WWE Thread (Spoilers)

[Bandit]

I know it doesn't matter because they get another $1.6 billion on top of the shitload of money they already have. But that's shitty to make the fans have to subscribe to 3 different services to see to see everything. I'm lucky that I get free Peacock and ESPN+ is bundled into Disney+. But remember the WWE line Cole said a million times about WWE network "It's cheaper than Netflix!"

[Dr. Zoidberg]

They weren't owned by TKO back then though, and all they care about is money.

[Big Boss Man]

Didn't DC say Brock was on the TKO ban list, they must've done a complete 180 on that decision for him to be back. No surprise whatsoever if Vince comes back for Cena too.

It turned out HHH completely lied about Cena requesting Brock because he sucks at being asked hard questions about real life situations. And good for Cena for standing up for himself and telling the truth instead of taking one for the team.

I don't think the truth is known for sure (the Observer will be interesting tomorrow.) But it could have been something like HHH thinking nobody has talked much about Brock's role in the lawsuit in a while so it was safe to bring him back then immediately realized he underestimated the fans.

I think Hunter has a thing for building bridges with wrestlers on the outs with WWE - Bruno, Warrior, Scotty Steiner, Punk etc so maybe he thought he was doing a good thing at first, but I'm sure he'd be conversant with the lawsuit, especially considering it's against his own father in law. Even if John Cena did request Brock he's got to say 'that's not happening right now ' & it's cause of the lawsuit & it'll look bad on WWE. The fact some fans still spin this as a positive makes you wonder if they'll welcome Vince back with open arms.

[Bandit]

Maybe a younger Vince. He's 80 and has problems with his voice from screaming on commentary and promos all those years, so can't really work an angle. He used to be great on television, but his last stuff like with Austin Theory and Pat McAfee sucked. My last memory of him was taking a Stone Cold Stunner so bad Austin broke character and was laughing. So he's not worth the bad publicity.

[Big Boss Man]

That's true, although knowing WWE who knows, they may think bad publicity still is publicity for them. I also won't be surprised if WWE eventually goes back to the PPV model, maybe with WrestleMania at first. UFC charges 79.99 for their PPVs & I doubt WWE would charge that much but I could see them say it's 50 for both nights of WrestleMania.

[Bandit]

It will be interesting. ESPN said they may simulcast some PLEs on television. They also have an in with ABC now because Disney owns both and UFC gets a few ABC shows a year. So they could be on three broadcast networks (with NBC and CW Network.)

[Hawq]

[Bandit]

[Bandit]

From WON on Brock

Lesnar had not been in a WWE ring for two years and had been unavailable for WWE to use since legal made the call that he couldn’t be used right before the Royal Rumble in 2024, which was to be a return, where he would be a monster in the Rumble until Dominik Mysterio was to eliminate him, and then the plan was for Lesnar to beat Mysterio at the next PPV and lead to a match with Gunther for the IC title.

But when the Janel Grant lawsuit was filed, and while he was not mentioned by name in the original suit, the claims regarding Vince McMahon allegedly trafficking Grant to get a former UFC champion to sign a new contract were obviously him. Later, when Grant’s side filed an amended lawsuit, he was mentioned 44 times by name.

While Paul Levesque downplayed the situation, saying that they had talks about the Rumble (he was scripted into the show and plans were made through Mania, and it was so late in the game when he was out that they used Bron Breakker in that match to do everything planned for Lesnar), acting like it was nothing serious and Lesnar would be back whenever he wanted to be, the reality was TKO and WWE legal would not allow them to use him. Lesnar was still, even though not used, fully paid during that time period and was among the highest paid wrestlers in the company. He was never suspended, and obviously kept under contract. If what he did was going to end their relationship with him, he’d have been let go.

That’s the reality. He was always going to return when legal cleared him. Legal cleared him about one month prior to the show, which was kept secret, and allowed for the return.


If what he did was ever going to end their relationship with him, he’d have been let go. That’s the reality. He was always going to return when legal cleared him. Legal cleared him about one month prior to the show, which was kept secret, and allowed for the return.

Paul Levesque attempted to deflect by putting the heat on John Cena, or using the fact Cena is very popular right now on his way out as a defense of the move, claiming he was brought back because Cena wanted to work with him.

Cena on this tour has worked with Cody Rhodes, the top guy, as well as Randy Orton and C.M. Punk, people who were established stars during his heyday, a category Lesnar also falls into. It would seemingly be more beneficial in the long run for a company that talks about rubs and such, to use the Cena farewell tour to put the spotlight on somebody under 40.

“This is John Cena’s wish list. John Cena’s… it’s him writing the last chapter of his book, and I think people saw a conversation with us where he said we’d have to screw it up pretty badly to ruin his career,” said Levesque after the show. “But it’s not about that for me. It’s about John being able to go out the way he wants to go out. To write his chapter. I know what that’s like as a performer. I know what that’s like for everybody to feel that, and I think for John to be able to do what he wants to do.

“One of the very first things I said to him is ‘Who do you want? And how?’ And we’re working through that.”

WWE somewhat changed the story the next day on Raw, with Michael Cole saying that Nick Khan and HHH (Levesque) and called Lesnar saying it’s time to come home and that Lesnar said “Let’s do it.”

Cena certainly didn’t confirm it either, saying to Adam Glyn, “I’ve been saying the same thing for 25 years. They deal ’em, I play ’em. You know, I’m just really excited. We got like 12 of these things left. I think SummerSlam was an indication from the audience where everybody kind of knows where we’re closing our book. And just because I close my book in December, that doesn’t mean the WWE closes its books. They got to continue their programming going forward. So they’re just trying to make the most exciting shows for the fans. A dozen of them I got left. They deal ‘em, I play ‘em.”

Levesque later said to ESPN, “We hit him up and said time to come home, and he was into it. A massive moment for our fans, something they thought they wouldn’t get to see.”

Paul Heyman said, “Everything in life is met with criticism, I don’t pay attention to that. If you were in MetLife Stadium on Sunday, you would understand that return meant a lot to that audience. That audience was shocked to see Brock Lesnar come out and to see him F-5 John Cena. Nobody left MetLife Stadium going, ‘Oh God, they brought back Brock.’ People were just going nuts. That’s our paying audience. They’re happy to see him, I’m happy to be part of a team that presents him.”

““There’s always going to be critics of anything that we do, and very few people ever make it to the top in life without either making mistakes or having skeletons in their closet.”

“Obviously, the decision was made, it’s time to bring back Brock Lesnar. Whatever that decision is based on, I respect it. If there are critics of it, get over it. He’s here and he’s going to be here and you ain’t going to be able to cancel him. And I’m happy to have him back because the audience is happy to have him back. If we brought him back and the audience rebelled against it, I wouldn’t be happy to have him back.”

The day before, WWE announced that there would no longer be press conferences after the shows. This in fact was done because of the Lesnar angle and not wanting any questions brought up regarding what changed with legal, or even having to make the admission of the legal decision. While the press conferences were a joke to begin with, and much of that from the media standpoint based on the 2024 Royal Rumble post-show, they were made more of one by WWE’s decisions with some major people not allowed in, then made sure to not be allowed to ask questions, and others no longer being credentialed.

I’m a little surprised since they were so gung-ho on the idea that Nick Khan is a sports guy. But he’s become more of a wrestling guy. They really only did them because AEW did them but it was clear very early on that they didn’t want any real questions (and actually rarely got them). We were told they could revisit the idea. The original idea for keeping people out is that they had too many credentialed people for the space and that they also had premium ticket holders who were allowed in based on the stips of their sales. Considering the people they left out, I can’t say at first they didn’t want hard questions but soon made sure not to call on those who might ask them before even cutting one outlet off completely, and many others to a large degree, dependent on the seriousness they cover real news stories regarding the company.

But the big unanswered question is what made WWE legal change their viewpoint on Lesnar. The belief, despite Janel Grant’s attorneys indicating this wasn’t a sure thing and a judge ruling in the case that indicated an investigation was still going after we got word it was over, is that there is no legal case against Vince McMahon. That was believed to have been tabled at the same time the SEC investigation of McMahon completed, which was early January. The civil trial is ongoing. Do they see that as less of a threat? One would think so by this action. If the case goes to arbitration, everything related to Lesnar becomes irrelevant. If they see a settlement coming, the Lesnar stuff is likely not a major factor either. When Ann Callis and her firm took on the Grant case in late 2023, it certainly felt to me that they were aware of multiple prior settlements and that with all the publicity this case would get, that more women would come forward. While we know and Callis has said they’ve talked with other women, the reality is nobody else has joined in nor have any subsequent cases been filed.

A spokesperson for Grant said about the Lesnar return, “For far too long, abuse was allowed to thrive under WWE’s leadership. Instead of righting this wrong, WWE has done nothing to ensure those responsible are held accountable. This attempt to sweep misconduct under the rug will backfire. We look forward to the full set of facts, including those about Mr. Lesnar, coming out in a court of law where they belong but, in the meantime, we refer you back to Janel Grant’s updated complaint, which outlines, in detail, the abuse she endured by McMahon and others while employed at WWE.”

Sources close to the Grant side said they were surprised this happened and that nothing has changed regarding the case over the last month that would lead to a change in policy on Lesnar.

It should be noted that Lesnar was paid his guarantee the entire time he was off. He was never suspended. He was never fired. But he was not only not booked, but also removed from the WWE video game even though he was one of the most popular characters in the game for years.

[Dr. Zoidberg]

[Dr. Zoidberg]

[Hawq]

Back to TNA for him maybe? though these days that wouldnt mean he couldnt reapear

[Hawq]

[Dr. Zoidberg]

[Skynet]

Kross just never had anything that made him interesting to me. Maybe if he was like a Wyatt Family version of Bray and had some others around him, I dunno. I just wasn't super into his wrestling ability and as a character he just felt like he should have had more

[Bandit]

Yeah, most people don't think he's anything much. He got a lot of sympathy for doing the right thing for his girlfriend Scarlet and walking out on TNA when an executive was sexually harassing her and TNA's owners were called out on doing nothing for her. But that was years ago and they didn't have any longevity when they were pushed hard in NXT.

He does an awesome Jesse Ventura, though. Maybe his gimmick should have been he's Jesse's long lost son.

[Bandit]

[Dr. Zoidberg]

"We don't want Kross anymore!"

[Dr. Zoidberg]

[Dr. Zoidberg]