Well, maybe not “save” WrestleMania, but help ensure it does better than last year’s edition, WrestleMania 26, which, at well under one million pay-per-view buys worldwide, was considered a bit of a disappointment. What’s different this year is WWE’s use of social media—that is to say they’re actually using it this time around. But even if this year’s edition, WrestleMania 27, which airs from Atlanta tomorrow on pay-per-view, does better than last year’s, how much of that can be attributed to Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, and how much of that can be attributed to the return of The Rock? Serious business, etc. → Read More
Word on the street (“the street” being this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, which is behind a paywall, sorry) is that WWE is looking to film WrestleMania in 3D this year. The event, which takes place on April 3 in Atlanta, would be the first WWE event (and first North American wrestling or MMA event) to be filmed in 3D. → Read More
Coming soon to your living room: WWE-branded Mad Catz accessories, specifically “FightStick(s)” and “FightPad(s)”. They’re being developed for the upcoming THQ video game WWE All Stars, the game that Dusty Rhodes (yes, the Dusty Rhodes) told me at E3 he was excited to be in. And then he told me to take a hike. Great day. → Read More
THQ wins today’s “Well That’s A Stupid Thing To Say” award. The company, which is right about to publish WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011, has adopted the increasingly common practice of only making available DLC to people who purchase the game new. That is, not buying a used copy. → Read More
This was truly a life-changing moment. Pro-wrestling legend Dusty Rhodes was at THQ’s E3 booth today promoting the upcoming release of WWE All Stars and WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011. And wouldn’t you know it, he told me to beat it! Yes~! → Read More
Rather than use E3 to pile on the mountains and mountains of hype of the big-bidget titles, I’ve elected to sprinkle through our coverage the small little gems that might otherwise go unnoticed. First on the docket is AAA: Héores del Ring a lucha libre (Mexican-style higly-flying pro-wrestling) game that’ll hit your Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, and PSP on August 10 of this year. I had some quality time with it this morning and I can say this: I left the booth absolutely shocked at how thorough the game is. → Read More
I must be seeing things… is that an official WWE YouTube page, and one that already has last night’s episode of Monday Night Raw online? This is so unlike WWE, embracing technology. They must have hired someone new in recent weeks, someone who told them that, you know, the Internet isn’t merely for “geeks” anymore. → Read More
It took WWE almost two years to release an iPhone App, but here we are. That’s right, today the company, which fancies itself as some sort of catch-all, cutting-edge entertainment juggernaut, has bequeathed upon the world WWE Latest, a 99 cent App for the iPhone and iPod touch. It’s fairly basic, but should help those of you itching for, I don’t know, Diva photos or Raw results. You do know your iPhone has a perfectly viable Web browser, right? → Read More
Exciting—and confusing—TV news for y’all. For whatever reason, SyFy, once upon a time known as the Sci-Fi Channel, has agreed to air WWE Friday Night SmackDown! beginning in October. SyFy already airs WWE NXT (remember: we are wild and young), but now SmackDown? When did SyFy betray its roots of terrible alien movies and Stephen King movies? → Read More
Whatcha gonna do, brother, when you sign a one-year contract with TNA Wrestling, but still want to keep your name in the news? You get a radio show on Sirius XM, of course, dude. That’s right: starting this Monday, you, me, and anyone else with Sirius XM will be able to hear Hulk Hogan—wait, wait, Terry (I forgot, I’m shooting just like they do in TNA)—at 7pm ET on Howard 101. It’s called “Hulk Hogan: Uncensored,” and I’m looking forward to hearing him explain how he wrestled more than 400 nights per year back in the 1980s. Yes, he actually claimed that in his latest book. Ridiculous. → Read More
OK, so PAX may be crawling with people dressed as Chris Redfield and, um, Generic Skimpy Outfit Female, but it takes a certain kind of geek to walk around with a WWE championship belt. I use the word “geek” with all due respect, of course: we’re all geeks here at PAX. → Read More
Credit to Ring of Honor, the professional wrestling promotion, for embracing the Internet era. The promotion has launched a new download store that makes its extensive video library only a $10 download away. A legal download, mind you. It’s all a fan could ever ask for. → Read More
The best numbers I could find suggest that 30 percent of homes in the U.S. have access to a DVR. That doesn’t seem like a lot, no, but it’s already had an undeniable impact on the way TV studios evaluate their shows. Lost, The Office, and The Ultimate Fighter all saw their final ratings boosted after taking into account delayed DVR viewings. That means that just because a show doesn’t have killer overnight ratings doesn’t mean plenty of people aren’t watching—they’re just watching a little while later. → Read More
It’s been a running theme for the past few years, and as more and more people get faster Internet connections, and as video compression technology continues to improve, we’re going to be hearing a lot more about it. I refer, of course (of course!), to illegal streams of live sporting events. Whether you’re firing up TVAnts on Sunday to watch Arsenal take on Aston Villa, or trolling USTREAM for a live feed of WWE’s Royal Rumble, or looking for MMA-TV to watch this month’s UFC pay-per-view, you are, in fact, breaking the law. Not only are you breaking the law, but you may even be taking money away from the companies/teams/sports you purport to support. But is that all there is to it? → Read More
So here’s an interesting look at Internet piracy you may well enjoy. The English Premier League complained the other day that illegal Web streams of live games (from Justin.tv and the like) were eating into its profits. No profits, no Premiership, was the implied threat. Then explain this to me: WWE ran a pay-per-view event in June called The Bash, and it marked the first time the company aggressively pursued illegal Web streams (again, from Justin.tv, Ustream, etc.). According to the company’s recently released financials, by way of the latest Wrestling Observer newsletter, The Bash was the third least purchased pay-per-view event “in years.” → Read More
Oh now this is rich. Gillette—I think they’re up to 44 blades per razor now—has teamed up with WWE to promote the dark art of male grooming. Why should you care? I don’t know, perhaps you enjoy “social networking” and all that? Maybe you still watch WWE, long after The Rock quit, and long after Triple H… nope, wait, he’s still main eventing (with the exact same gimmick, no less). You can listen to the likes of John Cena, Chris Jericho and Cody Rhodes cut shoot promos, à la RF Video, about how using Gillette makes them confident. → Read More
Ha (n. Peter)! Presenting the best video of the day, the latest episode of GameTrailers’ Screw Attack. It’s sort of a retrospective on the game WWF Wrestlemania 2000 for the Nintendo 64. I’d say that it’s still the best wrestling game to this date, and that includes WWF No Mercy. God did No Mercy slow down a lot. → Read More
The storage gods have smiled upon us, friends! Starting this March, Nintendo will sell a 2GB SD card for the Nintendo Wii. Yes, you could have purchased such a card, or bigger, from, say, every other company on Earth, but this one has the official Nintendo Seal of Quality. (Remember that?) As always, Japan gets first dibs. → Read More
It’s not easy being a wrestler. Inside the ring you’re pounding an opponent’s head against the corner post, but outside the ring it’s hard to meet people. Nobody really wants to be your friend. Not even on MySpace. They say their your friends, but they are not really your friends.
Wrestlers aren’t stupid. They know everybody thinks they are just a bunch of clowns. That’s why the company that employs all the wrestlers you see on TV, World Wrestling Entertainment, created WWE Universe, a social network just for them and their fans. Okay, it’s not really a social network. It’s just a craptastic promotional vehicle. And some of those wrestlers aren’t so bright. But they are lonely. → Read More
I wake up every morning thinking, “Man, what I could really use is a social network where I could discuss the societal ramifications of the Kai En Tai-Val Venis castration angle of 1998, or join ‘The Kliq was the best unofficial stable ever’ fan group.” It seems my wishes have been granted. World Wrestling Entertainment has launched its own social network called WWE Universe, which has been cooking since April. So far, the site has 200,000 members, most of which are men in the 18-35 age bracket. While the site is primarily what you’d expect from a “social network for ‘fans of product,’” WWE plans to integrate its vast video library into it in order to keep fans away from the likes of YouTube. WWE Superstars, as the company’s talent is called, are also heavily involved. Predictions for the next social network? Perhaps one for people who were born on Leap Day? Or a social network for people who are sick and tired of being sick and tired? Or a social network for people who think social networks are dumb? via Variety → Read More
