Today in WWE rumors — CM Punk wants the WWE to pay up, Triple H talks about the dawn of the Attitude Era, Brock Lesnar’s new contract and Jim Ross will be announcing again very soon.
WWE Rumors: CM Punk’s lawyers send letter to WWE regarding owed royalties
According to Wrestlezone, CM Punk’s legal team sent a 22-page letter to the WWE regarding money the former champ feels he’s owed by the company. The royalties stem from the WWE’s use of Punk’s likeness, especially in the forthcoming WWE 2K15 game. WWE has been withholding royalties since Punk walked out on his contract after the Royal Rumble.
REACTION: It’s tough to take sides here, because both parties are in the wrong, but let’s start with Punk because he’s slightly wrong-er (that’s a word now). CM Punk did walk out on a contract. When you do that, in any profession, the employer gets the upper hand. In this case, the WWE can do whatever they want, because they technically own the WWE-version of CM Punk. They can put him in games, sells his DVDs, and make money off his past since they’re not making money off him in the present.
I realize every wrestler who’s left WWE on bad terms has come back (except Macho Man) but the more out of control this Punk situation gets, the less chance he’ll ever step foot in a WWE ring again. In that case, no one wins.
WWE RUMORS: New contract turns Brock Lesnar into full-time WWE performer
Brock Lesnar’s run as WWE champion might come to an end at Night of Champions but his face being on WWE programming is just beginning to ramp up. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that Lesnar and the WWE have reached a deal that basically says the WWE can book The Beast Incarnate any time they want him.
“In the past, WWE would have Lesnar’s dates and storylines booked well in advance and would work their shows around his schedule accordingly. Now that he is the champion, they have a deal in place as far as money is concerned, but the agreement now allows WWE to book him for RAW shows and pay-per-views whenever they feel they need him. Essentially, Lesnar can work every pay-per-view from now until WrestleMania 31 if that’s what WWE wants, as there is an agreement in place that allows them to increase dates on a pro-rate basis.”
REACTION: This is great news for WWE fans, huge news for Lesnar fans but bad news for the Cenation. Sure, there is a possibility Lesnar loses at Night of Champions, but that doesn’t mean he’s going away. Increased TV appearances and PPV matches mean Cena could be dodging Lesnar for months. It also opens up Lesnar to other matches against top faces in the company.
WWE RUMORS: Triple H explains the first ‘Attitude Era’ moment
Triple H was the guest on this week’s edition of Talk is Jericho. The Executive Vice President of Talent Relations gave a candid interview (the second part runs this Friday) and when the topic of The Clique and their influence back in the mid-90s, The Game was honest that the group did have Vince’s ear but most wrestlers had his ear at the time.
Triple H also shared an interesting story about a meeting with Vince and The Clique in a hotel room that basically turned into a game of “fantasy wrestling”.
“So, I went to just say hello to Vince and Jerry and just leave. Even though we did have a relationship. We would talk after my matches. So those guys so up and I said hi to Vince and hello to Jerry and turned to leave and Vince goes ‘where you going?’ and I said ‘this isn’t my place to be here’ and he said ‘oh no, you’re in this now.’ So I sat down. And Vince takes a roster out and hands it to each of us and goes ‘if this was your team, you’re making a team, who would you want on your team?’ and ‘what do you think is wrong with the product. Not saying we’re going to do it. I just want your opinions.’”
Read the rest of the transcript from that interview portion here.
REACTION: I listened to the first half of that interview. Besides the great stories Triple H tells about his early days in WCW and WWE, his love of the business is evident. I feel like even if Triple H didn’t marry into the family, he’d be involved in the background in some capacity. I recommend checking out the first half of the interview just for the explanation of the Triple H gimmick. Fun nugget of fact — the original name for his character was Reginald DuPont Helmsley. Thankfully he was able to talk WWE creative out of that horrendous name.
WWE RUMORS: Jim Ross to announce his first MMA pay-per-view
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross will call the upcoming Battleground MMA pay-per-view on October 3rd in Tulsa, Oklahoma. MMAFighting.com is reporting that negotiations with Ross, and his announcer partner for the evening Chael Sonnen, have been ongoing for months. The main event of Battleground features Ryan Couture, son of MMA Hall of Famer Randy Couture, squaring off against Jonny Carson.
REACTION: I’m all for Jim Ross announcing any fight event since he’s one of the best play-by-play men in the business but I wish JR was still under contract to use those talents to call WWE shows. His wrestling knowledge is encyclopedic and it just sounds better with JR in the booth. If he does half as well in MMA, and he did in WWE/WCW, he might add Hall of Fame MMA announcer to his extensive resume.
Got more WWE rumors, photos or something I’ve got to see? Leave it in the comments or reach out on Twitter @chrisilluminati or email me at chris.illuminati [@] wovendigital.com.