Original Plans for Ryback at WWE HIAC, Run-Ins Discussed, More

- We’ve noted how WWE officials, mainly Vince McMahon, went back and forth on the finish for Ryback vs. CM Punk at Hell In a Cell.

The original plan was for Ryback to win the WWE Title clean in the middle of the ring, hold it through Survivor Series and then drop it at TLC in a multi-man match where he wouldn’t be pinned or submitted. This was the plan through October 25th, the Thursday before the pay-per-view. The next day, Vince changed his mind and concluded that of the two, Punk’s streak was the one that had been hammered home on TV and keeping that streak alive would only help business through WrestleMania season. Vince noted that while it had been mentioned on TV that Ryback was undefeated, it wasn’t central to the storyline.

One WWE source close to creative was amazed that Vince made up his mind on the finish on October 26th and three straight days went by without him changing his mind.

Once they decided to have Ryback lose, many ideas were discussed on h...

John Cena Grants Another Wish of a Sick Child

The Kids Wish Network issued the following press release on Thursday:

WWE® SUPERSTAR JOHN CENA, KIDS WISH NETWORK GRANT WISH FOR BOY WITH HYDROCEPHALUS

JONESBORO, Ga. – International children’s charity Kids Wish Network announced today that through the generosity of the WWE and other sponsors, Maurice Wilson’s dream of meeting his favorite WWE Superstar, John Cena, has come true. Kids Wish Network is a Tampa-based charitable organization dedicated to infusing hope, creating happy memories, and improving the quality of life for children having experienced life-altering situations.

“Generous Guardian Angel organizations such as the WWE help us make a wonderful difference in the lives of many children every year,” said Anna Lanzatella, Executive Director of Kids Wish Network. “Kids Wish Network relies on stars like John Cena to help us make dreams become realities for children facing life threatening illnesses every day.”

Eight-year-old Maur...

WWE Reports 2012 3rd Quarter Earnings

WWE® Reports 2012 Third Quarter Results

STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–WWE (NYSE:WWE) today announced financial results for its third quarter ended September 30, 2012. Revenues totaled $104.2 million as compared to $108.5 million in the prior year quarter. Operating income was $5.0 million as compared to $15.9 million in the prior year quarter. Net income was $3.5 million, or $0.05 per share, as compared to $10.6 million, or $0.14 per share, in the prior year quarter. Excluding items that impacted comparability on a year-over-year basis, Adjusted Operating income was $7.1 million as compared to $21.0 million in the prior year quarter, and Adjusted Net income was $5.0 million, or $0.07 per share, as compared to $14.1 million, or $0.19 per share, in the prior year quarter. The decline in earnings, on both an “As Reported” and “Adjusted” basis, was driven by $6.6 million in incremental expenses from the return to a more normalized level of management incentive compensati...

WWE Pay-Per-View Buyrates for July, August September

As noted earlier, WWE released the company’s third quarter earnings for 2012, the following is the official Pay Per View buyrates for events in July, August & September.

* WWE Money in the Bank (7/15/12): 188,000 buys (down from 195,000 in 2011)

* WWE Summerslam (8/19/12): 358,000 buys (up from 296,000 in 2011)

* WWE Night of Champions (9/16/12): 189,000 buys (up from 161,000 in 2011)

Talk of Forming New WWE Stable Like Nexus, Injured WWE Star Returns to Action, AJ Storyline Update

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Vince McMahon Conference Call Notes: WWE Network Update, Financial Report, More

Vince McMahon hosted a conference call pertaining to the third quarter financial report that WWE released on November 1, 2012. Here are some highlights.

* Michael Weitz of WWE Investor Relations opened the call. Weitz hoped the callers on the East Coast were able to weather the storm. turned the call over to Vince.

* Vince said the quarter was where they expected to be, perhaps better. He noted that it was down from last year. He noted that their video game business down slightly only because they did not release a second title as they did last year.

* Vince said social media “is through the roof and will continue to be for quite some time.”

* Vince believes television ratings are good. He said they remain the No. 1 show on USA Network and Syfy. Vince said the third hour of Raw is doing “extremely well.”

* Vince touted the debuts of WWE Saturday Morning Slam and WWE Main Event. He also noted they launch of WWE programming on Hulu Plus, and discus...

Strong Sales For CM Punk – Best in the World, WWE ’13 Unboxing With Kofi Kingston

- Sales for WWE’s CM Punk – Best in the World DVD and Blu-ray were strong in its first week of release. The DVD sold 28,938 copies for $576,472 and the Blu-ray version sold 23,272 for $581,571. It was No. 19 in overall DVD sales and No. 9 in Blu-Ray. No other sports titles ranked nearly as well.

- WWE has published a video of Kofi Kingston unboxing THQ’s WWE ’13 video game. WWE teases, “Check out what awesome surprises lay in store for the WWE Universe with WWE’s latest and most innovative video game ever!”

Match Announced For WWE Main Event, WWE Returns To Italy, Heenan

- Wade Barrett had harsh words for Sheamus following his victory over Tyson Kidd on Wednesday’s WWE Main Event broadcast, prompting The Celtic Warrior to confront him. The two exchanged insults before Sheamus challenged Barrett to a match on next week’s show from the United Kingdom.

- WWE will be holding SmackDown live events at the Unipol Arena in Bologna, Italy on April 25, 2013 and the PalaTrieste Arena in Trieste, Italy on April 26, 2013.

- In Thursday’s birthdays, WWE Hall of Famer Bobby Heenan turns 68-years-old and former WWE star Tyler Reks turns 34.

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