[Emperor Smeat]

The Sheets:

Originally Posted by Post Wrestling Due to the holiday on Monday, ratings for the XFL and Raw have been delayed.

Originally Posted by Fightful Vince McMahon is still hands-on, but it's definitely at a distance these days. After word that WWE was potentially shopping PPV content to outside providers dropped on the WWE Q4 2019 call, Fightful was given a tip that McMahon's attendance isn't exactly what it once was. On the Smackdown side of things, we were told that Vince McMahon was rarely, if ever at the show between Thanksgiving and the February 5th episode. We're told that Bruce Prichard has assumed his position at Gorilla for those shows, but we don't know exactly how much input Prichard has on the final product. Over on Raw, it was noted that Vince McMahon was around "approximately half the time." Outside of that, McMahon is said to have been exceptionally private of late. This is still a far cry from decades past, when McMahon would almost never miss an episode of WWE Raw if he could help it.

Originally Posted by Fightful In conversation during the Royal Rumble 2005 episode of his Grilling JR podcast, Jim Ross revealed that before his contract expired in December 2004, The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) did indeed pitch a WrestleMania match versus Sting. He adds, "Rock knew in his heart that he could get a match out of Sting, who had been dormant for quite a while, without any problem. Full confidence. I believe that too." According to the legendary announcer, WWE had been trying to sign Sting since WCW closed its doors in 2001. At the time, there was a belief that he would be happy (having just been paid money owed by Time Warner), healthy, and refreshed. "We only wanted him for a part-time role, at best, to maximize the investment, and not overuse an asset that had more matches in him than he had left," said Jim Ross. Ultimately, the match never happened, and Johnson opted not to renew his contract. That said, Jim Ross does not believe one thing has anything to do with the other. Furthermore, responding to the assertion that Vince McMahon was "picking sides" and showing Steve Austin preferential treatment, Ross believes it was a matter of ego. It's not that Rock wasn't a priority, or that there were issues of control, but rather, in his estimation, this was Vince overcompensating and saying "no matter how big you have gotten, I will always run the ship here."

Originally Posted by Fightful You may have noticed some changes to WWE's musical production over the last several months. That's because CFO$ is no longer working with WWE. Fightful Select was informed that the music group had an issue with their publisher. According to one source, CFO$ was out a significant cut of money as it relates to their deal. The same aforementioned source indicated that CFO$ tried to get WWE to buy them out of their deal, which WWE seemed on board with, but the publisher rejected. The plan that we'd heard was that WWE hoped to bring them in house, but the talks got to a stand-still, and eventually ran out. It's thought that CFO$ have a non-compete with their publisher, which is why they haven't returned. The move was said to be a big one considering WWE's willingness to outsource the work instead of keeping it to themselves as they'd done for decades working with Jim Johnston. This situation has caused a slowdown on WWE's lucrative WWE Music Group Youtube channel as well, with no new uploads in six months. We're told WWE had plenty of exclusive tracks from CFO$ that they've used in the months since the split happened. This has led to WWE using library tracks and an in-house editor, as they've had other departures in that department as well. WWE is still actively seeking out new employees for that division

Originally Posted by Observer Impact announced that their Impact Plus VOD service will add a new event from Ontario-based Alpha 1 Wrestling, which is Ethan Page's promotion. They will be uploading the 2/16 show in Hamilton, ONT.

Originally Posted by Fightful In the wake of NXT UK TakeOver: Dublin being announced for April 26, Progress Wrestling announced on Twitter that it will have an update on an event the promotion is scheduled to run on that same day.

Originally Posted by Observer We now have a date for the next Crockett Cup tournament. The promotion announced this afternoon that this year’s tournament will take place on April 19 at the Gateway Arena in College Park, Georgia. Tickets will go on sale February 28, with a pre-sale taking place a day prior. The show will take place on the same day as Impact’s Rebellion pay-per-view event, which will take place in New York City.

Originally Posted by Observer New Japan Pro Wrestling has issued some new guidelines for fans as Japan struggles with the coronavirus outbreak. The company said all future live shows will go on, but are advising fans that if they fell ill, they should stay home. They are also encouraging fans and their staff to wear surgical-style masks in addition to providing disinfectant spray at events. The statement also said attendee health checks may be part of future shows and that fans that don't feel well at shows may be asked to leave. They also said that all meet and greets and autograph signings are canceled until further notice. They have events scheduled in Tokyo all weekend long.

Originally Posted by Observer Stardom announced Tuesday they are canceling the rest of their February slate of shows and making a drastic change to their March 8th show Korakuen Hall show due to the coronavirus outbreak ... Their March 7th FC Members Only Event Spring Bus tour set for Gunma has been postponed while their March 8th tournament show at Tokyo's Korakuen Hall will be an empty arena show with no fans allowed in the building. The event will be shown in full on their YouTube channel. They are offering refunds to those fans who purchased tickets.

Originally Posted by Observer AEW vice president Cody Rhodes spoke to the media for 40 minutes Tuesday afternoon, answering questions on everything from Jeff Cobb's deal to free agency to Canadian dates and plenty more ... Some key talking points: He said it's unlikely to see the Bash At The Beach name or other events he owns the trademarks to with the exception of one. He said AEW and Jeff Cobb are still in a "gestation" stage. He's signed for more dates, but he needs to keep it vague for now ... He said that when it comes to free agents, the doors are open ... He's taken lead and an ownership role in Norcross, GA's Nightmare Factory. It's not affiliated with AEW, but open to all talent and could be something down the road ... They haven't talked to ROH about getting rights to the original All In, but they have a good relationship there. Young Bucks and Dana Massie own the name, so it could happen down the road.

Originally Posted by PWI While Good Humor had announced that the returning WWE Superstars Ice Cream bars would be hitting shelves in April, PWInsider.com has confirmed that the ice cream is already being sold at Stop N Shop stores, among other locations. We've heard from ten different readers in the Northeast that they've found the bars on sale. John Cena, Roman Reigns, Becky Lynch and WWE Hall of Famer Randy Savage are featured on the cookies of the sandwich.

Originally Posted by Post Wrestling Former WWE talent Eve Torres-Gracie put out a post regarding an incident from 2009 involving Donald Trump during the period he was given control of Raw. Torres-Gracie cited a press event in June 2009 in Green Bay prior to Raw where she appeared alongside Torrie Wilson, Maryse Ouellet, The Bella Twins, and Maria Kanellis where she alleges that Trump forcefully grabbed her. Below is the Instagram post from Torres-Gracie:

Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/B8sfLTPl...ource=ig_embed

Originally Posted by Post Wrestling The WWE stock closed at $45.96 on Tuesday, which was up over 2% during the day.

Originally Posted by Fightful Following Nyla Rose's AEW Women's Title victory over Riho last Wednesday, former WWE superstar Val Venis took to social media to give his thoughts on the matter. Venis criticized AEW and Rose, an openly transgender wrestler, for allowing Rose to win the Women's World Title. Venis wrote, "When I turn on the mind numbing boob-tube to watch two women wrestle for the championship, I expect to see REAL WOMEN wrestling. Today I identify as a Great Dane. Gonna enter the Westminster dog show and win the XL Dog title.” He later clarified his comments, writing, "I never claimed #NylaRose was cheating. Its scripted & could be a heat seeking story line when portrayed responsibly. My position was & still is that portraying a biological MAN winning the Womens championship is not something to portray as moral, ethical or logical." Speaking on a media call, AEW Co-Executive Vice President Cody addressed Venis' comments. "It's disappointing. If you are someone that perhaps grew up liking Val Venis, he's kind of like the Disco Inferno of WWE, I don't know if anyone really knows who Val Venis is anymore. It's disappointing because I don't think he actually means the terrible, awful things, he's putting in writing. I think he's just trying to get a booking. We're not booking Val Venis and you're not gonna be booked anywhere near us." He continued, "The real way to end some of this bigotry, transphobia, and negativity is don't hit the ball back. We all know who we're talking about here. They're the same people who do this. When we hit the ball back, you give them oxygen. I'm not giving Val Venis any oxygen when it coming to Nyla Rosa. Nyla Rose won the Women's World Championship because she was the best woman at AEW. That's just it. Stop hitting the ball back to those people. It's 2020, everybody should love everybody." Venis was in the vocal minority of those who spoke against Rose's victory, with the majority supporting Rose for her achievement.

Originally Posted by Fightful John Bradshaw Layfield (JBL) is reportedly set to be inducted into the 2020 WWE Hall of Fame. Raj Giri of Wrestling Inc first reported the news ... As of now, the only confirmed inductees into the 2020 WWE Hall of Fame class are the New World Order (Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Hulk Hogan, & Sean Waltman) and Batista. Other names reportedly set to be inducted include The Bella Twins (Nikki & Brie Bella), Jushin "Thunder" Liger, and "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith.

TPWW Frontpage:

• Various: Arena Refused to Host AEW Due to WWE Ties, Bad Luck Fale on AEW-NJPW Issues, Indies
• WWE: Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte WrestleMania Note, Tito Ortiz at WWE PC, New Trademark
• Matt Hardy Comments on His Raw Segment
• “The British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith to Be Inducted Into WWE Hall of Fame
• Raw Tag Team Championship Added to Super ShowDown – Updated Card
• NXT UK TakeOver: Dublin Announced