WWE - Not a Wrestling firm?

[nightrain]

Has Vince kinda lost it.  WWE will alsways be referred to as a Wrestling show no matter what he expects.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/3481707/WWE-claim-they-are-no-longer-a-wrestling-company.html

WWE have insisted they are NOT a wrestling company and tried to stop the media from using the term in association with them.

According to leaked emails, Vince McMahon views the WWE as a "global media company" employing "superstars" rather than wrestlers and putting on "entertainments" instead of wrestling events.

Despite the firm's title actually standing for World Wrestling Entertainment, over the past two years they have unsuccessfully tried to prevent worldwide media ? including The Sun ? from using the term.

Now, in an exchange with leading US website TVWeek.com, they have made the new policy explicit.

The conversation came after the site ran a story about the WWE Hall of Fame, which included the term "pro wrestling" in the headline.

WWE publicist Kellie Baldyga immediately emailed the author of the piece, Chuck Ross, and his boss, insisting it be corrected.

She wrote: "We are no longer a wrestling company but rather a global entertainment company with a movie studio, international licensing deals, publisher of three magazines, consumer good distributor and more."

In a follow-up phone conversation with Ross, she then insisted: "We don't do wrestling events, they're entertainments.

"And we don't call them wrestlers, they're superstars and Divas."

After the website removed the story rather than change it, Baldyga sent a follow-up email clarifying once more that: "We are a global media company which is how our chairman, Vince McMahon, positions us."

Blogging about the situation, Ross said: "I kept thinking to myself, is she kidding me? Is this woman mad?

"The company's official name is World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. Its crown jewel is an event called WrestleMania.

"In the best tradition of wrestling on TV since its earliest days, they put on terrific shows with athletes who are performers and they've got storylines that are far more elaborate than any Gorgeous George and Freddie Blassie would have ever imagined.

"Why would they want to run away from who they are, from what's made them wildly successful beyond most people's dreams?"

[AtariLegend]

They should rename Wrestlemania after XXX to Entertainment Maina :p.

 

[nightrain]

WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart has admitted he is confused at the company's decision to distance themselves from the term 'wrestling'.

Last week WWE chairman Vince McMahon ruled that the group's name no longer stands for World Wrestling Entertainment and instructed all employees not to use the W word again.

However, in the second part of SunSport's world exclusive interview with Hart, The Hitman says he can't see why the change has been made.

Hart told us: "I'm kind of scratching my head about that. I don't know that it makes any difference. Wrestling is wrestling. Call it whatever name you want, it's still wrestling.

"I think WWE is synonymous with wrestling. If WWE doesn't stand for World Wrestling Entertainment then what does it stand for? It may be a case of Vince trying to monopolise wrestling even more than he has

"I think a lot of the wrestlers today, judging by the styles they have, they are wrestlers. They are not bodybuilders or powerlifters or strongmen like in the days of Hulk Hogan, where it was more the look.

"The young stars today don't want to be Hulk Hogan. They want to be Bret Hart or Shawn Michaels."

Hart ? speaking to Rob McNichol on The One Sided Ring podcast, also talked about the induction of his one-time enemy Shawn Michaels into the Hall of Fame.

At one point Michaels said he wanted Hart to induct him, but Hart said: "I was never asked.

"I do think that Shawn originally had me in mind but I think it just became natural that Triple H would do it. That made the most sense to me.

"I didn't expect to get asked. But I think Shawn did tell me himself that he had a thought of me doing his induction even a couple of years ago.

"I would have been receptive to it. Being honest, I don't think it would be much of a Hall of Fame without Shawn Michaels. I would have had no problem inducting him. He's got every right to be there, too."

After being involved heavily in the build-up to WrestleMania last year, Hart says he is now content with simply loosely being part of the WWE family.

He also revealed that he is keeping an open mind about his future.

Hart added: "If WWE present something to me that sounds fun, I'm all in. To me, I like to give people a few memories that they never thought they'd get.

"Last year, I did something with Undertaker in the ring on Monday Night Raw.

"It was just a few minutes of me and him in the ring, but I loved it. I loved that I could go back and have a few minutes with him in the ring and for fans to have that moment again.

"They are just little moments but I love those little moments."

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/3537828/Hart-WWE-will-always-be-about-wrestling.html

[nightrain]

SOME of the most memorable matches in wrestling history have taken place at WrestleMania.

From Macho Man Randy Savage v Ricky Steamboat at Wrestlemania 3 to Shawn Michaels v Undertaker at last year's big event, WWE's showcase event frequent provides candidates for match of the year.

This year's show was somewhat disappointing overall, but Triple H against The Deadman was probably the best bout we've seen this year.

WrestleMania has frequently offered a sense of celebrity and razzmatazz to augment the action, but it is merely the flashy side salad ? the wrestling has always been the meaty main course.

But WWE have recently been outed in their desire to rid their company of the forbidden 'W' word, with even Chairman Vince McMahon admitting that he doesn't consider that the initials WWE stand for 'World Wresting Entertainment' any more.

WWE are not a wrestling company, you see. 'Global Entertainment Company', yes. 'High-octane male soap opera', no problem. But not wrestling.

Despite former stars like Bret Hart telling us that the company will always be about wrestling, WWE are so keen to branch out into other forms of media and to be taken seriously, they have happy to distance themselves with the very term which made them their money.

But what does this mean for WrestleMania? That's WRESTLEMania. There surely has to be a very real threat that WWE may opt to alter the name of their biggest show of the year.

The WWE press office failed to respond to multiple requests from SunSport over whether the firm are considering renaming the wrestling extravaganza.

Instead, they released a 'no comment' via their London PR agency.

So SunSport has decided to help WWE out a little. We would like YOU to vote for what you think WWE should change WrestleMania to if they rebrand it.

We know most of you would say you wouldn't like to see a change ? so would we ? but in the hypothetical situation, what would you suggest they go with?

Maybe you'd approve of EntertainmentMania, GlobalMania or ChampionshipMania. Perhaps WWE could focus on the stars of the show and call it SuperstarMania.

Or maybe the safest option would be the existing colloquial contraction of simply 'Mania'.

Tell us what you think. Either send us a vote for one of the above suggestions, or if you have a better idea, let us know using our MySun forum below.

If we come up with something good, we could change the wrestling world forever!

Sorry, we mean 'the Sports Entertainment world'!

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/3542055/Is-this-the-end-of-WrestleMania.html