tlk23

Austin or Pilman (since he joined two years later) are the answers.

Duncan Birmingham ‏@DuncanBirm Don't miss MARON tomorrow with @CMPunk in the garage. I know nothing about sports other than he was very cool and I dig his avatar

- WWE has reportedly made a deal to purchase the Mid-Atlantic Wrestling library. This material was shot in Virginia at ringside next to the ring announcer from Jim Crockett Promotions events. The footage filmed by George Pantas. Unlike previous Mid-Atlantic material that was purchased as part of the WCW library in 2001, the Pantas footage was filmed on Super 8 cameras and was owned by Pantas. Pantas revealed the news in a column for Norfolk Navy Flagship. The footage was also used for a Michael Elliott documentary on Jim Crockett Promotions entitled The Good Old Days, which is currently available on Highspots.com. PWInsider reports that that the purchase was done about two months ago. The footage includes what is possibly the only complete match on film of Ric Flair vs. Buddy Rogers.

According to a new report by The Wrestling Observer, it wasn't the Undertaker's decision to end his undefeated streak at Wrestlemania XXX this year. However, if he truly didn't want to end the streak, he could have fought the decision and stopped it. It was Vince McMahon who made the call to have Brock Lesnar win. The original plan was for Undertaker to get the win. A few days before the show, McMahon changed his mind, likely having seen the Undertaker's physical condition and thinking that it could be his last match. Vince decided that if the streak was going to end, it was now or never. There are mixed reports on Taker's reaction to the decision, one source claims he had to be talked into the decision while another said he didn't argue at all.

Wrestlemania 9 as a whole. A lot of people are down on it, but Tatanka vs. HBK is a very good opener followed by the Steiners and Headshrinkers in another good one.

TMZ reports that WWE is working on two tributes to the Ultimate Warrior. As previously reported, one of those specials is a tribute episode of RAW which will have more than the standard RIP notice given to most wrestlers that pass away. Producers are working on details but it will likely present Warrior's most memorable moments and his final appearance in the ring last week in New Orleans. The company is also putting together a special that will air on the WWE Network next Wednesday called Warrior: The Ultimate Legend.

- It is said that there were several people who were displeased backstage about the decision to have Undertaker lose to Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 30, but were not able (and won't) say anything publicly about it. - The decision to end the streak was reportedly made by Vince McMahon, not Undertaker. There are some who were "in the know" who say that Vince had to talk Undertaker into it, while others say he went along with it without argument. - Regarding who knew ahead of time that the Streak was ending, it is certain that Vince McMahon, Brock Lesnar, Undertaker and Paul Heyman knew, and possibly Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. Beyond that, it is difficult to say. No finish was listed on the script but that isn't unusual and it wasn't the only one for the PPV. None of the agents reportedly knew. - Those who saw Undertaker backstage at Raw said that he had a heavy limp and looked to be "in rough shape." - The referee in the Brock Lesnar vs. Undertaker match didn't know the end result. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that Chad Patton was actually informed ahead of the match that Undertaker would win, but complied with the rule given to all WWE referees. That rules is that if a wrestler does not kick out, you go ahead and finish with the three count as if it were exactly what was planned.The site also reports that Lesnar privately whispered "thank you" to Undertaker immediately following the three count to express his gratitude for the honor of breaking the Streak. Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

How about this tweet. James ‏@Jamesfspencer I met the ultimate warrior this morning at New Orleans airport pic.twitter.com/BlafbrEUyc

Steven Godfrey worked in professional wrestling for five years. Now he works at SB Nation. These are his stories.

- CM Punk is reportedly "expected" to return this Monday on Raw in his hometown of Chicago. A source who is said to be "top WWE star" claims that Punk's return is "100% certain." The report notes that if he does return, Punk will likely slot ack into his match with Triple H at WrestleMania XXX, or possibly being added to WWE World Title Match. That match was reportedly changed recently in creative plans to a triple threat, with the third opponent not yet named internally. Credit: Wrestling Observer Radio

This is interesting to me. How many people fit in there? Has anyone ever been a seat filler for RAW? You get in free.

If you search Old School, a bunch of matches come up, but you can't watch any of them.

Yeah I have tried that and it just doesn't load. It goes back to the start screen. When I click on those links, it loads up just fine.

Yes, there should be a "Watch Now" button that shows up in the future schedule listings.

Yes. For Raw they only have seven shows from 1993, two shows from 1998 and most of them from 2012/2013/2014.

Going to the future schedule page, here are some old shows that doesn't not show up in the vault, but can still be watched. Maple Leaf Gardens 10/21/84 Old School card from the Maple Leaf Gardens features Andre the Giant taking on Kamala in a Steel Cage Match. The British Bulldogs and more. http://network.wwe.com/video/v31307213 WrestleMania 3 Rewind http://network.wwe.com/video/v31379409 March 23, 2001 RAW, WWF buys WCW http://network.wwe.com/video/v31370773 March 7, 1994 ECW TV http://network.wwe.com/video/v31291065

Sounds like between 200-300K have signed up so far.

9 am Eastern time, so 6 am Pacific.

- WWE has officially announced the return of Hulk Hogan to the company. WWE sent out a press release making the announcement and revealing that he will return on Raw, as well as host WrestleMania 30. The announcement adds that he will appear on the WWE Network's WWE Raw Backstage Pass, which will air live at at 11:05 PM ET. Vince McMahon said in the announcement, "We are thrilled that Hulk Hogan has returned home to WWE. It's fitting to have him help us celebrate 30 years of WrestleMania and usher in a new era with the launch of WWE Network." Hogan added, "Words cannot express how excited I am to be back in the WWE family. I only have one question for the WWE Universe: whatcha gonna do when Hulkamania runs wild as the host of WrestleMania 30?"

- Following the release of the 2013 WWE financials, here is a breakdown of the company's top 10 revenue streams. TV Rights Fees - $160.9 million Live Events - $111.5 million PPV Revenue - $82.5 million Licensing - $43.6 million Home Video - $24.3 million WWE.com - $23 million Venue Merchandise - $19.4 million WWEShop - $15.5 million WWE Studios - $10.8 million Magazine Sales - $5.7 million - TV rights fees continue to be the biggest line of revenue, and the $160.9 million represents approximately 32% of the company's revenue, which is up from 2012, when it represented approximately 29%. - Live events have been steady as the secondary line of revenue, representing approximately 21% of the revenue for the last three years. - PPV remains the third biggest lien of revenue, with $82.5 million, representing 16.2% of the company's revenue. This is roughly even with last year, which was $83.6 (17.3), but up from 2011, which was $78.3 million (16.2%). - WWE licensing was at $43.6 million, which is approximately 8.6% of the revenue. Licensing fees for the company dropped for a second straight year, starting at $54.4 million (11.2%) in 2011, then $46.3 million (9.6%) in 2012 and now $43.6 million (8.6%) this year.

According to Pwinsider.com, there was talk at the weekend WWE live events that CM Punk was given his official release from WWE on Friday. WWE has not confirmed the release at this time, and as of today, Punk is still shown on the Superstars page of WWE website. Pwinsider.com also notes that people that have spoken to Punk recently have stated that Punk has said he is done.

- There are some new match possibilities for the upcoming WrestleMania 30 card. As previously reported, if WWE inserts Bryan into the title match, that would make a triple threat match between The Shield unlikely, since WWE does not want to have two triple threat matches on the same card. Another new possibility is a match between Triple H and Roman Reigns for the event. WWE is said to be very high right now on Reigns, and the storyline of The Authority using The Shield as henchmen for the past year would be a launching point for a match between Triple H and Reigns. - PWInsider has a report on the reasons why WWE is opting not to talk about the recent departure of CM Punk. Vince McMahon personally likes Punk and wants to try and work things out with him since he's one of his top selling Superstars. Also, WWE has invested a lot of money into Punk with marketing ads and merchandise in stores, so they want to protect his name until his contract runs out in July. If the two sides cannot come to a new agreement, WWE will not mention Punk until his contract officially expires. - WWE is reportedly discussing what they will air on the WWE Network while Raw and Smackdown are on TV. They are said to be discussing potential segments similar to what is seen on the WWE App for the network. There are also ideas floating around like guest panelists during Raw. The panelists would include former WWE and Hall of Fame Superstars.

Alvarez just said that it sounds like Punk vs. HHH is off and Bryan vs. HHH is on.

Alvarez just said that it sounds like Punk vs. HHH is off and Bryan vs. HHH is on.

WWE Aims to Pin Down Rich New TV Rights Deals http://variety.com/2013/tv/news/wwe-aims-t...ive-1200966579/ The goal is to significantly increase the $139.5 million in TV licensing fees WWE earns each year for its shows, and attempt to get closer to the rich network deals that sports organizations like the NBA, NHL NASCAR, as well as soccer command. To make its show more attractive, WWE is considering a live version of its two-hour “SmackDown,” which currently is taped on Tuesday before its Friday airing. To do that, costs to produce the series would increase, due to scheduling, and the show would likely need to move to a new night. But WWE would be willing to make the switch in return for a better fee for the series. Negotiations and bids can’t take place until Feb. 15, when NBCU accepts or rejects WWE’s final offer; other bids are due Feb. 28, with WWE set to select its media partners by March 4. Should a new deal with another conglom happen, WWE’s shows wouldn’t move to a new network until October. WWE’s pay-per-views, including annual juggernauts “WrestleMania” and “SummerSlam” won’t be part of the negotiations, since those will air on the company’s new subscription-based WWE Network, which will also include original series and access to the company’s VOD library. Launch plans for the channel, which WWE sees as its own NFL Network, have yet to be revealed. However, WWE maintains that it could break even on the venture if it can sign up 800,000 to 1 million subscribers willing to pay around $10 to $14 per month.