

"I think initially there was a review that was done and they were not initially deemed an essential business. With some conversation with the governor's office regarding the governor's order, they were deemed an essential business. And so therefore, they were allowed to remain open," Demings said.

Demings said that -- because of HIPAA laws --  he doesn't know the specifics associated with the person in WWE who tested positive for COVID-19. “But that’s like a little family," Demings said. "A small family of professional athletes that wrestle. And if one of my family members tested positive in my house, that would be concerning to me. We would have to make some provisions in my house to make sure that the rest of us not get infected. So I would assume that -- from a business perspective -- the WWE is doing that type of analysis of its own family.”

The person in WWE who tested positive for COVID-19 is an on-air talent but not a member of the in-ring roster. Over the weekend, WWE issued a statement about the positive test: "A WWE employee has tested positive for COVID-19. We believe this matter is low risk to WWE talent and staff, as the individual and a roommate became symptomatic in the days following exposure to two people working in acute health care on the evening of March 26, after WWE’s TV production on a closed set was already complete. The employee had no contact with anyone from WWE since being exposed to those two individuals, is doing well, and made a complete recovery.”

WWE is resuming live television broadcasts from the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida starting with tonight's Raw.

 

sketchy AF

https://www.yardbarker.com/wwe/articles/linda_mcmahons_super_pac_announced_spending_in_florida_same_day_wwe_cleared_to_resume_shows/s1_127_31773179

Some back and forth on WWE releasing people.  Some saying its just business and everyone is doing it.

I think what irks a lot of people is WWE has hoarded talent for a long time.  They would literally pay someone to sit at home rather then release them and risk them going to AEW.   They refused to release anyone when requested, rolled over contracts to keep them etc.  And now, when there has never been a worse time to be a free agent, releases people.

Also, WWE will be the most profitable it has ever been in the next year even if they run zero house shows and other live events.  They claim they're saving $4 million per month but also note the majority of that savings is deferring spending on their new building to replace Titan Tower.  

Industry-wide, only WWE has done this.  The other groups are all paying their talent.  AEW is paying per show talent as well.  ROH is paying production people they booked for shows they now arent running.  The longer this goes, the more likely they will all have to do this.  But it's pretty bad timing for WWE who are at no risk of not being profitable, to do this.  The one caveat is if USA and FOX somehow get out of the TV deals, but there is no indication of that happening.  WWE is flush with money.

AEW was running QT Marshall's gym for their recent events.  They are reportedly taped up until DoN.  No word on where DoN will take place or what the card will be.  Probably they realize a lot could change.  UFC thinks Vegas will be open in May so its always possible AEW runs Vegas with no crowd.  More likely they run their facility in JAX.  The reason they went to Atlanta for tapings was because JAX shut down all hotels.  If that changes by May, they could run JAX for DoN.  Getting everyone in is the other complication.