WWE Supplemental Draft 2009

The following are the results for the WWE Supplemental Draft 2009 on WWE.com.

Mr. Kenndey to RAW

Shad (of Cryme Tyme) to RAW - effectively splitting CrymeTyme

Alicia Fox to SmackDown

Primo to RAW

Mike Knox to SmackDown

Ezekiel Jackson to ECW

Nikki Bella to RAW

Candice to SmackDown

Zack Ryder to ECW - effectively splitting the tandem of Hawkins and Ryder

Chavo Guerrero to RAW

Ricky Ortiz to SmackDown

Layla to SmackDown

Hornswoggle to RAW

DH Smith to SmackDown

John Morrison to SmackDown

Carlito to RAW

Natalya to ECW

Festus to RAW

JTG (of Cryme Tyme) to SmackDown - further evidence of the CrymeTyme split

Dolph Ziggler to SmackDown

Brian Kendrick to RAW

more results coming………

Vince McMahon on ESPN E:60

The following is a featured excerpt from ESPN's E:60 in-depth piece on the WWE which aired earlier tonight which has been posted on ESPN.com. The show featured exclusive access to a WWE production meeting and special one-on-one interviews with the McMahon family. The show was indeed a break from convention and the traditional kayfabe conservatism of the WWE who have given ESPN a first-time look into how the television product is developed and formed.

The video below features some personal commentary from Vince McMahon about his early years, how the WWE was recreated, steroids in wrestling and the birth of WrestleMania. The video also features comments from Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart and Stephanie McMahon.

Editorial: Back to the Future

This blog has been up and running for a few days now and it has somewhat veered from its original purpose and has become lost within the unfocused inspirations which led to its birth. This blog was intended to offer insight and perspective and in our endeavors to offer up to the moment industry news and analysis, we have failed to deliver on our main point.

It is the intent of the team here at PWU to be the wrestling industry's minuteman, observing the world in all of its uglyness, in all of its stale non-inspired brilliance as it veers ever closer to the dark side of the sun, waiting in silent anticipation for that one moment that will end it all. We all know that a long time ago (allowing for differences due to the time-space continuum and the dependancy of the Doc's flux capacitor) in a galaxy far far away that Darth Vader is at this very moment setting up Earth for death-star laser beam annihilation. We can only hope that Vince stops getting the shakes and can get the damn Delorian to 90 miles to stop it all before its too late.

What is my point one might wonder. Is this just another hate blog amongst the endless slew of hypocrisy and misled idealism that plagues the internet wrestling community? Where everybody thinks they are an authority and that their opinion is of a higher value than that of their counterparts and peers. Well yes and no. But we shall let that spell itself out over the tenure of this here blog. My point for today is back to the future.

In one day a champion is born, witnessed, killed and celebrated. His celebration is, subsequent to his deed, eternal. Like Jesus, like Caesar and in a much different and perverted way like Paris and Britney, a champion is forever. Our last and recently celebrated champion was Steve Austin. I won't patronize our readers with who Austin was and what he did for this business, but the point that I try to make with Steve Austin is that he was the usher of revolution and of evolution - born of opportunity and seizing the day. With him came "Attitude", and with him came a whole new wrestling world; but a world that has gotten a little too carried away.

Wrestling has always been about entertainment and nurturing the keen tastes of man for theatrics in an age without a mythology, where the gladiators of the squared circle could be born to legend and become the great heroes of our generation and of our time. Nobody understood this better than Vince McMahon. He knew that wrestling was not a sport and it wasn't meant to be a sport. It had a different fate. It was the great story of our time, the next legend; an opportunity for modern man to vicariously live his own emancipation through the fables and mythos of his heroes in the ring. The ultimate Rocky story over and over.

But I fear that perhaps he has gone too far. Perhaps Vince has lost his way. Perhaps somewhere along the way, in trying to find and birth the evolution of this great proverbial hero, he lost sight of the holistic picture. Perhaps his solipsism and persistence with antiquated ideas and concepts, absent of the fundamental elements which underly its being, have cannibalized the industry's value.

Vince is the lead horseman in what has lead to the post-apocalyptic baron wasteland that we call the modern wrestling industry. It all sounds a bit dark and morbid but its rather rosy and peachy. And herein lies my issue - its a little too rosy, a little too peachy, a little too melodramatic and a little over the top immature and pointless. I don't ask that entertainment be forsaken in the name of pure wrestling - that time has come and gone and it has no place in the modern product. But am I the only one that thinks that perhaps it has gone too far? Am I the only one that thinks that perhaps these two worlds cannot meet? Is the brilliance of Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker in the presentation and build-up of their feud and the culmination of that at WrestleMania - in many ways a throwback to traditional wrestling and the telling of a story through in ring action - not a path to this industry's redemption and revival?

The wrestling industry needs to go backwards, and re-identify and recognize itself, in order for it move forwards. We have gone too far in the opposite direction that we can't remember what it is we are supposed to stand for.

I welcome any comments and feedback.

Thank-you.

Gabe Sapolsky Comments on Dragon Gate USA Announcement

The following is from Gabe Sapolsky's blog on his official MySpace page at http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=344162817&blogId=483352787.

DGUSA Is Here!!!

I've been trying to hint at it for a while and now Dragon Gate USA is officially here. First off, I want to thank all of you that kept reading this blog. When I first started writing it I was doing it for myself as a way to deal with things. Then I became overwhelmed by how many people were actually reading it so I continued it even when I started to feel better about almost everything. The encouragement, kind words and thoughts that I received from all of you really helped me.

There is a lot I want to blog about, but I figure there is enough new information out there for you to digest. I know I am getting overwhelmed. I'll keep this blog short and simple- THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

You have all helped me and now I look forward to continuing on together with Dragon Gate USA. I am looking forward to writing about my new outlook on things in the future right here in this blog. Right now, check out www.DGUSA.tv and join us as our new journey begins.

Sincerely,
Gabe

Dragon Gate Expands into the United States

Japan's Dragon Gate promotion announced its expansion into the US market last night at its Korakuen Hall event in Tokyo. The promotion has named Satoshi Oji as the President of Dragon Gate USA, with former ROH booker Gabe Sapolsky announced as the promotion's Vice President. The promotion has moved fast to add legitimacy to the announcement with the launch of its Dragon Gate USA website at www.DGUSA.tv last night along with a rather bold mission statement as well as details on their first US date which is scheduled for the 25th of July at the former ECW Arena in Philadelphia.

The following is from DGUSA.tv:

"Welcome to www.DGUSA.tv, the official website of Dragon Gate USA. You have discovered the haven for pro wrestling fans. Our goal is to be the premium brand in the United States. We invite you to explore the site and sample DGUSA's unique style.

Dragon Gate's roots started in Mexico in 1997. It became a Japanese-based promotion in 1999, before adopting the Dragon Gate name in 2004. Dragon Gate has rapidly grown and holds over 250 shows per year in Japan with crowds as big as 10,000 people. Now in 2009 Dragon Gate is branching out to the United States with Dragon Gate USA.

Dragon Gate USA will give the fans first class treatment while presenting a cutting-edge style. DGUSA puts an emphasis on athletic skill and competitive match-ups. DGUSA features charismatic stars in intriguing situations. We will operate under the motto of "Evolve, Progress, Appreciation." This was influenced by Dragon Gate's principles."

Next Week's RAW Main Event

Next week's RAW will be headlined by Triple H vs. Randy Orton, as a result of Triple H winning the main event handicap match against Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase on last night's boradcast. Triple H now has the chance to meet one-on-one with Orton on the final edition of RAW before the Backlash PPV.

It's also interesting to note that there had initially been talk of Triple H meeting Orton in a cage match on next week's SmackDown just days before the PPV, however it now appears as if those plans have changed.

TNA's "Sacrifice" PPV Poster Revealed

The poster for TNA's Sacrifice PPV has surfaced on InDemand.com. The poster features AJ Styles in full the military regalia of the GOC characters from the XBOX 360 Gears of War franchise toting gun and all, in a quite bizarre promotional piece - left.

Rare Vince Russo Appearance on TNA Spin Cycle

TNA creative team member made a rare appearance on TNA programming alongside MLB player Dimitri Young , Mike Tenay, MIck Foley and host Jeremy Borash in the latest edition of TNA's online webcast "spin Cycle".

The show had a very laid-back temperament with a few funny moments including some baseball charged sexual innuendo. During the opening minutes, Russo's cell phone went off with a John Denver ringtone which earned him a comical "Fire Russo" chant from the live audience.

The roundtable discussion focused on Lockdown for the most part including a rundown of the matches, who the panelists expect to step up and steal the night, opinions on the comeback kid of TNA in 2009 as well as picks for the most attractive professional athlete in sports today. Not a bad way to spend 20 minutes - a rather interesting and quite funny show.

WWE RAW Results - April 13, 20009 (Draft Special)

INTRO:

Raw opens with a video showing highlights of what transpired last week. All three broadcast teams are present on RAW tonight with all discussing tonight's draft to open the showt. A 15-Man Tri-Brand Battle Royal is announced to take place during tonight's broadcast, as well as World Champion John Cena vs. ECW Champion Jack Swagger with two draft picks at stake.

IN-RING PROMO:

Batista heads out to the ring for his return promo, and is soon joined by Shane McMahon and then Triple H shortly after. All three men want Randy Orton in the ring tonight. Vickie Guerrero comes out to ringside and says that only she, as the new RAW GM, will decide who will face Randy Orton and that furthermore she had decided to give Randy the night off. However, the three of them would tonight be facing Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase in a handicap match. The winner of that contest will get Randy Orton one-on-one next week on RAW.

DRAFT MATCH:

Rey Mysterio (RAW) def. Evan Bourne (ECW)

DRAFT PICK NUMBER ONE:

MVP to RAW

DRAFT MATCH:

Kane (RAW) def. The Brian Kendrick (SmackDown)

DRAFT PICK NUMBER TWO

Big Show to RAW

BACKSTAGE:

Randy Orton confronts Vickie Guerrero complaining about the stipulation built into tonight's main event. Vickie says to provides equal opportunity, if Rhodes and DiBiase win tonight, whoever they pin must face all three members of The Legacy next week.

DRAFT MATCH:

Michelle McCool, Natalya and Maryse (SmackDown) def. Mickie James, Melina and Kelly Kelly (RAW)

DRAFT PICK NUMBER THREE:

Melina to SmackDown

DRAFT MATCH - DUBLE PICK:

John Cena (RAW) def. Jack Swagger (ECW)

DRAFT PICKS NUMBER FOUR AND FIVE:

Matt Hardy to RAW

Triple H to RAW

DRAFT MATCH:

The Great Khali (SmackDown) def. Santino Marella (RAW)

DRAFT PICK NUMBER SIX:

CM Punk to SmackDown

DRAFT MATCH:

Kofi Kingston (RAW) def. The Miz (ECW)

DRAFT PICK NUMBER SEVEN:

The Miz to RAW

DRAFT MATCH - BATTLE ROYAL:

Edge wins i5-Man Tri-Brand Battle Royal

DRAFT PICKS NUMBER EIGHT AND NINE:

Kane to SmackDown

Chris Jericho to SmackDown

DRAFT MATCH:

Christian (ECW) def. Shelton Benjamin (SmackDown)

DRAFT PICK NUMBER TEN:

Vladmir Kozlov to ECW

DRAFT MATCH:

Matt Hardy (RAW) def. CM Punk (SmackDown)

Jeff Hardy chases Matt backstage after the match.

DRAFT PICK NUMBER ELEVEN:

Maryse to RAW

DRAFT MATCH:

Chris Jericho (SmackDown) def. Tommy Dreamer (ECW)

DRAFT PICK NUMBER TWELVE:

Rey Mysterio to SmackDown

MAIN EVENT MATCH:

Triple H, Shane McMahon and Batista (RAW) def. Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes (RAW)

Triple H wins with the pedigree on Rhodes to earn a one-on-one matchup against Randy Orton next week on RAW.

Randy Orton comes out to ringside and stares down Triple H as RAW ends.

The Rock Strikes Back at Cena

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson recently did an interview with IGN and a question regarding John Cena's appearance in "12 Rounds" was raised along with comments discussing the prospect of Cena attempting to branch out into film and following in the footsteps of The Rock.

Rock's response to the question was quite interesting as it appears he took a not so subliminal yet subtle jab at the WWE World Champion. There was no mention of the recent hostile comments from Cena towards The Rock, but it definitely seemed like Dwayne used this opportunity to retaliate. Below is his response on IGN.com.

"I don't look at myself for being a trailblazer in any way, or paving the way or anything like that, I just know what serves me. John is... umm... he's an interesting guy! And I wish him well in his movie career and, umm, everything else... Haha."

Quick 2009 WWE Draft Scorecard

2009 WWE Draft Scorecard:

1. MVP to RAW brand from SmackDown

2. Big Show to RAW brand from SmackDown
3. Melina to SmackDown brand from RAW

4. Matt Hardy to RAW brand from SmackDown
5. Triple H to RAW brand from SmackDown
6. C.M. Punk to SmackDown brand from RAW
7. The Miz to RAW from ECW
8. Kane to SmackDown from RAW
9. Chris Jericho to SmackDown from RAW
10. Vladimir Kozlov to ECW from SmackDown
11. Maryse to RAW from SmackDown
12. Rey Mysterio to SmackDown from RAW

More details on the draft to follow later this evening.

Steve Austin on the Set of "The Expendables"

Aintitcoolnews.com has posted an exclusive first look photo Stone Cold Steve Austin and Eric Roberts in action on the set of the new Sylvester Stallone directed film "The Expendables". To photo is available at the floowing link http://www.aintitcool.com/node/40753

JBL Finished With the WWE

In a recent article by Mike Mooneyham, for the Post and Courier, it was revealed that JBL may not have left the WWE on the best of terms. John Bradshaw Layfield all but confirmed that he would be leaving the WWE for good with his 26 second Intercontinental title loss to Mysterio at WrestleMania 25. JBL was quoted as saying, "I had wanted to make it to WM25 for years, and when injuries cut my career short the one regret I had was that I wouldn’t make the 25th anniversary of Wrestlemania — well, I made it,” on his WWE Universe blog.

JBL continued by saying the following, “Months ago, I picked out this match. If Eddie Guerrero couldn’t be here for it, then my dear friend Rey was the obvious choice, and I’m proud he was,” he said. “From the bottom of my heart, thank you for allowing me to be a part of the great theater we call sports entertainment.” JBL also added that he has no plans to do anything on a professional level with WWE in the future and he’s not going back to commentary.

2009 WWE Draft Predictions

Sam Rey, our Senior Editor from some of our other projects, was having a poke around on Youtube and found some fascinating fan-vids for tonight's WWE Draft. So he's picked out the best produced video with the most plausible and more expected switches. The video goes a little beyond tonight's draft with possible brand-jumps to come from Wednesday's Supplemental Draft on WWE.com also highlighted.

We thought it would be a lot more fun doing it this way rather than another page-long article throwing in our two cents like every other internet media outlet covering tonight's event. We will be back later today with a full recap of RAW as well as all of the results from the draft. Enjoy.

WrestleMania 25 Buyrate Falls Short of Expectations

In a follow-up to a report from earlier, the WWE announced today that WrestleMania 25 generated $43 million in total worldwide PPV revenue. That means the PPV fell substantially short of the company's domestic goal of 600,000 PPV buys with the expectation of reaching a total of 1 million buys worldwide as company executives had predicted prior to WrestleMania.

Based on WWE's announcement, the company generated approximately 469,500 total PPV buys in the domestic market. The calculation is based on the WWE's 60 percent domestic vs. 40 percent international PPV buy split as detailed in the most-recent financial period. The domestic share translates into $25.8 million in gross PPV revenue in the U.S. / Canada market, which divided into the $54.95 price tag results in approximately 469,500 total buys domestically.

WWE's press release this morning had focused more closely on the worldwide box office records which the company set with WrestleMania 25 with the combination of strong live even ticket sales and merchandise sales. WWE announced $6.9 million in ticket revenue at Reliant Stadium in Houston, while the WrestleMania Axxess session on Sunday generated a further $0.5 million to bring the one-day ticket total to $7.4 million. The WWE also produced $1.5 million in merchandise sales on Sunday at Reliant Center to bring the overall revenue generated by the one-day event on Sunday, April 5th to a total of approximately $52 million.

ROH in Dispute With Former Talents Larry Sweeney and CIMA

Ring Of Honor has released the following statement to the PWInsider.com website concerning statements made by Larry Sweeney and CIMA regarding alleged moneys owed by the promotion:

First, Alex Whybrow's (Larry Sweeney) claim that he is owed money from ROH. Mr. Whybrow is under contract with Ring of Honor. His contract clearly states that he is paid "X" amount of dollars when he appears for Ring of Honor. Mr. Whybrow has been paid in full for all dates in which he has performed in front of Ring of Honor fans. Any claims in regards to payment for dates in which he has been unable to perform is not in accordance with his ROH contract. Everybody at Ring of Honor would like to wish Alex the best of luck in dealing with his current issues.

Secondly, CIMA from the Dragon Gate promotion in Japan has made claims that Ring of Honor owes Dragon Gate money from our Sept. 2008 show stating "Some of the ROH wrestlers' airfare and their guarantees were supposed be shared between two companies, but the promise had never been kept." This statement is false. All Ring of Honor talent was paid in full for these events along with their airfare. CIMA and the Dragon Gate promotion are very well aware of what agreements they did not live up to in regards to the ROH/Dragon Gate show and why we choose to no longer do business with them.

New WWE "Superstars" Show to Debut Thursday

The new WWE "Superstars" show will also be debuting this Thursday on WGN. The WWE will be taping one match tonight prior to "Raw" and then 2-3 more matches are scheduled to take place at the "Smackdown" and ECW tapings tomorrow night. The idea is that it will largely feature in ring matches with less storyline based material.

The matches and the show itself will also have a unique highlight-reel type feel with the hosts throwing us to the ring from inside a nearby control center. Kevin Kelly will not be one of the hosts of the shows as that plan has changed. Sim Snuka has more recently been rumored to appear as one of the hosts of the show unless creative comes up with another way to utilize him.

Note: The program will NOT be airing in Canada or in the Chicago area on Thursday nights. Instead, viewers in that area can watch the show on Sunday mornings on WGN at 11am.

ROH Video Wire

The latest version of the ROH Video Wire was recently posted by ROH. The video package features Jerry Lynn's win over Nigel McGuinness to capture the ROH World Championship as well as the Dark City Fight Club in action plus comments from Austin Aries, Chris Hero, Bryan Danielson, Colt Cabana, and more.

Note: We will be making the ROH Video Wire a uniform feature here on PWU for our ROH fans, as the important regular recaps receive little coverage elsewhere.

Preview for Tonight's RAW

Tonight, WWE presents a 3 Hour Raw special airing from 8-11pm EST!

Confirmed for the show already is of course the 2009 WWE Draft which will feature 12 superstars from WWE being drafted LIVE on Raw throughout the night!

According to WWE.com, Joey Styles is also reporting that the company website will feature interviews with the wrestlers who are drafted during the broadcast.

Also a reminder that more talent will be drafted on Wednesday at Noon EST on the WWE website as part of the supplemental draft.

Original Mae Young WrestleMania 25 Plans

The Wrestling Observer/Figure Four Online is reporting that WWE had indeed originally planned to use Mae Young in the 25 Diva Battle Royal at WrestleMania 25. However, the decision was made to abandon the original plans to include Young in the matchup when WWE officials were reminded of the scare they had the last time she was in the ring and had an awkward fall which resulted in a luckily minor injury. WWE then decided to go with Plan B and ultimately ended up using Joy Giovanni in the match as a substitute for Mae Young - not that anyone watching the PPV would have realized who was actually in the Diva Battle Royal due to a poor attention span or a simple lack of interest in the match by the WWE during WrestleMania.

Former SD Announcer Tazz to Speak Out on His WWE Departure

Former WWE announcer Tazz, who recently left the company after his contract expired late last month, has launched an official Facebook page which you can check out at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Human-Suplex-Machine-Taz/87912513335?ref=ts.

Tazz will also reportedly speak out for the first time since leaving the WWE early next week. Many expect a hostile Tazz to unleash some suppressed feelings when he does after the former ECW champion unexpectedly walked out on the WWE just days before Wrestlemania. The following has been posted on his new Facebook page:

TAZ SPEAKS NEXT WEEK HERE!!
Early next week (week of 4/13/09) Taz will address you his fanbase right here on the his NEW Facebook page! Taz will have his 1st public statement since leaving the WWE...stay tuned!!.

Steel Cage Match Main Event Announced For SmackDown

The WWE will be holding an international joint SmackDown/ECW taping in London, UK on the 21st of April. The company has announced a surprise main event for the night with Triple H vs. Randy Orton headlining SmackDown in a Steel Cage Match just five days out from Triple H's WWE title defense at Backlash.

Sneak-Peek at Forthcoming ESPN Feature on the WWE

ESPN will be running an in-depth piece on the WWE for a rare behind the scenes view of its business and the people who make the magic happen. The piece which will come to us courtesy of tomorrow night's E:60 news show will be hosted by ESPN reporter Jeremy Schaap with exclusive access to a WWE production meeting and featured interviews with the McMahon family. The show is indeed a break from convention and the traditional kayfabe conservatism of the WWE who have given ESPN a first-time look into how the television product is developed and formed.

In the video preview below, ESPN cameras have captured Vince McMahon, Michael Hayes and Stephanie McMahon leading a production meeting with producers and members of the WWE creative team to discuss the lead-up to WrestleMania 25; which concludes with Vince McMahon asking ESPN cameras to exit the room as a certain "confidential" stage in the meeting.

**Triple H, WWE.com editor Joey Styles and producers/agents Dave Finlay and Ricky Steamboat are also present in the meeting.

ESPN preview: Famed wrestling promoter Vince McMahon tells E:60 correspondent Jeremy Schaap about being physically abused as a child, about being reunited with his birth father at age 12, and how he changed his name from Vinnie Lupton back to Vince McMahon. He also talks frankly about the death of wrestler Chris Benoit, who committed suicide after killing his wife and their seven-year-old son. Schaap also takes a backstage tour with McMahon’s daughter Stephanie, and meets some of the WWE’s biggest stars, including John Cena, Big Show, Shawn Michaels, as well as the legendary Hulk Hogan.

Funny Commercial - "On The Set Of 12 Rounds"

The following was sent in by a reader following the news of "12 Rounds" tanking in its third week, which came through earlier today. The three minute video depicts John Cena getting a hand double on the set of "12 Rounds" to help out with filming duties among other things. The clip is extremely entertaining in stark contrast to the film itself.

Derden's Analysis: The WWE really has to rethink their formula for making these films. The lackluster box office performance of both "12 Rounds" and "The Condemned" are evidence that the WWE needs to better identify how they can appropriately utilize and leverage the WWE brand itself and the strength of their big name stars whom feature in the films and turn that into serious box office earners. It's important that they act fast as the results thus far are no doubt damaging their standing with theaters and hurting future prospects in the process. There is more entertainment value in the three minute commercial above than in two hours of the dribble in WWE's latest failed attempt at silver-screen triumph - and that's saying something.

"12 Rounds" Runs Dry on Ammo

John Cena's latest film, 12 Rounds, continues to struggle at the box office with the highest percentage of week to week drops in earnings out of the current top 30 films currently playing in theaters drawing 65.7 percent less revenue than last week and slipping from 9th to 14th place on the weekend chart.. The film grossed only $775,000 this past weekend with movie theatres completley losing confidence in the movie, as the film has been pulled from 1,423 theaters. Only 908 theaters have allowed the film to survive a thrid weekend.

After three weekends, "12 Rounds" has made as estimated $10.74 million, which is well behind previous WWE Films offerings "See No Evil" and "The Marine".

Following is a chart of WWE's history of third weekend figures, including the percentage drop from the first weekend to third weekend.

WWE Sets New Box Office Record for WM25

The WWE issued the following press release today:

WrestleMania(R) Sets One-Day Box Office Record

STAMFORD, Conn., Apr 13, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- With $52 million in gross sales, the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania(R) set a record for the highest grossing one-day entertainment event in 2009. The pop culture extravaganza, held in Houston, TX on April 5th, tops the 2009 highest grossing movie opening day record -- $30 million opening night of Fast and the Furious and the 2008 highest grossing single-day stadium concert -- Madonna's $6.1 million Sticky & Sweet concert in Dolphin Stadium -- combined.

The milestone event generated an estimated $43 million in worldwide gross Pay-Per-View revenue and packed Houston's Reliant Stadium with 72,744 fans from all 50 states, 24 countries and 7 Canadian provinces, surpassing the attendance at Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa this past February. Combined with WWE's Sunday fanfest, WrestleMania Axxess, the sell-out crowd grossed more than $7.4 million in ticket sales and an additional $1.5 million in merchandise sales.

Following the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania, World Wrestling Entertainment's website, WWE.com, garnered a record-breaking 105 million page views, including staggering one day totals of 2.7 million unique visitors, and nearly 2 million video streams. For the three days surrounding The 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania, WWE.com's page views totaled 166,239,115.

Additional information on World Wrestling Entertainment Inc (WWE: can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. For information on our global activities, go to http://www.wwe.com/worldwide/.

Trademarks: All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, copyrights and logos are the exclusive property of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.

Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are subject to various risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include the conditions of the markets for live events, broadcast television, cable television, pay-per-view, Internet, feature films, entertainment, professional sports, and licensed merchandise; acceptance of the Company's brands, media and merchandise within those markets; uncertainties relating to litigation; risks associated with producing live events both domestically and internationally; uncertainties associated with international markets; risks relating to maintaining and renewing key agreements, including television distribution agreements; and other risks and factors set forth from time to time in Company filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results could differ materially from those currently expected or anticipated. In addition to these risks and uncertainties, our dividend is based on a number of factors, including our liquidity and historical and projected cash flow, strategic plan, our financial results and condition, contractual and legal restrictions on the payment of dividends and such other factors as our board of directors may consider relevant.

Greatest Superstars of the '90 DVD Details

WWE is releasing a "Greatest Superstars of the 90's" DVD. The three disc set will be hosted by Tazz, and will feature the following:

DISC ONE

Tazz - Introduction

Shawn Michaels

From the Smallest Champion to the Largest - Yokozuna

Samoan Culture - The Rock

Drawing the Casual Fan - Women of the 90s

Tough and Sexy - Kevin Nash

Battle for Superstardom - Owen Hart

Fun Filled Memories - Ric Flair

Infamous Figure - Mick Foley

The Quest for Success - Not So Great Stars of the 90s

The Reinvention - Hulk Hogan

Attitude and Controversy - Triple H

Technical Savvy - Bret Hart

Pop Culture Phenomenon - Vince McMahon / Eric Bischoff / Paul Heyman

The Total Package - Lex Luger

The IT Factor - Sting

The Bad Guy - Razor Ramon

Respect - The Undertaker

A Rebel - Stone Cold Steve Austin

Tazz - Close

DISC ONE EXTRAS

Razor Ramon – Restaurant Vignette
July 11, 1992

The Undertaker Builds a Coffin for Yokozuna
December 1993

Bret Hart – New Generation Vignette
July 1994

Owen Hart Inside a Steel Cage
August 20, 1994

Shawn Michaels Press Conference Before WrestleMania XI
February 28, 1995

Hunter Hearst Helmsley - "Riff Raff"
April 15, 1995

Mankind – “And God Created Mankind”
January 6, 1996

Scott Hall & Kevin Nash NWO Vignette
August 19, 1996

The Hart Foundation Reunites
March 31, 1997

D-Generation X Reenacts the Montreal Incident
November 24, 1997

The Rock Reads Steve Austin’s Eulogy
April 19, 1999

Steve Austin remembers the Shockmaster

DISC TWO

Ric Flair vs. Hulk Hogan
Madison Square Garden - November 30, 1991

WWE Championship Match - Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels
Survivor Series - November 25, 1992

WWE Championship Match - Hulk Hogan vs. Yokozuna
King of the Ring - June 13, 1993

Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart
WrestleMania X - March 20, 1994

Intercontinental Championship Match - Diesel vs. Razor Ramon
Superstars – April 13, 1994

International World Heavyweight Championship Match - Sting vs. Vader
Slamboree – May 22, 1994

WWE Championship Match - Bret Hart vs. Diesel
Royal Rumble – January 22, 1995

WWE Women’s Championship Match - Alundra Blayze vs. Bull Nakano
Monday Night Raw – April 3, 1995

DISC THREE

Triple Header Match - Shawn Michaels & Diesel vs. Yokozuna & British Bulldog
In Your House – September 24, 1995

#1 Contender Match - Owen Hart vs. Shawn Michaels
In Your House – February 18, 1996

WWE Championship Match - Shawn Michaels vs. Vader
SummerSlam – August 18, 1996

Steel Cage Match - Mankind vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley
SummerSlam – August 3, 1997

WCW Championship Match - Lex Luger vs. Hulk Hogan
Monday Nitro – August 4, 1997

WWE Championship Match - Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Undertaker
SummerSlam – August 30, 1998

United States Championship Match - Sting vs. Bret Hart
Halloween Havoc – October 25, 1998

Strap Match - Triple H vs. The Rock
Fully Loaded – July 25, 1999

Details on the Hardy vs. Hardy Feud

The Wrestling Observer/Figure Four Online is reporting that the Stretcher Match featuring Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy, which took place this past Friday night on SmackDown, is more than likely the blow-off match to their current program. The contest which was the first-ever Stretcher match on SD, just like their Extreme Rules Match at WrestleMania 25, saw Matt walk away victorious in convincing fashion.

When the program was initially put together it had been expected to be a short term deal, as creative ahd the two wrestlers slated to begin working with orther talents in the very near furture. Matt and Jeff had been very focused on making the best of the angle with both fully expecting to steal the show at WrestleMania, however with the contest only given 13 minutes they had little to work with and it was very hard to make good on that expectation. The match was still very solid but didn't allow the time necessary to build to an intense climax like the one that Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker produced.

Update on Batista's Surprise Return

It has been reported that Batista told WWE officials that his rehab had been running ahead of schedule several weeks ago, and had been very vocal about returning to Raw as soon as possible. His surprise return last Monday night came much sooner than had been expected and it is feared that at his age it might not have been a smart move to bring him back in before he was fully healed.

It has also been reported that Batista had asked company officials for time off prior to his injury to rest up, as he had been physically burnt out and was suffering from some persistent minor injuries that had been nagging him. However, with several other Raw superstars making similar claims at the time, he was asked to subdue and work through the pain. It was felt that the product was unable to hold up in his absence and that it was crucial he remained on TV; which of course led to Batista suffering a hamstring injury which has now kept him out of action for several months.

WWE Reveals Details for Online Supplemental Draft

It was announced earlier today that in addition to the live draft which will see 12 superstars switch brands on Raw tonight, the WWE plans to host a supplemental draft on WWE.com. The supplemental draft is set to feature a live chat as well as interviews with the affected superstars to coincide with the results of the draft. The webcast will be hosted by Howard Finkel and will take place on Wednesday, Aprl 15th.

Ric Flair Offered SmackDown! GM Role

Ric Flair had been offered the job of SmackDown General Manager before the WWE gave it to Teddy Long. Flair is already quite comfortable financially doing his own thing and the speculated $250,000 per year offer from the WWE to come back as a full-time regular as the SmackDown GM fell a little short of the mark.

Flair has also been a little resistant in returning to the WWE in any large capacity as he is reportedly intent on preserving his legacy as a wrestler and has been vocal on respecting the underlying "predicate" of his WrestleMania 24 clash with Shawn Michaels and in retaining the specialness of that moment.

WWE creative had also thrown Dusty Rhodes' name into the mix for the role of SmackDown GM, but Dusty also declined the offer because he didn't like the all the traveling involved at his age and size.

WrestleMania 25 Recap