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Matt Striker Interview: Lucha Underground, Daniel Bryan’s Retirement & More

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Lucha Underground announcer Matt Striker was a guest on this week’s Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast. Striker spoke with hosts John and Chad about Lucha Underground’s success, his WWE career, Daniel Bryan’s retirement and much more. You can listen to the full episode at Podomatic.com. Here are some highlights of what he said about:

What can Season 2 offers fans who enjoyed Season 1:

“I say this a lot and it always seems to come up and it always seems to be so fitting but if you want to hear God laugh, you tell him your plans. I think I’ve learned from wrestling and from television that you do what you are there to do and you don’t think about tomorrow, tomorrow has enough thought’s of it’s own to paraphrase so I don’t think we know. I think we were having a great time doing Season 1 and other people felt that energy and here we are doing it again and hopefully again and again.”

Lucha Underground’s “Seasonal” Format:

“Well first and foremost I think certain words have worked their way into our lexicon in 2016 that weren’t readily at the tip of our tongues in 96. With that said, I think the great term and I don’t think they intended it to be this pure and honest when he coined it but it’s Sports Entertainment. When you say “Seasons” baseball has a season and Shameless on Showtime has a season so I think that what Lucha Underground is doing is its becoming a sport as well as television show. So the person that says well I don’t watch wrestling but they watch Lucha Underground versus the people that say they don’t really watch Tele Novella’s but they watch Lucha Underground is that it’s able to cross everything for a lack of a better term.”

What it is like announcing beside Vampiro and their chemistry:

“I think first and foremost Vamp and I are really a lot better away from wrestling then we are when we get to the building and get to the ring. We kind of do avoid each other for the most part of the day because we understand the whole riggamorow that gets involved but then five minuets before showtime we together and we have a little room that we spit some lines at each other for about five minuets and we go out there like a band and like a team we just play. I can explain it, it’s almost kindred.”

The opening scene of Season 2 & the high production values of the show:

“It was definitely a lot of fun. I don’t mean to be self deafening but you could have put a monkey in that scene and it would still look cool. It’s just the way it is shot. It was very cool to be a part of it and to see it come to life, out of the guy (who’s name is Skip) to see it come to life out of his mind on to the screen is thrilling and is inspiring. The beauty of the show is it crosses boundaries. I am reminded of movies like Goodfellas or shows like That 70s Show where they were shot in a way that they were to convey something like a time period and the way it’s shot it conveys something to the viewer and that is a tip of the cowboy hat to Robert (Rodriguez) and everybody else involved in the production and the concepts.”

Wrestling fans evolving and wanting to be in on more of a “cool wrestling product”:

“It is a great question and an analysis and more of a commentary on society as a whole. What is happening that I am noticing you are getting these dissects of fan-bases. You will have almost the “hipster” equivalent to the fan-base that says look at me I am so knowledgable and I can grow a beard and I happen to know when Nakamura first wrestled, ok dude I get it and that’s great but the fact that I know Tommy Rich and Buzz Sawyer doesn’t make me any different nor better nor anything of a fan than you. So there seems to be that divide. There is also this wave of and I feel like the Lucha Underground fan doesn’t want to know the spoilers, they don’t want to know the guy’s real name, they don’t want to know that this guy is dating that girl, they just want to watch the wrestling and that is the kind of fan that I was. I think the Lucha Underground fan is like hey man I like this and I know Breaking Bad isn’t real and I know the guy doesn’t have cancer but they want to watch and there you go.”

In the over ONE HOUR interview with Matt Striker he breaks down his entire run with WWE, his back and fourth duties between wrestling and announcing, Working with WWE Legends, Learning from Vince McMahon, Working Wrestle Kingdom and where he sees Lucha Underground heading beyond Season you will definitely want to DOWNLOAD THIS EPISODE to hear everything from the mouth of YOUR TEACHER!

Please subscribe to The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling on iTunes and via YouTube by searching the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling or visit the OFFICIAL Website of the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling: tmptofwrestling.com & twitter.com/twomanpowertrip.

Hulk Hogan Trolled On Twitter, Stephanie Hacked, JBL Climbs Another Mountain & More

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– Hulk Hogan is getting trolled on Twitter once again. It’s no secret that Hogan will retweet virtually anything, regardless of whether or not the person asking for the re-tweet is clowning him in. On Friday morning, Hogan re-tweeted a message from a guy asking, “Can a n—– get a RETWEET? Thanks Hulk!” Hogan obliged. You can see the tweet here.

– Another social media fail – Stephanie McMahon’s Instagram account was hacked on Thursday.

– The WWE Network is adding a new “Daniel Bryan Collection” later today.

– Despite reporting record earnings on Thursday, WWE stock took a major hit, dropping nearly 5%. As of this writing on Friday morning, the stock is down another 3% to around $14.50.

– JBL climbed another mountain on Thursday, spending 9 hours to reach the top of Quandary Peak in Colorado. Here are some photos from his journey:

NXT Star Knocked Out Cold In The Ring (Video)

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NXT star Riddick Moss got knocked out at last night’s NXT live event from Jacksonville, Florida.

The 6-man tag team main event featured Sami Zayn, Enzo Amore and Colin Cassidy vs. Riddick Moss and NXT Tag Team Champions Dash and Dawson. The match ended in a no-contest when Moss was injured during a triple suplex spot.

The match ended in a no contest and Moss was tended to by the trainers. After he was eventually helped out of the ring, Zayn addressed the audience and said Moss told him he’ll be fine. The babyfaces then hit their finishers on Dash and Dawson to end the show.

Here’s video of the spot in question:

Here are full results from the show:

  • Hype Bros defeated Blake and Murphy
  • Elias Samson defeated Patrick Clark
  • Liv Morgan defeated Adrienne Reese
  • Levis Valenzuela defeated Steve Cutler in a comedy match
  • Apollo Crews defeated Tino Sabbatelli
  • American Alpha defeated The Vaudevillains
  • Mandy Rose did a heel promo hyping Total Divas
  • Asuka defeated Alexa Bliss with the Asuka Lock
  • Sami Zayn, Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady vs. Riddick Moss and NXT Tag Team Champions Dash and Dawson ended in a No Contest

Kurt Angle To Be Honored By Arnold Schwarzenegger, Triple H Likely To Attend

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Kurt Angle is scheduled to be inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame next month in Columbus, Ohio. The ceremony takes place during the Arnold Sports Expo, which will also be attended by over 20 NXT talents. Angle will be inducted by the man the festival is named after, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Triple H usually attends the Arnold Expo and Sports Hall of Fame ceremony every year, and is expected to be in the house this year. This could be the first time Triple H and Kurt Angle see each other since Angle’s departure from WWE in 2006.

Related: Kurt Angle Tells Untold HHH & McMahon Stories, Says He Entered His Prime In TNA

Other inductees in the 2016 Hall of Fame class are Royce Gracie and Dolph Lundgren.

The Arnold Sports Expo takes place March 3-6 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, and tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com/Arnold.

Related: Kurt Angle Talks About Returning To WWE, Confident About HOF Induction

Lucha Underground Viewership Reaches All-Time High

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Lucha Underground viewership continues to rise in season 2. The February 10, 2016 episode drew a combined 217,000 viewers. That is up from last week’s 201,000 viewers, and is the most viewers the show has ever received.

The first airing on El Ray drew 136,000 viewers, and the replay that aired immediately after drew 81,000.

Lucha Underground was recently renewed for a third season on El Ray. In January, the show got an endorsement on Twitter from The Rock, who has almost 10 million followers.

PHOTO: Jim Ross In Los Angeles To Call NJPW on AXS Shows

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WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross tweeted out this photo earlier tonight:

This is just the second time Ross has called pro wrestling since his departure from WWE. The first was Jeff Jarrett’s version of NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 9 last year, where he was paired with Matt Striker. As noted in the tweet, Ross’s first episode will air on March 4th, the week after Mauro Ranallo’s final episode, which was recorded just before he signed with WWE. AXS deserves credit for making the type of deal that would get Ross, as Ranallo did such a tremendous job that his shoes would be hard to fill. Who better than the Hall of Famer who’s the most legendary announcer in the modern history of the business? Ross is the only replacement who wouldn’t have been subject to intense skepticism and criticism, even if other theoretical candidates would have done excellent jobs.

Ross was also in the news earlier in the week when he was announced as the new spokesman and executive advisor for the FITE TV streaming video platform.

The Latest On Stone Cold Steve Austin’s WrestleMania Status

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As of last week, WWE had not yet pitched anything to Steve Austin for WrestleMania 32. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE doesn’t have any plans for The Texas Rattlesnake at the event yet, but it’s very likely he’ll be there in some capacity. Austin has indicated he’ll be in Dallas for WrestleMania weekend.

Dave Meltzer reports that WWE sources expect the company will come up with something for Austin to get him in front of the crowd, but he won’t be wrestling.

In January, Austin said WWE had pitched an idea to him that he was excited about. According to Meltzer’s report, that idea must have been scrapped for reasons unknown.

Related: Steve Austin Talks About His Role At WrestleMania, Roman Reigns’ Push

Stone Cold is currently promoting CMT’s Broken Skull Challenge, which airs on Sundays at 8PM ET.

Bret Hart Update After Surgery For Prostate Cancer

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WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart is out of surgery and now begins what he’s calling ‘the long road to recovery.’

The Hitman revealed last week that he is battling prostate cancer. Once again, we wish Bret a speedy recovery.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BBqnG9DsQt0/

Report: Titus O’Neil’s Explanation For Grabbing Vince On RAW

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Titus O’Neil reportedly gave an explanation to WWE management for grabbing Vince McMahon’s arm on RAW that wasn’t good enough to get him out of his suspension.

According to ProWrestlingSheet.com, O’Neil told WWE management that he grabbed Vince’s arm when he was walking to the back so Stephanie could walk in front of him. O’Neil reportedly claimed it was a gesture to indicated “ladies first,” so Stephanie McMahon could exit the stage first, ahead of Vince. O’Neil intended it in a playful manner, but Vince was having none of it and shoved O’Neil away.

O’Neil is currently serving a 60-day suspension for unprofessional conduct. ProWrestlingSheet.com reports that the lengthy suspension is to send a message to the roster to be more professional, as management feels several wrestlers have been “riding the line” when it comes to following company rules.

Details On WWE’s Upcoming Scott Hall DVD Set

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WWE is producing a documentary about Scott Hall titled Living on a Razor’s Edge – The Scott Hall Story. The documentary will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray on July 4th, 2016 in the United Kingdom, and on July 5th, 2016 in the United States.

It will be a 3-disc set on DVD and a 2-disc set on Blu-Ray.

Here’s the early synopsis:

A biography on the life and times of WWE Hall of Famer, Scott Hall.

Hear from the man himself, Scott Hall, as he candidly discusses his rise to wrestling fame, his decline with personal demons, and his attempt to get his life back while training his son to carry on his wrestling legacy.

What matches do you think should be included in the set? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Braun Strowman Slotted For Main Event Push, Match With Lesnar At SummerSlam

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The rumored Undertaker vs. Braun Strowman match at WrestleMania 32 almost certainly won’t be happening, but Wyatt Family monster is still in line for a main event push in 2016.

In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer states that WWE already has Strowman booked for significant roles at WrestleMania and SummerSlam:

“Right now the plan is for Strowman to win the Andre the Giant Battle Royal and get a major push from that point on as a monster, to build him for an eventual title program with Reigns as well as a potential PPV match with Lesnar, which right now is on the books for SummerSlam.”

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon is a strong support of Strowman, who has been improving a lot behind the scenes and is capable of a lot more than we’ve been seeing on WWE television thus far.

Sunny Hospitalized With Pancreatitis

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WWE Hall of Famer Tammy Sytch is currently hospitalized with pancreatitis. She underwent an endoscopy procedure yesterday and remains hospitalized in Leigh Valley, Pennsylvania.

In her recently released autobiography, she revealed that she has suffered from pancreatitis, an ailment brought on by alcohol abuse.

She noted on Twitter that she’ll soon begin working on her second autobiography with “more juicy stuff” from her days in the wrestling business.

 

Editorial: Road Dogg Jesse James Says Wins And Losses Don’t Matter, Here’s Why He’s Wrong

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In one tweet, the Road Dogg Jesse James sent the WWE Universe into a frenzy. It’s not a secret that WWE’s booking as of late is questionable at best. Reason being, wins and losses don’t matter. WWE is all about telling a story with characters the fans either like or dislike.

Ironically, that’s exactly what the Road Dogg said to stir up a lot of controversy on social media several days ago.

 

 

 

 

Instead of diving into a rage-filled rant, let’s look at what Road Dogg said with an objective viewpoint.

The former-WWE Tag-Team champion, who is the lead writer of WWE Smackdown, said that wins and losses don’t matter. It’s all about the character and the winner of that specific storyline.

In short, James told the fans that watch to not care who wins and loses each match. The conclusion is all that matters. It isn’t real competition, according to James. So, why should the WWE Universe care who comes out on top? The realization that WWE isn’t real is good to hear from a WWE official.

Doesn’t it make perfect sense?

What doesn’t hold a millimeter of logic is what Road Dogg said, and then proceeded to back up his claim to several WWE fans on Twitter, as it appears above.

Where was he when the New Age Outlaws ran roughshot through the WWE Tag-Team division? He said they didn’t win a lot, but truth be told, they did win. It wasn’t 50-50 booking in the mid-90’s. WWE understood how to book talent without trading wins each week.

Just as recently as three years ago, Road Dogg is either delirious or lying. It should be the latter in this case because James is a smart guy.

Brock Lesnar conquered the streak at WrestleMania 30. Undertaker finally fell at the Grandest Stage of Them All to the Beast Incarnate. Paul Heyman became the one, behind the one in 21 and 1. That entire gimmick relied on the “loss” the Phenom suffered in New Orleans.

Did the Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin get popular due to their 50-50 record? If the Texas Rattlesnake would’ve had a worse record, he wouldn’t have been as over. John Cena became the WWE’s face in the mid-2000’s. Cena rarely lost on TV, and even at WWE house shows.

Wins mattered then.

World Championship Wrestling had Goldberg. He wasn’t the best wrestler, but his undefeated streak made him feel invincible to the naked eye. At one point, Goldberg was the hottest act in wrestling. The biggest reason for that was his winning streak.

Wins mattered then.

Over 45 years ago, Bruno Sammartino lost his WWWF championship to Ivan Koloff at Madison Square Garden. It’s dubbed as the “Night MSG Went Silent.” If Sammartino didn’t hold the best and go undefeated for 2803 days, would his loss have been as significant?

The problem with WWE today isn’t the talent. They have one of the best rosters on the planet from top-to-bottom. Even when wrestlers on the main roster decide to move on or retire, WWE NXT has a litany of stars ready to get called up.

Their issue is with the mindset that wins and losses don’t matter. Jim Ross, WWE Hall of Fame wrestler, believes that’s what is holding them back. Imagine if Kevin Owens didn’t trade wins with Cena at the start of his ascension to the main event.

He defeated Cena at Elimination Chamber in his first match. Owens then lost to Cena two-straight times for the belt. Champions in the WWE lose on WWE Raw or WWE Smackdown nearly every week without a care from officials.

The latest example comes from the AJ Styles/Chris Jericho feud. Styles beat Y2J two weeks ago on his Raw debut. It was a great match and jumpstarted a good program. On WWE Smackdown tonight, Jericho beat Styles.

That’s 50-50 booking at it’s finest and it’s completely the wrong way to go.

Hey, Road Dogg, wins, and losses do matter.

 

WWE Q4 & 2015 Annual Report Conference Call Liveblog

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WWE has released their annual report for 2015 (PDF of the press release summary), with an infographic (PDF) explaining some of the key notes. Check out Eric’s post from earlier for some of the key details.

Right now, WWE’s investor call is ongoing with Vince McMahon, George Barrios, and Michael Weitz running the show. At first, it’s mostly repeating information from the above releases, but once the investment firms start having their representatives call in, it can get interesting, and we’ll pick up ongoing coverage when that part of the call kicks off.

You can stream the conference call here.

11:19 a.m. ET Lines are open!

11:21 a.m ET Engagement levels of specific WWE Network shows? Barrios gives vague answer that they’re happy with. Will they bundle Network with over services, whether hosted by MLB Advanced Media (WWE Network partner) or otherwise? Maybe something like Crunchyroll? Barrios gives a vague answer and thinks it’s early. Makes a reference to major players vs. minor players that sounds like a shot at Crunchyroll, who was in WWE’s infographic as a top 10 paid internet streaming service.

11:23 a.m. ET Barrios not really answering anything, as usual. Vince asked how they’ll deal with the injury bug for WrestleMania. “By being creative! We’ll have an awesome WrestleMania.”

11:25 a.m. ET Oh no, it’s Laura Martin. She’s asking a weirdly specific and pointless question about hours viewed by Network subscribers and what shows they are, which Barrios happily answered because Laura Martin. She asked for India-specific numbers and of course she’s not getting them.

11:27 a.m. ET What will impact WrestleMania quarter Network numbers? No specifics. How many current subscribers were around for WrestleMania last year? Barrios refuses to discuss.

11:29 a.m. ET Any correlation they’ve seen between ratings and Network churn (subscriber loss)? “Not at the granular level” week to week, but yes, in the big picture. Is WWE going to build the planned media center? Looking like a no now.

11:32 a.m. ET How should we think about the continued ratings decline? Vince: “Hours are down, but not as much as the networks we’re on.” TV is old media and important, but when you add YouTube, the audience is consuming their content how and when they want to. Which is a totally fair answer given their YouTube numbers being sky-high, to be honest. He included other social media in there, and your mileage may vary on that, but they’ve tweeted more and more GIFs, short video clips, etc. during shows as the year went on, as well.

11:35 a.m. ET Brad Safalow is unbanned. Wants NXT revenues. Barrios won’t talk about specific product lines, but they’re happy w/ the engagement. What’s on the plate for NXT live events outside of Full Sail and Florida in general? Generic answer. Top five network subscriber countries? UK is a terrific market. Canada is good. “Outside of that, in the top 10, we’ve got a nice mix of countries.” TV budget? No pre-cashflow guidance from Barrios. More seasons of Total Divas, though.

Asking about YouTube: Someone can watch a significant portion of Raw, any tension with NBC Universal over this given the huge gap from the monetary perspective? Vince; It’s a combination of valuation. We’re live programming, which adds tremendous value. Keeps saying “huge ecosystem.” Not really answering the question and he came off terribly since he effectively cited YouTube as a big reason why ratings are down.

Brad: “It’ll be interesting.”

Vince, not sounding upbeat: “It sure will…”

11:40 a.m. ET Is the cost of putting archival content on the Network de minimis (too minimal to warrant consideration) to WWE? Barrios says so. Network spending in the future will depend on subscriptions.

11:42 a.m. ET Follow-ups! Is there a way to draw more fans to the WWE app instead of third party platforms to keep them closer to the WWE Network subscribe button? App is an important part of their strategy per Barrios, but the established platforms are important. Still, continuing to invest in WWE owned and operated platforms. Remember, they dropped the live app experience fairly recently.

Could NXT be on regular TV? Depends on the market.

11:44 a.m. ET What markets does the Network need to get into? China, Phillipines, and Thailand.

11:48 a.m. ET Brad Safalow follow-up. When does the India TV deal change so that pay-per-views will air live on the WWE Network? Don’t comment on specifics of current deals. Barrios: “How the rights work, I’d like t stay away from that.” Haven’t discussed Japan lately, signing talent from New Japan, increased focus? Think about it as a really good market from a talent perspective.

11:50 a.m. ET Analyst thinks their stockholders are frustrated by flip-flopping between different criteria for network guidance (end of quarter numbers vs. average numbers). Barrios doesn’t do a good job explaining the switching back and forth. Basically said that end of quarter guidance on the subscriptions is too difficult to predict, so it’s easier to go with the average.

It’s over. Stock is $14.59 per share right now (-$1.16 which is -7.37%). Much more interesting call than usual, thanks in large part to the YouTube stuff, the return of Brad Safalow, and the YouTube stuff. SeekingAlpha should have a transcript soon.

American Grit Premiere Date & Trailer, Update On John Cena’s Recovery From Shoulder Surgery

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John Cena’s new military-themed reality competition show American Grit premieres on Fox on Thursday, April 14th.

Cena released a trailer for the show on Twitter this week that makes makes it clear he will have have a significant role in the show. The trailer can be viewed here.

Cena took time off at the end of 2015 to film the show in Washington state. American Grit is the latest non-WWE project for the 15-time World champion, who has gotten rave reviews for his appearances in comedy movies (Train Wreck, Sisters) and as guest host of NBC’s Today morning show.

Shortly after returning to WWE television, he went down with a shoulder injury and underwent surgery that will keep him out of action for several more months. 5 weeks out of surgery, Cena tweeted this video of his progress:

Ryback Responds To CM Punk Having Back Surgery

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There’s still no love lost between Ryback and former WWE Superstar (turned UFC fighter?) CM Punk. Punk revealed earlier this week that he would be undergoing back surgery, which would delay his UFC debut once again.

It dates back to Punk’s bombshell podcast with Colt Cabana from November 2014. In talking about the injuries that plagued the final months of his WWE career, Punk singled out Ryback as somebody he believed to be reckless to work with. Punk’s knee had been bothering him and he had spoken to Ryback already about protecting his knee. Punk was determined to put their past differences behind them, knowing they were going to be working together again. Punk told Cabana,

“First night out, Gorilla Press through a table…fucking misses the table. Dumps me on the concrete fucking ground. Tilts my fucking pelvis, fucks me up for weeks.”

“I’m compensating because my knee is still fucked, both my knees, you know what I mean? The one I just had surgery on six months ago and the one that was fucking torn up and I refused to have surgery on. I just wanted to rehab it, which I did. And now it’s at the point where I walk up to him and I go, ‘You can’t tell me you didn’t do that on purpose because you’ve done it so many times now. You either tell me right now you’re dumb as fuck and you suck, or you did it on purpose.

And he was like, ‘I’m dumb as fuck. I’m sorry.’”

Ryback clearly hasn’t forgotten Punk’s comments and sent him the following message this week regarding his latest surgery:

https://twitter.com/Ryback22/status/697613596251914240

WWE Fourth Quarter Financial Report: Record Revenue, Network Subscriber Numbers

Eric Lynch
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WWE announced their fourth quarter financial results from 2015 on Thursday. For the quarter, the company reported a net loss of $1.2 million, compared to the $1.6 million loss in the prior year’s fourth quarter. The company reported a 50% increase in revenue from the WWE Network compared to the prior year’s quarter. They averaged a subscriber base of 1,237,000 for the duration of the quarter.

Here are some highlights of WWE’s fourth quarter, from their press release issued on Thursday:

– Revenue increased 18% to $166.2 million driving a $6.0 million increase in Adjusted OIBDA1 to $11.1 million

– WWE Network had 1.22 million ending paid subscribers, representing a 49% increase from the fourth quarter 2014; WWE Network hit an all-time high of 1.24 million average paid subscribers for the quarter

– WWE Network was recognized as the fifth largest direct-to-consumer (OTT) subscription service in the U.S. according to Parks Associates, ranking alongside Netflix (NFLX), Amazon Video, Hulu and MLB.TV

– WWE was added to the S&P SmallCap 600 Index (effective January 20, 2016)

The press release noted that in 2015 WWE Network subscribers watched an estimated average of 188 hours of content per household, and WWE garnered more than 8 billion views on YouTube. They also say they achieved record international revenues of $170 million. Here are some highlights from the press release regarding WWE’s performance in 2015:

– Revenue increased 21% to $658.8 million, the highest in the Companys history, including record levels of revenue from WWEs Network, Television, Live event, Venue Merchandise, and WWE Shop businesses

– Total international revenue increased by 46% to a record $169.8 million

– Adjusted OIBDA1 reached $68.7 million, representing an $80.3 million increase from 2014

– Network segment generated revenue of $159.4 million and OIBDA1 of $48.4 million that nearly doubled the average annual revenue of the Companys pay-per-view business before network launch

– WWE Network subscribers watched an estimated total of 256 million hours of content, representing an average of 188 hours per household placing it among the top cable and broadcast networks

– WWE content garnered more than 8 billion views on YouTube; WWE was the most followed sports channel on YouTube and the second most followed sports brand on Facebook

– WWE generated 790 million social media fan engagements in 20152; Sprinklrs Social Business Index ranked WWE as the 6th most social brand worldwide, alongside Disney, Time Warner and Google

WWE says they predict a first quarter 2016 adjusted OIBDA of approximately $15 million to $19 million. You can read the full press release here.

Batista Tells Titus O’Neil To Ask For His Release From WWE

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When a fan on Twitter asked Batista to call WWE to talk about Titus O’Neil’s suspension, the former WWE champion said he had a better idea. Batista wrote after hearing the news of O’Neil’s suspension that he called him and told O’Neil to request his release from the company. Here’s what Batista had to say:

MVP, a fellow former WWE star and friend of Batista, also chimed in to say there’s life after WWE:

On Wednesday, O’Neil was suspended for 90 days after an incident where he appeared to pull Vince’s arm on live TV. His suspension was later reduced to 60 days. You can watch a video of the incident here.

Related: Titus O’Neil News: WWE Issues Statement, Suspension Reduced, Text Message Made Public

Do you think Titus should request his release from WWE, or wait out his suspension and stay with the company? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Titus O’Neil Update: WWE Statement, Suspension Reduced

Eric Lynch
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WWE has responded to allegations that their suspension of Titus O’Neil, which has been reduced to 60 days, was racially motivated. WWE issued the following statement to The New York Post this week:

“The suspension of Titus O’Neil had nothing to do with race and everything to do with unprofessional conduct.”

WWE also sent The Post a copy of a text message they claim O’Neil sent someone high up in the company. The text from O’Neil read:

“I feel like sh** now so if you have to let me go, I understand. Stupid mistake.”

O’Neil is reportedly well-liked by his peers backstage and does lots of charity work with WWE. If his 60-day suspension is upheld he will miss WrestleMania, which is typically a WWE wrestler’s biggest pay bonus of the year.

Impact Wrestling Viewership Drops This Week

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This week’s episode of Impact Wrestling averaged 243,000 viewers on the first run episode. This is down from the 295,000 viewers last week. The replay of the show drew 110,000 viewers, down from 112,000 viewers for last week’s replay.

Between the first run and the replay, Impact drew a total of 353,000 viewers. This is down from the previous week’s 407,000 total viewers.

The show aired on Pop TV and was ranked #126 in the top 150 cable shows for the night. The Young and The Restless aired before Impact and drew 478,000 viewers.

Titus O’Neil Issues First Statement After Being Suspended By WWE

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As noted earlier, Titus O’Neil was suspended for 90 days for pulling Vince McMahon’s arm on camera at RAW. O’Neil took to his Instagram account on Wednesday afternoon to issue his first statement following the news of his suspension.

Here’s what he had to say:

“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled (ranked below others who are honored or rewarded), and he who humbles himself (keeps a modest opinion of himself and behaves accordingly) will be exalted (elevated in rank).”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BBnpLNOvKuY/

Related: Video: Titus O’Neil Suspended By WWE

Jim Ross Speaks On Daniel Bryan’s Retirement, Kurt Angle Compares Bryan To HBK & Benoit

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– Former WWE & TNA champion Kurt Angle says he feels Daniel Bryan is “one of the all time greats.” The Olympic gold medalist commented on Bryan’s retirement via Twitter, comparing Bryan’s in-ring work to two of Angle’s old WWE opponents. Here’s what he had to say:

– Jim Ross recently spoke on the news of Daniel Bryan’s retirement as an active pro wrestler. On his blog at JRsBarBQ.com, the WWE Hall of Famer says he feels strongly that Bryan and WWE should consider a behind-the-scenes role for him in the company. Here’s an excerpt:

I feel that WWE would be best served here to keep Bryan Danielson on the staff and put him in a position to help young talents adjust to life in the WWE not only from an in ring standpoint but from life away from the ring as well. No company can ever have enough people the quality of Bryan Danielson helping develop their brand and, most importantly, their young talents who I feel will respond in a big way to the coaching of one of the great overachievers ever in the business.

I don’t know of another wresting company that protects their athletes as thoroughly as WWE does their talents. Thank goodness that WWE did do all the extensive testing on Bryan’s injury and that they did not bend to the pressures of the talent or his fans to return hm to the ring. If DB had been wrestling for another company, any company, would he have received the care that he needed to determine the actual severity of the concussion issue?

In the proverbial, ‘good old days’ the concussion issue would have been largely ignored and the talent would have been returned to the ring as quickly as possible.

At the end of the day, Daniel Bryan is blessed to be wrestling in today’s marketplace and specifically for WWE where he has received amazing, medical care from a battery of specialists who certainly don’t work cheap but who likely have intervened to help ensure that the athlete who overcame numerous odds to become a star in WWE can live a productive life as a husband, father and son.

There are a litany of ways that Bryan Danielson can help the business that he loves to grow and better navigate the talent’s future

You can read J.R.’s entire blog entry here.

Daniel Bryan Thanks The Fans Again On Social Media

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Last night Daniel Bryan posted the following message on his Instagram account right after Jonathan Coachman’s interview with him aired on ESPN Sportscenter:

Just wanted to say THANK YOU. To all of you. The incredible amount of love and support you’ve given me, not just in the last 48 hours, but over my entire career, sends chills thru my body. My life is better because of all of you. Gratitude. Always.

Here’s the full Instagram post:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BBlp-D5yVOu/

By the way, if you haven’t seen it yet, WWE’s Instagram page posted a really beautiful photo of Bryan and his wife Brie right before his retirement speech in Seattle on Raw:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BBkwbW_AFKH/

As Bryan explained on Sportscenter, a new form of testing revealed a lesion on his brain that was responsible for the post-concussion seizures had had been experiencing and hiding (it’s not clear if he means from WWE only or his family as well). The test was done using the eVox system from Evolve Neuroscience, which you can read more about in this Digital Trends article.

CM Punk Has Back Surgery, UFC Debut Delayed Again

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Former WWE Superstar CM Punk is set to undergo back surgery today in Chicago to fix a herniated disc, according to MMAFighting.com.  His planned UFC debut will be delayed once again as a result. Punk told MMAFighting,

“My back has always bugged me. Figured it was just wrestling sh*t. Turns out it was. It got bad enough to the point where I couldn’t do anything the week before I went to train with the New Jersey Devils last month. One day I could manage, the next day I couldn’t.

“I’ve been in agony for almost a month. Chiropractor, acupuncture, massage, cryotherapy … nothing worked.”

This past Saturday night, it was determined that 24-year-old Mickey Gall would be his first opponent after Gall defeated fellow UFC newcomer Mike Jackson via first-round rear-naked choke. Punk reveals that he was informed about needing surgery prior to Gall’s win and their subsequent stare-down.

Despite the setback, Punk remains positive, calling the back surgery “just a bump in the road.” He won’t be able to fight at UFC 199 or 200, but still expects to fight this year.

Stone Cold Podcast After RAW, Nikki Bella Neck Brace Workout (Video) & More

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– Steve Austin’s Stone Cold Podcast returns to the WWE Network this coming Monday. Immediately after Monday’s RAW goes off the air, Stone Cold will interview The Big Show live from from Anaheim, CA.

– WWE will be returning to New Zealand for the first time in over 5 years on August 10th from the Vector Arena in Auckland. Tickets go on sale Monday morning at Ticketmaster New Zealand website. Top stars advertised to appear include Roman Reigns, Sheamus, New Day, Kevin Owens, Ryback, Naomi, Tamina, and Sasha Banks.

– Just weeks after neck fusion surgery, Nikki Bella is already working out in a neck brace.

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