Chris Jericho’s DVD match list is finally revealed, Tyler Black is jumping to the ‘E and there is plenty of quarterly information found inside…
Opening Witty Banter
I managed to catch the second half of Hardcore Justice last night. It was alright I guess. But remember when WWE did it five years ago? I just found it absurd that they spent an entire night promoting the ECW legacy but they couldn’t even say ECW. Plus the name changes were hilarious. Kahoneys? I love it. Who says Vince McMahon isn’t a vindictive bastard.
Let’s take some ‘E…
The News of the Week
It’s being reported by multiple sources that ROH World Champion Tyler Black has signed with WWE. It is believed it is a developmental deal and that he wouldn’t report to WWE until sometime in September after all of his current ROH bookings are taken care of.
Hey I’ve always been a fan of Tyler’s and hoping he gets a fair shake and does well in WWE. He isn’t as hot as he was in 2008 but he’s become ROH’s John Cena and overstayed his welcome there. With him leaving soon and Davey Richards potentially leaving at the end of the year it’s time for ROH to produce some more main event stars again.
Chris Jericho’s much awaited DVD, “Breaking the Code: Behind the Walls of Chris Jericho†is going to hit stores on September 21 and the match list has finally been released.
Disc 1
A Star is Born
International Sensation
Land of the Extreme
Arrival in WCW
Best in Show
Never Evvver the Same Again
Conspiracy Victim
Armbar
Greenberg
The Millennium Man
The Y2J Era Begins
Undisputed Champion
Highlight of the Night
The Highlight Reel
Facing an Idol
Total Buffoonery
You’re Fired!
Breaking Out
Fozzy
Time Away
Breaking the Code
An Honest Man
Career Renaissance
Save Us
The Best in the World at What I Do
Special Features
A Young Fanatic
Jack Action
Leon de Oro
The Thrillseekers Vignette #1
The Thrillseekers Vignette #2
“Have you heard of Chris Jericho?â€
Paul Heyman’s Roommate
Mister Salty
The Man of 1,004 Holds (Nitro – March 30, 1998)
Conspiracy Victim (Nitro – June 1, 1998)
Father Knows Best (Thunder – June 11, 1998)
“Hello, Lexington!†(Thunder – September 10, 1998)
Do You Smell What Y2J is Cookin’? (RAW – October 30, 2000)
Sharing a Beer with “Stone Cold†Steve Austin (Post-RAW – August 25, 2003)
Jericho vs. The Old Man (Post-Smackdown! – November 17, 2009)
Jericho’s Junction
Fozzy Music Video – Let the Madness Begin
Disc 2
“Cowboy†Chris Jericho vs. Lance T. Storm
Calgary, Alberta October 2, 1990
Alternate Commentary By: Chris Jericho & Matt Striker
The Thrill Seekers vs. The Infernos
Smoky Mountain Wrestling March 12, 1994
International Junior Heavyweight Championship Match
Chris Jericho vs. Ultimo Dragon
Japan July 7, 1995
Alternate Commentary By: Chris Jericho & Matt Striker
Chris Jericho vs. Cactus Jack
Hardcore TV March 12, 1996
WCW Cruiserweight Championship Match
Chris Jericho vs. Eddie Guerrero
Fall Brawl September 14, 1997
Mask vs. WCW Cruiserweight Championship Match
Chris Jericho vs. Juventud Guerrera
SuperBrawl VIII February 22, 1998
WCW Cruiserweight Championship Match
Chris Jericho vs. Dean Malenko
Nitro July 27, 1998
The Millennium Countdown Clock Expires
RAW August 9, 1999
Intercontinental Championship Match
Chris Jericho vs. Kurt Angle
No Way Out February 27, 2000
WWE Championship Match
Chris Jericho vs. Triple H
RAW April 17, 2000
WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match
Chris Jericho vs. The Rock
No Mercy October 21, 2001
Undisputed Championship Match
Chris Jericho vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
Vengeance December 9, 2001
Disc 3
No Disqualification Match for the WWE Undisputed Championship
Chris Jericho vs. Hulk Hogan
SmackDown May 2, 2002
Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels
WrestleMania XIX March 30, 2003
Alternate Commentary By: Chris Jericho & Matt Striker
WWE Championship You’re Fired Match
Chris Jericho vs. John Cena
RAW August 22, 2005
Save_US.Y2J
RAW November 19, 2007
Intercontinental Championship Match
Chris Jericho vs. Jeff Hardy
RAW March 10, 2008
Ladder Match for the World Heavyweight Championship
Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels
No Mercy October 5, 2008
No Holds Barred Match for the Intercontinental Championship
Chris Jericho vs. Rey Mysterio
Extreme Rules June 7, 2009
Non-Title Match
Chris Jericho vs. Undertaker
SmackDown! November 13, 2009
World Heavyweight Championship Match
Chris Jericho vs. Edge
WrestleMania XXVI March 28, 2010
The documentary portion looks like it will be a good one judging by the chapter titles. Plus the extras look fun with some old Thrillseekers~! action and some completely random stuff. This is a must buy for me.
Speaking of Lance Storm, he reported on his website that WWE signed one his wrestling school graduates, Mattias Wild, to a developmental deal Wild was at the recent FCW open tryouts.
As a huge Lance Storm mark, I support this decision.
Time for all the boring but necessary 2nd quarter earnings.
Revenues for the second quarter were $106.8 million with an opening income of $10.3 million and a net income
of $6.3 million. The second quarter last year included WrestleMania, which was in the first quarter this year. When removing WrestleMania, second quarter results last year were $106.6 million in revenue, with $13.1 million in operating income and $10.2 million in net income.
The company cited the soft economy as well as “recent changes in our talent base” as the major reasons for the disappointing performance.
“In the second quarter, our performance fell below management expectations as trends weakened in the latter part of the quarter. Although we believe the continued softness in the economy played a part in our results, recent changes in our talent base may have also impacted key operating metrics, particularly domestic pay-per-view buys and live event attendance,” stated Vince McMahon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “In addition, our profitability was negatively affected by the reduction in revenue from high margin businesses and by the logistical costs related to the Icelandic volcano. We view some of these factors as temporary and, looking ahead, we remain confident in our ability to address these challenges by producing compelling content and cultivating consumer demand. On a positive note, the second quarter reflected improved results in our Home Video business and our continued success in managing our expenses.”
Revenues in North America dropped 32% while revenues outside of America increased 3%, compared to last year. When excluding WrestleMania from last year’s second quarter, revenues dropped 5% in North America and increased 11% outside of North America.
North American TV revenue was way down, from $103.5 million last year to $70.5 million this year.
Home video revenue was up, from $8.6 million last year to $11.5 million this year.
WWE.com revenues were down from $4.5 million last year to $3 million this year.
WWEShop revenues were down from $3.4 million last year to $2.4 million this year.
I like that McMahon blamed the volcano for their troubles. That set them back all of four or five days.
They also released this quarter’s PPV buyrates.
April’s Extreme Rules – 182,000 buys (compared to 182,000 buys for Backlash 2009 and 200,000 buys for Backlash 2008)
May’s Over the Limit – 197,000 buys (compared to 228,000 buys for Judgment Day 2009 and 252,000 buys for Judgment Day 2008)
June’s Fatal Four Way – 143,000 buys (compared to 178,000 buys for The Bash 2009 and 273,000 buys for Night of Champions 2008)
Damn, those numbers are way down. Looks like some more changes will probably come to the schedule next year.
In addition, Vince McMahon, CFO George Barrios, and COO Donna Goldsmith did the quarterly conference call. Here are the highlights:
Vince called the quarter “lousy” and said it was a “perfect storm” of problems, mentioning the volcano explosion during their European tour. He mentioned the departures, via retirement or injury, or Shawn Michaels, Batista, The Undertaker, Triple H, Randy Orton, and CM Punk, which impacted their business. He said he has never had a situation with so many major names retiring or getting injured at the same time.
Vince praised the Nexus group and said that the “new talent infusion” plus the returns of The Undertaker and Triple H will improve WWE’s talent lineup.
He said they are looking at SummerSlam as “the kickoff” to reversing the negative trends and getting back on track in terms of PPV buys.
He also said he wasn’t sure if the increased PPV price or the talent situation was causing PPV buy drops and was planning to go to cable systems at the beginning of 2011 to start giving presentations on the planned WWE Network.
Some interesting stuff from the leader guy there…
A press release was sent out about Triple H joining the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s celebrity team:
TUCSON, Ariz., Aug. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) announced today that WWE Superstar Triple H, a 13-time World Champion, is the newest member of MDA’s Muscle Team, a group of celebrity activists dedicated to building awareness for MDA. Triple H will begin appearing in print, video, radio and digital public service advertisements for MDA’s new “Make A Muscle, Make A Difference” campaign in August.
As a proud member of the MDA Muscle Team (see his “Make A Muscle, Make A Difference” print PSA; http://www.mda.org/news/100802tripleh-mda.html and video PSA; http://www.youtube.com/user/MySpaceMDA), Triple H joins a diverse and growing group of celebrities including: Alison Sweeney, host of NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” and “Days of Our Lives” star; Kurt Warner, former NFL Super Bowl-winning quarterback;
Nancy O’Dell, Emmy-winning entertainment personality, author and entrepreneur; Booboo Stewart, star of “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” movie; Wynonna Judd, country music recording artist; Ace Young, “American Idol” finalist; Brandon Barash, star of ABC’s “General Hospital” and Gold Medal Olympians Bart Conner and Nadia Comaneci, all of whom are dedicated to building awareness for MDA in 2010 and beyond.
“I am honored to partner with MDA in advancing their life-saving mission for those affected by debilitating muscle diseases,” stated Triple H. “As a member of the Muscle Team, I am truly inspired by the perseverance these adults and kids demonstrate every day in overcoming the challenges of muscular dystrophy.”
Joining Triple H in some of the PSAs is Max LaCaria, an 11-year-old from Arizona who has limb-girdle muscular dystrophy. While at the photo and video shoot for the campaign, Triple H presented Max with an official WWE Championship belt.
“There’s no discounting the importance of having Triple H as a member of the MDA Muscle Team,” said Gerald C. Weinberg, MDA President & CEO. “He’s already energizing fans as champions for MDA both in and out of the ring. And, while everyone is amazed by Triple H’s incredible physical strength, it pales when compared to the strength of his caring heart.”
Hey look, Triple H isn’t an evil, heartless bastard.
Triple H’s brother-in-law Shane McMahon has moved on with his life officially now as well. China Broadband Inc. announced today that Shane McMahon has been appointed as the new CEO of the company. You can read all it about it here.
Good for Shane if he’s happy. But is he ever gonna have a job again where he gets his own theme music when he walks in the room and personalized baseball jerseys? No, I don’t think so.
The push for SummerSlam continues in the mainstream media as WWE will be all over George Lopez’ TBS late night talk show the next couple of weeks. Jillian Hall, The Miz, R-Truth, David Otunga, and Dolph Ziggler will sing karoake with George Lopez, and Randy Orton will appear next Tuesday to discuss his match with Sheamus at SummerSlam. Also planned are some “Get to know your favorite WWE Superstar” segments.
Hey that’s some good, solid press that should be good for everyone involved. Jillian should be a lot fun. Truth should be able handle himself well. And Miz and Otunga are just perfect in situations like this. Otunga may not be able to wrestle a lick but he’s great as a company man.
The new WWE logo is schedule to debut on the 900th RAW, which is scheduled for a three hour show on August 30.
I’m kind of curious now to see what the logo will actually look like and if it will be like the one I reported on last week, which can be seen here.
The Road to…SummerSlam
WWE Championship
Randy Orton v. Sheamus (c)
World Heavyweight Championship
Kane (c) v. Rey Mysterio
Elimination Match
John Cena, John Morrison, R-Truth, The Great Khali, Edge, Chris Jericho & Bret “Hit Man†Hart v. The Nexus (Wade Barrett, Justin Gabriel, Heath Slater, Michael Tarver, Darren Young, Skip Sheffield & David Otunga)
Handicap Match
The Big Show v. The Straight Edge Society (CM Punk, Luke Gallows & Joey Mercury)
rumored matches:
Kofi Kingston v. Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental Title
Melina v. Alicia Fox for the Divas Title
Wrestler of the Week
Week of August 2 – 8: Randy Orton
This week was kind of light on wrestling being the shows were pre-taped, but I’ve got to give love to Randy Orton. He’s been on fire these past few weeks in the build-up to SummerSlam and had a great match with this past week on RAW with The Miz. Orton is working great as a babyface that is still the anti-Cena. Now all eyes point to his WWE Title match against Sheamus at SummerSlam in what will surely be a better match than the one the two had at the Royal Rumble.
RAW’s On Tonight!
Tonight on RAW the build to SummerSlam continues. In the main event John Cena teams with Bret “Hit Man†Hart of all people to battle Chris Jericho and Edge. There’s so much Canadian goodness in that match that it will surely outweigh the black hole of Heath Slater and Darren Young on the outside acting as Lumberjacks alongside the rest of their Nexus counterparts. Plus Melina returned last week and immediately staked her claim as the next challenger for Alicia Fox’s Divas Title. Plus Randy Orton, Sheamus and The Miz will surely continue one of the most random WWE Title feuds in a recent time. Seriously it’s like playing a WWE video game and three random characters are paired together.
On Last Week’s Episode…
Chantel has SmackDown covered.
Evans and Kelly covered a Superstars that included a Gatecrashers-Dudebusters tag team match. What an incredibly random heel-heel tag team match. That’s why I love Superstars. Where else are you going to get something like that?
Ivan and Logan wish they got a kiss from Layla like Kaval did.
Marshall, Wheeler and Pruett form a triple threat of RAW coverage.
How They Rated
SmackDown! (7.23.10) – 1.8
Superstars (7.29.10) – .74
A.M. RAW (8.1.10) – .58
RAW (8.2.10) – 3.3
NXT (8.3.10) – .86
This is Boring, What Else is There to Read?
SK gives a quick heads up on the new Ricky Steamboat DVD.
David B. continues to hang out in Knoxville.
Logan covers the infamous RAW where Shawn Michaels collapsed. You know what’s coming next right? Yep, the gloriousness of “Tell Me a Lie.â€
Mark has been a columnist for Pulse Wrestling for over three years now, evolving from his original “Historically Speaking†commentary-style column into his current Monday morning powerhouse known as “This Week in ‘E.†He also contributes to other ventures, outside of IP, most notably as the National Pro Wrestling Examiner for Examiner.com and a contributor for The Wrestling Press. Follow me on Twitter here.
