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X
Marks The Spot For Weekend Sports News And Results;
Fans, Promoters, Insiders, Outsiders Flock To X; Wrestling,
Grappling. Fighting And Healthy Discussion About Matches
And In And Out Of Ring Action And News; Gamification
Of Sports News: Media Man Group
February
28 to March 1, 2026 Report
News
Wrestling/Pop
Culture/Sports Biz
Hulk
Hogan's WrestleMania Boots Sell for $1.037 Million
Record
The
flashy pair, photo-matched to Hogan and Mr. T's 1985
victory over Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff—with
Muhammad Ali as referee and Liberace as timekeeper—smashed
the wrestling memorabilia record, far exceeding the
$200,000 estimate. Heavy wear and Hogan's silver Sharpie
note confirm their authenticity, backed by experts
from Heritage Auctions, PSA/DNA, and SIA. Collectors
celebrated the milestone, with Jeremy Padawer noting
it fulfills his long-predicted million-dollar moment
for wrestling items, outpacing prior highs like $170,800
card sets.
News
Pro
Wrestling/WWE
Drew
McIntyre to Defend WWE Title Against Cody Rhodes on
SmackDown
Randy
Orton won the Elimination Chamber main event by pinning
Rhodes, earning a WrestleMania 42 shot at McIntyre's
Undisputed WWE Championship. McIntyre disrupted the
finish, attacking Rhodes and sparking a brawl that
drew Orton's RKO. SmackDown GM Aldis overruled McIntyre's
no-rematch clause in a post-show confrontation, setting
up the high-stakes clash that fans say could lead
to triple threats or dream rematches in Las Vegas.
News
AJ
Lee Submits Becky Lynch for Women's Intercontinental
Title at Elimination Chamber
AJ
Lee returned to the ring on February 9 Raw and quickly
rose to challenge defending champion Becky Lynch at
Elimination Chamber in Chicago, submitting her in
stunning fashion to claim the Women's Intercontinental
Championship. Backstage, she shared an emotional embrace
with husband CM Punk, who had just retained his World
Heavyweight Championship earlier that night. Lee later
revealed custom spiderweb side plates for her title,
nodding to her 'Pipe Bombshell' persona, as fans celebrated
her iconic comeback ahead of WrestleMania 42.
News
Becky
Lynch Rages Over AJ Lee's Upset Title Win at Elimination
Chamber
In
Saturday's Elimination Chamber bout, Lynch yanked
off a turnbuckle pad for an edge, accidentally knocked
out Carr, and tapped to Lee's Black Widow submission
with no ref to see it. Carr recovered to stop Lynch's
counter, leading to Lee dodging and sending Becky
into the steel for the pin—crowning AJ the new
champ after over a decade away. Lynch, citing past
clashes with Carr, called for urgent action including
deleting a Triple H photo; Raw GM Adam Pearce responded
by posting his number for a chat, while fans mostly
mocked her meltdown. The outburst fits her fiery 'Big
Time Becks' style but has some seeing her as the heel
now.
News
Trick
Williams Draws Biggest Pop in Chicago WWE Debut
At
WWE Elimination Chamber 2026 in Chicago, 31-year-old
Trick Williams qualified for the Men's Elimination
Chamber match by beating Carmelo Hayes and Damian
Priest, then electrified the crowd with pyrotechnics
and 'Whoop That Trick' chants. WWE Hall of Famer Mark
Henry called it the loudest reaction of the night,
comparing Williams to Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels,
while insiders like Dave Meltzer predict he'll become
a major star soon. His fiancée Lash Legend's
recent tag team title win adds to the excitement around
the rising talent.
News
Fan’s
Traffic Sign Revives Luger vs. Tatanka Feud Nostalgia
at Elimination Chamber
At
the February 28 Elimination Chamber in Chicago's United
Center, the sign referenced a 1994 WWE feud between
Lex Luger and Tatanka that fizzled without a big payoff
match, delighting old-school fans. Tatanka had turned
heel after losing to Luger at King of the Ring, leading
to clashes at SummerSlam and on Raw, but no dream
ending ever came. Spotted near the entrance ramp amid
Randy Orton’s win, Rhea Ripley’s dominance,
and Seth Rollins’ return, the sign drew the night’s
biggest cheers and flooded posts with laughs like
'SIGN…OF….THE….YEAR.' It captured wrestling’s
love for shared history and inside jokes.
News
One
Year Since John Cena's Historic Heel Turn on Cody
Rhodes
On
March 1, 2025, at Elimination Chamber in Toronto,
Cena outlasted CM Punk, Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre,
Damian Priest, and Logan Paul to win the match and
earn a WrestleMania title shot. Moments later, he
embraced Rhodes before stomping him bloody, aligning
with ringside Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson as the 'Final
Boss.' Fans recall the shock a year on, though Cena's
heel run fizzled without Rock follow-up, while Rhodes
retained at WrestleMania—marking it as WWE's
top 2025 moment.
News
Dragon
Lee Poses on Undertaker's Motorcycle with CM Punk's
Help
The
WWE high-flyer shared the fun shot on social media,
captioning it 'Thanks to uncle punk for this picture'
in English and Spanish, capturing a joyful moment
amid Hall of Fame tributes. Fans loved the nod to
wrestling history, with reactions highlighting Dragon
Lee's rising status and family-like bonds with stars
like Punk and AJ Styles. The post drew nearly 32,000
likes, showcasing backstage camaraderie as WWE builds
excitement for events like the 2026 Hall of Fame class.
News
Orton
and Ripley Win Elimination Chamber, Punch Tickets
to WrestleMania 42
Randy
Orton outlasted Je'Von Evans, LA Knight, Trick Williams,
Logan Paul, and Cody Rhodes in a 25-minute Elimination
Chamber match to earn a shot at Drew McIntyre's Undisputed
WWE Championship at WrestleMania 42. Rhea Ripley dominated
Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Kiana James, Raquel Rodriguez,
and Tiffany Stratton to book a clash with Jade Cargill
for the WWE Women's Championship. AJ Lee returned
triumphantly, submitting Becky Lynch for the Women's
Intercontinental Championship, while CM Punk defended
his World Heavyweight title against Finn Bálor;
surprises included Seth Rollins' masked interference
and Danhausen's foggy WWE debut.
News
Triple
H Skips Post-Show Panel After Elimination Chamber
Wins
WWE
Elimination Chamber on February 28 featured Rhea Ripley
winning the Women's Chamber for a WrestleMania 42
title shot against Jade Cargill, AJ Lee dethroning
Becky Lynch for the Women's Intercontinental Championship,
CM Punk retaining the World Heavyweight Title in his
hometown, and Randy Orton surviving the Men's Chamber
amid Drew McIntyre's interference and a masked Seth
Rollins reveal. Instead of joining the post-show panel,
Chief Content Officer Paul 'Triple H' Levesque spoke
briefly backstage with Jackie Redmond, hyping Orton's
win and teasing Danhausen's debut. This move followed
recent fan boos and chants like 'We Want Vince' at
events such as the Royal Rumble, sparking talk of
tension with audiences despite WWE's creative success
under his leadership.
News
Wrestling/Gaming
Paul
Heyman Claims WWE Attitude Era Stolen from ECW
The
WWE Hall of Famer declared the Attitude Era a carbon
copy of ECW, crediting its hardcore style—tables,
chairs, and fan chants—for pushing WWF to drop
cartoons for edgier stories in the mid-90s. Stars
like Rob Van Dam jumped ship to fuel WWE's rise, and
Heyman urged fans to harass 2K Sports for a full ECW
game in WWE 2K26, which already nods to his classic
ponytail look. He holds no grudges against the billionaires,
saying if you're gonna steal, take from the best—ECW.
Wrestling/Gaming
WWE
2K26 Brings Back Soundtrack-Powered Custom Entrances
WWE
2K26 lets players use the official soundtrack's 16
rock-heavy tracks, like Powerman 5000's 'When Worlds
Collide' and Andrew W.K.'s 'Bender,' for dramatic
wrestler entrances. Gameplay designer Cornell Gunter
confirmed it works for any custom creation, matching
a GamesRadar preview where writer Ben Wilson tested
songs like 'Party Hard.' The feature returns after
missing in recent games, just ahead of the March 12
early access launch on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and
Nintendo Switch 2, alongside CM Punk's Showcase and
doubled CAW slots to 200.
News
UFC/MMA
Ryan
Gandra Storms to First-Round TKO in UFC Debut
The
Brazilian middleweight from Belo Horizonte pinned
Medina against the fence with hooks, kicks, knees,
and punches before finishing on the ground at UFC
Fight Night in Mexico City. Gandra improved to 9-1
overall and 1-0 in the UFC, extending his four-fight
stoppage streak while Medina fell to 0-4 in the promotion.
Post-fight, the shirtless fighter beamed about feeling
the Brazilian energy from the crowd, leaving fans
excited about his dynamite power and next matchup.
News
The
Lead Up
Boxing
Abel
Ramos Edges Tahmir Smalls in Gritty Split Decision
Abel
Ramos rallied with relentless body work to win a 10-round
split decision over unbeaten welterweight Tahmir Smalls
on Saturday at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
Ramos landed 127 punches to Smalls' 113, including
52 to the body that wore down the younger fighter,
earning scores of 98-92 and 97-93 while one judge
favored Smalls 96-94. The veteran, now 30-6-3, called
out Ryan Garcia and Rolly Romero next, saying he won't
go the distance again.
Boxing
Emiliano
Vargas Grinds Out Ninth-Round TKO Over Quintana in
Gritty Fight
The
21-year-old unbeaten prospect improved to 17-0 with
14 knockouts by stopping Agustin Quintana via ninth-round
TKO on Saturday at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale,
Arizona. Quintana tested Vargas' chin with early body
shots, but Vargas ramped up from the third round,
pounding the midsection until Quintana's face swelled
and bled heavily. Post-fight, Vargas called Quintana
a hell of a fighter and declared he's coming for all
the top contenders, passing his toughest test yet
on the Navarrete-Nunez card.
News
Boxing
WBC
Sanctions Oleksandr Usyk vs. Rico Verhoeven Heavyweight
Title Fight at Pyramids of Giza
The
WBC announced it will sanction the fight between heavyweight
champion Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven as a title
bout at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, reversing an
earlier statement that it would not be for the title.
Peter Fury, uncle and former trainer of Tyson Fury,
will train Verhoeven for the matchup. The event, promoted
as Glory in Giza, will be live on DAZN.
News
Santiago
Luna Cruises to Unanimous Decision Win in Mexico City
Luna
improved to 8-0 with a clean 30-27 unanimous decision
over Pacheco, marking his first win by judges' scorecards
after seven straight finishes. The Mexican phenom
unleashed sharp combos and timely takedowns, rocking
the American fighter early and controlling every round.
Shirtless in his cowboy hat post-fight, Luna told
Laura Sanko he's always locked in when the bell rings,
hinting at bigger fights ahead as fans praise his
bright future.
News
Bonus
Pop
Culture/Entertainment News
Avengers:
Secret Wars Filming Set for August Start
Insider
Daniel Richtman reports principal photography begins
in August, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo after
their Infinity War and Endgame triumphs. The film
follows Avengers: Doomsday into theaters on December
17, 2027, with 16 months for production on this massive
ensemble. Fans shared excitement over potential returns
like Scarlet Witch and Bucky Barnes, while some wonder
about press tour overlaps or a longer runtime echoing
the comics. (Grok)
News
Drew
Goddard Confirms He's Writing The Matrix 5 Script
Goddard,
directing the fifth Matrix movie for the first time
without the Wachowskis at the helm, revealed he's
actively scripting the project first announced by
Warner Bros. in 2024. Lana Wachowski stays involved
as an executive producer after helming 2021's The
Matrix Resurrections, which brought back Keanu Reeves
and Carrie-Anne Moss but split opinions with its $160
million box office against a $190 million budget.
Fans reacted with a mix of excitement for potential
returns like Reeves, caution over the franchise's
direction without full Wachowski involvement, and
hopes for fresh action while preserving the series'
legacy.
Media
Man
X
wins Media Man 'Platform Of The Month' award; Runner-ups:
YouTube and LinkedIn
WWE
wins Media Man 'Wrestling Promotion Of The Month'
award
Netflix
wins Media Man 'Streaming Service Of The Month' award
Social
Media
Social
Media Influencers
The
List
The
top social media influencers are dominated by global
celebrities like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi,
Selena Gomez, Kylie Jenner, Dwayne "The Rock"
Johnson, and Ariana Grande, primarily known for massive
Instagram followings, while TikTok sensations like
MrBeast, Charli D'Amelio, and Addison Rae, along with
YouTube stars like PewDiePie, also rank high for their
engaging content across platforms, showcasing a mix
of sports, music, beauty, and lifestyle influence
in late 2025.
Here's
a snapshot of top influencers by platform and general
popularity (late 2025 data):
Most
Followed on Instagram (Individuals):
Cristiano
Ronaldo (Footballer)
Lionel
Messi (Footballer)
Selena
Gomez (Singer/Actress)
Kylie
Jenner (Reality Star/Entrepreneur)
Dwayne
"The Rock" Johnson (Actor/Wrestler)
Ariana
Grande (Singer/Actress)
Kim
Kardashian (Reality Star/Entrepreneur)
Beyoncé
(Singer)
Khloe
Kardashian (Reality Star)
Top
TikTok & YouTube Personalities (Various Platforms):
MrBeast
(Jimmy Donaldson): Known for stunts, challenges, and
philanthropy on YouTube.
Charli
D'Amelio: Rose to fame with dance videos on TikTok.
Addison
Rae: TikTok dancer and actress.
Khaby
Lame: Comedian famous for his silent, witty videos.
PewDiePie
(Felix Kjellberg): Gaming and commentary on YouTube.
Key
Trends:
Athletes
& Musicians Dominate: Footballers and pop stars
often lead follower counts due to global appeal.
Kardashian-Jenner
Empire: The family consistently ranks high across
platforms.
YouTube
& TikTok Stars: Creators like MrBeast and Charli
D'Amelio have massive influence beyond their initial
platform.
News
Bonus
WWE
Most Popular Wrestlers On Social Media
Media
Notes
February
2026
The
Rock (Dwayne Johnson) remains the most popular WWE-associated
personality on social media by a vast margin, primarily
due to his massive global crossover appeal as a Hollywood
actor.
Others
Logan
Paul and John Cena lead in total followers.
The
following rankings reflect current social media popularity
across major platforms:
Top
Most-Followed WWE Superstars (Instagram Focus)
Instagram is the primary platform for measuring current
WWE social media reach. These figures are based on
reports from February 2026:
The
Rock (Dwayne Johnson): ~390.8 million followers.
Logan Paul: ~27.1 million followers.
John Cena: ~21.8 million followers.
Ronda Rousey: ~16.9 million followers.
Roman Reigns: ~11.2 million followers.
Nikki Garcia (Nikki Bella): ~10.4 million followers.
Brie Garcia (Brie Bella): ~8.3 million followers.
Triple H (Paul Levesque): ~7.8 million followers.
Randy Orton: ~7.5 million followers.
Active
Roster Popularity & Engagement
While
legends hold the highest total counts, several active
stars dominate current engagement and search trends
in 2026:
Roman
Reigns: The "Tribal Chief" is the most-followed
full-time active roster member and recently surpassed
the 10 million follower milestone on Instagram.
Rhea
Ripley: One of the fastest-growing stars on social
media, she frequently ranks in the top 5 for most-searched
superstars.
Seth
Rollins: Consistently ranks in the top 5 for combined
Twitter and Instagram followers among active male
talent, totaling over 8.5 million.
Liv
Morgan: Noted for high social media engagement metrics
alongside Roman Reigns and Rhea Ripley.
Most
Popular Female Superstars
Female
talent often commands higher engagement rates. In
early 2026, the leading women include:
Rhea
Ripley: ~6.7 million followers.
Alexa Bliss: ~6.2 million followers.
Becky Lynch: ~5.5 million followers.
Charlotte Flair: ~5.4 million followers.
WWE
as a brand also announced in 2026 that it has eclipsed
half a billion total fans across its global social
media platforms, with John Cena specifically noted
as the No. 1 most-followed active American athlete
on Facebook with over 36 million likes.
Media
Man
Media
Man Data Indicates The Following WWE Pro Wrestlers
are extremly popular on social media:
Blake
Monroe (NXT)
Tony D'Angelo (NXT)
Rey
Mysterio
Dominik Mysterio
Tiffany Stratton
Matt Cardona
Chelsea Green
Braun Strowman
Paul Heyman (manager/advocate)
Kabuki Warriors
Joe Hendry
*we
are not releasing numbers, as numbers vary on a daily
basis, however the above wrestlers frequently trend
on X.
Media
Man Int
Combat
Sports
X
Marks The Sweet Spot For Combat Sports Fans, Media,
Publishers and everyone else with time management
considerations and deadlines; Work/Life/Sports Balance!
Gamification
of News!
February
2026
Start
Of Week Special
Feb
16
Wrestling/Gaming
X
WWE
2K26 Makes Raw and SmackDown GMs Pearce and Aldis
Playable Superstars
The
game brings back Pearce's Ring of Honor theme 'Prelude
to a Bludgeoning' and Aldis's NWA entrance 'God Save
The King,' honoring their wrestling histories before
they became Raw and SmackDown bosses. Pearce loved
the personal touch of his mama's robe design, and
Aldis's wife Mickie James called it 'so freaking cool.'
It enhances the expanded MyGM mode with 20 selectable
GMs, new perks like rivalry boosters, and drops March
13 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch
2 alongside a 400+ roster led by CM Punk.
News
WWE
2K26 Unveils Izzi Dame's Cinematic Entrance Video
WWE
Games released a 95-second 'Truth and Pain' teaser
for NXT star Izzi Dame, the 6-foot Women's North American
Champion and former volleyball pro, capturing her
intense persona with The Culling faction nods. Dame
reacted with pure joy, posting that it made her drop
her phone on her face at midnight. Fans praised the
model's detail and gear recreation, though some critiqued
the hair, as excitement builds for WWE 2K26's March
13 release with over 400 superstars.
News
WWE
2K26 Showcases Upgraded Kane and AAA Mega Title on
Raw
Sharp-eyed
viewers spotted fresh WWE 2K26 footage during the
broadcast, featuring Kane's Big Red Machine look with
sharper textures, intricate mask, and flowing hair—
a big upgrade from the trailer version that faced
backlash. The show also revealed the AAA Mega Championship
belt, slung over a luchador's shoulder next to a blue
strap, marking its debut in the main WWE 2K series.
WWE Games shared their own fiery Kane shot, fueling
excitement for the CM Punk-covered game packed with
mode upgrades, new match types, and a stacked roster,
as developers respond to community feedback.
News
Vision
Defeats LA Knight and Usos in Chaotic Raw Opener
On
February 16 in Memphis, LA Knight teamed with World
Tag Team Champions The Usos against The Vision's Bronson
Reed, Austin Theory, and Logan Paul in a wild six-man
tag match approved by Raw GM Adam Pearce. Reed's power
moves, like hurling Jey Uso over the announce table
and a Tsunami splash on Knight, secured the pinfall
victory for The Vision after nine months of bad blood.
Post-match chaos peaked when a masked assailant stomped
Logan Paul on the table before vanishing, while Knight
drew huge pops roasting Paul as a 'broccoli-haired
bitch' amid 'Whoop That Trick' chants from the hyped
crowd.
News
Finn
Bálor Returns to Iconic Theme Amid Judgment
Day Tension on Raw
Bálor
interrupted Punk's promo at FedExForum, flanked by
Dominik Mysterio and the returning McDonagh, to defend
his global career from Mexico's lucha rings to Japan's
dojos and his debut win over Roman Reigns. Punk dismissed
Judgment Day as holding Bálor back before exiting
untouched, while backstage talks hinted at faction
fractures ahead of their Elimination Chamber title
match. Fans celebrated the throwback music and poses,
as Raw also saw Penta earn a Backlash shot at Mysterio,
Becky Lynch clash with AJ Lee, and qualifiers like
Je'Von Evans and Asuka punch tickets to the Chamber.
News
Asuka
Submits Bayley to Earn Elimination Chamber Spot on
Raw
On
February 16 Raw in Memphis, Asuka outlasted Bayley
and Natalya in a 10-minute battle, dodging a Sharpshooter
before making Bayley submit for the final Elimination
Chamber spot. Bayley rocked purple hair and bold gear,
while Asuka dazzled with a drone entrance featuring
masks and green mist. Now joined by Alexa Bliss, Rhea
Ripley, and Tiffany Stratton, Asuka eyes the win that
leads to WrestleMania gold, with two spots left via
next week's triple threat featuring Iyo Sky, Kairi
Sane, and Raquel Rodriguez.
News
Becky
Lynch Sweeps Her Own Bexxie Awards with 11 Wins
The
WWE Women's Intercontinental Champion hosted her first
'non-biased, fair, and UNCORRUPT' Bexxie Awards on
Monday, where her Becky Believers handed her wins
like Best Ring Gear for her Star Trek-inspired outfit,
Female Superstar of the Year, and Match of the Year
against Lyra Valkyria. She shared honors too, with
Megan Morant taking Best Media Personality and The
New Day tying for Tag Team of the Year, though Michael
Cole fired back at her troll award for 'Best Announcer
at Telling Lies.' The event highlights Lynch's hot
2026 run, including her upcoming title defense against
AJ Lee at Elimination Chamber on February 28 in Chicago.
News
Bonus
Boxing
Mike
Tyson and Floyd Mayweather Eye Exhibition Bout in
Congo
Organizers
have targeted April 25, 2026, in Kinshasa, Democratic
Republic of Congo, for the unsanctioned exhibition
between 59-year-old Tyson—fresh off his 2024
Netflix loss to Jake Paul—and undefeated 49-year-old
Mayweather, known for high-profile exhibitions like
his 2021 bout with Logan Paul. The matchup honors
the historic site where Muhammad Ali upset George
Foreman, with promoters Fight Sports and Mayweather
Promotions involved, though details like rounds and
glove size remain undecided. Fans celebrated the nod
to boxing history while skeptics questioned its appeal
and impact on the sport.
Media
Man
X
wins Media Man 'Platform Of The Month' award; Runner-ups:
YouTube and LinkedIn
WWE
wins Media Man 'Wrestling Promotion Of The Month'
award
Netflix
wins Media Man 'Streaming Service Of The Month' award
Combat
Sports
X
Marks The Sweet Spot For Combat Sports Fans, Media,
Publishers and everyone else with time management
considerations and deadlines; Work/Life/Sports Balance!
Friday
to Sunday
February
2026
News
WWE
2K26 Unveils Dominik Mysterio's Slick Entrance Video
The
83-second clip shows Mysterio, son of Rey Mysterio
and current Intercontinental Champion with The Judgment
Day, mouthing his theme's lyrics like 'Respect isn’t
given. It’s taken' amid pyrotechnics and faction
graphics. Fans love the authentic details, from updated
tattoos and dynamic crowd reactions to his evolving
heel vibe, though some critique minor belt plate sizing.
WWE 2K26 hits shelves March 13, 2026, with upgrades
like refined models and improved audio, building excitement
for more reveals.
News
Jade
Cargill Sets First Title Defense Against Jordynne
Grace on SmackDown
WWE
Women's Champion Jade Cargill teamed with powerhouse
Jordynne Grace to beat Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez
in an impromptu SmackDown tag match Friday night.
Post-match chaos led to Grace challenging Cargill
for her first title defense on the February 13 episode.
Cargill, who's held the belt since November after
beating Tiffany Stratton, addressed online critics
by confirming the match while noting the fans chanted
her name. The win sets up high stakes as Grace eyes
gold ahead of WrestleMania 42.
News
Oba
Femi Crushes Kit Wilson in Explosive SmackDown Debut
Oba
Femi, real name Isaac Odugbesan and former NXT North
American Champion with a record 273-day reign, answered
Wilson's open challenge on Friday's WWE SmackDown
after the Aussie ranted about 'toxic masculinity'
from Royal Rumble stars. Femi stormed the ring with
green pyros, hit a powerbomb and his Fall From Grace
finisher, then trolled Wilson online as 'Oba Feminists.'
R-Truth hyped his smashing style backstage, Matt Cardona
mocked Wilson with a 'CRY BA BY!' pic, and insiders
call him lightning in a bottle ahead of Elimination
Chamber.
News
Tiffany
Stratton Wins Triple Threat, Enters Women's Elimination
Chamber
On
Friday's WWE SmackDown, Stratton dazzled in jewel-encrusted
purple gear, outlasting Green and Lash Legend in a
high-flying triple threat match at the United Center
in Chicago. Green stole early spotlight with a wild
Coast to Coast dive, while Legend traded heavy hits
in sleek black attire. Now the first woman locked
in for Elimination Chamber, Stratton eyes WrestleMania,
with more qualifiers like Giulia vs. Alexa Bliss vs.
Zelina Vega set for next week.
News
Orton
and Stratton Qualify for Elimination Chamber with
Signature Wins
On
Friday's SmackDown, Randy Orton outlasted Aleister
Black and Solo Sikoa in a triple threat qualifier,
hitting his patented RKO to punch his ticket to Elimination
Chamber in Chicago's United Center on February 28.
Tiffany Stratton dazzled in her return match, eliminating
Lash Legend and Chelsea Green to claim the first women's
spot, with fans chanting 'It's Tiffy Time' amid her
glamorous entrance. These wins kick off the road to
the six-person steel cage matches, where victors could
earn WrestleMania 42 title shots, as more qualifiers
continue on SmackDown and Raw.
News
Cody
Rhodes Drops 'Raheem' Zinger on Reigns-Punk WrestleMania
Feud
On
Friday's WWE SmackDown, Rhodes opened the show by
ambushing Undisputed WWE Champion Drew McIntyre after
losing the 2026 Royal Rumble to him, then took a playful
jab at Reigns picking CM Punk for WrestleMania 42
Night 2 on April 18-19 in Las Vegas. His quip about
a 'measuring contest' where both stars are glad he's
not involved—thanks to his fan-meme 'Raheem'
moniker—drew huge cheers and racked up reactions
on WWE's clip. The night also saw McIntyre call Punk
'Fragile Phil,' a Jacob Fatu ambush, and qualifiers
set for next week's Elimination Chamber including
Rhodes teaming with Jacob Fatu and Sami Zayn.
News
WrestleMania
42 Main Events Feature Reigns vs. Punk and McIntyre
vs. Rhodes
Fresh
off his dominant Royal Rumble win in Saudi Arabia,
Reigns heads to WrestleMania 42 on April 18-19 at
Allegiant Stadium for a World Heavyweight Championship
match against champion CM Punk on Night 2. Night 1
eyes a grudge rematch between Drew McIntyre, who dethroned
Cody Rhodes in a brutal Three Stages of Hell on SmackDown
with Jacob Fatu's interference, and Rhodes seeking
payback. WWE's booking shifted multiple times under
Triple H, sidelining plans like Punk vs. Rhodes or
Breakker's Rumble push due to injuries and creative
choices prioritizing top draws Reigns, Rhodes, and
Punk.
News
Zaria
and Lainey Reid Trade Sharp Barbs Ahead of NXT Jacksonville
Showdown
The
exchange started Friday when Alabama's high-energy
Lainey Reid hyped the Jacksonville Armory house show
with emojis and a tag to Sol Ruca. Australia's explosive
Zaria hit back Saturday in a 47-second video, mocking
Reid's partying while boasting her own grind and capping
with 'Sol's a cat person.' Reid fired right back at
Zaria's alliance with Ruca before both signed off
with taunts, setting up their confirmed in-ring clash
tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET after doors open at 6:30 p.m.
News
Lola
Vice and Mr. Iguana Win AAA Mixed Tag Titles from
Page and La Hiedra
The
match went down live at Auditorio José María
Arteaga in Mexico, where Ethan Page teamed with La
Hiedra on short notice to defend the AAA World Mixed
Tag Team Championships. Mr. Iguana dazzled with high-flying
dives and submissions in his green mask, while former
MMA fighter Lola Vice unleashed leg kicks and strikes
to pin La Hiedra for the win—her first career
title. Backstage, The Undertaker posed with the new
champs, capping a night of WWE-AAA crossover magic
as fans celebrated Vice's breakthrough.
News
WWE
2K26 Screenshots Tease Dual Belts and Wild Stunts
2K
revealed first-look screenshots for WWE 2K26, highlighting
a ringside podium that holds two championship belts
at once—a fix for a long-standing fan complaint—and
high-flying moments with luchadores Místico
and Rey Fénix. The game promises over 400 superstars
like Cody Rhodes and legends such as Hulk Hogan, new
match types including Inferno and Dumpster brawls,
and a revamped Ringside Pass with six seasons of free
and premium content drops. Designer Cornell Gunter
emphasized steady unlocks without paywalls, though
some fans question pricing and recycled looks like
Reigns'. Streamer Troydan laughed off the shopping
cart chaos as peak absurdity.
News
Kuniev
Grinds Out Decision Win Over Almeida at UFC Vegas
113
At
UFC Vegas 113, Kuniev (13-3-1) earned a unanimous
decision (30-27 x2, 29-28) over sixth-ranked Almeida
(22-5) by keeping the fight standing, landing strikes,
and dominating clinches despite Almeida's early wrestling
attempts. The Russian, stepping in on short notice
with a strong wrestling base, outworked the Brazilian
who landed just 14 significant strikes over three
rounds. Fans groaned at the lack of finishes, memeing
Almeida's style while praising Kuniev's pressure that
likely lands him in the top 10.
News
UFC
Basharat
Edges Vazquez in Wild Short-Notice UFC Thriller
Javid
Basharat claimed a unanimous decision (29-28 x3) over
debutant Gianni Vazquez in a bantamweight catchweight
bout at UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas. Basharat controlled
early with strikes and grappling, survived a fierce
second-round rally from Vazquez, and regained top
position in the third. The win ends Basharat's two-fight
skid since June 2024, while Vazquez impressed fans
and reporters with his toughness in his first UFC
appearance.
News
Veretennikov
Crushes Niko Price with Brutal 1:42 TKO at UFC Vegas
113
In
the welterweight prelims at UFC Vegas 113, Kazakh
striker Veretennikov trapped UFC veteran Niko Price
against the fence and unleashed a right hand, knee,
and elbow that left Price limp just 1:42 into the
bout. The referee stopped it quickly after Veretennikov
kept attacking, marking his first knockout in nearly
two years and snapping a 1-3 UFC skid. Price, now
1-5 in his last six, absorbed another highlight-reel
finish, while the 36-year-old Veretennikov declared
post-fight he's just getting started.
News
Bonus
Super
Bowl Weekend/Sunday
Conservatives
Push Kid Rock Halftime Show Over Bad Bunny's NFL Performance
Ahead
of Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara,
California, conservative influencers urge viewers
to skip Bad Bunny's halftime headlining set on NBC
and Peacock, opting instead for Turning Point USA's
free 'All-American Halftime Show' featuring Kid Rock,
Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, and Gabby Barrett streaming
on X, Rumble, YouTube, and TBN around 8 p.m. ET. Bad
Bunny, the first solo Latino headliner with over 90
million monthly Spotify listeners, drew criticism
from figures like Nick Adams and Brigitte Gabriel
over unverified claims and his past anti-Trump gestures,
while NFL officials defend the pick to boost international
appeal. The competing shows highlight divided tastes,
with some calling the split cultural segregation,
as kickoff nears at 3:30 p.m. ET between the San Francisco
49ers and the NFC champion. (Grok)
UFC.com
Riyadh
Season Noche UFC aka UFC 306 (Wikipedia)
Combat
Sports
UFC
308 UFC
307
UFC
308 (Wikipedia)
Combat
Sports News
X
Delivers KO News For Fight Fans And Media On Deadlines
Worldwide: Media Man Group
June
20, 2025
News
UFC
Updates: The UFC 317 fight card featuring Ilia Topuria
vs. Charles Oliveira has been finalized with two new
bouts added, as reported on X. Meanwhile, Curtis Blaydes
expressed frustration over his upcoming UFC Baku fight
against newcomer Rizvan Kuniev, stating it doesn’t
advance his career. UFC veteran Paul Craig mentioned
he’d consider retirement if not re-signed after
fulfilling his contract.
PFL
World Tournament: Jena Bishop showcased her BJJ skills,
securing a tap-out victory over Ekaterina Shakalova
at the 2025 PFL World Tournament 6, highlighting the
growing prominence of grappling in MMA.
Vince
McMahon’s Combat Sports Venture: Former WWE CEO
Vince McMahon reportedly explored acquiring a controlling
stake in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC)
through his new investment firm, 14TH & I, but
discussions with BKFC founder David Feldman fell through.
Combate
Female Event: Combate Global hosted an all-women’s
MMA event, “Combate Female,” on June 19,
2025, streamed live on YouTube. The main event featured
undefeated strawweight Melissa Amaya against Bruna
Ellen, emphasizing the rising popularity of women’s
MMA.
Conor
McGregor Controversy: Conor McGregor is back in the
headlines for allegedly striking someone at a nightclub
in Ibiza, drawing criticism from fans disappointed
by his off-cage behavior.
Boxing
Highlights: Jai Opetaia delivered a brutal KO victory
over Claudio Squeo on June 8, 2025, likely breaking
Squeo’s jaw, retaining his IBF and Ring cruiserweight
titles. Separately, Manny Pacquiao is set to end his
four-year retirement to join Tim Tszyu’s WBC
title fight card in July.
Bare
Knuckle Fighting Denied in Perth: The WA Combat Sports
Commission rejected an application for Australia’s
first bare-knuckle fighting event in Perth, citing
concerns over safety and long-term brain damage risks,
despite protests from fighters like Bec Rawlings.
Social
Impact of Combat Sports: Research from the University
of Wolverhampton suggests combat sports can reduce
youth violence by teaching discipline and emotional
control, presenting a counterintuitive approach to
intervention programs.
These
updates reflect the dynamic nature of combat sports,
from high-profile fights and controversies to regulatory
and societal discussions.
News
X
wins Media Man 'Social Media Platform Of The Month'
award; Runner-up: YouTube
WWE
wins Media Man 'Wrestling Promotion Of The Month'
UFC
wins Media Man 'MMA Promotion Of The Month' award
Lucha
Libre AAA Worldwide wins Media Man 'Lucha Libre' Promotion
Of The Month' award; Runner-up: CMLL
Everlast
wins Media Man 'Sports gear Brand Of The Month'
The
Sports Prophets wins Media Man 'Sports Betting Brand
Of The Month' award
World
Surfing League wins Media Man 'Sports Lifestyle Brand
Of The Month' award
NRL
wins Media Man 'Australian Sports Brand Of The Month'
award; Runner-up: AFL
Sports
And Pop Culture News
X
News Assists News Outlets And Online News Publishers
With Up-To-Date And Accurate News: Media Man Group
April
7, 2025
Brock
Lesnar Announces Retirement from WWE
Brock
Lesnar, a prominent figure in WWE, has declared his
retirement from professional wrestling. This announcement
has elicited a wide range of responses from the wrestling
community. Fans are divided, with some celebrating
his storied career and expressing gratitude for his
contributions, while others question the longevity
of his retirement. Discussions range from fans rejoicing
in his exit, to those feeling a sense of relief, and
others who have critiqued his persona. Despite the
diverse opinions, there is a consensus on Lesnar's
significant impact on WWE throughout his career. (Grok)
News
WWE
Legends Celebrate Rhea Ripley's Impact on Women's
Wrestling
Rhea
Ripley has been celebrated extensively by wrestling
legends and fans for her significant contributions
to women's wrestling. Icons such as Steve Austin,
The Undertaker, and others have publicly acknowledged
her as a revolutionary figure in the sport, highlighting
her as a potential future Hall of Famer. Fans express
immense pride and joy in her achievements, noting
her strength, independence, and dominance, which are
reshaping perceptions of female wrestlers. Her journey,
including overcoming challenges post-WrestleMania
40, has been marked by continuous success and widespread
acclaim. (Grok)
News
Rey
Fenix's WWE Debut on SmackDown
Rey
Fenix made a notable WWE debut on SmackDown on April
4, 2025, where he faced Nathan Frazer in a match that
was part of a storyline involving Frazer and his tag
partner Axiom trying to outdo each other. Fenix's
debut was unexpected and well-received, with fans
and commentators praising his performance and entrance,
which drew comparisons to AJ Styles' early days in
TNA. During the match, Fenix saved Frazer from a potentially
dangerous situation. Discussions among fans and wrestling
personalities have expressed enthusiasm for a potential
rematch and speculated on future matches, including
a mask vs. mask match with his brother PENTA. WWE
and various commentators have welcomed Fenix, highlighting
his arrival as a significant addition to the SmackDown
roster. (Grok)
News
TNA
International Championship Debut at Unbreakable Event
TNA
Wrestling has announced the retirement of the TNA
Digital Media Championship and the introduction of
a new TNA International Championship. A tournament
to crown the first-ever TNA International Champion
will take place at the TNA Unbreakable event on April
17th in Las Vegas, NV. The tournament matches will
be three-way matches, paying homage to a historic
TNA match. The first match announced features Eddie
Edwards with Alisha Edwards, Ace Austin, and Steve
Maclin. Fans and wrestling enthusiasts have expressed
excitement and nostalgia over this significant change
in TNA's championship lineup. (Grok)
News
Anticipation
for Swerve's Championship Win at AEW Dynasty
At
the AEW Dynasty event, anticipation is high for the
AEW World Championship match between Jon Moxley and
Swerve Strickland. Fans and commentators are largely
rooting for Swerve to win, seeing it as a defining
moment for AEW to crown a new champion, potentially
refreshing the promotion's narrative. Swerve's family
presence at the event fuels speculation of his victory.
However, there's a recognition that Moxley retaining
the title could still lead to compelling future storylines,
like a match against Hangman Page at All In. The fanbase
shows a mix of excitement and concern, with some fans
bracing for disappointment should Swerve lose, predicting
significant online reactions. (Grok)
News
Ospreay
vs Knight to Kick Off AEW Dynasty
The
AEW Dynasty pay-per-view event is set to begin with
a high-energy match between Will Ospreay and Kevin
Knight in the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Quarterfinals.
Fans and wrestling news sources are excited about
this opening match, highlighting it as a significant
and thrilling start to the event.
News
WWE
and AEW Cross-Promotion Tensions
Recent
discussions among wrestling fans have focused on the
frequent cross-promotional references between WWE
and AEW on their television shows. Maxwell Jacob Friedman
(MJF) has publicly questioned why fans react negatively
to these mentions, suggesting that such interactions
should be seen as part of the sport's competitive
spirit. While some fans appreciate the playful rivalry,
others argue there's a perceived double standard where
WWE mentioning AEW is often viewed as normal, but
AEW's references to WWE are met with criticism. The
increase in WWE's references to AEW might be influenced
by AEW's strong streaming numbers, indicating a strategic
acknowledgment by WWE, particularly around significant
events like WrestleMania. This situation has sparked
a debate on the authenticity and frequency of these
references, with opinions split between those who
enjoy the banter and those who feel it's excessive
or insincere. (Grok)
News
Ospreay's
Cage Match Claim Ignites Tribalism Debate
AEW
wrestler Will Ospreay indirectly compared his steel
cage match against Kyle Fletcher at AEW 'REVOLUTION'
to the Seth Rollins vs. CM Punk match, claiming his
was superior in stunts, storytelling, and drama. This
sparked a debate among fans and observers, highlighting
the ongoing rivalry between AEW and WWE. Critics accused
Ospreay of hypocrisy for fueling tribalism despite
his previous complaints about it, while some fans
supported his view, acknowledging the match's quality.
The discussion reflects broader tensions between the
two wrestling promotions, with opinions split on whether
such comparisons contribute positively or negatively
to the wrestling community. (Grok)
News
Aaron
Pico's UFC Debut Against Movsar Evloev at UFC Vegas
106
Aaron
Pico, previously with Bellator and PFL, has signed
with the UFC and is set to debut against Movsar Evloev
at UFC Vegas 106 on May 17th. This fight has generated
significant discussion due to its implications for
both fighters. Some fans and analysts argue that for
Evloev, who is undefeated and ranked highly, this
fight represents a high-risk, low-reward scenario,
potentially undermining his path to a championship.
Others believe it's a golden opportunity for Pico
to showcase his skills against elite competition,
possibly positioning him for a title shot with a victory.
Discussions also touch on Pico's potential, his past
career management, and the UFC's matchmaking strategy,
with opinions split on whether this fight benefits
Pico or is a strategic move against Evloev. (Grok)
News
Boxing
Tim
Tszyu: News
As
of today, April 07, 2025, the latest news on Tim Tszyu
centers around his recent boxing match against Joey
Spencer, which took place on April 6, 2025, in Newcastle,
Australia. Tszyu secured a significant victory, defeating
Spencer via a fourth-round technical knockout (TKO)
to claim the WBO Intercontinental Super Welterweight
title. This win marked a crucial comeback for the
Australian boxer after suffering two consecutive losses
in the United States in 2024—first to Sebastian
Fundora in March and then to Bakhram Murtazaliev in
October. The victory improved Tszyu’s professional
record to 25 wins and 2 losses, with 17 knockouts,
and extended his family’s unbeaten record on
Australian soil to 51-0, alongside his father Kostya
and brother Nikita.
Reports
highlight Tszyu’s dominant performance, noting
a return to his controlled and menacing style, a stark
contrast to the aggressive, high-risk approach that
led to his previous defeats. After a cautious first
round, Tszyu systematically broke down Spencer, culminating
in a barrage of punches in the fourth round that prompted
Spencer’s father to throw in the towel. This
win has reignited Tszyu’s career, setting the
stage for a potential blockbuster fight against former
unified welterweight champion Keith Thurman later
in 2025, a matchup originally scheduled for March
2024 but postponed due to Thurman’s injury.
Tszyu’s
comments post-fight reflect a renewed confidence and
a shift to a smarter fighting strategy, acknowledging
past mistakes where he underestimated opponents like
Murtazaliev. The Australian media and fans have celebrated
this resurgence, with some suggesting that staying
on home soil might be the key to his future success,
allowing him to dictate terms and rebuild his reputation.
Additionally, Tszyu made headlines with a candid remark
after the fight that shocked his wife, Alexandra Constantine,
whom he married in December 2024, though the specifics
of the comment were not widely detailed beyond its
surprising nature. This victory has positioned Tszyu
back in the conversation for world title contention,
with his next steps eagerly anticipated by the boxing
community. (Grok)
News
Tszyu
vs Spencer: A Crucial Clash in Newcastle
April
4, 2025
The
upcoming boxing match between Tim Tszyu and Joey Spencer
in Newcastle, Australia, is a pivotal event for both
fighters. Tim Tszyu, a former WBO junior middleweight
champion, is seeking to recover from two consecutive
losses in 2024, aiming to reclaim his status in the
boxing world. Joey Spencer, an American known for
his tactical fighting style, presents a significant
challenge for Tszyu, who remains favored despite his
recent setbacks. The fight has sparked discussions
on the fighters' strategies, the betting odds, and
the potential career impacts of the match's outcome.
News
Verstappen
Triumphs at 2025 Japanese Grand Prix
Max
Verstappen won the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix, marking
his first victory of the season. His exceptional tire
management and strategic racing were key in outpacing
McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Despite
a strong challenge from McLaren, Verstappen's skill
and the performance of the Red Bull car were crucial
in securing the win. A notable moment was when Verstappen
forced Norris onto the grass during a pit exit, showcasing
his defensive driving. The race sparked discussions
among fans and commentators about Verstappen's driving
ability, the competitiveness of the Red Bull car,
and McLaren's strategic decisions, including debates
on whether they should have swapped their drivers'
positions. Verstappen's victory has fueled debates
on his status as one of the greatest drivers of his
time, with opinions split on whether his success is
due to his driving prowess or the capabilities of
his car. (Grok)
News
McLaren
Strategy Debate at Japanese GP
During
the Japanese Grand Prix, McLaren's strategic choice
to keep Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in their current
positions sparked widespread debate. Oscar Piastri
expressed confidence that he could have challenged
race leader Max Verstappen if given the opportunity.
However, McLaren opted to maintain the status quo,
prompting discussions on team strategy and driver
management. Critics suggested that this decision might
have cost them a chance to pressure Verstappen, while
supporters argued that neither driver had the pace
to realistically overtake him. The situation was further
complicated by fans and commentators who analyzed
race data and past performances, underscoring the
intricate nature of team dynamics in Formula 1. (Grok)
News
Oscar
Piastri's Birthday Celebration at the Japanese Grand
Prix
Formula
1 driver Oscar Piastri celebrated his 24th birthday
during the Japanese Grand Prix, where he achieved
a podium finish. Fans worldwide expressed their admiration
through birthday wishes, fanart, and humorous posts,
showcasing a strong community support for Piastri.
His team, McLaren, along with various F1-related entities,
also joined in the celebrations, highlighting his
talent and the special occasion of racing on his birthday.
(Grok)
News
Marc
Leishman Triumphs at LIV Golf Miami
Marc
Leishman won his first LIV Golf League title at the
LIV Golf Miami event, finishing with a score of 4-under
68 in the final round. His victory not only secured
the individual championship but also led his team,
Ripper GC, to their fourth team championship. The
event, held at the Blue Monster course in Miami, saw
Leishman outperform Charl Schwartzel by one stroke.
His standout moment was an 84-foot putt in the previous
round, demonstrating his skill under pressure. Celebrations
ensued for Ripper GC, marking a notable achievement
in the 2025 season. (Grok)
News
AFL
Acknowledges Umpiring Errors Impacting Adelaide Crows
The
Adelaide Crows football team has encountered multiple
instances where the Australian Football League (AFL)
admitted to umpiring errors that significantly impacted
the outcomes of their close games. Over the last few
years, four notable errors have been acknowledged,
each in games where the Crows narrowly lost. This
has led to frustration within the team's management,
players, and fanbase, with CEO Tim Silvers expressing
disappointment over the lack of practical benefit
from these admissions. The situation has sparked discussions
on improving umpiring standards, possibly compensating
affected teams, or even reconsidering game results
for fairness. The recurring demand is for enhanced
umpiring technology and training to avoid such detrimental
mistakes in the future. (Grok)
News
Canterbury-Bankstown
Bulldogs' Unblemished Start to the Season
The
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs have begun the rugby
league season with an unprecedented 5-0 record, a
feat not seen since 1926. Their latest victory was
a 20-0 shutout against the Knights, emphasizing their
formidable defense despite a less than stellar offensive
performance. Fans and analysts have praised the Bulldogs
for their aggressive and relentless defensive tactics,
drawing comparisons to both the modern Penrith Panthers
and the Bulldogs teams of the 1980s. The team is now
set for a bye week, with much anticipation for their
next game against South Sydney. (Grok)
News
Sports
Business: News
NFL
Free Agency Updates: The NFL free agency period remains
active, with Aaron Rodgers reportedly having a "productive
day" with the Pittsburgh Steelers and working
out with receiver DK Metcalf. Rodgers and Amari Cooper
are among the last big names left from top free agent
lists, keeping fans and analysts on edge as decisions
loom.
NFL
Technological Advancements: Starting in the 2025 season,
the NFL will implement Sony’s Hawk-Eye system
to measure first downs, moving away from traditional
chain gangs. This shift aims to enhance accuracy and
efficiency in officiating, marking a significant step
in the league’s adoption of advanced technology.
2025
NFL Draft Buzz: Mock drafts are heating up, with trades
shaking up projections. The New York Giants and Jacksonville
Jaguars are rumored to be trading out of the top five
picks, while players like Shedeur Sanders are sliding
to the back half of the first round. Meanwhile, Colorado’s
Travis Hunter has made headlines by expressing his
preferred position announcement for the draft.
Club
World Cup Controversy: Brentford’s head coach
Thomas Frank has called FIFA’s expanded Club
World Cup format "ridiculous," set for June
15 to July 13, 2025, in the U.S. The tournament promises
a £97m top prize from a £775m pool, but
broadcasters like BBC and ITV have opted not to bid
for UK rights, signaling potential accessibility issues.
College
Basketball Spending Surge: As the 2025 Final Four
unfolds, college basketball programs are aggressively
navigating the transfer portal and NIL (Name, Image,
Likeness) deals. UCLA’s $3 million deal with
New Mexico transfer Donovan Dent exemplifies the high-stakes
financial landscape shaping the sport. (Grok)
News
Sports
News via Grok
NBA:
Stephen Curry is confirmed to play tonight against
the Houston Rockets, with the Golden State Warriors
reporting no injuries among key players like Curry,
Draymond Green, and Jonathan Kuminga. The game is
anticipated to be a test of Houston’s defense
against Curry’s scoring prowess, especially with
Jabari Smith Jr.’s participation uncertain due
to injury.
NFL:
Free agency updates include Aaron Rodgers having a
"productive day" with the Pittsburgh Steelers
and working out with receiver DK Metcalf. Meanwhile,
the 2025 NFL Draft picture is shaping up, with mock
drafts suggesting quarterbacks Cam Ward and Shedeur
Sanders as top picks, and the full list of 257 draft
picks across all 32 teams has been released, set for
April 24-26 in Green Bay.
Football
(Soccer): In the Premier League, Kevin De Bruyne is
starting in his final Manchester derby, while Luke
Shaw returns to Manchester United’s squad after
a long absence. Pep Guardiola has publicly criticized
derogatory chants aimed at Phil Foden’s family
during the match, which ended in a 0-0 draw, sparking
protests from United fans against the Glazer family.
Cricket:
Jasprit Bumrah is fully fit and set to join Mumbai
Indians for their upcoming IPL 2025 match against
Royal Challengers Bengaluru, providing a boost to
the struggling team.
NHL:
Alex Ovechkin is three goals away from surpassing
Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL goals record as
the Washington Capitals face the Chicago Blackhawks
tonight, adding historical stakes to the playoff race.
Boxing:
India’s Hitesh Gulia won the Men’s 70 kg
Gold at the World Boxing Cup 2025 in Brazil, marking
a strong performance on April 6.
Motor
Racing: Max Verstappen won the Japanese Grand Prix
on April 6, maintaining his dominance in Formula 1.
(Grok)
Combat
Sports Events
WWE
WWE SmackDown
January 3, 2025
Footprint Center
Phoenix, Arizona
WWE
RAW On Netflix
January 6, 2025
Intuit Dome
Inglewood, California
WWE Legends: Past And Present, John Cena, Roman Reigns,
Celebrities and more
NXT
NXT New Year's Evil
January 7, 2025
The Shrine Expo Hall
Los Angeles, California
Trick Williams vs Oba Femi vs Eddy Thorpe
Roxanne Perez vs Giulia
WWE
SmackDown
January 10, 2025
Moda Center
Portland, Oregon
WWE
RAW On Netflix
January 13, 2025
Sap Center
San Jose, California
UFC
UFC Fight Night 249
January 11, 2025
Apex Arena
Paradise, Nevada
WWE
SmackDown
January 17, 2025
Pechanga Arena
San Diego, California
WWE
RAW On Netflix
January 20, 2025
American Airlines Center
Dallas, Texas
UFC
UFC 311
January 18, 2025
Intuit Dome
Inglewood, California
Makhachev vs Tsarukyan 2
WWE
Saturday Night's Main Event
January 25, 2025
Frost Bank Center
San Antonio, Texas
WWE
Royal Rumble
February 1, 2025
Lucas Oil Stadium
Indianapolis, Indiana
UFC
UFC 312
February 9, 2025
Qudos Bank Arena
Homebush, Sydney, Australia
du Plessis vs Strickland 2
WWE
Elimination Chamber
March 1, 2025
Rogers Centre
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
*card/s
subject to change
Combat
Sports Watercooler
News
WWE
Pro Wrestler Karrion Kross On Mox Telling Him To Call
Triple H About A Contract
"After
the show, he's like, he basically says 'Hey listen.
I'm not telling you where to go. I'm not telling you
where to make money. But I'm just saying, you really
should call Triple H, cause you could make a very,
very good living there" ... "He was like
'Work wherever you want, go wherever you want. But
I just have a feeling that if you call him, things
are going to be good for you.'
"And
I was like...that's like 'What do you mean? Call Triple
H? What do you mean?' He's like 'Nah, just call him...I'm
giving you his number. I want you to call him.' And
I was like 'Oh my god.' Well now I can't [not call
him]...So now I had to...So I sent him [Triple H]
a text. He calls me and is like 'Is this really Killer
Kross?' Cause like, I don't know, it could be a crank
caller or somebody gets his number. So we talk, and
a few months later, I was in 'NXT,' and that's kind
of how that worked." (Not Sam Wrestling)
News
Bully
Ray on TNA Wrestling, WWE and AEW via Busted Open
Radio
"TNA
will grow, the WWE will grow bigger, and we will either
be talking about the resurgence or the demise of AEW,
and I go 50/50 on that. I want to see the resurgence,
but from what I see right this very moment, I hope
we're not speaking about the demise, and that's just
my fair assessment on everything." (Busted Open
Radio)
News
Wrestling
Legend Kurt Angle On Wrestling Movies And Career via
Talk Is Jericho
"I've
been pretty much building to this movie I'm having
done about my life's sports story" ... "The
directors are Ian and Eshom Nelms. They're really
talented directors. The reason why I picked them is
because they were wrestlers in high school and college.
So they understand my sport.
"So
we got the ball rolling with that, and now we're getting
investors and we're going to start picking the cast
soon. This movie's only about my Olympic story, not
my WWE story. There's going to be, actually, two movies.
'Angle 1' and 'Angle 2.' One's for the Olympics, one's
for after, my WWE and TNA career, everything after
that. It was just too much to put in one movie, so
they wanted to split it in two." (Web Is Jericho)
News
Tommy
Dreamer on CM Punk And Seth Rollins Raw Face To Face
Promo
"It's
a very 'what have you done for me lately.' There's
so much to get into with CM Punk and leaving, and
yes, some people can still harbor a grudge towards
that"
"I
can't even say 'blurring the lines,' because if you
ask me, these two guys don't like each other"
(Busted Open After Dark)
News
AEW
Signed Adam Copeland On His Injury Via TMZ Sports
"I've
actually been cleared for about three months, but
then with everything that happened here with the hurricane,
it just — we all had the discussion," Copeland
said. "It's more important to be home and kind
of get everything at home squared away, and then just
come back to work."
"In
that time, I've been healthy and going to the ring,
and been able to go 100 in the gym" ... "It's
time. I feel ready." (TMZ Sports)
News
WWE
Raw Moves to Netflix
WWE
has entered into a significant partnership with Netflix,
debuting its flagship show 'Raw' on the streaming
platform starting January 6th, 2025. This move has
sparked excitement among fans worldwide due to the
increased accessibility of WWE content. In the UK,
all WWE programming including Raw, SmackDown, NXT,
and Premium Live Events will be available live on
Netflix, while in the US, only Raw will be streamed.
This partnership marks the end of the WWE Network
era, with WWE content now transitioning to Netflix.
Fans are particularly enthusiastic about the availability
of uncensored content and extensive WWE archives,
including classics like WrestleMania 17. The collaboration
is viewed as a transformative step for WWE's distribution
strategy and is expected to influence viewing habits,
potentially reintroducing wrestling into mainstream
entertainment.
News
MMA/UFC
Strickland's
Controversial Comments Stir MMA Community
Sean
Strickland, a prominent MMA fighter, recently sparked
controversy with his comments on Islam, suggesting
it promotes violence and is incompatible with American
values. His statements have led to a significant backlash
from fans and fellow fighters alike, with many accusing
him of hypocrisy given his career in a sport centered
around violence. While there has been speculation
about a potential match-up with Khamzat Chimaev, a
Muslim fighter known for his deep commitment to his
faith, no official confirmation of such a fight has
been made. The discourse around Strickland's comments
has brought to light the complex interplay between
personal beliefs, professional conduct, and public
statements within the MMA community, highlighting
how fighters' personal views can influence their public
and professional lives.
Sweet
Daddy Siki passes away
WWE
is saddened to learn that Elkin James, known to wrestling
fans as Sweet Daddy Siki, passed away on December
31, 2024, at age 91.
Siki
wrestled worldwide for promotions such as Maple Leaf
Wrestling, Grand Prix Wrestling, and Stampede Wrestling
through the ’60s and ’70s and became a fixture
in the Toronto community. He trained many future wrestlers
out of Sully’s Gym in Toronto, Canada, including
iconic WWE Superstars Edge and Christian.
WWE
extends its condolences to Siki’s family, friends
and fans. (WWE)
News/Profile
Combat
Sports via Grok
Combat
sports are competitive physical activities involving
one-on-one combat where the objective is to score
more points, submit, disable, or defeat an opponent
through regulated techniques. These sports have a
rich history, tracing back to various ancient civilizations
and have evolved into diverse forms practiced worldwide:
Boxing:
A sport where competitors use their fists to throw
punches within a designated ring, aiming to outscore
or knock out their opponent. It's one of the oldest
combat sports, with roots in ancient cultures like
Egypt and Greece, and became an Olympic sport in 1904.
Mixed
Martial Arts (MMA): Often seen in promotions like
the UFC, MMA combines techniques from numerous martial
arts including wrestling, boxing, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
It gained significant recognition in the 1990s and
is known for its no-holds-barred approach within a
regulated environment.
Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ): Developed by the Gracie family in
Brazil, BJJ focuses on ground fighting and submission
holds. It became popular through MMA and is now practiced
globally for both sport and self-defense.
Muay
Thai: Known as "The Art of Eight Limbs,"
this Thai martial art uses punches, kicks, elbows,
and knee strikes, making it uniquely comprehensive
in terms of striking techniques.
Wrestling:
With styles like freestyle and Greco-Roman, wrestling
involves grappling techniques to pin or throw an opponent.
It's one of the oldest sports, with historical ties
to ancient Greece, and is a mainstay in the Olympics.
Judo:
A Japanese martial art emphasizing throws and submission
holds, judo has been an Olympic sport since 1964,
showcasing its global impact on combat sports.
Kickboxing:
A hybrid sport that incorporates elements from boxing,
karate, and other martial arts, focusing on both punches
and kicks. It's popular in both professional and amateur
circuits.
Combat
sports also serve various benefits beyond competition,
including physical fitness, mental toughness, and
self-defense skills. They are regulated by organizations
to ensure safety, with rules varying by sport and
sometimes by region. In Australia, for instance, combat
sports are overseen by bodies like the Combat Sports
Authority of NSW, ensuring participants are registered
and events are permitted.
These
sports are not only about physical confrontation but
also promote discipline, respect, and sportsmanship
among participants. They have a cultural significance,
often tied to national heritage, and continue to evolve
with new techniques, safety measures, and competitive
formats. (Grok)
News/Profile
Pro
Wrestling
Professional
Wrestling Overview: Professional wrestling is a form
of athletic theater that combines mock combat with
drama, where the premise is that performers are competitive
wrestlers. It's distinguished by its scripted outcomes
and emphasis on entertainment over genuine competition.
The staged nature of matches is an open secret, maintained
through a practice known as "kayfabe," where
both wrestlers and spectators pretend that the performances
are legitimate competitions. Wrestlers perform as
characters with distinctive gimmicks, including unique
attire, stage names, and entrance themes.
Current
Landscape: As of early January 2025, the wrestling
landscape in Australia includes notable promotions
like Pro Wrestling Australia (PWA) in Sydney, which
focuses on providing both adult-themed and family-friendly
shows. United Pro Wrestling (UPW) is another key player,
particularly in Queensland, known for its quality
events and character development. Melbourne City Wrestling
(MCW) has been active with events like their anniversary
celebration planned for March 15, 2025.
Global
Influence: Wrestling has achieved mainstream success
worldwide, influencing popular culture with its terminology
and concepts. It's performed across various promotions
globally, with unique styles in countries like the
U.S., Mexico, Japan, and Europe. The largest promotions
continue to be WWE and AEW, with significant cultural
impact through television, music, film, and video
games.
Community
and Culture: Professional wrestling has developed
its own culture, including a vernacular specific to
the industry. Fans engage through live events, online
discussions, and fan-created content, showing the
community's dedication and passion for the sport-entertainment
hybrid.
For
more specific details on events, wrestlers, or promotions,
further exploration into current wrestling news sources
would be beneficial. (Grok)
News
WWE:
Events
WWE
hosts a variety of events throughout the year, ranging
from weekly televised shows to premium live events
(PLEs), previously known as pay-per-views (PPVs).
Here's a breakdown of the upcoming WWE events:
Weekly
Shows:
Monday Night Raw: Broadcast live every Monday. The
next event on January 13, 2025, is at the SAP Center
in San Jose, CA.
Friday
Night SmackDown: Aired live every Friday. The upcoming
event on January 3, 2025, will be at the Footprint
Center in Phoenix, AZ.
WWE
NXT: Typically taped or live on Tuesday nights. The
next significant event, New Year's Evil, is scheduled
for January 7, 2025, at The Shrine LA in Los Angeles,
CA.
Premium
Live Events (PLEs) for 2025:
Saturday
Night's Main Event: January 25, 2025, at the Frost
Bank Center in San Antonio, TX.
Royal
Rumble: February 1, 2025, at Lucas Oil Stadium in
Indianapolis, IN.
Elimination
Chamber: March 1, 2025, at Rogers Centre in Toronto,
ON, Canada, marking WWE's return to Canada for a PLE.
WrestleMania:
While the exact date for WrestleMania 41 hasn't been
mentioned in the available data, it's traditionally
held in April.
International
and Specialty Events:
WWE
is planning a European Tour starting in mid-March
2025. No specific dates or locations within this tour
have been detailed yet.
There's
also mention of WWE considering multi-night formats
for major events like the Royal Rumble and Money in
the Bank in future years.
Streaming
and Viewing:
All
WWE PLEs are available live on Peacock in the United
States and through various international WWE Network
partners or other streaming services in other countries.
In Australia, PPVs are shown on Main Event.
Weekly
shows like Raw, SmackDown, and NXT are broadcast on
traditional TV and streaming services depending on
the region.
Additional
Notes:
WWE has no scheduled live events in the U.S. until
the European Tour in March, which has been reported
to be well-received by talent for providing a break.
There's a buzz about CM Punk main eventing WrestleMania,
indicating his significant role in upcoming storylines.
For
the most up-to-date information, checking WWE's official
website or following WWE on social media platforms
would provide real-time updates on any changes or
additional events. (Grok)
Wrestling/Pop Culture News
Mildred
Burke biopic: Queen of the Ring
Under
The Media Man Watercooler
Premiers:
Newport Beach Film Festival
Lead:
Emily Bett Rickards as Mildred Burke
Quotes
to UPI
"I
was like, 'Oh, I feel like I can do that. I just haven't'"
"I've
always been super active and I pick up things pretty
fast."
Burke
wrestled professionally from 1937 to 1956 and launched
her own World Women's Wrestling Association after
leaving the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). Rickards
portrays Burke, covering her training through the
wrestling organization's creation.
"Mildred
was a pioneer in this arena"
"She
really brought women to wrestling"
"It
was heavy weights, slow on the way down, faster on
the way up"
"There
was a period of time where I remember putting my hands
on my hips and I just felt solid, like there was just
more of me."
"Wrestling
is a lot about safety"
"To
take the bump, you spread out"
Deborah
Ann Woll, Francesca Eastwood, Marie Avgeropoulous,
Kelli Berglund and Damaris Lewis also play real-life
wrestlers. AEW's Kailey Farmer and WWE's Toni Rossall
portray two of Burke's real-life opponents.
Farmer
helped train her in pro wrestling.
"If
you see us wrestling on-screen, she's leading"
"She
brought me into that trust as someone who is an actor,
not a wrestler but was doing my darndest."
"This
ability to weave story and have it be structured but
improvised -- there's an essence there that is so
beautiful"
"I'd
say acting actually is all contact"
"Maybe
it's not punching each other all the time, but it
is really about affecting the other person"
Mildred
Burke Profile/News via Grok
Mildred
Burke was a pivotal figure in professional wrestling,
particularly known for her contributions to women's
wrestling. Here's an overview based on the information
available up to October 20, 2024:
Career:
Mildred Burke began her wrestling career in the early
1930s and quickly made a name for herself by not only
competing against but often defeating male competitors.
Her heyday lasted from the mid-1930s to the mid-1950s,
during which she held the NWA World Women's Championship
for nearly twenty years, showcasing her dominance
in the sport.
Achievements:
Burke is recognized for her strength, tenacity, and
for being a trailblazer for women in wrestling. She
was instrumental in introducing women's wrestling
to several countries, including the United States,
Canada, Cuba, Mexico, and parts of Asia like Japan,
where she helped lay the groundwork for what would
become a significant scene for women's wrestling.
Legacy:
Burke's legacy is honored in several Halls of Fame:
She
was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of
the Legacy Wing in 2016, recognizing her as one of
the first major female competitors in wrestling.
She's also a member of the Professional Wrestling
Hall of Fame and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Hall of Fame, underscoring her impact on the sport.
Personal
Life and Challenges: Burke's career was marked by
personal and professional challenges, particularly
her tumultuous relationship with Billy Wolfe, a promoter
who was also her husband. Their relationship was fraught
with issues, including Wolfe's infidelities and control
over the business aspects of wrestling, which led
to significant conflicts and legal battles over the
control of women's wrestling.
Film:
Her life story has been adapted into a biographical
sports drama film titled "Queen of the Ring,"
where actress Emily Bett Rickards portrays Burke.
This film aims to capture her struggle, success, and
the broader impact she had on women's wrestling. The
film has garnered attention for its portrayal of Burke's
life, with its premiere events listed in various film
festivals in October 2024.
Cultural
Impact: Beyond her in-ring achievements, Burke's efforts
helped to legitimize women's wrestling. Her story,
involving both her wrestling prowess and her fight
for the recognition of women in the sport, continues
to inspire new generations of female wrestlers.
Mildred
Burke's story is not just one of athletic achievement
but also of breaking barriers in a male-dominated
industry, making her a significant figure in both
sports and women's history. (Grok)
Queen
of the Ring via Grok
The
term "Queen of the Ring" relates to several
entities across different media:
WWE's
Queen of the Ring: This is a professional wrestling
tournament by WWE, where Nia Jax won the tournament
in 2024, as indicated by posts on X. This event was
part of WWE's broader push to highlight women's wrestling,
providing the winner with a match for the WWE Women's
Championship at SummerSlam.
Mildred
Burke Biopic: There's a biographical film titled "Queen
of the Ring" focusing on Mildred Burke, the first
million-dollar female athlete and a pioneer in women's
professional wrestling. This film has been shown at
various film festivals in 2024, with its world premiere
and subsequent screenings noted across the U.S.
South
Korean TV Series: "Queen of the Ring" also
refers to a South Korean drama series, part of the
"Three Color Fantasy" trilogy, which aired
in 2017. It's a romantic drama involving characters
in a fictional narrative around themes of appearance
and personal relationships.
News
MMA
UFC
311 Betting
UFC
311, scheduled for January 18, 2025, at the Intuit
Dome in Inglewood, California, features several high-profile
fights with notable betting odds. Here's a breakdown
of the betting information for the main events:
Main
Event: Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan Islam Makhachev
is listed as the favorite with odds around -235 to
-334, indicating a strong likelihood of retaining
his lightweight title.
Arman
Tsarukyan comes in as the underdog with odds ranging
from +200 to +250, suggesting a potential for an upset
but less likely according to the bookmakers.
Co-Main
Event: Merab Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov
Umar
Nurmagomedov is the betting favorite at -220, reflecting
confidence in his undefeated record and grappling
prowess.
Merab
Dvalishvili is the underdog with +185 odds, despite
being the current champion, possibly due to Nurmagomedov's
impressive run and the anticipation around his title
challenge.
Other
Notable Fights:
Jiri Prochazka vs. Jamahal Hill: The odds here are
close, with Hill at -103 and Prochazka at -117 or
vice versa, depending on the latest updates, indicating
a highly competitive match.
For
those interested in placing bets, these odds provide
a snapshot of how the betting markets view the chances
of each fighter. Remember, odds can shift as the fight
date approaches based on various factors including
fighter form, public betting trends, and any last-minute
news.
Please
note, betting on UFC fights involves risks, and these
odds should be used for informational purposes. Always
bet responsibly and within your means. If you're looking
to place bets, consider checking with reputable betting
sites for the most current odds. (Grok)
News/Profile
WWE
WrestleMania Vegas 2025
WWE
WrestleMania 41 is set to take place in Las Vegas
at Allegiant Stadium on April 19 and 20, 2025. This
will be the second time Las Vegas hosts WrestleMania,
with the first being WrestleMania IX in 1993 at Caesars
Palace. The event will span two nights, marking a
continued trend from the format established during
the 2020 event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Event
Details: WrestleMania 41, also known as WrestleMania
Vegas, will feature matches from both Raw and SmackDown
brand divisions. The event will be broadcasted via
pay-per-view and livestreaming, with international
markets able to watch on Netflix following the WWE
Network's merger with the platform in January 2025.
This will be the first WrestleMania to occur during
Easter weekend.
Ticket
Information: Tickets for WrestleMania 41 went on sale
on October 25, 2024, with presales starting on October
23. There are also 2-day combo tickets available for
purchase.
Cultural
Impact: The event is expected to bring significant
economic benefits to Las Vegas, with more than 180,000
fans anticipated to attend, occupying over 144,000
room nights. Apart from the main event, WWE will also
host Raw, SmackDown, NXT Stand & Deliver, the
WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, and WWE World, contributing
to a comprehensive fan experience.
Notable
Matches: There have been discussions about potential
matches, including a bout between John Cena and Logan
Paul for WrestleMania 41.
This
event signifies WWE's return to one of the world's
entertainment capitals, promising a grand spectacle
with a mix of sports and entertainment. (Grok)
Media
Man Int
Combat
Sports (Media Man Int) *in progress
https://www.mediamanint.com/combat_sports.html
Pop
Culture (Media Man Int) *in progress
https://www.mediamanint.com/pop_culture.html
Coming
Soon (Media Man Int) *in progress
https://www.mediamanint.com/coming_soon.html
Wrestling
News (Media Man Int) *in progress
https://www.mediamanint.com/wrestling_news.html
Wrestling
Watercooler (Media Man Int) *in progress
https://www.mediamanint.com/wrestling_watercooler.html
AEW
News (Media Man Int) *in progress
https://www.mediamanint.com/aew_news.html
Sports
News (Media Man Int) *in progress
https://www.mediamanint.com/articles2.html
UFC
307 (Wikipedia)
UFC
News via Grok; X's Grok Helps Fans, News Publishers
And Sports Promoters Win The Grapple With The Web:
Media Man
News
UFC
UFC 308 Anticipation
UFC
308, scheduled for next month in Abu Dhabi, has generated
significant excitement among fans following the release
of its official poster. The event features notable
fighters including Khamzat Chimaev, whose participation
is of particular interest due to his past health challenges.
The poster has been widely praised for its design,
with many considering it one of the best in UFC history,
although the absence of women's fights has sparked
some debate. Overall, UFC 308 is anticipated to be
a highlight of the year, highlighted by its strong
lineup and the return to Abu Dhabi. (Grok)
News
UFC
308 Poster Reception
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is set to host
UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi on October 26, 2024, marking
another significant international event for the organization.
The event has sparked considerable excitement among
MMA fans, primarily due to the release of its official
poster, which has received widespread acclaim for
its design. Fans and commentators have praised the
poster online, with many expressing high expectations
for the fight card, suggesting it could be one of
the best of the year. The anticipation for UFC 308
not only highlights the event's high-profile nature
but also underscores UFC's ongoing global expansion
and its strong presence in the United Arab Emirates.
(Grok)
News
Anticipation
for UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is set to host
UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi on October 26, 2024, generating
significant excitement among fans. The event's official
poster has been praised for its design, with many
fans and commentators expressing high enthusiasm for
the upcoming fights. Discussions have highlighted
anticipation for performances by fighters like Khamzat
Chimaev, with some fans expressing concerns about
potential withdrawals due to health issues. The event
is viewed as a showcase of UFC's international presence,
particularly in the UAE, and is considered by some
to potentially be one of the best fight cards of the
year. (Grok)
Official
Websites
UFC
http://ufc.com
UFC
308
http://ufc.com/event/ufc-308
UFC
YouTube
http://youtube.com/UFC
Media
Man: Strong thumbs up to UFC and Grok.
Noche
UFC aka UFC 306
Pro
Wrestling Fantasy Booking: Pop Culture Dream Matches.
Claymation and MTV 'Celebrity Death Match' Elements
Logan
Paul vs Oz. Special Ref, The Wizard, Chris Jericho
Donald
Trump vs Pence - Cage Match
VKM
vs Shane McMahon
Bronson
Reed vs Godzilla
Braun
Strowman vs King Kong
Roman
Reigns vs Black Adam
Hulk
Hogan vs The Hulk
Rey
Mysterio vs Chavez
Jake
Paul vs Dana White
The
Rock vs Starks
Rhea
Ripley vs She Hulk
Sol
Ruca vs Silver Surfer. Special Ref: Gidget
Nia
Jax vs Kamala
Liv
Morgan vs Jill Biden
Gunther
vs Steven Segal
South
Park Kenny vs Wild Coyote. Special Ref: John Cena
Elon
Musk and Mark Zuckerberg vs NWO
Assange
vs Paldemic QLD
Mr
V vs Kim Dotcom
Karrion
Kross vs Klaus. Special Ref: Mr X
123
Kid vs Ricky
Khan
vs Khan - Winner Take All
Sean
Strickland vs Justin Trudeau
Yankem
and Baker DMD vs Lynch and Right To Censor. Special
Enforcer: Dr Fakey
Logan
Roy vs The Family - Succession Stipulation
Mike
Tyson vs Dirty Dom. Special Ref: Santos Escobar
Deadpool
vs Wolverine - Special Ref: Stan Lee
Cain
vs Abel
David
vs Goliath
Neo
vs Agent Smith
News
WWE
News UFC
News Endeavor
News MMA
News AEW
News Casino
News TMZ
Sports
Wrestling
News
Bet
On Anything
PPV
News
Combat
Sports
UFC
2024 Events Continue
UFC
303: Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler
Saturday, June 29, 2024 - T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas,
Nevada
Main
card
Lightweight:
Conor McGregor (-105) vs. Michael Chandler (-115)
*cancelled
Light
heavyweight: Jamahal Hill vs. Carlos Ulberg
Women's
bantamweight: Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Macy Chiasson
Middleweight:
Joe Pyfer vs. Marc-Andre Barriault
Welterweight:
Ian Machado Garry vs. Michael Page
Prelims
Featherweight:
Cub Swanson vs. Andre Fili
Bantamweight:
Ricky Simon vs. Vinicius Oliveira
Featherweight:
Charles Jourdain vs. Jean Silva
Bantamweight:
Payton Talbott vs. Yanis Ghemmouri
Prelims
Women's
strawweight: Michelle Waterson-Gomez vs. Gillian Robertson
Heavyweight:
Andrei Arlovski vs. Martin Buday
Flyweight:
Rei Tsuruya vs. Carlos Hernandez
UFC
Denver: Maycee Barber vs. Rose Namajunas
Saturday, July 13, 2024 - Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado
Main
card
Women's
flyweight: Maycee Barber vs. Rose Namajunas
Welterweight:
Mike Malott vs. Gilbert Urbina
Welterweight:
Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Muslim Salikhov
Lightweight:
Drew Dober vs. Mike Davis
Welterweight:
Gabriel Bonfim vs. Ange Loosa
Prelims
Women's
flyweight: Viviane Araujo vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius
Featherweight:
Julian Erosa vs. Christian Rodriguez
Middleweight:
Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Cody Brundage
Women's
flyweight: Luana Santos vs. Mariya Agapova
Middleweight:
Josh Fremd vs. Andre Petroski
UFC
Vegas
Saturday, July 20, 2024 - Apex in Las Vegas
Main
card
Women's
flyweight: Tracy Cortez vs. Miranda Maverick
Middleweight:
Brad Tavares vs. Junyong Park
Prelims
Featherweight:
Jeongyeong Lee vs. Hyder Amil
Featherweight:
Dooho Choi vs. Bill Algeo
Featherweight:
Steve Garcia vs. Seungwoo Choi
UFC
304: Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad
Saturday, July 27, 2024 - Co-op Live in Manchester,
England
Mains
Welterweight:
Leon Edwards (-225) vs. Belal Muhammad (+175)
Heavyweight:
Tom Aspinall (-225) vs. Curtis Blaydes (+185)
Featherweight:
Arnold Allen vs. Giga Chikadze
Flyweight:
Muhammad Mokaev vs. Manel Kape
Lightweight:
Bobby Green vs. Paddy Pimblett
Prelims
Women's
strawweight: Molly McCann vs. Bruna Brasil
Bantamweight:
Caolán Loughran vs. Ramon Taveras
Women's
strawweight: Shauna Bannon vs. Ravena Oliveira
Featherweight:
Nathaniel Wood vs. Daniel Pineda
Prelims
Heavyweight:
Lukasz Brzeski vs. Mick Parkin
Welterweight:
Oban Elliott vs. Preston Parsons
Middleweight:
Christian Leroy Duncan vs. Robert Bryczek
Light
heavyweight: Modestas Bukauskas vs. Marcin Prachnio
Welterweight:
Sam Patterson vs. Kiefer Crosbie
UFC
Abu Dhabi: Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov
Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024 - Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi,
United Arab Emirates
Main
card
Bantamweight:
Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov
Welterweight:
Nick Diaz vs. Vicente Luque
Bantamweight:
Marlon Vera vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
Women's
strawweight: Mackenzie Dern vs. Loopy Godínez
Welterweight:
Tony Ferguson vs. Michael Chiesa
UFC
305
Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024 - RAC Arena in Perth, Australia
UFC
306
Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024 - The Sphere in Las Vegas
UFC
Paris
Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024 - Accor Arena in Paris
UFC
308
Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024 - Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi,
United Arab Emirates
*more
details to become available as fight dates become
closer
Websites
UFC
Official Website
http://ufc.com
http://ufc.com/events
http://ufc.com/event/ufc-303
UFC
Official YouTube channel
http://youtube.com/UFC
PGA
announces bombshell merger with LIV Golf, stunning
players
UFC
Australia: News
TMZ
big fans of WWE and pro wrestling aka sports entertainment
(opinion article)
Sports
promoters, agents, marketers and media buyers and
sellers to ramp up online coverage and daily fantasy
sports online; Media Man reports
Sports
news media war intensified; Sports Illustrated vs
ESPN vs TMZ Sports vs Rolling Stone et al
Politics
and sports, athletics, do not mix" - Mean Gene
Okerlund. New York, Madison Square Garden, during
;Iron Sheik match
'Powerhouse':
WWE, UFC merge to create $21b sporting giant
Expert.
Experience. Authority. Trustworthiness
WWE’s
Triple H: Roman Reigns-Cody Rhodes story not over,
By Mike Mooneyham
WWE
hits paydirt in Las Vegas! SummerSlam, NXT TakeOver
36, Money In The Bank; Cameron Grimes, Ted DiBiase
'The Million Dollar Man', Baron Corbin, Nick Khan
and Vince McMahon connection
Red
Bull: News
Punk,
Danielson would give All Elite Wrestling big boost
- August 8th, 2021
How
UFC Got Social Media Right; WWE taking the fight online
via social media and people power
UFC
Returns To Australia For UFC 284 in Perth, Western
Australia on Feb 12, 2023
UFC
returns to Perth in major boost for local businesses
Paramount+
to become an Official Partner of Formula 1 in a new
multi-year deal
Sports
Streaming Operators, News and Promotions: Brands,
Breaking News
News
Word
Life
A.
Authority, Agent, Algorithm, Awake, Ads and Alphabet
B.
Balls, Balance and Blogs
C.
Creative and Content
D.
Digital and Disrupt
E.
Expert, Entertainment and Exposure
F. Fix
G.
Go, Grappling, Genuine, Gems, Gold and Gonzo
H.
Hits and Hashtags
I.
Instinct and Instagram
J.
Jewels and Journalism
K.
Karate and Keywords
L.
Lift and LinkedIn
M.
Money, Moneytize and MMA
N.
Numbers and News
O.
Open and Online News
P.
Passion, Promotions, Platforms and Pop Culture
Q.
Questions
R. Revenue and Results
S.
Suplex, Space X and Social Media
T.
Trust, Twitter, Tesla and Trends
U.
Universe, Unique and UFC
V.
Vortex
W.
Wrestling,
W.
Words, Webcode and World
X.
X-Journo and X.
Y.
YouTube and YouTube Shorts
Z.
Zoom
Elon
Musk loses $30 billion in one day amid Wall Street’s
tech wipeout - 21st July 2023
Elon
Musk’s fortune slumped $US20.3 billion ($29.5
billion) after Tesla warned it may have to keep cutting
the prices of its electric vehicles, sending shares
tumbling.
The
drop in net worth to $US234.4 billion is the seventh-largest
decline ever among those in the Bloomberg Billionaires
Index, and further narrows the wealth gap between
Musk and Bernard Arnault, the world’s two richest
people. Musk’s fortune still exceeds that of
Arnault, chairman of luxury goods maker LVMH, by about
$US33 billion.
Musk
wasn’t the only US technology billionaire having
a tough day. Amazon.com’ s Jeff Bezos, Oracle
Corp.’s Larry Ellison, former Microsoft CEO Steve
Ballmer, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and Alphabet
co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin shed a collective
$US20.8 billion in net worth as the tech-heavy Nasdaq
100 fell 2.3 per cent.
Shares
of Tesla slid 9.7 per cent to $US262.90 in New York,
the most since April 20, after the company warned
of more hits to its already-shrinking profitability.
Months of markdowns have taken a toll on automotive
gross margin, which fell to a four-year low in the
second quarter. Musk, the company’s CEO, said
Tesla will have to keep lowering prices if interest
rates continue to rise.
In
addition to potentially having to budge further on
pricing, Tesla is pouring money into new models, including
the behind-schedule Cybertruck, plus Dojo, the in-house
supercomputer Musk plans to spend at least $US1 billion
on by the end of next year. While Tesla remains on
track to produce around 1.8 million vehicles in 2023,
output will dip this quarter due to factory upgrades.
“It
does make sense to sacrifice margins in favour of
making more vehicles, because we think in the not-too-distant
future they will have a dramatic valuation increase,”
Musk said, referring to his belief Tesla will eventually
offer autonomous-driving capability that will make
already-sold cars worth more.
Adding
to Tesla’s challenges is its growing inventory
of cars. The company said it now has 16 days’
worth of supply globally, up from 15 days last quarter
and just four days a year ago. Inventory continued
to build despite steep discounts on Tesla’s best-selling
models, and perks including free charging that the
carmaker offered consumers.
Musk,
52, derives his wealth primarily from his stake in
the EV manufacturer, as well as his holdings in Space
Exploration Technologies and Twitter. His wealth had
increased about $US118 billion this year through Wednesday,
as shares of Tesla climbed 136 per cent.
Arnault,
74, has seen his net worth rise by $US39 billion this
year to $US201.2 billion. Shares of Paris-based LVMH
have gained 26 per cent in 2023.
FIFA
deletes Matildas fans’ World Cup videos from
social media
Fans
who shared footage taken inside World Cup stadiums
have had their videos wiped from social media after
complaints from football’s organising body FIFA.
Strict
rules buried in the 13 pages of fine print that accompany
match tickets specify that people not broadcast “live
or near live” material from the grounds on their
personal social media accounts, to protect broadcaster’s
rights.
But
the fine print gives FIFA discretion to decide what
constitutes a “near live” broadcast, so
that fans who uploaded mobile phone footage of crowds
celebrating several hours after the Matildas’
one-nil win over Ireland at Stadium Australia on Thursday
had footage deleted.
This
masthead also is not allowed to use any images legally
from these videos.
“I
took some footage throughout the game, including the
penalty, which was at the far end of the ground,”
said Dan, who requested that his surname not be published.
“Then I sort of looped around and got some of
the amazing crowd reactions.
“Later,
around midnight, I uploaded it on Instagram. In the
early hours of the morning I opened Instagram and
there was a copyright notice and the video had been
deleted.”
Dan
later received an email from Instagram saying he could
contact the complainant, Fédération
Internationale de Football Association, to resolve
the issue. He reposted his video, which at the time
of writing is still live.
FIFA
did not comment directly on Dan’s case but said
some people posting social media videos would have
them removed because the organisation was conducting
a large operation against digital piracy.
Some
innocuous social media posts may be swept up by algorithms
searching for pirate broadcasters, especially those
that feature snippets of on-field action, it said.
“Digital
rights are quite restricted so as to protect broadcast
rights,” a spokesman said.
FIFA
said it broadly encouraged people to post images from
matches on social media. While some videos have been
deleted, most are still up, including one posted by
environment minister Tanya Plibersek, who captured
the same goal as Dan from a different angle and posted
it to her Instagram page.
“It
does seem like overreach to target people who are
just sharing content of a major sporting event,”
said Isabella Alexander, a law professor at the University
of Technology Sydney.
“I
think it’s common for live sporting events to
be very strictly controlled because of the value of
the broadcast rights - and because there’s no
copyright on the actual sporting event itself the
way they can enforce it is via the fine print on the
tickets,” she said.
“It’s
probably not common for tickets to have quite the
range of provisions like this, but since nobody ever
reads them, how would we know?”
Other
social media platforms have seen World Cup content
removed this week. Journalist Hamish McNeilly from
the Stuff website had a tweet that contained a short
video from the match between New Zealand and Norway
deleted on Thursday night, and posted a take down
notice he received from FIFA shortly afterwards.
FIFA’s
control of imagery can seem extreme. During the 2018
men’s world cup, football’s governing body
ordered Twitter to take down a short video of seven-year-old
England fan Alex Conn dancing in his living room because
a TV showing a match could be glimpsed in the background.
“It
just seems a bit pathetic,” Alex’s mother
Kathryn told NBC at the time. “The fact that
the TV is on in the background is largely incidental.
He’s just enjoying himself and enjoying the game.”
FIFA
struck controversy earlier this month when a directive
to cover up plaques of seven Australian athletes at
Allianz Stadium met outrage from some in the sporting
community.
The
move, part of FIFA’s “clean site” policy
to remove all non-World Cup branding from venues,
was reversed last week.
‘What,
so betting markets can be changed?’ Robinson
backs Matildas over Kerr injury
Three-time
NRL premiership winning coach Trent Robinson has emerged
as an unlikely ally for Matildas counterpart Tony
Gustavsson after he attracted criticism for keeping
Sam Kerr’s World Cup injury a secret.
Kerr’s
shock withdrawal from Australia’s tournament-opening
win over Ireland due to a calf injury was kept under
wraps by the Matildas right up until final teams were
named 90 minutes before kick-off on Thursday night.
Kerr
and Gustavsson spoke at a pre-game press conference
as though the world’s best player was not in
any doubt despite knowing she had suffered the injury
earlier in the day and wouldn’t play.
In
his post-match press conference, Gustavsson appealed
for understanding as to the tactical advantage gained
by not flagging Kerr’s injury, and told host
broadcaster Channel 7 in a separate interview that
“we weren’t honest in the press conference
[because] we didn’t have all the information
either”.
Robinson
was at the centre of a similar narrative around Cooper
Cronk leading into the Roosters’ 2018 grand final
triumph, when the star half was in doubt with a serious
shoulder injury and Robinson ducked and weaved around
the question of whether the star halfback would play
until 30 minutes before kick-off. Cronk played the
match despite having suffered what was revealed to
be a badly broken shoulder blade.
“What,
are you saying we should tell everyone so the betting
markets can be changed?” Robinson responded when
asked about keeping team secrets under intense scrutiny.
“There
was a bit written about it [in 2018], but it’s
not going to change people turning up. The objective
of a coach is to win a game – other people might
have a difference of opinion – but our job is
to create intrigue and guessing in the opposition.
“Showing
your cards days and weeks before a game is giving
a bit of a tip sheet to the opposition. People wouldn’t
have turned up if they found out? People wouldn’t
have watched?
“The
coach’s job for Australia is to win the game,
and if that was a tactical advantage so Australia
could win the game then I think we’re happy with
that as Australians rather than having the knowledge
hours before that Sam wasn’t playing.”
Gustavsson
declined to answer a pre-game question about the fitness
of his players and was similarly coy after Australia’s
win when pressed on Kerr’s availability for the
rest of the tournament.
Questions
about how Kerr was injured and the nature of her calf
issue were dead-batted, confirming only that the Chelsea
superstar will miss next Thursday’s clash against
Nigeria, with a match against Canada following four
days later.
There
is then a week’s break until Australia’s
prospective round of 16 fixture on August 7.
“She’s
going to be out for two games, and then we’ll
reassess afterwards,” Gustavsson said. “That
tells you a little bit about what grade it is, but
we don’t want to go into more details on that
at this point.”
Nike
versus Puma: The ambush marketing campaign dividing
the Matildas
Football
Australia has blocked players from the pioneering
1975 Australian women’s team from referring to
themselves as former Matildas as part of an ambush
marketing campaign by a rival apparel brand that has
bitterly divided the national team’s alumni network.
A
long-running debate over who should be regarded as
the ‘first Matildas’ – and thus the
true matriarchs of the sport in Australia – has
erupted in the build-up to the FIFA Women’s World
Cup, implicating current players and, according to
one source who did not wish to be named due to the
sensitive nature of the situation, has even ruined
friendships between ex-teammates.
It
relates to the team that wore green and gold at the
1975 Asian Cup Ladies Football Tournament in Hong
Kong, whose groundbreaking role in Australian women’s
football was given overdue formal recognition by FA
for the first time in May 2022, after almost half
a century in the shadows.
But
because FA’s historical committee unanimously
ruled they were a club team – with the majority
of the 16 players drawn from all-conquering Sydney
side St George Budapest, including coach Joe O’Connor,
and the rest from NSW rivals – the federation
stopped short of classifying them as full-blown Matildas
due to the absence of a competitive national selection
process.
The
team had gained permission from Sir Arthur George,
the chair of the FIFA-affiliated Australian Soccer
Federation, to wear the national colours and coat
of arms – although the ASF had no involvement
at the time with the women’s game, which was
run by the Australian Women’s Soccer Association,
which formed a year earlier.
The
1975ers were offered unnumbered caps by FA, inclusion
in the federation’s official records, recognition
as the first women’s team to represent Australia
in an internationally sanctioned tournament, and entry
into the Matildas Alumni club, which holds various
functions and events for ex-players.
But
they thumbed their nose at FA’s offer, and 10
of them have since linked up with Puma – a direct
competitor to the Matildas’ apparel sponsors
Nike – which has launched a reported six-figure
advertising campaign spotlighting the 1975 players
with billboards, social media advertising and various
other pieces of content telling their remarkable story.
The
1975ers are shown shedding tears as they read out
a letter of recognition from Puma’s Oceania general
manager Pancho Gutstein in one video. In another,
current Matildas Charli Grant and Aivi Luik, as well
as AFL stars Toby Greene and Scott Pendlebury –
who all have individual endorsement deals with Puma
– announce the names of the players who will
take part in a ‘walking football’ rematch
against New Zealand, their rivals at that tournament
in Hong Kong, to be held on Cockatoo Island in Sydney
this weekend.
The
players, who have been dubbed the ‘OGs’
by Puma, were reunited for the first time since 1975,
supplied with branded tracksuits and shoes, and have
also been provided tickets for Thursday night’s
clash between Australia and Ireland. They will watch
it with their New Zealand counterparts – despite
the Football Ferns hosting Norway in the tournament’s
opener in Auckland on the same day.
FA
says it planned to produce similar video content highlighting
the players’ contributions had they taken up
the offer made to them last year. Gutstein confirmed
that when Puma’s campaign launched, an FA executive
made contact and warned them about not breaching the
federation’s IP, including use of the term ‘Matildas’,
the trademark for which is owned by FA.
Last
month, FA submitted another trademark request for
‘Tillies’, a shortened version of the team’s
nickname commonly used by fans.
FA
said it did not “hold a view” on the Puma
campaign as it didn’t infringe on any trademarks
or their partnership with Nike, which was also contacted
for comment.
FA’s
board will review the 1975ers’ claims again after
the World Cup, with the players believed to be undeterred
in their pursuit of further recognition – despite
FA’s historians and some ex-Matildas, while recognising
the significance of their achievements, believing
they are overreaching by demanding numbered caps.
“With
regard to the debate, that’s really not our call
at all,” said Gutstein. “We just think that
they have an amazing story. It’s a wonderful
year to celebrate and share that story.” Puma
sponsors only two of the 32 teams at the World Cup,
while Adidas has a longstanding deal with FIFA.
Unnumbered
caps were also recently offered to – and accepted
by – the 1978 Australian team, which FA says
was the first senior women’s side selected through
a national process, but since they competed against
club teams at an invitational tournament in Taiwan
that year, and not against other nations, those matches
are also not seen as full ‘A’ internationals.
Of
the 16 players from the 1975 team, two have since
passed away, as has coach O’Connor, and only
three went on to earn numbered caps by playing in
full ‘A’ international matches. Inaugural
Matildas captain Julie Dolan was one of them, and
featured in the 1979 clash against New Zealand that
FA recognises as the Matildas’ first ‘A’
international, as well as the 1978 team.
Dolan
is not involved with the Puma campaign. She declined
to comment; sources close to Dolan claim her family
was verbally abused the last time she weighed in on
the topic. Dolan is the holder of Matildas cap No.1,
a status which has led to prominent roles in FA and
FIFA activities at World Cup events, and one she would
theoretically lose if the caps were to be reshuffled
to accommodate the 1975ers – as some of her ex-teammates
seem to insist should happen.
In
a public Facebook post, former FA director Heather
Reid alleges the Puma campaign’s narrative “smacks
of deception”, sparking a slanging match in the
comments where 1975 player Trixie Tagg accuses her
of trying to “rewrite our history” and describing
the team’s treatment as that of “illegitimate
cousins”. Others questioned what they said was
an exclusionary approach.
Tagg
said in an article on The Roar in 2020 that simply
being acknowledged by FA – as they were last
year – would “mean the world to us”,
and that the players would never expect cap numbers
to be changed.
In
another post on a private Matildas Alumni group, seen
by this masthead, one ex-player wrote: “Given
the choice between honesty and kindness, most of us
have chosen kindness. But after the Puma campaign
... it’s time for honesty.
“A
team that isn’t nationally selected doesn’t
pass the test to be classified as a national team
– regardless of what colours they were allowed
to wear. We all played many games in green & gold
that weren’t classified as A international caps,
for a whole range of reasons. A team where nobody
else has an opportunity to be chosen simply isn’t
a national team.
“Whoever
is giving them false expectations is not doing them,
or football, any favours. It’s sad to see this
divide our game.”
McGregor 'will not be intimidated' over sexual assault
allegation from Miami Heat NBA finals game - June
2023
Thee
NBA and the Miami Heat are investigating an allegation
former UFC champion Conor McGregor sexually assaulted
a woman inside an arena bathroom after Game 4 of the
NBA Finals.
The
woman’s attorney, Ariel Mitchell, said her client
has provided Miami police with the clothing she was
wearing on the night and a report had been filed.
McGregor’s
attorney said the fighter denied any wrongdoing. “McGregor
will not be intimidated,” said lawyer Barbara
Llanes.
In
letters sent to the NBA, the Heat and McGregor’s
representatives, Mitchell detailed her client’s
allegations and said the client would discuss “reasonable
settlement offers” before June 12 or else proceed
with litigation.
“We
are aware of the allegations and are conducting a
full investigation,” read a statement from the
Heat. “Pending the outcome of the investigation,
we will withhold further comment.”
The
NBA had a similar statement, saying it was working
with the Heat to gather information.
The
alleged incident happened on the same night McGregor
knocked out the Heat mascot in a midgame bit that
went wrong.
Burnie,
more specifically the man who occupies Burnie’s
costume, briefly sought medical attention Friday night
after taking two punches from McGregor during a third-quarter
stoppage of Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Heat
and the Denver Nuggets.
The
employee, who was not identified, received pain medication
and was recovering, the team said.
McGregor
was there as a promotional gimmick for a pain-relief
spray and was booed by many in the Miami crowd even
before the bit started.
The
flame mascot was wearing oversized boxing gloves and
a robe akin to what a fighter would wear entering
the ring for a bout.
McGregor
hit Burnie with a left hook, knocking him down, then
punched the mascot again after he hit the floor.
McGregor
then tried to “spray” the mascot with the
pain-relief product, while several members of the
Heat’s in-game promotional team dragged Burnie
off the court.
McGregor
hasn’t fought since injuring his left leg in
a loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021.
His last win came in January 2020.
Roman Reigns agrees to put his Tribal Chiefdom on
the line against Jey Uso! - July 21, 2023
On
a frenetic Friday Night SmackDown, the stakes between
Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns and
Jey Uso got magnified as Reigns agreed to put his
Tribal Chiefdom on the line as well as his title against
Jey at SummerSlam! Plus, “Dirty” Dominik
Mysterio won his first NXT North American Title defense
against Butch, Rey Mysterio advanced in the U.S. Title
Invitational Tournament, Charlotte Flair overcame
IYO SKY so much more!
Combat
Sports News - Nate Diaz explains how Jake Paul trash
talking Conor McGregor and Dee Devlin helped influence
him into accepting the fight - 21st July 2023
Diaz
(21-13 MMA) will be making his boxing debut against
‘The Problem Child‘ who has a 6-1 record
in the ring, 4 of those wins via knockout.
Nate
Diaz opened up about why he agreed to take the fight
with Paul when speaking on the ‘Raw Talk’
podcast:
“This
guy (Paul) actually thinks he’ll beat up everyone’s
ass and he’s louder than all you fools who are
really beating people’s ass. So, now I have to
step the f**k out the box real quick and whup this
motherf**ker’s ass so everyone knows who’s
the real ass-whupper. You understand what I’m
saying?”
Continuing
the 38 year old shared:
“This
fool was poppin’ off on everybody. Like, ‘Oh,
we’re real fighters.’ Well prove it, motherf**ker.
Go beat his ass for talking sh*t. He was going after
everybody. On that big of a stage where he’s
making everybody believe that, like you’re letting
this guy talk sh*t to the whole roster? And ain’t
no one saying sh*t? Louder than the roster? The UFC’s
big, but the roster?”
Addressing
what Jake Paul was saying about Conor McGregor, Nate
Diaz continued:
“And
then he was talking sh*t to Conor, talking sh*t to
Conor and dissing his wife and sh*t? Some real disrespectful
stuff that he shouldn’t have been saying. And
nobody’s saying sh*t. I’m the one who said
‘Shut the f*ck up, b**ch. I’ll whup your
ass. Have some respect.’ You’re gonna disrespect
somebody’s wife and stuff like that who would
actually whup your ass? To get a fight like that,
that suppresses the fight fight game.”
Concluding,
Nate Diaz said (h/t MMAMania):
“Like,
that’s a real fight and you should shut the f*ck
up, and no one’s saying anything because everyone’s
acting like the whole roster, the UFC, everyone’s
acting like ‘He can’t really.’ But
he should shut the f*ck up. And no one’s speaking
up, saying ‘Shut the f*ck up.’ So …
shut the f*ck up.”
With
the fight just 2 weeks away, it’s anyone’s
guess as to who will be the victor after 10 rounds
in the boxing ring.
UFC RAISES MORE THAN $130,500 FOR THE UFC FOUNDATION
DURING INTERNATIONAL FIGHT WEEK
July
22, 2023
During
the 11th Annual International Fight Week, UFC raised
a total of $130,790 with net proceeds benefitting
the UFC Foundation.
To
commemorate International Fight Week, UFC raised funds
across three charitable campaigns surrounding the
week-long celebration, including VIP sweepstakes with
digital charity platform 15 Seconds of Fame, the 2023
UFC Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, and a week-long
50/50 raffle.
To
coincide with IFW, UFC launched a statewide online
and in-venue 50/50 raffle. Fans were able to participate
in the raffle by purchasing tickets during the UFC
Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at T-Mobile Arena,
at the Las Vegas Convention Center during UFC X, at
ceremonial weigh-ins, and during UFC 290: VOLKANOVSKI
vs. RODRIGUEZ at T-Mobile Arena. The raffle generated
a total jackpot of $78,240, with 50% ($39,120) benefitting
the UFC Foundation.
The
winner of the remaining 50% of the jackpot, Jonathan
Weber of Poinsettia, Ariz., who was making his second
consecutive International Fight Week trip, will receive
$39,120 after purchasing his 50/50 raffle ticket during
UFC 290.
“We
always contribute to the 50/50 raffle at every UFC
event we attend,” said Weber. “We love watching
the jackpot grow and build for the foundation. We
have attended many UFC events and every time we go
we buy raffle tickets! We’re going to take our
winnings and pay some bills and create funds for our
nine and four-year old daughters' savings accounts!”
Other
funds raised during the week included $17,000 from
a VIP sweepstakes for two tickets to sit in Dana White’s
section during UFC 290 and $35,550 in ticket sales
proceeds from the UFC Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.
UFC’s
CSR activations during International Fight Week also
included athletes visiting patients currently undergoing
treatment at the Cure 4 The Kids Foundation and hosting
a two-day youth freestyle wrestling clinic in partnership
with Wrestle Like a Girl at UFC X.
The
UFC Foundation works in tandem with UFC’s corporate
social responsibility program, #UFCInTheCommunity,
to strategically collaborate with partners, sponsors,
and athletes to develop additional charitable programs
and funding sources to help bolster and inspire the
local community.
Since
2017, UFC has organized 29 50/50 raffles throughout
North America that have grossed more than $1.55 million,
with net proceeds benefitting local charitable organizations
in the communities that have hosted UFC events throughout
the United States and Canada.
UFC’s
next 50/50 raffle will take place from Friday, September
15 – Saturday, September 16 at T-Mobile Arena
as part of NOCHE UFC: GRASSO vs. SHEVCHENKO 2. For
more information, please visit UFCFOUNDATION.
(UFC)
WWE® ANNOUNCES 27 ADDITIONAL DATES TO 2023 FALL
LIVE EVENT TOURING SCHEDULE
STAMFORD,
Conn., July 7, 2023 – WWE® (NYSE: WWE) today
announced 27 additional live events as part of the
company’s 2023 touring schedule. Tickets go on
sale next Friday, July 14.
The
schedule includes:
-
Saturday, Sept. 9: WWE Saturday Night’s Main
Event – Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y.
-
Sunday, Sept. 10: WWE Sunday Stunner – John Paul
Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Va.
Friday,
Sept. 15: SmackDown® – Ball Arena in Denver,
Colo.
Saturday,
Sept. 16: WWE Supershow – Toyota Center in Kennewick,
Wash.
Sunday,
Sept. 17: WWE Supershow – Extra Mile Arena in
Boise, Idaho
Monday,
Sept. 18: Raw® – Delta Center in Salt Lake
City, Utah
Friday,
Sept. 22: SmackDown® – Desert Diamond Arena
in Glendale, Ariz.
Saturday,
Sept. 23: WWE Supershow – Acrisure Arena in Greater
Palm Springs, Calif.
Sunday,
Sept. 24: WWE Supershow – Save Mart Center in
Fresno, Calif.
Monday,
Sept. 25: Raw® – Toyota Arena in Ontario,
Calif.
Friday,
Sept. 29: SmackDown® – Golden 1 Center in
Sacramento, Calif.
Saturday,
Sept. 30: WWE Supershow – Chase Center in San
Francisco, Calif.
Sunday,
Oct. 1: WWE Supershow – Tahoe Blue Event Center
in Lake Tahoe, Nev.
Monday,
Oct. 2: Raw® – SAP Center in San Jose, Calif.
Friday,
Oct. 6: SmackDown® – Enterprise Center in
St. Louis, Mo.
Saturday,
Oct. 7: WWE Fastlane – Gainbridge Fieldhouse
in Indianapolis, Ind.
Monday,
Oct. 9: Raw® – CHI Health Center in Omaha,
Neb.
Friday,
Oct 13: SmackDown® – BOK Center in Tulsa,
Okla.
Saturday,
Oct. 14: WWE Supershow – T-Mobile Center in Kansas
City, Mo.
Sunday,
Oct. 15: WWE Supershow – Great Southern Bank
Arena in Springfield, Mo.
Monday,
Oct. 16: Raw® – Paycom Center in Oklahoma
City, Okla.
Friday,
Oct. 20: SmackDown® – AT&T Center in
San Antonio, Texas
Saturday,
Oct. 21: WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event –
Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg, Texas
Sunday,
Oct. 22: WWE Sunday Stunner – Sames Auto Arena
in Laredo, Texas
Monday,
Oct. 23: Raw® – American Airlines Center
in Dallas, Texas
Friday,
Oct. 27: SmackDown® – Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee,
Wis.
Monday,
Oct. 30: Raw® – Bon Secours Wellness Arena
in Greenville, S.C.
About
WWE
WWE,
a publicly traded company (NYSE: WWE), is an integrated
media organization and recognized leader in global
entertainment. The Company consists of a portfolio
of businesses that create and deliver original content
52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed
to family-friendly entertainment on its television
programming, premium live events, digital media and
publishing platforms. WWE’s TV-PG programming
can be seen in more than 1 billion homes worldwide
in 25 languages through world-class distribution partners
including NBCUniversal, FOX, BT Sport, Sony India
and Rogers. The award-winning WWE Network includes
all premium live events, scheduled programming and
a massive video-on-demand library and is currently
available in more than 180 countries. In the United
States, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock,
is the exclusive home to WWE Network.
Additional
information on WWE can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com.
Aussie
Open win Tag Team titles at ROH Death Before Dishonor
The
duo won the titles in a four-way match.
Aussie
Open are the new ROH Tag Team Champions.
Mark
Davis and Kyle Fletcher won the titles at Friday’s
Death Before Dishonor event, defeating former champions
Penta El 0 M and Rey Fenix, Best Friends, and The
Kingdom in a four-way match. The finish had Davis
and Fletcher hitting Coriolis on Trent Beretta to
win the titles for the first time.
Lucha
Bros. had held the titles for 113 days, winning them
back at Supercard of Honor on March 31 in a Reach
for the Sky ladder match. The titles had been vacated
due to the death of Jay Briscoe back in January.
Aussie
Open had to vacate the IWGP and NJPW Strong Tag Team
titles after Davis suffered a knee injury that required
surgery. This was the first time since May that Aussie
Open had teamed up, and the first time since they
had signed with AEW.
The
rest of the card saw champions retain their titles.
The double main event had Claudio Castagnoli successfully
retain the ROH World title against PAC, and Athena
retain the ROH Women's title against Willow Nightingale.
Wrestling
and sports announcing legend Jim Ross on AEW - July
2023
"Ian
(Riccaboni) really distinguished himself in Calgary,
I thought. I thought he and Nigel McGuinness had a
hell of a night. I don't trust anybody any more than
Ian Riccaboni to get the stuff in. We've got a great
anchor with Excalibur and another great anchor with
Ian Riccaboni and you just got to try it and see what
kind of chemistry there is between teams. The team
of Taz and Tony Schiavone and Excalibur is excellent.
They really are excellent and they're getting their
timing together. They're not talking over each other.
They're trying, I think, not to use so many fu**ing
pronouns. Then Nigel and Ian had a hell of a night,
and that's leaving out Kevin Kelly in this debate.
He'll be back as I understand it to do Collision,
but I don't know how all that's gonna work out. I
don't have any idea. But anyway, you just got to see
if they got chemistry. The skill set it takes to have
the patience to talk in sound bites and not make your
dialogue about you. That's what we're waiting to see
how that was all going to transfer.” - Jim Ross
AEW's
Matt Hardy On The Pros & Cons Of Social Media
- July 2023
Matt
Hardy has remained a top star for several decades.
However, his career was rejuvenated in a big way with
the emergence of his break-out "Broken"
character in TNA. The new persona wound up going viral
on social media, thanks to wrestling fans. As a result
of leveraging social media to his benefit, Hardy has
a pretty solid grasp on the pros and cons of its usage,
which he shared during a recent appearance on "Busted
Open Radio."
"I
have said this for a long time. Social media is the
best thing ever to happen and social media is the
worst thing to ever happen," Hardy explained.
"When you are on social media, it gives guys
that are hungry and driven a great platform to promote
themselves, to promote their business, to promote
their projects — whatever it may be. But it also
allows people to come on social media without accountability
and without responsibility. And they can insult people
and troll people."
Hardy
recently encountered some toxicity at the hands of
Jim Cornette and his fans on social media, but Hardy
does his best to not let it affect him.. "Just
because there are a group of people that may follow
someone who is an antiquated relic in terms of his
opinions — if they came at me and insult me that
doesn't bother me at all," said Hardy. "Matter
of fact, it is kind of like a badge of honor because
I am picking up attention in some capacity".
Hardy has realized the best response is not to waste
energy arguing or trying to change opinions.
Hardy
also recognizes social media isn't going anywhere,
and he pushed that to thrive in society you needed
to embrace technology and adapt to societal changes.
"Social media is a magical thing. It is a monster.
It is so powerful," said Hardy. "I just
hope people try hard to be very responsible and use
it for good."
ONE
Championship To Host Four U.S. Events In 2024
ONE
Championship, the world’s largest martial arts
organization, today announced that the promotion will
host four events in the United States in 2024.
Coming
off a successful U.S. debut in May at 1stBank Center
in Colorado with ONE Fight Night 10, ONE will look
to carry its momentum into 2024 with a recurring cadence
of ONE Fight Night events in America, which will air
live on Prime Video in the U.S. and Canada. Cities,
venues, and ticketing information will be announced
at a later date.
Chatri
Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship,
stated: “I am thrilled to announce that ONE Championship
is coming back to the U.S. with four massive events
in 2024. When we made our historic U.S. debut with
ONE Fight Night 10 on Prime Video, I was blown away
by the support we received from our fans in the U.S.
ONE is home to the greatest martial artists in the
world, and I’m excited to once again showcase
our World Champions on American soil. To our fans
that haven’t seen a live ONE event, I promise
you an experience unlike anything you’ve ever
seen.”
ONE
Fight Night 10 featured Demetrious “Mighty Mouse”
Johnson defending the ONE Flyweight World Title, the
return of “Super” Sage Northcutt, the U.S.
debuts of Thai superstars Rodtang Jitmuangnon and
Stamp Fairtex, and more. Milestones for the event
included:
Tickets:
Sold out 1stBank Center in Colorado
Viewership:
Most watched event to date for ONE on Prime Video
Search:
A new peak on Google Trends for “ONE Championship”
in the U.S.
Social:
#ONEFightNight10 trended #1 on Twitter in the U.S.
and Canada for Sports
Prime
Video Partnership: Merch on Demand QR codes for ONE
apparel, in-stadium Twitch Watch Parties featuring
ONE athletes, live coverage throughout fight week
Stage
Front VIP, the exclusive U.S. VIP experience partner
of ONE, will continue to provide fans with unrivaled
access through immersive VIP experiences that include
premier seating, premium hospitality offerings, athlete
meet-and-greets, event collectibles, after-party access,
and more.
Streaming
quotas decision would ease Hollywood strike headache:
studio boss - July 16, 2023
Australia’s
film and television sector will avoid major disruption
as a result of union strikes in Hollywood, although
the Albanese government is being urged to finalise
its decision over proposed local content quotas to
ease uncertainty in the industry.
Former
chief executive of Nine Entertainment Hugh Marks –
who last year founded Australian studio Dreamchaser
alongside former Endemol Shine boss Carl Fennessy
– said the writer and actor strike had added
a layer of complexity to the Australian industry.
After
announcing in January it would implement local content
requirements for international streaming services,
the government is yet to set a number for the quota.
A spokesperson for Tony Burke, minister for the arts
and for workplace and employment relations, reaffirmed
a decision would be made this side of the new year,
ahead of its implementation in July 2024.
Marks
said the local offices of the likes of Netflix, Disney
and Apple will be affected by the strikes, with Australian
content pitches increasingly being angled towards
a global audience.
The
strikes have coincided with a period where streamers
have shifted gears from “a gold rush of global
domination”, Marks says, to being forced to figure
out how to monetise their vast audiences.
Several,
including Netflix, Disney+ and Binge locally, have
turned to advertising as a contributing solution.
A clear direction from the government, he says, would
ease the headache over decision-making on domestic
content.
“The
one thing that would really be beneficial now would
be the release of the new proposed laws about quotas
in this market because that would certainly give everyone
some focus as to at least what’s got to be done
domestically,” Marks says.
“I’m
certainly encouraging the government to act sooner
rather than later to remove that unnecessary lack
of certainty from the local market.”
In
a positive for the local industry, a statement on
Friday from Screen Producers Australia (SPA) noted
the strike does not apply to non-scripted productions,
including documentaries, light entertainment and reality
shows – the latter of which is widely noted to
be a beneficiary of the writers’ strike in 2007.
SPA
said it anticipated a limited number of non-Australian
productions will be affected by the strikes locally.
The body said all scripted local productions produced
and controlled by Australian production companies
that have engaged Australian and Imported SAG members
will continue unaffected, provided they engage all
cast under Australian Industry Contracts in accordance
with the Global Rule One Agreement between SAG-AFTRA
and the Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA).
While
it has been suggested prolonged strikes in the US
could see an additional influx of Australian-produced
content, Marks believes it is too early in the process
to think that might be the outcome.
The
country’s biggest streaming services are required
under legislation introduced by the Morrison government
to report their spending on Australian content to
the authority. The big five – Netflix, Stan,
Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and Paramount+ –
reported that in 2021-22 they collectively spent $668.5
million on “Australian” and “Australian-related”
content.
Last
month, NBC Universal walked away from its $180 million
sci-fi series, Metropolis, which had pre-production
under way at Docklands Studios in Melbourne. After
the actors union voted to strike last week, the Sam
Neill/Annette Bening drama Apples Never Fall, halted
on Friday. Production was already under way in Queensland,
budgeted at an estimated $79 million.
NBC
Universal signed a content deal with Foxtel in November,
with an extended deal with Warner Bros. Discovery,
owner of the highly regarded network HBO, in February.
Foxtel’s
streaming service Binge has relied heavily on content
from HBO for its sustained growth since launching
in 2020, with popular shows such as White Lotus, Succession,
and The Last of Us. Binge was responsible for 11.9
per cent of all new Streaming Video on Demand subscriptions
in the first quarter of this year, according to data
from Kantar, with 18 per cent of all of its new user
acquisitions driven by The Last of Us, its blockbuster
nine-part series that debuted in January.
Local
players including Foxtel and Stan (owned by Nine)
were approached for comment on the impact of their
programming schedules.
One
of the streamer’s largest subscription drivers
in 2022, House of the Dragon, will continue filming
in the UK, due to the show being largely comprised
of British actors with contracts governed by the local
union, Equity.
Paramount,
which owns Network Ten and streaming service Paramount+,
is understood to not be affected by the strikes. While
it benefits from a constant stream of content from
Paramount Studios, the local arm of the company has
focused its efforts on Australian-produced content,
which includes shows such as The Last King of the
Cross, Five Bedrooms, and the recently green-lit series
NCIS: Sydney, being produced locally by Endemol Shine.
Screen
Producers Australia wants a 20 per cent levy on the
streamers’ Australian revenue, while the streamers
insist they are spending plenty already, with local
TV networks in agreement.
In
May, a submission by industry body Free TV, which
represents Nine, Seven West Media and Network Ten,
said it opposed the introduction of quotas for local
productions, arguing the screen production industry
in Australia is already booming.
Free
TV doubled down this week, calling for a balanced
approach to the introduction of streaming quotas.
In response to comments by Bryan Brown AM in an address
to the National Press Club, Bridget Fair, CEO of Free
TV Australia said the group invests $1.5 billion every
year in Australian content.
“But
if the Government is going to impose content quotas
on streaming services, it needs to carefully consider
the impact this will have on the Australian public
who rely on free services from our local broadcasters,”
she said.
Australian
tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes splits from wife
- 22nd July 2023
An
Australian tech billionaire worth $19 billion has
reportedly split from his wife after 13 years of marriage.
Australian
tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes has reportedly
split from his wife after 13 years of marriage.
Sources
close to the family of Mr Cannon-Brookes, who is Australia’s
sixth-richest person and the co-founder of Atlassian,
have confirmed he is separating from his wife, Annie,
according to Nine newspapers.
The
couple married in 2010.
Their
separation comes just a week after the high-profile
split of Australia’s richest couple, Twiggy and
Nicola Forrest.
The
Forrests, who had been married for 31 years, said
they were living apart but insisted the separation
will not impact their mining and philanthropy empire.
Mr
Cannon-Brookes made his estimated $19 billion fortune
alongside fellow Aussie billionaire Scott Farquhar,
with whom he co-founded software firm Atlassian in
2002.
The
company is widely considered a great Australian success
story, its share price having quintupled since it
was listed on the US stock exchange in 2015.
Atlassian
has, however, suffered a tough 12 months amid broader
turmoil in the tech sector. In March, the company
laid off 500 workers just a few months after a dramatic
hiring blitz.
In
a self-described “no bulls**t” note to staff,
Mr Cannon-Brookes and Mr Farquhar said it was a “very
hard day in our 20 year history” and they were
“deeply sorry” to make the job cuts.
“To
be clear, this decision is not a reflection of Atlassian’s
own financial performance, as we will be reinvesting
in roles that better support our priorities,”
they wrote.
The
Cannon-Brookes family owns an impressive property
portfolio, including the 1.1-hectare Fairwater estate,
previously the home of the late Lady Mary Fairfax,
which they acquired in 2018 for a reported $100 million.
It was believed to be the priciest property sale in
Australian history.
In
June, the couple forked out $14.25 million to buy
a home in Newport, on Sydney’s northern beaches,
neighbouring the $24.5 million estate they purchased
in 2020.
The
five-bedroom home is set on a 3000-square-metre block
of land and features a 1000-square-metre netted bathing
area.
Cannon-Brookes,
who was previously a fashion designer, was born in
the US.
It’s
believed he and Annie met at a Qantas lounge during
a trip between Sydney and San Francisco.
Endeavour calls on states to work together on gambling
reform
Endeavour
Group boss Steve Donohue has urged state and territory
governments to work more closely together when considering
policies to fight problem gambling, as the hotels’
operator promises to get a jump on implementing gaming
reforms unveiled in Victoria this week.
Donohue
said on Thursday that Endeavour, one of the largest
operators of poker machines in the country, has written
to state governments calling for a “more co-ordinated
and collaborative approach” and to make sure
that knowledge is shared across all states on proposals
such as cashless gaming and facial recognition technology.
He
said there was room for the states to share more insights
with each other about the impact and efficacy of different
policy measures.
“What
we are saying is we think there is an opportunity
for deeper collaboration and more co-ordination in
relation to various approaches, suggestions and ideas,”
he said.
“We
can learn from the experiences that each state and
territory is having.”
A
spokesperson for New South Wales Gaming and Racing
Minister David Harris said the state was committed
to working with all stakeholders to deliver evidence-based
gambling reform.
“We
will be paying very close attention to the activities
of other jurisdictions, such as the Victorian government
and the evidence they unearth through the work of
their implementation working group,” they said.
“Just
this week the minister met with the ACT minister for
gaming to continue collaboration and discussion on
gambling reform across jurisdictions.”
Endeavour
told shareholders on Thursday that the company would
move swiftly to implement changes after the Victorian
government unveiled proposed reforms to gaming machine
regulations on Sunday.
The
state’s plan for reducing gambling harm includes
slower spin times for games, mandatory closing periods
for gaming room floors, mandatory pre-commitment limits
and a load-up limit of $100, which will cap how much
an individual can put in a machine at a time.
Endeavour
confirmed it would adjust the hours of gaming machine
areas at its ALH Hotels in Victoria, so they close
between 4am and 10am by August 31; 10 months ahead
of the government’s proposed timeline.
This
would bring Victoria’s rules in line with operating-hours
regulations in NSW and South Australia.
The
company also confirmed it supported the $100 load-up
limit and would bring this into operation for Victorian
machines “as soon as is practicable”.
Shares
in the business closed 9.9 per cent weaker on Monday
as investors and analysts considered what impact the
reforms would have on the group’s earnings.
Goldman
Sachs analysts said on Monday that the exact impact
would be difficult to estimate, but said it could
lower earnings by 0.5 per cent to 1.8 per cent during
the 2024 financial year.
E&P
Financial analyst Philip Kimber said policies such
as the $100 load-up limit were likely to have a smaller
impact on Endeavour’s financials than the Victorian
government’s policy on pre-commitment limits.
“There
is no change to our view that the Victorian government
proposal with the potential to have the most material
impact on electronic gaming machine spend in Endeavour’s
Victorian pubs is mandatory pre-commitment limits
[via carded play],” he said in a note to clients
on Thursday.
Endeavour
shares opened stronger but did not maintain momentum
during Thursday’s session as the broader market
stayed flat. The stock was up 0.3 per cent to $5.91
in late afternoon trade, but still down by 5.6 per
cent over the past five days.
Media Man commentary for David Rowe Illustrations
as per The Australian Financial Review
Pen
Dan Thon Games For Four. Great art.
No
Pentathlon. No nothing. Gang of four. Gonzo and satire
+. Commentary open to interpretation, as per pro wrestling
legend John Cena's Instagram. Beauty of otherwise
in the eye of the beholder. Alternative commentary:
Sports biz blessing in disuise and doddged a bullet
from the range.
Media Man commentary for Mike Mooneyham feature on
'The Bloodline' and wrestling factions news in the
WWE
Exactly.
But, hopefully it becomes the "new normal"
for the WWE version of pro wrestling. The Judgement
Day faction also looks very promising to me with Dirty
Dom as a heat seeking "killer heel" element,
while going after all of the belts. Tony D gets seen
on today's WWE SmackDown backstage and he's got "mob"
and family business history with Escobar, so LWO also
gets a shot in the arm. So much better than 3 to 5
years ago. The Triple H era with apparent assistance
by Shawn Michaels and a few others who listened to
fans of pro wrestling. Paul Heyman fingerprints over
the "crime scenes" for the past 56 months
or so. And WWE business is at historic levels. Feel
welcome to quote me.
Media
Man commentary for recent scribes in Search Engine
Journal - 2023
SEJ's
Kristi on the latest on the Hollywood writers strike
connection with AI, human writers and the like..To
paraphrase the world's leading tech entrepreneur/innovator,
Elon Musk, "Once you summon the beast (of AI)
there's no turning back". For me, founding and
overseeing a modest size independent media and online
publishing firm.Insew both opportunity and threats
with AI. More threats at this stage of the game..
Circa 1980 pro wrestling legend, "The American
Dream" Dusty Rhodes cut a promo which was decades
ahead of its time and included the verse, "A
computer took my job Daddy"..and "that's
hard times". Well, we may not be quiet at that
point but social is inching closer. We are somewhat
reluctantly starting to embrace some A.I elements.
Twitter Spaces broadcast raised interesting points
on AI in business and life over the past week. The
part about "summoning the demon" is still
giving me mild nightmares. AI can certainly save publishers
and the like a considerable amount of money? How?
By reducing if not elimination of human writers, web-coders
and so on. Ying and yang. AI wins and a human loses.
But, humans are still in control right?! This is getting
me even more fired up for the potential match: Musk
vs Zuck! Man vs Machine!
Media
Man commentary for Search Engine Journal: Supercharge
your Alt text SEO strategy
SEJ
- Alt Text AI.. motivated to work on an AI project
to help get the best parts of the subject and have
AI write one of these AI articles for us. Open AI,
xAI, Bard and/or other! AI tender wars could be a
potential growing trend. Save time and save money
by not having to pay a human to do a job an AI robot
machine can do! "Never pay a human to do a machines
job". (Agent Smith -;The Matrix). In AI and SEJ
we trust. Man over machine or Machine vs Human? Can
they both co-exist in the AI SEO space or will a battle
be looming or more a Darwinism for the AI writer and
scribe. An AI writer will work for nothing and around
the clock 365 right? Little wonder the article was
done or largely done by AI. A growing trend, or a
one-off? All the news that's fit to print on SEO.
AI SEO all the way to the bank.
Netflix
reveals jaw-dropping result after password sharing
crackdown
The
streaming giant has unveiled the results of its controversial
password-sharing crackdown – and they’re
quite staggering.
Netflix
has revealed that subscriptions to their streaming
service climbed by nearly six million in the wake
of its crackdown on password sharing.
The
streaming giant finished the recently ended quarter
with a total of 238 million subscribers and a profit
of $US1.5 billion ($1.77 billion), according to an
earnings release.
The
pick-up in subscribers came as a potentially crippling
writers and actors strike hits the US entertainment
industry, but with analysts saying Netflix is better
positioned than its rivals to weather the storm.
“We
are constantly at the table negotiating with everyone
across the industry,” Netflix co-chief executive
Ted Sarandos said during an earnings presentation.
“We
need to get to this strike to a conclusion so that
we can all move forward.”
Revenue
came in lower than expectations with Netflix posting
$US8.2 billion ($12 billion) in sales over the April
to June period, pushing the company’s shares
down more than eight per cent in after hours trading
on Wall Street.
Netflix
in May expanded its crackdown on users sharing passwords
with people beyond their immediate family as it seeks
to shore up revenue after a rough patch last year.
Earlier
this year the company complained that more than 100
million households were sharing accounts at the service.
“Let’s
face it, the crackdown on passwords is working,”
Navellier and Associates chief investment officer
Louis Navellier said of Netflix.
“I
was ecstatic with the results; I think they hit the
ball out of the park with subscriber growth.”
In its earning statement, the company said that the
policy would expand to all its markets worldwide.
To
convert non-paying users, Netflix has introduced “borrower”
or “shared” accounts, in which subscribers
can add extra viewers for a higher price or transfer
viewing profiles to new accounts.
Netflix
launched an ad-subsidised offering around the same
time as the crackdown, and on Wednesday eliminated
its lowest priced ad-free plan that cost $10 a month
in the US.
“The
decision to cut its basic tier is an effort to bolster
advertising by elevating the price difference between
its advertising and non-advertising tiers,” said
Insider Intelligence principal analyst Ross Benes.
“Building
an ads business from scratch isn’t easy and we
have lots of hard work ahead, but we’re confident
that over time we can develop advertising into a multi-billion
dollar incremental revenue stream,” Netflix said
in the letter to shareholders.
Benes
estimates that Netflix will generate $US770 million
($1.13 billion) in advertising revenue in the US this
year, and more than US$1 billion by 2024.
“Netflix’s
increased focus on password sharing will occur alongside
heightened pressure to expand ad revenue,” Benes
said.
“As
the service’s subscriber base plateaus in more
countries, Netflix will focus on moving price-sensitive
freeloaders to its cheaper ad-supported plan.”
Actors
on strike
The
earnings report came as Netflix and other film and
television makers see productions halted by an actors
and writers strike in the United States.
“The
share price is down a bit after market; there is worry
they will run out of content because of the Hollywood
strike,” Navellier told AFP.
Screen
Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) members joined writers who
have been on strike for weeks, triggering the first
industry-wide walkout for 63 years and effectively
shutting down Hollywood.
“Our
experts say that Netflix is best positioned to weather
the strike compared to competitors, but it could start
to feel pressure if its content pipeline gets increasingly
strained,” said Third Bridge analyst Jamie Lumley.
Sarandos
said on an earnings call in April that the company
has a “pretty robust slate of releases”
and a large base of upcoming films and shows from
around the world to help it endure a strike.
The
company touted the success of fresh Murder Mystery
and Extraction films, as well as series such as Bridgerton,
The Witcher and Never Have I Ever.
“This
year we’ll have more returning seasons than any
other streamer,” Netflix told shareholders, sharing
a list that included The Crown and Virgin River.
Netflix
scraps huge comeback movie for beloved 80s franchise
- July 2023
Netflix
has scrapped a huge comeback movie for a beloved 80s
series, despite already spending more than $44m developing
it.
Netflix
has scrapped a huge comeback movie for a beloved 80s
series.
Despite
spending more than $44m on the project, it seems the
upcoming film has officially been given the axe by
the streaming giant.
The
Masters of the Universe – based on the He-Man
and other Mattel toys – has been in the works
at Netflix since 2019.
The
streaming giant already released an animated series,
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe in 2021, and
two other shows were also in development.
However
according to Variety, despite the extortionate amount
of money spent on development costs, the project has
been axed.
The
news reportedly comes after “budget concerns”
were raised.
The
project previously had a tough time trying to find
its way to the big screen as it went through both
Warner Bros. and Sony Pictures.
Many
writers have been involved in the project since 2007,
as well as acclaimed directors Jon M. Chu and McG.
Huge
names were attached to the film including The Lost
City directors Adam and Aaron Nee and lead actor Kyle
Allen, 28, who is best known for roles in West Side
Story and American Horror Story.
Significant
pre-production procedures took place even though producers
worked to get the budget down.
Netflix
reportedly rejected a $180 million budget as it never
officially gave the project the green light.
Although
the film is no longer at Netflix, Mattel is reportedly
looking for a new home for the film.
CEO
of the company Ynon Kreiz recently told The New Yorker:
“It’s hundreds of pages of characters and
sorcerers and vehicles and weaponry – you name
it.
“And
then you flip through the pages, and here’s a
movie, and here’s a movie, and here’s a
TV show. . . . it’s endless!”
The
film is based off a toy line franchise of the same
name, which was also a hit cartoon series that aired
from 1983 to 1985 and consisted of 65 episodes.
The
series was so successful that it spawned a spin-off
series, She-Ra: Princess of Power, following the adventures
of He-Man’s sister, Princess Adora.
A
live action movie version was released in 1987 which
starred the likes of Dolph Lundgren, Courteney Cox
and Frank Langella.
‘They
Live’, starring Roddy Piper, returning To U.S
theaters For 35th Anniversary
John
Carpenter’s classic They Live, starring WWE star
Roddy Piper, Keith David, and Meg Foster, came out
in 1988. The film is based on “Eight O’Clock
in the Morning” by Ray Nelson. As AMC Theatres
summarized, They Live centers around “aliens
who are gaining control of the earth by masquerading
as humans and the one man determined to stop them.”
This special anniversary event will feature an exclusive
intro from director John Carpenter.” To commemorate
the movie’s thirty-fifth anniversary, it is returning
to theaters on September 3 and 6 through Fathom Events.
The special edition will include an exclusive intro
from Carpenter.
Meta
and other social media giants blocking news in Canada
- July 2023
Some
Instagram users in Canada are finding their access
to news accounts restricted as Meta and other social
media companies prepare for the country’s Online
News Act to come into effect. Meta, the company that
owns Instagram and Facebook, says it underwent testing
in June to limit some users and publishers from viewing
or sharing news content in Canada. It says tests impact
up to five per cent of Canadian users. Many have questions
about the federal government’s Online News Act,
why it’s being opposed by social media companies
and how the friction between the two will impact Canadian
users. Here are some of your questions, answered.
What
is the Online News Act?
The
Online News Act, or Bill C-18, is a piece of Canadian
legislation that requires tech companies like Google
and Meta to compensate news outlets for sharing links
to their pages. The law received royal assent on June
22 and is slated to take effect “no later than
180 days” after that date.
What
are the concerns for social media companies?
Critics,
including Meta and Google, say Bill C-18 is unfair,
unworkable and amounts to a tax on links, with no
recognition of the traffic or “free marketing”
the tech companies provide to news publishers. Along
with blocking access to some users, Meta has begun
an ad campaign on its Facebook and Instagram platforms,
criticizing the law and explaining its decision to
remove news links.
“The
Online News Act is based on the incorrect premise
that social media companies benefit unfairly from
news content shared on our platforms, but the reverse
is true,” said Lisa Laventure, spokesperson for
Meta, in a statement Monday. “News outlets voluntarily
share content on social media to expand their audiences
and help their bottom line. Unfortunately, the only
way we can reasonably comply with this legislation
is to end news availability for people in Canada in
the coming weeks.”
Is
this what the bill’s proponents wanted?
No.
Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez called Meta’s
move “disappointing” and said Canadians
will not be intimidated by these tactics. Meanwhile,
Paul Deegan, the head of News Media Canada, called
Meta’s move a “kick in the shins” to
Canadians at a time when the value and need for credible
information has never been greater.
“Meta’s
decision to ‘unfriend’ Canada by denying
access to trusted sources of news for some of their
users, as wildfires burn and when public safety is
at stake, is irresponsible and tone deaf,” Deegan
told CBC News in an email. “This hard-nose lobbying
tactic is more evidence of the power imbalance that
exists between dominant platforms and publishers.”
Will
this happen to all of us soon?
In
order to comply with the law, both Google and Meta
have stated they would remove news links in Canada
before the law comes into effect by the end of the
year. Rodriguez has said Google and Meta do not have
obligations under the law because the regulatory process
is just beginning.
“We’re
deeply convinced that Google’s and Facebook’s
concerns can be resolved through the regulatory process.
If Facebook truly believes that news has no value,
they can say so at the negotiating table,” Rodriguez
said in a statement on Monday. “Threats to pull
news instead of complying with the laws in our country
only highlight the power that platforms hold over
news organizations, both big and small.” Google
has said it will work with the government throughout
the regulatory process, while Meta believes the process
isn’t equipped to make changes to parts of the
legislation with which it disagrees.
What
is CBC doing about this?
Legacy
media and broadcasters have praised the bill, which
promises to “enhance fairness” in the digital
news marketplace and help bring in more money for
shrinking newsrooms. Tech giants including Meta and
Google have been blamed in the past for disrupting
and dominating the advertising industry, eclipsing
smaller, traditional players. CBC/Radio-Canada’s
corporate position is that the Online News Act will
help level the playing field and contribute to a healthy
news ecosystem in Canada “at a time when 80 per
cent of digital ad revenue goes to Facebook and Google,”
said spokesperson Leon Mar. In an editor’s blog,
CBC News editor-in-chief Brodie Fenlon has suggested
audiences follow the broadcaster on TikTok and other
apps, such as Gem and CBC Listen.
Has
there been pushback?
Meta,
which is based in Menlo Park, Calif., has taken similar
steps in the past. In 2021, it briefly blocked news
from its platform in Australia after the country passed
legislation that would compel tech companies to pay
publishers for using their news stories. It later
struck deals with Australian publishers. Gregory Taylor,
a communications, media and film professor at the
University of Calgary, pointed to Australia as an
example for why Canadian news publishers should hold
strong on their position.
“Facebook
is really trying to assert itself, but in the end
they can’t afford to lose a lot of these markets,”
Taylor previously told CBC North. “I believe
that we are at the leading edge of getting these companies
to contribute to our democracy by bringing in this
kind of funding model.”
What
is the answer to combat this?
Alfred
Hermida, a journalism professor at the University
of British Columbia, believes C-18 is a “flawed
piece of legislation” that doesn’t address
greater issues in the news industry, such as the concentration
of private media ownership.
“It
doesn’t take into account the record profits
of media conglomerates like Bell and Rogers,”
he previously told CBC News. “And it doesn’t
really do anything to support for more than 140 journalism
startups that have been created in Canada since the
year 2000.” In the near term, private messaging
and chat groups may also be alternatives as Meta’s
Facebook Messenger does not appear to be affected
by the company’s plans to block news links.
In
conclusion, the implementation of Canada’s Online
News Act has led to restrictions on news accounts
for some Instagram users in the country. Meta and
other social media companies have undergone testing
to limit the viewing and sharing of news content in
Canada. The Online News Act requires tech companies
to compensate news outlets for sharing links to their
pages. Social media companies like Meta and Google
oppose the law, stating that it is unfair and amounts
to a tax on links. Meta’s decision to block news
links has been criticized by proponents of the bill,
who argue that it is irresponsible and highlights
the power imbalance between platforms and publishers.
Both Google and Meta have announced plans to remove
news links in Canada before the law comes into effect.
CBC/Radio-Canada supports the Online News Act, believing
it will enhance fairness in the digital news marketplace.
There has been pushback from social media companies,
with Meta previously blocking news in Australia but
later striking deals with publishers. The answer to
combat this issue is still being debated, with some
arguing that the legislation does not address larger
issues in the news industry. In the meantime, private
messaging and chat groups may serve as alternatives
for accessing news content.
Top
5 Movies about writers on Netflix
Movies
are a great part of our lives. They make us happy
and sad, inspire us to embark on journeys to unknown
lands, and become our escape when everything seems
to go down. You can find a movie about literally anything
and use it as a tool to get out of a crisis.
This
is especially relevant for academic writers and their
blocks. The writing industry knows no boundaries,
starting with novel writers who spend years on their
books and finishing with professional essay writers
who can finish a difficult assignment in 8 hours.
SmartWritingService is a great sample of such websites.
Both
get writer’s blocks from time to time. Just like
batteries, they need to be recharged to continue their
work. Sometimes it’s the feeling of the worthlessness
of what they do, while other times, it’s just
general exhaustion.
If
you’re in a similar situation, let us help you
recharge with the 5 best movies about writers!
TOP
5 MOVIES ABOUT WRITERS
These
will enchant you with interesting stories and help
get your mind off the struggle. Get some popcorn,
a blanket for extra coziness, and let’s begin.
STRANGER
THAN FICTION
This
is an extraordinary story that comes alive thanks
to an amazing cast. Here you can see legends such
as Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson. Another treat
is Will Ferrel in an unusual role for him. We all
know the actor for his humor and sarcasm, but in this
movie, he’s a completely different, serious,
character.
With
this movie, you will experience all the stages of
the writing process, a unique interpretation of it,
and the way to make your characters open from new
sides on screen. It’s unique, creative, and very
engaging. The movie will leave an impression you won’t
be able to shake off for several days. And you won’t
have to!
MIDNIGHT
IN PARIS
If
you’re more into romantic stories, this movie
is a great choice for your rewind time. This is Woody
Allen at his best! The movie shows a story, filled
with romance and comedy, about a promising writer
on a journey to the most loving and loved city of
the world, Paris, with his fiancee.
The
author, played by the talented Owen Wilson, is filled
with fears, a lot of writers have, no matter the genre,
experience, or era. The movie takes a fantastic twist
when the writer meets a lot of authors he was inspired
by before their famous breakthroughs. Their stories
help him overcome every doubt and fear, coming out
a completely new person and giving himself a chance.
The
story is enhanced by the beauty of the French capital,
which is just magical.
SWIMMING
POOL
This
movie is more of a thriller, for those who like to
be on the edge of their seats, thinking of nothing
more but the plot. It’s about deadlines (the
most powerful thriller for a writer anyway) and inspiration
in unexpected places. The main character, played by
Charlotte Rampling, is nearing her deadline that comes
as quickly as an express train. She has a new novel
to present to her publisher, and it should become
as good as her previous successful book, maybe even
better.
She
goes to the countryside in France and meets a teen
played by Ludivine Sagnier. As teenagers can be, she’s
quite rebellious, but the writer, unexpectedly, finds
inspiration and motivation in their interaction that
drives her to make the book much better. The story
is filled with mystery, as well.
WILDE
The
name of the movie says everything. Oscar Wilde is
one of the most unique and famous writers in the world.
This story highlights certain parts of his personal
life, where a lot of writers can find similarities
or explanations to some of their questions.
The
author appreciated beauty in everything, was quite
witty and painfully honest in his works. This movie
can help you gain a new understanding of the world
of writing, personal crisis, and more. Besides, you’ll
find out a lot of new information about the writer,
which is always interesting.
SHAKESPEARE
IN LOVE
For
everyone who loves pretty things, this is an incredibly
beautiful movie. It stars Gwyneth Paltrow and is a
special film in her life. The actress won an Academy
Award for it! This is a drama-comedy about a writer
that everyone around the world knows.
We
learn about Shakespeare in school, and some continue
to do it due to their major or sheer interest in this
extraordinary person and a talented writer. The movie
is highly entertaining and beautiful, shot in a traditional
British manner. If you’re struggling with writer’s
block, this film is a must-watch!
Pop
Culture Podcast Wars; Media Man Monthly awards
4
Way Tie: Logan Paul's Impaulsive, WWE's Out Of Character,
Joe Rogan and Russell Brand
TMZ
wins Media Man 'Pop Culture News Outlet Of The Month'
WWE
wins Media Man 'Wrestling Promotion Of The Month'
Runner-ups: All Elite Wrestling, Game Changer Wrestling
and National Wrestling Alliance
Search
Engine Journal wins Media Man 'Search News Outlet
Of The Month'; Runner-up: Search Engine Land
Pop
Culture, Streaming, Wrestling, MMA, Combat Sports,
Movies, Sports Business...
Netflix
finally reveals how much it makes from Australians
- 1st June 2023
Netflix
made more than $1 billion from Australians last year,
a figure the company reported for the first time after
deciding no longer to funnel revenues through a Netherlands-based
subsidiary.
Accounts
lodged by the streaming giant show Netflix Australia
made $1.06 billion in 2022, up from $30.7 million
the year before.
The
increase in reported revenue came after the company’s
local subsidiary changed how it bills. It now describes
itself as a “distributor of access” to Netflix
Service as opposed to a provider of services for its
parent company.
It
was previously estimated that Netflix made between
$790 million and $1.4 billion from Australians, but
customers were billed by Netflix International BV.
But from January 1 last year, customers were billed
by Netflix Australia, meaning subscription revenue
was recognised and taxed locally.
The
accounts, filed with the Australian Securities and
Investments Commission, show Netflix Australia paid
$966 million to the Netflix Group in distribution
fees and other costs, meaning it made just $22.7 million
from total revenues of $1.06 billion.
After
paying $6.9 million in income tax, it reported $15.8
million profit for the year.
“As
Netflix continues to grow and invest in Australia,
we want our corporate structure to reflect our business
activities here,” a spokesman for Netflix said
last year when The Australian Financial Review reported
the structural change.
In
2021, Netflix Australia reported $30.7 million in
revenue, $2.4 million in profit pre-tax, and $1.5
million in profit after its $868,000 income tax bill.
Netflix
does not disclose subscriber numbers for Australia,
but the revenue figures included in its latest accounts
implies the service has around five million customers
locally, if its standard plan, $16.99 per month, is
used as a guide. It has four monthly price tiers including
a new, cheaper one that now adds some advertising.
According
to the Australian Communications and Media Authority,
streaming services made a combined $2.49 billion in
Australia in 2021.
The
disclosure of Netflix’s true Australian revenue
comes as the federal government considers introducing
quotas that would force streaming companies to spend
a certain amount making shows locally.
Some
suggestions have been forcing them to spend between
10 and 20 per cent of local revenue on Australian
shows, meaning Netflix would be required to spend,
depending on the rate, between $100 million to $200
million.
ACMA
estimates streaming providers spend $335.1 million
on Australian content in the 12 months to the end
of June last year, up from $178.9 million the year
before.
Netflix
has been contacted for comment.
News
Mistakes
and miscalculations: How the Murdochs and Fox got
it so wrong - 30th May 2023
In
August 2021, the Fox Corp. board of directors gathered
in Los Angeles. Among the topics on the agenda: Dominion
Voting Systems’ $US1.6 billion ($2.5 billion)
defamation lawsuit against its cable news network,
Fox News.
The
suit posed a threat to the company’s finances
and reputation. But Fox’s chief legal officer,
Viet Dinh, reassured the board: Even if the company
lost at trial, it would ultimately prevail. The First
Amendment was on Fox’s side, he explained, even
if proving so could require going to the Supreme Court.
That
determination informed a series of missteps and miscalculations
over the next 20 months, according to a New York Times
review of court and business records, and interviews
with roughly a dozen people directly involved in or
briefed on the company’s decision-making.
The
case resulted in one of the biggest legal and business
debacles in the history of Rupert Murdoch’s media
empire: an avalanche of embarrassing disclosures from
internal messages released in court filings; the largest
known settlement in a defamation suit, $US787.5 million;
two shareholder lawsuits; and the benching of Fox’s
top prime-time star, Tucker Carlson.
And
for all of that, Fox still faces a lawsuit seeking
even more in damages, $US2.7 billion, filed by another
subject of the stolen election theory, voting software
company Smartmatic.
Caught
flat-footed
Repeatedly,
Fox executives overlooked warning signs about the
damage they and their network would sustain, the Times
found. They also failed to recognise how far their
cable news networks, Fox News and Fox Business, had
strayed into defamatory territory by promoting President
Donald Trump’s election conspiracy theories —
the central issue in the case. (Fox maintains it did
not defame Dominion.)
When
pretrial rulings went against the company, Fox did
not pursue a settlement in any real way. Executives
were then caught flat-footed as Dominion’s court
filings included internal Fox messages that made clear
how the company chased a Trump-loving audience that
preferred his election lies to the truth.
It
was only in February that Murdoch and his son with
whom he runs the company, Lachlan Murdoch, began seriously
considering settling. Yet they made no major attempt
to do so until the eve of the trial in April, after
still more damaging public disclosures.
At
the centre of the action was Dinh and his overly rosy
scenario.
Dinh,
a high-level Justice Department official under President
George W. Bush, declined several requests for comment,
and the company declined to respond to questions about
his performance or his legal decisions. “Discussions
of specific legal strategy are privileged and confidential,”
a company representative said in a statement.
The
second half of 2020 brought Fox News to a crisis point.
The Fox audience had come to expect favourable news
about Trump. But Fox could not provide that on election
night, when its decision desk team was first to declare
that Trump had lost the critical state of Arizona.
In
the days after, Trump’s fans switched off in
droves.
The
Fox host who was the first to find a way to draw the
audience back was Maria Bartiromo. Five days after
the election, she invited a guest, Trump-aligned lawyer
Sidney Powell, to share details about the false accusations
that Dominion, an elections technology company, had
switched votes from Trump to Joe Biden.
Soon,
wild claims about Dominion appeared elsewhere on Fox,
including references to the election company’s
supposed (but imagined) ties to the Smartmatic election
software company; Hugo Chávez, the Venezuelan
dictator who died in 2013; George Soros, the billionaire
investor and Democratic donor; and China.
‘Fox
News did its job, and this is what the First Amendment
protects. I’m not at all concerned about such
lawsuits, real or imagined.’
Fox’s
chief legal officer Viet Dinh
On
November 12, a Dominion spokesperson complained to
Fox News Media chief executive Suzanne Scott and Fox
News Media executive editor Jay Wallace, begging them
to make it stop. “We really weren’t thinking
about building a litigation record as much as we were
trying to stop the bleeding,” said Thomas A.
Clare, one of Dominion’s lawyers.
As
Fox noted in its court papers, its hosts did begin
including company denials. But as they continued to
give oxygen to the false allegations, Dominion sent
a letter to Fox News general counsel Lily Fu Claffee,
demanding that Fox cease and correct the record. “Dominion
is prepared to do what is necessary to protect its
reputation and the safety of its employees,”
the letter warned.
Fox,
however, did not respond to the Dominion letter or
comply with its requests — now a key issue in
a shareholder suit filed in April, which maintains
that doing so would have “materially mitigated”
Fox’s legal exposure.
Three
months after the election, another voting technology
company tied to the Dominion conspiracy, Smartmatic,
filed its own defamation suit against Fox, seeking
$US2.7 billion in damages. Dominion told reporters
that it was preparing to file one, too.
Dinh
was publicly dismissive.
“The
newsworthy nature of the contested presidential election
deserved full and fair coverage from all journalists.
Fox News did its job, and this is what the First Amendment
protects,” Dinh said at the time. “I’m
not at all concerned about such lawsuits, real or
imagined.”
The
Fox legal team based much of the defence on a doctrine
known as the neutral reportage privilege. It holds
that news organisations cannot be held financially
liable for damages when reporting on false allegations
made by major public figures as long as they don’t
embrace or endorse them.
An
early warning came in late 2021. The judge in the
case, Eric M. Davis, rejected Fox’s attempt to
use the neutral reportage defence to get the suit
thrown out, determining that it was not recognised
under New York law, which he was applying to the case.
Even if it was recognised, Fox would have to show
it reported on the allegations “accurately and
dispassionately”, and Dominion had made a strong
argument that Fox’s reporting was neither, the
judge wrote in a ruling.
That
ruling meant that Dominion could have access to Fox’s
internal communications in discovery.
That
was a natural time to settle. But Fox stuck with its
defence and its plan.
Treasure
trove
At
nearly every step, the court overruled Fox’s
attempts to limit Dominion’s access to private
communications exchanged among hosts, producers and
executives. The biggest blow came mid-last year, after
a ruling stating that Dominion could review messages
from the personal phones of Fox employees, including
both Murdochs.
The
result was a treasure trove of evidence for Dominion:
text messages and emails that revealed the doubts
that Rupert Murdoch had about the coverage airing
on his network, and assertions by many inside Fox,
including Carlson, that fraud could not have made
a material difference in the election.
The
messages led to even more damaging revelations during
depositions. After Dominion’s lawyers confronted
Rupert Murdoch with his own messages showing he knew
Trump’s stolen election claims were false, he
admitted that some Fox hosts appeared to have endorsed
stolen election claims.
During
Carlson’s deposition last year, Dominion’s
lawyers asked about his use of a crude word to describe
women — including a ranking Fox executive. They
also mentioned a text in which he discussed watching
a group of men, who he said were Trump supporters,
attack “an Antifa kid”. He lamented in the
text, “It’s not how white men fight,”
and shared a momentary wish that the group would kill
the person. He then said he regretted that instinct.
There
is no indication that Carlson’s texts tripped
alarms at the top of Fox at that point.
The
alarms rang in February, when reams of other internal
Fox communications became public. The public’s
reaction was so negative that some people at the company
believed that a jury could award Dominion more than
$US1 billion. Yet the company made no serious bid
to settle.
All
along, the Fox board had been taking a wait-and-see
approach.
But
the judge’s pretrial decisions began to change
the board’s thinking. Also, in those final days
before the trial, Fox was hit with new lawsuits. One,
from former Fox producer Abby Grossberg, accused Carlson
of promoting a hostile work environment. Another,
filed by a shareholder, accused the Murdochs and several
directors of failing to stop the practices that made
Fox vulnerable to legal claims.
The
weekend before the trial was to begin, the board asked
Fox to see the internal Fox communications that were
not yet public but that could still come out in the
courtroom.
The
board learned for the first time of the Carlson text
that referred to “how white men fight”.
Dinh did not know about the message until that weekend,
according to two people familiar with the matter.
By
the time the board learned of the message, the Murdochs
had already determined that a trial loss could be
far more damaging than they were initially told to
expect. A substantial jury award could weigh on the
company’s stock for years as the appeals process
played out.
“The
distraction to our company, the distraction to our
growth plans — our management — would have
been extraordinarily costly, which is why we decided
to settle,” Lachlan Murdoch said at an investment
conference this month.
The
text also helped lead to the Murdochs’ decision
to abruptly pull Carlson off the air. Their view had
hardened that their top-rated star wasn’t worth
all the downsides he brought with him.
Still
pending is the Smartmatic suit. In April, Fox agreed
to hand over additional internal documents relating
to several executives, including the Murdochs and
Dinh. In a statement reminiscent of Dinh’s early
view of the Dominion case, the network said that Fox
was protected by the First Amendment.
“We
will be ready to defend this case surrounding extremely
newsworthy events when it goes to trial, likely in
2025,” the statement said.
News
Lachlan
Murdoch explains $1.2b settlement, says Fox News won’t
change ‘successful strategy’ - 10th May
2023
Fox
News paid $US787 million ($1.16 billion) to settle
a recent lawsuit on its reporting after the 2020 election
to avoid a divisive trial and lengthy appeals process,
its parent company’s chief executive said.
Lachlan
Murdoch, executive chairman and CEO of Fox Corp.,
also noted that a Delaware judge “severely limited”
Fox’s defences against Dominion Voting Systems,
which said the network defamed it by airing bogus
charges of election fraud that it knew was untrue.
Fox
Corp announced that it had lost $US50 million the
previous three months, which it attributed to the
lawsuit settlement. Murdoch, who answered questions
from financial analysts, was speaking in public for
the first time since the case ended and Fox fired
its most popular anchor, Tucker Carlson. Carlson has
just announced he is launching a new show on Twitter.
Murdoch
said viewers, and investors, should expect no change
in direction from Fox News.
“We
made the business decision to resolve this dispute
and avoid the acrimony of a divisive trial and multi-year
appeal process, a decision clearly in the best interests
of the company and its shareholders,” he said.
Fox
still believes it was properly exercising its First
Amendment rights to report on newsworthy fraud allegations
made by former President Donald Trump, even though
that defence was shot down in a pre-trial court ruling
in the Dominion case, Murdoch said.
That’s
important, since Murdoch said Fox intends to use the
same defence against a similar lawsuit by another
elections technology company, Smartmatic. That case
is not expected to go to trial until at least 2025,
he said.
Despite
being asked directly about Carlson’s exit, Murdoch
didn’t mention the former prime-time host’s
name and referred to his reign obliquely. Fox has
not explained why it cut ties with Carlson.
“There’s
no change in programming strategy at Fox News,”
he said. “It’s obviously a successful strategy.
As always, we are adjusting our programming and our
lineup and that’s what we continue to do.”
Although
hurt by the Carlson exit, Fox News remains the leading
cable news network.
Fox
has lost viewers following Carlson’s firing.
Last week’s substitute host, Lawrence Jones,
reached between 1.28 million and 1.7 million last
week in a time slot where Carlson usually drew around
3 million, the Nielsen company said.
Yet
Fox has gained more than 40 new advertisers in that
hour, the network said, confirming a report in Variety.
Advertisers like Gillette, Scott’s Miracle Gro
and Secret deodorant that had considered Carlson’s
show a toxic environment have signed on.
(AP)
News
Jesse
Armstrong on the roots of Succession: ‘Would
it have landed the same way without the mad bum-rush
of Trump’s presidency?’ - 27th May 2023
It
has been the TV drama of our time – a brutal,
hilarious unpicking of how power works. As the series
comes to an end, its creator looks back at its origin
and the unholy trinity of men who helped inspire Logan
Roy
My
first vivid memory of the project that would develop
into Succession was trying to get out of it. It was
about 2008 and I was on location for the filming of
Peep Show, the UK sitcom my longtime writing partner
Sam Bain and I wrote together. Between that show and
my work on The Thick of It and In the Loop, and a
bunch of other things, I was feeling overcommitted.
That particular day we were pretending a very normal
field in Hertfordshire was a safari park. I sloped
off from set and, hiding from imaginary lions, tried
to elegantly step away from the project.
I
failed. And in the following months as I wrote, slowly,
I became certain the script was a dud. It was stodgy
and odd. The original idea, a faux-documentary laying
out Rupert Murdoch’s business secrets, with them
delivered straight to camera, evolved as I worked
into a sort of TV play, set at the media owner’s
80th birthday party. Channel 4 were supportive, but
it was an odd form, this docudrama/TV-play, and difficult
to make happen. Around 2011, after a read-through
in London where John Hurt played Rupert, the project
essentially died.
My
US agent was the first person I recall suggesting
a totally different approach. A fictional family,
a multi-series US show. For five years or so, I dismissed
the idea, certain that a portrayal of a fictional
family would never have the power of a real one. Four
works changed my mind: HBO’s excellent Robert
Durst documentary, The Jinx; Sumner Redstone’s
grimly business-focused autobiography, A Passion to
Win; James B Stewart’s propulsive DisneyWar;
and Tom Bower’s fascinating Robert Maxwell biography
Maxwell: The Final Verdict. These turned the idea
of doing a media-family drama without a singular real-life
model from a terrible betrayal of reality into a tantalising
chance to harvest all the best stories. Here was an
opportunity to explore all the most fascinating family
dynamics within a propitiously balanced fictional
hybrid media conglomerate. I took a long, deep dive
into rich-family and media-business research.
I
talked about this, as-yet-unwritten, idea in half-ironised
terms as ‘Festen-meets-Dallas’
When
Sam and I decided to bring things to a close on Peep
Show, I flew out to pitch this media show around LA.
I had a clear idea of where I wanted to develop it,
but my agent persuaded me appetites would be whetted
if we had a number of potential homes. So I spent
three days doing a round of pitch meetings where I
talked about this as-yet-unwritten idea in half-ironised
terms as “Festen-meets-Dallas”. No stars,
Dogme 95 camerawork. Scared of driving on the five-lane
highways, I bumped around town in the back of a Honda
Civic while a nice young man from my US agent’s
mailroom ferried me between rooms stocked with identical
tiny bottles of water and executives of vastly varying
degrees of interest.
Eventually,
I got to HBO, the place I most wanted the show to
land, home to The Sopranos and Six Feet Under. I knew
they might be receptive. Frank Rich – once known
as the “Butcher of Broadway” for his theatre
criticism, but now an in-house consigliere –
had championed my work there to the boss, Richard
Plepler, and I’d previously developed a show
with them. So, out the back of a French-style bistro
on a three-cappuccino high, I pitched it to their
head of drama and comedy, Casey Bloys.
Sometimes
a pitch stretches thin and threadbare, the fabric
renting as you go, the other party peeping grimly
through the holes. Other times, the air thickens,
and you can feel the atmosphere in the room turn oxygen-rich
as the enthusiasm you are trying to project transforms
into an enthusiasm you are actually feeling.
By
the time I left LA, HBO had made an offer and Adam
McKay, fresh from The Big Short, had said he would
be interested in directing. I’d written another
Succession forerunner, a script about the US political
strategist Lee Atwater, for Adam and his producing
partner Kevin Messick. It had been one of the few
LA experiences I’d had where the excitement expressed
at the start of the project sustained through the
writing and attempts to get it made.
This
was 2016 and, once back in the UK, I wrote the pilot
through the spring and summer in a one-room flat I
rented on Brixton Hill, south London, walking across
Brockwell Park each morning, listening to podcasts
and reading news about the Brexit referendum. Scotland
had recently voted by a narrow majority to stay inside
the UK and the abiding sense right before the Brexit
vote was, yeah, change looms, it glistens, menacingly,
promisingly, but it doesn’t happen. Not really.
Really, everything stays the same.
But
then it did happen. And across the Atlantic, the Trump
campaign was igniting – even if initially his
candidacy felt like a slightly amusing, slightly too-vivid
flash in the pan. Into early autumn, in fact, all
serious people were still explaining to one another
that Trump couldn’t happen. Although I suppose,
looking back, there was a notable lack of detail in
terms of the mechanism by which he would be stopped.
I
think a lot of the better films and TV shows I’ve
been involved with have at their heart a quite simple
impulse around which the more subtle layers are spun.
In the Loop’s spark was anger at the Iraq war.
Chris Morris’s Four Lions I think was driven
by his gut feeling that something was very wrong with
the way we understood jihadi terrorism in the UK.
Peep Show was about oddball male friendship, perhaps
even “masculinity”.
I
guess the simple things at the heart of Succession
ended up being Brexit and Trump. The way the UK press
had primed the EU debate for decades. The way the
US media’s conservative outriders prepared the
way for Trump, hovered at the brink of support and
then dived in. The British press of Rothermere, Maxwell,
Murdoch and the Barclay brothers, and the US news
environment of Fox and Breitbart.
The
Sun doesn’t run the UK, nor does Fox entirely
set the media agenda in the US, but it was hard not
to feel, at the time the show was coming together,
the particular impact of one man, of one family, on
the lives of so many. Rightwing populism was on the
march across the globe. But in the fine margins of
the Brexit vote and Trump’s eventual electoral
college victory, one couldn’t help but think
about the influence of the years of anti-EU stories
and comment in the UK press, the years of Fox dancing
with its audience, sometimes leading, sometimes following,
as the wine got stronger, the music madder. It was
politically alarming and creatively appealing: to
imagine the mixture of business imperatives and political
instinct that exist within a media operation; to consider
what happens when something as important as the flow
of information in a democracy hits the reductive brutality
of the profit calculation inside such a company. How
those elements might rebound emotionally and psychologically
inside a family as it considered the question of corporate
succession.
For
Logan Roy, Murdoch, Redstone and Maxwell were my holy
trinity of models. But Conrad Black, Brian L Roberts
of Comcast, Robert Mercer of Breitbart, Julian Sinclair
Smith of Sinclair, Tiny Rowland, Rothermere, Beaverbrook
and Hearst all fed in. The three central models were
wildly different, of course: the self-made refugee
Maxwell and the already-rich Murdoch, a scion of Australian
journalistic royalty, both so different from the tough
Boston lawyer Redstone who started with a couple of
his father’s drive-in cinemas.
But
they were connected by a strong interest in a few
things: a refusal to think about mortality (Redstone
and Murdoch both used to make the same joke about
their succession plan: not dying); desire for control;
manic deal-making energy; love of gossip and power-connection;
a certain ruthlessness about hirings and firings.
And most of all, an instinct for forward motion, with
a notable lack of introspection.
Perhaps
the best part of Redstone’s autobiography for
a casual reader is the opening, where he recounts
clinging by one hand to a hotel balcony through a
fire. Despite suffering third-degree burns over half
his body, years of rehabilitation, excruciatingly
painful skin grafts, he says this event, after which
he made all his biggest business plays, had no impact
whatsoever on the trajectory of his life.
Whether
due to all this grist, or the aligning of the political
planets (in)auspiciously, the pilot came unnervingly
easily. Getting names in a script to feel real can
be hard for me – they’re a tell-tale sign
of whether I’m living inside it. Kendall, Shiv,
Roman, Connor. They all felt right straight off the
bat. Their inspirations, I suppose, were the children
of these magnates: three of the Maxwell kids, the
ones closest to the business (the boys, Ian and Kevin)
and to their father (Ghislaine). Brent and Shari Redstone,
with whom Sumner played a tough and complicated game
of bait-and-switch over CBS-Paramount succession.
And the Murdoch children, Prudence, Lachlan, James,
Elisabeth, Chloe and Grace.
But
getting those names for the Roy children made them
feel like their own individuals to me. It allowed
me to pour in just what I wanted from the real world,
fill each with all the faults they might have inherited,
while giving me room to add some extra, just for them.
Greg
and Tom came fast, too. Tom from two roots. One was
thinking about the sort of lunks I’ve occasionally
seen powerful women choose as partners. Plausible,
manly men with big watches and a soothing affable
manner. That mixed with the deadly courtier, a more
18th-century figure, minutely attuned to shifts in
power and influence, an invisible deadly gas that
occurs in certain confined places and rises to kill
anyone unwise enough not to take precautions. A hanger-on
sustained by some Fitzgeraldian illusions about the
world, a sense that perhaps the rich really are different
from us and a romantic ambition to make it in New
York City.
Greg,
I guess, was a distant relative of the sort of political
adviser I had myself briefly been. Gormless, clueless,
out of place and gauche. But not without an eye for
a deal. And, I hope, a little more wheedling and insinuating
than I ever was.
The
scenes flowed. I put all research aside and followed
my nose and wrote pretty much exactly what I wanted
The
charge between these two semi-outsiders struck me
from the start as toxic and comic. Tom, the interloper,
is like an organism that has found a precarious but
rewarding perch above some deep oceanic vent and adapted
itself to conditions perfectly. He is not pleased
at all to see a similar creature scuttling along hoping
to share the same cramped evolutionary niche. That
first half-bullying, half-provocative exchange they
share in the outfield at a softball game in the pilot
landed them right in the middle of a stew they’ve
been cooking in ever since.
The
scenes flowed. I had eaten a very large amount of
research, but once I was writing I put it all aside
and followed my nose and wrote pretty much exactly
what I wanted. It felt funny but odd and broken-ended,
fragmentary, abrupt, oblique and slightly brutal.
When I emailed it off, I had the familiar feeling
that Adam, Frank and HBO might email back to say not
only was it not good, it wasn’t even actually,
technically, a script. But their response was frighteningly
positive. Almost as though the script was finished,
after what was, I thought, a quick first draft. I
think every other episode of Succession has gone to
at least 30 drafts – usually 50. The pilot barely
hit 15.
We
had our read-through in New York on US election day
2016. Before we started, I made the sort of joke lots
of people made that day, assuming the polls were right
and Hillary Clinton was going to squeeze it. That
night we gathered in Adam McKay’s apartment to
watch the results roll in. Much later, I walked a
long walk back from Soho to where I was staying near
the United Nations looking at the electoral college
numbers projected on to the Empire State Building.
We
started filming the next day.
I
still wonder whether Succession would have landed
in the same way without the mad bum-rush of news and
sensation Trump’s chaotic presidency provided.
Trump wasn’t the firebombing of German civilians,
and nor is Succession Slaughterhouse-Five, but I do
sometimes think about Vonnegut saying no one in the
world profited from the firebombing of Dresden, except
himself.
This
is an edited extract from Succession: The Complete
Scripts – Seasons One, Two and Three (Faber &
Faber), out now at £20 each. To support the
Guardian and Observer, order your copies for £17.60
each from guardianbookshop.com.
The
final episode of Succession airs in the UK on Sky
Atlantic/Now on Monday. Jesse Armstrong donated the
fee for this article to the Writers Guild of America
strike assistance fund.
News
LIV
Golf announces new pay-per-view option - 26th May
2023
"The
hope for LIV is to grow off the success first seen
on YouTube in 2022, where the league attracted tournament
audiences of several hundred-thousand views in the
U.S. and abroad."
Going
forward, LIV Golf Series events will be available
via a pay-per-view option on YouTube.
The
new deal was detailed by James Colgan of Golf.com.
“Less
than six months after signing a media rights agreement
with the CW, LIV announced Friday that it has created
a new, pay-per-view broadcast option to run on YouTube,”
Colgan reported. “The PPV broadcast will cost
$3 per tournament day, LIV said in a release announcing
the decision, and will run in addition to the league’s
agreement with the CW.”
Colgan
also detailed that “A LIV source indicated that
the CW is aware of the decision to introduce a pay-per-view
model, and that the decision does not violate any
of the league’s preexisting broadcast agreements.”
“The
hope for LIV is to grow off the success first seen
on YouTube in 2022, where the league attracted tournament
audiences of several hundred-thousand views in the
U.S. and abroad. The league already has its own direct-to-consumer
subscription platform, LIV Golf Plus, which the PPV
channel will run counter to. LIV broadcasts will continue
to be streamed for free on the CW app.”
This
announcement comes less than two weeks after a rather
embarrassing moment for the tour. One week before
LIV’s Brooks Koepka triumphed at the PGA Championship,
the Saudi-backed golf series was in Tulsa.
On
one hand, it was a perfect showcase event for LIV.
Two of its most high-profile players, Dustin Johnson
and Cam Smith, went to a three-way playoff (along
with Branden Grace). But most of the people watching
did not get to see Johnson’s eventual triumph.
The
CW, the league’s primary broadcast partner, went
away from coverage in the vast majority of its markets,
showing “regularly scheduled programming.”
Jim Nantz was quick to make a joke at LIV’s expense
on the matter at the PGA Championship. The CW also
announced a change, saying that all events will be
shown to their conclusions going forward.
[Golf.com]
News
WWE
Night Of Champions Reportedly Earned Highest Viewership
Of Any Saudi Arabia Show - 31st May 2023
According
to a report from Fightful Select, Saturday's Night
of Champions PLE scored WWE the highest viewership
out of any of the company's Saudi Arabia events since
the partnership between the two began in 2013. The
report states that Night of Champions brought in an
18% increase in viewership compared to last year's
Crown Jewel event, and the company is reportedly quite
happy with its holiday weekend results.
Night
of Champions was headlined by Kevin Owens and Sami
Zayn successfully defending the Undisputed WWE Tag
Team Championship against Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa
of The Bloodline, with a major angle taking place
on the show that saw The Usos turn on Reigns after
more than a year of build-up and tension.This marks
the second time a tag team match has served as the
main event of a major WWE show in recent months. Additional
matches on the show included Seth Rollins vs. AJ Styles
to decide the first WWE World Heavyweight Champion,
a singles match between Becky Lynch and Trish Stratus,
and a Backlash rematch pitting Brock Lesnar against
Cody Rhodes, among others.
To
date, WWE has held nine PPVs and PLEs in Saudi Arabia,
along with three house shows. Back in 2019, WWE announced
that they had "expanded their partnership"
with Saudi Arabia, and that they would be hosting
two major events per year in the Middle Eastern nation
through at least 2027. Though it hasn't been announced
yet, WWE will likely return to Saudi Arabia for another
Crown Jewel event later this year.
News
Pat
McAfee Comments On Empty Seats At AEW Double Or Nothing
- 31st May 2023
All
Elite Wrestling's Double or Nothing pay-per-view took
place this past weekend at the T-Mobile Arena in Las
Vegas, Nevada. During the event, Wrestlenomics' Brandon
Thurston tweeted images of empty seats inside the
venue. Wrestling Observer's Bryan Alvarez also posted
a photo from his ringside position, which showed many
unoccupied places behind Orange Cassidy after he retained
the AEW International Championship in a Blackjack
Battle Royal. Former "WWE SmackDown" commentator
Pat McAfee has weighed in with his thoughts.
"Anytime
you get a shot away from hard cam, you know what I
mean, you can really see a lot of things," McAfee
said on "The Pat McAfee Show." "AEW
found out this weekend or whatever at one of their
events, it's like three quarters of an arena completely
empty. They don't want that photo out anywhere."
Ahead
of the pay-per-view going live on Sunday night, WrestleTix
revealed 10,229 tickets had been distributed for an
11,641 setup inside the T-Mobile Arena, leaving 1,412
tickets available. An Anarchy in the Arena match headlined
the show, with Blackpool Combat Club's Bryan Danielson,
Jon Moxley, reigning ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli,
and Wheeler Yuta picking up the win in that bout against
The Elite's Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson,
and "Hangman" Adam Page.
AEW's
next major standalone show, All In, which will take
place on August 27 at Wembley Stadium in London, England,
has currently sold over 65,000 tickets and has a gate
of over $8 million. No matches have been announced
for AEW's first event across the pond as of this writing.
Ticket sales for All In have slowed following an initial
surge.
News
WWE-UFC
merged company to be called ‘TKO Group Holdings’
- 16th May 2023
A
name has emerged for the group.
Coming
out of WrestleMania, it was announced by Endeavor
that an agreement had been reached with WWE and the
company would be merging with UFC to form a new sports
and entertainment company.
The
deal has not been formally finalized but a name for
the merged group has been revealed. CNBC’s Alex
Sherman and Mike Calia published a story and an Endeavor
spokesperson confirmed to the outlet that the new
group is going to be called ‘TKO Group Holdings’.
It
will trade under the New York Stock Exchange as ‘TKO’.
The
merger between WWE and UFC is being valued at $20
billion. Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel will be the CEO
of TKO Group and Vince McMahon is going to serve as
Executive Chairman.
News
Nick
Khan Says WWE In Talks With International Cities For
2024 PLEs
It
sounds as though WWE will continue expanding its PLEs
into international markets next year. Speaking at
the JP Morgan Global Technology, Media & Communications
Conference, WWE CEO Nick Khan stated that the company
was discussing the potential for additional overseas
shows in 2024.
"We're
in conversations now with a lot of international cities
about doing 2024 shows there," Khan said. "Also,
part of the intent is to match those up with our media
rights, even if they're not up to over-deliver for
incumbent partners who can then invite their partners
in the international city to the event, and host them.
It's good for our overall business." Khan's comments
came as part of a conversation about countries offering
subsidies to WWE for bringing shows there, as the
company brings a great deal of revenue to the city
for major events. Khan cited recent events in Puerto
Rico as well as the Dallas, Texas area as examples.
Previous
rumors pointed toward Australia as a potential location
for a future international WWE PLE. However, it's
unknown if negotiations with the country have progressed
in the months since.
WWE
has steadily ramped up its major international shows
over the last five years, with the company holding
several yearly events in Saudi Arabia, as well as
last year's Clash at the Castle and the upcoming Money
in the Bank both being held in the United Kingdom.
It seems fans around the world should stay on the
lookout for upcoming announcements regarding WWE's
international schedule in 2024.
News
“We
Let People Go”: Months After $21.4 Billion UFC-WWE
Deal, Endeavor CEO Recalls “Horrible” Time
for Organization - 2nd June 2023
The
year 2020 brought unprecedented challenges for individuals
and organizations alike, and the UFC was no exception.
The promotional frontman Dana White has reflected
on those uncertain times and shared the struggles
the organization faced in keeping things going. Despite
the pandemic, White was determined to keep the show
running and provide entertainment for fight fans worldwide.
While the rest of the world was shut down, the UFC
managed to organize consistent events, albeit on a
smaller scale. However, this arduous journey was not
without its fair share of hardships.
Ari
Emanuel, the CEO of Endeavor, the parent company of
the UFC and William Morris Endeavor talent agency,
revealed the significant challenges they encountered
during the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though Endeavor
recently secured a massive $21.4 billion deal to acquire
the WWE, during the COVID-19 days, the company found
itself at rock bottom struggling to stay afloat.
When
Covid-19 posed a threat to the UFC
In
an interview on the “Freakonomics Radio”
podcast, Emanuel shared how the pandemic affected
the company financially. During the interview, podcast
host Stephen Dubner asked Emanuel, “Did you think
COVID might kill Endeavor?”. Reflecting on this,
the 62-year-old CEO replied, “It was bad,”
He continued, “I’d never had to fire that
many people.”
Emanuel
mentioned that the continuation of UFC fights during
the pandemic played a crucial role in saving the company,
accounting for approximately 70% of their revenue
that year. Further talking about the struggles to
keep the organization alive during the pandemic, the
Endeavor CEO stated, “We had our ESPN deal. We
then started making deals for writers. So we stored
all the cash. We didn’t let anything out. We
let people go, which was horrible, or furloughed them.”
Through
the storm, Endeavor’s leadership team, led by
Emanuel, proved to be the lighthouse that guided them
to safer shores. The UFC’s resilience and the
implementation of innovative strategies, such as the
‘Fight Island’ events, not only salvaged
the company but also became a beacon of hope for other
professional sports leagues.
News
“Very,
Very Easy for Jon Jones”: Ex-UFC Star Ruthlessly
Shuts Down Tyson Fury Days After Boxer’s Callout
of UFC Champ in Ugly Public Feud - 1st June 2023
The
claim made by Joe Rogan that Tyson Fury would stand
no chance against Jon Jones has sparked an intense
and never-ending debate. Recently, another prominent
figure from the UFC, the world of mixed martial arts,
has jumped into this heated discussion. However, ‘The
Gypsy King’ himself strongly opposed the take
of the UFC commentator and didn’t hold back in
expressing his views. In fact, he went as far as bashing
Rogan and proudly proclaimed himself to be ‘the
baddest man on the planet’.
As
the back and forth continued between Fury and Rogan,
UFC president Dana White has stepped in, proposing
a potential fight between Fury and Jones. However,
the WBC heavyweight champion firmly refused to step
into the octagon, dismissing the idea altogether.
This decision faced an immediate backlash from fans
who had eagerly anticipated the materialization of
this debate inside the fighting arena.
Despite
the disappointment felt by fans, it becomes evident
that the 34-year-old boxer has no intention of venturing
into the octagon. On the contrary, a former UFC welterweight
challenger believes that Fury would fare well in the
realm of mixed martial arts. However, he warns that
there may be unforeseen challenges along the way.
Tyson
Fury will have a Jon Jones threat in MMA
During
a recent interview, the former UFC fighter Dan Hardy
shared his reflections on the latest happenings in
the combat sports world, ranging from boxing to MMA.
However, it was the Tyson Fury-Jon Jones debate that
took center stage.
The
41-year-old Hardy began by heaping praise on ‘The
Gypsy King’ for his potential in MMA, stating,
“Tyson Fury doesn’t come from a boxing background.
He comes from a fighting man background. Tyson Fury
sees himself as a fighter first that boxes, and I
think he looks at mixed martial arts and sees lots
of ways he can capitalize on the changing of the rules.”
Continuing
his analysis, Hardy mentioned Fury’s collaboration
with Tom Aspinall and how he has showcased proficient
elbows and knees in the videos shared with him. ‘The
Outlaw’ confidently stated, “I feel like
Tyson Fury would be really good if he crossed over
to mixed martial arts. Of course, there’d be
a lot for him to learn. The main issue would be, he’d
be very, very easy for Jon Jones to take down. And
I think that’s something that Tyson has not experienced
and has not and has not really quite comprehended.”
Meanwhile,
Jon Jones recently made a strong statement in his
heavyweight debut, securing a first-round victory
against Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 after returning from
a three-year-long hiatus.
This
certainly explains Dan Hardy’s warning to Tyson
Fury. How do you think ‘The Gypsy King’
would fare in MMA?
News
Dwayne
Johnson to Return as Luke Hobbs in New ‘Fast
and Furious’ Standalone Film - 7th June 2023
Dwayne
Johnson is returning to the “Fast and Furious”
universe with a new standalone film, reprising his
franchise role as Luke Hobbs.
Universal
Pictures announced the project on Thursday. Longtime
“Fast and Furious” collaborator Chris Morgan
wrote the untitled film’s script. Plot details
were not available, though individuals familiar with
the deal said the new movie will bridge between the
events of the just-released “Fast X” and
the upcoming “Fast X: Part II,” which is
expected in 2025. Johnson just appeared as Hobbs,
a diplomatic security service agent, in a credits
scene for “Fast X.”
Johnson
will produce the film with Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia
for their Seven Bucks Productions, along with Vin
Diesel and Samantha Vincent via their One Race Films.
Additional producers include Chris Morgan for his
Chris Morgan Productions, Jeff Kirschenbaum for Roth/Kirschenbaum
Films and Neal Moritz for Original Film.
Screenwriter
Morgan wrote and produced “Fast and Furious Presents:
Hobbs & Shaw” and “The Fate of the Furious.”
He’s also scripted and executive produced the
fifth, sixth and seventh entries in the franchise.
Directed by Louis Leterrier, “Fast X” opened
at No. 1 around the world in May with $320 million
and became the second-biggest global opening of 2023.
Johnson
announced Hobbs’ return with a video posted to
social media with the caption: “Your reactions
around the world to Hobbs’ return in ‘Fast
X’ have blown us away. The next ‘Fast &
Furious’ film you’ll see the legendary lawman
in will be the Hobbs movie that will serve as a fresh,
new chapter & set up for ‘Fast X: Part II.'”
“Last
summer Vin Diesel and I put all the past behind us,”
Johnson added. “We’ll lead with brotherhood
and resolve – and always take care of the franchise,
characters & fans that we love. I’ve built
my career on an ‘audience first’ mentality
and that will always serve as my north star.”
Johnson
is repped by WME, lawyers Gang, Tyre, Ramer, Brown
& Passman, Inc. and The Lede Company.
Seven
Bucks has co-produced films like Disney’s “Jungle
Cruise” and the DC Studios entires “Black
Adam” and “DC League of Super-Pets.”
Original series include NBC’s “Young Rock”
and “The Titan Games.” Johnson will next
produce and star in “Red One” at Amazon
Studios and Disney’s live-action “Moana.”
News
13
States Comment On Possibility Of Allowing Gambling
On WWE Matches
In
March 2023, CNBC reported that WWE was working toward
legalizing gambling on wrestling matches, enlisting
the services of accounting firm Ernst & Young,
with Michigan, Colorado, and Indiana mentioned as
the initial targets. As of now, betting on WWE matches
is only available at offshore sportsbooks like BetOnline.ag,
based out of Antigua, and Bovada, based out of Latvia.
Betting on matches in America would open up new streams
of revenue for WWE and add some mainstream legitimacy
to the sports entertainment powerhouse.
Since
that report broke, however, it's been nothing bad
news for WWE in the gambling department. Dave Meltzer
has reported that WWE's efforts aren't going well
— Colorado denied talking to WWE and said that
"By statute, wagers on events with fixed or predicted
outcomes ... are strictly prohibited in Colorado."
Indiana told Casino.org that it had "no interest
in approving wagering on scripted events," and
Michigan also denied any recent talks with WWE, while
New Hampshire Lottery Commission executive director
Charlie McIntyre deemed it "very unlikely"
betting on WWE gets approved in New Hampshire.
In
light of this, Wrestling Inc. reached out to multiple
states about the possibility of legalized betting
on WWE matches. Each gambling commission was asked
1) how likely WWE would be to succeed if they pitched
gambling on matches to them, and 2) if there were
any regulations, laws, or statutes that barred betting
on something with predetermined outcomes. 13 states
-– Arizona, Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Maryland,
Massachusetts, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio,
Oregon, South Dakota, and Washington -– responded.
While their responses varied slightly, overall, they
paint a picture of increasingly fewer opportunities,
and increasingly more obstacles, for legal gambling
on WWE matches to get approved.
At
least three states say they wouldn't allow gambling
on WWE as a matter of policy, even if there are no
explicit laws against it.
Kerry
Hemphill, Manager of Sports Betting Product at the
Oregon Lottery, made it clear that gambling on WWE
wouldn't be allowed as a matter of policy in the Beaver
State: "Although there is no law or statute that
forbids it, Oregon Lottery sports betting policy is
to not accept wagers on scripted events with predicted
outcomes."
Seth
Elkin, Assistant Director of Communications for Public
Affairs for Maryland Lottery and Gaming, also told
us his state had made a determination on the matter.
"Maryland's sports wagering law and regulations
prohibit forms of wagering that are contrary to public
policy or unfair to bettors," he said. "We've
determined that it is unfair to bettors, and therefore
not in the public's interest, to accept wagers on
sports entertainment events that have predetermined
outcomes, like professional wrestling."
Meanwhile,
a representative from the South Dakota Department
of Revenue simply said, "WWE wrestling matches
would not be eligible for sports wagering in South
Dakota."
Iowa
and Ohio say no to betting on predetermined events
Two
more states said that predetermined events weren't
permitted, but made a point to highlight policy and
procedure. Brian J. Ohorilko, Administrator of the
Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, also shot down
gambling on wrestling for the time being.
"Predetermined
events are not permitted in the State of Iowa,"
he told Wrestling Inc. "Iowa law defines and
permits professional sporting events and sports-related
events; however, fixed or predetermined outcomes are
not explicitly permitted. As such, and for other integrity
concerns, the commission has not permitted predetermined
events in any of the approved wagering markets."
Ohorilko
also brought up the process that would be required
for any kind of legalization: "From a practical
standpoint, any request would need to come with a
legal opinion as to how this would be permitted under
Iowa law," he said. "It would need to go
through legal review with consultation from the AG
office. If legal review passes, the commission would
still need to review policy and integrity concerns
with respect to the activity having predetermined
outcomes. Approval would be needed before this type
of wagering activity could take place."
Ohio
tells a similar story. Jessica Franks, Director of
Communications for the Ohio Casino Control Commission,
pointed us towards Rule 3775-11-01 of the Ohio Administrative
Code — the process for adding to Ohio's catalog
of wagers and events. She said the Commission's review
of such requests includes, but is not limited to,
the following criteria:
The
quality of the governing body's documented integrity
program.
The
general availability of information related to the
governing body.
The
professional or skill level status of athletes.
The
history of integrity related to events sanctioned
by the governing body.
This
already puts the WWE in shaky territory, but it's
seemingly locked out for good with the following consideration:
"Please note that the Commission will not approve
requests for wagers/events involving 'Events which
are pre-recorded or in which the outcome has been
otherwise previously determined.'"
Arizona
and Connecticut have laws against betting on fixed
outcomes
At
least two states have laws in place that would ban
gambling on WWE matches.
Max
Hartgraves, Public Information Officer at the Arizona
Department of Gaming, provided a straightforward statement:
"Arizona statute prohibits gambling on fixed
events."
Meanwhile,
when asked how likely WWE would be to garner approval
for gambling on matches, Kaitlyn Krasselt, Communications
Director at Connecticut Department of Consumer Protections,
said "I cannot speculate on that." That
said, she did inform Wrestling Inc. about state regulations
on gambling: "Connecticut law only allows wagering
on sporting or athletic events. WWE is sports entertainment.
The 'matches' are predetermined by the company and
are scripted. There is no regulation body for professional
wrestling, and WWE is one of several companies that
offers this type of entertainment. With a predetermined
outcome, this would not be considered a sport. It
is considered entertainment. Wagering on the Oscars,
for example, is also not permitted in Connecticut."
That
last part is significant, since CNBC's report mentioned
that WWE executives were using Oscar betting as an
example for regulators.
Maine
and Montana agree with most of their colleagues
Two
states specifically cited the statements from Colorado,
Indiana, Michigan, and New Hampshire in their responses.
After hearing that four other states had expressed
skepticism over betting on WWE, Maine Gambling Control
Unit Executive Director Milton Champion said, "On
the surface, without looking into the matter, I would
concur with my colleagues. Operators will submit with
their application events that they want to take wagers
on, and I shall approve them."
Daniel
Iverson, Content Manager for the Montana Lottery,
said something similar. "Montana does not intend
to add WWE markets, for the same reasons our counterparts
cited," he advised, before directing any questions
on state law to the Montana Department of Justice
Gambling Control Division.
New
Jersey and Massachusetts punted, for now
Two
states we contacted declined to comment on the matter,
not wanting to address issues that haven't come before
them yet. Thomas Mills, Communications Division Chief
of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, said, "I
appreciate your question, but am unable to speculate
on a hypothetical action the Commission may or may
not take."
Dan
Prochilo, Public Information Officer at the New Jersey
Attorney General's Office, responded that "The
Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) cannot comment
on any hypothetical discussion with an operator or
league about future sports betting opportunities."
He added that "In New Jersey, an entity seeking
permission for a contest to be authorized for wagering
on a sports event is required to submit its proposal
to DGE for evaluation and approval pursuant to state
law and regulations."
Prochilo
also provided the state's legal definition of a "sports
event" for the purposes of gambling. Notably,
it includes the phrase "A 'sports event' shall
include any live competition or talent contest, including
awards competitions[.]"
New
Jersey and Massachusetts are two of the only states
that allow betting on the Oscars, with New Jersey
okaying it in 2019 (the first state to do so) and
Massachusetts greenlighting it in 2023. It's unknown
if WWE will approach either state or how each state
would respond, but at bare minimum, WWE's argument
to treat wrestling like the Oscars for betting purposes
might carry some weight.
Washington
and New Mexico illustrate the challenges of Tribal
gaming
Washington
is unique among the states who responded to us, in
that sports wagering is only available on Tribal lands
yet still regulated by the state. Sports wagering
was legalized, subject to terms of Tribal/State Compacts,
on Tribal lands in 2020. All wagering, even online
betting, must take place on Tribal lands, and each
casino decides bets within certain limitations. The
Angel of the Winds Casino and Resort and the ilani
Casino Resort, for example, don't 100% overlap on
sports offered for betting.
But
WWE, or any wrestling, won't be joining those offering
under current rules and regulations. Dan Wegenast,
Agent In Charge for the Tribal Gaming Unit of the
Washington State Gambling Commission, pointed Wrestling
Inc. towards the Tribal/State Compacts for sports
wagering. He also stated that "Washington State
law and the Tribal/State Compacts for sports wagering
... prohibit wagers on events with known outcomes."
To
further illustrate the complications of garnering
approval for gaming on Tribal lands, a representative
from the New Mexican Gaming Control Board told Wrestling
Inc. that sports betting is illegal in their state,
but legal with some Tribes. That said, New Mexico
does not regulate Tribal gaming, meaning that approval
would likely have to be worked out with each Tribe
individually.
There
are other obstacles, too
It's
worth noting that gambling laws are constantly changing.
Many states without gambling –- such as North
Carolina -– have spent years hammering out legislation
that would approve gambling off Tribal lands. Additionally,
for states with legalized gambling, internal policies
are not inherently laws, and can be subject to change
under the right circumstances.
That
said, even if WWE manages to get gambling on matches
approved anywhere, that's only one part of the battle:
They still need casinos and/or sportsbooks to be willing
to accept wagers at all, and there's resistance in
this field, as well, as demonstrated in subsequent
coverage from CNBC. FanDuel deems it unlikely that
they'd ever accept bets on WWE, noting that the Academy
Awards –- which held once per year -– are
vastly different than dealing with WWE's weekly programming.
Additionally, when BetCEO Adam Greenblatt was asked
if he had any interesting in accepting bets on WWE,
he responded "NFW."
Between
the overwhelming majority opinions of the 13 states
who responded to Wrestling Inc., the states that have
already responded, and the reluctance of sportsbooks
to include anything that looks less than credible,
WWE faces an increasingly uphill battle if they want
to make betting on wrestling matches legal anywhere
in the United States.
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Network et al. Opportunities, threats and unknowns Terry
Funk best professional wrestler of all time says Media Man agency; Closely followed
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Zealand bars Mike Tyson as tour debacle looms - 3rd October 2012 WELLINGTON,
New Zealand (AP) - In a reversal, New Zealand authorities on Wednesday barred
Mike Tyson from entering the country whose indigenous Maori people Tyson says
inspired his facial tattoo. And
a Downunder speaking tour for the former heavyweight boxing champion was threatening
to fall apart altogether as Australian immigration authorities said they've yet
to decide whether to allow him into that country. Tickets for appearances in New
Zealand and five major Australian cities in November are still being promoted
by a Sydney agency. Tyson's
1992 rape conviction would normally prevent his entry in New Zealand and could
be grounds for denial in Australia as well. He had been granted an exemption for
New Zealand before that visa was cancelled Wednesday, days after the prime minister
spoke out against the visit. Tyson
was to speak at a November event in Auckland, the "Day of the Champions,"
which is being promoted by Sydney agency Markson Sparks! New
Zealand's Associate Immigration Minister Kate Wilkinson said she'd initially granted
entry because a children's health charity would get some of the proceeds from
Tyson's speech. She said in a statement her decision was "a finely balanced
call" but that the charity that would have benefited, the Life Education
Trust, withdrew its support Tuesday. "Given
that the trust is no longer supporting the event, on balance, I have made the
decision to cancel his visa," Wilkinson wrote in her statement. The
charity's chief executive, John O'Connell, however, said the charity long ago
decided not to accept any money from the event due to its concerns over Tyson's
character, but that a volunteer trustee had mistakenly sent a letter to immigration
authorities supporting Tyson's plans. Meanwhile,
a spokesman for Australia's Department of Immigration and Citizenship said "I
can tell you that a decision is still pending" on Tyson's application for
an Australian visa. Tyson's
criminal history could prevent him from obtaining an Australian visa. Would-be
visitors normally must pass a character test. Those with a "substantial criminal
record" - which by the immigration department's definition includes people
who, like Tyson, have been sentenced to more than a year in prison - would fail
the test. But the department can still use its discretion to grant a visa. Markson
Sparks! has been advertising tickets for Tyson's Australian appearances at between
69 and 300 Australian dollars ($71 and $308). Colorful
promoter Max Markson said he'd been "hoping it might be a smoother run with
Mike Tyson" but that he remained confident Australia would grant Tyson a
visa and that New Zealand would reverse its decision when he found another suitable
charity. "He'll
only be in the country for 20 hours, I don't think he's a danger to anybody, and
thousands of people want to see him," Markson said of Tyson's planned New
Zealand leg. Markson
said he's continuing to sell tickets to the planned speeches in both countries
and that buyers will get a full refund if the shows are cancelled. He said he
had immigration lawyers in Australia, New Zealand and the U.S. working on the
case. Speaking
to the APNZ news agency this week from Las Vegas before his New Zealand visa was
cancelled, Tyson said his tattoo was inspired by those worn by New Zealand's indigenous
Maori. In pre-European times, many Maori wore elaborate facial tattoos as a sign
of their status in their tribe. Some Maori today who identify strongly with their
traditional culture get similar tattoos. Tyson
told the agency that, aside from their tattoos, he knew little about the Maori
people "so I'm looking forward to come down there and see them." Prime
Minister John Key spoke to media against the planned visit this week, questioning
the decision by immigration authorities and saying he personally disapproved of
the visit given Tyson's conviction for such a serious crime. Before
his visa was cancelled, Tyson told APNZ: "Fortunately, I am coming to New
Zealand and there's nothing they can do about it and I'm so sorry, I'm sorry they
feel disappointed and I'm just living my life." Tyson
was sentenced to six years in prison for the 1991 rape of 18-year-old Desiree
Washington in an Indianapolis hotel room. He served three years before being released
on parole. News Former
WWE champion Dave Bautista gets new opponent Former
WWE champion Dave Bautista has a new opponent heading into Saturday’s CESMMA
event in Providence. The
promotion announced tonight at Vince Lucero (20-22) has stepped in on short notice
after Rashid Evans pulled out of the fight last week. The 40-year-old Lucero is
0-9-1 in his last 10 fights, though he has fought multiple UFC veterans including
Tim Slyvia, Roy Nelson, Eddie Sanchez, Lavar Johnson, Brad Imes, Tim Hague. The
43-year-old makes his MMA debut on Saturday at the Dunkin Donuts Center follwing
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Gambling Firms Push Via Sports Broadcasts, by Greg Tingle - 2nd April 2011 G'day
punters, casino and gambling millionaires and billionaires, sports nuts, politicians,
legal eagles, one and all. Australia remains red hot territory for gambling news.
We've got Aussie sports media commentators plugging gambling, the pro club gambling
campaign driving forward, NRL sports betting probe developments with a link to
Tasmanian "devils" and Aussie pokies manufacture Aristocrat making a
comeback, with the pokies boss hitting his own jackpot. All that and more. Media
Man http://www.mediamanint.com and Gambling911
with your gambling, sports betting and pokies news mix from the land of kangaroos
and koalas, with a rabid Tasmanian devil on the loose... Gambling
Companies Push Via TV Broadcasts And News Media... Gambling
giants have the big push on via promoting sports
betting with a volatile and quite effective array of sweet deals with clubs,
sporting codes, television stations and a big spread of traditional and new media
outlets. Sports
commentators are at the front line with frequent betting odds updates, and mid-match
updates are a field day, if you will. It's all part of the strategy in place with
bookies and big name gambling operators. "If
you like to have a punt on rugby league, and why wouldn't ya, the Broncos are
$1.50 on TAB Sportsbet," former Queensland Origin great Paul Vautin told
NRL viewers in Friday's
opening-round match against the Cowboys. "Please
bet responsibly - we have to say that. If you race down to the TAB at half-time,
or ring TAB Sportsbet, they are the prices at the moment." Next
up was Network Nine
broadcaster Wally Lewis just after the first half of the game with "TAB Sportsbet
right now, Broncos first to score in the second half, $1.75." Plenty
of other sports are in on the action too, with Network Nine sports getting the
nod on the most gambling and sports betting plugs. Cricket has broadcasting Richie
Benaud discussing the odds, with a bit of help from his fellow commentators, as
part of a cool deal with James
Packer's 50% owned Betfair. Nine
head of sport Steve Crawley said the broadcaster's promotion was no different
from newspapers providing odds on sports and horse races. "We're
electronic media, so when we do that it's in-game. I realise some people have
awful problems with gambling, but the reality is that it's getting bigger and
bigger." It's
hot fodder in the NRL, which is sponsored by TAB Sportsbet, has deals with "approved
betting providers" and permits clubs to have their own gambling sponsors. The
footy still has a scandal on the go from alleged illegal betting surrounding last
year's infamous Canterbury Bulldogs VS North Queensland Cowboys game. NRL
chief exec David Gallop said corruption was one of the biggest concerns for sporting
administrators. "The
risks in terms of penalties have to be severe," said Gallop, who is pushing
for a specific match-fixing offence and has warned of offenders facing life bans. The
AFL is also sponsored by TAB Sportsbet and betting firms support individual clubs,
including Centrebet's deal with 2010 runner-up St Kilda for a reported $1 million
a year. TAB
Sportsbet has deals with Seven
and Fox Sports. Overseas
operators such at PartyGaming
and PKR have also leaked
that they are interested in getting into big media deals in Australia,
with an already strong internet presence. Cricket
Australia allows Betfair
on grounds, and the National Basketball League has a deal with Centrebet
that includes court promotions. UFC,
boxing, horse
racing, tennis, soccer
and even surfing
enjoy strong sports betting action in Australia, with a number of other sports
like snooker looking
to plug into the gambling
deals in Australia. Aussie
Media and Racing King John Singleton Drives Forward Pro Pokies Ad Push... John
"Singo" Singleton, who happens to love a punt himself, in the man
and the brains behind the $20 million advertising campaign by the Aussie clubs
against the Julia Gillard government's slot machine reforms. The
Gillard government is hell bent so it seems to implement the "problem gambling"
reforms to retain whatever support might remain from Tasmanian "devil"
(satire) "independent" Andrew Wilkie. Singo's
ad firm Banjo has developed a media and public relations campaign to focus on
recreational gamblers' fears of having any government 'Big Brother' spying on
their betting habits. Yep, we kid you not. Australia's are being spied on, and
pokie palaces may turn into one of the ultimate evil "eyes in the sky",
that may end up making Google Earth and Google Maps look like child's play. The
Banjo deal for a cool $20 mil, running for 2 years, started with online video
and newspaper adverts. It will then pick up even more stream via radio, television,
billboards and even pub coasters. Australian newspapers have already been giving
the news story strong mileage and its taking on a life of its own, with most gamblers
hating what they hear of government 'Big Brother'. The
clubs is dead against a mandatory scheme for players to register before playing
poker machines, using so called smartcards (not so smart say European trials)
and self-selected gambling limits (which can be manipulated). A
leak said "Clubs Australia said that gambling revenue will drop considerably
as recreational gamblers get pissed with the government and clubs, and will take
more to online gambling "like a duck to water". This is right on the
money and cards. The 'Big Brother' approach is a false solution - actually, its
no solution. It's a smokescreen and spin. The public are not that stupid, they
are actually quite smart, and Labor has underestimated Australians intelligence
once again. No wonder Labor lost the NSW state election". Singo
and a consortium of investors, including the investment banker Mark Carnegie,
the retail king Gerry Harvey and ex Qantas chief executive Geoff Dixon, have purchased
high-profile Sydney pubs including Kinselas, the Bellevue Hotel and Peakhurst
Inn. Singleton also jointly owns the Hotel Steyne in Manly. He
had a strong association with the Labor government under Bob Hawke during the
'80s and early '90s, but last year developed ads attacking Labor on health during
the election campaign, and earlier joined the mega push against the mining tax
with a campaign for a Perth client, tipped to be Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest. "The
government's belated decision to perform a cost benefit analysis on mandatory
pre-commitment is back to front,'' a spokesman for Clubs
NSW said. ''This
sort of analysis should have been done before the government announced it was
introducing the technology. ''If
that had been done then almost certainly the Prime Minister would never have been
conned by Andrew Wilkie into making a commitment that will devastate the club
industry.'' The
Families Minister, Jenny Macklin, said ''The government's position is clear and
has not changed.'' Police
Seek Woman Punter Re NRL Cowboys - Bulldogs Betting Scandal... Police
have released CCTV images of yet another punter they want to speak to about an
alleged NRL betting scam. The images were captured at a Browns Bay betting outlet
in Auckland, New
Zealand, between 4.50pm and 5.15pm on August 20 last year - the day before
the game between the Bulldogs and North Queensland Cowboys, police advised. The
woman was described as being aged in her 20s, with a slim build, shoulder-length
hair and of Caucasian appearance. She was wearing a dark-coloured zippered hooded
jacket, blue jeans and carrying a red handbag and was seen pushing a young boy
in a pram, police said. She returned to the betting facility about 5.35pm on August
21. Police said in a statement that they were not alleging she had done anything
illegal, but said investigators wanted to find out who she was so they could speak
to her. Player agent Sam Ayoub and ex-player John Elias have been charged in direct
relation to the betting inquiry, while now ex-Bulldogs prop Ryan Tandy has been
charged with four counts of giving false or misleading evidence to a NSW Crime
Commission hearing. Among the charges Tandy faces is one of giving false evidence
about having placed a bet on a game between the Bulldogs and Gold Coast, also
last year. The charges against Ayoub and Elias followed an unusual plunge on a
betting option that the first points of that game would come from a penalty goal.
Tandy was penalised two minutes into the game for impeding Cowboys playmaker Grant
Rovelli in front of the posts. The Cowboys were awarded a penalty, but took a
tap kick instead of kicking for goal. Tandy, 29, pleaded not guilty to all charges
during his appearance in Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court on March 3. Meanwhile,
St George Illawarra can finally get down to concentrating on their 2011 following
Wayne Bennett's decision to leave the club at the end of the season. The coach's
announcement has removed the largest cloud hanging over the Dragons' premiership
defence, with the constant innuendo and rumour having played a part in the side's
sluggish start to the year. While the issue won't be fully resolved until Bennett
reveals where he will coach next season, back-rower Ben Creagh said news of the
coach's impending departure would at least focus the players' efforts on getting
the most out of the time he had left. While the appointment of Bennett's right-hand
man, Steve Price, and the retention of much of the same squad for 2012 should
ensure a smooth transition to the new era, the Dragons' best chance to win another
premiership in the near future would surely be while Bennett is the man. Aristocrat
Boss Hits The Jackpot... Jamie
Odell, chief exec of Aussie pokie manufacturer Aristocrat,
has hit the jackpot on an 'one armed bandit', if you follow the lingo. Odell snatched
24% jump in total pay to $2.5 million last year, despite Aristocrat putting out
another very average result. The chief executive's base pay in the period increased
19% to $1.25 million. Aristocrat's normalised profit after tax dropped 53% in
2010. One of the resolutions at the upcoming June AGM in Sydney to be voted on
by shareholders is a grant to Odell of 1.02 million performance share rights as
part of his long-term incentive package. The rights, which would be granted over
a 3-year period, are performance based. If Aristocrat happens to outperform the
ASX 100 by more than 10% cent each year, Odell will snatch 30% of the shares.
He will get 70% of the shares if he hits certain earnings targets. Will he meet
his targets and hit the Gold Mega Jackpot? Stay tuned to find out. Aristocrat
is also currently working on a number of b2b deal with online casino operators
which are also tipped to return a healthy jackpot to the company, as well as hours
of fun for online gamblers. Greg
Tingle runs the Media Man International website,
he is a Special Contributor for Gambling911.com
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Women's
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