7/28/2014 4:10:21 PM

Randy Orton is godawful at talking angry.

In the middle of a beatdown on Reigns that lasted 10 minutes:

Orton:

Quote :

"You hear me, son? I'm gonna show you what happens to people who steal from me. You hear me? Yeah, of course you don't."

The first RKO on the announcer table didn't break the table either.

[Edited on July 28, 2014 at 10:19 PM. Reason : /]

7/28/2014 10:12:25 PM

I hate to say it, but I marked out hard for Steph there.

7/28/2014 11:17:31 PM

You shouldn't hate it, Steph is awesome. #2dollarHo

7/28/2014 11:33:41 PM

I loved Orton trying to clear off the announcer's table.

Angrily knocks everything over

rips out tv monitors with force

gently sets iPad to the side.

7/29/2014 7:55:49 AM

were they really chanting "Jamie Noble" at the end of RAW? I'm not watching but I read the weekly recap, and the fan comments mentioned something about it

7/29/2014 2:57:54 PM

Live, it sounded like a combination of "this is awesome" and "this is awful," which made no sense because the entire crowd marked out for Steph and was chanting "YES" with her.

"Jamie Noble" makes more sense, although why it'd be him instead of Mercury or Finlay is kinda baffling.

7/29/2014 7:05:14 PM

7/30/2014 3:47:45 PM

If TNA do go away, I'll miss it. Not that I watch most weeks but when you're stuck in the neverending monotony of Cena and Orton on top in WWE from time to time, you can at least watch a product that's different. When I lived in Rocky Mount I loved watching the ROH weekly TV show, but ROH does not have an affiliate where I live at now.

7/30/2014 10:28:31 PM

WWE Network subscribers announced the day after Wrestlemania: 667k
WWE Network subscribers announced today: 700k

7/31/2014 9:38:33 AM

33k new subscribers in nearly 4 months? I'm guessing those aren't the numbers they're looking for. That total might drop at the end of this month as well with people that got in during the first week deciding to cancel.

7/31/2014 9:46:04 AM

They need to tap into the overseas market ASAP

7/31/2014 9:46:40 AM

I'm surprised the numbers aren't DOWN with as bad as the product has been lately (plus no CM Punk and Daniel Bryan). or is it just because of the 6 month commitment?

7/31/2014 10:48:26 AM

Yeah, numbers can't go down yet. First people that can dump the network coming up in about 3 weeks though.

7/31/2014 10:59:20 AM

There are people that have found ways out of subscribing. Buying the Network with Paypal and then cancelling your Paypal account for example.

Also announced they were going international way earlier, next month, probably to stave off the post-initial buyers decrease. That way when they announce again in 3 months, they will have an increase. (Although there are people overseas that through a VPN are subscribing to the Network now.)

[Edited on July 31, 2014 at 12:05 PM. Reason : .]

7/31/2014 12:03:40 PM

WWE Q2 Earnings Call Live Blog: Network Numbers, more

Thursday, 31 July 2014 07:30

By Josh Nason, Wrestling Observer

Quote :

"A few highlights from this morning's WWE Q2 earnings call. Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez will be on later this morning/afternoon to go more in-depth. Michael White, Vince McMahon and George Barrios on the call. •Domestic attendance up 11% up for the quarter, 3rd quarter in a row. •TV ratings up: Raw 5%, Smackdown 3% •700,000 Network subscribers a "strong base to build on" per McMahon. •They are making the Network globally available OTT in 170 countries starting 8/12 (Australia, France, Mexico, UK in October, Germany later) •They announced a 10-year agreement with Rogers Communications, a combination of core programming (RAW, Smackdown) in conjunction with the Network. They will make it as a premium channel very similar to HBO. •They plans to increase their 2015 outlook by 30% million by reducing staffing by 7%. •In Q2, they saw 161,000 gross new subscribers, 33k net new. •They found 91% access the Network once a week using an average of 2.5 devices. •Saiid 90% of subscribers surveyed identified themselves as extremely/somewhat satisfied. •They are "very pleased" with the Network's performance. •They have a 5-part plan to grow the Network: new geographic areas, new content, expanding the distribution platform, new features, and a 'high impact' acquistion and marketing initiatives. •Over time, they will localize the WWE Network in various countries as appropriate. •They are launching the Network on several smart TVs soon. •They are adding a 'Resume Play' option soon. •They had $19.4 million in network revenue offset by $13.2 million decline in PPV. Questions: •Vince asked about pricing options for the Network and role of pricing: "Just one of the aspects of growing the Network". •7 English speaking networks up to 170 markets...what changed to go global more rapidly? What are economics? -- With English, it allows us to cater to a local market. Allows us to get to markets quicker, offer an in-language version for those regions. Driven by user adoption. Some marketing costs. Significantly less than doing multiple feeds. •Asked about churn in subscriber base: 4-8% estimate a month for any pay subscription business. No renewal churn, so it's a payment/billing churn. They have expectations on that, but it fits into their model. Working on some payment options that might help. •On cost reductions, what else will they do to save costs? Part of planning process, over last few years, leaned toward speed. This year, driving efficiency. Grown a lot and introducing efficiences. With allocation of line items, not giving that up, but confident they will achieve them. Wouldn't say whether the staff reduction was the No. 1 area. •Is churn lower now that we're past the Mania cycle? "Our view are percentages are stable, but growth will more stable due to lumpiness in acquisition." •They expect customer service to remain the same despite their national growth. •Why did they do the Canadian deal like they did? "Canada tends to look at things differently." Rogers made a deal they couldn't say no to. They are not sure they will do this model anywhere else in the world. •If you sign up for a six month commit, you can do a monthly $19.99 recurring or pay up front. How is this a win? "Lot of thinking on this. We'll learn and we'll see. $19.99 was the right balance for a small entry point and to balance the economics." May be new payment options in the future. •"We've always said that if we had a million by year's end, we'd be thrilled." •On attendance growth: "People are excited by the attractions." •Can Rogers embed advertising in Network stream? "Plan is to offer authenticated version of app in Canada, ad capability built into that." •Status of TV rights in India? Still working on final points, but have agreed to terms. Won't talk about potential increase. •Subs acquired via Rogers will be included in overall Network number. •How many countries now getting the Network didn't have access to live PPV events? "Lot of them don't have PPV because infrastructure doesn't exist." •Top 10 non-countries for Smackdown/RAW viewership? "Canada, UK, South Africa, Mexico...places we talk about having an opportunity." •For other big countries that don't have distribution: "Guess is that you'll start seeing things in '15 and '16 as we finalize plans." •On pure film side, they expect to spend about $20 million. Call ended at around 11:50 AM EST."

"They had $19.4 million in network revenue offset by $13.2 million decline in PPV."

So they're $6.2 million up, but that's before you account for all the costs they have incurred starting up and running the WWE Network.


[Edited on July 31, 2014 at 12:13 PM. Reason : .]

7/31/2014 12:12:03 PM

Random thought: I can't believe they kept Ambrose off the show last week. I know they're trying to get people to watch Main Event, but damn.

7/31/2014 12:22:04 PM

The only appropriate ending to that call:

7/31/2014 12:25:58 PM

between kenta, prince devitt, and kevin steen, im getting real antsy for the summer of nxt

7/31/2014 11:01:35 PM

SLATER GATOR!

8/3/2014 11:25:32 PM

Alberto Del Rio was fired today for "unprofessional conduct to another WWE employee".

8/7/2014 11:13:34 PM

Must've dropped Orton on his head in the back.

8/7/2014 11:13:57 PM

Go home Raw tonight for Summerslam Sunday.

So much for non-compete clauses: Del Rio will wrestle at AAA's largest show of the year TripleMania in Mexico Sunday.

8/11/2014 6:07:29 PM

If the racial slur story is true, he probably threatened them with a wrongful termination suit unless he could go straight out and work.

8/11/2014 6:49:22 PM

His non-complete clause was only with TNA and one other org
He slapped a bitch for racial slur.

8/11/2014 7:09:00 PM

http://middleeasy.com/entertainment/item/13875-the-ten-wrestling-moments-that-blew-our-minds

8/11/2014 11:36:22 PM

8/12/2014 12:16:26 PM

never thought WWE would bring in Steen, although with Bray Wyatt the "great promo kind of fat guy with a brown beard" role is taken, so let's see if he can get out of NXT (just based on promo alone definitely)

8/12/2014 9:58:20 PM

The gnarly shit Steen does gives him an edge on Wyatt.

8/12/2014 11:42:33 PM

Like a moth to the flame, like the redneck to the NASCAR pileup, I cannot look away. even though I know in my heart of hearts that CENA WINS LOL, I'll still stream (fuck paying for this garbage) Summerslam in the slim, every so slim hope that Lesnar crushes Cena. self, prepare for the disappointment of watching a State game

8/13/2014 10:53:15 AM

I'm going to give Summerslam a shot. My network subscription doesn't expire until September 3rd, so why not. It doesn't matter what happens though, I'm not going to renew it. I'm just not nearly as into it as I used to be six months ago.

8/13/2014 11:15:49 AM

Quote :

"Alberto Del Rio will be appearing on Sunday's TripleMania show in Mexico City as a special guest, which has gotten tremendous media publicity in that country The circumstances of his firing, which has been talked about in the Mexican media, have obviously put him in a strong babyface position. He has already cut interviews for the show using the Alberto Del Rio name. Sources in Mexico have said that Del Rio's non-compete clause with WWE does not extend to Mexico which is why he can appear on the show. He is not scheduled for a match. The situation with Del Rio and WWE is still up in the air and is described as very acrimonious right now. WWE does not want Del Rio appearing either for TNA or for the AAA shows on the El Rey Network and is trying to tie him up with a lengthy non-compete. Sources close to the situation have said they'd like Del Rio to have a non-compete similar to that of Jim Ross, who was not allowed to work for a rival wrestling promotion until just a few weeks ago, even though he was fired in September. To do that, WWE would have to pay Del Rio during that period. Regarding reports of Rey Mysterio also being at TripleMania are not the case. We're told that he is still under contract to WWE. WWE would not allow him to appear on the show and it is believed WWE was not even asked about it, given it is direct competition, going head-to-head with SummerSlam on pay-per-view in Mexico. Although Mysterio has not been used in WWE of late, he is still under an exclusive contract with the organization."

Getting fired actually worked out well for Alberto Del Rio/Dos Caras Jr./Alberto Rodriguez. He was going to leave anyway and he gets to leave in a way where it gave him huge babyface momentum where he was going to work.

What happened was the head of their Social Media division was asked why he didn't clean off his plate at catering, and the guy responded "that's Del Rio's job", so Mexican racial joke. Del Rio wasn't there but the joke got back to him, and later Del Rio straight up bitchslapped the guy for it. Originally Del Rio was going to be suspended until just after Summerslam, but the Social Media guy it's believed threatened a lawsuit and WWE felt they had to release Del Rio for legal reasons. This has all made the Mexican mainstream media where due to the racial joke against Mexicans, everyone's on board with Del Rio (and WWE wrestlers were sympathetic to Del Rio as well).

[Edited on August 14, 2014 at 5:59 PM. Reason : /]

8/14/2014 5:57:36 PM

Hulk Hogan opens the show turning the WWE Network heel.

Show opens with Miz-Ziggler IC title match.

[Edited on August 17, 2014 at 8:08 PM. Reason : .]

8/17/2014 8:04:14 PM

Ziggler reaches the ropes on a figure four (has the figure four ever beat anyone?) and kicked out of a skull crushing finale to pin Miz with a zigzag to win the IC title.

Pre-show match was Van Dam beating Cesaro with a frog splash. What has happened to Cesaro?

They recap the dumb segment from Raw last week where WWE copied the horrible Claire Lynch storyline from TNA with Brie and Stephanie.

Next up is psycho A.J. vs. British girl that cannot get a tan Paige for the Divas title.

Paige beats A.J. for the Divas title. Both girls pulled hair extensions from the other, so if this was logical booking, that'd mean a hair vs. hair match, but I don't see WWE doing that with their women. A.J. actually did a dive from the top turnbuckle to the floor.

Swagger vs. Rusev flag match. Lana does her normal promo. Swagger has a military color guard present colors prior to his entrance.

[Edited on August 17, 2014 at 8:40 PM. Reason : /.]

8/17/2014 8:20:19 PM

Pre-match Rusev waves the Russian flag, then Swagger holds up the U.S. flag in the middle of the ring, and Rusev attacks him. Swagger is able to get the ankle lock on him but the ref breaks it up saying the match hasn't started yet. Rusev and Lana try to get the match called off as Rusev can't walk, but ref starts it anyway, and Swagger dominates early. Rusev sells the ankle throughout the match. Back and forth, Rusev went for his camel clutch finish but his ankle couldn't support it, so he tried a one-legged version and Swagger reversed it into an ankle lock and greatly teased the tapout, but he was able to turn it and kick Swagger in his injured ribs, did a high leaping kick to Swagger, pretty much Ultimate Warrior's gorilla press slam, and then put him in his camel clutch and ref called for the finish with Swagger passed out never tapping.

The nationalism makes it easy, but this has been a really well done low-to-midcard feud.

Rusev post-match kicked Zeb Colter in the face as he was kneeling over Swagger. They then raised the Russian national flag over the ring and played the Russian national anthem.

Stephanie's wrestling outfit:



Rollins-Ambrose lumberjack match. Sandow is dressed as an actual lumberjack. Ambrose and Rollins brawl into the crowd after beating down the lumberjacks, Kane comes down and tells the wrestlers to go into the crowd and bring them back. Ambrose is carried back while Rollins tries to leave, Rollins is carried toward the ring by a bunch of guys and when they get close enough Ambrose jumps off the top turnbuckle onto all of them. Ambrose's new nickname is "the Lunatic Fringe". Ambrose did a curb stomp on Rollins and went to pin him and got pulled off by Kane. Goldust entered the ring to confront Kane and Kane slapped him which got all the lumberjacks in the ring. As Ambrose cleared the Wyatts out of the ring, Rollins hit him with the briefcase to get the pin.

Jericho-Bray Wyatt.

[Edited on August 17, 2014 at 9:21 PM. Reason : .]

8/17/2014 8:52:19 PM

Bray pinned Jericho. Cut a promo after.

Brie and Stephanie start. Ronda Rousey ringside.

Stephanie pretty much dominates the whole match. Worst match so far although with these two that'd be expected and that's not really a point of this match either. Stephanie does do actual wrestling moves. She gave Brie a DDT for example. Brie comes back and I think Stephanie's offense was actually better. Hunter runs out followed by Nikki Bella, Brie put Daniel Bryan's finisher on Stephanie, and Hunter pulled the ref out of the ring, then Brie actually drop kicked Hunter from the ring to the floor.

Nikki then got in the ring and teasing a 2-on-1 vs. Stephanie, did a Russoriffic heel turn KOing Brie. Stephanie pedigreed Brie and won.

A.J. Lee (C.M. Punk's newlywed wife), Nikki Bella (John Cena's girlfriend), and Brie Bella (Daniel Bryan's newlywed wife) would like to all remind you they all got to where they are off talent and not by sleeping to get ahead.

[Edited on August 17, 2014 at 9:56 PM. Reason : .]

8/17/2014 9:43:26 PM

Reigns-Orton. Took the crowd awhile to get into it. The finish was Orton off a nice interchange got an RKO but Reigns kicked out at 2. Orton initially through a fit and then was going to go for the punt, Reigns swept his feet out from under him and then hit him with a spear. Announcers played it up a lot as the biggest win of Reigns' career.

Announced Summerslam next year will be in New York/New Jersey. They had been in Los Angeles for it 6 years in a row.

Main event. Cena-Lesnar for the WWE title. Lesnar hits an F5 in the first 30 seconds of the match. Cena kicks out of course.

This is starting out like an old-style Hogan match where Hogan just got beat for a long time by the big bad heel. There is one lone 8-year-old screaming "LET'S GO CENA!" repeatedly that the audio is picking up.

Lesnar is just hitting repeated German suplexes and had the ref check on Cena if he was okay to continue. Cena gets a comeback out of nowhere and hit his finisher but Lesnar kicked out. Lesnar goes back to domination after Cena (in storyline) gets the genius idea to bullrush Brock. After even MORE German suplexes to the point Chris Benoit's estate and Kurt Angle will start suing WWE for copyright infringement, Cena trips up Brock in a desperation move to get him in the STF. Brock gets out, gets Cena in an F5, and hits it for the pin in one of the most dominant and cleanest wins over John Cena you'll ever see.

A very good show.

[Edited on August 17, 2014 at 10:53 PM. Reason : .]

8/17/2014 10:24:13 PM

Worst ppv in recent memory. I feel like the Cena/Lesnar match was supposed to go only a couple minutes but they had to stretch it out to make it to 11pm. F5/knees/suplexes/F5, end match.

8/17/2014 10:54:08 PM

Finally Lesnar does what he was supposed to

8/17/2014 11:06:37 PM

Forgettable show in my opinion. I enjoyed Cena getting a beatdown as much as anybody did, but that kid yelling let's go Cena into the mic the entire time ruined it for me a little. I'm done.

8/17/2014 11:38:15 PM

what ? Cena lost cleanly? Unreal. I guess wrestling isnt rigged after all. LOL

Quote :

"A.J. Lee (C.M. Punk's newlywed wife), Nikki Bella (John Cena's girlfriend), and Brie Bella (Daniel Bryan's newlywed wife) "

this is ...... what is the WWE? an Amish camp?


I was watching Stephanie promos when she was younger in the industry ( dont ask why) but it's like night and day compare to now. NIGHT AND DAY

8/17/2014 11:44:01 PM

Quote :

"I feel like the Cena/Lesnar match was supposed to go only a couple minutes but they had to stretch it out to make it to 11pm. F5/knees/suplexes/F5, end match."

It wasn't repeated for time, it was repeated for effect. Lesnar is an unstoppable monster who did just what he said he would; Cena's only offense was a pair of desperation finishers.

Quote :

"A.J. Lee (C.M. Punk's newlywed wife)...would like to all remind you they all got to where they are off talent and not by sleeping to get ahead."

This is a fucking asinine thing to say about one of the best female workers in the company, especially when the husband in question is in breach of contract.

8/18/2014 12:51:02 AM

I'm always tempted to just call vinylbandit the fuck out on musical topics when he takes fake wrestling so seriously

8/18/2014 1:50:54 AM

a little over one year since your last troll post in this thread. We'll see you in 2015.

8/18/2014 8:22:26 AM

Cena-Lesnar was great stuff. I loved how they had Cena work just enough offense to where you though he'd have his normal bullshit no-sell comeback, then Brock would react with "Fuck that shit" and go back to beating him down. The sit-up after the AA was golden.

8/18/2014 8:33:10 AM

Loved the Lesnar/Cena match, and thankfully there was enough commentary among friends in the room that we didn't hear the repeated imploring from the Cena fan boy. One thing I'd like less of is the crowd reaction shot after Lesnar wins.

At WM, it made sense: the crowd (and probably everyone watching) was surprised that the streak was over, but last night??? C'mon, we ALL knew Lesnar was going over, and the tight shots on "surprised" fans was just dumb.

Steph remains one attractive woman.

8/18/2014 10:28:26 AM

I, too, wasn't surprised with the Lesnar win. The way it happened to the top WWE superstar of the last 10 years certainly was, and the match itself wasn't all that great, IMO---it was glorified squash (however, with story line progression it works quite well). Very curious as to who could be a viable challenger to Lesnar after this (Batista? Rock? Reigns?)

8/18/2014 2:39:50 PM

The goddamn Undertaker wins the title from Lesnar at Mania.

#ONEMILLIONBUYS

8/18/2014 6:38:44 PM

good to see Steph has the same ego as her old man, opening the show after beating a Bella twin instead of having Heyman & Brock come out

8/18/2014 8:04:47 PM

I guess if they want to make Heyman/Lesnar more of a heel, holding that off until later makes that 5% more likely.

999

8/18/2014 8:06:54 PM