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Source: Sean Gardner / Getty / Dwayne Johnson
Dwayne Johnson is not playing checkers; he’s playing chess, thanks to his deal with TKO Holdings.
When The Rock asks the millions and MILLIONS of fans around the globe if “they smell what the rock is cooking?” or uses some of his other iconic catchphrases and nicknames, he can do so knowing he owns the intellectual rights to them.
Spotted on Variety, Dwayne Johnson gained the rights to a plethora of nicknames, insults, and catchphrases he famously used during his wrestling career, like “Candy Ass” and “Jabroni.”
Per Variety:
As announced last month, Johnson has the rights to his famous ring name, “The Rock.” In its 10-K filing Feb. 27 with the SEC, TKO revealed two dozen additional names and taglines — previously the property of WWE — that are now in Johnson’s control.
Here’s the full list: “The Rock,” “Rocky Maivia,” “Team Corporate,” “Rock Nation,” “The Nation,” “Roody Poo,” “Candy Ass,” “Jabroni,” “If you smell what The Rock is cooking,” “The Samoan Sensation,” “The Blue Chipper,” “The Brahma Bull,” “The People’s Champion,” “The Great One,” “Know Your Role and Shut Your Mouth,” “Team Bring It,” “The Rock Just Bring It,” “The People’s Elbow,” “Rock Bottom,” “Finally, The Rock has come back to…,” “It doesn’t matter what…,” “Blue Hell,” “The millions… (and millions),” “Rockpocalypse,” “Project Rock” and “The most electrifying man in sports and entertainment.”
As part of his agreement with TKO, the parent company of the Vince McMahon-less WWE, he now also owns the rights to “all other nicknames, caricatures, voice, signature, gestures, routines, costumes or parts of costumes, accessories [and] crowns,” used during his beloved wrestling career.
The Rock laid the smackdown with this agreement.
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Source: Stephen J. Cohen / Getty / Virgil
The professional wrestling world has lost another legend.
WWE legend Michael “Virgil” Jones, the “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase’s bodyguard and one-time holder of the million-dollar championship, passed away at the age of 61 on Wednesday, Feb.28.
No cause of death for Jones, who also spent time in World Championship Wrestling under the name Vincent, was revealed. Per local news affiliate WTRF-TV, Jones had dementia and two massive strokes in 2022.
A GoFundMe page was started in December 2022 to help cover the former professional wrestler’s living expenses.
Virgil’s passing was confirmed on his official Instagram account before being confirmed by the WWE. The caption for the post read:
This is to confirm the sad news about our beloved Meatsauce God and Wrestling Superstar Virgil/Michael Jones has passed away. There is so much to say here and would love to share stories but for now it’s a rough day as our friend is gone. We would only ask at this time to remember him as the man that he was. Wishing him all the unlimited pasta in heaven. We love you Mike.
The Vince Mcmahon-less WWE wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter:
WWE is saddened to learn that Michael Jones, known to WWE fans as Virgil, has passed away. WWE extends its condolences to Jones’ family, friends and fans.
Virgil’s Path To Professional Wrestling Greatness
Jones was a defensive back at Virginia Union before starting an amateur wrestling career, per The Athletic. He began his career as Soul Train Jones in 1985, later joining the WWE as Lucious Brown.
It wasn’t until 1987 that he became his most iconic character, Virgil, “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase’s bodyguard, who took abuse from his boss.
That would all change during the 1991 Royal Rumble when Virgil turned on his former boss after they took on the late Dusty Rhodes and Dustin Rhodes in a tag team match.
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The WWE would push the feud between DiBiase and Virgil, leading to the 1991 match at WrestleMania VII, where Virgil won via count-out.
The Virgil-DiBaiase feud climaxed at SummerSlam later that year when Virgil beat DiBiase by pinfall, winning the Million Dollar Championship.
Ted DiBiase Had Nothing But Kind Words For Virgil
Speaking on his former bodyguard, DiBiase had nothing but kind words about him during a 2016 interview with Ring Rust Radio.
“When we were together, he was never a problem,” DiBiase said. “The guy didn’t drink, he didn’t smoke, he didn’t do drugs, he was always on time. Of course, you know you lay the foundation down when the relationship begins, and I think Virgil understood at least, he knew what his job was and he knew where his place was in terms of the pecking order.
“We would do our thing on the road and then I would see him in three days or a week, whatever it was and then we would come back. I didn’t really socialize a lot with him so to speak, but we had a great working relationship and were friends.”
RIP Virgil.
You can see more reactions to his passing in the gallery below.
1. Jake The Snake Roberts
2. Matt Hardy
3. Hacksaw Jim Duggan
4. Brutus The Barber Beefcake
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Source: Ethan Miller / Getty / Vince McMahon
The Vince McMahon era at the WWE has officially come to an end.
*Trigger warning: this post will touch on alleged sexual assault*
It was only a day after some alarming allegations about Vince McMahon accusing the WWE founder of sexual assault, trafficking, and other disgusting things, and now he is out at TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of the WWE and UFC.
McMahon remains defiant despite stepping down and claiming his innocence in the matter.
Per Deadline:
“I stand by my prior statement that Ms. Grant’s lawsuit is replete with lies, obscene made-up instances that never occurred, and is a vindictive distortion of the truth,” McMahon said this evening of the scorching lawsuit against him filed earlier this week. “I intend to vigorously defend myself against these baseless accusations, and look forward to clearing my name.”
“However, out of respect for the WWE Universe, the extraordinary TKO business and its board members and shareholders, partners and constituents, and all of the employees and Superstars who helped make WWE into the global leader it is today, I have decided to resign from my executive chairmanship and the TKO board of directors, effective immediately,” the WWE co-founder added.
McMahon was hit with the People’s Elbow in the form of a lawsuit filed by former WWE employee Janel Grant, which shared details about disturbing sexual assault allegations.
We previously reported about those allegations where Grant was described as being constantly sexually abused by McMahon and other WWE employees and an unnamed WWE superstar, but according to The Wall Street Journal’s reporting, was former WWE Champion Brock Lesnar.
Per HHW’s Reporting:
The lawsuit also details the “extreme cruelty and degradation” Grant was allegedly subject to, accusing McMahon of defecating on her during a threesome, “commanding her to continue pleasuring his ‘friend’” while his waste was in her hair and running down her back.
McMahon is also accused of using sex toys he named after WWE superstars on Grant and making her engage in sexual acts with other WWE employees like head of talent relations John Laurinaitis, who is also named in the lawsuit.
There was also an incident detailed in the lawsuit where McMahon and Laurinaitis corned Grant in Laurinaitis’ locked office during a work day and took turns sexually assaulting her, ignoring her pleas for them to stop.
Social media continues to hit McMahon, who should have been gone long ago with a virtual smackdown. You can see those reactions below.
2. Well damn
3. The accuracy
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Source: Michelle Farsi / Getty / Vince McMahon
Vince McMahon is once again in trouble for being a very creepy individual.
*Trigger warning: this post will touch on alleged sexual assault*
A former WWE employee has slapped Vince McMahon and another former executive with a federal lawsuit accusing him of serious sexual misconduct accusations and offering her to a WWE superstar for sex.
Bruh.
Janel Grant, who worked in the WWE’s legal and talent departments, details in the 67-page lawsuit how McMahon, now 78, forced her into a sexual relationship with him to get employment within the company.
Per Vulture:
WWE employee Janel Grant is seeking to void the NDA she allegedly signed in exchange for reputational protection and a payout of $3 million. She alleges McMahon — whose net worth is $2.8 billion — stopped payments after she’d received only $1 million. The suit alleges that once news of McMahon’s NDA payments surfaced in June 2022, the WWE leaked Grant’s name to a media blogger — who is not named in the suit but has since been identified online as Brad Shepard — in what Grant and her legal team describe as “an overt intimidation tactic.”
She also says McMahon passed around pornographic images and videos of her having sex with other men to other individuals, WWE employees, and allegedly Brock Lesnar, according to The Wall Street Journal.
McMahon also offered Grant to Lesnar for a sexual relationship, and allegedly, the MMA athlete-turned-wrestler asked for a video of Grant urinating, Vulture reports.
The Lawsuit Details Alleged Cruelty & Degradation
The lawsuit also details the “extreme cruelty and degradation” Grant was allegedly subject to, accusing McMahon of defecating on her during a threesome, “commanding her to continue pleasuring his ‘friend’” while his waste was in her hair and running down her back.
McMahon is also accused of using sex toys he named after WWE superstars on Grant and making her engage in sexual acts with other WWE employees like head of talent relations John Laurinaitis, who is also named in the lawsuit.
There was also an incident detailed in the lawsuit where McMahon and Laurinaitis corned Grant in Laurinaitis’ locked office during a work day and took turns sexually assaulting her, ignoring her pleas for them to stop.
Why Did Grant Go Public?
Representatives for Grant said she wanted her filing to go public, and she came with the receipts in the form of disturbing text exchanges with McMahon.
McMahon told Grant their “relationship” was over in January 2022 after his wife, Linda McMahon, found out, and he even fired her from the company.
The lawsuit states that McMahon began pressuring Grant to sign an NDA and take a hush payment of $3 million. Allegedly, things didn’t stop after Grant agreed to sign the NDA, with McMahon attempting to offer her to a WWE superstar who was visiting New York in March 2022.
“Ms. Grant is filing this lawsuit not just to address her own suffering,” the suit reads. “But also to act for those who are afraid to speak out.”
We shall see if this opens the floodgates for more disturbing allegations.
Users on X, formerly Twitter, are laying the smackdown on Vince McMahon.
You can see more of those reactions in the gallery below.
1. Expeditiously
4. Shouldn’t have been using them in the first place
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WWE is gearing up for a major weekend filled with must-see matches during the highly anticipated Royal Rumble 2024 taking place Saturday (Jan. 27), with the main card event starting at 8 p.m. ET on Peacock and pay-per-view.
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This marks the first big rumble on the road to WrestleMania 40, and is the first of four total PPV matches that will take place this year. Sixty contenders (30 men and 30 women) will fight for a chance to move up within the ranks, and with two championship titles up for grabs, it’s sure to be a exciting.
The fights will be livestreamed from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., which you can still purchase tickets to watch live through Ticketmaster, StubHub, Vivid Seats and Seat Geek (new users can score $10 off their first purchase of $250+ with code BILLBOARD10). If you’re not able to get some travel deals to see the fights live, you can still stream WWE Royal Rumble 2024 at home without cable through affordable streaming options.
Two main events will be taking place, including Roman Reigns defending his WWE Universal Championship title in a four-way match against Randy Orton, AJ Styles and LA Knight. Then, Logan Paul will be defending his WWE United States Championship title against Kevin Owens. The winner from each bout will be eligible for a title as they move on to fight against a champion of their choice during WrestleMania 40 on April 6.
Keep reading to learn how to watch the WWE matches live.
How to Watch WWE Royal Rumble 2024
Peacock will be exclusively livestreaming WWE Royal Rumble 2024 with some live cable providers offering a PPV package to watch the fights live. If you have cable, you can check with your cable provider to see if they offer WWE Royal Rumble 2024 and to purchase it on PPV. For Peacock subscribers, you can tune into the live event for no additional cost. Just log into your account once the main card event begins, and you’ll have access to the fights.
Don’t have a Peacock subscription? The streaming platform doesn’t offer a free trial, but does come with a couple of affordable plans starting at $5.99/month. Click here or the button below to start your subscription.
There are two different plans offered on Peacock: the Premium Plan for $5.99/month or the Premium Plus Plan for $11.99/month. If you’re looking for additional savings, you can save 17% off when you do the annual plan for $59.99/year or $119.99/year. With the Premium Plan, it’s ad-supported and you’ll receive more than 80,000 hours of TV, movies and sports, access to live sports events, current NBC and Bravo shows, 50+ always-on live TV channels as well as the ability to stream new, exclusive and original content from the streaming platform.
Peacock’s Premium Plus plan comes with everything in the Premium plan, no ads, your local NBC channel live and the ability to download and stream eligible content offline.
Alongside WWE Royal Rumble 2024, you’ll have access to the entire Peacock library as well as Bravo and NBC content including WrestleMania, Yellowstone, The Holdovers, Five Nights At Freddy’s, Vanderpump Rules, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Based on a True Story, Bel-Air, Kevin Hart: Reality Check, Poker Face, Saturday Night Live, Willie Nelson & Family and more.
Make sure you also grab official merch here to cheer on your favorite fighter or show some love for the major wrestling event.
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Source: Ethan Miller / Getty / WWE / Monday Night Raw
WWE’s Monday Night Raw is again on the move, and Netflix has made a significant push to be a force in live programming.
The professional wrestling world is shaking after the WWE announced it inked a $5B media rights deal with Netflix, which will see Monday Night Raw jump off the top ropes and land on the streaming giant starting in 2025.
This will also mark the first time Raw will not air episodes on a linear television network in its three-decades-long history. The popular wrestling program currently airs on the USA Network.
Per Variety:
WWE’s current deal with NBCUniversal has “Raw” airing on USA Network until October 2024. According to an individual with knowledge of the situation, exactly where “Raw” will air between the end of that deal and the beginning of the Netflix deal is still being determined.
Under the deal, Netflix will become the exclusive home of “Raw” in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Latin America, and other territories once the deal begins, with more countries and regions to be added over time. Netflix will also become the television home for all WWE shows outside the U.S. That includes fellow weekly shows “SmackDown” and “NXT” as well as annual live events like WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and the Royal Rumble, as well as documentaries, original series, and additional projects.
This partnership is one that will break new ground, and take @WWE to new heights. Thrilled to bring #WWERaw to @Netflix coming January 2025. Now we change the game!!!!” 14-time WWE Wolrd Champion, now Chief Content Officer of the company Triple H said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Fans Emotions About The Deal Are All Over The Place
The WWE continues to be a massive force in the sport’s entertainment world. As you can imagine, fans are reacting to the news that they will now be “Netflix & Body Slamming.”
We shall see if this deal will positively or negatively affect the WWE’s momentum. It’s a huge win for Netflix as they push to show more live content.
News of the deal also arrives as one of its biggest superstars, Dwayne’ The Rock’ Johnson, joined the WWE and UFC board.
The streaming giant took its first step to show live events with Chris Rock’s post-Will Smith slap comedy special Selective Outrage and, most recently, the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
1. Good question
2. We would be down for both with you Mami
3. Lol, damn
4. Definitely what is sounds like
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Dwayne Johnson, largely known by his pro wrestling moniker The Rock, rose from his time in the square circle to becoming one of Hollywood’s top draws. Johnson recently joined the company board that oversees the WWE and UFC and earned himself millions.
Dwayne Johnson, 51, was announced as the latest board member for TKO Group Holdings, Inc., a sports and entertainment company that recently merged the interests of the WWE and UFC on Tuesday (Jan. 23). The Rock has diversified his holdings via his production company Seven Bucks Productions, Teremana Tequila, ZOA Energy, and the UFL among other ventures. Now as a member of TKO Holdings’ board, Johnson not only earned substantial stock options but also retains full ownership of his stage name.
In a statement, Johnson spoke to the significance of his new role at TKO:
My grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, and my dad, Rocky ‘Soulman’ Johnson, would’ve never thought this day would come. Which is why I’m very humbled to have a seat at the table that has decades of history and family legacy for me. A table that my family helped to build. Being on the TKO Board of Directors, and taking full ownership of my name, ‘The Rock’, is not only unprecedented, but incredibly inspiring as my crazy life is coming full circle. At my core, I’m a builder who builds for and serves the people, and Ari is building something truly game changing. I’m very motivated to help continue to globally expand our TKO, WWE, and UFC businesses as the worldwide leaders in sports and entertainment — while proudly representing so many phenomenal athletes and performers who show up every day putting in the hard work with their own two hands to make their dreams come true and deliver for our audiences. I’ve been there, I’m still there and this is for them.
The move puts Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson back next to TKO’s Executive Chairman of the Board, Vince McMahon who said of the move, “Very few people on the planet understand the convergence of sports, entertainment, media, and business like Rock. We are proud to have him join the TKO board to help take our company to new heights.”
Salute to Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock for this latest win.
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Photo: Icon Sportswire / Getty
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. Sports fans have more than Thursday Night Football to look forward to, as the NFL and WWE just dropped officially licensed […]
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Source: Neilson Barnard / Getty
Sad news out of the world of professional wrestling today, as the iconic wrestling heel known as The Iron Sheik has passed away.
Deadline is reporting that Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri aka The Iron Sheik, passed away at the age of 81 He is survived by three daughters and a son. Wrestling fans will remember the Iranian wrestler for his famous battles with the all-American hero, Hulk Hogan, during the WWF’s heyday in the 1980s. Though he was on the losing end more times than not, fans appreciated the villainous character he portrayed during his stint in professional wrestling and will forever be grateful for him making our childhoods that much more entertaining.
Deadline reports:
Initially performing under the ring name The Great Hossein Arab, he switched to The Iron Sheik after joining the then-WWF in the early 1980s (it was renamed as WWE in 2022). Donning traditional, if stereotypical, Arab garb, his role as wrestling’s premier villain coincided, and no doubt benefited, from the Iran Hostage Crisis of 1979-81.
By 1983, The Iron Sheik, with his trademark “Camel Clutch” maneuver, had become the only Iranian champion in WWE history, taking the belt that year when he defeated Bob Backlund at Madison Square Garden. The victory, according to the WWE, was a controversial one, as Backlund’s manager Arnold Skaaland threw in the towel after Backlund refused to submit.
The Iron Sheik held the title for just under a month before losing the championship to then-named Hollywood Hogan on January 23, 1984, in what is remembered as one of the most famous matches of all time. Although The Iron Sheik lost, he was involved in the match that launched the career of a soon-to-be-renamed Hulk Hogan and moving professional wrestling firmly into popular mainstream culture.
Those were the times. Sure the wrestling matches were slow as heck and had more body slams than off the top rope maneuvers, but still, they rocked.
Check out the family’s statement about the passing of The Iron Sheik below, and let us know your favorite Iron Sheik moment in the comments section.
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Bad Bunny defeated his former friend-turned-foe Damian Priest in a hellacious San Juan Street Fight at WWE’s premium live event Backlash on Saturday night (May 6).
The build-up to the match was enthralling: last month, Bunny involved himself in a skirmish between Priest’s villainous group, The Judgement Day, and WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio. Priest — the stable’s muscle — showcased his unrelenting power, chokeslamming his former friend through a table.
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Weeks later, Bunny returned the favor, mercilessly attacking Priest with a kendo stick and challenging him to a San Juan Street Fight at the same show he would be hosting in Puerto Rico. On Friday (May 5), Bunny and Priest engaged in a face-off at the Backlash press conference, where the two exchanged verbal and physical blows. Priest shoved Bunny, and the musical titan sealed things with a slap, setting the table for Saturday night’s hotly anticipated showdown.
Saturday night at Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot, Bunny reveled in the hometown fervor, soaking in the electricity from the sold-out crowd. Sauntering down the ramp to his 2017 song “Chambea,” Bunny had a supermarket cart with several weapons on display, including kendo sticks, trash cans, and a bicycle chain. The 20-minute brawl was a battle of attrition. Priest’s brute strength and Bunny’s daredevil abilities highlighted the clash of styles and had wrestling aficionados buzzing.
Bunny dazzled as he landed an array of moves, most notably a tornado DDT from the top turnbuckle. To continue his high-flying antics, Bunny delivered a cross-body drop to Priest on the outside, leaving the big man stunned. While Benito flexed his surge of offense, Priest was equally dominant and merciless. He attacked Bunny with kendo sticks and later slammed him through a table with a resounding Broken Arrow, causing WWE officials to check on the banged-up singer. Distraught by Priest’s onslaught, fans wondered if Bunny could continue the match, but indeed he did.
Things intensified when members of Priest’s crew, The Judgement Day, came to his rescue and began viciously assaulting Bunny inside the ring. Initially, the numbers game seemed overwhelming for the hometown hero until help arrived in the form of WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio and former WWE Puerto Rican legends Savio Vega and Carlito. A vicious battle ensued between Priest’s faction and Bunny’s allies, which later increased after Mysterio’s LWO crew came out and assisted in the efforts. Embroiled in combat outside the ring left Priest and Bunny back where they started — inside the square circle.
After Priest escaped a figure-four leglock submission, a hobbled Bunny attempted to end the match with a Sliced Bread No. 2 off, but to no avail, as Priest kicked out before the three count. Bunny’s signature move, the Bunny Destroyer, would leave Priest in the dust as he secured the three count and was triumphantly lifted in the air by his LWO peers in the middle of the ring.
The match was one of the night’s best, as Bunny proved why he’s a hit in and out of the ring.