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Impact Rating Rises, New X Division Champion, Gut Check Videos

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– Thursday’s 2/28 episode of Impact Wrestling drew a 1.14 rating with 1.49 million viewers, up 10% from the week before. Impact featured the return of TNA World Champion Jeff Hardy, who was off television for 4 weeks due to his inability to travel overseas for TNA’s UK tour. Impact ranked #26 on cable for the night and the show had its best viewership among males for 2013.

– Kenny King defeated Rob Van Dam on Impact to become the new X Division Champion.

– In the monthly TNA Gut Check match, it was Ivelisse Velez defeated Lei’d Tapa via choke submission. Next week, the ladies will face the Gut Check judges. Here are the TNA Gut Check videos for Lei’d Tapa and Ivelisse Velez that aired on Impact:

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin Interview – Paul Heyman’s Role In WWE, Politics In Wrestling & Hollywood, His Future

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WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin recently joined The Ministry of Slam for an exclusive interview to promote his new movie “The Package” available on DVD and Blu-Ray March 5. Highlights from the interview are as follows:

His most memorable moment of his career: “Man, you’re talking about trying to pick something from close to a 15-year body of work, but one of the most personal highlights for me would be cutting the promo in the basement of a Holiday Inn with ECW back in 1995. A bunch of the ECW guys were there, and I’d watched them cut their promos. Paul E (Heyman) was there too, and he was the guy who gave me that platform to talk, which I did for around 7 minutes. One take, one time and that was it, I put it all on the line.

“For me to finally get that platform to vent and talk about the frustrations I was feeling, as well as where I aspiring to go, I look back on that as a very important part of both my life and career.”

Thoughts on Paul Heyman’s current role in WWE: “I don’t know how many hats he’s wearing while he’s there, but yes. You can talk to a guy till you’re blue in the face, and if anybody can get through to them, it’s Paul. I mean in terms of getting inside a guy or gal’s head, helping them unlock their potential and letting them see things that they didn’t see themselves. He’s very good at doing that. I think probably the most important thing that he can continue to do is remain there, in that ring, and deliver the kind of electric performance that he’s doing.

So, my point is that if the kids could just sit there and watch that guy work, they’re gonna’ soak that knowledge in. As long as WWE keep Paul around for talent to watch him, and pick his brain afterwards or at lunch – I mean, he’s a valuable asset to the company just as a talent anyway – but what can rub off onto those kids is even more valuable if you ask me.

Similarities between backstage politics in wrestling and Hollywood: “I’m a pretty private, streamlined person, so I don’t really go out and get my nose into a bunch of horseshit in Hollywood – playing the games many people like to play. I live in Los Angeles, but that’s where it starts and stops. I dig the weather and it’s easy to take meetings, which is pretty much it!

“When you have the movie industry and then take professional wrestling, basically the entertainment industry, they are just parallel that run right beside each other. One is a little bit bigger than the other; obviously Hollywood and the movies is a bigger street, but make no mistake, the traps, shenanigans and horseshit are exactly the same as wrestling. To me, they mirror each other.”

His future: “I’ve been 7 months out, healing up my ACL and PCL, so I’m waiting till Summer to film my next action movie. We’ve signed a two-picture deal through my company, Broken Skull Ranch Productions with Anchor Bay Entertainment. I’m looking forward to doing those, because I have full creative control and can let the shit really fly.”

“I’ve also got a couple of other reality TV projects I’m working on which will be released in the next couple of months. I love reality television, the atmosphere that it creates is just a bad-ass and fun way to spend time doing something you love to and getting paid for it! I’m also spending more time at my ranch; deer season is over till next year, but I’m kicking ass on my leg, feeling good and getting ready to film season 3 of Redneck Island in April. I’m as busy as I wanna’ be, feeling fortunate and also doing pretty god darn good in terms of my health!”

You can hear the full interview exclusively at www.ministryofslam.com, as well as interviews with Eric Bischoff, Hulk Hogan, Mick Foley, Terry Funk, Sting and many more.

Zack Ryder Talks About Not Being Booked For WM29, The Demise Of His YouTube Show & More

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Busted Open satellite radio show with Zack Ryder
Host: Dave Lagreca, Doug Mortman, and Mike Riker
Airs Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays on Sirius 92 and XM 208 from 2-4 ET
Visit Facebook.com/bustedopen for more information

Zack Ryder on how he would make a great GM for Saturday Morning Slam: I’ll Zack it all up. Maybe I will bring out my internet championship and have it defended on the show. I’ll make sure some of the hottest divas are on the show. Make sure some of the best matches are on the show. It’s a party and fans want a party every Saturday morning. They want to have fun. School is out, you have a couple of days off. They want to party, so come to Saturday Morning slam, I’ll give them a party.

On WrestleMania in the NY area: It’s cool that it’s in New York/New Jersey, basically in my backyard, but I’m not on it. It kind of sucks. I got all my friends and family who are going to be there and they are expecting to see Zack Ryder on the show and as of now he is not on it. So that part of it is heartbreaking. It’s still going to be a great show with Rock and Cena. It’s going to be one of the best WrestleManias of all time.

He talks about his rough year in 2012: 2011 was the rise of Zack Ryder. I started my YouTube show out of just frustration. The beginning of the year I was a nobody, not even on TV. Through the course of the year from doing the show and being active on Twitter and on Facebook, and then ending the year as U.S. champion. I really thought 2012 was going to be my year and as you saw, it really wasn’t. Kane threw me off the stage and off loading docks. Eve kicked me in the bro-nuts at WrestleMania and from there I was just forgot about. I was losing all the time, barely doing anything on the shows. 2013 better be different. It can’t be worse than 2012.

The demise of Z! True Long Island Story: Well when I started it, I knew something had to be done. I hated my stock in the WWE. I was a nobody. I wasn’t on the shows. I didn’t even have an action figure. I didn’t have an 8×10 promotional photo. So as far the YouTube show, in February of 2011, my parents got me the flip camera for Christmas. I really didn’t know what to do with it. Maybe I will just start a YouTube show and it kind of took off. I did it for a hundred weeks straight. It should have ended after 50. After I became the U.S. champion, WWE came to me and said “we want to move this to our YouTube channel.” I was really hesitant to do it and I should have said no. That was the end of the Z! True Long Island Story in my opinion right there when I made that switch to the WWE YouTube channel at around episode 51. The fans just assumed I sold out, when I was still doing all the work and putting it on their channel and they instantly turned on it. Then WWE was editing it and taking things out., even though they said they weren’t going to touch it. Then it just became a job and not fun. For the most part the last 50 were horrible, but the first 50 changed the business. Now Raw is all about social media and Tout, and Facebook, and Twitter. They weren’t like that before Z! True Long Island Story.

Was the WWE open to him doing his own show?: I was so under the radar that the WWE didn’t even know the show existed the first two weeks. Nobody knew I was doing it. I thought there was a chance I would get fired over some of the things I was saying. I just didn’t care. Steve Austin was one of the guys in the beginning who told me that “hey that was great and keep it going and keep pressing buttons. Get your voice out there” Steve was a huge help. I knew this show had to take off or I was going to be fired. One or the other. It was going to either help my career or get me fired. It got me noticed. It helped my career. I don’t regret doing it at all.

Kharma On Her Brief Stint In WWE, Who She Wanted To Face, Whether She May Return, State Of The Divas Division

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In the spring of 2011, Kia Stevens, famously known as Awesome Kong, burst onto the WWE scene by decimating members of the Divas division. Then, almost as suddenly as she first appeared, the internationally-acclaimed grappler took a leave of absence, with her affiliation with the sports-entertainment organization ultimately ceasing last summer. Speaking to Wrestling101.com, Stevens recalled her brief stint in WWE.

Weeks before her debut at Extreme Rules, where she attacked the departing Michelle McCool, vignettes aired on WWE programming with Stevens, whose face was concealed by shadows and her signature braids, dismembering female dolls while cackling maniacally. She says of the creative process behind the vignettes, “They let me know the idea that they were going with so I went in and we shot it, we had a great time and they used some of my ideas and they actually used the first idea, which was in the first vignette where I flicked the doll so that was awesome. I was actually included a lot in the creative process leading up to my debut which I didn’t expect to be so that was a big surprise and very exciting.”

Stevens continued to attack different Divas on both Raw and SmackDown in the following weeks, but soon took a leave of absence without having an actual match. Stevens reveals who she wanted to square off against.

“After seeing how excited people were over the feud between Gail and I, my next goal was to build up to a great feud with Beth Phoenix,” Stevens said. “Fans were already excited for that match and it hadn’t even happened yet; it hadn’t even been alluded to. I always say and I still say, as long as Beth and I are still breathing it still may happen, so fans don’t lose hope. There were also lots of people that wanted to see me get my revenge on the Bella Twins but they have ended up leaving as well.”

Following the departures of Stevens and other notable female wrestlers over the past two years, the Divas division is currently in a state of flux. Regarding this, Stevens says, “Even with the men’s roster there are periods in wrestling in general that we have fluctuation of talent and I’m not saying anything bad about the roster right now but yes they did lose a big person that the fans were invested in which was Beth Phoenix, but also the likes of Kelly Kelly, Michelle McCool and Eve Torres. They do have girls that have come back from injury like Layla and Tamina, and AJ Lee exploded on the scene so that’s a great thing, there are still exciting people there to do stuff. One monkey doesn’t stop a show, with me leaving it was exciting for me to be there, but because I left it doesn’t mean I won’t come back, you never know what is going to happen in wrestling.”

Stevens continues to compete independently after parting ways with WWE last summer and does not rule out a possible return.

“People leave and people come back, I left you never know I may be back,” said Stevens. “Look at Ryback he was in WWE once before and now he’s back and wants people to feed him more, it’s exciting! My god daughter goes crazy when he comes on the television, it’s insane so I have to mimic him sometimes.”

“I watched an Ultimate Warrior DVD the other day and he came back about five or six times, so you never know in this business.”

Stevens also discusses her entry into the professional wrestling industry, her memorable time in TNA Wrestling, working independents and more. The full interview is available here.

WWE Looks Back At Jerry “The King” Lawler’s Rivalry With “Macho Man” Randy Savage In The Late ’70s/Early ’80s

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The official WWE website is looking back at the late “Macho Man” Randy Savage today with a story on his intense animosity with Jerry “The King” Lawler in the late 1970s and early ’80s.

In those days, Lawler’s home promotion, the Continental Wrestling Association, was the chief promotion in Tennessee, Kentucky and parts of Mississippi, Alabama, Indiana and Arkansas. In 1978, the International Championship Wrestling was created by WCW Hall of Famer Angelo Poffo, the father of Savage and “The Genius” Lanny Poffo. ICW was considered an “outlaw” promotion, since it was not a member of the National Wrestling Alliance and promoted shows in direct competition against NWA regional leagues such as the CWA.

“What happened was Randy Savage, his brother Lanny Poffo and his father Angelo Poffo got the idea that they wanted to start a little promotion of their own,” Lawler told WWE.com. “When you’re on the bottom rung of the ladder, you usually think the way to get attention is to try to get the rub off the established guys. Well what Randy and his group did is they started making challenges.

“Randy Savage would go out and say, ‘I’m going to wrestle Jerry Lawler this Saturday night in Lexington!’ ” Lawler continued. “Of course, I was never going to be there. I didn’t even know this was being done. Then Randy would go out to the ring and say, ‘Would you look at this? Jerry Lawler’s a coward!’ That was their philosophy on how to make a name for themselves.”

Members of the renegade promotion would at times come to arenas where Lawler was running shows and harass his wrestlers in the parking lot, which put them on edge. As a precautionary measure, some carried weapons in their cars.

“The animosity between Randy Savage and myself went beyond the ring,” Lawler said. “It became really personal.” The full story is available here.

Triple H Announced To Appear At Monday’s Raw, Highlights From This Week’s WWE Superstars, Ryback Featured

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– The official WWE website has announced that Triple H will appear at this Monday’s Raw in Buffalo, New York.

“The Game” returned on Monday’s show to brawl with Brock Lesnar, who was about to attack Vince McMahon again after defending Paul Heyman from McMahon’s retaliations. WWE teases, “The Game’s plans are known only to him, but it’s only a few days until he lets the WWE Universe — and Lesnar — in on his next move. Be sure to tune in to Raw Monday at 8/7 CT on USA Network to see what happens!”

– Highlights from this week’s episode of WWE Superstars are now available online, with Brodus Clay and Tensai facing Primo and Epico, and Kofi Kingston facing David Otunga (match available here).

– Ryback is today’s featured Superstar on WWE.com.

The Miz Talks About Who He Wants To Work With In WWE, New WWE Belt & More

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WWE superstar The Miz spoke to The Film Yap this week to promote his new movie, The Marine 3: Homefront. Here are some highlights of what he said about:

Which WWE Superstar He Wants To Work With

“I’d like to work The Rock. He was basically the person I looked at and said ‘I want to be a WWE Superstar.’ Just to watch him during the Attitude Era and to watch his matches. Not only to go up against him, but to exceed him. That’s what every WWE Superstar wants to do, whether it’s CM Punk, John Cena, you want to take it to the next level. I’ve already had that huge program with John Cena that took me to the next level, which taught me so much about the WWE, and there’s always CM Punk who is doing such a great job. He was WWE Champion for 400-plus days and is still on a roll. Those are great superstars who you want to get. You always want to be at the top.”

Continuing To Act:

“Not only do I want to continue it, I am continuing it with “The Christmas Bounty.” I start filming that in April and it comes out at Christmas.”

The New WWE Championship Belt:

“I really like it. When I was WWE champion, I changed the belt too, changing the WWE logo to an “M” and stopping it from spinning. I agree with the Rock. A championship should not spin and should not be looked at as a toy. It should be looked upon with prestige and I think this new title reflects that. When people win World Series or NBA Finals or Super Bowls, I think they’ll be wearing this around their waists because it embodies what a title should look like.”

* Pictures of the NEW WWE Championship Belt

WWE Announces Business Plan and Potential Path to Significant Earnings Growth

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WWE issued the following press release on Thursday to coincide with the release of the company’s fourth quarter 2012 financial results:

WWE® Announces Business Plan and Potential Path to Significant Earnings Growth

STAMFORD, Conn. — WWE)today announced some of the key initiatives in its 2013-2015 business plan, which is designed to achieve significant earnings growth, potentially doubling or tripling the company’s current 2012 EBITDA results by 2015. The primary drivers of this growth include the potential launch of a WWE network, the renewal of key content agreements, and the execution of our digital strategy. These initiatives, if successful, could generate substantial returns. However, they contain significant execution risks.1 In order to achieve such growth, WWE will continue to invest in its production and creative capabilities. As a result, it is expected that WWE’s 2013 EBITDA will approximate 2012 results.

“Our plan to transform our business is based on the global appeal of our brands and the rising value of content,” stated Vince McMahon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “We believe we can achieve a significant increase in earnings based on launching a WWE network in the U.S. and international markets, leveraging the renewal of our largest content agreements, and developing digital products, such as mobile games and gamification of content, which take advantage of our presence online and in social media.”

“In order to achieve this growth, it is critical that we invest in content creation and brand building,” added George Barrios, Chief Financial Officer. “Our plan through 2015 indicates sufficient financial capacity to fund growth initiatives, support ongoing business requirements and maintain our current dividend.”

Foundation for Growth: Powerful Global Brands and Rising Value of Content

Leveraging our global brand strength is a key pillar of our long-term strategy. Audience measures such as the magnitude of our social media followers and the consistent top ratings of our television programs demonstrate WWE’s brand strength. In 2012, the average number of viewers of our Raw and SmackDown programs exceeded the average number of primetime viewers for all cable networks and historically, our programs have ranked as the number one show on their respective networks. Further, our consumer research indicates a high proportion of U.S. and international TV viewers have an affinity for WWE content.2 This research indicates that in the U.S., approximately 34% of digital multi-channel TV households have an affinity for WWE content (i.e., 31 million homes), one quarter of which (8 million homes) are characterized as very passionate fan households. Our research also indicates that an additional 18% of U.S. digital multi-channel TV households, or 16 million homes, include lapsed fans that we have the potential to re-engage with our content.3

Trends in the cable industry support our belief that owning and monetizing WWE content has significant upside potential. Industry data shows that the value of content, as measured by network advertising and consumer paid subscriptions, has steadily increased and is expected to rise further across global markets. We believe that benchmarking the license fees of our content to other original programs and recognizing the rising value of sports programming rights are both indicative of our potential to garner increased revenue from our content.4

Content Monetization: Licensing, Network and “OTT”

To maximize the value of our content, we plan to utilize three approaches: licensing our content to established television networks, potentially launching a WWE network through traditional cable, satellite and telco distribution, and monetizing our content through alternative digital “over-the-top” distribution. These options are not mutually exclusive. We plan to utilize combinations of these approaches in our domestic and international markets.

Regarding a potential WWE network, we are evaluating multiple approaches. We believe that a premium subscription model is the best approach in the U.S. to capitalize on our fans’ commitment to our brands and their desire for more WWE content. Based on our market research, we estimate that a fully distributed domestic pay network could ultimately attract between 2 million and 4 million subscribers at a “steady state.” These subscriber estimates derive from a projected base of approximately 47 million WWE digital TV households in the US (including lapsed fans), and the proportion of which have an affinity for WWE content, although there is no guarantee that this affinity will translate into actual subscribers. 5 These take-rates are based on a value proposition for the network that reflects inclusion of our pay-per-view events, except WrestleMania, as well as compelling original content. Under our preferred subscription model, while our pay-per-view events would still be offered on an á la carte basis as currently available, the research indicates that a WWE network offering would drive significant consumer interest (including households that currently do not purchase pay-per-view events). At a proposed price per month between $12.99 and $14.99, this would represent incremental revenue to WWE of between $125 million and $250 million and incremental EBITDA between $50 million and $150 million. Actual results are contingent on several factors, including the necessity of entering into distribution agreements, 6 and such results could vary materially from the expected range based on the rate of subscriber adoption and churn rates, as well as changes in pricing, promotion levels and distribution terms. Until a base of approximately 1 million subscribers is achieved, we estimate the network would represent a net investment for WWE. Ultimately, we believe a network and other distribution and monetization options would represent a sizable economic opportunity in the U.S. and internationally.

Business Outlook for 2013

In order to make significant earnings growth a possibility, it is critical that we invest in key areas, including talent development, content creation and marketing. We expect our 2013 EBITDA performance will approximate our 2012 results, plus or minus ten percent. In addition, we anticipate that net income will be impacted by incremental expenses from the return to a more normalized tax rate (30%-35% as compared to 26% in 2012) and increased depreciation expense of approximately $2 million to $3 million that derives from our investment in assets to support our long-term growth objectives, including the launch of a potential network. If a network is launched within the year, we expect a further reduction in EBITDA and net income in 2013 as the initial ramp in subscribers and revenue is not likely to be sufficient to offset the incremental, direct expenses associated with a network launch, such as marketing, program amortization and transmission costs. (See Exhibit: 2013 and 2015 Financial Perspective below)

Free Cash Flow is also expected to decline in 2013 due to capital expenditures of $50 million to $60 million, of which approximately 65% is an estimated one-time expenditure to replace our aging corporate jet, which is nearly 20 years old. We expect the acquisition of the aircraft will be financed at attractive rates, and that the sale of our current aircraft will offset a significant portion of the down payment. As indicated above, a network launch within the year would further negatively impact 2013 Free Cash Flow. Similar to our EBITDA performance, successful execution of our content strategy could significantly enhance our Free Cash Flow by 2015.

Free Cash Flow assumes an investment of approximately $15 million to $20 million (net of tax credits) in 2013 to produce a portfolio of movies. While we have confidence that our revised approach to filmed entertainment will yield returns above our cost of capital, we have also established criteria that will guide our participation in this business. Future investment will be predicated on the evaluation of our performance in 2013. Regarding all of our content related initiatives, including movies, our intent is to establish a solid foundation for meaningful earnings growth.

Chris Jericho Talks About WWE’s Younger Talent, His Surprise Return & More

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WWE.com has published a new interview with Chris Jericho. Here are some highlights of what he said about:

How Hard It Was To Keep His Rumble Return A Secret: “In this day and age, it’s almost impossible to keep a secret. It was just really, really cool to know that we could still keep a secret and keep a nice surprise. But there was no rumors at all that Jericho was going to come back at the Rumble. If I go to a movie, I don’t want to know what the ending of it is before I go.

“What would people expect if Jericho was coming back? Well, some kind of complicated clues. I thought, “what if there was no clues? I just showed up?” I like being the master of puppets sometimes when it comes to the fans. I think that we kind of really surprised a lot of experts that think they know everything but they really don’t. I think it’s one of the reasons that the reaction was so huge. It’s definitely one of the best nights of my career.

“The hardest part was just waiting for the shoe to drop, and waiting for somebody to find out I was going to be there. I was like so scared, like kind of crawling under the cover of night to get to this little bus where I was hiding, hoping that no one would see me. And that, like some parking attendant going “oh, Jericho’s here.” And when nobody did I was just like this is, this is amazing. I got into the Rumble, and people were chanting, “you still got it.” And like, I never lost it.”

Playing For Fozzy & Staying In Shape: “Whenever Fozzy plays, we put on a very intense show. A lot of energy, a lot of ya know, jumping and running. But when you get into the ring it’s a different story. And It’s funny, because when I heard I was in the Rumble for 47 minutes and 53 seconds, and I was like, “Wow, is it really that long?

“Mr. McMahon even asked me like after he said, “you did a great job, but not working in awhile, I mean how did you stay in ring shape?” And I was like, “I don’t know.” And then Even on Raw, my first single match was like 18 minutes against CM Punk. Same thing. It’s like I guess just when you’ve been doing it long enough it just gets ingrained into your body and it’s just more instinct than anything. ”

What Impresses Him About WWE’s Young Talent: “It’s good to know that the new prospects that are coming in have some experience and been around a little bit. And obviously The Shield, I was really impressed by them right off the bat. They were just three guys that were given a shot and really took the ball and ran with it. Cesaro, I’ve been a fan of his even before he came here. They’ve worked around the world and it benefited them when they debuted.”

CM Punk To Meet 77-Year-Old Robbery Victim This Weekend

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WWE’s RAW brand will be heading to Toronto, Canada tonight for the first leg of this weekend’s live events tour. They will be in Kingston, Ontario, Canada on Saturday night and Syracuse, New York on Sunday.

On Sunday, CM Punk will get to meet 77-year-old robbery victim Thomas Dotterer, who was shot in the face at his liquor store back in January and told a local news crew that the worst part of his week was actually The Rock defeating Punk for the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble. Punk heard about the story, reached out to Dotterer and WSYR in Syracuse reports that Dotterer will have ringside seats at Sunday’s show.

The following matches are advertised for this weekend’s RAW brand live events:

– John Cena, Ryback & Sheamus vs. The Shield
– CM Punk vs. Kofi Kingston
– US Champion Antonio Cesaro vs. The Miz

* VIDEO: News Report On Thomas Dotterer, The 77-Year-Old Robbery Victim

Hulk Hogan Uncensored Coming To NYC On Friday, April 5th

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Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff will be hosting a special presentation of “Hulk Hogan Uncensored” on Friday, April 5th from the Beaton Theatre in New York City. Hogan is advertised to appear at a TNA live event the same night in Westbury, New York (an hour away), so it looks like he’ll be opening the show in Westbury and then heading straight to Manhattan for this show.

Hulk Hogan Uncensored
The Beacon Theatre
Friday, April 5th – 10pm

“Hulk Hogan Uncensored”, a popular show which has toured the country, stops at the historic Beacon Theatre for one night only on Friday, April 5th at 10pm.

American Made professional wrestling icon Hulk Hogan will be joined on stage in this intimate theatre setting by wrestling personality and television producer Eric Bischoff. Hulkamaniacs will enjoy many behind the scenes stories from throughout Hulk’s career and life on the road, and then Wrestling announcer David Penzer will moderate a unique fan Q & A where all questions for Hulk are welcome.

The limited number of VIP seats also include a post-event VIP Meet and Greet with autograph and photo opportunity.

The presale starts TODAY, March 1st at NOON and will end Saturday, March 2nd at 11am. Get the best seats before the public! USE CODE: HOGAN.

* VIDEO: Hulk Hogan Exposes Himself In Front Of His Daughter Brooke, Brother!

WWE WrestleMania 29 PPV Poster

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Preview For Tonight’s WWE Social Media SmackDown

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Tonight on Syfy, WWE will present “Social Media SmackDown” – a unique event featuring live commentary and heavy social media interaction, including tweets and Tout videos from WWE fans. Here’s a preview of what is scheduled for tonight:

– World Heavyweight champion Alberto Del Rio vs. Damien Sandow.

– Jim Ross will interview Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter.

– WWE Tag Team Champions Daniel Bryan & Kane vs. The Prime Time Players. In a reversal of what we saw on RAW, Kane will be blindfolded and Daniel Bryan will have one hand tied behind his back.

– WWE United States Champion Antonio Cesaro vs. The Miz (Best of Three Falls match).

– Randy Orton vs. Big Show.

– Heath Slater vs. Sin Cara.

Also appearing tonight will be Fandango.

* Spoilers For Tonight’s Episode of WWE SmackDown On Syfy

Updated Card For TNA’s Lockdown PPV On March 10th

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Following Thursday’s episode of Impact Wrestling, here’s the updated card for TNA Lockdown 2013, which takes place next Sunday (3/10) from San Antonio, Texas:

Steel Cage Match for the TNA World Title:
Jeff Hardy (c) vs. Bully Ray

Team TNA vs. Aces & Eights: Lethal Lockdown:
Sting & Magnus & Samoa Joe & James Storm & Eric Young vs. Devon & Ken Anderson & D.O.C & Garett & Knox

Steel Cage Match:
Kurt Angle vs. Wes Brisco

Triple Threat For The TNA Tag Titles:
Bobby Roode & Austin Aries (c) vs. Christopher Daniels & Kazarian vs. Hernandez & Chavo Guerrero.

TNA Knockouts Championship Match:
Velvet Sky (c) vs. Gail Kim

Miami Heat Harlem Shake w/WWE Title (Video), WWE Stock Drops, More

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Keeping up with the recent Harlem Shake craze The NBA Champions The Miami Heat, put out a Harlem Shake video of their own. You can see one of the players sporting the now retired spinner WWE Championship belt, while another player wears a Rey Mysterio Mask.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir2TdfSwH8g

– Hollywood Life has an article about the Divas visiting Rwanda here.

– WWE published a photo list looking at 9 actors that you didn’t know where wrestlers. Some of the wrestlers profiled include Jeep Swanson (who played Bane in “Batman & Robin”), Nitron (Sabretooth in “X-Men”, Michael Myers in the “Halloween” remake and sequel) and Tom “Zeus” Lister (Zeus in “No Holds Barred”).

– WWE stock dropped 2.23% from yesterday to $8.83 following the release of their 2012 fourth quarter and full year results. The market was down as a whole today, but not by that much, as the Dow was down only 0.15%.

 

Linda Hogan Pleads Not Guilty To DUI Charges, Facing Jail Time

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Linda Hogan plead not guilty this morning to two counts of driving under the influence. She was arrested for DUI in Malibu, California after attending a jewelry event and had a blood alcohol level of .084, just over the legal limit.

After the arrest, a spokesperson for Linda said she only drank one glass of champagne before getting behind the wheel, but she had not eaten in several hours and had also taken antibiotics, which enhanced the effects of the alcohol.

Linda faces up to 18 months in jail if she’s convicted, but it’s unlikely she’ll do any jail time because she has no prior DUI convictions. She is due back in court on March 21st.

* View Here: Linda Hogan’s MUGSHOT Picture From Her DUI Arrest

(Source: TMZ.com)

The Rock’s Status For Extreme Rules, Cities Bidding To Host WrestleMania 31

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– Last week, WWE’s official Facebook page announced that WWE Champion The Rock will be appearing at the upcoming Extreme Rules pay-per-view on May 19th from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri. The event takes place when The Rock is scheduled to be overseas filming the movie “Hercules.” While it’s possible that The Rock will fly back to the states for the show, it’s worth noting that neither WWE.com or the Scottrade Center website are promoting that he’ll be there.

– Orlando, Florida, the host city of WrestleMania 24 back in 2008, is a candidate to host WrestleMania 31 or 32, according to the Orlando Business Journal. Orlando’s Sports Commission recently stated:

“The Sports Commission recently received a request for a proposal from WWE for the opportunity to host WrestleMania. The event would take place in late March or early April in either 2015 or 2016.”

Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas has also been rumored to host WrestleMania in 2015.

Mysterio Advertised For Upcoming RAWs, Steamboat Turns 60, Haku-Alumni

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– Rey Mysterio is still being advertised for most upcoming WWE television appearances, despite reports that he’s been pulled from live events through WrestleMania.

– WWE Hall of Famer Ricky Steamboat turns 60 years old today. He was born on February 28, 1953.

– WWE has added Haku to the Alumni section of WWE.com. One of the videos on his profile is a WCW match from1996 against a young Canadian wrestler named Damon Striker, who would later go on to become WWE Hall of Famer Edge.

– Tickets for the 4/30 Smackdown taping from Detroit, Michigan will go on sale on this Saturday. There will be an online pre-sale Friday morning with the password BIGSHOW. (Thanks to Gregory Davis. )

WWE Reports 2012 Fourth Quarter and Full Year Results

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* For more detailed information regarding WWE’s Fourth Quarter 2012 and Full Year financial results, click here to view the official press release (.PDF).

WWE® Reports 2012 Fourth Quarter and Full Year Results

STAMFORD, Conn. — WWE (NYSE:WWE) today announced financial results for its fourth quarter ended December 31, 2012. Revenues totaled $115.1 million as compared to $112.9 million in the prior-year quarter. Operating income was $2.6 million as compared to a loss of $13.1 million in the prior-year quarter. Net income was $0.6 million, or $0.01 per share, as compared to a loss of $8.6 million, or $(0.12) per share, in the prior-year quarter. Excluding items that impacted comparability on a year-over-year basis, Adjusted Operating income was $5.4 million as compared to $3.1 million in the prior-year quarter, and Adjusted Net income was $1.3 million, or $0.02 per share, as compared to $1.8 million, or $0.02 per share, in the prior-year quarter.

On an “As Reported” basis, the results of WWE’s movie portfolio, including reduced film impairment charges, were a significant component of the rise in fourth-quarter earnings. Excluding the impact of these impairment charges and network-related expenses, the growth in “Adjusted” Operating income was predominantly from the licensing of new television programs and digital content, which more than offset ongoing investment to support the company’s long-term growth objectives. Adjusted earnings, however, declined due to an increase in the effective tax-rate.

“In the fourth quarter, we continued to make important progress on our key strategic initiatives, expanding the production and licensing of new programs and enhancing our brands,” stated Vince McMahon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Although we did not announce the launch of a domestic television network during the year, we believe, now more than ever, that we can realize the full value of our intellectual property using a variety of approaches in our global markets. Our confidence is based on the rising value of content and the tremendous global appeal of our brands.”

“In 2012, our traditional core businesses (excluding the results of WWE Studios and network-related expenses) delivered EBITDA of $77 million, in line with our performance over the preceding four years, which has ranged from $76 million to $96 million. Based on the anticipated expiration of key commercial agreements and other opportunities to maximize our content value, we believe we have the potential to achieve a significant increase in earnings,” added George Barrios, Chief Financial Officer. “In order to achieve this growth, it is critical that we invest in our production and creative capabilities. We expect that 2013 EBITDA performance will approximate our 2012 results, plus or minus 10%. In addition, we anticipate that net income will be impacted by incremental expenses from the return to a more normalized tax rate (30%-35% as compared to 26% in 2012) and increased depreciation of approximately $2 million to $3 million that derives from our ongoing capital investments to support our long-term growth initiatives. (Please see “WWE Announces Business Plan And Path to Significant Earnings Growth” release for more details.)

Comparability of Results

Our results for the current-year quarter included $2.3 million in network-related operating expenses and a $0.5 million film impairment charge. Results for the prior-year quarter included $4.0 million in network-related operating expenses and $12.2 million in film impairment charges. In order to facilitate an analysis of our financial results on a more comparable basis, where noted, we have adjusted our results to exclude these items. (See Schedules of Adjustments in Supplemental Information.)

Three Months Ended December 31, 2012 – Results by Region and Business Segment

Revenues increased 2% based on our growth in North America. Revenues from North America increased 12% driven by increased rights fees from the licensing of new television programs and digital content, increased home entertainment sales and, to a lesser extent, increased ticket sales from a higher number of live events in the region than the prior-year quarter. Revenues from outside North America declined 21% or $7.2 million primarily due to an anticipated reduction in the number of live events, which impacted our Live and Televised Entertainment segment (as described in the business segment discussion below).

Live and Televised Entertainment

Revenues from our Live and Televised Entertainment businesses were $82.0 million for the current quarter as compared to $81.0 million in the prior-year quarter. Increased rights fees from the production and licensing of new television programs were affected by timing, with 8 fewer international live events and a reduction in the number of pay-per-view events (3 vs. 4 in the prior-year quarter).

* Live Event revenues declined 13% to $23.3 million from $26.9 million in the prior-year quarter primarily due to a reduction in the number of international events and lower average attendance at both our domestic and international events.

* There were 75 total events, including 52 events in North America and 23 events in international markets, in the current quarter as compared to 78 events in the prior-year quarter, including 47 events in North America and 31 in international markets.

* North American live event revenues increased 9% to $13.9 million from $12.7 million in the prior-year quarter, reflecting increases in the number of events and average realized ticket price, which more than offset a slight decline in average attendance. There were 5 additional events in the period, representing an 11% increase while the average ticket price for the quarter’s events increased 4% to $44.64 from $42.87 in the prior-year quarter. Average attendance declined 5% to approximately 5,700 from 6,000, primarily due to weaker performance.

* International live events generated revenues of $9.4 million as compared to $14.2 million in the prior-year quarter, reflecting a 26% decline in the number of events, with 8 fewer events in the period, and an 11% decrease in average attendance to approximately 5,600 from 6,300 in the prior-year quarter. The decline in average attendance was predominantly due to weaker performance, as the prior-year quarter included an especially strong eight-event tour in Mexico. Partially offsetting the decline in events and attendance, the average ticket price increased 5% to $69.81 due in part to changes in the mix of ticket sales.

* Pay-Per-View revenues were $13.0 million as compared to $14.6 million in the prior-year quarter reflecting the production of three pay-per-view events in the current quarter as compared to four in the prior-year quarter. In addition, revenue and buys were impacted by the timing of our Pay-Per-View distribution in the U.K. as our television partner in that country selected one fewer event in the current quarter for distribution via pay-per-view. On a comparable basis, for the events produced in the quarter, revenue increased approximately 4% as a 3% decline in buys was more than offset by a 7% increase in the average revenue per buy due in part to an increased proportion of buys to view our events in high definition, which generally attracts higher retail prices.

The details for the number of buys are as follows:

* Hell in a Cell: 199,000 buys (up from 182,000 in 2011)
* Survivor Series: 208,000 buys (down from 281,000 in 2011)
* TLC: 175,000 buys (down from 179,000 in 2011)

There was no Vengeance pay-per-view this year. The show drew 121,000 buys in 2011.

Television revenues increased 20% to $40.6 million from $33.9 million in the prior-year quarter primarily due to the production and licensing of new programs. An additional hour of our Raw program was licensed to the USA Network and debuted in July 2012, and a new Saturday morning kids show, WWE Saturday Morning Slam, was introduced on The CW Network in August 2012. In addition, during the quarter, WWE began distribution of a new original series, the WWE Main Event, which airs on ION Television.

Venue Merchandise revenues were $3.8 million as compared to $3.9 million in the prior-year quarter. The 3% decline was primarily due to a decrease in total international attendance that arose from 8 fewer international live events in the current-year quarter. Total paid attendance and sales per capita at our North American events increased 4% and 5%, respectively.

Consumer Products

Revenues from our Consumer Products businesses increased 9% to $20.4 million from $18.7 million in the prior-year quarter, primarily due to strong unit sales from our home entertainment catalog that were partially offset by lower sales of our licensed products.

Home Entertainment net revenues increased 48% to $9.6 million as compared to $6.5 million in the prior-year quarter driven by the promotion and strong sales of our catalog titles and two additional, lower-priced new releases. Revenue growth stemmed from a 43% increase in shipments to nearly 1.2 million units and improved sell through rates of our prior-period releases that more than offset a 16% reduction in average price to $11.31.
Licensing revenues declined 12% to $8.4 million as compared to $9.5 million in the prior-year quarter with reduced sales across most product categories, especially video games, as well as novelty products, and apparel. Royalties earned from the sale of video games declined by $0.5 million primarily from the absence of WWE All Stars, which was released in March 2011 and was not refreshed in 2012. In addition, shipments of our annual franchise video game declined 21% to 128,000 units. Royalties from the sale of toys increased 11%, or $0.6 million, reflecting the successful launch of our Brawlin’ Buddies toy by Mattel.

THQ Termination Agreement / Take-Two License Agreement

On December 19, 2012, our video game licensee THQ Inc. (“THQ”) declared bankruptcy. As a result, the Company reserved $1.7 million as bad debt for amounts that were due the Company from THQ at December 31, 2012. The amounts reserved primarily related to sponsorship agreements and various services WWE provided to THQ in support of WWE ’13. In connection with the termination of our license agreement with THQ, the Company will recognize approximately $8.0 million of revenue during the first quarter of 2013 relating to the unrecognized portion of an advance received when the Company entered into the license agreement with THQ in 2009. Additionally, upon termination of the agreement with THQ, the Company entered into a multi-year agreement with Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (Take-Two) to be the Company’s video game licensee. As a result of THQ’s bankruptcy, the Company will not collect royalties due in the first quarter. The Company has estimated the amount of this economic loss at between $4.0 million to $5.0 million, and does not believe that this loss will have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition or results of operations.

Magazine publishing net revenues were $1.7 million as compared to $2.0 million in the prior-year quarter, reflecting lower newsstand sales in the current-year quarter.

Digital Media

Revenues from our Digital Media related businesses were $12.1 million as compared to $8.9 million in the prior-year quarter, representing a 36% increase.

WWE.com revenues increased to $6.2 million from $2.7 million in the prior-year quarter, primarily due to increased rights fees associated with the licensing of original short-form content to YouTube and the licensing of next-day access of current WWE TV programs to Hulu Plus. The related programming agreements with YouTube and Hulu commenced February 2012 and September 2012, respectively. Sales of online advertising also increased from the prior-year quarter.

WWEShop revenues declined to $5.9 million from $6.2 million in the prior-year quarter as a 10% decline in average revenue per order to $47.10 was partially offset by a 4% increase in the number of online merchandise sales to 125,000 orders.

WWE Studios

During the quarter, WWE Studios recognized revenue of $0.6 million as compared to $4.3 million in the prior-year quarter, reflecting the timing of releases. There were no feature films released in the current quarter as compared to one release, The Reunion, in the prior-year quarter. WWE Studios’ movie portfolio generated a loss of $0.6 million, including a $0.5 million film impairment charge, compared to a loss of $13.8 million in the prior-year quarter, which included $12.2 million in film charges. Excluding the impact of those charges in both the current and prior-year quarter, the WWE Studios’ movie portfolio generated essentially break-even results compared to an adjusted loss of $1.6 million in the prior-year quarter.

Profit Contribution (Net revenues less cost of revenues)

Profit contribution increased 89% to $45.9 million primarily due to improved results (i.e., reduced losses) from our WWE Studios’ movie projects as well as increased rights fees from the licensing of new television programs and digital content, stronger sell-through rates of our home entertainment catalog titles and a reduction in certain talent-related expenses. The profit contribution margin increased to 40% compared to 22% in the prior-year quarter. Excluding the impact of film impairments, our Adjusted Profit contribution increased 27% to $46.4 million and our adjusted profit contribution margin was 40% compared to 32% in the prior-year quarter. (See Schedules of Adjustments in Supplemental Information.)

Selling, general and administrative expenses

SG&A expenses were $37.4 million for the current-year quarter as compared to $33.3 million in the prior-year quarter. These results reflected the return to a more normalized level of management incentive compensation, which resulted in a year-over-year increase of approximately $2.3 million, increased salary expenses, and incremental bad debt expense due, in part, to the bankruptcy of our former video game licensee. The rise in staffing costs (excluding management incentive compensation) was incurred to support the expansion of our television and digital content, including a potential network.

Depreciation and amortization

Depreciation and amortization expense totaled $5.9 million for the current-year quarter as compared to $4.1 million in the prior-year quarter. The increase in depreciation and amortization expense derives from our investment in assets to support our long-term growth objectives, including the launch of a potential network.

EBITDA

EBITDA was $8.5 million in the current-year quarter as compared to a loss of $9.0 million in the prior-year quarter. Improved results were driven by the performance of our movie portfolio and the licensing of additional television and digital content, partially offset by the aforementioned increase in SG&A expenses. Adjusted EBITDA (excluding the impact of network-related expenses and film impairments) increased 57% to $11.3 million from $7.2 million in the prior-year quarter.

Investment and Other (Expense) Income

Investment income, interest and other expense, net was a loss of $0.2 million in the current-year quarter compared to a loss of $0.2 million in the prior-year quarter.

Effective tax rate

The current year quarter’s effective tax rate was 75%. The current quarter was adversely impacted by $0.4 million of additional tax expense as a result of differences between estimated and actual full year taxable income. Additionally, the fourth quarter rate reflected a $0.2 million increase in unrecognized tax benefits and $0.2 million to provide for dividends from a foreign subsidiary. In total, these items were responsible for 33 percentage points of the quarter’s 75% effective rate.

Summary Results for the Year Ended December 31, 2012

Total revenues for the year ended December 31, 2012 were $484.0 million as compared to $483.9 million in the prior year. Operating income for the current year was $43.2 million versus $37.0 million in the prior year. Net income was $31.4 million, or $0.42 per share, as compared to $24.8 million, or $0.33 per share, in the prior year. EBITDA was $63.2 million for the current year as compared to $52.0 million in the prior year. Excluding items that impacted comparability on a year-over-year basis, Adjusted Operating income was $52.6 million compared to $64.4 million in the prior year, and Adjusted Net income was $38.6 million, or $0.51 per share, compared to $43.3 million, or $0.58 per share, in the prior year. On an “As Reported” basis, the results of WWE’s portfolio of movies, including a $22.2 million reduction in film impairment charges, was a significant component of the rise in EBITDA for the year. Excluding the impact of these impairment charges and network-related expenses, “Adjusted” EBITDA declined 9% as growth from the licensing of new television programs and digital content, as well as improved results from our Pay-Per-View operations, were more than offset by lower video game sales, ongoing investment to support the company’s long-term objectives, and $10.8 million in incremental expenses from the return to a more normalized level of management incentive compensation in the current year.

Year Ended December 31, 2012 – Results by Region and Business Segment

Revenues were essentially flat to the prior year as growth from North America was offset by a corresponding international decline. Revenue from North America increased 4%, or $15.4 million, as the licensing of new television programs and digital content, improved home entertainment sales, and a rise in the number of domestic live events were partially offset by lower revenues from our movie releases. Revenues from outside North America declined 11%, or $15.3 million, primarily due to an anticipated reduction in the number of live events and lower sales of licensed consumer products, particularly in the Latin American and EMEA regions.

Once again, for more detailed information regarding WWE’s Fourth Quarter 2012 and Full Year financial results, click here to view the official press release (.PDF).

TNA Adds Second WM29 Weekend Show, Hogan Teases New Reality Show & More

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– TNA President Dixie Carter and Jason Hervey recently met with producers from the Activision video game studio in Santa Monica, California about developing a new TNA game.

– TNA has announced a second WrestleMania weekend show, on April 6th from Atlantic City, NJ. They will be in Westbury, NY the night before. Hulk Hogan will be making rare TNA live event appearances at both shows.

– Speaking of Hulk Hogan, he tweeted a few days ago that he could have a new reality television project in the works:

Hulk Hogan Exposes Himself In Front Of His Daughter Brooke

Video Of The Miz On Conan O’Brian, Update On WrestleMania Ticket Sales

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– With strong ticket sales heading into WrestleMania 29, there are approximately 4,000 tickets available on the secondary market, considerably lower than this time last year.

Tickets on the secondary market (Stubhub, brokers) start at $125, which is considerably higher than we’ve seen in a long time. Front row seats are currently going for up to $23,000.

– The following clip from The Miz’s appearance on Wednesday night’s Conan O’Brien TBS show:

(Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

More On The Undertaker’s Recent Match, Qatar & Turkey Tour Attendance & Gates

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– We’ve got more details on The Undertaker’s surprise appearance at the 2/23 SmackDown house show from Waco, Texas. Despite photos that showed him looking somewhat out of shape, the Dead Man was moving around with good speed in the ring. He was tagged in to the match twice and did not take any bumps. He did hit a leg drop with no problem, but there were spots in the match where you could tell his hip was not 100%.

* Pictures & Video of the UNDERTAKER’s Recent Return To The Ring

– Here are some financial numbers from last week’s WWE RAW brand tour of Qatar & Turkey:

* RAW on 2/21 in Doha, Qatar, drew 3,500 fans and a gate of $500,000.

* RAW on 2/22 in Doha, Qatar drew 3,000 fans and a gate of $500,000.

* RAW on 2/23 in Istanbul, Turkey, drew 3,000 fans and a gate of $200,000.

It’s worth noting that WWE was told not to bring any of the Divas (and their skimpy outfits) to Qatar, so the women wrestled on the SmackDown tour last weekend.

* Smackdown on 2/23 in Waco, TX, which saw a surprise appearance by The Undertaker, drew 4,500 fans for a gate of $160,000.

* SmackDown on 2/24 in College Station drew 4,000 fans and a $110,000 gate.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Detailed RAW Ratings Breakdown: Punk vs. Cena Gains 1 Million Viewers

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As noted earlier this week, Monday’s WWE RAW drew a strong 3.43 rating and averaged 4.70 million viewers. Here’s a breakdown of how each segment performed:

– The opening segment with Vince McMahon’s fight with Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar’s brawl with the returning HHH did a 3.6 quarter hour.

– Ryback vs. Dolph Ziggler lost about 285,000 viewers.

– The C.M. Punk promo and trailer for “The Call” gained about 420,000 viewers.

– Mark Henry vs. Great Khali lost about 285,000 viewers.

– The in-ring segment at the top of hour 2 with Jack Swagger, Zeb Colter and Alberto Del Rio gained about 285,000 viewers and did a strong 3.7 QH rating.

– Randy Orton vs. Antonio Cesaro lost about 430,000 viewers.

– R-Truth vs. Cody Rhodes stayed even.

– Daniel Bryan & Kane vs. Prime Time Players with Bryan blindfolded and Kane having his hand tied behind his back lost another 285,000 viewers.

– The Shield’s at the start of the third hour with Randy Orton and Sheamus involved gained about 285,000 viewers and did a 3.4 rating.

– Jack Swagger vs. The Miz lost 450,000 viewers, the biggest drop of the night.

– John Cena’s promo gained 140,000 viewers.

– John Cena vs. C.M. Punk gained about 1 million viewers and finished with a 3.9 overrun, considered to be a huge success.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Impact Wrestling Preview For Tonight: Jeff Hardy Returns

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The following is the TNA website’s official preview for tonight’s episode of Impact Wrestling:

– What will be the fallout from the Aces and 8s attack on Hulk Hogan? What is Hogan’s condition? Tune in for a major update on Thursday’s IMPACT!

– World Heavyweight Champion “The Charismatic Enigma” Jeff Hardy makes his return to IMPACT! What will happen when Hardy is face-to-face with Bully Ray, the superstar that will challenge him for the title at Lockdown?

– Also on Thursday, “The Icon” Sting and Devon will both reveal their teams for the Lethal Lockdown match! Who will join Sting as part of Team TNA – and who will backup Devon from the Aces and 8s? Find out on Thursday!

– Plus, new TNA Knockouts champion Velvet Sky will defend the gold against the former titleholder, Tara!

– In addition, the TNA Gut Check returns to IMPACT on Thursday night as one competitor will get a chance to try and earn a spot on the TNA roster!

The Rock Explains Why He Returned To WWE, Previews WrestleMania Match With John Cena

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Previewing his upcoming match with John Cena at WrestleMania 29 to IGN.com, WWE Champion Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson explained why he wanted to face the Cenation leader again after defeating him at last year’s show.

“You have to understand that my return back into the WWE was years in the making. And since I’ve been back, it’s been a three year-long journey that started at WrestleMania 27 in Atlanta. So John has always been my first choice,” Johnson told Matt Fowler.

While contemplating his return to the sports-entertainment organization years ago, Johnson revealed that he wanted to work with the wrestler who he felt would generate the biggest business.

“Here’s the thing,” said Johnson. “The question was that if I was going to go back in the WWE, how could I go back and make the most impact? With who can I headline WrestleMania in that company and make the most impact? And the bottom line is that it continues to be John Cena. Just in terms of, and we’ll use a Hollywood term here, box office appeal. Universal appeal. Athletic pairing. So there are a lot of reasons.”

The Hollywood heavyweight also says he returned to WWE to give back; to elevate the company that led to his success as well as elevate their “number one hero.”

Johnson continued, “With some great drama, some great emotion. This scenario for me is one that I’ve honestly dreamed of. A dream match. And what I’m talking about is being able to go back to the WWE and give back to the business, which is in my blood and has allowed me a platform to perform which then, twelve years ago, allowed me to make he transition to Hollywood. So the scenario I’ve dreamed of is that I’m able to go back, become WWE Champion, go into the what is considered the biggest marketplace in the world, which is the New York City area, at MetLife Stadium and headline WrestleMania as champion and give back to the business, the fans, the company and their number one hero. So I couldn’t have asked for a better scenario and we’re going to have a blast.”

Regarding the WrestleMania bout itself, Johnson said, “I think we’re going to have a great match and my hope is that it’s going to be a classic.”

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