Weekend ratings, WWE quarter nos., WWE shoots on WWF Submitted by Sudeep Popat on Thursday, November 21, 2002 at 10:12 AM EST
Here are the WWE ratings for last week:
HEAT: 0.9 cable rating, with a 1.4 share
Velocity: 0.8 cable rating, with a 1.4 share
Confidential: 0.6 cable rating, with a 1.3 share
Tough Enough 3: 1.3 cable rating, with a 2.0 share
Ratings are compiled by and the property of Nielsen Media Research.
Here is the non-spoiler line-up for tonight's SmackDown!:
BEGIN HIGHLIGHT WWE Champion The Big Show vs. Edge. Cruiserweight Champion Billy Kidman vs. Yoshihiro Tajiri. Rey Mysterio vs. Jamie Noble. Chavo Guerrero vs. Chris Benoit. Eddie Guerrero vs. Kurt Angle. Rikishi vs. John Cena. END HIGHLIGHT
A big bad booty Byte This! on Friday Less than a week after making his WWE debut, Scott Steiner will join us on Byte This! The show kicks off at 4 p.m. ET this Friday here on WWE.com. We'll also have Edge calling in just one day after getting a title shot against the Big Show! Get your questions ready!
Credit: WWE.com
WWE sent out the following press release today.
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. Reports Second Fiscal Quarter Results
STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 21, 2002--World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:WWE) today announced financial results for its second fiscal quarter ended October 25, 2002.
Total revenues were $92.8 million as compared to $98.2 million in the prior year. The net loss for the quarter was $1.6 million versus net income of $4.8 million in the second fiscal quarter last year. In the current quarter, the Company recorded a $5.9 million charge ($3.7 million after-tax or $0.05 per common share), for the settlement of previously disclosed litigation with William Morris Agency, Inc. The net loss per common share was $0.02 for the quarter as compared to earnings per common share of $0.07 last year.
WWE sent out the following press release yesterday.
World Wrestling Entertainment Calls World Wide Fund for Nature Settlement Demand of $90 Million Ludicrous
STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 20, 2002--
Fund, Led by Legal Advisor with Questionable Background, Plays
Grinch to Wrestling Fans Around the World
The Swiss-based World Wide Fund for Nature ("The Fund") has demanded that World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:WWE), pay $90 million to settle alleged damage claims of $360 million involved in The Fund's United Kingdom lawsuit against the WWE(TM), it was announced by the company.
To pressure the company, The Fund is using a United Kingdom court to block the sale of WWE video game products for Christmas, a Grinch-like move to deny wrestling fans around the world the opportunity to receive these products as Christmas gifts.
The demand was contained in a letter sent by a Mr. Michael Rogers, an English Barrister who has resided in Switzerland for 30 years and who holds no Swiss license to practice law. Rogers is held out to be the Fund's "Legal Advisor."
According to WWE, The Fund repudiated an agreement to extend the date for compliance with an English court's injunction to February 10, 2003, from November 10, 2002, and then immediately demanded, on the eve of the injunction compliance date, a wholly unwarranted payment of $90 million to settle alleged damage claims relating to the use of the initials "WWF" by the company. The Fund, through its legal advisor, has also threatened further action against WWE's licensees that plan to sell videogames and other licensed products during the Christmas season.
The demand and the circumstances surrounding the demand are being reviewed and investigated by WWE's American lawyers. "In my opinion, the demand for $90 million made by this Swiss outfit is nothing more than a shakedown," said Jerry McDevitt of Kirkpatrick and Lockhart. "The Fund has had years to prove that WWE financially damaged The Fund in some way, which is an absurd proposition to begin with since my client has never done anything to harm the interests of The Fund. They have never offered into any court anywhere one iota of evidence that my client caused them a dime's worth of damages," he added.
Recent activities by The Fund's Swiss headquarters to pressure WWE have been consistent with its harassment of the company over the past decade. Prior to its threats against WWE's videogame licensees concerning Christmas, The Fund demanded millions of dollars from Nintendo representatives in Germany because Nintendo advertised and sold WWE videogames under the former WWF scratch logo, while telling Nintendo the financial demands would be discontinued if Nintendo became a substantial financial "sponsor" of The Fund.
"In my opinion, the Swiss-based Fund representatives want to interfere with the Christmas sales of WWE products to maximize their ability to extract monies from WWE, to the detriment of wrestling fans around the world. All of these videogames are sold under new packaging with wrestling scenes clearly depicted on it. The packaging features WWE names and trademarks and does not mention WWF or The Fund in any way. Once somebody buys and plays the game, they may see an old World Wrestling Federation scratch logo. How does that involve or hurt The Fund?," said McDevitt.
McDevitt said WWE decided to release this information because the actions of Rogers and The Fund in Switzerland are highly questionable and at odds with the public image projected by The Fund when fundraising. "The Fund is very secretive in its actions. Indeed, The Fund has never chosen to let the public really know about its activities in regards to WWE. For instance, I'm sure Fund supporters would be surprised to learn that The Fund tried to appropriate the WWF trademark for use with products such as alcohol, tobacco and animal skins. It has never clearly and forthrightly indicated to anyone, even to this day, what damages it believes it or the environment have suffered from professional wrestling," he said.
"There is a pattern and procedure to the activities of Rogers going much deeper which is highly questionable and which raises serious concerns about whether affiliates of the Swiss WWF know of and endorse the tactics of Rogers." said McDevitt. "We have discovered, for example, that when Rogers first moved to Switzerland, he was involved in the business affairs of Investment Overseas Services (IOS), headed by Bernie Kornfield and Robert Vesco, the notorious mutual fund swindlers. Today, according to public records, he is the only authorized Switzerland representative for an entity known as 'The Gaia Movement Trust Living Earth Green World Action', a phony environmental fundraising scheme reportedly under the influence and control of Tvind, a shadowy international syndicate under investigation around the world, whose leaders are sitting in a Danish jail. In between, Rogers was involved, in the mid-1980s, in establishing an Islamic charity known as Dar Al Maal Al Islam or DMI, which is being named in numerous lawsuits after the events of September 11, 2001, as one of the principal vehicles used to funnel Saudi money to fund the Al-Quaida terrorists. Further investigations are underway."
The WWE intends no formal response to the $90 million demand until it ascertains which, if any, of the affiliates of The Fund have authorized Rogers to act on their behalf, and has taken steps to determine that issue.
In a statement issued today, Linda McMahon said "Until recently, we have never understood why this environmental group in Switzerland has harassed us and our business affiliates for over a decade now. We even changed our name, a name we had used for over 20 years, just to make peace with these people. They are the charity. We are not. We did business side-by-side with the American affiliates for The Fund for many years in the United States before Rogers entered the picture. We will not pay extortion or send $90 million of our hard earned money to Swiss bank accounts, and intend to vigorously pursue our rights."
Devin Cutting sent in the following.
LAW Action Heats Up As Winter Approaches
It is an exciting time to be a fan of Lethal Attitude Wrestling (LAW). After two wild weeks of action at the Community Center in Marmaduke, Arkansas, LAW is set to rock the house again Thursday night, Nov. 21, and every Thursday after Thanksgiving at 7:30 pm. Don't miss the hottest weekly wrestling show in the Mid-South today!
Like the old saying goes..."You ain't seen nothing yet!" LAW is proud to announce that the Black River Coliseum in Poplar Bluff, Missouri will host the first-ever "Black River Brawl" on Saturday, Jan. 11. This is the opportunity of a lifetime for wrestling fans as superstars from around the world will gather for this LAW extravaganza.
To kick off the festivities, Bret "Hitman" Hart and "Big Sexy" Kevin Nash will meet and greet ticket holders from 5 - 7 p.m. This is your chance to meet two icons of sports entertainment. If that isn't enough...wait there's more!!!
Many of the biggest names in the business will square off starting at 7:30 pm. Superstars scheduled to appear include:
"The Chosen One" Jeff Jarrett Jerry "The King" Lawler "Too Sexy" Brian Christopher Jerry Lynn AJ Styles Gangrel Luna Vachon Ron "The Truth" Killings (aka K-Kwik)
Tickets for this event go on sale Saturday, Dec. 7. For more info, e-mail lethalattitude@yahoo.com or visit http://www.lawwrestling.cjb.net/.
